Chapter 36 – Fire
The giant eagle landed directly in front of the truck, folding its wings.
Only then did Xia Lu Nong notice that there were people on the eagle’s back—three teenagers, bound tightly to the bird with fabric, shivering under the torrential rain, their lips blue from the cold.
Xia Lu Nong looked at the teenagers and then at the eagle, and suddenly, the giant bird didn’t seem so frightening anymore.
Yan Xi Nian and Xia Huo Qu saw it too and were equally startled. Yan Xi Nian immediately opened the truck door and stepped into the rain, shouting to Ba Niu, “Ba Niu, come help!”
“On it!” Ba Niu had been waiting in the truck bed. He quickly threw back the tarp and rushed out, equally shocked by the scene before him.
Xia Huo Qu placed the small cat on the seat and gave a low warning, “I’m going down to help. You stay here and don’t move.”
Xia Lu Nong, paws pressing into the seat, looked curious—he wanted to go down too.
But his brother was quick to press him down by the back. “What can you do? You’d only cause trouble. Be good and stay put.”
Disappointed, Xia Lu Nong tilted his head but reluctantly agreed.
The eagle stood not far from the windshield, its yellow eyes, black pupils, and calm gaze fixed on him.
Only then did Xia Lu Nong realize that with its wings folded, the eagle wasn’t actually that big—about the same size as his brother’s beast form.
The cat and eagle locked eyes, and for some reason, Xia Lu Nong impulsively let out a soft “meow.”
The eagle squinted slightly, and after a brief pause, opened its beak and called out, “Screech—”
Xia Lu Nong was so startled by the loud cry that he nearly jumped out of his fur, arching his back in surprise. “Meow?!”
The eagle’s call was loud enough that Ba Niu, now in front of the bird, covered his ears and muttered something under his breath.
The sound of the rain was too heavy for Xia Lu Nong to hear what he said.
Thinking the eagle was challenging him, Xia Lu Nong glanced at the bird’s massive body, then looked down at his own small frame. Feeling intimidated, he tucked his head in and pulled his paws back from the dashboard, no longer making eye contact with the eagle.
At that moment, about ten more birds swooped down from the sky.
These were all beast-men in their animal forms, of various shapes and sizes, most resembling large birds like the wild goose that Luo Congxin could transform into.
Some of the larger birds also carried people on their backs.
It dawned on Xia Lu Nong that the eagle hadn’t been trying to scare him—it was calling for its companions.
Curious again, Xia Lu Nong peeked out to observe the eagle’s companions.
They all looked exhausted, especially in the heavy rain. Their feathers were soaked and clumped together, making them look even more bedraggled than wet cats. Their eyes were filled with fear, looking worse off than drowned rats.
One of the larger swallows transformed into a skinny middle-aged man, who took a pair of shorts out of his bag and put them on, then began talking with Yan Xi Nian.
Xia Lu Nong pricked up his ears, trying to listen in, but couldn’t catch much of the conversation.
His attention soon returned to the eagle.
The two boys and one girl who had been tied to the eagle’s back had now been released. The eagle had carried the most people, and though the teenagers were light, each weighing about 60 to 70 pounds, together they still added up to over 200 pounds.
The fact that this eagle had flown so far in the storm while carrying over 200 pounds impressed Xia Lu Nong.
After a bit of bustling, Yan Xi Nian and the others placed the seven rescued teenagers in the truck bed.
The rest of the bird beast-men refused to sit inside, not wanting to burden the truck. Yan Xi Nian didn’t force them.
After the teenagers were seated, all the adults except for the driver and Xia Lu Nong, who couldn’t transform back, had to leave the truck, either to walk or fly alongside.
The truck was already loaded with generator parts and rice, leaving no space for more people.
Yan Xi Nian even handed over the driving to Xia Huo Qu, transforming into his white tiger form to run behind the truck.
Xia Huo Qu didn’t argue and quickly took the wheel.
The other beast-men and bird beast-men followed alongside.
“Meow,” Xia Lu Nong mewed as the eagle ran a few steps and took off again. Its enormous right wing seemed to falter slightly as it tilted its head toward his brother with a call.
Xia Huo Qu, eyes fixed on the road ahead, said calmly, “Sit tight and keep watch for me.”
“Meow!” Xia Lu Nong’s attention was instantly captured. Sitting upright, his two furry front paws pressed against the dashboard, and he focused on watching the road.
The heavy rain continued throughout the night, only beginning to ease up as daylight fully arrived. Whether it had actually stopped or they had just driven out of the storm’s path, they couldn’t tell.
Xia Huo Qu found an abandoned basketball court and stopped the truck.
They needed to refuel and rest. After a long, exhausting day and night, they couldn’t go any further.
