Chapter 37
During the overtime experiment the previous night, Shi Xiaowang hadn’t stayed up completely with them, but his mind was restless, and he could barely sleep—just three or four hours broken up here and there.
After lying in Jian Mo’s arms for a while, he suddenly fell asleep, either from lack of oxygen or sheer exhaustion—it wasn’t clear.
Jian Mo looked down at him, both amused and tender.
Falling asleep while standing… he really had been working hard these past two days.
With one arm, Jian Mo scooped him up horizontally.
Shi Xiaowang stirred a little from the motion, squinting his amber eyes. He glanced at Jian Mo but quickly let his attention drift away. Somehow, his soul felt like it was floating in the air—he didn’t fully understand how he ended up like this—but those amber eyes gave him a sense of safety, and he fell asleep again.
The next day, when Shi Xiaowang woke, he sat on the bed, staring blankly for a long while, then sighed as he looked around the empty room.
Jian Mo must have left already…
It felt like they hadn’t done much together, and now he was gone. Who knew when they would meet again…
He sluggishly tidied himself up and made his way to the lab.
At the lab entrance, a familiar voice reached his ears.
“Sounds good. That’s what I was thinking too.”
It was Jian Mo!
Shi Xiaowang’s eyes lit up, and he ran into the lab.
“All right, lie down in there. I’ll adjust the settings first and let you know when it’s ready.”
Meng Zhan spoke while operating the purification treatment chamber.
“Wait!”
Seeing Jian Mo about to lie in the medical pod, Shi Xiaowang’s smile vanished, panic crossing his face.
“Hasn’t the chamber still not been tested clinically? You can’t just use it yet…”
Meng Zhan smiled.
“What? Don’t trust our results?”
“I trust them, of course! But clinical trials are necessary. You can’t just use it casually—that’s what you told me, Teacher Meng!”
Shi Xiaowang grabbed Jian Mo’s hand anxiously.
“Don’t worry.”
Jian Mo gently squeezed his hand in reassurance.
“Clinical trials need participants. Someone has to be the first to try the purification chamber. Whoever it is, it’s the same. If not me today, then it would be my comrades—I share life and death with them. As their commander, this risk is mine to bear. I owe them something. Besides, I trust you, and I trust your ability.”
“But…”
Shi Xiaowang instinctively wanted to argue but found no reason to oppose him. He watched Jian Mo, conflicted and uneasy.
“If anything feels wrong, promise to tell us immediately!”
“I will.”
Jian Mo raised a hand to smooth Shi Xiaowang’s furrowed brow and smiled.
“The whole room is full of professionals. Don’t be so nervous.”
Shi Xiaowang stayed quiet, and Han Ling gently guided him aside.
“It’s fine. The chamber is very stable now. Any improvements mainly relate to the energy cost of the purification ability. Safety is still guaranteed.”
Jian Mo glanced at Meng Zhan, who nodded, and then lay down in the purification chamber.
Meng Zhan activated the chamber, and the lights inside brightened.
Jian Mo closed his eyes. The lab was silent except for the hum of the instruments.
The purification process lasted nearly half an hour.
Shi Xiaowang stood in place the entire time, nervously watching Jian Mo, not moving an inch.
Finally, the signal sounded, and the chamber lights went out. Jian Mo opened his eyes and sat up.
“How are you? Any discomfort?”
Shi Xiaowang hurried over.
“I’m fine.”
Jian Mo stretched his shoulders, testing himself.
“My body feels lighter. Other than that, no major sensations.”
“Good.”
Meng Zhan, monitoring the data on the screen, nodded with satisfaction.
“The chamber removed about 20% of the contamination, and we detected residual active purification ability in your mental sphere. Based on these data, this purification should achieve roughly 30–35% total purification.”
Combined with Shi Xiaowang’s previous manual purification, it reaches around 50%.
Meng Zhan finally exhaled, and Jian Mo completely passed the mania phase.
Hearing Meng Zhan’s conclusion, the researchers present erupted in excitement.
“Such a high purification rate?!”
“So the chamber really works!”
“Ah! Amazing!”
“Finally, Major Xin’s team can be free from berserk’s influence!”
“We actually succeeded? We really purified the human mind from contamination! I only dreamed of this before!”
“Great job, Little Duke! You’re the Federation’s only god!”
They cheered, hugged each other, some even hugging Jian Mo.
Jian Mo smiled quietly. Watching the emotional, tearful researchers, Shi Xiaowang suddenly felt the weight of the achievement.
“We’re really amazing, right?”
Shi Xiaowang whispered to Jian Mo.
“You’ve always been amazing. Haven’t I told you?”
Jian Mo smiled softly.
Shi Xiaowang grinned and added, “When we return, let Da Meow try it too. I think Da Meow’s contamination level is similar to yours. Our Da Meow has also been a hero on the battlefield.”
“Yes, Da Meow is impressive too.”
Jian Mo said easily.
Meng Zhan cleared his throat deliberately.
“What are you two doing? This is a lab, not a place for chatting.”
Then he looked at Jian Mo.
