Chapter 74 Turning Human

Chapter 74: Turning Human

Ji Anzhi woke up early the next morning.

There was a gap in the roof of the cave, letting the morning sunlight stream in. Ji Anzhi looked around but didn't see Qi Yanshen. He guessed Qi Yanshen had gone out to scout the area or look for food, so he didn't worry.

He decided he'd just wait safely in the cave. He was clear about his own position—a weak Beta. His main job was to not cause trouble.

Sure enough, not long after, Qi Yanshen returned with a few small, rodent-like animals, with brown patterned fur, still squeaking in alarm.

Seeing Ji Anzhi was awake, Qi Yanshen explained that they should conserve their nutrient solutions and try to see if the local animals were edible.

While speaking, Qi Yanshen took out a dagger and smoothly skinned and deboned one of the animals with practiced ease. The sight sent a chill down Ji Anzhi's spine, reminding him of yesterday's book "Interrogation Psychology." He couldn't shake the feeling that Qi Yanshen was warning him.

Living under someone else's roof meant he needed protection. Ji Anzhi obediently sat to the side like a vase, even though he wasn't a particularly attractive one—just average.

Students in the Command and Combat Departments had all learned outdoor survival skills; they could even eat raw meat if necessary. But Ji Anzhi obviously couldn't. Qi Yanshen had to rely on his limited culinary knowledge, taking out the few seasonings from his Space Bracelet—salt and cumin—to flavor the meat.

Fortunately, this animal's meat was relatively tender with a good balance of fat and lean. As long as the fire was controlled properly, the taste wouldn't be too bad.

Qi Yanshen had checked beforehand; this type of meat contained no fatal toxins. He cut off a piece and ate it. After waiting a few minutes and deciding it was safe, he handed the roast to Ji Anzhi.

Ji Anzhi tasted it. It was okay. If he had been the one roasting it, it would have been a waste of food.

After the meal, Ji Anzhi burped. Even though he hadn't eaten much, he felt somewhat full and silently rubbed his stomach.

Xiaoxue also woke up just as Ji Anzhi was finishing his meal. The first thing she did upon waking was beg for food. Qi Yanshen brought her the raw meat he had prepared earlier, and Xiaoxue didn't hold back, devouring it heartily.

After eating, Ji Anzhi suggested they go outside for a walk. He also needed to familiarize himself with the surrounding environment.

The two of them and the cat walked out of the cave. There were many low shrubs near the cave entrance. The slope downhill was quite steep. It was manageable when dry, but if it rained, stopping would be impossible.

Not far away were a few fruit trees. Qi Yanshen had checked them; the fruits were edible but extremely sour, even more sour than lemons. One bite almost sent him to the afterlife.

After familiarizing themselves with the nearby area, Qi Yanshen began searching for dry wood and cut some trees to bring back for drying. That way, they wouldn't produce thick smoke when burned.

Ji Anzhi wanted to help but was cut off by Qi Yanshen saying, "Just hold Xiaoxue and make sure she doesn't fall." He could only silently follow behind, watching Qi Yanshen gather firewood and carry it back to the cave.

Back in the cave, Qi Yanshen enlarged the opening in the ceiling a bit more to let in better light.

Both their smart devices now retained only basic functions, along with offline downloaded materials and videos to watch. Bored, Ji Anzhi flipped through review materials and continued modifying his starship design. Qi Yanshen also continued repairing Thor.

Just as they were both peacefully occupied, a weak voice from Ji Anjue echoed in Ji Anzhi's mind: 'Anzhi... I'm so hungry... ah... wuwu... my stomach is so empty...'

Ji Anzhi immediately understood. He hurriedly searched his Space Bracelet for Psychic Stimulant. Previously, he had poured it out one tube at a time. Today, hearing Ji Anjue's weak voice, Ji Anzhi directly poured out three tubes, anxiously asking about Ji Anjue's condition in his mind.

