Chapter 82

Chapter 82

Feng Chen pondered for less than half a minute before swiftly rising from the sofa, heading to the storeroom to fetch a set of children's thermal clothing and a down jacket for Yan Bubu. He then added thick cotton socks and snow boots.

Finally, he wrapped Yan Bubu in a blanket and a raincoat, encasing him like a large cocoon.

The night in Haiyun City was a desolate, dead city, with only a faint light shining through a window in a building to the west of the city.

At this moment, a window on the fifth floor opened, and a huge black lion leaped into the water, pushing a drifting inflatable boat to the window. A boy in a raincoat emerged, holding a large cocoon, and landed steadily on the inflatable boat.

The wind howled, carrying the cold rain. Feng Chen hunched his back to shield Yan Bubu from the wind, while the black lion plunged into the water, pushing the inflatable boat forward.

A kerosene lamp on the bow lit up a circle of water, faintly outlining the silhouettes of buildings emerging from the water.

The black lion propelled the inflatable boat forward, eventually stopping in front of a capsized giant ship in the center of the city.

This was a beehive ship washed into the city during a tsunami, its specific identity unknown. Feng Chen, holding Yan Bubu in his left arm and grasping the iron railing of the ship with his right, climbed up, followed closely by the black lion carrying the kerosene lamp.

After reaching a small platform two stories high, Feng Chen sat down with Yan Bubu in his arms, legs dangling outside the ship, gazing at the sea in the distant night.

The black lion placed the kerosene lamp down and squatted beside him.

Feng Chen glanced at his wristwatch: "Yan Bubu, five more minutes. In five minutes, you'll be seven years old."

He carefully adjusted Yan Bubu's position in his embrace and then lifted the blanket from his face.

The child lay quietly in his arms, his complexion pale and blue, with no movement in his chest. If not for the occasional faint breath from his nose, he would appear lifeless.

"I'm sorry, the rain hasn't stopped, and there are no stars in the sky." Feng Chen withdrew one hand from under the blanket, clutching it tightly in his palm.

"But I still wanted to bring you here, just like in your drawing, sitting on the boat on your birthday. Next year, on your eighth birthday, the rain will surely stop, and there will be stars. I'll bring you here again. On your ninth birthday, tenth, eleventh, twelfth... Every birthday from now on, I'll bring you to see the stars."

Feng Chen looked down at Yan Bubu, watching a raindrop land on his eyelashes and form a tiny droplet.

He reached out to wipe away the droplet, his fingers touching skin that was cold and devoid of warmth.

He slowly bowed his head, burying his face near Yan Bubu's ear, remaining motionless for a long time.

The rain gradually lessened, the cold wind whisking away the increasingly light rain threads, turning them into mist that vanished in the air, also carrying away the low sobs.

"Maybe you should turn into a zombie, please don't die, I beg you, don't die, just turn into a zombie... Ah wu bang ga ada wusiya..."

Feng Chen's tears flowed into Yan Bubu's neck, warming the cold skin there. After a long while, he lifted his tear-streaked face, reaching out to wipe the water stains on Yan Bubu's face, holding him tightly in his arms.

The cold wind howled through the broken holes of the ruins, whistling incessantly. It was then that Feng Chen slowly realized that the persistent rain had ceased.

He slowly extended his hand, and after not feeling a single drop of cold rain, he finally confirmed that the rain, which had lasted for months, had stopped unnoticed.

"…The rain has stopped. Yan Bubu, the rain has finally stopped." He maintained the gesture of catching the rain, murmuring softly.

Click click.

In the silence, two light sounds suddenly came from the adjacent cabin, as if something had hit the metal.

Under these circumstances, it couldn't be a person. The word 'mutant' flashed through Feng Chen's mind, and his right hand reached for the dagger at his waist.

The black lion also abruptly stood up, front limbs slightly bent, ready to attack.

Feng Chen stood up, holding Yan Bubu, ready to unleash his psychic power into the cabin, when he heard rustling footsteps.

Then, from behind the shadow of the door frame, a small thing emerged.

The light from the kerosene lamp was orange-red, so its original color was unclear, but its large head and tiny body, with short, thin limbs, were visible.

It had three green leaves covering the top of its large head, and on the right side of its head, there was even a clear bud eye.

