Chapter 215

Chapter 215

“…”

Xue Ji abruptly lifted his head, meeting Kexinia’s expressionless face through the gaps in the broken stones.

“It seems I’ve come at an inopportune moment, disturbing your quality time.” Kexinia looked as though he hadn’t rested in days, but his words still carried his usual tone, laced with cold sarcasm.

Xue Ji was in no mood to quibble over that now, his heart full of the joy of having survived a catastrophe: “No, it’s exactly the right time. First, move what’s on top of Asuer.” The head beneath his palm stirred, and Xue Ji pressed down with his fingers, “Don’t move. It’ll be over soon.”

Asuer parted his lips, his breath faint: “Who’s here.”

“Kexinia,” Xue Ji said. “Your Majesty, hold on just a little longer. It’ll be fine soon.”

Asuer closed his eyes and let out a very weak “mm.”

Kexinia watched them coldly for a while, then walked away. Not long after, the ecstatic shouts of Devalen and the others came from nearby.

“Found him! Over here!”

“Everyone, come here!”

“Be careful! Don’t touch anything else!”

Amid the hubbub of voices, more and more light poured into the trapped space. Xue Ji squinted, telling Asuer not to open his eyes, and only when he heard the other’s barely audible response did he rest his face against Asuer’s chest.

After a while, as his eyes gradually adjusted to the growing brightness, he half-opened them in that position and saw the box containing the cloned gland intact and wedged between them. He didn’t let out a long sigh of relief; instead, his heart sank. If the box was fine, then what had soaked his clothes wasn’t leaked preservation fluid, but—

Asuer’s blood.

Spreading patches of dark red stained the thin fabric of his sleepwear. Xue Ji was still for a moment, then couldn’t help listening again to Asuer’s heartbeat.

He held that position for what felt like an eternity until, finally, the space above them brightened suddenly.

“Chief!”

“Your Majesty!”

Gene and Devalen’s excited voices rang out one after another. Xue Ji half-squinted as he looked up. Above them, the heavy rubble had been cleared to form a well-sized opening. Gene and Devalen poked their heads through, backlit, their expressions unclear. A few seconds later, they pulled back, and soon their raised commands came through.

Xue Ji struggled to look up at the person holding him, but he could only see a thin, sharp chin.

“Asuer?”

A long moment passed before the Monarch managed to produce a barely audible sound.

Xue Ji called to him over and over.

“Asuer, don’t fall asleep.”

“Hold on a little longer.”

“Stay with me a little more.”

“…”

By the time the rubble and debris on top of them had been completely cleared away, Xue Ji’s voice was hoarse beyond recognition. Dimly, it seemed as though countless people had gathered around. The constant noise suddenly fell silent, and a few seconds later, someone rushed forward to place a pair of sunglasses on his face, while others began moving his limbs.

Xue Ji’s hands and feet were numb, completely without sensation now. He wanted to tell them to be careful, but when he opened his mouth, only a few muffled coughs came out.

The attempts to separate them stopped abruptly. After a while, someone seemed to stand up.

“…It’s no use… Their bodies have stiffened from being still too long… Can’t separate them…”

After some discussion, in the end, Xue Ji and Asuer were moved together onto a single stretcher.

The pressure in his chest lessened. Feeling himself being carried steadily, Xue Ji took a moment to catch his breath, mustering a bit of strength. “Gene…”

“Chief.” Gene, already focused entirely on him, immediately leaned in nervously.

“Take the box between me and His Majesty. Deliver it to the robot in my home’s basement. It knows what to do.” Xue Ji suppressed his discomfort. “The basement entrance is in the backyard garden. The command is 0x7f1a3c9e#BETA2.”

Gene didn’t catch it at once: “What? Could you say that again, please?”

Xue Ji repeated it. “Got it?”

Gene recorded it on his light brain and nodded firmly. “Yes!”

“Go now.” Xue Ji fought down the itch in his throat. “Don’t let anyone else handle it.”

Having given his instructions, he had no strength left. His head lolled to the side, and he passed out.

…

The first sense to return was hearing—the steady, rhythmic beeping of a cardiac monitor filled his ears. Next came smell, the lingering scent of disinfectant wafting around his nose. Xue Ji tried to open his eyes, but his eyelids felt as heavy as lead, glued shut. He moved his fingers, and immediately someone rushed up to grip his wrist, felt for a pulse for a moment, then quickly let go, followed by a loud shout.

Footsteps, clattering instruments, hushed conversations suddenly pressed in. Several pairs of hands examined him from head to toe. Xue Ji opened his eyes and was immediately met with a round face that suddenly appeared in his field of vision, staring at him nervously.

