Chapter 31

Chapter 31

"The scales of that mutant are very tough. Even a strong adult might not be able to pierce them, but you managed to wound its claw with a single stab."

The lead soldier found it somewhat incredible, yet thought it might just be luck, that the blade had somehow found its way into the gaps between the scales.

After all, the boy in front of them was merely a slender teenager, and it was highly unlikely for him to injure a mutant so easily.

The driver, who had hastily jumped into a vehicle earlier, now hurried back, started the vehicle, and continued towards the direction of the plantation.

The lead soldier, feeling grateful to Feng Chen, broke his earlier silence and began explaining the plantation's situation.

"Actually, your work is quite simple, and the plantation is safe. It's just the journey that might be a bit dangerous. But not every trip will encounter mutants like before, and not all mutants are that aggressive. Some don’t attack humans."

"Since the road is so dangerous, why not let people live in the plantation, instead of commuting back and forth every day?" the tall man asked.

He had been terrified earlier and was still pale, his voice trembling as he spoke.

The lead soldier didn't answer but gave him a dark, sidelong glance, obviously recalling how the man had attempted to close the door when chased by the mutant.

The driver, unaware of these nuances, replied while driving, "Nighttime is much more dangerous than daytime because the temperature drops and mutants become more active. If the plantation were safe at night, why would they build the shelter underground in the first place?"

Feng Chen, hearing this, remembered asking his father the same question: why build the shelter underground, isn't the surface viable?

His father had said that experts recommended building the shelter as securely as possible, considering potential radiation exposure on the surface, making underground construction the better choice.

Feng Chen hadn't been convinced then, but now he felt it was wise to build the shelter underground. Although there was no radiation on the surface, it provided protection from the equally dangerous mutants.

As the convoy headed southward through the city, Feng Chen suddenly saw a patch of green.

It was a villa not completely collapsed, entirely enveloped in green vines, adorned with several bright red flowers.

Amidst the dull yellow hues of the ruins, the sudden sight of such vibrant greenery didn't appeal to Feng Chen; instead, he found it eerily out of place. However, the others in the vehicle didn't share his sentiment, excitedly pointing out of the window and exclaiming, "Look, there are roses, see!"

The team leader clicks his tongue, "Don't get excited. In such harsh conditions, any plant that survives is either naturally resistant to high temperatures or, more likely, a mutant species."

"What? This is a mutant too?"

"What do you think? Have you ever seen ordinary roses thrive in a waterless, high-temperature environment like this?"

Everyone in the vehicle falls silent, gazing at the green vines. A breeze stirs, causing the flowers to sway gently among the leaves, their fragrance seemingly wafting through the air.

"…This is a mutant too?" someone murmurs in disbelief.

As the words fade, a rabbit darts through the gap between two vehicles to the opposite side of the street.

It looks like a normal wild rabbit, timid and harmless. But when it stops and turns back, baring its teeth at the convoy, those white teeth resemble steel saws. It’s clear to anyone that a bite could tear flesh and bone alike.

The rabbit turns and dashes towards the ruins, passing the vine-covered villa. Suddenly, a vine shoots out from the wall like lightning. The rabbit is caught before it can struggle and is dragged into the depths of the greenery.

The track vehicle continues forward. Feng Chen is unfazed, having seen the power of these mutant plants at the institute, but the others are visibly shaken, their faces pale.

"You all saw the videos of soldiers fighting these mutants during Major General Lin's speech in the square. Are you still so surprised?" the driver laughs.

Someone responds hollowly, "Watching a video is one thing, facing it in reality is another... it's not the same."

"Indeed, only by being here can one truly understand the terror of these mutants," another adds.

After half an hour more of travel, the convoy arrives at the temperature-controlled plantation.

The plantation is a vast expanse of land covered by a huge artificial dome. The material of the dome is ordinary, but coated with a silver-white special paint, it provides some insulation from the external temperature, allowing the cultivation of heat-tolerant crops like corn and soybeans.

