Discreetly cleaned up, Wei Zangchen sat propped up on a sturdy chair in the dining room. He felt like a proud grandfather with his bloodline huddled around his bed to see him off. All the children had been gathered, the older ones helping Gun Wen restrain Cai Dan before being sent in. They couldn’t all fit in his room—even if the smaller children sat on his bed, it would leave the larger ones squashed together in a space barely made for two grown men. Staring at their faces, his heart ached. He couldn’t protect them in the same way any longer. While he talked to the children, Gun Wen and Xiao Li were watching over their “prisoner.”
Lowering his gaze so the children wouldn’t see his struggles, the esper gathered his mental strength again. Time was of the essence. He could rest once he’d spoken to them all. Gun Wen was forced to let him abuse his broken body, as the children would always come first.
“Earlier today, the military visited. We all knew this day would come, and now it has. As you know, Gun Wen and I have a tradition of preparing leaving gifts for all those who choose to return to the outside world. These gifts are now yours—unlocked in Classroom 6. Our goal was never to detain you, and from this point forth, you will all face a challenging path. We have done all we could do. According to our visitor, a gate has opened nearby. We’ve taken great lengths to hide all documents of what happened here previously. Your records have been removed.
“This is a day we’ve long prepared for. However, Gun Wen and I cannot be here when the military does come. Cai Dan’s car contained details of the staff previously employed here. We were not within their records.”
Hypnotizing absolute obedience and planting false memories in such a large group would be too draining. Instead, Wei Zangchen was going to attempt to remove select memories. With a small wave of his hand, he sent out his tendrils to each child, paralyzing them on the spot.
“We have loved each of you. I’m sorry to do this. You’re all we’ve thought of protecting, and watching you each grow has been a privilege. Not a single one of you lacks anything. Every day, you remind me what it is to be alive and to love. Let me take these painful memories. When you wake up, you’ll no longer remember the man named Gun Wen, the man named Wei Zangchen, nor the child named Xiao Li. You will remember you were loved—and let that love comfort you. I’m so sorry.”
As he’d said, the children would remember that someone existed. That there were two people taking care of them, and the gist of everything else that had happened. Yet the concept of him, Xiao Li, and Gun Wen was now erased. Memories were made from electrical energy within the brain, and his power essentially turned things off at the switch. He didn’t have much strength left, not after his earlier stunt. He prayed that those who didn’t forget would know to play along. He wasn’t asking for a favor while holding his love and care over them—he was asking them to choose their own paths in the future, paths that didn’t involve the trouble of mentioning their names.
Keeping the children frozen, he climbed from the chair, taking up the crutches beside it. If this was going to be the last time he saw them, then he wanted them to see him walking out under his own steam. He stiffened his upper lip, not allowing the tears to spill until he’d closed the dining room door behind him.
The next step was to take the car and try to find a place near the alleged gate to dump it with Cai Dan. Keeping him for information would be too risky… as much as he wanted news of the outside world. They’d park and wait.
Sitting in the back of the beaten-up, older-model black sedan, Wei Zangchen held Xiao Li back from the window. The little boy was excited about his first ride in the car and his first trip to the outside world. They’d discussed whether to leave him with the others or to bring him with them. The older children had told Gun Wen to take him while assisting in packing and erasing what they could of the trio’s past. The treatment of the mute might not be the best, and they didn’t want him being forgotten in the system. Plus, everyone knew how much Wei Zangchen loved him.
Still, in his heart, Wei Zangchen was both anxious and relieved. He didn’t know what kind of life two men on the run could provide a toddler, yet he was selfishly happy not to be separated from Xiao Li. Anyway, their immediate goal was to leave the area and create enough space to stop and think about their next move.
Gun Wen’s voice cut through the silence.
“The children will be fine.”
Would they really? There was no one there to protect them from the infected. Their weapons were now in the hands of children. The cruel burden had been passed on simply because he couldn’t face going back. Raising his gaze, the esper met Gun Wen’s stare in the rearview mirror.
“Do you want to return?”
“No, sir.”
The question had passed between them so many times over their time together that it had become stale. However, now they were stuck in a situation with no clear winner. Gun Wen would be reprimanded, but it should be relatively minor considering the work he’d put in. Wei Zangchen lowered his gaze.
“Are you sure? The children will be collected.”
“I’m sure. What about you?”
“No.”
An hour later, they reached the edge of the town that Gun Wen had mentioned Cai Dan had passed through. Access was cordoned off; signs cautioned of the upcoming thick barricades across the road, preventing anyone from sneaking in. It seemed they wouldn’t be able to rest easy for the night. Gun Wen lowered his gaze and thumped his hands against the steering wheel.
“What do you want to do, sir?”
Indeed. Had he been confident, they could have taken both cars and left Cai Dan in his own. Yet, everything had been too much to consider letting him attempt driving after so long.
“We’ll stop here. Stay parked on the road so we don’t leave tire prints, then we need to position Cai Dan so he’ll be found along the roadside…”
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