Chapter 71

Chapter 71

When Yan Bubu opened his eyes, he still saw the platform on the mountain wall, with Feng Chen lying with his eyes closed in his arms. The profound silence was broken by the sound of rain and waves, as the world returned to its clamor.

He was dazed for a few seconds before wiping the rain off Feng Chen's face.

Feng Chen's skin was no longer frighteningly cold, nor was he shivering violently. His breathing was steady, as if he were asleep.

"Brother," Yan Bubu called out softly.

Although Feng Chen didn't wake up, his overall condition visibly improved. Yan Bubu felt somewhat relieved and leaned over to shield him from the wind and rain.

After an indeterminate amount of time, Yan Bubu noticed a dark shadow in his field of vision and realized the black lion had silently appeared beside them.

"Where did you go?" Yan Bubu asked the black lion softly, "My brother was sick just now, he's still sleeping."

The black lion bent down and gently licked Yan Bubu's cheek. Though it didn't speak, its actions conveyed a careful apology.

"I don't know how long he'll sleep." Yan Bubu touched Feng Chen's forehead, nodding, "Good, no fever."

In his mind, a fever was the most terrifying illness. As long as it wasn't a fever, everything seemed manageable.

Perhaps disturbed by his touch, Feng Chen's long eyelashes trembled, a droplet of water rolling off and revealing his eyes, bright as stars.

"Brother, are you awake?" Yan Bubu exclaimed with a mix of surprise and joy.

Feng Chen looked steadily at Yan Bubu, his voice hoarse, "Yes, I'm awake."

Tears quickly welled up in Yan Bubu's eyes, "You were sick just now. Thankfully, you didn't have a fever, just slept, but it was still frightening."

"Don't cry, I'm okay now, you're not allowed to cry anymore."

"I won't cry, I won’t." After a couple of sobs, Yan Bubu indeed stopped crying.

Feng Chen propped himself up to sit, pressing his hand to his forehead, staring blankly at the sea below before turning to look at Yan Bubu with a complex expression.

Caught off guard by his gaze, Yan Bubu hastily wiped his eyes, "I really stopped crying."

Feng Chen continued to observe him up and down, beckoning with a finger, "Come closer."

Unsure what to expect, Yan Bubu still moved his face closer.

Feng Chen pinched Yan Bubu's chin, turning his face left and right. Yan Bubu's face followed his hand's movement, his eyes fixed on Feng Chen, filled with bewilderment.

"You don't look like a guide at all..." Feng Chen murmured, then released his hand, disapprovingly saying, "Wipe your nose."

"Oh."

Yan Bubu was about to use his sleeve when Feng Chen quickly grabbed his arm and fished a soaking wet tissue from his jacket's inner pocket to clean Yan Bubu's face.

Feng Chen tossed the tissue into the floodwater and then smoothed Yan Bubu's damp curls, sighing lightly, "Yan Bubu, you've finally become a guide."

"Ah, oh..." Yan Bubu had heard the term 'guide' from Feng Chen and Yu Yuan a few times. Although he didn't know what it meant, he affirmed seriously, "Yes, I've become a guide."

Feng Chen asked, "Did you just go into my psychic realm?"

"Psychic realm? I don't know, but I think I went to a strange place. Yes, I think I did, but also it's like I didn't, I don't know where it was..." Yan Bubu struggled to explain, stuttering, "But I was right here..."

Feng Chen nodded, "I understand." After a brief silence, he continued, "You just used your psychic power to organize my psychic realm."

"What?"

"It's your ability as a guide. I was in a trance, and you organized my psychic realm, pulling me back."

"Ah..."

Knowing Yan Bubu wouldn't understand right now, Feng Chen said, "Never mind, I'm just saying you did well."

Yan Bubu, utterly confused and unexpectedly praised, felt even more baffled.

Seeing Yan Bubu furrowing his brows, trying hard to understand, Feng Chen couldn't help but pull him into an embrace, starting to ruffle his hair.

"Hey, hey, don't bother me, I'm thinking." Yan Bubu struggled to free his head, but when he looked up and saw Feng Chen's smiling face, he stopped resisting.

Feng Chen's smile, like sunshine after rain, was bright and unclouded. Yan Bubu also chuckled, "I did do well, right? After you got sick and fell asleep, I didn’t disturb you and even shielded you from the rain..."

Feng Chen, having his psychic realm recently organized, felt refreshed and clear-headed. He stood up, stretching his limbs, and brushed back his rain-soaked hair, revealing his smooth forehead.

"Let's go, we should find the others now."

Feng Chen helped Yan Bubu up from the ground and noticed his bulging bag, asking, "What's in there? It's so heavy."

Yan Bubu opened the bag to show him, revealing Binnunu and the real password box, along with the empty password box, a dagger, several notebooks, and crayons.

"Oh no, the notebooks are all wet," Yan Bubu exclaimed in panic.

"It's okay, they'll dry out," Feng Chen reassured.

