Players, Please Board the Train

Chapter 478: The World of Adults

Xu Huo had never shown his real face to Dr. Deng, and he certainly had no plans to do so for now. Dr. Deng was not a trustworthy person, but his knowledge in pharmacology was something Xu Huo needed.

Whether to kill or spare this man wasn't an urgent matter for the moment, and there was no need to deal with him immediately. It was better to first see what he intended to do.

After casually agreeing to a meeting with no set time, he put the matter aside for now.

Next, he prepared to deal with the Ghostly Shadow he had brought back from the Deep Blue Laboratory.

He had Mr. Dong prepare a sealed room. After entering, he took the Ghostly Shadow out from the luggage compartment.

This thing could wrap around faces, so he first put on the "Oxygen Supply." While inside the luggage compartment, the Ghostly Shadow had been relatively docile, but the moment he let go, it shot around the room like a popped balloon. After finding nowhere to escape, it plastered itself against the wall. Xu Huo took a step, and it moved a step as well.

The Ghostly Shadow looked like an unfinished painting. At a glance, it appeared quite realistic, but it couldn't withstand closer inspection. Its ability to intimidate was fleeting.

Xu Huo tapped twice on the door panel, and the room began to shrink.

The Ghostly Shadow seemed to sense this and started scurrying across the walls. Unfortunately, no matter how much it ran, it couldn't escape, instead getting closer and closer to Xu Huo.

Noticing that its primary response was evasion, with no intent to actively attack, Xu Huo paused and said, "You can only exert your power within that laboratory, can't you?"The Ghostly Shadow stubbornly clung to the wall, as if tacitly agreeing with his words.

"Then what's the use of capturing you?" Xu Huo expressed displeasure, as if he had made a very poor bargain. He then spoke towards the door, "Lock it up."

The room, which had already shrunk to a size that could only accommodate three or four people, suddenly split in half from the middle, trapping the Ghostly Shadow on the other side. Hearing the thumping sounds from behind the wall, Xu Huo raised an eyebrow, "Seems quite energetic after all."

After leaving the room, he said to Mr. Dong, "Please keep it locked up for a few days."

Mr. Dong nodded. As he closed the door, he asked Xu Huo, "Should I prepare Madame Butterfly's meal today?"

From his inquiry, Xu Huo detected an intention to see the guest off. However, just then, the sound of a car stopping could be heard outside. He smiled and said, "I'm afraid you'll still have to prepare as usual. Prepare normal meals. Perhaps if she loses her reason to oppose, she'll leave."

Mr. Dong appeared somewhat reluctant but soon indicated he would do as instructed.

Sure enough, Bai Kou had returned downstairs, bringing back with her a large pile of shopping boxes, all containing her clothes and shoes. Without any reservation, she spread them all over the living room sofa.

Seeing Xu Huo and Mr. Dong coming downstairs, she took out one of the boxes, "This is your formal attire."

Xu Huo was quite surprised, "No need to be so formal. I can prepare my own."

"No need to thank me," Bai Kou said with a smile. "Duke Tal picked it out for you."

Opening the box, Xu Huo immediately understood why the Duke had been so kind as to prepare formal attire for him—a bright red suit with matching leather shoes. Not even normal people getting married would dress like this.

"Are you going to wear it?" Bai Kou asked casually.

"What do you think?" Xu Huo casually set the box down and asked her, "Would you be interested in making a trip to the Welfare Home?"

Bai Kou immediately grasped his intention, "You want to use charity to open the door to the noble circles of District 011?"

"That depends on the situation," Xu Huo said, taking his coat and umbrella from Mr. Dong.

Bai Kou wasn't very interested in this. After deliberately making things difficult for Mr. Dong by ordering numerous complicated dishes, she went upstairs.

Xu Huo didn't mind and went to the Welfare Home alone.

When he had previously taken those children to the Welfare Home, the place was crowded and chaotic. The staff there also didn't want to take in more children, so the situation wasn't good at the time. But today, upon arrival, he saw that both the inside and outside of the Welfare Home had been cleaned thoroughly.

He stopped a passing staff member, "Where have all the children gone?"

"Some guests are visiting today. They've gone to the auditorium," the staff member seemed to remember him. "The two children you sent are hiding in their room and not cooperating. Have you come to take them away this time?"

Xu Huo shook his head. The staff member then hurried off towards the auditorium with a stern expression.

Xu Huo turned and headed to the dormitory to look for them. Welfare Homes were usually funded by nobles, so the living conditions were decent. As he reached the doorway, he saw the two children squatting in front of the bed, staring blankly at the sky outside. Scattered mechanical parts lay on the bed and floor.

The younger one noticed him first and shouted happily, "Uncle Clown!"

Hearing this, the older one also immediately turned around but was more restrained, simply calling him "Uncle."

Xu Huo set down the daily necessities he had bought for them, "What are you doing here?"

"Doing handicraft work," said the older one, Yang Qing. "We can exchange this for money."

"Why aren't you going to the auditorium? I heard the visiting guests have prepared gifts for each child," Xu Huo said.

"They're all things that look nice but aren't useful," Yang Qing replied. "And if they were valuable, the people at the Welfare Home wouldn't give them to us in the end."

"Uncle Clown, I don't want to stay here. I want to go home," the younger one, Lü Sihao, asked anxiously. "Has my dad come back?"

The Welfare Home would verify a child's identity information upon admission. If there were still family members, they wouldn't allow the child to enter.

"When you're a bit older, go back and see for yourself," Xu Huo said, then looked towards the doorway. Someone was coming over.

"...This is the children's dormitory. Every standard strictly adheres to government requirements. Moreover, to make the children's stay more comfortable, we've prepared different scented incense, rotating from Monday to Sunday to ensure they can sleep peacefully."

The speaker was the Director of the Welfare Home. He was smiling warmly at a middle-aged noblewoman. However, when his gaze fell upon the people in the dormitory, his expression immediately darkened, especially upon seeing the items on the bed that hadn't been tidied up yet.

"What is this?" the noblewoman asked, looking at the things on the bed. "Do the children usually need to do handicraft work? Are the government funds and our donations not enough for these children to attend school and study?"

The Director quickly smiled apologetically and said it wasn't like that, explaining it was just the children's hobby and not something required by the Welfare Home.

"Is Madam truly concerned about these children?" Xu Huo interrupted the Director at this moment, looking at the noblewoman.

The noblewoman looked at him, "You are?"

"Passerby," Xu Huo stepped forward, smiling. "Rather than questioning the truth of this matter, Madam, why not consider replacing the Director? After all, if the person isn't changed, even if he can promise not to make the children work to subsidize the Welfare Home in the future, he'll find other ways to make up for it. If he takes his frustration out on the children, wouldn't they be even more innocent?"

"Losing their parents is already pitiful enough. I imagine Madam also feels that, at such a young age, they have already endured the pain of losing both parents, which is why she personally came here to care for them. If that's the case, why let the children glimpse the world of adults ahead of time?"