Chapter 69: The Medical Starship

Chapter 69: The Medical Starship

"Ahh."

The wolf gave a short, sharp response.

Its voice softened, its pace slowed. Carrying the cockpit gently in its jaws, it moved past a vast array of mecha warships, eventually arriving before the medical frigate at the rear.

Then, with great care, the cockpit was gently guided into the docking port of the medical starship.

Its current size was almost as vast as a small starship, nudging the cockpit into the docking port with its snout.

Rong Mi opened his eyes, aware that the Wolfhowl Bus had arrived at its destination.

Several medical robots swarmed towards him, one of them deploying a mobile medical bed. Rong Mi, drained of energy, didn't bother to move as he was gently lifted onto the bed by the robotic attendants.

"Two additional shots of psychosomatic supplements should do it," Rong Mi said lazily to the medical robot, whose screen flickered with consecutive scans of his mental domain and physical condition. "I recover quickly."

In truth, the pain in his mental domain was no longer as severe as before.

Rong Mi was somewhat perplexed by this.

He felt that his mental domain had undergone some sort of transformation.

During the battle just now, he had continuously unleashed high-intensity mental power, far more than he ever had in any previous engagement.

Despite the pain his mental domain was experiencing, that was all there was to it.

He even had a sense that if the battle hadn't ended, he could have persisted for a while longer.

Moreover... his mental domain wouldn't have overloaded and gone out of control.

Recalling the sensation he had abruptly experienced during the fight, the ability to manipulate the surrounding space, Rong Mi fell into deep thought.

...Was this the sign of an awakening?

He touched his eyes and looked at Ayin, knowing that the wolf couldn't see what was happening inside the cockpit. However, he playfully asked, "Did my eyes change color just now?"

The silver wolf struggled to squeeze into the medical warship, its body slowly shrinking like magic, until finally, it managed to follow and slip through the spacecraft's corridor.

This was the smallest size an adult Icefield Silver Wolf could attain.

The wolf immediately slunk into the corridor, following Rong Mi's medical bed.

Its back was about the height of a human. Due to the low ceiling of this compact medical spacecraft, when the wolf raised its head, its ears brushed against the ship's interior wall, bending slightly inward.

It looked rather aggrieved but also adorably cute.

Rong Mi itched to pet it. He propped himself up and stretched out his hand. The wolf lowered its head, rubbing its furry head against his palm and nudging him gently, pushing Rong Mi back onto the medical bed.

Seizing the opportunity, Rong Mi vigorously stroked the wolf's muzzle, gazing at the wolf's ice-blue eyes as they returned to their normal state.

"Where's Lu Yi?" he asked. "Is your mental domain alright... If you're feeling unwell, take some soothing agents and supplements to hold you over until I recover. It won't be long."

The Admiral had been receiving treatment for the past few weeks, so his mental domain stability should have significantly improved. However, the prolonged lowering of his domain field, followed by intense mental energy expenditure, wouldn't have come without adverse effects.

Rong Mi knew that Lu Yi was undoubtedly in the lead warship, coordinating post-battle operations and handling the aftermath. He hadn't asked the wolf to take him to the ship earlier because he understood that Lu Yi must be swamped with work and didn't wish to distract him.

For some reason, not seeing or hearing from Lu Yi for a while made him feel uneasy.

Rong Mi pinched the wolf's mouth gently. "Could you call him over first?"

Rong Mi knew without a doubt that Lu Yi would be attending to the aftermath of the battle, yet she couldn't help but ask.

After all, they were on a medical starship now, which brought a sense of reassurance.

Wolf: "..." Howl.

Ayin declined with a grave tone.

Rong Mi let out a sigh.

Just as he was about to speak again, two teams of medical officers rushed out from the medical starship. One team headed towards Rong Mi, while the other dashed outside, carrying numerous medical devices with anxious expressions.

