Chapter 99

Xia You took a good two minutes to recover.

This feeling of being confronted by a debt collector was a first in his three lifetimes.

Xia You glanced down at the message he had sent to Tang Gao.

Good, it remained unread and unanswered.

When Tang Gao is deeply engrossed in something, not only would he ignore his holographic device, he wouldn’t even budge if Uncle Zhou called him for dinner.

Lifting his head, Xia You met the steady gaze of Miss Capybara nestled on the adjacent sofa.

Xia You: "..."

Clearing his throat, Xia You proposed, “Alright, whatever he owes you, I’ll cover it.”

Whether it's Tang Gao or Zhuo Xi, they're members of Xia You's protective detail. How could Xia You respond to debts owed by his family? Naturally, he'd offer to compensate.

Xia You pondered for a moment.

All this time, everyone had been shielding him, covering for his oversights. Now, it felt rather curious to be on the flip side, covering for loved ones he cared about.

The capybara flicked its tiny ears: [Aside from the basic salary and accrued interest over the years, you must also compensate for the emotional distress caused by my long tenure of being pursued, and all additional expenses I incurred during this period. Here's the total amount.]

The speed at which the capybara did the math made Xia You wonder if she had been tallying this debt daily over the years, compounding the interest with each passing day.

The astronomical figures shimmered on the holographic screen. After a moment of silence, Xia You replied, "Agreed."

A glint sparkled in the capybara's deep black eyes.

Adjusting his posture, Xia You rested one hand on his knee, tapping lightly with his fingers. He looked at the not-so-large capybara in front of him and said, "However, I do have an alternative method to settle this account."

The capybara reached out with its paw, tugging the pale-yellow blanket slightly, remaining otherwise motionless.

It seemed that apart from money, nothing else could make her bat an eyelash.

“Captain An's tenure isn’t too far from ending, right?”

Xia You had gleaned the name of Miss Capybara from the contract they had discussed earlier.

To put it mildly, the name seemed very fitting for the creature before him, which, when still, appeared as if lost in a daze.

As Xia You spoke, the capybara showed minimal reaction, merely blinking slowly.

Xia You continued, "Tang... Ah, Zhuo Xi mentioned you to me. He regretted your disappearance and must have searched for you."

"But given his prominence at the time, and later, his relocation to a rather unique place, he couldn't easily communicate with the outside world. It's unlikely he'd intentionally abscond with any funds."

When Zhuo Xi was first rescued, he was unconscious for an extended period. After significant effort by the medical team to save his life, his mental strength began to falter.

With his deteriorating mental condition, Zhuo Xi had to be urgently transferred to the Blue Star Base, which was more authoritative in this field and had advanced treatments.

At Blue Star Base, Zhuo Xi became considerably more lucid and even took on the role of a training instructor. However, the base has a high level of confidentiality. While messages could be sent out, all of them were scrutinized by the central system.

It would've been imprudent for Zhuo Xi to contact collaborators closely tied to the dark web during that time.

Later on, as Zhuo Xi's mental state further deteriorated, he chose to enter a cryogenic chamber for an extended sleep, making it impossible for him to attend to external matters.

Although Xia You deduced some of the mismatched timelines of the two, she didn't elaborate much. Instead, she smiled and softly said, "Speaking of which... The captain of the Wanderer Galaxy Inspection Team isn't surnamed 'An', is he?"

Exposed for using a fake identity to join the military, Miss Water Pig still squinted her eyes, appearing entirely nonchalant, as if saying, 'Report me if you wish'.

Without even twitching an ear.

Xia You: "..."

It suddenly dawned on him why Tang Cake, when discussing the mecha test, would instinctively think of this emotionally stable mecha pilot.

Such emotional stability is rarely found in most people.

A thought crossed Xia You's mind, and she proposed, "The Inspection Team captain might not earn much, but I can offer more here."

Miss Water Pig's previously squinted eyes widened.

Seizing the moment, Xia You said, "The Marshal's Mansion is vast and rich; there's no chance of us running away with your money."

The dark claw underneath Miss Water Pig twitched.

Xia You: "I can offer a high salary, and you'd still work as a mecha test pilot."

Miss Water Pig seemed intrigued.

