Chapter 28: Heart Fluttering

Chapter 28: Heart Fluttering

The Spatial City shimmered like daylight.

A myriad of radiant hues streaked across the skies, dazzlingly beautiful like the grandest fireworks display, yet these were the flickers of light born from humanity's desperate struggle against the insectoids.

Rong Mi had a can of mental energy recovery serum clenched between his teeth, with two more cans in each of his hands. A medical device to monitor the progress of his mental energy restoration was strapped to his wrist as he stood in the corridor outside the infirmary.

The physician who had just examined him insisted that he wear the monitoring device until it indicated that his mental energy had recovered to an acceptable level, allowing him to rejoin the battle.

Voices echoed from the other end of the corridor. Damaged mechas were being withdrawn into the starship. Medical robots hurried past Rong Mi, rushing to the docking bay to transport the wounded into the infirmary.

Rong Mi promptly stepped aside to let them pass and entered the adjacent rest compartment.

"Roar."

As the compartment door opened, the golden-haired lion, Sandel, turned around first. Upon recognizing Rong Mi, he greeted him with a polite roar.

Ellen, seated by the porthole, also turned to look at Rong Mi, nodding in acknowledgment. His face was etched with concern and frustration.

Due to the presence of Aydin's spirit seal within Sandel's mental domain, all his privileges had been suspended, rendering him unable to participate in combat.

"Is it this Aydin?" Ellen inquired. "Did this Aydin leave a spirit seal within Sandel's mental domain?"

Rong Mi sat beside Ellen, turning his head together with her to look out of the cabin.

A dark red bloodline was flowing down from above the transparent metal glass, slicing through the view outside the cabin.

It was the crimson hue of human blood.

The spaceship's hull reverberated with a dull thud. It seemed that a mecha pilot's machine had crashed onto the ship's surface, exposing the cockpit and injuring the pilot.

Rong Mi didn't avert his gaze, instead focusing on the battle unfolding outside the window.

Ayin's Moon, summoned by him, hung high, attempting to freeze Aydin's attacks repeatedly.

Following the wolf's will, icy trails were etched across the sky, providing a trajectory for the mecha pilots, who were unable to track Aydin due to his speed, their visual limitations, and the complexity of distinguishing the enemy's position.

As the squad of mecha pilots attacked Aydin, they also tried to intercept him, preventing him from breaching the spaceship's defensive perimeter and closing the distance between them.

Despite the Starship's main cannons having tremendous energy amplification and astonishing destructive power, their targeting range was limited, creating blind spots in the vicinity of the ship.

In the combat channel of the communication device, Lu Yi's orders were concise and effective. His choice of words grew increasingly shorter, making Rong Mi couldn't help but suspect that he was barely capable of forming longer sentences or that his weakness would be concealed no longer once he attempted to prolong his speech.

Even though every member of the First Squad was aware of Lu Yi's condition.

Each member of the First Squad was pushing themselves to their absolute limits.

An Adet could not be taken down by a single Mech Pilot alone.

Attempting to kill it with a single Medium Starship... was also a pipe dream.

But they couldn't just let this Adet roam freely.

Otherwise, the entire Space City, themselves... the half-squadron of Mechs engaged in battle with another high-ranking Ice Butterfly in the Storm Sea of Stars, the desolate planet one day's journey away, and even more distant Space Cities... all could potentially suffer collateral damage.

Rong Mi looked at Ellen and calmly said, "No."

Ellen: "..."

Ellen: "???"

"Wait, isn't it?!" He almost jumped from his seat, disbelief coloring his voice, "How could that be possible?!"

The conditions for the birth of an Arachne were stringent, and there was certainly more than one among the Ice Butterfly insectoids.

But... how could there be more than one such dangerous foe hiding within the Human Star Region?!

"Roar!" Sandel sensed his master's emotional unrest and abruptly rose, lifting its head to let out a worried roar.

Rong Mi soothingly patted the lion beside him. "If there's one, there could be two," he reassured Ellen, "We'll get to the bottom of it."

Ellen looked at Rong Mi's calm expression and after a moment, gave a wry smile tinged with envy.

"You're quite impressive."

"The intensity of your mental power, your skill in piloting a mecha, your composure against the insectoids..."