"Quickly, the optimal treatment window for the corrosion caused by the Ice Butterfly Poison injected into the body is within half an hour... It's been more than triple that time now! Commander Lu even utilized his mental power! No matter how much of a regenerative agent he consumed beforehand, it's reckless to act like this. I wonder how he's managed to endure so much..."

Rong Mi: "..."

Rong Mi turned his head to look at the team of medical officers.

A second later, he swiftly realized whom the admiral was referring to. He abruptly sat up sharply from the medical bed, turning his gaze back to the Silver Wolves.

The wolves instinctively paused in their steps alongside the medical bed.

Then, one of them growled softly.

"…Woof!" Ayin's eyes flickered, but with a serious tone, he ordered Rong Mi to lie down.

"Hey, don't move around just yet," the medical officer by Rong Mi's bedside hurriedly added. "We haven't finished your physical examination! We need to confirm that your body hasn't been corroded by any toxins. Even if the current data is normal, we still need to keep you under observation for a while..."

"…" Rong Mi turned to face the medical officer.

Rong Mi: "I assume the hospital rooms are quite scarce?"

Medical Officer: "?"

"…Reasonable?" He asked, confused. "There were indeed injuries. Members of the Ice Butterfly Symbiosis Association and some affected residents would have been brought here for treatment first, given its proximity..."

"However, medical warships do have limited space, and patient cabins are indeed designed for two occupants."

"Two-person cabin is fine," Rong Mi affirmed. "I'll share with Lu Yi."

An hour later, Rong Mi's mental domain was no longer in pain.

Sipping on a nutrient supplement, he sat cross-legged on the bed in his loose hospital gown, petting the large silver wolf resting its head on the bedside. Finally, his roommate arrived.

The Admiral was wheeled in with his eyes closed, seemingly asleep but not entirely at ease. His breathing was shallow and rapid, appearing strained. The medical bed was tilted slightly upward to support Lu Yi in a half-sitting, half-reclining position.

A thin blanket covered him, leaving the arm with the IV drip exposed. From his fingertips to the upper arm, a dark stain spread across his skin. The same black discoloration crept from his collarbone up to his neck.

The hospital gown's low-cut collar revealed the spirit energy pendant that Rong Mi had given Lu Yi when they first arrived at the capital star. Rong Mi gently tugged at Lu Yi's collar, noticing that the skin beneath the pendant was also covered in the same black hue.

Fortunately, the concentration of the Ice Butterfly venom was less intense above the collarbone. Instead of forming a continuous patch, it appeared as threads, intertwining like vines under his skin, crawling upward to his cheek, forming an enchanting, curse-like pattern.

Rong Mi: "..."

The blackness indicated the corrosion of flesh and blood beneath the skin by the Ice Butterfly poison. If one's entire skin was tainted with this insectoid toxin, death was imminent.

The sight was truly unsettling.

The Silver Wolves lifted its head, noticing Lu Yi entering the ward. It straightened up and shifted its position.

It moved to the center between the two beds, then curled up again, nearly filling the gap between them, resembling a fluffy, warm oversized sofa cushion.

In this way, the wolf was now close to both Rong Mi and Lu Yi's beds.

This spot seemed to provide the wolf a sense of comfort.

Rong Mi hopped off his bed, stepped over the furry wolf-cushion, and patted the wolf's head before sitting down beside Lu Yi's bed.

He gazed at Lu Yi for a moment, then reached out to touch the black patterns on the side of his face.

The young man's fingers pressed against the wound where the Ice Butterfly poison was eating away, causing a stinging sensation. Yet, the warmth from his fingertips lingered on Lu Yi's face, evoking a pulsating feeling unrelated to pain.

The general's brow twitched, and he opened his eyes.

Rong Mi: "..."

He said, "Not easy, huh? You're still awake?"

Lu Yi responded with a low, raspy sound.

Rong Mi didn't withdraw his finger.

