Chapter 176

Chapter 176

Qiao Beibei raised a brow in surprise. This attempt to test Qiao Yu had undoubtedly failed.

But that was fine. Several days remained. They could play slowly…

The female streamer, however, broke down. “How can you be so selfish and cold? What good does it do you if we all die?”

She raised a hand and flipped over the tray in front of Qiao Yu.

It happened so suddenly that no one expected such an extreme act. Shang Yan quickly raised an arm to block it, but some spilled soup still splashed across his smooth skin.

Qiao Yu looked at the figure who was now shorter than him, and his gaze changed, turning cold enough to freeze.

Soup dotted Shang Yan’s forehead, making him look like a young master cast onto the streets. Even disheveled, he retained his innate dignity.

He had been pampered since childhood… This was probably the first time anyone had treated him this way.

Qiao Yu clenched his fist. He took a tissue from his Spatial Grid and silently wiped the sauce from Shang Yan’s face.

Then he fixed an icy gaze on the woman, his voice cold enough to freeze. “I respect women. That doesn’t mean I won’t hit you when you use that respect as an excuse to behave however you please.”

With those words, Qiao Yu picked up the empty metal tray and smashed it over her head.

The crash of metal against bone echoed loudly. Everyone froze.

[Ding! The Aberration Source is being assimilated by the Instance. Infection level: 20%.]

Qiao Yu’s pupils trembled at the system notification, but the hand gripping the tray did not hesitate. He swung it again at the dazed streamer on the floor.

Shang Yan hurriedly wrapped his arms around Qiao Yu’s arm, just as he had stopped him from using violence beneath the wall all those years ago. His voice trembled as he called Qiao Yu by the name he had used in the past. “Qiao Yu, don’t kill her…”

Looking at the boy with bloodshot eyes, the female streamer’s wails faded. It was as though a basin of cold water had been poured over her.

That was the ugliness of human nature. She had assumed Qiao Yu was strong but softhearted. The way he treated the burdens following him showed he was not cruel, which was why she had sought his help in her moment of crisis.

Unexpectedly, he refused.

Only then did she realize that this man was no kind soul. He reserved his softness exclusively for those he acknowledged.

People like that usually shared one flaw: they fiercely protected their own… and repaid every offense.

Few streamers who reached Red Name rank were fools. She had misjudged him. While Shang Yan restrained Qiao Yu, she stumbled toward the exit.

But Qiao Xiaowen blocked her at the cafeteria door. “You’re the slave now. Have you forgotten?”

The female streamer shuddered. A notification informed her that another 5 points had been deducted. She no longer dared entertain rebellious thoughts and could only limp away to fetch food for Qiao Xiaowen and the others.

Once the woman obeyed, Qiao Xiaowen hugged the doll tighter and slowly walked to Qiao Yu’s table. Her gaze settled on the silent Shang Yan.

“Qiao Yu, is he the person who changed you?”

Qiao Xiaowen’s aura was calm and held no malice. She sounded as though she were simply chatting, like a real child.

Qiao Yu did not answer, but his fingers tightened around his chopsticks.

Children raised in an orphanage learned to read people from a young age. The movement naturally did not escape Qiao Xiaowen.

Her lips curled into an even more innocent smile. “Qiao Yu, I understand now.”

Without waiting for an answer, she skipped back into the crowd and quietly resumed brushing her doll’s hair.
Elsewhere, Qiao Beibei stood in place and accepted the food the female streamer brought. Then he upended it over her head.

“We warned you long ago that he’s a monster. Betraying me to seek a monster’s help was truly foolish.” Bits of flesh still clung to Qiao Beibei’s lips, and his gaze was terrifyingly cold.

Everyone was angry but dared not speak. They could only watch the streamer be bullied and ordered around.

“What are you standing there for? Hurry up and get the food. You still have lots of work to do today!”

The female streamer’s eyes reddened. With her swollen forehead and tear-filled eyes, she continued serving everyone.

Qiao Yu could not be bothered watching that show. He rose with a cold little face, fetched himself another tray of food, sat down, and ate quietly.

Although the atmosphere at his table was not as tense as the other side, it remained excessively silent.

The so-called slave game required the lower-ranking person to obey every demand made by those above, no matter how outrageous, without condition.

The streamers who had fallen into the trap without realizing it soon joined the abusers. They ordered the woman around without restraint while listening to points accumulate in their system interfaces.

Their thoughts seemed to be gradually synchronizing with the orphanage’s little ghosts, becoming selfish and vicious.

“Kneel!”

The first streamer spoke.

Unsurprisingly, it was Azim.

He saw nothing wrong with the command. In his country, he believed bloodline stood above everything.

Some people were born noble, while others were inherently low. He considered that unchangeable. His prestigious surname allowed him to marry multiple young women, squander money, and trample people from lower castes at will.

High-caste people were born in Rome. Low-caste people could only labor like cattle and horses their entire lives.

This twisted ideology had been branded deeply into his mind from birth, and he took pride in it.

Qiao Yu had never been interested in such things, even as a child. That was why he had always isolated himself from the other children.

People were born with the capacity for evil. Allowing it to grow unchecked would only turn them into a source of wickedness.

“Finished eating?” Qiao Yu asked when Shang Yan put down his chopsticks.

After Shang Yan nodded lightly, Qiao Yu took his slender wrist and headed outside.

Luo Yunmeng widened her eyes, shoveled the rest of her tray into her mouth, and quickly followed. Naturally, the others did the same.

Before leaving, Lucia looked back at the female streamer kneeling on the floor and trembled faintly.

Truly, the five hundred thousand yuan had been worth every cent.

After leaving the cafeteria, Qiao Yu returned to the “secret base.”

The Pen Spirit lay on a tree branch with narrowed eyes. Her weightless body did not bend it in the slightest. Brilliant sunlight poured over her without causing any discomfort, and she slept peacefully.

Qiao Yu did not disturb her. He crouched beneath the tree and repeatedly poked the ants’ nest with a small stick.

Although the ants inside had vanished.

“The ants are gone?” Shang Yan asked.

Qiao Yu nodded.

Shang Yan lowered his lashes and looked once more at the birds in the sky that tirelessly refused to return to their nests. Gravity flashed through his eyes.

“What exactly caused everyone at this orphanage to die without intact bodies? The earthquake?”

Qiao Yu’s hand paused around the stick. He looked up at Shang Yan without expression. “You’re so clever that I won’t dare cheat on you in the future.”

Shang Yan ground his teeth. “You’d better not!”