Chapter 069

Chapter 069

Bai Xiaoyu wasn't sure. After all, when Xiaoyu was born in such a weak state, they still sent him here without hesitation, showing no sign of care or importance.

Many parents received updates on their eggs from Bai Xiaoyu and then returned to their eggs, watching them grow healthy day by day, their faces naturally breaking into smiles.

Some parents, especially those from the Ninth District, had eggs that were relatively ordinary compared to the blood eggs, yellow eggs, and those sent by the military. Their eggs garnered far less attention in the live streams. But in their eyes, their own eggs were the best and most wonderful, deserving praise ten times a day.

Every live stream, the parents almost never missed an episode, except for the parents from the two military units. Even though they could see the data from the incubation machines through the live stream, they still couldn't help but ask Bai Xiaoyu about their eggs' conditions.

None of this concern was ever shown to Xiaoyu.

While some of the blood eggs also lacked parental attention, the situations were different. Some parents were missing or deceased, while others were alive but absent.

From the very beginning of the live streams, no one ever appeared for Xiaoyu.

Bai Xiaoyu knew he couldn't fully replace the role of parents. A week after his awakening, he hoped that those cheap parents would come to see Xiaoyu.

As Bai Xiaoyu was lost in thought, Xiaoyu was absorbing the nutrients, building up strength to compete with the other two eggs later.

With five minutes left in the live stream, Bai Xiaoyu announced, "Parents, I have something to tell you. In seven days, these eggs will complete this round of dark matter removal. Next, you need to come and participate in their enlightenment. If there are any scheduling conflicts, please let me know as soon as possible. We can adjust the timing based on the specific situation of each egg."

The parents became excited.

"For such a significant event as our child's enlightenment, we will definitely be there on time."

"Understood! This is our first intimate contact with our child. Even though we've done a lot of preparation for the enlightenment, I'm already nervous. I'll continue studying to ensure everything goes smoothly."

"I feel the same way!"

Amidst the excitement and tension of the parents, a person approached Xiaoyu. She had set her avatar to be a beautiful and gentle woman.

It was Feng Shuang'er. This wasn't her usual appearance; she had chosen a generic face to avoid being recognized.

This was her first time using a holographic image to visit. In this immersive environment, the audience could touch the scanned images of the eggs, but the eggs themselves couldn't perceive it. The live stream was too noisy and crowded, with thousands of people potentially overlapping at each egg, making it chaotic.

To ensure the eggs' mental and physical health, the noise from the live stream didn't affect them. Only if selected by Bai Xiaoyu could someone enter a private mode, similar to a one-on-one live stream. For example, the big black egg sometimes enjoyed this treatment. When the audience teased Bai Xiaoyu, he would activate the aggressive mode for the big black egg, fiercely protective.

Now, Bai Xiaoyu had deliberately shielded the big black egg from the live stream, including Bai Kan's metallic egg form, protecting them both.

Due to the large number of people in the live stream, Bai Xiaoyu didn't notice the generic face.

Feng Shuang'er carefully examined the dynamic data displayed on the semi-transparent screen above the incubation chamber, repeatedly checking it several times and comparing it with another set of data on her light brain.

The data was the same as Bai Xiaoyu's, and the more she compared, the worse her expression became.

She still wasn't convinced and reached out to touch the slightly larger-than-football-sized egg. It felt unusually cold and strange.

If she had asked, someone nearby would have answered. Previously, someone had asked about Xiaoyu's condition. Xiaoyu was covered with an outer shell, which made it feel different from other eggs.

Not only that, standing close and observing for a long time, she found this egg weaker and smaller than the others. While the other eggs were causing a commotion in the nursery, this one remained motionless.

Even weaker than Xiaoyu!

Hearing the parents discuss the enlightenment, she looked at the motionless egg and recalled the time at the Royal Nursery when Xiaoyu reached his enlightenment age. She was equally excited back then, even pulling Bai Qing along with her.

At that time, Bai Qing already had ninety-nine children, nearly twenty years after they were forced apart. During those years, she had gone through a failed marriage. Reuniting after twenty years meant little to people in the starry expanse, especially those with high mental and physical abilities. They hadn't aged much, but the person had changed.

Those twenty years had been tough for her. Bai Qing was her first love, and she loved him. But she loved herself more.

After reuniting, Bai Qing indulged her almost entirely. She quickly had a child, whom Bai Qing personally delivered to the Royal Nursery. He also participated in the enlightenment.

Compared to his other children, hers was the only one Bai Qing personally enlightened.

But reality slapped her in the face. The egg showed no reaction to his father's enlightenment. If not for her recognizing it as her own, she might have suspected it was switched.

She knew the egg was hers and Bai Qing's, but others didn't. Coincidentally, her ex-husband found her on Imperial Star and started pestering her, leading to strange looks from others. Fortunately, Bai Qing clarified that the egg was his child, and their expressions softened.

