Orphan Squad, Prepare to Charge!

Meng Xiyue sat up straight and lowered her voice. "Hey, don't you think those red heads look a bit like tomatoes with human facial features?"

Mai Lili only had to imagine it for a moment before she shuddered, trembling in panic.

She simply could not imagine whether the pedestrians and civilians they had seen after entering the city were truly humans—or monsters with tomato heads. Why had the other ordinary civilians shown no reaction? Why had they failed to notice anything wrong?

"Fuck! Stop talking, you're freaking me out." Lü Rang's hair stood on end as well. Thinking of how he had just accepted a food box from a 'tomato-head freak,' he could not help but shiver in horror.

This was fucking terrifying! He remembered that when he had first boarded at middle school and encountered the nonhuman Orc lunch lady at close range in the cafeteria, it had not been this chilling.

Yuan Zhu asked, "Captain, do you have any instructions?"

"I have no instructions. Make your own decisions based on your judgment and instincts. Don't be afraid of making mistakes, and don't be afraid of failure. Tonight is the main quest of this trial. Rely on your own experience and judgment to survive—and try to profit from it. Mao Mao King will not invest in and shelter you unconditionally. You already have the foundations to protect yourselves and stand on your own. What Happy Home needs are people who can earn profits for the company."

Zhou Chu extended a finger and pointed at the bizarre little tomatoes squirming faintly inside the porcelain bowl. "Then what about these? What exactly are they? Are they good or bad? Is there malicious intent from the local monks hidden within them?"

The captain picked up one with an eye and held it before him for inspection. The little tomato's skin had a texture somewhere between flesh and plant matter. It was tougher than flesh, yet more elastic, resilient, and... warm than an ordinary tomato.

As for that single eye, it seemed to be the tomato's fruit core, exposed through a cracked eyelid. After meeting the captain's gaze, the blood-red fruit bashfully closed its eye and trembled slightly.

The captain turned the little tomato over and over, held it beneath the light, then closed his eyes to sense it. At last, he said, "Don't worry, it's edible. It just looks a little strange. This fruit contains the blessings of Buddhist Dharma Power. It's somewhat like the Buddha Head Cocoons that naturally form around temples. It happened to overlap with a tomato fruit, producing the illusion of organs. Stimulated by the energy inside, it has undergone a mild activation."

As he spoke, the captain tossed the little tomato—which had secretly opened its eye to a narrow slit—into his mouth. "Crunch! Crunch!" He chewed it in huge bites. His slightly furrowed brow relaxed, revealing a satisfied expression.

"It tastes unexpectedly good. Sweet and sour, no different from a cherry tomato, but with more chew to it. It has both a plant-like flavor and the springy, juicy texture of meat, with a bursting mouthfeel too. It can quickly replenish stamina and slightly mend injuries. Eating a large amount can mildly strengthen the senses, and it carries a faint Zen Intent that can cleanse and purify Mental Pollution."

Yuan Zhu picked up one with ears and pressed it gently. It was more elastic than he had imagined, and warm too, perhaps a dozen-odd degrees. "This thing really is a tomato? You can eat it?"

The captain chose his words carefully. "To be precise—it should be called a Meat Tomato. Consuming it is indeed beneficial to the body, though it may cause psychological trauma—discomfort, rather. Its tomato juice is sweet with a hint of salt, a little like blood, but the sour tang perfectly neutralizes that impression. It won't make your taste buds trigger alarm or vigilance. Instead, you'll become immersed in its deliciousness and feel happiness."

Meng Xiyue grabbed two as well, rolling them in her hands like walnuts. "The more I hear, the less I dare eat them."

The captain said, "I'll pass. Split them among yourselves and carry them with you. Treat them like life-saving pills."

Zhou Chu asked, "Are there any side effects?"

"Side effects? This thing does nothing for me. It's probably too weak, so I can't sense any side effects. As for you..." The captain thought carefully before drawing upon his experience. "Don't worry. At most, your subjective attitude will lean more toward Buddhism, giving you a faint initial favorable impression. The more you eat, the greater the benefits you gain from it—and the stronger your affinity toward Buddhism becomes. That is only natural. If you take someone's benefits, naturally your mouth goes soft after eating their food."

Yuan Zhu wore an enlightened expression as he thought to himself, Aren't you talking about Mao Mao King? She gave us clothes, gave us mice, gave us weapons. I'm almost embarrassed now—I won't even badmouth her with Zhou Chu anymore. Mao Mao King is the best!

