Chapter 026

Chapter 026

Bai Xiaoyu found the contact information for the parents and discovered that the cultivation center's system could notify them.

He sent the address and time to all the parents.

This method of communication was more like email, and soon several parents replied instantly, while others took longer. However, they all took it seriously, and by lunchtime, most had been contacted.

Only the parent of Egg No. 1 had not responded yet.

Bai Xiaoyu remembered that the parent of Egg No. 1 was from the Sixteenth Legion and was rumored to be fighting on the front lines, so the response might be delayed.

It wasn't until the early hours of the next morning that he received a reply.

After notifying all the parents, Bai Xiaoyu began to focus on cooking the eggs. He planned to purify the dark matter inside all the eggs once again before the parents arrived.

With just one day left before the parents' arrival, Bai Xiaoyu finally completed his goal.

Looking at the eggs rolling around, now even larger and rounder, he breathed a sigh of relief.

At this moment, the entire floor of the cultivation center was covered with thick, soft, and elastic carpets.

It was necessary because ever since these eggs successfully escaped, they no longer wanted to return to the energy shields in the cultivation rooms. They would sneak out every chance they got.

Now, he not only had to worry about the eggs accidentally breaking but also about them running around and getting lost.

As Bai Xiaoyu scanned the eggs, his mind automatically started counting.

Upon checking, his brain immediately sounded an alarm, and sure enough, three were missing.

Well, looks like he had to go find the eggs again.

Bai Xiaoyu walked over, surrounded by eggs standing, lying, and rolling everywhere.

Seeing him approach, the eggs immediately crowded around him, blocking his path as if they didn't want him to leave.

Bai Xiaoyu sighed helplessly, "I'll only be gone for a little while. Once I find Xiao Yi and the others, I'll come back and play with you. While I'm away, you need to behave, or else I'll put you all back in the cultivation chambers and you won't be allowed out today."

These eggs were particularly mischievous and could even pretend to be pitiful. Only when confined in the cultivation chambers did they show some restraint.

Bai Xiaoyu tried to leave, but the eggs kept bumping into his legs, making it difficult for him to move.

Finally, Bai Xiaoyu sighed, bent down, and gently stroked each eggshell, using his mental power to play a familiar chasing game with them, barely managing to break free.

The big black egg returned with a box on its head, seeing this scene. It immediately hopped over, rubbing against Bai Xiaoyu, causing him to stumble.

Bai Xiaoyu took the box and glanced inside at the Cleansing Herbs. This batch contained over a hundred. Recently, the Sixteenth Legion had been providing more and more Cleansing Herbs, which was fortunate because both Dahei and Yu Xi needed much more than before.

Both the human and the egg were growing taller and bigger. He himself had grown a tiny bit, less than half a centimeter, but without comparison, there was no harm. His physical condition was indeed poor.

Bai Xiaoyu put away the Cleansing Herbs and patted the big black egg, "Dahei, watch over the eggs here while I go find the missing ones who are playing somewhere."

He leaned close to Dahei and gently rubbed his cheek against the smooth eggshell.

Dahei froze and stood still.

Bai Xiaoyu patted Dahei, "Dahei is always the best."

He had recently discovered that this method worked every time he needed Dahei to watch over the eggs.

Bai Xiaoyu searched everywhere and finally found one playing in the fountain outside the cultivation center, another rolling on the grass and damaging the flowers, but one was still missing.

Seeing that it was time for the live stream, Bai Xiaoyu turned it on.

The viewers in the live stream immediately laughed.

"Let's bet; the host must be looking for eggs right now."

"Hahaha, isn't that obvious? How many times has this happened this week?"

"Instead of betting, let's guess where the egg is hiding."

Bai Xiaoyu led the live stream viewers on a long search and finally found one in a muddy ditch, rolling and bouncing but unable to climb out.

The originally white eggshell was now covered in black mud, wet and sticky.

Seeing him approach, the muddy egg rolled and bounced, expressing joy at seeing its cultivator, splashing mud all around.

The live stream erupted in laughter.

"Is this egg still salvageable?"

"Why don't we throw it away? Who can handle all this mud?"

"Host, what are you waiting for? Pick up the egg and stop it from ruining the poor mud."

Bai Xiaoyu suddenly felt a headache coming on...

He reminded himself that this egg had to meet its parents tomorrow. The parents of Egg No. 1 were fighting bravely on the battlefield, and their child was just a bit mischievous...

Taking a deep breath, he resigned himself to picking up the egg.

"Hahaha, that deep breath made me laugh. Too bad we can't see your face, Host. You deserve this."

"Karma is a real thing. It's because you cook them all the time, so the eggs have developed strange habits."

"Host, I want to get covered in mud too and have you pick me up."

