Chapter 166

Chapter 166

Back in their dorm, the small space remained the same, yet somewhat different. Light blue curtains hung at the window, old and slightly faded but washed clean.

A thick, old rug lay in the aisle beside the bed. Under the bed was a large bamboo basket, akin to an oversized baby crib. It was lined with soft fabric, with delicately beautiful lace sewn around the edges that hung over the basket.

Binunu, bypassing them, entered the room and adeptly climbed into the bamboo basket under the bed, rocking comfortably while patting the rug beside the basket, signaling the Black Lion to join.

The Black Lion approached the bed and lowered itself, removing Binunu's ribbon and hanging it with its own by the door.

The room, too small for chairs or stools, saw Feng Chen and Yan Bubu directly climb onto the bed. Feng Chen leaned against the headboard, with Yan Bubu resting on his shoulder, idly twisting the fabric of his uniform sleeve, reminiscent of how he used to play with his sweater's fuzz.

Yan Bubu, feeling down, spoke after a moment, "Leaving Haiyun City, we wanted to find Major General Lin and Colonel Yu, and the cipher box. But it's been over a year, and we haven't accomplished anything."

Feng Chen patted his shoulder, "Don’t worry, as long as they’re alive, we will find them."

"Are they really still okay?" Yan Bubu looked up and asked.

"Considering the capabilities of Major General Lin and Colonel Yu, they must be fine," Feng Chen thought for a moment and added, "I always feel that it’s impossible for them to be completely out of touch all these years. With their skills, even if imprisoned, they could send out a message. I suspect... they might be absent for some reason."

Yan Bubu asked, "You mean they don’t want to appear?"

"I'm not sure, but I have this feeling," Feng Chen murmured.

He lifted Yan Bubu's chin and kissed the corner of his downturned eyes, "Don't be unhappy, okay? If I say they are fine, they definitely are. Don’t you trust me?"

"I do."

Reassured by Feng Chen's promise, Yan Bubu's mood brightened, and he tilted his head up, puckering his lips.

Feng Chen averted his gaze, "I need to go to the military department now, I might be back late..."

As he spoke, Yan Bubu incessantly tugged at his clothes. Feng Chen stopped talking, looked down at Yan Bubu, and remained silent without moving.

"Aren’t you supposed to cheer me up? Then kiss me on the lips. How can I be happy with just a kiss on the eyes?" Yan Bubu said.

Feng Chen quickly pecked his lips and continued, "If I come back late, go to sleep first—"

"Can you kiss me with more focus? Why so perfunctory? You barely even touched." Yan Bubu expressed his dissatisfaction.

Feng Chen asked, "What counts as being focused?"

"Kiss my lips until they swell, and our tongues blister, even form calluses. The thicker the calluses, the better," Yan Bubu replied.

Feng Chen raised an eyebrow, pinched the flesh on his cheek, and wobbled it, "There's already a callus here, so thick even bullets can't penetrate."

"Hurry up, no more talk. You could have kissed me several times in the time you spent talking," Yan Bubu puckered his lips even higher.

Binunu peeked out from under the bed, but Feng Chen pushed its head down and then lay on the pillow, saying, "I'm too lazy to move, you come here."

"I'll do it myself then." Yan Bubu sat up, rubbed his hands together, moved his jaws a bit, and leaned down towards Feng Chen's lips.

Feng Chen rested his left hand under his head, watching Yan Bubu with half-open eyes, appearing somewhat nonchalant. But just as Yan Bubu was about to touch his lips, Feng Chen suddenly grabbed the back of his head, rolled over, and pinned him to the bed.

"Hahaha... that's it... come on, kiss me until I swell."

"Shut up!"

"Mmm... Mmm..."

Yan Bubu finally got his wish of swollen lips, while Feng Chen went off to a military meeting.

When he finished and came out, it was already midnight. Most of the camp was asleep, except for the soldiers on duty, patrolling in pairs or small groups.

Outside the Sentinel Academy's double quarters, two students stood guard, leaning closely together, while their quantum beasts played nearby. Seeing Feng Chen, one of them greeted, "Back so late?"

"Yeah, had a meeting," Feng Chen replied.

In the Sentinel Academy's double quarters, residents took turns patrolling. Since all were bonded sentinel-guide pairs, they always patrolled together.

As Feng Chen reached his door, he carefully lightened his steps and quietly turned the doorknob. Although he made no sound, Binunu still peeked out from under the bed, and after recognizing him, retreated back.

Feng Chen entered the room without turning on the light. Using the glow from the high-pressure sodium lights outside the window, he could see the person sleeping soundly on the bed.

He still carried the cold air from outside, so he took off his dew-soaked uniform, warmed his hands and face, and then sat beside the bed, tenderly gazing at Yan Bubu.

