Chapter 104

Xiayou's mild fever persisted for three days.

The blond young man sat on the bed clutching a blanket, his gaze vacant and listless. He wasn't eating and his eyes darted around the room as if searching for something.

Uncle Zhou stuffed a pillow into Xiayou's embrace and swiftly replaced the blanket while she was peacefully holding onto the pillow.

Every time Xiayou's psychic power levels up, it's accompanied by a fever. Everyone is used to it by now, but this time her response seems particularly sluggish.

La Tiao lay beside the bed, raising its paw and waving it in front of Xiayou, its eyes filled with concern.

Normally, Xiayou loves to pet the little tiger, but now she's ignoring the paw in front of her. Even without Meng Wenxuan mentioning it, her condition seems evidently off.

Uncle Zhou took Xiayou's temperature; she still had a mild fever. He glanced at Meng Wenxuan, who, despite the dark circles under his eyes, looked spirited.

Observing the instrument readings, Meng Wenxuan pondered, "He hasn’t fully awakened, but he isn't completely asleep either... perhaps it's a kind of subconscious state? His psychic power increases most steadily when he sleeps, but now it's fluctuating. Better let him continue resting."

Meng Wenxuan has come to realize that there's something distinct about Xiayou compared to others. For instance, others, if they're unconscious for an extended period and can't eat or excrete, would typically require a medical pod or hibernation chamber to sustain their bodily functions.

But Xiayou doesn't.

Even if he's in a deep slumber and can't be roused, his vital signs are remarkably stable. If it weren't for his heartbeat, breathing, and brain wave activity, Meng Wenxuan might doubt whether Xiayou was even alive.

Uncle Zhou placed about a dozen energy stones beside Xiayou's pillow; if Xiayou needs them, his psychic tendrils can reach out and absorb them.

Xiayou remained still, gazing intently at Uncle Zhou.

Uncle Zhou paused for a moment, then poured a glass of water and handed it to Xiayou.

Xiayou took it and, obediently raising it to her lips, drank it down in gulps. She then handed the empty glass back to Uncle Zhou and continued to watch him.

Uncle Zhou: "Sigh..."

The old butler has always been fond of the child at home, and upon seeing Xiayou like this, he felt that no other child could compare to their own.

Uncle Zhou whispered gently, "What's the matter? Do you want something?"

Yet Xiayou still sat at the head of the bed with a bewildered look, his clear blue eyes moist and shining, appearing both aggrieved and urgent, as if torn between fatigue and anxiety.

The psychic energy monitor began sounding its warning beeps.

Meng Wenxuan said, "His psychic energy fluctuations are spiking; this isn't good. Perhaps we should sedate him."

Uncle Zhou shot Meng Wenxuan a glare.

La Tiao bared its sharp fangs menacingly at Meng Wenxuan.

Feeling visibly threatened, Meng Wenxuan immediately silenced himself, touching the bridge of his nose and redirecting his gaze to the instrument panel. He still mumbled, "If these peaks persist, he'll develop another fever, and who knows if he'll come out of it without any mental impairment."

During Xiayou's psychic power upgrade, Meng Wenxuan was opposed to using medication or any other methods to bring down his fever. Fortunately, it was only a mild one, which is why he remained close by to monitor him.

Psychic energy spikes indicate uncontrolled psychic power. During the upgrading process, these spikes aren’t a good sign. Previously, when Lu Yinghuai was undergoing the same process, his psychic turmoil was so severe, with frequent spikes, that he barely survived each episode.

Xiayou's situation differed from Lu Yinghuai's. Lu Yinghuai suffered, but Xiayou seemed like he could sleep yet was forcefully staying awake.

Worriedly, La Tiao whined and rubbed its tiger head against the back of Xiayou's hand.

Of course, Uncle Zhou understood.

He pondered a moment, then retrieved a small black fluff ball from his space button, placing it into Xiayou's hand.

Xiayou gripped it, but his expression grew even more pitiable.

Meng Wenxuan, watching Uncle Zhou trying to comfort the child, dryly remarked, "Clearly, that's not what he wants."

Uncle Zhou then produced a black panther felt mat, attempting to exchange the fluff ball in Xiayou's hand for something else. However, Xiayou clenched it tighter, giving Uncle Zhou a pleading look.

Uncle Zhou's heart instantly melted.

As a result, Xiayou held onto both the black panther felt mat and the little black fluff ball, one in each hand, but he still refused to sleep.

Uncle Zhou: "..."

The old butler stood nearby, his brows unusually furrowed.

Meng Wenxuan clicked his tongue, "Maybe he's looking for the marshal. The two haven't been together long, but they seem to have developed quite the bond."

