Boonie Bears: Another World Fantasy

"It was just a joke, why are you so angry?" Abu said somewhat frantically, trying to comfort Zhao Lin, who was now far ahead of him and sulking. However, Zhao Lin simply replied, "I'm not angry," and walked towards the clear stream at the edge of the village.

Abu hurriedly caught up to Zhao Lin, reaching her feet, and then stood upright. Zhao Lin, however, seemed oblivious, simply bending down and casually splashing water in the stream. The stirred water splashed everywhere, quickly soaking her trouser legs, but Zhao Lin remained oblivious. Abu sighed and shook his fur, then sat down on the grass not far from Zhao Lin. At that moment, the two of them, human and cat, gazed silently at the dense woods on the opposite bank of the stream.

"Do you have any objections to how Naling was handled?" Finally, Abu couldn't hold back any longer and broke the suffocating silence by speaking first.

"To whom?" Zhao Lin asked casually upon hearing this, while unconsciously swallowing nervously.

“Sharp, of course,” Abu answered without hesitation. Faced with this blunt question, Zhao Lin felt embarrassed. She instinctively wanted to avoid the topic, so she quickly turned her head away, trying to drive Abu away with indifference and ignoring him. Unfortunately, he wasn't having any of it.

"If it weren't for you, he would probably be dead by now, wouldn't he?" Abu stared intently at the person in front of him and pressed for an answer.

“It was just an act of heroism. Not just me, anyone with a conscience would have done the same,” Zhao Lin replied softly. The cool water flowing from her fingertips felt like a gentle feather brushing against her heart, reminding her of that nightmarish, blood-soaked night. Back then, Sharp, severely wounded, collapsed to the ground, barely breathing, his life hanging by a thread…

“I started noticing him long before you met him. A naive young man who had just arrived here, addicted to the online world, and that innocent, naive deer-girl…” Abu spoke slowly. As its words deepened, Zhao Lin increasingly sensed that this seemingly ordinary cat-like creature was anything but ordinary. “You are more profound than I imagined, Abu,” she thought to herself, gazing at it. “Here, no one truly knows your background, much less why you follow us like a shadow.”

Faced with Zhao Lin's questioning, Abu's lips curled up slightly, revealing a row of sharp, white teeth, and he responded with a half-smile: "As a reporter, can't you investigate me like you did with Sunset Group?" His words revealed confidence and provocation.

"So, all that flattery and friendly kindness of yours was just an act?" Zhao Lin thought to herself. It was chilling to think that Abu could even make the icy-hearted Na Ling lower her guard.

The sunlight, slanting in from the depths of the dense forest, gradually dimmed, as if its brilliance had been slowly obscured by a hand. Looking up, a thick, dark cloud drifted silently overhead, like a giant gray curtain, shrouding the once bright sky.

The wind howled through the forest, creating waves of sound.

"So, when exactly do you plan to confide your secret feelings to him? Is it because Naya's departure makes it difficult for you to go against your principles?" Suddenly, Abu's tone changed.

"What...what nonsense are you talking about?" Zhao Lin was shocked, her face turning ashen white instantly.

"Hmph." Abu snorted coldly and straightened up again. However, unlike before, the cynical smile on its face was gone, replaced by a chillingly serious expression.

“You are a pitiful person full of tragedy, Zhao Lin,” Abu continued, revealing deep regret. “You always place your hopes on others, but in the end, you are the only one who gets hurt. Will this time be any different? This is the true reflection of your whole life.” After saying that, it gently wagged its tail, turned its back to Zhao Lin, and slowly took a step away.

Zhao Lin wanted to say something, but it was stuck in her throat.

“The Sacred Pool of the White Bear is different from the Golden Deer Antler. Its divine power can bring the deceased back intact. As long as we find her remains…” Abu’s voice was devoid of any pity. “Unfortunately, Naya and the mountain god who controls the entire White Bear Mountain are both in the hands of the V Group, right here at the outpost at the foot of White Bear Mountain.”

Upon hearing these words, Zhao Lin's eyes widened instantly, and her lips trembled uncontrollably: "So you knew all along?"

Deeply disgusted by the betrayal, she strode forward and rushed in front of Abu, blocking its path.

"Speak clearly to me!"

"It's simple to bring Naya back. Take her to White Bear Mountain and use the power of the White Bear Divine Pool to give her a new life." Abu's detailed explanation had already led the unsuspecting Zhao Lin into the trap he had set long ago.

“But this requires the polar bear’s consent, and—” its voice grew colder, “the price of trading one’s life for another.”

"Why? Why are you only speaking now?" Zhao Lin stared at the familiar yet unfamiliar Abu with an expression of disbelief.

"So I chose to tell you, Zhao Lin. What happened has nothing to do with me. We've always just been passersby in each other's lives. Maybe you chose to believe me and be tolerant of me, but that doesn't mean anything will happen between us..." At this point, it had chosen to tear off the disguise, revealing its true self beneath the cute mask. "Just like your boyfriend choosing to sleep with another rich girl..."

"Bastard!" Zhao Lin, her bottom line ruthlessly breached, went berserk and grabbed Abu, holding him tightly in mid-air. Her hands trembled slightly from the excessive force.

"You know how much we trusted you, yet you turned around and pushed us into an abyss! Do you have any conscience?! None of this would have happened otherwise!" Her face was contorted with despair, and tears streamed down her cheeks.

Abu was held firmly in Zhao Lin's grasp and unable to move, but its eyes remained ruthless.

