Feng Chen looked at the real-time map generated by his watch. He decisively slammed on the gas pedal, secured it and got up to start packing.
“Get the pressure-resistant wetsuit in the locker and put it on, Yan Bubu.”
“Got it.” Yan Bubu immediately set off.
The black lion started packing up the car’s contents with Feng Chen. Binunu went to get its backpack.
Yan Bubu noticed Binunu staring at him after he put on the pressure-resistant wetsuit. “You don’t need this. You can’t want everything you see.”
Feng Chen was collecting limestones. “They’re too big for you anyway. I’ll make a suit for you in the future.”
Only then did Binunu turn away, satisfied.
Feng Chen pulled out an inflatable bag and put everything he could fit inside. Aside from the necessary limestone and clothes, he also packed the little limestone-powered stove, dishes, pots and pans. The bag was bursting at the seams when he was done.
“Have you finished packing yet?” Feng Chen asked when he saw Yan Bubu coming over to help.
Yan Bubu nodded. “Yeah, I’m done.”
“Are you certain?”
“100%.”
Feng Chen didn’t even look up from what he was doing. “Take out the exams and homework hidden in the locker so I can put them in the bag.”
Yan Bubu froze for a few seconds before reluctantly fishing out the exams and workbooks from the cabinet and handing them over.
Feng Chen brought everything he could with him. Food wasn’t necessary since there were a lot of mutant species they could hunt on land.
Both of them had pressure-resistant wetsuits on when Feng Chen stood in the doorway with Yan Bubu.
The ice under the car was almost transparent. The entire ice layer had turned the ink-blue of seawater. The car tracks splashed water into the air constantly, making it seem like the car was zooming across the sea.
Yan Bubu’s heart thumped something fierce as Feng Chen led him along.
Although he knew that there was no danger with Feng Chen by his side, he was still a little nervous.
A few more minutes went by. Feng Chen glanced down at his watch. When the sounds of ice cracking came and the car plunged down, he pushed the inflatable bag into the water before calling for everyone to jump as he dragged Yan Bubu into the sea.
Although they were wearing pressure-resistant wetsuits and had plenty of oxygen, Yan Bubu couldn’t breathe the moment he entered the ice-cold water. He frantically gasped for air.
He turned to look at their RV as it slowly sank to the sea floor. He watched the black lion swimming down alongside the car.
Yan Bubu was about to ask what the black lion was doing when he heard Feng Chen’s slightly distorted voice over the earpiece:. “Binunu’s still inside.”
“What?! Why is it still in the car??”
“I don’t know. Let’s go take a look.”
Feng Chen pulled Yan Bubu after the car. They discovered Binunu was actually still plopped down on the driver’s seat, two little paws on the steering wheel as it calmly went down with the car.
Yan Bubu quickly swam to the windshield and rapped on it while shouting, “Get out, get out! Don’t just sit there…”
“It can’t hear you since it’s not wearing a wetsuit.”
“I’ll go drag it out then.” Yan Bubu tried to circle around to the other door when Feng Chen stopped him.”No need.”
He rapped on the driver’s window a few times. When Binunu turned around, he mouthed: We’ll. Buy. A. New. Car.
The black lion had already swam into the carriage at this point and grabbed hold of Binunu’s backpack with its teeth. Binunu let go of the steering wheel and let the black lion drag it out of the car.
Not all of the ice on the sea surface had broken free. Some places remained intact. Yan Bubu was dragged along the bottom of the ice by Feng Chen. When he looked up, it was like there was a frosted glass dome obscuring the sky.
“Cold?” Feng Chen asked.
Although the pressure-resistant wetsuits had insulative properties, the recently thawed seawater was chilling to the bone. Feng Chen was worried Yan Bubu wouldn’t be able to
Yan Bubu replied, “No.”
Anyone who lived in an extremely cold climate for several years would become somewhat resistant to the cold.
It took about half an hour to swim ashore from their current location. Yan Bubu’s lips never stopped flapping the entire time.
