Chapter 169

Chapter 169

As if sensing Bai Xiaoyu's intention, a silver-white tail probed out and rubbed against his face. Then it circled around his waist and gave a gentle tug as if asking a question.

Next, a furry head poked out from inside the eggshell, its beastly eyes looking at him longingly.

Bai Xiaoyu chuckled and gave Big Black Egg's head a gentle pat. "Just for a bit," he said with a nod.

Big Black Egg's eyes lit up immediately, and the next second, Bai Xiaoyu felt the tail around his waist tighten, pulling him into the egg, and the eggshell above his head was closed.

Bai Xiaoyu blinked. At that moment, he was lying on Big Black Egg's furry belly. First, he noticed how soft it was, and then, how dark it had become.

Once the eggshell was closed, there was basically no light. Now, whether he opened or closed his eyes, there was no difference.

As Bai Xiaoyu got used to the darkness inside the egg, he turned his head and rubbed his face against the furry belly underneath. It felt warm and very comfortable.

Big Black Egg carefully protected the human on his belly with his paws, feeling more excited about bringing Bai Bai back to his eggshell.

In the darkness, Bai Xiaoyu pinched Big Black Egg's paw and leaned against his belly. A strange sense of familiarity and satisfaction welled up, and he suddenly felt sleepy.

Soon, Bai Xiaoyu yawned. Although he had only planned to stay for a short while, the sound of the big tiger's heartbeat slowly lulled him into sleep.

In his dream, he was back to being an egg. This egg was heading towards the sun-drenched silver-white giant tiger's belly on the grass, but a tail caught him and lifted him away from the belly he had been longing for.

At first, the little white egg seemed dazed, but soon it began bouncing on the tail, protesting its capture. It was as if it was complaining about why it couldn't roll on the soft furry belly.

Bai Xiaoyu could sense the little white egg's thoughts. The big tiger had clearly promised him yesterday that after resting properly, he could continue rolling and sleeping on the soft furry belly today.

As this thought surfaced, Bai Xiaoyu also saw the previous scene. It turned out that the little white egg had been talking to itself, and the white tiger hadn't received the message at all.

Bai Xiaoyu couldn't help but feel amused as he watched the little white egg throwing a tantrum. Finally, the white tiger glanced back at the little white egg, who boldly manipulated the egg body and pointed at the tiger's belly with the top of the eggshell, the meaning very clear.

The white tiger didn't respond and, after opening the optical brain, ignored him.

The little white egg deflated like a popped balloon, its energy sapped.

The big tiger was so stingy, not even letting him have a little rub on the belly?

The white tiger didn't move, not even his eyes, as if he was busy with something.

The little white egg soon recovered, tempted by the furry white belly in front of him. After a while, he was full of energy again.

He just needed to wait for the right moment when the big tiger wasn't paying attention, then make a sudden dash and break free.

So, the little white egg gathered all its strength and rushed forward, only to realize that the tail hadn't been holding it tightly at all. As a result, the little white egg flew out like a small cannonball.

Bai Xiaoyu could feel the little white egg's concern: 'What if I hurt the big tiger with this much force?'

Even realizing this, there was no way to stop. In the little white egg's mind, it was yelling for the big tiger to dodge, and it crashed into the furry belly, only to be bounced off again.

Just as the little white egg thought it would be scattered like an egg, the tail caught it and placed it back on the belly it had been longing for.

Feeling satisfied, the little white egg kept rolling around. The big tiger was really nice.

This time, Bai Xiaoyu was different from before. Not only could he sense the little white egg's emotions, but he could also feel his own experience inside the eggshell. The narrow space and the hard shell didn't feel as good as when he was in Big Black Egg's eggshell.

However, the feeling of nestling against the white tiger's belly was incredibly comforting. But now he felt even better because there was no barrier of the eggshell, and he could directly touch Big Black's belly.

Bai Xiaoyu compared and found that Big Black's soft, fluffy belly had changed its shade, but the texture remained the same.

Just then, the sound of footsteps pulled Bai Xiaoyu back from his thoughts. The little white egg noticed it too, and just as he poked his head out from the white belly, a tail wrapped around him.

The Great White Tiger also stopped what he was doing and quickly stood up, looking ahead.

