Volume 2: Winter’s End
Shu Xun immediately continued searching. Looking at the approval time, this research had been going on for a long time, suggesting significant progress. Shu Xun was very curious about what made this extract from the blue amber crystal so special that it warranted an urgent classification.
However, Shu Xun only found a list of developers named “LP Potion,” and prominently written on it was Qing Mo’s name.
In a moment of realization, Shu Xun recalled that Qing Mo had indeed mentioned something about new energy development in the notes. It turned out that Qing Mo was involved in scientific research.
What about Qing Mo? Were Qing Meng’s parents also involved in related work? Shu Xun tried hard to remember if Qing Meng had mentioned anything related, but there was nothing. However, it provided Shu Xun with a hint.
Qing Meng’s parents seemed to react too quickly. Qing Meng had mentioned that she started taking medication a year ago, in May, and according to Qing Mo’s notes, the initial drop in temperature occurred in September. Qing Mo recorded the initial anomalies about a year ago, and he began taking stimulants after some time.
Calculating, Qing Meng’s parents almost simultaneously noticed something unusual, and even before Qing Mo, they made a judgment and chose to give Qing Meng stimulants. Could it be inferred that Qing Meng’s parents were also engaged in scientific research, and their positions were higher than Qing Mo’s, with a deeper understanding of the blue amber crystal?
Therefore, Qing Meng’s various abnormalities could be swiftly addressed, such as preventing her from using teleportation abilities, immediately giving her medication when someone disappeared around her, ensuring Qing Meng always remembered not to mention her secrets, preparing a stuffed bear for Qing Meng when they predicted they were about to disappear, and arranging Qing Meng’s next moves. Could all these actions be simply explained by careful consideration?
This explanation now seemed somewhat forced, as their current understanding of these supernatural phenomena made it difficult to make judgments. How did Qing Meng’s parents achieve such near-perfect actions? If Shu Xun didn’t lack knowledge of Qing Meng’s parents’ names, he would even consider going through the materials again to carefully search for the list of scientific researchers.
Time passed patiently for Shu Xun, who spent days organizing and speculating. Life at sea was extremely dull, and they had only covered half of the journey so far.
One night, Shu Xun woke up from a dream, crawled out of his sleeping bag, and was about to jump off the bed to use the restroom when suddenly he looked into a pair of blood-red eyes under the bed. The drowsiness vanished instantly, and Shu Xun’s fur stood on end. He quickly moved backward, making a thud sound as he collided with Ye Qian’s face. Ye Qian was exceptionally alert and woke up immediately.
Just as Ye Qian opened his eyes, the red-eyed creature had already pounced. After the eyes adjusted to the darkness, the strikingly white fur came into view. Shu Xun discovered that it was actually a rabbit! A giant-sized rabbit with pure white fur and blood-red eyes – an oddly familiar rabbit!
Shu Xun almost thought he was still dreaming until a loud bang! echoed. Ye Qian punched the rabbit, sending it flying into the steel wall. It crashed and slid down, blood oozing from its mouth, lying motionless in the corner. However, in the next moment, under the watchful gaze of Ye Qian and Shu Xun, the blood slowly faded away, and then the rabbit vanished from its original spot, leaving the corner empty without a trace.
In the silent midnight, this sudden and intense noise naturally caught the attention of others. Knocking sounds quickly echoed from outside the door. Ye Qian, holding Shu Xun in his hands, furrowed his brow, got off the bed, and opened the door.
“What happened?” Outside the door were Nuan Dong and Lie Yang, residing on their left and right sides. Gray and White Moon squad also emerged from their rooms, rushing towards this direction. Clearly, everyone was awakened by the abrupt noise.
Ye Qian’s sharp gaze seemingly swept across everyone, then coldly retracted.
Seeing this, Shu Xun scratched his head with his chubby paw, wearing a puzzled expression as he explained, “A highly aggressive rabbit suddenly appeared in the sealed room and then disappeared suddenly.”
“Like near the Micro Lake?” Nuan Dong asked in response. Shu Xun had previously discussed the rabbit matter with Nuan Dong, so only he understood what Shu Xun meant. On the other hand, the rest wore bewildered expressions, seemingly still contemplating the meaning behind Shu Xun’s words.
Shu Xun nodded with his little head. “Yes, a slightly larger rabbit with white fur and red eyes. I don’t know when it appeared, but it disappeared after its death, and even the blood vanished.”
After a moment of silence, Nuan Dong revealed a smile with a hint of reassurance. That suddenly blossoming warm smile was exceptionally infectious under the lamplight, instantly calming Shu Xun’s tangled emotions. Fear, confusion, and unease were expelled in an instant. Nuan Dong reached out to pat Shu Xun’s small head. “Don’t be afraid. In three days at most, we will reach Yuanhai, and everything will be over then.”