“Think about it, Big Brother. Would you be scared if a giant sea monster suddenly emerged and lunged at us with gaping jaws? …Forget it. Don’t answer that. Don’t make a single sound.”
“It’s such a pity our car is gone just like that.”
“I saw a word called ‘thalassophobia’. It’s about the psychological pressure the bottomless ocean can bring… Do I have it? Ahhh I can’t bear to look…”
“Hey, Binunu has been swimming at the forefront this whole time. Isn’t it tired? Is it actually an inflatable bag as well? Hahaha…”
Feng Chen responded only occasionally. He pretended to be deaf the majority of the time.
Yan Bubu was near-exhausted after swimming for over ten minutes. He huffed, “I’m going to get Sasaka to give me a ride.”
“No.” Feng Chen said.
“Why not?”
Feng Chen turned to give him a look. “We haven’t trained for a while. Consider this your training.”
“…But didn’t you say I should focus on honing my reflexes and agility?”
“Those alone aren’t enough. Your physical condition has to be able to keep up.”
Yan Bubu glanced up at the sky as he continued swimming. He noticed the rain above the ice had stopped at some point. The sun peeked out from the clouds.
Sunlight travelled through the ice layer to illuminate the surrounding sea. The seawater shifted from inky blue to the same hue as the clear, blue sky. Yan Bubu felt like he was encased in a huge piece of sapphire.
“Big Brother, look!”
“En, I can see.”
The black lion swam under Yan Bubu with the inflatable bag dangling by its mouth and supported him. He sprawled out on the black lion’s back and quietly looked up at the sky through the ice, at the seawater, at Feng Chen beside him.
Feng Chen’s face under his headgear was illuminated by the sea. Each and every detail was perfect.
“Why are you staring at me?” Feng Chen asked without even glancing over.
Yan Bubu’s slightly distorted voice came over his earpiece, “Big Brother, do you know how good-looking you are?”
“I do.” Feng Chen said.
Yan Bubu: “How did you know?”
“Because you keep staring at me.” Feng Chen impassively stated, “Turn your head back around. “
“No, not until you also praise me for being good-looking.”
Feng Chen also flipped over and wrapped an arm around the black lion’s neck so it could carry him forward. His half-narrowed eyes fell on Yan Bubu’s face.
“Come on, praise me. Praise me already.” Yan Bubu laughed. Motes of light danced across his face and eyes like a handful of shimmering gold flakes.
Feng Chen withdrew his gaze without saying a word and looked up at the clear blue sky.
“Not bad. You have eyes and a nose and everything.”
Although Feng Chen barely said anything of substance, Yan Bubu knew that this was already very high praise coming from him. He immediately beamed.
Binunu swam over to Feng Chen at some point. Its dark eyes silently stared at him.
“You’re not bad either. You have eyes and a nose and everything.”
With that, Binunu pulled ahead again with satisfaction.
Although everyone had to jump into the sea and even their car was gone, they didn’t feel all that sad or frustrated. Joking around as normal, they arrived back on land within half an hour.
That being the case, they were still waist-deep in water. The snow that had accumulated year-round has finally melted and was flowing into the sea.
“Hold on tight. Don’t get washed away.” The current was too strong. Feng Chen led Yan Bubu forward with difficulty.
It was 19°C right now. They’ve both removed the headgear from their wetsuits already. The black lion followed behind with the inflatable bag, Binunu sitting atop its huge head.
After a few more minutes of walking, a mountain range came into view. The barren peaks lacked any spot of greenery.
“Let’s get to higher ground and find a place to rest.”
The incline wasn’t that steep. The two of them jumped up the rocks and soon found a flat place to rest.
Yan Bubu took off the heavy wetsuit and let the warm sun shine down on him. He tilted his head back and took a deep breath of moist, warm air.
“So this is what it feels like to have the sun shining on your face…”
Feng Chen stuffed their wetsuits into the inflatable bag and glanced at his watch, “We would’ve arrived at the Capital in a week according to our original route. It’ll take twice as long now that we have to take a detour without a car.”