“Chief?” The person waved a hand in front of Xue Ji’s eyes. “Chief?”

Out of the corner of his eye, white coats bustled around. Xue Ji’s eyes moved. “Where is His Majesty?”

Gene let out a huge sigh of relief. “You’re finally awake. Good, you’re awake, that means you’re fine.” He flopped back into the seat beside the bed, then remembered Xue Ji’s question. “His Majesty is fine too, right next to you. Once you’ve fully recovered, you’ll be able to see him.”

Xue Ji didn’t have the strength to turn his head. “The box?”

“The box is fine too. After you blacked out that day, I followed your instructions and sent it straight to your basement.”

That day?

How long had he been unconscious?

Xue Ji wanted to ask, but a wave of overwhelming exhaustion dragged him back into darkness.

When he regained consciousness again, the surroundings were very quiet. No beeping, no joyful shouts from another person. Xue Ji opened his eyes, and the ornate ceiling of the palace came into view.

He lay still for a while, until he regained some strength, then turned his head to look around. The first thing he saw was the Monarch lying on another bed, wrapped from head to toe in bandages.

He moved, and a sharp pain immediately shot through the crook of his elbow. Only then did he notice that both his hands, from wrist to fingertips, were wrapped in thick gauze. Perhaps because they couldn’t find a good vein, the IV needle had been inserted into the crook of his elbow. His left leg was also heavily bandaged, half-hanging off the foot of the bed.

Supporting himself with his other arm, he sat up, took a look at the IV bottle. Seeing it was nutrient solution, he pulled out the needle and was about to try getting out of bed when he heard a faint warning:

“If you don’t want your injuries to get worse, you’d better not move.”

Serrick entered holding a tray full of bottles and jars. He walked over to Asuer’s bed, took one bottle, and replaced the almost-empty IV bottle.

“Has he woken up?”

The person being questioned didn’t answer immediately. He studied the Monarch for a moment, then walked over and sat down by Xue Ji’s bed, casually setting the tray on the nightstand. “No. He was transferred from the treatment capsule to a regular hospital bed two days ago. Your condition isn’t much better—you only came out of danger five days ago.” He glanced at the needle Xue Ji had pulled out, took a new IV set from the tray, inserted one end into the nutrient solution bottle, pulled Xue Ji’s arm over, disinfected it, reinserted the needle and secured it, then sat down again. “This is a makeshift ward in the palace. The doctor is on standby in the next room. Since everyone’s energy is limited, we take turns handling small things like changing the IV bottles.” Serrick pinched the bridge of his nose. “You don’t need to worry about His Majesty. He hasn’t woken up yet, but his condition is basically stable. You protected his critical spots, so the most critical situation didn’t occur.”

Throughout the entire process, Xue Ji let him do as he pleased without speaking, though his expression was especially strange.

Serrick paused for a moment. "Aren't you going to ask about yourself?"

Xue Ji looked at him with an even stranger gaze. "What about me?"

"Like your hands." Serrick's eyes fell on Xue Ji's hands, wrapped up like two puffy bandages. He had been at the scene during the rescue, and those hands had been a bloody mess back then, with several white finger bones fully exposed. Yet Xue Ji himself seemed oblivious, stubbornly pressing them against the Monarch's nape and gland. It took immense effort from the medical staff to free his hands without further injuring the wounds on his hands.

"You live by your hands. Aren't you worried they might be ruined?"

Xue Ji said nothing, but his mind went blank for a moment.

His expression made it clear to Serrick that this thought had never crossed his mind, or rather, at that critical moment, he just didn't have time to think about it. Even now, with the Monarch still unconscious, he hadn't yet gotten around to thinking about himself.

This really didn't seem like something he would do.

Serrick had investigated Xue Ji on the Monarch's orders, and the strongest impression he had was of self-interest and keeping to himself. But that impression had now been overturned.

No one could stay unmoved after seeing the two of them holding each other tightly in the ruins.

"Your hands are recovering well," Serrick said, with no intention of frightening Xue Ji. "No problems at all. You'll still be able to perform those delicate operations." He paused for a moment. "I apologize for my earlier prejudice against you."

While searching among the ruins, Devalen had said something to him: "Actually, Xue Ji is really perfect for the Monarch. He can both smell the Monarch's pheromones and remain unaffected by them. No one else could realize the Monarch's condition is acting up and then stay by his side without any hindrance. Most importantly, the Monarch really likes him, to the point where he doesn't care at all about maintaining an Alpha's so-called dignity and pride. Serrick, do you know how rare that is?"

At the time, Serrick was consumed with guilt over his own failure—letting someone escape and the Monarch's life hanging in the balance—so he hadn't had the chance to think deeply. But now, he realized that Devalen's words made a lot of sense.

