Chapter 38
The video Lux sent was several hours long, recording several of the competitions he had participated in.
Ruan Chen watched halfway through with a straw between his lips when his eyelids suddenly began to grow heavier and heavier.
With a clatter, the can in his hand dropped onto the table.
He had already slumped sideways against the sofa and fallen asleep.
Ruan Chen felt himself entering that previous dream again.
This time, the Lux before him seemed a little different.
He was no longer aboard a warship.
The scene had changed to a conference room.
It looked as though a meeting had just ended, and several merman officers were still leaving one after another.
“Admiral Lux!”
A merman swam over to greet him.
“Admiral, I came to… share some good news with you.”
Lux lifted his lashes slightly, signaling for him to continue.
Ruan Chen recognized him.
It was Captain Cote, whom he had seen in the hospital ward before.
Cote could not suppress the joy on his face at all.
“I… I went to the East Sea Human Breeding Center today and successfully matched with a human!”
Lux’s lips curved very slightly.
“Congratulations.”
“Thank you!”
Captain Cote beamed.
“I’ve admired this human for a long time. I hope I can win his affection.”
Not far away, old Lieutenant General Elvin came over with a smile.
“I’m sure you can. You just need to be more patient with humans. Eventually, you’ll move them!”
After saying that, he turned toward Lux.
“Admiral, I heard the East Sea Breeding Center recently awakened three humans. Why don’t you take a day off and go for a compatibility test too?”
Lux’s expression visibly cooled.
“No need. I’m not interested in those humans.”
“…”
Lieutenant General Elvin refused to give up.
“You might not be interested now, but perhaps once you meet them, you will be?”
Lux dismissed them with a blunt—
“None of them are the type I like.”
After they left, Ruan Chen watched Lux enter his own airship.
The merman leaned back in his seat, fatigue faintly visible between his brows.
He looked completely different from the commanding figure who had spoken so forcefully moments earlier.
He isn’t going to…
The thought had barely crossed Ruan Chen’s mind when Lux’s brows suddenly drew together violently.
“Mm…”
The merman braced both hands against the armrests of his seat.
This time, it was not mental contamination caused by a Zerg wound.
It was the mental energy riot Ruan Chen had witnessed before.
Lux’s jaw tightened.
With practiced movements, he adjusted the angle of his seat so his tail would not lash against the control panel in front of him.
It was obvious this was far from the first time he had endured such pain.
Ruan Chen floated in the water.
He could only watch.
There was nothing he could do.
When the merman finally made it through the ordeal, Ruan Chen unconsciously breathed a sigh of relief with him.
The airship door opened.
Lux turned around warily.
Only after seeing who had entered did his narrowed pupils slowly relax.
Without drawing attention to it, he hid one arm, where a small patch of scales had turned black, behind his body.
His adjutant, Vincent, had no idea what he had just gone through and began talking on his own.
“Ah, I heard Captain Cote got a human. I’m so jealous.”
Lux gave a noncommittal hum.
“Counting the years, you’ve got twenty years at most before you have to face a mental energy riot,” Vincent said worriedly. “I’m getting close too.”
“Lux, aren’t you afraid?”
Lux’s tone was indifferent.
“Afraid of what?”
“…”
Vincent was stunned by his unconcerned attitude.
“Of course I’m talking about mental energy riots! This is a matter of life and death. The sooner you find a human who belongs to you, the sooner you can save your own life.”
Lux sneered.
“So to you, humans are just tools for solving mental energy riots?”
Vincent choked.
“…H-how could that be…”
Realizing he had misspoken, he scratched his head.
“That’s only part of the reason. After all… I don’t want to die yet.”
Lux casually looked away, as though the merman who had just been tortured by his own mental energy had not been him.
He said calmly,
“Mental energy riots aren’t as severe as the rumors claim.”
“…How would you know?” Vincent muttered.
Not wanting to continue the subject, Lux said,
“I have thought about having a human.”
Vincent brightened.
“Really? Then why did you reject Admiral Elvin’s suggestion—”
Ruan Chen watched Lux lower his lashes and tug faintly at the corner of his mouth.
“Because I can’t feel anything for any human.”
Vincent: “Ah…”
“When you see the awakened humans, you feel affection toward them. You want to get closer to them.”
Lux rubbed his still-throbbing temple.
