Chapter 41

Chapter 41

Their resistance made the mutants increasingly frenzied. A hyena poked its head in, its body stuck in the gap, and snarled at them with a mouth full of fangs.

"You're too ugly. You're so ugly that even the welfare home wouldn't want you," Shen Juanjuan said, terrified, shrinking closer to Chu Ya while trying to sound fierce.

Chu Ya could see the Black Wolf standing behind the crowd of mutants. It paced back and forth slowly, its eyes fixed on Chu Ya, filled with excitement, schadenfreude, and mockery.

Chu Ya pushed back another claw reaching for Shen Juanjuan and spoke hoarsely to the Black Wolf, "You can't beat me, so you found help to trap us here. But don't forget one thing: if I die, you won't live either."

"Yeah, with all your helpers, if I die, you'll still be alive!" Shen Juanjuan yelled out the window.

Chu Ya sneered, "You gathered so many mutants because you fear me, knowing you can't handle it yourself. Even if you trap us, it's not your own doing; you're still useless."

"Know what useless means? That's the ability to trap you. Useless, you're useless, shameless, useless." Shen Juanjuan scowled and repeated "useless" several times.

"Roar!!" The Black Wolf let out an angry howl, baring its fangs at Chu Ya.

Chu Ya glanced into the distance, seeing soldiers approaching the street, feeling anxious. But he showed no sign of it, only coldly addressing the Black Wolf, "In two minutes, they'll discover these mutants, and we'll all die. You hate me, you want to fight me, fine, I'm always ready. But if I get captured, you won't have the chance to fight me anymore."

"Hate me? Ah? Hate! I'll make you hate! Take you all away, and see if we can do anything?" Shen Juanjuan continued to mimic fiercely, hitting the nearest claw with a metal rod.

Though enraged, the Black Wolf listened to Chu Ya's words. It stopped pacing, its gaze fluctuating as if in deep thought.

"It's too late if you wait any longer," Chu Ya reminded.

"Roar!" The Black Wolf growled again, glaring at Shen Juanjuan with both hatred and reluctance. Finally, it turned around, growling low, and rushed down the spiral staircase. The other mutants followed suit, retracting their claws.

The hyena persisted in trying to break through the window. Suddenly, the Black Wolf turned and bit its back, causing it to scream and flee in panic.

Shen Juanjuan had been clinging to Chu Ya, cursing. Seeing the mutants leave, he rushed to the window and hit it with his metal rod: "Come on, are you scared now? Come on, I can kill all of you—"

Bang bang bang!

Gunshots echoed from the street, interrupting Shen Juanjuan. Chu Ya peeked out from a hidden angle, seeing the mutants attack several soldiers. The soldiers panicked, firing at the beasts and retreating toward the outskirts of Mixin Town.

"What's happening? Oh, what's happening?" Shen Juanjuan, hearing the gunshots, immediately lost his bravado and retreated, clinging to Chu Ya's arm. "Oh, oh, what's making such a loud noise?"

Unprepared, the soldiers retreated to the town's edge, regrouped, and began counterattacking. The mutants did not continue attacking but leaped out of Mixin Town under the Black Wolf's lead, disappearing in a cloud of dust.

The soldiers quickly loaded the injured onto military vehicles and sped toward Keke Town, likely heading to a medical station.

Chu Ya watched the convoy disappear at the foot of the mountain, then withdrew his gaze, lost in thought.

He knew his mental domain and quantum beast were in serious trouble, never imagining this situation. With no other options, he could only hold on until Yun Tuo came to fetch him.

"What was that? What just happened? Why was it so loud?" Shen Juanjuan, being short, couldn't see the street from the window even on tiptoes.

Chu Ya snapped back to reality and whispered, "It's over now. Let's go back."

Chu Ya remained preoccupied throughout the journey. In contrast, Shen Juanjuan chattered incessantly, filled with questions.

"What was that thing that stuck its head in? It looked like a dog but uglier, very ugly."

Chu Ya, despite his thoughts, listened to Shen Juanjuan and replied, "Hyena."

"Really too ugly. How does it have the nerve to look like that? Doesn't it feel ashamed? It even dared to roar at us..."

