Chapter 837: Retrieving Lost Voices

Find the children in the orphanage.

Gather them and truly escape that dreadful lab.

Even if it means assuming the identity of a terrifying monster.

……

……

Lu Xin was certain that the most crucial message left by Mom was precisely this.

It stirred up a mix of conflicting emotions inside him.

He had always intended to recover the children from the orphanage, never wavering from that goal.

Whether driven by guilt, longing, personal obsession, or something else, he had to bring them back.

It was precisely because of that unwavering resolve that he had previously asked Number Eight to track down the whereabouts of the others.

Yet his desire to retrieve them was solely for the sake of getting them back.

But within Mom’s message, it seemed these children carried another secret. Could it be that the Old Director’s inexplicable, almost fanatical intensity—even Mom couldn’t fully grasp—was somehow connected to the remaining tribe of orphanage kids?

After a long moment, Lu Xin gently rubbed his face.

His gaze casually swept over his Sister, Little Nineteen, and even Fourteen, whose mouth was smeared with oil from his meal.

Inside, a slight sense of relief stirred.

After a moment’s pause, he asked Fourteen, “Old Director…”

He hesitated mid-sentence.

A blend of caution, fear, and resentment made him reluctant to use that title.

Yet, somehow, the name always slipped out whenever he spoke.

After a brief pause, he simply shook his head and said, “Old Director, did he do something to you?”

Since Mom had said he must retrieve the children from the orphanage—and had even helped him recover one—it was clear that these kids must hold some secret.

Lu Xin refrained from asking Little Nineteen because she was too young; when she left the orphanage, she was barely a child. Over the years, certain experiments at the Black Table had left indelible marks on her. Lu Xin could sense that she now bore deep psychological scars, rendering her unable to communicate properly.

The Fourteen before him seemed to be the most reliable.

In relative terms, the most dependable.

After all, it was he who had brought Lu Xin Mom’s message—Mom was the first one to find him, though whether there was a deeper meaning remained unclear.

“I don’t know,”

but as Lu Xin looked at him expectantly, Fourteen shook his head without hesitation.

“He just saved us, only to abandon us one by one…”

“……”

Lu Xin was momentarily stunned, feeling that Fourteen might actually be speaking the truth.

After all, if something significant had happened, surely when he met Number Eight or Number Two, they would have told him, right?

“But…”

Just as Lu Xin sunk into deep thought, Fourteen—who had been wolfing down chicken legs—suddenly paused. His eyes flickered and his expression took on an odd hue as he said to Lu Xin:

“Now that I think about it, it is rather strange.”

“From what I know of our Old Director, he’s a man with a clear goal, relentlessly efficient.”

“Yet after that incident, he saved us one by one and then cast us aside…”

“Don’t you think it’s all a waste of time?”

“……”

A spark of thought crossed Lu Xin’s mind as he looked up at Fourteen.

It was a question often overlooked, yet it struck him as pivotal.

Indeed, back then the Old Director had rescued a few children.

But now, aside from Number Seven, none of those he rescued had remained by his side to assist him.

So, did he only save as many as he could, or

or did he select those few because they served a special purpose?

The latter clearly aligned with the Old Director’s nature, yet he still let them go.

……

……

Abruptly, with his heart pounding, Lu Xin hurriedly asked, “After you left, did he do anything else to you?”

“He did nothing…”

Fourteen silently picked up a giant-clawed sea prawn but didn’t pop it in his mouth.

He toyed with its massive claws and slowly said,

“We were rescued at different times and from different places, so I can’t say exactly who he pulled back from death… Perhaps Number Seven and Number Eight know, since one was always with the Old Director, and the other was rescued quite early.”

“All I know is that after we were saved, we followed the Old Director for a while…”

“During that period…”

“……”

“Jiu Ge, you were lucky.”

Then he suddenly looked at Lu Xin and grinned, “You have no idea—Old Director has a terrifying side…”

“After leaving the orphanage, he wasn’t the same hotheaded man as before.”

“I once witnessed him turn a massive settlement—almost the scale of High-wall City—into a fanatical cult within a single week. Even the elderly, women, and children were armed and charging into battle for him…”

“They worshipped him with maddening devotion, and he wouldn’t hesitate to send them to their deaths…”

“He may seem like an ordinary man, but it’s as if a devil resided within him…”

“……”

After a pause, his voice lowered as he continued, “After we left the orphanage, we rarely found a place to settle down. None of us ever gathered together like before. Some tried to defy him, but it was futile. Others desperately sought his favor… but to no avail…”

“Of course, many of us—myself included—only dreamed of escaping him forever…”

“……”

At that moment, a shadow of melancholy crossed Fourteen’s chubby face.

