Chapter 33: Bunnies (2)

Chapter 33: Bunnies (2)

In the old times, lop-eared rabbits were one of the preferred domesticated star beasts for many families in the safe zones, rarely seen as combat pets in military departments or war zones.

During the interstellar nomadic era, they initially served as unique emotional soothers, comforting those who had just left habitable star systems and were feeling down and burdened after long periods of space travel.

However, over time, the fleets discovered that a special kind of rabbit star beast called Gem Rabbits were actually better suited as combat pets.

Gem Rabbits were a mutated variant among rabbit-type star beasts, potentially appearing in any species. They possessed hard, gem-like balls under their feet, providing a tactile sensation akin to precious stones. They had an incredibly keen sense of danger and could accurately identify traces of Ice Butterfly's mental energy without any formal training.

They could sense where the Ice Butterflies had passed by days earlier and detect impending danger even when the butterflies were still days away from their location. Even sudden spatial wormholes would be noticed by the Gem Rabbits a few seconds before the change in their surroundings occurred.

More impressively, they rarely made mistakes. As part of their research on Ice Butterfly behavior, the Technical Department's starships conducted simulations of the butterflies' mental abilities. The Gem Rabbits showed no reaction at all to the initial human simulations of Ice Butterfly mental power. It wasn't until successive generations of improved equipment and more advanced human research on the butterflies that the rabbits began to respond.

Edited by Sen*Wan*Zhen*Zi

Due to this, eliciting a warning response from the Gem Rabbits became one of the criteria for quality control checks on simulators in human scientific laboratories.

During the interstellar nomadic era, the Gem Rabbits helped fleets evade numerous Ice Butterfly attacks.

But before the era of interstellar nomads began, the Gem Rabbits were extremely rare and virtually exclusive to secure zones, so their unique trait went unnoticed by previous generations.

Rong Mi had a great affection for Star Beasts and was thus familiar with the history of Gem Rabbits during the interstellar nomadic period.

During the Great Human Exodus, it was a Gem Rabbit named Damon, brought aboard a starship by a scout, that initially drew the fleet's attention to this extraordinary ability.

Due to its assistance in guiding humans to the correct escape route, Damon was awarded the First Class Combat Medal, with its holographic image displayed on the battle honor walls of various fleets.

...That photo bore an uncanny resemblance to the droopy-eared rabbit before them.

Only, Chen Shu, as Damon's owner, seemed oblivious at present to the Gem Rabbit's instinct for safety and danger.

Rong Mi felt quite fortunate.

Just as they were contemplating how to inform the Human Federation about the Gem Rabbit's unique abilities, they stumbled upon the owner of one.

Though Chen Shu lived in the old times and was unaware of Damon's powers, their fondness for their pet rabbit still made them sense that their bunny was extraordinary.

Rong Mi suggested, "Think carefully. Who did Damon encounter, or what happened, before it had those nightmares?"

Chen Shu: "..."

Chen Shu then made a great effort to recall.

"Before we rushed to the Desolate Star on an urgent mission, Damon was sleeping rather well... But it was thoroughly frightened by the sudden appearance of the Arctic Butterfly today. It kept chirping incessantly and even broke its leg in its panic inside the Pet Ball before the wormhole appeared. I wonder if it'll have another nightmare tonight."

Chen Shu's thoughts wandered freely as he gently stroked the gemstone rabbit's hind leg. He had come to this observation room precisely because he had just performed surgery on the rabbit's leg.

"Perhaps Damon's earlier abnormal behavior was also related to the Arctic Butterfly?" Rong Mi ventured. "Its instinct to avoid harm might have made it particularly sensitive to the butterfly's presence. Maybe its recent nightmares are due to contact with the mecha pilots who just fought the butterfly?"

Chen Shu's expression froze.

"Ahh...?" He looked blankly into Rong Mi's eyes. "I actually rarely bring Damon to meet the mecha pilots in the legion because they don't like bunnies. And there wasn't any mention before of rabbit-type star beasts being particularly sensitive to Ice Butterflies' spiritual energy, right? Its sense of smell should be inferior to your wolf's, isn't it..."