It's just unfortunate that the marshal began transferring to a new hibernation chamber on the very first day Xiayou fell ill. He's still in that chamber, stabilizing his data.

Even the symbiotic creatures were affected, having slept without waking since.

Meng Wenxuan feels that he spent the first half of his life working for Lu Yinghuai and the latter half tied to Xiayou, essentially having his life monopolized by the couple.

But what can he do? Each of them, after all, possesses an irresistible research allure.

Meng Wenxuan has barely shut his eyes for half a month. He rubs his temples and comments sarcastically, “One refuses to wake, the other stubbornly stays awake—how fascinating!”

Uncle Zhou shoots a sharp glance at Meng Wenxuan.

Meng Wenxuan freezes mid-action.

As if inspired by some thought, the old butler contemplates for a moment, then signals La Tiao, and the two exit the room.

Meng Wenxuan watches in confusion as the old butler decisively leaves with the tiger. He then turns his attention back to Xiayou.

The seemingly dazed young man leans against the headboard, clutching a pillow, one hand grasping the felt mat and the other the leopard fur, battling heavy eyelids but stubbornly refusing to succumb to sleep.

It's almost like he's being petulant.

*

Crouching, Uncle Zhou scratches La Tiao's chin and whispers, “Can young master Sun summon Tang Gao for me?”

After the work on the improved hibernation chamber was completed, the panda began designing Xiayou's bio-mech suit. With previous driving data from Xiayou, Tang Gao had numerous innovative ideas, virtually overhauling the initial design.

Lately, he's been immersed at the Lanxing base with Orange, not returning home for several days straight.

La Tiao, being the cooperative little tiger it always was, swishes its tail and dashes toward the door.

A large white tiger steps out from the side, sitting down to gaze at Uncle Zhou.

Uncle Zhou responds with a smile.

Lu Jiuzhu is all too familiar with that smile.

Every time Uncle Zhou intends to undertake some "major task," he sports that very grin.

She instantly stands, abandoning her initial intent to visit Xiayou, and swiftly makes her exit.

……

La Tiao returned swiftly, a startled-looking panda, its fur standing on end, clenched between its jaws.

Tang Gao, abruptly snatched from the design desk by the tiger, was set down. Before he could voice his objections, Uncle Zhou confronted him with a question.

"Is the marshal now able to temporarily exit the hibernation chamber?"

Huh?

Tang Gao paused, then scratched behind his ear with a claw and typed: [The improved hibernation chamber and the original serve the same purpose: to soothe the user's mental state through hypnotic sedation.]

[However, after improvements, the chamber uses a different program and anesthetic gas. Therefore, interrupting the sedation won't cause significant harm to the user's psyche.]

[Yet, the chamber provides only temporary relief, not a cure. How the user enters the chamber is how they will exit. Whether the marshal can leave the chamber depends on the medical officer's decision.]

Uncle Zhou then headed to the bedroom, dragging Meng Wenxuan out.

Meng Wenxuan's eyes brightened.

Previously, Xiayou had consulted him using the marshal's hibernation data. While Meng Wenxuan found it puzzling and incredible, the fact remained that the marshal's mental state had considerably improved during hibernation.

—Perhaps it had to do with Xiayou frequently accompanying the marshal's symbiotic creature?

"Based on the data Xiayou provided, for reasons unknown, the marshal's mental disturbances have been greatly alleviated and suppressed."

Meng Wenxuan adjusted his glasses.

"As the marshal's medical officer, I believe we could consider interrupting the hibernation."

Eagerly, Meng Wenxuan offered, "I can assist!"

Previously, only Lu Yinghuai and his spouse Xiayou, by virtue of her access rights, could enter the underground hibernation chamber. The marshal granted temporary access to the old butler right before switching chambers, as Xiayou was at a critical juncture.

Uncle Zhou glanced at him, "No need. Doctor Meng, please watch over Xiayou and ensure he doesn't leave the room."

With Xiayou still running a fever, what if he were to venture out and catch a chill?

Sensing the urgency, La Tiao promptly nudged Meng Wenxuan back to the bedroom with its paw. Settling beside Xiayou's bed, its gaze darted between Xiayou and Meng Wenxuan.

Seeing Uncle Zhou heading towards the underground rest chamber, Tang Gao couldn't contain his curiosity. Rubbing his little bear-like paws, he decided to delay his return to the base, craning his neck to wait for Uncle Zhou to come out.

A few minutes later.

Tang Gao froze against the back of the sofa, eyes wide and mouth agape, staring at the emerging Uncle Zhou and what was perched on Uncle Zhou's shoulder...

*

Inside the room, La Tiao and Meng Wenxuan heard a faint creaking noise from the door and simultaneously turned their heads to look.

Xia You seemed a bit slow to react but appeared as if sensing something, her eyes sparkling as she gazed towards the bedroom door.

