Walking on the road.
'First, I need to buy some clothes and daily necessities for the children…'
Yang Tao recalled the ragged clothes on those girls and sighed softly.
[World Exploration Value 2.2%]
Looking at the pop-up exploration value, Yang Tao stopped and his gaze fell on a little girl holding a cardboard sign.
She had silver-gray hair and was wrapped in a light purple trench coat that covered her thin body.
But what was most eye-catching was the white bandage wrapped around the girl's eyes.
Given her age, she should also be a Cursed Child, a term Yang Tao learned from the little girls who followed him.
The little girl was singing, and her voice was very pleasant, but passers-by completely ignored her; some even showed expressions of disgust in their eyes.
Yang Tao walked over and squatted down.
The little girl must have noticed him and stopped singing.
"Hello."
The little girl heard his voice and quickly responded with a smile: "Hello."
Just then, a prompt popped up again.
[World Exploration Value 7.65%]
A young man who looked like a high school student walked over with a little girl.
He also came in front of the little girl, bent down, stared at the bandage wrapped around her eyes, and asked with a solemn expression: "What's wrong with your eyes?"
"Cursed Children shouldn't get sick, right?"
The little girl heard someone asking about her eyes, but her face still held that serene smile, and she reached out to untie the bandage wrapped around her eyes, saying in a very calm tone: "Ah… this, I poured lead into them because my mother who abandoned me said she hated my red eyes."
Yang Tao looked at the girls's eye sockets, completely sealed with lead water: "!!!!!"
His heart was greatly shaken.
He truly couldn't imagine what kind of suffering would lead a ten-year-old, or even younger, little girl to personally seal her own eyes with lead water.
A tyrannical aura brewed within him; he was very angry now and wanted to destroy something…
The high school student beside him was also in great pain, turning his head slightly and closing his eyes.
Just then, the little girl reached out and touched the little girl next to the high school student, her somewhat dirty little hand stroking the other's cheek and saying: "Are you also a Cursed Child?"
"How do you know?"
"You are so beautiful, because I can't survive without relying on others, so besides smiling like this, I don't know what other expression to show…"
Just then, two young men drinking beverages threw an aluminum can tab into the broken bowl in front of the little girl.
The little girl heard the sound and immediately said to the person beside her: "Thank you so much!"
This thank you completely broke Yang Tao's composure, but he took a deep breath, forcing himself to calm down.
It was clear that discrimination against these Cursed Children was already a common state in this world.
The most urgent thing now was not to teach the guy who threw the can tab a lesson, but to take this girls, and even more like her, back with him first.
Furthermore, the high school student beside him should be the protagonist of this world, otherwise it would be impossible to possess such rich emotions in such a suffocating world.
"Little girl, what's your name? I am willing to take you in. Are you willing to come with me?"
Suddenly hearing that someone wanted to take her in, the little girl was stunned and then said: "I can't help you fight like this, and I also have to take care of my sister…"
Yang Tao felt a pang of pain in his heart.
Perhaps he should just destroy this world; these Cursed Children might suffer more alive than dead.
The high school student turned to look at Yang Tao, his eyes showing vigilance, but soon turning into helplessness.
Cursed Children were not protected by law at all, and even if Yang Tao took them back to do something disgusting, he would not be punished by law.
Fortunately, Cursed Children also possessed powerful strength.
Feeling the gaze from beside him, Yang Tao also looked at the other party; he had deep blue hair and was very handsome, but his melancholic expression made him seem difficult to communicate with.
"What's your name?"
"Satomi Rentarō."
Yang Tao's voice was very aggressive, making Satomi Rentarō subconsciously say his name.
"Satomi Rentarō… Hmm, I've remembered you."
What was that all about? Why remember me?
Satomi Rentarō was a bit confused, and then he saw Yang Tao extend his hand to the blindfolded little girl, saying softly: "Come with me, we'll go pick up your sister."
The little girl hesitated.
Just then, a noisy sound came from a distance; a group of people wearing clothes with slogans and holding banners and placards shouted loudly: "Gastrea children are unforgivable!!"
"Drive the Cursed Children out of the city!"
The shouts were loud and immediately caught the little girl's attention; she turned to face the direction of the sound, her face showing a bewildered expression.
She didn't know why… people hated them so much, when she hadn't done anything.
Yang Tao looked at the protesting crowd below, narrowing his eyes slightly; a line had already appeared in his mind.
A line that would uncover the truth of this world.
This world was attacked by monsters, the world fell, and a group of children were infected with a special condition, which should be the influence of the Gastrea as these people called it.
While they gained powerful strength, they also became monsters in the eyes of ordinary people.
He recalled the Initiator mentioned by the children at the beginning.
'It seems the child next to Satomi Rentarō should be the so-called Initiator…'
'Heh heh, using the children's power to protect themselves while persecuting these children, what a filthy world.'
Yang Tao shook his head gently.
He felt that his guess was probably not far off.
He reached out and grasped the little girl's dirty hand, saying softly again: "This city is no longer suitable for you, come with me."
This time, the silver-haired little girl did not refuse, nodding gently.
No matter what kind of person Yang Tao was, in the end, it was just death.
Even if she stayed, she would likely die.
"Let's go, we'll pick up your sister. Oh, by the way, what's your name?"
"I… I don't have a name. My mother didn't give me one."
Yang Tao was silent for a moment and then said: "If you don't mind, then how about I call you Megumi from now on."
"Megumi? Okay, I'll be called Megumi from now on."
A smile reappeared on the little girl's face, but this time, there was a hint of sincerity in her smile.
Following the little girl, they arrived at a location near the outskirts of the city, which had also become ruins, but the situation here was better than in the outer layers.
Yang Tao also saw Megumi's sister.
She was equally dirty, inspiring pity.
"Sister…"
The little girl huddled in the corner, timidly looking at Yang Tao, who stood beside her sister, her small face filled with fear.
'This world is probably sick…'
"Little girl, don't be afraid, I'm taking you home."