Chapter 88

Chapter 88

The quantum beasts lunged at Bi Nununu, while Chu Shi launched mental attacks at Bi Nununu and simultaneously fired at Feng Chen.

The other subordinates also swung their daggers at Feng Chen.

Yan Bubu, riding Black Lion, was searching for Feng Chen. He had no idea where Feng Chen was, and Black Lion seemed equally clueless, blindly circling around.

However, upon rounding a snowdrift, Black Lion suddenly paused, sensing something, and then quickly carried Yan Bubu in that direction.

Yan Bubu saw the group ahead and recognized Feng Chen. But before he could feel relieved, he also recognized Chu Shi and Ah Dai, nearly falling off Black Lion in shock.

Black Lion quickened its pace, Yan Bubu gripping its mane tightly, his eyes fixed on Chu Shi and his gun.

Seeing Chu Shi aiming at Feng Chen, Yan Bubu's heart seemed to stop, and he could only scream, "No!"

The moment Chu Shi's bullet left the chamber, Feng Chen had already leaped forward, deploying multiple layers of mental shields to block the incoming mental attacks.

But he could no longer fend off the other assailants.

Dodging a sharp dagger, only to face another stab, Feng Chen had to roll awkwardly in the snow to narrowly evade the attack.

But before he could get up, the barrel of the gun was again pressed against his head.

"Don't move, move again and I'll shoot," Chu Shi's cold voice rang out. "Tell your quantum beast to stay still too."

Black Lion, charging towards them, abruptly stopped, sliding half a meter forward, carving deep grooves in the snow.

Chu Shi glanced at Black Lion and said, "I meant the crazy one here."

After catching another gun thrown by Ah Dai, Chu Shi held a gun against each of his hands, one aimed at Feng Chen's temple and the other targeting Yan Bubu.

Bi Nununu was engaged in a fierce battle with the quantum beasts. Despite its small size, it was incredibly agile and ferocious, managing to bite them so fiercely that they emitted black smoke.

"Bi Nununu, stop, stop now," Feng Chen called to Bi Nununu while looking at Yan Bubu.

He had been worried that Bi Nununu wouldn't obey, but to his surprise, after glancing at the guns in Chu Shi's hands, it actually stopped and swiftly leaped into a nearby snowdrift.

Though it stopped attacking, its dark eyes remained fixed on the quantum beasts, its sharp fangs bared in a standoff.

The smoking quantum beasts, too, didn't dare approach, only emitting ferocious roars.

"Brother!" Yan Bubu quickly slid off Black Lion's back, falling into the snow. He scrambled up and rushed towards them, with Black Lion hastily grabbing him.

Feng Chen, looking at Yan Bubu, said to Chu Shi, "Spare us, and I'll give you the password box."

"Didn't you give the password box to Lin Fen?" Chu Shi sneered.

Feng Chen replied, "No, I've hidden the password box in a secret place."

Chu Shi glanced back.

Ah Dai and one of his men were being bandaged. Although their lives weren't in danger, their exposed skin was covered in blood.

Chu Shi's eyes flickered with a ruthless intent, but his voice remained casual, "Should have given it to me earlier, why go through all this? Fine, hand over the password box, and I'll let both of you live."

"I don't trust you. Stay away from me, and I'll tell you where the password box is hidden," Feng Chen said.

Chu Shi narrowed his eyes at Feng Chen for a few seconds, seemingly assessing whether he would run away, but eventually, he put away his gun and stepped back two steps.

"Further back, everyone stand ten meters away," Feng Chen demanded. "Otherwise, I will definitely not tell you where the password box is."

"This brat talks too much—" one of the subordinates started to curse angrily but was immediately silenced by Chu Shi: "Back off, everyone get ten meters back."

Everyone moved back, including the bandaged henchmen and Ah Dai, retreating a few meters.

Feng Chen stood up and called out to Yan Bubu, "Yan Bubu, come here."

Black Lion released the struggling Yan Bubu from its mouth, following him as he walked towards Feng Chen. The lion's imposing amber eyes were fixed on Chu Shi and his men, ready to pounce at any sign of movement.

"Brother," Yan Bubu hurried towards Feng Chen, each step sinking into the snow up to his knees, almost stumbling.

