Chapter 197

Chapter 197

Inside a room on the third floor, amidst heavy breathing and ambiguous noises, there were also low murmurs.

"...Binunu, Binunu hasn't come back yet... move up a bit, higher, right there... What if, what if it comes back now... I always feel, feel like it's about to push the door open..."

"Shut up! Don't worry about it."

"...Hmm."

When Yan Bubu woke up, it was already the next morning. Feng Chen entered, carrying a tray with steaming soybean rice and a bowl of braised mutant meat.

"Awake? Come have some food."

Yan Bubu made an attempt to sit up, then fell back onto the bed, weakly exclaiming, "Oh, I'm completely out of strength, I can't get up..."

Feng Chen placed the food on the bedside table, lifted him to sit on the edge of the bed, and placed chopsticks in his hand, "Eat up, it's still warm."

"Eating this right after waking up is too heavy; I can't really stomach it," Yan Bubu whined, lifting his arm to show Feng Chen the new bruises, seeking sympathy.

Standing in front of him, Feng Chen asked, "Then what would you like to eat? I'll make it right now."

Yan Bubu fiddled with the buttons on Feng Chen's chest, "I really want to eat cream cake, like the kind Madam used to make when I was little, with lots of cream on top, the thicker the better..." He looked up at Feng Chen, saw his expressionless face, and quickly changed his request, "Then maybe just a bowl of soy milk."

"Okay, I ground some soybeans this morning. You get up, and I'll go cook some soy milk."

"But I'm too weak to dress myself," Yan Bubu leaned softly against him.

Feng Chen went to grab Yan Bubu's clothes draped over the bedpost, but as he bent down, Yan Bubu pounced like a tiger, leaping out from under the covers and pinning him to the bed.

"Fine, no cream cake, but look at that stern face, that stern face. I'm going to teach you a lesson today..."

Yan Bubu tried to tickle Feng Chen's armpits as he spoke, but before he could do much, Feng Chen turned the tables and pinned him down instead.

"Look at how arrogant you are, how arrogant. I'm going to teach you a lesson today," Feng Chen restrained Yan Bubu beneath him and began tickling his armpits and the soles of his feet.

Yan Bubu, laughing so hard he could barely breathe, flailed on the bed like a fish out of water, and amid his laughter, he began to plead, "I'm wrong... Brother, I'm wrong... Hahaha... I'm wrong..."

His cheeks flushed and eyes brimming with tears of laughter, Feng Chen watched him, gradually ceasing his actions. Yan Bubu also stopped laughing, breathless, gazing back at him.

Moments later, other sounds filled the quiet room...

By the time Yan Bubu drank his soy milk, it was nearly noon. He sat on the windowsill, cradling the bowl and watching Lin Fen accompany Yu Yuan on a walk downstairs, with the four quantum beasts following alongside.

Yan Bubu turned his head and called out to Feng Chen, who was doing laundry in the bathroom, "Binunu didn't come back all night."

"Is that so? That's good," Feng Chen replied loudly.

"Good?" Yan Bubu tilted his head, pondering, then burst into laughter, "Indeed, it's good, haha."

Continuing to gaze outside, he saw Vulture and Crane flying from afar. Vulture was clutching a fuzzy object in its talons, resembling a mutant hare. The creature appeared dead, dangling limply with its head drooping.

As Vulture flew closer, Yan Bubu suddenly realized something was amiss. What it was clutching was not a mutant species corpse, but a koala!

How could there be a koala here? That clearly was Wang Suizi's quantum beast!

"Ah! Ah!" In a panic, Yan Bubu couldn't find the words, only managing to shout out loud as he watched Vulture land in front of Lin Fen and drop the koala on the lawn.

Feng Chen, having just hung the laundry, walked out of the bathroom to see Yan Bubu dashing outside, knocking over a stool in his hurry.

"Where are you going?" Feng Chen asked.

Yan Bubu's shouts echoed down the hallway, "The koala! The koala! Ah, ah, ah, ah, ah!"

Yan Bubu rushed down to the ground floor, seeing the koala lying on the lawn, with Binunu pacing back and forth beside it, claws on its back, and Sasaka continuously nudging it.

Seeing the koala in this state, Yan Bubu felt a sinking feeling, instinctively fearing something had happened. But then he realized it was unlikely, as quantum beasts in trouble would return to their owner's mental realm, not turn into a corpse.

And with all quantum beasts present, it was improbable that something had happened to Wang Suizi.

Hearing footsteps, Lin Fen turned around and, seeing Yan Bubu's anxious expression, asked, "Do you recognize this quantum beast?"

“Yes, it’s my friend’s quantum beast.” Yan Bubu hurried over, shaking the koala, “Koala, what’s wrong? Koala!”

The koala lay unresponsive on the lawn.

As a quantum beast, Yan Bubu couldn’t check its breathing or heartbeat in the usual way, so he asked Lin Fen, “Major General Lin, do you know what's wrong with it?”

Lin Fen, clearly unaware, looked towards Yu Yuan for answers.