He gentled his touch, caressing the side of the general's face while whispering, "It wasn't long ago that we cleared the Ice Butterfly Poison from your spirit realm. And now you've brought on so much more... Did Lu Tianxing do this?"

"Yes."

Rong Mi was silent for a moment.

The young man's fingers brushed across the general's cheek, gliding over his eyelid and eyebrow bone, pausing at the center of Lu Yi's forehead.

Rong Mi intended to enter Lu Yi's spirit realm for treatment, but before beginning, he felt he should say something comforting.

He wasn't skilled in comforting others, but before he could rack his brains for the right words, the General spoke first, "It's alright."

"Fortunately, my mental domain is still stable," Lu Yi held Rong Mi's wrist and gently removed his hand. The General's arm landed on the medical bed, his fingertips lightly touching Rong Mi's wrist without immediate release.

"I've had quite a bit of soothing agents, so there's no disarray."

"The battle was well fought." The General released his hold, gesturing for Rong Mi to return to his own bed, "But take care to rest, don't joke with your health."

Rong Mi: "..."

"General." Rong Mi leaned closer, looking down at him, "Are you qualified to say that?"

Their foreheads touched.

The General leaned back slightly, placing his hand on Rong Mi's shoulder.

His arm lacked strength, merely resting on Rong Mi's shoulder, silently expressing refusal.

The Silver Wolves lying nearby glanced between Lu Yi and Rong Mi, then after a moment, lifted its head, grabbed Rong Mi's sleeve with its mouth, gently pulling the young man back.

It was clear that Ayin had received Lu Yi's command.

Rong Mi: "Tsk."

"There are other ways for a healer to enter a patient's mental realm," he said, amused by Lu Yi's expression. "You didn't know that, did you? It's just easier with skin contact... Ah... Ayin, stop it!"

The wolf, seeing Rong Mi wasn't moving, exerted a bit more force.

An adult wolf's strength was immense, pulling Rong Mi off balance towards his sickbed.

He clicked his tongue, reminiscing about the days when he could lift the wolf with one hand.

But there were advantages to having a big wolf!

Rong Mi couldn't overpower Ayin, so he decided not to struggle against the wolf. Instead, he relaxed and leaned back, using the Silver Wolf as a soft cushion to rest against, while stretching out his arm to circle the wolf's mouth.

"Don't listen to your master's nonsense," he grumbled. "Listen to me, understand?"

"Ooof." With Rong Mi's hand on its mouth, the wolf could only emit a muffled growl from its throat, unclear whether it was agreeing or disagreeing.

It tilted its head to look at Rong Mi and tried to nudge her arm with its paw.

Rong Mi patted its wolfish mouth firmly, then released her arm, allowing the wolf its freedom.

Purple spiritual energy rose from the pendant around Lu Yi's neck, entering his mental domain.

The admiral frowned and repeated, "There's no need."

"Don't say that," Rong Mi frowned in response. "Your mental domain… Although it's not in chaos, your mental sea is turbulent, almost like a tsunami is brewing… And why are there so many broken branches on your spirit tree?!"

The turbulence in the mental sea could be resolved after one or two treatments; it wasn't a significant issue.

But in the beautiful silver sea, there were numerous broken spirit tree branches floating about.

While intense combat could indeed lead to branch breakage, as long as the trunk of the spirit tree was strong enough, the broken branches would regenerate…

However...

There were just too many broken branches in Lu Yi's mental sea.

Yet aside from the turmoil in his mental sea, Rong Mi couldn't detect any other abnormalities.

He gently touched the trunk of Lu Yi's spirit tree, concern etched on his face. "Do you feel anything unusual... at the base of your spirit tree?"

That was an area he was yet to explore and could only rely on Lu Yi to describe his condition.

"Does it hurt when you use your spiritual power?"

"Have you felt dizzy at any point?"

Lu Yi: "..."

He seemed somewhat drained, his voice soft but his tone resolute. "No."