Chapter 36: Dissection

Chapter 36: Dissection

Chen Shu: "..."

The First Legion, the pinnacle of combat strength within the military command, was renowned for its illustrious feats in both the Human Federation and the Ice Butterfly Clan.

Lu Yi himself was even more famous.

Chen Shu knew that it was precisely due to his overwhelming combat prowess that he had drawn the Ice Butterflies' targeted attacks time and again, ultimately resulting in his severe injuries.

There had been no updates on Lu Yi's recovery from his severe injuries within the military. Despite the reappearance of his mental power in the recent battle, considering his prior condition, it was not an encouraging sign.

Amidst various rumors, many believed that Lu Yi was in a comatose state with his mental domain in disarray, on the brink of death at any moment.

This included Chen Shu.

But now, Lu Yi stood before him, exuding an upright and stern aura that inadvertently overshadowed his excessively pale complexion.

In Rong Mi's arms, the wolf watched as she noticed the stunned expression on Chen Shu's face. She raised an eyebrow and asked, "Want an autograph?"

He recalled that Chen Shu had previously expressed his admiration for Lu Yi's piloting skills.

Chen Shu: "..."

Chen Shu actually came from a decent background and had met quite a number of high-ranking officials in the Federation. After joining the military, he had naturally encountered numerous officers.

But...

Standing before Lu Yi now, he realized just how sharp and intimidating the youngest general in the Federation was.

Even though his expression was calm, there was an undeniable cold determination in his gaze that could not be overlooked.

This sensation made Chen Shu shake his head repeatedly... out of a sense of impending danger and reluctance.

However, Rong Mi perceived the hidden longing in Chen Shu's eyes.

"General?" He turned to Lu Yi and asked casually, "If you're going to use someone's Gemstone Rabbit for a test, you should give a little reward, right? I signed one last time—"

"No need, no need," Chen Shu hurriedly interjected. "Damon and I also operate on the principle of voluntariness; we don't engage in moral coercion... er, no, that's not what I meant..."

"An e-pen," Lu Yi said calmly. "I'll sign next to Rong Mi."

Chen Shu: "!!"

Chen Shu widened his eyes, watching as Lu Yi took the e-pen from his hand and pulled the screen in front of him.

He shot Rong Mi an admiring glance.

The young man was not only immune to Lu Yi's aura but had even effortlessly made Lu Yi sign his name!

Chen Shu had a feeling that if Rong Mi hadn't asked for the signature... Lu Yi would never have agreed.

Rong Mi caught Chen Shu's gaze and smiled at him.

It wasn't a big deal to ask Lu Yi to sign his name casually.

"Woofie will put its paw print too!" Recalling how Chen Shu had praised Ayin profusely last time, Rong Mi held Ayin's paw and pressed it onto the screen. Ayin didn't mind; obediently letting itself be led to leave its paw print, it looked like a fluffy toy.

The wound caused by the Ice Butterfly's corrosive venom healed slowly. The wolf's injured front paw was still wrapped in gauze, so it had been staying in the rest cabin due to its limited mobility.

Yet today, both Rong Mi and Lu Yi were to descend from the starship, with the Silver Wolves insistently tagging along. Seeing the wolf struggling to walk on one leg, Rong Mi simply carried it along.

In truth, Rong Mi didn't want Lu Yi to come.

With high-ranking Ice Butterflies repeatedly appearing in the safe zone, Lu Yi had been attending meeting after meeting these past few days.

The treatment was ongoing, and Lu Yi's mental domain was in good shape. However, his physical recovery began to slow down, almost at a standstill.

Rong Mi found him exhausting just by looking at his state.

Back when he was injured on the "Goddess" flagship, he could at least enjoy two or three days of peace. Unlike Lu Yi, who had to keep attending meetings even while lying in bed.

Now that Lu Yi finally had some free time, Rong Mi preferred him to rest properly.

But first, the gem rabbit's ability tests needed to start as soon as possible.

Lu Yi had to witness them firsthand before reporting to the military for further implementation.

Secondly... without Lu Yi, neither Rong Mi nor Chen Shu would be able to enter the third army's Arachne Decomposition Zone.

There was simply no other option.

Rong Mi had suggested that Lu Yi participate remotely, but the general had firmly and decisively declined without any room for negotiation.

"Not that I don't trust you," the general had said calmly, though unusually offering an explanation, "I need to observe Gem Rabbit's condition on-site."

Only then could he provide the strongest endorsement in the report requesting an investigation into Gem Rabbit's abilities.

At this thought, Rong Mi let out a silent sigh.