Soon, the visitors came into view. Through the little white egg's perspective, Bai Xiaoyu realized the visitors were his not-so-dear father and the head steward beside him.

Through the little white egg's eyes, Bai Xiaoyu saw the Great White Tiger salute and ask, "Your Majesty, why are you here?"

Bai Qing looked the Great White Tiger up and down. "Marshal Bai, I'm here hoping you'll stay on Imperial Star to heal your wounds. Why the hurry to get back to the battlefield?"

Before the Great White Tiger could reply, Bai Qing's gaze fell on the little white egg on his tail. "You and Little Hundred seem to be getting along well. Just one more month, and you'll get to see Little Hundred hatch."

Bai Xiaoyu could sense the little white egg's fluctuating emotions—the disappointment upon hearing the Great White Tiger might leave, and the little jump of excitement when Bai Qing suggested he stay.

Through the little white egg's perception of Bai Qing, Bai Xiaoyu strangely recognized one of his parents. The feeling of a blood connection was almost overwhelming.

Is this how cubs in eggs feel about their parents? After hatching, as they grow older, this sense might fade, but they can still instantly recognize their parents.

The little white egg was happy and felt hopeful, wishing the Great White Tiger would stay longer.

But the Great White Tiger soon responded, "My injuries are of no concern. A new round of battles could break out at any time, and I need to return to the battlefield as soon as possible."

Bai Qing sighed. "Your health is more important. We've just driven back the Bugs; they won't be returning anytime soon. Why not stay a little longer?"

After speaking, he walked over and reached for the little white egg on the Great White Tiger's tail. "Little Hundred, do you know who I am? Come, let me hold you."

Little Hundred hesitated. Though he was filled with anticipation, the person in front of him was still a stranger, so he hid behind the tiger's tail.

Bai Qing chuckled. "Looks like the little guy is smart and lively, but he’s pretty choosy about who he likes."

Bai Qing was also surprised that the little one could get close to Bai Chen, considering that all the men and women in Imperial Star had failed to do so. It seemed that this unhatched egg had succeeded where others had not.

It was true that the little guy succeeded by being mischievous, cute, and rolling around, but no one else had managed it.

This little guy didn’t like getting close to anyone, including his caretakers and even his father. Now, even his father was being avoided.

Although Bai Qing knew that an unenlightened egg would typically react this way, it was clear that this little one was unusually close to Bai Chen. Was this a sign of favoritism from the cub?

Watching the interaction between the two, Bai Qing didn't show any displeasure, maintaining his original expression, leaving others unable to read his thoughts.

Through the little white egg's perspective, Bai Xiaoyu felt relieved when Bai Qing didn't insist after seeing the egg hide. If Bai Qing had held him, Bai Xiaoyu would have likely woken up from the dream.

Through the little white egg, Bai Xiaoyu could clearly see that Bai Qing's intention was to keep the Great White Tiger around.

Soon, he heard something even more outrageous. Bai Qing said, "There’s been a report that the Sixteenth Legion is working with the Bugs. The investigation team sent by the military hasn't concluded their findings yet. Marshal Bai, it's best if you stay here. By the time the results are out, your wounds will have healed, and you can return to the battlefield then."

After Bai Qing and the head steward left, Bai Xiaoyu watched as the Great White Tiger turned around, placed the little white egg back on his belly, and resumed his tasks.

At this point, the little white egg's consciousness was still quite simple. He didn’t fully understand the conversation between the two but seemed to sense the Great White Tiger's emotions. Reluctantly leaving the warm belly, he bounced forward, seemingly trying to jump onto the Great White Tiger's head, only to be pressed down by a giant paw with thick, pink pads.

The little white egg tried to roll away but couldn't escape the Great White Tiger's grip.

The little white egg's consciousness then popped out and poked the pad. "Big Tiger, pet my head."

Bai Xiaoyu knew that the little white egg seemed to want to comfort the Great White Tiger but couldn’t express it clearly.

At that moment, the giant paw loosened, and the little white egg resumed bouncing around.

The little white egg grumbled and fussed as it was gently pressed down again. The big white tiger lowered its head, and the little white egg immediately started bouncing and rolling around.

A tiny mental energy tendril poked out from the egg, gently rubbing against the fluffy big head. "Pet."

