Chapter 42

Chapter 42

Chu Ya did not wake Shen Juanjuan, only feeling for the dagger under the pillow, lifting the quilt and moving to the wheelchair.

He sat quietly in the center of the room, the harsh light from the landfill's floodlights streaming through the window, illuminating his dark eyebrows and pale face.

He has been reminiscing about what happened during the day.

He thought back to the small theater in the cultural center, where his wrist was injured, and Black Wolf felt the pain too, which was somewhat inconceivable to him.

Sentinels and Guides are often military personnel. To avoid affecting combat, the host and the Quantum Beast remain in a standard connection state, where the Quantum Beast does not feel the same pain even if the host is injured, thus not diminishing their fighting strength. Only in an advanced connection state can the Quantum Beast empathize with the host's physical trauma.

His mental domain had been damaged, rendering him incapable of perceiving details clearly. He had also once driven away Black Wolf, thus he had always believed that there was no mental connection between them. However, he could sense Black Wolf's intent to kill, and Black Wolf could feel his pain, leading him to suspect that not only was there a mental connection between them, but it was also of a higher order.

The increasingly intense sense of danger drew Chu Ya's attention back. He knew Black Wolf was approaching. Yet the town remained quiet, with no sounds of other beasts to be heard.

This time, there are no variants; only Black Wolf has arrived.

Chu Ya understood that it had ultimately been provoked by his own words during the day, hence he did not bring any assistance and came alone.

He let out a sigh of relief, glanced sideways at Shen Juanjuan on the bed, reached out to cover him with the blanket he had kicked off, then opened the door and wheeled himself into the courtyard.

Black Wolf silently appeared on the rooftop, then leaped down to the ground. It walked along the base of the wall, its gaze fixed on Chu Ya, the inorganic eyes betraying no discernible emotions.

"Do you hate me? Hate me for turning you into what you are now?" Chu Ya turned his head, revealing his face that was previously hidden in the shadows under the light, "I am powerless over everything that has happened, you cannot hate me."

"Roar..."

A low growl of indeterminate meaning rumbled in Black Wolf's throat, as a palpable aura of lethal intent radiated from his being.

"My spiritual domain was shattered by Gu Lin, which is why you were injured as well. But it will be fine once Yun Tuo arrives. He is an A-class guide, surely capable of restoring my spiritual domain and healing you. My leg is almost healed, and then we will go to Cloud Peak together to find our parents and settle the score with Gu Lin..."

As he spoke, Black Wolf had already left the wall and was slowly walking towards him. Chu Ya unconsciously stopped speaking and raised the dagger across his chest.

"I'm not sure how much sanity you have left, but you should understand that if I die, you won't survive either, and you'll vanish from this world."

Chu Ya spoke up again to remind, only to find that Black Wolf's gaze was not on him, but on the tightly closed door behind him.

He glanced sideways and instantly comprehended the murderous intent emanating from Black Wolf, and realized that its target had always been Shen Juanjuan.

This discovery caused Chu Ya's expression to darken, and he swiftly maneuvered his wheelchair backward, positioning himself in front of the door: "You must not harm him."

Black Wolf's gaze shifted to Chu Ya, lingering on the dagger.

"I will not allow you to harm him," Chu Ya emphasized again with a stern tone, his voice laden with a strong warning.

Resentment and anger slowly kindled in Black Wolf's eyes, as if it transferred these emotions onto the people inside the room. Suddenly, it leaped past Chu Ya and lunged at the door, extending its claws mid-air, seemingly intent on splitting the door in two.

Chu Ya thrust his blade, but Black Wolf dodged the tip and lunged for his right shoulder. Chu Ya hastily parried with his sword, only to realize that Black Wolf's attack was a feint. As he retracted his weapon, Black Wolf seized the moment to crash through the door and bolted into the room.

Its speed was too fast for Chu Ya to block or even catch up. Seeing the black shadow already rushing to the bedroom door, his mind buzzed, and without thinking, he reversed the dagger and stabbed it into his own calf.

