It wasn't until Zhang Chenyan entered the world again that he saw 0810.
Although AIs generally don't show signs of fatigue and often seem like perpetual motion machines to humans, 0810's voice betrayed a hint of weariness that made Zhang Chenyan feel a pang of sympathy as he communicated with her.
"Are you ready?" 0810 asked.
Zhang Chenyan nodded. "I rested for a day and feel much better. Thank you for securing that extra day for me. It was incredibly valuable and important."
0810 looked at Zhang Chenyan, her voice gentle but tinged with fatigue. "We can't predict where you'll be sent or what state you'll be in when you arrive. Be careful in everything. You've been through this before, so I don't need to say much. I just... hope we'll meet again."
Zhang Chenyan smiled and promised earnestly, "We definitely will."
Upon reentering, Zhang Chenyan noticed he was more accustomed to the experience this time.
However, what surprised him was that he retained all his memories. He remembered everything that had happened before, including his real identity, the purpose of this mission, his actual life experiences, and even the detailed analysis he had discussed with 0810 just days earlier.
He had been thrown into this place, and Zhang Chenyan himself had been thrown into this place.
This time, he wasn't a participant but an observer.
"Are you sent by Crone?"
A stranger's voice interrupted his thoughts, and Zhang Chenyan turned to see a thin but sharp-looking man. The man had blonde curls, green eyes, and a hawk-like nose. Though not particularly tall, he exuded a menacing presence.
Zhang Chenyan tried to respond, but he realized he couldn't produce any sound.
In this world, he wasn't allowed to speak or convey information through words.
Zhang Chenyan suddenly wanted to test something. He tried to bend down and respond to the man by writing on the ground, but as soon as he had the thought, a severe headache struck him. It wasn't just writing that became impossible; even standing was a struggle.
Seeing the pained expression on Zhang Chenyan's face, the man looked annoyed. He waved his hand dismissively. "Alright, I get it. You're both dumb and mute. Just don't embarrass yourself here. As long as you can do the work, that's fine."
With that, the man led Zhang Chenyan into a building.
Zhang Chenyan glanced around and found the area desolate and bleak, quite different from the place he had entered last time. There was no bright sunlight here, only cold, damp darkness. Even the artificial lighting had a cheap, low-energy feel.
If he hadn't entered with his memory intact, knowing this was an illusion created by the barrier, Zhang Chenyan might have thought this was the underground city, the physical world where he lived—perhaps one of those edge areas that most people avoided.
Ahead of Zhang Chenyan was a row of low houses, their walls mottled and streaked with water seeping down from the eaves. Typically, due to the Ice Age, most buildings in the underground city were constructed with special materials designed for insulation, protection against the cold, and moisture prevention.
But the houses here were different. Their materials were visibly inferior. If not for the man's persistent urging and Zhang Chenyan's knowledge that he had no choice, he wouldn't have wanted to go inside at all.
"Your job is to keep an eye on these brats. Don't let them say anything they shouldn't or do anything they shouldn't," the man said gruffly, pointing to a row of children inside the house. His next words were rude, but he didn't care if the children heard them—in fact, it seemed he wanted them to hear. "From today on, you're responsible for taking care of them. Just don't let them die, and don't let them escape. If they do, and we get blamed, they'll say we didn't do our jobs. If any of them act up, just beat them, but don't hit their faces, and try not to hit where their clothes don't cover."
The man's tone was full of impatience, clearly showing that he had little goodwill toward these children. Whatever was keeping him there, it certainly wasn't them. Now that Zhang Chenyan had arrived, the man seemed eager to leave.
"See that fence outside?" The man stood at the door and pointed. The row of houses was surrounded by a fence not twenty meters away. "That's your and their activity range. You should have a safety alert device on you, right? They have one too, so don't worry. Your safety alert should be active by now... Anyway, as long as none of you leave the fenced area, the alert won't go off. If it does, the information will be transmitted, and then we'll all be in trouble. So, be careful. These brats are clever; keep an eye on them."
Zhang Chenyan didn't know exactly what the safety alert was, but from the man's description, it seemed like a tracking and reporting device. In other words, it was like a chain, but a more refined, portable one with a longer range.
But in essence, a chain is a chain. Its primary function remains unchanged. On the contrary, Zhang Chenyan was sure this device was far more sensitive and sophisticated than an ordinary metal chain, with many more functions beyond just tracking. Who knows what else it might do?
Based on previous experience, the barrier had thrown him here for a reason. Without sufficient information, Zhang Chenyan wasn't foolish enough to risk testing the safety alert's full capabilities now.
Of course, if he could speak, if he could communicate, he could ask these children. He figured they must have tried it before and would know a lot about the safety alert. But the barrier had anticipated everything and had forbidden Zhang Chenyan from communicating, cutting off an important source of information.
Here, Zhang Chenyan was merely a spectator. If he wanted to know anything or understand anything, he had to rely on his own eyes, ears, and mind.
Zhang Chenyan looked at the children huddled together, clinging to each other, and watching him with wary, fearful eyes. Although he hadn't done anything yet, they already seemed to view him as a monster.
