The owner of the small feet hiding behind the curtain finally walked out hesitantly after hearing Richard's words. It was a child wearing hospital pajamas with a snowflake pattern. From the tender face and bald head alone, it was difficult to tell whether the child was a boy or a girl.
But Richard knew that this child was a girl and the core protagonist of this cinematic world's plot. Her name and her subject number in The Lab were both "Eleven." She possessed powerful and diverse superpowers, and the portal to The Upside Down was opened because Dr. Brennan forced her to do so.
"Don't be afraid. My name is Richard. In a way, I'm just like you—I have abilities that ordinary people don't," Richard said softly. To demonstrate his power, he picked up a table knife and lightly cut his left forearm. Blood immediately flowed from the wound.
Seeing Richard's inexplicable act of self-harm, Eleven was a little surprised, but she didn't panic. Instead, she stared intently at Richard's subsequent actions.
Richard sat calmly at the table, letting the blood seep from the wound while casually picking up a burger and starting to eat.
Then, something happened that greatly shocked Eleven. As Richard enjoyed his burger, the cut on his arm suddenly began to heal rapidly. Although the blood that had flowed out didn't return to his body, the wound quickly scabbed over and fell off until it was as good as new.
This was the ability brought by Richard's derivative skill, Hyper-digestion. As long as the injury wasn't too severe, he could heal quickly by consuming food. Even if he had a common minor illness, he could use this ability to briefly gain stronger vitality, using his bolstered immunity to directly overcome and cure the ailment.
Richard picked up a tissue from the table, wiped the blood off his arm, took an untouched burger, and smiled as he walked toward the gradually relaxing Eleven, placing the burger in her hands.
After Richard's demonstration, he had earned Eleven's trust. Eleven was no longer wary of the person who had guided her into this house.
She sniffed the burger, catching a wonderful aroma she had never tasted before. Following Richard's example, she unwrapped the paper packaging and took a large bite of the bread, vegetables, and meat patty.
With just one bite, the starving Eleven could no longer control her appetite and began to eat ravenously.
"Come on, let's eat at the table." Richard didn't mind that Eleven was covered in filth. He patted her head, which felt quite nice. The short hair that had just started to grow back was a bit stiff but didn't prick his hand. It felt strange and reminded Richard of his time in military training.
While Eleven was eating the burger and fries, Richard pulled all the curtains in the house to ensure the privacy of the space.
Only then did Richard feel comfortable sitting down to share the high-calorie burger and fries dinner with Eleven.
The two finally ended the meal by finishing a large bottle of cola and letting out a burp.
Richard didn't clean up the house right away. Instead, he sat in his seat and looked at the bald girl, who was sizing him up with curious eyes. Neither of them hid their curiosity about the other.
Richard spoke slowly, "I know you can't speak very fluently right now, but you can understand what I'm saying. So, I'm going to ask you some questions, and you just need to answer Yes or No."
Eleven nodded in agreement.
"Did you escape from The Lab last night?"
"Yes."
"Has anyone discovered your whereabouts yet?"
"No."
"Good." Richard nodded with satisfaction. This superpowered little girl was indeed like her original counterpart; although she was as innocent as a blank slate, her skill at playing hide-and-seek with federal agents was naturally top-tier.
Richard went into the room and brought out a basket from the closet. Daily necessities and clothes were inside. The necessities were bought, and the clothes were cut from his own that he couldn't wear. He said, "You can live here safely from now on, but don't go out casually, and don't talk to strangers. If someone rings the doorbell, hide in my room until I confirm there's no risk and tell you to come out. Can you do that?"
Eleven didn't answer this time. She just looked at him in confusion, not understanding how he could be so well-prepared.
"Sometimes I can foresee things," Richard said with a half-truthful smile. "I foresaw that you would appear here, then sneak into my neighbor's house to steal his fries, only to be caught. He would try to help you out of kindness and call the town's welfare station, but because he wouldn't know you're connected to The Lab's secrets, their people would arrive first and shoot him dead to keep the secret."
Richard described this terrifying story in a gentle tone. The final gunshot gesture he made caused Eleven, who believed him, to feel a hint of guilt.
"It's okay. Things have changed because of my intervention. You don't need to feel sorry for something that didn't happen." Richard gently patted Eleven's head, feeling as if he were patting a melon.
"Can you promise what I just said?" Richard smiled. "Don't worry, I'll find a suitable opportunity to help you get away from The Lab and let you live a normal life. This lack of freedom is only temporary."