“But I’ve never felt that.”
“I only think their cries are noisy.”
Ruan Chen: “…”
Then who was the dog that practically pounced on me like he’d seen a meat bone the first time we met?!
Vincent looked indignant.
“How can you say that? They’re obviously all adorable!”
“Don’t come crying when a mental energy riot kills you someday!”
Lux casually adjusted his seat back into position.
“It won’t kill me.”
Who was the one whose eyes had gone red from pain just now?
Ruan Chen was shocked by his ability to lie through his teeth.
Then he noticed Lux lift his lashes.
Following the direction of the merman’s gaze, Ruan Chen saw that Lux was staring at Captain Cote as he passed by.
Weariness and loneliness showed in those pale-golden eyes.
There was even a faint trace of envy.
Ruan Chen’s heart stilled.
What a liar, he thought.
Base X, Central Platform.
Countless airships and small warships returned to the base and docked at the center of the platform.
The hatches opened.
Clear smiles could be seen on the faces of the merman soldiers.
Vincent followed closely behind Lux.
“This operation really went incredibly smoothly! I absolutely have to thank Ruan Ruan in person. Ever since everyone learned that he can heal mental contamination, the only fear we had when facing the Zerg disappeared.”
Thinking of Ruan Chen messaging him and acting spoiled the night before departure, Lux lowered his eyes and smiled.
“You can tell him yourself when he wakes up.”
They had not truly destroyed the Zerg nest, but this operation had struck at its foundations.
Not only had Base X been saved, the Zerg themselves were now too overwhelmed to worry about anything else.
At the very least, they would need several decades to recover.
Part of the reason was that the royal family’s energy supplies had resumed.
The other part was exactly what Vincent had said.
Everyone now knew mental contamination could be treated.
With their greatest fear removed, the soldiers’ ferocity in battle had risen by far more than a single level.
Lux checked the time.
It was still before dawn, the hour when one should be sleeping most soundly.
But after the last time Ruan Chen had stayed awake all night waiting for him, Lux felt a faint trace of anticipation as he opened the door to his room.
The door slid open.
The room was quiet.
Ruan Chen was not waiting for him at the entrance as Lux had imagined.
Lux turned his head.
His human was slumped sideways on the sofa, his head resting on one arm, sleeping deeply.
A spoon was still clutched in his hand.
Two empty snack cans had been tossed nearby.
His optical computer was still on, displaying the competition video Lux had sent him, though it had clearly finished playing long ago.
Vincent followed him inside to help gather the protective equipment and move it back onto the warship.
Seeing the scene, he whispered,
“Maybe he fell asleep waiting for you?”
Gentleness filled Lux’s eyes.
He bent down and picked Ruan Chen up.
The person in his arms was completely limp and unconscious.
His head lolled to the other side with the movement, without the slightest reaction.
Lux vaguely sensed something was wrong.
“Ruan Ruan?”
He adjusted Ruan Chen’s head against his chest and glanced at the gills behind the human’s ears.
They were still opening and closing.
But the movement was extremely faint.
“Ruan Ruan, wake up.”
Lux’s unease became absolute.
“Ruan Ruan?”
He patted the human’s cheeks several times in succession.
Ruan Chen showed no sign of waking.
His body was slightly cool as well.
If not for his breathing, he would have been almost indistinguishable from a corpse.
The warmth in Lux’s eyes rapidly vanished.
“Lux, what—”
Before Vincent could finish asking, the water in front of him surged violently.
Lux had already rushed out of the room with Ruan Chen in his arms, swimming toward the military hospital.
Vincent jumped in fright and hurried after him.
“Admiral Lux!”
The military hospital doctor saluted him.
Lux had no time to care about formalities.
He gently placed Ruan Chen on the examination table, his voice carrying a hint of urgency.
“My human. I don’t know what’s wrong with him. No matter how I call him, he won’t wake up.”
The doctor’s heart tightened.
“I’ll examine him immediately.”
He took out his instruments and connected them to Ruan Chen’s body.
Lux stepped back slightly.
The human before him looked so small.
Usually, the slightest touch of medical equipment was enough to make him struggle and cause a scene.
Yet now he lay obediently on the examination table, motionless and completely unresponsive.
Lux’s heart sank rapidly.
The test results came back quickly.
