Chapter 91: The Clean-Freak Teddy Bear

Chapter 91: The Clean-Freak Teddy Bear

At noon, Chu Ya finally led Shen Juanjuan out of the wilderness and to the edge of the swamp, where they could see the group from the orphanage resting and waiting ahead.

"Brother Chu Ya, Shen Juanjuan..."

The younger students rushed over, and Shen Juanjuan ran up to them, shouting their names: "Lin Duozhi, Tang Yuanyuan..."

Just as Shen Juanjuan had run a short distance, one of the younger students brushed past him: "Brother Chu Ya—"

He grabbed the young student: "Xiaogao, I'm right here."

The young student ignored him, shaking off his hand and continuing to run towards Chu Ya. Shen Juanjuan turned around and chased after him, reaching out anxiously to Chu Ya: "Don't hug anyone else, hug me, quickly hug me."

A group of younger students swarmed around, hugging Chu Ya's legs. Shen Juanjuan was pushed to the outside of the crowd, trying to push them away in a hurry.

The Teddy Bear stared at a young student who had hugged Chu Ya's leg, noticing two dirty streaks on his face. Suddenly, it raised its paw and slapped his hand away.

The young student looked around and then tried to hug again, but the Teddy Bear slapped his hand away once more.

"Chu Ya, we've finally waited for you."

Rong Chen and the administrators walked over with smiles, and Chu Ya dragged the group of young students hanging from his legs to meet them.

"Chief Administrator Chen, Administrator Wu, Administrator Zhao..." Shen Juanjuan pulled at the group of young students while greeting the administrators.

"Hey, Shen Juanjuan."

Shen Juanjuan held a young student from behind and pointed to the Teddy Bear: "Look, that's my quantum beast."

"Quantum beast?" The administrators couldn't see the quantum beast, but hearing Shen Juanjuan say this, they immediately looked at Chu Ya.

Chu Ya nodded: "Yes, he has successfully broken through and is now a guide."

The administrators were both surprised and delighted, Rong Chen rubbing his hands together happily. Shen Juanjuan pointed at the Teddy Bear and asked: "Look at my quantum beast, isn't it very beautiful?"

The Teddy Bear, who had been examining the group of young students, heard this and used its paw to smooth the fur on its head, standing straight and sucking in its belly. Then it turned its back to them, placing its paws on its hips and tilting its head slightly to show half of its face.

"Beautiful, beautiful." The administrators stared at the empty air in front of them, nodding in unison.

The Black Wolf lay low behind several young students, letting them block him from view, but his eyes never left the Teddy Bear, watching intently through the gaps in the crowd.

"My raccoon is very beautiful," Shen Juanjuan said proudly.

After praising it for a moment, Rong Chen lowered his voice and asked Chu Ya, "His quantum beast isn't strange, is it?"

"Not strange, just a raccoon," Chu Ya replied, adding, "A rather unusual raccoon."

"I understand, I understand, quantum beasts must be somewhat different from their original forms," Rong Chen said with a relieved expression.

He sighed, "We originally wanted to come and pick you two up, but there were avalanches everywhere, and we didn't dare stay with the children. We thought about sending a few administrators around the mountain to find you, but it was Wang Chengcai who spotted figures on the farthest snow slope. Knowing you two were safe, we felt relieved enough to leave the Dol Mountains."

An administrator beside him added, "Sentinels have excellent vision. By the way, Wang Chengcai broke through last night and officially became a sentinel."

"That's great," Chu Ya said sincerely.

"We set up camp at the canyon entrance last night. Since you weren't there, we were really worried about encountering a mutant pack. In the middle of the night, a pack of jackals did come. Just as everyone was dealing with them, Wang Chengcai broke through. The power was really terrifying; he blasted the mutants into the sky."

The young students surrounding Chu Ya chattered, "Brother Chu Ya, there was a boom, and those mutants were flying all over the sky."

"Brother Chu Ya, where did you go last night?"

Chu Ya patiently answered the young students' questions. Shen Juanjuan, feeling a bit jealous, stood in front of them: "Don't ask my brother, he's very busy. Ask me. I'm the squad leader; if you have any questions, ask the squad leader."

"We don't want to ask you," the young students pushed Shen Juanjuan aside.