Feng Chen was not very familiar with it before, but after watching cartoons over the past two days, he had come to deeply understand this figure.

A potato person like Nunu???

！！！

Feng Chen doubted his own eyes, wondering if the grief of potentially losing Yan Bubu was causing him hallucinations. Otherwise, why would he see a character from a cartoon on a boat?

He rubbed his eyes in a daze, watching the Nunu-like creature approach him and stop just in front of him.

Feng Chen felt the world had become somewhat unreal. He looked at the black lion in a daze, noticing it was staring intently at the large potato, its gaze fervent and bright.

Although the black lion was his psychic manifestation, it had its own independent sensory system and, in a way, was an individual entity.

This was not a hallucination!

The black lion could see it too.

Why was Nunu here? Why would Nunu appear in the real world?

Feng Chen stared intensely at the large potato, trying to convince himself it was a mutated potato. But it looked exactly like Nunu, even the three potato leaves on its head were positioned with two on the left and one on the right, just like Nunu.

Compared to the roughly sketched and outlined Nunu of the cartoon, this one was much more detailed, its potato leaves on top fluttering in the breeze.

Why, why was there a Nunu here? Was everything he had experienced just a dream?

If so, when did this dream start?

Feng Chen's mind was in a haze.

The black lion was completely captivated by Nunu, not sparing Feng Chen a glance, cautiously approaching it.

In a flash, a thought struck Feng Chen.

Judging by the black lion's behavior towards Nunu, it definitely wasn't a mutant. Since the black lion was a psychic entity, could this Nunu also be a psychic entity?

If it was a psychic entity, and it could appear here, then its master could only be...

Feng Chen's heart pounded with this speculation, joy flooding through him like a tidal wave, making his body tremble uncontrollably.

But before he could check on Yan Bubu's condition, the Nunu that had been standing still suddenly darted forward.

It burst out of the shadows, fully exposed under the kerosene lamp's light. Its skin was not the pale yellow of Nunu but a kind of dark greenish-black, and its round, bulging eyes were completely covered in black.

"Hiss..." It opened its mouth towards the black lion, revealing two rows of sharp, fine teeth, its expression fierce and ghastly.

Feng Chen was momentarily stunned, the joy in his heart instantly flying away, a chill rising up his spine.

If this Nunu was indeed a psychic entity, its current state seemed to have turned into that of a zombie.

The black lion stood foolishly in place. When Nunu lunged to bite it, the lion didn't resist, only hastily stepping back to avoid the attack.

Nunu missed biting the black lion but managed to catch a few strands of its mane. After shaking back and forth, it hung suspended in the air.

Although it only clutched at the mane, it didn't let go, emitting a fierce growl like a wild beast. Its body, dangling in mid-air, struggled violently, trying to bite off the strands of mane.

The black lion swatted at Nunu lightly, afraid of hurting it, and could only whine helplessly while looking towards Feng Chen.

It took Feng Chen a few seconds to react, reaching out to pull Nunu away to rescue the black lion. However, as his fingers nearly touched it, Nunu swiftly turned and snapped at his hand.

Seeing its sharp teeth, Feng Chen quickly withdrew his hand, and Nunu fell to the ground with a thud.

After falling, it didn't continue to attack but quickly darted to the side, leaping off the platform like a ball.

A moment later, a dull thud echoed from the water.

Feng Chen and the black lion hurriedly looked down, only to see Nunu already surfacing and swiftly swimming away, disappearing into the darkness.

Both man and lion, not expecting this turn of events, silently watched the water surface.

Seconds later, a black lion leaped from the platform, creating a tremendous splash, accompanied by Feng Chen's exasperated voice: "Quick, don't let it escape, go catch it."

Feng Chen knew it must be Yan Bubu's psychic entity; otherwise, there was no explanation for a living Nunu appearing here.

But he didn't understand why a psychic entity would turn out like this, nor did he know what to do if a psychic entity ran away. He only knew it absolutely must not be lost.

What would happen to Yan Bubu if his psychic entity were lost? He couldn't imagine. He had never heard Lin Fen mention a psychic entity running away, and probably no one had ever encountered such a situation.

Yan Bubu... right, Yan Bubu.

Feng Chen looked into his embrace to check Yan Bubu's condition, but stood frozen, as if struck by a spell.

