Chapter 52

Chapter 52

Yan Bubu naturally liked Yu Yuan, who was good-looking and had a friendly demeanor. But he still turned to look at Feng Chen by the window and waited for his nod before opening the door wider to let Yu Yuan in.

Yu Yuan walked straight in, placing a pile of items on a small table: "Here we have shampoo, shower gel, laundry detergent, and other necessities."

"Thank you," Feng Chen walked over from the window, pulled out a chair from under a cabinet for Yu Yuan, and sat down on the bed opposite him.

Yan Bubu, still in his lengthy bathrobe, wobbled over to join them, climbing onto the bed next to Feng Chen.

Yu Yuan chuckled, "I'll have someone send over a couple of sets of clothes later. They might be a bit big, but it’s better than wearing bathrobes."

"Thank you, Colonel Yu," Feng Chen replied, appreciating the offer as both he and Yan Bubu’s clothes were left in the Beehive, and they only had their bathrobes to wear until their other clothes dried.

Yu Yuan waved his hand dismissively and then, with a serious expression, turned to Feng Chen.

Feng Chen, sensing that Yu Yuan was about to discuss the mysterious power and the black lion, felt nervous, swallowing and curling his fingers slightly.

The black lion, initially standing by the door, also came over and lay down beside Yan Bubu’s feet. Appearing relaxed but alert, its ears were erect and twitching under the mane.

Yu Yuan got straight to the point, "Qin Shen, I know strange things have been happening to you recently, and you have many questions. I’ll share what I know."

"In fact, a year before the earthquake, an unknown virus swept our planet, entering some people’s bodies. When the incubation period ended and symptoms manifested, they resembled those of a cold, the most evident being a persistent fever."

"If you’ve followed social news, you'd have noticed reports of violent incidents in many cities where people attacked others, biting them. Those reports were quickly suppressed, but in reality, many of us have been quietly mutating or have already completed the process."

Yu Yuan’s hands were crossed over his knees, his thumbs twirling, indicating his unease while discussing these matters.

"Mutation can lead to three outcomes: becoming a person with special abilities; natural recovery, remaining a normal person; or the third, turning into a zombie."

Feng Chen listened intently, lips pressed tightly together. Yan Bubu, though confused, knew Yu Yuan was talking about zombies, so he sat still, not wanting to interrupt.

"Actually, zombies are like us, just mutated humans. Let's say they are the ones who mutated unsuccessfully, while we are the successful ones," Yu Yuan said with a bitter smile.

"The chance of mutating into someone with special abilities is one in a thousand, while the probability of reverting to normal is forty percent. It might seem like a decent chance of recovery, but just one bite from a failed mutant can lead to unimaginable consequences. Even those who have recovered from mutation can turn into zombies if bitten by a failed one."

Yu Yuan pondered, "It's still unclear whether sentinels or guides who get bitten by failed mutants will turn into zombies."

"Those of us with special abilities are divided into two categories: sentinels and guides. You now possess a powerful force called psychic power, which originates from the psychic realm deep within your consciousness. You can feel it."

"Psychic realm..." Feng Chen recalled the snowfield he often saw in his dreams.

Could that snowfield be the psychic realm?

Seeing his expression, Yu Yuan guessed his thoughts and nodded, "The psychic realm includes a core and a periphery. You must have seen the core of your psychic realm, the cocoon room that provides you with psychic power and materializes your psychic body."

Materialize the psychic body?

Feng Chen immediately turned to look at the Black Lion, and Yu Yuan followed his gaze, both focusing on the creature.

Feeling the intense gaze of the two, the Black Lion nervously stood up, its mane slowly bristling.

Yu Yuan explained, "It is your materialized psychic body, also known as a quantum beast."

Yan Bubu, not understanding their conversation, also looked down at his feet, staring at the dark red-patterned carpet and nodding seriously, "Hmm, psychic body, quantum beast."

"Depending on the strength of the psychic power, sentinels and guides are classified into four levels: D, C, B, and A, with abilities increasing accordingly. Theoretically, sentinels and guides could surpass A level, termed as Dark Sentinels and Light Guides. But that's just theory; currently, the highest level achieved by mutated sentinels and guides after their growth phase is A."

