As if sensing someone watching her, Miranda, who had been observing the other children, suddenly turned her head.
She caught Brian's gaze just as he was still looking her way, and their eyes locked. A brief chill ran through him.
Thankfully, Brian had a strong mental constitution. He didn't show any sign of nervousness — only holding Miranda's gaze for a second before casually looking away, returning his attention to the fierce-looking Devin in front of them.
Although his eyes remained fixed on Devin, Brian kept a close watch on Miranda from the corner of his eye. Fortunately, she only gave him a brief glance before returning to her work, not paying him any further attention. He let out a small, nearly imperceptible breath of relief.
Soon after, Brian and the other boys followed Devin into the boys' dormitory building.
As the group disappeared inside, Miranda pulled out the list again, flipping to Brian's page. She studied the photo of the clean-faced boy, a slight smile playing on her lips. Then, she took up her pen and crossed out everything she had previously written, starting fresh with new notes.
Once inside the dormitory, Devin led the group straight up to the third floor, bringing the youngest boy — around seven or eight years old — to a room at the far end.
"This will be your new home," he said, opening the door.
Brian took a quick glance inside before the boy entered. To his surprise, there were only two beds inside — not the four he had expected.
"When you're done organizing, come down to the first floor to pick up your supplies," Devin added before continuing upward with the rest.
Dick and Alan were assigned to a room on the fifth floor. Though both were sweating from climbing the stairs, at least they had each other for company.
Another boy was taken to the sixth floor. The door was locked, and Devin had to use a keychain of keys to open it. From the belongings on the other bed, Brian could see that someone was already living there.
As for Brian, he was unfortunately assigned to the eighth floor — meaning more stairs to climb. But at least he was given a private room. Although it was dirty and needed cleaning, he wouldn't have to share with anyone, which was a small comfort.
After Devin left, Brian began examining his new room. It had two beds, two closets, a private bathroom, and a balcony — nothing else.
Opening one of the closets, he found a pile of random junk — from old clothes to unidentifiable items. As he rummaged through, a few condoms fell out.
"Ugh... well, time to clean up."
Resigned, Brian dropped his backpack and rolled up his sleeves. He grabbed a broom and mop from the bathroom and started cleaning every corner of the room. He was a meticulous person when it came to hygiene, so he didn't leave a single spot untouched.
While organizing the closets, he unexpectedly found a lighter and a butterfly knife. Who knew what kind of person had lived here before — clearly not a typical student.
After an hour of hard work, Brian gathered all the trash into a torn bag, admired the now spotless room, and left with the garbage in hand, heading downstairs.
On the fifth floor, he paused and peeked down the hallway. He could hear laughter and chatting from one of the rooms — clearly, Dick and Alan weren't focused on cleaning.
"Still just kids," Brian muttered with a faint smile, continuing on without any intention of helping. Small tasks were better left for them to handle themselves.
Arriving at the first floor, Brian looked around for Devin's office, but to his surprise, the man was simply standing in the hallway, back straight, as if waiting.
Hearing Brian's footsteps behind him, Devin turned around. Seeing the garbage bag in Brian's hand, he gave a slight nod.
"Follow me."
He led Brian around the first floor, showing him where to dispose of trash, where his room was, and warning him not to bother him with small issues. If he had real questions, he could come to him.
After the short tour, Devin opened a room at the end of the hall — it was packed with supplies: food, clothing, tools, and more.
He stepped inside, grabbed a small box, and handed it to Brian, then took out a thick pile of bedding — thick and thin blankets included — from a large box and handed them over as well.
Carrying the bedding and the box, Brian still felt the weight of the task ahead.
Then he heard Devin's voice from within the room:
"All of this is essential living supplies. This is the first set of free resources you receive upon entering the quarantine zone. Every last day of the month, you'll receive a set amount of supplies. If you need more outside of that, you'll have to exchange credits for them. Of course, that comes later. Put your things away and then come back to the first floor to wait for the others."
"Understood."
Brian silently memorized what he said, then thought carefully. He realized this was probably a kind of incentive system used in the school, though it hadn't officially started yet.
Though he didn't know exactly how to earn these credits, he could guess it was tied to performance. Those who excelled would gain better resources and opportunities, while those who performed poorly would only receive basic monthly supplies. And once they turned eighteen, they would leave school and become laborers or skilled workers, contributing to the quarantine zone for the rest of their lives.
Understanding this, Brian realized even within the school, the rules of survival still applied.
Back in his room, Brian carefully placed the bedding on the bed and opened the box, taking out the items one by one.
Inside were all the essentials: toothbrushes, toothpaste, a few towels, soap, shampoo, toilet paper, a small mirror, hangers, two clean sets of clothes, and a lock for the door — everything needed to start a new life.
After arranging everything neatly, Brian felt sticky with sweat and used the new towel to wipe himself down with water.
Once done, he locked the door with the new lock, hands in his pockets, and strolled downstairs at a leisurely pace.
By the time he reached the first floor, the boy assigned to the sixth floor was already there. Brian checked the time — nearly eleven o'clock. It was almost noon, so he casually took a seat.
He struck up a conversation with the quiet boy beside him. Though shy, the two managed to exchange a few words.
Twenty minutes later, Dick and Alan came down the stairs, both red-faced and sweating, laughing as they walked. When they saw Brian, they sat beside him, turning the conversation into a four-person chat.
Ten minutes after that, the last boy finally came down from the third floor. Being young and alone, cleaning a whole room had been a real challenge. His clothes were messy, his face flushed, and he looked utterly exhausted.
As if on cue, just as the last boy arrived, Devin appeared in their line of sight. He didn't say a word, just gave them a meaningful look and gestured for them to follow.
No one asked any questions. They simply stood up and followed him silently.
Leaving the dormitory, they crossed the snowy campus and arrived at a separate building. After a few knocks on the door and permission to enter, they stepped inside.
It was a simple office — a desk, a few chairs, and metal cabinets. Behind the desk sat an elderly man in his fifties or sixties, wearing thick-rimmed glasses, scribbling something furiously. He barely looked up when the group entered.
Devin, clearly used to the man's indifference, simply stepped forward. He picked up eight white magnetic cards from the table, checked them against a list, and selected five.
Then he walked toward the children, matched the cards to their ID numbers, and handed them out one by one.
Brian took his card and examined it closely. Except for a long string of numbers in the upper left corner, both sides were completely blank.
Watching the children examine the cards curiously, Devin gave a slight smirk and said:
"This will be your biggest asset in this place. All the credits you earn will be recorded here — you can think of it as your personal wealth. You might not understand now, but you will in time."
His eyes glinted with a teasing light as he added:
"Don't blame me later — this card has no password. Keep it with you at all times. You only get one… and trust me, you don't want to find out what happens if you lose it."