Clone Ascension

The security officer continued,

“When we received the report,

we rushed to the Welfare Home immediately

and checked the surveillance footage.

The five children disappeared

after going to the restroom together.

They entered the restroom

and never came out.”

Wendy Lewis asked,

“Is there another exit inside the restroom?”

The officer shook his head.

“There’s only a small ventilation window.

It’s very high up.

Even an adult would struggle to reach it.

And no one can simply vanish inside a restroom.

So we believe an evolver was involved.

“We also checked the surrounding cameras.

None of the missing children were seen leaving.”

Four days had passed.

The Security Bureau had made no progress.

They could only confirm

that an evolver was responsible.

But even the evolutionary scientists

sent by Dongli University earlier

had failed to provide useful insight.

Wendy turned to Evan.

“What do you think?”

“Let’s check the scene first,” Evan said.

🏠 Arrival at Sunshine Children’s Welfare Home

Soon, the vehicle stopped

at the entrance of Sunshine Children’s Welfare Home.

Evan and Wendy stepped out

and immediately saw the sign—

decorated with clouds and flowers.

Behind the iron gate

was a spacious courtyard

with grass, slides,

and other playground equipment.

A group of five‑ or six‑year‑olds

were playing happily.

Several security officers stood nearby.

The children weren’t afraid of strangers—

they chased each other,

faces full of innocence.

The officers opened the gate

and welcomed Wendy and Evan inside.

After a few polite greetings,

Wendy went straight to the point.

“We’d like to see the restroom

where the children disappeared.”

Led by the officers,

they entered the Welfare Home.

👩‍🦳 Meeting the Director

A weary‑looking woman in her forties

hurried over.

“Professor Lewis,

please… we’re counting on you.”

The officer introduced her.

“This is the director of the Welfare Home,

Margaret Woods.”

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Wendy nodded.

“I’ll do my best.”

Margaret guided them through the building.

“This area is the indoor activity room.

Sleeping quarters are in the back.

The cafeteria is on the left.

The restroom is at the end…”

Evan followed silently.

Along the way,

he saw many children with disabilities—

some unable to walk,

some unable to care for themselves.

The staff was clearly understaffed.

Older children helped care for younger ones.

👧 A Familiar Voice

As they passed the rest area,

a familiar voice called out:

“Senior Evan!”

Evan turned

and saw Hannah Keane waving at him.

She finished helping a child with their clothes

and ran over excitedly.

But when she saw Wendy,

her excitement doubled.

“Professor Lewis!

This is great!

With you here,

we’ll definitely find Xiaomeng and the others!”

Evan finally understood—

he wasn’t her idol.

Wendy was.

Margaret smiled fondly

and patted Hannah’s head.

“Little Keane admires you the most, Professor Lewis.

She applied to Dongli University’s Evolutionary Science program

just to be like you.

She’ll be enrolling in a few days.”

Hannah blushed.

“Professor Lewis…

may I ask you questions about evolutionary science in the future?”

“Of course.”

Wendy smiled gently

and added her on social media.

🚻 Inside the Restroom

Finally, they reached the restroom.

Evan stepped inside first.

The boys’ and girls’ restrooms

shared the same entrance.

The surveillance footage

only showed the five children entering—

not which side they went into.

Margaret said,

“There are two restrooms in total.

We closed this one after the incident.”

Evan and Wendy checked both sides.

Each had only one ventilation window—

high, narrow,

impossible for a normal adult to pass through.

The officer explained,

“Our initial theory

is that an evolver used a special ability

to infiltrate the restroom from outside

and abduct the children.

But we still don’t know

what skill was used.

And the surrounding cameras

showed no suspicious individuals.”

“Burrowing?”

Evan immediately thought of tunneling skills.

But even someone like FangBro,

who specialized in burrowing,

couldn’t take five children at once.

He’d need multiple trips.

Wendy added,

“Shape‑altering skills like Bone‑Shrink

could also work.

The culprit might have entered

through the ventilation window.”

The officer nodded.

“That’s what the previous evolutionary scientist suggested.”

Evan thought for a moment.

“Even if we figure out

how the culprit got in,

it doesn’t help us find the children.

Have you investigated

why the culprit took these five specifically?”

“We have,” the officer said.

“At first, we suspected human traffickers.

But after learning about the children,

we ruled that out.”

Margaret explained,

“Of the five missing children,

only one is healthy.

The other four have congenital illnesses.”

Hannah added,

“Most children here aren’t true orphans.

They’re abandoned infants.

Over ninety percent

have congenital diseases or disabilities.”

The officer continued,

“The youngest is three.

The oldest is seven or eight.

They were abandoned at birth.

We don’t even know their biological parents.

So revenge is impossible.”

No wonder the investigation stalled.

There were no leads—

no method,

no motive,

no suspects.

Wendy fell silent for a moment,

then turned to Margaret.

“Before they disappeared,

did the five children show any unusual behavior?”

Margaret thought carefully.

“Nothing particularly strange.

If anything…

those five weren’t usually close.

But they suddenly started going

to the restroom together.

I found that odd.

“But children make friends quickly.

It didn’t seem meaningful.”

Wendy said,

“Could you show me their files?”