"Hmm, sentinels and guides, A level."

Yan Bubu interjected again, nodding solemnly. Yu Yuan looked at him, feeling a sudden urge to ruffle his hair, but as he moved his hand, the Black Lion glanced over, and he reluctantly abandoned the idea.

"You've been identified as a Sentinel. Based on my findings, your initial level is B," Yu Yuan explained.

"Initial level?"

"Sentinels and Guides go through a growth period. Your final level will depend on your development. I'll explain this to you later."

Feng Chen asked, "What's the difference between a Sentinel and a Guide?"

"Sentinels, apart from being physically stronger than ordinary people, also possess formidable psychic aggression. Guides may have physical strength similar to an average person, but they have a highly resonant emotional capacity. In combat, this ability can be used as a weapon or to enhance a Sentinel's fighting prowess."

Yan Bubu chimed in, "Yes, possessing extremely strong... abilities, and can—"

"Shh..." Feng Chen interrupted him.

"Being a Sentinel or a Guide is undoubtedly a blessing. They have evolved through mutation, not degraded into zombies, but instead gained extraordinary powers," Yu Yuan hesitated before continuing, "But every coin has two sides. With divine gifts come attached burdens."

"The stronger a Sentinel's powers, the more unstable their psyche, making them prone to enter a trance-like state. However, a Guide can help organize their mental domain, pulling the Sentinel out of this state. The better the mental synergy between a Sentinel and a Guide, the more effective it is."

"Are you a Guide?" Feng Chen suddenly asked.

Yu Yuan smiled, his eyes crinkling attractively as he confidently replied, "Yes, I'm a Guide. My psychic strength is focused on control, serving as a combat support, and I can also help organize a Sentinel's mental domain."

Feng Chen had witnessed his battle against Chu Shi and others, where his explosive and rapid power wasn't particularly noticeable. However, he seemed able to control people's consciousness, as Adai was once under his control, nearly losing his life.

Therefore, although Yu Yuan modestly claimed to be just combat support, Feng Chen knew he was far more complex than he let on.

"The abilities of a guide are actually quite formidable."

"I'll share the other information with you gradually. For now, you just need to understand what Sentinels and Guides are."

Yu Yuan gazed at Feng Chen, his usually serene face unexpectedly taking on a sharp edge.

"Qin Shen, you're very fortunate, but as a Sentinel, you must shoulder the responsibilities of one. Although you're still underage and not a soldier, with no obligation to protect others, I still want to ask: are you willing to protect the common people? To work with our Western Union Army and do what you can within your capabilities?"

Yu Yuan looked intently at Feng Chen, as if trying to see into his heart through his eyes, and said word by word: "Qin Shen, we need you now, the Western Union Army needs you."

"Alright."

No sooner had Yu Yuan finished speaking than Feng Chen's response echoed in the room.

There was no hesitation, no contemplation, no weighing of options, just a simple and light affirmation.

"What? What?" Yu Yuan was taken aback by such a sudden reply, staring in rare astonishment.

He had prepared many persuasive arguments, ready to approach Feng Chen from various angles, appealing to both emotion and reason.

He knew this young man was not only young but also very determined. He had thought it would take a lot of effort to convince him, but to his surprise, he simply agreed.

Feng Chen added: "I said alright."

"My brother said alright," Yan Bubu repeated crisply beside him, thinking Yu Yuan hadn't heard clearly.

Only then did Yu Yuan come back to his senses: "Hmm, that's good, that's good."

The room fell into a moment of silence.

Yu Yuan rested his fist against his lips, coughing lightly: "Since you have agreed, you will join the army tomorrow morning to retrieve supplies from the former military district's warehouse. With so many people needing food and drink, and the ship requiring Lishi for power, let's get some supplies to tide over this difficulty."

Feng Chen did not decline, nodding his head, and after a moment of hesitation asked: "The temperature has already dropped, it's not so hot anymore, and Haiyun City is completely flooded. Can't we leave here, perhaps go to the central city?"