Yu Yuan shook his head, “I’m not sure either, I've never seen this before.”

Before Yan Bubu could ask further, Bibi, who had been pacing around, suddenly rushed forward and slapped the koala across its face.

After the slap resounded, the three onlookers were stunned for half a second.

“Bibi, don’t hit it,” Yan Bubu started, but was interrupted by Yu Yuan’s surprised voice, “It’s moving.”

Yan Bubu looked down and saw the koala, previously still like a corpse, move its paw, shouting excitedly, “Koala!”

Bibi raised its paw to slap again, but Yan Bubu quickly grabbed it, “Enough, enough, don’t hit it anymore, it’s awake!”

Bibi stopped, and Yan Bubu picked up the koala.

In his arms, the koala slowly stretched out its limbs and yawned. The movement took about half a minute before it opened its eyes, looking around sleepily.

Yu Yuan asked, “Was it sleeping?”

“Yes, it always sleeps like this. I was just too worried earlier and didn’t realize it was asleep,” explained Yan Bubu.

He then asked the koala, “Why are you here? Where’s Wang Suizi? Huh? Where’s your owner?”

The koala stared blankly at him, mouth half open, without any reaction.

“Koala, give us a hint, even just a nod or a shake of the head?” Yan Bubu shook the koala, but receiving no response, he turned to look at the vulture.

Lin Fen answered on behalf of the vulture, “It and the crane went to patrol outside the mountain. Near that dark area, they found it lying on the ground and brought it back.”

Feng Chen joined them, touching the koala’s belly, “Quantum beasts can’t be too far from their owner. If Koala is here, then Wang Suizi and the others must be nearby. Major General Lin, where exactly did the vulture find it?”

Lin Fen pointed towards the southeast and said, “It was found near a crevice in that direction. The other end of the crevice leads to the dark zone.”

Yan Bubu followed his gesture and immediately said, “Ah! That’s the route we once took. We came out from that crevice. Koala was found there, but what about Wang Suizi? She wouldn’t have come alone. Were they all captured? Or encountered zombies? No, no, if it were zombies, Koala wouldn’t be fine. Then she—”

“Don't panic, everything will be fine,” Feng Chen reassured him, patting his shoulder. “Think about what Koala is usually like. It probably strayed from the group and just decided to lie down and sleep, then got found by the vulture. If Wang Suizi and the others could get out of the crevice, they must be in the dark matter area looking for us, just like we were taken out by the 'Shamegrass'.”

Yu Yuan then spoke up: "Let it connect mentally with its owner. Even if we're unclear about Wang Suizi and the others' whereabouts, at least we can get the message out about our location."

“Right! Wang Suizi and the others must be looking for me and my brother. Let’s have Koala tell them.”

Seeing Koala awake, Yan Bubu placed it sitting on the lawn. All eyes were on it, surrounded by the four quantum beasts.

Yan Bubu squatted in front of it, his tone serious, “Koala, are you telepathically connected with Wang Suizi right now? If not, connect quickly and tell her you’re with us.”

Koala didn’t react but kept staring at Yan Bubu without moving its eyes. Sensing something was off, Yan Bubu waved his hand in front of it and then shook it vigorously, “You can’t sleep with your eyes open, hurry up and tell Wang Suizi about us…”

Koala swayed from the shaking, still staring blankly ahead. Yan Bubu, out of options, looked towards Bibi and nodded.

Bibi didn’t hesitate and raised its paw high, striking Koala’s face.

Following a sharp slap, Koala’s dull eyes suddenly sparkled, regaining consciousness.

Fearing Binunu would fall asleep again, Yan Bubu immediately tugged at its ear and shouted, "Koala! Quickly connect mentally with Wang Suizi, tell her about the situation here, say that my brother and I are both here."

Koala sat motionless, reflecting Bibi’s raised paw in its eyes, then suddenly nodded.

“Good Koala, well done,” Yan Bubu praised, kissing its head twice, but his face clouded with worry again.

He turned to the three people beside him and said, "Even if Wang Suizi and the others know we're here, it's no use. They can't deal with those zombies. Right, we also need to remind them to avoid the people stationed on the mountain and not get caught."

Lin Fen reached out to nudge the dozing koala, muttering, "They don’t need to come up here, just sending a message to Ran Zhengshou is enough."

Twenty minutes later, Lin Fen handed a letter he had written to Yu Yuan, who then carefully wrapped the letter around the koala’s body with a cloth strap.

The koala, being wrapped with the cloth strap, lay on Yu Yuan's lap, sound asleep.

Yan Bubu expressed her concern, "I hope Wang Suizi doesn’t recall it to her psychic realm now. It would be bad if it gets recalled midway; the letter wouldn't reach her."

Feng Chen comforted, "That won’t happen. The koala has already established a psychic connection with her. She's not foolish enough to recall it now."

“Right, she’s not Cai Tao,” Yan Bubu nodded, then sighed with relief, “Luckily, it was the koala discovered by the eagle, not the wolfhound. Only the koala would let the eagle carry it up the mountain. The wolfhound would just fight it.”

