abnormal mutation

Chapter 11 The Boy and the Old Father

Roland's heart skipped a beat; he had a bad feeling. Had the White Bear sent someone else to raid their base? And Hughes couldn't be on duty every day; he couldn't possibly be watching this place all the time.

He quickened his pace, but the simple wooden gate to the courtyard was tightly shut. Just as he was about to knock, he heard increasingly heated arguments coming from inside.

“…I knew you were an ingrate. We shouldn’t have taken you in in the first place…Give me the money, don’t force me to take action!” The voice was shrill and young, probably Talgen.

“Calm down, I didn’t say we’re not going to look for it anymore. But we have to keep this money. We’ve run out of bread, Toby is injured, Amy has a fever, if this keeps going on, how are we going to survive…” This was Evan’s voice. He was only 14 years old, thin, but always calm.

“Once we find our elder brother, none of this will be a problem.”

"What if you can't find it?"

“What are you saying, ah—” Targen instantly lost control.

"..."

"Stop it, everyone! Stop fighting!"

The place was in complete chaos, with sounds of fighting, shouting, and clashing all mixed together, making Roland's heart clench.

Bang, bang, bang! He dropped his bundle and pounded on the courtyard gate, the wooden door rattling and drowning out the chaotic noise.

The courtyard immediately fell silent, as if everything that had just happened was an illusion.

"Open the door, I'm back." Roland quickly identified himself, as the children were already easily frightened and couldn't take any more fright.

A series of hurried footsteps sounded, and the door was suddenly pulled open, revealing four haggard-looking but hopeful teenagers in Roland's line of sight.

"Big brother..."

"You are finally back……"

They recognized Roland at a glance, their emotions instantly ignited, their eyes reddened, and they rushed to his side, hugging him and crying and laughing at the same time.

They were like ornaments hanging on Roland's body, the kind that he couldn't shake off, which greatly increased Roland's "pressure" and made him feel somewhat overwhelmed.

"Alright, alright, hurry up and get your things. Don't you know how heavy you are?" After all, he wasn't the original owner of this body, so he was somewhat uncomfortable with this kind of intimacy.

The boys then realized that Roland had brought a lot of things, and hurriedly picked up the packages and followed him into the courtyard.

Roland remained calm and observed the group carefully, trying his best to find a familiar feeling in his memory.

The four boys were all different in appearance.

The tallest boy was only slightly shorter than Roland, probably a little over 1.8 meters tall. He looked very strong, with a youthful, ruddy face beneath his messy red hair. His name was Andrew, 12 years old, the youngest of the group, and also the biggest eater. He had left the sales home at the age of nine to be with Roland.

The tall, thin one is called Luke. He has black hair, black eyes, and a dark complexion. He has a resolute face, a stubble beard, and looks like a middle-aged man. In fact, he is only 17 years old this year, the oldest among them. He doesn't talk much, but he is quite reliable.

The boy who always followed Roland was Targen, 14 years old, about 1.75 meters tall, with blond hair, blue eyes, and fair skin. He was also the most handsome and seemed out of place among the others.

He was the only child who did not come from a sales home. His origins were unknown. He was taken in by Roland when he was six years old and has been with him ever since.

The boy with blood trickling from his mouth was named Evan. He was the same age as Targen, thin and small, wearing an ill-fitting, oversized fur coat. His long brown hair covered his small face, revealing only his red nose and thin, blood-stained lips. He exuded a delicate air, more like a girl.

"Big brother, where have you been? We've been looking for you for three days..." Targen grinned, as if he hadn't been the one fighting just now. "Grandma Mia was so worried, now she doesn't have to beg that fatso..." Andrew added gruffly.

Grandma Mia is the director of the orphanage, and the fat man is the mayor of Ice River Town. Everyone says that he embezzled the Empire's donations, which is why the orphanage is in such a difficult situation.

"Big brother, where's Karl?" Evan walked at the back, leaning against the courtyard gate, seemingly guessing something and looking a little lost.

The others also came to their senses, only to realize with shock that Carl, who had disappeared with their older brother, hadn't appeared. Everyone had been too excited, and only the observant Evan had noticed this.

“He’s dead,” Roland said in a deep voice. “Close the door and come in.”

For a moment, no one spoke, and the atmosphere became slightly somber. Everyone silently followed behind Roland.

The courtyard was large, but no lights were on. On the left was a shed with a small amount of burnt charcoal piled inside, and on the right were two tall carbonization furnaces, made of clay, with many cracks on them.

The main house is in a rugged log style, with three rooms in total. There is a porch in front of the wooden door to keep out wind and snow.

The door was open, and the inside was a mess. The large wooden dining table was covered with scattered tableware, and there wasn't a single spark in the large fireplace in the middle of the room. There wasn't much warmth left in the air.

Roland took off his backpack, pulled over a chair, and plopped down, immediately relaxing and feeling a surge of security. Perhaps it was because the original owner's memories were too vivid, but he adapted to everything here in no time.

The boys put down their bundles, closed the door, and started fires and lamps.

"Why did you fight? Evan, tell me." Roland focused his gaze on Evan, who was more articulate, wanting to find out what had happened in the past three days.

Evan paused, then walked up to Roland: "We really couldn't find you. The law enforcement agency had no news either. Grandma Mia sent half the orphanage to look for you, but little Toby broke his leg, and little Amy got a fever..."

We were thinking of putting up a notice in the newspaper tomorrow, and Targen also wanted to hire a private investigator, but that would cost all our money…

He paused, lowering his head and avoiding Roland's gaze: "I didn't agree."

The atmosphere in the room was somewhat tense, and Targen and the others hesitated to speak.

Roland stood up and hugged Evan tightly, ruffling his head: "You did a great job, I didn't teach you for nothing."

He pointed at the others and said, "From now on, use your brains more when you encounter problems. If you can't figure it out, listen to Evan. With our meager budget, what kind of detective can we hire? Even Hughes couldn't handle it. You expect a bunch of detectives who can't even beat a stray dog?"

The group chuckled awkwardly without speaking, but the atmosphere became much more relaxed. Roland realized that the original owner of this body was a father figure—serious but lacking in warmth.

"Are little Toby and little Amy alright?" Roland couldn't help but picture the two children's adorable faces.

"Grandma Mia said it's nothing, she's had a doctor take care of it and I've taken my medicine," Luke said in a muffled voice.

"Yes, I'll go to the orphanage tomorrow." Roland also wanted to take the opportunity to learn some things from the knowledgeable Grandma Mia.

As they talked, the room brightened up, and Evan and the others noticed the scars on Roland's face. Their eyes met, and they hesitated to speak several times.

"Big brother, where have you been these past few days?" Luke asked first, feeling the intense gaze from Evan.

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(End of this chapter)