Chapter 74 Just Partners 19
When Duan Rui rushed over after receiving Xia Yanshen's message, Zhou Kai was talking to Ren Yi about his genetic disorder.
“There’s a research group at the Third Affiliated Hospital that’s working on this. I heard they’re making good progress; the animal testing is almost complete, and human trials will be in a while. While large-scale rollout is unlikely right now, I can help you apply for a volunteer spot if you’d like.”
Ren Yi was a little surprised that Zhou Kai would help him find out this information.
However, the situation is probably not as optimistic as Zhou Kai described. His radiation sickness is partly influenced by the world's rules, making a cure unlikely. Even if he is cured, other unforeseen events could occur that prevent him from continuing to pilot the mecha.
Zhou Kai saw that he wanted to refuse, so he persuaded him again, "You don't need to worry about safety. This is the most basic guarantee. It can't be worse to give it a try. I'm still waiting for you to get better so you can be my partner."
Duan Rui arrived just as he heard the last sentence. He didn't even bother to knock and pushed the door open to enter.
Zhou Kai immediately frowned and turned around.
Although he usually wore a smile and seemed approachable, he was, after all, someone who had been on the front lines confronting alien species. When he frowned, a heavy aura of pressure immediately enveloped him. But Duan Rui, who entered, withstood this pressure and confronted him, his eyes filled with undisguised hostility.
Ren Yi's words broke the silent struggle: "Why are you here?"
Zhou Kai withdrew his gaze from Duan Rui and turned to look at Ren Yi. After confirming that Ren Yi did indeed recognize the person, he immediately relaxed and smiled, "Is it your classmate again? Then I'll go out first, so as not to disturb your conversation."
Zhou Kai closed the door behind him as he left. The room was silent for a moment. Duan Rui stared at Ren Yi on the hospital bed for a while, then suddenly asked, "Is it him?"
Ren Yi: "What?"
This seemingly random statement left Ren Yi confused.
But Duan Rui pursed his lips and remained silent.
He had just recognized Zhou Kai. This senior was quite famous at the First Military Academy and had a good reputation; he didn't seem like the kind of person who would do such a thing. Besides, if it were him, it was understandable that they wouldn't contact each other frequently, since the places where they confronted the aliens were often quite remote, and it was common for the Alliance's signal to be unavailable.
Duan Rui was about to say something, but Xia Yanshen's words that day, "We are just partners," suddenly came to mind. What he hadn't thought much of before suddenly felt like a knife stabbing him in this situation.
This was Ren Yi's private matter, and he seemed to have no right to interfere.
Duan Rui remained silent for a long time before finally managing to say weakly, "You are my partner."
These words made Ren Yi realize what Duan Rui's attitude had been like earlier. Duan Rui must have heard Zhou Kai's last words, "Get better and be my partner."
Duan Rui has an extremely strong competitive spirit, which is probably a funny quirk for a protagonist, though not a flaw. Occasionally, he'll exhibit childish behavior, like wanting to take an extra bite of food from others, which is both amusing and exasperating. Zhou Kai's blatant attempt to steal his partner clearly touched a nerve with Duan Rui, which explains his obvious hostility just now.
But it was obvious from Zhou Kai's words that it was half comforting and half a joke to lighten the mood; only Duan Rui would take it seriously. Ren Yi was both amused and exasperated, explaining, "Don't listen to Zhou Kai's nonsense. Even if I get better, it'll take a considerable amount of time to recover..."
"I can wait!"
Before Ren Yi could finish speaking, Duan Rui interrupted him.
Ren Yi: "..."
Something about this conversation felt off, but I couldn't quite put my finger on it.
Duan Rui's attention, however, was drawn to Zhou Kai's name, which Ren Yi had just called out directly. Moreover, Ren Yi's tone when mentioning Zhou Kai was quite intimate, unlike when he was talking to a famous alumnus.
The unanswered question at the beginning, "Is it him?" suddenly seemed to have an answer, and Duan Rui felt as if something was pressing down on his heart, heavy and bitter.
Ren Yi sensed the awkward atmosphere and forcibly changed the subject, "I've met your new partner, Xia Yanshen."
Duan Rui said, "It's just a temporary arrangement."
