Acid-green mist choked the air.
Lupus-0 hauled Xiao Man from the corrosive pool, industrial solvents eating through his leg armor to the bone. The scrapyard overflowed with Smart Brain's "experimental waste":
- Orphnoch limbs floating in tanks (labeled "Regeneration Failures")
- Shattered capsules crusted with tear-shaped crystals ("Emotion Extraction Units")
- A half-crushed horse Orphnoch twitching in a compactor
Xiao Man pointed: "The rainbow… it's floating away!" The crayon drawing drifted on the acid.
He plunged into the pool. Solvents sizzled against bone. As fingers brushed paper—
*
Memory flash: γ-7's trembling hand over the drawing. "Xiao Man… if Mommy becomes a monster…"
Lupus-0's eyes flared gold. He shredded an acid-slime Orphnoch (lab leak), hurled the drawing ashore.
Through rainbow holes eaten by acid, encrypted text glowed:
*[PROJECT LULLABY - PHASE 3 REPORT]*
*…leveraging parental bonds for extreme emotional output…*
*Case γ-7: Pain energy spiked 1780% when offspring endangered…*
*Note: Offspring "Xiao Man" is critical catalyst. Recommend permanent preservation…*
"I drew this when Mommy took me to the park…" Xiao Man touched the words.
*
*[Pathogen carrier detected! Execute purification!]*
Lupus-0 toppled acid vats. Green waves swallowed hounds, melting metal frames. He tore out the lead hound's spine-cables—
A hologram flickered to life:
*Xiao Man laughing on a carousel. γ-7 waving beyond the rails. Timestamp: 72 hours before γ-7's capture.*
"Mommy said… they fear fire!" Xiao Man cried.
He ripped batteries from the hound, shoved them into acid.
*KA-BOOM!* Flames illuminated bloody graffiti:
*"WE ARE NOT MONSTERS— SMART BRAIN IS!"*
(Signed with dozens of Orphnoch claw marks)
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