Chapter 115 Orphanage <TOC> Chapter 117 The Male and Female Master Thieves Duo
Translator: SumTLMan
The orphanage’s confinement room was a nightmare for all the orphans. Inside, there was only a small window, and the walls were covered with colorful mold. A nauseating stench filled the air.
Once confined to the room, the orphans could only receive a piece of hard, tooth-chipping bread each day.
Previously, a group of orphans had piled on top of each other to lift one of them high enough to observe the outside through the tiny window.
“Sam has been taken away.”
A van parked at the entrance of the orphanage, and two bewildered orphans boarded it.
According to the matron, they were sent to serve as servants in the Governor’s household. Only the most well-behaved children were chosen.
The orphans were envious, believing that life at the Governor’s house meant no more hard work and better food.
However, these orphans knew that the truth was far from simple. Their fate was not to serve as servants in the Governor’s mansion, but to end up in the Governor’s stomach.
“He died in our place.”
Said the orphan with a broken hand.
If they hadn’t been confined for fighting, they would have been the ones taken away. Sam was still too young.
“What are you thinking? We must survive, collect information about the orphanage for Uncle Loka, and ultimately destroy this wretched place. Even if Sam wasn’t chosen this time, he would be selected eventually,” said one of the orphans.
Outside the orphanage, Sam sat on the van, somewhat lost, not knowing what this meant.
It wasn’t until the door closed that he realized his familiar life might be gone forever.
Sam suddenly burst into tears, struggling off the seat, and pressed his small hands against the window, longing to return to the orphanage.
His actions made the other child cry as well.
“Matron! Matron! I want to go back!”
Suddenly, a cloth was placed over his face, and he smelled a pungent odor before losing consciousness.
The two drugged children slumped in their seats.
The battery-powered van started and sped away, leaving a trail of dust behind.
Along the way, three people dressed in black windbreakers stood by the roadside, their faces covered in dust.
With a screeching sound, the van came to a halt.
A soldier with a loaded gun stepped out of the van, eyeing the trio warily.
The orphanage was only about a kilometer away.
“What do you do?”
“Hunting.”
A cloaked figure opened his tattered black cloak, revealing a rabbit he had caught.
In the outskirts of Avonigarda City, such small animals were not uncommon, even attracting birds of prey and small carnivorous animals like coyotes.
Many citizens made a living by hunting these prey.
The soldier glanced at the two and returned to his vehicle, driving away.
“Why didn’t you take action?”
Li Mu’s voice rang out as he extended a hand from beneath the cloak, and a black-feathered crow obediently landed on his hand.
He stroked the crow’s smooth feathers and asked.
“Why should I?”
The cloaked figure put the dead rabbit back into his embrace, planning to use it as dinner later.
“I saw two children in the car.”
Li Mu released the crow.
“Every year, the orphanage sends out more than a hundred children who end up in the stomachs of our Governor Santanu. As for the entire Avonigarda region, there are even more children who die of illness, starvation, are shot, or eaten by psychic creatures and their minions. In a single family, only one child may survive out of seven or eight.”
The cloaked figure spoke slowly. He was a middle-aged man from Xindu with weather-beaten features, dark skin, and a large beard.
“Long ago, I realized that my abilities are limited. I can’t save everyone or even a few.
I’ve seen too many lives pass away, even helplessly watching my companions, who grew up together, dismembered alive and put in the kitchen refrigerator.
Now my comrades are scattered throughout the Avonigarda region, and gathering them takes time. Taking risks impulsively at this point will only make the Governor more alert and ruin the plan.
Unless the Governor is overthrown and the Santanu family is toppled, such things will only repeat countless times on this land.”
Though the cloaked figure’s tone was calm, there was a hint of tears in his eyes.
Li Mu fell silent for a moment.
“Let’s go. I already know the internal structure of the orphanage.”
All the information was stored in the crow’s memory.
“You all are different from what I imagined, the Soul Cult. I thought you would stop my actions immediately and save those two children.”
Naro Kuja said.
He was found by Li Mu two days ago. Although Naro Kuja could deceive the eyes of secret agents, he could not hide from the ubiquitous birds.
In order to stop him, Li Mu put in a lot of effort, which could be said to be more exhausting than robbing a bank. Naro Kuja’s ability to survive for so long under the Governor’s pursuit was certainly exceptional.
He was extremely elusive.
After demonstrating the Great Extinction Flame and Hidden Bone Energy, Li Mu claimed to be a cultist of the Soul Cult, wanting to cooperate with Naro Kuja and cause some trouble for the Governor.
Although Naro Kuja believed Li Mu’s identity, he didn’t agree to cooperate with the Soul Cult so easily. After all, the reputation of the Soul Cult in the Avonigarda Federation was not so good.
It wasn’t until Li Mu told him about the recent incident at the Elijah Commercial Bank and expressed his motive for revenge against the Governor that he chose limited cooperation.
“Now that we have tentatively agreed to cooperate, you should be able to tell me some secrets about the Santanu family.”
Li Mu said.
After confirming that the Governor regularly consumed human blood, he began to suspect the bloodline of the Santanu family.
The Deep Divers prey on humans primarily for their souls but have little interest in flesh and blood.
“They are all monsters in human skin. They appear human on the surface, but beneath the skin, they are bloodthirsty dependents.”
A look of hatred appeared on Naro Kuja’s face, as he had escaped from the Governor’s clutches.
Li Mu halted his footsteps.
“With the radiation concentration in Avonigarda City, how could they be dependents?”
Dependents have low radiation tolerance. Living in a high radiation concentration environment for an extended period would cause them to die from organ failure.
“I don’t know, but they are definitely dependents, because I once tried to assassinate a collateral member of the Santanu family. A black membrane appeared on his body, and he escaped.”
Naro Kuja said through gritted teeth.
“Black membrane?”
Li Mu was taken aback. If there was a black membrane, it would definitely be a dependent. That was because it was a gift granted to the dependents by the Olden Day Rulers to counteract human technological weapons.
Chapter 115 Orphanage <TOC> Chapter 117 The Male and Female Master Thieves Duo