Ji Anjue replied half-dead: 'That's about right... I also need nutrient solution... Can you pour three more tubes in an hour? My Guoguo also needs nutrients... I'm almost drained dry... Wu...'

Ji Anzhi hastily agreed in his mind. After all, Ji Anjue had ended up like this because he saved them. Ji Anjue was already in his fruiting period, requiring massive amounts of psychic stimulation and nutrients. This incident had nearly taken half his little life.

A few minutes later, after Ji Anjue regained some vitality, he started crying pitifully again in Ji Anzhi's mind.

'Ah wuwuwuwu... Anzhi, what should I do? Those disgusting bugs want to eat me! They know I exist, will they come after me?... Can you... no... don't go wandering anymore. I'm scared. Can we just stay on the Military Academy Star? Wuwu...'

Ji Anjue's soft, cute voice was filled with fear. Ji Anzhi could understand. He promised Ji Anjue that he would stay on the Military Academy Star until the Bug Swarm was over and would definitely not take Ji Anjue to the Zerg front lines to live in fear again.

It was practically child abuse!

After spending considerable effort calming Ji Anjue down, Ji Anzhi had Xiaoxue play with Ji Anjue. He himself needed some peace and quiet; children could be really noisy.

Ji Anzhi glanced over at Qi Yanshen and found him still repairing the mecha, not having noticed the situation here. Relieved, Ji Anzhi continued reading his materials.

By noon, Qi Yanshen had deftly skinned and roasted the remaining two brown rodents, brushing them with a bit of the sour fruit juice for flavor. The taste turned out surprisingly delicious. Ji Anzhi sincerely thanked Qi Yanshen; if not for him, he would probably starve to death here sooner or later.

After finishing the roasted meat, Qi Yanshen asked, "Do you have any spare parts or something?"

Ji Anzhi asked Qi Yanshen what parts he needed and rummaged through his own Space Bracelet according to the requirements. In the end, he only found a few of the parts Qi Yanshen needed, but it was enough for him.

Picking up the parts, Qi Yanshen continued repairing the mecha. After he left, Ji Anjue started chatting with Ji Anzhi.

Having gone through this incident, Ji Anjue, who originally wanted to find his ancestral home from his inherited memories, now directly wanted to settle in the Federation. If possible, he wanted to put down roots right on the Military Academy Star. After all, from others' memories, he learned that the Federation was the most powerful nation, and the Military Academy Star was the safest of the safe!

Ji Anjue searched his inherited memories and asked Ji Anzhi if he minded being a single parent.

"Cough! Cough cough cough... cough cough..."

Ji Anzhi coughed violently, sounding like the world was ending. Qi Yanshen immediately dropped what he was doing to ask what was wrong. Ji Anzhi managed to catch his breath and said, "Cough cough... it's... cough nothing... just accidentally choked... cough..."

Seeing Ji Anzhi's speech gradually return to normal and his complexion look fine, Qi Yanshen reluctantly set his mind at ease and went back to repairing the mecha.

Ji Anzhi turned and pinched one of Ji Anjue's leaves, questioning him in his mind: 'What madness are you spouting?'

Ji Anjue probably also felt his topic shift was too abrupt and said with less confidence: 'I looked through my inherited memories and found I can use my fruits to simulate a biological form. I only have four Guoguo this time, which should definitely be enough to simulate and construct a human body. I...'

'Wait wait wait wait! What do you mean?'

Ji Anjue thought Ji Anzhi didn't understand and searched human knowledge for a simple explanation: 'It means I can use my fruits to create a human flesh body and transfer my psychic consciousness into this human body, disguising myself as a human that even genetic testing can't detect.'

Ji Anzhi had always thought Ji Anjue was unusual, but this news truly made his common sense crumble a bit.

It was like being told one day that humans could naturally turn into caterpillars—utterly unbelievable...

Ji Anzhi looked at the vibrant green plant in front of him, giving it a pinch. The texture felt like a succulent. No matter how he looked, it didn't seem like something that could turn into a human.

