IMPORTANT: For every 30 POWER STONES there will be an extra chapter!
After that, Ye Zi and Rui were settled in.
They remained in the same room. At first, the large matron tried to separate Ye Zi and Rui, sending Rui to another room, but Ye Zi strongly resisted, and eventually, the idea was dropped.
However, because of his defiance, the matron's impression of him soured.
Life in the orphanage was peaceful. The three daily meals were plentiful, and aside from mealtimes and sleeping, the rest of the day was free time.
The orphanage was quite large, with many rooms and various places for the children to play. It was a paradise for every child, and even included a library, though its shelves were filled mostly with children's books.
Ye Zi was very active, always running around the vast orphanage. If it weren't for Rui holding him back, he could have explored much further.
For some reason, after arriving at the orphanage, Rui began sleeping more and more. Sometimes, she would even fall asleep in the middle of eating, leaving Ye Zi to anxiously check on her until he was sure she wasn't feeling unwell.
Over the following days, the siblings made a few friends. Some were Ye Zi's age, while others were younger, like a five-year-old girl with a cute face, a single ponytail that stuck up, and a pair of faint red patches on her cheeks.
After making friends, life in the orphanage became more vibrant for them, until one day… the orphanage began allowing people from the outside to adopt children.
Every once in a while, a young couple would come to adopt a child, and each time, they successfully took one away, leaving the other children behind, filled with envy.
Rui was too young to understand what was happening, and Ye Zi, who firmly believed their parents would come back for them one day, never felt that envy.
Days passed, and January arrived. The temperatures dropped, and frost began to form.
One day, toward the end of January, two of Ye Zi's friends were adopted, leaving only the girl with the ponytail.
"Ye Zi, I'm so jealous that Qiang and Hei got adopted," the girl said.
Ye Zi smiled and comforted her. "You're so cute. I bet you'll be next."
The ponytail girl's face lit up with a wide grin.
As it turned out, Ye Zi's words came true.
The next young couple that came to adopt a child took the ponytail girl with them.
As she left, the ponytail girl waved energetically at Ye Zi, who responded with a big smile.
This is where everything began to change...
Two days later, one night, Ye Zi was doing his usual routine, gazing out at the night sky through the iron bars of the window. As he looked, snowflakes began to fall softly from the sky.
"It's snowing?"
His face lit up with excitement. After making sure Rui was soundly asleep, he snuck out of the room, braving the cold wind as he wandered through the courtyard.
As he wandered, his curiosity grew. Without Rui to slow him down, he thought about climbing over a wall to see what was outside.
The wall was about three meters high and had a locked iron gate. It was covered in vines, giving it an aged appearance.
With curiosity driving him, he used the vines to climb over the wall. On the other side, he found a large, single-story building surrounded by another wall, forming a vast courtyard.
In the dim moonlight, he saw that the courtyard was barren—no trees or plants, just dirt and an empty, desolate feeling. The only things growing were the vines that covered the surrounding walls.
Ye Zi climbed down the vines, debating whether to approach the building. Just then, a small shadow darted out from the building.
Startled, he quickly hid in the thick vines, concealing himself in the darkness, leaving only one eye visible to watch the small figure running toward him.
"Mmph mmph!"
In the faint moonlight, it was hard to see clearly. The small figure ran slowly, making muffled sounds as if their mouth was covered.
Then, a few larger figures emerged from the building, chasing the smaller one.
Ye Zi held his breath, his heart beginning to race.
As the small figure got closer, he finally recognized who it was.
It was… the ponytail girl, who had been adopted just two days ago!
His heart pounded in his chest as he stared wide-eyed at her. The girl's mouth was taped shut with black adhesive, and her eyes were filled with soul-deep terror.
As she reached about 50 meters from the iron gate, one of the pursuing adults kicked her down. Her small body flew forward a few meters before crashing to the ground.
Ye Zi covered his mouth tightly, watching in horror.
The man who kicked her was wearing a white protective suit. He casually grabbed the girl by her foot and began dragging her back, as if hauling a sack of rags.
The ponytail girl's small hands clawed at the ground, but she couldn't stop the man's strength.
Suddenly, she saw him hiding in the vines. Despite only seeing a small part of his face, she recognized him.
Snowflakes fell softly, drifting down in front of the girl's eyes.
Her gaze was filled with terror.
She looked at Ye Zi, silently pleading for help, her muffled cries growing desperate.
But as she was dragged farther and farther from where Ye Zi was hiding, his body remained frozen in place.
He watched as the ponytail girl was pulled back into the dark building. Afterward, he collapsed to the ground, shaking uncontrollably.
It took him a long while to gather himself, but eventually, he summoned the courage to climb back over the wall and return to his room. Seeing his sister still asleep, he breathed a sigh of relief.
"We can't stay here," Ye Zi muttered to himself, his hands clenched into tight fists. His eyes still showed lingering fear, and the scene he had just witnessed shook him to his core.
Why was the adopted girl still here? And what about the other children who had been adopted before?
The thought sent a wave of fear through him. For a six-year-old child, the realization was horrifying.
The next morning, Ye Zi pretended nothing had happened and started the day as usual.
But in his mind, he was already planning how to escape.
Several days passed, and yet another unfamiliar couple came to adopt a child.
Watching them, his heart turned cold.
That day, he began eavesdropping on the orphanage staff. While hiding below a windowsill, he overheard a conversation inside.
"Has Rui's sleep pattern increased significantly?"
"Yes, by the next stage, she should be ready for the experiment. But some staff members are leaving for the holidays, so it'll have to wait until after the new year."
"Heh, no rush. A two-year-old test subject is a rare material. Take your time."
"Understood. We'll keep the dosage the same until the next stage."
"Good."
Ye Zi crouched beneath the window, hidden in the plants, his body breaking out in cold sweat as he listened.
So… the reason Rui was so sleepy was because of this?
This place wasn't an orphanage at all… it was a living hell!
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Currently on Chapter 211 - Sasori Joining the Akatsuki and his Requirements