Chapter 61

Chapter 61

Chu Ya wanted to know the boundary that Gu Lin had permitted him to reach, so when Shen Juanjuan was taking a nap, he had the Black Wolf pull his wheelchair towards the Tuta Passage.

No one stopped him along the way; only a flying quantum beast circled in the sky. He stopped outside the Tuta Passage, and the guards turned a blind eye. When he tried to enter the tower, the soldiers not only let him through but also opened the door of the carriage leading to Cloud Peak for him.

Chu Ya had once stood on the roof of the Cultural Center building, gazing in the direction of the Tuta, longing for the day he could return to Cloud Peak. Now, as he looked at the wide-open carriage door, watching it slowly close, he turned his wheelchair and left the Tuta under the watchful eyes of the soldiers.

The Black Wolf's large tail pulled the wheelchair as Chu Ya moved slowly along the road. All around were snow-covered fields, with occasional patches of withered yellow grass and some dark brown mounds.

"Gu Lin knows I want to live, and he knows I will look for what my father left behind. He also knows that I understand his intentions, and that I am aware he is waiting for my next move."

Chu Ya seemed to be speaking to the Black Wolf beside him, or perhaps to himself. The cold wind blew through his hair, revealing eyes that no longer held the naivety of the past, only a calmness that belied his age.

"Even if he is watching me, I must go to Keke Town; I have no other choice."

As dusk fell, the children in Dormitory 16 of the orphanage had already finished dinner and were huddled in their room, playing with the treasures that Shen Juanjuan had sent them via the Black Wolf.

"Will the window open by itself today and bring us more treasures?" Chen Hongliang asked.

"Shh... Chief Administrator Chen said that Shen Juanjuan had his brother's quantum beast deliver them," Tang Yuanyuan replied.

Wang Xiaoxi lay on the bed, counting the treasures: "It's great that Shen Juanjuan has a brother; I wish I had a brother too."

"Me too."

Lin Duozhi remained silent, only smiling with pursed lips as he gently rubbed the pencil stub in his hand.

Chen Hongliang played with a piece of tin: "We need to be quiet, or Wang Zhusheng will hear and take our treasures away."

"Shh."

"Shh."

"Don't worry, Wang Zhusheng has already gone to Cloud Peak to live a good life; our things won't be taken."

Tang Yuanyuan put down her glass paper: "But the management said Cloud Peak isn't a good place."

As soon as she finished speaking, voices from outside the door were heard: "Wang Chengcai, when will you go to Cloud Peak?"

Wang Zhusheng's brother's voice sounded, slightly dejected: "I don't know, maybe soon."

"The management said Cloud Peak—"

"Cloud Peak? Cloud Peak is great; you can eat buns and chicken legs every day, and sleep on big soft beds." Wang Chengcai suddenly raised his voice, "Do you believe everything the management says? My brother is living a good life in Cloud Peak right now."

The voices faded away, but the children in the room remained silent, each quietly playing with their treasures. After a while, Wang Xiaoxi said enviously: "Wang Zhusheng has a brother too, and he went to Cloud Peak, how nice."

Yu Datou fiddled with his tin: "The management said Cloud Peak isn't good."

"Cloud Peak is fine."

"Since Cloud Peak is so great, I want to go there too."

"So what if you have a brother? Shen Juanjuan has a brother, and his brother is much better than yours."

Tang Yuanyuan, lying on the bed, rolled over: "If we don't go to Cloud Peak, we can be like Shen Juanjuan and have a brother like his. If we go to Cloud Peak, we won't have a brother. Would you go or stay?"

Although the children envied those who had brothers, they had never experienced having one. Although the management had been saying that Cloud Peak wasn't good recently, it was still the place they had longed for since they could remember. After a slight hesitation, they responded: "I want to go to Cloud Peak."

"Me too."

"Can I have a brother and go to Cloud Peak?"

"No."

"In that case, I'll go to Cloud Peak."

Everyone expressed their desire to go to Cloud Peak, but Lin Duozhi, who had always been the most eager to go, remained silent, only playing with his pencil stub. After a while, he whispered: "Then I'd rather have a brother."

Tang Yuanyuan's feet tapped the bed rhythmically: "To Cloud Peak, yay, to Cloud Peak, yay."

Wang Xiaoxi joined in, lifting and lowering his feet: "To Cloud Peak, yay, to Cloud Peak, yay."

"To Cloud Peak, yay, to Cloud Peak, yay," Chen Hongliang chimed in.

"What are you kids in Dormitory 16 doing?" The management's loud voice echoed in the corridor, the ruler tapping against the wall: "I told you, Cloud Peak isn't a good place. It's full of child snatchers; they take one child up and steal another. Kids like you would be snatched away the moment you set foot there, taken to work in the mines."

