Chapter 214

Chapter 214

Yan Bubu and Binunu had disconnected their psychic link, attracting zombies along the way. Chen Feng released his psychic power to clear the path, causing the zombies to explode and fly to the sides.

They leaped out of the edge of Central City, ran across the wilderness, and the mountainous rift was now in sight.

The barrier machine was thunderously operating, sealing the lower half of the rift with a huge metallic plate, leaving only a small hole the size of a door panel.

At the small opening, a swarm of zombies jostled to get out, but their numbers only served to clog the exit, preventing any from escaping.

Without halting, Chen Feng blasted through the crowd of zombies, clearing a space. As soon as the two squeezed through the opening, they saw Wang Suizi and her group standing on a nearby hilltop, waving vigorously, "Hurry up, we're waiting for you."

The rift in the mountain was finally sealed completely, but the camp was still overrun with zombies. Without needing Lin Fen's command, everyone began to clear them out.

Under the psychic attacks of the sentinels, zombies fell in droves, and the large camp was quickly cleared. Intense gunfire also erupted from the direction of the plantation, signaling that the military had descended from the hills and stormed into the smaller camp.

As Lin Fen and the others headed towards the small camp, Yan Bubu attempted to follow, but Chen Feng stopped him, "We're not needed there now. First, remove the injection from my body."

Yan Bubu looked at Chen Feng, who appeared calm and untroubled, and nodded, entering his psychic realm.

The outer wall of Chen Feng's psychic realm had turned black and quickly spread onto Yan Bubu's psychic tendrils. Yan Bubu tirelessly worked to cleanse it, and the black substance dissipated, revealing the original state of the psychic realm's outer wall.

However, problems arose when dealing with the psychic strands.

The blackness on these strands didn’t spread to his tendrils and had fused with the gold, becoming a part of Chen Feng’s psychic realm.

Yan Bubu tried for a long time but couldn't find a solution, retreating only when he heard Yu Yuan's voice.

Chen Feng had returned to his normal appearance. Yu Yuan and Lin Fen stood nearby. After hearing Yan Bubu's description, Yu Yuan pondered, "You’ve reverted to your original form, which means the zombie virus was just removed by Little Curly Hair. But as an A+ sentinel, your powerful psychic energy has absorbed the beneficial parts of the injection. This isn’t bad; it won’t harm you but will actually enhance some of your abilities."

Hearing this, Yan Bubu relaxed, and Lin Fen patted Chen Feng's shoulder, "Let's go, Dark Sentinel. Darken the plantation and eliminate those zombies."

Chen Feng smiled, "Okay."

Wang Suizi and her team had already started their assault in the plantation. With the arrival of Chen Feng and others, the zombie elimination turned into a competitive spree.

Binunu ran back and forth, but often before it could pounce, the zombie would already be down. After another miss, it stopped running and stood growling angrily in place, teeth bared, rumbling in its throat.

Sasa then dragged a struggling zombie to Binunu.

Binunu leapt up, piercing the zombie's eyeball with a claw, then squeezed the eyeball in its palm, quelling its anger before continuing its hunt.

The gunfire in the small camp dwindled, signifying the near completion of the zombie clearance. As Chen Feng was about to move forward, a hand suddenly parted the cornstalks in front of him, and he collided with the people approaching from the other side.

"You startled me; I thought you were a zombie," laughed the officer on the edge, then asked Chen Feng, "Is the plantation cleared?"

Before Chen Feng could reply, the person surrounded in the middle suddenly stopped. Chen Feng instinctively looked over and, upon recognizing the man's face, froze in place.

"General Feng, do we need to check the front? The rift in the mountain has been sealed, and the zombies in the large camp have been cleared..." The officer glanced between Feng Zai Ping and Chen Feng, his voice trailing off and eventually falling silent.

Feng Zai Ping studied Chen Feng, his eyes reddening and his hands trembling at his sides. Chen Feng clenched his teeth tightly, his breathing rapid and his chest heaving.

