Chapter 55: Brothers: We Won’t Listen to Our Defeated Foes…

Besides the comic on the first page, the book contained many other drawings, but they all meant roughly the same thing as the first page.

There were three identical books in total. After giving all these books a thorough “beating,” Su Ximu wore a very disdainful expression as he piled them all up in the most inconspicuous corner of the house.

That evening, lying in the hidden bed spot he had chosen for himself, the little guy did not forget to whisper some of his guesses and analyses about the place to his brothers in a soft voice.

“Brother, I saw the school when we got out of the vehicle.”

Why did he think it was a school? Because through the windows, he could see many people reading books, with teachers up front holding books and giving lessons.

“But, but I think this school is a bad school.” The little guy, who had already attended kindergarten before coming to this world, spoke ill of the school with a hint of guilt.

It was probably because the four words “study hard” had long since taken root in the heart of every Water Blue Star child.

Even this child, who was just a kindergarten kid, was no exception.

It did not take long for him to figure it out. He meant this place’s school was bad, not that all schools were bad.

Besides, he had his reasons.

“I saw it. When I got out of the vehicle, I secretly peeked inside the school. In that classroom with the window open, the teacher inside was holding this textbook.”

He might not recognize words, but recognizing the cover did not require reading characters.

At this point, the little guy’s tone grew heavy as he summed it up: “Brother, bad schools hand out bad books for you to read, and bad teachers drive the students off to fight. Sigh, there are so many bad people in this world.”

“My old kindergarten was great. The teachers taught the kids games and didn’t let them fight. Everyone was good friends~”

Su Ximu thought that his brothers would probably have to become students at the school here like everyone else in the future.

He had no other requests for his brothers; he just hoped they would not study hard.

But the teachers here were so fierce. If his brothers did not study hard, would they get beaten?

With this in mind, the little guy could only compromise and say: “Brother, I really want you not to study hard in your heart, but you still have to score full marks on the exams.”

This request was a bit complicated for the brothers.

Seeing that the little guy was clearly sleepy, his eyes blinking nonstop, yet still forcing himself to stay awake and talk, 242 shifted further inside. He gently placed one hand over the little guy’s tired eyes while using the other to pat and soothe him to sleep.

Su Ximu, who clearly did not want to sleep yet, was manually lulled to sleep by his brother just like that. He did not hold out for even two minutes.

The next morning at six-thirty, a dull dong-dong-dong bell rang across the entire education field.

In the past, this sound had notified the residents to collect water at the beginning of each month.

The education field’s managers were too lazy to condition these residents with a new reflex, so they simply repurposed the sound as the class bell.

The “students” heading to class did not even need to bring their textbooks; there were backups at the “school.”

The reason every student received two identical textbooks was to ensure they could be influenced by the books at all times, no matter where they were.

Su Ximu, woken by the bell just like the others, did the same as before. After his brothers left, he crouched by the door crack to observe outside.

After watching for a short while, he tilted his little head and unexpectedly spotted another familiar face in the crowd.

It was the grandpa from next door in their old home.

So Neighbor Grandpa had been brought here too.

It seemed they had become neighbors again.

That day, since they had just arrived at this new place not long ago, Su Ximu did not dare to run out and explore anymore. He just occasionally peeked through the door crack, counted his collection of items when bored, or looked at the books.

Whenever the little guy picked up these books to read, he did so with a critical gaze.

Meanwhile, 241 stopped in front of the Little White Building as he followed the bell forward. The shackles linking him and his brothers had still not been removed, making it easy for the teacher picking up the new students to identify their distinguishing feature.

After all, in Education Field 104, cases like theirs—three brothers all showing signs of transformation, and all with high conversion rates—were quite rare. In fact, there was only this one instance across the entire Education Field 104.

As the top priority for the new teacher, the three were immediately pulled from the crowd and stood under the eaves of the Little White Building, which was the “school.”

In the next few minutes, the new teacher selected a dozen or so top students from the new arrivals before leading everyone into the Little White Building.

Without caring if these new students could understand, the new teacher said to himself: “You’re lucky. You all have high conversion rates and count as top students. You don’t need to go to the gladiator arena to desperately boost your conversion rates for now. Just follow me and learn intelligence opening.”

“I’ll take you to the cafeteria first. Each of you can get a cup of water and a serving of nutrient meal every day. This is a benefit you never had in the Outer District. You must always remember who gave you all this, and learn to be grateful and devoted.”

The students behind the teacher remained silent.

