Ch 148: The Cannon Fodder Won’t Play Along Anymore [QT]

ARC 9: The Twin Cast Away for the Sake of Research

Mu Xing never expected that when his seclusion ended and he opened his eyes, he would find himself in a completely different place.

It was clearly decorated in a modern style, though the house was rather shabby.

He was sitting cross-legged in front of a makeshift “desk,” nothing more than two small stools with a wooden plank laid across them.

He had no extra chair, so he could only sit on the cold floor.

The room seemed to be a storage closet, extremely cramped. Besides a narrow 1.2-meter single bed, it only had space for this crude wooden plank desk.

There was no window, only an old yellow ceiling light casting dim light. The walls were yellowed and covered with messy scribbles and black stains.

The atmosphere was suffocating.

Before Mu Xing had time to absorb the memories, the door suddenly slammed open from outside.

A boy of about seven or eight stood at the doorway, looking down at him arrogantly. “Mom and Dad said since you didn’t get full marks on your exam this time, you’ll be punished! You’re not allowed to have lunch today!”

After saying that, the boy slammed the door shut again.

Mu Xing then heard the sound of the lock turning, the door bolted from the outside.

Utterly absurd. Mu Xing thought, what kind of parents would refuse to feed their child just because he didn’t score perfectly on a test?

What kind of strange pitiful-soul script was this?

This time, the light orb arrived early.

Very quickly, a story unfolded in Mu Xing’s mind.

There was a pair of brilliant research scientists, a husband and wife who had long worked in genetics.

One day, they clashed in opinion:

The husband believed that a person’s character and achievements were primarily dictated by genes. Whether one was clever or dull, good or bad, it was already decided at birth.

The wife, however, argued that environment mattered more. A child’s family upbringing and education were the key to shaping personality and achievement.

Their debate never ended, and neither could convince the other.

At last, the couple undertook a mad experiment.

They used their own sperm and egg to create a fertilized embryo, then found an exceptionally healthy volunteer to carry the child—resulting in a pair of identical twin boys.

They carefully selected two families to adopt these beautiful twin brothers.

The elder brother went to a well-educated household: both foster parents were university professors, childhood sweethearts with a deep, harmonious bond, and financially comfortable. Their only regret was being unable to have children, yet they remained gentle, optimistic, and content with life.

The younger brother, however, was sent to a family of gamblers. Both parents were addicted to gambling, lazy and gluttonous, unable to keep jobs for more than three months. Any money they had was inevitably squandered at the casino.

They lived in an old house in the city’s rundown district, with no plans for the future and no children yet.

The two brothers grew up in completely different cities. If nothing unusual happened, they would likely never meet in their lifetimes.

Mu Xing was this unfortunate younger brother.

He had no idea how the scientists managed to let such unfit parents adopt him, but less than two years after he arrived, the adopted mother became pregnant.

The following year, she gave birth to a boy, two years younger than Mu Xing.

Life had already been difficult for Mu Xing in that household, and with the birth of their own child, things only worsened.

Though the gambler couple restrained themselves slightly after having their own son—knowing they needed money to raise him—it was only a small improvement.

The household never had more than 5,000 yuan in savings, and what little they earned went entirely to their biological son, Zhao Yuan.

As for Mu Xing, from childhood he rarely even tasted meat.

The original body had always been clever and achieved excellent grades, yet his adopted parents never cared.

After completing compulsory middle school education, the family refused to support him further.

At fifteen, he was thrown out of the house at night.

He searched for work, but no proper employer wanted him. He could only take odd jobs, earning very little, and his adoptive family would still call from time to time to demand money.

He barely endured until adulthood. Handsome as he was, he found work as a greeter in a high-end hotel.

Then one day, by chance, his blood brother—after finishing the college entrance exam, traveling with friends—happened to stay in the very city where Mu Xing worked.

They met at the hotel entrance.

One was a guest, the other a hotel employee.

Their strikingly identical faces instantly stirred waves in both their hearts.

The younger brother had long known he was not biologically related to his adoptive parents, having been told so when he was cast out. The elder brother called his parents.

The professors came at once, met Mu Xing, and learned he was raised by adoptive parents but had no knowledge of his biological parents.

For the elder brother’s sake, they lied, claiming Mu Xing was also their biological son, lost at birth due to an accident.

Thus, Mu Xing was brought back into his brother’s home.

Yet his childhood experience left him timid and sensitive. Though his new parents treated him kindly, he never felt at ease.

In this cultured household filled with books and scholarship, the family of three had always been their own close-knit world. Much of what they discussed was entirely foreign to him.

And because of his upbringing, he found it difficult to feel any genuine attachment to so-called “family.”

After living at home for a while, he ignored the couple’s persuasion and insisted on moving out.

But after all, having met his “family” still stirred many different thoughts in his heart.

There was someone else who looked exactly like him, the same age, a top student at a prestigious university with a bright future. And he himself was nothing more than a mediocre nobody.

He began working twice as hard, earning money, lying awake at night, wrestling with himself, holding his breath in determination.

Finally, his hard work was recognized, and he was promoted.

Excitement and joy flooded his chest at that moment, and he couldn’t wait to call his “biological parents” to share the news.

He had conquered his own obsession, and he wanted to tell them: I’m not bad either. I can succeed too.

But then, everything went black.

Years of malnutrition combined with high-intensity work had long broken down his body.

He died suddenly the very night he received his promotion notice, only staying in this world for twenty-three years.

*

Mu Xing finished watching the entire plot and could only say one thing: never overestimate the lower limits of human nature.

He truly hadn’t expected that someone could be so cold-blooded as to use their own children in a ridiculous experiment.

Of course, perhaps in the eyes of that couple, they weren’t children at all, just a pair of “experimental control samples.”

