Shrouded Seascape

The broth was rich and savory while the noodles were perfectly chewy. For Charles, this bowl of fish noodle soup was a feast that he had never got to indulge in.

All his years as a beggar, his only criterion for food was the ability to satiate his hunger. Now, this delectable meal made him feel as though he might accidentally swallow his own tongue in his eagerness.

Carefully tucking her side bangs behind her ear, Anna picked up her chopsticks and started eating quietly. They sat facing each other, and they appeared to be a pair of siblings.

Charles was evidently famished. Within moments, he slurped up nearly all the noodles from his soup.

Seeing that, Anna pushed hers closer to him and the two bowls clinked softly in the quiet room. Without saying a word, she picked up some of her noodles with her chopsticks and placed them into Charles' bowl.

Charles was clearly taken aback by Anna's actions. He stared at her with wide eyes. The next moment, tears flowed down his cheeks.

He jumped off his chair and threw himself into Anna's arms.

"Why are you so kind to me?" Charles asked in a trembling voice. "Please don't be this nice to me. I'm scared… I'm scared that you'll send me back after all this."

Anna reached out a hand to gently cup Charles' tear-streaked face. Her voice was filled with tenderness as she assured him, "Finish up your food. The noodles will get soggy if you wait too long to eat them."

Charles finished the remaining bowl of noodles in quiet satisfaction. When he was done with his meal, the bowl was spotless; it was so clean that it didn't seem to need washing.

Just then, there was a knock on the door. Anna opened it to find Li Lu standing at the doorway with Tobba in one arm and several child clothing sets in the other.

"I found these at the market. See if he can fit into any of them," Li Lu said as she leaned slightly to the side to catch a glimpse of Charles who was still seated at the table and diligently licking the edge of his bowl.

This madwoman has been acting really strange after she took the boy in. Even her usual harsh features have softened. Just who is this child? Li Lu thought to herself.

Charles swiftly tried on the sets of clothes Li Lu had brought and eventually settled on an outfit that fit him best. Cleaned and dressed, he no longer looked like a street beggar.

If it weren't for the hollowed cheeks hinting at years of hardship, he'd pass as any ordinary child.

Tobba slid out of Li Lu's arms and down along her pants. He walked up to Charles and scrutinized him for a few moments. Then, like a seasoned smoker taking a puff, he took an exaggerated sip from his milk bottle, placed a hand on his hip before striking a confident pose.

"So, you're Charles, huh? Gotta say, you look pretty plain. Not even close to being as handsome as me."

Abruptly, Anna appeared behind Tobba. Her face was cold with indifference as she instructed, "Get out."

Tobba took another dramatic sip from his bottle and pivoted on his heel. "Sure thing."

Li Lu scooped up her son and closed the door behind them. With that, only Anna and Charles were left alone in the room.

Now that the miscellaneous things had been dealt with, it was time to get to the actual issue at hand.

Anna knelt down on one knee to match Charles' eye level. In a calm tone, she asked, "Where's your family?"

Charles shook his head, replying, "I don't know. Gramps said he found me by the roadside. He was planning to have me take care of him when he got old.

"After that, he died and his relatives took his house away. I had nowhere to stay so I ran away. Then, I ended up with Big Dragon and the others on the streets."

A hint of reluctance flickered across Anna's visage. She refused to believe that this was the truth. She dug into her pocket and fished out a well-worn drawing of a family of four and held it out to him.

However, Charles clearly didn't recognize any of them.

"Do you have a name?" Anna asked.

"Yes, Gramps gave me a name—Gao Zhiming. He even taught me how to write it. I can write my name!" Charles—or rather, Gao Zhiming—said with a hint of pride lighting up his face.

Hearing the long-not-mentioned name, Anna let out a deep sigh.

"Big Dragon and Little Sichuan call me Doggo," Gao Zhiming added. "They say most dogs don't bite me because they probably see me as their kind. That's where the name came from."

Anna reached out a hand and gently ran it through his overgrown hair that reached past his ears. Her mind started racing.

Could she change Charles' fate? Perhaps then he would no longer go to the Subterranean Sea and endlessly repeat those futile actions?

"Get some sleep." Anna eventually broke the silence. "Your hair is too long. Tomorrow, we'll go get it cut."

On that night, Gao Zhiming slept in the same bed as Anna. After salvaging the whole day, he was supposed to be exhausted but sleep evaded him.

Every single event that happened today felt like a dream to him. A nice-smelling woman had bathed him, fed him, and even bought him new clothes.

If this were a dream, he wished the dream would last a little longer.

"Why? You can't sleep?" Anna asked softly. Her eyes were wide open as she stared at the ceiling above her.

Gao Zhiming hesitated for a long moment before he eventually bit down on his lower lip and blurted out, "D-Did you adopt me? Can I call you Mom?"

"No!" Anna's sudden sharp tone startled him.

"My name's Zhao Jiajia," Anna added. "From now on, just call me Zhao Jiajia. Now go to sleep. If not, I'll send you straight back where I found you!"

Gao Zhiming felt threatened by that, and he immediately clamped his eyes shut. He dared not to make any other movement. He was afraid that she'd go through with her threat.

When Anna heard Gao Zhiming's breathing softened into the steady rhythm of sleep, she reached out and pulled the boy into her arms.

On that night, Anna's mind churned with thoughts and plans. She lay awake for hours and only managed to fall asleep when it was nearly dawn. Though she fell asleep late, that was the best and most peaceful sleep she ever had since arriving on the surface world.

When she finally woke up the next day, she realized that Charles, who was supposed to be in her arms, was no longer there.

Her gaze drifted into the distance, and she caught sight of the boy struggling with a mop. He was clumsily dragging it across the floor.

Gao Zhiming was clearly trying very hard to prevent himself from being sent back to where he had come from.

At the moment, he was easily satisfied. His concept of happiness was simple—as long as every day could be like yesterday.

Anna's gaze lingered on Gao Zhiming's back as she started to make future plans. No matter what Gao Zhiming had gone through before, she knew that he'd eventually descend into the Subterranean Sea.

If that future him had a loving family in his memories, it meant that she had to craft that experience for him.

Even if she couldn't give him a real family, she would at least have to fabricate a memory in his head.

When Charles had descended into the Subterranean Sea, he had no memories of her at all. That meant that she would need to erase herself completely from his memories before he descended into the Subterranean Sea.

If only she still had her previous monster form and abilities, this memory alteration would've been easy and could be done with just a will on her end.

But now? Everything had become so much more complicated.

She wondered if the surface world had relics that were capable of memory manipulation.

The IMF was undoubtedly the organization that hoarded the most relics on the surface world. However, she had barely escaped their clutches the last time. If she were to poke the hornet's nest again, that'd be as good as suicide.

Fortunately, Gao Zhiming was still young, and she still had enough time to figure things out.

Knock, knock, knock!

A rhythmic knock at the door interrupted Anna's thoughts.

"The door's not locked," Anna said as she lifted the blankets and reached for her clothes.

Just as she tugged a short skirt into place, the door creaked open, and the clown entered the room.

Holding a tray laden with steaming breakfast, the clown tilted its head slightly to the side as it laid eyes on Gao Zhiming. Then, it began circling the boy.

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