Sensing Ji Anzhi's disbelief, Ji Anjue felt extremely wronged. Wasn't he just scared? Becoming human would allow him to settle in a safe area of the Federation. How great would that be!

Ji Anzhi could guess some of Ji Anjue's thoughts, but he still had a bit of trouble accepting the fact that Ji Anjue could become human. Let alone becoming a single father for his sake—it was too absurd...

After arduously preparing himself mentally, Ji Anzhi barely managed to accept that the plant he was raising was not only an intelligent being but also one that could perfectly disguise itself as a human.

'No.'

Ji Anjue panicked. Why not!?

'Can't you just say later that you saw me pitiful and couldn't bear it, so you wanted to adopt me?'

Ji Anzhi was almost speechless, facepalming internally: 'Have you seen anyone who just became an adult not long ago already raising a child? Nowadays, people generally have their first child in their fifties. I'm not even twenty yet and adopting a child—is that reasonable? Besides, the adoption procedure requires an age difference of one hundred years between both parties; otherwise, it's considered pedophilia!'

Ji Anjue, refusing to believe it, checked his memories and found that seemed to be true indeed. Ji Anjue pleaded pitifully: 'How about... you fake a pregnancy? I remember male Betas can get pregnant too, it's just a bit difficult... Ahhhhhhhh ouch ouch ouch ouch ouch ouch!'

Looking at the leaf almost crushed to bits in Ji Anzhi's hand, Ji Anjue wisely shut up. He wasn't asking him to actually get pregnant, why be so stingy? And pulling my leaves... ah wuwu...

If he knew what Ji Anjue was thinking, Ji Anzhi would definitely throw Ji Anjue into a bug pile to fend for himself.

What did he mean by fake pregnancy? How could he, clean and innocent, suddenly being pregnant not raise questions? Besides, with his current identity, if he got pregnant, wouldn't that be like a wolf entering a tiger's den? The military academy would investigate, and his identity would be completely exposed.

The smile on Ji Anzhi's face widened. He wiped the green juice from his hand clean and gently stroked Ji Anjue's barely formed Guoguo, issuing a silent threat.

'Little friend Ji Anjue, don't force me to feed you to the bugs.'

Ji Anjue picked up on Ji Anzhi's train of thought and immediately became obedient. If he disagreed now, so be it; he could try again later. Best not to argue with his financial backer—it might lead to being fed to the bugs.

'Got it, I was wrong.'

Seeing Ji Anjue finally let go of his obsession, Ji Anzhi moved his hand away from the fruit. Spoiled brats needed discipline.

Leaving the subject aside, Ji Anzhi continued reviewing materials for modifying the Star Eagle.

He thought their chances of being rescued were quite high—six months at the very most. After all, Qi Yanshen was the eldest son of Commander Qi. If he'd gone missing in war, that would be one thing, but going missing during a final exam, and mainly because of a military screw-up, would surely prompt the Legion and the academy to search high and low until they confirmed his death.

Besides, Thor's jump drive was an experimental model. Experimental jumpers couldn't leap as far as standard starship drives. Since there were no Zerg around, they were likely within human star territory. It was only a matter of time before they were found.

He just wasn't sure if the academy would tamper with his starship in the meantime. Even though the probability was low, Ji Anzhi was still a bit worried. He didn't want the modifications on the starship to be discovered.

Looking at the blueprint on the panel, Ji Anzhi wasn't satisfied. He wiped it and started from scratch, simultaneously thinking about how to claim compensation upon returning.

He still needed many rare metals. After returning, he'd see if he could get them. He wasn't about to suffer for nothing.

As evening fell, a fierce wind kicked up outside. Within seconds, rain came down in sheets, and the sky darkened prematurely.

The opening above was shielded by a large rock, so only a few stray drops made it in. The air above, due to intensified airflow and the sharp drop in external temperature, caused the cave's temperature to plummet. Even Xiaoxue, who feared fire, huddled close to the fire for warmth.