Xia You upped the ante, "The place I live is highly secured; no one would dare to attack. It's a pleasant environment. We can even dig a pool in the garden. On your days off, you can spend the whole day lounging in the pool."

Miss Water Pig stood up, and the soft yellow blanket slid off her body, revealing her somewhat rougher fur compared to feline species.

Just then, Xia You felt a subtle vibration on his wrist. Glancing down discreetly, he noticed a message from Tang Cake.

This little red panda, who owed debts outside, not only didn’t mention repaying them but replied with—

[She’s saving money for medical treatment. Our place is perfect!]

[Bring her back!!]

Although the medical pods of the Marshal's Mansion seem commonplace, their operation depends on energy stones. In hospitals, even if one has access to a pod, each treatment requires an energy stone, which is incredibly expensive.

Given this, Miss Water Pig's urgency to earn money might be understandable.

However...

To be honest, Xia You felt that Miss Water Pig didn't seem too concerned about whether she lived or died. Nevertheless, he chose to trust Tang Cake, who had known her for years.

He increased his offer by ten percent, "At my place, we have the most advanced medical pods and top-tier medical experts."

"For free."

Miss Water Pig's ears twitched rapidly, and she typed a line swiftly on the screen before extending a black paw towards Xia You.

[Hello boss, I'm An Jing.]

Xia You: "..."

Well, that's straightforward.

Xia You extended his hand and shook Miss Water Pig's paw, "Hello, I'm Xia You."

After Miss Water Pig settled back into her position, Xia You spoke again, "However, there might be a slight complication now."

Miss Water Pig looked up at him, tilting her head slightly.

Suppressing the urge to caress her chin, Xia You tried to appear more serious, "The place I reside in has high security. To bring Miss An along, she'll need to join my personal guard."

Miss Water Pig nodded, seemingly unsurprised.

However, Xia You continued, "I've shared spouse access rights with the Marshal, which means my guards are also at the Marshal's disposal. And due to the Marshal's high level of confidentiality, my guards will also be under the surveillance of the main system."

"Would Miss An be comfortable with this arrangement?"

Previously, Xia You's guards were all from the First Legion. The only retired member, Tang Cake, had a unique status and was already under the scrutiny of the mainframe. However, An Jing was a different case.

Considering An Jing has managed to fake her identity to enlist, she might have had her fair share of other dubious deeds in the past. Her background could potentially be problematic.

If possible, Xia You would prefer not to draw the attention of the royal family.

Miss Water Pig closed her eyes in deep thought for a while. She was so still that every strand of her fur seemed frozen. To the unaware observer from afar, she might be mistaken for a plush toy.

About fifteen minutes later, she opened her eyes, lifting a paw to type very deliberately: [This is a contract buyout; you'll need to pay more.]

[We're signing a new contract, not a renewal. The debt Zhuo Xi owes me must be settled. I can waive ten years of interest, but no more.]

[Aside from the fake identity issue, all other terms in my contracts are legal and clean. Feel free to investigate.]

[However, mainframe monitoring is an additional term; you'll need to pay extra for that.]

[Settle the old debt first, then we'll sign the new contract.]

Xia You stared at the very meticulous and clear calculations on the screen, suppressing a smirk and nodded in agreement, "Agreed."

Miss Water Pig graciously waived ten years of interest that Zhuo Xi owed and consolidated a new figure.

Without hesitation, Xia You promptly transferred the amount to Miss Water Pig.

Upon receiving the payment, Miss Water Pig seemed to radiate joy. It was as if pink flowers were blossoming around her, and her little ears flicked so fast they almost left an afterimage.

After Xia You and An Jing signed the new contract, Xia You casually inquired, "Since Miss An also has a companion beast, do you face challenges related to mental power?"

Xia You was genuinely curious.

A mental entity exists due to an excessive level of mental power, while a companion beast emerges due to uncontrolled and disordered mental power.

But the Miss Water Pig in front of him exhibited such stable emotions, even more so than those without any mental disorders. It was challenging for Xia You to associate her with any form of mental disturbance.

After pondering for a moment and realizing that her new employer was actually a healer, she spent only a couple of seconds retrieving her body's diagnostic data from her device and slid the screen toward Xia You with her paw.

Concurrently, she organized her thoughts and succinctly explained her situation.

An Jing is a...

