Anyone with eyes could see that the mercenary with government connections didn't believe Bryce's speculation at all.
"That guy probably watches too many old movies and always thinks that any problem is related to space parasites."
Afterwards, Lin Xi overheard Bryce speaking sarcastically about Solian's behavior in that room.
Of course, he made no comment on this.
Lin Xi didn't know exactly what went wrong, but it was clear that Solian believed Lin Xi was related to the tragedy of the Ando couple.
For the short time that followed, Lin Xi remained somewhat dazed and confused while staying in that confidential room.
It felt like a dream—Lin Xi thought.
Someone was asking a question, and he was answering it.
He clearly said a lot; at least, he was certain that he had said almost everything that needed to be said.
Including the strange behavior of the two people when he visited the Ando family, the dark cabin and the terrible smell, and the Star Butterfly egg case that Ando Shizuo had entrusted to him in violation of regulations...
But when he thought about it later, he found that he had no way of remembering what he had said.
Well, he had to admit that he hadn't told that arrogant guy "all" the truth.
That statue...
Fossil sculpture of Sunu.
Lin Xi didn't know how to explain it, but ever since she was terrified by that sculpture in the warehouse, she had always felt that it was really strange.
It was so strange that he dared not touch it too much.
The gruesome death of Liz and the image of her obsessive worship of the Star God sculpture when they last met alternated in Lin Xi's mind, making Lin Xi feel nauseous and break out in a cold sweat.
His intuition was screaming, or rather, warning him, that he shouldn't reveal anything about the sculpture.
He had a feeling that it would only make things worse.
The frustrating thing is that Lin Xi has never been a perfect actress, especially in front of a mercenary who seems to suffer from paranoia.
Bryce, however, stood firmly on Lin Xi's side; he was practically ready to roll up his sleeves and fight Solian.
Naturally, in that atmosphere of mutual distrust and suspicion, this secret investigation ended badly, and like many meetings after the failed jump, it made no progress.
“I know you’re hiding something, buddy. I can feel it. Right now you might be able to hide behind your brother and his girlfriend’s skirt like a little boy and pretend you don’t know anything, but I’ll catch you red-handed. And when we get back to Earth, you’ll be facing a court-martial.”
As the four people filed out of the room, Solian suddenly quickened his pace and pressed himself against Lin Xi's back. He brought his lips close to Lin Xi's ear and whispered something in a malicious tone.
Lin Xi's body stiffened instantly. For a second, he was completely unable to make any movement because there was a strange meaning in Solian's tone that he couldn't quite put his finger on.
However, Lin Xi didn't need to retaliate against Solian himself, because before he could make a move, Bryce had already angrily stood between him and Solian.
"Hey—you fucking threatening my brother? Right under my nose?"
"Oh……"
Solian took a step back as he faced Bryce. His facial muscles twitched, revealing a contemptuous sneer, before he gave Lin Xi the middle finger and turned to walk towards the other end of the corridor.
"That son of a bitch."
Bryce stared at his retreating figure and cursed coldly.
"...I really don't understand why he's always looking for trouble with you."
He then spoke to Lin Xi.
To Lin Xi's surprise, Elisa was able to answer the question.
"I think it's probably related to John."
She said.
"John? John Bronson?"
"What does this have to do with him?"
Lin Xi and Bryce were both taken aback and asked in unison.
What is the connection between the old cook, who suffered a mental breakdown shortly after the failed jump and was sent to a lower cabin (or more precisely, a private prison on the Sun God) by Taran for solitary confinement, and Solian and Linxi?
The same question echoed in Bryce's and Lin Xi's minds.
"It's just hearsay. I heard that John Brunson used to like going to the neighborhoods of those young men, the exploration teams, the mercenaries, the engineering department... The old man may be a bit crazy, but he's quite eloquent. Before he was put in solitary confinement, many people already believed what he said."
Elisa frowned and explained a few words, her face revealing her undisguised fatigue.