The captain said, "All right, eat up. There's nothing wrong with these dishes. Eat and drink your fill, conserve your strength. Tonight should be very lively."

Then he rose and walked to the window, pushing open the frame to look at the half moon hanging in the sky, gleaming with a captivating emerald hue.

"Huh... shouldn't the moon be blue?"

Yuan Zhu suddenly realized that he had seen the moon over Little Sweet Water Well Alley last night. The impression had been especially vivid.

Lü Rang looked utterly bewildered. "Hasn't it always been yellow? It turns red once in a while."

Mai Lili quietly said, "White."

Meng Xiyue said impatiently, "Are you all idiots? Haven't you heard that the moon symbolizes 'spirit' and 'spirituality'? Different people looking at the moon at different times, in different mental states, receive different colors in response, reflecting their own condition. The moon is singular—it has always been the same one—but its moonlight varies from person to person."

Yuan Zhu was humble and eager to learn. "Ah! So it's that amazing? I've learned something!"

"Ah! I remember now—Running is Rain City. All year round, it's either overcast turning to light rain or light rain turning overcast. Even on clear days, you can't see the sun. Every day is either cloudy, polluted with exhaust, or wrapped in fog. When would we ever get the chance to look at the moon?"

Lü Rang slapped his hand, finally remembering why he was so unfamiliar with the moon. Though it was often mentioned and ought to have been familiar beyond familiarity, he really had never observed it seriously. Running's moonlight was always blocked by clouds and mist, leaking only a hazy glow.

Meng Xiyue looked at this group of Running natives, who were generally a shade paler than people from Taixi, and felt speechless. Their skin really was delicate and fair. Even such a backward, aging industrial city could raise people so well? Should she visit during the holidays? By then, the captain had already crouched on the window frame. Turning back, he instructed, "I've altered those monks' memories. They only remember seven people entering the city; I do not exist. Take care of yourselves. If anything urgent happens, use your mice to contact me. See you tomorrow."

After waving goodbye, he pushed off with his feet and shot out through the window, merging into the night and vanishing without a trace.

Before Yuan Zhu and the others could react, he was gone, leaving behind seven dumbfounded faces staring at one another. What the hell? They were orphans already? "Baa! Baa! Baa!" The little goat suddenly opened its mouth wide, stuck out its tongue, and licked then curled it around Lü Rang's palm, swallowing a one-eyed little tomato. It chomped away, juice spilling from its mouth. It looked like it was eating raw bleeding flesh, and paired with those horizontal pupils, it was even more sinister and terrifying.

"Fuck! My fruit!" He let out a miserable cry and lunged at it, starting to yank its fleece. "Give it back! Fucking give it back! Spit it out, aaaah!"

There had only been around twenty in total. With that one bite, the little goat had instantly devoured a third of his assets.

Yuan Zhu hurriedly put away his three bizarre Meat Tomatoes—his 'eye, ear, and nose'—then began arranging his weapons in preparation for that evening's ritual.

With the captain gone, everyone could only huddle together for warmth.

The Black uncle, who had always seemed out of place among the group, spoke up rarely, saying he was unused to operating as a team. Tonight, he would become a lone ranger, relying on his racial talent to enter stealth mode and seek an opportunity to make a fortune.

Yuan Zhu guessed that he had only cooperated and behaved himself along the way because he feared the captain. Now that the boss had run off, being in the same room as Zhou Chu of the Security Bureau made him uncomfortable from head to toe, so he could not wait to split off on his own.

Other than him, everyone else chose to travel together. The old lady, in particular, had cast off her dejected air. No longer calmly awaiting death, she began taking an interest in the Buddhist system after consuming a Meat Tomato.

She probably knew nothing about Buddhism, which was why she had the idea of using the Mao Mao King Uniform to absorb the Buddhist power of Vajra Sect monks and nurture Seeds of power.

When people grew old, they always developed an obsession with healthy, vigorous bodies.

She had previously tasted the temptation of enhancement brought by Foul Bone Tainted Blood. Now, reason told her that she could not keep coming into contact with it and deepening that connection, so she would switch tracks. The Buddhist Vajra Sect could likewise bring about physical transformation.

Recommendations, monthly votes, follow-up reads, comments...

Also, where you discuss the plot in the comments, stop constantly belittling and tearing me down.

You've already made nearly three hundred posts mocking it. Can't you come up with some positive rainbow-themed topics instead?!