Chapter 54

Chapter 54

Lin Fu remained unconscious for an extended period.

When he regained consciousness, the system was the first to speak in his mind: "Host, you have been unconscious for five days. The Uzstamon Group has escorted you to the Fourth Legion and has since departed. The General of the Fourth Legion is waiting for you to awaken."

Having said this, its tone was lively: "Host, the number and rank of the people you saved this time far exceed that of an ordinary person. Your mental strength has been optimized and is expected to have recovered more than before the overdraw."

Lin Fu did not respond.

His consciousness was still somewhat muddled, gradually peeling away from the darkness. As he slowly opened his eyes, the first thing he saw was Tang Qian standing outside the repair capsule.

He leaned against a chair, head bowed, looking at a light-brain device, faintly hearing the voices of Albert and Zhong Si emanating from it.

They were video calling.

Lin Fu blinked slowly, lifting his hand to push the capsule door, touching the transparent cover and pausing in confusion.

He felt resistance, but... no sensation.

He couldn't tell if the door was cold or hot, nor could he discern the texture of the material.

He stared at his palm for a few seconds, then pushed the door of the capsule open and sat up.

Tang Qian, who was video calling with Albert, turned around abruptly, stood up in surprise, the chair screeching across the floor: "You're awake!?"

He took two steps forward, then abruptly halted, picked up the chair and placed it in front of Lin Fu. Ignoring Albert's shouts, he hung up the video call and quickly walked towards the door: "Don't move, I'll go call a doctor to check on you!"

Lin Fu watched him leave, then held onto the back of the chair and sat down.

There was no real sense of touch throughout his entire body.

After lying down for five days, his body felt weak and drained. Clasping his wrist, he caressed the bone, slowly rolling up his sleeve, eventually letting it fall, straightening and smoothing out the creases. His fingertips rested on his little finger, brushing against the black ring with a golden edge.

Memories from the past surfaced, reminding him that the touch should have been cool and firm.

Now, touching it, he felt nothing at all.

He exhaled softly and took out a thin blade, as long and wide as a finger, from his storage device, drawing it across his palm.

Crimson blood immediately gushed out, filling the palm and dripping onto the floor through the gaps between his fingers.

Lin Fu felt no pain whatsoever.

He asked, "What's happening here?"

The system was even more astonished than he was, incredulously stating, "How could this be? The diagnostic indicates that your condition is better than before, and your physique has significantly improved. It makes no sense for you to lose your sense of touch and pain..."

Touch and pain are crucial parts of human sensory perception. Losing these senses can result in a dangerous loss of control over one's own physical state.

The system said, "Give me some time; I will run a more detailed diagnostic."

At this moment, Tang Qian and the doctor entered the room, only to find Lin Fu staring blankly at his blood-stained palm.

Tang Qian was startled but, upon discovering it was just a cut in the palm, he was somewhat relieved, though his brow remained furrowed.

"You were fine just out of the capsule; how did this happen?"

He didn't ask with the intention of getting an answer, probably knowing Lin Fu wouldn't explain. His tone carried a mix of reprimand and worry.

Lin Fu smiled faintly: "I accidentally cut myself."

He stretched out his palm, cooperating as the doctor applied medicine and bandaged it.

Military-grade medicine was more effective than what was available outside; the spray instantly coagulated the blood, and the wound began to scab over slowly.

After cleaning the blood from his palm and applying a bandage, the doctor handed the spray to Tang Qian: "Keep this with him, spray it twice daily."

Having done all this, the nurse brought in several pieces of equipment, connecting various sensors to Lin Fu and controlling them from a console.

They also drew a vial of his blood before letting the two of them leave.

Lin Fu held no expectations for their examination.

The system's technological level was beyond that of this world. If even the system couldn't detect the cause, their routine checks were utterly useless.

Tang Qian escorted Lin Fu back to the residential area: "Both you and Albert hold the rank of Captain, with your own private residences. Zun Si and I, as guardsmen, live in the same area as you."

It was a small villa district.

He pushed open the door and quickly added, "But we won't stay here long. The other recruits have already been assigned and sent to their respective defensive satellites. The four of us, having emerged together from Artemis and having distinguished ourselves on the battleship, have been granted special permission to wait until you awoke before being assigned to depart."

"By the way, Zun Si and I have been promoted to non-commissioned officers."

He was dressed in the standard military uniform without the shoulder insignia of his rank. Lin Fu was momentarily surprised, then remembered the new recruits from the Imperial Capital Star who had nearly been annihilated and understood.

Indeed, promotions were needed.

Recruits coming from the Imperial Capital Star, no matter how ordinary their families, once considered across the entire Empire, possessed status and wealth enough to overshadow most.

If such a grave mistake had occurred, the Fourth Army, given its current situation, likely couldn't bear such responsibility.

Legion commanders have the authority to promote based on military achievements. Ranks below the commander level can be conferred without going through the council.

Promoting to a non-commissioned officer was merely a matter of saying so.

After escorting Lin Fu into his room, Tang Qian went back to confer with Albert about the situation.

