Chapter 75

Chapter 75

Wang Chengcai gradually stopped his sobbing as the Black Wolf appeared at the upper cave entrance, pushing down a massive Mutant corpse from an uninhabited area, creating a dull thud upon impact.

Wang Chengcai lifted his swollen eyes, helped Lin Duozhi up, and grabbed the rope to climb again. Liu Zhen watched him pass by and whispered, "Are you okay? Can you make it up?"

"What could be wrong with me? Of course I can climb up." Wang Chengcai's voice was still thick with a stuffy nose, but he had regained some of his spirit.

Chu Ya said, "Then let's keep climbing. If anyone can't manage, just say so, and we'll have Shen Juanjuan come down to help."

"Roar!" A dissatisfied roar came from the cave entrance, courtesy of the Black Wolf.

"Who can't manage? I definitely can." Liu Zhen, carrying Liu Sijin, began to climb with all her might. Liu Sijin initially cried out in panic but then laughed with delight when she saw them surpass Chu Ya.

Shen Juanjuan hurriedly patted Chu Ya's shoulder, bouncing anxiously on his back: "Hurry up, we're being overtaken, hurry up, let me carry you, okay? I can climb faster carrying you."

"Don't worry, they won't overtake us." Chu Ya took a deep breath and quickly climbed up the rope.

Seeing Chu Ya and Liu Zhen quickly surpass him, Wang Chengcai turned to Lin Duozhi, "Hold onto my neck tightly, in case your rope loosens."

"Okay."

"Do we go after them? Are you scared?"

Lin Duozhi replied without hesitation, "Not at all."

After climbing silently for a while, Wang Chengcai finally responded in a hoarse voice, "Don't be afraid, I'll watch over you."

The three young men chased each other up the dark cliff face, while the three children cheered them on.

"Class One, cheer up, cheer for Class One's Liu Sijin."

"Class One, cheer up, cheer for Class One's Shen Juanjuan."

"You're in Class Two, you got it wrong again, Class One is where Liu Sijin is."

"Oh, Class Two, cheer up, cheer for Class Two's Liu Sijin."

"I'm Liu Sijin, you should cheer for Class Two's Shen Juanjuan."

...

Chu Ya was the first to reach the cave, hearing the silence inside, he knew the Black Wolf had cleared all threats.

Wang Chengcai and Liu Zhen followed closely behind. Liu Zhen, exhausted, sat directly on the ground, leaning against the wall, which made Liu Sijin, who was on her back, cry out. Wang Chengcai tried to untie the rope around his waist, but his hands were too weak to loosen the knots. Chu Ya helped him, setting Lin Duozhi down.

Chu Ya wanted to check the surroundings but could see nothing in the darkness except the cave entrance. He asked the others, "Does anyone have a fire source?"

It wasn't just about lighting; everyone was shivering from the cold, and a fire was essential to survive the chilly night in the cave.

Liu Zhen and Wang Chengcai both shook their heads, but Lin Duozhi said, "I have matches."

"You have matches? Where did you get them?" Shen Juanjuan asked curiously.

"It's the treasure you gave me, the pretty little box."

"Ah!! That treasure has been with you for so long."

"Yes, I like it very much, so I always carry it with me."

Lin Duozhi fumbled through his backpack, and Wang Chengcai helped him find it, passing it to Chu Ya.

Chu Ya opened the box and, under the faint light, saw half a pack of matchsticks remaining.

"This time, you really found a treasure." Chu Ya ruffled Shen Juanjuan's hair.

Shen Juanjuan proudly said, "I'm the best at finding treasures, I can find anything."

Seeing Lin Duozhi watching them, Wang Chengcai added, "Being able to keep something for so long, that's quite impressive."

Lin Duozhi lightly touched his forehead to Wang Chengcai's shoulder, smiling silently.

Chu Ya found a few dry branches at the base of the cave wall, broke them into pieces, and stacked them together. He gathered some dry leaves, struck a match, and lit the pile.

"Wow..." The three children quickly gathered around, extending their hands to warm themselves.

The cave was illuminated by the firelight. Chu Ya walked a short distance inside and found the cave not very deep, though inhabited by Mutants, it was dry and clean, with no foul smell or waste.

The Black Wolf emerged from the deepest part of the cave, carrying a dead small Mutant, which looked like a hare.

Knowing that everyone hadn't eaten, Chu Ya decided that warmth and hot water were more important at the moment. With the limited dry wood in the cave, he instructed the Black Wolf to fetch more firewood and then sat by the fire, picking up Shen Juanjuan's discarded backpack and retrieving two water bottles.

"Are they full?" Chu Ya asked.

Liu Zhen also took two water bottles from Liu Sijin's backpack, "We brought them."