Ji Anzhi wasn't faring much better. His combat suit had been damaged during the turbulence from the jump. Although still functional, its insulation was greatly reduced, not to mention the suppressants in his body slowing blood circulation, making his heat retention lower than normal.

This left Ji Anzhi sitting on his sleeping bag, pulling out the only blanket in his Space Bracelet to drape over himself, covering his head. He took off his leather boots, placing his jade-white feet on the fire-warmed stone in front of him, rubbing his hands together by the fire.

When Qi Yanshen emerged from inside the mecha, this was what he saw.

Noticing the cave's temperature had dropped sharply, a good ten degrees colder than the night before, and considering Ji Anzhi's poor health this semester, no wonder he was huddled up like that.

Qi Yanshen searched his Space Bracelet and, sure enough, found no heating supplies—not even a blanket—only a few spare shirts and underwear. The only heating items were probably the two sleeping bags under Ji Anzhi.

Qi Yanshen stepped forward to add firewood to the fire, took out the metal container found earlier to boil water, then skinned and prepared the remaining zong mouse for roasting.

Ji Anzhi watched from the side. Subjectively, he felt he should help, but given his current state, he'd probably just get in the way, so he didn't offer.

It's just that roasting meat was so tedious. While waiting, Ji Anzhi's uncooperative little stomach growled loudly, even drawing Xiaoxue's curious gaze, let alone Qi Yanshen's. Ji Anzhi finally blushed in embarrassment, ducking his head in mortification.

"Done."

Ji Anzhi looked up to see the steaming, aromatic, perfectly roasted meat before him. His stomach cheered with another growl. Blushing, Ji Anzhi accepted it with thanks.

Qi Yanshen had given him just the right portion—enough to fill him without being too much. Looking at the portion in Qi Yanshen's hand, though much larger than his own, Ji Anzhi knew an alpha's appetite; this wouldn't be enough.

Finding some snacks in his Space Bracelet—though not many—as a gesture of goodwill, Ji Anzhi handed them to Qi Yanshen.

Perhaps not expecting Ji Anzhi to offer snacks, Qi Yanshen was momentarily taken aback, but finally accepted them with a stoic expression, saying thank you.

After the meal, Ji Anzhi grew drowsy, but the icy temperature kept him from sleeping. Even curled in his sleeping bag, the temperature was similar—like falling into an ice cave.

Just as Ji Anzhi was cursing the damned weather, Qi Yanshen walked over and sat down, saying, "Do you want me to help warm you up?"

Sleepiness instantly vanished like scattered birds. Ji Anzhi instinctively wrapped the small blanket tightly around himself, wary, and said, "No need, I think the temperature is fine."

Qi Yanshen didn't say anything. He picked up his smart device and took a photo of Ji Anzhi, then showed it to him.

Seeing the photo where even the warm orange firelight couldn't hide his pale, almost bluish lips, Ji Anzhi fell silent. So he was already this cold...

But since Qi Yanshen was still pursuing him, warming up together now might lead to misunderstandings. Ji Anzhi felt awkward. For the sake of his health, he should accept Qi Yanshen's warmth, but subjectively, he felt somewhat resistant.

Finally, Ji Anzhi steeled himself and refused Qi Yanshen. He took off his school jacket and crawled into the sleeping bag alone to sleep.

Qi Yanshen sat by the fire, watching silently, adding firewood to the flames. After tossing and turning for an hour, Ji Anzhi finally managed to fall asleep. In his sleep, his subconscious moved toward the warmth. Qi Yanshen swiftly blocked him to prevent burns.

After several repetitions, Qi Yanshen couldn't hold back any longer. He lifted Ji Anzhi out of the sleeping bag, wrapped him in the blanket, and held him in his arms. He then draped his own large school jacket over Ji Anzhi to block the cold, warming them both at a safe distance from the fire.

Feeling the heat source, Ji Anzhi instinctively nuzzled into Qi Yanshen's embrace. Ignoring the stiffness of the heat source, he found a comfortable position and fell into a deep, peaceful sleep.