Next, they needed to discuss the route, so the administrators took the young students, including the reluctant Shen Juanjuan, away.

Rong Chen took out his notebook filled with routes and spoke softly to Chu Ya.

"Crossing this swamp, we can reach Ganhua Town and directly rent boats to sail out to sea."

"Do we need to find my father's old subordinates?"

"We'll see how things go. If everything goes smoothly, we won't need to, to avoid unnecessary complications."

"Alright."

...

After finishing their conversation, Chu Ya saw Wang Chengcai and Liu Zhen looking at him and walked over to them.

"Brother Chu Ya."

"Come, let's sit over there."

The three sat down by a bush, and Chu Ya asked Wang Chengcai, "How does it feel to have broken through?"

Wang Chengcai replied, "It feels fresh, but I'm not yet proficient in using mental energy."

"If you have any questions, you can ask me. But we don't know your level after breaking through; we'll find an opportunity to measure it when we get to Linya City."

"I'll figure it out myself."

"How about you? How do you feel?" Chu Ya asked Liu Zhen.

Liu Zhen touched her head, "I'm okay, I don't feel much, just sometimes really want to fight, but I can control it..." Her gaze fell on Wang Chengcai's face, which was glaring at her, and she paused, "Just fought a few times with Wang Chengcai."

"Emotions can be unstable right after differentiation, but it will improve in a couple of days," Chu Ya said, then asked Wang Chengcai, "What about your quantum beast?"

Wang Chengcai pointed to one side, and Chu Ya followed his gaze to see Shen Juanjuan and his group of friends. Teddy Bear stood among them, looking like a big-headed little student, staring at whoever was speaking.

Shen Juanjuan was vividly recounting something, Lin Duozhi smiling with pursed lips, gently petting a quantum beast beside him.

At first glance, Chu Ya thought it was a zebra, with black and white stripes on its body, but upon closer inspection, it turned out to be a leopard.

Wang Chengcai introduced it: "That's my quantum beast. I saw the leopard in your sketchbook and liked it so much that I kept imagining it in my mind every day. In the end, my quantum beast became just like it."

Chu Ya looked at Wang Chengcai several times, who asked curiously, "What's wrong? It doesn't look like it?"

"It does, very much." Chu Ya deliberated in his mind, "It's a very majestic leopard quantum beast."

After parting ways with Wang Chengcai and Liu Zhen, Chu Ya went to Rong Chen and whispered, "Uncle Rong, do you still have the sketchbook I gave you?"

"Yes, the kids who are entering their differentiation period often look at it when they have free time."

"Um..." Chu Ya touched his nose, "After we arrive in Linya City, could you find a box of colored pencils for me? I want to add some color to those drawings."

"What's wrong? Is there something wrong with Wang Chengcai's quantum beast? He said it's a leopard," Rong Chen asked, a bit nervous.

"Nothing, it's fine," Chu Ya hurriedly replied, "Just adding some color will make the quantum beast appear more natural."

"That's good, no problem. We'll get a box of colored pencils then."

With Chu Ya and Shen Juanjuan now present, the group continued their journey.

This swamp had only a shallow layer of water, barely covering the lower legs. Chu Ya fitted bags over the feet of the little students, and they stepped into the swamp, holding onto the long rope as before.

Shen Juanjuan led Teddy Bear, taking two steps into the swamp. Seeing the murky puddles with floating wild grass, Teddy Bear quickly jumped back, its features scrunched up, its hind paws rubbing together.

"What's wrong? Are your feet itchy?" Shen Juanjuan asked.

Chu Ya then asked, "We need to cross this swamp. Do you want to go back to Shen Juanjuan's mental domain?"

Teddy Bear twisted its paws, but its eyes glanced forward. There, Black Wolf had already entered the swamp, patrolling around the group, while Wang Chengcai's BlackandWhite Panther ran back and forth ahead.

"Awooo..."

Teddy Bear stubbornly lifted its foot, indicating to Chu Ya to put a plastic bag on it.

A few minutes later, Teddy Bear joined the line of the second-grade class, holding the rope with the other little students, carefully stepping forward.

As usual, Chu Ya led from the front, always making himself visible. Every time he turned back, he could see Shen Juanjuan peeking at him, immediately grinning when their eyes met.

