Translator: CinderTL
Every child received a gift, but Jiang Cheng's attention was fixed on the bag in No. 10's hand.
After distributing the last gift, No. 10 folded the bag carefully and put it away. Then, holding a child's hand in each hand, with No. 4 riding on his shoulders, the group returned, laughing and chatting.
Didn't No. 10 receive a gift himself?
A sudden pang of thought struck Jiang Cheng. For a fleeting moment, No. 10 seemed familiar, but the feeling vanished as quickly as it had come.
In the next instant, the thought was washed away, as if it had never crossed his mind.
Jiang Cheng followed the children, observing that being allowed to play outside was clearly a rare luxury for them. No. 10 carried the hopes of all the children.
Standing behind them, Jiang Cheng silently studied No. 10. He wasn't the tallest, just a bit chubby, and unremarkable among the older children. Yet now, surrounded by them, he seemed like their older brother.
Satisfied with their gifts, the children returned to their rooms one by one.
The younger children clearly favored No. 10. After the skinny No. 4 jumped off No. 10, he affectionately reached up with both hands to rub No. 10's face.
No. 8, holding his little hammer high, skipped merrily into his own room like a young deer.
No. 10 escorted each child back to their room. As they turned to bid him farewell, Number 13 stood at his door, his gift a deck of cards.
Clutching the cards in his left hand and holding No. 10's hand with his right, Number 13 tilted his head and simply stared at him, appearing utterly dependent and unwilling to let go.
Finally, No. 10 knelt down, stroked his small head, and said something. Only then did Number 13 reluctantly release his hand and retreat into his room.
Jiang Cheng stood nearby, silently observing the scene. A faint envy stirred within him for these abandoned children.
After escorting the last child back and closing the door, No. 10 returned to his own room.
The door bore the number 10, and the room had no lock.
Compared to the other children's rooms, Room 10 was starkly simple, devoid of any decorations. The only furnishing was an iron bed covered with blue and white sheets.
The iron bed was bolted to the floor, appearing sturdy and unyielding.
Back in his room, Number 10 moved slowly, his body slightly hunched as if all his vitality had been drained.
He shuffled to the edge of the bed, sat down, drew up his legs, bent his knees, and rested his head on them, curling into a fetal position.
Clasping his legs, he stared at the wall, unmoving.
He seemed lost in thought, yet also like a stray dog on the street.
All he left for Jiang Cheng outside the door was his lonely back.
The scene of desolation stood in stark contrast to the earlier laughter and joy, as if everything that had just happened had been an illusion.
Perhaps those children hadn't even existed. Perhaps they were merely figments of Number 10's imagination, a means of comforting himself.
Creak—
A strange wind blew from an unexpected direction, causing the iron Gate to sway slightly and emit a grating sound. Number 10 seemed to sense something and turned his head just as he caught sight of Jiang Cheng standing by the door.
It was strange. Jiang Cheng had followed him the entire way, yet Number 10 hadn't noticed him once. And the children hadn't seemed inclined to alert him either.
Jiang Cheng felt like a forgotten ghost, wandering through the orphanage, a place brimming with stories and secrets.
A strange, misty haze clung to No. 10's face, obscuring his features. Jiang Cheng couldn't see clearly, but he could sense the moment No. 10's dull eyes lit up upon seeing him. "Zero?"
No. 10 scrambled out of bed, his voice filled with delight. "How did you get out? Didn't the Master—"
He abruptly stopped, then, as if realizing something, immediately hunched his neck and lowered his voice. "You snuck out again, didn't you?"
Jiang Cheng considered this. He had indeed snuck out, so he nodded and replied, "Yes."
But the moment he spoke, an icy chill instantly enveloped him. "This voice... how did it change?"
His voice had transformed. No longer flat and cold, it was now a childish, even somewhat cute, doll-like tone.
It was the voice of a child.
As if realizing something, he reached out and focused on his arm. Slowly, the strange gray mist seemed to recede slightly.
How could this be?!
His arm was thin and short, clearly the arm of a child, no older than six.
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Had he transmigrated?
Had he transmigrated into a child's body, or was this his true form, and he was merely recalling lost memories?
As he pondered, a hand landed on his head and ruffled his hair. "Hmph—, I'll let it slide this time, but you need to be more careful next time, understand, Zero?"
"Come on." Number 10 pulled his hand and led him toward the bed. He lifted the mattress and, in a hidden corner beneath it, retrieved a tightly rolled-up pouch.
Number 10 carefully unwrapped the pouch. It was wrapped layer upon layer, but surprisingly small, even smaller than a regular pencil case.
Holding the pouch, Number 10's tone brightened. "I... I was planning to give this to you on your birthday, but I didn't know you'd sneak out today, so I didn't prepare a gift. Consider this an early present!"
"Happy birthday, Zero."
Slowly opening the bag, the texture felt soft, but not with the springiness of a plush toy. Instead, it was...
Jiang Cheng's fingers trembled violently as he saw the gift.
Beneath layers of wrapping lay only two small packets of coffee.
Instant coffee. The cheap kind that used to sell for one yuan a packet at street-side convenience stores, but had recently gone up in price.
In Jiang Cheng's hazy memories, this was the only kind he ever drank.
Not just because it was cheap, but because he was used to it—a habit he'd formed long ago, he couldn't even remember when.
Number 10 watched him, then seemed to realize something. His voice dropped to a whisper as he crouched beside him, as if sharing a secret. "Zero, I once overheard the Master talking to someone else. They said you're not like us."
Number 10 scratched his head, his tone uncertain. "They said you come from another world. They call you Zero because you're about to usher in a new era, from nothing to something."
"They also called you the Key, saying only you can open the Gate to that other world." Number 10 spoke with a mix of confusion and earnestness. "Through a Gate."
"Once the two worlds fully merge, none of us will be considered outsiders anymore. We won't have to hide in the shadows."
"We'll become the sole gods of this new era."
(End of the Chapter)
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