Omega Manual chapter 64

The Little Rabbit is Hungry

On the fourth morning, as they set off, Shelley was asleep, leaning against the passenger seat.

It seemed he had dreamt a lot, but couldn’t remember the contents, only a heavy sadness lingering in his heart, wet liquid sliding down his cheeks.

When he woke up, the off-road vehicle was still bumping on the uneven road. He blinked hazily, feeling two itchy tear tracks on his cheeks.

He quickly turned his head away, using his sleeve to wipe his face, thankfully Irey was driving intently, seemingly unaware of anything unusual beside him.

What was wrong with him?

Recently, he seemed to be crying easily.

“Awake?” Irey’s voice timely broke the silence, “There’s hot water in the thermos next to you, and compressed biscuits in the back seat.”

Shelley responded with a nasal tone, slowly drinking some water and then eating a biscuit.

The taste of the compressed biscuit wasn’t great, but it was the most convenient food for long trips. By now, he had nothing to complain about.

Irey fiddled with the car buttons, an old cheesy pop song started, singing about love and longing.

“How did you sleep last night?” Shelley hesitated and asked.

“Pretty good. Why, didn’t you sleep well?” Irey glanced at him out of the corner of his eye.

“Nothing much, it’s fine,” Shelley replied vaguely.

From Irey’s clear and awake expression, he couldn’t discern any clues. He still appeared relaxed, as if he could leave for any corner of the world at any moment.

“Have you had breakfast?” Shelley asked casually.

“No,” Irey replied nonchalantly, “We’re out of food. That compressed biscuit you just ate was the last piece.”

Shelley choked on the spot, coughing awkwardly a few times. He grabbed the nearly empty wrapper, staring at Irey with wide eyes. “Why didn’t you say something earlier? I’ve finished it all!”

Irey chuckled. “Well, once it’s finished, it’s finished. I gave it to you so you could eat.”

“And what about after that?” Shelley stared at him incredulously. “Are we supposed to starve to death in the wilderness? Couldn’t you have planned the food distribution ahead, even just a bit?”

Irey interrupted Shelley with a gesture, pointing ahead on the road. “Shh, look ahead.”

Shelley instinctively looked in the direction Irey pointed. In the vast wilderness, a shimmering silver line suddenly appeared.

At first, Shelley couldn’t make out what it was, but soon, with Irey accelerating, the silver line gradually widened and brightened. The sunlight reflected off it, pulsating with undulations in a poignant serenade.

At that moment, it suddenly hit him.

“The sea! It’s the ocean!” Shelley exclaimed, nearly standing up from his seat in astonishment.

“Exactly, the ocean!” Irey responded with a smile. “We’ve arrived at Fuba Port.”

In that instant of seeing the ocean with his own eyes, Shelley understood why there were so many paintings, songs, and writings tirelessly describing the beauty and grandeur of the sea.

The awe the ocean brought when it came into view couldn’t be replaced by any piece of art.

Vast, magnificent, deep blue, merging with the sky. Only now did humans suddenly realize that water covers 70% of this vast planet’s surface, and in front of the vast ocean, they were nothing but tiny specks of dust.

And Fuba Port was livelier than they had imagined.

The streets were bustling with people, lined with food stalls and shops. People wore colorful and varied clothing of all styles. There were no checkpoints at the city entrance; Alphas, Betas, and Omegas walked the streets without distinction. The scent of pheromones mixed with the salty sea breeze, yet no one seemed to find anything amiss.

Irey simply drove the car into the city.

People on the roadside mostly wore smiles, and seeing a car enter the city didn’t cause panic. Several gorgeously dressed beauties even waved enthusiastically at them.

Shelley rolled down the car window slowly, marveling at his surroundings.

This small port city seemed completely unaffected by the meteorite and radiation, permeated with an air of freedom and warmth. People chatted and shopped with smiles on their faces, each busy with their own tasks. Far in the distance, ships at the port emitted low, deep whistles, and seabirds circled in the sky, disappearing and reappearing at intervals.

The aroma of food and the enthusiastic shouts entered Shelley’s ears through the car window. He could hardly imagine such a city nestled deep within a restricted high-radiation zone.

Before his brain could fully process everything, someone knocked on their car window.

