Chapter 32

Chapter 32

Hearing the commotion, neighbors from adjacent rooms come out, curiously looking over. Some even hold bowls, eating while watching.

Feng Chen remains motionless. Yan Bubu picks up his right hand and slaps it onto his own face, "Hit me, hit me, I was disobedient, punish me."

He hits himself with full force, Feng Chen's palm striking his face, making a crisp sound and leaving a red mark on his fair skin.

Before Yan Bubu can hit himself a second time, Feng Chen withdraws his hand, saying softly, "Enough."

"It’s not enough, I’ll go to the washroom and get a broom, that’s easier to hit with." Yan Bubu starts running towards the washroom but is caught by Feng Chen, who grabs his arm, "Don’t go."

"Let me go, you can hit me. Hitting me will calm you down."

Feng Chen purses his lips, releases Yan Bubu's arm, bends down to pick up the basin from the ground, and turns to enter the room without a word.

"…hit me…" Yan Bubu's voice trails off, his crying ceases, and he looks blankly first at the basin, then at Feng Chen.

"Hey, kid, go on, quickly get inside. See, your brother didn’t close the door," a bystander with chopsticks points towards the door.

Yan Bubu, still sobbing, looks at the person: "Can I go in just because the door is open?"

"Silly child, leaving the door open is an invitation for you to come in. Hurry up."

"Oh."

Yan Bubu walks to the door, crouches down as if to crawl under the bed, but his eyes are fixed on Feng Chen over the edge of the bed.

Feng Chen, facing away from him, puts the items from the basin into the closet and doesn't say anything to stop him. Yan Bubu, feeling reassured, quickly crawls under the bed and then creeps up behind Feng Chen.

Yan Bubu notices that Feng Chen doesn't put everything back in the basin, leaving out toiletries and a set of clothes. Feeling anxious again, he says, "Not everything is put back yet, let me do it."

His voice hoarse from crying, Feng Chen puts down the basin, stands up, tears off a piece of tissue, and places it over Yan Bubu's nose: "Blow your nose yourself."

Yan Bubu blows his nose while still looking worriedly at the basin. Feng Chen then says, "Let's go take a shower, and we can head to the canteen for dinner after that."

"Okay, okay, shower," Yan Bubu finally feels relieved.

Feng Chen brings him cool boiled water to drink, then takes out his own clothes from the closet and picks up the basin again: "Let's go."

"Let's go."

On the way to the bathhouse, Yan Bubu cautiously tries to hold Feng Chen's hand. He first touches Feng Chen's fingers, and seeing no objection, he confidently holds his hand.

The bathhouse is crowded, with only one stall available. This time, Feng Chen doesn't let Yan Bubu shower alone but joins him in the stall.

"Are we showering together?" Yan Bubu looks up and asks.

Feng Chen places the basin in the wooden cabinet: "Yes."

"Great," Yan Bubu appears delighted.

Yan Bubu quickly strips naked, while Feng Chen, less uninhibited, keeps his underwear on.

Standing under the shower, Feng Chen applies shower gel to Yan Bubu's back, gently lathering up the foam.

Steam fills the bathhouse, someone in another stall humming a tune. Feng Chen suddenly feels the body under his hands shiver intermittently and slowly stops his movements.

He leans down to look at Yan Bubu's face, who has his eyes closed, biting his lip. Despite not being under the direct spray, his face is streaked with tears, streaming down his cheeks.

Feng Chen watches him silently, feeling a sharp, diffuse ache in his heart. Only when a suppressed sob escapes Yan Bubu does he ask softly, "Did you get soap in your eyes while washing your hair?"

"Yeah, got soap in my eyes," Yan Bubu gasps for air.

Feng Chen wipes away a tear streak from his face, quietly apologizing, "I'm sorry."

"It's me, I should be the one apologizing, I did something wrong," Yan Bubu slowly turns, wrapping his arms around Feng Chen's waist, burying his face against his stomach, his tears mingling with the shower water, "You can scold me, hit me, but please, don’t talk about throwing me away again, okay? Brother."

The needle in Feng Chen's heart stings again, mingled with remorse and regret. He bends down, resting his forehead against Yan Bubu's damp hair, his voice hoarse, "I won’t say those things again, never."

"Then you have to keep your word."

"Yes, I will keep my word."

Yan Bubu sobs, his shoulders shaking, then hears a faint murmur above his head, "...sorry, I was just too scared..."