Feng Chen tucked Yan Bubu's arm back under the blanket, picked up the basin and towel, and went to the communal bathroom at the end of the corridor to wash up. Upon returning, he got into bed quietly. Yan Bubu then woke up, closed his eyes, and wrapped his arms around Feng Chen's waist, mumbling, "Is the meeting over?"

"Hmm," Feng Chen replied.

"What was discussed?"

"Still arguing about dark matter, nothing to worry about, go back to sleep."

For the past half year, the issue concerning the Mimosa plants at Yingxiao Mountain's Chaya Peak had been left unresolved. Chen Size insisted on not taking action until a clear and effective solution was found, while Ran Pinghao was clearly becoming impatient, wanting to bombard the valley beneath Chaya Peak, but this was strongly opposed by Kong Siyin.

According to Kong Siyin, if such things could be resolved with bombs, what would be the need for research institutes? It might be better to drop hundreds or thousands of zombies down there; they might even fight each other.

Usually, Yan Bubu would insist on asking in detail, but tonight he seemed particularly tired and fell asleep again after asking just one question.

After Feng Chen made sure the blanket was properly tucked around him, he too closed his eyes.

In the middle of the night, Feng Chen was suddenly awakened.

Yan Bubu was not sleeping peacefully, tossing and turning in bed, occasionally burrowing into Feng Chen's arms, then restlessly squirming out again.

Feng Chen watched him in the darkness, observing as Yan Bubu muttered uneasily in his sleep and draped a leg over his. When he leaned in to cover Yan Bubu with a blanket, he was abruptly stopped by a slap on his chest: "Don't move!"

Thinking Yan Bubu had awakened, Feng Chen looked down, only to find him still deep in sleep, his breaths heavy.

But Yan Bubu wasn't resting peacefully; he kept tossing and turning, frowning and irritably clutching at his pajama collar. His flailing hand struck Feng Chen's chest twice more.

Sensing something amiss, Feng Chen reached to touch his forehead, finding it scorchingly hot.

The memory of a childhood incident made Feng Chen's heart tighten when he realized Yan Bubu had a fever, but he quickly reminded himself that for them now, a fever wasn't a significant concern.

Concerned that ordinary people might self-medicate with fever-reducing drugs and hide their symptoms, such medication was only available at medical points and required a diagnosis to be dispensed.

Though sentinels and guides no longer underwent mutation, the tight control over fever medicine remained to prevent it from reaching the plantation camps.

Turning on the light, Feng Chen saw Yan Bubu's cheeks flushed red, his breathing slightly rapid, with strands of sweaty hair sticking to his forehead.

He decided to get some fever medicine from the medical point, checking the time to find it was three in the morning. Just as he was about to get up, Yan Bubu turned restlessly and buried himself in Feng Chen's embrace.

"What's wrong? Are you uncomfortable? Do you want some water?" Feng Chen started to pat Yan Bubu but paused mid-air.

Yan Bubu then entwined his body around Feng Chen, hugging him and slowly rubbing against him, emitting sweet, cloying whimpers of impatience and urgency.

In their movement, the pajamas slid off, their hot skin pressing tightly against each other.

After a few seconds of silence, Feng Chen tried to push Yan Bubu away: "Yan Bubu, wake up."

This time, Yan Bubu opened his eyes, red as a rabbit's and brimming with tears, his expression drowsy yet filled with grievance.

Feng Chen could hear his rapid breathing, the sweet, sickly scent filling the air, quickening his heartbeat and making his own breaths grow shallow.

Lifting his hand, he gently touched Yan Bubu's face and asked in a hoarse voice, "What's wrong?"

Yan Bubu blinked, recognizing Feng Chen, and whimpered pitifully: "I don't know, I feel so terrible..."

Sweat dampened his hair, sticking it to the sides of his face. His lips were parched from the fever, his gaze innocent and dazed, making him look especially pitiful.

As he nuzzled his face against Feng Chen's chest, Feng Chen gently placed him back on the pillow: "You stay put, I'll call the medical officer."

"No, I don’t want a medical officer…" Yan Bubu reached out to pull Feng Chen back, but was sternly reprimanded, "Lie down, don’t move."

Yan Bubu didn't dare move again, but his eyes followed Feng Chen, making unintelligible humming sounds.

Feng Chen got up quietly, changing out of his pajamas into his clothes.

The air was filled with a tempting sweetness, swirling around his nose, accelerating his heartbeat, and causing a throbbing in his temples.

Bi Nunu also emerged from the basket under the bed, wearing a floral nightgown sewn by Feng Chen from scraps of fabric, looking nervously at Yan Bubu on the bed along with Black Lion.

Feng Chen thought to open the window, but then hesitated, instead securing it even more tightly.

He dressed in front of the half-mirror on the wall, then paused to correct a button he had fastened wrong.

