Chapter 93
"What is the current situation?"
Xi Ze looked at Yael lying on the hospital bed with a serious and worried expression.
The doctor being questioned also had a serious look on his face. He kept comparing the complex data in front of him, then looked at other colleagues who were at a loss, and finally sighed.
"It's very strange. I can't find a precedent for your prototype. But it's impossible for the prototype of a bug to be unique in the universe, but it's also a stretch to say it's a mutation..."
Since there is no precedent, there is no way to treat it in the same way as those insects, and allow the prototype of Your Majesty to develop and grow healthily, although it is actually very abnormal to appear so late.
Yael took off the X-ray machine on his back, turned over to face them, and coughed softly, "Don't worry, it should be fine."
"Do you feel any discomfort? Do you usually feel itchy or painful around the elytra?"
The doctor was still worried, but there was nothing he could do and he could only emphasize the issue again.
"The growth of the prototype is usually completed in childhood, and the body is very fragile during the growth period. If you have similar symptoms again, you must speak up as soon as possible to avoid missing the best time for treatment."
The messed quilt was tucked in carefully by Caesar. Yael looked at him and saw the undisguised worry in his eyes, so he cooperated very well.
"I know. If there is any abnormality, I will contact the hospital immediately."
Knock knock.
Rhythmic knocks on the door sounded, attracting everyone's attention in the ward. A spirited bug with an unusually iconic stinky face was seen standing at the door.
"Teacher, why are you here?"
Yael was a little surprised, but he still said quickly, "Come in!"
"I just got back from a business trip today. I heard from your senior that you were sick and asked for leave, so I came by for a visit."
Maude glanced at the male insect's face, which was still healthy and rosy with no signs of serious illness. He secretly relaxed, but then frowned.
"Without a healthy body, you can't support long-term research. You should exercise more when you are not busy with projects. Otherwise, it will be easy to lose your focus when you are busy!"
I remembered that after work, I would either go to the study to continue reading after dinner, or I would do some random things with the female insects. I really didn't get much exercise.
Yael coughed guiltily and said, "You are right."
Sensing the help-seeking gaze, Xi Ze looked at Director Mod and said seriously, "I will help you exercise more in the future, don't worry."
Seeing their very good attitude, Maud could not blame them for a moment, so he turned around and asked the doctor beside him, "What is the cause of the disease? Please diagnose it carefully and cure him as soon as possible."
The incident started this morning when the male insect suddenly felt an itchy crack on his back, as if something was about to come out.
"What's in it?"
In the clear and bright mirror, the two cracks were bulging outwards, showing signs of opening up, and it seemed as if something inside was ready to break through the soft membrane.
The pain and itching became more and more severe, and Yael broke out in a cold sweat. He immediately told Xize about the situation.
After all, the equipment at home is not as complete as the hospital. If the doctor misses something, multiple trips back and forth will waste time, so they rush directly to the top hospital in the second district for examination.
Maud looked at him strangely. "Why did you grow wings only now? You should have grown them when you were three years old. Are you growing backwards?"
Yael pursed his lips to hide his embarrassment.
His antennae only grew a few months ago, and there have been no other changes to his body parts since then. It was only now that he grew wings. Rather than saying it is reverse growth, it is more like super-slow growth.
They stared at each other for a moment, and suddenly a strong itch came over them——
"Varied……!"
Yael's pupils shrank slightly, and he clutched the bed sheet in pain. He subconsciously reached out to grab it, but Cize grabbed his wrist in time.
"Are the wings about to spread? They might itch a little, but you must not touch them."
He was wearing special clothes on his upper body, with an opening corresponding to the gap between his shoulder blades. If he spread his wings now, there would be no hindrance at all.
The doctor was already standing by, on guard, fearing that something unexpected might happen during the process. Maude also stood up suddenly, with a hint of nervousness in his tense expression.
“Shh…Shh…”
Unlike the movement of a female insect spreading its bony wings, there was a noticeable bulge on Yael's back, but there was no crackling sound, but a softer and subtler sound.
"It seems like it's almost time... hmmm!"
He closed his eyes tightly, feeling the thing being pulled out of his body. His scalp was numbed by the strange touch, and he could only hold the female insect's hand tightly.
