Chapter 84

Chapter 84

The remark about not returning unless the confinement was lifted was just a joke.

They couldn’t possibly spend the night in the wilderness, especially since...

Lin Jiaxu had a keen sense of smell, and the mixed scents of a group of animals, big and small, were pretty rank.

After playing for a while, the novelty of being around the animals wore off for Jia Jia, and he immediately began to feel super uncomfortable.

Plus, there was no way they were actually gonna eat Flower’s food.

Wild fruits were one thing, but things like biscuits, snacks with torn packaging, and the oddly scented bloody meat—no clue where it came from or if it was from some wild animal—were not something they dared to eat.

The child was hemming and hawing, shuffling awkwardly beside Zhong Qian.

He wanted to go back but didn’t know how to say it.

Zhong Qian naturally noticed. Letting go of the dog’s paw he had been playing with, he threw him a lifeline with a smile: “It’s getting dark, and I’m a bit cold and hungry. What about you, Jia Jia?”

“Yeah, I’m hungry too,” the child quickly replied.

Zhong Qian said, “Then let’s go home and have dinner? We can come back to play with Flower another time?”

“We’re not going back to the base?” Lin Jiaxu blinked.

“No, we’re going to your home. We can head back to the base in a couple of days.”

Since they’d just be confined if they went back to the base anyway, Zhong Qian thought it wouldn’t make much difference whether they returned or not. At most, some people might be freaking out, but it’d be better to just go back with the child to see his folks.

Lin Jiaxu tried to suppress the corners of his upturned lips but failed. Playing it cool, he said, “Then let’s go back.”

Zhong Qian didn’t bust him and replied with a smile, “Okay.”

“Flower, we’re going home,” Lin Jiaxu said.

“Meow.” (Finally!)

These two human children finally wanted to go back.

Flower licked a paw, unfazed. “Meow meow?”

Should she give them a ride back herself?

“Yes, yes, yes!” Lin Jiaxu was totally down for another cat-flight ride.

In the end, Flower dropped them off back in the city, and the kid promised to meet again the next day.

“Flower, I’ll come find you to play tomorrow!”

Lin Jiaxu was standing outside the Xu family’s gate.

He called out as soon as they reached the door, but no one answered. Instead, it was Butler Chen who came out.

The butler hurried over. “Young sir! You’re back!” Hearing Lin Jiaxu calling for someone, he quickly added, “Mr. and Mrs. Xu have gone to the hospital to see the young master and miss. They’re not home.”

Only then did Lin Jiaxu and Zhong Qian remember Xu Lechen and Xu Leyu, whom they had completely forgotten.

Lin Jiaxu felt a little guilty. “I’ll go see them at the hospital later.”

Zhong Qian said, “I’ll go with you.”

But that would come later.

Right now, they needed to scrub off—and good!

They were covered in dirt and had spent the entire afternoon surrounded by animals, leaving them with a weird smell. Zhong Qian, in particular, was covered in mud and dust, as if he had just crawled out of the ground.

The butler did a double take when he got a clear look at them.

The two bolted upstairs. Lin Jiaxu, cheating by flying, managed to secure the bathroom in his bedroom first. “I got here first, so I’ll shower first!”

“It’s not like there’s only one bathroom. I’ll use the guest room.”

Zhong Qian took the L, found a set of his clothes from the wardrobe, and headed to the guest room.

Since Lin Jiaxu and Zhong Qian often came and went together, and Zhong Qian had occasionally stayed overnight at the Xu residence during holidays, Lin Jiaxu kept a couple of sets of his clothes there.

After showering and changing, Zhong Qian felt the clothes that didn’t fit right on his body. “It’s been a while since I’ve been here. I haven’t bought any new clothes.”

This set was from the transition between winter and spring. Fortunately, it was now autumn, so it was still somewhat seasonally appropriate and wearable.

But when he turned around, he saw Lin Jiaxu fidgeting uncomfortably. His clothes were way too short now—the sleeves exposed part of his elbows, and what used to be loose-fitting clothes were practically skin-tight.

Zhong Qian did a spit-take.

