More than twenty kilometers from Flower City stood an abandoned town.
A Giant Beast Calamity had once visited the town, leaving most of its buildings razed to the ground.
The remaining buildings were relatively intact.
In an underground parking lot there, Old Ma and several children hid in a cramped electrical room.
There had originally been quite a few children in Red Star Orphanage, but when "Yellow Springs" came knocking, two of them died.
Old Ma fled the orphanage with the remaining children, hiding from place to place along the way, but three more died.
Now, only these three children remained by his side.
Thinking of the five children who had died because of him, Old Ma could not help sighing.
Before the Giant Beast Calamity descended, Old Ma had been an ordinary worker. He had married, had children, and lived a life that was not wealthy but was nonetheless fulfilling.
After the calamity descended, he lost his wife and child. Later, by a twist of fate, he embarked on the path of an assassin.
After completing a mission, he encountered a child in the wilderness.
The child looked very much like Old Ma's son, stirring his compassion. Old Ma took the child in.
After that, things spiraled out of control. Over the years, Old Ma gradually adopted eight children and renovated a small courtyard into Red Star Orphanage.
Most of the money he earned as an assassin was spent on the children at the orphanage.
Although he complained about being short of money every time, whenever Old Ma earned money, the first thing he did was buy clothes and food for the children at the orphanage.
That allowed these orphans to live without worrying about food or clothing in this chaotic world.
Some people mocked Old Ma, saying he