During the fourth stability check, Ni Hong finally received good news.
“The doctor said the young beast has completely adapted to the chemical stimulation. The energy fluctuations have not changed! The surgery is scheduled for tomorrow. Tomorrow, I will finally have a new incubation sac!”
It was noon, and the waiting room was empty. Ni Hong, sitting in his wheelchair, hugged Qin Zhen and wailed with joy. Even Leng Fei’s tense expression softened.
Suddenly, a shadow loomed over the doorway as a mountain of a man entered with heavy steps. It was Tie Tu.
Ni Hong immediately cut his crying short, stealing shy glances at the man. However, Tie Tu acted as if they did not exist, walking straight past them without a word.
Having crossed paths two or three times at similar hours, Qin Zhen was no longer surprised. He patted Ni Hong’s head like a big brother. “I told you, good things take time. As long as you stick with me, your luck will not be bad. Let us go eat! After lunch, we need to head straight to the activity room to snag a spot. There is a prenatal education class this afternoon!”
His impatient manner earned a cold sneer from Leng Fei. Qin Zhen knew why she was laughing, but he did not care.
Over the past two days, many people had been privately discussing the incubation period. There was one key point Lu Yanqiu had not explicitly mentioned during her question and answer session: the length of the incubation period was usually directly correlated with the strength of the war beast.
Peng Yunhan had shown in ten days, and the protrusion on his abdomen was barely noticeable, suggesting the beast was very small. In terms of prototypes, what kind of powerful beast is tiny and matures that quickly? In all likelihood, it was just an insect. An insect-type war beast, measured by any standard, was considered a low-level entity.
Qin Zhen scoffed at this logic. The most classic counterexample was his mentor and idol, Supreme Commander Cang Bai. A white python is a snake. A snake egg usually hatches in a few months at most. Yet, everyone in the galaxy knew that Cang Bai spent two whole years incubating that white python! Therefore, using the incubation period to judge the type of war beast was completely unreliable!
Besides, even if Peng Yunhan gave birth to an insect beast, so what? Locusts, wasps, termites, fire ants, and army ants were all extremely aggressive and threatening. These insect beasts could even reproduce internally. Once they reached a certain scale, anyone who saw them would run for their lives!
After a hurried lunch, Qin Zhen went to the activity room alone. Ni Hong did not come because the doctor ordered him to save his energy for tomorrow’s surgery. He went back for a nap and skipped the afternoon class. Leng Fei did not show up either. Ever since she learned that the prenatal classes were only mandatory after one started showing, she stopped attending, preferring to spend her time on physical training instead.
Prenatal education took many forms: reading, exercise, music, and psychological counseling. Most were done alone or with a nurse. However, there was one special type of class that required group cooperation. That was War Beast Adaptability Training.
Incubation was not just the process of a young beast developing; it was also the process of it gradually waking from dormancy. Once it hit the ground, it faced the challenge of integrating into interstellar society. Although war beasts gestated in a human body were relatively docile, they still retained a wild nature and high aggressiveness. Since many war beasts were born with powerful superpowers, the slightest slip-up could lead to accidents, harming both the beast and the person.
This adaptability training allowed the beast to encounter society in advance. The method was simple: touch and dialogue. This allowed the young beast to sense the presence of as many different humans as possible.
Yesterday, Qin Zhen had witnessed a thrilling scene. Under the touch of others, Peng Yunhan experienced fetal movement! This meant Dr. Lu’s judgment was correct. That guy was very close to giving birth!
The training location was no longer the reading room but a bright, cozy prenatal classroom. The floors and walls were all padded, making one feel comfortable just standing there. Qin Zhen picked the largest yoga ball, pushed it into a corner, and sneakily hid in the gap between the ball and the wall.
It was not that he wanted to be sneaky; he was forced into it. Peng Yunhan was an ungrateful jerk. He talked a big game about thanking Qin Zhen for setting him up with Tang Siqing, but in reality, whenever Qin Zhen wanted to touch the pregnancy bump, Peng Yunhan would find any excuse to refuse, eventually even walking the long way around to avoid him. When Qin Zhen wanted to join the training to help with the adaptability exercises, Peng Yunhan acted like he was invisible, intentionally skipping over him every time he picked participants.
As a result, Qin Zhen usually ended up squatting by the door, staring in longingly. He decided that today, no matter what, he would sneak in. He had to pin Peng Yunhan down and get a few good rubs in, or else the guy would give birth before he got the chance!
Counting the seconds on his wristband, the time finally hit 2:00 PM. Voices began to filter into the activity room. By 3:00 PM, the footsteps outside the prenatal classroom became noticeably denser. Qin Zhen held his breath and stayed put.
“Yunhan, select eight students to come in, just like before,” Dr. Lu’s voice rang out. Unlike other mentors, she liked to call all the candidates students rather than just her own trainees.
“Same as usual then. Four from my group, and the other four will be,” Peng Yunhan called out four names.
Footsteps sounded again, getting closer. Once they stopped, there was the sound of bodies hitting the floor. Qin Zhen did not even need to look to see the picture in his mind: Peng Yunhan sitting in the middle, half-reclining on a yoga ball to fully expose his belly. The others sat in a circle an arm’s length away. His goddess, Dr. Lu, stood outside the circle to provide guidance.
Because there were newcomers, Dr. Lu repeated the importance of adaptability training before announcing the start.
“Everyone, follow my instructions. First, close your eyes. Take five deep breaths and relax your body. Imagine yourself back in the most beautiful moment of your life, or arriving at a future dream moment. Clear your mind of all distractions and negative emotions. Leave only relaxation, joy, satisfaction, and happiness. The young beast is very sensitive to emotions. Your positive, uplifted state will lower its guard and make it instinctively want to be born into this world sooner. Now, is everyone ready?”
