Chapter Nineteen: Decline
Apa drove Anno and Lockin into the ruins and headed towards one of the houses.
"Cough cough..."
Anno suddenly coughed, and with no strength left, she leaned against Logan. Logan's expression immediately turned serious, and Apa also quickened his pace.
They stopped at the backup base, Apa. Logan jumped off Apa with Anno in his arms, kicked open the door that was frozen solid by ice and snow, and went inside.
Logan gently placed Anno on the sofa in the living room and took out a professional medical testing instrument from a small bag hanging from his waist.
She scanned her body with the instrument, and the first thing that appeared on the screen was a red light indicating the energy level. Below that, various body data appeared, all of which were also glowing red.
Looking at the data, Lokin's expression immediately turned serious; the cub's body was failing.
This is because Anno had spent too long in the petri dish. She should have emerged when her body developed to the normal infant stage and then grown under careful care. The petri dish mimics the mechanism of early human gestation in the womb, where one should stay for nine to ten months. However, she had stayed in the petri dish for three years, and the gold dust used to cultivate the embryo was no longer sufficient to support her physical development.
Moreover, the equipment in that petri dish factory is already obsolete. The person raising her could only put in the minimum standard of "golden sand" she needed each time. So after she came out, she relied on energy to sustain her body. Now her energy is almost exhausted and she can no longer support the energy and nutrition her body needs. Her body is rapidly weakening.
Lokin turned off her protective gear, then took out a first-aid potion specifically for Fireseed cubs and injected it into her wrist.
Anuo felt cold, but she was sweating profusely. With each heartbeat, she felt a dull pain, and her breathing became much heavier.
Huo Yin and the others could feel that Anno's breath was weak, and the red examination instrument in Luo Jin's hand made their hearts sink instantly.
Luo Jin pulled Anuo back into his arms, making her sit up so she could breathe more comfortably. Sensing that her body temperature was a little low, he had his adjutant Wu Sui bring a self-heating blanket to cover her.
Huo Yin lay down beside Anuo, his tail wrapped around her ankle. He was still in his half-beast form, his body almost completely covered in scales. He tried his best to suppress his raging mental power, his vertical pupils fixed on Anuo.
Lokin looked at the beast cub lying at her feet, a hint of surprise in his eyes. The energy aura of this beast... how...
Sensing Huo Yin's slightly manic energy, Luo Jin quickly determined that he was a beast-like mutant.
The Beast-like mutants are the most genetically aggressive species, possessing the strongest aggression and abilities, making them extremely dangerous.
The mental suppressants that the military has developed now have similar effects to sleeping pills. They can temporarily calm down people who are in a frenzy, but they cannot solve the root cause. They only have a chance to make them come back to their senses on their own, but this chance is negligible.
The only solution is the purifying power of the fire.
Seeing that Huo Yin's condition wasn't very good, Luo Jin gave Wu Sui, who was standing next to him, a look, telling him to pay more attention to this beast-like mutant. Although he was still young, his energy was not weak.
Seeing the cub in his arms frowning in discomfort, Luo Jin gently stroked her cheek, releasing his energy to make her feel safe.
She has adopted six children, and she and her husband personally cared for them during their infancy, so they know how to make the children feel at ease.
Now, she can only wait for the spaceship to arrive on Casa to pick her up. It should arrive in half an hour at the earliest. The medicine she just received can keep the cub going for a while.
The medicine has a slight sedative and analgesic effect, which will help the Fire Seedlings fall asleep and alleviate the pain caused by their physical discomfort.
Seeing the little cub fall asleep and its breathing rate improve slightly, Lokin looked at her with tender eyes.
Such a tiny cub, yet it has to endure such suffering. Lokin gently stroked her tender cheek with heartache.
Apa and Mike went to stand guard outside the door. The living room was unusually quiet. The children were all lying quietly on the floor, still in their animal forms, afraid that something unexpected might happen again.
Half an hour later, Lokin received a message that the spaceship had reached the outer orbit of Casa Star. At the same time, her personal computer flashed. This was a signal from Hicks. He had lured the Blackthorns to their side.
Hicks deliberately delayed until the spaceship arrived to pick them up, so that the mother could take the cubs away at the perfect time.
Lokin removed the protective gear from the cub, picked her up, and walked towards the door. Everyone followed.
As soon as she left the ruins, Lokin sensed Hicks' presence from afar. She hadn't seen her eldest son for two or three years and missed him, but she had important business to attend to and couldn't chat with him here.
She believed in Hicks's abilities, and that once he completed his mission on Casa, he could return to the main planet to resume his duties.
Before long, Hicks emerged from the snowstorm. He saw the mother holding her cub and stopped, watching her from a distance.
Luo Jin handed the cub in her arms to her adjutant Wu Sui, reached for her waist, and drew her long sword. She had to finish this charade with her son.
The two looked at each other for a moment, then attacked each other simultaneously.
Two minutes later, Lu Sien caught up with Hicks and arrived to find the ground littered with the corpses of Blackthorn members. Hicks was fighting with a woman when he was knocked away and landed in front of Lu Sien.
Lu Si'en frowned slightly as he looked at the scene.
He saw the Federation insignia on the woman opposite him, and then his gaze fell on a man behind her who was holding a cub in his arms. The scent and energy he smelled were those of a Fire Seed cub.
"Lu Si'en!"
Hicks scrambled to his feet, his eyes fierce and piercing. "Go and snatch the Fireseed Cub!"
Lu Sien looked at the several wounds on Hicks's body, but still had doubts. He asked, "Did you run away with the Fire Seed Cub just now?"
Hicks wiped the blood from his face and said expressionlessly, "It's me. So what? The Fire Seed Cub I found in the incubation base in the East Valley ruins is mine. You and the security department have been chasing me for so long, trying to snatch the Fire Seed Cub from me. Dream on!"
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