However, as the father, Bai Qing couldn't communicate mentally with the child inside the egg, a rare occurrence in the starry expanse. Due to their unique egg recognition skills, Bai Qing acknowledged it, and some believed he took responsibility because of his love for her.

Although the issue was clarified, it still spread among Bai Qing's lovers, who treated her with disdain whenever they met.

Since the father couldn't do it, she tried herself. No matter how she attempted to connect with the child inside the egg, there was no response!

Later, the child was born with weak mental abilities, rated F, barely above F. Not only were his mental abilities weak, but his physical constitution was also poor, making him the weakest of Bai Qing's children.

The royal pharmacists stated that the child was born with such low mental abilities that he couldn't communicate with his parents during enlightenment.

Now this egg seemed even worse than his brother's situation, possibly unable to be enlightened either.

Exiting the live stream, Feng Shuang'er saw Bai Qing finish reading a document and gently ask, "Xiaoyu said he'll start Xiaoyu's enlightenment next week. When do you plan to leave?"

Feng Shuang'er frowned, "Do you remember Xiaoyu's situation? That child I saw is even worse than Xiaoyu. There's no need for us to go for the enlightenment. So I don't plan to go."

The mocking looks she endured once were enough.

Bai Qing put down the document and walked over, whispering, "Xiaoyu's case is extremely rare. Both parents must be present for Xiaoyu's enlightenment. Besides, since Xiaoyu has been there for so long, you can visit him."

Feng Shuang'er: "I'll think about it."

Bai Qing nodded, "You know I can't leave Imperial Star. I'll arrange everything for your trip. Consider it a vacation. I'll wait for you here."

Seeing Feng Shuang'er's reluctance, Bai Qing added, "There's a skilled pharmacist at Xiaoyu's place. You can talk to him. Perhaps he can help improve your health. Then when you return, we can have another healthy and strong little beastling."

Seeing that Feng Shuang'er was gradually convinced, Bai Qing made the arrangements.

Bai Xiaoyu, who had just turned off the livestream, quickly received a message from Bai Qing. His mother actually wanted to come over to help enlighten the little one.

She's willing to come?

Based on the original host's memories of Feng Shuang'er's personality and behavior, there was a high chance she wouldn't come.

But it's good that she's coming. At least she still cares about the little one. The custody application for the little one is still pending, and if it doesn't get approved, the little one won't be able to stay here and will be taken to Feng Shuang'er's side.

Now that she's willing to come, he's not as worried as before if the little one has to live with her.

Bai Xiaoyu walked up to the little one. The little one, who had been motionless in the incubation compartment, instantly did a carp leap, stood straight up, and hopped towards him, its egg gently swaying, clearly wanting a hug.

The big black egg also stood up, and the silver metallic egg followed.

Bai Xiaoyu patted each egg, "Don't cause trouble now. I have something to tell the little one."

The big black egg and the metallic egg immediately quieted down, and the little one also faced Bai Xiaoyu, its tiny egg body bouncing slightly, as if saying go ahead.

Bai Xiaoyu poked the little one's egg, "Little one, your mother will come in a week to enlighten you. You need to be good then."

Zhang Yi happened to pass by and said, "Isn't the little one's mother the same as Bai Yu's mother? How long will she stay this time? Probably until after the enlightenment and take the little one back?"

The little one paused, having been immersed in the nutrient solution, suddenly lay straight and sank down.

"I'm not sure," Bai Xiaoyu replied, turning to see this scene, his expression surprised, "Little one, what are you doing?"

Usually, the little one would excitedly roll over when called, but now it remained motionless, even flipping over to face away from him and lying there.

Bai Xiaoyu called out a few more times, but the little one still refused to move.

He reached out to touch the little one, but the small white egg spun around in the nutrient solution, avoiding his hand, and ran to the corner of the incubation compartment to sulk.

Seeing this, Bai Xiaoyu sighed; the little one was angry.

The big black egg hopped out and stuck close to Bai Xiaoyu, gently rubbing against him.

Bai Xiaoyu patted its egg body, and the little one inside also moved slightly, but quickly forced itself to stop.

At this moment, the metallic egg hopped in front of him, and his optical brain flashed. He opened it to see.

Bai Kan: "Are you really going to send this dog brother away?"

Bai Xiaoyu slapped the metallic egg hard, "Speak properly. The little one is a tiger beastman like you, don't give him nicknames."

The big tiger inside the metallic egg couldn't help scratching the eggshell and quickly replied, "Hmph, he usually acts very dog-like. It's not bad to send him away, but your mother isn't good at raising kids. Aren't you afraid she'll ruin him?"

Bai Xiaoyu frowned, "I want to keep the little one too."

At this moment, the small white egg in the incubation compartment seemed to turn over quietly, its body slowly floating up, as if listening intently.

