Ren Yi clicked on the second attachment, and it was an immediate eyesore.
The border of the second attachment was decorated with a bunch of cartoonish flowers and grass. The entire file was a pale pink, making it look like some sort of fairy-tale book.
【Attachment 2: Cubs' Guidelines】
Please do not be afraid; you are safe. Please trust your "family" and The Alliance. Everything is normal. Welcome to "growing up."
"Family" is absolutely safe and trustworthy. If you feel afraid, please seek out your "family"; if you feel lost, please ask them; if you are temporarily unable to communicate, they will wait patiently.
Newborn Cubs require the support of "family." Please do not leave your "home" without permission or stray more than ten meters from your "family" within seven days of awakening. It is normal to develop an instinctive dependence on your "family."
Please learn as soon as possible how to maintain a form within the range of human cognition. Your "family" will provide assistance.
You can now learn about this world through your own "Anomaly account." According to anti-addiction restrictions, Cubs may only log into games between 4:00 AM and 5:00 AM on Fridays, Saturdays, and Sundays, but they may freely log into forums and social media accounts.
Please do not face a "mirror" or "water surface" alone. If you must look in a mirror, please be accompanied by "family."
Ren Yi read through both attachments carefully several times.
It was worth noting that between the lines, The Alliance revealed a strong protective streak toward "Cubs."
Furthermore, both sets of guidelines emphasized the importance of "family."
As for the instructions telling the Cub not to run away or stay away from family...
Ren Yi thought back to the eyes he had seen floating in the void, the sofa being violently flipped over, and that fleeting glimpse of the "dark clouds."
Hilarious. As if he could actually escape.
At that thought, Ren Yi slowly exhaled, as if breathing out the last bit of "normal human logic" left in his lungs.
He looked up and glanced at the host on the television again. Those six eyes were still staring at the camera. One of them even seemed to notice his gaze and blinked.
Ren Yi immediately looked away, staring at his phone screen.
It seemed the timeframe of "seven days" had been mentioned in several places. What was the significance of this duration?
Even this Cubs' Guidelines felt like a mere "seven-day survival guide." What was he supposed to do after that?
No, no. Seven days from now was a problem for his future self. Ren Yi forced his wandering thoughts back and began to focus on the present.
Shock and confusion were useless. Instead of sitting around in a daze, it was better to start making sense of things.
The most pressing issue was his "body."
He had to get to know this "new" body and learn to control it. He didn't want to experience that state of losing control again; he couldn't rely on his brother to help him shape his form forever.
Second, he had to look through the contents of this "Anomaly account." The letter specifically told him to "cherish and maintain" it and even attached basic rules, indicating that the account held a lot of critical information.
The Alliance's rules, what exactly an "Anomaly" was, and those unfinished warnings—they were surely all in there.
Finally, there was the "Professional Allocation Test."
He hadn't forgotten the announcement at the end of the test: "Test results will be announced simultaneously in seven days."
So, aside from scaring them into awakening, did the test have any other practical purpose?
For example... collecting their information and abilities? Or perhaps the original function of a professional test: assigning them "jobs"?
Ren Yi finally felt a bit more grounded.
"Brother..." Ren Yi hesitated, trying to get more information from Ren Man. "How... how do you see me now?"
Ren Man, who was already scrolling through his phone nearby, looked up and scrutinized him from head to toe before summarizing: "You're too small."
He added very seriously, "Too small. You need to eat more to grow up."
Ren Yi: "..."
Thank you so much. That answer was not only useless, but it also made him feel uneasy.
Refusing to give up, he pressed further: "But you just said I've already grown up. So what happens after growing up?"
Ren Man fell silent. His younger brother's nitpicking question had successfully stumped him.
After pondering for a long while, he finally said:
"Why should a Cub worry about so much?"
What the hell? Was this the Anomaly world's version of the parental classic, "Why do kids care about so much?"
Ren Yi was on the verge of breaking.
He realized that for Ren Man, there was only one option: "Raise his younger brother."
This raising wasn't just about the Anomaly awakening; it was a longer, more immeasurable process.
And Ren Man hadn't thought at all about what counted as a Cub being "grown up," or what to do after they reached that point.
What about The Alliance, then? How much did they know, and what did they plan to do?
Ren Yi suppressed the anxiety he felt about the future.
He looked down at the letter and its overly gentle wording.
That wasn't language written for adults.
It wasn't even language written for "cognitively mature individuals."
It was a parenting letter—welcoming a newly born outlier, encouraging them to adapt to the world, and preventing them from hurting themselves, others, or rather, the Anomalies.
He suddenly thought of the Professional Allocation Test—or perhaps it should be called an awakening ceremony—that damn illusionary realm used to scare them into awakening.
The crumbling world, the black tide covering the land, Ren Man's corpse.
...Would he ever want to see a scene like that?
No.
He had the answer instantly.
Memories were like a hazy mist. Having grown up in an orphanage in his previous life, he was like a ghost drifting along the rules of society, without roots or any anchor points.
In fact, if The Alliance hadn't superficially resembled his previous life, he might have almost forgotten it.
So this wasn't a difficult choice. I've just moved to a new home and need some time... to do as the locals do.
The atmosphere grew quiet for a few seconds.
Then Ren Yi took a soft breath and straightened his back as if rebooting himself.
Alright.
Since the world was like this, he had to summarize the current situation:
In short: eat well, drink well, stay in confinement for seven days, and leave everything else to "family" and "The Alliance."
He memorized this in his heart and swiped up on the screen.
The content that popped up on the next page made him freeze.
【Name: Ren Yi
Grade: F
Rules and Abilities: None
Family: Ren Man
Profession: Cub
Status: Energy unstable, body collapse countdown, 5, 4...】
A sense of foreboding surged in his heart.
"...Brother?"
"Hmm?"
"I think I'm about to transform?"
Ren Man glanced at him, his tone as casual as if he were discussing what to eat today:
"Maintain it yourself. I'm not helping you anymore."
Ren Yi: "..."
Immediately afterward, his vision went black.
I'm screwed.
Rate on N.U.
