Shen Ting’s condition was well. After lying in the medical pod for another half an hour, he was fully awake.
At that moment, 017 and M01 were gathered around the pod, seemingly curious. They fiddled with it for a while, and Wan Tong suspected they were considering taking the medical pod back to the Paradise…
Before the afternoon arrived, Shen Guo and Mu Rong hurried back, only to be immediately subdued by M01 and 017.
In truth, neither of them resisted. They had learned about the situation at home from Xiaoxiao and rushed back without bringing anyone along.
M01 had clearly been waiting for them. He pressed a dagger against Shen Guo’s throat, drawing a thin line of blood.
“Shen Yu! Stop messing around, that’s our parents!” Shen Ting shouted at M01, charging at him with another round of attacks.
Perhaps he was still unwilling to accept his previous loss. Now that he had recovered, he insisted on tangling with M01 again.
017 crossed her arms and stood aside, hesitating for a moment before deciding not to intervene.
It was obviously a family matter, and she had no interest in getting involved. If it escalated to murder, she could always step in then.
Shen Guo and Mu Rong were momentarily stunned, their gazes uncertain. “Yu’er?”
Wan Tong, who was being held by Mu Rong, poked her head out. “Mm, it must be Eldest Brother. Ling Wu said so too…”
Mu Rong stroked her head, reached out to tug at Shen Guo, and exchanged a glance with him.
Meanwhile, Shen Ting was mercilessly pinned to the ground by M01, completely unable to fight back.
Just as M01 was about to land a punch on his face, Wan Tong suddenly called out, “Stop!”
To everyone’s surprise, his fist actually halted right at the tip of Shen Ting’s nose.
Terrified, Shen Ting quickly covered his nose. M01 glanced at his cowardly reaction and let out a scoff. He was just about to get up when Shen Ting suddenly lunged forward and clung to him with all his strength.
Caught off guard, M01 was dragged into a tumble, rolling several times across the floor. His usual techniques were useless against this mess.
At first, Wan Tong was worried that Shen Ting might get hurt. But now, she chose to just watch the two of them wrestle like a pair of unruly children. The corner of her mouth twitched, and she gave up on interfering.
About ten minutes later, after failed attempts from Shen Guo and Mu Rong to mediate, Wan Tong returned with two cups of warm water and crouched beside the brawling duo.
“Eldest Brother, Second Brother, do you want some water?”
The moment Shen Ting heard Wan Tong’s voice, he turned his head and reflexively squinted his eyes with a grin. “Yes, yes, yes!”
*Bam!*
A fist landed on his left cheek, leaving a red mark.
After delivering the punch, M01 coldly uttered one word: “Yes.”
Wan Tong handed M01 a cup. Shen Ting, rubbing his cheek, sluggishly sat up and pitifully scooted closer to her. “Tongtong, it hurts. Blow on it for me.”
Seeing the bruise on his handsome face, Wan Tong humored him, gently blowing a few times before lifting the cup to his lips and feeding him water.
Shen Ting sipped contentedly while shooting a provocative glance at M01.
M01 downed his cup in one go, only to find the water suddenly tasting bitter in his throat.
*Crash*!
The transparent cup in his palm shattered into tiny shards.
Shen Ting, who had witnessed everything, choked in shock. *Cough, cough, cough…*
Yet, thanks to Shen Ting’s antics, the once-tense and heavy atmosphere loosened considerably.
M01’s expression darkened as he swept his gaze across the so-called family members staring at him with expectant eyes.
Somewhere deep within, a long-sealed wall in his heart seemed to crumble.
He had once resented fate’s cruelty, but at that moment, a strange thought flickered through his mind.
—Thankfully, it was me who was sent to the Paradise back then.
M01 and 017 left that very night, never speaking a word to Shen Guo or Mu Rong from beginning to end.
Mu Rong had always been strong-willed, but when she saw M01 leave with a cold expression, she collapsed into Shen Guo’s arms, sobbing uncontrollably.
Wan Tong, recalling the tragic fate of the Paradise children in the original storyline, felt uneasy. She dug out Shen Ting’s communicator and citizen ID, stuffing them into M01’s hands.
“Eldest Brother, don’t make the family worry.” She figured that since M01 already had lingering attachment to his family, using Shen Ting’s identity might make him more mindful of his actions.
M01 accepted the citizen ID without protest—after all, forged ones were troublesome to use.
017 followed M01 for a few steps before suddenly turning back. She looked at Wan Tong and slowly asked, “Can I take something with me?”
The inquiring tone made Wantong pause for a moment before nodding. “What do you want?”
“Cookies, grape-flavored.”
“……”
017 ignored everyone’s reactions and added another sentence, “M01 likes jerky.”
M01 was momentarily stunned before coldly refuting, “I don’t.”
Pressing his lips together, he shot 017 a warning glare, but Wan Tong and Shen Ting had already rushed back to their rooms to gather all the snacks they could find and stuffed them into 017’s hands.
017 accepted them. Recalling the etiquette lessons from the Natural Women Growth Department, she bent down and bowed, murmuring a thank you, though she still had a blank expression.
Compared to M01, 017 had indeed adapted to this world much faster.
Even in the elevator, M01’s communicator kept popping up with messages from Wan Tong.
