Chapter 123

Chapter 123

After Feng Chen left, Yan Bubu took a nap. Upon waking up and going downstairs, he saw Feng Chen sitting on the sofa, sewing a piece of cloth. Binu stood next to him, staring intently at his hands.

"Are you making a new outfit for Binu?" Yan Bubu slid next to Feng Chen, eyeing the strip of cloth he was sewing, "Is that a tie you're making for it?"

"Yes."

On the coffee table, there was already a set of dark blue miniature military uniform and a cloth cap shaped like a steel helmet. Yan Bubu tried the cap on his head, finding it fit him, and playfully asked, "Is this made for Binu or for me? It must be for me."

Binu immediately tried to grab the hat from his head.

"Don't rush, it's yours, it's yours, I'm just trying it on," Yan Bubu protected the cap on his head, laughing, "Binu isn't very big, but it has a large head."

Feng Chen chuckled, "I initially wanted to use an old sleeve to make a hat for it, but ended up using a whole front panel."

Yan Bubu curled up his feet on the sofa, his head resting against Feng Chen’s shoulder, fingers idly twirling the fluff on his sweater.

"Your information has been deleted, right?"

"Not yet deleted—"

Yan Bubu suddenly looked up at him with a stare.

"—That's impossible," Feng Chen said slowly.

Yan Bubu leaned back against his shoulder, twirling a small tuft of fluff, "Do you know what the medical officer told me today?"

"Move back a bit, your big head is blocking me, be careful not to get pricked in the eye by the needle," Feng Chen pushed Binu, whose eyes were almost pressed against the tie, a bit further away, then asked Yan Bubu, "What did he tell you?"

Yan Bubu lifted his mouth a bit higher, whispering into his ear, "The medical officer said the match is because I might have a guide's bonding heat. Do you know what that is?"

After asking, Yan Bubu stared at the cloth in Feng Chen's hand, but his gaze was stealing glances at Feng Chen’s face.

As Feng Chen pulled the thread through, he asked nonchalantly, "What is it?"

Yan Bubu considered for a moment, then replied indirectly, "It’s about those things."

"Which things?"

"...that kind of thing between two people."

"That kind of thing between two people," Feng Chen repeated meaningfully, then asked, "What thing between two people? Right now, I'm sewing a tie and you're watching me. Isn't that also something two people do?"

"Not that kind," Yan Bubu mumbled unclearly: "It's like in the movies. You know? That kind of thing in movies."

"Which movie?" Feng Chen's tone still gave nothing away.

Yan Bubu turned to look at his handsome profile, swallowing noticeably: "Secret Love."

Feng Chen slowly looked over, his eyes half-closed as he appraised Yan Bubu from top to bottom, appearing somewhat menacing.

Yan Bubu shivered, promptly reining in his wandering thoughts, sitting upright and saying, "I haven't seen that movie, I'm just guessing."

Feng Chen withdrew his gaze, snapped the thread in his hand, picked up the tie, and motioned, "Come here and try this."

Bunu quickly jumped off the sofa and stood straight in front of Feng Chen, who then tied the small tie around its neck, starting to knot it.

Yan Bubu, not willing to give up, seized the moment and leaned in again: "The medical officer said if I get into heat, I need to be matched with a sentinel, so that's how matching happens. When I'm in heat, I need to do that with you."

Feng Chen's movements suddenly intensified, causing Bunu's neck to be constricted. After a yelp, it swatted his hand with a paw.

Feng Chen quickly loosened the tie a bit.

"Let me tell you—"

"Have you done your papers? Written your homework? How many days has it been since you last worked on your papers? Those papers we brought from Haiyun City, how many have you done?" Feng Chen interrupted him.

Yan Bubu was dumbfounded: "Do I still need to do those papers now?"

"You think joining the guide class means you can skip the previous questions?" Feng Chen coldly pointed towards the stairs, "Go and do one now."

Yan Bubu sat and took several deep breaths, then suddenly got up and stomped upstairs, the floor thudding under his feet.

Feng Chen continued to tie Bunu's tie, and seeing it staring at him, he whispered, "Isn't it enough to think about it? Why must you say it out loud..."

The next day, going to class, Yan Bubu followed Feng Chen's instructions and took both Bunu and Sasa with him.

Bunu, clad in a brand-new miniature military uniform complete with a hat and tie, followed Yan Bubu into the academic building, alongside the black lion.

Classes hadn't started yet, and the hallways were filled with quantum beasts wandering about. When they spotted Bunu, they looked on curiously, with some even following.

Bunu detested being stared at, even by quantum beasts. On the way to the Central City, Cai Tao's wolf-dog often gazed at it, earning several beatings. However, now it restrained its temper, neither getting angry nor staring back, just frowning in annoyance.