Shu Xun vigorously nodded. “I’m not afraid.”
Ye Qian: “Heh~”
Shu Xun: “…” Okay, he forgot that he just collided with Ye Qian’s face in panic.
After confirming there was no danger, everyone returned to their rooms one by one. Tranquility was restored on the icebreaker ship. The sudden incident of this night did not have any impact on their journey. The group continued to approach Yuanhai.
Three days later, the storm that had enveloped the entire sky and earth gradually weakened during the night. It seemed to lose its flamboyance and dominance. Shu Xun stood on the railing at the bow, and for the first time, he saw the vast and magnificent sea with such clear visibility. The sea had gradually calmed down; the occasional rippling waves appeared gentle but couldn’t completely smooth out. Gentle yet unstoppable, perhaps that was what they called the sea’s surging waves.
The azure sea appeared deep due to the dim lighting. The rare good weather brought out some fish on the sea’s surface. Occasionally, they leaped out of the water or swam close to the surface. Shu Xun, with his chubby face, lay on the bow, watching with great interest for a long time.
The sudden improvement in the storm made everyone aware that the absolute freezing and ultra-low temperature, as recorded in the confidential document, were approaching. Time was running out for them. One day, after another day, would mark the second freezing period, as mentioned in the secret file, and Yuanhai was within the range of absolute freezing.
As noon approached, the group finally entered the range of Yuanhai. Everyone started organizing their supplies, and Shu Xun was in his room checking his small backpack. While wondering where Ye Qian had gone, the door opened. Ye Qian walked in carrying a transparent box filled with water. In the transparent box, a light blue little fish was swimming around. Ye Qian’s clothes were slightly damp, but not severely. It seemed he hadn’t gone underwater for fishing, and Shu Xun wondered how he had caught the fish.
After placing the box on the table, Ye Qian turned to change clothes. Shu Xun, with bright eyes, took small steps and walked to the table, then tiptoed to the edge of the box, staring at the little fish inside.
When Ye Qian finished changing clothes and saw the scene on the table, he slightly curved his lips. Although it took the entire morning to catch a small fish, it looked good now. He nodded secretly. Shu Xun’s awakened bloodline seemed undoubtedly that of a Teacup Cat. With a deadpan face, Ye Qian’s cold voice echoed, “It’s for you.”
Shu Xun, who was playing with the little fish with his chubby paws, turned his small head in surprise. “Really? For me?”
Ye Qian nodded expressionlessly.
Shu Xun immediately smiled, his eyes bending. With his chubby paws, he earnestly thanked Ye Qian.
Ye Qian nodded with a deadpan face, then left the room to attend to other matters. Although Ye Qian’s expression remained indifferent as he left, he was evidently quite satisfied inside, thinking that he could now raise fish together with the little dumpling.
On the other side, calculating the time by twiddling his small fingers, Shu Xun estimated that lunchtime was approaching. Happily picking up the little fish, he ran to the kitchen, confidently throwing the fish onto the cutting board. With an excited tone, he said to Gray, who was in charge of cooking today, “I want to eat fish for lunch.”
Gray, looking at the fish that was barely two fingers in size, was a bit dumbfounded for a moment. However, he quickly reacted, wearing a smile. “Okay… I’ll, I’ll cook fish… very, very well… to eat.”
Shu Xun, with his chubby face, expressed gratitude with a nod. He then walked away from the kitchen, humming a song while taking small steps. However, every now and then, he would run back to the kitchen to take a look. Eventually, he stayed in the kitchen to assist Gray, running around to hand over tools and necessary ingredients, displaying a well-organized and unhurried appearance. If not for his limited height, he would indeed look like a cooking expert.
At noon, the group gradually gathered in the dining room, unexpectedly finding the usually absorbed-in-organizing-materials little dumpling to be particularly active today. He sat obediently at the table, with a white porcelain plate in front of him, looking like he was eagerly waiting for the meal. The dumpling puffed up his face, squinting his big eyes, displaying a seemingly happy mood.
Lie Yang raised an eyebrow, his voice filled with surprise. “Shu Xun, why are you so happy today?”
Shu Xun glanced at Lie Yang, surprisingly refraining from a comeback. “Just feeling happy.”
Hearing this, Ye Qian, expressionless but secretly joyful, calmly took his seat. However, this calmness turned into a (⊙_⊙) when he saw Gray bringing a plate of familiar-looking fish.
The group continued to have lunch as usual, occasionally chatting and sharing their speculations and guesses. Of course, they didn’t forget to playfully tease Shu Xun, who had already finished his food. It seemed almost no different from their usual meals.
Wait, you say Ye Qian is not his usual deadpan self? After everyone finished eating, they left one by one.
Shu Xun sprawled over the plate, contentedly patting his small belly, then let out a satisfied burp.
Ye Qian: (⊙_⊙). Why did he think he could raise fish with a cat before?