Yan Bubu, who had awakened unknowingly, was gazing at him with open eyes.

The ashen gray hue that had once covered his face had faded away, his skin bathed in a faint orange-red glow from the kerosene lamp, casting a gentle, scattered light into his distinct black and white eyes.

In that moment, Feng Chen forgot to breathe, staring intently at him. It wasn't until Yan Bubu opened his lips and called out in a slightly hoarse voice, "Brother..."

He heard the most wonderful two syllables in the world...

And all of it was real.

Feng Chen didn't respond, just closed his eyes, leaning against the cabin wall, slowly sliding down to sit on the ground.

After a moment, he opened his eyes, maintaining his upward gaze at the sky.

The layer of gray veil that had obscured the sky for months seemed to be whisked away by an unseen hand, revealing the dazzling galaxy underneath. The glittering lights spilled from the heavens, casting a soft glow over the entire Haiyun City.

He blinked, feeling hot tears continually streaming from his eyes, sliding into his temples, and felt a small hand on his face, gently wiping away the tears.

Yan Bubu, lying on Feng Chen's legs, wiped away all his tears, then also turned to gaze at the sky.

"Brother, look at the stars, so many stars..."

Feng Chen, choking up, said, "You said you wanted to see the stars on your birthday. Today is your seventh birthday, and this is my birthday gift to you."

"Brother, don't cry."

"Yan Bubu, do you like these stars?"

"Stop crying," Yan Bubu persisted, wiping away his ceaselessly flowing tears.

Feng Chen grasped his hand, "I'm not crying, it's just the wind, it makes my eyes hurt."

Yan Bubu stared at him for a while, then turned his gaze back to the starry sky, murmuring dreamily, "The stars are so beautiful, is this your magic, brother?"

Unnoticed, the wind had stopped, but the temperature was very low, turning their breath into white mist. The two of them sat close on the boat, watching the stars, with continuous splashing sounds and the black lion's exasperated growls in the distance, along with the figures of a large and a small one, sometimes entwined, sometimes chasing each other.

Feng Chen pulled back the blanket, pushing up the trouser leg of one of Yan Bubu's legs. When the small leg appeared, he smiled joyfully.

The purplish-blue spiderweb pattern that had spread past the knee had vanished, and the bite mark was beginning to heal, forming a scab on the surface.

Feng Chen stared at the bite mark for a minute, smiling all the while, until Yan Bubu complained that his leg was cold, then he pulled down the trouser leg and rewrapped the blanket.

"Brother, did I almost die?" Yan Bubu asked.

Feng Chen unzipped his down jacket, letting Yan Bubu snuggle into his embrace, "No, you didn't."

"I feel like I slept for a long time, but I could hear you all talking," Yan Bubu pondered. "I heard you wanting to hit someone in the cave, and them not letting us on the boat, saying I would turn into a zombie. I really wanted to wake up and tell them I wouldn't become a zombie, but I couldn't wake up."

"You won't turn into a zombie," Feng Chen reassured, resting his chin on Yan Bubu's head.

Yan Bubu looked up at Feng Chen without speaking or moving.

"Why are you looking at me like that?" Feng Chen asked.

Yan Bubu whispered, "I heard you crying. Not the kind of crying where the wind is too strong and makes your eyes hurt."

"No, you heard wrong."

"You cried more than once. I counted, three times, no, five times. Twice the crying was quite loud—"

"I told you, you heard wrong. You were sick at that time, your hearing wasn't clear," Feng Chen interrupted.

"You also said, 'Yan Bubu, please don't die, even if you turn into a zombie, please don't die.'"

Feng Chen pretended not to hear, but Yan Bubu reached out again, feeling his face carefully.

"What are you doing?"

"I'm checking if you're crying now."

"Stop talking!"

Yan Bubu rested his face against Feng Chen's chest, separated only by a T-shirt, listening to his strong heartbeat: "When I heard you crying, I wanted to cry too, to tell you I wouldn't die or become a zombie, not to be afraid. But I couldn't move, it was so uncomfortable..."

After a moment of silence, Feng Chen, stroking Yan Bubu's hair, said, "It's alright now."

