The ship had already docked at the pier. Luo Ning and Lu Xinghe stood together on the deck, surrounded by seabirds and fish swimming freely in the clear water.
The team members boarded the ship one after another. The last few team members were carrying a box that was moving, as if there was something inside.
When the box came closer, she discovered that it contained two boys around three years old. The boys moved slightly when they saw her, staring straight at her as if they recognized her. However, because they were too weak, they gradually quieted down.
Luo Ning paused for a moment, then asked Lu Xinghe in a low voice, "Whose children are they?"
Lu Xinghe replied, "It's not anyone's child; it's a human who has just returned to the origin."
"I see, no wonder their eyes don't look like those of three-year-olds."
Lu Xinghe hesitated for a moment after hearing this. He felt something was wrong when he saw the two children yesterday. Luo Ning's words just now reminded him that even if the mutants are in child form, they have lived for many years. Especially since they do not seem to have lost consciousness, these two children are thinking for themselves and approaching them with a purpose.
"You're absolutely right. You always manage to surprise me," Lu Xinghe said earnestly.
His eyes were like flowing honey, melting into her body little by little.
Luo Ning felt a little embarrassed by his gaze: "I wasn't much of a help."
Lu Xinghe found it amusing that she blushed every time she spoke to him; so this was how she reacted when she didn't remember him.
"Do you... remember anything?" he asked.
Luo Ning shook her head. She also tried to recall his memories, but they remained blank.
"It's okay, we'll have plenty of time later, you can think about it slowly," Lu Xinghe said reassuringly. "Even if you never remember, it's alright."
It doesn't matter if you never remember, because he will.
He also wanted to tell her that they could hold a wedding after they went back this time. This was something he had wanted to do before she got pregnant, but it was delayed due to the situation at the time and various other factors. He hoped that nothing unexpected would happen this time.
However, she was still clearly unfamiliar with him and there was a distance between them. If he directly brought up marriage, she might feel uncomfortable.
As Luo Ning listened to his words, although she had no memory of it, a quiet sweetness welled up in her heart. Even though she had never met him before, she was still very happy to be confessed to and embraced by such a young, handsome, and capable man.
"Mmm," she responded softly.
The ship soon set sail towards the island. More than two hours later, the ship finally docked at Crescent Island. Many people were standing at the port, waving excitedly.
Luo Ning first saw a bouncy girl, about seventeen or eighteen years old and very energetic, who kept shouting something, and upon closer listening, it sounded like she was calling for her aunt.
Standing next to the girl was a young woman in her early twenties, holding a child. She was slender, gentle, and beautiful, and was smiling at her with tears in her eyes—tears of joy.
When Luo Ning saw them, she felt a sense of warmth and happiness.
"The lively one is An Xiaoruo, and the quiet one is Wen Xi, right?" she asked Lu Xinghe.
"Hmm." Lu Xinghe felt a pang of sadness when he saw that she recognized him at a glance. She hadn't felt anything for him at first sight and had even wanted to leave. Clearly, he and she were the closest.
Luo Ning waved to them, then looked around the crowd for her two children whom she had never met before, but there were no twins around one year old in the crowd.
"They can't go out yet, but they'll be able to see it when they get back." Lu Xinghe saw through her thoughts.
"Can't we go out? Why?" Luo Ning asked with some heartache.
“Because they are very important, they have been under protection and have not left the laboratory for a year,” Lu Xinghe replied.
Although Luo Ning knew that important people would be well protected, she couldn't help but feel sad when she thought that her child was already a year old and had never seen the outside world.
After the ship docked, in addition to An Xiaoruo and Wen Xi being overjoyed, Qi Xiaowei and Jiang Lanlan were also extremely excited. They had thought that Luo Ning had been killed by Wen Rong, but they never expected to see her again.
An Yuan and Han Ling stood on the periphery of the crowd watching all this. When Han Ling saw Luo Ning, her eyes were somewhat lonely. She was still alive, but what about Wen Rong?
A year ago, after Wen Rong left with Luo Ning, he was allowed to stay because he helped the experiment succeed, but Wen Rong never came back. He had a vague feeling that something had happened to Wen Rong, otherwise, given her personality, she would definitely have come back.
"Auntie." An Xiaoruo threw herself into Luo Ning's arms, her tears soaking a large part of Luo Ning's clothes.
Luo Ning didn't know how to comfort her, so she gently patted her back.
