Chapter 57

Chapter 57

"How do you feel now? Still have a headache?" Yu Yuan asked.

Feng Chen felt that his headache had subsided and the tightness in his chest was gone. He shook his head, "It's gone now."

"Your sensory abilities are outstanding; you'll be needed in many situations in the future," Yu Yuan said as he stood up. "Take little curly hair and go have lunch. I heard the cafeteria has something delicious today."

"Okay."

A while after Yu Yuan left, the singing from the bathroom ceased, and the door opened to reveal a wet head.

With curly hair piled on top and eyes glistening, he looked like a little lion dog peeking out.

"Brother."

Feng Chen asked, "Are you done washing?"

"All done, whoo!" Yan Bubu let out a strange yell, burst out of the bathroom, and climbed naked onto the bed, starting to roll around exclaiming, "New clothes! New clothes! New clothes!"

"What are you doing? Did you dry yourself? Rolling on the bed all wet!" Feng Chen scolded, going over to grab Yan Bubu, "Stand up properly!"

"I did, I did wipe," Yan Bubu hurriedly replied.

"What kind of wiping was that? Your hair is still dripping."

Feng Chen quickly went to the bathroom to get a towel, covering Yan Bubu's head with it and vigorously rubbing his hair dry.

Yan Bubu finally got dressed in his new clothes, a light blue T-shirt that he adored, with an embroidered Binunu on the right chest. The round figure resembled a potato, peeking out just above the bib of his overalls, much to his satisfaction.

However, Yan Bubu was not too pleased when Feng Chen asked him to try on the new sneakers.

"I like my shoes. Mrs. said I won first place wearing them," Yan Bubu was reluctant to part with his old sneakers.

"Don't you think the old shoes are a bit tight on your toes?" Feng Chen pressed down on his foot, which was chubby, with five nails like little pink shells, "See, your feet have grown. You can't wear those old shoes anymore."

"But—"

"No buts!" Feng Chen interrupted him, "I want to see you win first place in your new shoes."

"Okay then..." Yan Bubu fidgeted with his trouser leg, finally relenting, "Alright, I'll wear the new shoes."

Yan Bubu slipped into the new shoes, wiggling his toes inside them. It had to be admitted that the new shoes were more comfortable than the old ones. Although a bit roomy in the front, the old shoes had started to pinch his toes, causing some pain.

Feng Chen, feeling the extra space at the front of the shoes, said, "I chose them a bit larger on purpose, so they’ll fit even as you grow a bit more in the next year."

"Mhm."

As he tied Yan Bubu's shoelaces, Feng Chen asked, "Yan Bubu, have you turned seven yet? I feel like you’ve been six for a long time."

"I don't know," Yan Bubu pondered, tilting his head, "I think I might have. Maybe I'm even ten by now."

Feng Chen asked, "Do you remember your birthday?"

"No," Yan Bubu shook his head, "I only remember your birthday is on August 17th."

Feng Chen, tying his shoelaces, paused and then asked, "Do you remember what everyone wore on your birthday? Were the clothes thick or thin?"

"Hmm... not thick, not thin."

"Switch feet," Feng Chen said as he tied the laces on the other shoe, continuing to inquire, "Can you remember anything memorable that happened on one of your birthdays, preferably something I would know about?"

"Something you know about? Let me think..." Yan Bubu pondered, then his eyes lit up, "I remember now."

"Last time on my birthday, Mrs. gave me a bag of mini cakes. They were so delicious I wanted to share with you, but you refused, so I stuffed them in your backpack. The next day you scolded me when you came back, saying I couldn’t follow you anymore or call you brother."

Feng Chen: "..."

"Do you remember that? The cheese from the cake glued your textbook pages together, and mom spanked me for it." As Yan Bubu spoke, he mimicked the action of Mrs. Ame spanking him, "Ouch, ouch, ouch."

Feng Chen did remember; it was his reconnaissance exam paper, for which he had researched two days. He was shocked to find cheese smeared all over it when he handed it to the instructor.

