Chapter 42

Chapter 42

After their showers, they went to eat. Since it was past mealtime, the cafeteria was nearly empty. The head chef let them sit in the kitchen to eat, watching them while remarking, "Eat up, eat a lot. With the city flooded like this, we're going to have to tighten our belts in the coming days."

At bedtime, Yan Bubu clung to Feng Chen's arm, chattering quietly, asking about the big fish, how it looked, and how Feng Chen managed to ride it back.

Perhaps from staying in the water too long or due to exhaustion, Feng Chen lacked energy, responding only half-heartedly with his eyes closed. Pretending to be asleep was the only way to quiet Yan Bubu.

Yan Bubu rubbed his cheek against Feng Chen's shoulder, finding a comfortable spot in his arms, and soon his breathing became even, falling into a deep sleep.

……

In a drowsy state, Feng Chen found himself back in the familiar snowy plains, seeing that large cocoon standing in the snowstorm.

The cocoon had cracked open, its fragments scattered around. The black lion, unsurprisingly, was curled up inside, tightly hugging its paws, its massive body coiled into a ball.

Feng Chen, suppressing his heartbeat, carefully lifted the topmost fragment, his eyes meeting those of the half-open, half-closed eyes of the black lion.

Without any need for communication, he could sense the black lion's condition, aware that it was striving to break through, in the final step of its complete growth.

Perhaps tonight, or maybe tomorrow, the black lion would break free from all constraints and emerge from its cocoon.

……

Yan Bubu dreamed he was hugging a furnace, burning hot all over. Half-awake, he turned over to get away from the heat, but fell off the bed with a thud.

The bed wasn't too high, yet the fall was painful. He lay there without moving, closing his eyes and hiccupping twice before calling out for his brother.

Receiving no response from Feng Chen, he lay on the floor for a while before climbing back up, rubbing his sore elbow, and sitting on the edge of the bed.

Feng Chen's body was right behind him, the patch of skin they shared contact with was hot, just like the furnace in his dream.

"Brother, what's wrong with you?" he pushed Feng Chen, feeling the heat of his touch.

Feng Chen lay motionless, and as Yan Bubu reached out in the darkness to touch his forehead, he could feel the fever without needing to press his own forehead against it.

Sleepiness instantly vanished from Yan Bubu, now fully awake.

He knew all too well what a fever meant in the hive. Soldiers measured temperatures daily, and anyone slightly off was sent to the stark medical block. Some returned after a few days, but many were never seen again.

Turning on the light, the room brightened. He saw Feng Chen lying on the bed, his cheeks flushed, his lips dry and cracked.

"Are you sick? You have a fever," he whispered near Feng Chen's ear, careful to keep his voice low so others wouldn't hear.

Feng Chen gave no response, deep in a heavy slumber. Yan Bubu watched him for a moment, then quickly slid off the bed to rummage through the cupboard for two bottles of medicine.

"One long, one large yellow—no, two large yellow ones."

After counting the pills, he rushed back to the bed, propped Feng Chen up against the headboard, brought water and the pills, pried open his mouth, and pushed the pills inside.

"Drink some water, let it wash the pills down. Drink the water, it'll take the medicine with it, be good now, the fever will go down once you've taken the medicine." The lukewarm water from the canteen spilled down Feng Chen's chin. Yan Bubu patiently wiped it off with a towel, continuing to coax him to swallow.

Feng Chen swallowed unconsciously, ingesting the pills. Yan Bubu then helped him to lie back down, sitting beside him.

As time ticked by, Yan Bubu frequently checked Feng Chen's forehead, feeling it grow hotter, like a piece of charcoal in a furnace, not cooling down but seemingly ready to ignite into flames.

"The medicine isn't working, what should I do..." Yan Bubu murmured helplessly, his gaze wandering around the room before settling on a basin in the corner.

The hive enforced a curfew, requiring everyone to be in their rooms by eleven at night. It was now the middle of the night, and the entire hive building was eerily quiet, save for the sweeping beams of searchlights illuminating the dark corners from above.