Eleven nodded obediently. "OK."
Afterward, Richard took the little bald girl into the bathroom. He taught her how to use the bathroom fixtures, body wash, and shampoo. Finally, he taught her how to change clothes and some basic social norms.
Eleven was very curious about all of this, but she was restrained in her curiosity, patiently listening to Richard speak.
"Have you learned it all?" Richard asked.
"Yes." Little Eleven blinked.
"Then go ahead and wash up. I'll wait for you outside the bathroom." Richard walked toward the door. Hearing the footsteps following closely behind, he turned back to see the uneasy Little Eleven and chuckled softly. "I know you're afraid of enclosed spaces. So, I won't close the door completely; I'll leave at least a three-inch gap. Then I'll talk to you from outside. Of course, you don't have to answer me for the next part."
Only then did Little Eleven's tension ease slightly. Her experiences in The Lab had left her with a psychological shadow regarding enclosed environments, resulting in mild claustrophobia. If Richard had closed the bathroom door, she might have screamed in fear, followed by her superpowers spiraling out of control.
Since transmigrating, Richard had reviewed the plot he knew many times. He had memorized the characteristics of this world's "protagonists" and knew exactly what was going on. He knew exactly what Little Eleven was afraid of and what she liked to eat.
Moving a stool and leaning against the wall, Richard began to tell a story.
"Now I'm going to tell you a story. You know what a story is, right?"
"Yes."
"Well, the story I'm about to tell takes place in a small caterpillar country far across the sea. There was a girl there named Sadako..." Richard spoke fluently about the story of "The Ring," telling it vividly and even with some emotion.
As Little Eleven bathed, the story felt more and more wrong. She suddenly looked up at the silhouette outside the door, her eyes full of shock. Why is this person telling me a ghost story in this situation!?
Little Eleven washed quickly. When she came out, she had changed into nice new clothes and was clean all over, smelling of lime body wash. However, the way she looked at Richard had become a bit strange.
"Hmm, not bad. You look much prettier and cleaner now." Richard rubbed Little Eleven's fresh head. He had to take the chance to rub this fuzzy little bald head now; once she grew her hair out, it wouldn't feel the same.
"Pretty?" Little Eleven pointed at herself, questioning, her eyes lighting up slightly.
"Good-looking." Richard nodded. He was never stingy with praise for others unless... he really disliked the person.
Next, Richard had Little Eleven sit on the sofa to watch TV while he cleaned the house and chatted with her about the monsters from The Upside Down.
Little Eleven was curious about the TV, but she wasn't interested in the movie playing, which was the classic Western horror slasher "Halloween." Michael Myers, wearing his white mask, was performing his cold-blooded killing methods. When she saw someone on the TV get hurt and scream, Little Eleven would shrink her head in fear.
He told her a ghost story while she was bathing, and after the bath, he let her watch a horror movie. If Little Eleven weren't so naive and unaware of her own personality, she probably would have used her telekinesis to make the misbehaving Richard fly.
"Sorry, I forgot to take out the videotape I was watching earlier. Let me change the channel for you." Seeing that Little Eleven looked a bit scared, Richard proactively switched to the cartoon channel before she could do anything to his TV.
After seeing the colorful cartoons with animals as protagonists, Little Eleven relaxed again, quickly drawn in by the exaggerated storytelling and fast-paced music.
"Can you sense The Upside Down right now?"
Little Eleven hugged her legs with her chin resting on her knees, watching intently, but she still answered Richard. "Yes."
"Have you sensed anywhere in this town where someone has been attacked by a monster?" Richard asked.
"No." Hearing this, Little Eleven couldn't help but shift her gaze to Richard. "But, angry..."
"They are angry?"
"Yes. Because, you."
Hearing this, Richard, who was sweeping the floor, laughed out loud. "It seems that pouring gasoline into the portal to The Upside Down really pissed them off."
Little Eleven looked at him blankly, her face innocent.
"Because the portal to the other world opened, monster sightings have appeared in town recently. I relied on my... ability to predict some of their actions, took the initiative to strike, and drove away many monsters. After hitting them repeatedly and eventually setting fire to their world, they must be feeling angry because of that," Richard explained.
"Dangerous..."
"Indeed, but sometimes you have to face danger, especially when you need to take responsibility for things you've caused." Richard dumped the trash into a large black bag and said while sealing it, "Also, you'll eventually have people you want to protect, and that will be the conviction that keeps you fighting."