Orphan

Since birth, she exhibited no fluctuations in psychic energy, leading many to wrongly label her as mentally impaired. Consequently, she was left at an orphanage where she ostensibly engaged in crafts for sale.

However, this turned out to be a blessing in disguise. Behind the scenes, the orphanage dealt in trafficking children with decent psychic abilities. For the right price, these children could be sold anywhere.

As An Jing grew, so did her psychic strength. But her perennial calm demeanor kept her powers hidden from those around her.

Then, one serene morning, after saving up enough money, An Jing quietly left the place.

No matter how emotionally stable An Jing was, her psychic level was unchangeable. She developed a psychic disorder. However, due to the inherent traits of her companion beast species, her psychic energy remained relatively calm. When still, she showed almost no signs of psychic leakage.

But both for her and her companion beast, any vigorous activity or excessive use of psychic powers could result in a rapid heartbeat, shortness of breath, and a high likelihood of excessive bleeding in a short span.

Having read this, Xia You frowned in disapproval, “Given these circumstances, how can you work as a mech test pilot?”

Although mech piloting and mech test piloting share a core essence, they differ in nature. Mech pilots usually operate within the safety threshold of the mechs. They might occasionally face extreme conditions, but such instances are rare.

Conversely, the safety threshold of a mech is established by its test pilots. They assess the maximum stress a mech can endure under various extreme conditions, which naturally demands more of the pilot.

[Few people in this line of work, so the pay is higher.]

[I can do it, others can't, so I earn even more.]

Miss Water Pig typed nonchalantly, exuding an aura of graceful detachment.

[Live while I can, die if I must.]

Xia You: "...Okay."

Xia You mulled over Miss Water Pig's last statement, feeling an odd sense of it being both inappropriate yet not entirely wrong.

"May I assess your psychic condition?" Xia You asked, pausing briefly, anticipating that Miss Water Pig might inquire about the cost, and quickly added, "Consider it a staff benefit."

The very next moment, Miss Water Pig's forepaw gently tapped into Xia You's palm.

To hesitate even a moment would be disrespectful to a boss offering something for free.

***

As night fell, the little panther, draped in shadows, returned. It used its furry paw to pry open the window slit left ajar by Xia You, squeezed its fluffy body inside, and then turned to close the window.

Peeking out from behind the heavy curtains, Lu Yinghuai saw Xia You sitting at the edge of the bed, engrossed in something on the light screen.

Walking gracefully across the carpet to brush the dust off its paws, Lu Yinghuai hopped onto Xia You's lap and peered at the light screen where she was busily scribbling and sketching.

He then saw many zeros.

The little panther, resembling a lump of coal, perked its tail, with its tail tip resting on Xia You's wrist.

"What are you doing?"

Xia You gently rubbed the tip of the panther's tail and replied earnestly, "I'm doing the accounts."

Lu Yinghuai paused, then typed on the light screen: [What accounts?]

"Our household expenses," Xia You said with a serious expression. "I've just realized that excluding our businesses, we've only had expenditures, no income. Especially with me consuming so many energy stones, this can't go on!"

After a long pause, Lu Yinghuai typed: [It's normal for the family business to support the family and vice versa.]

"But no other household has a head of the family who eats as much as I do!" Today, influenced by Miss Capybara, Xia You reviewed the expenses the prince had incurred on her behalf and was taken aback. "If we continue like this and end up with deficits, it'll be too late to regret later."

Lu Yinghuai had always thought he knew Xia You well, but now he began to doubt.

However, discovering more facets of the young master's character was also intriguing.

So he inquired patiently and cooperatively: [You're right, Xia You. So, what should we do next?]

"You already have so much on your plate, my lord. Let me handle this!"

Xia You clenched her fist, determination shining in her eyes. "I already have a plan!"

Using his intuition, Lu Yinghuai sensed that even if there were any casualties from Xia You's "plan," he probably wouldn’t be one of them. So, he affectionately nuzzled her cheek.

[Alright, I appreciate it, Xia You.]

Xia You, slightly embarrassed while holding the little coal-black panther in her arms, whispered, "My lord, after treating the Senqiu chieftain four more times, we can return with high-grade energy stones and an upgraded hibernation pod!"

By then...

Holding the panther's arm, Xia You tightened her grip, her eyes sparkling brightly.

His Highness can finally emerge from the sealed hibernation pod!