Lazer and the female lizard demihuman arrived outside the hatchery, which was now in ruins, with only the outer walls remaining. The inner walls and decorations had been knocked down, leaving a pool of yellow sand and dust. If he did not know any better, he would have never believed that this place used to be a hatchery.

Regardless of how many times he came here, the memories and scenery always caused him to hyperventilate.

By contrast, she, dressed in a cloak that she had casually picked up, looked very comfortable. This place was not far from the casino and market, but many poor people and thieves wandered around here. She carefully examined if her clothes were soiled and stopped by the door as he continued to walk inside; she did not want to step into this dirty place with him.

“It was never rebuilt again after it went out of business. Beggars like to hide here.”

“What happened here? I want to hear your version of the story.”

“Do you really? I want to leave,” she said with a shrug.

He threw her a few gold coins. “Tell me.”

“Well—I will tell you the locals’ version of it. The hatchery was once invaded by a murderer. He killed all the nannies on the spot and smashed all the eggs, leaving only one alive. Do you think there is any way this hatchery could continue running after an incident like that?”

“But… some people still donated money, didn’t they?” he retorted, turning his head away.

“The donations were only able to keep the hatchery running for a short while. If it could not attract customers, how long do you think it was going to last? So it ran out of business rather quickly.”

His mood grew heavier.

She observed his facial expressions and continued.

“As for the surviving child, he or she was definitely transferred to another hatchery. Nevertheless, there were many lizard demihuman traffickers in this area, so it was possible that he or she was purchased or forcefully taken away. There is no way for us to know,” she played with her paws and flashed a smile that exuded the scent of alcohol. “That is all I know, Mr. Chameleon. You look terrible. It must be the stuffy air here. Let’s leave.”

“What happens to children taken away by traffickers?”

She continued to smile but her eyes looked gloomy. “Who are you trying to find?”

“Just answer my question.”

“They are numbered like merchandise. If someone dies or is lost during the transport, the lizard demihuman traffickers simply replace the children with new ones while paying no attention to the former. If you want to find these children, you just need to know their number.”

He looked at the empty ruins in silence.

“Sir, if you are not leaving, I am.” She turned gracefully, causing her bell to sound. She had a mysterious look in her eyes. “I would suggest that you leave here soon as staying here attracts attention. According to the locals, the murderer… was a human.”

The sound of the bell at the door gradually disappeared. He did not have time to worry about what she had noticed. He came to the center of the house and looked at the place where the incubator should have been. Everything seemed to have just happened the night before, and the memory was still fresh in his mind. In fact, he forced himself to remember it all.