Yu Yuan sighed, "Don't think the ship is fine just because there's electricity. Soldiers might fix a simple Lishi generator, but that doesn't mean they can repair the ship. Every major component inside is damaged; replacing parts and fixing it will take time."

Having said this, he stood up: "I have a lot to deal with, you two should rest early too. If you have any questions, ask me next time. Oh, and there's some food in the bag, eat something first, don’t starve."

As he prepared to leave, he caught a glimpse of Yan Bubu sitting on the bed, big eyes wide open, his bathrobe hanging down like a little mermaid's tail, and couldn't resist ruffling his hair.

The Black Lion suddenly stood up, impatiently pawing at the ground.

Yu Yuan strode to the door, opened it, but suddenly stopped, turned, and looked at Feng Chen's calm face, saying with a half-smile, "Oh, one more thing I need to remind you of."

Seeing Feng Chen's puzzled look, Yu Yuan pointed at the Black Lion: "The behavior of a spirit body reflects your true emotions. If you don’t want others to know your thoughts, you must control your spirit body’s reactions."

After delivering this message, Yu Yuan saw a crack finally appear on the usually immovable young man's face and quickly stepped out and closed the door before Feng Chen could get angry.

The bag Yu Yuan left behind contained not only essential life necessities but also a tin lunchbox with half a box of cooked soybeans and a few potatoes on top.

Just after Feng Chen and Yan Bubu finished eating the food from the box, someone knocked on the door.

This time, it was a soldier, sent by Yu Yuan with two sets of clothes.

With the temperature around 27-28 degrees Celsius, he brought two short-sleeve camouflage T-shirts and two pairs of camouflage pants, all semi-new, probably gathered from soldiers who had spare clothes.

Feng Chen held one set, looking worried, but still called out, "Yan Bubu, take this and wear it."

Yan Bubu, dragging the hem of his bathrobe, waddled over and took the clothes.

Seeing his unhappy look, Feng Chen asked, "Don't like these clothes?"

"The color of these clothes is ugly, and they're not as good as Bi Nu Nu," Yan Bubu muttered softly.

Feng Chen pinched his cheek and shook it gently: "The clothes you took off need to be washed before wearing again, and our other clothes were left at the shelter. Let's make do with these for now."

"Alright then."

Yan Bubu put on the T-shirt, which covered down to his knees, and sat at the edge of the bed, struggling to pull the pants over his legs. Feng Chen finally couldn't stand it and stopped him.

"Forget it, don't bother with the pants; the shirt covers down to your shins anyway. After washing the clothes, we'll find a good spot to hang them. Let them dry overnight, and you can make do with this for tonight."

Feng Chen returned to the bathroom, but instead of washing clothes immediately, he picked up a pair of scissors he found there and approached Yan Bubu.

He picked up a few strands of Yan Bubu's hair, let go, and the hair fell in front of his forehead, covering his eyes.

"Your hair is too long, hasn't been cut since the earthquake. Look at you now, like a sheep, can't even see your ears or eyes. We need to trim it shorter."

The scissors in Feng Chen's hand clicked, reflecting streaks of silvery light.

"Really?" Yan Bubu sounded surprised. "Brother, you know how to cut hair?"

Feng Chen replied nonchalantly, "Why not give it a try and find out?"

"Yeah, let's try," Yan Bubu nodded.

To avoid hair clippings falling around the room, they went to the bathroom. Feng Chen wrapped a towel around Yan Bubu's neck, had him sit on a chair, and then circled around him seriously.

Yan Bubu sat stiffly, neck straight, only his eyes following Feng Chen.

"Just a short cut, okay?" Feng Chen asked.

Yan Bubu replied, "That's fine."

Feng Chen said gravely, "Alright, then I'll start."

Amidst the clicking sound, small black curls fell to the floor. Yan Bubu sat quietly, occasionally pouting his lips to blow a stray hair off his nose.

Feng Chen's fingers brushed over his head, giving low instructions now and then: "Turn a bit... lift your head... lower it..."

