Chapter 80

Xia You ambled in a random direction with Lu Yinghuai by his side, the lustrous panther tail always coiled around Xia You's wrist.

The Lanxing Base was vast and stood as the only human stronghold constructed after the planet's ecological revival.

As they neared the training facility, they once again encountered the familiar Husky they had often spotted during morning jogs.

The gray-white canine walked with pride, likely just off-shift. With no human companion in sight, it seemed to be out for some leisure time.

Unlike felines who prefer nesting in familiar scents and only roam their territories, canines require exercise to burn off energy.

After all, people have now realized the risks of letting their companions hunt for food and began to consciously restrain them. This led to an increase in self-walking canine companions after training sessions.

Observing the scene, Xia You touched his chin, intrigued.

Well, if not a white wolf, a Husky would do.

"Your Highness..." Xia You crouched down, gazing imploringly at Lu Yinghuai.

Lu Yinghuai sighed and stepped back, blending into the shadows of the nearby woods.

The Husky, having been previously intimidated by the panther, started avoiding Xia You. If Lu Yinghuai remained close, the Husky would surely not approach.

Xia You straightened his collar and took a few steps toward the majestic Husky, feigning distress.

Spotting Xia You from afar, the Husky's leisurely blue eyes narrowed instantly. Charging toward Xia You with a fierce demeanor, it bore no resemblance to the domesticated dogs Xia You encountered in noble estates.

This Husky, more wolf than dog, possessed fierce, cold eyes and fur that seemed imbued with the desolation of snowy plains.

It raced to Xia You's side, its forbidding gaze scanning the surroundings, seemingly forgetting its past lessons from coming too close to the panther.

Expecting some anomaly near Xia You, the Husky found none. As confusion took hold, its body was suddenly ensnared by several mental energy tendrils.

The soothing sensation from the energy made the once-feral dog appear simultaneously dazed and sagacious.

"Stay still, you're caught," Xia You's voice, laden with amusement, whispered in the Husky's ear.

Recognizing the unexpected delight of being "kidnapped" by Xia You, the Husky promptly laid down beside him, its playful howls echoing as its tail wagged furiously, resembling a propeller.

Unable to resist, Xia You crouched down, marveling as he stroked the Husky's plush and dense fur.

Tigers and leopards, both predators, have coarse fur everywhere except their bellies. This spares them the trouble of grooming tangled fur and allows them to dry quickly after getting wet.

Huskies, large dogs prone to shedding, differ significantly. Their plush feel is akin to the soft long-pile carpet at home.

Lu Yinghuai quietly emerged from the shadows.

The husky instantly stiffened, its eyes widening in a mix of surprise and fear.

Lu Yinghuai glanced at the husky, standing serenely beside Xia You, exuding a mature and composed demeanor.

Realizing it's someone else's companion animal, and unfamiliar at that, Xia You didn't overly roughhouse with it and released it after having her fun.

Seeing it wasn't harmed, the husky grew bolder, nuzzling its head into Xia You's hand.

Lu Yinghuai initially intended to coil around Xia You's wrist, but his tail slid down and circled her ankle instead. He looked up at her silently.

Xia You gave the dog's head a hearty rub and chuckled, "Alright, alright, we won't disturb you further. We need to continue on."

The husky whimpered twice in reluctance, then, as if recalling something, it pawed Xia You's knee and barked.

Xia You: "…?"

The husky quickly dashed away and soon returned, joyfully carrying something in its mouth.

"Awooo~"

When the husky lowers its voice, its howl bears a striking resemblance to that of a wolf.

Xia You held the fruit, which was tied to a tree branch, examining it from various angles. She couldn't identify it.

The husky grinned widely, did two spins in front of Xia You, and, with a flamboyant flick of its tail, struck a dashing pose. After a couple of playful nudges, it bounded off gleefully.

Xia You sat on a nearby bench, scrutinizing the fruit in her hand, which resembled a mango in size but was incredibly hard and vibrant red.

The fruit gave off the immediate impression of a poisonous mushroom; from its color to its texture, it exuded an inedible allure.

Lu Yinghuai raised a paw and touched the surface of the fruit in Xia You's hand.

With skepticism evident on her face, Xia You questioned, "…Is this really edible?"

Though she posed the question, Xia You knew the large dog wouldn't have any ill intentions, especially given its proud, treasure-presenting expression earlier.

Lu Yinghuai typed: [Others cannot, but you can. This fruit has a hard shell and a toxic skin. The pulp is highly poisonous, but the seed contains a trace of energy.]

After a moment's thought, Lu Yinghuai added: [It tastes better than energy stones.]

This fruit isn't a natural variant.

When humans returned to Blue Star, they discovered a toxic gas permeating the atmosphere. Invisible, odorless, and undetectable by instruments, it turns a light gray when dissolved in sugar water and eventually precipitates as red. It has little effect on microbes, but long-term inhalation causes irritability in humans and other animals.

Given this environmental challenge, research institutes developed this fruit capable of absorbing toxins. Many have been planted at the Blue Star base.

As the fruit turns a deep red, indicating highly poisonous pulp after absorbing the toxin, special personnel regularly collect and dispose of them. This is why Xia You finds them unfamiliar.

Hearing Lu Yinghuai's explanation, an idea struck Xia You, prompting her to inquire, "Hasn't the research institute studied the origin of this substance?"

To understand the origin is to research, and only after research can control be achieved—a process common to most investigations.

Lu Yinghuai browsed the internal network for a while before responding: [On this issue, the Federation and the Empire have different understandings and, naturally, different stances.]

