Chapter 187

Chapter 187

As they continued forward, the beam from the forehead lamp grew brighter, and the bashful grass on the ground became less frequent, replaced by unknown wild grasses and shrubs.

Ahead, there was a narrow crevice in the cliff wall. If they passed through it, they should completely exit the area shrouded in dark matter.

Yan Bubu stopped in front of the cliff, turning to look back. Gazing at the vague mountain silhouettes in the darkness, he felt a complex mix of emotions. Their safe journey with Feng Chen was all thanks to the bashful grass, yet he couldn't even thank it face to face.

Although Feng Chen couldn't see anything, he too stood still, looking back.

Yan Bubu's gaze slowly swept over the distant cliff and suddenly noticed a small cave halfway up the mountain, emitting a soft silver light, like a lantern was lit inside.

He looked intently and saw a tall plant growing at the cave entrance, with the light emanating from it.

Yan Bubu stared unblinkingly at the plant, feeling a strong sense that it was also looking at him.

Are you the main plant of the bashful grass? It must be you, it's definitely you...

"Brother, I see it," Yan Bubu whispered.

Feng Chen immediately realized, "The bashful grass?"

"Yes, it's saying goodbye to us."

Yan Bubu waved towards that direction and saw the plant gently swaying, casting silver dots of light in the air, as if responding to him.

After saying goodbye to the bashful grass, Yan Bubu and Feng Chen stepped into the crevice in the cliff.

The crevice, stretching for several hundred meters, was only half a meter wide. The sound of water dripping nearby and the cold wind whistling in from the other end added to the eerie atmosphere. Though it was still dark ahead, it was different from the pure, dense blackness shrouded in dark matter.

As they were about to exit, Feng Chen released his mental energy to scout ahead.

In front of them lay a forest teeming with lush vegetation. However, this verdant appearance was deceptive; apart from some low bushes and wild grass, most of the tall and sturdy trees were mutant varieties.

Feng Chen's mental energy scanned the nearby area and, finding no danger, Sasaki and Binunu took the lead into the forest.

The two quantum beasts occasionally scratched the tree vines and branches, calming the restless mutant plants which then retreated fearfully.

Feng Chen, leading Yan Bubu, also entered the forest. His mental energy radiated outward in all directions, alert to any movement in the area.

He discovered that they were on a mountain peak in a range of connected mountains. Descending from this peak would lead them to another high mountain.

Yan Bubu held his hand tightly, "Where are we? Is this the place where you encountered zombies last time? Did you find anything?"

Feng Chen replied, "This isn't the junction of Yin Xia Mountain and the unnamed mountain range, nor where I encountered zombies before. We're probably far from Yin Xia Mountain now, deep in the heart of the unnamed mountain range."

"Deep in the unnamed mountain range... But what are we doing here? We came to investigate the place where you were injured," Yan Bubu said.

Feng Chen thought for a moment, "The bashful grass had more than one route to lead us out of the mountain, yet it chose this direction. Since it can read our memories, there must be a reason it brought us here."

"Right, this path was chosen by the bashful grass."

"I've just checked this mountaintop, and there's nothing here. Let's go down the mountain and then head to the opposite peak," Feng Chen suggested, leading Yan Bubu downhill, "Be careful with the path, watch your step."

"Okay, got it."

The mountain was damp, and the soil was slippery. Yan Bubu slipped several times and was firmly caught by Feng Chen, who eventually decided to carry him on his back, making their descent quicker.

Yan Bubu, leaning on Feng Chen’s shoulder, eyed Binunu seated on Sasa Ka's back. Suddenly feeling mischievous, he grabbed some bushes nearby, crumpled them into a ball, and threw it at Binunu’s head. After hitting his target, he immediately feigned innocence.

Binunu looked around warily, and after being hit a second time, realized it was Yan Bubu. It glared at him as if ready to pounce. Sasa Ka quickly sped up, carrying it away.

“Do you always have to be so mischievous? You know Binunu has a quick temper, yet you still provoke it,” Feng Chen asked, turning his head.

Yan Bubu chuckled, “It’s more fun to tease the one with a temper. Teasing Sasa Ka would be boring.”

Feng Chen then suggested, “If you're too bored, you can help me organize my psychic realm.”

“Umm, okay.”

Feng Chen’s psychic realm was not only broader than before, but also had more psychic threads. Yan Bubu started to play with these threads, lightly touching and entwining them in a flirtatious manner, slowly rubbing against them.

Until he heard Feng Chen’s resigned voice in the psychic realm, “Can you behave? We’re still descending the mountain. Do you want us both to fall off?”

Yan Bubu, with his eyes closed and lying on Feng Chen's back, had a smile on his face, "I'll just play for a little while."

"…You still need to consider the time and place."

"The timing is perfect. You walk your path, I'll play mine. Besides, the setting isn’t bad either, in the dark like this. If you want to play something else, that’s fine too."