"Take it slow," Feng Chen said.

Before Yan Bubu reached him, he was already eagerly extending his hands. Feng Chen stepped forward and picked him up.

"Brother," Yan Bubu clung tightly around Feng Chen's neck.

Feng Chen patted his back, "Don't be afraid."

"Hey, stop dilly-dallying, where is the password box? Where did you hide it?" a subordinate asked impatiently.

Chu Shi also chuckled, "Don't think about escaping from my hands. Just tell us where you've hidden the password box. It's freezing out here; the sooner you tell us, the sooner you can go back inside and warm up."

Hearing this, Feng Chen realized the research institute had been discovered. Holding Yan Bubu, his grip tightened as he rapidly thought of a plan.

The research institute must not be lost; it was the place where Feng Chen and Yan Bubu had survived the harsh winter. Leaving it would make survival difficult. Moreover, even if the password box hadn't been given to Lin Fen, these people would surely not spare their lives after obtaining it.

The only option now was to eliminate them completely.

Yan Bubu buried his face in Feng Chen's shoulder, only his eyes visible, watching Bi Nununu confronting the quantum beasts.

Bi Nununu seemed to sense Yan Bubu's gaze and turned to look at him.

Yan Bubu met its eyes, and for the first time, he didn't look away, slowly raising his hand to wave at it.

Bi Nununu indifferently turned its gaze away as Yan Bubu raised his hand.

Yan Bubu's hand paused mid-air, then waved slightly twice before withdrawing it.

"Do you have the password box with you?" Feng Chen asked Yan Bubu.

Startled, Yan Bubu hesitated before Feng Chen asked again, "The password box I gave you before, do you have it?"

Observing Feng Chen's expression, Yan Bubu said softly, somewhat uncertainly, "The password box... Yes, I have it."

"Hmm," Feng Chen seemed not to notice his hesitation, calmly saying, "Then give it to me."

Yan Bubu turned and rummaged through his bag for the password box, prompting an impatient subordinate to step forward and exclaim, "Damn, the password box was with the kid all along."

Black Lion immediately turned, issuing a menacing growl at the subordinate, as if ready to pounce and tear his throat if he moved any closer.

"Don't go, just wait," Chu Shi immediately stopped his subordinate and gave him a sign.

Yan Bubu handed the password box to Feng Chen, looking at him somewhat anxiously.

Feng Chen raised the password box towards Chu Shi, "Is this what you want?"

Chu Shi's eyes brightened upon seeing the password box and he stepped forward, "Yes, that's it."

"Stop! Don't come any closer," Feng Chen shouted, "The password box has a self-destruct mechanism. I can destroy it at any time."

Chu Shi, unsure if the password box really had a self-destruct mechanism, stopped in his tracks.

"Can we trust your word? If we give you the password box, will you let us both leave?" Feng Chen asked.

Chu Shi smiled, "Of course. I have no interest in killing kids like you."

"Alright, I'll throw it to you," Feng Chen said.

After saying this, Feng Chen threw the password box with force. Chu Shi instinctively reached out, but the box arced through the air, flying past him to land far behind, stirring up a small pile of snow.

As Chu Shi and his men rushed towards the password box, Feng Chen quickly got onto Black Lion's back with Yan Bubu.

Black Lion immediately dashed to the left, and Feng Chen reached out to Bi Nununu, "Quick, get on."

Bi Nununu stood still, just watching them with its dark eyes.

"Bi Nununu, come here," Yan Bubu also reached out to it.

Half of his body stretched out from Feng Chen's embrace, his cap blown off by the wind and snow, revealing messy curly hair, and a face and nose reddened by the cold.

"Bi Nununu, come with us, hurry," Yan Bubu urged urgently.

Bi Nununu remained stationary, but as Black Lion passed by, it scooped Bi Nununu up in its mouth and ran forward swiftly.

Bi Nununu struggled symbolically, its thin limbs twitching in the air, even tugging at Black Lion's fur – a gesture so gentle it was almost negligible – and then quietly allowed itself to be carried away by Black Lion.

Black Lion, in sync with Feng Chen's intentions, headed straight towards the distant Haiyun Tower.

