Chapter 844: Clashing Past and Present

Have you learned how to dress yet?

Lu Xin thought to himself, suddenly realizing that Number Three wasn’t wrong at all.

He studied Number Three closely, noting how he looked no different from an ordinary person.

His skin was as delicate and soft as anyone’s, complete with the fine, short hairs and real textures.

It had a slight pallor, which only made him look a bit unwell.

Yet his lean physique, handsome features, and taut muscles gave him an aura of strength.

Who would have thought that this very body was nothing more than a dead pig’s?

Lu Xin examined him carefully, a spark of curiosity rising within.

What ability does Number Three possess?

How can he turn a dead pig into his own body?

Lu Xin could feel his Mental Power; it was through that very sensation he detected Number Three’s unique Mental Power hidden beneath his striking appearance. Still, he couldn’t figure out exactly how this transformation was achieved.

It seemed that the children at the Orphanage all possessed abilities that defied common logic…

…

…

“I know, Number Three.”

Lu Xin fell silent for a moment, then gathered his thoughts and said to Number Three, “Actually, I’ve been looking for you all. I just wanted to see how you were doing—I never meant to ask for help or anything else. But just a few days ago, I learned something important about our Orphanage Director. I found out he’s been watching us, even controlling us.”

“That’s why I’ve changed my target. I not only want to find you, but I also need your help.”

“…”

He spoke slowly and earnestly, letting out a soft sigh before adding, “The Orphanage Director is truly terrifying.”

“I’m sure you know the feeling.”

“…”

“Terrifying?”

Number Three smirked, his eyes glittering as he flexed his broad chest and sneered, “That’s not something I would expect you to say.”

Lu Xin was momentarily at a loss for words.

After a brief silence, he looked at Number Three, who stood there shirtless, and suddenly felt a slight tinge of embarrassment.

“Maybe you should put your clothes on first…”

“…”

“…”

Number Three froze for a moment, then laughed coldly, “I’m already dressed, aren’t I?”

Even as he said that, he turned and opened a cabinet.

Inside were rows of neatly arranged suits, along with belts, shoes, underwear, and socks.

He casually grabbed a suit and began methodically dressing, chuckling as he said:

“Wang Jingyun is really something. I once tried to ambush him, but he ended up hanging me in a refrigerated cabinet, spending the whole night with a dead pig.”

“But…”

He buttoned the top button on his shirt, started tying his tie, and with a raised eyebrow he looked at Lu Xin:

“Aren’t you a little scary yourself?”

“…”

“I…”

Lu Xin instinctively began to speak but then faltered.

“Back then, you literally pulled my heart out of my mouth by hand…”

Number Three burst into a cold laugh and patted the spot over his heart, saying, “That heart isn’t even the original anymore. Sometimes I can’t help but wonder: if it grows back, can it still be called my own?”

“It’s all thanks to you.”

As he spoke, he untangled his tie and re-tied it, his gaze on Lu Xin growing dark:

“The Orphanage Director is indeed frightening, but you’re just as scary.”

“Number Nine, I did rein it in earlier not because I don’t hate you…”

He grinned coldly, his voice laced with a chill, “but because I’m still as afraid of you as before…”

“I…”

After hearing Number Three’s words, Lu Xin fell silent for a while before saying, “I’m not the same as I used to be…”

But at that, Number Three merely laughed coldly.

Even Lu Xin suddenly felt that his explanation sounded rather feeble.

After a moment of thought, he mustered the courage to look up and say, “Number Three, could we find a place to talk?”

“Talk?”

Number Three raised an eyebrow, his face full of scorn.

“Yes.”

Before Number Three could refuse, Lu Xin quickly added, “Let’s find somewhere decent to sit down and really talk it over.”

“It’s on me.”

With a smile, he continued, “And it won’t be just me. There’ll be Little Seventeen, Little Nineteen, and Fourteen, too.”

“…”

“Seventeen?”

Number Three visibly paused, clearly surprised.

But he didn’t press further, only noticing Lu Xin’s slightly apprehensive, worried, and expectant look.

After several seconds of silence, he suddenly sneered, “Alright then.”

“But you better find a place big enough,” he added.

“…”

“Fine.”

Lu Xin’s heart raced as he agreed immediately.

After agreeing, he couldn’t help but wonder why Number Three insisted on a “big place.”

“I may hate you and fear you, but we did go through experiments together, after all.”

By then, Number Three had tied his shoelaces and, with a lazy smile, said, “So, you must meet my family.”

“Family?”

Lu Xin was mildly shocked, “Number Three has a family now?”

…

…

What happened next felt surreal to Lu Xin.

He and Number Three left the meat factory and met up with Fourteen and the others, though Number Three remained distant.

He coldly dropped a hotel address on Lu Xin, instructing him to book the largest room available.

Meanwhile, Number Three got into his blue sports car and soon vanished.

Lu Xin, Fourteen, and Little Nineteen exchanged looks and could only head to the address Number Three had provided…

“Damn…”

That was the first thought that crossed Lu Xin’s mind upon arriving.

The address from Number Three turned out to be for the most luxurious hotel in Satellite City.

The largest room could accommodate twenty to thirty people, with a minimum charge of three thousand yuan!

Three thousand…

Lu Xin felt a strange sensation—he’d never imagined a meal could cost three thousand yuan.