The instructor was strict and made him run ten kilometers with a load. Furious, he went straight to Yan Bubu when he got home and scolded him harshly.

Not long after, he heard Yan Bubu howling in the front yard, being spanked by Mrs. Ame.

"Do you remember? Do you remember?" Yan Bubu persisted.

Feng Chen reluctantly replied, "I remember. If your birthday is the day before my exam, then it would be October 7th."

"October 7th, huh..."

"Yes, October 7th," Feng Chen stood up, stating coldly, "So don't think you're ten years old. You haven't even turned seven yet."

Yan Bubu was a bit disappointed but didn't say anything else. Feng Chen then asked, "What would you like for your birthday present this year?"

Though it was still over a month away, Feng Chen felt he had never given him a gift before and wanted to get an idea ahead of time.

Yan Bubu's eyes began to sparkle: "A birthday present? I want a singing Binunu, a chocolate cake, a big sword that makes 'beep beep' sounds, and also—"

"It's getting late, let's go to the cafeteria for lunch," Feng Chen interrupted his daydream expressionlessly.

"Okay, let's go eat."

Feng Chen took Yan Bubu by the hand, left the room, locked the door, and headed to the cafeteria downstairs.

After walking in silence for a while, Yan Bubu added, "I also want a remote-controlled helicopter that can fly in the sky. If there's no singing Binunu, a dancing one would be fine too. I don’t mind if it doesn’t make any sound—"

"Shut up!"

"Hmm, I'll be quiet."

Silence ensued once more.

"Actually, it doesn’t matter if it doesn’t sing or dance. There's a kind of Binunu that can walk on the ground, like this, watch me, click click click click click..."

Because the sea was littered with Qing Shi shark carcasses, today's lunch in the cafeteria, apart from soybeans and freshly harvested seaweed, also included fresh fish meat.

"The military has checked this meat; I’ve tasted it too. These mutated Qing Shi sharks are edible, non-toxic, and won’t cause adverse reactions. Look at me, standing here perfectly fine," the cafeteria chef explained loudly.

Nearly everyone had forgotten the taste of meat. Hearing it was edible, they cast aside their reservations and eagerly lined up with their food containers to get some.

The ship often sailed at sea for long periods, so the onboard freezers were quite large. Filled with fish meat, they would allow everyone to avoid hunger for several months.

With food security ensured, people felt less anxious. Despite having just survived a life-threatening ordeal, the atmosphere lightened considerably.

Today's meal didn’t require credit points, and everyone's food containers were filled to the brim. Yan Bubu, holding a container almost as big as his head, carefully walked back, continuously exclaiming to Feng Chen in delight, "Meat, so much meat!"

Back in the room, when Yan Bubu lifted the lid of the food container, the aroma of fish meat wafted out. Having not tasted meat in a long time, he eagerly started eating, spooning mouthfuls rapidly.

"Slow down, it's hot," Feng Chen said, watching him devour the food, "Can you finish such a big box?"

"Yes," Yan Bubu replied.

"That's too much, take some out."

Yan Bubu hugged his food container protectively, "It's not too much, I can finish it."

Feng Chen, concerned that he might overeat, forcibly took the container and scooped out half of the soybeans, leaving the rest for him.

By the end of the meal, Yan Bubu was so full that his stomach was round and tight. He lay motionless on the bed. Feng Chen, after washing the food containers in the bathroom, saw him like this and said, "Get up, you can't lie down now. Go for a walk."

"…I don't want to move. I feel like if I do, the meat will come up my throat," Yan Bubu said.

"That’s exactly why you need to move!" Feng Chen said, pulling him off the bed, "There must be a gym on this ship, let's go exercise."

Yan Bubu stood up, his overalls with an elastic waistband making his stomach look particularly bulging.

"Eating so much," Feng Chen fretted with a furrowed brow.

Yan Bubu had previously found two bottles of medicine, but he had given them to Chushi when fleeing the flooded underground shelter. Otherwise, he could have taken some digestive medicine now.