“Observe carefully these days. Report any abnormalities immediately. I don’t expect any, but stay cautious.”
“Got it, thanks.”
A rare normal and peaceful exchange took place between them.
At the same time, the Federation publicly reported on the Chamber of Commerce’s false accusations against Shi Xiaowang.
It detailed how the Chamber of Commerce’s remaining pests orchestrated the scheme and their intended goals.
All involved were punished, including Xu Qingluo. The Federation reaffirmed the Little Duke’s untouchable status. Any future offenses would lead to exile.
Although Xu Qingluo’s section wasn’t overly detailed, many inferred the truth from the purified tomato seeds, and he had not appeared online for a long time.
His attempt against the Little Duke soon spread online, and many sympathized with Shi Xiaowang, regretting his misfortune.
But Shi Xiaowang no longer cared. He had other matters to attend to.
The crops on the back mountain were ripe and ready to harvest.
With online attention high, why not use food to attract everyone?
With Meng Zhan and Jian Mo’s approval, Shi Xiaowang set up cooking gear on the back mountain and started a live stream of outdoor cooking.
“Little Duke’s here! Long time no see, babies!”
“Where is this? On the mountain?”
“Xiaowang, are you upset? Don’t mind the bad people online. Stream more often!”
“What will the Little Duke cook today? Flowers or food?”
Shi Xiaowang laughed, greeting everyone.
“Hello everyone! Long time no see. I’m fine. I’ve been busy with something important!”
He moved the camera to show the fields behind him.
“See! I told you before, I manage this mountain head from the institute. Our crops here are almost fully ripe. Let me show you.”
“Crops! Can we buy them now?!”
Shi Xiaowang smiled, introducing the produce.
“Here we have tomatoes, potatoes, cucumbers, peppers, and cabbage—you’ve seen them in my greenhouse. But I want to show you this section.”
“That field is rice. Soon, besides corn and sweet potatoes, we can finally have rice. And on that mountain, half is flowers, half is fruit. After lunch, we can have fruit for afternoon tea.”
He moved to the outdoor cooking site.
“Now, let’s start cooking.”
“Do you need help?” Jian Mo asked softly.
[Ah? Who’s there?]
[Little Duke has company?]
[The voice is nice…]
[Could it be Jian Mo? Isn’t this mountain inside the base?]
“Yes, it’s Jian Mo.”
Shi Xiaowang pulled him into the camera.
“He’s helping me today.”
Jian Mo hesitated briefly but quickly smiled and greeted everyone.
“Hello, I’m Jian Mo, helping today. Just watch Xiaowang cook.”
“Help me prep the vegetables, Jian Worker. Start with chicken, then potatoes—cut them into pieces. Chop the peppers, and the chicken breast into strips.”
“Okay, Chef Shi.”
Jian Mo followed the instructions without complaint.
“While he cuts, I have two announcements,” Shi Xiaowang said, clearing his throat and straightening his outfit formally.
“First, as some have noticed, our mountain crops are for sale. Like last time, pre-sale will open in half an hour in the livestream. Wish everyone can get what they want.”
[I can finally eat tomatoes!!]
[I want peppers!]
[Will fruits be sold too?]
“Yes, everything you saw will be sold,” Shi Xiaowang said with a smile.
“Second, people worried about chicken being contaminated. But if it’s purified, like plants, it can be our food.”
The chat fell silent, then exploded.
[Purified chicken?!]
[So the Little Duke can purify animals too?]
[What about humans? Humans are animals too!]
[Oh my god, I’m crying! Is this real?!]
“It’s true. As you thought, we can now purify animals. I didn’t livestream before because I was working with Teacher Meng on the purification chamber. Jian Mo volunteered for the first clinical trial this morning. Everything is normal. Using the chamber, his contamination near mania was reduced by 20%.”
Shi Xiaowang pulled Jian Mo close and held a fist like a microphone, asking playfully:
“How do you feel? Any discomfort?”
Jian Mo laughed at the gesture and replied seriously:
“No, the Little Duke’s purification and the institute’s team are amazing. I feel great.”
“Teacher Meng, say a few words?”
Shi Xiaowang turned to Meng Zhan.
“Yes, the Little Duke is right. With his support, we’ve successfully purified many animals, and Jian Mo as a human. All procedures were reported to His Majesty, including today’s livestream. Funds from crops sold will be reinvested in purification chamber production, aiming to let all Federation citizens avoid mental contamination.”
Even with Shi Xiaowang’s cheerful streaming, every informed citizen felt both excitement and relief.
The old marshal had repelled the insects, beginning peace. Shi Xiaowang purified plants, starting life anew. Now, with the chamber, hope continued.
No one would suffer contamination again, no one would watch loved ones descend into mania and death.
Every chat viewer first thought of the old marshal.
[If he were alive, would he…]
[He would laugh with joy seeing the Little Duke’s chamber. He’d like him so much…]
[I miss the old marshal so much…]
Shi Xiaowang’s smile faded. He looked at Jian Mo, quietly preparing the vegetables, his gaze heavy with sorrow.