"Almost there! Lord, hold on a little longer!"
Cizek held Yael's upper body in his arms, controlling the strength of his hands so as not to hurt him, but his eyes were fixed on the constantly rising and falling shadow.
The membrane in the gap was punctured and torn, but there was no bleeding. The things inside were drilling out little by little.
A light wing emerged from the right first, starting with the slightly pointed tail wing and then the wider and softer main wing, which soon broke through the membrane and fully unfolded.
The base color of the wings was a dense and fine black, and it looked extremely high quality, even better than the highest quality materials in the empire.
The dark blue block patterns are extremely gorgeous, and are distributed on it in a regular and beautiful manner. The fine phosphorus powder refracts the sunlight from all angles, shining like stars in the night sky.
This thin piece looks extremely fragile, but when it flutters gently with your breath, it carries with it a vigorous and active vitality that cannot be ignored.
“…”
The insect in the ward gasped and was shocked so much that he couldn't speak for a moment.
The female insect's bony wings are made up of countless fine bones, exuding a dull, metallic luster. There are countless vicious bone spurs growing on the edges, making it look extremely terrifying.
Male insects rarely have wings, and even if they do, their wings are basically small and thin, which is completely different from the scene in front of you. S-level male insects are really very different from ordinary male insects.
...One piece left.
Yael took a deep breath and was about to clumsily manipulate the other side to unfold, but he suddenly felt a strange pain, which made him frown.
I can’t stretch it out, what’s going on…try again…hiss!
A sudden and severe pain hit Yael, and his breathing stagnated. Cold sweat instantly broke out on the corners of his forehead, and he subconsciously bit the buttons on the female insect's military jacket.
"One piece came out, and there's still one piece left. Is it stuck?"
They observed the wings with bated breath, but Xi Ze's expression sank as he looked at the other side that was halfway unfolded, and spoke in a hurried tone.
He placed Yael's hand on his waist and enlarged the hole in his clothes to better observe the situation. Then he heard the muffled sound of the male insect in his arms.
"That layer of membrane is too hard, and it caused a wound... Just tear it open for me."
It is definitely not possible to tear it open directly, which might cause a bigger wound, but struggling hard might also cause further damage to the wings.
"Doctor!"
Caesar immediately looked up at the doctor opposite him, held Yael's shoulders tighter, and stroked the male's hair back and forth to signal him to relax.
"Here we are! Don't worry, we are professionals, and getting stuck is no big deal!"
The doctor's expression froze, and he immediately recognized the situation. He quickly turned on the precise laser pointer and lightly scratched the thin film -
The remaining wings also stretched out smoothly.
The pain and stuffiness disappeared in an instant, and Yell breathed a sigh of relief.
He wanted to stand up and check his wings, but when he opened his wings, he saw the military jacket in front of him. The shiny button was now covered with a tooth mark. He immediately let go of the female insect with a guilty conscience.
The moment he saw the wings, Yer was stunned for a moment, looking a little confused.
"It feels like a butterfly's wing. As for the species, it's a bit like the Goddess of Light or the Blue Morpho Butterfly on Earth, but there are still slight differences..."
He guessed silently, and at the doctor's nervous whisper, he flapped his newborn wings vigorously, feeling the unfamiliar but flesh-and-blood intimacy.
Very...amazing.
Before Yael was about to take a closer look, a warm towel was placed on his forehead. He slightly widened his eyes and looked at the female insect, whose expression was still solemn.
"Are you okay?"
While helping him wipe the sweat off his face, Xi Ze whispered, "Don't move your wings yet. There seems to be a wound on them. Let the doctor take a look."
The injury was on his left wing, and he retracted it slightly to allow the doctor to check the wound more easily.
"It's very thin and soft, and easy to tear. There's a small scratch on the surface, but no blood is flowing out... But there are nerves and blood vessels inside. Your Majesty, please..."
The doctor's gloved hand carefully touched the wing, and the expression on his face was almost fanatical. After a preliminary observation, he waved his hand, indicating that the equipment should be brought over.