It was true that Gem Rabbits had a less keen sense of smell than wolves. But their sensitivity to Ice Butterfly spiritual energy didn't come from their sense of smell.

It was more like a radar system for detecting predators.

"Still, what you're saying does make some sense," Chen Shu scratched his face. "Didn't I say that I always check areas where it doesn't like? Sometimes, I do find additional traces of Ice Butterfly activity... After all, we're fighting Ice Butterflies every day. But we don't find traces every time..."

Rong Mi nodded in agreement.

Reasonable, he thought to himself.

The Gem Rabbit could detect traces of Ice Butterflies from months ago with greater precision than human equipment.

At times, the Ice Butterfly would have long left, leaving behind faint, almost imperceptible vestiges. In such cases, the Gem Rabbit would react, whereas human detection devices would come up empty-handed. Chen Shu had likely encountered this situation numerous times, which was why he only had a vague sense that Damon possessed a keen instinct for avoiding danger without being able to confirm it.

"The thing is, I also took Damon for a scouting beast test to see if he could distinguish Ice Butterfly's mental energy," the scout said in a hushed tone, clearly feeling embarrassed. "The Third Legion has its own testing labs, but they all said I was daydreaming. After the test, Damon didn't react to the Ice Butterfly's mental energy at all."

Rong Mi: That's because the simulated Ice Butterfly mental energy wasn't "real" enough. And Damon's method of distinguishing Ice Butterflies is different from that of ordinary star beasts.

"But you're the one who knows Damon best," Rong Mi said earnestly. "If the tests yielded no results, but you truly feel that Damon possesses a special ability... it might not be an illusion after all."

He knew that Chen Shu eventually confirmed Damon's abilities, but he wished for the scout before him to have more confidence and recognize the discovery earlier.

If Damon's abilities were discovered and believed in sooner, it might help humans uncover clues about the Ice Butterfly conspiracy earlier.

Rong Mi pondered carefully. "What if it's not you who's wrong, but the testing procedures of the scouting tests?"

Chen Shu: "..."

Chen Shu: "?!"

Despite his young age, he had joined the military, and many people found him childish, even a bit too immersed in fictional scenarios.

... Yet today, he had encountered this rookie mecha pilot who seemed to be even more immersed than he was!

Chen Shu opened his mouth, intending to refute Rong Mi's words but failing to find any logical flaws in her reasoning. His thoughts swayed back and forth, alternately finding Rong Mi's explanation absurd and then feeling... as if a fiery spirit within him was suddenly igniting!

Anything was possible!

Chen Shu clenched his fist and struck his palm, "Yes! What if there was an error in the testing process? The ice butterfly simulation in the reconnaissance procedure could all be fake! The one I encountered with Damon during combat was real!"

Chen Shu, now energized, pursued the line of thought further, considering it more meticulously, "If we follow your logic, although Damon didn't come into contact with any mecha pilots during those days of nightmares, he coincidentally met Lai Li in the lounge... Oh, he's a machinery specialist sent from the military headquarters to our legion. He's in charge of researching and managing the ice butterfly traps and came here to help us upgrade them... So, could it be that Lai Li accidentally got some energy similar to the ice butterfly's mental power on him in the lab, causing Damon to be scared?"

Rong Mi hummed in response, not immediately speaking up.

As far as she knew, during the early days of the interstellar nomadic era, Gem Rabbits hadn't reacted to any human simulations of the ice butterfly's mental power; they were capable of distinguishing such imitations.

Therefore, it was utterly impossible that the issue was caused by a simulated Ice Butterfly's mental energy.

If the Gem Rabbit exhibited such distressing reactions every time it encountered the same person... It was more likely that there was something amiss with that individual.

Rong Mi wasn't sure if human technology for simulating the Ice Butterfly's mental energy was more advanced in the old era, and he knew better than to hastily suspect a soldier. Thus, he simply nodded and equivocated, "Perhaps it is!"

