Chapter 95

Yin Wei.

Xiayou muttered the name once again, suddenly grasping its origin.

Within the survivor's base on the Blue Star, Xiayou would occasionally hear an old man in the adjacent room speak. In his youth, the old man was a professor. Now, however, he often rambled, sometimes incoherently, about various animals and insects.

Xiayou deeply feared loneliness, yet within the survivor's base, he had to be on guard constantly. Behind a poorly soundproofed wall, he finally felt genuinely alive.

Yin Wei is an archaic term for "spider."

However, very few nowadays are familiar with such ancient knowledge.

Lu Yinghuai recognized the gem spider upon which Yin Wei sat—it was a first-generation biomechanical armor created by Zhuo Xi. Given its initial iteration, it had several flaws and was rare. Yet, he hadn't expected to see it here.

Yin Wei dismounted her mecha, gave the giant gem spider a pat, and walked towards Xiayou and Sen Shi.

"Greetings, sir," said Yin Wei with a smile, extending her hand to Xiayou.

Xiayou responded in kind, his expression unchanged despite half of Yin Wei's body being stained in blood.

"Leader Yin Wei, good day."

Given Yin Wei stood before him, it was evident that she was the victor of the recent internal strife.

Xiayou refrained from inquiring about the turmoil in the trade arena, directly asking, "Is Chief Sen Qiu available at the moment?"

The initial excitement of venturing out seemed to have faded. Even with the prince's companion beast by his side, Xiayou felt an irresistible homesickness.

The mansion on the Blue Star wasn't merely the prince's residence to him anymore—it had become, as the prince once mentioned, truly... his home.

Yin Wei paused, concealing the urgency in her eyes, and straightforwardly said, "The goods you requested will take a few more days. If it's not an inconvenience, I can guide you into the underground city in the meantime."

Yin Wei hoped Xiayou would attend to Sen Qiu earlier, given his critical condition. But once inside the underground city, Xiayou would be without the protection of battleships or inspection teams.

Yin Wei's solo approach was strategic, aimed at reducing perceived threat and persuading Xiayou to enter the underground city alone.

The trading post, post-uprising, was unsettled. The presence of the Empire's troops might only exacerbate the chaos.

Sen Shi opened his mouth, hesitating.

Yet, Xiayou smiled lightly, stating, "That's acceptable."

Both Yin Wei and Sen Shi looked taken aback.

Yin Wei felt a peculiar sense of futility—as if she was armed to the teeth only to face a soft mass of cotton. Even though Xiayou wasn't her enemy, the unsettling sensation of not having control over such a vital figure left her uneasy.

But standing behind Xiayou, Sen Shi was already vigorously shaking his head, signaling with his eyes for Yin Wei to say no more.

Now more than anyone, Sen Shi realized that Xiayou might appear gullible, but when he takes action, he does so ruthlessly, leaving no room for mercy.

To this day, Sen Shi couldn't fathom where those thirty-seven mercenaries had vanished. The more he pondered, the more uneasy he felt, as if a thorn was pricking his back.

Yin Wei, seeing the situation, wasted no more words. She turned slightly and gestured, "The entrance to the underground city is a bit far. How about I give you a lift in my mecha?"

Just as Xiayou was about to reply, Lu Yinghuai, perched on his shoulder, subtly pressed Xiayou's earlobe with a claw pad.

Xiayou hesitated for a moment, then understandingly responded, "That won't be necessary. Just lead the way, Leader Yin Wei."

Yin Wei cautioned, "Sir, the entrance to the underground city is obstructed. Flying vessels might have difficulty passing through."

Xiayou only smiled, saying nothing.

Yin Wei slightly furrowed her brow but didn't press further, gesturing for Sen Shi to join her atop her mecha.

A typical mecha cockpit can only accommodate one person, but Yin Wei's bio-mecha had been retrofitted, its cockpit significantly expanded.

Sen Shi wasn't surprised at all. He had seen his sister-in-law transport their household’s companion beast everywhere in a mecha, especially during times when his elder brother's psychic power was unstable.

Yin Wei reached to close the cockpit door, "I'll get you there first, then come back for him."

Sen Shi nodded, "Alright, I need to prepare something for my brother anyway."

Prepare what?