This explanation made Ren Yi feel that the vague sense of unease he had felt earlier became even stronger, but he still continued, "He has good talent."
Duan Rui gave a curt "Oh" without much reaction, as if the topic had nothing to do with him.
Ren Yi, wake up! That's your future wife!
You're so indifferent now, but once you realize it, you'll find it surprisingly appealing.
Considering their long partnership, Ren Yi had no choice but to continue, "He has excellent calculation skills, outstanding attention to detail, and a good overall perspective..."
The more Ren Yi spoke, the more Duan Rui frowned.
After a moment, as if she could no longer bear it, she interrupted Ren Yi for the second time, saying, "He is not as good as you."
Ren Yi?!
He really wanted to grab Duan Rui's shoulders and shake him hard right now. Dude, do you even know what you're saying?! What kind of pre-order fg is this?!
Ren Yi quickly replied, "He's different from me. He still has a future and plenty of time to grow."
The protagonist is different from a mere plot device. Although the initial setup might be a bit lacking, the potential for growth is definitely S-class.
That was Ren Yi's original intention, but after he finished speaking, Duan Rui looked as if he had been punched, and his face immediately turned pale.
Ren Yi almost immediately understood what Duan Rui had connected the dots, and his expression turned serious.
He raised his voice, interrupting Duan Rui's thoughts, "I've already said, it wasn't your fault or your mistake! It was a decision we made together, not just your responsibility."
Duan Rui remained silent, and Ren Yi knew he had failed to persuade him.
When Ren Yi was diagnosed with a disordered gene sequence, in addition to regular physical therapy, psychological intervention never stopped. The school was afraid that he wouldn't be able to handle the shock and might do something drastic, but Ren Yi felt that Duan Rui was the one who needed psychological intervention more than him.
The latter remained remarkably calm throughout, failing to reveal anything amiss. It was only because Ren Yi had partnered with him for a considerable time that he became aware of his inner turmoil. Ren Yi had assumed that given the protagonist's stable mental state, he would naturally recover over time, or at the very least, the protagonist would offer support and guidance.
Unexpectedly, after so much time has passed, Duan Rui's condition has not only failed to improve, but has instead shown a trend of further deterioration.
Just as Ren Yi was considering whether or not to have Duan Rui provide psychological intervention, in another room, Zhou Kai was also discussing Ren Yi's problems with a psychological counselor.
"The psychological tests Mr. Ren underwent after regaining consciousness all came back to normal and met the standards."
Zhou Kai breathed a sigh of relief after hearing this.
Looking back on it later, he had to admit that Ren Yi's choice was the most appropriate under the circumstances. It was just that the other party's judgment was too calm, and his command style was completely different before and after. In addition, after returning, he suddenly learned about the other party's past experiences, which made him think more.
Although this extra step was added just in case, it's good that no one is hurt.
Zhou Kai relaxed and was about to leave when he noticed that the person opposite him seemed to still have something to say.
He frowned slightly and stopped. Sure enough, the other person continued, "I retrieved Mr. Ren's psychological intervention file from when he was in military school. He almost perfectly fits the recovery curve of mindset after trauma, which is the result that we guides most hope to see."
There was nothing wrong with what he said, but Zhou Kai still couldn't help feeling something was off, and he frowned as he looked over.
The person on the other end maintained a professional and calm demeanor as always, which shows that Mr. Ren has a very good mindset.
Zhou Kai didn't move; he didn't think the other party said that specifically to praise Ren Yi.
This "psychological counselor" was actually testing Zhou Kai, since the psychological pressure of (normal) undercover missions is extremely high, and even after returning, he would need to undergo a considerable period of psychological counseling, or rather, "observation"—for the safety of the undercover agent, and also for insurance purposes.
Zhou Kai's mission this time could also be categorized as "undercover," and his extended leave after the mission was procedurally sound. However, his half-baked undercover experience was truly baffling, and he wasn't even part of the special mission department's operational sequence. Under normal circumstances, Zhou Kai would have been kicked in the backside by his captain long ago, but this time, he had Ren Yi, whose identity was still unknown at the time, and had no choice but to stay. Since the leave had been approved through the proper procedures, psychological counseling naturally had to follow, hence the appearance of this "psychological counselor" to go through the motions. Zhou Kai didn't hesitate to "make use of" this person, letting him observe Ren Yi's psychological state.