This incident kept Shen Juanjuan talking all day. While riding his bike in the yard, he mimicked the mutant's howls. At mealtime, taking a bite of a bean cake: "Do you think those mutants eat bean cakes?" When using the toilet, holding a wad of paper: "Do those mutants poop?"

Chu Ya tightened loose screws on the gate with pliers, occasionally answering: "They don't eat bean cakes, they poop, they sleep, and I don't know if they hate baths..."

Unable to live in tall buildings due to his condition, he chose a ground-floor residence. This town must have had good security before, as most ground-floor windows lacked bars. He chose this house with barred windows. Though solid, it now needed reinforced iron gates due to the mutants.

A screw dropped into the gate's crevice. Unable to bend down, he asked Shen Juanjuan to retrieve it.

"What are you doing?" Shen Juanjuan lay on the ground, stretching his arm.

"Fixing the gate."

"Why fix the gate?"

Chu Ya was about to say "to prevent mutants," but realized the gate and wall were too low for mutants to be deterred.

"Forget it, don't bother picking it up."

Shen Juanjuan kept reaching, "Don't need it?"

Chu Ya sighed, "No, forget it."

While packing tools, Shen Juanjuan rode his bike around the yard. Chu Ya wanted him to stay at the welfare home temporarily, but Shen Juanjuan refused.

"This is our home. Why should I go to the welfare home?" Shen Juanjuan was shocked and confused.

Chu Ya considered this house a temporary shelter, but hearing Shen Juanjuan call it home stirred a subtle feeling.

"The welfare home is your real home. This is just a temporary place," he said more gently.

"A home has few people, not like the welfare home. Lili and her grandfather's house is a home. Our house is also a home." Shen Juanjuan looked upset, his voice heavy: "I'm not a child without a home. I live here with Shen Miaomiao. Why would I go to the welfare home?"

Chu Ya paused, then wheeled himself in front of Shen Juanjuan, "But you saw the mutants today. I'm worried they might come back, so I suggest staying at the welfare home for a few days."

Shen Juanjuan looked alarmed, "They'll come back?"

"Very likely."

Shen Juanjuan stood up from his bike, hands behind his back, pacing: "Hmm, we should hide. Stay at the welfare home for a few days." He stopped and looked at Chu Ya, "We should go together."

Chu Ya shook his head, "I won't go."

"But what if the mutants come?"

Chu Ya reached out to smooth down a lock of hair that Shen Juanjuan had stuck up. "You saw today; I can drive them away, so I'm not afraid of them."

"It was us who drove them away." Shen Juanjuan quickly corrected him and added, "Then I can't leave; I'll stay here to help you drive them away."

"I can handle it alone."

"No way. I need to protect you; I can't go back to the orphanage." Shen Juanjuan firmly refused.

Chu Ya patiently tried to persuade him for a long time, but Shen Juanjuan remained unmoved. Seeing Shen Juanjuan glaring at him with a sidelong glance, he began to wonder if his approach wasn't firm enough. Perhaps he needed to change tactics with a child of this age?

Chu Ya slowly put on a stern face. "I'm not asking; I'm ordering you to leave. It's too dangerous here."

Shen Juanjuan's brows furrowed. "I'm not asking; I'm ordering you to stay. It's too dangerous there."

Chu Ya snapped, "Are you disobeying me?"

"Are you disobeying me?" Shen Juanjuan's expression became confrontational.

Chu Ya didn't say anything more. Suddenly, he grabbed Shen Juanjuan with one hand and slapped his bottom twice with the other.

Shen Juanjuan was momentarily stunned and said, "It doesn't hurt."

"Fine, it doesn't hurt." Chu Ya lifted the cotton coat covering Shen Juanjuan's bottom and slapped him again, using a bit more force this time, causing Shen Juanjuan's body to sway.

Shen Juanjuan stood silently, and Chu Ya immediately started to regret it. He recalled how much force he had used and felt his right palm begin to tingle.

"Will you go back to the orphanage now?" His voice softened slightly.

Shen Juanjuan suddenly grinned at him, provocatively twisting his body and laughing carelessly, "It doesn't hurt, and I won't go back."