"Too bad we can't confirm it for now," Chen Shu stuck out his tongue. "Besides, I'm about to go on leave and switch to another legion. After this mission, I don't plan on returning to the legion's war zone base, let alone have any contact with Ice Butterflies..."

Rong Mi replied, "If you want to verify if Damon has a reaction to the Ice Butterfly's mental energy, maybe I can assist."

Their fleet was currently docked not far from the desolate planet, having just slain an Arachne and still carrying its unattended corpse.

The military typically didn't dispose of Arachne corpses but instead forwarded them to the Research Department for studies on Ice Butterflies.

A high-ranking creature like the Arachne continued to emit a certain intensity of Ice Butterfly spirit energy even in death, which could potentially attract attacks from other high-level Ice Butterflies or even more Arachnes.

Therefore, the military usually disintegrated the Arachne corpses around the battlefield and then utilized specialized isolation space buttons to seal and transport the remains.

However, the Third Legion was currently occupied with treating the wounded, so they had only deployed an energy shield to contain the majority of the spirit energy emanating from the Arachne's corpse. The decomposition process had yet to commence.

If Chen Shu could bring Damon to the disassembly site of the Adonis, he might be able to deduce something from the Gem Rabbit's reaction.

However, such disassembly sites usually had stringent security measures in place. To gain entry, he would undoubtedly need Lu Yi's assistance.

"I can't confirm if it'll work just yet," Rong Mi told Chen Shu. "I'll have to rely on someone. I'll let you know after I discuss it with him."

"Sure!" Chen Shu nodded eagerly while cradling the rabbit. "Let's exchange communication numbers then—"

"Right!" He opened another holographic screen and pushed it toward Rong Mi, offering an electronic pen with anticipation. "Can you sign for me?! Your mecha piloting skills were amazing! You're going to be one of my favorite mecha pilots from now on!!"

Rong Mi was naturally delighted to receive praise for his mecha handling skills.

"Though my signature isn't worth much," he said as he scribbled his name casually, then inquired out of curiosity, "Who else do you like as a mecha pilot?"

He wasn't too familiar with the current era's mecha pilots, so he thought this would be a good opportunity to explore their performances.

"Oh, it's Lu Yi from the First Legion," Chen Shu replied. "The Admiral used to be incredible at piloting mechas! His silver mecha was super cool too."

Rong Mi: "Used to be?"

"I'm afraid not now," Chen Shu regretfully said. "He's been plagued with too many injuries. It's been a long time since I've heard of him piloting a mech. But you two do bear a striking resemblance!"

"I mean, Admiral Lu Yi also has an Ice Plain Silver Wolf, just like you!" Chen Shu exclaimed excitedly. "One with not a single strand of impure fur! Such star beasts are incredibly rare! I've only seen you and Admiral Lu Yi having one!"

"Yet that wolf was unlike yours! It was enormous, majestic — incredibly handsome! If you're fond of wolves, you'd be incredibly excited and absolutely in love with Admiral's one!"

Ayin: "..."

The silent Silver Wolves turned to look at Chen Shu for the first time, their icy-blue eyes gazing deeply into his with an enigmatic intensity.

Chen Shu: "Uh... Well," the young detective corrected himself instinctively, "of course, Rong Mi, you're a handsome wolf too."

"I'm not on break yet, I still have my duties to attend to," he said, stepping back unaccountably. "Damon's observation period is up, I must go! Uh... see you next time! If there's any news that verifies Damon's intuition, give me a call!"

Rong Mi waved at Chen Shu as well. "Talk to you next time."

As he spoke, he lowered his head and glanced at the wolf in his arms, who had been gazing intently at Chen Shu's retreating figure.

"Hey, what's with you?" Rong Mi chuckled. "Even though he didn't recognize you... he was complimenting you, Ayin! Why aren't you happy about it?"

The wolf twitched its ears, studying Rong Mi intently, wondering if the young man might actually prefer its majestic wolf form and was secretly discontent with its current small size.

Rong Mi was completely oblivious to the wolf's absurd thoughts.

Furry, it was all the same! Bigger had its perks, and smaller had its charm!