Once the truck stopped, the teenagers in the truck bed, under the guidance of Liao Quan Nan and Ba Niu, began unloading pots from the truck and gathered some not-so-wet firewood from the nearby ruins to start a difficult fire and brew lamb soup.
Ba Niu specifically added a bag of rice to the large pot.
After running for so long, just eating meat wasn’t enough; they needed some carbs too.
Even though the wet firewood caught fire, the flames were small.
Thick cooking smoke rose from under the pot, and when the wind blew, the entire basketball court was filled with the smell of smoke, making it quite stifling. But no one minded. Instead, the smoke carried the familiar scent of everyday life, making everyone acutely aware that they were still alive, not buried in last night’s earthquake.
The rain had stopped, but the abandoned basketball court was flooded with puddles everywhere.
The grass and vines on the court were also soaked, leaving everyone unable to find a dry spot to sit. They had to make do by using random items as makeshift seats, not caring even if their pants ended up damp.
Everyone was too exhausted to care.
The unfamiliar bird beast-men had all reverted to their human forms.
Since they would soon be on the road again, they didn’t bother fully dressing, just slipping on some shorts.
Xia Lunong curiously watched them, his gaze falling on one of the teenagers in the middle.
He never would have guessed that the largest eagle had transformed from this boy!
The teenager was quite slim, his muscles well-defined. Even sitting hunched over, the boy’s spine was clearly visible, each vertebra slightly protruding.
The boy had a striking face, but his cold, indifferent expression gave him an air of aloofness.
After transforming back into human form, the boy blended into the group without saying a word.
He just sat there quietly, seemingly waiting for breakfast, or perhaps simply lost in thought.
Xia Lu Nong peeked out curiously.
His brother scooped him up, placed him on his lap, and ruffled his head, saying, “Settle down.”
“Meow,” Xia Lu Nong nuzzled against his brother, obediently curling up on his brother’s lap, listening to the unfamiliar bird beast-men recount the events of the previous night.
The leader of the bird beast-men was a thin middle-aged man named Zhang Shi Hai.
He explained that since most of their team could fly, they lived on the cliffs before the earthquake, surviving by scavenging for supplies from the surrounding ruins. Their lives had been fairly stable.
If it weren’t for the earthquake, they would have probably stayed put for another year or two before considering moving to another base.
Yan Xi Nian frowned, “If you lived on cliffs, the earthquake shouldn’t have affected you too much, right?”
Zhang Shi Hai smiled wryly, “The earthquake alone didn’t affect us much, but we lived too close to the sea.” He sighed. “When the earthquake hit, it wasn’t completely dark yet. From high in the sky, we saw the seawater recede by several dozen meters—it was clear that a massive tsunami was coming. We had no choice but to flee.”
Yan Xi Nian was shocked by the news, his face showing surprise, “Did the tsunami strike while you were fleeing?”
Zhang Shi Hai shook his head. “We didn’t dare stay to find out. As soon as we saw the water receding, we quickly grabbed a few essentials and flew inland. After several hours, we encountered you, and eventually made it here. We don’t know exactly what happened, but it’s safe to assume the tsunami occurred.”
He wiped his face, looking exhausted, and said no more.
Yan Xi Nian fell silent as well.
The coast was already in ruins, and whether the tsunami had hit no longer mattered to them.
Yan Xi Nian asked, “Where do you plan to go next? Do you have a specific destination, or are you just looking for a safe place to settle?”
“We’ll find a safe place to rest first, then continue flying inland. I’ve heard about a ‘Seed Project’ the government initiated during major disasters. Some base personnel mentioned hearing about it over the radio, and we want to check it out,” Zhang Shi Hai said, glancing at the teenagers cooking the meal. He sighed, “There are still children in our group. We need to find them a future.”
Yan Xi Nian nodded, saying nothing more.
Xia Huo Qu had thought Yan Xi Nian might invite them to join, so he looked up at him, observing the moment.
Xia Lu Nong, however, was too focused on the information Zhang Shi Hai shared. He had fallen into a deep sleep when the disaster struck and, after waking, had stayed at the base. He hadn’t encountered other bases and assumed that everyone was now operating independently. It surprised him to learn that there was still something like the Seed Project far inland.
His green eyes were full of curiosity, and he peered at Zhang Shi Hai a few more times.
Zhang Shi Hai didn’t notice the curious little cat, but the indifferent boy did. He turned his head and stared at Xia Lu Nong without blinking.
Startled by the eye contact, Xia Lu Nong reflexively wanted to pull his head back.
Just as he was about to look away, he noticed a large bruise on the boy’s right side, stretching from his armpit down to his waist and arm, concentrated on his ribs. It was partially hidden by his hand, and no one seemed to have tended to the injury.
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Thanks for the chapter!