Yael's face was being rubbed and his wings were being held up. He was unable to move for a moment, and he did not notice the slight change in Maud's expression. He stared at the two wings without blinking.
Maud came closer to look at the patterns on the wings, his expression becoming more and more suspicious, and he kept muttering something.
"This color and pattern... is weird, it shouldn't be like this..."
The more he looked at it, the more he felt that Yael's wings were extremely similar to a description in an ancient book. If that was true, he might really make an amazing discovery!
Perhaps even the stagnant research progress will benefit from this discovery.
The towel was finally removed, and Yael immediately noticed the female insect's abnormality. He leaned back in fear, "...Teacher, what's wrong?"
Maud suddenly raised her head to look at him, a wild green light flashing in her narrow eyes. It was the same strong desire to explore as Adelaide and the other insects did back then, or even stronger.
"Can I have some of your wing powder?"
powder?
耶爾懵了一下，而後伸手摸了摸那翅膀，指腹的觸感柔軟好似真實的肌膚，上面正覆蓋着一層碎金的磷粉。
能感受到這磷粉是可再生的，拿一點也沒關系，他便點頭應下，“好，您拿吧。”
問醫生拿了工具，莫德擠開了站在右邊的西澤，用軟刷子把粉末輕輕掃下來，嘴裏還不忘念叨。
“你快點治療好，研究等不及了……這次一定會有進展！”
耶爾一邊嗯啊地應着，一邊朝臉色黑沉的西澤眨眼示意，讓他不要生悶氣。
……
采集好翅膀上的粉末，莫德飛速沖出了病房，看起來非常着急回到研究所，而醫生在檢查和處理完破皮的地方後，也退了出去。
這片寬闊的空間恢複了安靜，只剩下兩道交錯的呼吸聲。
“這個要怎麽收回去啊？”
終于得空可以好好觀察翅膀，耶爾有些好奇地扭頭去看，費勁地操縱這個突然多出來的器官左右扇動。
仿佛多出了一條尾巴似的，他一時控制不慎，砰一聲掃掉了旁邊的花瓶，同時被反震得有點痛。
這翅膀的敏感度太高了，也不知道是好事還是壞事。
西澤把骨碌滾出去的花瓶撿起來，在病床上坐下，輕聲教導耶爾道，“很簡單的，先凝聚心神去感知它的存在，然後慢慢熟悉它。”
他慢慢擡起手，引導那對翅膀豎起來，“來，跟着我手上的動作，慢慢往上升，挺直……”
“對，就是這樣，然後試着往兩邊張開，不要着急以免拉傷。”
耶爾盯着那只骨節分明的手，翅膀下意識就緊跟着動作，很快就輕輕折疊了起來，再次鑽進了那兩道縫隙中。
沒什麽異物感，好像只是閉上了眼睛一樣自然，他忍不住揚唇笑起來，眸光極亮，“可以了，我再試一次！”
那對瑰麗又柔軟的翅膀展開又折疊，上下左右地翻飛，很快就從笨拙變得熟練起來，甚至能夠精準地小幅度抖動，很是奇妙。
“已經掌握了？”
西澤從始至終沒有橫加幹涉，目光柔和地看着耶爾不斷嘗試，伸手覆上雄蟲放在被子上的手。
“差不多吧，不過這翅膀能帶我飛嗎？感覺很薄很軟的樣子，紙糊的一樣，感覺風一吹都破了……”
耶爾玩得有些興起，又想起來翅膀的真正用處應該是飛才對，神色逐漸遲疑起來。
“裏面應該有軟骨，但是感覺不足以支撐我的體重，感覺和你的骨翼相比，就好像畫紙和兇器一樣區別巨大。”
西澤也頓了一下，沒有妄加定論，“我幫您看看怎麽樣？”
這對翅膀異常敏感，剛才醫生隔着手套正常檢查，他都覺得有些不舒服，此刻卻大大方方地伸到雌蟲身前。
“看吧，伸手摸也可以，我都摸過你的骨翼了。”
這句話莫名親昵又私密，畢竟除了醫生，就只有彼此信任的伴侶會互相撫摸對方的脊背和羽翼。
