Deep in the Living
Chapter 248 - 237 Orphanage

Chapter 248: Chapter 237 Orphanage

When Luo Di was still a high school student, he once did odd jobs in the back kitchen of the school cafeteria. Simply helping with unloading and basic food preparation earned him a decent amount of scholarship money.

The back kitchen of the school was quite clean and always filled with the fragrance of spices, leaving Luo Di with a good impression. Later on, during his senior year, he and his friends would often enjoy delicious meals in the cafeteria.

Presently,

Inside the Nameless Orphanage located deep within Moon City.

Luo Di, disguised as an apprentice, pushed the food materials into the kitchen area.

A strong, pungent smell of blood and raw meat assaulted his senses, no wonder the apprentice was wearing something akin to a breathing mask.

The size of the kitchen was several times larger than that of the school’s.

Many strong-bodied chefs were working there, all wearing the same metallic masks, some even dressed in dark leather aprons, giving off the vibe of butchers from horror movies.

Following directions,

Luo Di pushed the ingredients to a foul-smelling warm water basin for rapid defrosting.

Floating in the basin were oil and bits of rotten flesh, the water bloody and turbid.

Package after package, wrapped in black cling film, was dumped into the water, waiting for ten minutes before being scooped out with a huge colander next to it.

The whole process was closely monitored by a chef nearby, and had to be done quickly.

Some chunks of meat shrunk after defrosting, the cling film fell off, exposing a kind of meat starkly different from pork or beef, some even retaining distinct limb characteristics.

The defrosted meat was sent to a conveyor belt, where different chefs picked out the pieces they needed and began cooking with pre-cut vegetables.

Although the environment here was terrible, and the source of the meat was dubious,

There was a wide variety of vegetables, and bone broth was also made, ensuring nutrition was well-rounded.

"Bawel, what are you dreaming about! Get ready to deliver the meals."

With the call of another apprentice, Luo Di also came to know the name of the imposter, sprinting to the massive cart of food.

Looking at the steaming hot dishes, the meat strips and ribs emanating a strong aroma, but Luo Di could only smell a nauseating scent that turned his stomach.

There were ten people in total, including Luo Di the apprentice, responsible for this meal delivery.

Pushing the heavy dining cart, Luo Di followed the team through the corridors of the orphanage.

They soon arrived at what was called the [Dining Hall].

Huge and empty, it was less a cafeteria and more an indoor playground.

No dining tables, no chairs.

Only individual round plates were evenly placed on the ground, roughly three hundred of them.

No lights, no windows.

The only illumination came from a few candles, visibility very low, as if to simulate an environment of darkness.

Soon after, a door on the other side of the dining hall opened.

A group of children, mostly not older than fourteen and the youngest around five, quickly poured into the dining hall.

Also, several teachers wearing masks, who exuded an aura of a killer, followed alongside, stationed in different parts of the cafeteria to supervise the upcoming meal.

The children gathered in front of their plates, squatting down and waiting silently.

Most of them bore fresh scars, some so severe their bones could be seen, yet none slowed down due to their injuries, not even a hint of pain on their faces.

What was more evident was an expression of hunger, their bodies, honed through rigorous training and in the midst of growth, desperately needed food for energy.

From the moment they arrived in the dining hall, they have been longing for the food to come.

With a teacher shouting loudly, "Serve the food!"

The meal servers, including Luo Di, took out large ladles and started doling food onto their plates from the cart.

There were no plate divisions; all the dishes simply needed to be piled randomly on the plates, the amount dependent on luck. Luo Di also noticed that there seemed to be an excessive number of orphans, meaning those at the end of the line might not get a share.

Luo Di, following the portioning done by others, thought he could distribute evenly to everyone.

However, towards the end, the food cart was nearly empty yet there were still several children who hadn’t received any food, so he tried his best to spread it out evenly.

Clearly, the order in which these children were served was likely based on some sort of performance ranking.

After all the food was distributed, at least seventeen children only had some soup to eat.

The teacher called out again, "Start eating!"

In an instant, all the students lay down, using both hands and mouths to quickly consume the food on their plates, an action Luo Di had witnessed the previous night in the basement, just like Wendy.

It didn’t resemble human eating, but rather that of the most primal beasts.

It seemed to be training them to eat efficiently and quickly in any environment, or perhaps it was just a simple arrangement to instill servility.

