Section 22 - Chen Fei's Bird

Chen Fei didn't get a good night's sleep, partly due to the aftereffects of sudden "phantosmia" changes, and partly because there was now a baby bird alarm clock in his room, crying every half hour on the dot, relentlessly calling until fed, and then continuing to sleep until dawn, by which time he had fed it half an egg yolk.

This little thing, although small, could eat and poop a lot, requiring three diaper changes per meal, and he had to change the napkin lining its nest afterward; otherwise, it would roll around in its own filth, and the smell in the dormitory would become quite strange.

After breakfast and another feeding for the baby bird, Chen Fei, on his way to his shift at the hangar, now had a little sidekick.

He occupied the deserted work area and the workbench as if it were his personal desk.

The bird's nest was placed in a wooden box, which in turn was placed atop other technical manuals, waiting for the bird's cry before feeding; Chen Fei had become a passive human bird feeder.

The baby bird's feeding schedule couldn't align with that of a human, not even a human infant, who would also need to cry, poop, and feed every two hours; being a parent of any kind was by no means an easy task.

If they waited for Chen Chen to return for lunch and after work to feed it, the little thing would probably have starved to death, not to mention in a pile of its own excrement.

Before finding suitable chick feed, they still needed egg yolks, which the bird could consume in large quantities within half a day, and its appetite was clearly on the rise. The kind-hearted Chef Abel would prepare boiled eggs in advance and had Pu Aihua deliver them on schedule.

When washing vegetables and occasionally finding a worm or two, the crafty vendor would excitedly offer the extra protein to Chen Fei's baby bird, and even the usually stern-faced Abel would reveal a smile of satisfaction, knowing that the little bird was finally able to eat the most natural food, which would aid in its growth.

If it had been in the past, he would have cursed the food suppliers for including bugs in the vegetables as if they intended to offer extra protein!

The uncharacteristically amiable tone from Mr. Chef had the supplier in a panic, wondering if it was time to look for a new one. It seemed all too much like offering a last meal before an execution.

Luckily, Chen Fei's current duties were not demanding; his main task was to read and quickly familiarize himself with the aircraft maintenance team's work, otherwise, he wouldn't have been able to spare the time to care for this little life that had suddenly come into his world.

This bird of unknown species, despite eating and pooping a lot, paid off for the hard work of being fed 48 times a day, and in just three days, its naked little body was covered with a thin layer of downy feathers, and it had grown considerably in size.

Although Chef Abel didn't know how to raise a little bird, he shared all his knowledge of poultry rearing with Chen Fei.

After all, the chefs in Abel's hometown were possessed by a fervor for cuisine; not satisfied with just eating eggs, they went out of their way to ponder over the hens that laid them, and as a result, the chickens they raised had gained some renown in the culinary world.

It was only by chance that Chen Fei noticed the bird had opened its eyes for the first time and was looking at him with its shiny, black beads, completely still and quiet.

It had actually opened its eyes!

Chen Fei was both surprised and delighted.

Though there's a belief that a newborn creature will consider the first living thing it sees as its parent, this notion isn't wholly accurate. It's the familiar scent and vibrations before opening its eyes that make a young creature feel safe and comfortable; vision simply makes the already familiar "parent figure" clearer.

To continue to deepen and strengthen this bond, more nurturing and companionship are required.

Whether willing or not, such companionship between birds and humans wouldn't last long. Chen Fei hadn't even planned to prepare a cage; he was mentally ready for the day when the little fellow would spread its full-grown wings, fly away, and return to nature, where the most suitable home for birds awaited.

Being deprived of their natural instincts is a form of cruelty for wild animals!

Although he would miss it, Chen Fei didn't want to selfishly impose his own preferences on another living being; he'd rather leave things to fate.

The baby bird with opened eyes grew even faster, eating and pooping more than ever, its downy feathers growing fuller by the day, no longer the entirely red little ball of flesh from when it hatched, but now a lovable black fluffy ball. The intervals between feedings began to lengthen, and its daily routine finally divided into day and night. After nightfall, it only needed feeding once or twice before it could quietly make it through to morning, relieving Chen Fei from the exhausting frequent feedings.