The doctor stared at the data in confusion.
“There doesn’t seem to be anything wrong with his bodily functions…”
“Then why is he unconscious?”
Lux looked up.
Vincent, who had just arrived, let out a breath.
“Could it be… because of the fruit he ate last time?”
Lux remembered and added,
“He previously ate an entire source crystal fruit.”
This was the same doctor who had examined Ruan Chen last time.
He remembered.
The doctor nodded.
“I considered that. But according to the data, there seems to be no mental pheromone left in your human’s body at all?”
“May I ask when you last injected mental pheromones into him?”
The last time…
Lux thought for several seconds.
“It was before we arrived at Base X. A long time ago.”
The doctor became even more confused.
“Your human metabolizes mental pheromones extremely quickly. Logically speaking, he should need frequent injections from you.”
The doctor at the human-specialized hospital on Ocean Planet had told Lux the same thing.
Lux’s expression darkened.
“But he has never shown any signs of needing mental pheromones.”
Aside from that one time when Ruan Chen had been left alone in the room and his transformation period suddenly flared up, he had never shown any symptoms again.
“I should have noticed something was wrong sooner.”
Ruan Chen’s tiny paw hung over the edge of the examination table.
Lux reached out and held it in his palm.
The doctor removed the instruments from Ruan Chen’s body.
“Please don’t worry too much. He isn’t showing any negative symptoms at present. As for the exact reason he’s unconscious… Base X doesn’t have specialized equipment for treating humans, so I can’t diagnose him.”
“You need to return to a human breeding center as soon as possible and have the researchers there conduct a full examination.”
Seeing Lux’s expression, Vincent stepped forward to comfort him.
“Lux, Ruan Ruan will be fine. It’s only one fruit. Maybe he’ll wake up later.”
But Lux did not seem comforted in the slightest.
He gave a very soft hum in response and picked Ruan Chen up before leaving.
Vincent shrugged helplessly at the doctor and followed after him.
“Lux, how about… you take a squad and return first? The Zerg have already been dealt with. We can handle everything that’s left.”
A month ago, Lux could never have imagined himself leaving the military’s forces early for something else.
Even if doing so would have absolutely no effect.
But things were different now.
To Lux, Ruan Chen was no longer merely a precious human.
He was far more than just a partner.
Lux lowered his head and stroked Ruan Chen’s black hair.
He agreed.
“Notify the First, Second, and Third Squads. Explain the situation. Anyone willing should report to the central platform immediately and prepare to return to Ocean Planet with me.”
“Yes.”
Vincent flicked his tail and quickly went to issue the order.
Back in the room, Lux lowered his head and kissed Ruan Chen’s hairline.
“Ruan Ruan… stop sleeping, all right?”
The human in his arms still showed no response.
His lashes remained closed, and the corners of his lips were faintly curved.
“What kind of wonderful dream are you having?”
Lux touched the pearl of Ruan Chen’s lower lip with his fingertip.
“Have I been too busy lately and unable to stay with you, so you’re deliberately using this to scare me?”
He brushed aside a strand of hair beside Ruan Chen’s ear.
“The battle is over. From now on, I can stay with you every day. Didn’t you promise you’d spar with me too?”
Silence filled the room.
Lux had killed enemies on the battlefield without blinking.
Yet at this moment, for the first time, he understood what it meant to feel completely helpless.
His human was as obedient as a doll.
Silent and motionless, allowing Lux to do whatever he wanted.
But Lux would rather Ruan Chen wake up.
Even if it meant angrily scratching him across the face.
Finally, Lux pressed his forehead against Ruan Chen’s and felt his temperature.
Then he gently placed him back on the shell bed and turned to retrieve the small protective suit from the wardrobe.
“Mew…”
A faint sound suddenly came from behind him.
The merman’s long, pointed ears snapped upright.
He whipped around.
On the shell bed, Ruan Chen was pushing himself into a sitting position.
As though unable to distinguish whether he was in a dream or reality, his round eyes were filled with confusion as he looked toward Lux.
Lux shot across the room.
“Ruan Ruan?!”
Ruan Chen was suddenly pulled into a tight embrace.
He froze.
“Meow?”
Lux pulled the translator earpiece from his pocket and put it on.
Even his fingers were trembling.