"Ao!" The Black Wolf let out a pained howl, its front legs buckling as it fell to the ground.

Chu Ya pulled out the dagger, blood quickly gushing from the wound on his leg. He gritted his teeth and stared at the Black Wolf, his eyes under furrowed brows revealing a fierce determination.

The Black Wolf panted as it looked at Chu Ya, struggling to stand on all four paws.

"I told you, you can't hurt him." Chu Ya raised the knife again, a drop of blood sliding down the blade and falling to the ground. "If you continue, I can too."

"Hou!"

"Get out!" Chu Ya growled fiercely.

The Black Wolf glanced at the bedroom, then glared back at Chu Ya holding the knife, finally getting up and heading towards the door, its eyes filled with resentment.

As it passed by Chu Ya, he said hoarsely, "If you attack him again, I have ways to deal with you."

The Black Wolf paused briefly, then continued toward the gate. But just as it entered the courtyard, its body suddenly tensed, followed by a piercing howl as it collapsed to the ground once more.

It seemed to be in even more pain than when Chu Ya had stabbed his leg, its body convulsing spasmodically, its limbs twitching uncontrollably.

Chu Ya, initially full of anger, gradually became stunned by this sight and wheeled closer.

"Shen Miaomiao!" Shen Juanjuan appeared at the door, hair disheveled, face panicked, wearing only pajamas. "What are you doing here?"

He couldn't see or hear the Black Wolf, but the commotion when it burst through the door had woken him up. Noticing Chu Ya's absence, he immediately came out to look.

"Go back! Go to sleep!" Chu Ya snapped, turning his head.

His expression and tone were so severe that Shen Juanjuan froze for a moment, not daring to act as cheeky as usual. He retreated to the wall but, after Chu Ya turned away, crept back towards the door.

The Black Wolf rolled on the ground, its howls broken and tuneless, drool dripping from its open mouth, clearly enduring intense pain.

Chu Ya knew that the stab to his calf wouldn't cause such agony for the Black Wolf, so he sheathed the dagger and asked, "What's wrong with you?"

The Black Wolf's body spasmed repeatedly, but upon seeing Shen Juanjuan sneaking out the door, it lifted its head and let out a warning growl, trying to get up.

Chu Ya turned his head, and Shen Juanjuan hastily retreated inside, peeking through the crack in the door. Chu Ya ignored him, looking down at the Black Wolf with a complex expression.

He whispered, "Do you actually hate me? Before, you tried to control me, making me kill people nearby, especially those close to me?"

"Hou!" The Black Wolf responded with a low growl, urging and encouraging.

"Why do you want to kill them? The mine is far from here." Chu Ya tilted his head, thinking. "Do you think they will find me and harm me?"

"Hou..."

"What about Shen Juanjuan? He's just a kid; why do you want to kill him?" Chu Ya asked softly, almost disbelievingly. "Do you think he might kill me too?"

The Black Wolf remained silent this time.

"Could it be... you're jealous of him?" Chu Ya asked.

"ROAR!!!" The Black Wolf let out an angry and embarrassed roar, trying to get up but collapsing back down weakly.

Chu Ya leaned down, using his blood-stained hand to stroke the Black Wolf's head. As soon as his hand touched the thick fur, the Black Wolf's body tensed up, seemingly wanting to struggle and escape.

"Don't move, don't be afraid. I won't hurt you, don't be afraid." Chu Ya whispered softly, stroking the Black Wolf's fur gently. "It'll be okay, everything will be fine, don't worry, we'll both be alright..."

Chu Ya couldn't summon his mental strength to soothe the Black Wolf, but he knew that the closeness and touch from its owner would alleviate some of the quantum beast's pain. Although he was wary of the Black Wolf, seeing it in such a state made his heart tighten.

"You are my quantum beast; we should be the closest of companions. Even though my mental domain is damaged and I can't establish a mental link with you, we are still inseparable. You cannot harm Shen Juanjuan; harming him is like harming me."