Wang Chengcai's bottle was empty, so Lin Duozhi offered his own, holding it to Wang Chengcai's mouth, calling him naturally, "Brother, drink some water."

Wang Chengcai drank a few sips and said, "That's enough, you drink now."

Shen Juanjuan watched them and leaned close to Chu Ya's ear, whispering, "Lin Duozhi is calling him brother."

"Hmm, what's wrong with that?"

"The 'brother' he calls isn't the same as the one I call, mine sounds better." Shen Juanjuan pinched his voice, "Brother, brother."

Chu Ya glanced at him, a slight smile on his lips, "I understand."

After drinking the hot water and warming up, Chu Ya picked up the Mutant corpse, preparing to descend to the ground to dispose of it. Shen Juanjuan, who had been warming himself by the fire, hurried to follow.

"Don't go out, it's too cold. I'll be back soon."

"No, I want to go..." Shen Juanjuan stomped his feet.

Wang Chengcai stood up, saying that Chu Ya was injured and should stay in the cave. He took over the mutant carcass and walked towards the cave entrance. Chu Ya, worried, still wanted to follow. Wang Chengcai patted his lower back: "I have a gun, what's there to fear?" Liu Zhen also clapped her hands and stood up, hanging several water flasks on herself: "I need to get some snow to boil water anyway, I'll go with him."

Chu Ya had no choice but to stay inside the cave, sitting by the fire with the three children. Shen Juanjuan hugged his arm, shaking his head and smiling at him.

"Look at Lin Duozhi and Liu Sijin, who is as clingy as you?" Chu Ya asked.

Shen Juanjuan laughed: "They are just people, I'm not. I'm a big sweet potato, sticky when stuck to your fingers."

"Sweet potatoes are fragrant and sweet, let me smell you." Chu Ya sniffed, "There's no scent of sweet potato."

"There is, there definitely is, I'm a fragrant and sweet sweet potato person..." Shen Juanjuan snuggled into Chu Ya's chest.

Lin Duozhi watched the two, his eyes curved into a smile. Liu Sijin couldn't help but speak: "You guys are smelly men, of course, you and Lin Duozhi are my friends, you two aren't— but you wouldn't be fragrant and sweet either, right?"

The Black Wolf soon returned to the cave, carrying a large bundle of tree trunks as thick as arms on its back. These were dead trees, but their surfaces were damp from the snow. Chu Ya placed them near the fire to dry off the moisture.

"That person's name is clearly Liu Dabao, one of the older kids in the class."

"Why not call him Liu Xiaobao?"

"It's Liu Dabao, Dabao, Dabao."

"Xiaobao, Xiaobao."

Shen Juanjuan and Lin Duozhi suddenly started arguing. Just a minute ago, Chu Ya saw them whispering and being inseparable, now they were red-faced and loud, even the usually soft-spoken Lin Duozhi raised his voice.

Liu Sijin cautiously moved closer to Chu Ya, lowering her voice: "When we went to the forest to look for you today, they also had an argument."

"Why did they argue?"

Liu Sijin shook her head: "Just because of a stick, arguing about whose was longer or shorter, it was all so pointless." She paused for two seconds and said: "Smelly men, I don't really understand them." Then she added: "They are my friends, not smelly men, just a little bit sometimes."

The two children's voices grew louder, Shen Juanjuan even made a move to push the other. Chu Ya raised his backpack between them.

"Here, this is a punching bag, come, hit it."

"Ah!!!" Shen Juanjuan frowned and began pounding the backpack. Seeing that Lin Duozhi didn't move, Chu Ya said: "Use the other hand, come, hit it."

"Ah!!!" Lin Duozhi also started hitting the backpack with one hand.

After the two children had vented their anger, Chu Ya pulled them back to sit by the fire.

"My hands are all red," Shen Juanjuan showed his hand to Lin Duozhi, who also extended his hand, "Mine are red too."

"What about your raccoon hand? Show it to me."

"I didn't use this one."

"Let me touch it, I like your raccoon hand."

"Hehe."

"Hehe."

Shen Juanjuan turned to see the Black Wolf walking around nearby, laughing as he reached out to pat its head: "Shen Wangwang, come warm yourself by the fire, come here to me. Smell me, I'm a sweet potato person, I'm fragrant and sweet."

The Black Wolf quickly pulled its head away and walked to the cave entrance, lying down with a serious face.

"Look at it, look at it, it's so disobedient." Shen Juanjuan pointed at the Black Wolf, laughing at the other two children, then asked Chu Ya: "I'm more obedient than it, right?"

Half an hour later, Liu Zhen and Wang Chengcai returned. Chu Ya was turning a tree trunk above the fire, roasting a mutant hare. The water flasks leaned against the fire, the snow inside melting and steaming.