They had seen each other every day for the past six months and hadn’t noticed much difference, but now, seeing each other suddenly, they realized they had both shot up like weeds.

“This collar’s choking me.”

The collar of the child’s clothes was too tight, and Lin Jiaxu kept tugging at it.

“Stop pulling, or you’ll tear it,” Zhong Qian said, snapping back to reality. “We’ll buy new ones when we go out later and change out of these.”

Lin Jiaxu listened and dropped it, then went downstairs.

They took the meal prepared by the butler and headed out to another shopping district to buy clothes.

Zhong Qian bought each of them a hot dog. After eating and perking up a bit, they shopped for clothes, casually grabbing a few T-shirts and pants to change into. As they were about to leave, Zhong Qian noticed a store selling children’s clothing.

The store displayed fluffy, animal-themed onesies that looked very cute.

Zhong Qian paused and said with a smile, “Jia Jia, wanna get one of those for you?”

Lin Jiaxu took a glance and refused, “No, they’re childish, and the colors are lame.”

“What’s not nice about them? They’re right up your alley.”

The colors in the store were actually quite bright, like the little bee or the little dinosaur patterns...

“No, there are adult sizes too. I’ll get you one to wear.”

“I wouldn’t rock it like you would.”

Lin Jiaxu still refused, and the two argued playfully as they left the shopping district.

When they arrived at the hospital and pushed the door open, all three of them were awake, shooting the breeze in their hospital beds. The parents were sitting nearby, also talking, discussing today’s contamination scare.

As soon as they saw the two, the three immediately changed their expressions and clammed up.

“Hi, Uncle and Aunt.”

“Hi, aunts and uncles.”

The two greeted the adults and sat with the other three, ignoring their gloomy, resentful stares.

Lin Jiaxu urged, “I’m hungry, food!”

Zhong Qian opened the food containers, “Come on, everyone, let’s eat.”

“Not eating,” Xu Lechen said angrily.

“Won’t eat!” Xu Leyu said furiously.

Cheng Hezhi picked up his chopsticks, “I’ll eat.”

They looked at him in disbelief, “You traitor!”

Cheng Hezhi was speechless; if they didn’t eat, they’d just be starving themselves—those two wouldn’t feel the slightest bit guilty. Why should he make things hard for himself?

And that’s exactly how it turned out.

Lin Jiaxu and Zhong Qian had expended a lot of energy today, plus they’d gone out to play, and were now practically starving.

Zhong Qian opened their meal boxes and started chowing down, “If you won’t eat, we will. Come on, Jia Jia, eat more, don’t go hungry.”

“Mm-hmm!”

Lin Jiaxu hugged his bowl and chopsticks and scarfed down his food.

After a bit of sulking, they couldn’t resist their hunger anymore and grudgingly started eating.

“Hmph, we’ll settle the score with you after we eat.”

The adults’ meals had been brought too, but they weren’t in a hurry to eat, instead watching the kids with amusement as they chatted and laughed.

Yu Ruoshu hadn’t seen Lin Jiaxu in a long time and sat beside him, watching him eat and asking how he’d been. She asked about their life recently and what they’d been through.

Suddenly, she patted the kid’s head and said with a smile, “Jia Jia, you’ve grown taller again.”

“Yeah! All my clothes have gotten too short.”

The kid nodded and told her about how their clothes didn’t fit after showering and changing.

“When we go back, Auntie will buy you new ones and replace all those old clothes.”

Yu Ruoshu sighed; children change so quickly.

Lin Jiaxu hadn’t been back for a long time, and he’d hardly worn the clothes in his closet, so she almost didn’t know his size anymore.

…

After the meal, the kids urged the adults to go home; with the adults around, they couldn’t chat freely.

“Mom and Dad, don’t you have work tomorrow? You should head back first.”

Yu Ruoshu saw that they were in good spirits and didn’t insist on staying. “Then we’ll go back. Jia Jia, you’ll stay here with your brothers and sisters?”

Lin Jiaxu nodded, “Mm-hmm.”