Standing beside him, Lu Yi signed his name with strokes as strong as iron and as elegant as silver hooks. Turning around, he pressed the button for the elevator leading to the docking bay.

They then transferred to a smaller starship, donned their protective suits, equipped portable weapons, and landed on the desolate planet's surface.

Two weeks ago, this had been a cold planet with unique terrain.

Ice fields, snow-capped mountains, and dense coniferous forests.

Though the surface temperature was low, the oxygen levels were sufficient. During the day, one could walk on the planet without wearing a protective suit.

Now, however, the planet's surface was no longer habitable for any life form except the Ice Butterflies.

The icy plains melted, and the soil beneath was drenched in the insects' crimson blood, which, due to their toxicity, gradually transformed into an eerie reddish-black color, imbued with corrosive and poisonous properties.

The air on the planet became incredibly noxious as a pale red gas, harmful to humans, emanated from the decaying butterfly corpses on the ground.

These gases swirled within the planet's atmosphere, blocking the distant white star's light from illuminating the surface, plunging the entire planet into a prolonged darkness.

Beyond the planet's perimeter, the Third Legion had set up makeshift energy barriers.

On the ground, soldiers in protective gear were busy establishing the deployment points for spatial folding devices and more potent energy shields.

"This is what I despise most about the Ice Butterflies... and other insectoids," Rong Mi whispered softly. "While they're alive, they recklessly deplete a planet's resources without restraint. When they die, they contaminate those resources... When their own star systems run low on energy, they invade others, destroying homes and territories. That's their way of survival."

With a powerful spotlight in hand, Lu Yi illuminated the area ahead. "We're about to enter the isolation zone."

Due to the harsh conditions on the desolate planet, Ayin and Damon had entered their respective hovering battle pets. The Gemstone Rabbit's pet ball activated sound and visual isolation modes but remained sensitive to surrounding mental energy fluctuations.

Damon was unaware of their destination; he only knew to follow his owner. Inside the pet ball, he played with the small carrot toy that Chen Shu had given him.

Upon hearing Lu Yi's cue, Chen Shu promptly scooped up the Damon Ball and cradled it in his arms, attaching the floating ball's secure buckle to his wrist.

He was concerned that if the rabbit reacted to Yadi's mental energy waves, it would become deeply frightened, so he was prepared to soothe the little creature.

Noticing that Admiral Lu Yi made no move, Rong Mi glanced at him and, deciding to take matters into his own hands, tugged the Wolf Ball's floating sphere over and fastened it onto his own arm.

Although they were surrounded by soldiers from the Third Legion and Yadi was already deceased, caution never hurt.

The Silver Wolves clearly shared this sentiment. Standing within the ball, its ears pricked up, attentively watching their surroundings.

Rong Mi stepped over the barrier line, gazing at Yadi's corpse ahead. His mental acuity was exceptional among humans, but as he crossed the line, he sensed nothing out of the ordinary.

The energy emanating from Yadi's corpse was subtle, and the Silver Wolf didn't react excessively; it merely swiveled its ears and looked to one side of the corpse.

They had entered near Yadi's head. The Silver Wolf's paw rested on one side of the pet floating ball, its gaze directed at the insectoid's abdomen.

Yadie's corpse was charred black by Rong Mi's flames and the fleet's bombardment. Its abdomen bore a massive hollow, from which blood flowed, intermingled with fragments of glass-like, reflective crystals.

It was the heart, concealed within the deepest recesses of its body, protected by layer upon layer of defense.

That was where Rong Mi's initial piercing had taken place.

And it was also the spot where the fleet had concentrated their high-powered gamma beam bombardment during the subsequent assault.

The creature's energy, depleted by the wormhole's activation and the preceding battle, left it unable to regenerate. As a result, its internal armor was breached, and its heart was crushed layer by layer.

Despite this, the rest of its body remained intact.

The insectoid limbs stretched forward, and its delicate, long antennae were resilient, showing no signs of damage.

But its butterfly wings, which had been depleted in the process of creating the wormhole, were absent from its back, leaving only shallow scars where they once opened.

The roar of the mechs resonated across the planet.

A mech from the Third Legion was in the process of retrieving the Arachne's heart, placing it carefully into a specialized experimental storage container. Four or five other mechs hovered nearby, awaiting orders to slice apart the arachnid's body.

Human spatial folding technology is unable to compress such a massive Yan Butterfly; it must be segmented for long-distance transportation.

Rong Mi redirected her gaze from the Yan Butterfly to look behind her.

Chen Shu, carrying the rabbit ball, stepped across the isolation line.

