MORIC - Chapter 199
Chapter 199: Susceptible Period
Chi Yueshan, however, was perfectly fine, living up to her confidently proclaimed M-Galaxy Omega bloodline.
After sharing a meal with her, Ling Xun had to disembark from the warship to go into battle. Even with Xi Zhoumeng in a comatose state, her battle plans were exceptionally meticulous, requiring her subordinates to complete the clearing of this planet and the handover to the garrison within the stipulated time before swiftly moving on to the next one.
"Ling Xun, isn't Xi Zhoumeng's office locked? Did you use her access card to get her inside?"
Chi Yueshan asked.
Ling Xun nodded. "Senior Xi's facial recognition."
Chi Yueshan let out a small sound. "Then how am I supposed to get in?"
The Omega before her had a completely different aura from their first meeting.
To this day, Ling Xun still remembered her first encounter with Chi Yueshan. The other girl had been wearing a dress, and her hairstyle didn't quite match it, but because the dress fit so well, it created a unique kind of beauty.
Chi Yueshan was like a wild, untamable beast, her eyes holding an infinite light. Getting close to her didn't bring the fear of being devoured; rather, one had to worry about being unconditionally tamed in return.
Ling Xun's favorable impression of Chi Yueshan was entirely due to the look in her eyes. At that time, Chi Yueshan was wholly focused on Wen Xinghuo, and combined with Ling Xun's own obsession with being number one, her admiration also had a purpose.
Even so, Chi Yueshan had lived up to her master's name, becoming a genius that even the Mecha Guild now praised endlessly.
But the Chi Yueshan of today was different from before.
Her once frizzy hair now hung smoothly over her shoulders. Her eyes were as captivating as ever, but her fiery ambition had been reined in—or perhaps, it had already been realized, making it less scorching.
Yet her gaze remained clear. The blend of girlish innocence and the sudden maturity of adulthood was just right, making one unable to help but admire her even more.
But she was already enveloped in the bitter-scented pheromones of a certain Alpha, enough to make others of the same sex keep their distance.
Ling Xun suddenly felt a bit wistful. She had never imagined the future would turn out like this.
Nor had she imagined that she herself would be completely different from her past life.
She smiled. "Yueshan, sometimes you're so smart, and other times you're so dense."
Chi Yueshan asked, "What?"
Her displeasure was also obvious. "No, I'm not."
Ling Xun said, "You're Senior Xi's Omega. How could you possibly not get in?"
Chi Yueshan let out another sound. "That shouldn't have anything to do with being an Omega, right? This is the Expeditionary Force."
She muttered, "What if an Alpha marks several Omegas, and one of them is a spy or something? Wouldn't that make it incredibly easy to breach security?"
Ling Xun laughed out loud. "It's not that bad. But just try it. You'll definitely be able to get in."
She didn't say any more to Chi Yueshan and turned to leave.
Chi Yueshan followed the guide AI to Xi Zhoumeng's command office. The sign on the door didn't display the number of occupants like the other rest cabins.
It was in privacy mode.
Chi Yueshan touched the screen and, between fingerprint unlock and password entry, chose fingerprint.
To her surprise, it was approved instantly.
The feeling was familiar, as if she had experienced it before.
But it wasn't Ling Xun teaching her, it was Xi Li.
Oh, it was when Xi Zhoumeng suddenly fainted before, and I got access to her hovercar.
But when did Xi Zhoumeng register my fingerprint! And Ling Xun could have just let me in with her, why go through all this trouble!
But Chi Yueshan couldn't control her foolish grin at all, feeling that she was far too easy to please, that such a small thing could make her so happy.
Ling Xun hadn't even brought Xi Zhoumeng into the inner room, merely placing her on the sofa.
The Commander was slumped crookedly on the sofa, her long legs having nowhere to go, with one dangling off the edge. Her golden hair was no longer tied up but cascaded down, almost touching the floor.
She looked utterly exhausted, her breathing long and deep.
Chi Yueshan rolled up her sleeves and took a deep breath to lift Xi Zhoumeng.
Thank goodness I'm naturally gifted and used to carrying heavy equipment. This person looks so thin, how is she actually this heavy?
It was a warship, after all, not as magnificent and splendid as Xi Zhoumeng's bedroom in the Xi family home, nor did it have a bathtub fit for a coronation.
There was only a moderately sized tub. Chi Yueshan placed the person inside first, then started filling it with water.
Even on a warship, this woman didn't forget to enjoy herself. A variety of high-end bath pearls were placed to the side.
By the time Chi Yueshan was more or less done, she was already exhausted herself.
A few seconds later, she slapped her forehead. "I forgot to take her clothes off."
Chi Yueshan had already tossed the military boots on the floor. An AI robot passed by, picked them up, and placed them neatly on the shoe rack.
If Ling Xun had come in, she might have been shocked at how many different styles of military boots Xi Zhoumeng owned.
Chi Yueshan then reached out to unbutton Xi Zhoumeng's uniform. She was thankful she had already taken off the other woman's pants when she removed her shoes; otherwise, it would have been a nightmare now that they were soaked.