Yin Wei cast a dubious glance at Sen Shi.

Sen Shi chuckled mischievously, devoid of his prior worries, as if convinced that once Xiayou took action, his elder brother would undoubtedly be saved.

Infected by Sen Shi's optimism, Yin Wei's heavy heart lightened a bit. She swiftly activated her mecha and soared in the direction of the underground city.

After Yin Wei left, Lu Yinghuai extended a claw and fished out a small item from Xiayou's spatial knot.

Xiayou held it in his hand, pondering for a while before recalling its origin.

It was something Tang Gao hastily handed him before leaving, while in a rush to use the restroom. Later on, preoccupied with other matters, Xiayou never inquired about it.

It now makes sense why Tanggao wasn't in a hurry after giving him the item; it turns out the prince knew.

Xia You looked at the metal piece in his hand, resembling a button, and pinched it between his fingers. "What is this?"

The metal piece wasn't intricately shaped. Instead of looking like a masterpiece by Tanggao, the perfectionist and top student, it appeared more like a hastily made prototype.

Lu Yinghuai didn't type a message. Instead, he jumped into Xia You's embrace, directing Xia You's fingers onto the surface of the metal piece and gently brushing Xia You's temple with his tail.

Xia You blinked and instinctively channeled his mental energy into the metal piece.

The next moment, the metal piece illuminated brightly, and a metallic, silver-grey panther, three times the height of a person, materialized from thin air. Its metallic body landed heavily, and its whip-like tail crashed onto the ground.

Surprisingly, it was almost the same size as the spider mech Yin Wei had been in earlier, exuding an oppressive aura of massive entities.

Xia You stood still, looking up.

The cockpit of the biomech detected its bound master and opened in response.

The small creature resembling coal jumped out of Xia You's embrace, with a few light hops, it leaped into the cockpit, perched on the edge, tail slightly curled, looking at Xia You with amused eyes.

Xia You snapped back to reality, his eyes burning with intense fervor.

Is this…

Even after settling into the cockpit, Xia You felt an overwhelming sense of unreality.

Touching the familiar yet somewhat unfamiliar buttons on the console, his Adam's apple bobbed.

How did Tanggao achieve this in such a short time?!

Lu Yinghuai found a spot on the dashboard to sit, no longer clinging to Xia You.

[This is not a real mech]

Seeing the words on the screen, Xia You's excitement cooled for a moment, but gazing at the identical buttons in front of him, confusion filled his eyes.

Lu Yinghuai explained: [All biomechs are custom-made. Unlike traditional mechs, biomechs are designed to align closely with the driver's mental energy and operating habits, then shaped into the most suitable form for the driver.]

[Before the actual mech is designed and produced, Zhuo Xi needs your mech piloting data.]

[This is a test mech for collecting that data.]

Lu Yinghuai hesitated for a moment. Seeing Xia You's expression becoming calm, he typed unhurriedly: [Xia You, you're free to use this mech for whatever you wish.]

Xia You raised an eyebrow, a glint flashing in his eyes.

A sense of foreboding suddenly hit Lu Yinghuai, causing his tail fur to bristle.

The next moment, over a dozen tendrils of psychic energy lashed out, menacingly resting on the console buttons, ready to spring into action.

The master of these psychic tendrils sat in the pilot's seat, arms wrapped around the emotionless, coal-black creature beside him.

Xia You grinned and said, "Your Highness, I noticed this is a manual control console. So, I just need to press these buttons to take control, right?"

Lu Yinghuai: "..."

The coal-black creature sat on Xia You's lap, its eyes reflecting a myriad of emotions, leaving one... at a loss for words.

Theoretically, that's correct.

A button pressed by a tendril is still a button pressed.

Even in all his years as the Marshal of the Empire, Lu Yinghuai had never seen someone operate the console without using their hands.

"Let me see... the ignition switch... ah, here it is..."

The mech's core activated. The massive metal panther's eyes lit up, its tail whipping the ground with force.

Lu Yinghuai felt his heart skip a beat.

"The takeoff is... ah no, wait, there seems to be some parameter settings..."

The metal panther took a step forward, but its front paw buckled, causing half its body to pitch forward.

The cockpit lurched, sending the coal-black creature on Xia You's lap sliding forward, its fluffy head knocking against the console.