"I apologize. I was too narrow-minded before." Serrick took a pair of gold-rimmed glasses from his breast pocket. "This is my apology gift. The design is based on the style you used to wear, and the prescription was measured while you were unconscious, so it might be slightly off."

Xue Ji looked at him, took the glasses, and put them on. The world instantly snapped into focus. He was silent a moment, then smiled. "Thank you. They fit perfectly."

Serrick also gave a small smile.

"How long was I unconscious?" Xue Ji asked about other matters.

"Not counting the time you and the Monarch were buried under Kinus Tower, thirteen days."

"What about the people who attacked Kinus Tower?"

"All executed on the spot," Serrick said, his expression somewhat cold. "At that time, I was misled and ended up tracking them elsewhere, never expecting they would return to the main star and launch a surprise attack on Kinus Tower. Fortunately, they made a huge commotion, and Kexinia arrived in time with reinforcements, so the entire tower didn't completely collapse."

Xue Ji was taken aback. "Kexinia?"

Serrick hummed in acknowledgment, also somewhat surprised by this. "Later, Devalen and the others arrived, and together they destroyed those warships. But the top third of Kinus Tower had already collapsed, and you and the Monarch were nowhere to be seen. We were afraid of causing a secondary collapse, so we could only clear the debris manually. It took five days of digging before we found you. After that, you know the rest."

Those five days, all of them were on tenterhooks, terrified they would dig up two corpses. They searched nonstop for five days and five nights, until everyone was unshaven and reeking of sweat. It wasn't until Kexinia made a discovery that relief finally came.

"Was Kexinia helping with the search too?"

"Yeah." Serrick couldn't figure it out either.

That was very strange.

Xue Ji thought for a moment, glanced at the Monarch lying on the neighboring bed, and then asked, "Were there any other casualties in Gamma-3 District?"

"Most people had already left work at that time, and those still in the labs weren't in the tower. Plus, the evacuation was timely, so only a few people suffered minor injuries." Serrick stood up. "Don't worry about these things. Devalen and I are handling things outside. Just focus on getting better." With that, he adjusted the pillow behind Xue Ji, picked up the tray, and left the room.

The ward door clicked shut again. Xue Ji leaned back, glanced at the IV drip chamber, then looked at Asuer.

The Monarch lay on his back, thinner now, making his already chiseled features even sharper. His golden hair fanned out across the pillow like seaweed, and his expression was very calm.

Xue Ji watched him for a bit, then after a moment pulled up a panel and stared blankly at the debt, which had been reduced by more than half.

He had to admit, the Monarch was really lucky, blessed by fortune.

"Warm congratulations to Mr. Xue on repaying 47.62% of your debt! Keep it up, and you might clear all debts before your next death!"

The chat still showed the robotic congrats from Guiliwu.

Xue Ji stared for a few seconds, his fingers twitching, but in the end he didn't reply.

He clicked into another group chat and was instantly flooded with photos.

Scrolling up a bit, the others seemed to be in some weird happiness contest, frantically posting pictures.

Chu was traveling with some Chen on some date, smiling so bright it could blind you.

Bai was clinging to Huo's arm like a small bird clinging, with a bright canola field shining behind them.

Tang wasn't in the photo; it was a table full of food, with a sulky Sui in the background, and a caption that was both cheesy and ugly: "Can't eat it? No worries, your hubby will eat it for you~"

Xue Ji scrolled through for a bit, a smile curling at the corners of his lips, until he realized something was missing.

"What about Old Man Shen?"

The group suddenly fell silent, and then messages exploded.

"You finally showed up!!!"

"How does it feel to be alive?"

"Did you return to Earth? From my era?"

"Hurry up and send a selfie. I've known you for years and never seen your face."

"So long without any news. Looks like your second life is pretty comfortable."

"..."

Xue Ji waited for the messages to stop, then requoted his own.

Bai Tu: "He went back to the netherworld to become an earth immortal! When he was young, he was really good-looking."

Aren't immortals supposed to give up all emotions and desires? Xue Ji was slightly surprised and asked again, "What about his significant other?"

Chu Heng: "He became a celestial in the heavens."

What kind of twist is this? Xue Ji sent a question mark.

Tang Liu: "Don't worry. I asked White Impermanence. They'll meet again sooner or later."

Chu Heng: "Just have to wait a hundred or a thousand years."

Tang Liu: "Well, even immortals have to put in the years before they can marry freely."

Bai Tu: "QAQ"

Chu Heng: "Tell us about yourself now."

Xue Ji turned to look at Asuer. "Wait for the photo."

He closed the panel and smiled.