The voice is so soft he doubts his ears, and he tries to look up at Feng Chen.

Feng Chen steadies his head, preventing him from moving, but Yan Bubu hears again, "Yan Bubu, I'm really scared..."

This time Yan Bubu hears it clearly, Feng Chen is indeed saying he is scared.

In Yan Bubu's mind, Feng Chen is all-powerful and fearless. Although he doesn't know what Feng Chen is afraid of, he pats his back, "Don't be scared."

But Feng Chen adds with a trembling, husky voice, "Yan Bubu, I'm scared of losing you too..."

Yan Bubu is stunned, the hand patting Feng Chen's back freezing in mid-air.

He feels incredulous yet pleasantly surprised, as if a pie, no, a plush toy, had fallen from the sky.

So, his brother fears loss, just as he fears losing his brother.

Feng Chen's rare vulnerability evokes complex emotions in Yan Bubu. He doesn't recognize this feeling as empathy, only sensing his nose turning sour and his eyes welling up again.

"Don't worry, I won't disappear; I'm not a soap bubble," Yan Bubu says, continuing to gently pat Feng Chen's lower back.

The two stand under the shower, embracing quietly, all their fears and sorrows dissolving in this embrace, washed away by the flowing water, disappearing without a trace.

It's only when Yan Bubu makes a few swallowing sounds that Feng Chen pushes him away.

"Were you drinking water?"

"My face was against your stomach, and water from your stomach flowed into my mouth. Weren’t you scared? I didn’t want to push you away..."

Feng Chen: "..."

After the shower, Yan Bubu dresses and is about to leave the bathhouse when Feng Chen calls him back, "Come here."

Yan Bubu approaches, and Feng Chen presses his finger against the left side of his face, "Does this hurt?"

"It doesn’t hurt."

The skin there is tender and pale, forming a small dent under the finger's pressure, showing no apparent signs of pain.

"Even if it doesn't hurt, you should still apply some ointment."

Feng Chen takes out the external wound medicine Yan Bubu got from the medic and applies a bit to his face.

Yan Bubu's slap wasn’t too hard, but Feng Chen feels a lingering burning sensation in his palm.

Only after applying the ointment to Yan Bubu does the uncomfortable feeling start to fade.

Feng Chen washes their dirty clothes and hangs them to dry, then takes Yan Bubu to the canteen for dinner. Back in their room, he takes out his broken-bladed dagger, examining it carefully under the light.

"How did the knife break?" Yan Bubu asks in surprise.

Feng Chen, not wanting to mention the mutants, responds, "I wasn't careful today and stabbed it into a rock."

"Oh no, can it be fixed?"

This dagger had always been with them, helping them fend off tigers, the strange trees in the institute, and monkeys. Sitting here safely was largely thanks to it, so Yan Bubu feels extremely regretful.

"No way to fix it, it can't be glued back together," Feng Chen says.

Yan Bubu gently touches the blade with his finger, "What should we do then?"

Feng Chen examines the break closely, "Later, I'll find a stone downstairs and grind the broken edge thinner. It won't be as effective, but it can still be used for now."

Yan Bubu's gaze shifts from the dagger to Feng Chen's palm and suddenly stops.

"What's this?" he points to Feng Chen's hand.

Feng Chen replies, "A blister."

"A blister?"

"It's my first time using a hoe to farm today. I'm still not used to it. Got these blisters from the hoe handle," explains Feng Chen.

Yan Bubu holds his hand, frowning at the blisters, "Does it hurt to get these?"

Feng Chen answers, "I don't feel it."

Yan Bubu presses on the blister, causing Feng Chen to hiss softly.

"It clearly hurts! You said you don't feel it!" Yan Bubu pouts and blows on his palm, "Can you take medicine? I still have a lot left from those two bottles I got last time. I'll get you a couple of pills to take."

Feng Chen: "...No need, it'll go away by morning."

"It's not bitter. Just like the last time you took medicine, tilt your head back, gulp it down, and it's done."

As he speaks, Yan Bubu quickly jumps off the bed, rummages through the cabinet for two bottles of medicine, and brings them to Feng Chen, along with a thermos of cool water.

Feng Chen's gaze shifts between the two bottles of medicine and Yan Bubu's expectant face. He eventually chooses between the digestive tablets and vitamin C, picking a vitamin C tablet and saying, "I'll just take one."