"Can we eat yet?" Shen Juanjuan asked.

"Just wait a bit longer, don't rush," Chu Ya replied.

The cave was very quiet, the sounds of the burning wood and the sizzling of the hare's skin were very clear, along with the intermittent swallowing sounds.

All eyes were fixed on the rabbit meat, including those of Wang Chengcai and Liu Zhen, their gazes so intense they seemed almost to be pulling threads.

"It smells so good." Shen Juanjuan sniffed and asked Lin Duozhi and Liu Sijin: "It smells so good."

Lin Duozhi swallowed loudly: "I can smell it too."

Shen Juanjuan: "I'm going to eat a lot."

Liu Sijin: "I'm going to eat a lot too."

Lin Duozhi: "I'm going to gnaw on the bones."

"I'm going to gnaw on the stick."

"I'm going to gnaw on the logs."

Shen Juanjuan hugged Lin Duozhi's shoulder and nipped at his face: "I'm going to gnaw on this cave, and all of you."

Lin Duozhi laughed and dodged.

Wang Chengcai stretched out his arm and pushed the three children, who were getting closer to the fire, back a bit: "What's the hurry? Look at how eager you are, don't let the flames burn you."

Seeing everyone was starving, Chu Ya didn't wait for the entire mutant to be cooked. Once the surface was done, he used a small knife to cut a thin slice and feed it to them.

The three children, like hungry chicks, stretched their necks and opened their mouths wide when Chu Ya cut a slice and offered it to them, their heads following the movement of the meat.

"Don't rush, take turns, everyone will get some."

"Delicious, hiss, so delicious." The slices of meat were scalding hot, and Shen Juanjuan hissed as he chewed, while Liu Sijin also had a piece of meat in his mouth, nodding vigorously with muffled sounds.

"Eat slowly, don't burn your tongue, take it easy." Although Liu Zhen kept reminding the three children, she herself hastily chewed and quickly swallowed.

Everyone was famished. Even though the mutant's meat wasn't tender and lacked salt or seasoning, everyone ate heartily. Chu Ya had been roasting and slicing the meat, feeding everyone several rounds before he finally started eating himself.

By the time the entire mutant was cooked, the three children were already full. Liu Sijin lay on Liu Zhen's lap, using a charred stick to draw on the ground, while Shen Juanjuan waved a bone around, still chewing.

Chu Ya waited for him to swallow what was in his mouth, then offered another piece of meat, but Shen Juanjuan quickly turned his head away: "No more."

"Full?"

"Mm-hmm, so full."

Chu Ya stopped feeding him, took the bone from his hand, and led him to the cave entrance, grabbing some snow to clean his hands.

Wang Chengcai sat by the fire, holding a rabbit leg and tearing off pieces to feed Lin Duozhi. Lin Duozhi stood in front of him, mouth full, chewing hard, and when he saw Wang Chengcai tear off another piece, he hurriedly swallowed what was in his mouth.

He swallowed with great difficulty, clenching his fists in front of his chest and gagging. Wang Chengcai noticed something was wrong and asked, "What's the matter?"

Lin Duozhi looked at him with teary eyes, not speaking, only shaking his head.

"Does your stomach hurt?"

"No."

Wang Chengcai reached out and touched his round, bulging belly, asking, "Are you full?"

"Mm-hmm," Lin Duozhi replied softly.

"If you're full, don't eat anymore. Why do you force yourself? If I feed you, you eat, what if you get sick?" Wang Chengcai couldn't help but frown as he scolded.

Lin Duozhi didn't argue back, looking at him with a guilty expression.

Seeing his look, Wang Chengcai's anger faded, and he fell silent. Lin Duozhi became even more uneasy, cautiously stepping forward, his voice tight, "Brother, are you angry with me? Are you angry with me?"

Wang Chengcai looked at him and asked hoarsely, "Are you afraid of me?"

"Not afraid."

"Not afraid?"

Lin Duozhi thought for a moment, "I am a little afraid, I'm afraid of making you unhappy."

Wang Chengcai pulled him into his arms, speaking hoarsely, "I won't be unhappy. Don't be so careful in the future. Eat when you want to, and don't eat when you don't. Tell me whether you're full or hungry. If you want to be naughty, be naughty; if you want to roll around, roll around. If you want someone's toy, let me get it for you."

Lin Duozhi breathed a sigh of relief, his eyes brightening, "I won't roll around, and I don't want anyone else's toys. Brother, don't go and take them."

"Alright, I won't."

Lin Duozhi added, "Even if someone has a really good toy, I don't want it. It would make them sad if they lost it. Don't take Shen Juanjuan's toys either; he's my good friend, don't make him sad, okay?"

