After thinking for less than half a minute, Feng Chen quickly got up from the sofa and went to the pantry to take out a set of warm children’s clothes and a down jacket. He put them on Yan Bubu before stuffing his feet in thick cotton socks and winter boots.
Finally, he wrapped Yan Bubu up in the blanket and raincoat until he was like a big cocoon.
Haiyun City was a desolate, lonely place at night. Only the windows of a certain building in the city’s west end were faintly lit.
At this time, the window on the fifth floor was pushed open. A huge black lion leapt into the water and pushed the distant lifeboat closer. A teenager wearing a raincoat hopped out with a large cocoon in his arms, landing steadily in the lifeboat.
The howling winds carried ice cold rain. Feng Chen bent over to shield Yan Bubu as the black lion leapt into the water and pushed the lifeboat forward.
There was a gas lamp on the bow of the boat that illuminated their half submerged surroundings. Faint outlines of the surrounding structures could be made out.
The black lion pushed the lifeboat all the way to the side of a giant, capsized ship in the city centre.
This was one of the Hive ships that had been swept here by the tsunami. Which one exactly was unknown. Feng Chen carried Yan Bubu with his left arm as he scaled the side of the ship using the metal railing there. The black lion followed close behind with the gas lamp in its mouth.
Feng Chen sat down with Yan Bubu in his arms when he reached a small platform about two floors high. His legs dangled off the side of the ship as he gazed into the dark sea in the distance.
The black lion set down the gas lamp and lay down beside him.
Feng Chen glanced at his watch, “There’s five minutes left, Yan Bubu. You’ll be seven years old in five minutes.”
He carefully adjusted Yan Bubu’s position before uncovering his face from the blanket.
The pale child lay quietly in his arms. His chest neither rose nor fell. If not for the occasional mist wafting from his nose, he would appear to be dead.
“I know the rain hasn’t stopped and there are no stars in the sky right now. Sorry.” Feng Chen took out one of Yan Bubu’s hands from within the blanket and held it tightly.
“But I still wanted to bring you here, just like what you drew. On your birthday, we’ll sit together on a ship. I’m sure the rain will stop by the time you’re eight. There’s sure to be stars in the sky then. I’ll take you here again. On your ninth, tenth, eleventh, twelfth…every birthday from now on, I’ll take you to see the stars.”
Feng Chen looked down at Yan Bubu. A drop of rain landed on his eyelashes and condensed into a string of small pearls.
He wiped the pearls away. The skin touched by his fingers was so cold.
He slowly leaned over and buried his face by Yan Bubu’s ear for a long time.
The rain gradually cleared up. The cold winds swept away the rainfall, lightening into mist, as well as the sobs.
“Maybe you should turn into a zombie. Don’t die. Please don’t die. Even turning into a zombie is… Awubengga Adawuxiya…”
Feng Chen’s tears trailed down Yan Bubu’s neck, bringing warmth to the ice cold skin there. It was a long time before he raised his tear-streaked face. Wiping off the water stains on Yan Bubu’s face, Feng Chen held him tightly in his arms.
Cold winds poured through the ruins around them, wailing incessantly. Feng Chen only noticed now that the ever-present rain seemed to be over.
He slowly reached out. After not feeling a drop of cold, he finally determined that the rain that had been here for several months had stopped at some point.
“…The rain stopped. Yan Bubu, the rain finally stopped.” Feng Chen murmured quietly as his hand remained extended.
Clang. Clang.
Two soft noises from the nearest cabin suddenly interrupted the silence, as if something had hit the metal ship.
It couldn’t be a person under the current circumstances. Feng Chen’s mind instantly went to mutant species. His right hand rested on the dagger at his waist.
The black lion also rose and got ready to pounce.
Feng Chen stood up with Yan Bubu and was about to unleash his mental power to attack the cabin when he heard the sound of something walking around.
Then, a tiny thing emerged from the shadows beyond the doorway.
The orange-red light of the steam lamp obscured its actual colouring, but its head was obviously much larger than its body. Its limbs were very thin.
The top of its head was covered by three green leaves. There was even an actual sprout on the right side of its head.
Feng Chen was not particularly familiar with it before, but after watching cartoons for the past few days he knew this shape very well.
The potato person, Binunu???