But then he was shocked all over again.

Number Three wasn’t lying; he really had brought his entire family.

A full family, all there.

Among them was a gentle woman—his wife.

Cradled in his wife’s arms was a child, their offspring.

Beside them were a young man and a girl—children from his wife’s previous marriage.

Near them sat a pair of kind elderly people—his father-in-law and mother-in-law.

And with them was another family—his wife’s younger brother’s family.

Everyone sat down together, and Number Three began calling for the dishes.

He ordered from the most expensive to the cheaper items: a 300-yuan bowl of Buddha Jumps Over the Wall per person, complete with a poison talisman.

Even his wife felt a bit embarrassed and urged him not to order such expensive food.

But Number Three shot Lu Xin a cold glance and said, “It’s fine. A classmate of mine owes me for this…”

…

…

Lu Xin had no choice but to sit in the host’s seat. On his left was Number Three’s father-in-law; on his right, his mother-in-law.

His Sister, Little Nineteen, and Fourteen all sat obediently around the table.

Thanks to Lu Xin’s Illusory Power, they all looked perfectly normal at that moment.

Little Nineteen’s scars had disappeared, leaving her looking like a petite, delicate girl.

Even the dining knife she usually carried was hidden by the Illusory Power, making it invisible to others.

His Sister now had a physical form, dressed in a pretty little skirt and wearing a white sun hat.

Number Three’s family showed no signs of anything unusual.

Until now, Lu Xin had never imagined that Number Three’s family could be ordinary people.

Ordinary people, to the point that when they learned Lu Xin was Number Three’s classmate, they eagerly grabbed his hand to ask where he lived and what he did for work.

When Lu Xin honestly admitted he was a supervisor at a Business Company, they even boasted that Number Three was now a public servant, having become the secretary to the Director at the Administration Hall at such a young age. They all claimed it was due to recognition from higher-ups, and so on…

Lu Xin could only hold his cup and reply that he’d known since childhood he was destined for success.

Then, almost inadvertently, he unbuttoned his sleeve to reveal a 200,000-yuan wristwatch.

Unfortunately, neither Number Three nor anyone else in his large family seemed to notice.

When he thought about it, it was the first time during an encounter with Orphanage children that he felt such a heavy, downcast mood.

Number Three’s development now appeared to be somewhat better than Lu Xin’s…

Not working as a Cleaner or a low-level clerk, but actually serving as the secretary to the Director at the Administration Hall.

Lu Xin still hadn’t registered his marriage, while Number Three already had three children…

Of course, Lu Xin had no reason to feel inferior.

Even though Number Three had made it to the position of secretary at the Administration Hall of Soda City, he might not have been involved in any ten-billion-yuan projects.

Sigh…

Lu Xin shook his head, banishing the chaotic thoughts from his mind.

He then turned to Number Three, who was holding a child in one arm and pouring wine for his father-in-law with the other.

The scene was full of happiness and superiority.

Yet whenever Lu Xin thought of Number Three—a monster in a dead pig’s body—even this cheerful family scene evoked an indescribable unease, as if tiny ants were crawling all over his heart.

But he said nothing.

Because he saw the genuine tenderness in the way Number Three cared for his family and the soft looks exchanged with his wife.

For an outsider, even questioning it would seem too harsh.

…

…

Several bottles of high-end Moutai from the Pre-Civilization Era, priced at over a thousand yuan each, were served.

Number Three’s father-in-law, along with his brother-in-law, and others down the line, drank as if the bottles were free under Number Three’s subtle prompting.

Notably, even Fourteen joined in the drinking.

Originally, Lu Xin thought he should just have some local Soda City specialty, considering how fat everyone was.

This soon had Lu Xin feeling a bit tipsy.

After a few rounds, Number Three gave Lu Xin a look and led him up to the hotel’s rooftop for a chat.

“Did you see that?”

Number Three, casually puffing on a Golden Cigarette he had snatched from the hotel counter and dressed in a white suit, said lazily.

It was a simple sentence, but Lu Xin understood its meaning perfectly.

“I saw it.”

Lu Xin took a cigarette as well, nodding slightly, “I get it, Number Three. Just like you, I have a family—maybe not as many as yours, but just as warm and happy.”

“So, take good care of your family.”

“…”

Number Three glanced at Lu Xin, his once lively eyes now dim and oddly gleaming.

“Nothing is more important than taking care of family,” he said.

Lu Xin smiled warmly, extending his hand as he said, “Whether you help or not is secondary. What matters is seeing you again.”

“I’m happy to see you doing well, Number Three.”

“…”

Number Three was momentarily taken aback.

His eyes, tinged with a dull gray, searched Lu Xin’s face as if seeking something more.

But Lu Xin’s smile was genuine as he held out his hand, looking earnestly at him.

After a long pause, Number Three didn’t shake Lu Xin’s hand; instead, he suddenly laughed coldly, dropped the cigarette he had barely taken a puff from, and tossed it on the ground.

Turning towards the room, he said, “After this meal, consider our debts even—for all the wrongs you’ve done.”

“…”

Lu Xin stared at the extinguished cigarette butt, lost in thought for a moment.

Then, a light feeling of ease overcame him, and he quickened his pace to catch up, asking, “Should we order more dishes?”

Number Three retorted, “I’ve got enough… money!”