"Yan Bubu has a fever. Keep an eye on him, use a cold towel to wipe his forehead first. I’m going to find the medical officer." Feng Chen paused with his hand on the doorknob, then turned back, "Actually, don’t touch him, just wait for me."

Ten minutes later, a guide medical officer carrying a medicine box followed Feng Chen across the courtyard to their double room at the sentinel-guide academy.

"I noticed he had a fever around three o'clock. It shouldn't have been for long. He's conscious, and his temperature is probably around 40 degrees..." Feng Chen briefed the medical officer about Yan Bubu’s condition, hesitated, then added, "I also smelled a strange fragrance."

"A strange scent?" The medical officer asked sharply, "Guide pheromones?"

"I'm not sure," Feng Chen replied.

As they reached the door, the medical officer sniffed, "Indeed, guide pheromones. The room is filled with them; a guide is entering a bonding heat."

"Bonding heat?" Even though he had considered the possibility, Feng Chen still paused in surprise.

"Come in quickly and close the door."

Feng Chen immediately entered the room and closed the door behind him.

Black Lion was placing a cold towel on Yan Bubu's forehead, while Bi Nunu squatted beside it, wringing another towel in a basin. Yan Bubu lay with his eyes tightly shut, his face still flushed but no longer restlessly tossing and turning, evidently having fallen into a deep sleep.

"Has he not bonded yet?" the medical officer asked.

Feng Chen responded affirmatively.

"Aren't you guys living in the sentinel-guide double rooms? You haven’t bonded yet?" The medical officer set down the medical kit and walked over to Yan Bubu’s bedside.

Feng Chen followed and said, "No." Then he asked, "Is he okay?"

The medical officer, sensing the tension in Feng Chen’s voice, reassured him, "Don't worry, many guides enter bonding heat at night, so there’s always a guide medical officer on duty at the medical point. This is quite common."

He glanced at Feng Chen, "The instinct triggered by guide pheromones can be tough on sentinels, especially when it’s their own guide. The higher the compatibility between a sentinel and a guide, the stronger this reaction."

Feng Chen remained silent, only unbuttoning the collar of Yan Bubu’s pajamas to make him more comfortable.

Bi Nunu continued to wring the towel by the basin, but Black Lion seemed restless, lightly scratching the carpet. Feng Chen glanced at it and immediately severed their mental link, knowing it was affected by his own state.

"How old is he?" the medical officer inquired.

Feng Chen answered, "Seventeen and a half."

"Has he shown these symptoms before?"

Feng Chen: "No, this is the first time."

The medical officer said, "Then it might be a false bonding heat. I'll examine his body. If it’s not a false heat and he has reached the requirements for bonding, you can bond."

Feng Chen hesitated, "But he's only seventeen..."

The medical officer pushed up his glasses on the bridge of his nose, "You think you’re ordinary people?"

Without further conversation, the medical officer took out injections and instruments from the medical kit. Feng Chen stood quietly by the bed, his expression unreadable. Sweat had dampened his hair and was now sliding down his cheeks, soaking his shirt with large wet patches on the back.

As the medical officer prepared to strap the cuff of the testing device on Yan Bubu's arm, Feng Chen, seeing his hands full, offered, "Let me do it." He then gently pulled Yan Bubu's arm from under the blanket, carefully rolling up the sleeve of his pajamas.

As Feng Chen uncovered the blanket, a strong wave of guide pheromones hit him, sweetly flooding his nostrils and seeping into every pore.

His fingers trembled slightly, yet he carefully wrapped the cuff around Yan Bubu’s arm and gently placed it back down: "It’s ready now."

The medical officer, noticing Feng Chen's sweat-soaked clothes, considerately said, "You can step outside for a while, no need to stay in here."

"It's okay, I can stay here."

Feng Chen nodded slightly to the officer, still standing by the bed, watching over the sleeping Yan Bubu.

The medical officer was both admiring and surprised at the sentinel's self-control.

Every sentinel-guide pair matched by the system has a compatibility of over 70%. He didn't know their exact compatibility, but it was at least 70%.

Whether it's a true bonding heat or a false one, the pheromones emitted by a guide during this process are indistinguishable and irresistibly attractive to their sentinel.

He had seen many sentinels struggle to control their instincts when their guide entered bonding heat, but this young and handsome sentinel appeared calm and orderly despite the sweat, showing no signs of frantic agitation.

The medical officer watched the numbers jumping on the device, finally settling on a figure.

"Yes, it's a false bonding heat." He removed the cuff from Yan Bubu’s arm, "When guides just start maturing, their pheromone secretion can be unstable, often leading to false bonding heats. But be aware, if this happens again, it could be a true bonding heat."

Feng Chen turned to look at Yan Bubu: "Does he need treatment? Will he be okay with the fever continuing like this?"

The medical officer packed away the device, saying, "No, he’ll recover soon, probably in half an hour or so."