Boonie Bears: Another World Fantasy

"The number you dialed is temporarily unavailable. Please try again later..."

Time and again, when the call to Shenzhen ended in the same way, Zhao Lin gripped her phone tightly, her nails almost digging into her palms, but she resisted the urge to throw it away.

The screen displayed the call log, and the now completely unfamiliar profile picture lay there silently, as if mocking her stubbornness and foolishness. Below that profile picture, two words appeared in stark contrast—Peng Fei.

Zhao Lin stared blankly at those two words, her thoughts already drifting back to the past. They used to get along so well, exploring the Western Regions together, joining the daily newspaper together, dreaming about the future together. But reality played a cruel joke on her. Zhao Lin ultimately couldn't compete with An Han; she was a dazzling star, admired by all, while she could only fade into obscurity.

After that argument, everything changed. They drifted apart, eventually becoming just passersby in each other's lives. She still didn't receive his call that night. Now, when she tries to contact Peng Fei again, she finds that she has lost all contact with him.

"What am I doing..." Zhao Lin murmured to herself, tears streaming down her face. She knew this relationship was beyond repair, but the resentment in her heart wouldn't let her go. Perhaps, she just wanted to give herself an explanation, an answer about the past.

However, this answer seems destined to remain unattainable.

"Xiao Linzi? You're up so early?"

Suddenly, a familiar and warm voice came from the doorway. The voice instantly pierced Zhao Lin's heart. She instinctively wiped away the tears from the corners of her eyes with her sleeve, trying to conceal the traces of her recent crying and pretending nothing was wrong.

"Uncle."

Zhao Lin suppressed her grief and forced a weak smile at the old man standing at the door.

"What's wrong, child? Why are your eyes so red? Did you not sleep well last night?" Old Zhao keenly noticed Zhao Lin's unusual behavior. He looked at her listless face with concern and asked softly.

"No...no, I'm just a little—"

Zhao Lin swallowed her words back. She actually wanted to say that she was a little tired, but for some reason she just couldn't bring herself to say it.

"I'm fine, Uncle. Why are you up so early too?"

Zhao Lin tried to look more energetic. She knew in her heart that her uncle must have gotten up so early to make her breakfast.

"I just thought it's rare for you to come back, so I thought I'd make you breakfast..." The old man smiled kindly, his eyes full of affection. Hearing this, Zhao Lin felt a pang of guilt. She realized that after returning home, she had been putting off visiting her uncle because of work and things at Sharp, and only now was she finally able to do so.

"Thank you for your trouble, Uncle," Zhao Lin said shyly, revealing her white teeth.

"Oh, you've really gotten used to city life, you're being so polite with me now." Her uncle smiled and shook his head, gesturing for her to go and have breakfast.

……

It's been so long since I've enjoyed a breakfast this leisurely—

Zhao Lin temporarily put aside all her displeasure, leaning back contentedly in her chair, savoring this rare tranquility and comfort. The old television was broadcasting the day's weather forecast, the host announcing in standard Mandarin: "Today is still a cold and gloomy day. Although the temperature has warmed up slightly compared to the past few days, sunny weather seems far from being a thing of the past at Bear Ridge..."

However, at that moment, the ceiling light in the living room went out without warning, plunging the entire room into darkness. Zhao Lin stood up in confusion, looking at the flickering ceiling light.

"Is the light bulb burnt out?" Just as she was about to check the light bulb, her uncle's dissatisfied voice came from the kitchen.

"I just paid the electricity bill. What on earth is the power company doing?" Old Zhao's tone revealed a hint of helplessness.

She was about to say something, but before she could utter a word, the television in the living room suddenly emitted a squeaking sound, the screen flickered a few times, and then the image completely disappeared. Although the rest of the room was somewhat dim due to the overcast weather, the sudden malfunction of the television still felt particularly jarring.

A reporter's intuition stirred a sense of unease in Zhao Lin.

Zhao Lin suddenly heard a piercing screech of brakes outside, a sound so sharp it made her heart tremble. In this already noisy town, horns blared everywhere, engulfing the entire neighborhood in this sudden noise.

A chill ran through her; a sense of foreboding washed over her. She rushed to the window, wanting to see what had happened. She was terrified that her fears might actually come true.

"Xiao Linzi, what's wrong?" Old Zhao noticed her unusual behavior and asked with concern.

Zhao Lin didn't answer him; her gaze was fixed on the street outside the window. Several black vans suddenly stopped at the side of the street, their doors opening rapidly, and men in dark suits swarmed out. Their movements were synchronized and well-trained. Behind these men, a fully armed paramilitary force followed closely.

Zhao Lin's heart pounded harder and harder as she thought of Sharp and Naya, who were alone.

"Uncle, I have to go out for a bit, so don't come with me!" With that, she grabbed her coat and rushed out the door.

"Huh? So rushed?"

Before Old Zhao could react, Zhao Lin had vanished.

……

After catching his breath, Sharp felt he regain some strength, and the inexplicable pain gradually lessened and eventually disappeared.

