Chapter 130: Pursuit (Part Two)

Chapter 130: Pursuit (Part Two)

Rong Mi: "..."

In just an instant, he recalled more details.

Not only about stroking the wolf's belly and pinching its paws... but also about playing with its tail.

Humans had long lost their tails as a physical feature.

However, when massaging the spirit form's tail, the owner would experience a sense of empathy.

... Rong Mi truly experienced this fact with the little bird!

His face alternated through various expressions, his ears blushing crimson, so embarrassed and furious that he didn't want to continue reading Lu Yi's explanation report!

Nonetheless, memories continued to involuntarily play in his mind.

After Ayin tacitly approved his actions, Rong Mi still enjoyed using the large wolf as his cushion. He particularly liked leaning against the wolf to sleep, even pulling its front paws over to use as a pillow.

If in all these scenarios, Ayin were replaced with Lu Yi...

Rong Mi: "!!"

Rong Mi's face was so hot it could be used as a griddle to cook vegetables!

...Lu Yi!

The young man silently roared in anger.

You didn't tell me about something this important!

He gnashed his teeth, virtually reaching into his subconscious to grab the miniature Lu Yi from last night's dream and thrash him once more.

Clenching his teeth, the youth continued scrolling down, revealing the next line.

"Don't be angry."

These four words stood alone on a separate line, abruptly interrupting Lu Yi's orderly narration. Clearly, the Admiral had anticipated Rong Mi's reaction.

Rong Mi scoffed softly.

Even a fool would know to be upset.

"Ayin's actions are closely tied to my subconscious, but it remains an independent entity."

"It grew closer to you before I did."

"And you care more about the Silver Wolves than you do about me."

Rong Mi: "..."

He raised an eyebrow, sensing that Lu Yi had added his last sentence quite deliberately.

It carried a tinge of jealousy.

Rong Mi's anger subsided slightly, and he continued reading.

"Due to these reasons, I didn't initially disclose the full extent of my empathetic connection with the wolves. I didn't want to become a barrier between you and your communication with them."

"Yet, it can't be denied that after I fell for you, other sentiments began to develop gradually."

"I am grateful to have experienced your touch through the 10% tactile sharing with Ayin."

"Back then, when I believed death was imminent, I couldn't express my feelings towards you."

"So, I resorted to an underhanded way of stealing your affection through Ayin."

"I hope you can forgive this dark and selfish side of me."

Rong Mi: "…"

Rong Mi's gaze lingered on those descriptive words, making a soft tsk sound.

He had never imagined anyone associating such terms with Lu Yi, especially by someone who knew him well.

"Not too despicable or selfish, I'd say," the young man muttered softly. He couldn't resist typing two lines in response but, after staring at the screen for a moment, he slowly erased each word one by one.

My anger hasn't subsided yet.

Rong Mi muttered to himself.

In truth, Rong Mi wasn't more upset due to the empathetic connection between the Admiral and the wolves.

This was because he recalled how Lu Yi had indeed warned him time and again not to pet the Silver Wolves at the beginning. He also remembered how the wolf had deliberately avoided any particularly intimate contact with him on several occasions.

Like stubbornly refusing to bathe together, for instance.

With their 10% empathetic connection, the sensation Lu Yi felt when Rong Mi touched the wolf was likely similar to being touched through a thick down jacket.

Since the empathetic bond couldn't be severed, if Lu Yi was content with being touched through a down jacket… then so be it!

Perhaps it was due to his affection for Lu Yi that Rong Mi found the situation somewhat innocent in retrospect.

But the young man still remembered that he was avoiding physical contact with Lu Yi as a punishment for the Admiral's disregard for life.

The punishment needed to be harsh enough to ensure that Lu Yi wouldn't repeat his mistake.

Rong Mi thought this, and couldn't help but sigh again.

Thankfully, he hadn't given Lu Yi the chance to finish his words last night.