As the harsh white light moved away from the 65th floor, a small figure darted out of a door.

Yan Bubu, carrying the basin, hurried to the water room. He planned to fetch cold water to cool Feng Chen's body, hoping that by morning, when soldiers came to check temperatures, they wouldn't detect his fever.

The corridor lights were dim as Yan Bubu rushed past the tightly shut doors, occasionally hearing snores from within the rooms.

In the water room, he turned the tap, and the sudden burst of water hitting the basin made him shiver. He quickly turned the tap down, letting only a small stream flow.

Carrying a full basin was too heavy and noisy, so he carried only half a basin, cautiously leaving the water room.

"Who's there? Stop." A flashlight beam shone from behind, accompanied by a stern voice.

Yan Bubu shuddered in fright, nearly dropping the basin, and stiffly turned to face the surprised looks of two soldiers.

"What are you doing wandering around in the middle of the night, kid? Where are your parents?"

Yan Bubu, as if petrified, stared at them silently, until pressed by the soldiers again, he stammered, "I... I think I wet the bed."

"What?"

Once he blurted out this excuse, the rest of the words came more easily: "I wet the bed and wanted to get some water to clean it."

The two soldiers exchanged glances, their tone softening, "Even if you wet the bed, you shouldn't leave your room. Did you sneak out without your parents knowing?"

Yan Bubu nodded.

"Go back quickly, don't wander around. The hive used to have trouble with fights at night because people roamed freely. Now, no one's allowed out of their rooms after eleven, understand?"

Yan Bubu remained silent.

"Hurry back to your room, and don't let this happen again."

Yan Bubu quickly walked forward, carrying the half-filled basin back to his room.

Feng Chen was still in a deep slumber, his brow furrowed in distress, his chest rising and falling rapidly, his face abnormally flushed. Yan Bubu touched his forehead; the temperature was still alarmingly high. Worried that he might actually burst into flames, he lifted Feng Chen's shirt and began to wipe his body with the cold, wet cloth.

The cold cloth slightly alleviated Feng Chen's high fever. Encouraged, Yan Bubu carefully stripped him and meticulously wiped him down from head to toe.

Feng Chen's breathing became more stable and less restless. Yan Bubu, out of breath, stopped his ministrations, gazing at Feng Chen's face in deep slumber.

After a moment, he slowly bent down, resting his cheek against Feng Chen's chest.

"Brother, I'll hide you so they won't take you away and lock you up. I'm afraid I'll never see you again... We'll just stay in this room and not go out. If you turn into one of those creatures that bite, then bite me."

A tear slid from the corner of Yan Bubu's eye, falling onto Feng Chen's bare chest, pooling in a small hollow.

Yan Bubu, still lying on his side, wiped away the tear stain with his finger, then continued in a barely audible voice, "When that time comes, could you bite my fingernails or hair? Biting anywhere else would hurt too much..."

Yan Bubu lay next to Feng Chen until he felt the skin under his face growing warm again. He then got up to continue wiping Feng Chen's body with the cold cloth.

The water in the basin gradually lost its chill, and Yan Bubu had to fetch more water. Fortunately, he was mindful of the patrolling soldiers and managed to refill the basin several times without being discovered.

Yan Bubu kept wiping Feng Chen's body, ensuring his skin no longer felt hot to the touch. He didn't know how much time had passed when sounds of doors opening and closing, people brushing their teeth heading to the water room, and familiar exercise music playing in the corridor began. The elderly were starting their morning dances.

Yan Bubu blinked his swollen eyes, sitting up wearily. He knew these sounds meant it was morning, everyone was up, and soon, soldiers would come to each room for the routine temperature checks.

Feng Chen had not opened his eyes throughout, remaining in a deep sleep. Yan Bubu continued his efforts to cool him down, all the while keeping his ears pricked for any sounds outside.

Soon, the sound of boots approached, accompanied by Wu You's loud voice: "Everyone back to your rooms, now, now, now! Military routine temperature check, get back to your rooms quickly. If you're not there for the headcount, you'll be treated as having an abnormal temperature and taken straight to the military."

