Filomena handed the fruit basket to Mrs. Tang and smiled, "Take it upstairs and eat with them."

At this moment, Karun noticed the figure of Mr. Delong appearing at the railing on the third floor, staring at the girl who had just arrived at the door.

Filomena walked up to the second floor with the fruit basket.

Richard smiled and said, "Welcome to my house as a guest, hehe."

In terms of handling interpersonal relationships, Richard was like a warm little prince, as if he were not his own father.

But Filomena completely ignored the young master of the host family, not even looking at Richard, and walked past him in the wheelchair to Karun.

Richard shrugged, trying to ease the embarrassment.

Filomena said to Karun, "I was originally going to leave after thanking you for letting me in, because I know this family doesn't welcome or like me. But Mrs. Tang said you were here, so I didn't rush to leave."

"Do you know that sometimes, being straightforward does not mean offending others."

"Grandma also said that I have this problem, but her own problem is even bigger than mine."

"Do you want to change?"

"I'm not wrong, why should I change?"

"Do you want to die?"

"No."

"What I mean is, if you continue to maintain this social style, then in the future, your teammates, including me as the captain, may create a reasonable opportunity to send you to your death."

Filomena pursed her lips and smiled, "Is this also being straightforward?"

"This is advice. If you don't want to die, then change for me. If you can't change, then at least restrain yourself."

"I will restrain myself."

......

"Why did you come back home?"

Mr. Delong's figure appeared in the kitchen.

Mrs. Tang said as she chopped vegetables, "The affairs of the elders are the affairs of the elders, and have nothing to do with the younger generation."

"I'm just worried."

"Who are you worried about? Richard? With your grandson's ability, you don't even need to worry about others deliberately harming him."

"I'm not worried about Richard..."

"Then are you worried about Karun? Does Karun still need you to worry about his actions?"

"I'm not worried about Karun either..."

"I know, the Felshe family has left a shadow in your heart, but the handling of this family has already ended, hasn't it?"

"I didn't expect you to be so open-minded."

"It's not that I'm open-minded, it's that I believe that staring into the eyes of that cursed family, it's not just you and me who are clear, but Felshe himself is also aware."

"Okay, I understand."

"Alright, you can leave my kitchen now." Mrs. Tang leaned forward, glanced out the window, and said, "Your son-in-law is here. You'd better finish your authority before Lucy comes back on duty, and end the matter, otherwise your daughter will come to me to complain first, and then go to you to complain."

"She chose this mediocre man herself, she should suffer."

Mrs. Tang nodded, "Yes, who made me choose a mediocre man myself? Shouldn't I also suffer?"

Mr. Delong: "......"

......

In the study, Richard took an apple from the fruit basket, wiped it with his sleeve, and took a bite directly.

The label on the fruit basket was not torn, it was from the fruit shop in front of the Gu Man Street, and Richard recognized it at a glance.

"So, are we teammates now?" Richard asked Filomena.

Filomena shook her head and said, "No."

Then, Filomena pointed to Karun and said, "He is my captain."

"Haha." Richard not only didn't get angry, but laughed.

"What are you laughing at?" Filomena asked.

"It doesn't matter, it's good for you to keep it this way. Even if you have a bad relationship with everyone else, as long as you wholeheartedly acknowledge him, you can survive well in the team."

"Really?" Filomena was very puzzled.

"Really, I know, in your eyes, are we all useless except for him?"

"Yes."

"Cough... it's okay, just follow Karun, don't quarrel with the captain, just obey the captain, that's all. You think, is it easier to get along with everyone or just one person?"

"He's not useless."

"Okay, I know, of course I know. Did you listen to what I said?"

"I listened."

"That's good."

Karun came back from the bathroom, holding three washed peaches in his hand, and asked Richard, who was eating an apple, "Did you wash them?"

"I'm not afraid, I have worms in my stomach, I can't get sick."

Karun handed a peach to Filomena.

"I don't like to eat fruit." Filomena said habitually, but took it initiative and took a big bite.

"Actually, I really want to hear about your family's story, is it convenient to talk about it?" Karun asked as he sat down next to Richard's bed.

"I don't like to talk about this topic with people."

"Okay, then I won't force it..."

"I heard from outsiders that my grandmother killed my whole family, my grandfather, my uncles; and my father has now been trained by my grandmother to be a dog that only knows how to lick the soles of her shoes."

Upon hearing this, Richard stopped eating the fruit."Grandma said I look like her, and she will give me all the memories she has experienced. When I was very young, my dreams were always about my crazy grandma."

"And now?" Richard asked subconsciously, "Oh, sorry."

"Now, in my dreams, grandma has been tamed by me into a dog, hehe," Philomena laughed, "But, I am just going along with what you guys say, because I always feel that this place is a dream, and my dream is the reality."

"This is a kind of escapist personality," Karun said, "You fear reality, so you have reversed dreams and reality."

