Chapter 41: Orphan Squad, Prepare to Charge!

Meng Xiyue sat up straight and lowered her voice, "Hey, don't you guys think those red heads look a bit like tomatoes with human facial features?"

Ma Lili shivered at the mere thought, trembling with anxiety. She truly couldn't imagine whether the civilians she saw after entering the city were actual humans or monsters with tomato heads. Why did the other normal civilians show no reaction? Could they not perceive anything unusual?

"Damn it! Stop talking, you're freaking me out." Lu Rang’s hair stood on end as well. The thought of having just accepted a food container from a 'tomato-headed freak' made his skin crawl. It was too terrifying! He remembered when he lived at school during junior high, his first close encounter with a non-human orc cafeteria lady hadn't been this creepy.

Yuan Zhu asked, "Captain, do you have any advice for us?"

"I have no advice. Rely on your own judgment and intuition. Don't be afraid of making mistakes, and don't be afraid of failure. Tonight is the main objective of your trial. Relying on your own experience and judgment, survive, and try to profit from it. The 'King of Fur' will not invest in or protect you indefinitely; you already have the foundation to stand on your own. What 'Happy Home' needs are people capable of generating profit for the company."

Zhou Chu pointed his index finger at the bizarre little tomato, which was slightly squirming in the porcelain bowl, and asked, "What about these? What exactly are they? Are they good or bad? Do they hide the malice of the local monks?"

The Captain picked up one with eyes from the bowl and held it up for inspection. The texture of the tomato's skin was between flesh and plant. It was firmer than flesh, yet more elastic and resilient than a standard tomato—and it had… warmth.

As for the single eye, it seemed to be the core of the fruit, exposed by a cracked eyelid. Upon meeting the Captain's gaze, the blood-red fruit shyly closed its eye and trembled slightly.

The Captain turned the little tomato over repeatedly, held it under the light, and closed his eyes to sense it before finally speaking: "Rest assured, it is edible, just a bit strange in appearance. This fruit is blessed with Buddhist power, somewhat similar to the 'Buddha-head cocoons' that form naturally around temples. It just so happens to overlap with the tomato fruit, creating a false organic appearance, and under the stimulation of internal energy, it has become slightly animated."

With that, the Captain tossed the little tomato, which was peeking through a slit in its eyelid, into his mouth and began to chew loudly—*crunch, crunch!* His slightly furrowed brow smoothed out, revealing a look of satisfaction.

"The taste is unexpectedly good. Sweet and sour, no different from a regular cherry tomato, but with a chewier texture. It has both the flavor of a plant and the Q-bounce and juiciness of meat, with a burst of flavor. It can quickly replenish stamina and slightly repair injuries. Consuming it in large quantities can mildly enhance the senses, and it carries a faint Zen quality that can cleanse and purify spiritual corruption."

Yuan Zhu picked up one with ears and squeezed it slightly. It was more elastic than expected and warm to the touch, around ten degrees or so. "Is this thing really a tomato? Can it be eaten?"

The Captain chose his words carefully: "To be precise, it should be called a 'Meat Tomato.' Consuming it is indeed beneficial to the body, but it might cause psychological trauma or discomfort. Its tomato juice is sweet with a hint of saltiness, a bit like blood, but the acidity perfectly neutralizes the impression of blood, preventing your sensory system from triggering a crisis or alert. Instead, you'll find yourself indulging in the deliciousness and feeling a sense of happiness."

Meng Xiyue grabbed two to play with, rolling them around like walnuts. "The more I hear, the less I dare to eat them."

The Captain said, "I don't need them. You guys split them up and carry them with you as life-saving pills."

Zhou Chu asked, "Are there any side effects?"

"Side effects? This thing has no effect on me; it's probably too weak for me to feel any side effects. As for you guys..." The Captain thought for a moment and summarized based on his experience, "Don't worry, at most, your subjective attitude will lean more towards Buddhism, and you'll have a faint initial affinity for it. The more you eat, the greater the benefits, and the stronger your affinity for Buddhism will become. This is the way of nature; having received someone's kindness, you'll naturally feel indebted."