The teacher did not mind. It did not matter if they did not understand now; everything he said today would be repeated in their ears every day going forward.

They had gone from one small bucket of water per month before to one cup per day now.

Here, they would taste the feeling of a full belly for the first time.

How could that not inspire gratitude?

243 followed behind the “teacher,” glanced at the “teacher’s” mechanical hand, then quickly lowered his head again. When he lifted it once more, his gaze had shifted from faintly lively back to the dull stupidity of profound wisdom in folly.

Five minutes later, everyone arrived at the cafeteria and began lining up to receive water and nutrient liquid under the “teacher’s” arrangements.

At this moment, everyone—including 241, 242, and 243—stared intently at the cup of water in their hands, but not a single one made the first move to drink it.

Until the teacher at the front made a fist-clenching gesture.

In the habit of all Outer District residents, this meant approval.

Approval to drink, to eat, to bathe.

243 knew his second brother had not brought any props today, so they could not take this water back for their little brother.

Since they could not bring it back for their little brother, the three simply stopped conserving it. Like everyone else, they raised their cups, tilted back their heads, and drained the water in one gulp.

Even after the cups were empty, some still reluctantly turned them upside down over their mouths, hoping for a few last drops to slide down from the sides.

Others noticed traces of water at the bottom and strained to stretch out their tongues, trying to lick up those remnants.

Only when no more water could be coaxed from the cups did they finally set them down with reluctance and pour the other serving of nutrient liquid from their trays into their mouths.

The nutrient liquid used at the Education Field School clearly had a different formula from what came out of the Feeding Tube.

This small portion, which looked no larger than what came from the Feeding Tube, gave an unprecedented sense of fullness.

For people whose most basic needs had never been met, a full belly equaled happiness.

After finishing their meal and leaving the cafeteria, these new arrivals to the education field still looked blankly vacant, but 243 could feel they now followed the person ahead more closely.

He noticed this because, after leaving the cafeteria, he kept his previous walking pace but gradually fell toward the back of the group.

…They had probably gotten happy a bit too soon. The school’s methods here were not quite enough to manipulate him.

Not only could they not manipulate him, 243 even had the leisure to memorize the route from the cafeteria to the classroom.

After all, even if they could not manipulate him, he still quite liked the water.

His motto was to eat and drink his fill, grab some if the chance arose, but give zero sincerity in return.

Just like that, the dozen or so new students were led by the teacher through several turns and up two flights of stairs before finally reaching a smaller classroom for new students.

The teacher assigned each person’s seat and guided the new students to sit one by one.

As expected, 241, 242, and 243 were grouped together.

Once all the new students were in place, the teacher on the podium began the lesson.

The content of the first lesson for new students was simple; the three brothers had even previewed it last night.

It was just the four drawings on the first page of the textbook.

The teacher’s method was straightforward and brutal: he projected the four drawings one by one onto the blackboard, making the students stare at them over and over.

During this, the teacher, bored himself, even left the classroom, leaving the students to continue staring.

As the images looped endlessly, several hours passed in the blink of an eye.

At four in the afternoon, school let out.

The teacher led the new students back to the school entrance, pointed ahead, and gestured for them to return on their own.

Fortunately, they always had to find their way home after collecting water in the past, so the students who had been dismissed walked slowly along the road without mistaking their new homes’ locations.

Meanwhile, at home, Su Ximu had spent exactly as long criticizing the books in his hands as his brothers had been gone.

When his brothers returned, the little guy curiously crowded forward and asked the little brother, with whom he communicated most smoothly: “Little Brother, what did you do today?”

243, ever the model big brother, reached out to pat his little brother’s head before beginning to explain with words and gestures.

First, he made a cup shape with one hand, then tilted his head back and made gulping sounds.

This meant drinking water.

Then he cupped both hands as if holding something, dumped it into his mouth, and patted his belly.

This meant eating one’s fill.

Su Ximu waited a long time but saw no further gestures from his little brother. He blinked and asked: “And then?”

And then?

What then?

Sensing his little brother’s confusion, 243 thought for a moment before remembering. He immediately shot a disdainful glance at the open book on the floor, his eyes full of contempt and scorn.

At this moment, 243 was less humanized and more at the fork between humanity and beastliness after gaining bare self-awareness.

This made him instinctively look down on the weak, especially his defeated foes.

Even if that defeated foe was just a book.

243 gazed down imperiously, 242’s attitude was hard to read, and 241 accidentally stepped on a page while walking.

Clearly, he looked down on defeated foes too.