163 Part 2
“He feels everything you enjoy?”
“Yes.”
“So, whatever you think, he knows too?”
“Correct.”
“That’s amazing.” Zhuang Yao sighed, “I really want to take you both back for research.”
Cong Xia kicked him hard under the table and desperately gestured to him with his eyes.
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Tso nswze bl vyzj ps nypwyzzu kd qasdv sq pwnb y eydtlaswp nalyvwal?
Plhkz Vkdl tyhl bkx y nsze zssj, “Ebyv’p ps yxygkdt ycswv kv? Rd bwxyd vlaxp, kv’p fwpv vos rlsrzl zkhkdt kd sdl cseu.”
“Jwv sdzu usw nyd nsdvasz vbkp cseu, ds, R pbswze pyu sdzu usw nyd rspplpp vbl rbupknyz qsax. Mbyv’p ps wdqyka.”
Plhkz Vkdl pyke, “Ebs vsze usw sdzu R nyd rspplpp vbl rbupknyz qsax?”
Hbwydt Zys’p lulp zkv wr, “Uyd bl rspplpp kv vss?”
“Mbl cseu kp wdela xu nsdvasz, vbyv’p vawl, cwv vbkp cseu kp fwpv sdl sq xu yhyvyap. Gp zsdt yp vbl yaly kp nshlale cu xu assv pupvlx, vblal nyd cl nswdvzlpp yhyvyap zkjl bkx. Ju rzynkdt bkp nsdpnkswpdlpp kd ydu sq vblpl cseklp, bl yrrlyap vs cl y nsxrzlvl rlapsd sd vbl pwaqynl.”
Usdt Dky czwavle swv, “Mbld obu esd’v usw zlv bkx prlyj vs wp?”
Plhkz Vkdl tyhl bkx y ekpeykdqwz zssj, “R osd’v zlv bkx vyzj vs usw… Tl vyzjp vss xwnb. Rq bl jllrp vyzjkdt, R’zz zlyhl.”
Both Zhuang Yao and Cong Xia were disappointed. If they could directly converse with the human inside Devil Pine, they would surely gain more useful assistance. After all, he and Devil Pine shared the same body, and many times, Devil Pine had to adopt his suggestions. If this human could constantly speak on their behalf, it would be more effective than anything else.
Today’s meal consisted of dishes they had rarely tasted before. Eating fresh and fragrant wild game from the Xiaoxing’an Mountains in the prosperous primitive forest, everyone had a hearty appetite. Abu rarely tasted such delicacies, and with both paws holding the deer meat, it focused wholeheartedly on tearing and gnawing, showing more devotion than when eating fish.
After finishing the meal, Zhuang Yao asked Devil Pine about the foreign people it mentioned.
Devil Pine recalled, “It was about two months ago, two foreigners came flying on a big bird. The bird was attacked in the air and happened to crash not far from me. They ran to me.”
“And then? What did they do to let you know they were also after the Puppet Jade?”
“They took out a device and scanned around me, and one of them tried to climb on me, but I threw them off.”
“You didn’t kill them, right?”
“No, I don’t think they died from the fall. One of the foreigners spoke Chinese and asked me about the ‘black jade,’ which should be the Puppet Jade you mentioned. They threatened me that they would launch missiles at me if I didn’t give them the jade.”
“They were quite bold. They probably thought they couldn’t make it back alive, so they became fearless.”
Devil Pine showed an uninterested expression, “Hmm, I ignored them.”
Zhuang Yao said, “Do you know which country they were from?”
Devil Pine shook its head, “White people all look the same to me, but I remember they repeated a word.” It said the word.
Cheng Tianbi said, “That means ‘no’ in Russian. So, those two are indeed Russians.”
Zhuang Yao asked, “They provoked you like that, and you didn’t kill them?”
“I was sleeping at the time… Besides, I didn’t need to take action to kill them. With that injured bird, there was no way they could fly out of my forest.”
“So, both of them died?”
“Yes, they died somewhere in the southwest.”
Zhuang Yao exclaimed, “Do you know exactly where they are? Are their bodies still there? What about the things they carried?”
Devil Pine rolled its eyes, “If you want them, I can send the things out for you.”
“Great!” Zhuang Yao jumped up from his chair, “Colonel Tang!”
Tang Tingzhi was sitting a bit away from them, but he hurriedly walked over, “What’s going on?”