At this moment, he was being held tightly in Naya's arms as they walked down the street. He felt extremely awkward and uncomfortable, yet at the same time, an indescribable warmth and sense of security welled up inside him. Under the knowing gazes of passersby, he tried his best to maintain his composure and mustered the courage to look directly into her beautiful and deep eyes.

However, when Naya's gaze met his, Sharp suddenly couldn't hold back and couldn't help but laugh out loud.

"What are you laughing at?" Naya asked, looking puzzled.

"It's nothing... I just think that you, Na, can be really sensitive sometimes—"

Hearing this, Naya's cheeks instantly flushed red. She gently raised her small fist and punched Sharp in the chest: "Isn't it all because of you, you sickly guy!" Although her tone was slightly angry, her eyes were full of tenderness and concern.

But just then, Naya's gaze was suddenly drawn to something in the restaurant next door. She involuntarily stopped and peered inside through the restaurant window.

The television screen inside was playing a news report: "Today we are focusing on a serious incident of destruction that occurred a few days ago on White Bear Mountain... According to our reporters on the ground, the outpost research base invested and built by V Group was reduced to ruins overnight..."

The scene shifts to the location, where a familiar figure suddenly appears suspended in mid-air amidst a vast expanse of pristine white snow-capped mountains. The camera shakiens slightly, but it's still clear that she slowly descends to the ground before everyone's eyes.

Lefève?!

Naya gasped at the sight. The once stable golden energy in her hand began to tremble slightly, as if sensing its master's shock and unease.

A line of text on the screen stunned them both: The mysterious woman who claimed to be a member of the Deer Clan had actually taken the initiative to contact the military!

When she opened her mouth to ask Sharp, it was as if something was blocking her throat; her voice was hoarse and low: "Why...why did she do that?"

"Could it be that Golden Antlers wants me to be wary of her?" Naya could only guess.

"No wonder there's been no movement for so long; she's probably been waiting for the right opportunity." Sharp suddenly realized he had been too complacent, completely forgetting about Lefie's deadly threat. Now, facing her sudden appearance and the unsuspecting military's pursuit, where could they possibly escape to?

Sharp felt a sense of dread; he knew that this day had finally come.

He gripped Naya's hand tightly, staggering as if he were about to run away.

“We have to get out of here right now!” he whispered.

However, Naya did not follow. Her gaze remained fixed on the words, her eyes revealing a complex emotion.

“No, if this is true, running away might not be the best idea.” She frowned, her face showing a mixture of conflict and distress.

In fact, since arriving here, the Golden Deer Antlers had been intermittently issuing warnings to her. Now, White Bear Mountain had been suddenly attacked, Zhao Lin had not yet returned, and the cunning Lefi was watching her like a hawk, waiting for his chance to strike… All signs indicated that even if they chose to escape, the situation would likely be difficult to improve. If they were lucky, they might find a safe place to lay low for a while, but that would only prolong their lives; if they were unlucky… Naya didn't dare to think any further.

"Little Na, they're here!" Sharp exclaimed in amazement at how quickly the news had spread. His gaze drifted to the end of the street not far away, where a group of mysterious men in bulletproof vests appeared, seemingly searching for something with a specific purpose.

“Who are they…” Naya instinctively covered her face with her hands and hid behind Sharp.

"Hey! You two, stop your lovey-dovey talk and come with me!" A clear, loud voice came from beneath their feet. Looking down, they saw the little white cat that Naya knew so well. After pausing briefly between Sharp's legs, it quickly trotted into the tenant's warehouse behind them.

"Huh? It can actually talk?!" Naya exclaimed in surprise.

At this moment, they had no time to worry about anything else, and Sharp and Naya followed closely behind without hesitation.

The washing machines and dryers hummed and whirred rapidly inside the laundry room. They passed through the laundry room and came to the staircase at the back of the warehouse. The staircase led straight down a dark, narrow alley. Rusty garbage bins crowded the sides of the alley, making it seem cramped.

"Hoo hoo... Hey! Who are you?!" Before he could finish speaking, Sharp opened his mouth wide in surprise, his eyes wide open, because he saw the mysterious white cat in front of him jump onto a trash can with unusual agility and stand on it in a peculiar yet elegant posture, and begin to carefully examine himself and Naya.

The little creature shook its head nonchalantly, as if trying to shake off something. Just then, something unexpected happened: two more pairs of ears suddenly popped out from under its earlobes. This sudden turn of events startled Sharp, causing him to involuntarily take several steps back.

"What exactly are you?" Sharp asked with disdain, looking at the white cat in front of him that was shaking its head and trying to be cute.

Unlike Sharp, Naya seemed quite used to this situation. She stepped forward and asked softly:

"Hello! Thanks to you for leading us out of danger. Could you please tell us your name?"

Upon hearing Naya's voice, the white cat immediately became excited. It began wriggling its body, striking all sorts of strange and comical poses, as if trying to show off. Finally, it deliberately replied in a cutesy, childlike voice: