The exposed parts of their bodies were all stitched together from numerous fragments.
Not only were their skin tones different, but even their ages varied.
Some had infant skin, while others already appeared adult.
But what they shared in common was a deathly pale undertone to their complexion.
The children examined Liu Zheng curiously, their eyes holding a clarity and innocence completely at odds with their terrifying appearances.
"Teacher, is this our new classmate?"
A girl asked innocently.
Her hair accessory was larger than the others', golden-brown in color, resembling an Alexandra birdwing butterfly.
"No, Tonya. This is the electrician I invited." Updates are released by 𝗻𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗹•𝕗𝕚𝕣𝕖•𝗇𝗲𝘁
More like power generation worker.
Liu Zheng rolled his eyes but said nothing.
"Great, then the classroom can have lights again."
"We can read books again."
"Mr. Electrician, can you fix my music box? It won't sing anymore."
The children chattered like little sparrows.
"Even if I were really an electrician, I wouldn't fix music boxes," he wanted to say.
But looking at the little girl's expectant face, he couldn't bring himself to say it.
"I'll try, but I can't guarantee I'll fix it," Liu Zheng said.
"Mm! Thank you, Mr. Electrician."
The little girl said very politely, then excitedly jumped off her chair and hopped deeper into the room.
He only then noticed she had just one foot.
"I searched for a long time but couldn't find another foot, so they have to take turns using it. Today it's Galia's turn."
"Are their feet regular feet, or are they 'flesh'?"
"They're 'flesh'," Rust replied.
"Then there's nothing to be done," he shook his head.
If they were regular feet, he wouldn't mind giving them one.
"Don't worry, I won't make additional demands," Rust seemed to smile.
"You're the boss," Liu Zheng shrugged.
Soon, Galia with only one leg returned.
"Here you go, Mr. Electrician."
She carefully carried a music box and handed it to Liu Zheng.
"Please fix it, this was my 'Three Good Student' reward from teacher."
"If it can't be fixed, will Galia cry?"
Looking at her serious expression, Liu Zheng couldn't resist teasing her.
"Teacher says poor children must be strong and can't cry easily."
Galia said, pursing her lips.
She glanced at Rust, then signaled for Liu Zheng to bend down.
He bent over, and Galia brought her mouth to his ear.
"After they're all asleep, I'll cry secretly."
After saying this, she smiled slyly.
Liu Zheng patted her head, causing a patch of hair and scalp to fall off.
Without covering, the already dried brain tissue was exposed before his eyes.
Liu Zheng was stunned for a moment, then silently pressed the scalp back into place.
He wound the music box's spring, but as expected, no sound came out.
So he took the entire music box apart.
After examining it, Liu Zheng found the problem.
"The gears are too rusted, completely jammed," he said.
"Can it be fixed then?" Galia asked expectantly.
"Fixing it is easy enough - just use rust remover or acidic cleaner to wash it off. Or sandpaper and steel wool would work too."
As an orphan, he had mastered various life skills from childhood.
"We don't have any of those," Rust said regretfully.
"What about vinegar?"
"Don't have that either," Rust shook his head.
"Alright then, I'll just have to make a sacrifice."
Liu Zheng sighed, drawing his Boning Knife to make a small cut on his tentacle.
Blood slowly seeped out, dripping onto the music box until it gradually submerged the components.
After a few minutes, he waved over the little boy called Paul.
"You there, come here for a second."
"What is it, Mr. Electrician?" Paul asked as he ran over.
His voice and gaze were quite steady, like a little adult.
"Nothing, just borrowing your clothes for a moment."
Liu Zheng grabbed the hem of his shirt and began wiping the components.
Paul had a visible question mark over his head and instinctively tried to grab his clothes back.
"Don't move. If you break the music box, you'll be the one comforting Galia when she cries."
He wasn't good at comforting girls, especially since Galia cried more easily than others.
After some wiping, much of the rust on the components had been removed.
Liu Zheng nodded with satisfaction.
He had discovered earlier that his blood had some acidity to it.
It was useless for combat, but worked quite well as a household tool.
Liu Zheng handed the music box to Galia, ignoring Paul's resentful look nearby.
Galia happily took the music box and wound the spring.
When she let go, a melodious tune floated out.
Compared to normal circumstances, the music box's performance was still somewhat uneven, and the tones were a bit hoarse.
But at least it was working.
"Arise, ye starvelings..."
Some child started singing, and the other children joined in.
Soon it became a chorus.
The music box only played one segment, but they didn't mind, continuing to sing on their own.
Liu Zheng knew the song, but he didn't join in, just watched.
He had no faith, no ideals, only some simple values.
And even these values were fragile, easily broken by money and power.
"Thank you. The children haven't been this happy in a long time."
"Does that mean I don't have to generate electricity?"
Liu Zheng seized the opportunity.
"But I can give you additional compensation."
Rust waved his hand, and a large net bag flew before Liu Zheng, containing about twenty-some fish.
"I noticed you were quite interested in them," Rust said.
"Indeed, then we're even," he said shamelessly.
At that moment, the children's chorus reached its conclusion.
"Thank you, Mr. Electrician."
Galia stood on tiptoe and kissed Liu Zheng.
A faint trace of corpse odor drifted into his nostrils.
Liu Zheng remained expressionless.
When it came to bad breath, Liu Zheng had never been inferior to anyone in his life.
"Mr. Electrician, can you fix my doll? Her head fell off."
"Mr. Electrician, can you fix my Rubik's cube?"
The children crowded around, making various requests.
Liu Zheng checked his phone - still two hours left, fairly ample time.
He spent the next half hour sewing the doll, fixing the Rubik's cube, and repairing other small toys.
As for the more difficult ones or those missing parts that couldn't be fixed, there was nothing to be done.
The children were sensible enough not to pester him, just unhappily returning to their seats.
"Time to generate electricity," Rust reminded.
"Where's the generator?"
Following Rust, Liu Zheng arrived at the storage room in the southeast corner.
The storage room also had those emergency lights, but with much higher wattage, basically illuminating the entire room.
"This is what you call a generator?" His eye twitched.
"This is clearly an electric chair, damn it!"