If the Admiral had said those words in person... He might have really softened his heart.

Lost in thought for a moment, he eventually rubbed his face, turned off the communicator, and decided to get up and head to the military hospital.

As per usual, he would visit Ayin in the morning. After that, he was scheduled to conduct a mental power test with Chen Mo.

Just as Rong Mi put the Admiral's message out of his mind and pulled open the apartment door, he found a new bouquet waiting for him.

There was only one bouquet at his doorstep today.

Again, it was a large bunch of deep red roses, eye-catching as ever.

Rong Mi: "..."

He gritted his teeth.

Why send more after sending once?

He truly didn't know that Lu Yi had such a romantic streak!

The young man's emotions were currently in turmoil.

Of course, he adored the flowers that Lu Yi had sent.

He just feared that the General would utter more heart-melting words.

As Rong Mi thought this, he lifted the bouquet and pulled out the card from its center.

The photograph on the card had changed, but there was still only one. It seemed to be a cropped and enlarged version of a photo that Lu Yi had obtained from someone else, hence the slightly blurred details.

It was a picture of the General when he first took command of the First Legion.

In the younger Lu Yi, there was no sharp edge, as if he were a sword not yet drawn from its sheath, untouched by the severe injury that interrupted his awakening, and thus, he carried himself with unassuming grandeur.

The image of Lu Yi on the holographic screen flickered for just a moment before it began to transform.

Only the day before, Rong Mi had praised how handsome the wolf looked in the picture, and Lu Yi had already picked up on it.

The general's personal photo swiftly scrolled by, followed by a few candid shots of the furry wolf.

The photographer wasn't Lu Yi, as Rong Mi could occasionally discern his blurry figure beside the Silver Wolves.

...Devious indeed.

He actually had a real-life fluffy wolf to pet! Who cared about these photos?

As Rong Mi thought this, he examined the pictures of the wolf repeatedly. At the end of the series, as usual, there was a page displaying personal information, albeit much simpler than usual today.

"Name: Lu Yi."

"Identity: Your most straightforward and faithful pursuer."

Rong Mi: "...."

With great care, Rong Mi tucked away the card. After a moment, he couldn't help but chuckle.

Upon arriving at the military hospital, a subtle smile still lingered in Rong Mi's eyes.

The doctors from the Pet Care Department greeted Rong Mi while inwardly screaming in curiosity, wondering which lucky soldier from the First Legion had received Rong Mi's bouquet!

To be honest, if it weren't for their mismatched orientations, the doctor might have even considered pursuing Rong Mi!

Rong Mi was handsome, elegant, and powerful – a true legion heartthrob!

"General Silver is recovering swiftly!" The doctor tried to push away distracting thoughts, striving not to give Rong Mi a strange impression. Thus, with a serious demeanor, they informed the young man about the wolf's treatment progress. "We've just completed its examination."

"Though the bandages still can't be removed and daily hospital visits for dressing changes are required, General Ayin is allowed to be discharged ahead of schedule today."

Rong Mi's eyes sparkled with delight, filled with surprise.

"Thank you," he promptly replied. "I'll come today to take Ayin home from the hospital."

Every day, when he opened Ayin's hospital room door, he would see the wolf, wrapped in bandages, looking at him with anticipation and joy. It made him wish he could just whisk the furry creature away to his home right then and there.

Speaking, he pushed open the door to the hospital room.

The Silver Wolf, who had been lying on the bed, immediately perked up its ears.

It detected Rong Mi's scent and let out a joyful growl, rushing towards the young man swiftly.

Rong Mi crouched down, embracing the small Silver Wolf tightly, and rubbed its head affectionately.

"Ao ao!" The wolf rubbed against Rong Mi's palm, closing its eyes in contentment.

Rong Mi paused in his stroking, unable to resist tilting his head slightly.

"Ao?" Sensing his halt, Ayin looked up at Rong Mi questioningly, its large ice-blue eyes filled with the reflection of the young man.

