Chapter 836: Whispers of Fate

When the question was asked, Lu Xin’s expression turned grave.

The Moon Eclipse Research Institute mentioned that Mom left something important behind for him—of course, that included her message.

Lu Xin had assumed it was a letter or some other item, but he never expected that she had left behind a person.

Back when he first encountered Little Nineteen, Mom sent her to the Moon Eclipse Research Institute because she had been affected by a certain form of mental power wielded by Chen Xun. Without being sent there, she might not have survived. It initially appeared to be an act to save her, but after hearing what Fourteen had to say, Lu Xin suddenly felt that things were far from simple.

If Little Nineteen was forced into it, then Fourteen was evidently doing just fine in his little room.

Why did Mom take him out of prison and send him to the Research Institute, and only bring him before her now?

After all, Mom didn’t belong to the Orphanage, and in essence, she wasn’t connected to them…

……

……

“It’s a bit complicated…”

Fourteen replied in a slightly muddled tone.

The Doll had already brought in plenty of food.

She was incredibly enthusiastic.

And after hearing Fourteen mention that the food was of top quality—something unusual for this Villa, since both she and Lu Xin usually ate ordinary meals—she immediately grabbed food from the Nanny Teams’ Cafeteria: large chunks of beef, pork hocks, and whole roast chickens.

Fourteen was so excited that he chomped away, shouting ‘Sister-in-law’ with every bite.

The Doll, clearly both shy and delighted, was eager to rush off and grab more food for him.

Fortunately, Lu Xin managed to persuade her otherwise.

Then the Doll sat quietly to the side, and when Lu Xin spoke of family matters, she didn’t try to avoid the topic.

“For a long time, the Ultimate… no, the Cleaning Lady never told me what I was supposed to do.”

Astonishingly, Fourteen managed to talk and eat at the same time. Although his words were a bit slurred, it didn’t seem to hinder his message:

“Back then, I spent my days at the Research Institute, just being carried to bed for tests every day.”

“But luckily, while I was on the operating table at the Institute, they didn’t cut me open—they only occasionally drew some blood.”

“Also, the meals at the Institute were leagues ahead of what they served at the Orphanage.”

“Usually, they’d lock me up in some underground place, claiming it was part of my sentence.”

“Then, Little Nineteen showed up…”

“…”

Listening to his rambling, Lu Xin couldn’t help but grow impatient.

He almost wanted to stop him from eating so eagerly, his mouth moving non-stop.

“Until about half a year ago… or maybe it was a year ago—something like that…”

Fourteen said, “That’s when I finally saw the Cleaning Lady again.”

“At that time, Little Nineteen had been healed as well, and she and I were in the same place when we saw her.”

“Back then, though, she looked quite different from the first time I met her.”

“It was as if she’d just been in a fight; her appearance was a bit haggard.”

“After seeing me, her first words were utterly baffling.”

“She said something like, ‘So you really do have a connection with them’…”

“…That was it—just a self-talk remark, and then she stared at me intently…”

“She’s the Ultimate after all—I could feel her terrifying presence…”

“Yet she was quite courteous, saying there might be one favor she’d have to ask of us in the future…”

“…”

“What is it?”

At this point, Lu Xin could bear it no longer. Grabbing Fourteen’s greasy hand tightly, he asked with concern.

“Oh dear…”

Fourteen jumped, and for a moment genuine fear flashed in his eyes.

But he quickly masked it, reverting to his usual bewildered expression.

Simply, without a word, he withdrew his hand and promptly brought a pork hock fresh from the fridge to his mouth, chewing it down in just a few bites. Then he suddenly looked up, fixing his gaze on Lu Xin’s face.

At that moment, Lu Xin, lost in his own thoughts, was startled by that piercing look.

For a fleeting moment, a strange glimmer shone in Fourteen’s eyes.

Lu Xin could faintly see something resembling a swarm of insects rapidly stretching out from his eye sockets, crawling toward his eyes.

……

……

In that instant, Lu Xin could have easily swatted the insects away with a mere thought.

But he held back, letting them touch his eyes—only for his mind to suddenly spiral into dizziness.

In his fluttering state, he noticed Fourteen’s features harden as he solemnly said:

“Stop Wang Jingyun!”

“The most dangerous aren’t those trying to reboot the world, but those willing to sacrifice destiny.”

“I can’t read his mind, but I can feel a terrifying fanaticism—as if it could burn everything to ash…”

“So we have to uncover his secret…”

“Before the Trial of the Divine he has planned for you comes to pass, we must stop him.”

“I can’t help you any further…”

“The last piece of advice I leave you with is to remember your original promise—break free from fate…”

“…”

“…”

Hearing his words, Lu Xin froze; his eyes barely moving.

