Chapter 198

Chapter 198

After Lin Fen finished reading the contents of the letter, Yu Yuan reached out, "Let me have a look at the letter."

He carefully examined the piece of toilet paper and then passed it to Yan Bubu, who was craning her neck. After Yan Bubu finished reading, all four of them turned their gaze to Binunu.

Lin Fen said, "As soon as the battle starts on Ran Zhengshou's end, we'll break through downhill. No matter what, we must safely escort Fanrenjing and Heiliqiao out."

"Do we need to start preparing now? Is it going to start in a couple of days?" Yan Bubu put down her chopsticks and asked.

Lin Fen said, "Don't worry, Ran Zhengshou has not only to rescue General Feng and the others but also to make arrangements. And all of this must be done quietly, without alerting Chen Sizhe. I estimate it'll take about half a month."

Yan Bubu, a bit disappointed, said, "That long, huh…"

"That's the fastest pace," Lin Fen replied, looking at Yan Bubu and lowering his voice seriously, "Do you know what's most important right now?"

Yan Bubu, startled, also lowered her voice, "What is it?"

Lin Fen's gaze slowly fell on her bowl and suddenly exclaimed, "It's eating!"

"Look at your bowl. The amount of rice hasn't changed from before. What have you actually eaten? Air? If all soldiers were like you, would they have the strength to fight? Pinch the flesh on your arm; see how much you can grasp..."

Yan Bubu quickly began eating her rice. Feng Chen added a piece of carrot to her bowl, "Slow down, no one asked you to shovel it into your mouth."

"Have some soup first," Yu Yuan pushed a freshly ladled bowl of soup towards Yan Bubu, glancing indifferently at Lin Fen, "You're quite talkative now."

"…Alright, I won't say more. Just finish your meal," Lin Fen said, diverting his gaze nonchalantly to his own bowl.

Lin Fen discreetly shifted his eyes away, staring at the bowl in front of him.

The following days were a waiting game, biding time for the right moment to arrive.

During this period, Wang Suizi and the others came several times, following the path laid out by the Mimosa, silently traversing the dark places and crevices without alerting those ambushed on the mountain.

The eagle and crane repeatedly carried the koala wrapped in the letter between the crevice and the mountaintop. After several times, Yu Yuan couldn’t help but say, "Why not just tie the letter to the eagle’s leg? Why bother the poor koala every time?"

This spared the koala from having to fly back and forth in the sky while asleep, occasionally also enduring a couple of slaps from Binunu.

The correspondence started off normally, briefly reporting on the situation within the army and on the mountain. But after a letter or two, the eagle became the exclusive messenger for Wang Suizi and Yan Bubu.

Yan Bubu would eagerly open the letters as soon as she received them, reading them with a smile and then quickly writing a reply for the eagle to take back.

However, once Yan Bubu went to collect a letter and found it began with "Dear Colonel Yu," realizing it wasn’t from Wang Suizi to her, she folded it back up.

But as she folded it, her eyes unintentionally caught a couple of lines.

"I am now a B+ Sentinel and have found a Guide I've admired for many years... I plan to confess to her in the next few days... I hope you and Major General Lin are safe. Ji Yi. (Note: The girl who fell into the sea during a fight on the ship and was saved by you)"

Yan Bubu turned to look for Yu Yuan, spotting him sitting beside the field, next to Lin Fen who was farming like an old peasant. They were both laughing about something.

"Uncle Colonel Yu, your letter," Yan Bubu ran over, handing the letter to Yu Yuan.

"My letter?" Yu Yuan looked puzzled.

Yan Bubu candidly said, "Yes, I accidentally read a line; it was addressed to 'Dear Colonel Yu.'"

"Oh, who wrote it?" Lin Fen asked, leaning on his hoe.

Yan Bubu replied, "Ji Yi."

"Who is Ji Yi?" Lin Fen asked Yu Yuan, who shook his head in confusion.

"The girl who fell into the sea during a fight on the ship, the one you saved," Yan Bubu explained, noticing both men staring at her, and quickly added, "I accidentally read the last line too."