This harks back to the younger days of Lu Yinghuai's parents when the Federation and the Empire were in contention. They had disputes over Blue Star's ownership, and even though the Empire had psychic power rankings, the first psychic entity had not yet accidentally emerged.

Even someone like Lu Jiuzhu wouldn't know the details.

However, Lu Yinghuai has high access privileges in the Empire's data archives, second only to the royal family.

[After its research, the Empire believes that this substance might be the remnants of a virus from Blue Star's apocalyptic era. But with the native flora and fauna on the path to recovery, proper purification should suffice.]

[The Federation also sent researchers to Blue Star, but their conclusions starkly contrasted the Empire's.]

[The Federation posits that remnants of insectoid psychic energy linger on Blue Star. They suspect the planet's core is infested by insectoids, recommending total annihilation to eliminate any future threats.]

The two sides hold diametrically opposing views.

The Federation is evidently wary of Blue Star and is reluctant to include it within its borders. If insectoid eggs exist in Blue Star's core and hatch, it would be a devastating blow from within their boundaries.

This explains why Blue Star, once humanity's cradle and a prize to be contested, was easily taken over by the Empire after some minor concessions.

Clutching the fruit, Xia You's eyes narrowed sharply, "... Why ... why would the Federation come to such a conclusion?"

At that moment, myriad pieces of information intertwined in Xia You's mind. Yet, they seemed like severed strings floating in mid-air, missing a crucial link to complete the connection.

Xia You always found it puzzling that while the manifestation of the psychic disorder, which resembled a zombie virus, was consistent in Familiar Beasts, and the same was true for the black panther. Such consistency might seem natural to the uninformed, but to Xia You, it didn't quite add up.

Current research suggests that individuals develop the psychic disorder due to high-level psychic abilities, resulting in a gray substance forming in their psychic realm. Consequently, a similar tangible gray substance is found within their Familiar Beasts, which share their psychic bond.

However, the cause of Lu Yinghuai's condition is quite unique.

From birth, he had always been a high-level psychic and grew up alongside his tangible Familiar Beast. Before his encounter with the Bug Queen, there were no signs of any psychic disorder. His psychic uniqueness often subjected both his body and psychic realm to constant agony.

In other words, the diagnosis of Lu Yinghuai's psychic disorder came after his defining battle where he consumed the Bug Queen.

If Lu Yinghuai was susceptible to the disorder due to his high-level psychic abilities, he would have been diagnosed years ago during his tenure as an S-rank. Yet, his diagnosis strangely came right after consuming the Bug Queen, even before he began digesting or experiencing a psychic upgrade.

This became one of the reasons why Xia You was hesitant to lump the psychic disorder and the zombie virus together.

But this inconsistency had appeared long ago, and coincidentally, it also concerned Blue Star.

Lu Yinghuai typed: [The Federation possesses a psychic sample from the Bug Queen, which could greatly influence both parties' research.]

[However, at the time, the Empire had already detected energy stone veins on Blue Star. After weighing various considerations, they opted for an in-depth exploration of the planet.]

Wars were already rapidly depleting energy stones, as was the advancement of technology.

The majority of the energy stone veins were within Federation territory. For the Empire, which produced fewer energy stones than the Federation, the discovery on Blue Star was an irresistible temptation.

Subsequently, in matters concerning psychic manifestations and Familiar Beasts, energy stones and Blue Star became even more vital.

"A psychic sample from the Bug Queen?" Xia You inhaled sharply, "How was that obtained?"

The bugs' protection of their queen is notoriously extreme. Unless one went in with a military force, like Lu Yinghuai once did, it would be nearly impossible to get close to the Bug Queen, let alone obtain a psychic sample.

Acquiring this was even harder than cutting a piece of flesh from the Bug Queen.

Lu Yinghuai's expression shifted slightly.

After a prolonged silence, he slowly typed: [If you're curious, you might want to ask Uncle Zhou.]

Ask... Uncle Zhou?

Xia You fell silent for a few seconds, her eyes widening gradually.

[Years ago, the Federation placed a 35-billion Federation credit bounty across the galaxy for the Bug Queen's psychic sample, attracting many to take on the challenge.]

[But only one returned alive.]

[With the sample in hand.]

*

Uncle Zhou is in the kitchen.

The old butler always seems to have endless chores. Every time Xia You encounters him, he's always occupied with something.

But he always appears unhurried.

"Uncle Zhou?" Xia You leaned around the kitchen doorway, peeking in.

The elderly butler turned with a smile, his demeanor kind and approachable: "What can I do for you?"

Xia You held the fruit given to her earlier by the husky, squeezing it the whole way. Her mind juxtaposed the benevolent old butler with the image of a once-dominant mercenary.

Such a contrast was truly...

Xia You blinked, walked into the kitchen, glanced at the simmering chicken soup on the stove, and then whispered, "Uncle Zhou, may I ask you some questions?"

The old butler chuckled at Xia You's cautious demeanor, leading her to sit in the dining area, and casually took the fruit from her hands.

"What would you like to know, Xia You?"

As he spoke, the butler, almost magically, drew a dining knife. With a few swift motions, he sliced open the tough outer layer of the fruit, revealing its intricate inner flesh.

Under Xia You's gaze, the butler skillfully used the tip of the knife to separate a section of the fruit's flesh from its central seed, which he then dropped with a soft clink onto a pre-arranged plate.

The seed lay bare, with not a speck of fruit left on it.

Xia You, her eyes shining as they rested on the knife in Uncle Zhou's hands, asked, "Could you tell me about the Bug Queen, Uncle Zhou?"