The convoy stops at the gate, and the team leader claps his hands, "Alright, everyone off."

The first batch to arrive is already waiting at the gate. Once Feng Chen and the other forty or so people disembark, they all head towards the entrance.

"Hey, wait up," calls the team leader from behind.

Feng Chen and the others turn around to see the team leader pointing at the tall man, "You don't need to go in."

The tall man looks around in astonishment, "Why don't I need to go in?"

The team leader explains, "Today, we have enough people for the plantation, but we're short one for our mutant clearing team. You'll be joining us for that task today."

"What? Clear mutants?" the tall man raises his voice, "Why should I clear mutants? And why me, why not them?"

The team leader waves at the others: "Hurry up and follow the group into the plantation." He then turns to the tall man with a stern face: "You do the job you're assigned, no need for so many questions."

"I won't go, I won't clear mutants. I want to work in the plantation, I protest!" the tall man exclaims indignantly.

The team leader shrugs: "Fine, then go on in by yourself, we're leaving." After saying this, he boards the track vehicle and commands loudly: "Let's move out."

The tall man senses something amiss and turns back to see the plantation gate closing tightly, without even a crack visible.

The plantation's outer walls are like one-way glass, visible only from the inside out. Feng Chen, following the crowd, watches as the tall man bangs on the door for a while, curses loudly, and eventually chases after the moving convoy.

The exterior of the plantation looks fine, but the interior presents a completely different scene.

Large fields lay unturned, scattered with rudimentary iron tools like shovels and hoes, and large bamboo baskets filled with weeds.

People around Feng Chen begin to murmur quietly.

"Didn’t Major General Lin say there were planting machines and we'd just need to operate them?"

"See those hoes and shovels? Aren’t they the 'planting machinery' you're supposed to operate by hand?"

"...Isn't this just deceiving us?"

"Deceived or not, at least you’re not worried about encountering mutants on your way back. You’re still concerned about this?"

……

A soldier leads them to an open space and coughs lightly: "Here’s the thing. Although we’re not short on electricity, machinery requires diesel and gasoline. In these extraordinary times, those fuels are scarce, so we have to resort to more traditional farming methods. But in a few days, we should be able to excavate some electric-powered machinery from the ruins of an agricultural institution..."

"...Still deceiving us. No wonder they need hundreds of people to farm every day. Damn, using a hoe, I’ve only seen these things in museums," grumbles someone near Feng Chen.

The soldier finally gestures: "Alright, find yourself a suitable tool and turn over this field today."

。

When Yan Bubu wakes up, he realizes Feng Chen isn't in the room. He quickly gets up, planning to look for him in the washroom. Only when he's pulling on his T-shirt does he remember Feng Chen has left the shelter, and his movements gradually slow to a stop.

With his head still enveloped in the T-shirt, he sits disheartened for a long while before finally dressing in his clothes, shoes, and socks, and grabbing his toiletries to head to the washroom.

The washroom is quiet, with only one person doing laundry. After cleaning up, Yan Bubu returns to his room, picks up his lunchbox, and heads to the canteen for breakfast.

The canteen is empty. The kitchen auntie cleaning up is surprised to see Yan Bubu, "Kid, it's only ten o'clock, are you here for lunch already? Come back in a couple of hours."

Too embarrassed to admit he's there for breakfast, Yan Bubu silently leaves the canteen.

He returns to his room, slings his bag over his shoulder, picks up the plush toy Feng Chen made for him, locks the room, and exits the Hive building.

Crossing the square, he arrives at the elevator used for entering and exiting the shelter and sits on a nearby large rock.

Not far away, several machines hum with activity. Holding the plush toy, he watches the excavators dig. Whenever the elevator starts, he jumps to his feet, watching intently as it ascends, maintaining his gaze upwards until it descends back to the ground.