The corridor filled with the hustle and bustle of footsteps and adults calling their children, as those who had hurried to finish their morning routines returned to their rooms.

The surrounding area quieted down, and the sound of boots stopped in a room before resuming, slowly moving towards them.

Yan Bubu wrung out another cold cloth and wiped Feng Chen's face again, ensuring his skin was only warm before tossing the cloth into the basin. He then started to dress Feng Chen.

Dressing a person in a deep sleep is difficult. Feng Chen was unresponsive, his limbs heavy. Yan Bubu struggled to get the T-shirt on him, accidentally putting it on backward.

By the time Yan Bubu had finished putting on the pants, several sets of boots had already stopped at the room's door, and Wu You's loud voice followed: "Jingjing, Jingjing, are you still sleeping? Hurry up and get up so these uncles can check your and your brother's temperature."

Yan Bubu swiftly slid off the bed, pushing the water basin under it, then crawled to the door and cracked it open.

Outside stood several soldiers, with Wu You holding a register, looking at the pair of eyes peeking through the door gap: "Jingjing, open the door."

Yan Bubu's gaze swept over the soldiers, then back at Feng Chen, still in a deep sleep, before he slowly opened the door.

One of the soldiers stepped forward, tucking a thermometer under Yan Bubu's arm, noticing his clothes were damp and giving him a surprised look.

Wu You, leaning in halfway, looked at Feng Chen who was still asleep on the bed: "Is Qin Shen still sleeping?"

Yan Bubu stared silently, and Wu You sighed knowingly, turning to the soldier, "There are only two kids in this room, both here. The older one almost got locked outside the shelter yesterday, swam desperately to get back. He must be exhausted, still asleep and hasn't woken up."

The soldiers, aware of the incident, approached the bed and lifted the blanket off Feng Chen, inserting the thermometer under his arm.

As his fingers touched Feng Chen's skin, Yan Bubu held his breath, heart pounding with nervousness, eyes fixed on the soldier's fingers.

Because Yan Bubu had just cooled Feng Chen down, his skin was not only not hot but also slightly damp and cool. The soldier didn't notice anything amiss, tucked the thermometer under Feng Chen's arm, and then stepped out of the room, waiting by the door.

During the wait, Wu You casually chatted with Yan Bubu, but he stood there dazed, lost in his own thoughts. Wu You assumed the child was still sleepy and didn't press further.

"Time's up, that's enough," announced the soldier. Yan Bubu, startled, quickly looked towards him.

The soldier gestured with his hand, "Give me the thermometer."

"Oh."

Yan Bubu handed over the thermometer, and the soldier read the number, speaking to the person recording it, "36.5°C."

Then he leaned in to retrieve the thermometer from under Feng Chen's arm.

The soldier held the thermometer up to the light, the small mercury column illuminated brightly by the hive's ever-burning lights. Yan Bubu watched his movements, his hands clenched tightly at his sides, nails digging into his palms.

"Huh?" The soldier, noticing the black line in the middle, uttered a sound of surprise.

Yan Bubu almost jumped at the sound, biting his lip to hold back.

"41°C, high fever," the soldier noted, looking towards Feng Chen on the bed. "But his body doesn't feel like it's feverish."

Another soldier glanced around the simply furnished room, his eyes landing on the corner of the water basin peeking out beside the bed. He nudged his companion with his elbow, gesturing towards it.

Yan Bubu saw their actions and his face turned pale. He rushed out to stand by the bed, babbling, "He's not feverish, touch him, just touch him." He then turned and touched Feng Chen's forehead, quickly retracting his hand, "Ouch, so cold, cold hands."

His eyes filled with panic, his lips losing color, looking as if he was about to cry, yet he forced a strained smile at the soldiers: "See, he's not feverish, just asleep. He was too tired yesterday."

Everyone at the door saw through the child's clumsy act. The soldiers remained silent with stern faces, while Wu You stepped forward, taking hold of Yan Bubu, whispering, "Come on, Jingjing, Uncle Wu will take you to my place, I've got lots of candy for you—"

"I don’t want candy, no," Yan Bubu broke free, "I'm staying here waiting for my brother to wake up, we'll have breakfast together. He'll wake up soon, very soon."