!!!
Feng Chen suspected that either his eyes had failed him or he was hallucinating due to his fear of losing Yan Bubu. Why else would he see a character from a cartoon on a ship?
He rubbed his eyes in somewhat of a trance. That Binunu walked towards him until it was right in front of him.
Feng Chen felt like he was losing his grip on reality. He turned blankly to the black lion and realized it was staring fixedly at the big potato with a fervent, bright look in its eyes.
Although the black lion was his mental avatar, it had an independent sensory system. In some ways, it could be considered a separate individual.
This was no hallucination!
For the black lion could see it too.
Why would he see Binunu here? Why would Binunu appear in the real world?
Feng Chen began staring fixedly at the big potato as well, trying to convince himself it was just a mutant potato. However, it was just too damn similar to Binunu. Even the three potato leaves on its head were arranged the same way, with two parted to the left and one to the right.
Compared to the vague cartoon version, this Binunu was far more refined. The potato leaves on its head even rustled in the breeze.
Why? Why did he see a Binunu here? Was everything he experienced just a dream?
If so, when exactly did this dream begin?
Feng Chen’s mind went utterly blank.
The black lion was already completely captivated by this Binunu. It didn’t even spare Feng Chen a glance as it approached the Binunu carefully.
A thought suddenly flashed in Feng Chen’s mind.
Judging by the black lion’s attitude towards this Binunu, it was definitely not a mutant species. Since the black lion was a mental avatar, could this Binunu also be one?
If it was a mental avatar, then it appearing here at this moment meant it had to belong to…
Feng Chen’s heart thudded violently due to this theory. Euphoria swept over him like a tide, making him tremble uncontrollably.
But before he even had time to check on Yan Bubu, he saw the Binunu that was just quietly standing there suddenly jump out of the shadows.
As its entire body was exposed to the light of the gas lamp, it became apparent that it was not light yellow like the actual Binunu, but a green-black hue. Its big, round eyes were also completely coated black.
“Hiss…” It bared its two rows of fine, pointed teeth at the black lion in a fierce grimace.
All of the joy Feng Chen felt drained away in an instant. A shiver ran down his spine.
If this Binunu really was a mental avatar, then it seemed to have completely turned into a zombie right now.
The black lion just stood there like a doofus. It didn’t retaliate when Binunu snapped at it, only hurriedly taking two steps back.
Binunu missed the black lion, but it latched onto a few strands of its mane. Now it swung back and forth in midair.
Even though it was only biting down on fur, it didn’t let go. On the contrary, a ferocious growl like that of a wild beast came from its throat as it kept struggling in midair to try and tear those strands out.
The black lion batted Binunu a few times with its claws, but it didn’t dare to use too much force for fear of hurting it. It could only whimper while looking at Feng Chen helplessly.
It took Feng Chen a few seconds to react and rescue the black lion. But when his fingers were about to touch Binunu, it whirled around and snapped at him.
Its two rows of sharp teeth made Feng Chen quickly jerk his hand back. Thus, Binunu fell to the ground with a thud.
It didn’t continue to attack after it fell. Instead, it quickly darted to the side and bounced off the platform like a ball.
Half a second later, there was a muffled splash below.
Feng Chen and the black lion rushed to look down. The Binunu had already surfaced and was quickly swimming away. It soon vanished into the darkness.
Lion and human never expected this to happen in a million years. They looked at the surface of the water in silence.
A few seconds later, a black lion leapt from the platform and made a huge splash as it hit the water. At the same time, Feng Chen roared, “Quick, don’t let it get away! Bring it back!!”
Feng Chen knew that it should be Yan Bubu’s mental avatar. That was the only explanation he could come up with for why a living Binunu would appear here.
But he did not understand why Yan Bubu’s mental avatar became like this, nor what would happen if one’s mental avatar ran away. He just knew that he mustn’t let it leave.
What would happen to Yan Bubu if he lost his mental avatar? Feng Chen couldn’t even imagine. He’s never heard of any mental avatar running away. He doubted anyone had ever encountered such an issue.
Yan Bubu…
Oh right, Yan Bubu!
Feng Chen looked down in his arms to check on Yan Bubu. He suddenly froze in place.
Yan Bubu had woken up at some point and was looking right at him.