The children with little to eat had no scramble or change in expression, patiently waiting for the others to finish, then licking their plates clean of the remaining soup, barely sustaining their body’s energy.

The entire dinner time was kept within ten minutes.

The orphans left one by one under the teacher’s supervision, ready to begin their night training.

Luo Di and the other meal servers needed to clear the dishes and clean the dining area thoroughly, not allowing any strange smells to linger. Once everything was finished, their work for the day would be considered done.

Their dormitory was also arranged inside the orphanage, with two-person rooms, the conditions were rather decent.

Luo Di had no idea where his room was, he could only follow behind the other apprentices.

As they walked,

Squeak~ Suddenly, a door beside him swung open, and a black-skinned hand pulled Luo Di into the room.

Looking at his roommate in front of him, Luo Di’s brain immediately generated a gray sensation.

Click!

The room door closed, and the Black roommate immediately took off their hood to reveal Wendy’s rotten teeth-filled grin.

"Master~ Welcome home. Your roommate was killed by me half an hour ago, and the body has been dealt with. It won’t be discovered.

The orphanage is quite lax in its supervision over the staff; there’s no need for us to stay disguised in the room.

Also, I’ve already put up a balloon membrane on the door, so no one will barge in."

"Hmm."

Wendy suddenly became a bit shy, twisting her hands between her thighs, "Master, um... there is no basement here, should I sleep in the bathroom? But will that inconvenience you when you use it?"

"Maintain the disguise." Luo Di replied the same as always.

"Master means I can sleep in the same room as you now, yay! If you find me annoying, or if there’s any bad smell, just tell me. I’ll go sleep in the bathroom and wrap myself up with a balloon."

Luo Di did not respond, just sat on the edge of the bed and stared at her.

Wendy quickly caught on and began to speak:

"Master, you must have seen the dining hall, right? You saw those children, I didn’t lie to you, right?

This orphanage is a large and perfect, Killer training camp.

Most orphans are sent here shortly after they are born, some abandoned, some sold, and some lost.

Very few of them live to the age of fifteen,

Or rather, very few maintain their human identity and live to the age of fifteen.

Most of the orphans die prematurely under extreme training, or develop Corners in their brains prematurely, both outcomes are considered failures.

Only those who can survive, who can withstand the twisted training of the orphanage, and who do not develop Thought Corners are the talents they truly desire.

Of course, in your eyes, Master, they’re still just trash.

After all, even an excellent graduate like me is pure rubbish before you."

"What happens if one lives to fifteen years of age with their humanity intact?" Luo Di caught the key point and asked.

"Will..." When it came to this particular topic, even with the suppression of gray, Wendy became agitated, "There will be a designated, targeted ’Ritual’.

A ritual that utterly destroys the things you love before your eyes, that completely extinguishes your hope, and that totally demolishes your reliance.

All who make it to fifteen years of age generate ’Thought Corners’ at this moment, and I am no exception.

Of course.

Pseudo-People transformed through such a ritual often become quite special and are recognized by the organization as ’Murderers’, marking successfully normal graduation.

Like me, able to move freely, kill freely... but in the end, death is still the only outcome.

Once our pituitary glands are fully ripe, they will be taken away by the Venerable, either for their own use or to offer to the Capital City.

Of course,

The orphanage truly aims to cultivate a ’Perfect Killer’ who can endure until fifteen years old, pass the Ritual without developing Thought Corners.

But since the founding of the orphanage, such a person has never appeared; at most, they have only been able to raise special Pseudo-People like me."

Luo Di picked up on a keyword: "Tell me more about the Venerable."

Wendy pointed to her head, "The Venerable is the supreme leader of our organization, and also the one who implanted the [bombs] inside all of our minds.

Because of him, no information about the orphanage will ever leak out.

Because of him, the whole orphanage can operate steadily and continuously produce excellent Murderers.

Because of him, the children here are deeply brainwashed, determined to become Murderers from a young age.

However, he is not present here.

He only personally comes over to preside over the Ritual when a child reaches the age of fifteen... He himself greatly enjoys watching the children transform out of despair in the Ritual Room.

I still remember his laughter back then, a sleazy laugh.

If we’re lucky, someone will turn fifteen soon and attract the Venerable.

The arrival of the Venerable will also bring a group of Murderers similar to me, produced by the orphanage. By then, perhaps it will satisfy your killing needs, Master."