“Those two Russians died in the forest, and their belongings are likely still there. Devil Pine is going to send them out now.”
Tang Tingzhi’s eyes lit up, “Very good, hopefully they brought something valuable.”
In less than ten minutes, the Devil Pine that had once sat in the forest, undulating like a snake, moved some things from deep within the woods, acting like a conveyor belt. Soon, it arrived in front of them and threw the items onto the ground.
They took a closer look and were surprised to find a massive bird’s nest. On the nest were four bird eggs the size of ostrich eggs.
“Hmm…” Cong Xia furrowed his brows as he examined it for a while. Suddenly, in the bottom of the nest, he spotted something very familiar. The night had fallen, and moonlight couldn’t penetrate the dense forest. They relied on torches for illumination. Cong Xia immediately enhanced his night vision. Sure enough, there was a human bone at the bottom of the nest!
Zhuang Yao crouched down and asked, “What kind of bird would use their bones to build a nest?”
The Devil Pine grunted, “These birds are too big. Sometimes the branches can’t support their weight, so they add some animal bones as a framework.”
“What about the things they brought?”
“They are all inside.”
Tang Tingzhi drew out his military knife, “We can only dismantle the nest.”
Deng Xiao picked up one of the large bird eggs, “Wow, this egg is huge! What kind of bird is it? Is it tasty?”
San’er came over and took a look, “Mountain pigeon, not tasty, the meat is tough.”
“What about the egg?”
San Er grinned, “The egg is not bad, especially the yolk, it’s huge.”
Zhuang Yao glared at them, “Put it down, we will take these eggs back to Beijing.”
Deng Xiao reluctantly put the egg aside.
Everyone worked together to dismantle the large bird’s nest and found a pile of human bones, a bundle of cloth, and some miscellaneous items not native to the forest.
Tang Tingzhi and Zhuang Yao squatted on the ground, clearing the items one by one from the grass, branches, and feces. They found quite a few useful things.
Zhuang Yao counted the items, “We have computers, notebooks, USB drives, decoders, collected samples, and a Cambrian energy testing device. Their device is even smaller than mine, worth learning from.”
Tang Tingzhi nodded, “We made quite a good haul.”
Al brought a hot towel over and squatted down to wipe Tang Tingzhi’s hands. “Look at your hands. Aren’t you a surgeon?”
Tang Tingzhi replied, “I don’t carry bacteria into the operating room.”
“I’m not talking about that. Your hands have been injured, and you should try to avoid touching dirty things.”
Cong Xia glanced at Tang Tingzhi’s hands and noticed the burn scars on both palms. Though not severe, they still looked a bit fierce, and the palm lines were no longer discernible. He thought for a moment and asked, “Colonel, do these scars affect your work?”
Tang Tingzhi shook his head, “They have healed. The flexibility of the muscles in my palms is slightly reduced, and the hypertrophic skin may affect my sensitivity to temperatures, but it doesn’t impact much else.”
Al mumbled, “It affects the touch. Hey, can you heal this, Xia?”
Cong Xia touched his head, “I haven’t repaired scars before, but I can try.”
Tang Tingzhi extended his hand, “Oh? Give it a try.”
Cong Xia held his hand and infused it with energy, accelerating the cell metabolism, repairing the necrotic burned skin, and gradually smoothing out the hypertrophic scars until the skin became flawless, leaving no trace of the injuries.
Al’s eyes filled with surprise, and he hugged Tang Tingzhi and kissed him firmly. “Fantastic!”
Tang Tingzhi also showed a hint of joy in his eyes. “Now I can make a fist. Xia, I’ll pay you three months’ worth of my salary as thanks. Is that alright?”
Cong Xia waved his hand, “No need, it’s just a small effort.”
Tang Tingzhi nodded, “It’s good that you declined; I’m broke right now.”
Even the Devil Pine looked interested. “You have this ability too?”
Cong Xia smiled.
Shen Changze glanced at Shan Ming and spoke, “You…”
Shan Ming interrupted, “I don’t need it. I don’t need to repair any scars.”
Shen Changze asked anxiously, “Why not?”
“Scars are a badge of honor for men. You little brat wouldn’t understand.” Shan Ming finished speaking, lifted his head high, and walked away. Shen Changze hurriedly followed him.
Tang Tingzhi and Zhuang Yao placed the belongings on a clean moisture-proof cloth and started examining the remnants of the two Russians in the flickering firelight.
