The Tentacle Girl's Child Can't Be a Magical Girl

Chapter 11 Exploitation

at the same time.

Smoke billowed from the second floor of an inconspicuous old factory building in the Parrot District.

"Snapped!"

A glass was smashed on the ground, shards flying everywhere.

"What the hell did you say?!"

A man with a buzz cut and a face full of scars suddenly stood up, glaring at his dejected underling. A long scar ran diagonally from his eyebrow to his jaw on his left cheek, adding to his already fierce appearance.

This is one of the Ash Gang's leaders in the Parrot District.

Scar dog.

The younger brother shrank back, his voice trembling: "Brother Dog, Min Zhirou... she's gone missing. After she went into the rented room last night, no one has seen her come out. The school reported her missing today, the police checked, and there's no one in the room, all her belongings are still there."

"Out of contact?"

Scarface grabbed his underling by the collar. "The guy I told you to keep an eye on, and you're telling me he's missing?"

"Brother Gou, I was wrong! I... I was keeping watch downstairs last night, and I did see that kid go in. He came out about half an hour later, but Min Zhirou didn't come out! I thought she was asleep, so I... I didn't think much of it..."

"Half an hour?"

Scarface abruptly released his grip, shoving his underling until he stumbled. His face was so dark it could drip water. "That kid went in for half an hour, and when he came out, she was gone. You're telling me you didn't think much of it?"

The factory was deathly silent.

Scarface turned around, stared at the rudimentary map of the parrot district on the wall, and took a deep drag on his cigarette.

Min Zhirou was the top-tier woman he found three months ago.

She has a pretty and delicate appearance.

Big breasts,

He originally intended to keep it for himself.

But the eldest brother, Lame Tiger, gave orders to arrange for people to win over those students from the Parrot District who were studying at Wintergreen University.

During this time, he carefully investigated the information of those college students, and finally he set his sights on Bai Yuze.

You really don't know until you check.

A check was taken aback.

He received the S-level Holly University Scholarship for three consecutive years and even managed to sneak into Professor Mu's laboratory at Holly University.

That's no ordinary laboratory.

It is a laboratory that specializes in studying abyssal miasma, and any potion that flows out of it is a rare treasure on the market.

After learning this news,

He was also caught in a dilemma for a long time.

You can't catch a wolf without risking your cub.

At last,

He gritted his teeth and made a firm decision—

It was a painful decision to part with it.

Let Min Zhirou meet Bai Yuze by chance at Dongqing University, slowly get close to him, and eventually win over this poor student who is highly regarded by Professor Mu.

Either recruit them into the gang.

Either have him voluntarily help the Ashes gang get some lab stuff out.

But now,

The person is gone.

But the kid named Bai Yuze came out unharmed.

And the pretty girl he finally found...

Vanished without a trace.

"Where is that kid now?"

Scarface chewed on his cigarette butt, his voice laced with suppressed anger.

"Back to Parrot District, just got off the bus, should be on my way home now..."

Scarface was silent for a few seconds, then stubbed out his cigarette hard on the windowsill.

"Send a few people to keep a close eye on them."

He spoke slowly and deliberately, his voice low and strained, as if squeezed out from between his teeth: "Whether that kid knows Min Zhirou's whereabouts or not, I'm going to make him understand today that the people of my Ash Gang are not to be messed with."

"yes!"

......

After giving the order, Scarface Dog, along with his two henchmen, swaggered over to the construction site.

It was already seven or eight o'clock in the evening.

A few lights were still on at the construction site, their stark white light illuminating the concrete area as if it were daytime.

The workers had just finished work and gathered in twos and threes, still covered in cement dust and smelling of sweat, but no one dared to leave.

Because Scarface arrived.

"Come on, everyone, it's payday."

Scarface, a cigarette dangling from his lips, sat down behind the tattered table. His underling pulled out several wads of crumpled banknotes from his bag and tossed them onto the table.

The workers quickly gathered around, their eyes filled with exhaustion and anticipation. One by one, they called out their names, stepped forward to collect their money, and stuffed it into their pockets without even counting it. No one dared to count the money in front of Scarface; that would be asking for trouble.

But after receiving my salary...

No one left.

Several worn-out wooden tables were already set up next to the main table, with faded playing cards spread out on them.

The workers skillfully took their seats, pulled out the banknotes they had just received, and began a new round of "battle".

That's the rule.

Payday is payday, which is also gambling day.

Scardog never forces them to gamble; it's just that those who don't gamble can't get cheap grenades.

Moreover, he knew that few of these laborers, exhausted from a long day, could resist the temptation to win back their losses. If they lost everything, they could go back to work the next day; if they won, they could gamble again.

In any case, the money will eventually come back into his pocket.

He strolled leisurely to a table, a cigarette dangling from his lips, glanced at the card game, and suddenly became interested.

"Move aside, I'll play a couple of rounds."

Sitting opposite him was a tall man, about 1.9 meters tall, as thin as a bamboo pole, with his shoulders and back slightly hunched from years of hard work. He was wearing a faded work uniform with frayed cuffs, and his knuckles were large and deformed, bearing several obvious gouty nodules.

This is clearly a consequence of prolonged exposure to dust.

His name is Chiba Taishi.

Chiba Taishi saw Scarface sit down, his lips moved as if he wanted to say something, but in the end he just nodded vaguely. He spoke in a muffled way, as if his tongue was shorter than a piece, and the people on the construction site were too lazy to talk to him.

The game begins.

Scardog seems to be having a really bad day.

He drew hand after hand of good cards, but still couldn't win. The big guy opposite him was quiet and played his cards slowly, but every move seemed to be calculated precisely, completely dominating his good hand.

"Hold."

Scarface stubbed out his cigarette and lit another one.

