Chapter 50

Chapter 50

The parasitic egg meant that the bizarre parasite could not be removed, otherwise, it would kill the life within the egg as well. If the life inside had already been consumed, he might attempt to exterminate the parasite completely.

Seeing Bai Xiaoyu retract his hand, the scarred man anxiously asked, "How is my partner? Is there any hope?"

Bai Xiaoyu: "That creature has formed a symbiotic relationship with the yolk. I can't guarantee anything, but I'll do my best."

The woman on the bed seemed to hear him and moved her fingers slightly.

The scarred man turned to look at his partner on the bed. "Then I leave it to you. If necessary, I choose my partner."

Bai Xiaoyu nodded. "Understood."

The scarred man stayed by the bedside while Bai Xiaoyu left for a moment and returned with nutrient solution.

The nutrient solution was extremely gentle, easily absorbed by the egg, and enjoyed by Xiao Xi and the others. Even ordinary people could drink it to replenish energy. Besides, the woman was a beastkin; if she were an ordinary human, she would have been drained long ago.

Bai Xiaoyu handed a bottle of nutrient solution to Qin Lie, the scarred man. "This is nutrient solution. Feed it to your partner; she needs to replenish her energy."

Qin Lie's expression turned pained. "I fed her something not long ago, but every time she eats, the thing inside becomes restless and starts absorbing her nutrients. That's when she suffers the most. But if I don't feed her, she won't be able to hold on."

Bai Xiaoyu knew this was true and fell silent for a moment. "Feed her first, and I'll use my mental power to see what's happening."

Qin Lie took a deep breath. "We have no other choice. It's also time for her to replenish nutrients."

He carefully helped her sit up. "Little Huan, come, eat something."

The woman slowly opened her eyes. Her cheeks were deeply sunken, making her look like a gaunt mummy, and her eyes appeared large on her face. The contours still hinted at her former beauty.

Qi Yanhuan had no strength to speak, merely nodding slightly, which seemed to exhaust her. She needed to conserve energy for the ordeal after consuming the liquid food.

Qin Lie opened the nutrient solution and both of them felt invigorated by its scent.

Qin Lie carefully fed Qi Yanhuan the nutrient solution. Soon after drinking it, she felt a warm sensation in her stomach and regained some strength. However, before she could feel relieved, the intense pain in her abdomen began earlier than usual!

Seeing Qi Yanhuan curling up in pain, Bai Xiaoyu quickly looked at her belly, where several bulges started moving around.

This was much sooner than Qin Lie had described.

Without hesitation, he probed with his mental power and found the blue tentacles reacting instinctively to absorb nutrients. The shell inside the egg was now only a thin transparent layer, not yet hardened. A mass inside moved, and soon several thin segmented blue tentacles emerged from the soft shell, their suckers expanding and contracting before heading in one direction.

That direction was clearly towards the internal organs. Bai Xiaoyu realized the nutrient solution attracted the beastkins, and now it attracted these tentacles too. They couldn't wait to enter the organs directly.

Even if they didn't, he wouldn't let them root deeply into the mother's flesh like the others. His mental power threads rushed forward and stabbed the leading tentacle hard. The tentacle recoiled sharply, seemingly in pain.

Seeing it worked, Bai Xiaoyu targeted the other tentacles. Just as he was about to attack, his wrist was suddenly grabbed by a cold, thin hand.

Bai Xiaoyu looked down at Qi Yanhuan's pleading eyes. She endured the pain and managed to say, "Don't hurt him."

Bai Xiaoyu sighed and nodded. "Okay."

Then he extended more mental power threads, whipping the tentacles back.

The tentacles seemed confused but quickly charged again, only to be whipped back repeatedly.

Observing for a while, Bai Xiaoyu noticed the tentacles weren't very intelligent, acting purely on instinct without conscious control.

However, this wasn't sustainable. The tentacles already embedded in the mother's body were digging deeper and trying to move upward.

Thinking that the tentacles preferred the nutrient solution, Bai Xiaoyu decided to let them absorb it fully rather than taking nutrients from the mother. He used a syringe to inject nutrient solution directly into the amniotic fluid.