After he takes the medicine, they take the broken dagger to the square. Near the entrance, they find a stone and squat down to start sharpening the knife.

Amidst the monotonous sound of grinding, Yan Bubu takes out the plush toy, watching Feng Chen sharpen the knife while playing with it.

The broken edge gradually thins, but Feng Chen suddenly notices a pair of military boots in his line of sight.

The boots are of fine leather, spotlessly clean, gleaming softly under the lights emanating from the Hive building.

Slowly lifting his head, Feng Chen meets Major General Lin's gaze, looking down at him from above.

The general's eyes are narrow and cold, his pupils a lifeless light brown. Feng Chen instinctively raises the dagger in defense, but then quickly realizes his mistake and lowers it.

Glancing at Yan Bubu, he sees him frozen like a statue, as always in Major General Lin's presence.

Major General Lin was likely inspecting the Hive, accompanied by several soldiers. He looks at the dagger in Feng Chen's hand and asks, "Qin Shen, right? Sharpening your dagger?"

Feng Chen responds affirmatively.

Major General Lin smiles, "Let me see it."

Feng Chen hesitates briefly, then stands up and hands the dagger over.

Major General Lin examines the dagger, commenting, "ATRK, handle inlaid with Nanmu for grip, the blade subtly sharp, possessing a perfectly elegant appearance. Although not top-tier in performance, it's lightweight. The blade is only five inches, suitable for beginners. Lule Military Factory produced a batch two years ago, then ceased production."

Turning to Feng Chen, Major General Lin's gaze takes on a teasing quality, "Where did you get this?"

"Found it in the ruins," Feng Chen replies calmly, both in expression and voice.

"Found it, huh," Major General Lin nods. "I heard you saved one of our soldiers today?"

The change in topic catches Feng Chen off guard, but he quickly realizes Lin is referring to the incident where he stabbed a mutant, allowing the team leader to board the vehicle. Feng Chen doesn't respond verbally, tacitly confirming.

"Not bad," says Major General Lin, tossing the dagger back to Feng Chen and then turning to Yan Bubu, who's still frozen in place. "Kid, you seem quite afraid of me."

Yan Bubu jolts as if snapping back to reality, meeting Major General Lin's gaze with a nervous expression, "Afraid... not afraid, well, maybe a little... actually, not afraid."

Major General Lin inquires, "So, are you afraid or not? Answer quickly."

"Afraid," Yan Bubu blurts out.

"Ah, what a pity," Major General Lin shakes his head in mock regret. "I never eat children who are afraid of me."

What? Eat, eat children?

Yan Bubu inhales sharply in surprise.

Major General Lin pulls out a candy from his pocket and offers it to Yan Bubu, who looks at it in terror and hesitates to take it. Lin adds, "I don’t eat well-behaved children either."

Yan Bubu quickly accepts the candy.

While they speak, Feng Chen swiftly scans the surroundings, noting the absence of the vulture.

The vulture always brings an invisible pressure, and its absence is a relief to him.

"Qin Shen, if you have any difficulties, you can tell me now," Major General Lin suddenly turns towards Feng Chen.

Feng Chen stops scanning the area and is about to say he has no difficulties, but then decides to ask, "Major General Lin, may I inquire about the situation outside?"

"You've been to the surface today. Don't you know the situation outside?" Major General Lin asks.

Feng Chen clarifies, "I'm not referring to Haiyun City, but other cities."

General Lin pondered briefly, "We can only contact seven major cities now, and the situation is similar to ours. Some cities are even worse off, especially Amur City, a coastal city like ours. It was hit by a tsunami after the earthquake and is currently out of contact. Keket City, near the desert, is severely lacking freshwater and was struck by tornadoes. Their situation is not good."

Feng Chen pressed, "What about Hong City?"

"Hong City..." General Lin hesitated, squinting his eyes. His gaze on Feng Chen sharpened, "Why do you ask about Hong City?"

Feng Chen felt a chill, but smoothly replied, "My aunt's family lives in Hong City. If the situation there is better, and once we can go above ground and transportation is restored, I plan to take my brother and seek refuge with her."

"Your aunt's family, is that so?" General Lin laughed noncommittally, his smile not reaching his eyes. "Hong City may not be large, but it's another political center for the United Federation, aside from the Central City. Before the earthquake, the Eastern Alliance Army was holding a meeting there, attended by many high-ranking officials."