Leaving the room, they found a map of the ship on the wall in the corridor. Feng Chen saw the gym was on the fifth floor and led Yan Bubu upstairs.

On the left side of the fifth floor was an open-air terrace, with several beach chairs lying next to the railings, and sun umbrellas washed ragged by the rain.

The gym was located at the far right, separated by a row of rooms.

These rooms were assigned to larger families, accommodating four or five people.

The corridor was carpeted with high-quality material, and expensive oil paintings hung on the walls. However, iron nails were also hammered next to the paintings, with wires stretched across holding laundered bed sheets and clothes.

The whole scene appeared starkly incongruous yet somehow natural.

Feng Chen, leading Yan Bubu, maneuvered around the hanging bed sheets and headed towards the gym.

Their footsteps were muffled by the thick carpet, and the soundproofing of the suites on either side was effective, making the corridor extremely quiet, with only the rustling sound of their clothes brushing against the bed sheets.

As they passed a tightly closed door, Feng Chen suddenly stopped.

Despite the door being firmly shut, he keenly detected a faint but unmistakable scent of blood in the air.

He quickly glanced around but saw nothing unusual, realizing the source of the blood scent was coming from the room beside them.

He studied the dark red door in front of him as the Black Lion appeared silently next to him, vigilantly surveying the surroundings.

Yan Bubu curiously glanced at the door and then up at Feng Chen, "What's wrong?... Burp."

Feng Chen instructed, "Step back."

Yan Bubu stepped back accordingly.

"Stand behind that bed sheet. Don't come out unless I tell you to," Feng Chen said.

"Okay," Yan Bubu, though confused, continued to back up behind the bed sheet, quietly burping.

Feng Chen knocked on the door a few times. No one responded, and with his sharp hearing, he couldn't detect any movement inside.

After a few seconds of thought, he tried the doorknob. Surprisingly, the door wasn't locked and opened with a slight twist.

As the door opened, a pungent stench of blood rushed out, almost nauseating, revealing a horrific scene inside.

The room was drenched in blood, with two complete human skeletons lying on a blood-stained sofa. Three more lay on the carpet, one with its head rolled under a table, its empty eye sockets facing the door.

Bits of bloody flesh adhered to the walls, and even a strip of flesh hung from the ceiling, swinging in the air as the door's movement stirred a breeze.

Twenty minutes later.

Feng Chen and Yan Bubu were sitting in a large hall on the second floor resembling a conference room, with the Black Lion lying lazily at Yan Bubu's feet, half-closing its eyes as if dozing off.

Yu Yuan handed Feng Chen a glass of plain water, "Drink some water to calm your nerves."

"No need, I'm fine, thank you," Feng Chen replied, accepting the glass of water but setting it aside.

He had indeed been startled by the scene upon opening the door but quickly recovered and hurried away with Yan Bubu.

Yan Bubu, who hadn't seen what was inside the room, kept turning back curiously.

Feng Chen reported the incident to the soldiers. After a brief look inside, the soldiers came down, pale-faced. Soon after, Lin Fen and Yu Yuan hurried to the scene with others.

Lin Fen was currently examining the scene, while Yu Yuan was tasked with comforting the shaken Feng Chen and Yan Bubu.

Seeing that Feng Chen was indeed unharmed and Yan Bubu appeared clueless, Yu Yuan refrained from asking further and instead reached out to touch Yan Bubu's stomach, "Why is your belly so big?"

The Black Lion, which had its eyes closed, opened them warily, watching Yu Yuan's hand and slowly scratching the carpet with its front paws.

Yu Yuan looked at the Black Lion, and Feng Chen followed his gaze, recalling something Yu Yuan had said before.

"The actions of a psychic entity reflect one's true emotions. If you don't want others to know your thoughts, you must control your psychic entity's reactions."

Feng Chen turned his gaze back, maintaining a calm demeanor but unable to hide his embarrassment.

He was still wary of the Western Allied Forces and unsure how to control the Black Lion's reactions, so he retracted it back into the psychic realm.