"Ah, her…" Yu Yuan chuckled, then turned to Lin Fen, "She's the girl who fought all the kids on the boat on our way to the Central City. Once, she fell into the sea when the ice layer was thin, and she broke through and sank. I had to dive in to pull her out."

Lin Fen nodded, "I remember her. She used to follow you around, asking you to wait for her, saying she would marry you when she grew up."

"There's such a story?" Yu Yuan raised an eyebrow in surprise.

Lin Fen glanced sideways, "It's normal you don't remember. At least five kids have said they'll marry you when they grow up, and a bunch of teenagers have written you love letters."

Yu Yuan skeptically retorted, "With no paper or pens, where did these love letters come from?"

"Somehow they got hold of scrap paper and wrote on the back," Lin Fen explained.

Yu Yuan asked with a smile, "Then how come I never knew about this?"

Lin Fen, with an open expression, replied, "I gave all the love letters, along with the kids, to their parents."

"Major General Lin, did anyone write you love letters?" Yan Bubu interjected from the side.

Lin Fen looked at Yan Bubu, "You’ve delivered the letter, now go quickly. Don't you have physical training to do? What are you doing standing around here?"

"Eh... Oh..." Yan Bubu made a strange noise.

Lin Fen paused, "Everyone's admiration for me is buried in their hearts."

He nodded towards the letter in Yu Yuan's hand, "Another love letter?"

Yan Bubu responded, "No, Ji Yi mentioned in her letter that she's had someone she liked for many years, a Guide. She also wishes you and Colonel Yu safety... um, I just accidentally read that part."

"As long as the letter is delivered, that's enough. Now go, quickly."

Waving his hand as if shooing a fly, Lin Fen ushered Yan Bubu away. Yan Bubu then turned to go inside, ready to write a letter to Wang Suizi. After a few steps, he turned back, mimicking in a pinched voice, "Everyone's admiration for me is buried in their hearts."

Without waiting for Lin Fen's reprimand, he dashed back into the house like the wind.

Yan Bubu began writing to Wang Suizi, mentioning the recent incident: "…I suspect the Guide Ji Yi mentioned is you. If she confesses to you, just pretend you don't know."

The eagle delivered the letter to Wang Suizi and quickly returned with a reply. Yan Bubu excitedly opened the letter, expecting to share Wang Suizi's excitement, only to find a brief message inside.

"This greasy peacock actually pursued Colonel Yu at the age of ten, unbelievable. Bubu, well done, keep investigating! Find more dirt on her!!!"

Yan Bubu: ???

Colonel Su and Ran Pinghao also visited the crevice, sending two letters to Lin Fen via the eagle. Colonel Su's letter was covered in tear stains, and Lin Fen could only pinch a corner with his fingers, his brows deeply furrowed.

"Wow, Principal Su, ah, this is a letter from Principal Su to you." Yan Bubu reached out to touch the tear stains, "These are Principal Su's tears too."

After reading Colonel Su's letter, Lin Fen opened Ran Pinghao's, pushing away the fuzzy head that had leaned in too close: "You can’t read this."

"Why can it read then?" Yan Bubu pointed at Binunu, who was also peering over, standing on a stool.

"You're from the Eastern Allied Army, so you can't read it. But Heiliqiao is from the Western Allied Army, so it can," Lin Fen explained, crossing his legs and unfolding the letter.

Yan Bubu in shock, "How did Binunu become part of the Western Allied Army?"

Lin Fen glanced at him from the letter, "It joined the Western Allied Army a week ago."

Binunu also lifted its floral skirt to show Yan Bubu, who then noticed that two white fabric stripes, the emblem of the Western Allied Army, had been sewn into the hem at some point.

The stitches on the fabric were smooth and fine, clearly the handiwork of Yu Yuan.

Yan Bubu paused in bewilderment, then turned to look for Sasaki: "What about Sasaki? Sasaki!"

Sasaki had already moved from its original spot, shrinking into an unseen corner, with a fleeting and evasive gaze.

After a few seconds of silence, Yan Bubu burst out in anger, "You two traitors! Traitors! Shameful traitors of the Eastern Allied Army!"

"What are you yelling about? Who's a traitor?" Feng Chen's voice came from outside the window on the lawn.