The person standing next to the officer leaned in and whispered, "Is this seeing an enemy?"

The officer shot him a glance: "What kind of perception is that? Don't you see they look exactly alike?" He clicked his tongue softly, "No wonder you're still a lieutenant after all these years."

Chen Feng, struggling to contain his emotions, called out hoarsely, "Father."

Feng Zai Ping quickly turned his head away, then slowly looked back, his eyes still glistening with unshed tears.

"Father," Chen Feng called again.

Feng Zai Ping stepped forward, placing his hands on Chen Feng's shoulders and patting them, taking a moment before he could fully articulate, "You've grown up."

Both father and son, reserved in expressing their emotions, though filled with excitement, simply looked at each other, saying nothing more.

"And mother?" Chen Feng asked.

"She's still in the dark matter area. We'll go to fetch her once it's safe down here," Feng Zai Ping replied, then his gaze drifted to Yan Bubu standing behind.

Yan Bubu, who had been silently standing at the back, continually wiping away tears, caught Feng Zai Ping's attention. He stared at him for a few seconds before calling out, "Bubu?"

"Sir, I'm Bubu, I am Bubu..." Yan Bubu finally broke into sobs.

Feng Zai Ping was always strict with his son but very indulgent and kind to Yan Bubu, so Yan Bubu felt no fear towards him. Upon seeing Feng Zai Ping extend his hand, Yan Bubu ran forward and threw himself into Feng Zai Ping's embrace.

Feng Zai Ping patted Yan Bubu's back, speaking tenderly, "You've grown up too, good child, you've become so big... still such a crier."

On the hillside, Lin Fen tossed aside his machine gun and said to Yu Yuan, "Let's go, stop watching. That's his real father after all."

Yu Yuan, amused by his sour tone, didn't say anything in response.

After walking a few steps, Lin Fen said sternly, "This dagger of mine isn't working well. I'm going to take back Wu Yu."

Yu Yuan sighed, "You said it yourself, that’s his real father. Isn’t it normal for a father and son to reunite?"

Lin Fen turned and called out, "Soldier Binunu!"

Binunu, initially busy hunting zombies, immediately ran back and stood at attention in front of him.

Lin Fen bent down to pick up Binunu, turning to Yu Yuan, "This one is really mine." Holding Binunu in one arm and draping the other around Yu Yuan's shoulder, he said, "Let's go back to the camp and see Ran Zhengshou."

"Ran Zhengshou is probably still on the mountain."

"Don’t know, let’s look for him."

On a cliff in Yin Xie Mountain, smooth as a mirror, stood a person. His feet were on the only small protrusion, his back pressed against the cliff, holding a tree trunk that could break at any moment.

"Is anyone there? Is anyone there?" Ran Pinghao looked down at his feet, feeling dizzy, then quickly raised his head again and hoarsely shouted.

Ding Hongsheng and Cai Tao hurried along the cliff edge. Although armed with guns and carrying military backpacks, their uniforms were tattered. Their wolfhound and terror cat were not with them, likely having sustained heavy damage and retreated to their psychic realm.

Seeing Cai Tao's preoccupied look, Ding Hongsheng tried to reassure him: "Don't worry, Chen Wenchao and the others have gone to fetch Brother Feng and Major General Lin. They'll be perfectly safe, not a hair harmed."

"I'm not worried," Cai Tao immediately responded.

Ding Hongsheng chuckled, "Still pretending? Can't I see right through you?"

Cai Tao was about to say something when he suddenly quieted: "Shh... I think I hear someone shouting."

"...Is anyone there? I need help on this cliff..."

Both men's expressions turned serious as they rushed to the edge of the cliff and shone their headlamps downward. Ran Pinghao, looking up, squinted against the light beaming down on him.

"Ran Zhengshou! Why is it you?"

"Ran Zhengshou! How did you end up here?"

Ding Hongsheng and Cai Tao were visibly shocked.