Children from other dormitories couldn't help but speak up: "The management is lying again."

"Cloud Peak doesn't have any mines."

"Cloud Peak doesn't have any child snatchers."

"Even if Cloud Peak does snatch children, it's to take them home to eat big buns and sleep on big soft beds."

...

Lin Duozhi got up and walked to the door.

"Where are you going?" Wang Xiaoxi asked.

Lin Duozhi reached for the doorknob: "I need to use the bathroom."

"You should believe what the management says; I'm not lying. Cloud Peak used to be great, but it's different now. There's a flood in Cloud Peak, and it has flooded all the houses..."

Lin Duozhi walked to the toilet, passing by the older children's dormitory where he heard someone say: "Wang Chengcai, I heard two managers talking about your brother today. They said the director goes to Cloud Peak every day just to bring your brother back, but they are still discussing—"

"The director goes to Cloud Peak for food, not to bring my brother back."

The door slammed shut as Wang Zhusheng's brother stormed out, his face dark as he headed to the other end of the dormitory building. Lin Duozhi quickly stepped aside, watching him until he stood on the balcony before continuing towards the restroom.

It was almost bedtime, and the restroom was crowded with people. Lin Duozhi slowly moved forward in the nearest queue. Just as it was his turn, a middle-shift student rushed in, pants half-pulled up: "Let me through, I can't hold it, let me through."

Lin Duozhi was pushed aside, stumbling and falling to the ground. He slowly got up, looking at his scraped hands and dirty trousers, silently washing his hands at the faucet and then cleaning his trousers with water.

He wasn't really in a hurry to use the restroom, so he didn't rejoin the queue but walked out of the bathroom with his head down. In the corridor, children were running around laughing, while a manager scolded a few who were fighting, holding them against the wall.

Lin Duozhi suddenly felt like he couldn't stay there; the noise only made his ears ring. He slowly walked out of the dormitory building and onto the empty playground.

The light fell on him, casting a small shadow on the ground, which seemed even lonelier against the laughter and noise from inside the building.

Lin Duozhi aimlessly walked along the playground, looking up at the sky.

The sky was pitch black, but he knew that within that darkness lay a beautiful floating city. If he could just get there, no one would bully him or laugh at his six fingers.

Ahead was the repair shed, where two workers were crouched, welding a set of machinery. A cutting machine beside them hummed, its sharp blade slicing a metal plate into appropriately sized pieces.

"You have an extra finger, so you can't go to Cloud Peak for now. Wait until next time."

The officer's words echoed in his mind. Lin Duozhi put his hands behind his back, touching the extra little finger, which bore deep and shallow marks from being pinched.

You have an extra finger, so you can't go to Cloud Peak for now... wait until next time...

You have an extra finger... Cloud Peak...

He looked up again, hoping to see the shadow of Cloud Peak in the thick darkness.

Two workers were crouched on the ground, welding equipment amidst the noise, unaware that a child had quietly slipped in.

A shrill scream tore through the night, followed by sharp cries. The noise in the dormitory building paused momentarily, and several managers hurried out, all looking towards the other end of the playground.

"What happened?"

"I don't know."

Suddenly, two workers rushed out of the repair shed, carrying a child. They ran towards the medical room, panic-stricken, shouting, "A student is injured, medical management, a student is injured."

Director Liu returned to the orphanage in the mine vehicle under the cover of night. He thanked the driver and watched the vehicle leave. Just as he wearily stepped through the gate, he heard the scream.

Lin Duozhi lay pale in the arms of the workers, jostled onto a single bed covered with a white sheet. The bright lights made it hard for him to open his eyes, but he could hear voices around him, including Director Liu's.

"One finger has been severed; we can't handle this here."

"Take him to Keke Town, immediately."

"Stop the bleeding first, bandage it simply."

"Have Xiao Wang drive the car and wait at the main gate; we'll be right out."

"Apply more hemostatic powder, wrap the bandage tightly, press on the bleeding point."

"Director, the car isn't here; it went to Keke Town this afternoon and hasn't returned yet."

"Tell Xiao Wang to come back immediately! We'll carry the child to Keke Town first."

"But we don't have a car—"

"We'll walk if we have to! The child can't wait! Find a cart, quickly."

All the lights in the orphanage were turned on, making it as bright as daylight. Rong Chen carried Lin Duozhi down the stairs, with Director Liu and other managers running behind.

"Wait, wait, it's cold at night, cover the child well." A manager caught up, wrapping Lin Duozhi in a fleece blanket.

"Hurry, hurry, let's go."

The managers rushed towards the main gate, and children from the dormitory building began to gather. They tried to push through, but the managers held them back, ordering them to return quickly.

"Lin Duozhi!"

