After Wan Tong left this world, her mind was filled with memories, but her subconscious urged her not to touch those sealed emotions, or she would collapse.
She carried new thoughts and entered a new world.
As she felt a slight pain in her head, a bad premonition arose. She suddenly opened her eyes and sat up.
Breathing heavily, she quickly glanced around. Everything was pure white. The small room resembled the dormitory she once lived in during a university life. The walls were lined with small cubicles, and the room was densely packed with nearly forty cubicles, each containing a person.
What’s going on?
Wan Tong lost contact with Shishi again, her mind going blank for a moment, but the memories belonging to this body began to awaken.
This was a natural female recovery pod…
After a global disaster, glaciers quickly spread from the poles, leaving only 3% of the Earth’s land habitable for humans. The world’s population rapidly dwindled, and the surviving humans quickly united to create a new world and start a new life.
Under the leadership of the new world’s leader, it wasn’t long before the standard of living for humans was largely restored, and economic, political, and cultural civilizations began to rise again. Technology developed at an astonishing rate. The technology company, founded and heavily supported by the leader, produced a large number of intelligent robots that undertook most of the physical labor, accelerating the reconstruction of society.
Then, the population experienced another explosive growth, and the government had to implement policies to control population growth.
The family relationships, physical health, social status, and financial resources of legally married couples all had to be reviewed. Only after obtaining a birth permit could they legally have a child. Children born without a permit would not be recognized by the government, and those responsible for their birth would be hunted down and the children subjected to humane destruction. The individuals who had illegal children would face various degrees of punishment.
Even if a birth permit was obtained, it only allowed each couple to have one child. If twins or multiple births occurred, they could only choose one to keep, while the others would be raised and educated by a government-run training base called the ‘Paradise.’
Dissatisfaction with the new world’s population control policies and the leader’s absolute control led to periodic uprisings. Over time, a ‘New People’s Organization’ emerged, resisting every command from the leader and engaging in several battles with government troops, all of which ended in failure.
The ‘Paradise’ was not a true paradise. For the children, it was more like hell. From the age of 1, the children received knowledge training in various fields, began physical training at 3, and by 5 started actual combat training. The physical and mental exhaustion was beyond what ordinary people could endure.
These children, who already had powerful genes, were further selected and refined, often becoming exceptional talents or highly skilled fighters. Those who were eliminated faced only destruction.
However, the nearly century-long population control policies led to a severe consequence: due to the inherent disadvantages of women, most survivors were male. The male-to-female ratio dropped to 1000:1, with young women being extremely rare. Many of these women, in their struggle for equal status with men, had sacrificed a great deal, with some even losing their fertility.
Transformed women who were good at singing and dancing began to emerge and occupied half of the entertainment industry. The technology company also introduced humanoid robots with female appearances, called companion robots. These robots were almost indistinguishable from humans, and once available, they were quickly sold out.
While the appearance of companion robots and transformed women alleviated some men’s loneliness and concerns, the issue of reproduction remained unresolved.
Thus, the few remaining natural women became extremely sought after. It was common to see groups of men fighting in the streets just for a chance to accompany a natural woman on a shopping trip.
As a result, the new world leader ordered the ‘Paradise’ to cease all training of girls and transfer them to a newly established Natural Women Growth Department. In reality, this was just a new department divided from the ‘Paradise,’ housing girls from infancy to age 17, totaling around a hundred.
The room Wan Tong currently resides in is filled with 17-year-old girls. The modular boxes they lie in are female recovery pods developed and provided by the technology company.
Because the girls transferred from the Paradise had various injuries and some even had trouble sleeping at night, significantly affecting their health, the recovery pods offered the most comfortable and safest sleep conditions. The air inside contained factors that quickly helped heal their external injuries and even nourished their skin, resembling a medical pod but consuming very little energy.
Wan Tong clutched her chest, feeling a sharp, stabbing pain that made it difficult to breathe.
Perhaps noticing something unusual about Wan Tong’s recovery chamber, a young man in a white uniform with a serious expression soon walked in.
Wan Tong pressed the internal switch to open the transparent chamber door. The man’s gentle voice came from above, “001, are you experiencing any problems?”