Half an hour passed, and Yan Bubu began to feel sleepy, then he heard Feng Chen's relieved voice, "Done."

"Is it done?" Yan Bubu instantly woke up.

Feng Chen pulled off the towel from his neck and blew the clipped hairs from inside his collar: "Yes, it's done."

Yan Bubu hopped off the chair, trying to tiptoe to see himself in the mirror behind the washbasin, but Feng Chen stopped him: "Turn around, let me have a look."

Yan Bubu obediently turned around.

The moment Feng Chen saw his face, his expression suddenly froze, and after a moment he muttered, "Why does it look so different standing up compared to sitting down?"

"Is it okay now?" Yan Bubu touched his hair, feeling it much shorter.

"…Yes, it's okay." Feng Chen hesitated for two seconds before responding, his gaze drifting uncertainly to the towel rack.

Yan Bubu, beaming, turned and leaned on the washstand, tiptoeing to look in the mirror. As he clearly saw the reflection, the smile on his face gradually faded, turning into a bewildered and blank expression.

"My hair..." He touched the top of his head as if in disbelief, then looked back at the reflection in the mirror several times before finally confirming it was indeed himself.

"Brother, why is my hair uneven?" he asked Feng Chen.

Feng Chen cleared his throat twice, stepping beside him: "When I was cutting your hair, I straightened each strand and then cut two centimeters off…"

"Ah…" Yan Bubu responded vaguely, neither approving nor disapproving.

"Right. Your hair is curly, so if I cut two centimeters off all of it, the smaller curls shrink back and appear shorter, but the larger curls seem longer."

He finished, pointing at the curly clippings on the floor: "See, some curls are larger, some are smaller."

Yan Bubu glanced at the floor, then back at his reflection in the mirror: "Oh, I see."

"Yeah." Feng Chen, looking at the mirror and seeing the unevenly cut hair, said against his better judgment: "Actually, it looks pretty good."

Yan Bubu opened his mouth to speak, but couldn’t quite manage to agree, and they both silently stared at the mirror.

The air grew still for a moment, then Feng Chen suddenly chuckled, breaking the silence. As Yan Bubu's eyes moved to his reflection in the mirror, Feng Chen quickly composed himself.

Yan Bubu stared unblinkingly at Feng Chen's reflection, his gaze filled with suspicion and scrutiny, then slowly turned his head to look at him directly.

Feng Chen maintained a serious expression, looking straight ahead.

One second, two seconds.

Chuckle!

Unable to hold back any longer, he chuckled twice more, leaning on the washstand, burying his head and shaking with laughter.

Yan Bubu looked at him and forced a dry laugh, "Ha ha, ha ha..."

And then he couldn't laugh anymore.

As Feng Chen's laughter grew more unrestrained, Yan Bubu's face showed annoyance, his eyes quickly reddening and his chest heaving rapidly.

"You're not allowed to laugh! Don't laugh!" Yan Bubu yelled.

Feng Chen glanced at him, slowly crouching down, covering his face, unable to suppress his laughter.

Yan Bubu's face turned red: "You're not allowed to laugh! Don't laugh!"

"Not laughing... not laughing..." Feng Chen laughed so hard his voice shook.

Yan Bubu burst into tears, rushing over and hitting Feng Chen's back several times: "You're not allowed to laugh... Don't laugh! I'm going to hit you."

"Hahaha... hahaha..."

Yan Bubu turned around, sobbing as he picked up the broken hair from the ground and awkwardly placed it on his head, quickly creating several tousled clumps.

"I need to stick my hair back on... waaah..."

Yan Bubu's crying was so heartfelt that Feng Chen finally stopped laughing, regaining his usual calmness, and turned to pull his arm, only to be angrily shrugged off.

"It's my fault, I didn't cut it properly," Feng Chen started to apologize gently, "Can you stop crying, please?"

"No, it's not okay... You have to stick it back on... Give me back my hair," Yan Bubu sobbed breathlessly.

Feng Chen raised his hand to his chin and said, "Let's do this, let's go find Uncle Wu. I've seen him cutting hair before; let him fix it for you."