Chapter 77: Secret Identity (Part Two)

Chapter 77: Secret Identity (Part Two)

Rong Mi lay on his side, facing away from Lu Yi.

While inwardly cursing Lu Yi, he messaged Rong Yan through the communicator to apologize for their abrupt conversation and asked her to send him Lu Yi's medical report.

"Nothing serious, we've said everything that needed to be said," Rong Yan replied hastily as she walked out of the hospital, recalling Lu Yi's behavior and the subtle interaction she had glimpsed through the door. She wished she had some sunflower seeds to munch on; it would have been perfect for the drama.

Amazing, Rong Yan thought. If she had known these two were playing out this act, she wouldn't have cared about being a therapist or not.

She could have easily discussed a powerful union between their families with Old Master Lu!

...Well, that was truly how she felt.

Rong Yan pondered over Lu Yi's focused gaze on Rong Mi and the oblivious tenderness in Rong Mi's eyes when looking at Lu Yi. It seemed inevitable that something would eventually happen between them.

Rong Yan tapped her forehead and shook her head in amazement.

"I really chose the wrong moment to come," she muttered to herself, unable to resist self-reflection. "I thought they were both workaholics, but turns out they have someone who cares for them."

Rong Mi was completely clueless about what the family head had in mind.

After sending the message, he sensed a faint rustling behind him, followed by a prickly sensation on the back of his neck.

It was Ayin.

The wolf approached Rong Mi's bedside with stealth, resting its large head beside Rong Mi's pillow and rubbing against his head affectionately. Its moist, cool nose grazed Rong Mi's cheek, tickling him relentlessly.

...It was almost impossible not to turn and look at it.

After all, this was the adorable wolf, Ayin!

Unable to resist, Rong Mi turned his head slightly, locking eyes with the wolf's icy blue gaze.

Ayin: "Aww."

With a soft howl, the wolf's ears and tail drooped as it extended its paw, placing it gently on Rong Mi's shoulder, as if sensing his displeasure and genuinely concerned for him.

As if sensing Rong Mi's displeasure, the creature seemed to want to do something to cheer him up.

Rong Mi: "..."

For a moment, Rong Mi felt like he saw a glimpse of Lu Yi's eyes.

Just now, when the Admiral spoke to him, there was a similar concern hidden in his gaze.

Along with a deeper sense of self-reproach.

Rong Mi banished the image of Lu Yi's eyes from his mind.

Wolves were better! So simple and pure! How could Lu Yi compare to them?

He rolled over, huffing, and embraced Ayin's paw, then let out a soft sigh.

When the great wolf relaxed, its flesh was plump and pleasant to touch!

Rong Mi repeated to himself inwardly: Wolves were still the best!

Ayin: "Awooo."

Seemingly sensing Rong Mi's emotions, Ayin lifted its tail proudly.

It had pushed aside the medical curtain to approach Rong Mi, creating a small gap. However, with its considerable size, the wolf also ended up blocking Lu Yi's bed.

Rong Mi ignored Lu Yi altogether, focusing on cuddling the wolf until he heard the soft rustling of clothing coming from Lu Yi's bed.

Lu Yi must have sat up.

Rong Mi: "..."

His caressing of the wolf paused.

"Rong Mi," the Admiral's slightly hoarse voice sounded the next second.

Rong Mi: ".... Don't speak."

He clicked his tongue and said irritably, "Shut up. Lie down."

"Go back to sleep."

Lu Yi: "..."

Lu Yi remained silent.

Indeed, he wanted to continue apologizing and explaining to Rong Mi, but it was clear that obedience was more crucial in this situation.

So, Lu Yi lay down again. After a while, he whispered, "Okay."

"I'm very sorry." He repeated the apology, but not receiving a response from Rong Mi, he paused before adding, "Goodnight."

"Sweet dreams."

Rong Mi's lips curled up soundlessly.

He held the soft paw, inwardly acknowledging Lu Yi's sensible behavior.

As the young man thought this, he snuggled closer to the wolf.

When Ayin was still small, Rong Mi wanted to cuddle with the wolf to sleep but didn't dare, fearing she might accidentally squash the little cub.

Now that the wolf had grown larger, the hospital bed proved too narrow.

Rong Mi had to settle for the next best thing, leaning against the wolf's head and using its paw as a pillow.

Ayin sat by the bedside with a slightly awkward posture but offered no objections.

It watched as Rong Mi closed her eyes, then carefully leaned closer to the head of the bed, placing its other front paw near Rong Mi's hand before yawning.

"Goodnight, Ayin," Rong Mi whispered to the wolf in a soft voice.

Indeed, she was quite tired. Talking to people didn't reveal it, but once her head hit the pillow, she fell asleep quickly.