The grey tinge to his complexion had faded. His skin gained a faint orange-red tint thanks to the gas lamp, which also sprinkled a handful of glitter in those big, clear eyes.
Feng Chen forgot to even breathe at this moment. He held his breath and just stared back until Yan Bubu opened his mouth and softly called out in a somewhat hoarse voice, “Big Brother…”
He heard two of the most beautiful syllables in the world…
And all of this was real.
Feng Chen didn’t respond. He just closed his eyes and slowly slid down along the ship wall behind him until he was sitting.
It took a moment before he opened his eyes again and looked up at the sky.
The gray curtains that had covered the sky for months were finally lifted to reveal the bright galaxy above. Gleaming starlight shone down, covering all of Haiyun City with a soft layer of light.
He blinked. Hot liquid continued to flow out of the corners of his eyes and into his hair. A small hand cupped his cheek and slowly wiped it all away.
Yan Bubu lay against Feng Chen, wiping away all his tears before looking to the sky as well.
“Look, Big Brother. There are so many stars…”
Feng Chen sobbed, “You said you wanted to see the stars on your birthday. Today is your seventh birthday. This is my birthday gift to you.”
“Don’t cry, Big Brother.”
“Yan Bubu, do you like these stars?”
“Don’t cry.” Yan Bubu stubbornly wiped away his streaming tears.
Feng Chen held his hand. “I’m not crying. My eyes just sting because of all the wind.”
Yan Bubu stared at him for a bit longer before turning back up to look at the starry sky. He murmured dreamily, “The stars are so pretty. Is this Big Brother’s magic..?”
The wind stopped at some point, but the temperature remained low. Their breaths turned instantly to white mist. Just like this, the two of them sat there leaning together and watched the stars. The sounds of splashing water and the frustrated roars of the black lion came from nearby. Two figures, one big and small, could be seen fighting and chasing each other from time to time.
Feng Chen unwrapped the blanket and pushed one of the legs of Yan Bubu’s pants up. He smiled with elation.
The blue-purple cobwebs that had already spread over the knee had disappeared. The bite mark itself was also beginning to heal, having already scabbed over.
Feng Chen smiled at the bite mark for a full minute until Yan Bubu complained his leg was cold. Then he lowered the trouser leg and wrapped the child up in the blanket again.
“Big Brother, did I almost die?” Yan Bubu asked.
Feng Chen unzipped his down jacket and let Yan Bubu sit in his arms. “Not at all.”
“I seem to have slept for a long time, but I could still hear you talking.” Yan Bubu thought for a moment. “I could hear how much you wanted to hit people in the cave, and I could also hear them refusing to let us on board the ship. They said I was going to become a zombie. I really wanted to wake up and tell them that wasn’t true, but I couldn’t.”
“You won’t turn into a zombie.” Feng Chen rested his chin on Yan Bubu’s head.
Yan Bubu looked up at Feng Chen, not speaking nor moving.
“Why are you looking at me like that?” Feng Chen asked.
Yan Bubu quietly said, “I also heard you cry. And it wasn’t because the wind was too strong.”
“No, you must have misheard.”
“And you cried more than once. Three times I counted. No, five. And you were particularly loud two times–“
“I said you misheard. You were sick at the time and couldn’t hear clearly.” Feng Chen interrupted him.
“You also said ‘Don’t die, Yan Bubu. Even if you become a zombie, please don’t die’.”
Feng Chen simply pretended he couldn’t hear Yan Bubu, but the child reached over and carefully patted his face.
“What are you doing?”
“I’m checking if you’re crying again or not.”
“Stop talking!”
Yan Bubu pressed his cheek to Feng Chen’s chest. He could hear the teen’s powerful heartbeat through the thin fabric of the T-shirt. “I wanted to cry when I heard you cry. I wanted to tell you I wouldn’t die or turn into a zombie so, so badly. I wanted to tell you not to be scared. But I couldn’t move a muscle. It was so terrible…”
Feng Chen was silent for a moment before he stroked Yan Bubu’s hair. “You’re all better now.”
“But Uncle Wu died… My spell didn’t work. Why didn’t my spell work back then… I couldn’t save him.” Yan Bubu’s tears flowed out, soaking into Feng Chen’s clothes and scalding his chest. “My spell doesn’t work. It’s useless… I won’t recite it ever again. Never, ever again…”
Feng Chen held Yan Bubu tightly in his arms.