“This feels so good. A week more of this sounds great…” Yan Bubu was already splayed out on the rocks like a starfish, sunbathing with his eyes closed.
Feng Chen glanced down at him for a moment before simply laying down and joining him.
“Will the weather get hotter and hotter like before, Big Brother?” Yan Bubu felt for Feng Chen’s hand and scratched the back of it.
Feng Chen flipped his hand and held Yan Bubu’s down. “I don’t know.”
“What if it gets hot again?”
Feng Chen indifferently stated, “We’ll think of something. Maybe we can dig a hole to stay in during the day and find food at night. The extreme heat won’t last forever. We just have to hold out for a year or two.”
“…An entire year or two.” Yan Bubu silently imagined such a scenario before suddenly bursting into laughter.
“What are you laughing at?” Feng Chen asked.
Yan Bubu: “In that case, won’t we be like moles?”
“Have you ever seen a mole? Feng Chen rested a hand on his forehead as he leisurely replied.
“On TV, yeah.” Yan Bubu bit his lower lip with his front teeth. “They look like this.”
Feng Chen turned to glance at him. “Nice rat impression.”
Yan Bubu was dazed. “Rats, huh… Binunu, what does a mole look like then?”
Binunu was sunbathing on the black lion’s back. It turned to squint at Yan Bubu and Feng Chen.
“Oh, I see.”
They hit the road again after everyone got enough sun. Feng Chen pulled Yan Bubu, who was lazily drooping over, back up. “Stand properly. The sooner we can get to the Capital, the better. That is, if you don’t want to become a mole.”
Once deflated, the bag became a duffle bag. The black lion put the duffle bag back on. Although it was big and heavy due to all the things inside, this weight was nothing for the black lion.
“We’ll climb over this mountain first. Binunu can go scout in front while Sasaka carries the luggage…”
The following week, Yan Bubu and Feng Chen moved during the day and found places to spend the nights.
The vitality of plants should never be underestimated. Within a few days of warming temperatures, those bare peaks were dotted with green as if someone had carelessly flicked a paintbrush at them.
By the eighth day, the wildly spreading green patches covered the entire canvas. Lush greenery covered every surface the eye could see.
The animals also stopped laying low and came out of their homes.
After a nine-year ice age, any animals left were basically guaranteed to have mutated. However, this made it convenient for the black lion to hunt.
After processing the animals the black lion brought back, Feng Chen boiled a pot of water using the little limestone-powered stove. Yan Bubu was a big fan of the especially tender meat of mutant black sparrows, so the black lion stopped hunting anything else.
In the late afternoon, when the sun was about to set, Feng Chen found a cave to spread blankets in. He would start cooking once the black lion came back from hunting.
“Do you want me to give you a massage, Big Brother?” Yan Bubu asked.
Feng Chen was resting against a rock. Without even opening his eyes, he said, “Retie my hair.”
The pigtail on the back of his head was coming loose. Several strands were scattered across his cheeks. Yan Bubu squatted down behind him and fixed it.
“I want to go play nearby.” Yan Bubu soon started asking for things.
Feng Chen cracked his eyes open to glance at him. “Don’t go too far. Remember to stay safe and take Binunu with you.”
“Got it.” Yan Bubu happily turned around and poked Binunu, who was lying down nearby. “Come on. Let’s go for a walk.”
Binunu got up and walked out of the cave. Yan Bubu trailed behind.
Although there were no tall trees on the mountain, it was still covered with lush green grass and even dotted with little unidentified flowers.
Yan Bubu and Binunu were both excited to see these flowers. They squatted down and observed each one carefully.
“I’ve seen this flower in a book before. Apparently it’s edible.” Yan Bubu gently touched one of the petals. “Should we give it a try?”
Binunu shook its head.
Yan Bubu laughed, “Right? It’s too pretty to eat. Come on. You touch it too.”