“I remember Lin Xi was also at that meeting… Because of what Bronson said, Solian was even a little reluctant to send his men out to survey the environment—”
"Oh, I remember."
Lin Xi finally managed to recall the meeting where old John went mad.
The old man firmly believed that they were on the planet AS192, the one that buried 250,000 people. He also shouted something else... Oh right, he thought Taran was the son of a demon and planned to sacrifice the ship's crew to the demon...
"But what does that have to do with me?"
Lin Xi asked blankly.
"John Bronson suddenly 'had an epiphany' not long ago, and he kept yelling in the solitary confinement cell that you are the 'devil'."
Elisa looked at Lin Xi with sympathy and said in a low voice.
“Sorian used to visit John down there often before, and he probably heard some nonsense there... You don’t need to worry about it too much.”
"Of course I don't care."
Lin Xi said.
After all, Lin Xi had far more trouble to face than an old madman and his strange followers.
Of course, Lin Xi hoped to find some time to discuss some "things" properly with Bryce and Elisa, but the insect attack, the opening of the covenant, and the horrific deaths of the Ando couple had completely thrown the Sun God into chaos.
“…We can talk again later,” Bryce escorted Lin Xi back to his living quarters (pretending not to see the red light on his personal terminal’s emergency call indicator). He stopped at the door, looking at Lin Xi as if he wanted to say something but hesitated. In the end, he just patted his brother on the shoulder. “Before that, you need to rest well. If there’s time, I’d like to give you a physical exam. Lately, you seem to be unconscious in front of me all the time.”
He deliberately used a joking tone, but Lin Xi knew that Bryce was genuinely worried.
He watched Bryce leave in a hurry, and stood there blankly for a long time before forcing himself to return to his room.
It was already very late, at least according to human biological clocks.
But Lin Xi couldn't sleep after returning to his room. His thoughts were in turmoil, and his body felt unusually heavy.
However, after seeing the plant culture tank in the room, which was used to temporarily house the star butterflies and the remaining unhatched insect eggs, Lin Xi put all those things out of her mind.
Hey, how are you guys?
He rushed to the culture tank immediately and carefully observed the star butterfly and other insect eggs.
Thank goodness, even in such a chaotic environment, they still remained active.
Especially "Number One", it has successfully settled on a branch of a sunflower.
Its wings looked more outstretched and more beautiful than when Lin Xi left.
Lin Xi gazed fascinated at the colorful and beautiful patterns on the wings of "Number One," and her tense emotions slowly relaxed.
He had never seen such beautiful insect wings before. It could be said that the wings of "Number One" were developed exactly according to his aesthetic sense.
Even its curled, delicate tentacles seem exceptionally endearing.
Although it looks somewhat similar to butterflies on Earth, Lin Xi can say without hesitation that "Number One" is probably more beautiful than all the butterflies on Earth combined.
However, at this moment, the piece of fragrant wood in the culture tank seems a bit small compared to its size.
Lin Xi also noticed with her sharp eyes that on the lower half of the Sunu sandalwood tree, where the three branches forked, there was a semi-transparent substance resembling honey.
A faint fragrance emanated from the culture tank, which Lin Xi was certain came from the translucent secretion.
"Number One" stood quietly on the branch, its beautiful, soft, gauze-like wings fluttering up and down in the culture tank until Lin Xi approached.
Lin Xi squinted and stared for a while before realizing that in the short time he was away, the entire culture tank was filled with almost completely transparent, fine threads—the threads converged on the fragrant secretion.
Or to be more precise, those secretions are the stuff formed when fine threads clump together.
What are you doing?
Lin Xi asked in surprise, and before he could help himself, he placed his hand on the vent of the culture tank.
Several thin threads were floating around the edge of the tiny hole—they were so delicate and light that they could rise like wisps of smoke with just the slight movement of air in the room.
Moreover, the surface of those filaments is sticky.
The moment Lin Xi's fingers touched the fine threads, they melted on his fingertips. Surprisingly, after they disappeared, the lingering fragrance of the threads became even stronger.