As soon as the adults left, the three gathered around Lin Jiaxu and Zhong Qian fiercely, “Hmph, where did you go? You didn’t take us!”

“Went to play with the cats,” Lin Jiaxu said honestly and happily, “Lots of kitties! Flower is the king of the animals! She has many, many followers!”

Xu Leyu was so jealous she wanted to cry, “Boo hoo! I want to snuggle with the cats too! Jia Jia, where are those cats? Take me with you!”

Just as Lin Jiaxu was about to nod, Zhong Qian spoke up, “No rush, no rush. You need to recover first. That place is in the mountains; it’s not suitable for you to go. Let Jia Jia and I figure out a way to bring them back.”

That place was near the base, so it really wasn’t suitable for them to go.

Lin Jiaxu said, “Right, I’m going to bring Flower home!”

“We’re keeping her at home?” Xu Lechen was excited for a moment—did that mean they’d soon have a big cat at home?

But then he remembered Flower’s size, swallowed hard, and said, “But Flower is so big—would keeping her at home be illegal? And how much does she eat? I don’t know if I have enough money to buy food for her…”

Hearing his calculations, Lin Jiaxu instantly distanced himself from Xu Lechen, glared angrily, and said urgently and loudly, “Flower is my cat! I’ll take care of her! Not you!”

“Huh? What’s yours is ours, right?” Clueless Xu Lechen scratched his head in confusion.

“No, no! It’s just mine, mine!”

The child was getting frantic. Zhong Qian quickly soothed him, “She’s yours, not his. We’ll take Flower back to the base to keep.”

Lin Jiaxu paused—good idea.

If they brought her to the base, no one would compete with him for her. And if anyone tried, he could freely fight them off.

Xu Lechen slumped dejectedly, “Ah? But if she’s kept at the base, we won’t get to see her?”

Who wouldn’t love such a big, pretty cat?

But the other two weren’t as tactless.

“Just say less,” Xu Leyu sighed. Jia Jia’s possessiveness was clearly kicking in, and this guy was recklessly stepping on a landmine.

While Zhong Qian comforted the child, he calmly said to the others, “I said we’d try to bring her back—it’s not even a sure thing yet. Maybe Flower values freedom and the wild and won’t want to come with us. Don’t get ahead of yourselves.”

The three choked up, “…Got our hopes up for nothing.”

Lin Jiaxu perked up, his chin held high, “Flower will definitely want to come back with me.”

Zhong Qian: “Mm-hmm…”

He just smiled without saying anything.

It was true that Flower liked Lin Jiaxu, but convincing her to give up life in the wild for human society probably wouldn’t be easy.

Besides, that big cat was the leader of all the animals and was the most strong-willed, taking care of a group of cats, dogs, and other animals. To get the other animals to leave with them, they’d first have to persuade Flower.

No matter what, winning over that big cat was the first step.

If they could really convince Flower, the other animals wouldn’t be a problem.

After chatting for a long time, everyone was tired.

Since they couldn't sleep well in the hospital ward, Lin Jiaxu and Zhong Qian eventually went home to rest. The next day, they left early before the Alien Bureau and base staff came looking for them.

Zhong Qian picked up Jia Jia, who had finished washing up but was still yawning drowsily, snatched up the breakfast their parents made, and hurried out the door.

"Uncle! Aunt! Jia Jia and I are going to see Xu Lechen and Xu Leyu!"

"Hey!" Yu Ruoshu didn't even manage to stop them before they dashed off. "That kid runs so fast…"

Xu Kaichang sat at the dining table and smiled. "Has Xiao Qian gotten more lively than before?"

"Now that you mention it, yes," Yu Ruoshu also sat down, her eyes crinkling. "Not just Xiao Qian, but Jia Jia has gotten much livelier too. These two kids are inseparable every day. Despite the age gap, I don’t know how they manage to click so well."

Zhong Qian hurried to the hospital.

He had thought he could avoid the Alien Bureau personnel, but when he arrived at the hospital and saw many familiar colleagues all over the building, he went quiet.