西澤臉上的表情認真下來，小心地撫上那翅膀表面，沿着外側的軟骨輕輕按揉，似乎在丈量着什麽。
好……軟。
這是他的第一感覺，指尖撫過上面起伏的紋路，仿佛能感知到其下汩汩流動的血液，像是在觸碰什麽美麗又脆弱的生命一般。
失神了一瞬，他才想起自己的初衷，是幫雄蟲測量這翅膀有沒有起飛的能力，連忙聚斂心神去按裏面的骨骼。
指尖拂過的觸感太明顯，這裏摸一下那裏按一下的，很快就泛起一片難熬的癢意，順着血管一路蔓延，讓半邊身體都麻了。
“嗯……等等哈哈哈哈……太癢了……”
耶爾忍了又忍，還是沒忍住笑出聲來，顫動翅膀想要抖去上面附着的麻癢，卻沒什麽效果。
“不行，我這次真的要撓一撓了，太癢了。”
他勉強斂了笑，想要讓翅膀靠近一點，但一時被收住力氣——
那寬大又柔軟的翅膀便撲了雌蟲一頭一臉，幾乎将他完全罩了起來，因為沖擊比較強，上面的磷粉被震得散落一地。
“！”
眼前猛地一黑，西澤驚了一瞬，下一秒才反應過來是被撲了臉，頓時有些無奈了，“雄主。”
耶爾連忙把翅膀挪開，卻見雌蟲滿頭滿臉都是那碎金粉末，在陽光的照耀下閃着細碎又五彩斑斓的光。
“咳，不好意思，一時沒控制好。”
耶爾拿過一旁的毛巾幫他擦臉，但那些粉末很細碎，單憑擦很難擦掉，反而還借着水分黏在了雌蟲臉上。
“沒事，我回去洗一洗吧，您先……”
西澤還沒說完，就感覺面前一陣風吹來，将浮在表面的磷粉一下吹飛，睜開眼才發現是耶爾在扇動翅膀。
他神情專注，一下又一下地扇，讓整個場景莫名有些奇怪又可愛。
這對翅膀……真的很适合雄主啊。
西澤忍不住失笑，真心實意地感嘆了一聲。
但沒堅持多久，耶爾就宣告失敗，“不行了，好累，翅膀要抽筋了。”
一出小小的鬧劇之後，他們雙雙倒在病床上。
超豪華版vip病房空間極大，病床上躺兩個蟲都綽綽有餘，耶爾便拉着西澤一起躺下來，感受難得忙裏偷閑的時刻。
堕落了。
耶爾翻了個身面對着西澤，突然暗嘆一聲。
在一年前他根本想象不出來，自己會因為長出翅膀而高興，而是會覺得更像蟲而非人，變得更加崩潰吧。
一切變化都是無形的，卻都有跡可循——
反正都和西澤脫不開關系。
他凝視着身側雌蟲的臉，神情無意識柔和下去，忍不住一再揚起唇角。
然後就被湊近的西澤親了下眼睛，那一點相隔的距離頓時消失，很快耳邊響起雌蟲低沉的聲音，“在想什麽？”
耶爾懶洋洋的，“沒，再躺一會吧，好不容易一起得了點空閑。”
昨晚他們都有加班，今早早早起床準備上，只是中途被背後的異狀打斷，才都請了半天的假，這會正好休息恢複精力。
“好。”
*
耶爾沒想到的是，莫德老師取走的翅膀上的磷粉，真的讓研究有了極大進展——
“非常神奇！這些粉末裏蘊含着一絲生命力，并不是無機質的死物，而且裏面的細胞列狀根本不是這個時代的……”
他正做着實驗，莫德就快步走進了中心實驗室，将幾天的研究成果展示出來，吸引了所有蟲的視線。
“古老到甚至可以懷疑是上千年前的生物！”
一陣嘩然。
耶爾怔了一下，看向清晰投屏裏面複雜的圖像，神色也跟着漸漸凝重。
他本身也是科研蟲員，知道這份數據對他們來說意味着什麽——
陷入瓶頸幾十年甚至逐漸絕望的研究項目，必然會煥發出新的活力，甚至能借此一舉攻克很多未解之謎。
“別靠太近！這些粉末很輕，空氣流動都有可能會将其吹走。”
看着莫德小心翼翼捧着器皿的樣子，耶爾突然想起之前把磷粉撲了雌蟲一頭一臉的樣子，頓時心虛地低咳一聲。
……沒想到這麽珍貴，幸好翅膀上的磷粉完全是可再生的，不然讓莫德知道他這麽暴殄天物，一定會臭臉一個月。
将資料下發後，莫德在一片熱火朝天的讨論裏，将耶爾單獨叫到了所長辦公室。
“你是不是返祖了？”
“果然，S級的雄蟲，真的和帝國普遍意義上的雄蟲完全不同！，簡直是活化石一般的存在！”
眼前的雌蟲看起來興奮異常，甚至激動到來來回回踱步，嘴裏還念念有詞。
“返祖？”
想起來自己就是從遙遠的、幾乎是宇宙另一邊的地方來的，有這種異狀也很正常，如果能誤打誤撞突破研究瓶頸，倒也是意外之喜。
但他的來歷肯定是不能說的。
耶爾有些含糊地道，“也許，畢竟我生長很慢，什麽情況都有可能發生。”
他的觸角早就已經已經生長出來了，但之前和艾科一起檢查身體數據，卻并沒有發現和翅膀一樣的異常之處。
這對翅膀到底……
“只要我們把握機會，借着這個突破口繼續探索，這些年一直苦苦研究的基因藥劑，說不定也可以順利研制出來！”
即使隔着辦公室的門，都能聽到外面爆發的各種讨論，面前也有一位科學狂蟲亢奮得不成樣子。
耶爾忍不住笑了笑，感覺到胸腔內仿佛也有一簇熱火被點燃，灼熱滾燙，熠熠閃爍着希望的微光。
科學研究的道路絕不是通天坦途，甚至很可能從一開始就是一條死路，但只有親自去走、拼命開拓，才會有觸摸到真理的可能。
……
進行了一天熱火朝天的研究，一直到晚上十點，大家才意猶未盡地下班散去。
曾經敬業刻苦研究，卻沒有一點進展的日子實在難熬，突然被蟲神眷顧降下奇跡，瞬間點燃了所有科研蟲的狂熱激情。
如果不是莫德強制勒令回去休息，他們真的能靠高濃度能量劑熬個幾天幾夜，然後一口氣研究到爽。
“嘀嘀。”