Zhou Kai didn't spend much time with the person who came, but it was enough for him to get to know the other person.
He was the kind of person who beat around the bush, the kind of person Zhou Kai disliked the most. He frowned and said directly, "Just say what you have to say!"
The latter sighed in apparent helplessness, seemingly frustrated that he had explained himself so clearly, yet the other person still didn't understand. He had no choice but to lower his standards and adopt the attitude one would show to a child whose brain is not yet fully developed (Zhou Kai??!).
"Of course, we cannot rule out the possibility that Mr. Ren is in a stable state of mind and has recovered very well. However, considering the discrepancy between the behavioral profile of the other party on Rodeix and the current psychological test report, there is another possibility: he has a deep understanding of psychology."
Zhou Kai pondered the meaning of those words for a moment, and after realizing what they meant, he almost immediately glared at them. Good heavens, they were treating Ren Yi as a suspect?!
The "psychologist" felt both innocent and helpless; he was simply acting out of professional habit. Moreover, he had already exercised considerable restraint, doing almost nothing but offering a plausible guess.
He ignored Zhou Kai's gaze and continued, "If that's really the case, then the disordered genetic sequence is actually a good thing for him. Major Zhou should know what the outcome would be if someone with self-destructive tendencies, even mild ones, went to the battlefield, right?"
Zhou Kai remained silent.
Of course he knew.
Humans have a natural instinct for self-preservation; in times of crisis, most people's first reaction is to survive. In many life-or-death situations, instinct precedes consciousness, thus saving lives. If this "instinct" is lost, even with outstanding skills and exceptional personal abilities, in a constant battle against a deadly foe, an accident is only a matter of time.
Seeing Zhou Kai's pale face, the person opposite him offered a rare word of comfort, "You don't need to worry. Even if it's the latter situation, he knows his condition and is actively adjusting himself, which is a good thing. For people with such strong psychological defenses, forced external intervention is more likely to trigger a stress response. Making good use of self-regulation ability is also a solution."
...
Zhou Kai walked out of the room, looking annoyed.
He didn't go too far; he just randomly found a window and looked into the distance.
Was he thinking that what the "psychologist" had just said was a "good thing"?
Zhou Kai wanted to vehemently refute that nonsensical speculation, but recalling the two accidents that had befallen Ren Yi, he couldn't help but wonder if there really wasn't a psychological factor at play. If so, when did Ren Yi's psychological problems begin?
Because of the "Galaxy" incident, Zhou Kai had already obtained Ren Yi's file while Ren Yi was still in a coma.
With a good personality and outstanding talent, he was a rising star on whom the top military academy placed high hopes. Looking at the dense array of awards, it's hard to imagine what could possibly cause this prodigy, who had enjoyed such a smooth and successful career, to have any troubles.
All Zhou Kai could think of was Marshal Holger's sacrifice three years ago.
To be honest, Zhou Kai still felt a bit of a vague, unreal feeling about the so-called "designated successor." Who would have thought that a handsome young man he just bumped into was Marshal Hall's lover? But when he thought about how calm and rational the young man was on the blockade planet, he had to admit that the young man absolutely deserved the title.
Zhou Kai could even foresee that if Marshal Holger hadn't had his accident, and if a few more years had passed, and the young man had made a name for himself in the military, the two of them would have been an enviable and perfectly matched couple.
But who could have predicted such an unexpected turn of events?
Zhou Kai gazed into the distance. It was daytime on the capital planet, so there were no stars in the sky. Yet, he vaguely saw a vast sea of stars. Perhaps... what fell that day was not only humanity's morning star, but also another star that clearly had infinite potential but never had the chance to shine.
Zhou Kai's rare moment of artistic sentimentality was interrupted by a gaze so intense it was almost scalding.
He snapped out of his reverie and looked over; it was the same boy who had barged into the ward and seemed quite hostile towards him. Zhou Kai was puzzled, but not too bothered. He merely raised an eyebrow in slight surprise and casually asked, "Did you need something?"
However, in the eyes of some people, this indifferent attitude is even more infuriating than a provocation.
Duan Rui almost gritted his teeth as he spoke, "He is my partner."
Zhou Kai?
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