An Orphan's Way Out

After realizing that he wasn't the only reserve spy sent by the Dark Alliance, Fengyun carefully observed the others and discovered several orphans of different ages who all seemed somewhat unusual.

Even the Old Nurse caring for them was deliberately or unconsciously watching them. From time to time, she covered for little spies who suffered emotional breakdowns, using various punishments to conceal their abnormal behavior.

Out of sympathy for a fellow soul cast adrift, Fengyun treated Daixi quite well. After forming an alliance, he even shared a portion of his hunting gains with her, ensuring that the silver-haired, silver-eyed little cutie would not become malnourished from the orphanage food.

"Daili, what happened? Why did Headmistress Granny suddenly call everyone together?" Fengyun asked as he removed his camouflage.

"I don't know, but I don't want to be punished by being made to stand for arriving late, so we should hurry over!" Daili said as she helped Fengyun wipe the face paint made from grass and plant juices off his face.

As she spoke, most of the paint on Fengyun's face had already been wiped clean. Daili moved behind him, leaped up, and landed on his back. "Hurry up!"

Fengyun smiled helplessly. "Then hold on tight!"

With that, he raced toward the orphanage like a gust of wind.

He was not much slower than a rabbit being chased by a dog!

However, by the time he arrived at the orphanage gates with Daili on his back, his blood was churning and a light sheen of sweat had appeared on his forehead!

It was clear that sprinting while carrying someone was not easy for him either!

There was no helping it. Although he possessed the physique of a Level 1 Warrior, he was still only seven years old. Usually, using Daili as a weight while jogging to train his body was nothing much.

But carrying her all the way to the orphanage entrance in one burst was truly not easy!

Only because Daili was light and soft, and the distance was not too far, could he keep up such a fast pace all the way there.

As Fengyun set Daili down, he wiped the fine sweat from his face. "Daili, have you gotten fat again?"

"As a girl, it's important to maintain your figure. If you get too fat, you'll become ugly later."

"As your good brother, and for the sake of your future image, let me help you finish the cheese pastries Aunt Mina brought to the orphanage for you last time. No need to thank me!"

Daili snapped angrily, "I haven't gotten fat! And those cheese pastries are precious sweets Sister Mina gave me. You're not allowed to set your sights on them!"

Fengyun waved a hand and shrugged. "Can't you have a little spirit of sharing? Didn't I give you a small bite of the peanut butter bread I got the time before before last? And the time before before before before before—"

The two walked into the orphanage "chatting and laughing" as they blended into the large group of orphans. Neither noticed a burly man in Light Church Guard Legion armor watching their backs as he entered from outside. There was also a squad of Guard Legion soldiers in the orphanage wearing the same armor.

"Is everyone here?"

At the low shout of the Guard Legion commander who entered last, the headmistress exchanged glances with several caretakers responsible for counting heads. A smile appeared on her wrinkled old face. "Captain Dai Hui, everyone is here."

Captain Dai Hui nodded, then signaled to his men. "Mm. Then begin the test!"

Several Guard Legion soldiers carried several stone weights out from the corner. "These stone weights weigh eighty, one hundred, one hundred and twenty, and one hundred and eighty pounds respectively. All children above the age of twelve, come over and give them a try."

"As long as you can lift the lightest stone weight for more than ten seconds, you can join the Guard Legion and find a job. You'll have a way out, and won't need to worry about starving to death on the streets or being sent to the Cannon Fodder Camp."

"And let me remind you: the heavier the stone weight you can lift, the better your treatment in the army will be!"

This Guard Legion soldier said that meeting the minimum requirement would allow them to find a job in the military, but in truth, the orphans who passed the assessment and joined the army were basically used as laborers and cooks.

They could not eat their fill or sleep well in the camp, yet they did the heaviest work every day. If the Cannon Fodder Camp ran short of people, they might even be sent there directly if necessary.

But there was no helping it. If they were recruiting soldiers normally, the villages and towns near the city would send over children from their own families at fixed times—children who had practiced the Breathing Cultivation Form for years and possessed at least the strength of a Level 1 Warrior—to serve as recruits.

Why would they need these bean sprouts from orphanages, who were generally malnourished, to become soldiers?

Still, it had to be said that this truly was a way out for the children in these orphanages.

After all, the Finley Kingdom and the Light Church would not raise them for nothing. Once they reached adulthood at sixteen, they would be sent directly into the military's Dare-to-Die Squad—or rather... the Cannon Fodder Camp!

If they did not want to die, they could only run away. But very few succeeded. Even those who did escape usually starved to death on the streets because they had no skills to make a living!

On the contrary, if they took this assessment, the younger they were and the earlier they joined the army, the more likely they would be considered to have decent potential and not be casually thrown into the Cannon Fodder Camp.

They could then use the army to temper themselves. Perhaps they might still have a chance to rise in the future. For the children of the orphanage, this was the second-best way out.

As soon as the Guard Legion soldier said this, the children above twelve in the orphanage lined up and began trying to lift the stone weights. Judging from how practiced they looked, they clearly all had plenty of experience.

Fengyun secretly studied several orphans among the group whom he strongly suspected of being spies. Compared with the other orphans, their complexions were relatively better.

People often came to the orphanage to do charity work and distribute food to the orphans. As far as he knew, quite a few of those people were from the Darkness Church.

On the one hand, they occasionally came to give these little spies extra meals, ensuring that the spies' physical condition would not be too poor and would at least remain above the passing line. When the time came to use them, they could quickly make up for the deficiencies in their bodies.

That was why these little spies always received more food than the other orphans. Their constitutions were better than those of genuine orphans, and Fengyun and Daili were prime examples.

On the other hand, they were there to monitor and assess the performance of these little spies. After all, they had all come from the Dark Alliance. If their previous habits were not worn away in the orphanage, they might be exposed over some small matter.

Then not only would all the investment have gone down the drain, but it might also implicate other members of the organization.

That would truly be more loss than gain!

In Fengyun's eyes, most of these little spies performed slightly better than the other orphans, but not by too much. Whether they could lift the stone weights or not, even if they managed it, they definitely would not last ten breaths. They all looked as though their willpower was lacking and they could not persevere!

Seeing this, Fengyun had basically confirmed both their intention not to join the army and their identities.