Chapter 213: Ch 213: Are you not going to Regret? - Part 3

As expected, the youngest child did not survive.

Noah was the one who discovered the dead body the next morning, but he hesitated to say these words out loud.

But somehow, the responsible kid seemed to know already.

The scientists had already moved on to the next experiment, leaving the dead child behind as if he were nothing more than an empty container that had stopped being useful. They did not even reply to him when he messaged them about this news.

The eldest child stared at his youngest brother for a long time before lowering his head.

For a moment, Noah thought he was going to cry, but the child only clenched his fists and took a shaky breath.

"It is not your fault, Sir."

Noah looked at him with a slightly startled expression.

"I should have done more. Perhaps, I could have gotten him medicine or something," Noah said quietly.

"You tried to help him. You brought him back alive. He was just not strong enough to survive this. So thank you."

The eldest child shook his head and tried to be brave and smile through his pain.

Noah did not know what to say to that.

He had expected guilt to consume him, perhaps to tear through his chest until he could no longer breathe properly, because that was what he thought a human being was supposed to feel when someone died because of their actions.

But it did not happen.

There was guilt somewhere inside him, but it was cold and lifeless, almost as if someone had taken the emotion out of him and left behind only an imitation of it.

That frightened Noah more than the death itself.

’Am I even human anymore?’

The thought appeared in his mind before he could stop it.

He stared down at the small body in his arms and wondered when exactly he had stopped feeling things the way he was supposed to.

He knew that the child was dead. He knew that he should be heartbroken. He knew that he should be angry at the scientists and furious at himself for being unable to save him.

Yet all he could feel was that strange emptiness.

It was almost as if his mind was slowly slipping away from him, piece by piece, and he was simply watching it happen without having the strength to stop it.

The body would be thrown away soon. The lab had limited space, so it was hard for them to preserve bodies.

Moreover, the scientists had no reason to keep a failed specimen once it was no longer useful, and the child would probably disappear before the others even woke up the next morning.

The eldest seemed to realise the same thing.

"Sir, can I ask you for a favour?"

Noah looked towards him. He felt like he had to do this favour for this kid since he was asking for it.

"What is it?"

"Please burn him."

The child’s voice trembled as he made this request, but his eyes were getting harder, making it much more certain that this was what he wanted.

"Let us give him a funeral, even if it is a small one. He deserves to have someone remember him."

Noah was silent for a moment before nodding.

"Alright."

He could do this much for a kid who deserved so much more. Perhaps, this kid would get his salvation one day.

That night, Noah waited until the scientists became busy before quietly unlocking the cells and leading the children through the empty corridors.

He carried the youngest child’s body himself, while the others followed closely behind him, moving as quietly as they could.

They eventually reached an abandoned area outside the main laboratory building where there was enough space to make a small funeral pyre.

The children gathered around their youngest brother one final time.

Noah stood beside them, watching as the eldest child placed a small piece of cloth over his brother’s face.

Then Noah used a small capsule to start the fire and burn the body to ash. Not even the bones would remain once this fire was done consuming the kid.

The flames slowly consumed the body, and the children remained silent as they watched.

For the first time since entering the laboratory, Noah felt something warm move through the emptiness inside his chest.

It was not enough to bring back the emotions he remembered having, but it was enough to remind him that perhaps some part of him was still there.

Unfortunately, their small funeral did not remain a secret for long.

A harsh voice suddenly came from behind them.

"What exactly do you think you are doing?"

Noah froze, and the children turned around in fear as several scientists stood at the edge of the clearing, staring at them with expressions that were far from pleased.

Noah slowly stepped in front of the children, as he knew immediately that they were in trouble.

Still, he wanted to protect these kids from any harm that could befall them.

"We are holding a funeral for the kid that died. As far as I know, his body was not marked for preservation, so he was going to be disposed of. I just gave these kids a chance to be able to grieve one last time."

Noah pointed this out to the scientists while shielding the kids at the same time. But his defence ticked off the scientists even more, causing their eyes to flash.

’This is not good. I need to get the kids back inside before the scientists explode.’

Noah signalled for the kids to leave, and the scientists were so enraged right now that they did not even notice it happening.

By the time they noticed, it was too late, and the only one they could take their anger and frustration out on was Noah.

"For now, why don’t you come with me? We can talk about it, and I can tell you what you did wrong here."

Noah did not think he had done anything wrong, but he decided not to question the scientists and followed them inside.