All the girls who entered here were assigned numbers.
Wan Tong’s body was originally named Shen Wantong. She was born as a triplet, with two older brothers, but her father only reported the twins, sending the eldest brother to the Paradise while leaving her and the second brother. The second brother grew up normally in the Shen family, while she was quietly kept in a room, almost never allowed outside to avoid detection.
Two months ago, the leader ordered a thorough investigation of all potentially illegal births. Shen Wantong was one of the girls discovered. In addition, over ten girls of similar age were found from various families.
In the past, such families would be convicted, but now, with the prevalence of partner robots, natural females had become more precious. Thus, these families were exempted, but the girls had to be sent to the ‘Paradise’ for collective protection and education, after which they would be matched for marriage. The girls’ original families lost all rights to their custody.
There was a clear difference between the little princesses in family greenhouses and the girls raised in the Paradise. The former were indulged by their parents, having never faced any hardships. Their fragility, capriciousness, anxiety, and innocence were entirely out of place in the Paradise.
Yet, it was precisely this natural disposition that made the teachers in the Paradise soften towards them, speaking in gentle tones.
Girls raised in the Paradise were accustomed to deceit and were always worried about being sent for euthanasia. They were wary of even their companions, desiring to be strong and to become warriors. They had no smiles on their faces, only gloom, uniform short hair, and dark skin. Forced to wear beautiful but cumbersome dresses, they felt a deep sense of inferiority compared to the delicate princesses.
There had been confrontations between the ‘external princesses’ and the ‘Paradise natives,’ but the delicate princesses were always protected by the teachers.
A few days ago, a fourteen-year-old princess from the neighboring recovery chamber was found dead, apparently poisoned. The life teacher discovered the body only the next morning.
The entire Paradise and even the outside world were shocked. With natural females becoming increasingly rare, it was unthinkable that a girl was killed shortly after entering the Paradise.
The leader ordered a strict investigation, but frighteningly, no clues were found.
Everyone knew it had to be one of the girls trained in the Paradise who had committed the crime; only they had the means. As long as the culprit wasn’t found, she might continue to harm others.
At this moment, Wan Tong looked at the concerned gaze of the life teacher, clutching her chest even more tightly. Her voice was barely audible, “It hurts…”
Obviously, she had used her points to upgrade Shishi, but unexpectedly, upon entering the new world, it actually disappeared. She could only take things one step at a time now.
The man in the white uniform almost immediately pressed a button on his wrist and, with a serious expression, carried her out of the chamber.
The air contained components to aid sleep. If it weren’t for extreme discomfort, she wouldn’t wake up. This only meant that 001 was in severe pain.
The Medical Department of the Paradise hadn’t moved; it was still beside the original training base.
Even though it was deep night, there were still many people training in the base. Boys from ages 5 to 17, all dressed in uniform combat gear, moved through the night with expressionless faces, like puppets.
No one spoke; here, they were not allowed to laugh and play.
Since the establishment of the Natural Female Growth Department, there had been no changes on the boys’ side. In their eyes, there was no distinction between male and female, so they lived in mixed-gender quarters.
However, it was unclear why the Medical Department suddenly became brightly lit, and people from outside continued to enter one after another.
All the passing boys merely glanced up, their expressions showing no trace of disturbance.
The Medical Department was small, even quite rudimentary, with only a dozen old medical pods.
If not for severe injuries or those with exceptional abilities, the use of medical pods might not even be approved.
In this world, their existence was seen as redundant and a burden. Only by becoming top talents could they leave this place.
At that moment, all the medical pods had occupants. In a corner, after the blue light of a medical pod went out, the transparent glass opened, and a boy sat up.
With a buzz cut, sharp features, and honey-colored skin, every muscle under his greenish-brown vest seemed to conceal immense strength.
Hearing the noise, he turned his head numbly.
Wan Tong had remained conscious. Fortunately, the poison she had was the same as the one that had affected the previous girl. The doctor had been prepared, and after administering a dose of medicine, she clearly felt the oppressive force on her heart dissipate, and her breathing became smoother.
She lay on a small bed nearby, with many other medical pods in use around her. Her condition was not suitable for using those pods.