"Maybe, I just choose the happy side."

"So, in your eyes, now I, and Richard, and everyone here, are just characters in your dream, and you instinctively don't care, we are like a carousel in an amusement park, looking shiny, but in your view, we are all just puppets."

"Yeah, that's right."

Richard leaned towards Karun and asked, "Isn't this the same as my dad, having mental problems? Fortunately, our team only has one person with mental problems."

Philomena looked at Karun and said, "Captain, do you have anything else you want to ask?"

"No, thank you for your honesty. Oh, you need to leave me a contact method, our team will officially gather in a few days."

Richard added, "Team establishment meeting, dinner, group photo."

Philomena frowned and nodded, "Okay."

After speaking, she took out a black piece of paper from her pocket and folded it into a crow, handing it to Karun.

"No phone number?"

"I don't have one at home, and it's not convenient for now."

"Okay, I understand."

"Can I leave now?"

"Stay for dinner."

Philomena looked up, looked at Karun, blinked, and said, "Okay."

"You can rest first, Richard's bedroom is next door."

"Okay."

Philomena walked out of the study.

"She really puts pressure on me," Richard reached out his hand, released a thread, and pulled a magazine over, "Do you have any plans for tomorrow, Karun?"

"I'm going to see my fiancée."

"Why is it always you going to see her? Can't she come to see you? Is your fiancée still bedridden? Oh, sorry, I didn't mean that."

"Almost, but she will recover in a little over a month."

"Oh, that's great, I'm looking forward to meeting her, a woman who can capture the heart of my good brother Karun."

"I have an engagement with her."

"Oh, believe me, if she's very ugly, you will definitely shout for human rights and marriage freedom."

"What book have you been reading recently?"

"A little bit of everything, studying hard, I feel like I've made a lot of progress recently, especially in my physical recovery ability."

"Hard work."

"It's okay, I feel like I've transcended, fearless of hardships, I can even hold back from screaming, can you believe it?"

"You should still scream, if you don't, your father will hit you even harder."

"Uh... no wonder he hit me for so long last time, so that's why."

It's time for dinner.

Karun pushed Richard's wheelchair and asked, "Can you walk when the team gathers in a few days?"

"If my dad doesn't go crazy in the next few days, I can go with my skateboard."

When they arrived at the door of Richard's bedroom, Karun knocked on the door, and Philomena sat up from the bed.

Karun reminded her, "When we eat later, you don't need to talk, just eat quietly."

Philomena nodded, "Okay."

Dinner was sumptuous, Mrs. Tang was inspired by Karun's new dish and created exquisite and delicious dishes.

Especially the stew, under Mrs. Tang's strong insistence, Karun drank three bowls, and before he left the table, he felt a warm sensation in his lower abdomen.

After dessert, Karun said goodbye.

"I didn't drive here, so I won't be able to take you back."

"Okay."

Philomena turned and left on her own.

Karun waited for a while, hailed a taxi, and arrived at the entrance of the Le Mar Pottery Art Museum.

Since these few days are for socializing, nothing should be left behind.

He pushed the door open and saw that it was very lively inside. The original work table was filled with dishes, and two middle-aged couples were sitting there. Le Mar and his sister Selina were also sitting inside.

"Karun!" Selina immediately stood up and introduced to everyone, "Dad, Aunt, Mom, Uncle, this is my brother's good friend, Mr. Karun."

Next, there was a very enthusiastic exchange of greetings and questions. Selina's parents even asked Karun if he was married, and Karun could only respond with the same enthusiasm.

During this time, he couldn't help but take a few more glances at Selina's parents, they seemed to really not know that they were puppets.

Karun also took a few extra glances at the partners that Selina's parents had found after their divorce, they also seemed to really not know that their other half was not a living person.

After sitting for a while, Karun said goodbye and left, and Selina took the initiative to see him off.

"Sorry, Karun, my parents came today.""It's okay. It's nice to see a family so happy. When you have time, come play at the funeral home. I just got back."

"Okay, Karun, I will. Hehe."

...

Once again taking a taxi, the destination is the funeral home.

"Sir, are you going home?" the taxi driver asked curiously.

"Yes, that's my funeral home."

"Oh, I see. Going to the funeral home so late...oh, sorry, sir, I didn't mean anything by it."

"It's okay, normal people would think the same."

"Do you make money doing this?"

"It's okay, enough to not starve."

"Definitely making money, because only those who make money would say 'enough to not starve.'"

"Hehe."

After chatting with the driver for a while, Karun closed his eyes and prepared to rest for a while.

Gradually, Karun sensed that there were dots of light appearing in his field of vision. He opened his eyes and looked out the car window. On both sides of the road ahead, a group of people wearing white hats and masks were carrying torches and moving forward.

"Haha, ran into them again," the driver had to slow down, but there was no hint of complaint on his face.

"Their activities have become more frequent recently?" Karun asked.