Yu Yuan tactfully pretended not to notice and continued to poke Yan Bubu's belly, "I'm asking you, why is your belly so big?"

Feng Chen cleared his throat and said, "He ate too much."

"Haha, I didn't eat too much. It's just that the meat was too delicious," Yan Bubu replied cheerfully.

Yu Yuan also smiled, "How about getting up and moving around a bit?"

"But I really don't feel like moving..." Yan Bubu slumped on the sofa.

Yu Yuan suggested, "Many people ate a lot at lunch today. If anyone feels unwell later, go to the medical officer for some medicine."

"Okay," Feng Chen glanced at Yan Bubu's belly, "We used to have medicine for digestion, but—"

He suddenly stopped mid-sentence.

When he had thrown that backpack to Chushi, Yu Yuan and Lin Fen had witnessed it. Although they had several private conversations afterward, Yu Yuan had never asked about it.

"If you had asked, it would be one thing, but not mentioning it at all seems abnormal."

"Could they already know something?"

Yu Yuan, waiting for Feng Chen to finish his sentence, asked, "Only what?"

Feng Chen looked at Yu Yuan, meeting his gaze. Seeing his calm and non-suspicious eyes, Feng Chen steadied his mind and replied, "It was left in the room at the underground shelter."

"Hmm," Yu Yuan nodded and did not pursue the topic further.

The door opened, and Lin Fen walked in with brisk steps.

Yan Bubu, who had been slouching on the large sofa, immediately sat up straight, placing his hands properly on his knees, upon seeing him.

Lin Fen glanced at Yan Bubu and asked, "Your stomach—"

Yan Bubu, too nervous to speak, remained silent. Yu Yuan answered for him, "He ate too much."

"I see..." Lin Fen sat down opposite Yan Bubu, unfastening the top button of his uniform, and pointed to the corner, "Walk from that corner to the window here and back again, and don't stop until I say so."

Yan Bubu did not dare to defy Lin Fen's command. Without even glancing at Feng Chen, he immediately got up and walked towards the corner.

"What happened in that room?" Yu Yuan asked Lin Fen.

"It seems to be the work of a mutant," Lin Fen sat next to him, saying, "A family of five, two elderly, a child, and a couple, all gnawed to the bone."

"What kind of mutant?"

Lin Fen shook his head, "Not sure yet, it happened last night."

Yu Yuan stood to pour him hot water, asking, "We had the soldiers check everyone before boarding the ship, so the mutant must be hiding somewhere on board. We need to search thoroughly."

"Yes, the soldiers are rechecking now, going through every corner of the ship again."

Lin Fen took the water handed to him by Yu Yuan, leaned back against the sofa, and said, "Qin Shen, I want you to accompany me to the underground shelter."

Feng Chen, who had been watching Yan Bubu walking back and forth, turned to look at Lin Fen upon hearing this.

"Before the Qing Shi sharks attacked the fleet, I took a few sentinels to the shelter to retrieve lithium stones from the generator room, but we were unsuccessful. The water there is hundreds of meters deep. Even in pressure-resistant diving suits, it's too deep. Our sentinels are mostly C and D level, and only I am A level. They couldn't go deeper at a certain point."

"You're a B-level sentinel; you should be able to withstand the pressure," Lin Fen leaned forward slightly, "Our ship needs lithium stones. I need your help to retrieve them from the underground shelter."

Feng Chen was hesitant to leave Yan Bubu behind by himself, remaining silent without immediately responding. Lin Fen didn't rush him, taking a sip of water and then glancing subtly at Yan Bubu by the wall.

Yan Bubu, who had stopped walking at some point, was attentively listening to their conversation with ears perked up.

When he met Lin Fen's unemotional gaze, he shivered and immediately resumed walking.

"Don't use the same hand and foot." Lin Fen advised.

Yan Bubu awkwardly tried to adjust his gait, but instead slowed down his movement, still moving in unison.

"Hurry up."

Yan Bubu then quickened his pace into a light jog.