Chapter 134

Chapter 134

At ten o'clock at night, Shen Juanjuan returned to his room to sleep, and only then did Chu Ya start tidying up the house, mopping the floor and dusting, putting the living room back in order after Shen Juanjuan had messed it up, before finally returning to his own room.

His bedroom was simple, with just one bed, a desk, and a wardrobe against the wall. But in the corner stood three large storage boxes, the rightmost of which contained all of Shen Juanjuan's toys from childhood, including the steel ball car he had made for Shen Juanjuan himself.

Shen Juanjuan cherished this steel ball car, and even new ones wouldn't do, so when Chu Ya went back to the Abyss Orphanage to pick up someone, he brought back the steel ball car and the Teddy Bear from Mixin Town.

The Teddy Bear now lay in the middle storage box, filled with all of Bao Long's toys, mostly the same as Shen Juanjuan's, except that the steel ball car was replaced by a plush toy.

The rightmost storage box belonged to Black Wolf, containing only two steel pipes. It didn't matter whether there were things inside or not; what mattered was that it must be there.

Chu Ya undid each button of his shirt, revealing a well-toned upper body, muscles defined but not exaggerated, lines beautiful and full of strength. He draped the unbuttoned shirt over the back of a chair, and just as he was about to undo his belt buckle, the door suddenly opened, and Shen Juanjuan walked in, hugging a pillow.

Seeing Shen Juanjuan climb onto his bed, Chu Ya took a black T-shirt from the wardrobe and put it on.

"Why aren't you sleeping yet?" Chu Ya asked while dressing.

Shen Juanjuan was already lying on the inner side of the bed, eyes closed, saying, "Can't sleep."

"Can you sleep if you come to me?"

"Yeah, I can sleep when I'm with you." Shen Juanjuan buried his face in the quilt, speaking in a muffled voice, "I can only fall asleep when I smell this scent."

"All washed by me, we only use one kind of soap at home," Chu Ya said, facing the wardrobe door.

"It's different. Your quilt has your scent, it smells so good." Shen Juanjuan said lazily.

Chu Ya paused in the act of straightening his T-shirt, then took a pair of pajama pants from the wardrobe: "You're not a kid anymore, you should sleep alone, don't keep coming into my room. By the way, knock before entering."

Shen Juanjuan ignored him, just turned over and yawned, "As soon as I smell your scent, I feel so comfortable, sleepy, yeah, sleepy..."

Chu Ya went outside to change into his pajamas, then returned to find Shen Juanjuan already asleep, his chin and nose buried in the quilt, only his eyes, covered by long lashes, visible.

Chu Ya pulled the quilt down a bit to expose his nose and mouth, then lifted the edge of the quilt and got into bed, turning off the light.

In the darkness, Shen Juanjuan turned over, naturally placing his hand on Chu Ya's abdomen, slipping under the T-shirt and beginning to slowly caress.

Chu Ya grabbed his hand, pushed it back, and wrapped him up in the quilt.

Shen Juanjuan moved, trying to free his hand, but failed, and after a few attempts, gave up.

When Shen Juanjuan was woken by the alarm clock at half past seven in the morning, Chu Ya was already gone to the military headquarters. He shuffled out of the room in slippers, seeing two bowls covered by a plate and a dish of pickles on the table.

He lifted the plate, finding corn and steamed buns in one bowl, and congee in the other, neither too hot nor too cold, just right.

After washing up and finishing breakfast, Shen Juanjuan hurried downstairs. The courtyard was filled with teenagers around ten years old, coming out of the canteen in groups and heading towards the main hall.

Director Liu stood at the entrance of the main hall as usual every morning, the boys greeting him one by one, and Shen Juanjuan also walked over, smiling and calling out Director Liu.

"Hey, Shen Juanjuan, have you had breakfast?"

"Yes."

"Did your brother make it or did you get it from the canteen?"

"The pickles were made by my brother, the steamed buns look like they came from the canteen."

Director Liu asked, "Are the pickles good?"

Shen Juanjuan walked beside Director Liu, raising his arm to drape it over his shoulder, closing his eyes in delight, "Just right, crisp and refreshing, a rare delicacy in the world."

