27: Moving in II

JJ took small steps down into the bunker, and her flashlight was the only source of the light down there. The transmigrator couldn't see anything from upstairs, even if he squinted.

In his previous life, Jay wouldn't say that he had a fear of the dark because he's an expert introvert. He didn't have social anxiety or anything, he just didn't like interacting with strangers or anyone because they always brought up his illness and made it the topic of conversation.

Before he was hospitalized full time, Jay spent most of his teenage years holed up in his bedroom, laying down in the dark and playing various different videogames. His illness prevented him from traveling far without an escort or a nurse nearby, so he thought that he made the best of his situation.

That life is behind him now, so he turned his attention back to the matter at hand.

No, he's not afraid of the dark, he's afraid of the unknown. He couldn't see anything in the dark, so he doesn't know what dangerous thing could lie await for them to come into its range of attack.

However, he could counter that with the fact that the Red King had been down here before, and judging from how well JJ is doing right now, she's been down there too, but she didn't explore as much as her companion did.

"Did you find the door yet? It's to the left of the bathroom, and it's locked." The male caregiver was giving directions, and he lowered himself and the baby to sit on the staircase.

Right, the locked room. Do they know what's in there? Definitely not. It can be anything ranging from an animal being locked up to spme deranged person to radioactive substance to an explosive trigger trap.

It's been ten seconds without any response from his female caretaker, only the sounds of her footsteps echoing on the wall. Worry was creeping through Jay's mind, but he let out a sigh of relief when he heard her voice again.

"Found it!" The excitement was unmistakable. "It's locked behind a passcode, so give me sometime to melt the lock. Don't forget to feed Kaon!"

"Yeah." The teenage boy nodded, and his hand played with the baby's hair. "You hungry, little guy?"

Jay looked up at the boy smiling at him, and he nodded. 'Custard tarts!'

"Caaa taaa taa!" His baby babble never failed to make the make the teenage boy laugh. "Aaah!"

Then, Jay was lifted off the Red King's thigh, and the teenage boy put Kaon on the stairs.

"Stay here, alright? I'll grab the bread."

That's stupid.

No one should leave a baby unattended on the stairs, let alone one that leads to a dark basement.

Jay expressed his disappointment by yelling, something anything to get his male caretaker's attention, but the teenage boy was already out the door.

Being left alone, the baby pried into the basement. He could see the faint light of the flashlight about twenty feet into the darkness, but he didn't see JJ.

What is he supposed to do now?

SYSTEM!

[ YES, USER JAY. ]

'Can I go down there?' Jay asked the system, saying his question out loud, but all he heard was more baby babble.

[ YES, BUT SYSTEM IS NOT RESPONSIBLE FOR ANY INJURIES THAT USER JAY SUSTAIN SHALL HE FAIL TO REACH HIS DESTINATION SAFELY. ]

Okay, fair, fair...

How the fuck did the original Kaon survive when his caretakers were like this? Did he fell down a flight of stairs and hit his head and became more unhinged than the windows in this cabin?

The baby grumpily crossed his arms, and his tummy was rumbling loud enough for him to hear it.

"I think I got it!" JJ's words came from the basement. Her flashlight began moving towards the exit, catching Jay's attention.

He leaned closer to the trap door, and in that moment of carelessness, he slipped.

His heart stopped beating for a second, and he saw the teenage girl's eyes widened as she reached out for the baby.

Thankfully, a single hand slapped on Jay's torso, bouncing him back upwards. The air was knocked out of his lungs, but in the next moment, his back hit the family warmth of the Red King's chest.

His heart was beating so fast that he could feel each beat rumbling through his entire body. The transmigrator held on to his male caregiver's left arm for dear life, and he finally processed the fact that the teenage boy snatched him out of thin air before the baby could roll down the stairs into the basement.

The baby was held so tightly to his caregiver's chest that he could also feel the Red King's heartbeat drumming under his jacket.

"I told you it's a bad idea to leave him alone!" JJ's familiar angry scolding grounded both of them. Her boots stomped upstairs, and she turned off her flashlight and tossed it to the floor. "But noooo... We gotta test him, you said! That could've ended so bad— Gah...! You caught him, but still..."

The Red King was speechless as he let his companion snatch the baby out of his hand. JJ's hands was gentle on Jay, but her voice was heated and sharp as she continued scolding her partner.

"He's just a baby. There's nothing wrong with him. He's at a fast learning age, so small changes are to be expected. Why did I let you talk me into doing stupid stuff again?"

Shit...

Did his parents notice his OOC? SYSTEM! HELP! ANSWER ME!

[ YES, USER JAY. ]

WHat..?!!

[ JAY PLENG AND JAY PLENG ARE NATURALLY OBSERVANT WHEN IT COMES TO PEOPLE.

USER JAY WILL NOT GET POINT DEDUCTIONS AS LONG AS THEY DO NOT FIND OUT ABOUT THE TRUTH. ]

The truth? Oh, his transmigration!

[ A REMINDER: OOC WILL BE PUNISHED BY -100 EXP POINTS. THE HIGHER THE LEVEL, THE HIGH EXP POINTS REDUCTION. IF USER EXP GOES BELOW -50, NO MATTER THE LEVEL, USER ACCOUNT WILL BE PERMANENTLY TERMINATED.]

Well, shit. He only has 30 exp points sonce he transmigrated. 30 - 50 is -20, so he still has 30 points to spare, but he didn't want to risk anything.

System, are there any guidelines for this?

[ NO. ]

While the transmigrator was spaced out talking to the System, his parents stopped arguing. Deep red eyes were staring at the baby, and dark blue eyes flickered white a few times per second.