Chapter 110

Chapter 110

The next morning, Chu Ya woke up early.

The gunfire in Linya City had ceased, and the orphanage was unusually quiet; all the students were still asleep.

Last night, the room next door was very quiet. Yun Tuo never came back. Chu Ya tiptoed to the bathroom to wash up. When he came out, he saw Shen Juanjuan snoring loudly, his hands raised above his head as if surrendering.

Chu Ya tucked his hands under the blanket and walked to the courtyard. The battle in Linya City had ended, but black smoke still rose from a certain area in the northeast.

"The children have been on the road for so long, they're exhausted. Let them sleep in today, until they wake up naturally," Rong Chen said as he walked over.

"Uncle Rong," Chu Ya greeted him.

Rong Chen asked in a low voice, "Colonel Yun hasn't returned yet?"

"Not yet."

"Colonel Yun is an A-level guide; there are few in Linya City who can match him. Don't worry."

"I know."

The children didn't start waking up until after eight o'clock. They were called to the cafeteria for breakfast by the caretakers. When Chu Ya returned to the dormitory with steamed buns and soup, he found that Shen Juanjuan was already awake, wearing pajamas and barefoot, leaning over the desk to look at the three flowers in the water cup.

"Shen Miaomiao, my flowers have changed," Shen Juanjuan said anxiously when he heard the door open. "They've become wrinkled and a bit gray. Chu Baolong's and Shen Wangwang's flowers have also changed."

Chu Ya took off his pajamas and put a clean T-shirt over his head, explaining, "Flowers will wither; they can't stay fresh forever."

"Can we stop them from withering?"

"No, we can't."

Shen Juanjuan's head emerged from the T-shirt collar, his face full of disappointment. Chu Ya said, "Wilted flowers can be beautiful too. Wilted flowers are called dried flowers."

"I don't like dried flowers. Make them not wilt," Shen Juanjuan said, his eyes drooping.

"I can't do that. Just like the sun rises and the moon sets, you'll grow taller every day," Chu Ya mimicked Shen Juanjuan's tone. "Shen Miaomiao, I hate the sun, I hate the moon, I don't want to grow taller... Do you think I can do anything about it?"

Shen Juanjuan hugged his waist, rolling his head against Chu Ya's chest. "I don't hate the sun or the moon, and I don't hate growing taller."

Seeing his mood improve, Chu Ya took a comb and began to brush his hair, saying, "After breakfast, I'm going to hunt mutants. Do you want to come?"

Shen Juanjuan nodded. "Yes, I want to."

After breakfast, Chu Ya led the dozen or so students who had successfully broken through to hunt mutants.

"Aren't the caretakers coming? It's just a group of kids hunting," Rong Chen asked, worried.

"Uncle Rong, since we've arrived in Linya City, the orphanage needs to be able to defend itself. Although they are young, they are sentinels and guides, and they must take responsibility for protecting the orphanage. They need to quickly master the use of their mental powers," Chu Ya said gently.

Another caretaker added, "We faced more danger on our journey to Linya City than we will now while hunting. Let them go."

"Alright, then go ahead," Rong Chen agreed.

From the orphanage, heading west, one would encounter a range of mountains. Most of the mutants in this area lived on these mountains.

Linya City was by the sea, where fishing was possible, so few people came to hunt mutants. The students gathered around, listening to Chu Ya's instructions, while the quantum beasts chased each other on the plain.

"Sentinels, release your mental power, but not too much. If you compare your mental domain to a container, then only release—"

"Brother Chu Ya, I've never seen a container."

Chu Ya changed his explanation: "If your mental domain is a water tank—"

"What's a water tank? Is it like the water tank in our orphanage's water room?"

"Yes, your mental domain is like a water tank. Now, turn on the tap and release your mental power. Good, now turn off the tap immediately, guiding that thin thread of mental power up the hill—"

"Brother Chu Ya, I turned off the tap too quickly, the water didn't even come out."

"Then turn it on again. Release as much mental power in one or two seconds as you would water."

Chu Ya taught the sentinels how to control the release and retraction of their mental power. Shen Juanjuan and Lin Duozhi whispered to each other, "They are so stupid, they really are. They can't even turn on a tap."