The Expeditionary Force's white shirt wasn't pure white like those of the Capital's military; it seemed to be blended with a hint of flaxen yellow. As the Commander-in-Chief, Xi Zhoumeng had several sets. She wasn't a fan of white, and if her black uniform hadn't still been in the dryer, she probably would have preferred to wear that one instead.
Because she was submerged and the bathtub was small, it was very inconvenient for Chi Yueshan to undress Xi Zhoumeng. She worked up a sweat and was nearly soaked herself.
Xi Zhoumeng still hadn't woken up. She seemed to be trapped in some dream, and even the warm bathwater couldn't seem to warm her skin.
Chi Yueshan reached out and touched her forehead, muttering, "Is she running a low fever?"
That shouldn't be right. Although Xi Zhoumeng was usually delicate, her health was excellent. Any signs of poor health were usually just deliberate acts of coquetry. She couldn't possibly be this weak, right?
Chi Yueshan had unbuttoned the shirt down to her abdomen. The body submerged in the water was as white as jade, but Xi Zhoumeng seemed to be sinking deeper into a nightmare, suddenly gasping for breath.
At the same time, Shen Yu received the news of the former Queen's passing.
She could no longer be bothered with her discussion with Xi Mingguang; she needed to head to the Royal Palace immediately.
For such a major event, the heads of all noble families had to be present, along with the head of the Parliament.
Unfortunately, it was a time of war. All transportation on the Capital Star was managed by Shen Yu, and her comms were once again flooded.
Xi Mingguang said, "It must have…"
Shen Yu nodded. "Invaded."
As for whether it was successful, that would depend on Sheng Yangkui's condition.
Sheng Yangkui had never been in so much pain. Or perhaps the previous consciousness invasion had been so agonizing that she had forgotten the feeling.
Right now, her mind felt like it was about to explode from being crammed with everything. The consciousness chip of Xi Zhoumeng, which Xuan Ping and the medical team had implanted in her brain, began to resist upon detecting the Zerg Queen's consciousness invasion.
It was just like the silent, deadly battle that had erupted within Xi Zhoumeng during the training exercise back then.
Everything from her past life came flooding back. The loophole in the consciousness that Sheng Yangkui had discovered was automatically read by Xi Zhoumeng's consciousness, giving it the upper hand in this almost unknown struggle for control. It even began to counter-invade the Zerg Queen's consciousness.
Sheng Yangkui felt as if she had lived through a thousand years, through the fate of generations of Queens who were chosen, invaded, and died from accelerated decay.
Their sense of self had long since dissipated, but of course, some had tried to resist. However, from the moment they were chosen, they were also made to consume debilitating drugs mixed into their food day after day.
Those drugs would wear down their minds and wills, preventing them from becoming Omegas with high spiritual power.
Sheng Yangkui's spiritual power was only C-grade. In contrast, her two full-blooded sisters were both B-grade.
After her differentiation, they had often mocked her for it.
Did being C-grade necessarily mean she was useless?
Sheng Yangkui didn't know. She was supposed to be meek and submissive, but then she met Wen Xinghuo.
If she had never received such unfamiliar care, or that restrained and polite gaze that met hers, Sheng Yangkui might never have had any other ideas.
A secret crush was already her most extravagant emotion.
But she never expected that even such an emotion could be twisted, leading to a grand tragedy.
So she wanted to atone. She wanted to die.
As long as it was a living being, there had to be a loophole. During countless sleepless nights, Sheng Yangkui's own consciousness lay dormant, waiting.
She calculated the time and spoke to Wen Xinghuo.
She asked Wen Xinghuo to kill her.
She had thought she would never need this experience in this life, but she never imagined that such a struggle would be taking place in her mind right now.
All her experience was being read by Xi Zhoumeng. This was different from the last time during the training exercise when she fought the invading Zerg Queen's consciousness through the obsidian.
This time, the Zerg Queen was a complete consciousness, while Xi Zhoumeng's was only a part.
Yet, with Sheng Yangkui's experience, it actually gained the upper hand.
In the bathtub, Xi Zhoumeng's body grew colder and colder. Chi Yueshan felt more and more that something was wrong, not even realizing her own breathing had become shaky.
She pressed her hand to Xi Zhoumeng's chest to listen to her heartbeat.
Her heartbeat was off, too. And her breathing… where was her breathing?
No way!
What is happening right now???
Did that Special-Grade Zerg do something to Xi Zhoumeng?
Chi Yueshan was frantic, and for a moment, she didn't know what to do.
She grabbed Xi Zhoumeng's hand and shouted her name, but in her agitation, she bumped into the showerhead button.
Cold water sprayed down, making Chi Yueshan jolt. The person in the tub shivered as well.
Xi Zhoumeng seemed to become a little more lucid. She gripped Chi Yueshan's waist, her eyes still closed, and said in a low voice, "Don't worry about me for now."
Her voice was hoarse, laden with immense drowsiness and fatigue.