Yu Yuan handed the koala, wrapped with the letter, to the eagle and said to it and the crane, "Take the koala back to where it was found, and wait for its owner to find it. They should send a reply. Bring the reply back to us."

The crane let out a clear cry and flew into the sky with the eagle. Mid-air, the koala opened its eyes and waved its paw at Yan Bubu below with a small arc.

It was time for lunch, but none of the four felt like eating. They all stood on the lawn, waiting for the eagle and the crane to return.

Yan Bubu kept asking, "Where are they now?"

Yu Yuan replied, "They've already placed the koala in front of the crevice."

"What are they doing now?"

Yu Yuan said, "Waiting for the koala’s owner, Wang Suizi."

Three minutes later.

Yan Bubu asked, "What are they doing now? Has Wang Suizi arrived?"

Yu Yuan answered, "Not yet."

Ten minutes later.

Yan Bubu asked, "Has Wang Suizi arrived? What are they doing now?"

Yu Yuan patiently replied, "Not yet, the eagle and crane are still waiting."

Feng Chen, listening nearby, couldn't help but whisper to Lin Fen, "It must be asleep; otherwise, it could have notified Wang Suizi to find it."

Lin Fen turned to Feng Chen, who gestured with his chin towards Binunu nearby. Lin Fen then discreetly shifted his gaze away.

Half a minute later, Yu Yuan said, "…The koala was woken up by the eagle."

"…A group of young Sentinel-Guides has arrived… They saw the letter on the koala…"

While Yu Yuan narrated, Feng Chen went back inside to cook. Just as he finished the last dish, Yan Bubu shouted excitedly, "The eagle and crane are back! They've brought back a letter."

"Come eat first, we can read it while eating!" Feng Chen called out from the kitchen window.

At the dining table, Lin Fen unfolded a piece of paper, frowning, "Toilet paper?"

Yan Bubu, biting her chopstick tip, asked, "What's wrong with toilet paper?"

Lin Fen replied sternly, "What kind of soldiers are you? Didn’t your instructor tell you to always carry paper and pen in your backpack for missions?"

Yu Yuan leisurely sipping soup, commented, "Toilet paper is still paper. With the situation as it is, we shouldn't be fussy; as long as we can write on it."

"Hurry up and read it," urged Yan Bubu, reaching to take it, "If you won’t, let me."

"You should finish your meal first; your rice is getting cold," Feng Chen tapped her bowl with his chopsticks, "We've waited so long, another ten minutes won’t matter."

Lin Fen quickly read through the paper, set it aside, picked up his bowl, and began eating while recounting the contents of the letter.

"Your previous guess was right; they indeed went to the dark matter area without informing the military... um, and they found the dishes and cutlery you left in a cave."

"Ha ha! I knew it," Yan Bubu exclaimed with delight.

Binunu sat in front of the dining table, an empty bowl in front of him, holding a pair of chopsticks in his paw. Hearing Lin Fen say this, he quickly looked at Feng Chen beside him.

Feng Chen cleared his throat, "Major General Lin, what does the letter say about the stone lion?"

Lin Fen looked up at him, their eyes briefly meeting in a faint exchange. In a natural tone, Lin Fen said, "The letter mentions that the stone lion is also fine."

"Did you hear that? The stone lion is fine," Feng Chen whispered to Binunu.

Lin Fen served Yu Yuan a bowl of soup and picked up a piece of mutated meat for Yan Bubu's bowl, continuing, "They were sent out by the Mimosa too, directly to the crevice—Yan Bubu!"

Yan Bubu, who had just placed the meat into Feng Chen's bowl, quickly retrieved it in alarm, "No… it's not that, it's just a bit fatty for me, I didn't want to eat it."

"When you were little, you ate everything, not even sparing grass skin or fish roe. You even cried with excitement when you tasted salt a few days ago. Now you're picky? Eat it!"

Yan Bubu fiddled with the piece of meat with her chopsticks, muttering under her breath, "…I was the one who saved Colonel Yu. If it weren’t for me, someone would still be hiding and crying somewhere. Not only am I not treated with respect, but I also have to deal with this attitude…"

As he spoke, he glanced at Lin Fen. Upon meeting Lin Fen's faint gaze, his voice grew softer until, eventually, he picked up the meat and ate it.

Lin Fen continued, "They said they would return immediately to report these matters to Ran Zhengshou. But since Chen Sizhe is the governor of the Eastern Allied Army, if Ran Zhengshou makes a move against him, it will inevitably lead to war. Moreover, their word alone can't convince the Eastern Allied Army. That's why I asked Ran Zhengshou to uncover the cable line you mentioned, find Chen Sizhe's secret base, and first rescue your parents. Your father has high prestige in the Eastern Allied Army and many loyal subordinates. As soon as he appears, the Eastern Allied Army will naturally learn the truth, and Chen Sizhe won’t be able to turn the situation around."