The table and the viewing window faced each other. They relied on the inner wall of the withered tree to form a semi-cylindrical space. It didn't feel cramped at all. As for the low stool below the table, it was sculpted according to the natural protrusion of the withered tree. It was filled with the interest of nature, and it was extremely comfortable. It embodied first-rate design and craftsmanship.
Luo Nan sat on the stool, and the table was level with Luo Nan's chest. It was a bit high for him, but it should be a relatively comfortable position for an adult in this narrow space.
Luo Nan sat here with his elbows resting on the table. The circular base of the electronic photo frame was right in front of him. With a light swipe, the light from the projection area pushed away the surrounding darkness, revealing the smiling appearance of his mother leaning against the tree all those years ago.
Luo Nan looked at it in a daze. He looked at the brows and eyes that were vaguely similar to his own, but they were brighter and sharper. The finger pointed towards the camera seemed to be greeting him … … Yep. It wasn't a normal "Hello" or the like. It was more like a "Hurry up and catch up" type of urging!
Luo Nan maintained his sitting posture while leaning on the table. His mind inexplicably scattered once more. He suddenly thought of something. Back in the day. Back in the day, why did the fellow who hid here for who knows how many years keep this electronic photo frame? And why did he place it in the most conspicuous place?
Every night, in the deep and silent darkness, did that person do the same as he did right now? Within the faint light of the projection, he received the smile and encouragement that came from the distant past?
Luo Nan's heart suddenly spasmed. This even drained away most of the strength in his body, to the point where he was no longer willing to think about anything. He no longer maintained his stance, allowing his body to collapse. His chin rested on the back of his hand that was resting on the table. He continued to look at his mother's bright and clear smile. He didn't mind that his consciousness continued to slide into a hazy and muddle-headed state.
In this way, perhaps the distance in the river of time would shorten. The barrier between life and death would warp. There would no longer be a boundary between reality and nothingness between him and his mother. He could make a fair demand of his mother:
"Give me. Just give me a hint okay? Actually, I'm very smart … … "
His mother within the light still had that same smile. Luo Nan looked stupidly. He didn't know when, but the swaying light of water and mist blocked his front, blurring the silhouette of the image.
Luo Nan's consciousness became drowsy and dark within this blurry light and shadow.
He hadn't had a good rest for nearly a hundred hours. In Ban City, he had to bear the double pressure of being pressed for time and a powerful enemy. In the Wasteland, for the sake of his grandfather's laboratory, he had a battle of wits with Luo Yuan and True God Extraordinaries. In the Misty Labyrinth, he had also made high-precision repairs to the ambush circle …
He had indeed reached his limit. Therefore, in the blurry light and shadow of life and death, in the narrow space where his mother's scent still lingered, the tide-like emotions finally overflowed the high ground of his will and dragged him into a dark dream.
An unknown amount of time passed before a rustling sound entered Luo Nan's ear. It stimulated Luo Nan, causing him to wake up. Though there were noises, there were no signs of danger. Luo Nan was still lying on the table. His thoughts were a bit sluggish, but his mental senses naturally mapped the situation of the target into his mind.
"Jerry?"
Yes, it was Xie Junping's godson, his eldest nephew, the muskrat that had an extraordinary interest in the tree hole. The little thing would often travel through the tree hole. It seemed to use the tree hole as a base of operations. Moreover, it loved cleanliness. It hated that it couldn't clean this place until it was spotless.
Back then, Luo Nan and Xie Junping suspected that someone once resided in the tree hole. They installed a camera and captured the little thing. Xie Junping and Xie Junping even engaged in a long and drawn-out battle. In the end, it ended with Jerry surrendering to Rui Wen.
Whether it was Luo Nan or Xie Junping, they both wanted to figure out the physiological or psychological mechanism behind Jerry's connection with the tree hole. But in the end, they left the matter unsettled. They just knew that the little thing's intelligence was outstanding among its kind. Coupled with its athletic ability that far exceeded its peers, there was quite a bit of a possibility of it being deformed. However, over the past few months, it had long since proven that its temperament was mild. It had been injected with all sorts of vaccines, so it wasn't a threat at all.