Yan Bubu, noticing the crowded classroom, knew Bunu disliked such environments and whispered, "How about you wait for me downstairs? See, it's all classmates here, not as dangerous as brother said."

But Bunu ignored him, walking straight into the classroom with the black lion following.

"Then you go ahead, my seat is over there," Yan Bubu pointed out to them.

The first-ranked Wang Chendi and second-ranked Liu Siyuan's quantum beasts continued to fight on the podium. Bunu, passing by them, crouched to dodge a kangaroo's punch and then stepped over a fallen sea otter, moving forward without a sideways glance.

The black lion, however, waited for the two to move aside before passing the podium.

Zhao Cui, the first to spot Bunu and knitting a sweater, exclaimed in surprise, "Who's this little beauty? So handsome, with such a pale, pretty face! Is that makeup? Look at this little guide!"

Zhao Cui's voice was loud, and she kept her eyes on Bunu. Yan Bubu was worried it might get angry, but instead, Bunu's brows slightly relaxed.

Yan Bubu explained, "This is my Selenium Frog quantum beast. Its face isn't colored; it's just like that, named Bunu. The other one is my brother's quantum beast, named Sasaki."

"This Selenium Frog looks a bit like a little zombie, haha," Zhao Cui laughed unabashedly, "But does your brother's quantum beast still follow you around?"

"Yeah, they're always together," Yan Bubu nodded.

Hearing the name, a few trainees turned and asked, "Bunu? Whose quantum beast is called Bunu?"

"Mine, it's mine," Yan Bubu said. "A Selenium Frog quantum beast, named Bunu."

The older trainees didn't know about Bunu, but the younger ones did and stared at it, exclaiming in surprise, "The Selenium Frog really looks like Bunu, except for the skin color. No wonder you named it that... Could this actually be Bunu? It does look a bit like a little zombie, haha, how interesting."

Yan Bubu patted Bunu's head, half-jokingly saying, "Well, actually, it is Bunu."

The trainees didn't take it seriously, all laughing: "Okay, okay, it's Bunu, so cute."

Wang Suizi and Chen Wenchao also came over, scrutinizing Bunu. Seeing Wang Suizi's puzzled look, Yan Bubu leaned closer and whispered, "It really is Bunu, but after it bit me, it turned out this way... So I can only say it's a Selenium Frog."

"Ah!" Wang Suizi covered her mouth in shock, then stamped her foot and squealed softly, "It's really Bunu? It's actually Bunu?"

Yan Bubu, seeing her excitement, felt thrilled himself: "Surprising, isn't it?"

"Yeah, aren't all quantum beasts animals? To think there's a Bunu!"

Chen Wenchao kept staring at Bunu, his eyes shining brightly: "There are also imaginary quantum beasts. The orphanage has a little sentinel's quantum beast that's a small robot."

Wang Suizi asked, "Why is that? I'd love to have a little rainbow fairy flying around me all day..."

As soon as she finished speaking, she realized something, her expression changing as she quickly corrected herself: "Of course, no rainbow fairy could compare to a koala."

Chen Wenchao said, "Maybe the smaller they are, the easier it is for them to evolve into imaginary quantum beasts. After all, to them, those are real."

"But I can't put it into my mental realm, so I can only carry it around like this," Yan Bubu said, stroking Bunu's head.

Chen Wenchao and Wang Suizi, aware it likely had something to do with zombies, didn't ask further, just kept watching Bunu.

Although Bunu faced the blackboard, it started to grimace and bare its teeth. The black lion quickly shielded it, then comfortingly licked its cheek.

Wang Suizi exclaimed again, "It's really so cute, even when it's fierce…"

Chen Wenchao added, "It's a kind of eerie cuteness."

Bunu then calmed down and even moved a step aside, stepping out from behind the black lion.

Although Bunu reminded many of zombies, Selenium Frogs were so rare that no one had really seen one, so it didn't attract much attention. Instead, the arrival of other quantum beasts in the classroom sparked more curiosity, especially about the black lion.

Soon the class bell rang, and the quantum beasts were recalled to their mental realms, leaving only the black lion and Bunu in the classroom.

Yan Bubu was about to ask them if they wanted to play outside the classroom when Bunu walked to the last row and sat in an empty seat, with the black lion looking around and then lying down behind it.

The instructor entered the classroom, not noticing Bunu or the black lion hidden by the desks, and began the lesson.

"This is a theory class. We'll discuss information warfare in modern warfare. Pay attention, as these topics will be on the next exam. Now, take out your notebooks and get ready to take notes."

The instructor turned to write on the blackboard, and Yan Bubu, like the other students, took out his notebook and pen from his desk.

Just as he spread his notebook on the desk, he felt his sleeve being tugged. Turning his head, he saw Bunu standing beside him, eyes fixed on his notebook.