After teaching the sentinels how to use their mental power, Chu Ya instructed them to use it to explore the mountain: "There's a pile of rocks two hundred meters away. Your goal is to touch that pile of rocks."

"Two hundred meters? Where is that?"

"Where is two hundred meters?"

"Two hundred meters, two hundred meters..."

Shen Juanjuan's face was full of disbelief. "You don't know what two hundred meters is? What? How is my brother supposed to teach you? You don't even know what two hundred meters is! Two hundred meters means two hundred meters!"

He turned to Lin Duozhi, and they both shook their heads. "Ew..."

Chu Ya pointed to the slope. "See that tallest tree? It stands out by a meter—half a meter higher than the others. That's the spot. Now, guides, along with the sentinels, treat your mental domain as a water tank. Turn on the tap and release the mental power in your tank, one second, two seconds—"

Chu Ya noticed Shen Juanjuan closing his eyes and making the motion of turning a tap in the air. "Alright, turn it off."

Shen Juanjuan turned the tap left and right, then shut it off.

"You need to learn to control the release and retraction of your mental power. Don't release it all at once. Just release enough for two or three seconds. Guides, direct that mental power into the sentinel's mental domain beside you—"

As they climbed the mountain, the quantum beasts charged ahead and soon spotted a mutant antelope. They all rushed toward it. Chu Ya quickly called them back. "Wait, don't kill it yet." Then he addressed the students, "Guides, use your mental power to restrain it—"

Bang!

A muffled sound interrupted Chu Ya.

There lay the antelope mutant on the ground, while the black and white kangaroo quantum beast hopped on its two feet, one fist held to its chest, the other repeatedly punching the air.

"Thunder has already killed it."

"Zhao Xiaozhuang, call your kangaroo back."

Seeing the trees in the nearby forest sway, Chu Ya said, "Ignore it for now, there are more mutants over there. The guide should start restraining them—wait, Thunder!"

Bang!

The kangaroo had already darted into the woods, and with a punch, something fell to the ground with a dull thud.

"Zhao Xiaozhuang!"

"You need to call your kangaroo back."

Zhao Xiaozhuang, his face long and sad, replied, "It will only return on its own. If I force it back, it will attack me."

"So stubborn?"

"I've never liked it."

"It's always swinging its fists around, and today it even hit the steamer in the cafeteria."

"Roar!"

"Ao ao!" The other quantum beasts also growled in discontent.

Another rustling sound came from the other side, and the kangaroo quickly turned its head. But before it could charge out, something was thrown straight at its face, making its head snap back.

It was a clump of dry vines, with a stone the size of an egg wrapped inside. Seeing the dry vines, everyone looked up to find the Teddy Bear.

The Teddy Bear stood on a large rock, its back to everyone, one arm akimbo, and its head slightly tilted. The mountain breeze blew, causing the fur on its body to flutter gently.

"Oh-oh-!"

With a roar of anger, the kangaroo pounced at the Teddy Bear, which turned and struck back. The two quantum beasts began to fight, and the others joined in, mixing friend and foe in a chaotic brawl.

Liu Zhen hurriedly pushed the person beside her and whispered, "Let's go, let's shake them off, let them fight here, we'll go catch the mutants."

"Let's go, hurry up."

...

Shen Juanjuan walked in front of Chu Ya, constantly turning her head to look back: "Will Bao Long get beaten? Can he win?"

He usually quarreled with the Teddy Bear over trivial matters, but now seeing it fighting with other quantum beasts, he was deeply worried.

"Don't worry, Bao Long is just playing with them."

Just as Chu Ya finished speaking, a furry arm spun through the air like a boomerang and plunged into the crowd of quantum beasts.

Bang!

An unknown quantum beast was struck and dissipated, leaving a wisp of black smoke in the air.

Chu Ya led the children in practicing mental energy control, eating steamed buns they carried with them on the mountain for lunch. By afternoon, they returned to the orphanage with several tender antelope mutants.

On the way back, only the Black Wolf remained among the quantum beasts; the others had been sent back to the mental domain. Shen Juanjuan held Chu Ya's hand, occasionally glaring at the front.