Yan Bubu glanced at Lin Fen beside her and then left the house, crossing the empty hallway and jogging towards the lawn outside.

On the lawn, Feng Chen was planing a piece of wood on a carpentry rack. Wearing only a thin T-shirt, his muscles subtly flexed with each movement.

Yan Bubu ran over to him, speaking in a low voice, “Bibi and Sasa are traitors. Do you know what they did? They were taken to the Western Allied Army by Major General Lin.”

Feng Chen took the pencil tucked behind his ear and made marks on the wood, asking, "How did you manage that?"

“I don’t know.”

Lin Fen's voice came from the window behind them, “Two soldiers, it's time for Officer Yu to wake up from his nap. Call him to join us for a walk.”

Yan Bubu turned to look at the window, seeing the silhouettes of the two quantum beasts dashing towards the bedroom.

“Look at them, look at their traitorous ways,” Yan Bubu complained, seeing Feng Chen not even lifting his head, and snatched the pencil from his hand, “Don’t just brush it off.”

Feng Chen took out a measuring tape from his pocket and began measuring the wood while half-bent over, “If they were taken, they were taken. It’s fine.”

“How can that be fine? Imagine us in the Eastern Allied Army, while our two quantum beasts train with the Western Allied forces. Picture that scene,” Yan Bubu said seriously.

Feng Chen looked up at Yan Bubu, who nodded at him.

Feng Chen stood straight, scanning the surroundings before gesturing for Yan Bubu to look into the distance, “Look over there.”

Yan Bubu followed his gaze, and Feng Chen gestured towards a tree on the left.

Yan Bubu saw the crane and vulture perched on a branch, grooming each other’s feathers.

Feng Chen whispered, “How about we get those two into the Eastern Allied Army? Let’s recruit them later.”

“Ah... Right! Haha!” Yan Bubu laughed in delight, “That’s a great idea, brother, you’re brilliant.”

Feng Chen said, “I’ll write an enlistment request. Let them press their paw prints on it. From now on, during drills, if we see them, we can order them to fall in.”

“Yes, yes, that’s a good plan.”

Feng Chen: “Two for two, it’s a fair trade.”

Yan Bubu said with a smile, "Indeed, it's worth it."

"Are you happy?"

"Happy."

"Are you pleased?"

"Pleased."

"Go, help me hold down the wood over there."

"Okay."

Lin Fen has been accompanying Yu Yuan for rehabilitation training every day, so his health is rapidly improving. Initially only able to walk shakily, he can now run circles around the hilltop with Yan Bubu, often leaving him behind.

"You start off too fast and burn out quickly due to excessive energy consumption. Breathe evenly, maintain your rhythm." Yu Yuan slowed down, waiting for Yan Bubu to catch up. After running together for a while, they sat down beside a grove.

Yan Bubu's heavy breathing gradually steadied, and Yu Yuan took off the towel from his waist to give to him. Yan Bubu wiped the sweat off his face haphazardly, and Yu Yuan took it back, lifting Yan's shirt to spread the towel on his back.

"There's a strong wind here, and you're sweaty. Use the towel as a barrier."

While Yu Yuan was spreading the towel on Yan Bubu, Yan turned his head to look at Yu Yuan's face, and suddenly asked, "Uncle Colonel Yu, do you remember everything from these past years?"

Since Yu Yuan woke up, Yan Bubu and Feng Chen had been careful with their topics, never asking about his time as a zombie. Now, looking at Yu Yuan's gentle eyes, Yan blurted out the question unexpectedly.

Yu Yuan looked up at him, and Yan Bubu, feeling a bit regretful, stammered, "I just think, maybe it's better if you don't remember anything… Sorry, I shouldn’t have asked."

"I vaguely remember some things, but most of it is a blur." Yu Yuan smiled unconcernedly, straightened up, and after a moment, replied, "Lin Fen has had a tough time these years."

"Yes, he's had it particularly hard," Yan Bubu sincerely agreed.

Yu Yuan sighed and then looked at him again, "Feng Chen has also had a tough time over these years."

"Yes, my brother has had it hard too," Yan Bubu nodded.