The wolf gave a gentle howl, squinting its eyes, also feeling drowsy. Yet, its ears remained perked up, not fully asleep, always alert to any sounds around them.

The hospital room was quiet.

Outside the closed door, Ellen and Chen Shu had been eavesdropping through the crack for a while. They straightened up and exchanged glances.

Chen Shu: "…Do you think they have a chance together?"

Ellen: "…"

Ellen wore his usual gentle smile, though his mind had momentarily crashed.

Recalling the scene he just witnessed—Lu Yi being pinned to the bed by Rong Mi—he nodded, then nodded again.

…Was that Lu Yi unable to get up? Clearly, the Admiral didn't want to go against Rong Mi's wishes!

He had no idea what was going on in Rong Mi's mind!

But things would definitely work out for Lu Yi's side!

Ellen was also part of the pest control association's discussion group for Rong Mi's live stream.

Remembering some of the unreliable viewers in the group calling Rong Mi 'brother', 'husband', or 'wife', Ellen suddenly felt a chill for Lu Yi.

Lu Yi… was a serious and aloof person. With such a personality in a romantic relationship, his coldness might fade, but he could still come across as somewhat uninteresting.

Yet Rong Mi was quite popular... both on the Star Network and within the First Legion!

Due to the incident at the amusement park base, Rong Mi hadn't logged into the First Legion's training module for two days. Ellen, out of boredom while he was receiving treatment, had taken a glance... and found that there were still people asking where Rong Mi was.

The mech pilots, who were far away in the war zone and had no clue about the events in the capital star, were so concerned about Rong Mi's whereabouts, leaving the squad leader feeling both amused and helpless.

Chen Shu didn't think as much as Ellen. Satisfied with the recognition he'd received, he asked, "What should we do with Seiko? Damon reacted to him!"

Ellen replied, "We won't know anything significant in the next two days. Keep him in military detention pending the investigation results. We'll examine him again once Cecil's energy has completely dissipated."

"Don't worry, I'll take care of the handover."

In the past month, due to the fishing operation, Lu Yi had delegated most of his military duties. The affairs of the First Legion's war zone were handled by the vice legion commander, while all matters related to the capital star were coordinated by Ellen.

He had become adept at dealing with such situations, and his gentle personality had earned him good relationships with both the Capital Star Guard and the military headquarters, making him somewhat of an external liaison officer for the First Legion.

As Ellen spoke, he glanced towards the direction of the hospital room.

Of course, he would also submit a report on Seiko to Lu Yi for record-keeping.

Still, he imagined that Commander tonight would definitely heed Rong Mi's advice and abstain from watching.

The fact that someone could truly rein in Lu Yi was a relief to Ellen and the high-ranking officials of the First Legion.

That night, Rong Mi slept soundly, but the lights at the Capital Star's Military Headquarters blazed brightly.

In the conference room, an image of the devastated amusement park base was projected onto the central screen.

On a few smaller auxiliary screens, the streets of the Capital Star's entertainment district were displayed.

Many structures within the area were damaged, the roads ravaged by Cheng Die's psychic energy, and trees withered and toppled.

Another screen showed data transmitted from the Capital Star's high-altitude defense space station.

Cecil's psychic energy, amplified by the central tower of the amusement park, erupted into the sky above the Capital Star, piercing the defensive layer and almost creating a spatial wormhole above the planet.

The destructive power of this fragment of Cheng Die's psychic energy was... terrifying.

In the conference room, Supreme Commander Zhang Lingyu wore a grave expression.

The atmosphere in the room was solemn, with the table surrounded by officials. Apart from the high-ranking officers from the Capital Star's military department, many holographic screens in front of the seats were illuminated, projecting the images of the various legion commanders and their deputies.

The First Legion's commander's seat was an exception.

Lu Yi was absent tonight, and only Deputy Commander Robert's hologram appeared alone behind the designated seat.

Some of the officials around the table were taken aback by this, exchanging surprised glances.

Although they had heard that Lu Yi was unwell and on leave, this was the first time that the General had missed such an important meeting.

Zhang Lingyu scanned the faces around the table, noting everyone's reactions.

From the First Legion's deputy commander's seat, someone cleared their throat at Zhang Lingyu's signal and began to speak.

"I am speaking on behalf of General Lu Yi and the First Legion," said Deputy Commander Robert with a casual tone.

His hair was tied into a ponytail at the back of his head, and without his military uniform, he would have been mistaken for a wandering artist rather than a military officer.

"After deliberation within the First Legion, we are unanimous in believing that it is necessary to disclose the situation regarding Cheng Die's mental energy fragments to the entire Federation."