Held securely by his seat, Xia You quickly pulled the creature back, apologizing while trying to recall the operational knowledge he should've known by heart, and rubbed the panther's forehead soothingly.

Just as Lu Yinghuai steadied himself, the entire mech executed a 360° roll, turning the cockpit's world topsy-turvy.

Thankfully prepared, the coal-black creature leapt up, executing a nimble mid-air somersault before landing gracefully back on the console.

"Why does it feel different from what the books taught... Did I memorize it wrong? That can't be..."

Seeing Xia You about to reference the digital manual, Lu Yinghuai couldn't bear to watch. He raised his paw and touched the transparent psychic tendril.

The black panther's paw pressed on the tendril, and the tendril pressed the operation key. At last, the enormous mech began to move correctly, racing across the barren landscape.

Xia You watched as the panther's tail trailed behind, the tip curling into a loop. The four paws worked diligently teaching the coal-black creature, bringing a smile to Xia You's lips.

Of course, he knew how to control the mech.

Even if his psychic abilities had limitations, and he hadn't truly piloted a mech before, Xia You had aced the virtual mech courses, enduring even Cheng Zhiyan's full-blown assault for a solid five minutes.

Since leaving home today, Xia You noticed the prince seemed more somber, hardly communicating unless necessary, lost in thought.

It felt different from the quiet, protective aura he had before. Perhaps Xia You's daily psychic care for Lu Yinghuai made him sensitive to the prince's emotional shifts.

For the first time, Xia You sensed feelings of dejection and resistance from Lu Yinghuai.

—After seeing him in that uniform.

Xia You pondered all morning, occasionally observing the coal-black creature's expressions, leading him to a tentative hypothesis.

It's very likely that the prince feels an aversion to his companion beast form or its currently diminished state.

Such sentiments often occur in those whose consciousness resides within their companion beasts. Xia You had heard cases from Meng Wenxuan and the dormant center, including a tragic artist who, unable to adapt to his beast form that couldn't paint, succumbed to despair.

Therefore, the dormant center had warned that awakening the consciousness of these companion beasts, without helping them return to their bodies, could lead to similar tragedies.

Hence, Xia You inspected his furry household members daily, especially the sentient 'Spicy Stick' and 'Sweet Cake'.

But he never expected this to affect the prince.

Xia You reached out, petting the small black panther from its spine down to the tail tip.

The panther's tail gave a gentle whack on Xia You's wrist. It turned its head, eyes clearly expressing disagreement.

Xia You leaned in, rubbing his cheek affectionately against the plush panther, whispering, "I panicked earlier... Fortunately, you were there. You truly are the best, Your Highness!"

Lu Yinghuai's paw stiffened momentarily.

He wasn't naive; on the contrary, he possessed a sharper intellect than most.

He suddenly understood the cause behind Xia You's earlier unusual behavior and immediately freed himself from the cloud of negative emotions that had been haunting him all day.

The small, fluffy creature was frozen in front of the control panel, its tail drooping fully, its tip resting on Xia You's thigh.

Xia You gently stroked the panther's ear with a psychic tendril.

Lu Yinghuai's ear twitched back and rolled slightly, yet he did not shy away.

More psychic tendrils reached out, brushing against the coal-black, furry body.

One even coiled around the panther's tail multiple times.

Almost tied up by the psychic tendrils, Lu Yinghuai gave Xia You a resigned look and, with tendrils still attached, jumped into Xia You's arms.

His eyes regained their usual calm and clarity.

Xia You cradled the small black panther in his arms.

Lu Yinghuai rubbed Xia You's cheek with his panther ear in response.

A tender smile poured from Xia You's eyes.

Lu Yinghuai raised his panther paw, gently but firmly pushing away the psychic tendril trying to pet him again, pointing towards the mech's control panel.

Xia You chuckled softly, consolidating all the tendrils back to the initial dozen or so, hovering them above the mech's control panel.

Moments later, the silver-grey behemoth took another step, its tail swaying for balance as it set off in a certain direction.

……

Yin Wei placed Sen Shi at the entrance, allowing the welcoming party to escort him in. As he was about to return for Xia You, he felt the ground tremble.