Wang Chengcai felt a bit embarrassed, avoiding his gaze, his lips moving slightly, "Alright."

He put the piece of meat back on the rack and pulled Lin Duozhi up, saying, "Let's go, your face and hands are all greasy. Go use the snow to clean up."

After taking a few steps with Wang Chengcai, Lin Duozhi suddenly said, "Brother, I'm full."

Wang Chengcai was momentarily stunned, then nodded, "Then we won't eat anymore."

At the cave entrance, Chu Ya squatted down, using snow to wipe Shen Juanjuan's face. Shen Juanjuan kept turning his head to look inside the cave, so Chu Ya kept pinching his chin to keep his face steady.

"Don't move, it's hard to clean this way."

Shen Juanjuan, seeing Wang Chengcai and Lin Duozhi also approaching the cave entrance, stopped turning his head and whispered to Chu Ya, "Wang Zhusheng's brother was a bit mean just now. I'm afraid he might hit Lin Duozhi."

"He won't hit Lin Duozhi," Chu Ya lowered Shen Juanjuan's rolled-up sleeve, "Don't call him Wang Zhusheng's brother anymore."

"Then what should I call him?"

"Call him Lin Duozhi's brother."

"…Okay, alright." Shen Juanjuan nodded, "I really, really dislike Wang Zhusheng's brother, but I don't dislike Lin Duozhi's brother that much."

That night, they all lay around the fire, with Black Wolf guarding at the cave entrance. The three children, exhausted from the day, fell asleep almost immediately. Although Chu Ya was also very tired, with a lingering pain in his chest and back, his mind was filled with various thoughts, preventing him from falling asleep.

Liu Zhen kept tossing and turning, sometimes sitting up against the cave wall, sometimes lying down again. Suddenly, she asked, "Those two people won't turn into ghosts, will they?"

Chu Ya knew who she was talking about and replied without opening his eyes, "They won't. There are no such things as ghosts in this world."

"Our orphanage's backyard is full of ghosts," Liu Zhen whispered.

Chu Ya, hearing her familiar words, furrowed his brow but understood that the children in the orphanage hadn't read much. He explained, "All the ghosts in the world are products of human imagination. The ghost stories you hear from the orphanage's backyard have never been seen by anyone. When we settle down and you start school again, you'll understand this from your books."

"So what if I go to school or not? Ghosts don't care if I've gone to school or not," Liu Zhen grumbled. Wang Chengcai, beside her, muttered, "What are you afraid of? We have guns. Even if ghosts come, we can shoot them again."

"I'm not afraid. Even if a ghost comes right up to me, I'll throw a few rocks at it," Liu Zhen hugged Liu Sijin, "Go to sleep, go to sleep."

The cave grew quiet again. This time, Chu Ya didn't let his thoughts wander. He cuddled Shen Juanjuan closer, resting his chin on his head, and gradually fell asleep.

The next morning, after heating up the remaining rabbit meat and eating it, they set out to catch up with the group. Black Wolf carried the three children, darting in and out of the forest on both sides of the road, causing the snow to fall on them and making them cry out. At times, it would suddenly sprint, leaping over ditches, eliciting panicked screams from the children.

"I'm going to fall off, I'm going to fall off." Liu Sijin, unable to see Black Wolf, felt himself being tossed in the air, more frightened than the other two.

Sitting at the front, Shen Juanjuan grabbed a tuft of Black Wolf's fur and, in an experienced manner, loudly reassured him, "You won't fall off. When you're tossed high, it will twist its butt to catch you. Its butt is as big as a table, it won't let you fall."

Black Wolf bared its teeth and suddenly dashed forward, leaping over a snow ditch. As it jumped, the three children also soared into the air, but just as Shen Juanjuan said, it twisted its body before landing, catching the screaming children mid-air.

The more the children screamed, the more pleased Black Wolf became, even trying to jump over a cliff until Chu Ya shouted at it, and it finally calmed down a bit.

"Are you sure your injuries are fine?" Liu Zhen asked Chu Ya.

Chu Ya replied, "I'm fine."

"You were beaten up so badly yesterday and didn't take any medicine. Are you really okay?" Liu Zhen asked in surprise.

Chu Ya had fully recovered today, with no lingering pain in his chest or back. He nodded and said, "Really, I feel nothing at all."

Wang Chengcai, leaning on a stick nearby, said, "He's a B+ Sentinel; those injuries mean nothing to him."

"You're right, you're not an ordinary person," Liu Zhen panted, looking ahead with envy in her eyes. "If only I could become a Sentinel, then I could fight Wang Chengcai—"

She suddenly stopped mid-sentence, glancing at Wang Chengcai, and waved her hand. "Forget it, I don't even want to fight him anymore. No point arguing with a stinky man."