Amidst the chaos, Lin Duozhi suddenly heard Chen Hongliang's voice. He opened his eyes and turned his head slightly, seeing a few children from the dormitory rushing over, struggling against the managers' hold, shouting and crying towards him.

"Lin Duozhi, Lin Duozhi, what's wrong? Lin Duozhi."

"Lin Duozhi, sob... sob..."

Lin Duozhi was placed on a cart by Rong Chen. His gaze passed through the gaps in the fence, forcing a smile and moving his lips with difficulty: "Don't cry, I can go to Cloud Peak... I'll come back for you all..."

"Lin Duozhi!"

"Sob, Lin Duozhi, Lin Duozhi..."

Several managers took turns pushing the cart, running on the road to Keke Town. The weak beam of their flashlights barely penetrated the darkness, illuminating only their immediate surroundings and a short distance ahead.

"Be careful, there's a pothole here."

"Director Liu, why don't you go back?"

"I won't be able to rest easy if I go back. I'll follow, follow along."

"Check where Xiao Wang is."

"No need to ask, he's still far away, he just left town."

After dinner, Chu Ya and Shen Juanjuan took their usual stroll around town, eventually ending up at the cultural center building, staying until it grew dark.

The avian quantum beast circled overhead, closely watching them.

Chu Ya gazed in the direction of Keke Town, while Shen Juanjuan pointed at the main road leading to Tuta Passage and asked curiously, "Why aren't you looking over there?"

"Because it's no longer necessary," Chu Ya replied.

Just as Shen Juanjuan was about to press further, he seemed to recall something and tightly shut his mouth. He looked at the road, then at Chu Ya, his expression a mix of understanding and cautiousness.

"Let's go back. We'll head there tomorrow," Chu Ya said, pointing ahead.

"Where is that?"

"Keke Town."

"Go to Keke Town? Keke Town!" Shen Juanjuan’s eyes widened in disbelief, "You mean Keke Town, where none of the children from our orphanage have ever been, only the administrators can go?"

"Yes, that very Keke Town."

Shen Juanjuan immediately burst into excited cheers, running circles on the platform with his arms spread wide, making loud noises. The Black Wolf, however, suddenly perked up its ears and let out a low growl toward the direction of the orphanage.

Sensing something amiss, Chu Ya followed the Black Wolf's gaze and saw several flashlight beams moving this way along the road.

But the Black Wolf's target wasn't the people on the road but rather the open field beyond. Chu Ya continued to look and saw a cluster of rapidly moving shadows.

Mutants!

Chu Ya kept alternating his gaze between the few flashlights and the running mutant pack. The people, however, remained oblivious, hurriedly advancing down the road.

Chu Ya's eyes darkened, and he immediately instructed the Black Wolf, "Help them, drive those mutants away."

He had expected some reluctance from the Black Wolf, but it swiftly dashed off, leaping to the next level and emitting a powerful roar as it ran.

Someone the Black Wolf knows?

A thought crossed Chu Ya's mind, and he told Shen Juanjuan, "Come, let's go downstairs."

"Okay, I'll ride my steel ball car."

Chu Ya, however, lifted him and placed him in front of the wheelchair: "Don't ride for now; we need to move quickly."

"Ah, what about my car?"

"We'll come back for it tomorrow."

As they descended to the street, they heard shouts and scolding coming from the direction of the road outside the town. Shen Juanjuan abruptly looked up, surprised, "Chief Administrator Chen, I hear Chief Administrator Chen's voice, and the director's too!"

"There's a gap ahead; we'll go out through there."

Rong Chen and a few others were pushing Lin Duozhi toward Keke Town when they noticed the pack of mutants charging across the open field. They immediately turned the cart around and rushed back into the town.

"Trouble, didn't expect the mutants to come down the mountain. We left in such a hurry, forgetting to bring guns."

Director Liu quickly pushed everyone into Mixin Town, "Quickly, take the children through the wire fence, hurry."

Seeing the mutants closing in, the administrators who couldn't make it through the fence in time stopped and picked up stones, shouting loudly to scare them off.

"Hurry, retreat, take the children back."

Director Liu stood at the forefront, flapping his arms exaggeratedly, shouting at the mutants while urging the people behind him.

However, the mutants, which had been charging forward, suddenly halted, stopping just a few dozen meters away. The snow illuminated by the landfill lights cast a cold, metallic sheen on the mutants' scales.

Everyone held their breath, no longer shouting, watching as the mutants suddenly turned and fled in panic, as if they had seen something terrifying.

Only after the last mutant disappeared from sight did one of the administrators tremble, "They're gone."

The group warily surveyed their surroundings, their gazes landing on a wheelchair that had appeared outside the wire fence at some point.

The person in the wheelchair was in the shadow, only the outline of his slender, thin shoulders visible.

Chu Ya pushed the wheelchair into the light, "Director Liu."