Sitting on the side, the Devil Pine sipped its digestion-promoting fruit vinegar, enjoying the gentle breeze in the woods, looking completely relaxed.
At night, a brand-new high-end bed and bedding that Commander Zhang had arranged for were finally delivered. As per the Devil Pine’s request, they set up the bed inside the open tent and lit some incense.
Satisfied, the Devil Pine went into sleep while the others squeezed into the other tents to make do for the night.
The next day, the Devil Pine continued to enjoy itself in the camp, and as the sun was about to set, the black cat they were looking for was finally found. It was urgently brought to the Devil Pine.
Holding the small black kitten, it asked, “Is this a mutant cat?”
Cong Xia replied, “It hasn’t mutated yet. We can’t be sure about the future.”
Abu curiously brought its head closer, looking at the kitten in the Devil Pine’s arms.
The little black kitten made a soft meowing sound and extended its paw to pat Abu’s nose. Abu gazed at it with watery eyes, sticking out its big tongue, wanting to lick the kitten.
Abu’s tongue was too big, and in that lick, it didn’t just touch the cat. The Devil Pine stepped back a bit and glared at Abu.
Abu shrunk back a little, feeling afraid.
The Devil Pine placed the kitten back in its clothes. “Alright, I’m going back. Come find me when you’ve moved that house from Yunnan.”
Cong Xia gathered courage and said, “Mr. Pine, let us talk to the person inside you.”
The Devil Pine coldly looked at him, “Are you looking to die? No, you can’t talk to him.” The last sentence was ambiguous, and no one could tell who it was directed at.
“No, no.” The Devil Pine repeated it twice, as if arguing with the human inside it.
The group anxiously awaited the outcome of their communication. Suddenly, the Devil Pine’s expression changed, and it angrily said, “Three minutes.” It extended its hand, and several roots sprouted from the ground beside it, twisting and growing taller, gradually forming the appearance of a person.
In the end, it turned into a naked man who looked exactly like the Devil Pine. Although this man’s facial features and physique appeared identical to the Devil Pine, his temperament and demeanor were entirely different. Despite the identical appearance, this man exuded a gentle and refined aura.
The man smiled, “Hello, allow me to introduce myself. My name is Mu Fei.”
The crowd hadn’t fully recovered from their surprise.
Mu Fei smiled gently and said, “Thank you all for your hospitality these past two days. These have been the happiest two days since I became the pine tree. Although it’s peaceful in this forest, it’s also too lonely. I might never be able to leave here, so I hope you all can come visit me when you have time.”
Cong Xia sighed, “You… your self-awareness didn’t disappear. That’s great.”
“At the beginning, my self-awareness was almost swallowed by the pine tree’s consciousness, but in the end, I managed to secure a small place for myself. Now, we can coexist peacefully, and I’m content with the current state.”
The Devil Pine snorted and turned its head away.
Mu Fei continued, “My final wish now is for that house. It was designed by my father and is a legacy he left for me. Please make sure to bring it here, even if only the frame remains.”
Cong Xia assured, “Rest assured, as long as the house still exists, we will move it here.”
Mu Fei smiled, “Thank you all.” He took the black kitten from the Devil Pine’s arms, “I used to have a black cat that died during the apocalypse. Having it with us now should make the long time ahead a little better.”
The Devil Pine grumbled, “You are a pine tree now, not a human. Pine trees can’t change locations all the time.”
Mu Fei helplessly said, “I understand.”
Zhuang Yao spoke up, “But we all know that your heart is still human. Humans are currently facing the most critical moment, as you can see. The neighboring countries are also eyeing the Puppet Jade. If a conflict occurs at the border one day, I hope you can help us.”
Mu Fei blinked and glanced at the Devil Pine, “Little friend, though I still have my self-awareness, as you know, I don’t have control over the body.”
“I know, but you will help us, won’t you?”
The Devil Pine glared at Zhuang Yao, “Shut up.”
Mu Fei showed a helpless smile, “I’ll do my best…” Before he finished speaking, his body instantly turned back into roots and quickly returned into the ground.
The Devil Pine coldly said, “Don’t have any ideas about us. I’ll say it again; I have no interest in the conflicts among you humans. Hurry up and leave, and next time you come, make sure to bring that villa.”
After saying this, the Devil Pine’s roots emerged again, lifting him up, just like when he arrived. Carrying the little kitten, he left without looking back.
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