Taking the bag, Feng Chen slung it over his shoulder and then carried Yan Bubu on his back, descending into the water using the vines.

Yan Bubu turned to summon the black lion, "Come on, swim over to daddy."

Feng Chen's movements paused, and after two seconds, he coughed up water, "Cough, cough."

"What's wrong? Am I too heavy?" Yan Bubu quickly asked.

Feng Chen spoke rapidly, "Stop calling yourself its dad. How did you suddenly become its father? Don't talk nonsense like that anymore."

"I found this lion, and it doesn't have a dad. What’s wrong with me being its dad?" Yan Bubu muttered, displeased.

Feng Chen, too busy to argue, swam past the broken walls and around the protruding rocks, spotting a cluster of rafts floating on the water ahead.

They were in the middle of the mountain's leeward side, where the current wasn't too strong. The rafts were tied to rocks on the shore, preventing them from being swept away, but they were overturned and piled up on one another.

The crowd stood on the sightseeing steps of Haiyun Mountain, with large boxes of supplies beside them. Spotting Feng Chen in the water, someone shouted, "There's someone in the water!"

Several soldiers immediately jumped into the water and pushed Feng Chen and Yan Bubu onto the shore.

Once ashore, Yan Bubu's first action was to check on the black lion. Seeing it shaking off water droplets, he hurried over and whispered in its ear, "Don't be afraid, and don't be aggressive towards others. Just follow me — your dad."

As the only significant mountain near Haiyun City, Haiyun Mountain had several sightseeing stone stairways built on it. This one, on the back of the mountain, led all the way to the summit.

Feng Chen knew that there was a large, naturally formed cave on this backside of the mountain, which he suspected Lin Feng would use as a temporary shelter. However, the mountain was fraught with dangers, and the cave likely harbored mutant species that needed to be cleared first.

The stone stairway and the slopes on both sides were filled with people, yet eerily quiet. Some stared blankly at the water ahead, while others silently wiped away tears.

Although no lives were lost in the tsunami, the four cruise ships providing them shelter were capsized by the waves. Just as life was settling down, they were once again left uncertain about their future.

Gunshots echoed continuously from the mountain, signifying soldiers clearing mutant species.

"It's okay, we have the Western Alliance Army, we have Major General Lin, things will get better," someone consoled his crying wife.

His wife responded, "Just yesterday, I asked an officer, and he said the ship was almost repaired and we could leave for the Central City. But then this tsunami came, overturned the ship, and now we can't leave again."

……

The people around them sighed heavily, and Feng Chen glanced at Yan Bubu, feeling a silent sense of relief.

If it had been yesterday, before Yan Bubu showed signs of being a guide, Feng Chen would have been anxious about the almost-repaired ship being swept away. Now, he wondered how Yan Bubu would have reacted.

Before he fully evolved into a Sentinel, Feng Chen had seen the black lion twice. He wondered if Yan Bubu had ever seen his own quantum beast.

What would Yan Bubu's quantum beast be like?

Feng Chen pulled Yan Bubu aside to a small open space and began to wring the water out of his clothes. Amidst the splashing sound, he lowered his voice, "Annoying creature, I want to ask you something."

"Ask away."

Feng Chen inquired, "Have you seen any strange animals recently?"

"Strange animals..." Yan Bubu's eyes flicked towards the black lion.

"Not that one, a different animal," Feng Chen clarified.

"Another animal, huh..." Yan Bubu pointed to the right, "Just now, I saw a fish flying in the sky. Is that a strange animal? Can fish fly?"

Following the direction of his finger, Feng Chen saw the large carp flipping its tail in mid-air and commented, "That fish is odd, but it doesn’t count right now."

"Yeah, I thought it was weird too, but I was afraid some fish really could fly, so I didn't ask you," Yan Bubu mumbled.

"Fish can't fly in the sky," Feng Chen glanced at him.

Yan Bubu was astonished, "Then why is it flying?"

"It's someone else's quantum beast, but let's not talk about that. Have you seen any other strange animals? Ones that appeared near you, that you felt very... close to, that you really liked?" Feng Chen chose his words carefully.

Yan Bubu's gaze drifted back to the black lion.

The black lion rubbed against Yan Bubu, and through its long fur, Feng Chen could see its joyful expression.

"You're not its dad; it's my quantum beast. Think again, have you recently seen any strange animals in a place unfamiliar to you? That would be your quantum beast."

"The lion is your quantum beast? But I thought I was your quantum beast," Yan Bubu said, somewhat displeased.

Feng Chen was about to explain quantum beasts to Yan Bubu when the sound of a loudspeaker echoed from the top of the mountain, with Major General Lin speaking.

"The cave has been cleared. Everyone, move out immediately and temporarily settle there. Wait for further instructions. There are many mutant species on the mountain, so don't delay or scatter. Head straight for the cave." Major General Lin's voice, hoarse yet weary, retained its authority.