"You're not afraid of them at all," Ellen observed. "Just now, even when you were alone against the Arachne in such a perilous situation... every move you made was swift and precise, seizing every opportunity flawlessly. I can tell that you weren't just trying to stall the Arachne to allow the citizens of Space City to retreat to the shelters, nor were you buying time for your own survival. You genuinely tried to kill it."

"Though it's unlikely to succeed, it's still worth a try," Rong Mi stretched his legs and leaned back in his seat. "Besides, I know the starship is right behind me."

Rong Mi had absolute faith in his own abilities, but he knew that with someone as responsible as Lu Yi holding the reins, he could afford to be more daring in combat.

Alan wore a complicated expression as he jestingly said to himself, "Perhaps I'm still afraid of death after all."

"My personality isn't decisive enough, nor do I possess exceptional skills... I'm not fit to be the captain of the First Squad."

Rong Mi raised an eyebrow slightly, guessing that Lu Yi must have intended for Alan to take over while he was away on the Capital Star for recovery and treatment.

Since Alan wasn't yet a member of the First Legion, Rong Mi didn't pry further. He simply stated, "Lu Yi must have had his reasons for choosing you as squad leader."

"Not everyone is born with a decisive nature. We all need room to grow. Being the captain of the First Squad is different from being the legion commander; don't put too much pressure on yourself." The young man smiled casually and added, "Everyone fears death. So do I."

"Fear of death drives us to improve ourselves... and to believe in ourselves. Though we will all face death one day, it won't be today."

"Not in this battle."

Alan stared at Rong Mi with a slight daze.

The young man, fresh from battle, had disheveled hair. Despite his mental energy being restored, he hadn't bothered to remove his combat suit, perhaps due to the heat. His collar was open, and his sleeves were rolled up, giving him an effortless and charismatic air as he sat in the relaxation pod.

Rong Mi exuded an indescribable charm. Every word he spoke seemed incredibly convincing.

Ellen studied him for a moment before blurting out, "Are you planning to join the First Legion?"

Rong Mi replied, "That depends on how much weight Lu Yi's words carry!"

As long as the previous legion commander, whom he had once stood up, didn't hold it against him and cause trouble, Rong Mi was quite willing to join.

Ellen looked puzzled.

...What did this have to do with Admiral Lu Yi?

He said, still confused, "With your abilities, there's no need to worry about the military's standard assessment. If you participate in the military recruitment test, you'll have legions vying for your service. The admiral would even be worried that another legion might snatch you away."

Rong Mi chuckled. "Thank you for the compliment."

Of course, he wasn't concerned about the standard test, but explaining the intricacies of the situation to Ellen would be complicated.

Rong Mi glanced at the mental energy detector on her wrist and changed the subject.

Rong Mi: "Is the assault on that high-level Ice Butterfly, which is about to advance, scheduled for today on Barren Star?"

The details of such ambush plans were usually kept confidential, so Rong Mi had never inquired about them.

Ellen checked the time, hesitated for a moment, then replied, "It's already underway."

Lu Yi trusted Rong Mi, and Ellen didn't suspect her of having any connection with the insectoids.

Moreover, with the operation on Barren Star already underway, revealing this to Rong Mi wouldn't make a difference.

Rong Mi nodded and muttered, "No wonder."

"Lu Yi wants to keep Ada occupied until the fleet surrounding Barren Star completes its mission and can reinforce them."

Lu Yi didn't wish to dilute the military's pre-deployed forces, lest any unforeseen circumstances arise during the ambush on the Ice Butterflies of Barren Star.

Due to the early preparations, the fleet stationed on Barren Star was powerful enough. To guard against the possibility of high-ranking Ice Butterflies evolving suddenly, they were equipped with the necessary combat strength to deal with Ada.

Given the circumstances, eliminating the High Rank Ice Butterfly shouldn't take too much time, assuming no unforeseen circumstances arise.

The journey from the desolate planet to the space station is roughly a day. As long as they endure, reinforcements will arrive.

In such a battle, a day might seem like an eternity, but surviving it isn't insurmountable.

Adlets have high daily energy consumption and need constant sustenance.

The insectoid species has ample energy sources in their own territory suitable for their consumption.

