Children's Cooperation

Lin Yi gave him a look that said, "You two are teasing children: I'm not stupid. You look younger than me. How old is your brother? How come he looks like me?"

Besides, don't all children look the same? At least in Lin Yi's eyes, they all look the same.

"Also, An Ying, your acting is terrible; you can't even squeeze out any tears."

An Ying and Tao Yuan wiped away their tears and sighed, "Fine, you're really not easy to fool."

That sharp tongue and cold heart—it's definitely that familiar Lin Yi vibe.

Lin Yi looked at them with the air of a little adult. "No one here can be fooled by you."

Seeing that this approach wasn't working, Tao Yuan tried another method. "How about this, we just lost a lot of points, and our levels have dropped. Do you have any ways to get back points? Tell me, and we'll work together to get them back, okay?"

Her words stirred something in Lin Yi; he did indeed need a lot of points to leave this place.

Seeing that he had reacted, An Ying added, "It'll definitely be easier for us to get points together than for you to do it alone, right?"

"... That's true." Lin Yi nodded. "Okay, let's go together."

"So, are we friends now?" Tao Yuan smiled and extended her hand. Lin Yi hesitated before shaking her hand.

Seeing the three children huddle together and whisper to each other, eventually reaching an agreement, Lin Nieran much relieved.

Looking around, Yu Guangzhong noticed several familiar faces gathered in another spot.

"Lin Yi, I'm going to go see what's going on. You stay here by yourself!"

"Oh."

Lin Nieran floated to Mi Chuchu and Wang Ding's side, and next to them was Qin Rang as a child.

Qin Rang looked a lot like he did as a child, but his face was smaller and his cheeks were thinner. However, his fox-like eyes were particularly striking, with deep and thoughtful eyes that suggested he was very calculating.

As Qin Rang grew up, he often wore a gentle facade, making him seem mild-mannered and easy to get along with.

As a child, he didn't know how to pretend. His deep thoughts made him seem gloomy and strange, so Qin Rang didn't have many friends and sat alone in the corner.

As soon as Mi Chuchu and Wang Ding arrived, they started chatting enthusiastically with Qin Rang. Qin Rang was initially very wary, unsure of their intentions, and even felt somewhat resentful.

But as the two talked, he gradually experienced a strange sense of familiarity, as if he had known them for a long time.

Their speaking style and the values they expressed were quite compatible with his. They seemed to know everything about him: what he thought, what he wanted to do, whether he was being sarcastic or telling the truth.

Unlike other naive, simple, innocent, or calculating people.

When Lin Nieran floated over, the three of them were already chatting happily.

In Lin Nieran's eyes, when Qin Rang was a child, a wisp of transparent remnant soul floated above his head. It was grayish, the color of his broken soul. It looked like a small, weak piece attached to Qin Rang's body, as if it would dissipate with a gust of wind.

"I think I saw Qin Rang's remnant soul."

[I saw it too] 007.

"Perhaps only souls can see souls. How do we collect these souls?" Lin Nieran asked.

[The shop sells Items that can absorb souls.] 007.

"Is your online store still usable?"

[No way!]

Lin Nieran rolled her eyes. "Then why are you talking nonsense?"

007 flicked his fox tail, looking aggrieved. "[But this is the only way I know.]"

Without the mall and the signal, 007 is just an artificial intelligence that knows a bit too much.

Lin Nieran thought that he couldn't have too high expectations for an artificial intelligence, so he should think of other solutions.

While Lin Nieran pondering how to collect souls, Tao Yuan and An Ying brought Lin Yi over and greeted Qin Rang.

Qin Rang looked at the two people and felt they were familiar. Lin Yi behind him also looked familiar; he had known him before.

Several children sat on the overgrown steps. Qin Rang, Mi Chuchu, and Tao Yuan were talking on the bottom step, while Wang Ding, An Ying, and Lin Yi were chatting quietly on the second step.

"How is it?" An Ying asked Wang Ding in a low voice.

Wang Ding pushed up his smaller glasses and said, "We've gained their initial trust. The kids here are very wary; it's hard to get information out of them."

Upon hearing this, Lin Yi glanced at the two of them.

An Ying added, "It seems her hearing is also very good."

Lin Yi silently met Lin Nieran's gaze, his eyes clearly expressing his speechlessness towards them.

Lin Nieran laughed heartily, "It's alright, just pretend you didn't hear it. They're all pretty nice, at least they're not bad people."

"Didn't you not have many friends before? I think these guys are pretty good."

Lin Yi shook his head, thinking to himself: I don't need them.

"That won't do. A child will become dull if they stay alone for too long without friends."

Lin Yi: I have my brother, that's enough.

"I can't be with you forever," Lin Nieran said casually. "Besides, my presence isn't a good sign. The fact that you can see me means you're sick... Maybe not now, but you will be in the future."

"Perhaps after you get out of here, you can go see Doctor. You're still young, and timely treatment might help you get better."

Lin Yi wasn't an ignorant child. He recalled what he had learned in class at the Orphanage and asked, "Is my illness difficult to cure? After I'm cured, will you still be here?"

His use of the word "them" also includes the System 007.

The little fox was deeply moved.

Lin Nieran said with a serious expression, "It's difficult to treat, but it's okay, I'll help you in the future."

Lin Yi nodded blankly, then looked thoughtfully at the whispering group.

The little fox hesitated, looking at Lin Nieran it wanted to say something, but he shook his head to stop it.

At this moment, Wang Ding and An Ying were discussing their plans, their voices extremely low.

"I just looked into the curriculum here. The children have to learn a lot, and it's divided into levels. To meet the adoption requirements, you have to reach B-Rank," Wang Ding said.

An Ying pondered, "According to Qin Rang, the higher the level, the better the families you can choose. Is that how we clear the level?"

"It's worth a try; a higher score is better than our current low score," Wang Ding said. "I don't know what the criteria are for awarding bonus points, but these points probably won't be easy to get."

An Ying: "I'll try going out directly through the Orphanage gate later."

"You can give it a try."

When all the Rules are unclear, recklessness is the most foolish, but also the best approach. Even if it doesn't succeed, you can always learn something useful.

Hearing this, Lin Yi thought with disdain: Brother, they're so stupid, I don't want to be with them.

The Orphanage's door was not locked; in fact, it was always open, so even Lin Yi himself could leave whenever he wanted.

The Orphanage isn't worried about them running away. If they could survive on their own outside, they wouldn't be here.