The next day, when the appointed time arrived, there was no movement from the little mermaid and LAN’s room.
Number Nine stood curiously at the door, whispering to Ivan, “Should I knock?”
Ivan, sporting dark circles under his eyes and looking utterly world-weary, clicked his tongue. “Tch, knock if you want to.”
Number Nine’s hand hovered over the door, hesitating. “What if I disturb them while they’re doing this or that? Wouldn’t that be quite bad?”
“Do you think everyone is like you?!” The military sub-race growled, suppressing his anger.
“What’s with the attitude? So fierce,” Number Nine said disdainfully.
Evan wished he could squeeze Number Nine into a ball.
Just as the two were staring each other down, the door slid open with a shua.
LAN stood at the door in his pajamas. “What’s the noise?”
Number Nine’s first reaction was to cover his eyes. “Averting my eyes from indecency!”
Ivan kept a stoic face as he tapped his wristwatch. “Boss, we were supposed to depart two hours ago.”
The plan for today was to go to another town to purchase seeds. Unlike fruits and vegetables, where quality is obvious at a glance, seeds required time for analysis and screening.
“An Ming isn’t feeling well. Number Nine, come in and take a look,” LAN gestured for the two to enter.
Number Nine dropped his hands, his legs moving quickly in surprise. “An Xiaoming isn’t well? Where does it hurt? Boss, were you too rough last night?”
“Shut up!!!” The Dragon Lord and the Zerg Gentleman roared in unison.
“Diagnose him first. Just give me the conclusion,” LAN added.
Number Nine walked quickly to the bedside. He saw the little mermaid huddled tightly under the covers, revealing only the hand gripping the edge of the quilt and a pair of misty, large eyes.
Number Nine rolled his eyes, activating the precision instruments within them to perform a scan. He then reached out to touch An Ming’s forehead; his fingertips were also equipped with sensors to collect data.
“He’s so hot!” Number Nine exclaimed in surprise.
With a touch of the hand and a whirl of the brain, the diagnosis was nearly complete.
“An XiaoMing, why are you still in the turbulence period? It’s been twenty days since your differentiation, hasn’t it? Even high-level mermaids usually only last eight or nine days. Boss, An XiaoMing isn’t right. I need to do a deep check-up once we get back to the Phoenix.”
“As you wish. What is the situation now?” LAN was more concerned with the present.
“An XiaoMing is experiencing a turbulence period overlapping with a rut/estrus period. Plus, he caught a bit of a chill, which triggered a ‘rut-period flu’.”
“Caught a chill?” Ivan was puzzled. The climate on Black Pool Star was cold, but both An Ming and Number Nine had been wrapped up very tightly yesterday.
Number Nine was also curious and asked earnestly, “Give me the details. What exactly did you two do last night?”
An Ming looked at Number Nine’s glowing eyes and felt that Number Nine was likely using public office for private gain specifically, gossip.
LAN: “You don’t know?”
Number Nine: “I cannot pry into people’s privacy! I turned off all high-level permissions.”
An Ming: “…” He suddenly felt that Number Nine was actually quite honorable.
An Ming sniffled and said in a nasal voice, “In the middle of the night, I climbed onto the inn’s roof to watch the Vulcan Festival on the mountain from afar.”
“By yourself?” The Zerg couldn’t understand this kind of “artistic” behavior; he just thought it was idiotic.
“I accompanied him,” LAN said.
Evan: “?” Both of these people seemed to have something seriously wrong with their brains.
LAN furrowed his brows and asked urgently, “What should we do now? Does he need medicine?”
Number Nine: “He can only take ordinary cold medicine, but it won’t do much. All standard suppressants are strictly forbidden; he has to let it run its course.”
In other words, there was no way out except for rest.
“If it were just a normal rut, it would be best to have an Omega mark him. But since An XiaoMing has concurrent turbulence syndrome, he must ensure he rests and doesn’t overexert himself,” Number Nine warned. “For the next two days, including after we return to the Phoenix, you two absolutely must not do any ‘shameful things.’ It will subside on its own in a couple of days.”
LAN knew what Number Nine was referring to. “You’ve misunderstood. We didn’t do anything.”
Lying in the blankets, An Ming thought weakly: We haven’t done anything? You stroked my tail from the tip to the root, and did it again on the roof.
“Hee hee,” Number Nine thought to himself, deciding not to expose them.
Since the little mermaid needed bed rest and LAN had to look after him, the matter of the seeds couldn’t be handled personally.
Evan: “No problem. I can go alone.”
He took the auxiliary equipment. Seeds didn’t take up much space, and he could come and go freely by himself perhaps even faster.
LAN nodded in agreement.
Number Nine: “Hmm? Not taking me?”
He chased after the Zerg’s footsteps. “What do you mean? Is it just because I wanted to kiss you last night?”
“You call that a kiss? You wanted to practice a hundred and eighty different techniques on me, and your hands and feet weren’t being honest!”