The original boy had never noticed, but after seeing the plot, Mu Xing dug through the original’s memories and found a clue.

From as early as he could remember, several times he had seen an elegant couple.

He remembered them because they were good-looking, with a unique aura, completely unlike any neighbors he had grown up with in the old district—utterly unforgettable.

So, those researcher parents had visited him from time to time.

They had watched, with their own eyes, as he was abused, as he never had a single good day, yet remained indifferent.

Cold-blooded to this degree.

Mu Xing had always respected researchers; the field was grueling, and any small success might come only after countless failures.

But no matter what research is done, it cannot violate morality, the law, or basic humanity. That is the most fundamental principle.

All the more when the reason for their experiment was nothing more than a disagreement in opinion.

Could the different outcomes of two children really prove their respective theories?

Data from a single experimental group can never serve as evidence.

At its core, it was just two people unwilling to concede, choosing the most selfish method, arrogantly playing out a cruel game.

But their game ruined one person’s entire life.

Mu Xing rubbed his eyes.

He exhaled, just as the locked door was opened.

Zhao Yuan stood at the doorway and said, “Mom and Dad went out. I’m taking a nap. Wash the bowls on the table.”

He clearly despised this “older brother.” After speaking, he didn’t bother with another glance and turned away.

Mu Xing knew: at this point, the gambler couple hadn’t yet told Mu Xing he wasn’t their real son, but they had secretly told their own child Zhao Yuan.

So in Zhao Yuan’s heart, this person wasn’t his brother at all, but a freeloader living in his house, eating and drinking for free. Or perhaps just a little servant they kept.

Washing clothes, dishes, cleaning—these chores were always left to the original boy.

Mu Xing stepped out of the room. The living room was small and messy, piles of clutter everywhere. The dining room and living room were connected, and at this moment the table was a total mess.

He didn’t even look at it. He pushed open the front door and walked straight out.

By sheer coincidence, as soon as he walked out of the alley, he ran into some “familiar faces.”

They had just gotten out of a car, and seemed surprised to see him.

But neither moved; they simply stood there quietly watching him. Mu Xing also looked back at them.

Perhaps because he had never behaved so unusually, the two exchanged a few words, then started walking toward him.

“Child, why are you looking at us like that?” The woman’s voice was gentle, her face smiling.

Mu Xing thought: if not for the original plot, I never would have imagined she could be so cold-blooded.

He said icily, “Because you looked at me first.”

The woman blinked in surprise and replied, “I just thought you were very handsome, little one, and couldn’t help but look a few more times.”

Mu Xing smiled faintly. “You’re very beautiful too. Your child must be beautiful as well.”

The woman froze.

By the time she came back to her senses, Mu Xing had already slipped through the crowded streets, destination unknown.

She frowned. “Why do I feel like this child seems a little different than before?”

Her husband dismissed it. “What could be different? Probably just got beaten again.”

“Let’s go. Ask around the area and take some notes.”

*

Mu Xing crossed the street and walked into a convenience store he didn’t recognize. He asked the young shopkeeper playing games, “Big brother, can I borrow your phone to make a call?”

The man, seeing it was just a kid, casually opened the dial page and handed him the phone with a smile. “What’s wrong, little guy? Can’t find your parents?”

Mu Xing smiled back, took the phone, and dialed 110.

As soon as the call connected, he let out a loud “wah” and burst into tears.

The store owner was so startled that his hand slipped in his game and his character died, but he didn’t care anymore. He scrambled to his feet, panicking as he looked at the boy. “What’s wrong, what’s wrong?”

…

Ten minutes later, a few uniformed police officers hurried into the shop.

In Mu Xing’s hands were several lollipops the store owner had stuffed at him, and on the table sat bread, milk, and a pile of toys. The young shop owner’s eyes toward Mu Xing were full of pity.

He had heard everything just now. The child had cried loudly into the phone, saying that his parents had beaten him again and weren’t giving him food—then he had overheard that he wasn’t even their biological child.

Damn, this was abuse!

A kid this young, not even being given food—how inhuman could they be!

The police arrived and asked a few questions, all of which Mu Xing answered. He didn’t need to exaggerate in the slightest, because the life the original body had lived was miserable enough.

The more the officers listened, the darker their expressions grew. One younger officer, by the end, had his face twisted with rage and muttered a curse under his breath.

A ten-year-old child, forced to sleep in a windowless storage room, to wash the family’s clothes, to do all the housework, to help his younger brother with homework, and still often beaten and starved.

Even if he truly wasn’t their biological son, weren’t that couple far too cruel?

An older officer crouched down and coaxed Mu Xing gently. “Xingxing, eat something first. Once you’re full, Uncle will take you home.”

A trace of fear flickered across Mu Xing’s face—clearly, the word “home” filled him with terror.

The officer swore inwardly, seeing his skinny, bony wrists. He cursed the couple silently and continued coaxing, “Don’t be afraid, don’t be afraid. Uncle will go with you. We just need to understand some things. Uncle will protect you.”

Another officer went to pay for the food Mu Xing was holding, but the shop owner quickly waved his hands. “No need, no need, I gave those to little Xingxing.”

The police still paid. They patiently waited until Mu Xing finished a bottle of milk and most of the bread before taking him toward the Zhao house.

Some neighbors saw several officers walking with the child and quickly shut their doors. Some even called Zhao Pingkang and his wife.

When Mu Xing pushed open the door, Zhao Yuan happened to be coming out of the bathroom. He spotted him and snapped viciously, “Where the hell did you go? The dishes still aren’t washed—just wait, when Dad gets back he’ll beat you to death!”

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Sandy: If you enjoy this novel, check out The Malevolent Monster Just Wants To Farm [BL] from same author.