Recognizing them, Ran Pinghao urgently said, "Hurry, throw down a rope, the tree I'm holding onto is about to break."

"Oh, right, okay."

Ding Hongsheng and Cai Tao quickly retrieved a rope from their packs and threw it down. Ran Pinghao grabbed the rope, tying it around his waist while explaining, "I was worried about civilians evacuating from the dark matter area encountering zombies wandering on the mountain. Since the zombies in the camp were almost dealt with, I led a troop up the mountain to check. There were still many zombies up here. As we fought, we got separated, and I accidentally stepped into thin air near the cliff edge and fell."

"That was really close," Cai Tao exclaimed in shock.

Seeing that Ran Pinghao had secured the rope, Cai Tao immediately began to pull it up, but Ding Hongsheng pressed down on his hand to stop him.

"What's wrong?" Cai Tao asked.

Ding Hongsheng whispered, "There's no one else here... and he can only be pulled up by us..."

Cai Tao stood stunned for a moment, then inhaled sharply, "Old Ding, we can't be killing people like this!"

"What are you talking about?" Ding Hongsheng pulled out a piece of paper from his pocket and unfolded it in front of Cai Tao, "Would it be too much to ask him to sign this, maybe invalidate some previous documents?"

Cai Tao's eyes gradually brightened, "Not too much at all, not in the slightest!"

At the foot of the mountain.

Yan Bubu and Chen Feng followed Feng Zai Ping back to the small camp, where they also met Mrs. Feng, escorted down the mountain by soldiers.

Mrs. Feng appeared fragile on the outside but was strong at heart. She hadn't shed a tear during her years of captivity under Chen Sizhe, but on seeing Chen Feng and Yan Bubu, she embraced them and broke down in tears.

After a while, Feng Zai Ping, who had been standing with his back to them, finally turned around. His eyes red, he embraced his wife and instructed the soldiers to get her a cup of hot water.

Yan Bubu was still sobbing uncontrollably, "Madam, Madam, I often, I often think of Mother, think of you, and also of the little cakes you used to make..."

Mrs. Feng had deep affection for her maid Amei, even before marrying Feng Zai Ping. Hearing Yan Bubu mention Amei brought fresh tears to her eyes.

Chen Feng searched for a handkerchief on his person but, finding he was only wearing a T-shirt and had none, used the back of his hand to wipe Yan Bubu's face, murmuring, "Don't cry. If you cry, Mother will cry too. Can't you two stop?"

Yan Bubu then turned his head, rubbing all his tears on Chen Feng's shoulder.

Mrs. Feng, with her keen intuition, observed the interaction between the two, understanding something, and gradually stopped crying, turning to look at Feng Zai Ping.

"What is it?" Feng Zai Ping asked.

Mrs. Feng quietly asked, "Haven't you noticed... they are a bit different?"

"Oh, that, yes, they are different," Feng Zai Ping, misunderstanding her meaning, explained, "Xiao Chen is a sentinel, and Bubu is a guide."

"I know they're a sentinel and guide. Chen Sizhe had told me before, but he never mentioned—"

"Mentioned what?" Feng Zai Ping asked.

Seeing that he still didn't understand, Mrs. Feng waved her hand dismissively, "Never mind, I'll tell you later."

Due to the explosive devices Chen Sizhe had planted in Yin Xie Mountain and the camp, even after the military retrieved the detonator, they dared not allow civilians back to the camp. Instead, everyone was relocated to Wuming Mountain to temporarily reside there.

As the original virus was in Binunu's body, a research facility was constructed on the day the temporary camp was established, intending to extract the virus.

Only after the researchers repeatedly assured that Binunu would not be harmed, did Yan Bubu bring it into a makeshift tent and laid it on a bed. Then he stepped out of the small partition, watching from behind a transparent plastic film.

Kong Siyin, dressed in a sterile suit, entered, holding a small device and stood beside the bed, staring expressionlessly at Binunu.