Yuan Zhu had a look of sudden realization, thinking to himself: *Isn't that exactly what the 'King of Fur' is doing? Sending clothes, sending mice, sending weapons—it makes me feel so embarrassed that I can't even badmouth her with Zhou Chu anymore. The King of Fur is the best!*

The Captain said, "Alright, go ahead and eat. These dishes are all fine. Eat your fill, rest up, and recharge; tonight should be quite lively."

He then rose and walked to the window, pushed open the frame, and looked at the half-moon hanging in the sky, shimmering with a mesmerizing emerald hue.

"Huh… isn't the moon supposed to be blue?" Yuan Zhu suddenly realized. He had seen the moonlight over Little Sweet Water Well Lane last night, and the impression was very deep.

Lu Rang looked confused. "Hasn't it always been yellow? It turns red once in a while."

Ma Lili whispered, "White."

Meng Xiyue said impatiently, "Are you all idiots? Have you never heard that the moon is a symbol of 'spirit' and 'spirituality'? Different people looking at the moon at different times and in different mental states will receive different color feedback, reflecting their own states. The moon is unique; it is the same one from beginning to end, but the moonlight varies from person to person."

Yuan Zhu was humble and eager to learn. "Ah! Is it that magical? I’ve learned something!"

"Oh! I remember now, our Runing is a rainy city. It’s either cloudy to light rain or light rain to cloudy all year round; you can't even see the sun on a clear day. It's surrounded by cloudy skies, exhaust, and mist every day—when would we ever have the chance to look at the moon?" Lu Rang clapped his hands, finally remembering why he wasn't familiar with the moon. Although it was often mentioned and he was familiar with the name, he had never really observed it. Runing’s moonlight was always obscured by clouds and fog, revealing only a hazy glimmer.

Meng Xiyue looked at this group of Runing people, who were generally a shade paler than the Taixi people, and felt speechless. They really had delicate and fair skin; how could such a backward, old, and polluted industrial city nurture such people? Should she go over for a visit during the holidays?

The Captain was already crouching on the window frame. He looked back and instructed, "I have tampered with the memories of those monks; they only remember seven people entering the city. I do not exist. Take care of yourselves. If there is an emergency, use your mice to contact me. See you tomorrow."

After waving goodbye, he exerted force with his feet and leaped out, merging into the night and disappearing.

Before Yuan Zhu and the others could react, he was gone, leaving only seven confused faces looking at each other. What happened? Were they abandoned?

"Baa-baa-baa!" The little goat suddenly opened its mouth, stuck out its tongue, and licked and curled it around the palm of Lu Rang’s hand, swallowing the single-eyed little tomato. It chewed with a crunch, juice flowing from its mouth. It looked like it was eating raw flesh dripping with blood, and combined with its horizontal pupils, it was even more evil and terrifying.

"Damn it! My fruit!" He screamed, lunging forward to pull at the goat's fur. "Give it back! Damn you, give it back! Spit it out, ahhh!"

There were only about twenty of them in total; with that one bite, he had lost a third of his property.

Yuan Zhu quickly put away his three bizarre 'eye, ear, and nose' meat tomatoes, then organized his weapons to prepare for the night's festival.

After the Captain left, the group had to stick together for warmth.

The black man, who was out of place with the rest, spoke up, saying he wasn't used to the team mode. Tonight, he would become a lone wolf, using his racial talent to enter stealth mode and look for opportunities to make a fortune.

Yuan Zhu guessed that he was likely intimidated by the Captain and had only been cooperative because of that. Now that the boss had left, he felt uncomfortable being in the same room as Zhou Chu, who had a background in the Security Bureau, so he couldn't wait to fly solo.

Except for him, everyone else chose to stay together. The old lady had changed from her despondent state, no longer waiting for death; instead, after consuming a 'meat tomato,' she began to take an interest in the Buddhist system.

She likely had no prior knowledge of Buddhism, so the idea formed in her mind to use the 'King of Fur' to subdue and absorb the Buddhist power of the Vajra Sect monks to gestate a seed of power.

As one grows older, one always develops an obsession with a healthy and vibrant body. She had previously tasted the temptation of strengthening provided by 'Filthy Bones and Foul Blood.' Now that her reason told her not to continue deepening that path, she switched to a new one. The Buddhist Vajra Sect could also bring about physical transformation.