Chu Shi, having obtained the password box, was setting a device on its input screen.

"Let's see what's inside," a subordinate excitedly rubbed his hands.

Another laughed, "We finally got our hands on this thing. Wonder what treasures it holds."

"Hey, the kid has run away."

"Never mind him for now, we'll deal with it later."

Numbers flickered on the device, and the group watched intently. With a click, the lid of the password box sprang open, revealing its contents to everyone.

Inside were two glass marbles, several grass-woven grasshoppers, a flower-shaped eraser, and a piece of paper.

Chu Shi picked up the paper, unfolded it, and saw a crayon drawing.

The drawing was clumsy, with rough lines and simplistic, harsh coloring, clearly the work of a child.

Chu Shi's face turned ashen. He threw away the drawing and the password box, turned to look at the disappearing Black Lion, and gritted out three words: "Kill him!"

。

"Brother, the grasshoppers Uncle Wu wove for me and my drawing, they were all in that box."

Yan Bubu, held in Feng Chen's arms, could barely open his eyes in the blowing snow and shouted in his ear.

Feng Chen shouted back, "It's okay, we'll go back and look for it later."

"Can we find it?" Yan Bubu asked.

"We will!"

Yan Bubu, about to say something more, looked back and suddenly cried out in alarm, "They, they are catching up to us."

Feng Chen calmly replied, "I know."

Chu Shi and his group, sledding swiftly, were in hot pursuit of Black Lion.

Black Lion was fast, but the deep snow hindered its speed, allowing the distance between them to gradually close.

"They're getting closer! Ahhh, I can see their faces now!" Yan Bubu frantically patted Feng Chen's back in panic.

Feng Chen's eyes remained cool and focused under the brim of his hat, "Don't panic, I have a plan."

Black Lion reached Haiyun Tower and, without hesitation, leaped up, grasping the tower's eaves to climb upwards. Feng Chen gripped its mane with one hand to stabilize himself, holding Yan Bubu tightly with the other.

By the time they reached the twelfth floor, Chu Shi and his men had also reached the base of Haiyun Tower and began to climb up using steel claw hooks.

Haiyun Tower had accessible windows only above the twentieth floor. Black Lion climbed up twenty floors in one go, pushing open a window and diving in.

Just as Yu Yuan had said, Haiyun Tower had Li Stone temperature control, and as soon as they entered through the window, they felt the warm and cozy air, a stark contrast to the severe cold outside.

Feng Chen dismounted from Black Lion and said to Yan Bubu, "You take Bi Nununu upstairs, keep climbing and don't stop."

"What about you?" Yan Bubu asked.

"We'll hide separately. You hide up there, and I'll hide below," Feng Chen explained.

Yan Bubu refused, "No, I want to stay with you."

"Listen to me!" Feng Chen interrupted urgently, "I have a way to deal with them, but you must hide well and not show yourself."

Yan Bubu clutched at Feng Chen's clothes in panic, "No, I won't listen, I want to be with you."

Feng Chen crouched down, holding his shoulders, "Yan Bubu, I promise nothing will happen to me. Trust me, just hide well and I'll come to get you soon."

Yan Bubu knew Feng Chen's determined expression well and, looking into his resolute eyes, realized there was no room for negotiation.

"Then you must come to get me," Yan Bubu's voice was close to crying.

Feng Chen nodded, "Definitely."

"How long will it take?" Yan Bubu asked again.

"Not very long."

"Two minutes?"

"Ten minutes," Feng Chen said.

Yan Bubu inhaled sharply, clutching his clothes, "No, ten minus six, four minutes."

"Your math is pretty good now, not even needing to count on your fingers," Feng Chen glanced outside the window and urged, "I'll come to get you in ten minutes. Now, quickly take Bi Nununu upstairs."

Bi Nununu, already put down by Black Lion, stared expressionlessly out the window. Upon hearing this, it turned and headed for the stairs.

Feng Chen ran downstairs with Black Lion, and Yan Bubu, unable to catch up, reluctantly followed Bi Nununu upstairs.

As Bi Nununu hopped up the stairs step by step, Yan Bubu quietly asked, "Do you want me to carry you? Your legs are too short, it's hard for you to climb like this."