Part of the muskrat's habit of building caves was reflected in Jerry's care of the tree hole. Generally speaking, muskrat caves had two exits. One was underwater, and the other was on the shore. Jerry dug an exit at the bottom of the tree hole that led to the lake below the sandbar.
Even though he was quite familiar with Gear, he wouldn't go through the underwater corridor, a dangerous area where people came and went. Instead, he would come through the waterway.
A third of the nearly ten meter long slanted tunnel was above water level, even during the high water season. Jerry leaped in from the water, running and shaking his tail all the way. By the time he entered the tree hole, his fur was more or less in a half-dry state. Even so, he still shook violently on the stone steps at the bottom of the tree hole. He only climbed up the stone steps after the water droplets were almost all shaken off.
The little fellow's senses were quite sharp. He felt that something was off in the resting room on the first floor of the tree hole. He lowered his body and shrank back, but he soon determined a familiar aura and relaxed. He shook his plump body and made his way straight up to the second floor of the tree hole.
Luo Nan didn't mind such a chance encounter. This wasn't the first or second time they met. On the contrary, Jerry appeared quite excited when he saw Luo Nan. He simply charged over and crashed into the inner wall of the tree before turning back. He didn't care about his half-wet, half-dry fur and fiercely rubbed against Luo Nan's calf.
Having a lively little thing by his side was much better than being alone and depressed. Luo Nan hooked his lips. Though he was still suppressed by his heavy emotions, he was still lying on the table, unwilling to get up. He lowered a hand and scratched the little fellow's body twice.
Other than that, the half-wet, half-dry fur didn't feel as good as when it was dry and fluffy. Luo Nan saw that Jerry still wanted to rub against his body, and a layer of blue and white electric flames flickered between his fingers. It pierced the little fellow, causing his long bristles to explode.
The electrical resistance of the fur would decrease greatly when it came into contact with water. The damage from the electric current passing through would be greater. However, Luo Nan's control was extremely effective. He used electromagnetic configuration interference to temporarily create a nearly insulating physical structure. Aside from an increase in temperature, there were no other effects when the electric current passed through. Instead, the electric current turned into waves of warm wind as Luo Nan fiddled with it. Jerry's fur quickly became fluffy and dry under this combing.
Such methods proved that Luo Nan's special training in Ban City over the past few days had remarkable results.
Jerry knew that Luo Nan wouldn't hurt him, so he stayed quiet for a few seconds as the electric current flowed back and forth. He waited for his body to return to being dry before he whimpered and rubbed against his pants, asking for a hug.
Of course, Rui Wen was the number one target of reverence and intimacy in the little fellow's circle of life. Perhaps it was because she was the first person to introduce him? Next, Luo Nan and Cat Eyes were more or less the same. Cat Eyes usually played with him a bit more, while Luo Nan was clearly affected by Rui Wen's radiation. As for the little fellow's biological father, Xie Junping, he was ranked fourth. It was already quite good.
However, Luo Nan really didn't want to budge right now. He just used his fingertips to stroke the little fellow's short and pointed head.
Jerry had a rough understanding of Luo Nan's state after a moment. He displayed his subjective initiative, grabbing Luo Nan's pants and pulling them down. He borrowed a bit of strength to leap up onto the stool and onto Luo Nan's back. He jumped down from Luo Nan's right shoulder and just happened to land in the empty space of the table where Luo Nan's right arm hung down. He displayed an agility that didn't match his plump body and most of his kind.
Just how big was the table? Jerry's body was over twenty centimeters long and he was quite stout. Even though his tail was swinging outside and his body was still curled up, he still occupied a small half of the space. His long bristles streaked across Luo Nan's cheeks and even the corners of his eyes, forcing Luo Nan to move back. This naturally broke his stance and made it impossible for him to lie on the table like a corpse.