“Ready,” a chorus of male and female voices responded.
Now was the time!
Qin Zhen’s head popped up from behind the yoga ball. Sure enough, even Dr. Lu had her eyes closed. This was the perfect time to sneak in! He pushed the yoga ball aside and approached silently, the foam mats completely absorbing his footsteps. The relaxation preparation from moments ago worked in his favor. Not one of these alert soldiers noticed an extra presence nearby.
Because the radius was short, the circle of eight people was quite small. Qin Zhen originally wanted to squeeze into a gap, but after trying twice, he gave up. There was a numbered soft mat in front of each person marking their position. As he was staring at the mats, Dr. Lu spoke again.
“Yunhan, focus your mind. Feel the movement of the young beast inside you with all your heart. Are you ready?”
“I am ready.”
“Good. On my command. Student at Position 1, raise your arm and gently touch Yunhan’s belly with your fingertips.”
Number 1 raised a hand. Because her eyes were closed, her fingers fumbled forward. Just as she was about to make contact, the yoga ball under Peng Yunhan shifted imperceptibly.
“Mmh.”
“Student Number 1, what do you feel?”
“It is cool. It is definitely a bit harder than regular skin.”
Qin Zhen glanced at the guy. The yoga ball was full of air; of course it was harder than skin.
Dr. Lu smiled. “Actually, the temperature of the bump is higher than your fingers. Student Number 1, you might be too nervous. Relax. Next, say hello to the baby beast.”
Baby beast! So cute!
Qin Zhen was distracted by the name, his gaze falling on his own hand. He touched it. He finally touched Peng Yunhan’s young beast! The tips of his right fingers were resting gently on the protruding area. Compared to the first time he saw it, this part had grown significantly. Back then, it was just a tiny bud; now, it felt like a small fist was pressing against the inside, making the skin thin.
It was just as Dr. Lu said. The temperature was high, feeling warm to the touch. Hello there, little darling.
Qin Zhen mouthed the words. Without realizing it, his right hand slipped down a few inches, changing from a fingertip touch to a full palm cup. Suddenly, his palm was hit by something.
Qin Zhen’s gaze froze. Fetal movement?
As if responding to him, his palm was hit again, followed by the sliding sensation of the young beast rolling over beneath the skin. Qin Zhen completely forgot his current situation. His mouth hung open and trembled as he murmured, “It moved! I felt it move!”
Ten pairs of eyes opened simultaneously. Everyone remembered that the candidate sitting at Position 1 was a female soldier.
“Qin Zhen?” Dr. Lu stared at the human bridge in front of her, dumbfounded.
Since Qin Zhen could not fit into the circle, he had left his feet on the outside and bent his waist so his upper body dropped into the center. His left hand braced against the floor while his right hand cupped Peng Yunhan’s belly. While this stretching-like pose was not inherently weird, seeing it suddenly was definitely startling.
The candidates scrambled back to both sides. Peng Yunhan’s stunned gaze followed Qin Zhen’s arm down to his lower abdomen. He let out an “Ah!” and lost his balance, tumbling off the yoga ball.
“Why is it him again?” “Over and over! Does he actually have feelings for Peng Yunhan?” “But Peng Yunhan is already dating Tang Siqing. This is so shameless!”
“Qin Zhen!” Lu Yanqiu’s reprimand cut through the gossip. “Get out immediately!”
At the same time, Peng Yunhan, who had fallen to the floor, clutched his stomach with trembling lips. “Mentor, Mentor! My stomach hurts! It hurts!”
Qin Zhen was stunned. He had intended to sneak in and sneak out, but who would have thought it would turn into this mess again?
Lu Yanqiu did not have time to kick him out. She hurriedly knelt beside Peng Yunhan. “Where does it hurt exactly? The showing area? What kind of pain is it? Cramping or?”
“Cramping and I feel like I need to go to the bathroom.”
“Let go, do not cover it. Let me see. Two of you, go get a gurney immediately! Two more go notify the delivery room to get ready. A candidate is likely about to give birth!”
After assigning the tasks, Lu Yanqiu carefully pulled Peng Yunhan’s hand away to observe the area. Actually, observation was not even necessary. The skin there looked like boiling water, with points of protrusion constantly popping up. The cramping and need to go Peng Yunhan felt were exactly the signs of labor!
“Yunhan, hold on. You cannot give birth here!”
“I cannot! I cannot hold it!” Peng Yunhan’s hands had moved to his backside, clutching his glutes tightly. “I really have to go, I”
“You must hold it! Here, this is a sedative. Squeeze it into the rectum to relieve the urge. I will help you! Yunhan, let go! Let go of your hands!”
Peng Yunhan’s hands moved back to his waistband, refusing to let Lu Yanqiu pull down his pants. He was drenched in sweat, his face was as red as pig liver, and his teeth were grinding audibly.
Lu Yanqiu was experienced after all. One look and she knew what he was refusing. For a hot-blooded young man, even if it was for the sake of incubating a war beast, who would be willing to expose that place in front of others?
“Everyone else, get out! Out now!”
The remaining candidates scrambled to their feet and retreated. But Peng Yunhan’s hands were shaking violently, and he still would not let go of his belt.
“Qin Zhen!”
Qin Zhen was nervous and bewildered, trailing at the back. He had just reached the door when Lu Yanqiu called him back.
“You come here!” Lu Yanqiu held up the transparent syringe with a long, thin tube. Her tone brooked no refusal. “You help Yunhan inject the sedative!”