With one hand, Uncle Zhou carried the empire's formidable and renowned marshal; with the other, he effortlessly opened the door.

Meng Wenxuan's lips quivered, eyes widening, "Why did you bring the marshal here?!"

La Tiao swallowed hard, raising his head to find himself face-to-face with his still half-asleep uncle.

Uncle Zhou responded with a courteous smile, "Doctor Meng, please step aside."

Just as Meng Wenxuan was about to speak, La Tiao yanked him away by tugging at the hem of his clothing.

About ten seconds later, La Tiao re-entered, raising a paw to press the machine's button.

"Service Unit 4451 at your service."

"Service Unit 4866 for..."

"Service Unit..."

La Tiao activated the follow command, leading a procession of robots, each with different functionalities, out in a single file.

A tiger-paw colored in shades of orange and black reached in to close the door from the outside.

Most monitoring instruments used by medical practitioners are robots embedded with AI. However, the empire doesn't employ AI as extensively as the federation does, often shutting down AI intelligence unless absolutely necessary.

The Lus, both father and mother, spent a lifetime in research, their time with robots far exceeding that spent with their children. Both Lu Jiuzhu and Lu Yinghuai didn't have much fondness for robots, and over time, these machines became scarce in the marshal's residence.

However, at the rest center, robots of various models and functionalities could be seen everywhere.

Uncle Zhou walked to the other side of the bed, gently placing the figure he had been shouldering onto the bed. He then tucked him beside Xia You under the covers, even taking the liberty to remove Lu Yinghuai's outerwear and belt, leaving only the soft shirt and trousers.

The action was impeccable.

The consideration was meticulous.

Uncle Zhou gently tousled Xia You's hair, asking with a beaming smile, "Is it him?"

Xia You gazed intently at the sleeping man beside her for a moment before leisurely nodding. Without any prodding from Uncle Zhou, she conscientiously slid into the covers and closed her eyes, soon drifting into deep slumber.

Uncle Zhou tucked them both in, subsequently dimming the somewhat glaring overhead light in the bedroom.

Outside in the small reception area, Meng Wenxuan navigated amidst a dozen medical robots that had been ushered out of the room.

The number of subjects to monitor had increased from one to two. Moreover, neither was particularly easy to oversee, especially with their mental energies perfectly aligned. The potential reactions were unpredictable.

Only after setting all parameters and confirming that the two mental energies inside the bedroom were stable, did Meng Wenxuan finally let out a prolonged sigh of relief, collapsing onto the sofa.

On the large screen, the fluctuations of Xia You's mental energy were gradually stabilizing, occasionally spiking but maintaining an overall positive upward trend.

However, the focal point now lay elsewhere.

Both Meng Wenxuan's and La Tiao's eyes were drawn to the additional mental energy reading on the monitor.

Uncle Zhou, emerging from the room, stopped beside the sofa, his gaze fixed on the screen.

Meng Wenxuan remarked, "It's odd, the marshal's mental energy seems to be..."

He paused, seemingly baffled.

"Weakening?"

For most, this would be a perilous trend, yet for Lu Yinghuai, it was the very effect Meng Wenxuan had been hoping for.

Lu Yinghuai's mental energy level had already reached SSS-tier, yet it was augmenting every single moment. Any further breakthrough would inevitably lead to a catastrophic end.

The optimal solution would be to divert or dissipate a portion of this mental energy, ensuring that Lu Yinghuai's level remains consistent.

Only then would there be a chance for Xia You's rising mental energy to reach a point where it could heal him.

***

Five days later, Xia You finally awakened.

Xia You felt as though she had slept for an eternity; warmth enveloped her body, accompanied by a sensation of ethereal strength.

With her eyes still closed, Xia You instinctively reached out for the prince, who she believed was always beside her. However, instead of the soft fur of a leopard, her fingers encountered an unfamiliar, slick sensation.

Xia You's eyes snapped open.

The prince, who should have been resting in his sleep chamber, was now lying silently on her bed, eyes shut and breathing steady.

The man's silky black hair draped gently across the pillow. His shirt was slightly open at the collar, and a hand was assertively tucked inside.

A small tentacle rested on the man's neck, and upon noticing Xia You's gaze, it playfully twisted, offering her a greeting.

Xia You: "!!"

In a swift move, Xia You shrank beneath the covers, pulling them over her like a shrimp curling up, her hand, which had unintentionally grazed her legal partner, clutched to her chest, burning hot.

However, the cold, fragrant scent she hadn't detected on his platinum uniform now lingered mysteriously within the covers.

After a few moments, Xia You clumsily emerged from beneath the blanket, standing rigidly by the bed's edge.

Her face was flushed red.