“Tch, I’m also wondering how could I have absolutely no feeling at all?”
“You’re an AI! How could you have feelings!”
“I need to upgrade again… How about we try ‘doing it’ tonight!”
“Get lost! Stop disturbing my rest!”
The Zerg and the AI walked away, bickering and pulling at each other.
The vegetables and fruits ordered yesterday were also being delivered today. The four subordinates had already said their goodbyes and left early; they would take the produce back to space ahead of time and hand it over to the “Number Nine” on the Phoenix for processing and storage.
Only LAN and the little mermaid remained in the inn.
LAN poured a glass of water and helped the little mermaid up. “Drink more hot water. I’ll feed you.”
“No need, no need,” An Ming said nasally. It was just a frequent rut; he hadn’t reached the point where he couldn’t care for himself.
“Be good, don’t move.”
An Ming had no choice but to nestle obediently in the half-dragon’s embrace, gulping down a full glass of water.
Tucking the little mermaid back into the quilt and securing the corners, LAN pulled over a chair and sat by the bed. “Sleep.”
An Ming: “…What about you?”
“I’ll watch over you here.”
“…That’s too boring.”
The little mermaid wiggled and moved inward, making some space. “We hardly slept at all last night. Let’s rest together.”
He lifted a corner of the quilt and looked at LAN with misty eyes.
Facing such a wonderful picture of a beautiful mermaid inviting him to sleep together, the half-dragon had absolutely no power of resistance.
“…Alright.”
LAN was still wearing the cotton pajamas provided by the inn. He only needed to take off his slippers, slide in, and lie down.
The bed in the inn was a standard double bed, but for the tall half-dragon and the seemingly thin but actually 180cm-tall mermaid, it was a bit small.
Consequently, they had to lie close together.
An Ming suddenly felt a tiny bit of regret.
Last night technically early this morning after the two of them climbed back into the room from the roof, there wasn’t much time left until dawn. An Ming was so sleepy he was yawning constantly, and with the symptoms of the rut already appearing, he fell asleep as soon as he lay down, avoiding any awkwardness.
Now, it was very awkward.
If they were back-to-back, their backsides would touch. If they faced each other, their faces would be too close. If they lay flat… from shoulders to elbows to hips and thighs, everything was in intimate contact.
Emm… sleep on his stomach?
That didn’t seem to solve the problem!
And he couldn’t kick LAN out; after all, there was only one bed.
“Why are you tossing and turning?” The half-dragon said while lying flat with his eyes closed. “If it weren’t for the fact that we can only get the suppressant cargo tomorrow, I would have sent you back to the Phoenix first. Be good and rest well.”
An Ming thought wordlessly: I wonder how Number Nine and Ivan spent last night.
No wonder Ivan had such heavy dark circles.
An Ming stayed still for a while but couldn’t help but start squirming again. Because of the cold, his body felt hot one moment and cold the next, and he was covered in a layer of sweat.
Just as he wanted to stick a leg out to get some air, the half-dragon suddenly rolled over and pressed directly onto him.
“Ow—” The little mermaid let out a muffled cry from the pressure.
“You have too little self-awareness for a patient,” LAN said as his hands and feet moved in unison, wrapping An Ming tightly in the quilt while he himself lay on the outside of it.
After wrapping him up like a cocoon, LAN slid to the side, allowing An Ming to finally catch his breath.
But a certain dragon’s long leg was still draped over the quilt, pinning him down so he couldn’t escape the bundle.
“Little Zongzi (Rice Dumpling), go to sleep and get well soon.”
Although he couldn’t move, the combination of fatigue and illness caused the “Little Zongzi” to soon fall into a dreamland.
When he opened his eyes again, it was nearly evening.
The quilt was almost soaked through. An Ming stretched out both arms and felt his forehead.
The fever seemed to have broken.
LAN hadn’t woken up yet. His leg was still hooked over him, and his head was tucked into the crook of An Ming’s neck in a half-protective, half-dependent posture.
An Ming found this posture magical. There was a wonderful sense of intimacy of needing and being needed. A warm current rose in his heart.
Just as he was cautiously trying to back out, his waist tightened.
“Awake?” The half-dragon’s voice asked, raspy from sleep.
Without waiting for an answer, his hand moved to the little mermaid’s back for a light pat. “Don’t be in a hurry to throw off the quilt. Wait.”
With that, he got out of bed and went to pour another glass of hot water.
“Drink it.”
Again, he was held in LAN’s arms while wrapped in the quilt to be fed.
The little mermaid didn’t resist this time, drinking it all down.
“How do you feel?” LAN set the cup aside and asked.
“I think I’m fine. I’m a little hungry.”
“Mm.” He reached out to feel the little mermaid’s forehead, behind the ears, and then slid his hand into the pajamas to confirm that the temperature on his back had also returned to normal. LAN nodded. “Change your clothes. Let’s go eat.”
