Yu Mian’s eyes immediately lit up. This guy was just too cooperative.
[Alright, now we don’t have to worry about being seen.]
The little system felt reassured by how perceptive and agreeable Huo Ting was.
“This feels kind of fun…”
Seeing Huo Ting with his eyes covered gave Yu Mian an overwhelming sense of security. But remembering the system task, he decided it was best to finish it quickly.
After a brief pause, Yu Mian tentatively reached out to hold Huo Ting’s left hand, as outlined in the next step.
This part had been agreed upon in advance through the little notes.
So when Huo Ting felt his hand being held, he didn’t instinctively pull away. Instead, he consciously relaxed his body’s defensive reaction, allowing him to take his hand.
[Perfect, we’ve got it!]
“Hold on, let me try…”
In his mind, Yu Mian carefully confirmed the steps with the system.
The mental power control guide awarded after the initial task had provided instructions on how to guide mental power. Yu Mian held Huo Ting’s hand, closed his eyes and began directing his mental power to probe Huo Ting’s mental sea.
A warm golden mental energy gently encircled the dark blue depths of Huo Ting’s mental sea, cautiously exploring its condition. It felt like a maintenance worker knocking on the door before entering.
“…”
As Yu Mian concentrated on controlling his mental power, preparing for “repairs”, he failed to notice that Huo Ting, who had been relaxed, suddenly gripped his hand tighter.
!?
This unexpected movement startled Yu Mian, breaking his concentration. He opened his eyes, ending the mental connection, and looked at Huo Ting in confusion.
Why did this guy suddenly grab his hand?
“…Sorry, I didn’t expect it to be done this way.”
Realizing his actions might have frightened the other party, Huo Ting paused for a moment before offering an explanation, though he seemed unsure how to elaborate.
Huo Ting had assumed that some medium might be used to guide mental power, not that he would directly enter his mental sea…
In some ways, allowing a foreign mental power into one’s mental sea was an incredibly risky act.
This young resident seemed almost entirely ignorant of interstellar common sense.
However, Huo Ting was equally perplexed by the fact that his mental sea showed no rejection of the golden energy. This unusual reaction left him deep in thought.
Meanwhile, Yu Mian glanced at Huo Ting a few times, trying to gauge his expression. He wanted to ask something, but the words seemed to stick in his throat.
‘Wait!’
‘Couldn’t I just write in his palm?’
The next moment, Huo Ting felt a hand return to his and begin tracing strokes on his palm with its fingertips.
With his eyes closed, Huo Ting discerned the words: “Is it okay now?”
“…”
After a moment of silence, Huo Ting nodded subtly.
Once Yu Mian was sure he was ready, he tried reconnecting his mental power to his mental sea.
The second “repair session” proceeded surprisingly smoothly.
[The mental radiation feels like a storm raging in his mental sea, like a typhoon,] the little system commented as it observed alongside Yu Mian. The mental sea in the interstellar era truly was an extraordinary phenomenon.
Yu Mian’s golden mental energy, though seemingly delicate, easily surrounded the polluted blue mental energy within the sea, isolating it from the red.
No matter how much the red energy struggled, it was effortlessly devoured by the golden energy, which seemed to let out a satisfied, warm “burp” afterward.
“It feels like I struck gold overnight!”
The red mental energy that seemed harmful to interstellar people, was apparently highly compatible with his, making it a reusable resource for him.
However, his absorption capacity seemed limited. After clearing the surface layer, Yu Mian noticed that his golden energy had grown sluggish, and was lazily circling the remaining red energy without further action.
‘Was it saturated?’
As the top layer of the red energy became thinner, the once-chaotic mental sea gradually calmed down, resembling a storm giving way to clear skies.
Just when Yu Mian opened his eyes and traced the words “It seems fine now” in Huo Ting’s palm, a sudden knock at the door startled him.
Yu Mian looked over in shock, and even Huo Ting sat up straighter.
“Boss, are you in there? Chairman Michaels has an urgent matter and requests your presence at the military headquarters.”
Outside the door, Secretary Hals waited for a response, only to hear an odd thump and a muffled sound from within.
‘Strange. What was going on inside?’
The noises didn’t seem like something his boss would normally make.
But without explicit permission, Secretary Hals didn’t dare enter. He frowned suspiciously at the door for a moment before finally hearing Huo Ting’s calm voice from within.
“Understood. I’ll head down shortly. Prepare the car.”
“Yes, sir.”
After receiving the order, Secretary Hals hesitated briefly before turning to leave, still puzzled.