"Not everyone is Gu Lin; not everyone who approaches us will hurt us, don't be afraid..."

In Chu Ya's soft words and gentle strokes, the Black Wolf gradually calmed down, no longer convulsing or crying out in pain. It did not stop Chu Ya's actions but lay weakly on the ground, panting, while keeping a vigilant eye on Shen Juanjuan behind the door.

Shen Juanjuan had been hiding behind the door, watching Chu Ya talking to himself in the open space and reaching out to touch something. He was so surprised that he kept leaning further out, slowly moving his feet until he appeared at the doorway again.

The Black Wolf's ears twitched, baring its teeth and lifting its head, but Chu Ya pressed down firmly on its head.

"I won't harm you, but on the condition that you don't harm those around me."

The Black Wolf glared fiercely at Chu Ya, who met its gaze without backing down. After a moment, the Black Wolf reluctantly shook off the hand on its head, and Chu Ya slowly lowered his head, the coldness in his eyes fading, leaving only deep sorrow.

"I have nothing left now, only him and you..." Chu Ya said softly.

The Black Wolf seemed stunned for a moment, then bared its teeth in defiance. It struggled to stand up, and sensing its reduced aggression, Chu Ya did not stop it.

The Black Wolf did not attack Shen Juanjuan again, only growled threateningly at him before walking step by step towards the courtyard gate, its steps still unsteady.

Chu Ya watched it until it disappeared through the gate, then turned his gaze towards the door.

Shen Juanjuan quickly ran back into the bedroom, diving under the covers and pretending to snore.

After returning to the bedroom, Chu Ya took out the first aid kit from the cabinet and bandaged his leg wound. The sound of the gauze rustling caught Shen Juanjuan's attention, and he peeked out from under the covers before sitting up abruptly.

"What happened to your foot?"

"It's nothing, just a small cut," Chu Ya replied.

Shen Juanjuan looked very worried and quickly got out of bed. "What kind of small cut? Let me see, let me take a look."

"Wear your shoes!" Chu Ya said without looking up.

Shen Juanjuan hurriedly put on his slippers and approached Chu Ya. "What kind of cut? Are you bleeding? Your pants are covered in blood! So much! What happened!" His voice became shrill with anxiety. "So much blood, is this all blood? Is it all blood?"

Chu Ya looked up and saw that his face had turned pale. "You're mistaken; that's not blood."

"It's red! Blood looks like that!"

"No, I just scraped my skin a bit. A little bleeding is normal."

Shen Juanjuan stared at him blankly, then suddenly slapped his arm.

"Why did you hit me? Suddenly getting angry," Chu Ya asked.

Shen Juanjuan looked distraught, his lips trembling, yet he raised his hand and hit him again, muttering something.

Chu Ya stopped what he was doing and looked at him. After a few seconds of staring, he shouted loudly, "You're lying, right? So much blood, this is blood! I've had nosebleeds before! Are you going to die? Are you going to die, right? Right?"

By the end of his shouting, Shen Juanjuan was already crying, tears rolling down his cheeks, hanging from his pointed chin.

Chu Ya softened his tone. "It really is just a small wound, I'm not lying to you, and I won't die."

"Are you sure you're not lying?"

"I'm not."

Shen Juanjuan looked at his pants, sobbing continuously. "But look, look, you're bleeding, so much, so much blood."

"It's just soaked in, similar to when you get a nosebleed and stain your clothes. It looks bad, but there's not much actual bleeding."

"Then let me take a good look." Shen Juanjuan squatted down and examined Chu Ya's bandaged calf. Seeing no more blood, he sniffled and said, "I, I'll smell it."

"Go ahead and smell it."

Shen Juanjuan pressed his nose against the bandage and sniffed a few times. "Okay, then."

"Did you smell anything?"

"I smelled it; you, you won't die."

"Right, I told you."

After calming Shen Juanjuan, Chu Ya packed away the first aid kit, turned off the lights, and went to bed. Shen Juanjuan lay in his arms, tightly hugging his neck.