"Luo Ning, you're finally back." Wen Xi said, tears welling up in her eyes. She knew Luo Ning had lost her memory, but even if Luo Ning didn't remember her, she didn't feel any distance between them.
"Yes, I'm back," she replied, then looked at the little girl in Wen Xi's arms who looked like a porcelain doll. The little girl turned her head away shyly, but couldn't help looking at the beautiful aunt in front of her.
“This is Xiaoxiao, the nickname you gave her,” Wen Xi said again.
Seeing the child, Luo Ning was delighted and couldn't help but pinch the little girl's rosy cheeks.
"Alright, alright, let's go back first. Don't all stand here in the cold wind. Commander Lu, please take them home," Qi Xiaowei said like an older sister.
Lu Xinghe looked somewhat uneasy. Everyone had been very careful around him this past year, and he knew that his emotions were affecting them.
He led Luo Ning forward, and Luo Ning saw that everyone around her was smiling at her. Although she was still a mutant, there was no fear in their eyes.
She smiled at them, feeling that she had been quite successful in her past life. For a different species to be liked by so many humans, she must have paid a lot.
Thank you to my past self.
Lu Xinghe first led her to the laboratory, which was heavily guarded, and the people guarding the laboratory were clearly very capable soldiers.
"Aunt, this is Song Pei. He's been protecting Youyou and Yanyan closely." An Xiaoruo introduced Song Pei to Luo Ning.
Looking at the dashing man, Luo Ning sighed inwardly, "This is the male protagonist from a novel! He should have been a powerful security officer, but now he's protecting her child."
She smiled apologetically at Song Pei and said, "Thank you for your hard work."
"It's what I should do," Song Pei replied calmly. He was happy to know she was coming back. If he hadn't left his post that day, perhaps she wouldn't have been taken away by Wen Rong. He felt guilty all along, so he was willing to stay here to protect the child.
As the doors were opened one by one, she could smell a milky fragrance more clearly, as well as the strange sensation of something moving and still.
She was about to meet her own flesh and blood, and she felt both nervous and excited.
When the last door opened, she saw two soft, cuddly little babies pressed against the glass, staring at her with wide, curious eyes.
They were wearing cute tiger pajamas, with tiny arms and legs, and because they were so close to the glass, their little noses were pressed into pig noses.
Their eyes were also blue, but not the cold blue of the alien species; rather, they were a transparent blue with a human brown tint, like a lake on a plateau reflecting the sky and mountains.
The mother and her two children gazed at each other silently. Even though they had never met before, at this moment they were connected by a deep bond, wanting to see each other into their hearts without moving.
"The one on the left is the older brother, Yuan You, who is quieter, and the one on the right is the younger brother, Yuan Yan, who is a bit mischievous," Lu Xinghe said to her.
Luo Ning entered the room, and the little ones turned their heads to follow her. She walked over and knelt down in front of them, unable to resist reaching out to hug them.
Whether it was the quiet older brother or the mischievous younger brother, they were all obediently held by her at this time.
"They really are mother and son. Even though it's their first meeting, there's no awkwardness at all. I've been taking care of Yuan You and Yuan Yan for so long, and they still won't let me get close," Qi Xiaowei said to Lu Xinghe with admiration.
Lu Xinghe went in and picked up the two brothers, one in each arm, and said, "Yuanyou and Yuanyan, Mom is back. Call her Mom."
The little ones became shy and none of them spoke. Although they were only one year old, their intellectual development was much stronger than that of human children of the same age. They could already run and talk.
“You’ve always envied Xiaoxiao for having a mother, haven’t you? Look, Mom’s back. Call her Mom!” Lu Xinghe tried to let Luo Ning hold one of them, but the little dumpling clung tightly to her father’s clothes and wouldn’t let go.
They envy Xiaoxiao for having a mother every day, but they feel embarrassed when their own mothers appear.
"Call her 'Mommy'." Lu Xinghe was still teaching them to speak, but the little ones had tears in their eyes and looked aggrieved.
Luo Ning hurriedly said, "It's okay if you don't cry, don't cry." After saying that, she immediately wiped the tears from their faces with her hands. The little ones immediately buried their faces in their father's chest, and tears soaked Lu Xinghe's clothes.
Lu Xinghe sighed softly, "It's my fault for not teaching them well."