In theory, he should have been able to sleep well at last, but Chen Fei's dark circles were getting heavier, and the quality of his sleep hadn't improved at all. He had to make an appointment with the medical unit at the Aircrew Base and informed Xiao Ming, the maintenance chief, then left work early after dinner.

This was Chen Fei's first follow-up visit to the Aircrew Base medical team since he was discharged from the hospital.

What he originally did not take too seriously, the "Phantosmia," somehow began to affect his normal sleep. Once he fell asleep, he would be plagued by incessant bizarre dreams, and the content was inexplicably the same each time, as if cursed, "Error! Error! Cannot recognize valid CPU type, RAM self-check failed... Illegal operation or wrong instruction... Illegal operation or wrong instruction... Illegal operation or wrong instruction..."

Upon opening his eyes, things became even stranger. Not only was the original "A:\>_" there, but also all the content from his dreams, word for word, eventually turning into forcefully scrolling repeat subtitles.

No matter how much he blinked, these characters still existed, firmly occupying a significant portion of his field of vision, as if a 32-inch display screen was floating in front of him at all times, interfering with his normal vision. Only when he concentrated fully could he subconsciously ignore these strange characters.

Although the number of medical staff serving more than two hundred people was not large, their experience was very rich, and they had every piece of medical equipment and instrument necessary.

They efficiently carried out a full MRI and a high-precision CT scan of Chen Fei's brain, then inspected his eyes carefully, leaving the medical team's doctors scratching their heads.

The young man was not gravely ill. Despite using various diagnostic methods, the doctors still could not find the root of the problem. All they could conclude was that Chen Fei was very healthy and did not have any illness whatsoever.

Having no other choice, the medical team could only prescribe some sleeping pills and added a note on the diagnostic report suspecting hysteria and sleep disorders. Still, they could not help him eliminate the vast "Phantosmia" content before his eyes.

The sleeping pills indeed had some effect, enabling Chen Fei to finally get a solid night's sleep, but they also had side effects. Waking up in the morning with an inexplicable splitting headache, he could not help but grit his teeth and gasp for air occasionally.

It wasn't until midday that his indescribable headache began to ease slightly.

Now he was faced with a dilemma. Taking the medication led to abnormal headaches upon waking, while not taking it resulted in torment from bizarre dreams, lack of rest, and a gradually withering appearance.

As an adult, it seemed Chen Fei had no choice but to accept both.

Perhaps a more advanced "magic potion" would not have left any after-effects, but as a Rookie who had just reported for duty, he clearly didn't merit that price. The fact that his credit for killing the Metallic Dragons wasn't erased and instead used to deduct the cost of the "magic potion" for life-saving purposes was already a show of conscience on the part of the capitalists.

After all, an unfortunate child on the verge of death really had no choice. Simply being alive was already cause for gratitude, and there was no room to consider anything else. The most important thing was to survive.

"Chirp! Chirp!"

The seven-day-old Little Bird was getting increasingly lively, enjoying rolling around on the fresh napkins it used as bedding and fluttering its tender little wings.

Soft gray-black fine down began to give way to the blunt stubs of feathers, rigid like spikes and a little rough to the touch. Once they fully spread out, they would turn into orderly, layered feathers, allowing it to gradually take on the appearance of an adult bird.

Only then could one determine what species the Little Bird actually was.

"Sunflower seeds, peanuts, beer, airplane cups, anyone interested?"

Pu Aihua once again started pushing her little trolley around the base, conducting her entrepreneurial side job to supplement the household income.

Although she didn't make much, every little bit adds up to a substantial extra income.

Working in the kitchen, even with bonuses, she couldn't earn much. By the end of the month, it was still less than what Chen Fei made during his probationary period, but with the severe domestic job insecurity in Goryeo and a persistently high unemployment rate, someone Pu Aihua's age—well into her 35th year without any significant skills—was already quite fortunate to have a job at all, let alone be choosy.

Just as Pu Aihua entered Hangar 1 with her cart, she called out from afar.

"Little Chen, I've got some chicken feed for you to try!"

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