An Ming had been feeling uneasy because of the skin contact just now, but upon hearing this, his mouth immediately began to water. “Ah? Can we go back to the night market?”
The night market had so many noodles and skewers, many of them spicy things he could never touch in his previous life. He loved them most.
“If you listen to me obediently, I’ll take you.”
“When have I ever not listened to you?”
An Ming jumped off the bed, grabbed his combat suit and cloak, and began to change.
LAN also began to change. The two of them instinctively stood back-to-back. The inn’s conditions were limited, and the bathroom was too small, so they had to make do.
Before heading out, LAN asked, “Do you remember our ‘three rules’ agreement?”
“I remember, I remember!” An Ming was already excited, his cold symptoms swept away as he felt light as a bird. “Stay by your side at all times, obey your orders unconditionally, and seek your help immediately if I encounter danger.”
Except for swapping the pronouns, he recited it perfectly.
LAN smiled. He tucked the ear-flap hat onto the little mermaid’s head and wrapped the scarf tightly, ensuring the little mermaid would neither be recognized nor chilled by the wind. Only then did he take his hand and say, “Let’s go, Little Radish.”
Radish my foot! First a Zongzi, now a Radish why are they all food? Now I’m even hungrier.
The inn was some distance from the night market, and An Ming wished he could fly there.
LAN sensed the little mermaid’s urgency and said, as if reading his mind, “We could fly there, but it’s best not to let people discover my Dragon bloodline. Once we return to the base planet, I can take you for a flight over the sea.”
“Wow! That’s a promise!” The little mermaid was thrilled by the suggestion; for a moment, it even surpassed his strong craving for food.
The night market was still crowded and bustling. The two walked hand-in-hand, buying some snacks here and there before arriving at a spicy beef tripe restaurant.
“Let’s eat this, let’s eat this!” The little mermaid pulled at the big dragon.
“…Your rut isn’t over yet.” Even as he said it, the dragon indulgently followed him to sit at a small table.
Just as they finished ordering, LAN’s watch suddenly rang.
It was a voice communication from Ivan.
Thinking of the “party of four” yesterday, LAN didn’t really want to pick up. After running around with Number Nine all day, why couldn’t he be a bit later?
He still answered.
“Boss, we’re on our way back. We’ll be there soon,” the Zerg’s hardy voice came through, accompanied by the sound of Number Nine panting.
The next second: “Can you not get so close?!”
LAN replied with a “Good,” and the other side had already hung up first.
“Haha, those two are really funny,” An Ming said happily. At that moment, a large bowl of spicy beef tripe noodles arrived. He rubbed his hands together, preparing to dig in.
LAN’s watch rang again.
“The seller,” the half-dragon frowned. With many people around, he switched to a private mode, so An Ming couldn’t hear this time.
Whatever the other party said, LAN’s expression turned very ugly.
When he hung up again, the beef tripe noodles in front of them were no longer scalding. The little mermaid hadn’t started eating yet, wanting to wait for him.
“What happened?” Seeing the situation, An Ming asked in a low voice.
“The raw materials for the suppressants have been delayed again.” LAN’s face was grim as he whispered back. “The reason this time is even more bizarre. They encountered a group of hooded bandits in the forest who hijacked everything tools and cargo alike.”
“Ah? Do they just want to raise the price again?” An Ming was incredulous.
“Heh, he himself is a bandit gang; it’s a case of a thief crying ‘thief’.” LAN clenched his fist, seemingly thinking about what to do.
“Eat the noodles first. We’ll talk when Ivan gets back.”
“Okay.” An Ming touched the bowl. “It’s still warm.”
“Mm, eat.”
However, before the first bite of noodles could enter his mouth, the street suddenly became noisy again. A large crowd of people rushed over all at once.
“My god, have you heard? It’s terrifying! Six people were brutally murdered!”
“Are you sure they were the Emperor’s personal guards?”
“How could it be fake? The uniforms were identical, and the insignia on their chests was clear as day!”
“I saw them in the bar last night! I recognize their faces! Especially the one with the full beard he was the captain, a real loudmouth!”
“Go look, go look!”
People who didn’t know the truth pulled others aside to ask, “Look at what?”
“Dead people!” the person being pulled said. “Six of them, all skinned, every bone in their bodies crushed, and hung upside down in the small plaza! It’s a bloodbath!”
More and more spectators gathered, all crowding in one direction. An Ming and LAN were sitting by the street, and their small table was nearly knocked over.
“An Ming! Come here!” LAN stood up and shouted sharply, reaching out to grab the little mermaid at the same time.
The little mermaid was sitting on the side closest to the street. Several people suddenly ran past. LAN missed, failing to grab him.
When the wave of the crowded crowd passed, the street was empty. Where was there any sign of the little mermaid?
On the crooked little table, the beef tripe noodles had already gone cold.