Glancing at the silver-white tiger in front of him, Bai Xiaoyu thought back to the star map that Big Black had shown him. After all the time he spent protecting the star system, it felt wrong to doubt Big Black now. At that moment, he felt an overwhelming urge to tell Big Black that he trusted him.

But across more than twenty years, he couldn't bring himself to say it.

The little white egg, being his childhood form, after being petted for a while, suddenly blurted out, "I trust Big Black."

After saying that, the little white egg felt the large head's movement pause, and then its consciousness became alert.

Bai Xiaoyu noticed that at the moment the little white egg responded, there seemed to be a slight change in the egg's consciousness, an aura that felt familiar. It was different from the newborn consciousness—this was the awakening sign of the original mental energy.

Was this the sign of the original consciousness awakening?

And in that instant, he also detected the presence of the system.

Startled, Bai Xiaoyu called out to the system, "System, what's going on?"

System: "You're dreaming, host."

After saying that, the system continued to play dead and didn't respond.

Bai Xiaoyu wanted to ask more, but then he heard the constant sound of scratching on the eggshell, accompanied by the tiger cubs' growls.

He opened his eyes, only to find darkness in front of him. Outside, he heard the little golden tiger's furious voice, "Big Black, how dare you monopolize Brother! Let Brother out, or I, the Great Emperor, will bring an army to deal with you!"

The little white tiger was also scratching while growling, and even jumped up, trying to lift the eggshell and squeeze in, only to be swatted away by Big Black's tail.

So, Big Black's tail outside started fighting with the two cubs, all while the eggshell didn't shake at all.

Almost the instant Bai Xiaoyu woke up, Big Black noticed, gently patting Bai Xiaoyu with its paw and letting out a low growl, "Bai Bai, keep sleeping."

Bai Xiaoyu couldn't help but find it funny—this method of soothing a child was now being used on him.

He checked the time and realized that even though it didn't feel like much time had passed in the dream, he had actually slept for nearly two hours. No wonder the two little guys outside were so agitated.

He patted Big Black, "Slept for two hours. Now let's go to sleep outside. Next time, we'll have a chance to sleep in the egg again."

Although Big Black was reluctant, since Bai Bai mentioned next time, and even after leaving the eggshell they'd still sleep together, just with two extra "lights" present, it was fine.

So, Big Black nodded, and soon Bai Xiaoyu was sent out by Big Black's tail. The two cubs immediately rushed up, only to bounce off Big Black.

The little white tiger landed gracefully on all fours, while the little golden tiger, caught off guard, landed on its back in the corner of the giant bed.

Another battle ensued, and half an hour later, the exhausted bunch fell asleep together.

Bai Xiaoyu, lying next to three sleeping tigers, with Big Black on his left, the little white tiger on his right, and the little golden tiger sleeping horizontally above his head, gave each of them a pat and soon closed his eyes to sleep.

This time, there was no dream, but in the morning, he woke up to find the touch of Big Black next to him had changed, feeling smooth to the touch.

Bai Xiaoyu opened his eyes abruptly and found himself staring into a pair of extremely black eyes.

Those eyes gave him an incredibly familiar feeling. Bai Xiaoyu was stunned, "Big Black?"

The eyes blinked and replied, "It's me, Bai Bai."

At that moment, an angry tiger roar came from the side. Bai Xiaoyu turned his head to see the little white tiger had also woken up, baring its teeth at Big Black.

Little White Tiger said that when he woke up, he found a naked guy next to his brother. Who can deal with that? This is crazy!

But he soon realized, isn't this just Big Black Egg?

This guy had actually matured! And up until now, he was still bunking with my brother!

Little White Tiger snarled, knowing he couldn’t take on Big Black Egg alone, so he turned to Little Golden Tiger for help. He found Little Golden Tiger spread out like a starfish, still fast asleep.

So he pounced and bit him.

Little Golden Tiger yelped and shot up, glaring at Little White Tiger, "What are you doing?"

Little White Tiger: "Big Black Egg’s turned into a human."

Little Golden Tiger: "So what if he turned human? Why’d you bite me?"

He spun around, eyes wide, and saw a grown man lying on his brother’s bed. And get this—his brother was trying to pull the blanket off him!