"So I gave you a choice: to consider your own feelings, or to tell them all this and let someone else you can't possibly take your place?" Before it could finish speaking, Zhao Lin shoved Abu aside and rushed into the village without looking back.

……

Na Ling picked up the small bottle filled with purple liquid and steadily pressed it into the syringe. Then, she skillfully aimed the needle tip at the vein in her forearm and slowly inserted the syringe into her skin, gradually penetrating deeper into the blood vessel.

"You still haven't answered my question. What exactly is this?" Sharp asked, watching Naling's every move.

Na Ling's expression showed some pain, but she still endured the pain and softly replied, "Zi Xing..."

Hearing this answer, Sharp was completely baffled. The bottle of purple solution only made him feel nauseous, let alone the fact that Naling was going to inject such a liquid directly into his body.

"A fast-acting drug?" Sharp gently massaged Naling's shoulder, trying to alleviate the side effects of the medication. He asked with concern, "When did this start?"

Na Ling let out a long sigh, then slumped down, fully enjoying Sharp's gentle massage. She softly replied, "The intense battles and the consumption of Radiant Energy are burning our lives. You and I are both like that, but I faced it sooner than you." This woman, who had always been incredibly strong, finally showed a hint of exhaustion. She closed her eyes slightly, seizing this rare moment of rest.

“Purple Star can temporarily make me forget my fatigue and physical pain. Over time, I gradually became dependent on it. In other words, I became addicted.” Then, Na Ling untied her long hair, which cascaded down onto the back of Sharp’s hand. The strands of brown hair carried the fresh scent of shampoo, lingering around Sharp’s nose.

Who else has ever seen you so charming, Miss Naling? Sharp couldn't help but think to himself.

Naling seemed to sense the turmoil deep within Sharp's heart. She smiled slightly, then grabbed Sharp's wrist and slowly pulled him towards her. Sharp looked at her actions in surprise, but did not resist.

When Sharp's hand approached Naling's lips, she gently sniffed, the warm breath brushing against the back of her hand, tickling her.

“Naling…you…what are you doing?” Sharp was shocked by her bold and unreserved behavior. However, Naling did not answer his question, but only glanced at him with her captivating eyes. She was completely different from her behavior not long ago.

The scene unfolding before my eyes made me forget even how to blink normally.

“If I still had the strength, I would not hesitate to give you a resounding slap on behalf of my sister.” Naling regained her initial arrogance and stood face to face with Sharp.

Then, those hands slowly climbed up Sharp's collar and suddenly shoved him backward. Sharp immediately lost his balance and stiffly fell onto the bunk. This sudden action caught him completely off guard.

"Why don't you speak?"

Sharp was surprised that Naling would follow him. She placed her hands on either side of Sharp's cheeks, hovering over him. Her long, loose brown hair obscured her face, making it difficult for Sharp to see her expression. Naling slowly approached Sharp, the distance between them growing ever closer.

“Na Ling…” Sharp’s eyes flickered uncertainly. He reached out uneasily, trying to cover her lips that were about to fall. However, Na Ling impatiently pushed his arm away, then leaned close to his ear and whispered, “You think… I’m Naya? That I’ll obediently listen to you and be manipulated by you after you’ve teased me a few times?”

Her voice was completely different from before, filled with a deep-seated sense of danger and violent tendencies.

Sharp was taken aback. He initially wanted to back down, but he mustered his courage and retorted, "I don't think so."

He firmly rejected her.

At this moment, Naling's desire to conquer had been completely ignited by Sharp.

"Then why are you hiding?" She tilted her head, admiring him from beginning to end as he was already at his last gasp.

“If this is just a test for me, shouldn’t it end now…” Sharp asked again and again.

"What if I say no?" Na Ling's eyes held a complex desire that was about to burst forth at any moment, which had accumulated to the point that it had become completely uncontrollable.

“You’ve gone mad, Na Ling.” Sharp deeply suspected that the bottle of Purple Star had been secretly affecting her mind, causing Na Ling to oscillate between restraint and indulgence.

Her gaze was like a blazing flame, burning his skin, leaving him no way to escape.

……

What should have been Sharp's location suddenly transformed into a long, dark, and cold airstrip.

"Don't go... Yiyun..." In despair, Naling wanted to keep that person, as if she wanted to pour all her emotions into this moment.

"Keep climbing, maintain it, and then fall, Naling. I taught you that." The man in the flight suit reached out and gently stroked Naling's cheek, his eyes revealing genuine emotion.

Na Ling's heart suddenly raced, and a surge of heat rushed through her.

“But I want you,” Na Ling pleaded, gripping the other’s hand tightly, which was covered in thick leather gloves, as if afraid he would disappear. “Stay…maybe there’s a way.”

"If it's just a maybe, what then?" He masked his sorrow with a smile. In the distance, fighter jets roared, like the Grim Reaper himself, a relentless harbinger of death…

The man turned his head one last time, the roar of the engine drowning out his final words.

"I'll see you off."

The fighter jets took off, their shadows obscured by the blinding sun...

……

Naling convulsed and collapsed lifelessly beside Sharp. Her arms dangled limply at her sides. Seeing this, Sharp quickly knelt beside her and gently helped her lie down on her side.

A stinging sensation came through her eyes, and her heart felt empty because of his departure.

It's so cold...

This chill comes not only from the outside world, but also from the loneliness and helplessness deep within one's heart.

Even that fleeting glimpse, through the brief resonance of the flowing light energy, was clearly visible to Sharp.

"It's alright, it's alright—" Sharp said softly, trying to comfort her.

Na Ling did not respond to his words, but just stared at him blankly.