"Don't dream. The host would tell you to roll far away."

Bai Xiaoyu carried the egg back and washed it, creating a puddle of mud water.

The other eggs also joined in the chaos. Amidst the commotion, Bai Xiaoyu eventually fell asleep, exhausted.

The next morning, he woke up early. Even Yu Xi, who usually ventured deep into the forest to gather medicine and train, stayed behind to help instead of going out.

Bai Xiaoyu had already spent time memorizing the names of each egg's parents from the system. After all, this was different from parent-teacher meetings before the apocalypse, where children and their parents could easily find each other.

Now, these were all un-hatched eggs, delivered to the nursery right after birth, each round and faceless. How would the parents recognize them?

Bai Xiaoyu imagined himself holding the eggs and calling each parent to come forward...

Stop thinking about it!

When he went down to check on the eggs, as expected, none of them were inside their energy shields; they were all sleeping haphazardly on the carpet.

Bai Xiaoyu rubbed his forehead. He knew at a glance that the eggs were not all there. Turning to Yu Xi, he said, "Xiao Xi, the parents will be here soon. Quickly gather all the eggs, and then we'll wait outside for the parents."

Yu Xi nodded. "Okay, I'll do that right away."

Bai Xiaoyu then turned to the black egg that had been waiting for its assignment. "Dahei, when I add the nutrient solution later, you stay here and watch over them. When the parents arrive, make sure they see the eggs' best side."

The black egg, upon receiving the task, jumped with excitement.

Got it, Bai Bai. Mission guaranteed.

After gathering all the eggs, the two went outside to greet the parents.

Given the pitiful howls from the live stream yesterday, Bai Xiaoyu decided to start streaming earlier today and show the entire process.

As soon as the live stream began, viewers who had been eagerly waiting flooded in.

"Streamer, you're broadcasting five minutes earlier than usual! I'm so touched; you finally acted human."

"Exactly. Your competitor has been streaming for a while now. Ah, I don't like watching their stream; it's just that knowing your enemy is essential. I'm sacrificing myself to gather intel for you. Be careful this time; many high-end vehicles parked outside their nursery suggest that Ding Lan's clients are influential families or officials from Imperial Star. As everyone knows, wealthy and powerful families often have many Beastmen, making it easier for their eggs to hatch Beastman offspring."

"I checked it out too. Being a nursery on Imperial Star, you can bump into a district head anywhere. It's normal to have more Beastmen. Our streamer is on D36 Star, a post-war fringe planet. The entire Ninth District only sent a few eggs. On Imperial Star, one district alone has many nurseries, and Ding Lan's second batch has over thirty eggs."

"The starting line is completely different. Ding Lan is a meter from the finish line, while our streamer is a kilometer away from the starting line. It's all because Ding Lan was too cunning back then. I was too busy watching the drama and didn't stop the streamer from agreeing to this obviously losing competition. Sigh, who would have thought I'd become one of the fans sent by the system. Don't worry, dog streamer, I'll be back!"

"Me too. If only we knew... Streamer, let's start over."

Bai Xiaoyu: "It's early in the morning, why are you talking so negatively?"

Pausing, he spoke honestly, "I have a very high chance of winning. Just watch me win. Incubating eggs is something I excel at; winning is simple."

The gloomy atmosphere in the live stream instantly changed.

"Holy crap, the streamer said that so seriously, I almost believed it. This confidence is rock solid!"

"Suddenly feel like an idiot. The streamer used to get scolded by us, but we worried for nothing."

"Actually, for a moment, I was truly impressed by the streamer's aura, like a capable master. But then I realized it's still our breathless little streamer holding an egg."

"Let's go, streamer. Talk nicely to the parents and leave a good impression. They might help promote you, so you won't run out of eggs to incubate."

Bai Xiaoyu's head buzzed with the constant advice from the live stream viewers; he almost turned off the stream.

Yu Xi glanced at Bai Xiaoyu, blushing slightly, and quickly said, "I believe in Brother Bai. You will definitely win."

Bai Xiaoyu raised his hand and patted Yu Xi's head. At least someone recognized his worth.

When they reached the entrance, they thought they were early, but some people were even earlier.

A dozen people had already arrived, men and women, looking nervous and anxious, full of anticipation as they waited outside the gate. Some were pacing back and forth, occasionally checking the gate for any movement.

Seeing Bai Xiaoyu, they became excited. "Egg Master Bai is here!"

Bai Xiaoyu saw a crowd approaching, and some of the voices sounded familiar from when he first woke up.

"Egg Master Bai, how is my child doing?"

"Egg Master Bai, it's great to see you well. My child has been a bother to you these days."

"Egg Master Bai, I apologize for disturbing you in the group chat because I missed my child so much."