Chi Yueshan bit her lip and said no more. She simply adjusted the water temperature and leaned against the other woman's body.
Warm water submerged their intertwined bodies. Chi Yueshan could feel Xi Zhoumeng's body trembling, as if she were enduring something extremely painful.
A thought rose in Chi Yueshan's mind. She opened her comm to find Xuan Ping, just as a message arrived from her—
Yueshan, the former Queen has passed away.
Then what about Sheng Yangkui now?
And the chip that Xi Zhoumeng put in her brain.
So is she going through the same thing as during the training exercise?
Chi Yueshan was worried sick, even though Xi Zhoumeng had handled it with ease before.
But… but…
This person gave off an extreme sense of security, built from nothing, like a high wall that appeared out of thin air, making one willingly be imprisoned by her.
But if she was displeased, the high wall would instantly vanish, turning into a boundless lake, leaving one's heart suddenly empty.
Sheng Yangkui was suffering the most. The lady-in-waiting who had served her since childhood stayed by her side, relaying timely updates on Sheng Yangkui's condition to Shen Yu.
On the bed, the new Queen's face was pale. She trembled all over, drenched in a cold sweat that soaked through her dress.
Her bangs were plastered to her forehead from the moisture. Her lips quivered as if she were suffocating, and she was constantly taking deep breaths.
Sheng Yangkui was forced to accept too much information plundered by Xi Zhoumeng's consciousness, and her brain was nearing saturation.
Yet the clash between the two consciousnesses was like a silent battlefield; though there were no flashing blades or sword shadows, it was enough to give the host a splitting headache.
The Zerg Queen was also in disbelief. It hadn't expected its straightforward invasion to once again encounter the consciousness that had previously inflicted heavy damage on it.
This time, the consciousness was even more ferocious, as if it were using a cheat device. Each attack was more outrageous than the last. Before, it was the one reading the host's memories; it never expected that this time, it would be the one being completely read.
Sheng Yangkui couldn't even think, but Xi Zhoumeng's consciousness was like a merciless teacher, forcing her to think, forcing her to sort through and integrate the information it was stuffing into her.
Everything from the origin of the Zerg, their generational memories, their methods of teleportation, and even the way to summon Zerg from the world below.
Her sweat soaked the pillow. Her hand, hanging by her side, unconsciously clenched the bedsheet into a fist, her brow furrowed in pain.
After an unknown amount of time, Sheng Yangkui's eyes flew open. She coughed up a mouthful of dark red blood, followed by a violent, earth-shattering coughing fit.
Before she could even recover, the door was pushed open. Someone strode to her side and pulled her fiercely into an embrace.
Behind them was Shen Yu's voice. "Wen Xinghuo! You…"
Wen Xinghuo's breathing was extremely heavy. Shen Yu was still scolding her. "What if it's dangerous? Do you have any…"
Wen Xinghuo cut her off. "It won't be!"
Her voice was even hoarser than before, like a traveler at the end of their rope who had finally found an oasis.
"I don't care anymore."
This longing had tormented her day and night. Every time she closed her eyes, she saw the image of herself killing Sheng Yangkui with her own hands.
Shen Yu had a splitting headache. She never thought that the most obedient Wen Xinghuo would have a rebellious side.
Sheng Yangkui smelled the scent of soapberry on Wen Xinghuo's clothes. This person had been poor since childhood, and even after being brought to the Upper World, she hadn't lived a good life.
Xi Zhoumeng was good to her, but she couldn't possibly delve into the Wen family's affairs, even if she was already very loyal.
The laundry detergent Wen Xinghuo bought was always the cheapest soapberry-scented kind. It was a lower-grade product, cheap and plentiful, mostly used by people from the Lower World.
Yet, this was the scent Sheng Yangkui had remembered for several lifetimes.
After all, the scent of gunpowder from her pheromones was often suppressed by patches. More than pheromones, what she needed was Wen Xinghuo's concern.
Like this long-awaited embrace right now.
Her hand clutched Wen Xinghuo's military uniform. She looked up from the other woman's arms, realized her blood had stained Wen Xinghuo's shirt, and felt a little apologetic.
"I'm sorry."
Wen Xinghuo shook her head. "How are you?"
Sheng Yangkui said, "Senior Xi won, but my head hurts so much right now. I need to sleep for a while."
Her voice grew fainter and weaker. "When I wake up, the chip has to be taken out… But, but I'm still a host, I'll still become…"
Over in the other room, Chi Yueshan was still holding Xi Zhoumeng. She felt Xi Zhoumeng's body temperature turn from cold to hot. Thinking Xi Zhoumeng was better, she was about to speak when she felt a familiar furry and wet sensation. Before Chi Yueshan could even scream, amidst the splashing water, she touched a thick, long tail.
Chi Yueshan cursed.
"No way, the trigger for you to turn into this is…"
But she didn't have time to say more; all her words were smothered.
Xi Zhoumeng was much more lucid now than when she had marked her before, but she wasn't completely clear-headed.
Because her susceptible period had arrived.
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