The crowd began to climb towards the mountain. Despite the black lion's resistance, Feng Chen quickly summoned it into his psychic realm and carried Yan Bubu upwards.

"Where's the lion? The lion's gone," Yan Bubu twisted his head, searching for the black lion.

Feng Chen assured, "It's here, it'll come out later. I'll explain it all to you then."

"Did you see it? Do you know where it is?" Yan Bubu persisted.

"Yes."

Relieved, Yan Bubu stopped searching, but Feng Chen advised, "You can't see it right now, stop looking."

Just as he spoke, Feng Chen felt the black lion in his psychic realm becoming restless, wanting to emerge. He quickly subdued it.

"I'm not looking for the lion; I'm looking for Uncle Wu," said Yan Bubu.

The black lion settled down immediately, remaining quietly in the psychic realm.

Feng Chen also paused to look around, commenting, "He should be with the Western Alliance Army, clearing the cave. We'll meet him soon."

Soldiers stood at intervals along the stone stairway, each holding a gun and vigilantly watching the surrounding vegetation.

As Feng Chen passed by them with Yan Bubu in his arms, Yan Bubu began to see more and more strange animals.

"Brother, look, look, is that a zebra? Ah! It's a zebra!... Here, look here, a big cat, a big cat!"

Feng Chen clarified, "That's not a big cat, it's a raccoon."

Yan Bubu was a mix of nervous and excited, "Are they all mutant species? Will they attack us?"

Feng Chen replied, "They're not mutant species. Like the lion, they won't harm us."

Mentioning the lion, Yan Bubu said, "I want to give the lion a name."

Feng Chen instantly felt the black lion in his psychic realm rise from its resting position.

"What name do you want to give it?" Feng Chen asked casually.

Yan Bubu pondered, "How about Zebra?"

"No."

"Raccoon, Big Cat, Fish?"

"None of those work. They can't be used as names," Feng Chen rejected.

Limited by his vocabulary, Yan Bubu kept suggesting as he looked around, "Stone? Grass? Ladder?"

As they neared the mountain's summit, seeing the cave in the cliff, Feng Chen interrupted, "We can think of a name later. We're here now."

There's a solitary peak on Haiyun Mountain, steep and towering. At the waist of the peak is a large hollow cave, accessible from four directions.

The cave, rumored to be larger than a basketball court, has four entrances on steep cliffs, usually frequented only by rock climbing enthusiasts.

Soldiers stood near the entrance facing the stone stairway, lowering soft ladders from above.

The crowd moved slowly forward. Seeing Yan Bubu struggling to keep his eyes open in the rain, Feng Chen shielded his forehead with his hand to block the rain.

After about ten minutes, they reached the base of the cave. Just as Feng Chen was about to climb the soft ladder, he heard someone calling him, "Qin Shen."

Feng Chen turned and saw Yu Yuan.

"Uncle Colonel Yu." Yan Bubu was delighted to see Yu Yuan.

Yu Yuan approached, patting Feng Chen on the shoulder and ruffling Yan Bubu's hair, "I've been looking for you. Glad you're safe. Go ahead, climb up. I'll come to see you later."

Feng Chen intended to ask Yu Yuan about Yan Bubu's newfound guide abilities and the absence of his quantum beast, but seeing Yu Yuan quickly departing, busy and occupied, he decided to inquire later.

He hoisted Yan Bubu onto his back and climbed up the dangling soft ladder.

Inside the vast cave, the space was even larger than imagined, with a high dome and a wide body, the flat bottom accommodating everyone.

The cave was still chaotic; some people sat right at the entrance, being ushered further in by soldiers, while others wandered aimlessly, unsure where to settle.

"Residents of Hive A to the rightmost entrance, Hive B towards the back, Hive C to the left..."

Yan Bubu, half-squinting, said, "Looks like we have three hives again, haha, three hives again."

Hearing this, someone nearby laughed bitterly, "Well, that's good, wherever we are, there are always three."

"Over here, residents of Hive A, Section C, gather here." Yan Bubu suddenly heard a familiar voice and shouted towards the direction, "Uncle Wu!"

Wu You turned at the sound, smiling broadly, "Jingjing!"

Yan Bubu slid off Feng Chen's back and ran towards Wu You, who scooped him up for a closer look.

"Were you scared by the flood? Which boat were you on? I couldn't find you."

Yan Bubu replied, "I was on a boat with my brother. We were waiting under the monkeys until the water passed, so you couldn't find me."

Wu You, puzzled by his mention of monkeys, looked at the approaching Feng Chen, "Qin Shen, what's this about monkeys?"

Feng Chen briefly recounted the recent events, omitting the part about exhausting his psychic energy and Yan Bubu sorting his psychic realm.

After listening, Wu You exclaimed, "I knew you were capable, but that was too dangerous. Luckily, our Jingjing has magic powers, right? Turned danger into safety."

Yan Bubu nodded in agreement, "Right, that's it." He whispered in Wu You's ear, "I'm very capable, Uncle Wu, don't worry, I can protect you."