Director Liu whispered, "Then I must try a bite."

"I'll go get you a bowl right away."

"Wait, wait, wait." Director Liu held Shen Juanjuan back, "Tomorrow."

"Okay, tomorrow."

There were no children aged six or seven in the orphanage now, the youngest being around ten, part of the group that came with Director Liu from the Abyss. Shen Juanjuan and his batch, originally the youngest class, were now the oldest, and in a year or two, they would join the Third Army.

The first class was a practical training session, and Shen Juanjuan headed to the training ground where the instructor was already taking attendance. He quickly joined the line and turned to tell Chen Hongliang behind him about what Chu Ya had said last night.

"Really? They're sending people to take us to fight the Zombie King?" Chen Hongliang asked excitedly.

"Who's talking? Do you want to stand here and talk all day?" The instructor stopped the roll call and shouted coldly.

"Shh." Shen Juanjuan immediately fell silent.

"Shh." Tang Yuanyuan also turned her head.

"Yu Datou."

"Here."

"Lin Xiaoya."

"Here."

...

Lin Duozhi, standing in front of Shen Juanjuan, slightly turned his head, "What do you mean 'sending people to take us'? Where?"

Shen Juanjuan kept his eyes on the instructor, moving his lips, "...my brother... Zombie King."

"What?" Lin Duozhi didn't hear clearly.

Chen Hongliang quickly reminded, "Shh! The instructor is looking at you."

"You know I'm watching you? He didn't even say anything, and you just keep talking." The instructor pointed to the side, "Step out! Ten laps."

Chen Hongliang stepped out of line amidst the muffled laughter of his peers and began running around the playground.

The quantum beasts gathered at one corner of the playground, with the parrot shouting slogans at Chen Hongliang: "One-two-one, one-two-one..."

Shen Juanjuan was excited all day long. As soon as school ended, he hurried home with the Teddy Bear that could now leave the mental domain.

He had just opened the door to his room when the Teddy Bear squeezed past him and rushed into the house, hugging the Black Wolf that greeted them.

"Ow, ow-ow!" It pointed at Shen Juanjuan and angrily called out, telling the Black Wolf that it hadn't gone to play with Spot last night, and that Shen Juanjuan was lying.

The Black Wolf comforted it by touching its nose, indicating that he knew.

"Shen Miaomiao." Shen Juanjuan heard the clatter of pots and pans from the kitchen and hurried over, but the Teddy Bear pointed at his feet and roared, making him quickly change into clean slippers.

Chu Ya was facing away from the door, cooking dinner. Hearing Shen Juanjuan's footsteps, he calmly said, "Don't rush, we'll go after dinner."

"Ah... We still have to eat dinner?"

"Not only do we have to eat dinner, but you also need to finish your homework after."

"Ah..." Shen Juanjuan cried out again.

At seven in the evening, the sky had already darkened. A military vehicle drove out of the orphanage and proceeded down the street.

The military vehicle quickly reached the high wall checkpoint. Two guards ran out to check, then immediately opened the gate on the wall.

This gate protruded from the high wall, divided into an inner and outer door, with a ten-meter passage in between. When the military vehicle entered the passage, the inner door closed, and then the outer door opened, preventing zombies from rushing in during the brief moment the doors were open.

The military vehicle left the high wall and traveled through the desolate, dimly lit abandoned city. The sound of the car immediately attracted a large group of zombies, which emerged from the ruins and dark buildings, rushing toward the military vehicle.

All the military vehicles in Jiuyao District had been modified, with sturdy steel plates installed around the body. While they were not afraid of collisions, Chu Ya also released his mental power to kill the zombies climbing onto the military vehicle. Shen Juanjuan, while grooming him, began to inventory the items Chu Ya had placed in the car.

"Diving suit? And oxygen tanks?" Shen Juanjuan asked in surprise.

"Yes, we're going diving tonight," Chu Ya glanced at him, "Fighting the Zombie King in the sea is much harder than on land. Are you scared?"

"Not at all!" Shen Juanjuan's eyes sparkled with excitement, "I'm not scared!"