Irey rolled down the window, revealing an eight or nine-year-old boy outside, standing on tiptoe to meet Irey’s eye level in the driver’s seat.

“What can I do for you?” Irey leaned on the window sill, looking at him with some amusement.

“You’re travelers, right? Do you need accommodation?” The boy, who hadn’t hit puberty yet, spoke with a crisp voice. The term “travelers” seemed like something he had picked up from somewhere, pronounced seriously and strangely.

“Yes,” Irey chuckled. “Do you know where we can stay?”

“I do, I do! And I know where you can park too!” The boy’s eyes lit up, waving his arms for them to follow, then quickly turned and ran across the street.

Only then did Shelley notice as the boy ran that his legs seemed unusual, one longer than the other, yet he ran swiftly and efficiently.

Irey turned the car in the direction the boy ran, following him through the bustling commercial street, down a small path, and stopping in front of a small inn.

The boy directed them to park in the inn’s courtyard and helped them check in at the front desk. The inn was modestly sized but clean and neatly arranged, with reasonable prices. After Shelley paid, the boy’s cheeks flushed with an undisguised smile of happiness.

“Isn’t this supposed to be a restricted high-radiation zone?” Shelley asked him. “I thought…”

“Oh,” the boy exclaimed, “you came from Duhaat, right? People there are more obedient, I heard they even canceled several train services.”

It seemed there were disobedient cities too.

The boy grinned mischievously, propping himself up with arms that seemed different from usual, relaxed behind his head. “After all, Fuba Port is a very important port. A lot of trade goes through here by water.”

“And what about the effects of high radiation?” Shelley frowned. “Isn’t it said that above a certain threshold, radiation can pose immeasurable risks to human health?”

“Um…” The boy pondered. “My mom says it’s an excuse those people who don’t like the northern cities use. They think Alpha should dictate everything in the world.”

With that, the boy patted his chest confidently. “Don’t worry, we’ve been living at the port, and nothing has happened. My mom says those who survived after the disaster aren’t likely to be affected by radiation anymore, or just a little.”

“What do you mean by ‘survived after the disaster’?” Shelley was puzzled.

“I don’t know,” the boy said seriously. “My mom didn’t tell me. She says kids shouldn’t know.”

Shelley looked at him bewilderedly, but before he could react, a shout came from outside the room. The boy responded and swiftly stood up from the ground with legs that were different from usual.

“Mom called me, so I’ll go first!” The boy dashed out while waving to Shelley and Irey, “Take a good rest. If you want to go out and play, just call me. I know all the good places to eat and have fun in Fuba Port!”

The boy hurriedly ran downstairs and even remembered to close the door for them before leaving.

Irey couldn’t help but laugh, “This kid is really interesting, like a little adult.”

“Did you behave like him when you were little?” Shelley asked.

They say children from poor families mature early. Shelley, originally from a wealthy family, had difficulty imagining Irey’s childhood appearance. But now, seeing this boy, he began to imagine.

Although this imagination was quickly denied by the main character.

“How could that be,” Irey said confidently, “I was much more handsome than him when I was a child.”

“…,” Shelley looked at him, “If you die one day, it’ll be from being too shameless.”

Irey stood still, laughing for a long time, his hand shaking with the suitcase.

Shelley was both angry and amused, pushing him, “Stop laughing, you fool. An alpha at least six-feet, laughing like a fool.”

“A smile makes you ten years younger,” Irey said as he laughed, extending his hand, spreading his thumb and forefinger apart, and pulling up at the corners of Shelley’s mouth on both sides. “See, you look much better now than when I first met you.”

A warm feeling inexplicably churned in Shelley’s chest. He opened his mouth and bit Irey’s finger.

“Ow, that hurts!” Irey immediately shouted, “Let go, let go!”

Only then did Shelley let go, squinting at him with a look that said, “Try touching me again.”

Of course, Irey was not the obedient type. He raised an eyebrow, gripped Shelley’s chin with one hand, and squeezed his thumb and forefinger in, pressing against his upper jaw before the other could react, preventing his teeth from closing.

Shelley whimpered twice, struggling in vain, transparent saliva dripping on Irey’s fingers.

Irey lightly touched Shelley’s upper and lower rows of teeth with his fingertips, lowering his voice thoughtfully, “It looks like my little rabbit is hungry and needs feeding.”