After a while, just as Yan Bubu wondered why he hadn’t started, he heard Kong Siyin ask his assistant, "Is it lying here?"

"…I don’t know," the assistant, a regular person, responded.

From behind the plastic film, Yan Bubu shouted, "It's lying there, staring right at you."

Kong Siyin replied, "But I can't see it, how can I extract the virus?"

Eventually, the virus was extracted through a psychic connection between Binunu and Yan Bubu, with Kong Siyin drawing it from Yan Bubu’s psychic realm.

However, he extracted all the viruses, not only the original virus but also the ones inherent to Binunu. As a result, Binunu not only returned to its original pale white appearance but also would no longer turn Yan Bubu into a zombie when they connected psychically.

After obtaining the original virus, all the researchers in this rudimentary lab started working day and night to develop an injection to counter the zombie virus as quickly as possible.

Since the locations of the buried explosives were unknown and couldn't be cleared promptly – even one remaining would be a great danger – the two armies, after consultation, made a joint decision: all people would collectively relocate to a new place to establish a new settlement.

However, the two armies were unable to come to a timely decision regarding the selection of the new settlement location.

Jing'an City is the closest to our current location, but there's a risk that the zombies from Central City might reach there following Chen Sizhe's bomb explosions.

Anle City is neither too close nor too far, separated by a large mountain range, which could block zombies. However, it's a basin surrounded by mountains on all sides, and bad weather could easily trap people there, making it unsuitable for habitation.

After days of argument between the two armies, they finally adopted Feng Zai Ping's suggestion to relocate Central City to Haiyun City.

That location is far from Central City, so there's no worry about zombies, and with its mountains and sea, the terrain is open and the climate favorable. Moreover, as long as the fish in the sea don't die out, food and warmth are assured.

On the sixth day at the temporary camp, Yan Bubu almost didn't recognize Kong Siyin as he passed by the research facility.

Kong was squatting in front of a tent, devouring his meal. His hair was disheveled, and he sported a scruffy beard, a stark contrast to the meticulously dressed dean of the Sentinel-Guide Academy he once was.

"Dean Kong, why are you eating here?" Yan Bubu squatted in front of him and asked.

Since the virus extraction, Yan Bubu and Kong Siyin had grown familiar with each other, shedding their earlier formality.

"Got work to do, racing against time," Kong Siyin mumbled.

Yan Bubu asked, "How long until the injection is ready?"

Chewing on soybeans, Kong Siyin mumbled back, "How long until we leave for Haiyun City?"

Knowing the approximate timeline because Chen Feng and Lin Fen were in charge of the ferries, Yan Bubu replied, "About ten days or so, once they fix the last ship we can leave."

Kong Siyin nodded, "Hmm, before we depart, everyone who hasn't undergone mutation can get the injection."

"Oh, everyone can get—” Yan Bubu abruptly lowered his voice, then raised it again: “Before we leave! Everyone! Can get the injection!"

"Keep your voice down, do you know how loud you are?" Kong Siyin quickly finished his meal, tossed the food container onto a nearby table, wiped his mouth with the back of his hand, and stood up to walk into the tent, "No more chit-chat, or it’ll waste another day."

Yan Bubu, still a bit stunned, watched his retreating figure and then called out loudly, "Can I tell others about this?"

Without turning back, Kong Siyin replied, "Just don't use a loudspeaker."

"Okay!"

Yan Bubu immediately ran to Wang Suizi's guide tent to share the good news with her.

Wang Suizi's aunt was her only relative who had not yet undergone mutation, so she had always been worried about her. Knowing this news would surely delight her.

Chen Feng had been busy these days, going to the seaside with Lin Fen every morning to repair several ships, only returning late at night. When Yan Bubu had free time, he would stay with Mrs. Feng, recounting his and Chen Feng's experiences over the years.

Although he spoke of happy memories, Mrs. Feng would always end up in tears. But when he hesitated to continue, she would urge him to go on.