Bai Xiaoyu calmly interacted with the parents, but he was puzzled. "Group?"

He suddenly remembered the groups the original owner had blocked and found the parent group at the bottom, labeled as "annoying."

He unblocked the group, and the unread messages immediately jumped to 99+.

The announcement left by the original owner read: "During the incubation process, no disturbances are allowed, as it affects the quality of incubation. No questions, no questions, no questions—asking won't get you answers! There is no live stream now, and even if there were, parents should not ask or watch. High pressure leads to poor egg cultivation. I am a top-notch egg incubator from the Imperial Military Academy, with solid expertise. If you don't trust me, transfer your eggs elsewhere; I take no responsibility for the consequences! Trust me and don't ask; I will return to you a perfect child."

Bai Xiaoyu: "..."

All the arrogance was taken by the original owner!

Live stream viewers: "..."

"Wow, only you would do something like that."

"Amazing, streamer. Once again, I've seen your thick skin. Haha."

"Streamer, did you ever get beaten up? Will the parents still help promote us? What did you do before? It's really frustrating."

Bai Xiaoyu: "I didn't say those things."

The audience in the live stream booed loudly.

What could Bai Xiaoyu do? Having taken on this identity, he had no choice but to accept it.

The messages in the group were almost all from parents asking questions, especially in the past half month. Before he managed to contact them, these parents had been asking about mental enlightenment every day.

None of these questions had been answered by the original owner, who had planned to run away. Later, when Bai Xiaoyu took over the identity, as an unimportant part of the original's memory, he hadn't received any of these questions either. Thus, for two whole months, all the parents had received no response. No wonder they were so anxious now.

"Please go inside and sit down first. We'll wait until all the parents arrive before we go see the eggs."

"No need, we can wait here. Can you tell us how the little one is doing?"

Bai Xiaoyu thought back to when he came out earlier and saw the eggs wriggling around inside the energy shields, trying to roll out. He felt a bit guilty, "They're very healthy and spirited."

The parents surrounding him became excited. Healthy young ones were exactly what they hoped for.

"That's great."

"I don't ask for much; as long as the child is healthy, that's enough."

At this moment, the live stream switched to a barrage of comments.

The audience began analyzing the situation of the eggs based on their observations of the parents.

"The parents present are mostly pure humans; their eggs will hatch into pure humans too."

"These are the residents who stayed after the war, so naturally, most are pure humans and half-beasts."

"Ding Lan's side has already started the enlightenment for the eggs. I observed it—thirty-six eggs, seven pairs of parents with one beast, and three pairs with both parents being beasts. His data is really good. The broadcaster is indeed not on the same level."

"But there hasn't been a single beast parent here yet. Let's wait and see."

At this time, several more spacecraft arrived, and the audience in the live stream was practically green with envy.

"This looks very promising!"

"A couple of them seem like beasts; maybe the broadcaster will be lucky and hatch a little beast."

"Having one little beast is already good; it's normal for the first batch of eggs."

The parents arrived quite punctually, and most had gathered. However, the parents of Egg No. 1 still hadn't shown up. Just as he was thinking of contacting them, they reached out to him first.

They told Bai Xiaoyu not to wait for them, as they were still on their way back from the battlefield and needed more time.

Bai Xiaoyu had no choice but to take the other seventeen parents of the eggs inside.

First, they went to the incubation center, but Bai Xiaoyu led the parents to empty energy shields with no eggs.

Bai Xiaoyu: "..."

These little rascals, causing trouble again at a crucial moment. Even Big Black wasn't around. Where did they run off to?

The parents panicked. In their understanding, the eggs should never leave the incubation chambers from the moment they start hatching until they break out. Now, where the eggs should have been, there was nothing.

Their young ones were missing; how could they not be worried?

"Teacher Bai, what's going on? Where are our eggs?"

Live stream comments: "They ran away."

"Teacher Bai, didn't you say the eggs were healthy and spirited?"

Live stream comments: "That's precisely why they're so healthy and spirited."

"Teacher Bai, you didn't actually boil the eggs, did you? I've seen that alchemy cauldron before. Someone forwarded it to me, saying it's a mad egg-boiler who boils eggs."

Live stream comments: "That's right. He boils them every day, boiling all your eggs many times."

Seeing some parents about to cry, Bai Xiaoyu quickly explained, "They're just a bit mischievous and active. My little helper is looking for them. Please wait a bit longer."

The parents were almost losing their tempers, "No matter how mischievous they are, they shouldn't leave the incubation chambers. Teacher Bai, if anything happens to the eggs, I won't let you off."

Bai Xiaoyu: "..."

Not only could they leave the incubation chambers, but they could also tumble and play hide-and-seek with you. The truth is right in front of you, but you don't believe it.