“Uncle Wu went to heaven, where he’ll live a very happy life.” Feng Chen then reached down and pressed over Yan Bubu’s heart. “You feel stuffy here, right?”
“En. I don’t like it.”
“Remember what you said to me before? When we feel stuffy here, it means he’s thinking of you and looking at you.” Feng Chen whispered, “He’ll always be by your side.”
Yan Bubu looked up at the sky. The starlight made both his eyes and tear-stained cheeks glimmer.
“He’s on one of those stars, right?”
Feng Chen also raised his head. “Yes. He’s definitely up there.”
“Is he with his baby?”
“En.”
“Then will he still think of me?”
“Yes. He will always think of you.”
The two silently huddled together.
Feng Chen alternated between thanking every god he’s heard of and suspecting it was all a dream. He kept touching Yan Bubu’s nose, mouth, and eyes from time to time. His arms tightened more and more.
Yan Bubu didn’t say a word even if he couldn’t really breathe. He just obediently let himself be held.
After an undetermined amount of time, when the splashing drew close, Feng Chen let go and pointed to the round thing tearing into the black lion. “Yan Bubu, is this your Binunu?”
“Binunu?” Yan Bubu wiped his eyes and sat up straight for a clearer look.
“Hey, it’s my big lion!” He waved at the black lion, pleasantly surprised.
“Never mind the lion. Look at the smaller one. It’s your Binunu.”
“I can’t see clearly…” Yan Bubu stared at the round thing for a while before turning to Feng Chen. “No, that’s not my Binunu. My Binunu can’t move yet. And Binunu would never be so violent.”
Feng Chen knew that Yan Bubu was referring to the metal one he had made for him. He clarified, “Focus. Can you feel something in your head?”
“Is there something in there?” Yan Bubu touched his head.
“No, no. Look at me.” Feng Chen cranked Yan Bubu’s head over to face him. “You have to feel deep down for another place in your head. A separate place that feels really closely connected to you.”
Yan Bubu looked at him intently.
“So? Do you sense it?” Feng Chen asked.
Yan Bubu raised a hand to touch his chin, muttering, “Your chin’s become so sharp, Big Brother.”
“Never mind me for now. Concentrate on sensing it. Can you feel the existence of your mental avatar, Binunu?”
“Your eyes have also changed, Big Brother. There are two…pits.” Yan Bubu’s heart twinged at the sight of the dark bags below Feng Chen’s eyes, but the words to describe said feeling eluded him.
“Be good. Don’t worry about me for now. You have to try to sense Binunu.”
Yan Bubu spaced out for a moment. “I can’t sense anything, oh. There’s nothing in my head. I probably have to watch cartoons to sense it.”
“I’m not asking you about the Binunu from the cartoons, but the mental avatar. Just like I told you, the black lion is my quantum beast as the Binunu down there is yours… Try to figure it out. Look how your Binunu is fighting like a crazed zombie down there. You need to recall it.”
“My quantum beast? Binunu??” Yan Bubu looked down in shock. After a moment, his expression grew more and more disappointed. He desperately shook his head. “No, no. That’s not my quantum beast or Binunu. It’s a little hard to see, but it could be a mutant species. It’s too fierce… Look at it, it’s biting my big lion!”
When Binunu wanted to swim away, the black lion stopped it.
When Binunu turned around and tore into it, the black lion refused to retaliate and scurried away with its tail between its legs.
When Binunu turned back and tried to leave, the black lion stopped it again…
“My poor lion, ah! Kill it! Bite it to death! Swallow it in one gulp, you can do it!”
After shouting hoarsely a few times, Yan Bubu had a sneezing fit. Only then did Feng Chen sense the temperature was starting to get colder.
He looked up at the sky and saw that the bright starry sky was gradually disappearing from the north to the south like the show was over. As the heavy curtains were slowly drawn, that gorgeous sight disappeared once more.
He glanced at his watch. The numbers on it kept changing.
-2°C, -5°C, -10°C, -21°C…
Author’s Corner
I told you Yan Bubu’s quantum beast was special, and it’s not just because it’s Binunu.