He then asked the Black Wolf and the Teddy Bear in the backseat, "Are you scared?"

The Black Wolf shook his head, and the Teddy Bear raised its paws in front of its chest, assuming a fighting stance.

"You're a bit arrogant," Shen Juanjuan chuckled, tapping it.

Half an hour later, the military vehicle stopped in front of an iron house near the dock, where a surface reconnaissance device was flashing nearby.

After Linya City and Cloud Peak went to war, several reconnaissance devices were set up along the coastline. Any unfamiliar ships without identification chips that approached within thirty miles of the shore would trigger an alarm, and ground troops would immediately arrive at the port. Additionally, the seabed near the shore had been raised to prevent large ships from docking, so for the past decade, the battles between Cloud Peak and Linya City were mostly aerial.

The area where Shen Juanjuan was located was originally a ship parts factory. After being bombed by Cloud Peak's aircraft, the entire factory had sunk into the sea, leaving only this iron house, which was originally a guardhouse, standing on the broken concrete.

The zombies around the iron house had already been cleared. Chu Ya and Shen Juanjuan sat at the edge of the break and put on their diving suits, with the full-face masks placed beside them.

The Black Wolf had already gone into the water, and the Teddy Bear was trying to put on a full-face mask, but its head was too big, so it could only place the mask on top of its head.

"Chubao Long, here's yours," Chu Ya took out a pair of diving goggles, "That kind of mask isn't suitable for you; this one makes your face look smaller."

The Teddy Bear put down the full-face mask and walked over. Chu Ya then put the diving goggles on its face.

"I've lengthened the strap, so it fits you perfectly," Chu Ya examined the Teddy Bear, "You look cool!"

The Teddy Bear no longer cared about the full-face mask and walked to the edge of the break, turning sideways, one foot on a rock, elbow resting on its thigh, looking at the Black Wolf in the water through the diving goggles.

The Black Wolf floated in and out of the water. Upon seeing the Teddy Bear, a flash of admiration crossed its eyes, and it stared at it for a few seconds before diving back under.

Both quantum beasts were in the water, and Shen Juanjuan had also put on his diving suit. Standing at the edge of the break, he gazed at the dark sea, filled with excitement.

"There are quite a few Zombie Kings around here; there are three in the dock square building, so you should avoid going there. There's one in this parts factory, and the underwater route is complex. You must follow me..."

After the zombie outbreak, many zombies with early symptoms of black carbuncle disease became Zombie Kings. Fortunately, their numbers were not too high, and they preferred to hide in dark, quiet environments, making them hard to encounter.

Linya City was besieged by zombies and at war with Cloud Peak. Chu Ya, fearing any mishap for Shen Juanjuan, had kept him under strict supervision and protection over the years. In his heart, he somewhat agreed with the instructor's words, thinking it wasn't a good thing. So tonight, he brought Shen Juanjuan to fight the Zombie King.

But now, looking at the dark sea, he felt a bit regretful, thinking he had raised the difficulty too much.

"Shen Juanjuan." Chu Ya called out.

Shen Juanjuan was just picking up the oxygen tank. Seeing Chu Ya's expression, he immediately became wary, "Let's talk after we kill the Zombie King."

"I was thinking—"

"No thinking!" Shen Juanjuan interrupted him, "You said you'd bring me to kill the Zombie King in the sea, so you can't back out."

"What if I do?"

Shen Juanjuan frowned and stared at him, "I'll hit you!"

"Then I'll back out."

Shen Juanjuan hastily put down the oxygen tank and pounced on him, hugging him tightly, "You can't back out, we agreed to come to the sea to kill the Zombie King, you can't back out..."

"How about we find one on land to kill? It's still a Zombie King, okay?" Chu Ya wrapped his arms around Shen Juanjuan's waist, pulling him back.

"No, I want to kill this one, the one in the sea." Shen Juanjuan refused, tugging at Chu Ya's shirt, "Okay? Okay? Just this one, I think it will be super exciting."

The moonlight danced in Shen Juanjuan's eyes. Chu Ya looked down at him, remaining silent and motionless. Shen Juanjuan continued to plead, and Chu Ya finally helped him stand straight, "Don't rush, let me think about it."