The live stream comments were filled with schadenfreude.

"The eggs are not only messing with the broadcaster but also their own parents."

"Even Big Black betrayed them."

"Brother Broadcaster: In the end, I'm the one carrying everything alone."

Just as the parents were about to drag Bai Xiaoyu to the authorities, Yu Xi returned from outside.

"Brother Bai, we found them."

Bai Xiaoyu: "Where?"

The parents' attention was drawn, and they asked anxiously, "Where? Tell us quickly."

Soon, Bai Xiaoyu led the group out of the incubation center and towards the garden.

As they approached, they noticed someone already there, sitting in a wheelchair, with a tall man standing beside him, his eyes hinting at a touch of wildness.

Bai Xiaoyu was puzzled, "Who are you..."

The man nodded at him. "I'm the parent who was late just now."

Live stream audience: "What a powerful beastman! The streamer has a good chance of hatching a beastman cub now!"

"That's the uniform of the Sixteenth Legion. Look at the bars on his shoulder—it's a colonel, just one step away from brigadier general!"

"Streamer, make a move on this parent, and you won't have to worry about not having eggs to hatch anymore."

The man, Duan Yang, was sizing up Bai Xiaoyu. This is the great treasure our leader saved?

Is he also the provider of that unheard-of elixir that even other comrades in the legion couldn't get with all their military merits?

He thought of his own partner, who had been among those tormented by the insect emperor's toxins but was now able to return to battle thanks to the elixir.

Unfortunately, they couldn't take leave together; otherwise, they could have seen their soon-to-hatch baby together.

"Where are you going? Aren’t you supposed to be doing the mental enlightenment for the little cubs?"

Bai Xiaoyu: "We're heading there right now. Why don't you come along?"

Duan Yang carefully pushed the wheelchair forward.

As they walked, Bai Xiaoyu suddenly stopped. "Parents, you're about to see the eggs. Please prepare yourselves mentally—they might be more lively than you expect."

Some parents frowned. How lively could an egg be? And there were clearly no incubation facilities here—would the eggs really be in such a place?

This concern vanished when they saw a large black egg that gleamed and stood taller than a grown man, followed by eighteen plump white eggs lined up behind it, resembling a general leading a row of soldiers.

The parents were stunned. "Teacher Bai, why did you put these eggs here? What if they bump into something or fall and break?"

Bai Xiaoyu helplessly replied, "I didn't put them here; they came on their own."

The parents naturally didn't believe him. "Then why aren't they moving?"

Bai Xiaoyu: "I'd like to know too."

At that moment, the leading black egg fell forward, followed by the rest. They got up, fell down again, and repeated this process.

They did this a hundred times.

Duan Yang crossed his arms, a broad smile gradually spreading across his face. Good job, guys; your military stance and push-ups look quite impressive.

His gaze shifted to the large black egg, his eyes flickering before quickly moving away. Then, his attention turned to the first egg in line.

They've been trained well by the leader. My son/daughter must have been personally trained by the leader while still in the egg. I can brag about this for the rest of my life once the leader returns!

Finally, the large black egg began rolling towards them, leading the other eggs.

The large black egg stood in front of Bai Xiaoyu and gently swayed, seemingly seeking praise.

Bai Bai, I showed the best side of the eggs. Surprised?

Bai Xiaoyu couldn't help but laugh and cry as he lightly tapped the large black egg's head. "Dahei, you're amazing."

Goodness, you almost got me reported to the authorities by the parents.

The large black egg rubbed against his hand, shaking happily.

Bai Xiaoyu turned around. "Next, I'll introduce the eggs to you."

Parents: "No need to trouble yourself; we can do it ourselves."

Bai Xiaoyu: "How will you recognize them without me telling you?"

Are you going to open blind boxes?

The parents rushed out, each either alone or in pairs, heading towards their chosen egg.

Bai Xiaoyu remained puzzled. "Aren't you afraid of picking the wrong one?"

Duan Yang walked past him. "How could we possibly pick the wrong one? We can recognize our own egg from far away. It's so white, so round, so dazzling—it's definitely my own egg."

Bai Xiaoyu: "..."

Interstellar people can actually identify their own eggs from a pile of faceless eggs?

What an impressive skill!

He patted the large black egg and turned to find the person in the wheelchair being pushed next to him by Duan Yang, watching him and the large black egg.

Bai Xiaoyu: "Aren't you the parent of Egg No. 1? Do you want me to help push you over there?"

The person, wearing a hat and mask, shook their head slightly.

"I am indeed a parent, but not the parent of Egg No. 1."

Bai Xiaoyu: "Which egg are you the parent of then?"

The person glanced at him and the large black egg, smiling without answering.