Being looked at like this wasn't a pleasant experience for Zhang Chenyan. Even though he couldn't communicate directly, he wanted to find another way to express his goodwill and let the children know he wasn't as scary as they thought and wouldn't harm them.
Perhaps sensing Zhang Chenyan's thoughts, or maybe thinking of something else, the man grabbed Zhang Chenyan by the collar and growled menacingly, "Don't say I didn't warn you—if you feel sorry for these brats, they won't feel sorry for you! If something happens at this outpost, the higher-ups won't spare you! And you can bet these brats won't shed a tear for you!"
Hearing the man's words and seeing his fierce expression, Zhang Chenyan instinctively nodded. It wasn't that he agreed with the man or was willing to submit, but simply that he didn't want to keep tangling with him.
He found the man's hostility deeply unsettling.
Finally, the man let go of him, his tone lightening a bit. "One month. I'll come to relieve you in one month. Let's hope by then you're still yourself and none of these brats are missing."
Zhang Chenyan didn't quite understand the man's final words. After saying this, the man hummed a tune that Zhang Chenyan didn't recognize and walked out, leaving him alone with the children.
Even after the man's figure disappeared completely, Zhang Chenyan didn't sense any relaxation from the children. Instead, their fear and hostility toward the man now seemed directed entirely at him.
Zhang Chenyan was at a loss—he hadn't even done anything yet. Why was he being treated this way?
After thinking it over, he could only conclude that it was due to his identity.
He didn't know what identity the barrier had assigned him here, but based on the current situation, it definitely wasn't a good one. He was either some ruthless disciplinarian or a heartless overseer.
In short, he was on the opposite side from the children.
They wanted to escape; he was supposed to keep them here.
But in reality, Zhang Chenyan had no intention of doing anything to these kids. If it weren't for the man mentioning the safety alert, he would have gladly let them go. After dealing with the man, he was sure that the side he was on wasn't the good one.
This was all an illusion for him, and he saw no need to get too emotionally invested in the role he was playing.
He wasn't a dedicated actor. What he cared about was what the barrier was trying to tell him, what it wanted him to know.
Since he couldn't communicate, Zhang Chenyan tried to convey his goodwill through his eyes and smile. He stood at a reasonable distance from the children, hoping to lower their guard.
A month didn't seem like a difficult challenge to Zhang Chenyan.
He planned to take good care of the children. Human relationships are built over time. He had managed to thaw even 0810, who was like an ice queen, so he figured it would be easier with these innocent kids. After all, he had no ill intentions.
Just as Zhang Chenyan felt his face starting to ache from smiling, one of the girls finally let go of the person next to her and cautiously moved toward him. "Are you the new caretaker?"
The question seemed more like an attempt to start a conversation, but Zhang Chenyan nodded and responded with a gentle smile.
The children seemed to have a close bond. Once one of them took the lead, a few others slowly followed, though they still kept a wary distance.
"Are you going to do roll call?" the first girl asked Zhang Chenyan.
Zhang Chenyan felt a bit helpless—roll call? Normally, that wouldn't be a problem, but given his current situation... wasn't that a bit of an unreasonable request for a mute?
Even though he couldn't do a roll call, Zhang Chenyan followed the girl's direction and found the tattered roster. Calling it tattered might be a bit of an exaggeration. The roster wasn't missing any corners or pages, but it was definitely dirty. The black marks on the book could have been from food grease, dirt from unwashed hands, or even dried blood...
Of course, Zhang Chenyan hoped the latter was just his imagination or a mistake.
Fortunately, the names and information on the roster weren't completely obscured. The print was large enough that even the blurred parts could be easily inferred from the context and visible strokes or letters.
So, although it was a bit challenging, Zhang Chenyan managed to get a good grasp of the information in the book.
After reading the roster, Zhang Chenyan breathed a small sigh of relief. At least he wasn't dealing with a book of riddles or puzzles. The amount of information he had was quite satisfactory.
He began memorizing the children's names and details. While he couldn't remember everything, even retaining some of it would allow him to look it up when he returned to the real world. Who knows—maybe there was a correlation between this world and reality.
Zhang Chenyan's vigilance remained high, and his attention to detail was unchanged.
He couldn't do a roll call, of course, but he could at least count the number of children. According to the roster, there were 23 children—13 boys and 10 girls.
Zhang Chenyan extended his hand, lightly tapping the children's heads as he counted. The children behaved well, understanding what Zhang Chenyan was doing, and stayed still, making his task easier.
However, to Zhang Chenyan's surprise, he counted 24 children!
Cold sweat began to form on Zhang Chenyan's back. Trying to stay calm, he counted again, this time separating the boys and girls to be more precise.
14 boys and 10 girls—Zhang Chenyan was certain of these numbers.
He was stunned as he looked at the innocent faces of the children, suddenly feeling a wave of fear.
If the numbers weren't wrong, had he misread or missed something in the roster? With this in mind, Zhang Chenyan opened the roster again, this time carefully inspecting it. On the back of the last page, he found another name.
While the roster's information was all printed and single-sided, this name was handwritten on the reverse side of the last page. It was easy to miss if you weren't paying attention.
Just as Zhang Chenyan was about to breathe a sigh of relief, feeling somewhat lucky to have found it, he noticed a line of words following the name—"Deceased."