"Are you arguing with Bao Long again?" Chu Ya asked.

"It's getting angry, pulling up the grass on the ground..." Shen Juanjuan then growled at the empty space: "Why are you pulling my grass?"

Zhao Xiaozhuang sighed beside him: "It's smashing eggs again, sigh, it's starting to smash eggs again."

Upon returning to the orphanage, Chu Ya found that Yun Tuo still hadn't come back, which made him anxious. He was considering whether to go into the city to look for him when a jeep pulled up outside the orphanage.

"Chief Administrator Chen, Chief Administrator Chen." The gatekeeper rushed into the courtyard.

Rong Chen had already heard the car, and he led Chu Ya toward the gate, whispering to the gatekeeper, "Keep the students in the backyard, don't let them be seen."

"Understood."

Two men jumped out of the jeep, guns slung over their shoulders. They didn't enter the gate but shouted through the iron bars, "Hey, who's Chu Ya?"

"What's this about?" Chu Ya asked calmly, while the Black Wolf slowly approached the gate, adopting a defensive stance.

"Come with us," one of them said, flicking a cigarette and nodding at Chu Ya.

"Where to?"

"Colonel Yun sent us to pick you up."

"Who are you?"

"You'll see when you get there."

Just as Rong Chen was about to speak, Chu Ya stopped him. Surprised, Rong Chen asked, "Are you going?"

Chu Ya whispered, "They're from a gang. Since they mentioned Brother Yun Tuo, I have to check it out."

"But it's too dangerous for you to go alone. Let me send two managers with you."

"Uncle Chen, I'm a near-A-level sentinel, which is rare in Linya City. The gang will try to recruit me, not harm me. Besides, if there's real danger, I can handle it better alone, at least I can escape easily."

"Be careful then."

"I will." Chu Ya thought for a moment: "Shen Juanjuan is playing with the kids in the backyard. If anyone looks for me, tell him later. I won't tell him now to avoid any trouble."

"Alright, alright, don't worry, I'll tell him."

Chu Ya followed the two men into the car, and Black Wolf easily leaped onto the roof. The jeep quickly entered Linya City, weaving through the streets before finally stopping in front of a steel building.

The building looked no different from others, but Chu Ya noticed black-clad figures moving around, closely monitoring the building and its surroundings.

"Get out." A thug opened the car door.

Chu Ya followed the two thugs into the building, took the elevator to the fourth floor, and walked down a corridor.

Every few meters along the corridor stood a thug in black combat gear, wearing earphones, and looking at Chu Ya expressionlessly.

Next to each of them stood a quantum beast, baring their fangs at Chu Ya, but they shrank back behind their masters when met with Black Wolf's cold golden gaze.

"Hand over your weapon," one of the thugs stopped Chu Ya.

Chu Ya stood there silently for two seconds before handing over the gun from his waist.

"And the quantum beast, you need to withdraw it from the mental domain."

Black Wolf immediately growled threateningly, and the thug instinctively stepped back, then hurriedly said to Chu Ya, "It's not personal; it's just the rule here."

Chu Ya glanced ahead and whispered something to Black Wolf, who bared his teeth menacingly at the thug once more before vanishing into thin air.

The thug pushed open a door at the end of the corridor, said something inside, and then turned to Chu Ya, "Go in."

Chu Ya entered the room and saw Yun Tuo sitting on the sofa, his heart, which had been hanging all along, finally eased as he let out a sigh of relief.

"Brother Yun Tuo."

"Xiaoya." Yun Tuo smiled at him and pointed to the side, "Come in and sit down."

Chu Ya entered the room, closed the door behind him, and found himself in what seemed like someone's home. Although the living room was simply furnished, the gleaming wooden furniture and the clean leather sofa indicated that the owner held an extraordinary status in Linya City.

His gaze fell to the right, where he noticed another man standing. Wearing a gray shirt tucked into long pants and an armed shoulder holster, the man was facing away, holding something from a floor cabinet.

"Sit down." Yun Tuo gestured to the sofa on the left again.

Yun Tuo looked somewhat tired, with a less than healthy complexion. Chu Ya noticed a dark stain on his left shoulder.

