Chapter 256
As soon as Lang Ze left his room, he felt a chill sweep over him. It wasn’t as warm as the heated rooms but not as cold as the outdoors.
He quickly hugged the little black cat tighter and started running.
“Wake up! The sun’s shining on your backsides!”
He knocked on each cub’s door in turn. When he got to Lu Jiao’s room, the metal door automatically opened.
“Good morning, Lang Ze and Xing Xing,” the little white deer greeted them.
The silver-haired boy, who controlled the power of ice and snow, seemed to grow even fairer and more translucent with the arrival of winter, looking as lively and adorable as a little elf.
“Let’s go eat breakfast,” he said.
“Let’s go!”
Lang Ze rushed to the elevator first, where he bumped into Lai Ze and his daughter. The panda cub had already put on a scarf and a pair of adorable little mittens.
“Uncle Lai, Qian Qian, good morning!”
“Good morning!”
After exchanging greetings, Lai Qian Qian noticed the little black cat in Lang Ze’s arms. Her big, shiny black eyes curved into crescents as she smiled. “Xing Xing, are you cold? Here, this is for you.”
She pulled a small scarf from her pocket and tied it loosely around the little cat’s neck.
“Wow, so cute!”
Lang Ze marveled at the sight of the scarfed kitten.
The unexpected gift left Zhen Xing a bit bewildered. He pawed at the scarf before murmuring softly, “Thank you…”
“I’m glad you like it!”
Lai Qian Qian beamed, her round cheeks flushing red. “I learned how to knit this from my mom last night. It’s not perfect yet, but when I get better, I’ll knit scarves for everyone.”
Since coming to the nursery, Lai Qian Qian’s personality had become more lively and outgoing. She adored the other cubs, and her mom had told her they were like her brothers and sisters.
For Lai Qian Qian, who had grown up without much interaction with other children, this was pure bliss. The nursery wasn’t just a place for her parents; it was full of siblings, Su Su, and Brother A-Yan. She absolutely loved it here!
“Wow, we’ll get scarves too?” Lang Ze’s eyes lit up.
“Uh-huh.” Qian Qian nodded eagerly. “Tell me your favorite colors, and I’ll knit them for you!”
The wool was part of the supplies Yan Ya and the others had brought over. After accumulating enough credits, they had placed an order with the logistics department for more supplies, though the new batch hadn’t arrived yet.
Still, the current stock was enough for now.
Lai Ze watched his daughter interact so warmly with the other cubs, his broad face beaming with pride and satisfaction. Every time he thought about life in the blood mist, it felt like a distant memory.
Everything was getting better!
For breakfast, the cooks had prepared a pot of hot congee filled with various types of beans grown by Zhuang Shisong and his team. The beans were soft, fragrant, and sweet, cooked into a rich and sticky porridge. On a cold winter morning, a bowl of this warm dish could heat someone to the core.
After breakfast, the cubs, thinking about the beasts, quickly said their goodbyes to the caretakers and ran off with their leftover food.
The beasts’ temporary enclosure wasn’t very well-insulated. When the cubs arrived, Luo Shengfei and his team were busy installing heating equipment.
“Uncle Camel!”
Hearing the shout, Luo Shengfei turned around.
The sight of the cubs bundled up in their warm, puffy winter gear, rolling towards them in the snow, immediately lifted the spirits of the workers braving the cold.
He laughed and greeted each one warmly.
When he turned to resume his work, the two girls at the back of the group handed him a thermos.
“Uncle Luo, there’s eight-treasure porridge inside. It’s delicious! You can have some to warm up after you finish your work,” Xue Wei said as she held Little Li Hua’s hand.
The workers were touched, and after watching the girls head inside, they eagerly passed the thermos around.
When the heating equipment was finally installed, each worker enjoyed a small bowl of steaming hot porridge.
Sitting in the icy snow and taking a sip of hot porridge—it was so warming it could almost bring tears to their eyes.
Cubs truly are the most healing creatures!
No one understood this better than the beasts in the cages.
After spending years in the wild, surviving through relentless extreme weather, last night’s snowfall was hardly a big deal for them.
In fact, having a sheltered place to shield them from the wind and rain already felt incredibly comfortable.