Luo Ning smiled and said, "Don't say that. They've already done very well. The fact that they didn't burst into tears and run away at their first meeting is already a great success. They'll get used to each other in the future."
"Okay, we have plenty of time later, let's go home first." Lu Xinghe carried the child and walked out.
Luo Ning quickly stopped him: "Didn't you say you were under protection and couldn't go out?"
Lu Xinghe replied, "That's how it is when I'm not around."
When he's not around, the child needs protection; when he's with the child, he is the best protection.
Luo Ning paused for a moment, looking at his tall and upright figure, which did indeed give people a sense of security, so she followed him out.
An Xiaoruo wanted to go along, but Song Pei and Wen Xi stopped her.
"Don't go and join the fun, come back with me," Song Pei said.
An Xiaoruo thought about it and didn't chase after her. She had matured a lot and was no longer the child who would do whatever came to mind.
Lu Xinghe took her and the child to the military dormitory not far from the laboratory. He used to live in a single room, but now that she and the child were there, he changed to a double room. However, considering that she might not be very familiar with him, he decided to ask her if she wanted to stay with him.
"There are two rooms here, and there are also single rooms next door. See which one you'd like to stay in," he asked tactfully.
Luo Ning thought for a moment and replied, "I'll stay here."
Lu Xinghe was secretly pleased; it seemed he had underestimated the distance between them.
But then Luo Ning added, "It's spacious here, so I'll stay here with the child. You can stay next door. You're so busy with official duties, you can get some rest."
Lu Xinghe paused for a moment, looking somewhat dejected. He Cheng was right; after a woman has a child, she will "leave the father and keep the child."
As Luo Ning spoke, she took Yuan You and Yuan Yan from his arms one by one and put them on the ground. The little ones had finally come into contact with the outside world, and they were all curious, touching and smelling this and that. Before long, they started making a fuss.
"Then I'll go over tonight. I'll stay here with the kids for now." After saying that, Lu Xinghe scooped up Yuan You, who was running past him, and started playing with him, creating an opportunity for himself to stay.
"Mm." Luo Ning nodded. How could she not understand what Lu Xinghe meant? He wanted to live with her, but in her heart, it wasn't the right time. She needed time to get to know him and accept it.
laboratory.
An Yuan and Han Ling looked at the two children that Lu Xinghe had brought back. The laboratory was under extremely strict guard both inside and out.
“Interesting. According to the data, these two children are already eighty years old,” An Yuan said.
"So they were among the first humans to be infected?" the assistant asked.
An Yuan nodded: "This situation is extremely rare. Logically speaking, children of this age should have been eaten in the early stages. Even if they weren't eaten, it would be difficult for them to prey on humans or other species given their small size. How have they managed to survive until now?"
Han Ling pondered for a moment and said, "Perhaps someone is raising them."
"You mean breeding other species with other species? How is that possible? Back then, the other species didn't have any consciousness, only an appetite. How could they have the desire to breed them?" An Yuan thought it was impossible.
Han Ling remained silent. He also felt it was impossible, but he couldn't find a reason to explain it. Could it really be that these two children were just lucky to be alive?
“Lu Xinghe said that the child suddenly appeared next to the convoy. At that time, the convoy was closest to Boss Jin. Could they be plotting something?” An Yuan guessed.
"But what kind of conspiracy could two kids have? Even if they have divine sense, their intelligence seems a bit low. Besides, Boss Jin and the others should know that the alien species sent here would definitely be retrospectively analyzed, right? What's the point of sending them here?" Han Ling couldn't understand.
The two children in the glass cage also looked at them and the surrounding robotic arms and various experimental instruments with astonishment, as if seeing such a world for the first time.
They reported the situation to Lu Xinghe, who then sent a coded message to Du Lu: "Were the two three-year-old children's mutants sent from your side?"
After a while, Du Lu finally replied: "No."
Lu Xinghe frowned. If it wasn't sent by Boss Jin, then who did it come with?
The only thing he could think of was the most recent batch of alien species that had been retrospectively identified.
After thinking for a moment, he called the medical department at the plantation: "How is the recovery of today's batch of people?"
The person in charge replied, "It's being restored, and everything is normal."
“I need a detailed examination report for each of them, but this must be done in secret, without letting any of them know,” he ordered.
"Yes," the person in charge replied.
After hanging up the communicator, Lu Xinghe watched Luo Ning playing with the children outside, and his tense heart gradually relaxed.
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