Things Remain, but People Have Changed

The other two chicks looked up at the same time.

Although Eldest Cub was reserved and Third Cub was shy, while teaching Second Cub just now, he had noticed that both little ones were eager to try. Eldest Cub had even quietly turned his head away and hummed under his breath, practicing in secret, thinking his old father hadn't noticed.

Third Cub had only received her dad's reassurance last night, and this time she took the initiative. Her big eyes shining, she chirped twice, a little shyly.

I-I want to.

"That's wonderful! Then thank you, Third Treasure. Now my ears won't be lonely."

Third Cub nuzzled Tao Qiu and bravely began to sing: "Chirp chirp chirp~ chirp chirp chirp~ chirp chirp chirp~ chirp chirp chirp~ chirp chirp chirp~ chirp chirp chirp~ chirp chirp chirp~ chirp chirp chirp~ chirp chirp chirp chirp chirp chirp chirp chirp~"

Third Cub wasn't as outgoing as Second Cub, after all. Even though everyone present was familiar to her, she was still a little bashful about performing, and her voice wasn't as loud as Second Cub's.

But when she finished, Tao Qiu applauded excitedly, his face alight. "Oh my goodness, sweetheart, you sang it better than Dad on your first try! If there were a competition, you'd definitely win first prize!"

"Chirp! Chirp chirp!"

No, Dad, you sing best.

Despite her words, Third Cub couldn't hide the delight in her eyes. After all, who didn't like being praised by someone they liked?

Tao Qiu rubbed Third Cub's little head. She enjoyed her dad's touch so much that her eyes narrowed.

Beside them, Eldest Cub shifted his feet back and forth, unwittingly revealing his impatience.

Tao Qiu didn't keep him waiting. Knowing his eldest could be a little tsundere, he didn't tease him and instead said directly, "Now it's Eldest Treasure's turn. What would you like to sing for Dad?"

Eldest Cub answered with actions, gracefully raising his neck and singing "Calabash Brothers." He looked so spirited that he might have gone off to slay the snake demon in the Calabash Brothers' place the next second.

The contrast was so adorable that, if he hadn't been afraid of upsetting Eldest Cub, Tao Qiu would have burst out laughing.

When the song of chirps ended, Tao Qiu applauded as usual. "Amazing! It sounded so good that even if the sky fell, Dad wouldn't notice."

Although Tao Qiu's praise struck Eldest Cub as a little strange, it wasn't the first time his old father had said something so hard to understand. He was still very happy, especially after Tao Qiu smoothed his feathers. He was so excited that even his tail feathers perked up.

Perhaps they really liked singing, or perhaps they craved Tao Qiu's praise. Whatever the reason, from that day on, the sound of young birds chirping in the cave hardly ever stopped.

Eldest Cub's voice was low, Second Cub's loud, and Third Cub's clear. Each had its own character, and Tao Qiu could immediately tell whose voice it was from a single chirp.

At first it was fine, and Tao Qiu listened with relish, but after a while his ears couldn't quite take it either.

Still, he couldn't dampen the children's enthusiasm, so he could only go out to patrol and hunt when the cave was at its liveliest, giving himself a breather.

Tao Qiu sighed. Being a good dad really isn't easy!

After patrolling his territory and finding nothing amiss, Tao Qiu flew toward one of his usual hunting grounds.

He was high in the air and had excellent eyesight, so he could see clearly even beyond his own territory. At that moment, another mutant monster hunting came into view.

At the forest's edge, a black hare a full three meters tall had its head down, tearing at the leg of a wild boar beneath it. Blood spattered the surrounding grass, and the smell of blood filled the air, yet not a single mutant monster tried to come and get a share.

Didn't they see that the boar was half as tall as Black Rabbit, with two sharp tusks jutting up beside its mouth and spikes covering its thick, mud-caked hide?

Yet even a creature that formidable had ended up as someone else's meal.

And looking at Black Rabbit, there wasn't a single visible wound on him after he'd killed the boar. That alone showed how terrifyingly powerful he was.

Mutant monsters weren't stupid to begin with, and their mutations had made them even more intelligent. Naturally, they wouldn't risk their lives fighting a big monster for a few pieces of meat.

Before the great disaster, if you told someone a rabbit had killed a wild boar, they'd just tell you to turn right and go straight to the psychiatric hospital.

But after the great disaster, even humans at the top of the food chain had fallen from their pedestal. The old distinctions between strong and weak had long since been turned upside down, and scenes like this were nothing unusual in the wasteland world.

Tao Qiu knew this black rabbit, one of the powerful mutant monsters in the area. He was probably younger than Tao Qiu and had also fought him for the glowing fruit.

He had bitten through Tao Qiu's leg, and Tao Qiu had clawed a chunk of flesh off him.

This fellow liked to sleep. Unlike Tao Qiu, who came out to hunt every day, he usually ate his fill and went back to his cave to rest for ten days or half a month before coming out again. The two didn't meet often.

Perhaps sensing Tao Qiu's gaze, Black Rabbit looked up in its direction. When he saw that it was his old nemesis Snow Bird, he opened his bloody maw and roared at the sky.

It wasn't a whimper, but a harsh, grating bellow.

Bits of meat still hung from his mouthful of sharp, meat-grinder-like teeth, and drool streamed down as soon as he opened his mouth. Combined with those blood-red eyes, he was nothing like the soft, adorable little bunnies Tao Qiu had seen in his previous life.