"Bubu, I never imagined my daughter-in-law would be you," Mrs. Feng said affectionately as she held his hand and gently pushed a strand of hair from his forehead. "But this is good. You take care of him, and he takes care of you. Now I can rest easy about both of you."

Yan Bubu paused, "I'm not a daughter-in-law, I'm his guide."

"What's the difference?" Mrs. Feng countered.

Yan Bubu opened his mouth, then realized, "Right, there isn't much difference..."

Although Binunu could still connect psychically with Yan Bubu, they continued their routine of not connecting, and Binunu didn't return to the psychic realm, still squeezing between them at night.

At night, Yan Bubu moved Binunu from the middle of their makeshift bed to the outside and scooted closer to Chen Feng, whispering, "Mom said today that I'm her daughter-in-law."

Chen Feng, who had been pretending to sleep, now slightly opened his eyes and looked at him.

"The mom I'm talking about is Mrs. Feng. She asked me to call her mom today, so I did," Yan Bubu recalled, repeating to himself, "Daughter-in-law, daughter-in-law, I've heard that term on TV before..."

Chen Feng wrapped an arm around him, a hint of amusement in his eyes, "What about being a daughter-in-law?"

"Nothing much," Yan Bubu chuckled, "You're also my mom's daughter-in-law, Amei's mother."

Chen Feng raised his other hand and lightly flicked Yan Bubu's forehead, "Yes, I'm also Amei's mother's daughter-in-law."

Yan Bubu laughed again and, as his smile faded, fell silent, simply staring intently at Chen Feng.

Chen Feng raised an eyebrow but didn’t rush him, waiting quietly.

"Wife," Yan Bubu suddenly blurted out, then held his breath, watching Chen Feng intently.

Chen Feng hesitated for a moment, ultimately unable to respond.

"Ha!" Yan Bubu flipped over and landed on top of Chen Feng, continuously kissing his face and lips, repeatedly calling out, "Wife, wife, wife..."

Binunu, wearing an eye mask, lay beside the bed with its paws crossed over its chest, seemingly motionless. However, its heaving chest revealed its seething anger.

"Wife, wife, wife..."

Amid Yan Bubu's incessant kisses and soft calls, Chen Feng rolled over, pinning him down, nibbling his chin, and tickling his armpits.

After being jostled by an elbow again, Binunu, unable to bear it any longer, tore off its eye mask and swiped a paw at Chen Feng's back, then thumped Yan Bubu under the arm.

Both men turned their heads to look at Binunu, its face full of anger, and silently lay back down, staring at the tent ceiling.

"We should get them a separate room in the future," Chen Feng consoled Yan Bubu.

"No," Yan Bubu calmly shook his head, "Better to build another house and let them move out."

After relentless efforts day and night by the research team, the vaccine was successfully developed on the thirteenth day at the temporary camp.

It was night, and everyone was preparing to sleep when the camp's main broadcast system suddenly came alive with a voice struggling to contain its excitement.

"...Announcing the successful development of the vaccine against the zombie virus. Due to limited resources, the first batch of vaccines, just over a hundred, will be prioritized for children. For mass production, we need to reach Haiyun City... Research has found that zombies can only maintain bodily functions for ten years, so in ten years, the existing zombies will self-degenerate..."

The entire camp fell silent, but many people had already stepped out of their tents, standing in the open, staring at the broadcaster. When the last sentence of the broadcast ended, and the crackling of the current faded, still no one made a sound.

A minute later, a sob broke out from a tent, sporadic and heavily suppressed. But soon, more cries followed, echoing across the open space and from within the tents.

No longer suppressing their emotions, people wept openly and heart-wrenchingly.

They felt both relief and sorrow.

Relief for their own survival, and sorrow for those relatives who had become zombies, wondering why the mutation couldn't have happened a little later, just a bit later…

Along with the success of the vaccine development, the military also brought good news: several large ships had been completely repaired and were ready to depart for Haiyun City.