But what they didn’t expect was that, on this frosty morning, they’d be greeted by the cubs’ enthusiastic greetings and endless supply of snacks.
Even though the food offered by the cubs was minimal compared to the rations provided by the base, the beasts clearly preferred being fed by the cubs.
Over the past half month, the once gaunt and skeletal beasts had regained much of their strength. They had gained weight, and their fur had become smooth and glossy.
The first two beasts to undergo purification—the black bear and the snow fox—had their chains removed after a series of inspections confirmed they no longer posed a flight risk or a threat of indiscriminate attacks.
Their cage doors were no longer locked either.
Although they hadn’t regained much of their memories, their temperaments had become far gentler. Even when faced with unfamiliar humans like Luo Shengfei and his team, they showed little hostility.
When the sound of the cubs’ arrival reached them, the snow fox, which had snuggled up with the black bear during the freezing night for warmth, immediately perked up its head.
Its ears twitched as it listened carefully. Confirming that the cubs were coming, it quickly leaped up, swishing its fluffy tail as it darted out of the cage and ran in the direction of their voices.
The black bear, still sprawled on the ground, yawned lazily and scratched its belly with a paw before slowly lumbering to its feet. With sluggish steps, it ambled out of its metal cage.
Its neighboring cage housed a sleek black panther. Its pure black fur gleamed with a dangerous allure, but its temper was less than ideal.
As the black bear passed by, the panther bared its teeth in frustration, clearly annoyed at being confined. The black bear stared at it for a moment before turning around and heading back to its own cage.
When it returned, it was carrying a long carrot in its mouth—a leftover from yesterday’s meal.
The panther watched with a disdainful gleam in its eyes, as if to say, I wouldn’t eat that even if I were starving.
And then…
The black bear sat down right there in front of the panther and began to happily gnaw on the carrot. Its slow, deliberate chewing looked almost like a mocking grin.
“Roar!”
The panther let out an angry growl, ready to claw at the bars of its cage in frustration. But before it could act, it froze.
Something was off.
The black bear continued munching on its carrot, seemingly indifferent. However, all the other beasts in the cages had turned their gazes on the panther, staring at it with an eerie calm.
Even the cubs, who had followed the snow fox to the scene, were glaring at the panther with expressions of stern warning and disapproval.
“Su Su is still sleeping. If you make a fuss, you’ll wake him up,” Lang Ze approached and whispered a warning.
The panther froze.
It could feel the collective pressure of the entire world targeting it.
The panther… retreated to a corner.
Curling up against the wall, it covered its head with its paws and lay down in silence, thoroughly dejected.
Sitting just outside the cage, the black bear leisurely crunched on its carrot, completely unbothered and acting as if the scene inside the cage had nothing to do with it.
Once the panther settled down, everyone else shifted their attention back to their own activities.
The cubs, armed with the food they had brought for the beasts, finished feeding them and noticed they still had plenty of time left. Following Lu Jiao’s suggestion, they dashed outside to the open snow-covered field to have a snowball fight.
The snow had fallen steadily through the night, blanketing the ground. Only the robots were out clearing the pathways, while the cubs ran and laughed, playing tag around the facility. They didn’t seem to feel the cold at all, and before long, they were sweating. Lang Ze, in particular, bounded freely across the snowy terrain like a playful pup.
As he ran, Lang Ze suddenly felt a surge of instinct. Dropping to all fours, he kept running, faster and faster. By the time he rounded a corner and reappeared in view of the other cubs, he had fully transformed into a wolf cub.
The wolf cub was slightly smaller than the crimson-flame tiger, with fur that was a mix of gray and black. A tuft of white fur adorned its forehead, and the training outfit it wore had transformed to fit its new form, exposing its legs and a big, fluffy tail. The storage pouch that had been fastened to Lang Ze’s waist was now hanging securely around the wolf’s neck.
From within the storage pouch, a small cat head poked out—it was Zheng Xing, who seemed to sense something unusual about Lang Ze’s situation.
Fully transformed, Lang Ze didn’t feel the slightest discomfort. In fact, the sheer thrill of running through the wind made him almost euphoric. His bright green eyes sparkled with excitement and joy.
If not for the fear of waking Su Su, he might have thrown back his head and howled at the sky.