The tentacles stopped moving upward, their suckers opening and closing rapidly, absorbing the nutrient solution.

Qi Yanhuan, who had been struggling, suddenly stopped. Though the pain remained, it was lighter than ever before.

The nutrient solution was quickly absorbed, and Bai Xiaoyu noticed the blue tentacles becoming restless again.

Well, today, he wouldn't let them stop until they were full.

Bai Xiaoyu injected nutrient solution each time the tentacles finished absorbing. By the tenth injection, the unrooted tentacles seemed to belch and slowly retreated into the transparent eggshell, and the rooted ones also calmed down.

Qi Yanhuan felt the constant pain that had been plaguing her disappear.

After consuming the nutrient solution, she even gained enough strength to sit up, surprising and delighting Qin Lie.

The couple looked at Bai Xiaoyu gratefully. Before they could express their thanks, Bai Xiaoyu spoke. "For now, everything is fine. You two should talk. I'll leave."

Soon after, Qin Lie came over to thank Bai Xiaoyu and said, "Here are the coordinates of the planet with those herbs. I'll send them to you now. If you need me to guide you, I will."

Bai Xiaoyu: "Thank you. I need those herbs."

Bai Xiaoyu observed for three days, confirming that as long as the tentacles were fed, Qi Yanhuan would be safe. He arranged for someone to care for her and inject nutrient solution regularly. Then, he joined Qin Lie and Lou Hao on a spacecraft to find the Cleansing Grass.

This was Bai Xiaoyu's first time traveling between planets via spacecraft, and he felt dizzy throughout the journey.

There was no way around it; his physical condition wasn't great. He had improved since his original self would sometimes pass out during spacecraft jumps.

Spacecrafts were basic interstellar vehicles. Anyone showing abnormalities during spacecraft travel couldn't operate mechs. Specifically, those with physical or mental strength below C-level couldn't control mechs. Fighting in mechs required high physical and mental strength, especially during collisions, rolls, and rapid jumps.

Thus, pure humans and half-beastkins rarely met the standards, while naturally combat-suited beastkins did so more often, making them the frontline fighters in battles.

Bai Xiaoyu was interested in mechs but knew his current body couldn't handle the intense operations.

They soon arrived at the location Qin Lie mentioned, a valley beneath a cliff.

Qin Lie explained that he found this place while fleeing from insectoids, accidentally crashing his mech here. Later, with no energy left, he stayed for a while and noticed the local wildlife was exceptionally strong and larger than elsewhere. Even a rabbit he encountered could kick down a small tree.

Finding these animals strange, he observed them and discovered they frequently ate a certain herb. Seeing no ill effects on the animals, he tried it himself. The subsequent pain was unforgettable, but the surprise afterward was even more profound.

This is actually a medicinal herb that can enhance physical strength and mental power!

As a freelance mercenary, the tasks he took on were always full of danger. Three months ago, he discovered that his partner was two months pregnant, so he planned to trade this batch of herbs with a stellar pharmaceutical company to obtain enough credits to live a simple life with his wife and child. Who would have thought that such an incident would disrupt all his plans?

Now, he only wishes for his wife and child to live well. He has no complaints about giving these herbs to Bai Xiaoyu as payment.

The group landed in a small valley below the cliff, where it was peaceful and filled with birdsong and floral fragrance.

Qin Lie led the way, and they soon arrived at the northeastern part of the valley. There, surrounded by rocks, was a plot of land about one mu in size, completely covered with Xiansui Grass, estimated to be tens of thousands of plants.

Even more surprising was that, as Qin Lie had said, due to their unknown growth period, most of the Xiansui Grass had matured seeds.

The three of them worked for a day, harvesting over thirty thousand mature Xiansui Grass plants. Each plant typically had two or three seeds, plus the ones that had fallen to the ground and accumulated without spoiling, totaling ninety thousand seeds.

Though not many, these herbs were barely enough for him for now. The seeds, although requiring a long time to cultivate, were better than having none at all. Once this batch of Xiansui Grass matures, they could collect more seeds.