[Eldest Brother, where are you?]
[Eldest Brother, are you hungry? 017 has a lot of food!]
[Eldest Brother, are you going to date 017? I really like her~]
[Eldest Brother, are you heading back to the Paradise?]
[Eldest Brother, be careful~]
…
M01’s expression grew darker and darker, especially with 017 beside him continuously munching on food.
He directly connected to Wan Tong’s communicator and sent back just two words: [Shut up!]
After ending the call, he finally enjoyed some peace.
017 glanced at him, swallowed the last bite of her cookie, and said seriously, “This is unusual. Something’s off.”
It was just a simple statement, but it made M01’s thoughts clear.
The fact that they had taken over Paradise so easily was already suspicious. Now, various rumors were spreading outside, such as claims that the children of Paradise were addicted to killing. The public had even started a petition urging the Supreme Leader to take immediate action to rescue the rare and precious natural women inside.
It was as if an invisible hand was manipulating everything, stirring up fear and hatred against Paradise while also provoking the children inside to retaliate against society.
About five minutes later, M01 suddenly glanced at his communicator—no new messages.
Pressing his lips into a thin line, he let out a cold sneer.
Meanwhile, as their parents shut the door to discuss matters, Wan Tong and Shen Ting huddled together, trying to locate Ling Wu.
“Tongtong, you mean Ling Wu has been completely taken over by a girl from the Zhong family?”
Shen Ting asked curiously while checking the information Wan Tong had given him.
“Mm.” Wan Tong nodded, looking slightly angry.
Shen Ting couldn’t help but pinch her cheek before reassuring her, “Don’t worry, I’ll help you get him back.”
But this was strange. Wan Tong was Ling Wu’s rightful owner. How could he suddenly be controlled? Could that Zhong girl be from Ladbrokes Technology and have taken control of him through some special means?
Although Wan Tong knew Ling Wu’s whereabouts, she couldn’t reveal it directly, so she had to rely on Shen Ting.
Shen Ting had studied Ling Wu for some time and was relatively familiar with him.
Besides, when Ling Wu first entered Paradise, he had shared his location with Shen Ting for easier communication, which made tracking him even simpler.
“Ling Wu did go to Zhong Qing’s house. Tongtong, wait at home—I’ll go get him back for you!”
The Zhong Qing that Shen Ting mentioned was 003’s father. Since Zhong Qing had once competed with Shen Guo for a position, there was still tension between them.
003’s real name was Zhong Lele.
“Second Brother, I’m coming with you!” Wan Tong jumped up, having waited for this moment.
Shen Ting hesitated for a second before Wan Tong clung to his arm, blinking her eyes. “Second Brother~”
Faced with her act of pleading, he could only soften and nod. “Alright then…”
Before they even reached the Zhong residence, Wan Tong heard Shishi’s warning that Zhong Lele had already left with Ling Wu.
She quickly pulled Shen Ting to take a detour, and they ran straight into them.
This was a residential area with fewer people around. Zhong Lele was disguised as a boy, and with Ling Wu as her protector, no one dared to approach.
From a distance, Shen Ting spotted them first and quickly pulled Wan Tong aside. “Tongtong, something’s off with Ling Wu.”
Wan Tong was also staring at Lingwu, who was standing beside Zhong Lele, and naturally noticed his odd behavior.
Back in the Paradise, Lingwu had behaved exactly like a human. But now, he was completely in robot mode, even his walking was somewhat stiff. Anyone could tell at a glance that he was a robot.
Wan Tong felt even more furious. The Raider was controlling him as a robot to gain a perfect 100% favorability rating, treating him like a mere tool…
“Xiao Wu, throw this away.” Zhong Lele casually handed a piece of discarded packaging to Ling Wu and issued the command without a second thought.
Ling Wu took it and turned toward the roadside waste recycling system.
Wan Tong and Shen Ting happened to be nearby. As Ling Wu approached, she softly called out, “Ling Wu.”
Ling Wu’s steps did not pause, but his gaze flickered slightly toward her, locking onto her face and never looking away.
His system memory had been refreshed once. From the fragmented data, he did retain this name and the face before him…
However, the commands in his mind forbade him from responding. Without hesitation, he turned back and returned to Zhong Lele’s side.
“Ling Wu is definitely malfunctioning. We need to take him home first to fix him…” Shen Ting frowned. Ling Wu couldn’t exactly be exposed in public, and if they forcibly took him away, it would surely draw unwanted attention.
Wan Tong remained silent, her gaze fixed on Ling Wu.
Zhong Lele was controlling Ling Wu through the system. Her Second Brother probably wouldn’t be able to fix him.
[Shishi, if I touch Zhong Lele, can you hack into her system like last time?]
[Yes.]
Hearing Shishi’s response, Wan Tong felt even more eager to act.
Perhaps her gaze was too intense, because Ling Wu glanced at her twice before shifting his expressionless gaze away.
“Zhong Lele.” Wan Tong stepped forward toward Zhong Lele, but Ling Wu blocked her path first, standing protectively in front of Zhong Lele. The sight stung her heart.
With Ling Wu guarding Zhong Lele, getting close enough to touch her seemed almost impossible.