"As we all know, Chrysalis fragments can be hidden anywhere, posing significant danger."

"Throughout the entire Federation, there are more people like Lu Tianchen who unknowingly carry fragments and fall under Chrysalis's control," Robert interjected. "This situation cannot be concealed from the public."

A stir ran through the conference table. A military official frowned and spoke, "Such disclosure could easily incite public panic."

"The investigation team leader subtly nodded at Robert before continuing, "I believe we should present the findings on Lu Tianchen before making any decisions. We need a comprehensive understanding of Chrysalis's psychic fragment."

"Our investigation revealed that when Chrysalis was 'eliminated' ten years ago, Lu Tianchen was on a resource planet near the battlefield, selecting rare energy stones."

"At that time, Chrysalis was about to breach the defenses, and the resource planet where Lu Tianchen was located was very close to the combat zone. According to Cheng Wen, Chrysalis's psychic fragments instinctively seek out energy bodies with similar vibrations. In the amusement park base, Rong Mi retrieved a spatial button containing most of Chrysalis's psychic essence from beneath the facility."

"After examining the debris from the explosion, it seems that the object originally stored in the spatial button might have been a special type of energy stone."

"We speculate that the Chrysalis fragment initially attached itself to the energy stone that Lu Tianchen carried, then began to infiltrate his body. Over the past few years, Chrysalis, through Lu Tianchen, strengthened the Ice Butterfly Symbiosis Association and established the amusement park base. Eventually, as Lu Tianchen's body could no longer contain Chrysalis's power, it started looking for another human host."

"However... the resource planet Lu Tianchen visited produced several types of energy stones. Through debris analysis, we cannot determine which specific one he was carrying at the time."

The room fell silent for a moment.

Unable to identify the species, prevention becomes impossible. It seems that the only way to find an answer is to ask Lu Tianchen himself.

"Lu Tianchen's consciousness uploading project has already been approved," Zhang Lingyu raised her right hand, interrupting the officers who were about to inquire. "Whether it succeeds or not, and when he will awaken, remains uncertain."

Robert nodded. "But we need to at least inform the public of the possible origin of the Butterfly Incursion."

"The real headache here," sighed the Third Legion Commander, "is the Ice Butterfly Symbiosis Association, along with those Butterflies..."

"The Symbiosis Association wasn't established solely because of the Butterfly's onslaught. Only a portion of their members were under the Butterfly's control. They even had infiltrators within our military. Hey, even the Lu family got involved. Unbelievable."

"Shouldn't this information be disclosed to the public?" he asked, leaning forward. "Although the military, the Academy of Sciences, and major hospital medical departments have uncovered quite a few individuals, the Association's infiltration among ordinary citizens might be even more terrifying."

The investigation team leader spoke up, "We believe that both the information on the Symbiosis Association and the Butterfly fragments should be disclosed together."

"Lu Tianchen might not be the only one influenced by the Butterfly's mental power," the team leader continued. "Ten years ago, Admiral Lu Yi's battle with Butterfly Cecil was dangerously close to the border of the Safe Star Region. We suspect that by the end of the fight, Butterfly fragments may have already entered the Safe Star Region."

"Given these two points, the investigation team deems it necessary to disclose the information to the public."

"I vote against it," another voice spoke coldly. "Screenings can be done secretly under other pretexts. But if everything is made public, we'd also need to reveal a swift solution simultaneously, or else it would only serve to create panic."

"The Academy of Sciences' report submitted yesterday has confirmed that our current instruments are incapable of accurately measuring the Butterfly Energy hidden within human minds. If even their sophisticated devices can't determine it, then we need to look for clues in a person's behavior and mindset changes... There's no rushing this. I don't believe the public would accept such an approach."

"The Academy has another report," the Third Legion Commander spoke up again.

He activated a holographic screen and turned it towards everyone. "This one was just released when the incident at the amusement park base occurred tonight. Have any of you had the chance to read it? It's a test report on Gemrabbit's sensitivity to Ice Butterfly mental energy..."

The Third Legion Commander sighed, a hint of regret in his voice.

His interest in this matter stemmed from a conversation with Deputy Commander Sun Ming. The owner of this Gemrabbit used to be a scout in the Third Legion, but left due to dissatisfaction with how the mecha pilots and pet medical officers treated the Gemrabbit. He chose to resign from the legion and reapply for military assessment and allocation.

It was unfortunate that this scout had left; otherwise, the Third Legion could have conducted an internal investigation first, and he might have had a more peaceful night's sleep.

"In my opinion, there are likely more people raising Gemrabbits in the Safe Zone than within the military. If you ask me, we should organize a voluntary effort to handle this properly."

"Our army of bunnies... is quite an army too!"