Chu Ya squatted down to organize the items on the ground. Shen Juanjuan knew that "thinking about it" meant agreement and excitedly clenched his fists in silent celebration.

Chu Ya put on his full-face mask, and immediately Shen Juanjuan's impatient voice came through the earpiece: "Hurry up, get in the water."

He turned around to see Shen Juanjuan already standing at the edge of the breach.

"Shen Juanjuan—"

Shen Juanjuan gave him a thumbs-up, then dived headfirst into the water. Without hesitation, Chu Ya followed, leaping into the sea.

The moment Shen Juanjuan hit the water, the light in his eyes dimmed. He switched on his ultrasonic diving headlamp and saw two quantum beasts swimming beside him and Chu Ya.

"Meow." Shen Juanjuan wiggled his feet, and the flippers propelled him to Chu Ya's side.

"Stay behind me, don't swim around randomly."

"Okay."

Shen Juanjuan followed Chu Ya forward, the light from their diving headlamps illuminating the shadowy buildings below. Most of Linya City's structures were made of steel, so they remained largely intact even underwater. In the bright beam of light, one could still see slogans like 'Safe Production' painted on the walls of factories.

"This is shallow water, there are many steel bars and rods here, watch out for them, don't get injured," Chu Ya's voice came through the earpiece, slightly distorted.

"I know."

There were no fish in this sea, perhaps due to the presence of zombies, only endless darkness beyond the reach of the diving headlamps. Normally, this would evoke a sense of claustrophobic fear, but with Chu Ya by his side, Shen Juanjuan felt no panic, only curiosity about this underwater world.

Two quantum beasts swam ahead of them, while the Teddy Bear occasionally dove deep, entering open doorways and circling inside the houses before emerging again. Once, it even retrieved a shiny metal sphere, proudly showing it to the Black Wolf.

The Black Wolf patted the Teddy Bear and pointed its paw to the right, indicating that it should explore that direction. The Teddy Bear understood and followed the Black Wolf.

"Meow, where is the Zombie King?" Shen Juanjuan looked down at the manufacturing workshops and asked Chu Ya.

There was no response from the earpiece. He looked up and saw that Chu Ya had already swum ahead.

"Meow."

Shen Juanjuan hurried to catch up, but before he could swim far, he sensed something amiss. Looking down again, he saw two figures rising quickly from below.

They were wearing blue shipyard work uniforms. After a second of shock, Shen Juanjuan realized that there couldn't be any humans in this sea; these must be underwater zombies.

Zombies moved swiftly in the water, and in an instant, they were directly beneath Shen Juanjuan, their pale faces fully exposed in the light beam.

Shen Juanjuan released a Psychic Bind, immobilizing the two zombies, and breathed a sigh of relief.

Thankfully, it wasn't the Zombie King.

Then, like a fish, he approached them quickly and raised his dagger.

As Shen Juanjuan continued to swim forward, the two zombies spread their limbs and floated in the water, eyes wide open.

"Shen Miaomiao, Shen Miaomiao." Shen Juanjuan called out several times, but there was still no response from the earpiece.

He suspected that the communication device had malfunctioned, but he could see the light from Chu Ya's diving headlamp, knowing he was ahead, so he wasn't too worried.

He sped up to catch up, but Chu Ya seemed to have also increased his pace, maintaining a consistent distance between them. Just as he was about to surge forward, the light ahead suddenly went out.

When everything around him turned dark, Shen Juanjuan felt a wave of panic. He swam forward quickly, calling out to Chu Ya, hoping the communication device would come back online. Reaching the spot where Chu Ya's light had disappeared, he found no one, and could only hover in the water, gently paddling his arms and turning his body to search.

The light from his forehead illuminated a small area ahead, but in the vast, deep water, he was alone.

"Brother, Shen Miaomiao."

Unable to reach Chu Ya, he called out to the Teddy Bear in his mental domain, only to find that the mental link with the Teddy Bear had also been severed.

Shen Juanjuan felt a growing sense of panic in the enclosed darkness, deciding not to stay in the water another minute. He decided to surface to check things out. As soon as this thought crossed his mind, he felt a disturbance in the water behind him and turned around with relief.