“But in the end, none of it mattered.”

After a pause he added, “Gradually, we all drifted apart.”

“Some were abandoned by the Old Director, while others left of their own accord, and he never objected.”

“For a few years, it was as if he suddenly softened and let us go.”

“But…”

“……”

He paused, his face suddenly tightening as he lowered his voice, “I’ve always had a feeling…”

“Old Director has been watching us all along.”

“No matter where we hide or what we do, he’s always there…”

“Even now!”

“……”

“Swish!”

Fourteen’s words sent a chill down Lu Xin’s spine.

He wasn’t sure if it was just Fourteen’s habit of scaring people or a rare moment of genuine feeling.

All he felt was a subtle shiver crawling over him.

Instinctively, he narrowed his eyes and scanned his surroundings—but found nothing.

When he opened his eyes again, he noticed Doll looking around curiously with a confused expression.

Meanwhile, his Sister and Little Nineteen clearly appeared frightened and instinctively moved closer.

After finishing that monologue, Fourteen fell silent and resumed eating, his head bowed.

Though his stomach seemed full, he continued shoveling food into his mouth.

It was as if Fourteen’s words had unlocked a floodgate of fear within everyone.

Lu Xin hadn’t felt that unsettling gaze before, yet he couldn’t deny that he sometimes sensed it himself…

After all, he had been forced to endure six trials…

How had the Old Director managed to seal his fate so completely? Could it be that he had been watching him all along?

……

……

In the heavy, oppressive atmosphere, Lu Xin finally let out a soft sigh after a long moment.

“No matter what?”

He murmured, “After all these years, isn’t it time for some resolution?”

Hearing his words, Fourteen paused mid-bite before lowering his head in silent contemplation.

Sister and Little Nineteen edged closer; Sister gently squeezed his hand as if to encourage him. Looking down at her, Lu Xin felt a stirring inside as a crucial question surfaced…

Today, he almost understood everything that had happened to him in the past.

It even encompassed details about Mom and Father.

One was a guardian assigned by the First Researcher; the other was an oppressive presence, using fear as a tool.

But…

“How did Sister come to be? And how did she end up by my side?”

In truth, he had asked that question many times.

Even before he was recruited by the Qinggang Special Cleaning Department, he was curious why there were three unseen family members around him. Mom and Father always exuded a mysterious pressure and kept their secrets. The only one he could question was Sister, yet her responses were always the same. She truly had no idea.

Her only advantage over him was that she had long seen through the true identities of Mom and Father.

“Sigh…”

……

……

“Bring back the people of before!”

In the now subdued room, Lu Xin slowly declared,

“I already asked Number Eight to retrieve our old companions.”

“At that time, even though he didn’t go into details, I could sense that he knew the whereabouts of at least one or two of them…”

“It made sense—after all, he was the only one who would visit old classmates after we parted ways.”

“……”

At these words, Fourteen shot Lu Xin a sidelong glance and asked, “Are you really sure you want to go get them back?”

It was evident that Fourteen was somewhat reluctant.

After a moment’s thought, Lu Xin nodded and said, “Yes—even if I have to go alone…”

“Alright.”

Unexpectedly, Fourteen didn’t wait for him to finish, nodding and sucking on his fingers.

A smile spread across his chubby face as he said,

“I’ll help you find them.”

“……”

Lu Xin was somewhat surprised at Fourteen’s sudden change in attitude, though he noticed that Fourteen still seemed a bit off-kilter.

Yet his words carried a sincere determination.

On either side of him, Sister and Little Nineteen also nodded, affirming their support.

Especially Little Nineteen, who gently raised her hand.

A dining knife that had fallen on the floor in the distance suddenly flew into her hand, which she caught with a swift reverse grip.

The blade glinted sharply in the dim light of the room.

This timid little girl, once she held the knife, exuded a dangerously resolute aura.

A bit further away, Doll—the de facto master among them—nodded seriously.

Her expression conveyed a sense of duty.

This made Lu Xin feel slightly awkward, as this matter had nothing to do with Doll. Dragging her into it didn’t seem right…

But she was determined to participate, and he wasn’t sure how to explain otherwise.

……

……

At that very moment, a mysterious phone call rang out from the Intelligence Gathering Department of the Qinggang Special Cleaning Department.

Han Bing, who had been enjoying a lull since being reassigned from Single Soldier duties, answered immediately. No one spoke on the other end—only a strange, rhythmic tone that tapped softly for a while.

Han Bing scribbled frantically on a piece of paper as her expression grew increasingly grim.

She ended the call and immediately picked up another phone, saying, “Connect me to Professor Bai’s Office.”

“I have important business to report.”