However, human mental energy, while capable of enhancing the abilities of the insects, cannot replenish their daily energy expenditure.

It's akin to how protein and fiber cannot substitute each other in human nutrition.

This Adlet, hiding within the human star domain, was likely underfed today, not in its optimal condition to begin with.

After being assaulted by Rong Mi's mental energy, then hit by Lu Yi's main cannon, followed by a vicious claw mark, and finally the onslaught from the first squad of mecha pilots... It sustained significant damage over the prolonged fight, causing its offensive power to wane significantly.

The glow of its venom gland has even dimmed.

The first squad of mecha pilots rotated their attacks in pairs, allowing each member a chance to catch their breath.

The Storm Sea's mecha squadron had just completed the elimination of another high-ranking Ice Butterfly and would soon return to provide further relief for the main cruiser.

Rong Mi stroked the lion's fur collar absentmindedly, deep in thought.

... Why was Yada hiding here?

... It couldn't possibly be to experience the colorful aspects of human life, right?

Rong Mi: Well, it wasn't entirely impossible.

He knew that high-ranking insects did have a fondness for human societal lifestyles.

During the interstellar nomadic era, when Rong Mi's fleet secretly returned to the human star domain, they witnessed many high-ranking insects living in human form within the abandoned cities of old, even hosting various forms of entertainment borrowed from human society.

Insectoid malls sold products invented by humans, while the aroma of street food stalls blended the scents of human spices and insect delicacies. In the central square of the city, holographic insect advertisements played.

All of these were things that didn't exist in the insectoid domain before.

Perhaps this butterfly is experiencing life itself?

"Beep."

A soft sound emitted from the monitoring bracelet on Rong Mi's wrist, interrupting his thoughts.

The young man temporarily set aside his unresolved thoughts, rose to his feet, and walked back to the medical room to return the equipment while activating his communicator.

"I'm rested, Admiral," Rong Mi connected to Lu Yi's private channel. "Shall I help alleviate some of your burden?"

"Go," Lu Yi replied. "The high-speed mecha is at the third wall."

Rong Mi glanced at the battle situation outside the cabin.

"The mecha pilots outside can still hold their own, but I mean you," he said, looking at the map of the starship before heading towards the armory. "I can temporarily take over the operation of the starship's weapons if you'd allow it."

Lu Yi: "...."

"The mecha pilots work in shifts; I'll rotate with you as well," Rong Mi chuckled. "That should be considerate, don't you think?"

Lu Yi: "..."

This kind of treatment was utterly foreign to him.

Due to his exceptional mental power and strength, many tasks were solely within his capabilities.

The door to the armory was knocked on from the outside, the sound echoing like a knock on his heart's door.

Lu Yi couldn't help but let out a soft chuckle, tinged with subtle self-deprecation.

He realized that the admiration he had for Rong Mi was now laced with an unwelcome emotion... A slight, still controllable, and ignorable corruption that had suddenly become strikingly evident.

Because of the youth's vibrant vitality, his carefree brightness, and his fearless bravery...

And because of the concerned glance Rong Mi had cast his way.

That emotion seemed to sprout like a seed and grow rapidly, too fast for him to control.

It revealed to him a vulnerability in his heart, one he hadn't been aware of before, hidden deep within.

Lu Yi never imagined that a single sentence could... provoke such an uncontrollable emotional outburst in him.

Lu Yi: "What a pity."

This extraordinary affection that lingered deeply within his heart emerged at a time when the fractures in the roots of his spirit were worsening, heading inevitably towards decay.

It made planning for the future and expressing himself difficult.

Rong Mi was perplexed, unsure what had suddenly amused Lu Yi.

Nor did he understand...

Why this man's laughter sounded so delightful.

As Rong Mi pondered this, Lu Yi pressed the button to open the cabin door.

Sure enough, the admiral saw Rong Mi standing in the entrance.

The young man stood tall with an air of nonchalant charisma that couldn't be concealed.

Rong Mi lifted his gaze to meet Lu Yi's, noticing the latter's excessively pale complexion. He instinctively pressed his lips together.

In the next moment, a faint smile tugged at the corner of his mouth as he confidently nodded at Lu Yi, "I'm here."