Then again, he'd mutated from a herbivore into a carnivore, so this much of a change in appearance was nothing.

Tao Qiu knew Black Rabbit still resented him for snatching the fruit. He wasn't the sort to play innocent after coming out ahead, so he called out to Black Rabbit in a friendly manner.

Hey, brother, having a meal?

Black Rabbit: "Roar! Roar!"

Fuck your ancestors! Who's your brother?!

After cursing him out, Black Rabbit angrily kicked back a hind leg, smashing a pit into the ground.

With legs that strong, he'd probably kicked the boar to death.

Tao Qiu didn't take offense. Black Rabbit was only mouthing off, anyway; he wouldn't actually come and fight him.

The group of high-level mutant monsters had uncharacteristically fought one another over the fruit, a rare occurrence that came once in more than a decade, mainly because the fruit had been so tempting.

The smarter a creature was, the more it valued its life. Over the years, no other powerful mutant monsters from outside had moved in, and no dark horses had emerged among the local ones. The old monsters each ruled their own territory like mountain kings, living very comfortably. Only if something had gone wrong in their heads would they go mad and risk their lives against an evenly matched opponent.

Part of the reason they'd fought so fiercely over the fruit was that its fragrance had muddled their minds, and their heightened desire had consumed their reason.

Fortunately, though they'd fought and all suffered injuries of varying severity, none had lost their life. Otherwise, the stable situation would have changed, and the surrounding area would surely have been thrown into turmoil for a while as they divided up the territory.

The old monsters had surely been angry when Tao Qiu took the fruit and they came to their senses, but not enough to seek revenge in a fury.

They were all shocked by how mad they'd been at the time, because besides being irresistibly tempting, the fruit had also given off a strong, indescribable sense of danger.

Who could say for certain what eating such a strange fruit would do? What if it turned out to be a curse rather than a blessing?

In the unpredictable wasteland world, the old monsters preferred to play it safe.

So in the end, when Tao Qiu got the fruit, they were half resentful and half relieved.

Moreover, from what they'd observed afterward, Tao Qiu didn't seem to have changed after eating it. He hadn't died, nor had his strength increased greatly, as they'd speculated, leading him to kill them and seize their territory.

Everything was just as it had been before.

Perhaps Tao Qiu had hidden the fruit's effects, but as long as he didn't threaten them, they wouldn't look into it for the time being.

It wasn't as though they could make Tao Qiu spit the fruit back out, right?

Thinking of the three cubs waiting for him at home, Tao Qiu didn't communicate with Black Rabbit any further. He went to the hunting grounds, found prey he liked, killed it, and carried it home in his claws.

Before dinner, Tao Qiu used a saved seed to grow a tomato plant. Tomatoes were bigger than wild fruit and took longer to grow, but he and the cubs were craving them, so he was happy to spend the extra time.

It wasn't the first time the cubs had seen their dad use his ability, but they found it amazing every time. They had seen other plants and knew that, under normal circumstances, plants grew up slowly, bit by bit, day by day, just like them.

Only the plants their dad grew were different.

The three chicks stood in a row, their heads slowly tilting upward as the plant grew. At last, when the bright red tomatoes gave off their fresh fragrance, all three swallowed.

Of course, they didn't forget Tao Qiu, who had worked hard.

Eldest Cub brought a cup of water in his beak, Second Cub dragged over a piece of meat, and Third Cub fanned Tao Qiu with her wings.

All three cubs together: "Chirp chirp!"

Thanks for your hard work, Dad!

Tao Qiu had meat to eat when he was hungry, water to drink when he was thirsty, and a natural little fan beside him. He was so happy that he grinned from ear to ear.

"It wasn't hard work. It's happiness!"

The tomatoes were their after-dinner fruit. Each of the three cubs got a big piece and happily bubbled over as they ate.

The chicks (＾◇＾): (peck peck peck) Why are the tomaties Daddy grew so yummy!!!

Chapter 19: Things Remain, but People Have Changed

After Lou Yu's chance encounter with Tao Qiu, he hadn't left the base again until today, for no reason other than a breakthrough in the research on the Ability Awakening Reagent.

As the only research subject, as well as someone familiar with the awakening process, he was someone Old Doctor Li and the others wished they could share memories with. Afraid he wouldn't be there when they needed him, they naturally wouldn't let him go out.

Lou Quan had no objection to this, either. After all, he wanted the reagent developed soon more than anyone.

Before getting off work, Lou Yu went to the office building to find Lou Quan. He had a military supply document that needed the signature of the person in charge of the entire base.

Lou Quan's office was on the third floor. Lou Yu went there often and knew the way, and the guard at the door didn't stop him.

Just as he reached the door, before he could knock, it opened from the inside. Caught off guard, Lou Yu found himself looking into a pair of tired, bloodshot eyes.

"Teacher Bai." Lou Yu was the first to recover. After seeing the man's face clearly, he greeted him politely.

The man before him was named Bai Huan, a Chinese teacher at Yong'an Base's elementary school. It was the weekend, so there were no classes.

Bai Huan apparently hadn't expected to run into him either. After a moment's surprise, he forced himself to nod in response, his smile somewhat strained. "Good afternoon, Captain Lou."