But before leaving, the military had one more task to complete.

At dawn by the seaside, waves lapped against the shore, and several large cruise ships gently swayed in the shallow waters. On the nearby road, two tracked vehicles were parked, surrounded by a large crowd.

"Be careful, open the roof of the vehicle, or it'll press against the branches."

"Move it a bit to the left, a little more... there."

Yan Bubu stood beside one of the tracked vehicles, watching soldiers adjust the position of a large potted plant. The plant was about the height of a person and, although covered with a semi-transparent plastic film, one could still see the luminescence under the film.

A soldier jumped down from the vehicle and ran to report to Ran Pinghao and Feng Zai Ping.

"Squad Two is ready and can depart at any time."

Feng Zai Ping nodded, "It's a several months' journey to and from the Amixi Polar Region, and you'll encounter many dangers and harsh conditions on the way. Thank you for your efforts."

"Rest assured, General and Premier, we guarantee to complete the mission," the soldiers responded in unison.

"Don't worry, the Mimosa you're escorting will help clear the dangers. There's nothing that can get past it," Ran Pinghao muttered, then with a wave of his hand, commanded, "Depart!"

The two tracked vehicles followed the bumpy road, heading towards the Amixi Polar Region. Yan Bubu waved continuously at the vehicles, bidding farewell to the Mimosa in his heart.

"...You're going to live well in the Amixi Polar Region, I will miss you. If I get a chance in the future, I'll come to visit you..."

The light under the plastic film swayed from side to side, as if the Mimosa was waving back at him.

Chen Feng wrapped his arm around Yan Bubu’s shoulder, murmuring, “This planet isn't just for humans; every life form is struggling to survive and has the right to do so. Now, with mutant species everywhere, humans are no longer the sole dominant force. We must learn to establish some balance with other species.”

After seeing off the Mimosa, the group went to inspect the ships. As the departure was imminent, many soldiers were busy on board, moving necessary supplies onto the ship.

Feng Zai Ping, leading Chen Feng and Yan Bubu, walked on the left, while Ran Pinghao and Lin Fen walked on the right, talking softly.

Ran Pinghao spoke in a low voice, “Haiyun City is Feng Zai Ping's turf, and I’m not familiar with it at all. You’ve spent a few years in Haiyun City, so be vigilant once we get there. Don't let him get ahead in everything…”

"I understand," Lin Fen responded.

“With you there, I can finally relax. The one who will be uncomfortable from now on is Feng Zai Ping,” Ran Pinghao's brows slightly relaxed.

Lin Fen glanced at him, asking with a half-smile, “Didn’t that document ease your mind a bit?”

Ran Pinghao seemed suddenly choked up, his expression turning awkward.

“What’s wrong?” Lin Fen asked.

“Nothing,” Ran Pinghao quickly strode forward, squeezing out a few words through gritted teeth, “I’m not relaxed at all!”

Three days later, to the long sound of horns, several large cruise ships left the coast, heading towards the distant Haiyun City.

Since the ships couldn't accommodate everyone, half of the people were traveling to Haiyun City by land. However, the dark matter in the sky was continuously dissipating, trees on the mountains were budding, and wildflowers blooming. Coupled with the military escort, many people willingly chose to travel by land.

As the ship sailed into the middle of the sea, sunlight streamed through the clouds, and everyone stood on the deck, basking in the long-missed sunshine, watching the blue waves of the sea.

Lin Fen sat on a lounge chair on the top deck, enjoying the sea breeze and flipping through a yellowed military book, occasionally conversing with Yu Yuan.

"General Feng took the land route; Xiao Chen and Bubu must have departed with him," Yu Yuan remarked, gazing towards the coast.

Without looking up, Lin Fen replied indifferently, "Not concerned."

Yu Yuan asked, "Would you like some tea? Mrs. Feng sent over a packet earlier. I'll brew you a cup."