Feng Chen was internally alarmed, but having been trained since childhood to control his facial expressions in emergencies, he didn't show any emotion and casually hummed in response.

Yan Bubu couldn't understand what they were really talking about, but he understood that Feng Chen was lying.

He knew lying was wrong for others and himself.

—But it was different for his brother. His lies must be right.

"Let's go, come with me on a patrol," General Lin didn't further discuss Hong City and suddenly patted Feng Chen on the shoulder. "You two kids can accompany me for a while."

Feng Chen had no choice but to reluctantly take Yan Bubu's hand and follow General Lin.

Walking silently, he regretted being too hasty and forgetting how sharp and suspicious the military officer before him was. General Lin's sudden request for him to join the patrol undoubtedly meant he had some suspicions.

As they entered the elevator, a soldier quietly asked, "General, which floor should we check?"

"Anywhere, let’s say the 25th floor."

The elevator ascended in silence, with only the sound of mechanical movement. Feng Chen pondered the upcoming developments when he heard General Lin's voice, "Kid, is your name Fan Renjing?"

"Hmm," Yan Bubu nodded in response.

General Lin then asked, "Do you prefer the villa you used to live in or the Hive you live in now?"

Feng Chen's mind buzzed instantly.

This question from General Lin was a trap. Yan Bubu's modified identity chip showed he was just a kid from a regular residential area, so whether he answered 'villa' or 'Hive', he would fall into General Lin's snare.

Even adults might not react correctly to such a question, let alone a child like Yan Bubu.

Feng Chen wanted to warn him, but as soon as he opened his mouth, General Lin's piercing gaze turned towards him. At the same time, a dark shadow emerged on his shoulder, rapidly forming into a tangible vulture.

The vulture's light brown eyes were strikingly similar to General Lin's, even the slightly tilted head and the expression, coldly scrutinizing and inquisitive, mirrored his.

Knowing he couldn't speak, Feng Chen subtly squeezed Yan Bubu's hand, which he was holding.

Yan Bubu stared at General Lin without saying a word. General Lin looked at him again and asked, "Well? Villa or Hive?"

Yan Bubu suddenly averted his gaze from General Lin and turned to Feng Chen, passing him a candy, "Brother, help me unwrap this."

Feng Chen took the candy and began to unwrap it. Amidst the rustling sounds, the elevator reached the 25th floor, the gates clanked open, and sounds of fighting and cursing came through.

A group of young people were brawling in the corridor, tumbling and exchanging blows. One person, kicked in the chest, stumbled backward several steps, falling right in front of the elevator, his dagger dropping to the floor.

Stepping out of the elevator, General Lin ordered coldly, "Arrest all those involved in the fight."

"Yes, sir."

"Don't move, everyone, hands on your head and squat down." Several soldiers rushed out, twisting the arms of the brawlers, pinning them to the ground.

"Ow, damn it, who are you? Who the hell asked you to meddle?"

"Ah, it's the Western Union Army, yes, General Lin."

"Don't twist my hand, it hurts, it hurts..."

The young men quieted down, except for one with red-rimmed eyes who, despite being held down by soldiers, continued to struggle relentlessly. Eventually, a soldier dislocated his shoulder joint, rendering him immobile and leaving him to wail in pain.

"They're brawling with weapons. Take them to the military headquarters for detention," General Lin ordered the soldiers and then said to Feng Chen, "Ignore them, let's go."

The disturbance caused by the brawlers meant General Lin didn't continue his interrogation of Yan Bubu. He strode along the corridor, with Feng Chen and Yan Bubu following behind.

The vulture perched on General Lin’s shoulder faced backward, keeping an eye on them. It occasionally pecked at its feathers but kept its gaze fixed on the two.

Feng Chen had no choice but to pretend he was unaware of being watched, maintaining a calm facade. Yan Bubu tried a few times to whisper to him, but each time Feng Chen squeezed his hand and turned his head away nonchalantly.

General Lin walked at an even pace, occasionally glancing at the rooms along the corridor. Halfway through, he casually spoke, "Qin Shen, you live on the 65th floor, right? That floor seems quite nice. After checking this floor, we'll go to yours and take a look at your room."

Hearing this, Feng Chen’s expression changed slightly, and his steps faltered. Noticing the vulture’s gaze, he quickly regained his composure.

His mind raced with thoughts.

General Lin clearly intended to search his room and was not giving him a chance to return there first. Once inside that small room, the hidden password box under the bed would be exposed.