"The little students are walking fast. At this speed, we should be able to cross the swamp by afternoon," a manager commented.

Rong Chen said, "I just hope nothing goes wrong halfway. Let's stay safe and sound."

"Don't worry, this isn't the snowy mountain; there are no mutants here," the manager reassured.

The swamp was open and clear, with shallow water and withered yellow grass. If anything unusual happened, it would be immediately visible. However, despite the apparent safety, Chu Ya remained vigilant, constantly scanning the surroundings with his mental power.

Wang Chengcai, now a sentinel, took on the responsibility of protecting the entire group, carrying Lin Duozhi at the rear.

"Lin Duozhi," Shen Juanjuan called out from time to time.

"Shen Juanjuan."

"Hehe." Shen Juanjuan assumed a horse stance, pointing at him and laughing.

Lin Duozhi also raised his hands from Wang Chengcai's shoulders, pointing at him, "Hehe."

"Did you see? My raccoon has the same hands as you," Shen Juanjuan said.

Lin Duozhi's hands needed to be wrapped for another two days. Hearing this, he looked at Teddy Bear, blinking hard, "I can't see clearly. I only see a big blob, like a lump of mud."

Teddy Bear, walking cautiously, suddenly turned to look at Lin Duozhi, then let go of the rope and walked to his front, turning its back, hands on hips, and slightly tilting its head.

"Can you see it now? Can you see it now? It looks so cute, I love it when it does this." Shen Juanjuan mimicked Teddy Bear's pose.

Lin Duozhi apologized, "I, I might be going blind, I still can't see clearly."

Wang Chengcai could see Teddy Bear clearly. He watched it with his mouth slightly open, and hearing Lin Duozhi's words, he immediately scolded softly, "What blindness? Don't talk nonsense! You're not blind, it just looks like a lump of mud." Then he hurriedly moved forward, "Let's lead from the front."

Teddy Bear watched Wang Chengcai and Lin Duozhi's backs, its brows slowly rising. Shen Juanjuan reached out to call it over to hold the rope, but it looked at the muddy water and abandoned the idea of catching up.

Teddy Bear walked cautiously, quickly wiping off any water that splashed on it, and maintained a distance from the other little students to avoid being touched.

Suddenly, it stopped, its eyes fixed on Shen Juanjuan's right side. It stared at the spot for two seconds, then rushed forward, plunging its paw into the murky water.

Its paw dug into the mud, submerging its chest and snout, then pulled out forcefully, revealing a mud-covered beetle between its claws.

The beetle was over a foot long, with a sharp, sword-like mouthpart and steel-needle-like bristles on its legs. It struggled fiercely in Teddy Bear's claws, hissing loudly, trying to stab Shen Juanjuan with its mouthpart even as it was held.

"Ah! A big bug!" The surrounding children saw the beetle and panicked, dodging in all directions.

Shen Juanjuan was also startled by the beetle, stumbling backward as he grabbed the rope, instinctively reaching out to hit it. Teddy Bear, however, dodged and pressed down with both paws, the beetle making a tearing sound as it was ripped in half, greenish-black fluid splattering everywhere, including on Teddy Bear's face.

Amidst the children's screams, Teddy Bear threw the beetle's remains into a nearby puddle. It then stood still, paws half-raised, emitting a mournful howl.

"Awooo! Awoooo!"

"Shen Juanjuan!" Chu Ya had already rushed over with Black Wolf, scooping Shen Juanjuan up and quickly checking his body.

Before Shen Juanjuan could speak, the other children quickly said, "He, he wasn't bitten. The big bug flew in the air and exploded on its own, landing in the water over there."

Shen Juanjuan added, "It was such a big bug, bigger and uglier than that wood rat. It didn't explode on its own; the raccoon caught and killed it."

Black Wolf stared at Teddy Bear for two seconds, seeing it still howling in panic, and carried it to a less murky area of the water.

The Teddy Bear no longer minded the dirty water and immediately began scrubbing its paws, face, and body, removing the mud spots from its fur, occasionally letting out a dry heave.

While it cleaned itself, the Black Wolf stood beside it, its fierce gaze scanning the surrounding waters.

Wang Chengcai and several administrators, including Rong Chen, had rushed over. Chu Ya said, "It's probably a Mutant Mud Beetle, already killed by the raccoon."