Lin Xi sniffed, and for some reason, he felt that the fragrance was vaguely familiar.
Nest Xue
A strange, invisible thought slowly seeped into Lin Xi's mind along with the fragrance.
Lin Xi snapped out of his brief daze, and then he suddenly realized what was happening.
Those fine threads—the secretions on the fragrant wood—are actually "Number One" building its nest.
They're still so small, yet they've already started building nests?
Lin Xi couldn't help but think, and she couldn't help but feel a surge of affection for Xing Die.
"Sizzle—"
Lin Xi was slightly dazed, and then he heard a faint, rhythmic chirping of an insect coming from the culture tank.
"ah?
Lin Xi looked down and saw the scene of "Number One" trying to stick himself to the ventilation hole.
If "Number One" were any smaller, it would probably have squeezed out of that hole by now. Unfortunately, its size only allows it to barely poke its head out of the vent.
Inside the culture tank, its wings were tightly tucked together, and then the sound-producing organs under its wings began to rub together and produce a chirping sound.
Lin Xi was stunned.
He hesitated for a long time before cautiously extending his hand.
Sure enough, the chirping of insects instantly became even louder. Lin Xi really hoped she wasn't just imagining things...
But at this moment, that intuition was so strong that he couldn't ignore it at all: he felt that the call of "Number One" was full of attachment and joy.
Lin Xi never imagined that she would perceive such obvious emotions in the actions of an insect.
He bit his lip, unaware that he had subconsciously held his breath.
His fingers were closer to "Number One".
Making contact with an alien creature without any protective measures is an absolute violation (even if the creature was hatched by the user).
If Lin Xi's advisor knew about his current actions, he would probably be furious and expel him from the Earth-Moon Union University.
but……
"Who cares—it's not the first time anyway."
Lin Xi muttered to herself.
Yes, it wasn't the first time—he had already come into close contact with this alien creature without any protection when he removed the Star Butterfly's eggs from the life support device.
Thinking of this, Lin Xi felt a weight lift from her shoulders.
He placed his finger directly within reach of "Number One" tentacles.
Sure enough, "Number One's" tentacles immediately reached out. Those transparent and delicate tentacles had a surprisingly distinct tactile feel.
It was slightly cool, and surprisingly, it felt quite resilient.
Without hesitation, "Number One" wrapped the tip of its tentacles around Lin Xi's fingers.
The familiar scene made Lin Xi raise an eyebrow.
"You guys really love to pester people."
He spoke to "Number One," his tone carrying a barely perceptible, gentle smile.
The wings of "Number One" unfurled, and the colors of the spots became even more magnificent, as if it could truly understand Lin Xi's praise.
However, seeing that "Number One" was starting to burrow more actively out of the culture tank, Lin Xi, after a brief moment of pity, calmed down and lifted the lid of the culture tank. Then, she pinched the Star Butterfly's body with her hand and carefully threw it back to the bottom of the culture tank.
"Number One" lay blankly at the bottom of the culture tank. Some of the nesting filaments were stuck to its wings, and it had to use its forelimbs to hook them off for a long time before it could clean them off.
At this moment, it showed a hint of exasperation.
When Lin Xi placed her finger on the vent again in an attempt to communicate with it, it flapped its wings and flew to the corner furthest away from Lin Xi.
Lin Xi lay beside the culture tank and observed it for a long time, almost astonished by the insect's abundant and rich body language.
"Phew, this is really troublesome..."
Seeing that "Number One" had been sitting in that corner for a long time without making any movement, Lin Xi breathed a sigh of relief and stood up from beside the culture tank.
It was a good thing that the star butterflies were so "lively", but looking at the culture trough that was originally intended for plants, Lin Xi still felt troubled.
After all, the thought of the culture tank inevitably brings to mind Shizuo Ando—and the thorny reality he now faces.
die.
insect.
Solian's inexplicable hostility.
And the most troublesome thing... is the cultivation device suitable for star butterflies.
Perhaps he should go and visit Shizuo Ando.