"Tsk, you … …"
Luo Nan spoke halfway, but he wasn't really angry. He couldn't lie on his stomach right now, but he didn't have much strength. His left elbow was still resting on the table, supporting his cheeks. He raised his hanging right hand and pressed down heavily twice on Jerry's head. His fingertips could feel the friction between the little fellow's flesh and skull.
Jerry's skin was coarse and thick, so he didn't mind it at all. His throat even emitted a gurgling sound. He seemed quite comfortable.
Luo Nan's mood improved a bit with this silly and adorable fellow. His hands became much gentler. The little fellow felt that it wasn't stimulated enough at this time. His curled body swayed back and forth without stopping. His tail, which had grown to the length of his body, was swinging around with a crackling sound.
"Be good, Jerry." Luo Nan added a bit of strength and pressed the little fellow's head against the table, indicating that he should be a bit more well-behaved. "You need to be polite! Look, this is right in front of my mother's eyes. Mm. What should I call you? "
Luo Nan was distracted pondering over the question of how to address him, and Jerry took the opportunity to exert strength to struggle free. His eyeballs swiveled a few times, and he was able to clearly see the projected photo to the side with great difficulty. A low gurgling sound came from his throat, and his chubby body stood up like a human. He only used his relatively strong hind legs to support himself. His short front claws reached out, as if he wanted to fiddle with the area of light and shadow in front of him.
He absolutely couldn't touch his mother's photo carelessly. Luo Nan pressed down on Jerry's head again, and the little fellow's plump body was nearly unable to maintain balance. He swayed left and right, nearly falling off the table. Even so, his front claws were still waving about. His throat went "Squeak squeak" and "Gurgling" without end.
"Be good, or else I'll throw you out!"
Luo Nan's tone was a bit more severe, and Jerry immediately calmed down.
He stood obediently, and the range of his front claws' movements became smaller. In this way, Luo Nan discovered that Jerry's movements and posture didn't resemble a photo. It seemed to be making bigger gestures, and it even pointed and wrote and drew in the middle. It was full of humanity.
Uh … … This is imitating me!
Luo Nan understood a bit. The little fellow's eyesight wasn't good. He saw the projection area of the electronic photo frame, but he felt that it was too small. It was different from the virtual work area that Luo Nan normally used. He was commanding Luo Nan to enlarge it.
But wasn't this little fellow's memory a bit too good? Didn't he show it a few times?
Forget it. Luo Nan would just treat it as coaxing a child. The electronic photo frame on the table was quite old-fashioned. It was impossible to enlarge it in the projection area, so Luo Nan handled the errand. He mobilized the external neuron to open up his own virtual work area.
The adaptive function of the projection software was quite impressive. It detected that the area behind him was a circular arc, and it automatically adjusted itself. It was perfectly embedded into the concave space of the tree wall. The boundary was seamless, and it didn't receive any special spatial interference. It looked quite pleasing to the eye.
"How is it? Comfortable now?"
Luo Nan scratched the back of Jerry's head. The fur underneath the long spiky hair was soft and warm. It felt absolutely wonderful to the touch. Jerry also calmed down, obediently returning to its crouching and curled up position. It just raised its head and looked at the image of the virtual work area. Bit by bit, it was extremely satisfied. It also seemed to have a very focused appearance.
The image in the virtual work area, the psychic diagram, and the configuration design diagram, were all complex and cumbersome. Only the heavens knew what the little fellow could see.
Luo Nan's finger moved up and down along with Jerry's head. Occasionally, it would even sway back and forth. He just felt that it was funny: "Look at you like this. I'll just call you Mouse from now on!"
Gurgling sounds came from Jerry's throat. Its head continued to sway up and down, left and right. Luo Nan still wanted to pull it back a few times, but his palm and fingers stayed in contact for a long time. He felt that the temperature of the little fellow's body clearly changed under its fur … …
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