Chu Ya couldn't help but laugh in frustration, and all his tenderness vanished. He looked around the courtyard.

It seemed he needed to be harsher.

Shen Juanjuan followed his gaze, asking warily, "What are you looking for?"

"What am I looking for?" Chu Ya went to the laundry station, picked up a plastic hanger hanging nearby, and rolled up his sleeves as he said, "Looking for this!"

"What are you going to do with it?"

"Do what? Spank you!" Chu Ya gritted his teeth.

"Hehe, I'm not afraid." Shen Juanjuan even offered advice, "That one won't hurt. Use the iron hanger hanging by the window."

Smack!

The hanger landed on Shen Juanjuan's bottom, and he scratched it. "It doesn't hurt."

Smack!

"It doesn't hurt." He shook his head.

Smack!

"It doesn't hurt." He grinned cheekily.

Even though Shen Juanjuan claimed it didn't hurt, Chu Ya couldn't bring himself to hit him anymore. He sighed heavily, threw the hanger aside, and leaned back in his wheelchair, exhausted.

"What should I do? I can't chase him away, and he's not afraid of being hit. He truly is thick-skinned." He muttered to himself.

Shen Juanjuan squatted on the ground, carelessly fiddling with the hanger, humming a tune.

"Life is like this, kid. Instead of... instead of being unhappy, why not... huh... why not be with grandpa... huh... together... ha ha..."

Chu Ya noticed his voice becoming strange, realizing that despite his forced laughter, it carried a hint of crying.

All he could see was Shen Juanjuan's bowed head, with a tiny whorl in his soft hair. Then two droplets fell onto the ground, creating dark spots.

Chu Ya stared at the child, feeling a tightness in his chest, both sour and heavy. He was about to reach out and pull him up when Shen Juanjuan stood up on his own, facing away from him, heading towards the courtyard gate.

"Where are you going?" Chu Ya asked instinctively.

Shen Juanjuan didn't respond. Chu Ya realized he had finally given in and said gently, "If you're going back to the orphanage, take off your outer coat and put on your hat; it's cold outside."

Shen Juanjuan paused briefly before walking towards the passage connecting to the front yard without looking back. The cold wind blew his hair, revealing a small part of his thin neck, making his silhouette look stubborn and lonely.

Chu Ya was overwhelmed with guilt and regret and immediately followed him, intending to escort him a bit. But after Shen Juanjuan entered the front yard and left through the gate, he didn't walk down the alley but headed straight across the street.

On the opposite side was another abandoned courtyard, elevated above their level, requiring climbing a few steps to enter.

Shen Juanjuan silently climbed to the top of the steps, stood at the gate with his head down, then slowly sat down and lay on the ground.

After lying down, he turned his head to look at Chu Ya with a look of utter despair, then began rolling around, kicking his legs in circles with his bottom as the center.

Not only did Shen Juanjuan roll around, but he also closed his eyes and shouted, "I won't go back to the orphanage, won't go, come catch me, you don't have feet, come hit me, come, come catch me..."

Watching Shen Juanjuan, Chu Ya's veins bulged on his forehead. He gripped the wheelchair's armrests tightly, releasing and clenching them repeatedly.

"...come, hit me, catch me, you don't have feet, I won't go back to the orphanage, won't go back, won't go back..."

"Hooligan!" Chu Ya spat out the words between clenched teeth, then turned and wheeled back into the courtyard. As he hurried back, he saw the iron hanger hanging outside the window and thought, "Hit! No more softness."

Shen Juanjuan finally succeeded in staying, no longer needing to go back to the orphanage. While Chu Ya washed clothes in the courtyard, Shen Juanjuan rode his little cart around him.

Shen Juanjuan tilted his head back, eyes closed, listening to the sounds of Chu Ya rubbing clothes and the flowing water. These sounds made Mixin Town seem even quieter, but he felt no emptiness, only contentment and peace.

"What are you doing?" Chu Ya glanced back and continued to rub Shen Juanjuan's coat.

Shen Juanjuan closed his eyes and smiled. "I'm basking in the sun."

Chu Ya instinctively looked up at the sky but only saw a gray haze.

"Where is the sun?"

"It's there, warming me up... Shen Miaomiao, have you ever seen the sun? Is it round and red like in cartoons?"