"Yes, sir. In the past, we might only encounter their gatherings once a month, but now we can run into them two or three times a week. They recently replaced a new batch of leaders and even changed the group's name. Now they're called the Holy Fire Believers!"

"You know a lot about them?"

"Of course, my son is one of them."

At this point, several people wearing hats and masks approached the taxi with torches and began tapping on the window.

The driver immediately rolled down the window.

They brought the torches close, and Karun noticed them checking his hair. When they saw his blonde hair, they burst into laughter and shouted, "Purple pig go to hell!"

The driver honked the horn and leaned out the window, shouting, "Purple pig go to hell!"

From their eyes, Karun saw fanaticism, madness, and self-righteousness.

When the taxi finally drove out of the crowd, the driver took out a cup of water and, with a hoarse voice, said to Karun, "Sir, those purple pigs really deserve to go to hell. I heard that many people die in the sea when they sneak in every year. And yet, so many of them still manage to come in every year! And those who stay in Vein, they can reproduce like pigs! I swear, when I was a child, I couldn't see so many purple-haired things on the street. They took our jobs, took our housing, took our food, took our air. They are a group of pigs that deserve to be thrown into the slaughterhouse! What do you think, sir?"

"I know that many of them come from places that have been turned into colonies by the Vein Empire."

"That's right, they are so ignorant and barbaric. Our empire has brought civilization to them!"

"So what's wrong with them coming to Vein now and experiencing civilization up close?"

"No, that's not right. They are lowly people, and Vein's clean land should not be contaminated by them!"

"Besides illegal immigrants, there are also many who have obtained Vein citizenship through legal means."

"They're all pigs, the same pigs. I feel disgusted when I see them, and those who come in legally make me even more repulsed because they want more, but do they deserve it? They should stay in the pigsty with their pig relatives and eat shit!"

Karun couldn't be bothered to respond.

But as they drove through another block, there was another fire, with three bonfires in the middle of the road, and a larger group of Holy Fire Believers dancing and singing around them.

"Sir, we need to take a detour," the driver said.

"Okay."

After taking the detour and getting closer to the Blue Bridge community, the number of Holy Fire Believers on the street increased, and a sense of restlessness and unease gradually filled the air.

When they entered the Blue Bridge community, Karun noticed that more and more Holy Fire Believers were gathering here.

The area near the Blue Bridge community has many factories and is home to many laborers. The shantytown is almost a special feature of this area, and as a result, there are more illegal immigrants with purple hair, because there are not many places in Vein where they can find work, and most of them are these sweatshop factories.

Judge Zihesu initially recruited young illegal immigrant girls into his sacrificial ground through a textile factory operated by Little John's father.

"Why do I feel like something big is going to happen tonight," the driver's voice trembled, not out of nervousness, but excitement.

Finally, the driver stopped the car at the entrance of the funeral home.

"Total of 28 reals, sir."

Karun handed over 30 reals.

"Thank you, sir."

"Keep the change."

"Um..."

Holding the two coins the driver gave him, Karun got out of the car.

On the roadside, there was a group of Holy Fire Believers carrying torches and moving forward.

Karun walked into the funeral home, and the snoring of Pick at the door was very loud.

When he reached the backyard, he saw Alfred coming out of the kitchen with a cup of coffee."Young Master, you've returned. Would you like me to prepare some supper for you?"

"Have Hili make me a bowl of noodles."

"Young Master, Hili went home to visit her parents and younger brother today. She said she won't be back tonight."

"She went back?"

"Yes."

"Where does her family live again?"

"Not too far, just next to our community, in the Grey Building of the Poplar Community. Hili rented three rooms there for her family and relatives who came to seek refuge. It's a settlement area for legal immigrants; only those with jobs live there. The environment is much better than the slums, but it's still not very clean."

"Go and bring her back. Tell her the Young Master wants supper and there's no one to make it. It's a maid's dereliction of duty."

"Yes, Young Master."

Alfred put down his coffee cup, picked up his car keys, and headed out.

Karun, on the other hand, walked into his study. For some reason, ever since he rode back home, he had been feeling somewhat irritable.

"Mr. Karun, do you need supper prepared?" Mrs. Lake's voice came from outside the door.

"No, thank you, Mrs. Lake."

"Shall I pour you a glass of iced water?"

"Yes, please, Mrs. Lake."

"Ding-a-ling, ding-a-ling..."

The telephone on the desk rang at that moment, and Karun picked up the receiver.

"Hello, Karun."

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"Captain, haven't you gone to bed yet?"

"It's Lieutenant, actually. Gengdi corrected himself earlier today; are you reverting back because I didn't give you a ride home?"

"No, sometimes I just forget to correct myself out of habit. What's the matter, Lieutenant?"

"There's an urgent notice from above that needs to be passed down the chain. I'm relaying it to you now."

"Alright, what's the notice?"

"Tonight, all Order Officers are not to interfere with the normal functioning of society."