The soldiers exchanged a look, and one stepped forward, lifting Yan Bubu under his arms to carry him out, while two others moved to lift Feng Chen from the bed.

"No, don't, don't take him away, he's not feverish, I've been wiping him with cold water, touch him, he's cool, not feverish, the thermometer must be broken..."

Yan Bubu, restrained by the soldier, continued to explain frantically.

He couldn't understand; he had wiped Feng Chen's body all night, and his skin didn’t feel hot, so why did the thermometer still show a fever?

Feng Chen was quickly carried out, his head hanging down and arms dangling. Yan Bubu struggled and pleaded, "Please leave him here, we'll just stay in the room, we won't go out, okay? Lock us in here, don't take him away..."

Wu You, sweating on his forehead, tried to soothe Yan Bubu, "Jingjing, you need to be sensible. You saw what happened with the zombies in the square, didn't you? It's because those with fevers hid and didn't go to the medical center, and then mixed in with the crowd. Besides, Qin Shen soaked in the water for so long yesterday, he probably just caught a cold. A few days in the medical center and he'll be fine."

Yan Bubu took in his words, gradually ceasing his struggle, but with tears in his eyes, he said to Wu You, "Uncle Wu, then let me go too, I want to be with my brother, I don’t want him to be alone..."

"What's going on here?" A deep, stern voice sounded. Everyone turned to see General Lin striding towards them, with Colonel Yu following behind.

"General Lin, Colonel Yu," the soldier holding Yan Bubu hurriedly explained, "General Lin, this morning's check revealed someone with a fever, but his brother here refuses to let us take him away, insisting on being confined together."

General Lin's gaze swept over Feng Chen, who was being carried, and then fell on Yan Bubu.

"Put him down first."

Yan Bubu was set down and immediately rushed to Feng Chen's side, cradling his head.

General Lin walked over and touched Feng Chen's forehead with the back of his hand, frowning.

"41°C, this child has been continuously applying physical cooling, so the fever isn't noticeable on the surface now," a soldier murmured nearby.

Feng Chen, still with eyes closed, was breathing rapidly, his brow furrowed. General Lin gently lifted his eyelid to check, then looked up at Colonel Yu with an inquiring expression.

Colonel Yu gave a barely perceptible nod in response.

A flicker of surprise crossed General Lin's eyes. He continued to observe Feng Chen for a moment before speaking, "Well done, knowing to apply physical cooling. Otherwise, with a fever this high all night, it could have been dangerous."

Yan Bubu, who had been clinging to Feng Chen and burying his face in his shoulder, slowly lifted his head to meet General Lin's gaze.

General Lin looked down at Yan Bubu, asking coldly, "Do you want to be confined together with him?"

Yan Bubu, intimidated by him, didn't avert his gaze but nodded, asking softly, "Can we be confined together then?"

"No," General Lin answered decisively.

The light in Yan Bubu's eyes dimmed, and his head slowly dropped.

Colonel Yu stepped forward, bending down to whisper in Yan Bubu's ear, "Your brother can't continue with this fever. He needs to be taken to the medical center for treatment. Don't worry, he'll be fine. If our assessment is correct, he should be back in a day or two."

Yan Bubu's head shot up, his voice filled with disbelief, "Really? Is that true? He'll be back in a day or two?"

Colonel Yu raised an eyebrow, "Little Curly Hair, if you don’t believe me, you can ask General Lin."

Yan Bubu then looked towards General Lin.

General Lin nodded expressionlessly.

Yan Bubu asked eagerly, "Then, do you promise?"

General Lin looked down at him from his height, "I eat children, but I never lie to them."

"Cough, cough." Colonel Yu covered his mouth with his hand and coughed softly.

Yan Bubu's pupils contracted sharply, and he held his breath. The hand he initially intended to extend to General Lin for a pinky promise slowly retracted and was placed behind his back.