Feng Chen cleared his throat, his tone serious, "If you keep messing around, I’m going to have to deal with you."

"Always dealing with me, huh? So how do you plan to do that?" Yan Bubu whispered into his ear, "Are you going to flip me over and pin me down, or insist that I sit up…"

Yan Bubu rambled on, noticing a blush and fine goosebumps forming on Feng Chen's neck.

"Brother, you've been blushing a lot these days. Are you feeling embarrassed?" Yan Bubu, finding it amusing, reached out to touch his neck, but Feng Chen suddenly stopped walking.

"What’s wrong? Are you going to—"

"Shh—" Feng Chen motioned for silence.

He gently set Yan Bubu down, and Sasa Ka, carrying Binunu, also turned back. Their padded feet made no sound on the damp earth.

Yan Bubu looked around curiously.

As he tried to focus, the surroundings gradually became clearer, like the brightening light at sunrise, or a photo being adjusted for brightness.

"I can see," he whispered to Feng Chen.

Feng Chen nodded, acknowledging his understanding.

There was a large tree as thick as a water tank to the left. Feng Chen took Yan Bubu behind it, and Binunu, with Sasa Ka, joined them.

Feng Chen quietly asked Binunu, "Do you still remember who you are?"

Binunu looked utterly confused.

"You are the top student from the guide class," Feng Chen said.

Binunu then appeared to understand.

"Later, no matter what passes by here, as long as we don't make a move, you shouldn't either."

Binunu glanced at Feng Chen and nodded reservedly.

Yan Bubu was trying hard to survey their surroundings, but their view was obstructed by the mutated tree. He stood quietly, flanked by the two motionless quantum beasts.

A breeze rustled the leaves, creating a whispering sound that seemed to amplify the silence of the forest.

The mutated tree in front of them, however, was not so serene. Its branches slowly pointed downwards like arrows ready to be released.

Binunu silently stepped forward, wedging itself between Feng Chen and Yan Bubu, and with a swift swipe of its paw, tore off a large piece of bark from the tree.

Green sap oozed out rapidly from the tree trunk, resembling fresh blood. Binunu struck the trunk twice more, leaving deep claw marks.

The tree visibly trembled and its branches slowly returned to their original position. Only then did Binunu retreat and stand next to Sasa Ka again.

Suddenly, Chen Feng turned off the overhead light, and Yan Bubu then heard faint footsteps, as if several people were running in this direction.

The footsteps grew closer, dull and uniformly paced, reminding him of those zombie sentinels, causing him to abruptly grab Chen Feng beside him.

Chen Feng held his hand firmly in his own, his palm warm and strong, exuding confidence and calm, quickly soothing Yan Bubu.

Several figures soon appeared from the direction of the footsteps, each wearing a headlamp. The beams made it hard to see their faces. As they got closer, Yan Bubu realized they were zombies, accompanied by several quantum beasts.

The zombies didn't notice Yan Bubu and the others, running past just tens of meters below. Bi Nunu seemed eager to leap out several times but restrained himself, waiting until the zombies had moved away before turning to Chen Feng.

"Very stylish!" Chen Feng turned the headlamp back on, complimenting Bi Nunu, "Those patrolling minions aren't worth your effort."

As they continued downhill, Yan Bubu, worried about encountering more zombies, didn't let Chen Feng carry him. Bi Nunu also walked on his own, constantly holding onto Sasa Ka's mane.

"Brother, you're right. The shy plant leading us here must have a reason, otherwise these zombies wouldn't be here," Yan Bubu whispered.

"Hmm."

Chen Feng continued to extend his psychic power, brushing through shrubs and grass, pushing forward. As his power circled around a rock and reached the foot of the mountain, he suddenly halted.

He saw a towering, steep peak ahead, with a narrow gorge below its smooth cliffs. In the gorge stood a silent figure with a quantum beast.

Chen Feng's psychic power approached quietly, unsurprisingly discovering a zombie. Further away, more figures were moving, indicating more than one zombie.

The gorge, not very long and encircling the central peak in a ring, was filled with zombies. Chen Feng's psychic power scanned the area, estimating over twenty zombies, spaced apart and silently standing in the gorge, occasionally turning in place without any other movement.

They were guarding the mountain.

What could be on this mountain?

"...Brother, Brother."

Seeing Chen Feng standing motionless, Yan Bubu nudged him and called softly.

"I'm scouting the situation," Chen Feng replied.

"I know, did you find something?" Yan Bubu asked.

He had been looking down the mountain for a long time, but the trees obstructed his view, making it impossible to see clearly.

"I saw a solitary mountain, guarded by numerous zombie sentinels at its base. I'm investigating what's on the mountain."

"What's the situation?" Yan Bubu asked.

Chen Feng's psychic power climbed up the mountain wall, like invisible vines reaching upwards, narrating slowly to Yan Bubu, "This mountain isn't very large, but it's high and steep, and looks somewhat odd. Other mountains are covered with plants or mutant species, but the cliffs of this mountain are bare, with nothing growing on them..."