"Are you injured?" he asked immediately.

"Just a minor injury, already taken care of."

Chu Ya hurried over, pulled up his shirt, and saw white bandages wrapped around: "How did you get injured? Is it serious?"

"It's really nothing, just a scratch. See, I'm still sitting here fine."

Chu Ya finally sat down on the sofa, and the man who had been facing away turned around. Chu Ya recognized him as the man he had seen at the Bitao Tang stronghold.

Xiao Rui!

This place actually belonged to Xiao Rui, which surprised Chu Ya, though not too much.

Xiao Rui walked over and handed Yun Tuo a few pills.

"What's this?" Yun Tuo frowned, leaning back.

"Painkillers and anti-inflammatory." Xiao Rui said.

"I'm not in pain."

Xiao Rui stared at him for two seconds, a hint of mockery in his expression: "Dare to raid the Guangta Gang alone, but now you're afraid to take medicine?"

"Who says I'm afraid to take medicine? I just don't feel any pain."

Chu Ya suddenly stood up: "Brother Yun Tuo, you said yesterday you were going to find the officer who escaped to Linya City from the Morning Star Club, but you actually went to the Guangta Gang alone?"

"I wasn't—"

"If you lie, I can tell."

Yun Tuo remained silent, picked up the cigarette box on the table, shook out a cigarette, and put it in his mouth. Xiao Rui, however, expressionlessly removed the cigarette from his lips and handed the pills to him again.

Yun Tuo glanced at Xiao Rui, this time taking the pills and a glass of water, swallowing them down, and then frowned at the coffee table in front of him, as if trying to suppress discomfort, ready to spit out the medicine if he spoke.

Xiao Rui offered a small bowl of dried fruit. Yun Tuo waved it away, and Xiao Rui returned the cigarette to his lips, lighting it with a lighter nearby.

"Brother Yun Tuo?" Chu Ya waited for his response.

Yun Tuo took a puff of the cigarette and mumbled, "Actually, I didn't find anyone from the Morning Star Club, so I just wandered around, hoping to run into someone on the street."

"Really? Wandering led you to the Guangta Gang?" Chu Ya asked coldly.

"What's with your attitude? Spending too much time with Shen Juanjuan has made you more temperamental." Yun Tuo reached out to pull him, "Sit down and talk, don't stand there, it makes me feel pressured."

After Chu Ya sat down, he continued, "It was a minor thing, and Xu Wangduo was also rescued."

"A minor thing?" Xiao Rui sat down on the opposite sofa, his face turning grim, "If I had arrived any later, would you still be sitting here fooling your brother?"

"Brother Yun Tuo!"

Yun Tuo looked at Chu Ya, then at Xiao Rui, and sighed in defeat, "Yes, I went to the Guangta Gang alone, originally to scout the area, but after finding their research facility, I decided to rescue the person. Then we got into a fight, and I got a minor injury. Xiao Rui and his people came... That's it."

Chu Ya remained silent, and Yun Tuo tried to put his arm around his shoulder but winced as it moved his wound.

"Don't move around, just sit still." Chu Ya said sullenly.

"Then don't be mad at me."

"I'm not angry with you, but when something like this happens, I don't want you to act alone again." Chu Ya lowered his eyes. "I'm also an A-level Sentinel; it makes me feel incompetent when you do this."

Yun Tuo was silent for two seconds before saying, "It won't happen again."

Chu Ya didn't press the matter further and changed the subject. "What about Xu Wangduo? How is he?"

Yun Tuo relaxed. "I brought you here to tell you that we've already rescued Xu Wangduo. But Guangta Gang fought back fiercely, so Xiao Rui hid him first and plans to move him secretly tomorrow."

As he spoke, Xiao Rui's phone suddenly rang.

"Uh, what? Guangta Gang found the place? They have an informant? How is everyone... Uh, uh... Send people immediately to find him, we must locate him."

Xiao Rui's expression grew increasingly grim. After hanging up, Yun Tuo immediately asked, "What happened?"

Xiao Rui replied briefly, "One of my men is an informant for Guangta Gang. They just raided Wulan Alley. There was a fierce fight, with casualties on both sides, but Xu Wangduo escaped."

