Chapter 349: A Mysterious Person Appears

Chapter 349: Chapter 349: A Mysterious Person Appears

Ye Ming may have been a Beastman with 3S spiritual power, but after several sleepless days, his body was protesting. Caught between exhaustion and gnawing worry, his body was perpetually tense. Falling asleep was nearly impossible.

Seeing that Ye Ming wasn’t listening, Leo added, "When we find Miss Shi Lan, she’ll surely be heartbroken to see you like this. Besides, if that organization really is on Capital Star, things won’t be simple. When the time comes to act, you’ll need to be at your best to handle whatever happens."

Leo was the only other person present during the conversation between Ye Ming and He Hanshi, so he knew about the Recovery Alliance. Furthermore, Ye Ming hadn’t hidden any of his recent investigations from him.

Ye Ming’s expression shuttered. He remained silent, but it seemed he had taken the words to heart.

He rubbed his throbbing temples, leaned back against the chair, and closed his eyes.

Leo immediately fell silent.

...

As they were about to reach Capital Star, Ye Ming’s eyes snapped open.

The exhaustion had eventually forced him to sleep, but it hadn’t been a restful slumber. His dreams were filled with images of Shi Lan suffering.

His brow was tightly furrowed, a lingering panic in his eyes. He gazed at the starscape outside the window, his mind still hazy. "How much longer?" his voice was raspy.

Hearing his voice, Leo respectfully explained, "Your Highness, we’re estimated to arrive at Capital Star in a little over ten minutes."

At these words, the tension in Ye Ming’s brow eased slightly.

He activated his chip again to check his partner’s locator. It still showed that she was untraceable.

He gently stroked Shi Lan’s contact picture with his thumb, his dream replaying in his mind. His gaze turned somber with worry. ’Wife,’ he thought, ’please be safe.’

—

「On Capital Star.」

Shi Lan was, in fact, quite safe. In the week since her capture, her captors hadn’t seemed intent on harming her. They served her good food and drink every day; a robot would arrive precisely at mealtimes to deliver her food, which even included her favorite afternoon tea. At any rate, she hadn’t gone hungry for a moment.

Not only that, but they had also provided a comfortable blanket and soft cushions for her cage, and a screened chamber pot had been placed in the corner. Aside from the first day, when an uncertain Shi Lan had been too afraid to close her eyes, worried someone might come to harm her in the night, she had since found the peace of mind to sleep and conserve her strength.

But after a week, Shi Lan had finally confirmed one thing: her captors didn’t want her dead.

However, the surveillance eye above her stared down from morning till night, making her afraid to even move. On the rare occasions she couldn’t hold it and had to use the pot, she was extremely careful to keep herself completely hidden.

Of course, persistence paid off. She had found a small flaw: every three days, at a certain time during the night, the surveillance eye would briefly reboot for a self-diagnostic and repair cycle. It seemed many systems in this world had a set time for maintenance. It was just like at Black Ming Star Prison, where ten o’clock at night was when the system was most vulnerable.

The next reboot was scheduled for tomorrow night. Shi Lan planned to wait patiently, then turn into a little mushroom and escape through the wall.

She needed to avoid the camera because females in this world couldn’t transform into a spirit body. This ability was her most important tool for self-preservation and concealment; she couldn’t let the bad guys discover it and be on their guard.

Shi Lan waited in her cage with her usual calm. Then, after dinner that day, she finally met someone other than the delivery robots.

Based on their height, she could vaguely tell they were two males, but both wore full-face masks, making it impossible for Shi Lan to see who they were. She could, however, see their eyes—one pair a somewhat familiar dark green, the other a pair of sharp, nearly black eyes. One man had black hair, the other white. The white-haired man was also wearing a white lab coat.

Seeing the two men, and unsure of their intentions, Shi Lan instantly grew wary and retreated to the center of the cage.

"Who are you? Why did you kidnap me?"

"My Beast Husband is very powerful. If you let me go, we’ll do our best to meet any monetary demand you have."

Kidnappings were generally for money or revenge. Recalling how Donald had said a 3S Female was valuable, Shi Lan assumed they were after a ransom and tried to negotiate.

After she spoke, the man with the dark green eyes burst out laughing. His voice, muffled and distorted by the thick mask, erased any strange sense of familiarity his eyes had evoked.

"Haha, you’ve got some nerve, little girl. A pity, but we’re not interested in money."

Hearing this, Shi Lan’s wariness only intensified. Her hand moved unconsciously to her stomach. ’If they don’t want money, it means they’re after something much bigger.’

Seemingly sensing her anxiety, the man quickly added a reassuring word, "Relax. We’re not going to kill you."

As he spoke, his gaze drifted downward and he chuckled. "You should be glad you’re carrying a male."

’If it were a female, they would have gotten rid of Shi Lan’s child without a second thought. But males were meant to be the rulers of the world, let alone a male born to a 3S Female. He couldn’t even imagine how high the child’s spiritual power would be.’

At this thought, a hint of excitement flashed in the man’s eyes.

Shi Lan silently pulled the blanket over her stomach, hiding it from his view.

She had never intentionally tried to find out the baby’s gender, but now she knew, thanks to him.

’A male? A son would be nice.’

Just then, the other man—the one with white hair—spoke up. "Can I take the blood sample now?"

The green-eyed man nodded slightly. "Go ahead. Be gentle with the girl."

At these words, a fanatical excitement flashed in the white-haired man’s dark eyes. He retrieved a blood-collection kit from his Space Chain and walked toward the cage.

"What are you doing?"

Shi Lan scooted away from him, glaring warily.

The white-haired man sighed, as if exasperated. "I’d advise you not to struggle. I’m just taking a little blood. If you fight me on this, I’ll just knock you out. The choice is yours."

Shi Lan stared into his eyes, her mind racing. She glanced at the collection kit in his hand, hesitated for a long moment, and then finally extended her arm to the edge of the cage.

’I’m in a weak position right now. No point making things harder on myself.’

The white-haired man let out a low chuckle. "Excellent."

With that, he crouched down, brought the kit closer, sterilized a patch of her skin, and slid the needle into her pale wrist.

The needle was thin, causing only a slight sting. Shi Lan kept her eyes lowered, and her gaze landed unconsciously on the man’s white lab coat.

A small ID pin was clipped below his collar, with a name inscribed on it.

Shi Lan stared at it, her eyes widening in shock. She read it aloud without thinking. "Dr. Ai?"

"Oh dear, you’ve found me out!"

Dr. Ai said with mock regret, but there wasn’t the slightest hint of panic in his voice.

He watched the crimson blood gradually fill the collection vial, speaking in an unhurried tone. "Miss Shi Lan, think about it. You’re a 3S Female, capable of curing a male’s High-level Spiritual Power collapse. For a female as unique as you—the only one in the entire interstellar world—what a wonderful opportunity this is to contribute to all the males of the world. And yet, the Eldest Prince was never willing to give me your blood."

"I had no choice. I had to take matters into my own hands."