The weapons at the entrance of the underground city sensed an approaching threat, shedding their camouflage, and aimed towards the direction of the unfamiliar mech.

Not until the silver-grey bio-mech stood beside the deep blue gem spider and Xia You jumped steadily from its cockpit, storing the mech into its compartment, did Yin Wei's face maintain a look of astonishment and amazement.

He was unsure whether he was stunned by the unexpected emergence of an unknown bio-mech or the surprising sight of the usually frail healer emerging from a mech cockpit.

Xia You looked up at the guns all pointed at him and raised an eyebrow: "Chief Yin Wei?"

Yinwei gestured with his hand to signal the all-clear as they entered with Xiayou. He hesitated several times, wanting to speak but stopping himself, and finally couldn't hold back, asking, "Your mech armor…?"

Xiayou turned her head slightly with a soft smile, "Is there an issue?"

Yinwei: "...Nothing."

The ones who originally saved Zhuoxi were Yinwei and Senqiu. Of course, they knew the extent of Zhuoxi's injuries.

When Yinwei rescued Zhuoxi back then, he had his own ulterior motives. Befriending such a genius mech designer was undoubtedly a surefire investment.

Even if one's arms are rendered useless, isn't there anything the military medical pods can't heal?

However, when Yinwei discovered the compound injected into Zhuoxi's body, he completely abandoned that thought.

Humans injected with a mixture of alien psychic power are likely to fall into madness within a few years. Even if they survive, they won't have a stable mental state, let alone design mechs.

But now, in Xiayou's hands, appeared a bio-mech that Yinwei had never seen before.

It might look rough, but judging from the aura it radiated earlier, that leopard-like bio-mech far surpassed any prototypes Zhuoxi had ever sold.

Yinwei's hand, hanging by his side, began to tremble subtly.

The person walking behind her had cured Zhuoxi.

So... he must also have a way to heal Aqiu, right?

After unsuccessfully seeking multiple healers, Yinwei, now with just a glimmer of hope, began to genuinely anticipate the outcome for the first time.

As the two disappeared into the entrance of the underground city, a small figure emerged from the pond. It observed the traces left by the two bio-mechs for a while, shook off the water droplets, and headed into the underground city.

Its pace was leisurely.

*

Underground City

Sen Shi, with the authority given by Yinwei, rushed into Senqiu's room. Panting, he opened the door to the most complex isolation chamber, leaning against the door frame, looking at the white Sen Ran inside that had been startled by the noise.

A surprisingly lucid Senqiu looked at his long-lost brother. Just as he was about to search for the light-computer he had misplaced during one of his fits of rage, he saw his brother at the doorway, who, after catching his breath, lunged straight at him.

And then, his face was smothered with a fluffy sensation.

Senqiu's coiled body suddenly stiffened, his ruby-like eyes staring blankly at his younger brother: "What?"

While wrapping a furry scarf around his older brother, Senshi quickly explained.

"Long story short, bro, a very talented healer is coming soon. He's truly extraordinary. Your condition will definitely improve!"

"There's just a small, bare hiccup, but I've got it covered!"

Senshi went on to put a dozen furry scarves around his brother's companion creature, but when he reached into his spatial toggle, he found it empty. His expression immediately turned frustrated.

"How did you get so big, bro? I didn't bring enough scarves..."

No snake would enjoy being wrapped in furry things.

Senqiu instinctively began to struggle, trying to wriggle free from the scarves.

Senshi, upon watching this, had a bright idea.

He stretched the furry scarf wide and started stuffing his older brother's body inside.

Fortunately, he had previously anticipated that the companion creature might grow. He had asked the saleslady to knit the scarves much larger; otherwise, they wouldn't fit.

Senqiu was tightly wrapped up in the furry scarf by his younger brother, not even a tail was left exposed, only the head with white scales was left uncovered.

He looked utterly speechless, lying deflated on the ground.

After circling his tied-up brother, Senshi felt something was missing. Recalling that Lady Xiayou liked to hold something furry during treatments and sometimes pet a fluffy head, he seriously took out two items from his spatial toggle.

Several minutes later, Senshi looked at his furry creation in front of him and clapped his hands in satisfaction.

Excellent, perfect!

Lady Xiayou will surely love it!