“What did Ruan Ruan just say?”
“Are you real or fake?”
Ruan Chen tilted his head up.
Why had the golden merman from the dream suddenly grown bigger?
Before Lux could answer, Ruan Chen touched his arm.
“You’re shaking.”
Now that he could clearly see Lux’s complexion, Ruan Chen reached out a little paw and touched the merman’s cheek.
“Are you feeling unwell again? Do you need mental soothing?”
Ruan Chen suddenly remembered…
Hadn’t the merman in his dream been unable to see him?
Lux caught his hand.
His lowered eyes were dark, filled with emotions Ruan Chen could not understand.
Before Ruan Chen could even cry out in surprise, the merman pressed him onto the bed.
Not a dream.
This was the real Lux.
Ruan Chen finally reacted.
His face immediately flushed bright red.
He raised a hand against Lux’s shoulder and pushed upward.
“Be good.”
Lux cupped the back of his head and held him even tighter.
He buried his face in the hollow of Ruan Chen’s neck, freely breathing in the human’s warm scent.
His voice was slightly hoarse as he murmured,
“Don’t move. Let me breathe you in for a while.”
“…”
Breathe in what?
He wasn’t a cat.
Ruan Chen wanted to kick him.
Yet somehow, he sensed a trace of unease and fear in the merman’s actions.
Like someone who had narrowly escaped disaster.
For once, Ruan Chen quieted.
“What happened to you?”
He had only…
Gone to sleep…
Wait.
Before Ruan Chen fell asleep, Lux had said he would return in two days.
Had he slept for two days?
Could Lux have come back, failed to wake him up, and thought he was dead?
Then hadn’t he been scared half to death…?
Ruan Chen had not guessed everything exactly, but he was close enough.
Lux lifted his head from Ruan Chen’s neck and smiled faintly.
“It’s nothing. I haven’t seen Ruan Ruan for several days. I missed you too much.”
Ruan Chen carefully studied his expression.
It was exactly the same as in the dream.
Even when Lux had been in such agony that he could barely endure it, he had still forced himself to act as though nothing was wrong in front of Vincent.
The faint envy in Dream Lux’s eyes as he looked at Cote flashed through Ruan Chen’s mind.
His heart softened.
He tentatively lifted a hand and gently stroked Lux’s spread ear fin.
Pressing his lips together, he whispered,
“I… I just had a really long dream. I’m fine. Don’t be afraid.”
The author has something to say:
Let me recommend my friend’s mystery novel After Transmigrating into a Book, I Became a Famous Detective by Zhen Yunyin.
Synopsis:
Xie Xi transmigrated into a book.
He became a famous detective with the exact same name.
The original character was smart and brave, possessing unparalleled intelligence. He punched criminals and kicked his peers.
He calmly analyzed murder scenes without the slightest fear.
He voluntarily joined a snowbound manor gathering filled entirely with detective contestants.
Then the author stopped updating.
Xie Xi: ?
The strongest original character had been replaced.
The remaining detectives seemed like a group of idiots in the original novel. Xie Xi had almost no hope for them and only wanted to survive using the information available before the author stopped updating.
Then—
Detective A: Anyone who brings their own emergency food and secretly hides things is highly suspicious.
Detective B: Anyone who chooses to be alone is an idiot.
Detective C: Anyone with an obvious alibi is suspicious.
Detective D, Cheng Du, glanced at Xie Xi, who had remained silent the entire time and was desperately trying to minimize his presence.
He said calmly, “Someone with a low presence might also be the murderer.”
Xie Xi: ?
…That… actually seems right.
Wait.
Why does everything you’re saying sound like me?!
[Mini Theater]
At first, the detectives saw Xie Xi acting as nervous as an ordinary person and constantly exposing flaws.
They sneered.
“Some famous detective. He’s nothing special. We’ll frame him tonight.” 🙂
Later, the experts saw Xie Xi—
Evidence Searching MAX ?
Trace Examination MAX ?
Deduction MAX ?
…and somehow, every single time, he could accurately predict an upcoming murder and calmly avoid it.
The detective he saved: This must have been an accident.
After it happened multiple times:
?( ° ? °|||)?Is it too late to cling to his thigh now?
Xie Xi: Thanks for asking. I’m merely an upstanding young member of society who enjoys helping others. 🙂