Seeing this, Bai Xiaoyu's gaze softened, "But the custody of the little one isn't mine, and as an older brother, perhaps the child needs parents more for growth."

The small white egg, which had just floated up, sank again, making a dull thud.

Bai Xiaoyu: "..."

Bai Kan: "...Angry, looks like it clearly doesn't want to leave you. But without custody, it's indeed troublesome."

If it were someone else, he could think of ways. This person was their stepfather, who had everything, leaving him helpless.

Bai Xiaoyu: "I applied, but it hasn't been approved yet."

Bai Kan: "It's probably stuck at the parental level. Just stuck, not rejected?"

Bai Xiaoyu nodded, "Stuck for over a month."

Bai Kan: "That's a bit strange, but this way, you might still have a chance."

Bai Xiaoyu fell into deep thought, and the two eggs squeezed closer to him, and he habitually patted their egg bodies.

The black and silver eggs swayed gently, satisfied.

But the small white egg in the incubation compartment, trying to remain still, trembled slightly, looking like a two or three-year-old child about to cry from frustration.

The aggrieved little one held back, and Bai Xiaoyu looked up to see it like this, feeling both amused and exasperated.

He reached out again, and this time the small white egg didn't dodge.

Bai Xiaoyu picked up the little one, who remained motionless, seemingly still angry.

But when Bai Xiaoyu looked away, the small white egg subtly snuggled closer to his chest. When he looked at it again, it stopped moving, pretending to be in a cold war.

Bai Xiaoyu started to comfort the little one, while the other two eggs watched, wishing they could pack this guy up and take him away right away.

On the other side, Old Qi received an encrypted message.

Bai Qi saw Old Qi stop his work; it was a transparent biological chip. This chip had already been successfully implanted into the brains of the warriors soaking in the containers outside.

These warriors, who had successfully implanted the chips, had become obedient fighting machines.

The numbers had been increasing gradually, and after adapting to their bodies, Bai Qi began to let them handle various weapons and mechs.

While the chip worked well with the warriors, it wasn't suitable for the mass inside the egg-shaped container in front of them.

He wanted to control this powerful weapon as soon as possible, since they hadn't yet allowed it to absorb various energies, and the insect prince at this stage was still weak and easier to handle. Moreover, if they waited too long, the insect emperor might find them.

They had to change locations every so often.

Now at this critical moment, Old Qi suddenly stopped, and he couldn't help but speak up: "Old Qi?"

Old Qi put away the chip, unbuttoned his white lab coat, and his tone suddenly became a bit excited. "Your father asked me to accompany Feng Shuang'er to Bai Xiaoyu's side to find out about that Master Alchemist's whereabouts. I also want to see for myself if the person whose mental strength I repeatedly tested as F and deemed irrecoverable has indeed recovered."

Of course, he didn't finish. Back then, those two had their own purposes. If Bai Xiaoyu had recovered, he could probe further. He was also very interested in that Master Alchemist.

Bai Qi: "That sounds good. We'll put the research on hold, and I'll take this opportunity to relocate the Prince."

Days passed, and soon it was the day before the enlightenment ceremony.

In these days, Bai Xiaoyu helped the eggs complete another round of dark matter removal. In just one week, the eggs had grown significantly, even Xiao Budian wasn't an exception.

When evening came, he received a message from Feng Shuang'er and was taken aback. He looked down at Xiao Budian, who had been gradually returning to normal and vying for attention by his side. After some thought, he decided not to tell Xiao Budian yet; otherwise, he would likely be upset again and toss and turn all night like last time.

He went alone to meet them, not bringing Da Hei Dan or any of the others.

The spacecraft landed where Xiao Budian had previously landed. Standing in front was a person with an extremely handsome face, matching the gentle and graceful figure in his memory.

Beside her was an elderly man with graying hair, a ruddy complexion, and no wrinkles typical of middle-aged or older people. The man was curiously sizing up Bai Xiaoyu, seemingly trying to discern something from him.

Bai Xiaoyu frowned. Although the other person appeared merely curious, he did not miss the fleeting look in their eyes. This person gave him an uneasy feeling, making him secretly vigilant.

Feng Shuang'er, seeing the completely transformed Bai Xiaoyu, was stunned for a moment. Is this... Xiaoyu?

Even Old Qi was surprised by the current Bai Xiaoyu. With his high mental strength and years of experience in reading people, he quickly sensed the aura emanating from Bai Xiaoyu. This made him even more excited, indicating a significant possibility of mental strength recovery.

At this moment, Qi Yanhuan, returning from a walk, suddenly clutched her stomach; the egg seemed to have moved just now.

Simultaneously, within Old Qi's suitcase, the blue filament in a transparent test tube, which hadn't been stored in the spatial button due to being alive, also began to move.