‘So strange…’
What Secretary Hals didn’t know was that, just minutes after he went downstairs, the door to the lounge suddenly swung open, and a figure bolted out at lightning speed.
Huo Ting, who was still seated in the chair, removed the silk blindfold, a rarely seen subtle expression on his face as he looked down at his palm.
Just now, he seemed to have helped steady the young resident when he was startled and nearly tripped.
The first sensation was how light he felt.
“…”
Huo Ting glanced again at the box that had fallen to the floor after being knocked over, scattering the small notes he had accumulated over time all over the ground.
‘Had the other person seen them?’
In the study, Yu Mian was still feeling a bit overwhelmed by the thrilling experience just now.
“Why did Secretary Hals suddenly show up at this time? Luckily, we didn’t get caught…”
When he heard the knock at the door, he had subconsciously stood up to hide, but the ill-fitting slippers almost tripped him.
Just as he was about to hit the floor, Huo Ting seemed to sense something and, as if identifying the location by sound, managed to steady him with a firm hand.
Yu Mian immediately stood up and tried to help pick up the fallen items before making his escape.
However, what he didn’t expect was how familiar the scattered notes on the ground looked.
They were all records of his “conversations” with Huo Ting!?
He had kept every single one of them?
—Why did you keep all of these? That’s so weird!
When Huo Ting received the latest note, he had thought it would reveal the other party’s ultimate “purpose” or the “reward” he wanted. He didn’t expect it to be content that seemed to have a completely wrong emphasis.
Although it didn’t specify the content, he could easily guess it referred to the notes stored in his box.
—Am I not allowed to keep them? -Huo
Rather than responding directly, in a rare twist, Huo Ting asked him a rhetorical question, throwing the matter back at him.
While retrieving a note, Yu Mian suddenly noticed a new pair of white plush slippers placed by the door.
The size was noticeably smaller.
When he tried them on, they were a perfect fit.
“…This doesn’t change the fact that this guy is acting so strange!”
Yu Mian felt as if everything about him was being documented, and he had a sense of crisis as if his dark history might be investigated at any time.
Although he didn’t seem to have any “dark history” to be uncovered, the feeling was undeniably unsettling.
[Maybe he’s just meticulous about archiving things? Not everyone casually throws notes away.]
The little system couldn’t quite comprehend the emotional reaction humans had to such situations.
“Meow~”
Outside the window, the “cat” made its timely appearance.
Although it didn’t always enter the study to let Yu Mian pet it, the little creature seemed to have an impression of him, peeking in to check on him every day.
If he couldn’t figure it out, perhaps… he should stop thinking about it for now? Yu Mian silently picked up a pen and paper.
However, Huo Ting didn’t get a chance to see his latest response because a rather unexpected guest had arrived at the military headquarters.
“Delanchi, what wind blew you here? It’s been decades since we last met, hasn’t it?”
Military Committee Chairman Michaels held a cup of tea in his hands, his expression a mix of surprise and awkwardness as he looked at Granny Delanchi before him.
“I have some business on Central Star and thought I’d drop by to see an old acquaintance. Michaels, you’re still as dull as ever, just like back in the day.”
Granny Delanchi leisurely surveyed the paintings and decorations in the office, showing no sign of restraint.
“Sigh, Huo Ting, this is the Delanchi I mentioned before. Back in the day, she worked with your father and me… Huo Ting?”
As he sighed, Chairman Michaels grew increasingly puzzled. Why was Huo Ting acting so distracted today?
Rarely did he seem this absent-minded.
“Huh, you’re reading this book too!”
Delanchi suddenly exclaimed in surprise upon noticing the book “Rebirth of the Interstellar Soldier King” lying on the coffee table.
“You read it too?”
Chairman Michaels immediately looked up at her upon hearing the word “too”.
Ever since boarding her spaceship, Granny Delanchi had been engrossed in the two volumes of “Rebirth of the Interstellar Soldier King”, finishing them in one go. She had even developed a strong curiosity about the mysterious author, YU, whose work had indirectly led to her beloved pet being abducted by space pirates.
“How is it? This book is good, right? Does it make you feel refreshed and excited when you read it?”
Chairman Michaels couldn’t hide his pride as he flaunted the book.
After all, it was a commissioned work from the military. If even Delanchi was hooked, it was clear the book was exceptionally well-written.
“This was commissioned by your military? Then why isn’t there a third volume yet?”
Granny Delanchi looked at Chairman Michaels’ smug expression and immediately began to ask.