He had forgotten—many colleagues from the Alien Bureau and action team members were injured and needed check-ups or hospitalization. The emergency department had been busy the night before, so it was normal not to see anyone then. But today, many had been transferred to the inpatient ward, so running into people they knew was unavoidable.

Lin Jiaxu’s drowsiness finally faded after arriving at the hospital.

He rubbed his eyes and got down from the vehicle, taking the elevator with Zhong Qian. "So many people."

"Yeah, hold on tight," Zhong Qian replied.

The elevator was filled with family members carrying lunchboxes, bags, or clothes, just like them. They crowded in, and a few got off at each floor, moving slowly, crawling along at a snail's pace until they finally reached the floor where Xu Lechen and the others were hospitalized.

"You guys took forever. We’ve already finished our check-ups," Xu Lechen’s voice came from the room.

"Perfect timing then. You can have breakfast after your check-ups," Zhong Qian handed them the breakfast. The two of them had already eaten at home before coming. "What did the doctor say? Can you be discharged today?"

"Ah, we can be discharged today, but Xiao Chen can’t," Xu Leyu took a bite of a steamed bun. "The doctor wants him to stay a few more days for observation."

Lin Jiaxu looked Xu Lechen up and down, but didn't see any signs of discomfort. "Why?"

Xu Lechen muttered, "I already said I’m fine. No need to worry."

"What’s wrong with him?" Zhong Qian also came over, frowning.

"His mutation value is too fast."

Xu Leyu handed them Xu Lechen’s examination results and superpower analysis report. "The doctor said his superpower is naturally sensitive to strength, and he was in close contact with you and the Alien’s true form, so it’s no surprise his mutation accelerated. But it might also be because he absorbed too much contamination—his mutation value is higher than ours."

The test results showed a mutation value of 25%.

Lin Jiaxu’s face dropped as soon as he read it.

Having been at the base for so long, he understood perfectly what that number meant.

"So high?"

Zhong Qian flipped through the report. Xu Leyu and Cheng Hezhi’s values were only around 10%. Xu Lechen’s was more than double theirs.

Lin Jiaxu angrily swatted the report from his hand. "You’re so weak! You shouldn't go on any more missions!"

His outburst left everyone momentarily stunned.

No one expected the child to lose his temper.

Xu Lechen scratched his head and said bluntly, "Jia Jia! Are you worried about me?"

"No," the kid insisted stubbornly.

Zhong Qian picked up the report and couldn’t help but laugh. "Oh, so you are worried."

The child was good in every way except for being stubborn when it came to emotions.

Xu Lechen gave him a bear hug. "Hehe! I knew you were worried about me! It’s fine, though. Humanoid Aliens aren’t an everyday occurrence," he patted his chest confidently. "Unless we run into some OP monsters, my mutation value is slower than anyone else’s. Don’t believe me? Ask them!"

Cheng Hezhi spoke fairly. "Lechen’s superpower is special. As long as he doesn’t encounter completely ridiculous Aliens, his stability is actually higher than ours."

Lin Jiaxu stiffened, mumbling complaints but not pushing him away.

After the joking subsided, Zhong Qian lowered his gaze.

Although the three of them were fine this time, it was partly because their mutation values were low. They managed to pull through this time, but what if they encountered a Humanoid Alien or a high-risk Alien next time?

"The gap between high-risk Aliens and ordinary Aliens is still too large," Zhong Qian put down the report, with a sinking feeling.

Aliens are increasing, while Superhumans seem like disposable assets.

Everyone’s mutation values are continuously rising. If such Aliens appear a few more times, each person might only last four or five encounters.

The Alien Bureau will only become more strapped for personnel in the future.

Lin Jiaxu looked at him and suddenly asked, "Haven’t the professors finished developing the suppression drug yet?"

"It’s not that simple, but we can ask about it later," Zhong Qian didn’t voice his thoughts, instead smiling as he stood up. "Alright! Since you’re fine, Jia Jia and I will get going first. Wait for us to bring the cat back!"

For the sake of the cat, the three of them pleaded tearfully, "You must bring it back!"

"We’ll try our best."