Those exiting the elevator are in heat-resistant suits. He scrutinizes each face beneath the transparent hoods, sinking back onto the rock in disappointment when he doesn't spot the person he's waiting for, then resumes watching the excavators.

By noon, Yan Bubu returns to the canteen for lunch, then heads back to the elevator.

This time, instead of sitting on the rock, he hesitates briefly before stepping onto the elevator and pressing the button to ascend.

With a few clanking sounds of gears, the elevator begins its ascent. Clutching the plush toy tightly, Yan Bubu peers through the iron bars at the outside world.

As the Hive building disappears from view, he feels the air grow warmer, like stepping into a steamy bathhouse, his eyes even swelling slightly from the sudden change.

When the elevator stops at its destination, Yan Bubu walks into the corridor, planning to wait there. That way, as soon as Feng Chen enters the shelter's main gate, he'll be the first to see him.

But the corridor was unbearably hot; in just a short time, Yan Bubu was drenched in sweat, as if he'd been fished out of water. Unable to endure it, he returned via the elevator to fetch a basin and his thermos of cool boiled water before heading out again.

He filled half a basin with cold water from the water room on the ground floor of the Hive, shakily carrying it onto the elevator to the surface corridor.

The closer he got to the main door, the hotter it became. So, he chose a spot farthest yet still within sight of the door, slipped off his shoes, stepped into the basin of cool water, and sat down.

Yan Bubu sat there, staring at the door, occasionally sipping cool water from the thermos or scooping water onto his body with his hands.

He found this arrangement comfortable and was quietly pleased with his own cleverness.

The only drawback was that after half an hour, the water in the basin warmed up to the same temperature as the surrounding air, forcing him to return to the Hive to change the water.

As the sun set, the heat remained intense. A convoy of track vehicles moved through the deserted city, stopping at the entrance to the underground shelter.

The doors opened, and a group of people in heat-resistant suits jumped out, all looking exhausted. Yet, their steps towards the entrance were brisk, eager to return to the realm of humanity.

Feng Chen trailed behind the group, his gaze fixed on the ground, not looking up even as the main door slowly opened.

Inside the corridor, someone suddenly exclaimed, “What’s that ahead… a child? Is that a child? How did they get here? Damn, it’s not a mutant, is it?”

“Have you gone mad from fear of mutants? That’s a human, a real kid.”

Although Feng Chen didn't pay much attention to their conversation, the word 'child' caught his ear, causing his heart to skip a beat.

He abruptly looked up and then froze in his tracks.

Just as Yan Bubu poured a handful of water over his head, he was dazzled by a sudden brightness, the glaring light making it difficult to open his eyes. Squinting towards the door, he could hear voices but couldn't see anything clearly.

Struggling to blink his eyes open, he suddenly felt light, lifted into the air with a splash of water.

“Brother!” Though his eyes were stinging and he couldn’t see, he knew who had grabbed him and joyfully shouted.

Then he heard Feng Chen's loud command, “Quick, close the door.”

With a clang, the door shuts, blocking the blinding light and the impending wave of heat from entering.

Yan Bubu can now make out the blurry figure in front of him and hears Feng Chen's hoarse voice asking, "Who told you to come here?"

The words seem to burst out from between his clenched teeth, laden with barely restrained anger. Yan Bubu feels a chill in his heart, the joy of seeing Feng Chen quickly extinguished.

"No one told me to come. I came on my own," he replies softly.

Still suspended in the air by Feng Chen, his arms, legs, and head dangle listlessly, water dripping from his body.

Feng Chen carries him with one hand and picks up the basin and thermos from the ground with the other, striding towards the elevator.

People passing by smile and say to Feng Chen, "He's quite resourceful, bringing water to cool down. Just that the basin's a bit small; a bigger one would let him lie in it."

"We only have a small basin at home, no big ones," Yan Bubu lifts his head to reply.

Only in the elevator does Feng Chen set him down, beginning to remove his helmet and heat-resistant suit. Even though he's wearing the suit, he's soaked in sweat, looking as if he too had been fished out of the water.