Lin Xi devised a way to block the air vents of the culture tank with a metal mesh to prevent the star butterflies from escaping, and then began to deal with her daily chores.
Throughout this process, Lin Xi's thoughts remained focused on Shizuo Ando.
From the information previously revealed by Solian, Lin Xi knew that Ando Shizuo was in a state of madness. To prevent him from doing anything dangerous, he was injected with a sedative and immediately detained in solitary confinement.
Although according to Bryce, it would be difficult for Ando Shizuo to regain his senses in a short time, but... maybe he should still give it a try? However, given Solian's personality, he would probably find it hard to accept letting Lin Xi get close to the solitary confinement room.
Oh, by the way, there's also a John Brunson in the solitary confinement cell.
To be honest, Lin Xi really wanted to find that old man in person and ask him directly how the so-called "demon" title had come to be associated with him.
Lost in thought, Lin Xi unbuttoned her work uniform while pondering those troubling matters.
However, just as he took off all his clothes, he suddenly felt a gaze...
"Um?"
Lin Xi turned around abruptly and realized that the gaze was coming from "Number One".
The insect had relaxed its wings at some point and was now clinging tightly to the transparent inner wall of the culture tank, its red eyes fixed motionless in place.
From a human perspective, it really does look like it's staring straight at Lin Xi.
Lin Xi looked back at "Number One" with amusement. He had no idea that an insect's gaze could be so penetrating.
"You're not angry anymore?"
He asked instinctively, not really expecting "Number One" to respond to him.
But then something amazing happened.
"Number One" seemed to be reminded by Lin Xi of the minor conflict that had existed between them before.
Its tentacles twitched, then it flapped its wings unhappily, and then turned around and went back behind the Sunu wood.
Wow.
Lin Xi let out a surprised mutter.
"You look... almost like you can really understand what I'm saying."
He said.
...
"Of course it understands what you're saying."
The next day, in the former laboratory of Shizuo Ando, the assistant who had previously dealt with Lin Xi raised his voice and said to Lin Xi in disbelief.
His name was Oni (forgive Lin Xi, it took him a while to remember the young assistant's name), and he looked very tired. The name tag on his chest had been replaced with the title "Animal Laboratory Acting Supervisor" instead of the word "assistant".
When Oni had to sneak onto the Apollo to try and salvage his GPA after messing up a final exam, he never imagined that one day a student like him, who was just coasting through his studies, would have the opportunity to control an entire laboratory—and now he was certain of one thing: this wasn't a pleasant experience.
Lin Xi could certainly see Oni's exhaustion. Apparently, yesterday's insect attack had made the already somewhat abnormal animals in the lab even more restless, which must have kept the youngest lab director in history extremely busy. If he could, Lin Xi wouldn't want to cause trouble for this unfortunate fellow at such a time—but reality didn't give him many options.
Xingdie's daily life and food were major problems, so Lin Xi had to seek help from professionals.
When he inadvertently mentioned "Number One's" actions yesterday to Oni, Oni pointed out directly that, given the intelligence of the Sunu Star Butterfly, all its interactions with Lin Xi yesterday were conscious actions.
“Dr. Lin Xi, have you forgotten? Those insects on Sunu are only similar in appearance to those on Earth. Their intelligence is frighteningly high; some species are almost mentally equivalent to five- or six-year-old human children. Okay,” Oni paused, then looked at Lin Xi with a puzzled expression, “I thought the people on the Sun God should know this. Didn’t we see how the Sunu people tamed those insects when we were inventorying the cargo on Sunu…?”
Lin Xi's face felt slightly flushed.
Well, of course he knew that the insects on Sunu were different—Sunu had a great variety of insects, and many of them were enormous.
In the lives of the Sunu people, insects can be means of transportation, partners in production, food, or raw materials for goods and medicine...
Moreover, many people even keep certain insects as pets.
“Sorry, I know that the Sunu insects are different from those on Earth... but I was on the ship when the Sunu was docked, so I didn’t realize it yet.”
Lin Xi said somewhat embarrassedly.
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