"Ji!!! ——"

The moment his foot crossed the isolation line, the usually quiet and non-vocal Gem Rabbit, which had always been impeccably behaved, let out an exceptionally shrill cry.

"Chirp! Chirp chirp!!" The pet orb trembled violently as the panicked Gem Rabbit frantically bumped and hopped inside.

Chen Shu quickly held the bunny orb tightly, assuring Damon in a hurry, "It's alright! It's alright, Damon! It's a corpse! It's already dead..."

He hurriedly retreated beyond the quarantine line, using his mental energy to soothe and examine Damon's condition.

The rabbit inside the pet ball was extremely agitated, panting in a corner while emitting intermittent squeaks and whimpers.

Chen Shu's heart raced from its cries. As he comforted the Gem Rabbit, he looked at Rong Mi in confusion, "What's going on? Damon didn't react this strongly when he saw the Yade spatial wormhole appear... I used a scout mecha that never had any energy wave isolation layer installed... A living Yade should emit more energy waves than a corpse, right?"

Rong Mi furrowed his brow, turning his gaze back to the body of Ya Die.

He was well aware of the Gem Rabbits' traits, thus he clearly understood the implications of Damon's recent behavior.

That panicked cry was a warning signal emitted by the Gem Rabbit in its most fearful state.

"…It can't be that this Ya Die is still alive, right?" Rong Mi muttered. "Its heart has already been shattered."

Unlike humans, Ya Die's mental domain resided not in the brain but in its heart.

"It's impossible, and besides, Chen Shu said the rabbit didn't react this strongly when Ya Die was alive…"

This indicated that the Gem Rabbit had sensed an ice butterfly energy reaction of a level significantly higher than that of this Ya Die itself.

"Admiral? Could we pause the dismantling?" Rong Mi looked at Lu Yi, a strange feeling stirring within him, indescribable.

Before he could speak, Lu Yi had already pressed his communicator, instantly connecting to the Third Legion's Deputy Commander through special privileges.

"Sun Ming," he said, gazing at the wound on the ice butterfly's abdomen, his brows slightly knitted yet calm. "Suspicious circumstances. Suggest suspending the dismantling."

Sun Ming was taken aback.

Dangers in such missions typically arose from the icy butterfly's energy leakage, leading to unexpected assaults. However, the feedback he had just received assured him that there were no issues.

"Admiral," he inquired, "what is the reasoning behind your recommendation to suspend proceedings?"

Lu Yi cast a glance at Chen Shu, who was holding the Damon rabbit, and said succinctly, "Further investigation is needed."

Sun Ming: "..."

Sun Ming sighed helplessly, "Everything is in order, and the reports indicate no issues. Admiral, the previous operation was a joint effort; with your high rank, expertise, and experience, I had no problem following your lead.

"But now, the ones doing the work are from the Third Legion. It wouldn't be reasonable for you to give an order without any explanation, expecting us to carry it out blindly."

Lu Yi wasn't surprised by Sun Ming's words. He gestured towards the shuttle parked just a few steps away.

Inside the spacecraft, Sun Tong saluted Lu Yi and opened the compartment, tossing out two palm-sized metallic cubes.

Rong Mi caught them casually and glanced at the inscriptions on their surfaces.

"A high-intensity mental force amplification device." He passed one to Lu Yi while deftly attaching the other to the end of the portable laser gun he had brought with him when he disembarked from the starship.

The Yadao Decomposition Zone was under the control of the Third Legion; it was evident that they couldn't carry large equipment, let alone activate mechas within the secured area.

Otherwise, even if the Third Legion were certain that Rong Mi and Lu Yi wouldn't launch an assault, they might suspect that the pair was up to some sort of provocation for no reason.

This inconspicuous amplification device served its purpose perfectly.

In their hands, the laser gun, which originally relied solely on energy cartridges for its attacks, became a high-lethality weapon.

"Return first and wait," Rong Mi secured the amplifier's connector, patting Chen Shu on the shoulder. "I'll find you once Adate is disassembled."

Behind him, the third legion's hovering mechas, upon receiving the order, initiated the dismantling process.

With a humming from the mecha's energy reserves, a bright white cutting laser descended from mid-air.

The initial strike precisely targeted the original wound on Adate's abdomen, aiming to cleave the insect's body in two and then further dismantle it.

A rough slicing sound emanated from Adate's body.

Chen Shu hastened toward the starship, a sense of unease nagging at him. After taking a step forward, he turned back abruptly, his eyes widening in surprise.

"Ji!!! ——"

The Gemstone Rabbit let out a shrill cry.

Chen Shu clutched the Pokéball tightly, beads of sweat trickling down his forehead as he yelled, "Watch out! ——"