Although it was Fourteen’s voice, the moment Lu Xin heard him, he knew it was the genuine message.

It carried Mom’s tone.

This truly was the message Mom had delivered to him through Fourteen.

It felt like a hallucination, and when Lu Xin snapped back to attention, the peculiar spectacle in Fourteen’s eyes had vanished.

No more insects, and no trace of that grave expression.

Instead, he was greedily fixated on a silver tray holding a lamb chop wrapped in foil, eagerly grabbing and devouring it.

Even though he had already eaten two roast chickens and a pork hock, he still appeared even hungrier.

Yet from the slight unease in his expression, Lu Xin was convinced that the information he’d just received was truly meant for him.

Stop Wang Jingyun…

So, this was Mom’s message left for him?

The most terrifying thing isn’t someone keen on rebooting the world, but someone intent on sacrificing destiny…

In Mom’s eyes, was the Old Director the most fearsome?

She is the Keeper of Fate, yet even she couldn’t see the future of the Old Director—only feel his dreadful fanaticism.

Lu Xin suddenly felt a heavy wave of oppression descend upon him.

Was this the scheme that Mom had set into motion ever since she met that ‘Violin Brain’ in White Pagoda Town?

If so, why didn’t she tell him directly, or leave him a note, or some other form of message?

Why rely on someone as seemingly unreliable as Fourteen?

And why did Fourteen choose such an ambiguous method to pass on the message—what was he so afraid of?

……

……

Countless questions surged through Lu Xin’s mind.

He couldn’t help but look at Fourteen with desperate hope, wishing he would reveal more secrets.

“Jiu Ge, stop giving me that look…”

Fourteen’s body stiffened slightly, and no amount of fat on his face could hide his panic. Shifting uncomfortably, he said, “Back at the Orphanage, I was actually pretty scared of you—especially after what happened later. I even ended up with lingering aftereffects from you… At that time, the Cleaning Lady didn’t say much; she only told me to pass these words on to you…”

“And, when necessary, to come help you…”

“…”

Listening to him, Lu Xin’s brows furrowed in frustration.

His instinct told him not to fully trust Fourteen, and the look in his eyes changed accordingly.

In his gut, Lu Xin felt that the Fourteen who was speaking now was different from the one who had just delivered the message.

“It’s true…”

Clearly unsettled by Lu Xin’s reaction, Fourteen’s voice took on a tone of grievance, “Jiu Ge, think about it…”

“I really am useless—a discarded nobody thrown out by that mysterious organization. Even Little Nineteen, back then, did so much better; she managed to become Chen Xun’s trusted aide, while I couldn’t even land an upgrade surgery. They just tossed me out…”

“Tell me, if the Cleaning Lady had something truly important to entrust to me, would she really let her guard down?”

“If she can’t even trust herself, how am I supposed to be trusted…”

“…”

“You…”

Those words left Lu Xin momentarily speechless.

He felt a twinge of resentment that the message was so sparse, yet he also sensed that Fourteen’s words were genuine.

Still, he remained confused.

Amid so much chaotic information, there had to be a hidden thread…

“The key to solving the problem is that everyone must remember their original promise…”

That thought made Lu Xin furrow his brows even more tightly.

He’d made many promises in the past.

To bring Mom back.

To restore his family.

To… stop the First Researcher’s plan.

And…

“Big Monster…”

Just as Lu Xin felt his mind ready to explode, a small hand tugged at him.

Lu Xin turned to see Little Nineteen.

She looked timid, barely meeting his eyes as she whispered,

“Big Monster promised to take Little Monster away from there…”

“…”

In that moment, listening to Little Nineteen’s meek words, a shiver like an electric current ran deep within Lu Xin’s body.

Yes!

He had made many promises, but there was only one true original promise…

Big Monster had vowed to take them away from that place when he was still too naive to understand.

So…

In an instant of clarity, Lu Xin felt as though he had found a loose thread in a tangle of chaos.

And then, suddenly, everything began to make sense.

He sank into deep contemplation.

The few words Mom had left him through Fourteen suddenly became vivid and clear.

At the very least, he now understood what was most important.

The Orphanage was already destroyed.

But that Lab still existed…

Just like Chen Xun’s cry before he died, he had never truly escaped the experiments.

Neither had the other children.

The Lab might have been physically obliterated, but the children from the Orphanage remained under the Old Director’s control.

As long as the Old Director lived, none had truly escaped that Lab.

The most terrifying constant was the Old Director.

Was Mom trying to tell him that the way to counter the Old Director was to help all the children escape their grim fate?