As Chen Feng described, his psychic power climbed higher, nearly reaching the mountainside.

"...I circled around the mountain and found many scratch marks on all sides of the mountain wall, indicating that these zombies frequently try to climb up... It turns out there's an electric net that stops the zombies."

"Your psychic power wasn't blocked, was it?"

"No, the electric net can't block psychic power. Huh!"

Chen Feng uttered a puzzled 'huh', and before Yan Bubu could hear more, he urged, "What did you see? Why are you making that sound?"

Chen Feng didn't respond but suddenly let out a short cry of pain, crouching down with his head in his hands, while Sasa Ka disappeared from the spot abruptly.

"What happened?" Yan Bubu, frightened, quickly crouched in front of him, while Bi Nunu also rushed over.

Chen Feng didn't reply, just clutching his head tightly. His face showed pain, his teeth clenched tightly, making a grinding noise.

Bi Nunu immediately looked around, charging at the nearest mutant tree, scratching and biting, but Yan Bubu, understanding that Chen Feng wasn't under any attack, thought for a moment and then entered his psychic realm.

Feng Chen's psychic realm seemed to have weathered a storm, with psychic threads chaotically swirling and tangling together, some spinning wildly in place.

Yan Bubu, disregarding everything else, immediately began to organize them, smoothing out the tangled psychic threads.

By the time he exited Feng Chen's psychic realm, Feng Chen had recovered, though he still looked somewhat pale.

"Binunu, it's okay, leave it alone," Feng Chen said hoarsely after Binunu nearly stripped the mutated tree of its bark, and then quickly released Sasa Ka from his psychic realm.

Binunu still looked furiously agitated, its chest heaving rapidly, but it refrained from further harming the tree. Instead, it gently patted Sasa Ka's head and reattached the hairpin in its fur.

"How are you feeling? Does your head still hurt?" Yan Bubu asked anxiously.

Feng Chen shook his head, "I'm fine now. Earlier, my psychic power reached the mid-mountain and passed through the electric grid. As I continued upward, I suddenly encountered something. I was trying to see clearly what it was when my psychic power was abruptly severed, and my psychic realm was disturbed."

"What was it that disrupted your psychic power?"

Feng Chen didn't respond, lost in thought with furrowed brows. Yan Bubu didn't disturb him, waiting silently by his side.

After a moment, Feng Chen asked, "Yan Bubu, have you ever heard that there was more than one research facility operated by Anbu Jia in the past?"

"I think so, because when we met Ding Hongsheng and the others at Abel's Tears, they mentioned that it was just one of the Anbu Jia facilities," Yan Bubu emphasized, "One of them, note, one of."

"So, there definitely is more than one," Feng Chen murmured.

Yan Bubu asked, "Did you manage to see what it was you encountered?"

Feng Chen carefully said, "It seemed like a transparent net."

"A transparent net... What could that be?" Yan Bubu wondered.

Feng Chen explained, "I thought of something transparent that can block psychic power."

He pointed to his head, making Yan Bubu pause for a moment before realizing, "You mean the transparent membrane inside a zombie’s brain?"

"Yes, that kind of membrane. I suspect that above the electric grid, there’s another layer of this membrane barrier, possibly with some settings. If psychic power hits it, it triggers the setup, and the membrane releases powerful electromagnetic waves that can harm psychic power."

Yan Bubu realized, "So, you’re asking about Anbu Jia because you think the membrane barrier was installed by them there?"

Feng Chen nodded, "Because that kind of membrane, which can block psychic power, is only used by Anbu Jia, I suspect there might be an Anbu Jia research facility on the mountain top."

Yan Bubu, however, became puzzled, "But that doesn't make sense. If there's an Anbu Jia facility on the mountain, why would they set up this defense at the mid-mountain? It's meant to counter zombies, but those zombies are their creations... Are they fighting against themselves?"

"That's what I can't understand either," Feng Chen said as he began to stand up, "Regardless of the reason, I'll know more if I go down and check."

Yan Bubu quickly supported him, correcting, "We will."

"You're a top student from the guide class, you don’t need to be involved in this kind of thing—"

Yan Bubu, displeased, interrupted Feng Chen, "Are you starting to underestimate me? Have I become just another Binunu to you?"

Binunu, nearby, turned its head towards them. Both men, understanding each other, fell silent, and Binunu then turned away.

Feng Chen sighed, "I am actually a bit worried."

Yan Bubu slightly tilted his chin up, looking at Feng Chen askance, "As an A-grade sentinel, I think you should be worried about yourself, not a luminous guide!"

Feng Chen chuckled softly, finally conceding, "Alright, luminous guide, but there are many zombies in that canyon, so you need to be careful."

"It's 'we'."

"Right, 'we' need to be careful," Feng Chen agreed, then pointed at Binunu and Sasa Ka, "That includes you two as well."