"Nothing," Rong Mi said, lifting the Silver Wolf while maintaining close proximity to those eyes that shared the same hue as Lu Yi's. "I was just thinking, this is like a bonus for Lu Yi."

With a serious expression, he continued addressing Ayin, "The Admiral has a lovely, fluffy, and irresistible spirit like Wolfie. He's really fortunate!"

For even if he had confirmed the empathic connection between Lu Yi and the wolf, he couldn't punish Lu Yi by not petting such a fluffy creature!

Unable to resist, he simply couldn't hold back when faced with the wolf!

Moreover... What if keeping distance from the wolf caused it sadness and distress?

It was not worth punishing Lu Yi for that.

"Ao?" Ayin wasn't quite aware of what had transpired between its owner and the young man.

Being close to Rong Mi, it leaned forward, nuzzling affectionately against Rong Mi's jaw.

In the past, Rong Mi would often embrace the wolf this way, burying his face into its fur for a deep inhale.

Today, Ayin sensed the young man's desire for some close contact and offered itself willingly.

Rong Mi: ...Who could withstand this?

The fur of the cub was soft, a stark contrast to the adult wolf's.

Having enjoyed petting the grown wolf previously, Rong Mi now relished the chance to stroke the cub – an opportunity not to be missed!

However, Rong Mi is not currently concerned about the prospect of not being able to ride the big, wolf-like creature in the future.

In the first inspection following their battle with the Ice Butterfly fragment, Chen Mo discovered that Ayin, much like the Dragonbird, possessed the ability to transition between a spiritual form and a celestial beast.

With this ability, Ayin can manipulate her own form at will.

It was unclear if it was because of the fondness for being close to the little bird, but the wolf had been assuming its juvenile form these few days, mirroring the little bird's appearance.

As for the little bird...

Rong Mi was convinced that the little bird had taken its juvenile form to make mischief and act coquettishly!

Rong Mi refused to acknowledge that the dragonbird's mischievous behavior might be linked to his subconscious.

"Let's go! I'll help you with the discharge process!" The young man didn't disappoint the wolf. He took a few deep puffs from the wolf before lifting it up affectionately. "Then, Ayin can accompany me for a mental power assessment!"

Wolf: "Awooo!"

The wolf nestled happily in Rong Mi's arms as the young man took it to the mental power testing room.

Chen Mo had already received Rong Mi's advance notice and was waiting in the Spiritual Power Assessment Chamber.

"I've pre-tested the equipment," said Chen Mo, the director of the Spiritual Power Research Institute, quite confident that the instruments were now functioning properly.

He then invited Rong Mi to step into the machine and clicked the 'Start Assessment' button.

The machine hummed softly as it began its operation. After a brief moment, a gentle ping sounded, and the assessment display screen popped up as expected.

"Special Module Loading: Stability Check of Psionic Energy - Results normal."

"Standard Module Loading: Initiation of Psionic Power Nature Assessment ——"

"Psionic Power Strength:+++++++++++++(Confidence level below 95%, recommended to use a higher-grade instrument for scanning)"

"Psionic Sensitivity:+++++++++++++"

"Rejection Level: F."

"Healer Level:+++++++++++++(Confidence level below 95%, recommended to use a higher-grade instrument for scanning)"

The light screen flickered twice, and the upcoming reading seemed to freeze momentarily. Then, just like last time, it suddenly went dark.

Chen Mo: "…"

Chen Mo glanced at the diagnostic screen and then at Rong Mi, still standing in the device, his expression unreadable.

The multitude of "+" symbols was clearly a result of the instrument being unable to process the data, resulting in garbled output.

And before this test, the equipment had been functioning perfectly.

...The problem must lie with Rong Mi.

Rong Mi had leveled up again.

And the intensity of his mental power after this advancement was just too high...

So high that it short-circuited the internal components of the instrument!