"Brother!"

But instead of Chu Ya, he saw a zombie swimming toward him at high speed.

It was a female zombie, her long hair spreading out in the water, her pale face marked with purplish-black veins. She swam toward Shen Juanjuan, opening her mouth to reveal a deep black cavity and sharp white teeth.

Shen Juanjuan's psychic energy wrapped around the zombie's body, but he immediately realized that the Psychic Bind had no effect on this zombie.

This wasn't an ordinary zombie; it was a Zombie King!

Shen Juanjuan's mind went blank, and he instinctively tried to flee, swimming half a meter before realizing he was in the sea. He then kicked his legs and surged toward the surface.

If he were on land, he could match the zombie's speed, but in the water, without the Teddy Bear by his side, he hadn't even reached the surface when the Zombie King was already behind him.

In his terror, Shen Juanjuan became unexpectedly calm, remembering why he had come into the sea.

Why run? Didn't he come here to kill the Zombie King?

Shen Juanjuan immediately turned around, his eyes fixed on the zombie through his mask, his adrenaline surging as he reminded himself quietly: "Find the Celen ice substance sac, cutting it off will allow me to use my psychic power—"

He kicked his legs forcefully to the left, dodging the zombie's long claws, then spun around and thrust his dagger at its head.

The Zombie King's movements in the water were abnormally agile, easily evading the attack and lunging at Shen Juanjuan again.

Shen Juanjuan dodged left and right, the only sounds in his full-face mask being his heavy, rapid breathing and his tense, strained muttering: "Keep looking, they're like S-class mutants, the Celen ice substance grows on their heads, keep looking, look more—"

Shen Juanjuan stared intently at the Zombie King, predicting its next move while observing its head, trying to locate the Celen ice substance sac. Sweat trickled down his forehead into his eyes, stinging them, but he didn't dare blink.

"Why does it have so much hair, it's blocking my view!" Shen Juanjuan shouted, dodging an attack from the Zombie King, then spinning around and aiming his dagger at it again. "Shen Miaomiao, hurry, its head is covered in hair, even its neck, cut it off—here it comes!"

The Zombie King, after several failed attacks, opened its mouth wide and let out a silent roar.

"Don't be afraid, stay calm, it's nothing special, I'm a Light Guide, if it tries to grab me, I can stop time, don't be afraid—oh, close call!"

Shen Juanjuan nearly got caught, coming face-to-face with the Zombie King. But in the split second they passed each other, he noticed a small black shadow among the floating strands of hair.

Ice substance sac! It's right at the back of its head!

“I’m amazing, so amazing, Shen Juanjuan, I knew you were the best.” Shen Juanjuan continued to focus intently on the Zombie King, muttering to himself.

He watched the Zombie King, predicting its direction when he saw its legs slightly bend, and darted to the left in the next second.

But he didn’t expect the Zombie King to lunge to the left as well. With his body still carrying forward momentum, he couldn’t change direction instantly, and it was too late to turn and stab.

As the Zombie King reached for his shoulder, Shen Juanjuan’s mind went blank. But the Zombie King’s forward momentum suddenly halted, and the hand that was about to grab him pulled back.

Shen Juanjuan felt relieved to have dodged the attack and quickly moved closer to the Zombie King, unaware that a bullet had just passed in front of the Zombie King’s head, stopping its lunge before disappearing into the vast waters.

Shen Juanjuan suppressed his racing heart, grabbed the Zombie King’s long hair, and then the dagger fell, slicing horizontally, sending a small black shadow into the water.

Shen Juanjuan summoned all his mental energy, wrapping it tightly around the Zombie King. Under the intense binding and numbing effect, the Zombie King showed no reaction when the dagger pierced its skull.

Shen Juanjuan stabbed it three times in the temple, and only released his grip on the hair when he was dragged down by the sinking body.

Shen Juanjuan floated in the water, panting heavily, watching the Zombie King slowly sink below. Suddenly, he heard Chu Ya’s voice in his ear: “Shen Juanjuan.”

At the same time, a beam of light appeared from the dark waters ten meters to his left.