However, to eliminate dark matter and become a supplier of Xiansui Elixir to more planets, this amount of Xiansui Grass is still far from sufficient.

Bai Xiaoyu stored all the herbs in the system storage space. The Xiansui Grass occupied one slot, and the seeds occupied another. He left the unripe ones and those damaged by animals untouched. These could be left for the local animals; apart from the parts with compromised medicinal properties, they could also deter the animals. Most of them would only gnaw on the outer Xiansui Grass, preventing the inner unripe ones from being eaten.

He planned to sustainably develop the Xiansui Grass in this small valley. Additionally, they found quite a few other herbs and seeds in the valley, making this trip even better than he had imagined. Bai Xiaoyu was very satisfied.

Soon, they returned to the cultivation facility.

As soon as they stepped off the spacecraft, they were greeted by Dahai Dan, who rushed over and rubbed against them, causing Bai Xiaoyu to stumble. Simultaneously, he felt movement from Xiaobudian's tiny tentacles. He patted Dahai Dan, thinking, "It's just been a day, do they really need to act like this?"

Beside him, Lou Hao watched the scene with a twitching corner of his mouth. If it weren't for the fact that one of them was still an egg, he might have mistaken them for a couple reuniting after a long separation. But what kind of long separation was a single day?

They walked inside and saw Qi Yanhuan strolling in the garden accompanied by a robot, taking slow steps. As she walked, she gently touched her belly, and her complexion visibly improved. Seeing them, she smiled and greeted them.

Qin Lie almost immediately went over and carefully supported her, "Why did you come out?"

Qi Yanhuan: "After several months, I finally feel well enough to walk around."

She gently pulled away his hand, saying, "I'm fine. Don't forget, I'm also a beastman. I've recovered well these past few days, and the egg hasn't been causing any trouble. You can go attend to your business. See if you can help our benefactor."

Qin Lie: "...Okay."

Hadn't he just returned? Nevertheless, he was excited to feel his partner's spirit returning, stronger than his own combat abilities.

Qi Yanhuan turned to Bai Xiaoyu, "Master Bai, thank you for everything these past few days. If you need anything, feel free to ask Qin Lie to help. Don't let him idle around."

"I've already received my payment."

Bai Xiaoyu walked over, followed by Dahai Dan, who kept rubbing against him.

Lou Hao couldn't bear to watch; even true partners didn't act this clingy.

Bai Xiaoyu approached Qi Yanhuan, obtained her permission, and gently placed his hand on her belly, using his mental power to check. The tentacles were calm, clearly growing larger over the past few days, with their suckers becoming rounder and fuller.

"For now, everything is fine." Bai Xiaoyu saw that the other person wanted to say something but hesitated, clearly knowing what they were about to ask. "Don't worry; Egg Yolk's condition is much better than yours."

Bai Xiaoyu thought of those suction cups tightly attached inside Qi Yanhuan's body, varying in size and length, penetrating to different depths. Some had already pierced through her entire abdomen, forming lumps. As time passed, these incisions would become deeper and thicker, with barbs on the outside, making them impossible to pull out.

Moreover, after absorbing the nutrient solution for several days, the tentacles had evolved. The originally light blue color had deepened, and the incisions had become longer and more flexible.

Something had to be done.

Bai Xiaoyu returned to the cultivation room with the big black egg, picked up the little one with its tiny tentacles expressing grievance, and comforted it for a while.

He then went to check on the interns' training progress. Over the past few days, more than half of the interns had completed the first stage of mental strength enhancement and had moved into the advanced training area next door.

The top five individuals were making rapid progress, especially Zhou Miaomiao and Ren Zitao, both at the peak of double S mental strength, who were almost touching the first target. They hadn't neglected their training with various herbs either, though they still ended up exploding eggs every day.

Bai Xiaoyu was very satisfied. The most urgent matter at hand was this egg that could take the mother's life at any moment.