"Mud Beetle? What's a Mud Beetle?"

"This insect hides deep in the mud; we need to be cautious now." Chu Ya looked at Wang Chengcai, "We both will use our mental powers to probe the mud and kill them directly, don't wait for them to emerge and harm people."

"Alright."

Chu Ya thought for a moment: "Don't worry about the consumption of mental power; we have a guide here who can help us organize."

"I am the guide, I can organize."

"I am also a guide, I can organize too."

"I seem to be a sentinel; let me act as a guide first, and then switch to being a sentinel after organizing."

The children around them spoke up one after another.

"I know you are all guides, so you need to organize my and Wang Chengcai's mental domains," Chu Ya said, though his eyes were fixed on Shen Juanjuan, "just like before, and then channel some mental power into Wang Chengcai's mental domain."

Lin Duozhi immediately raised his hand: "Then I'll organize for my brother."

Chu Ya continued to Shen Juanjuan: "The other guides should also organize for Wang Chengcai." Seeing that Shen Juanjuan didn't seem to care much, he emphasized, "Organize for Lin Duozhi's brother."

Shen Juanjuan nodded and responded with the other children, "I will organize for Lin Duozhi's brother."

"Brother Chu Ya, I'll only become a sentinel after organizing for you."

"I'll comb with a big comb."

...

The group continued on, knowing there were Mud Beetles in the swamp, everyone was on high alert. The administrators held their guns tightly, while Wang Chengcai and Chu Ya released their mental powers, probing the area around the team, slowly piercing through the water to find the Mud Beetles hiding in the mud.

The three quantum beasts, the Teddy Bear, the Black Wolf, and the BlackandWhite Panther, followed on either side of the group, always watching the pond for any movement, ready to pounce at any moment.

The students knew there were large insects in the mud and stopped chatting and playing, walking quietly behind the leaders, except for a group of younger students who were still whispering.

"I've released a lot of mental power, organizing for Lin Duozhi's brother and Brother Chu Ya."

"I'm combing, I have a big comb."

"Oh, I even combed out lice."

Shen Juanjuan, puzzled, asked, "Why can you comb out lice? Did you comb wrong and enter the mental domain of the King of Lice?"

"What did you comb then?"

"I combed the golden threads for Lin Duozhi's brother, and the golden wheat ears for my brother."

...

After a few words, Shen Juanjuan stopped talking because he found it very tiring to organize for two people simultaneously, unable to concentrate on anything else. Although the golden wheat ears of Chu Ya would follow him and automatically float into his palm, the golden threads of Lin Duozhi's brother would fly around, making it hard to catch them without full concentration.

Chu Ya, noticing Shen Juanjuan's struggle, whispered a few words to the administrator beside him, who quickly came over and carried him on his back.

Shen Juanjuan lay on the administrator's shoulder, closing his eyes and focusing entirely on organizing.

Chu Ya's mental power penetrated the mud, winding its way forward. Suddenly, he felt the mud ahead beginning to ripple and surge. He immediately spread his mental power and discovered a cluster of Mud Beetles rapidly burrowing toward them.

Wang Chengcai, standing nearby, also changed expression: "Brother Chu Ya!"

"Condense your mental power into fine needles and pierce their heads."

"Got it!"

The students, trembling with fear, continued to advance through the swamp, noticing that the puddles on either side were bubbling as if boiling, with bubbles rising one after another. Holes appeared in the mud, and mud slurry spurted out, quickly turning the puddles even murkier.

"Chief Administrator Chen!"

"Administrator Wu!"

"The water is boiling, the water is boiling by itself, Administrator."

Rong Chen pulled the long rope, continuing forward, shouting loudly, "Don't be afraid, don't panic, follow the team, keep moving forward, don't let go of the rope, don't leave the team."

The two sentinels continuously killed the Mud Beetles in the mud, but a few had already emerged from the mud bubbles and were crawling toward the students. The Black Wolf and the BlackandWhite Panther ran back and forth, intercepting and killing those that escaped.

When the Teddy Bear saw the mud surging everywhere, it let out a terrified howl, its fur bristling. But it still plunged into the mud, burying itself, and kept grabbing the Mud Beetles rushing toward the students, tearing them in half and flinging them far away as if they were hot potatoes.