"Isn't it uncomfortable for you to be so close?" Chu Ya looked at the ceiling.

"Not uncomfortable, I want to stay close."

"My neck is uncomfortable."

"Not uncomfortable."

"It's not your neck, of course it's not uncomfortable for you." Chu Ya murmured but didn't push him away.

Shen Juanjuan rubbed his face against Chu Ya's shoulder and whispered something. Chu Ya didn't hear clearly and asked him to repeat it.

"I said you shouldn't die," Shen Juanjuan's voice grew louder.

Chu Ya asked, "You won't die. You keep talking about death, but do you know what death is?"

"I do. Death means becoming a small mound of earth behind the welfare home."

Chu Ya had heard him say this before, but Shen Juanjuan added, "Just like my mom and dad, once they die, you never see them again."

Chu Ya's eyelashes trembled as he softly asked, "How old were you when you went to the welfare home?"

"I was very, very young when I went to the welfare home. I remember being very small and skinny, so they called me Shen Juanjuan."

"You remember?" Chu Ya turned his head to look at him.

"...No, I don't. The caretakers remember." Shen Juanjuan mumbled, "My parents died from illness, so I was sent to the welfare home. They became big mounds of earth."

Chu Ya couldn't detect any sadness in his tone, knowing it was because he had grown up in the welfare home without living with his parents. Still, he reached out to rub his head.

"What about your parents?" Shen Juanjuan asked.

As soon as he asked, he remembered that Chu Ya didn't remember his past and quickly corrected himself: "I know you don't remember. Anyway, anyway, I'm your little brother, your favorite little brother."

"Alright, I'll remember that." Chu Ya placed his head back on the pillow. "Go to sleep."

"Mm." After two seconds of silence, Shen Juanjuan suddenly asked, "Shen Miaomiao, can you sing?"

"What do you mean?"

"My classmate says her sister goes to her dorm to sing for her at night. She sings very, very softly, and she falls asleep while listening." Shen Juanjuan hummed softly, "Angels gather here, sowing hope... something like that, even softer."

Chu Ya couldn't help but turn his head to look at him again. "Do you want me to sing you a lullaby?"

Shen Juanjuan held up one finger. "Just a little bit, just a little bit."

"I don't know how to do that." Chu Ya refused and closed his eyes.

"You don't know how to sing?" Shen Juanjuan looked up at him, disappointed, but then immediately said, "Then I'll sing for you; it's the same thing."

Shen Juanjuan cleared his throat twice. "La la la, my warm home, la la la, where I grow up..."

Chu Ya's eye twitched, and he slowly pulled the blanket over his head.

"La la la, my warm home—"

"The lullaby is nice; I'm already asleep."

"You're not asleep, you're awake... la la la—"

"But you should be sleeping too." Chu Ya reached out to cover Shen Juanjuan's mouth and pushed his head down.

Shen Juanjuan finally quieted down, tossing and turning under the covers, mumbling, "Does your foot hurt?"

"No, I can't feel anything."

"Hmm, if it hurts, tell me. I'll get medicine for you from the welfare home."

"No need."

After Shen Juanjuan fell asleep, Chu Ya opened his eyes again.

Although his wound on his calf had been treated and bandaged, it still stung periodically, pulling him back from the brink of sleep.

Rain started falling outside again, and amidst the pitter-patter, he stared at the ceiling, wondering how the Black Wolf was feeling at that moment.

But where was it now... on Keke Mountain? Or in the nearby abandoned building?

Chu Ya let his thoughts wander until he finally drifted off to sleep.

Both of them fell into a deep slumber, and the small courtyard was once again enveloped by the silence of Mixin Town. The lights from the landfill pierced through the rain, casting a hazy shadow on the rooftop.

The Black Wolf lay on the roof, suddenly lifting its head upon hearing a noise. It shook off the rainwater, looked around alertly, and realized it was just the automatic forklift at the landfill starting work, so it lay back down.