Chu Ya, rubbing his clothes, replied, "I've never seen a complete sun. Only when the weather is good can I feel its light."

"I can see it now; it's so round and red..." Shen Juanjuan reached out into the air, pretending to pluck something, and put it in his mouth. "I ate it... Mmm, delicious, sweet, and a bit hot."

Shen Juanjuan then pedaled his little cart over to Chu Ya's side and leaned on the armrest of his wheelchair. The laundry sink was too high for Chu Ya, so he had placed a small board on the low basin, which served as a washboard.

Shen Juanjuan stretched out his finger to poke the bubbles and asked, "Shen Miaomiao, with all those big cats and dogs today—no, no, mutants—which one do you think is the prettiest?"

"None of them are pretty."

"I agree, none of them are pretty." Shen Juanjuan nodded and asked, "Then what's the prettiest animal?"

After a moment of silence, Chu Ya replied, "The raccoon."

"The raccoon is the prettiest quantum beast, but is it also the prettiest animal?" Shen Juanjuan reached back to touch the stuffed bear on his back.

"Not that bear, the raccoon."

"... Ah." Shen Juanjuan clearly didn't understand the difference between the two bears.

Chu Ya murmured, "It has brown fur, black and round eyes, and two small ears on its head..."

Shen Juanjuan already had the stuffed bear in his arms. As Chu Ya described each feature, he would look down at the stuffed bear and then back at Chu Ya with confusion.

The stuffed bear was brown, with eyes like shiny black marbles. Although one arm was missing and the surface was covered with old particles, Chu Ya had washed it thoroughly.

"... The raccoon must be the prettiest animal in the world." Chu Ya's voice faded away as he stared blankly at the water flowing until Shen Juanjuan reminded him that the water had overflowed. Then he continued washing.

"Is this the raccoon?" Shen Juanjuan patted the stuffed bear.

Chu Ya, rinsing the clothes, said, "No, I'll draw it for you later."

"Oh."

Shen Juanjuan didn't say anything more, just kissed the top of the stuffed bear and whispered, "You are the raccoon, right? There's no prettier bear than you."

As night fell, Chu Ya felt uneasy. He worried about the Black Wolf coming at night and started thinking about sending Shen Juanjuan back to the welfare home. But Shen Juanjuan had already climbed into bed, curled up under the covers, looking like he was fast asleep. It seemed impossible to make him leave.

Chu Ya checked the gates, doors, and windows repeatedly. Although the door was a metal security door, it wasn't as sturdy as the theater's entrance, so he used two iron bars to wedge it shut.

After making all the necessary preparations, he lifted himself from the wheelchair onto the bed, slowly moving his legs onto it.

"Don't play with those things you picked up while hiding under the covers. Even after washing, they're still not clean."

"Huh... I'm not playing... I'm already asleep."

Chu Ya adjusted his position against the headboard, pulled back the covers, and found Shen Juanjuan lying on his side, curled up like a shrimp, wearing a sleepshirt made from a surgical gown.

"Give it to me." Chu Ya extended his hand, his voice calm.

"Huh..." Shen Juanjuan snored.

"Give it to me."

Reluctantly, Shen Juanjuan turned his hand over, revealing a piece of colored plastic paper.

"More."

He handed over two glass marbles.

"More."

"None left, really, sigh." Shen Juanjuan sighed.

Chu Ya collected Shen Juanjuan's toys and placed a dagger under his pillow. Leaning against the headboard, he pondered. Shen Juanjuan wouldn't sleep unless Chu Ya did, so he kept tossing and turning, mumbling.

Chu Ya turned off the light. "Sleep."

"I can't sleep..."

"Close your eyes and try to fall asleep."

After tossing and turning for a while, Shen Juanjuan finally fell asleep, holding onto Chu Ya's arm.

Chu Ya listened to the distant sounds in the darkness. Everything was quiet, even the sound of the window frame being moved by the wind could be heard.

Unconsciously, it was already eleven o'clock. Drowsiness overcame him, and he drifted into a half-dream state. Suddenly, he jolted awake.

He sensed that familiar danger approaching rapidly.

It had finally come!