Lin Fu lay on the bed, gazing up at the ceiling.

One side of the room had a window, its curtains tied back. On this planet, it was now late afternoon.

Soft pink light spilled through the window, bathing the room, and even the gray-white, austere bedding seemed somewhat softer in its glow.

He utilized his psychic power, spreading his mental threads with the wind, extending much further than before.

The system was right; his psychic power had indeed advanced another level.

It was now a certainty that his psychic power would reach S-rank.

Lin Fu retracted his psychic energy, his brain momentarily blank, his fingers unconsciously stroking his wrist as he connected to a communication channel.

Cheng Jiu's three-dimensional hologram appeared suddenly by the bedside, looking down at him.

Dressed in his combat suit, he seemed to be in the cockpit of a mech. Surprise flickered in his eyes as the communication connected.

Soon, he caught sight of Lin Fu's current pose.

The vestiges of youthfulness were gradually fading from his frame, and the somewhat immature young man basked in the pale pink light, his pallid skin adorned with a luminescence, and his thick eyelashes fluttered unconsciously.

He was nestled in the blankets, half his face buried within, his soft hair splayed out on the bedding, revealing a smooth forehead and eyes. His dark pupils were like expanding ink blots or perhaps tiny black holes, hiding secrets beyond comprehension.

He stared at the ceiling, his gaze unfocused, lost in thought or simply daydreaming.

Cheng Jiu rarely saw Lin Fu in such a state.

It seemed all his sharpness and thorns had been retracted, revealing his most harmless and soft side, giving rise to a delusion in Cheng Jiu that Lin Fu before him was bewildered and naive.

The cry of surprise that had yet to escape his lips was swallowed down as he stared quietly at the projection before him.

……

Outside the field, Jing Cun was recording data on a light computer when the dark mech inexplicably halted, then squatted motionless.

The Major conducting data tests with Cheng Jiu voiced his confusion: "General?"

Jing Cun tapped the light computer, noticing Cheng Jiu's line was busy. Somehow sensing what was needed, he closed the file, ending the data recording, and called out to the bewildered figure: "Major Porter, the General might have some matters to attend to. You can leave for now. I'll notify you when the General requires your presence."

Porter packed up his mech, utterly confused.

Jing Cun offered him a slight smile, with no intention of further explanation.

……

Lin Fu had been momentarily distracted for less than ten seconds. Regaining his focus, he noticed Cheng Jiu's hologram beside his bed, his mouth twitched, ready to end the communication.

Cheng Jiu hastily exclaimed, "Wait! Hey, it's been so long, why the rush to hang up!?"

Lin Fu scoffed, "General, what good is there in seeing you? Instead of wasting time here with me, you'd better go to the front line and kill some bugs. See you."

Seeing him speak, Cheng Jiu knew he had no intention of hanging up and replied with a grin, "Captain Lin, after all this time, are you still mad at me? If you're really that angry, the next time you see me, I'll let you leave a slap mark on the other cheek as well. How about that to ease your anger?"

Lin Fu's eyelids twitched as he said with emphasis on the last four words, "A slap mark is hardly going to hurt you, Major General."

Cheng Jiu, feeling wronged, explained, "Although it's not physically harmful, the impact on my reputation is significant. That slap mark was witnessed by many high-ranking officials at the dinner. Now, in their eyes, I might be seen as a callous sentinel who abandons order and harms a vulnerable guide. This could be used by political adversaries as evidence to bring me before a military court."

As he spoke, his aggrieved amber eyes drooped at the corners. Despite his melodramatic tone, there was an unmistakable resemblance to a large feline displaying its pitiable side.

Lin Fu was speechless.

"To think a Major General, soon to be the commander of the Ninth Legion, could be so shameless and brazen, without any fear of losing face."

"It's more shameless than any real scoundrel I've encountered before—at least the scoundrels I've met could be knocked down with a punch, instead of shamelessly suggesting I should slap their other cheek after some time has passed."

The two engaged in a verbal duel, neither willing to concede.

A hint of amusement filled Cheng Jiu's light brown eyes.

The vague air of bewilderment and melancholy that had once cloaked the youth had vanished.

Perhaps even he hadn't realized it, dissipating his gloom amidst Cheng Jiu's nonsensical banter.

The Lin Fu before him was lively and full of fighting spirit, indistinguishable from the boy back on the Imperial Capital Star.

And he liked it.

*

Aside from Uzustamon, the brief battle near the Fourth Army's sector was known only to the two main forces involved.

The colonel sent by the parliament was detained for interrogation, revealing much information.

Involving Lin Fu and the new head of the Harvey family, the commander granted them the right to be informed about matters concerning themselves the day after Lin Fu awoke, having his guards escort them to the interrogation room.

Following the guard, they stepped into the underground interrogation room.

The light on the floor faded behind them as the staircase stretched downward, seemingly endless.

Lin Fu and Albert exchanged a glance, each seeing surprise in the other's eyes.

Unintentionally, they were reminded again of the Fourth Army soldiers and their strangely isolated state of communication.