Before coming here, he had already communicated with him.
Zhao Pingsheng nodded toward the bed. “Put her over there.”
As he spoke, he wheeled over a pile of instruments himself.
Huo Ling placed Lin Shuangshuang onto the hospital bed. His expression was especially grave, but his movements were very gentle. His psychic-type ability could make a target fall into a deep sleep, similar to full anesthesia, allowing them to rest properly.
Lin Shuangshuang slept very soundly.
Zhao Pingsheng attached various instruments to her body, especially around her head.
Huo Ling’s brows furrowed tighter and tighter as he watched.
Zhao Pingsheng only glanced at him. “Bro, it’s just electrode patches. Not even a single needle. No need to be so protective—three-year-olds wouldn’t even cry over this.”
It really wasn’t that serious.
Yet he looked so heartbroken.
Though he was complaining, there was more teasing in his tone—after all, it was rare.
Huo Ling, unusually, was left speechless. He just stood by and watched. “How are the readings?”
Zhao Pingsheng was a professional, and his awakened ability was related to healing, so his capability was unquestionable. “Not great. Her condition is a bit bad.”
He looked at the data on the screen. “Her body is fine, but her mental state is a mess. You wouldn’t understand the technical terms, so I won’t go into them. Simply put—her brain is in complete disorder.”
Huo Ling couldn’t respond. He just stared at the screen.
Zhao Pingsheng continued, “Before the apocalypse, neurons were already extremely important. Humans rely on neural activity; death is even defined by brain death. And after the apocalypse, spiritual power has become even more crucial.”
“But her neural signals are completely chaotic, which is why her memory is disordered.”
“That ‘seven-second memory’ thing you mentioned—it’s not that she has no memory. She just can’t retain it. Her memory hasn’t been erased, it’s been cut off.”
“So those seven seconds of memory still exist within her mind, but they’re jumbled. It doesn’t mean she can actually remember what happened seven seconds ago.”
“In other words—congratulations, you’ve got yourself a girlfriend who’s basically a blind box. Because you never know how much memory she has in her head at any given moment.”
Zhao Pingsheng joked, trying to ease the heavy atmosphere.
Huo Ling asked, “Can it be treated?”
Zhao Pingsheng copied the data while moving around on his wheeled chair. “I’ll try. Full recovery isn’t guaranteed, but I can try to extend how long her memories last—at least not resetting every seven seconds.”
That level of condition was too torturous.
He couldn’t help shaking his head. “She might need some blood draws later.”
Huo Ling kept looking at Lin Shuangshuang on the bed, then nodded. “Alright.”
Only then did Zhao Pingsheng begin. He drew six tubes of blood, then asked Huo Ling to press on the puncture sites to stop the bleeding. But when he looked again, the puncture marks on Lin Shuangshuang had already vanished instantly.
He froze. “What ability does your partner have?”
Huo Ling was also caught off guard. “I don’t know.”
They had been separated for six years—he didn’t know much about her anymore.
Zhao Pingsheng glanced at him. “Want me to check?”
Huo Ling paused, thinking for a moment, then said, “Forget it. Let her tell me herself.”
Zhao Pingsheng chuckled. “Alright, then there’s nothing else. You can go now.”
Huo Ling said, “Thanks.”
Zhao Pingsheng waved him off and called his assistants upstairs to clean. He had OCD and couldn’t stand bloodstains.
Huo Ling had originally not been dirty, but after being clung to and rubbed against by someone earlier, his clothes were now covered in mud, water, and blood. He definitely needed a shower.
Just as he stepped out and was about to take the elevator, Luo Na called him.
“Captain Huo, should we arrange a room?”
The small castle had six floors. The basement belonged to mechanic Zhang Dapeng’s workshop and room, also serving as the control center and a small parking area.
The first floor contained the living room, kitchen, laundry room, training room, and three large storage rooms (freezer, refrigerated, and room-temperature storage).
The second floor housed Gao Lei, Wu Zhe, and Luo Na’s rooms, plus three miscellaneous storage rooms.
The third floor was doctor Zhao Pingsheng’s area, including treatment rooms and laboratories.
The fourth floor was Huo Ling’s territory—completely private. Others rarely went up.
The rooftop was a small glass greenhouse used for planting, very beautiful.
Luo Na was asking this because she wanted to know where the new girl should stay. It was just basic courtesy to ask.
Huo Ling replied simply, “No need. She’ll stay with me.”
As expected.
Luo Na got excited and almost squealed. “Got it!”
She immediately turned to gossip with Gao Lei and Wu Zhe. “Did you hear that? Did you hear that?”
Wu Zhe shouted, “I heard it! Captain Huo said she’s sleeping with him!”
Gao Lei slapped Wu Zhe on the head. “Watch how you talk.”
Wu Zhe clutched his head and yelped. “Damn! What did I say wrong?! Aren’t they just sleeping on the same floor?! What’s the issue?!”
Luo Na was already spiraling into shipper mode, grinning widely. “Hehehe, a man and a woman alone together… who knows what might happen~”
Gao Lei and Wu Zhe looked at her in confusion.
The three of them were basically a full-time gossip trio, showing up everywhere.
Dinner time.
Today’s meal consisted of rice and noodles, plus five dishes and one soup: braised pork, hand-shredded chicken, tomato scrambled eggs, stir-fried bean sprouts, smashed cucumber salad, and pork rib soup. Thankfully, they had a robot chef—otherwise cooking all that would’ve been exhausting.
Meanwhile.
After confirming with Zhao Pingsheng that bathing was safe, Huo Ling brought Lin Shuangshuang to the bathroom.
He filled the bathtub and undressed her before placing her inside.
And then—
Only after undressing did he notice something strange.
She had scars on her body.
Yet minor wounds were supposed to heal instantly.
So where did these scars come from?
His gaze darkened further.
“Assuming your departure six years ago had something to do with your memory… then what are these injuries?”
The bathroom only echoed his voice. No one could answer.
Huo Ling skillfully washed her hair, but as soon as he did, the color began to fade. Black dye washed away, revealing long, slightly curly pale pink hair.
He froze again.
But he quickly accepted it. At this point, what else was there he couldn’t accept?
She had too many mysteries.
Then suddenly, her hair began to move.
Soft strands wrapped around his wrist.
Huo Ling froze again. “???”
What the hell is this now?
The pink hair seemed alive, gently curling around his wrist and rubbing against him. Some strands tried to wrap around his arm, others brushed his face and neck, even attempting to slip toward his chest and lower abdomen.
Huo Ling’s face instantly turned red. He gritted his teeth. “If you’re awake, open your eyes.”
Lin Shuangshuang didn’t move at all.
Even though Huo Ling had full confidence in his psychic ability, he had no idea what her ability was. Very few people—or monsters—could resist his mental control.
How long had she even been asleep?
But he didn’t want to force her into sleep again for now, since Zhao Pingsheng had said the medicine was ready and told him to pick it up during dinner.
So Huo Ling simply pinched her face.
“Open your eyes. If you keep pretending to sleep, I’ll throw you out to feed the zombies.”