"But Uncle Wu is dead... My spell didn't work, why didn't my spell work then... I couldn't save him." Tears flowed from Yan Bubu's eyes, soaking through Feng Chen's shirt, causing a faint ache in his chest. "My spell was useless, useless... I won't cast spells anymore, never again..."

Feng Chen embraced Yan Bubu tightly.

"Uncle Wu has gone to heaven, and he will be very happy there." He then placed his hand over Yan Bubu's heart. "Does it feel stuffy here?"

"Yeah, it's uncomfortable."

"Do you remember what you told me before? If it feels stuffy here, it means he is thinking of you, watching over you," Feng Chen spoke softly. "He will always be with you."

Yan Bubu looked up at the sky, where the starlight mingled with his tears, twinkling.

"Is he among those stars?"

Feng Chen also looked up. "Yes, definitely up there."

"Is he with his baby now?"

"Yes."

"Then, does he still think of me?"

"He always will, he’ll always think of you."

The two remained quietly embraced.

Feng Chen sometimes felt this was real, randomly thanking all the gods he had heard of in his heart. Other times, he doubted it was a dream, occasionally touching Yan Bubu's nose, mouth, and eyes with his fingers, his arms tightening even more.

Even when Yan Bubu felt suffocated by the embrace, he didn't make a sound, just lay there docilely.

It was unclear how much time had passed until the splashing in the water grew closer. Feng Chen then loosened his grip and pointed to the round bundle fighting with the black lion, asking, "Yan Bubu, is that your Nunu?"

"Nunu?" Yan Bubu wiped his eyes and sat up to look.

"Hey, it's my big lion!" he exclaimed joyfully, waving at the black lion.

"Never mind the lion, look at the smaller one, that's your Nunu."

"I can't see clearly..." Yan Bubu squinted at the round bundle for a while, then turned to Feng Chen and said, "No, that's not my Nunu. My Nunu can't move right now, and why would Nunu be so fierce?"

Feng Chen knew he was referring to the tin Nunu he had made for him and said, "Try to feel it, can you sense something in your mind?"

"Something in my mind?" Yan Bubu touched his head.

"No, like this, look at me." Feng Chen turned his head to face him directly. "You need to feel with your heart, sense another place in your mind. It's like being in a different world, yet you can feel that place is closely connected to you."

Yan Bubu looked at him intently.

"How about now, can you feel it?" Feng Chen asked.

Yan Bubu touched his chin and murmured, "Brother, your chin has become pointy."

"Never mind that, focus on sensing, can you feel the presence of the psychic entity? The Nunu."

"Brother, your eyes have changed too, there are... two pits." Yan Bubu looked at Feng Chen's sunken eyes due to exhaustion, feeling a twinge in his heart, but couldn't find the right words to describe it.

"Listen, don't worry about me, try to sense Nunu."

Yan Bubu looked bewildered for a moment: "I can't feel it, there's nothing in my mind, maybe I need to watch the cartoon to feel it."

"I'm not asking you to feel Nunu, but to sense the psychic entity Nunu, like my black lion. I told you my black lion is my quantum beast, and that Nunu down there is your quantum beast... anyway, figure it out yourself. Look, your Nunu is fighting like crazy down there, just like a zombie, we need to get it back first."

"My quantum beast? Nunu?" Yan Bubu leaned over to look down, his expression growing more disappointed by the second, shaking his head vehemently: "No, no, that's not my quantum beast, nor is it Nunu. It's a bit blurry, but it might be a mutant. Too fierce... Look, look, it's biting my big lion!"

Whenever Nunu tried to swim away, the black lion would block it.

Nunu turned fiercely to bite, and the black lion, refusing to retaliate, could only clumsily flee.

When Nunu turned to leave, the black lion blocked it again, only to be chased and bitten.

"My lion, kill it! Kill it! Just open your mouth and swallow it whole."

After Yan Bubu hoarsely shouted a few times and sneezed twice, Feng Chen realized the temperature was starting to drop.

He looked up at the sky and saw the dazzling starry sky gradually disappearing from north to south, like the closing of a dramatic play, with the thick curtain slowly drawing together, hiding the magnificent scenery once more.

He glanced at his watch, the numbers on it constantly changing.

-2℃，-5℃，-10℃，-21℃……

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Author's note:

I've said that Bubu's quantum beast is very special, not just because it's Nunu.