An hour later, he had already lost four or five hundred.

"I'm not playing anymore, it's bad luck."

Scarface stood up, stuffed the remaining money back into his pocket, and said, "Did you step in dog poop today, kid?"

Chiba Taishi lowered his head, slowly gathered the money he had won, counted it, then took out two bills and pushed the rest onto the table—that was to return to Scarface.

"Winning...winning this much is enough," he mumbled.

Scarface paused for a moment, then laughed:

"Hey, you're quite particular." He didn't stand on ceremony, took back the three hundred-plus yuan, and then took out a small light gray plastic bag from his pocket and threw it on the table.

"Here you go, it's a reward."

Chiba Taishi looked at the bag of ash, remained silent for a few seconds, then reached out and took it, carefully putting it into the deepest pocket of his work clothes.

"Thank you, Scarface."

Scarface waved his hand and left with his underlings.

Chiba Taishi stood there, waiting for their figures to completely disappear into the night before slowly putting away the two hundred dollars he had won and the bag of "gray" together, and turning to walk home.

His steps were a little lighter than usual.

I'm lucky today.

I kept my salary, won two hundred yuan, and a bag of "ash". I'll give some to that good-for-nothing kid when I get back; it should keep him quiet for a few days.

-

Pushing open the door,

A dim, yellow light shone in.

The small room was kept clean and tidy. On a worn square table were two dishes and a soup: stir-fried greens, a dish of pickled vegetables, and a small bowl of egg drop soup with oil floating on top.

The portion was small.

But you can tell that they put their heart into it.

A thin figure was standing by the table, setting out the bowls and chopsticks.

Chiba Yume.

She was wearing a faded school uniform, her long hair neatly tied into a low ponytail, with a few stray strands hanging down beside her ears.

Hearing the door open, she turned around and looked at her father. His tall figure was now slightly hunched, his shoulders and back bent, as if the mountain he had carried all his life had finally bent his spine.

The gouty knuckles on his hands were particularly glaring under the light; his knuckles were so large and deformed that he could hardly make a fist.

She opened her mouth,

He didn't say a word.

Silence is the norm between the father and daughter.

Chiba Taishi's gaze passed over her and landed on the broken chair in the corner, where his youngest son was tied up with rope, sitting there, his body convulsing, drool dripping from the corner of his mouth, and his eyes rolling back into a murky, empty space filled with pain.

He felt a pang in his chest, his brow furrowed, and his voice, though muffled, carried a clear displeasure.

"Little Fish, what kind of older sister are you? How can you torture your own brother like this? You tied him up, look how uncomfortable he is!"

Chiba Yumeyu didn't reply, but simply lowered her eyes and placed a bowl of rice on the table.

Her silence only made Chiba Taishi more irritated.

He went over to untie his son, but his daughter stopped him.

"We can't let it go."

Chiba Yume's voice was soft but firm, "If we let him go, he'll just run off and hang out with all sorts of shady characters."

Chiba Taishi's hand stopped.

He watched his son convulse, his lips moved, but he ultimately didn't say anything in rebuttal.

After a long silence,

Chiba Yumeyu raised her head, looked at her father's face, roughened by time and toil, and spoke:

"My younger brother can't be exposed to ash anymore. I'm going to send him to an ash rehabilitation center and then let him go back to school."

"An anti-corruption center?"

Chiba Taishi was taken aback, then snorted coldly:

"That's a lot of money. Let me tell you, I'm not going to spend money on something that's pointless."

His tone was stiff, but a hint of guilt flashed in his eyes. How could he not know the benefits of quitting incest? But nowadays, the cost of letting his youngest son smoke incest was obviously much lower than quitting.

"I'll pay."

Chiba Yume said, her tone as calm as if she were talking about today's weather.

Chiba Taishi paused, his cloudy eyes darted around, and suddenly he took half a step forward.

"Little Fish," he lowered his voice, his tone tentative and cautious, "do you...do you know any capable classmates at school?"

Chiba Yumeyu raised her eyes, a hint of wariness flashing in them.

Why are you asking this?

Chiba Taishi rubbed his rough hands together, hesitated for a moment, and then spoke:

"Today we got paid at the construction site. I was playing cards with Scarface, and he mentioned... he's been looking for students at Holly University, asking them about something. I don't know what he's up to, but—"

He paused, a glimmer of hope flashing in his cloudy eyes. "Scarface has influence in the Parrot District. If you can get to know him and talk to him, our family will have a powerful backer."

Chiba Yume's expression changed.

She stared at her father's tired and humble face, remaining silent for a long time.

"You mean I should fawn over that contractor? That scarred dog who makes you work fourteen hours a day, only keeps fifty dollars from you when you win a hundred, and loses it all when you lose?"

"It's not about trying to please..."

Chiba Taishi stammered, "It's just about getting to know them. What if they like you? You're good-looking, and you're a student at Fuyuki University, maybe—"

That's enough.

Chiba Yume interrupted him, her voice not loud, but it made Chiba Taishi freeze in place.

She looked at him.

Looking into those eyes, half gray and half white, I saw weariness, humility, and a hint of cautious expectation.

She knew her father wasn't a bad person; he was just too tired, so tired that he just wanted to grasp at a straw, even if that straw might drag his daughter down with him.

She didn't say anything more.

Turn around,

I lifted the curtain and stepped into my small cubicle.

The curtain fell, shutting everything out.

Chiba Taishi stood still.

Watching that slender figure disappear behind the curtain, her lips moved, but in the end, she said nothing.

He lowered his head.

Looking at the bag of "ash" in her hand that hadn't even warmed up yet, and then at her son who was still convulsing in front of her, she suddenly felt that the money and rewards she had won from Scarface Dog today didn't taste so good anymore.