With his vision now clear, Yan Bubu notices Feng Chen's displeased expression and tentatively reaches for his hand, closely watching his reaction.

But as soon as he touches Feng Chen's fingers, his hand is mercilessly shaken off, hitting the iron railing nearby.

Yan Bubu, hurt but not daring to make a sound, sadly rubs the back of his struck hand.

Exiting the elevator, Feng Chen walks briskly towards the Hive, with Yan Bubu trotting behind. They enter the building's elevator, reaching the 65th floor, and then walk down the corridor to their room.

"Hey, handsome, why the long face today? Who upset you?" a young woman in heavy makeup leans against the doorway, teasing Feng Chen.

Without turning his head, Feng Chen continues forward. Yan Bubu, following behind, whispers to the woman as he runs, "It's me, it's me."

"Oh, it's you, little handsome? Hahaha," the woman laughs heartily.

At room C68, Feng Chen opens the door. Yan Bubu tries to crawl under the bed but is blocked by Feng Chen's foot.

"Get out," Feng Chen says coldly.

Yan Bubu straightens up, staring blankly at Feng Chen, not understanding what he means. Feng Chen adds, "Stop following me. Just wait at the door. I'll pack your things and speak to Manager Wu about renting another room. You can live there by yourself. Take your credit card with you. I'll give you part of my credit points every month, enough for food and drink, but from now on, don't live with me anymore."

Yan Bubu stands there as if struck by lightning, his face gradually turning pale, his lips losing their color. Still doubting if he had heard correctly, he stares blankly at Feng Chen.

Feng Chen doesn’t look at him, swiftly turning into the room from the bed, opens the closet, and takes out Yan Bubu's change of clothes, along with his towel, mouthwash cup, and toothbrush, dumping them all into the empty basin.

Yan Bubu stands rigidly, his eyes following Feng Chen’s every move. As he sees Feng Chen placing his clothes in the basin, his body starts to shake uncontrollably, as if he can barely stand.

While Feng Chen is counting Yan Bubu's socks, a piercing scream erupts from the doorway, sharp enough to pierce the eardrums: "No—"

Feng Chen pauses, slowly turning towards the door, where Yan Bubu's tears have already started to flow, and he yells again, "Don't take out my things, put them back, leave them."

Feng Chen, having been holding back his anger, suddenly stands up, pointing his finger at Yan Bubu, and says sternly, "I told you many times last night to just stay in the Hive and wait for me, but you disobeyed. Do you know how hot it was at the tunnel entrance? Almost fifty degrees. If you had stayed there any longer, you would have had heatstroke, fainted, and if no one found you, you could have died."

Feng Chen's eyes are also red, his trembling finger pointing as he strides to the door, flips over the bed, and hands the basin full of items to Yan Bubu: "Take these, go to Manager Wu, and have him rent you another room."

Yan Bubu, having never seen Feng Chen like this, realizes he is serious. A wave of immense fear engulfs him, his teeth chattering. Clenching his hands behind his back, his nails digging into his palms, he shrieks repeatedly, "I won’t take them! I won’t! Are you throwing me away?"

"Yes, I am throwing you away."

Feng Chen places the basin on the ground, turns, and walks towards the interior of the room. Yan Bubu rushes forward, clutching Feng Chen's waist from behind, wailing hoarsely, "Brother, please don’t throw me away, I was wrong, I’ll change, don’t throw me away, I was wrong, hit me, punish me, I shouldn’t have disobeyed…"

He cries heartbreakingly, gasping for air with closed eyes, cold sweat on his forehead, his arms tightly wrapped around Feng Chen's waist with unprecedented strength.

Feng Chen stands silently, his chest heaving rapidly. Yan Bubu continues to cry out desperately, "You’re all I have, brother, you’re all I have, please don’t throw me away. Ah wu bang ga ada wu xia… Ah wu bang ga ada wu xia…"