Bi Nununu, who had been hopping upwards, stopped and suddenly turned to look at Yan Bubu.

Taken aback, Yan Bubu stepped back half a step against the wall, "What, what's wrong?"

Bi Nununu stared at him for two seconds, making him feel uneasy, but then suddenly turned back and hopped twice, each leap covering four steps, swiftly reaching the upper floor.

Relieved, Yan Bubu quickly followed.

As Feng Chen ran downwards, he discarded his cumbersome down jacket and scarf gloves. When he reached the tenth floor, he heard Chu Shi and his men shouting from above.

But instead of softening his footsteps, he stomped even louder, his hurried steps echoing throughout the tower.

"Downstairs, those two brats ran down."

Feng Chen dashed down like the wind, with the pursuers relentlessly on his heels.

The corridors were still littered with the bodies of zombies they had killed during their last evacuation. Although months had passed and the temperature in the tower was normal, these bodies hadn't further decomposed or produced maggots. They had merely dried out, turning into charred mummies.

The mummified corpses were densely stacked in the passages and on the stairs. Feng Chen stepped directly over them. Their brittle bones cracked under his feet, sounding like snapping twigs.

Tenth floor, ninth floor, eighth floor...

Yan Bubu crouched in the curved corridor of the twenty-second floor, peeking out to watch below. Seeing the men chasing after Feng Chen, he whispered to Bi Nununu beside him, "Can Brother beat them? I'm a bit scared."

Bi Nununu didn't respond, standing silently like a green-skinned potato planted in the ground.

"Let's go and see, okay? They've all gone down anyway. We don't need to stay this high up; let's go down one floor, just one floor."

As he spoke, Yan Bubu walked towards the stairwell, with the green-skinned potato quietly following.

Going down the stairs, Yan Bubu reached out his hand to Bi Nununu, "Come on, I'll hold your hand."

Initially following slowly, Bi Nununu suddenly sprang into action upon hearing this, zipping past Yan Bubu and landing at the bottom of the stairs in a flash.

It looked up at Yan Bubu with its chin raised. Although it was looking upwards, Yan Bubu felt as if he was being looked down upon, feeling somehow diminished.

Yan Bubu reached the twenty-first floor but didn't stop; instead, he continued descending, his steps quickening.

Below the twentieth floor, the number of zombie corpses increased. Too anxious to worry about the hollow eye sockets and gaping mouths, Yan Bubu didn't feel frightened, even clambering over them when the path was completely blocked.

He had been concerned about Bi Nununu keeping up, but despite its short legs, it was adept at hopping, moving like a bouncing ball and quickly outpacing him.

"Bi Nununu, Bi Nununu," Yan Bubu called out twice.

Bi Nununu ignored him.

Several zombie corpses lay sprawled at the stairwell entrance, their bones crushed by those who had rushed over, their chests completely collapsed and flattened like tree bark on the ground.

Just as Yan Bubu approached the corpses, a door nearby burst open, and a live zombie lunged out at him.

"Ah!"

Startled by the sudden scare, Yan Bubu was petrified with fear. Although his mental screen lit up in his mind, he forgot to react and was grabbed by the zombie.

The zombie's mouth opened wide to its limit, revealing two rows of sharp, mucus-covered teeth and black gums, and it let out a long howl: "Aaah!"

The faces were barely a foot apart, and Yan Bubu was so frightened he could only stare blankly at the zombie.

Just then, Bi Nununu suddenly hung upside down from a beam, dangling between Yan Bubu and the zombie, and let out a long roar at the zombie: "Aaah!"

Bi Nununu's appearance was no less menacing than the zombie, which seemed momentarily stunned, as if unable to comprehend.

Sharp claws sprang from Bi Nununu's small paws, plunging into the zombie's temple with a thud.

The zombie's grip loosened, and Yan Bubu fell to the ground, scrambling away until he heard the heavy thud of the zombie's body hitting the floor behind him.

Bi Nununu passed by him, casting an emotionless glance at him before continuing to hop forward.

"Bi Nununu, wait for me."

Yan Bubu, regaining his senses, stumbled as he chased after Bi Nununu.