He lifted the wolf to match their eye levels, assuming that the creature simply yearned for its previous physique. He comforted it with a smile, "Once Ayin's spirit domain injuries heal a bit more, your size will return. It'll only take a month or two!"

As he spoke, he couldn't help but feel a tinge of regret.

After all, if the wolf regained its massive form, he wouldn't be able to carry it anymore.

Ayin: "...."

Perceiving Rong Mi's emotions, the wolf started worrying from another angle.

... What if Rong Mi only liked it in its current tiny state?!

Rong Mi was completely oblivious to Ayin's turmoil.

Damon Rabbit's observation period ended, followed by the wolf's. The medical robot entered the room, scanned the area, and a holographic screen popped up, informing Rong Mi that he could now take the wolf away.

With a sigh, Rong Mi carried Ayin towards his resting pod. "Speaking of which... since Lu Yi is hospitalized today, would you like to sleep with me in my pod, Ayin?"

Ayin: "...Woof."

Wolf: If Rong Mi prefers my cub form, I should spend more time with him while I'm still in this state, solidifying my position in his heart!

"Such a good boy!" Rong Mi immediately stopped sighing, his face radiant with sunshine. He rubbed the wolf's head, took a few steps, then asked, "Are you worried about Lu Yi, Ayin?"

Wolf: "Woof."

Of course, the wolf was worried.

Their mental connection allowed it to sense that although Lu Yi was recovering, his physical condition remained dire.

But before losing consciousness, Lu Yi had given the wolf an order to stay with Rong Mi.

Protect Rong Mi.

The wolves didn't resist this command.

Protecting any master was crucial.

"I'm rather worried too," Rong Mi muttered to the wolf, holding it close. "His mental issues are even more severe than yours... It's impossible for a person to endure this repeatedly. There will be a time when he won't make it... I hope after this incident, we can reach the Capital Star without further conflict and that he can properly rest and recover."

"But... actually, there's something I want his help with," the young man mused. "...Ayin, how much trust do you think your owner has in me?"

He spoke softly, as if talking to himself or discussing with the wolf. "If I tell him that the equipment specialist Chen Shu mentioned might have secretly contacted the Ice Butterfly... would he believe me?"

"It would indeed be hard to convince Lu Yi about the reliability of a sudden mention of an equipment specialist... I don't know how to persuade him about the special abilities of a Gem Rabbit either," Rong Mi pondered. "Could it be... that I need to raise a Gem Rabbit myself to see?"

Silver Wolf: "....!!"

"Rabbits are adorable," Rong Mi said, quite hesitant. "But I prefer hunters like Ayin. Besides, Gem Rabbits can easily become stressed, and I might not be able to take care of one properly..."

Silver Wolf: "...."

The Silver Wolf swished its tail, swiftly transmitting Rong Mi's words through their mental connection into Lu Yi's mind, believing that if its owner chose to trust Rong Mi, it could dispel Rong Mi's newfound desire to raise rabbits.

On the hospital bed, Lu Yi, just awakened, "..."

His empathic connection with the Silver Wolf was not constant.

When lucid, Lu Yi could actively weaken or strengthen this bond, reducing it to as low as ten percent, effectively blocking auditory and visual senses while retaining some tactile sensations.

At its peak, it could be strengthened to one hundred percent.

But immediately after waking up, he had no control over their empathic link.

If the wolf was calm, their default empathic connection was around eighty percent, sharing all senses.

If the wolf was agitated... the connection could rise to a full one hundred percent.

Meanwhile, Rong Mi, indecisive in this situation, was thinking rapidly while fidgeting. Not content with stroking the fur, he instinctively reached out to scratch the wolf's chin, just as he used to do with other people's dogs on the main ship.

"Oh, right," Rong Mi patched up his previous statement. "Don't tell Lu Yi what I just said. Let me think about how to tell him..."

Wolf: "..."

Lu Yi: "..."

There was a moment of silence from Lu Yi. When he spoke again, his words had nothing to do with the Gem Rabbit.

The general raised his hand, brushing his fingertips against his chin, his voice still rough from just waking up from unconsciousness.

Lu Yi: "...Stop touching yourself."