The doctors and teachers surrounding her were noisy, and she occasionally responded, though her gaze wandered.
Suddenly, a boy emerged from a medical pod in the corner and stared blankly in her direction.
When her gaze met his calm eyes, she was momentarily surprised. This face was undoubtedly that of the boss.
However, she felt something was off.
In every world, the boss almost always had some kind of sentiment toward her. They would never look at her with such a strange and indifferent gaze.
“001, do you feel any discomfort?”
After her name was taken away, Wan Tong felt a bit unsettled. She looked at the silver nameplate hanging around the other party’s neck and slowly shook her head, “Teacher Bai, I’m fine…”
The seventeen-year-old girl, bright and captivating, with flawless snow-white skin and rare black hair, had eyes as dark as ink.
Her prominent nose and cherry-like pink lips were all perfect, drawing everyone’s attention.
In the Paradise, whether teachers, students, or guards, they were accustomed to speaking in a rough tone and rarely showing expressions. But now, facing this delicate girl and hearing her soft voice, they found it hard to raise their voices.
In the Natural Women Growth Department, all natural females had been privately scored, and 001 ranked first in all categories.
A few months later, when she reached adulthood, she would face the task of being assigned a husband by the leader. It was unknown who would be lucky enough to be chosen.
“001, can you tell the teacher what happened yesterday or who you came into contact with?”
Wan Tong had just woken up and had little memory of what had happened before, so she simply shook her head.
Teacher Bai did not expect the delicate flower to have noticed anything, so after the routine questions, he planned to take her out of the Medical Department.
A few days ago, Number 121 was poisoned to death, and today another incident happened. The culprit really seems to be fearless.
Wan Tong, who was about to be carried out, waved her hand, “I can go on my own…”
Hearing her own soft voice, she felt a bit embarrassed. This body has been raised so well; it’s really like a pampered little princess, even her voice sounds delicate and spoiled.
Teacher Bai was a bit surprised, exchanged a glance with the nearby doctor, and nodded.
Entering the Paradise means leaving the original family behind. Even if she still thinks about her family, she will have to wait until she leaves here to deal with that.
001 is the most watched natural female, but after entering the paradise, she has been in low spirits, often hiding away and crying, and even went on a hunger strike. All the teachers have tried to comfort her but to no avail. Now that she seems much calmer, it appears she might have come to terms with it?
On the way back, Wan Tong took the opportunity to observe her surroundings.
Since it’s near the training ground, there are more people coming and going, and children and teenagers can be seen everywhere.
The younger ones, full of curiosity, would turn their heads to look in Wan Tong’s direction, their eyes showing a bit of scrutiny.
In their memory, they have never seen someone so fragile.
Wan Tong spotted a familiar figure again as she walked slowly along Teacher Bai.
Noticing her gaze, M01 also looked over calmly. His eyes were as dark as the night.
But in an instant, he looked away again.
Her hair is too long, inconvenient for combat, and her walking is unsteady. She probably doesn’t even know how to fight. Her eyes are clean, and she doesn’t hide her emotions, making her easy to deceive…
Everywhere is a weakness.
He could crush her with just a finger.
The moment the boy looked away, Wan Tong seemed to sense his contempt for her, “…”
“Teacher Bai, is that the training ground? Do I have to go there too?” Wangtong pointed in a certain direction, looking at Teacher Bai with clear eyes.
Teacher Bai, who is a life teacher and only 28 years old, was momentarily swayed by her obedient and curious demeanor. He honestly replied, “Yes, that’s the training ground, but obedient girls don’t have to go there.”
Occasionally, girls who are punished are sent to the training ground.
Wan Tong nodded. She also had an older brother in the Paradise and wondered if she would have a chance to meet him.
She remembers her Second Brother’s face; he was also handsome. Although they are fraternal twins, her Eldest Brother’s looks shouldn’t be too different, as genes are just like that.
As for the boss’s matters, she dare not meddle casually and can only wait for Shishi to appear.
rokumi’s note : Sorry for the long absence of updates. Something happened irl that I really couldn’t find time to translate. I’m trying to stockpile some chapters, so for now, I’ll be updating this only every Thursdays and Fridays.