Chapter 46

"Jingguang Sparrow? Grandpa Barut, do you know its species?"

Chen Fei lifted his head from the technical manual. He had been unable to identify what kind of bird Xiaochou was, fearing that this little thing might end up alone in the future, which was a concern for this old father.

"Hehe, it's still a magical beast!"

Barut's eyes squinted with a grin.

He found it incredibly amusing that this young man, who was completely ignorant, had raised a bird-shaped magical beast. Ordinary people rarely had the chance to obtain a magical beast, and an intelligent magical beast would never willingly become someone's pet or tool.

"Is that true? Hahaha, Xiaochou, you're actually a magical beast. You need to study hard!"

Chen Fei extended his finger and gently rubbed the little bird's head. If Old Park knew this news, he would probably spit out three liters of blood!

The little bird nimbly flew onto his hand, pecking here and there, showing its dissatisfaction.

What is a magical beast? Can it be eaten?

Its little brain couldn't figure it out, nor did it want to. It only knew that it was Xiaochou, its owner's little bird, chirp chirp!

The unscrupulous merchant Park Ae-hwa, who gave the bird egg to Chen Fei, probably never imagined that he had picked up a real magical beast egg in the wilderness near the 911 Air Base.

However, Chen Fei didn't care whether Xiaochou was a magical beast. After a brief surprise, he quickly returned to normal, not letting it affect his emotions.

The old Neanderthal, Barut, noticed this and nodded inwardly. He didn't continue the topic of Xiaochou being a magical beast, instead picking up his chopsticks and grabbing another piece of roasted lamb, looking it over and smiling. "These ribs must be your work, right? Abel doesn't have such skills."

The chef Singer, who only knew how to open frozen packaging, was even less likely to have done it. The reason he could be the head chef at the 911 Air Base was simply because his employment cost was cheap. His salary couldn't compare to Abel, who had real skills.

Chen Fei didn't deny it. "Yeah, I used garlic powder, eggs, salt, cooking wine, Orleans barbecue powder, and fried chicken powder. It's not very technical."

He used ready-made ingredients. Garlic powder and cooking wine removed the fishy smell, eggs made the meat tender, Orleans barbecue powder added flavor, and fried chicken powder locked in moisture, ensuring a good texture. There wasn't much innovation, but it had a more layered taste compared to Abel's original plan of black pepper, sweet red wine, onions, basil, and cumin.

Compared to Abel's method, Chen Fei's was more home-style, and the ingredients were easy to find in ordinary households.

"You should be in the kitchen; you're much better than that guy who only knows how to open packages."

Barut swallowed the meat and bones, showing his satisfaction.

"I'm a mechanic; the base won't pay me that much."

Chen Fei raised his wine glass, took a sip, and said, "This wine is really good!"

The blueberries used to make the wine were picked from the blueberry bushes in the shed, almost indistinguishable from wild ones. The purple wine was thick and aromatic, with a refreshing and smooth taste, far superior to those cheap wines made with corn alcohol and chemical flavorings.

However, compared to the wine Barut brought last time, one was a mountain beauty, and the other was an urban goddess, each with its own charm.

"Ha ha ha, I heard about it!"

Barut was well-informed. This young man wasn't just part of the maintenance team; he had recently joined the flight squadron and was also helping the head chef Abel in the kitchen.

His work hours during the day were with the maintenance team and the flight squadron, and the two hours after work were with the kitchen. The rest of the time, he spent here, working non-stop, day and night.

Such hardworking young people were rare in today's society.

"No choice, I owe a lot of money."

Chen Fei didn't avoid the reason, shaking his head with a bitter smile.

He wanted to be like others, working regular hours, having holidays, hanging out with friends, and venting work stress. Then, he would save money to buy a house and a car, marry a decent girl, and have children, living a simple and ordinary life without any regrets.

"Don't worry, it shouldn't be a problem for you. Young people have countless possibilities in the future."

Barut raised his glass and clinked it with Chen Fei's, savoring the blueberry wine he had made, which he found very satisfying.

The purple wine was rich in anthocyanins, beneficial to the human body. As a fruit wine, it was not distilled, so its alcohol content was naturally low, around 14 degrees, and it didn't cause a headache. The flavor was excellent.

They clinked glasses and chatted leisurely, and the Neanderthal old man handed over the night shift of monitoring the Target Low-Temperature Fusion Energy Tower to Chen Fei.

The bottle of blueberry wine was finished, and the snacks were all gone. The Neanderthal old man got up, put on a coat at the door, and wobbled away, leaving the place to Chen Fei.

Barut had his own dormitory, which was much better than Chen Fei's small single room.

The steel-framed shed where the energy tower was placed was not originally designed for living. After some renovations, it became a garden-like greenhouse.

Even with a bathroom and running water, it couldn't be fully used as a dormitory.

First, it lacked a shower, making it inconvenient to bathe. Of course, using a basin of hot water to wash was possible, but it wasn't as convenient as a fully equipped shower.

Second, it was a greenhouse. In winter, it was warm and comfortable, but in summer, it would become a large steamer or oven. If the roof vents weren't fully open to improve ventilation, it would be like a sauna, making it impossible to stay.

However, with the freezing cold outside and the warm and cozy shed, it was more than enough as a temporary sleeping place.

Working the night shift here didn't require constant vigilance; regular checks were sufficient. The rest of the time, he could do whatever he wanted, tend to the plants, eat and drink, or even sleep.

A bedside table, a steel-framed single bed, and an empty personal storage cabinet, along with a pillow and a woolen blanket, were all provided. Chen Fei had no complaints.

He followed the procedures Barut had explained, trying them all out. The energy tower was highly automated and required minimal human intervention. The actual workload was minimal, and he completed the status and safety checks in just five minutes.

Xiaochou happily flew around the garden, soon returning with a beak full of colorful berry juice, rubbing it on Chen Fei's hand, leaving bright stains.

Barut hadn't chosen the plants deliberately. Whether they bloomed, bore fruit, smelled good, or were edible didn't matter. In a corner, there was even a pot of lush green scallions, growing well without any signs of being picked, seemingly planted just for the sake of it.

However, there were some good things, like figs, blueberries, raspberries, hawthorns, pineapples, dragon fruits, and even an apple tree with a bountiful harvest.

The Neanderthal old man was not stingy, telling Chen Fei to help himself to whatever he wanted, as the shed's fruit production was more than enough for one or two people.

As the night deepened, Chen Fei roughly finished reading the technical manual Barut had given him. He turned off the lights in the shed, leaving only a small lamp, and walked to the steel-framed single bed. He found that the little bird had taken over his pillow, curled up, and was sound asleep, occasionally chirping.

What kind of magical beast is this little thing!

Chen Fei smiled and shook his head, gently picking it up and placing it back in the birdcage, covering it with a soft paper towel as a blanket. He had no interest in knowing what abilities this little bird had; he just wanted it to grow up safely.

Before going to bed, he reached into the bag he had brought, intending to take a sleeping pill to sleep through the night, but found it empty.

He had forgotten to bring it.

Chen Fei wasn't at an age where he needed sleeping pills, so it wasn't surprising that he had forgotten.

He looked out the door of the shed, where the cold wind from the Hindu Kush Mountains swept over the stacks of standard cargo containers, roaring.

From sunset to now, it had only been a few hours, but the outdoor temperature had dropped to minus several degrees Celsius. The cold wind was fierce, and he could easily catch a cold if he wasn't careful.

He was a hardworking person and couldn't afford to get sick. It was better to stay in the warm shed, guarding the energy tower that continuously released residual heat.

However, Chen Fei had his own methods.