"No tea," Lin Fen said bluntly, "Ran Pinghao sent over some coffee beans. Make coffee instead."

"Don’t you dislike coffee?"

Lin Fen declared, "I like it now."

Yu Yuan chuckled softly, not bothering to argue, and went below deck to make tea.

Lin Fen continued reading, and a moment later, a cup of tea appeared on the small table beside him, with someone settling onto the adjacent lounge chair.

Glancing at the steaming cup of tea, Lin Fen said, "I said no tea; I wanted coffee."

"Colonel Yu sent it up, said the coffee will take a while longer."

Lin Fen turned sharply towards Chen Feng, who had taken a seat beside him, looked at him for a few seconds, then returned to his book, coughing lightly, "Why didn’t you follow General Feng by land?"

"Because I wanted to take the ship to see the ocean and the whales," Yan Bubu popped out from the cabin door.

Lin Fen grunted without a word, and Yan Bubu stood behind him, massaging his shoulders, then whispered into his ear, "Also because I wanted to keep you and Uncle Colonel Yu company."

"Who needs your company? Your chatter is annoying," Lin Fen replied coldly, though the corners of his mouth lifted uncontrollably. He then took a sip of the tea, nodding in approval, "Good tea."

Binunu really enjoyed life at sea. Wearing a bikini made by Yu Yuan and a crown of seashells, it played wildly every day with Sasa. They even convinced the other quantum beasts on the ship not to return to their psychic realm, instead swimming and diving for fish together in the sea.

Binunu would also lie on the deck with Lin Fen and Yu Yuan, basking in the sun and enjoying the sea breeze. Lin Fen would read aloud from his dry military books, and Binunu, though it was a mundane topic, listened attentively, occasionally voicing its opinion with a howl.

"Private Binunu, the water bottle is empty. Go fill it up," Lin Fen said, handing an empty bottle to Binunu.

Binunu slid off the lounge chair, took the bottle without complaint, and headed towards the cabin door.

"Good performance. You might get promoted next month," Lin Fen called out to its retreating figure.

Binunu snapped to attention, saluted, and then continued towards the door with the bottle.

Lin Fen turned to see Yu Yuan eyeing him and pulled him into his arms, chuckling softly, "I'll make the most of it now. Once it climbs up to general, I won’t be able to order it around anymore."

"How long will it take for it to become a general?"

"Depends on my mood."

During these days of sailing, the four of them, without discussing it, seemed to have reached an unspoken agreement. Binunu and Sasa would sleep in Lin Fen and Yu Yuan's cabin one night, then in Chen Feng and Yan Bubu's the next, and so on.

Without Binunu to disturb them and having a cabin to themselves, Yan Bubu was overjoyed. He and Chen Feng would chat and laugh all night. Whenever Binunu wasn't there, Yan Bubu wouldn’t get out of bed until noon the next day.

Ten days later, one evening after dinner in their cabin, they heard cheers from the deck.

They all went out to see a sky filled with twilight, casting the sea in shades of orange. At the end of the glowing sky, a long coastline appeared, with a towering mountain faintly visible. Cheers erupted from the ships, avian quantum beasts spread their wings flying towards the coastline, and terrestrial quantum beasts dived into the water, swimming ahead of the ships.

"Haiyun Mountain..." Yan Bubu murmured.

Chen Feng confirmed, "Yes, Haiyun Mountain."

Yan Bubu turned to Chen Feng, excitement sparkling in his eyes, "Brother, we're home."

Chen Feng wrapped an arm around his shoulder, "Yes, we're home."

The four of them said nothing more, all gazing towards the distant Haiyun City, nestled close to each other. Though uncertain of what the future held, how many hardships they would face, or how many times they would cry in pain, as long as they had each other, they possessed the hope and courage to continue.

Cheers sprinkled over the sea as seagulls circled the ship. Several fully laden vessels, slicing through the glow of the dawn, sounded their horns, speeding towards the coast.

(End of Main Text)

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