"Xu Wangduo escaped? Where did he go? Why did he run?"

"I don't know where he went. He heard the fighting outside, made a rope from bed sheets, and slid down the second-floor window to escape," said Xiao Rui.

Yun Tuo closed his eyes in frustration. "The battle last night was too rushed; we didn't have time to let him see me. He doesn't know I'm looking for him and probably thought he was taken by Bitao Tang, so he tried to escape at the first chance."

"My men are searching everywhere; we'll find him."

Yun Tuo looked worried. "Guangta Gang will definitely be searching too. If they find him first, it will be troublesome. They'll increase their security, making it harder for me to rescue him again."

Xiao Rui stood up and said coldly, "So what if they find him first? We'll just tear Guangta Gang apart. I'm heading back to the gang now; you wait here."

"I'll go look for him too," Yun Tuo stood up as well.

"You're not going; stay here," Xiao Rui pointed at Chu Ya. "And you, don't cause trouble."

Yun Tuo said, "Let me go, I'm A-level—"

"You don't have the right to negotiate with me," Xiao Rui interrupted, his expression and tone equally cold.

Yun Tuo fell silent, lowering his gaze and slowly sitting back on the sofa.

Xiao Rui left with his men, leaving Yun Tuo and Chu Ya alone in the room.

Chu Ya kept looking at Yun Tuo, his face full of hesitation.

"Ask, whatever you want to ask," Yun Tuo said.

Chu Ya voiced his confusion, "Didn't you say you don't know Chairman Xiao?"

"If I say I just met him, would you believe me?" Yun Tuo leaned back on the sofa.

"No," Chu Ya thought for a moment. "You love lying. When we were kids, you lied to me, saying pumpkins burst open at night with toys inside. I hid in the pumpkin field all night until Mom found me."

Yun Tuo laughed softly with his eyes closed and said, "Alright, no more lies. Do you remember I mentioned coming to Linya City on a mission before?"

"Yes."

"I infiltrated Bitao Tang and worked under Xiao Rui. Later, after completing the mission, my identity was exposed, and I escaped."

Chu Ya waited a few seconds. "Then what?"

"Then? That's it."

"But you said you came to Linya City several times," Chu Ya reminded him.

"Oh, I can't remember," Yun Tuo said.

Chu Ya seemed unsure but didn't push further. After sitting for another half hour, he stood up. "Brother Yun Tuo, I'm going back to the orphanage; I'm worried about Shen Juanjuan."

"Alright, go ahead. Don't worry about Xu Wangduo; we'll find him for sure," Yun Tuo said.

Chu Ya nodded. "Don't go out looking for him either since you're injured. Stay here and wait for news; leave everything to Chairman Xiao."

Chu Ya's expression was calm, his gaze steady, as if Xu Wangduo's disappearance wasn't a big deal. Yun Tuo, who had been anxious, calmed down after hearing his words.

"You're right. Finding someone just requires manpower; Bitao Tang can spread out and search. It's late now; I'll have someone drive you back. We'll discuss things tomorrow."

Chu Ya bid farewell to Yun Tuo and got into the jeep heading back to the orphanage.

The sky was pitch black, and the headlights illuminated the road ahead. However, Chu Ya wasn't thinking about Xu Wangduo but about Shen Juanjuan.

He usually had to find someone if he left Shen Juanjuan alone for a while. This time, he had been gone for so long; he wondered how much trouble Shen Juanjuan had caused.

The jeep suddenly braked, and the driver cursed, saying, "A bunch of people appeared out of nowhere, scared the hell out of me."

Chu Ya looked out the front window and saw several people walking hurriedly on the road, each carrying a gun on their back. Blinded by the bright lights, they kept raising their hands to shield their eyes.

Chu Ya immediately recognized Rong Chen and a few caretakers, his heart racing as he opened the car door and jumped out.

"Uncle Rong, Uncle Shi, Aunt Feng."

Rong Chen heard Chu Ya's voice and ran over, saying, "Oh no, a child has run away."

"Who ran away?" Chu Ya asked urgently.

"We didn't know there was a hole under the wall. Shen Juanjuan and a group of younger children were crawling through it and ended up in Linya City."