CRA Chapter 71 – part 2

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“Baby.”

Walking up to him, Xie Luan squatted down and touched the cub’s small head. After thinking it over, he also called the cub’s name in a warm voice, “Laili.”

It was the same as the name of the race, Xie Luan felt that the parents of the cub must have had high expectations for the baby in his arms when naming him.

It was as Morrison had said, the cub was indeed very sensible. When Xie Luan coaxed him with a warm voice like this, the laili cub moved his body and made a low sound.

Touching the cub’s especially fluffy belly, Xie Luan held the laili cub and stood up.

“Does the baby like that adult from just now?” Although he didn’t feel it was necessary to even ask, Xie Luan still said this after picking the baby up and holding him in his arms.

He almost immediately received an answer.

“Gu-Ji!” Flapping his wings, the laili cub issued a tender and crisp sound. At this moment, his glassy black eyes seemed to suddenly light up.

It seemed he really liked him.

The cub’s reaction wouldn’t lie, Xie Luan was certain of this.

Actually, the person who left should undoubtedly love the cub a lot as well. Moreover, the cub was clearly familiar and close with the other which showed that he must have taken care of the cub for a long time.

“He’s good to Laili?” Touching the baby’s fluffy back, Xie Luan asked this as he carried the cub back to the living room.

“Gu~” The call was soft. As he responded, the laili cub waved his small wings up and down, he looked happy.

After seeing the baby’s reactions to the two questions, Xie Luan was more or less well aware of the situation.

“Then he must be a very good man.”

Xie Luan tapped the cub´s forehead as he said this.

There was, after all, no harm in praising the person the cub liked while in front of the cub.

Putting the laili cub down on the living room’s soft carpet, the cubs playing in the room at once approached without Xie Luan needing to wave them over.

“This is the new baby who will be staying at our branch, his name is Laili.”

Introducing their new playmate, Xie Luan lightly pushed the laili cub a little towards the other cubs.

It takes time to adapt to a new environment. However, apart from being a little shy in the beginning, Xie Luan felt that the new baby had already gradually adapted to life at Yunbao branch over the past few days.

In response to the summer’s scorching hot weather, the cub house at yunbao branch had long had its temperature regulating device turned on. The cubs were able to stay in a comfortable temperature all day, no different from springtime.

It had been sunny for several days. This afternoon, Xie Luan looked up and saw a dark cloud forming in the sky.

It was going to rain.

Originally, it wasn’t something worth paying attention to, but Xie Luan remembered the words Morrison had told him. Handing over the task of preparing the cubs’ food to the others, he went to the living room and walked over to the laili cub who was comparing wings together with several feathery fluffballs.

“Gu-Ji.”

Waddling two steps closer to Xie Luan, the laili cub bumped into Xie Luan’s leg with his flippers open in a hug.

After having experienced Xie Luan’s diligent and attentive care these past few days, the baby had already grown relatively close to Xie Luan.

The number of dark clouds was still small and the sky had not darkened. The laili cub did not seem to have noticed the weather changes outside yet.

Xie Luan didn’t say anything at this time, he merely bent down to pick up and hold the baby in his arms. The fluffy cub playfully slapped him with his flippers.

The cub was afraid of thunder. When Xie Luan had heard Morrison say this, he actually thought it was a very ordinary thing.

In his original world, there were many children who were afraid of thunder, even adults could be afraid. The same went for this world, so Xie Luan hadn’t thought much about it.

However, when actually confronted with the situation, Xie Lian felt something was wrong.

As soon as the dark clouds increased and the sky gradually darkened outside the window, everything instantly changed. The laili cub he was holding suddenly buried his head in his chest and his body then began to lightly tremble.

Xie Luan hadn’t expected the cub’s reaction to be so strong. After staring blankly for a second, he quickly began to lightly pat and placate the cub. When dull thunder then sounded outside, Xie Luan finally sensed just how terrified the cub was.

“Gu, Gu-Ji—!” The cub called out to the youth holding him. The cub’s trembling was much clearer than before.

It was like a helpless cry for help. Xie Luan hugged the laili cub in his arms a bit tighter and lightly patted the cub’s back to comfort him, but it’s effect was limited. Xie Luan at last hummed a lullaby to the cub.

The lullaby in addition to the reassuring pats finally made the cub a bit less terrified. But every time thunder sounded, the cub would still tremble slightly.

It was not an ordinary fear of thunder… From the cub’s reaction, Xie Luan couldn’t help thinking this.

The rain lasted for a long time. During this time, Xie Luan thought about who would be able to give useful advice and eventually waved over Zarad.

The youth was humming a lullaby. However, seeing the gesture, Zarad knew that Xie Luan wanted him to come and take a look at the cub in his arms.

He did not understand why at first. But as soon as he observed the cub’s reaction to the thunder, Zarad’s eyebrows gradually creased and his expression became a bit grave.

Stress response.

The cub had a rather strong stress response to the thunder and there was something about this specific reaction that unexpectedly gave Zarad a sense of familiarity, as if he had seen a similar scene before.

Among his comrades in arms— This thought suddenly crossed his mind. Zarad frowned as he looked towards the cub in Xie Luan’s arms and all of a sudden recalled something related to the laili race.

More than a year ago, Kesou, one of the planets occupied by this race met with an organized and vicious attack. At that time, the Star Alliance had sent troops to protect the peace, it was close to the only incident in the latest decade that had required the Star Alliance to dispatch its army.

Although he didn’t want it to be true, Zarad became more and more certain of it.

The laili cub may have been through war. 

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Translator’s note: 

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