He spent the night refining several batches of herbs, constantly thinking about this issue. The next day, when he injected the nutrient solution into Qi Yanhuan again, he observed for an hour with his mental strength. Finally, he managed to catch one of the suction cups that had penetrated shallowly into the flesh and automatically pulled it out when he retracted the barbs.

After regaining freedom, it happily absorbed the nutrient solution from the amniotic fluid. After finishing, it reinserted itself.

Bai Xiaoyu's eyes flickered. Since they couldn't be forcibly pulled out, he would make them come out voluntarily.

He took out the highest-grade nutrient solution he had refined. The herbs he found in the black market and the small valley over the past few days were perfect for making the ultimate nourishing nutrient solution.

Looking at the thick, dark green liquid that was nearly solid, he also refined another type of medicine. It appeared transparent but formed a highly viscous and stretchy outer membrane. This was originally used to seal the gap between the medicine bottle and its stopper. The outer layer was smooth and non-sticky when wet, but once inserted, it was hard to pull out, especially for the numerous tiny suction cups.

Bai Xiaoyu went to Qin Lie and Qi Yanhuan to discuss this plan. After they agreed, he proceeded to the next step.

He first injected the transparent medicine, forming a clear sphere inside. Using his mental strength to fix it in place, he then extracted some of the mother's amniotic fluid and replaced it with the ultimate nourishing nutrient solution. Soon, the sphere began to expand, becoming slightly smaller than the translucent egg inside.

At this point, the tentacles inside the egg seemed to sense something and rushed out faster than before, only to be caught by Bai Xiaoyu's mental strength threads.

Now that you've eaten your fill, how willing will the other suction cups be to come out?

There weren't many of these tentacles, but they seemed to have evolved even further. The incisions seemed to have a metallic sharpness, and he wasn't sure if the membrane could withstand their attacks. He had to use his mental strength to violently pull them back, leaving them to smell the nutrients without getting any. The other tentacles couldn't wait anymore and slowly pulled out their incisions, retracting the barbs.

Bai Xiaoyu had given Qi Yanhuan a restorative beforehand. When the incisions came out, she only twitched slightly, finding the pain tolerable compared to the previous agony of having her bone marrow sucked out.

Seeing that she was doing well, Bai Xiaoyu focused entirely on dealing with the tentacles and suction cups inside.

The first suction cup emerged, carrying a cluster of pulsating incisions, and eagerly plunged into the green sphere. However, the incisions created a tangle of blue filaments inside the sphere, preventing penetration. The other suction cups became even more agitated.

Soon, the second suction cup inserted itself, followed by the third...

Within fifteen minutes, the originally dark green transparent sphere was covered with countless suction cups.

Bai Xiaoyu watched as the last few deeply embedded tentacles continued to pull out. He waited a bit longer, knowing he could soon get them all.

Finally, when the last suction cup pulled out, Bai Xiaoyu breathed a sigh of relief.

And Qi Yanhuan, drenched in sweat, was stunned. Under the restoration of the repair agent, she could no longer feel the constant agony and looked utterly disbelieving.

Apart from Bai Xiaoyu and the patient herself, Qin Lie paced anxiously nearby like a cat on a hot tin roof, unable to disturb Bai Xiaoyu and could only tightly hold his partner's hand.

Bai Xiaoyu, seeing all the suction cups ensnared, released the few tentacles he had been holding back with his mental power.

As expected, these tentacles quickly broke through the thin film to absorb the nutrients inside. To prevent the sphere from shrinking, Bai Xiaoyu injected ordinary nutrient solution into it, leaving water behind after absorption.

After these tentacles finished absorbing, they withdrew in satisfaction, disregarding the other suction cups still trapped. Naturally, the other suction cups ceased struggling and calmed down once the main body had its fill. Moreover, the yolk inside remained unharmed and even improved in color due to the high-quality nutrients absorbed. It seemed that as long as these tentacles were controlled, they would no longer pose a threat to the host.

Bai Xiaoyu relayed this information to the couple, watching them embrace each other, crying and laughing as they thanked him.

At this moment, Lou Hao brought another piece of good news: the first section of the pharmaceutical base had been preliminarily constructed.