"Back then, he was so young yet had to take care of an even younger you. It's a feat not every adult could manage." Yu Yuan gazed intently at Yan Bubu and suddenly asked, "Little Curly, do you resent us?"

Yan Bubu was startled, "Blame you?"

Yu Yuan said, "Blame me and Lin Fen for not taking you with us initially, and later being unable to fetch you."

Yan Bubu pondered for a moment, then replied, "Given the situation then, it wasn't your fault. Besides, my brother and I never blamed you."

Yu Yuan looked at him silently, and Yan Bubu added, "Actually, my brother and I had a good life in Haiyun City, better than those who went to the Central City."

"Hmm, how so? Tell me more, I want to hear," Yu Yuan urged.

Yan Bubu began to recount his and Feng Chen's life in Haiyun City, their home at the research institute, the vegetables they grew, including their robot Xiaoqi.

Yu Yuan listened attentively, asking questions about the kind of vegetables they grew and if the mutant varieties were easy to catch.

With an engaged listener, Yan Bubu grew more animated, even standing up and gesturing to emphasize his points: "...Every night there was this 'thud, thud, thud' noise upstairs. We couldn't figure out where it was coming from. As soon as we went up to check, the noise would stop. I thought it was a ghost. My brother and I hid in advance and caught it when the noise started at midnight. Guess what it was? A mutant woodpecker pecking at a crack in the outer wall..."

After talking for over half an hour, Yan Bubu finally paused, sighing wistfully, "Uncle Colonel Yu, living in Haiyun City was wonderful. If only you and Major General Lin hadn't left, we could have lived together."

"Yes, living in Haiyun City was wonderful," Yu Yuan smiled at him, looking very pleased, then reached out to ruffle his hair, "Little Curly, you really had a good life... I'm very happy, truly happy."

Yan Bubu paused, then smiled with a twinkle in his eye, "Having you wake up makes me happy too, really happy."

At night, Yan Bubu lay in bed and, seeing Feng Chen finished with his ablutions, lifted a corner of the blanket and stretched his leg out, gently stroking his calf: "...Feels so good, ah, so nice..."

Feng Chen chuckled softly, then turned away to close the window and draw the curtains before returning to the bedside.

Yan Bubu straightened up, kneeling at the edge of the bed, one arm around Feng Chen's neck, the other hand untying the sash of his robe.

The sash was swiftly pulled open, the bathrobe fell open revealing the smooth lines of the muscles beneath, but Yan Bubu quickly closed it again and retied the sash.

"Delicious things shouldn't be devoured in one bite, they must be savored slowly. Like in the movies, first a gentle caress, then slowly undressing," Yan Bubu's fingers slipped inside Feng Chen's robe, giggling, "It's great that Bi Nunu and Sa Sa Ka aren't sleeping with us these nights, we don't have to rush."

Feng Chen watched his hands, murmuring, "They'll be back soon."

"What?" Yan Bubu's hand froze.

Feng Chen said, "Didn't you say you were going running with Colonel Yu tonight? Aren't you still slower than him?"

"Yeah," Yan Bubu nodded blankly, "What does that have to do with them coming back?"

"Colonel Yu has fully recovered," Feng Chen said meaningfully, "That changes everything."

Bang, bang, bang!

As he spoke, there was a knock at the door.

Yan Bubu stared blankly at the door, Feng Chen patted his head, removed his hand from inside his robe, and went to open the door.

Standing at the door were Sa Sa Ka and Bi Nunu. Sa Sa Ka held a small pillow in its mouth, and Bi Nunu, wearing a nightgown with an eye mask perched on its head, looked as if it had just been chased off the bed.

"Did Major General Lin send you back?" Feng Chen asked the two quantum beasts, leaning on the door frame.

Bi Nunu didn't respond, but Sa Sa Ka nodded.

Feng Chen stepped aside from the door, "Then come in first."

Yan Bubu sat on the bed with a wooden expression, watching Sa Sa Ka place the small pillow between two larger ones. Bi Nunu climbed directly to the center of the bed, adjusted its eye mask, and lay down. Seconds later, it stretched out its paw to search around, found the corner of the lifted blanket, and covered itself.