Binunu set its little paw on the flower, which was much more fragile than it expected. The blossom broke off right away.
Yan Bubu said when he saw Binunu stiffen, “It’s okay. I’ll eat it so it doesn’t go to waste.”
He picked up the small flower and stuffed it into his mouth. After chewing a few times, he mumbled, “It’s not tasty at all.”
Binunu turned and saw something in the grass. It stared intently at them. Yan Bubu shuffled over and also noticed two little ‘umbrellas’ growing in the grass.
“Mushrooms! Live mushrooms!” Yan Bubu exclaimed in surprise, “These are mushrooms, Binunu. I’ve had them before as a child. I still remember how delicious they were in a meat stew…”
He plucked those two mushrooms before discovering an entire patch of them up ahead. Mushrooms big and small clustered together like a bunch of green umbrellas.
“There are so many mushrooms! I’m going to pick them all and have Big Brother make something for dinner! Maybe a soup with the black sparrows…”
Binunu also came to help. They quickly picked the entire patch clean. Yan Bubu made a makeshift pocket with the front of his sweatshirt as they prepared to head back.
He rifled through the mushrooms and found a particularly tiny specimen the size of his fingernail. It was a very beautiful crimson.
“Look, Binunu! Isn’t it pretty?” Yan Bubu picked up that mushroom and gulped. “Since it’s so small, I’ll just try it…”
As Binunu watched, Yan Bubu bit off the cap of that little mushroom and chewed slowly.
“Maybe it’s because it hasn’t been cooked, but it tastes a little strange. Not in a bad way, though I don’t want to eat the stem. Come on. Let’s head back.”
Yan Bubu continued onward, but within a few steps everything around him started to spin. It was like the ground had morphed into cotton. He could barely keep his balance.
“An earthquake?? Is this…an…earthquake..? No. No earthquake…”
Even Yan Bubu’s own voice changed into a long drawl as strange, rainbow-coloured distortions appeared in the air before him.
“What’s…happening, ah… So many bubbles… Soapy bubbles…”
He saw Binunu fly over to him. It seemed to split into seven, each Binunu’s head covered in flowers as they circled around him, hand in hand.
“You’re just like a big flower, Binunu… Hahaha… So many Binunu… Fly, fly away…”
Binunu glared angrily as Yan Bubu babbled nonsense on the ground. As time passed, its answer slowly became replaced by suspicion, uncertainty and finally alarm.
It crouched down and nudged Yan Bubu, who just giggled some more. “Now I’m flying too. Come, Binunus. Let’s fly together…to Big Brother and take him along…”
Binunu’s gaze became more and more alarmed. It ran off, only to come back moments later because it didn’t want to leave Yan Bubu out here alone. This repeated several times before it stood helplessly by his side.
Yan Bubu’s fingers weaved through the air like he was picking flowers. “This one is for Big Brother, this one for Binunu, this one for Sasaka…”
Binunu had a sudden realization as it stared at Yan Bubu. Its panicked expression was replaced by something conflicted, like it was struggling to decide whether to go through with something.
“I’ll pick one more to stick in Big Brother’s hair…”
Binunu seemed to have made up its mind after a beat. It took a deep breath and closed its eyes.
Yan Bubu suddenly stopped giggling on the ground. His eyes stared sightlessly into the air before his back went ramrod straight and his hands started clawing at the ground.
All the colour drained out of his irises as they became pitch black, then it spread to his entire eyeball. His porcelain skin took on a blue tinges as capillaries bulged like spiderwebs across his body.
Binunu opened its eyes only a few seconds later. At the same time, the darkness in Yan Bubu’s eyes receded as quickly as it had came. Those blue-gray cobwebs cleared from his skin.
“Hehe…Little flower umbrellas raining down everywhere…” Yan Bubu started giggling dumbly again.
Binunu continued to stare at Yan Bubu, but it seemed to have figured out that Yan Bubu wasn’t in danger. It wasn’t flustered anymore and calmed down.