He ran and ran, faster and faster, until his movements left afterimages behind him, like a whirlwind racing across the field.
“Daddy! Lang Ze has transformed!” Qian Qian exclaimed, pointing at the wolf cub bounding through the snow, her voice tinged with worry.
“It’s fine,” Lai Ze reassured her with a smile, gently patting her on the head. “As long as he can maintain his rationality and self-control, transformation is just another form of combat.”
In fact, it was one of the traits that set beast-blood warriors apart.
Beyond their innate talents and abilities, even a beast-blood warrior’s initial transformation provided combat power that regular soldiers could only achieve through extensive training. With proper guidance, their power could only grow.
Take Lang Ze, for instance. With the bloodline of the Midnight Wolf, he was born to revel in freedom and speed. Running like this helped unlock his potential and refine his natural swiftness. More importantly, the boy thoroughly enjoyed the exhilaration of it.
Lang Ze was indeed relishing his boundless freedom, but freedom often comes at a cost—
When Su Ci leisurely strolled out of the facility and into the greenhouse, he was met with the sight of a small wolf cub, tongue lolling out and legs trembling, slowly dragging itself back into the facility from outside.
“Su Su…”
Lang Ze weakly called out to him, then collapsed to the ground. His body shifted back into his small human form.
The little black cat, still wearing its scarf, wriggled out of his storage pouch, gracefully leaped onto his prone body, and padded softly up to his shoulder. Its soft paw pressed gently against his cheek, checking him over.
Once it confirmed Lang Ze was merely exhausted, the cat suddenly found itself plucked up by the scruff of its neck. Dangling in mid-air, it was soon deposited into the warmth of Su Ci’s pale, slender hands.
“This little scarf is quite unique,” Su Ci remarked, stroking the cat’s fur as he crouched next to Lang Ze.
Lang Ze, still panting like a dog, lay sprawled on the ground, too tired to speak. Only when Su Ci extended a finger to lightly tap his brow, imbuing him with a gentle surge of energy, did Lang Ze feel life returning to his weary limbs.
“I’m all better!” Lang Ze exclaimed, sitting up with a bright smile as the aches in his body melted away.
But his joy was short-lived—his forehead was immediately met with a flick from Su Ci’s finger.
“Ouch!” Lang Ze yelped, clutching his forehead as he gazed up at Su Ci with watery, pitiful eyes. His lips quivered, but he didn’t dare voice a complaint.
“Next time you overdo it like this, I won’t save you,” Su Ci warned coolly, before rising to his feet with the black cat cradled in his arms. As he stroked its fur, he strolled leisurely toward the greenhouse.
The little black cat didn’t struggle—it knew it was futile. Instead, it lay obediently in Su Ci’s embrace, letting him pet it as he pleased.
Su Ci gave the cat a playful bounce, then commented, “You’ve put on some weight.”
The kitten, once the size of a three-month-old, now resembled a plump four-month-old. Its fur had grown thicker and glossier, and its body was delightfully squishy—perfectly satisfying to hold.
Zheng Xing let out a tiny meow, then remained quietly nestled in Su Ci’s hands.
Lang Ze followed closely behind, using every opportunity to butter Su Ci up and swear that he would never again push himself to such extremes.
As more cubs trickled back from outside, they greeted Su Ci cheerfully before settling down to their daily training and studies. None of them dared to slack off.
Another peaceful and fulfilling day began, just like all the days before it. While each day seemed small and uneventful, the gradual accumulation of their efforts would one day lead to a transformative change.
The cubs might not fully grasp this yet, but they carried out their routines with unwavering resolve. Perhaps it wasn’t just their own determination driving them—it might also have been the companionship of their friends.
Su Ci observed the steadily improving rhythm of their lives, the corners of his mouth curling up slightly. With a lazy stretch, he laid back down.
Winter…
It truly was the perfect season for sleeping.
But his bliss was short-lived.
The next morning, Mu Yuncheng, who had been tirelessly traveling back and forth between the spaceship and the nursery, arrived with thrilling news:
Their spaceship was about to reach the planet Mu Pa Pa!
Even better, the other wood-element elders had already begun to gather. As soon as the Earth Spirit granted its permission, they could finally return to their ancestral planet!