After dismissing them, Zhong Qian reminded Lin Jiaxu on the way out to first get on good terms with the animals before mentioning taking them down the mountain.

Lin Jiaxu said unhappily, "Flower and I have a good relationship. She likes me a lot."

"...Right, you and Flower are close," Zhong Qian appealed to emotion and reasoned with him. "But the other animals aren’t. Since we’re going to keep them, we might as well take them all? Wouldn’t that be cool?"

Lin Jiaxu thought about it and agreed, hesitantly asking, "Then should we go play with them first?"

Zhong Qian explained the plan. "Yes, first get familiar with them, become friends, and then…"

In the following days, they went up the mountain every day to see the cat.

Lin Jiaxu and Zhong Qian no longer needed to avoid people from the Alien Bureau.

Li Yuanlu called them.

Zhong Qian had a feeling that Li Yuanlu wasn’t calling to tell them to come back.

Indeed, Li Yuanlu didn’t say much, only reminding them to submit the report for this incident and telling Zhong Qian to watch Lin Jiaxu closely, making sure he doesn't take off the Isolator unless necessary.

God only knows how she felt when she saw the footage from the battle between the two monsters that day—both shocked and terrified. After calming down, she decisively sent the video to the superiors.

Whether it was to make them accept reality or to intimidate them, she did it.

In short, after the leadership received the video, the work at the Alien Bureau went more smoothly than ever.

Li Yuanlu instructed, "The higher-ups won’t restrict Jia Jia’s movements for now, but you must keep a close eye on him. Try to avoid using his original form as much as possible, understand?"

"Really? Really?"

Lin Jiaxu, eavesdropping, pressed his face right up against Zhong Qian’s, his eyes shining brightly, almost jumping for joy.

"It’s boiling—stop clinging to me," Zhong Qian pushed the kid’s head away and calmly replied, "I understand. I’ll keep an eye on him."

After hanging up, Lin Jiaxu broke into a huge, unrestrained smile. "So we really don’t have to go back to the base?"

Zhong Qian also smiled. "Yeah, aren't you thrilled to be able to stay outside?"

Lin Jiaxu nodded eagerly, but then asked, "You don’t want to go back to the base either?"

"It’s not that I don’t want to, but we can't live at the base forever. You were bored in the base, and I’ve been cooped up there with you for months—I’m just as bored."

Zhong Qian sighed. After all, he wasn’t yet old enough to be content staying put, and he hadn't left the base for half a year.

Isn't it perfectly normal to want to spend a few more days outside?

Lin Jiaxu grumbled, "You never said anything in the base. How was I supposed to know you didn’t like it either?"

Zhong Qian vigorously ruffled the kid’s cheeks. "I’m not as childish as you are. Come on, let’s go play with Flower!"

This time, they could play outside without worry.

A week later, Lin Jiaxu successfully became the animals’ close friend, fitting right in with them.

As for Zhong Qian…

He glanced at the cats and dogs who paid him little attention, disappointed by his lack of a way with animals, and reluctantly returned to Flower’s side.

Flower looked at this human child full of energy.

She wasn’t exactly eager to get close, but since he was somewhat her friend, Flower still reluctantly reached out a paw to touch him.

"Meow."

Zhong Qian smiled and shook her paw. "Flower’s still the best."

At least he was accepted by Flower—it wasn't a total loss.

Lin Jiaxu saw this and held out his own hand to join in. "Flower likes me best!"

Zhong Qian grabbed his little hand, raising an eyebrow. "Then I guess I’ll reluctantly settle for second best."

After playing for a long time, as dusk fell, it was time to head home.

But Lin Jiaxu didn’t leave right away today.

He batted his eyes and spoke the words he’d been wanting to say from the start: "Flower, will you come home with me?"

Flower tilted her head. "Meow?"

The child’s smile was as sweet as cotton candy, sincere and open. "Come home with me—I’ll take care of you."

"?" Zhong Qian’s eyes widened slightly. Who taught you to coax a cat like that?

Can you just say that so casually?

Zhong Qian pursed his lips, feeling inexplicably a little sour.