The computer flashed red. Even though Yael didn't open it to read it, he knew who had sent the message.
As expected, as soon as I walked out of the door, I saw a figure waiting there. He was wearing a neat military uniform, tall and straight, and was looking in this direction intently.
The weather is already very warm, and the night wind at ten o'clock in the evening also carries a hot and dry breath.
Yael walked down the stairs step by step, and couldn't help but quicken his pace as he headed towards Xize in front of him.
The scene before him seemed strangely familiar, and it reminded him of his past self.
[My biggest wish is to continue my research, have my own house, have a partner to accompany me, and then raise a pet together, so that our future life can be stable and happy.]
A year ago he had achieved half of his wish, but he was so desperate that he nearly took his own life.
It was not until he went to the edge star and met the female insect by chance. After spending a long and difficult time together, he finally realized all his dreams.
This time, he truly felt fulfilled happiness, rather than empty emptiness.
"Have you been waiting for a long time?"
Yael naturally took Caesar's hand, pulled him down and kissed him, "Thank you for your hard work. I didn't expect to work overtime tonight."
"No, just a few minutes."
Xi Ze's eyes were full of smiles. Hearing this, he squeezed his hand and walked out with Yael. "Let's go. The suspension car is one kilometer away."
"Director Mod said you need to exercise. It will be late when you get home, so you might as well take a slow walk now."
After protesting to no avail, Yael resigned himself to embarking on a one-kilometer night walk with the female insect. But it felt good to walk slowly and talk while walking.
He raised his eyes and saw a vast night sky dotted with stars and a gentle breeze.
He turned his head and saw Caesar's profile. They were holding hands and shaking each other childishly, walking slowly.
Behind you is the place where you can realize your dreams, and in front of you is the direction of home.
At this moment, everything is the best.