"Chu Ya, Shen Juanjuan." Director Liu came to his senses, calling out their names hoarsely.

Shen Juanjuan sat in front of Chu Ya, turning around to hug his waist, burying his face in his chest. Hearing Director Liu call his name, he moved his lips but made no sound, only stealing glances at the group.

"Just now, was that you?" Director Liu realized.

"Yes, it was my quantum beast," Chu Ya said, noticing the sweat on their foreheads and the nearby cart, he asked, puzzled, "What are you doing here?"

"Lin Duozhi is injured; we're rushing to Keke Town to see a doctor. But the cart hasn't returned yet, so we're walking part of the way," Rong Chen explained briefly, holding Lin Duozhi.

Shen Juanjuan, who had been hiding in Chu Ya's embrace, suddenly lifted his head and asked urgently, "Lin Duozhi? Is that Lin Duozhi you mentioned? Where is he?"

Without waiting for Rong Chen to answer, Shen Juanjuan looked into his arms and then rushed over, "Lin Duozhi, Lin Duozhi."

Chu Ya, seeing Lin Duozhi wrapped motionless in a blanket, also asked, "What happened to him?"

"He had a finger cut off by a cutter."

Rong Chen lowered Lin Duozhi slightly, and Shen Juanjuan, anxious, tiptoed to peek under the blanket. Seeing Lin Duozhi pale and lying still in Rong Chen's arms, he called out twice without response, and with a sob, began to cry.

"Is he dead? Is Lin Duozhi dead?"

"Not dead, don't worry, he's not dead."

An administrator holding a flashlight urged, "Let's go, we need to hurry, don't waste time."

"Most of the road is covered in snow; leave the cart and carry the child," Director Liu said.

The group, too preoccupied to thank Chu Ya, hurriedly moved forward along the road. With no obstruction from Cloud Peak, the snow fell freely, covering the road in thick layers. They could no longer run, only supporting each other, taking deep steps through the snow.

"Lin Duozhi, Lin Duozhi." Shen Juanjuan cried as he chased after, but was pulled back by Chu Ya, "Don't rush, wait a moment." Then, he asked the Black Wolf beside him in an inquiring tone, "Is it okay?"

The Black Wolf gave no response, only staring ahead expressionlessly, but Chu Ya understood that it was agreeing.

"Director Liu!"

Liu Hong turned around, and Chu Ya said, "The road ahead is difficult; vehicles will get stuck in the snow, and your welfare home's vehicle might take a long time to arrive. Moreover, the road is too dangerous, and those Mutants might return. I just consulted with Shen Wangwang, and it's willing to take you to Keke Town."

"Roar!" The Black Wolf immediately voiced its discontent.

Chu Ya then amended, "It's my quantum beast, the silver wolf. But I'm being monitored, and there's one of their quantum beasts in the sky right now. If we interact with the welfare home, I don't know if it will cause trouble for you."

Rong Chen stomped his foot, "Monitor, monitor, monitor, let them monitor all they want. If they don't give food to the welfare home, so be it. The little bit of stuff from the Morning Star Club doesn't matter much anyway. Everyone has been eating the meat you've sent during this time."

Director Liu said coldly, "They have been deliberating, and they haven't returned the children they took away. Now they want to monitor us and cut off our supplies. We've reached this point, and there's nothing more to consider. The welfare home has been backed into a corner; we might as well fight to the death with them."

Hearing this, Chu Ya had no further concerns. He only instructed one of the managers to find two thick ropes from a nearby house, tying one end to the cart and holding the other end near the Black Wolf.

"Silver wolf, bear with me for a moment," Chu Ya said.

Before the Black Wolf could react, Chu Ya quickly looped the rope around it. It prepared to struggle, both surprised and angry, but Chu Ya whispered, "That's Shen Juanjuan's best friend. He's injured, and we need to take him to see the doctor in town. Besides, we're also heading to Keke Town."

The Black Wolf finally stopped moving, enduring silently as Chu Ya tied the rope around it.

Quantum beasts cannot be too far from their owners. If Chu Ya stayed here, the Black Wolf could only reach Keke Mountain and not go any further. So, after Rong Chen carefully placed Lin Duozhi on the cart, Chu Ya also climbed onto the cart to support it.

"Me too, me too," Shen Juanjuan urgently extended his hand.

The cart couldn't accommodate so many people, so Director Liu and the other managers stayed behind. Director Liu tried to pull Shen Juanjuan back, but Chu Ya said, "Let him come with me."

"It's so cold, should he really go?"

"I want to go, I'm not afraid of the cold, I want to go." Shen Juanjuan was already climbing onto the cart, sobbing intermittently.

Chu Ya reached out and lifted him onto the cart, "It's fine, please tie my wheelchair to the back of the cart and pass me the blanket for my legs, thank you."