"Every desk has one; you don't need to bring your own. Go find it," Yan Bubu whispered.

Bunu went back, opened the desk lid, took out a brand-new notebook and pen, and spread them out on the desk, satisfied.

Halfway through the class, the instructor finally noticed Bunu in the last row. He stared at Bunu for a moment in confusion, then, walking over, he also saw the black lion lying behind it.

"Whose quantum beast is this?" the instructor asked.

Yan Bubu raised his hand, "It's mine."

"What kind of quantum beast is it?"

Yan Bubu replied smoothly, "It's a Selenium Frog."

"A Selenium Frog... There are two of them. Besides this Selenium Frog, whose lion is the other one?"

Yan Bubu answered, "It's also mine."

"What?"

Yan Bubu quickly added, "It's my brother's quantum beast; it came to class with me."

The instructor paused for a moment, probably recalling that Yan Bubu's quantum beast used to follow his brother around as well, and said nothing further, only reminding, "During class, quantum beasts should be kept in the mental realm. They shouldn't roam freely in the classroom, disturbing the order."

"They aren't roaming around. One is studying earnestly, and the other is lying down asleep," Yan Bubu said.

Bunu sat upright, eyes fixed straight ahead, as if the conversation wasn't about it. The instructor glanced at the notebook in front of it, noticing rows of little black circles drawn like written words, consistent in size and neatly arranged, clearly drawn with care.

The instructor paused, then turned to look at the other students' notebooks, and suddenly scolded, "What is this you've written? Can you even understand it? It looks like scribbles."

The student muttered, "As long as I can understand it, that's enough."

"And you? Why is there not a single word in your notebook?"

Zhao Cui stuffed the knitting needles and yarn hidden on her lap, "Instructor, I keep all the knowledge in my heart."

The instructor returned to the podium, tapping the blackboard in frustration, "Every time after the exams, among the guide classes, yours is always the last. Look at your attitude towards learning. Even a quantum beast is more serious than you. How are you not the last?"

A student joked, "Instructor, it just proves that our class has a good study atmosphere. Even our quantum beasts are studying seriously."

"Exactly, that's the logic."

The instructor retorted bitterly, "Shameless pride."

After class, Wang Suizi called out to Yan Bubu, "Next is a training class. Let's go to the training room for class. Quickly release your quantum beasts."

She paused, then added, "You don't need to release them early, I'm just used to it."

Yan Bubu followed with Bunu and Sasaki, asking, "Is the training class conducted along with our quantum beasts?"

Chen Wenchao explained, "Yes, the training is done together with the quantum beasts, but the content of each class differs. Just follow the instructor's directions."

"I see, alright."

The training room was at the other end of the corridor, a large room. Before the class started, the students were chatting near the classroom door, while their quantum beasts chased and frolicked around the room.

With over thirty quantum beasts released, the scene was lively. The first-ranked kangaroo and the second-ranked otter were seriously fighting, while the other quantum beasts tumbled on the ground or chased each other playfully.

Only a few quantum beasts, like Bunu, the black lion, and Chen Wenchao's short-tailed crocodile, stood quietly beside their owners.

When class started, everyone entered the training room and stood in position, and the frolicking quantum beasts scattered back to their owners.

The instructor entered, sweeping his gaze over everyone and their quantum beasts.

"Wang Chendi, Liu Siyuan, call back your quantum beasts. Still fighting at the back during class, what does that look like?"

The kangaroo and otter finally separated, with the kangaroo, taking advantage of its long legs, sneakily kicking the otter one more time before returning.

The instructor, hands clasped behind his back, announced, "This class is about training the synchrony between guides and quantum beasts. The quantum beasts will run five laps around the training room, avoiding invisible infrared obstacles. You can see the infrared beams through visual glasses and will use mental communication to guide your quantum beasts around those obstacles."

"Oh... similar to the content of the last class."

"That scared me; I thought this class would be more difficult. Turns out it's just an obstacle course, too easy."

"Easy? This not only requires coordination but also quick reflexes. My quantum beast is brave in a fight, but always a beat slow in response. I dread this kind of training."

……

Yan Bubu hadn't taken such a class before, but he understood the gist of the instructor's instructions, especially the part about mentally guiding the quantum beast, which made him uneasy.

"Alright, here's the first group. Wang Suizi, Lin Chenyu, Qin Hongsheng..." The instructor read out seven or eight student names from the list.

Wang Suizi and the others went to get their glasses from the instructor, wearing them and standing in a row at the front of the training room. Meanwhile, several quantum beasts positioned themselves at the starting line on the right side of the room, ready to dash off.

"Wang Suizi, where's your quantum beast?" the instructor asked.

Wang Suizi replied, "It'll be here in a moment."