Chapter 353: Ye Ming’s Suspicion

Chapter 353: Chapter 353: Ye Ming’s Suspicion

Shi Lan might not have been familiar with other planets, but it just so happened she knew Capital Star well. Her new house had been built there not long ago, and she, Yan Huoshui, and the others had gone to watch over the construction every day. It was her first home in this Otherworld, so she valued it immensely, meticulously checking every small change. Unconsciously, she had picked up on these sorts of minor details.

But most people wouldn’t notice such things.

A glint flashed in Shi Lan’s eyes. As she glanced at a potted plant in the corner, the small pistol hidden up her sleeve slowly emerged.

Footsteps approached. On the floor, a vine crept silently along the wall.

The man walked over to Shi Lan, carrying a glass of water. He wore a gentle, refined smile. "Miss, here is your water."

Shi Lan accepted it with a smile. "Thank you."

She spoke as she slowly brought the glass to her lips. The man continued to watch her with a smile, saying in a considerate tone, "Don’t worry. I’ll help you contact your Beast Husband in a moment."

Shi Lan nodded, her gaze dropping to the water in the glass. Her pupils quivered slightly. The next instant, the vine shot out and wrapped tightly around the man’s body as the gun in her hand fired with perfect aim.

"BANG!"

The gunshot echoed. The man’s eyes went wide as he stared at her in disbelief, a vicious glint appearing in them. "You... you..."

He wanted to ask how Shi Lan knew something was wrong, but the gun from He Hanshi was incredibly powerful. He only managed to get out two words before collapsing, unconscious.

The hand Shi Lan held the gun in was still trembling. He Hanshi had taught her how to use it, but this was the first time she had ever aimed it at a person.

Looking at the male’s tightly closed eyes, Shi Lan felt her legs go a little weak. She walked over and instinctively held her fingers under his nose. When she confirmed he was still breathing, she let out a sigh of relief.

’That’s right,’ she thought, ’I almost forgot.’ Mu Tangfeng had told her that this gun, modified by He Hanshi, was devastating to the Insect Clan but wouldn’t kill a person—it would only knock them unconscious.

Still shaken, Shi Lan pulled her hand back.

In truth, she had only suspected something was off with him at first. But after catching the strange smell from the water, she was certain he had drugged it.

She had been studying medicine under the dean for a while and had also spent time at the military base. She had discovered that—perhaps because of her high Spiritual Power Level—she was very sensitive to the scent of medications. Sometimes she could even identify familiar ones by smell alone.

This time, Shi Lan didn’t know exactly what drug it was, but it definitely wasn’t normal.

Since this was her first time incapacitating someone, Shi Lan wasn’t sure how long the gun’s effect would last. Figuring she might as well go all the way, she forced the water he had given her down his throat.

She didn’t have the nerve to kill, but as for whatever dangers the water contained, well, he was just reaping what he sowed.

Once that was done, she quickly fled.

「 」

After returning to Capital Star, Ye Ming and Leo once again scoured every suspicious location, especially the slums, which were considered the most lawless district. Ye Ming practically turned the place upside down and caught a few males who’d gotten into fights and hurt people, but there was still no sign of Shi Lan.

Ye Ming was on the verge of despair. But the thought that Shi Lan was still out there, waiting for them to rescue her, kept him going. He didn’t dare to let up for even a second, continuing the search into the night.

But tonight, a little after eleven, he was lying awake when he suddenly recalled what He Hanshi had said about the Chao Si.

So many Chao Si had appeared on the Border Defense Star. ’But I clearly remember asking Dr. Ai about them before,’ he thought. ’Dr. Ai said there was only one surviving Chao Si.’

’Wait a minute... if there’s only one, then what’s with the research log for a fifth-generation Chao Si I saw in the notebook in his office?’

Ye Ming felt a headache coming on. He had always trusted Dr. Ai. The doctor had been with him since he was about eleven or twelve years old. That was right around the time his father had a second son, Ye Yan. Just as Ye Ming was starting to worry his father’s affection would wane, Dr. Ai had appeared and filled that void.

Although the man was a research fanatic, he would let Ye Ming read and study in his laboratory. Whenever Ye Ming had a question, he would even pause his research to patiently explain the answer.

Ye Ming never treated him like a mere subordinate. He felt Dr. Ai was more like family, someone he could turn to for help when he was in trouble.

In fact, apart from hiding Shi Lan’s ability to heal spiritual power collapse, Ye Ming had no other secrets from Dr. Ai.

He had never truly suspected the man, even after seeing the strange contents of that notebook with his own eyes.

The thoughts gave Ye Ming a splitting headache, but his panicked green eyes gradually, unconsciously, settled into a calm, dark gaze.

He pursed his lips, then immediately called for Leo to join him for a trip to the laboratory.

On the hovercar, Ye Ming asked him, "Leo, will you be loyal to me forever?"

Ye Ming rarely spoke so formally. Just moments before being summoned, Leo had been lying in bed video-chatting with his fiancée; he’d had to change and rush out in a hurry.

He was puzzled why the Prince would suddenly ask such a question in the middle of the night. But nighttime was usually when people were at their most vulnerable. The Prince’s wife had been missing for days; it was understandable that he would feel fragile. Having finally gotten a fiancée himself—thanks to an introduction from the Prince—Leo felt he could understand this better than ever.

Leo switched the hovercar to autopilot and sat up straight. He looked at Ye Ming, his expression grave and sincere. "Your Highness, I, Leo, will always be your most loyal subordinate. Even when it comes to my own wife, you will always take precedence."

Leo was genuinely fond of his fiancée, but he knew better than anyone that the first principle for a retainer of the Royal Family was that one’s master always came first. And the Eldest Prince was his master.

Even if he were facing the Monarch himself, he would never speak of the Eldest Prince’s secrets or discuss his affairs without permission.

Ye Ming stared at him for a long moment before turning to look ahead, his expression unreadable. "During the three years I was on Black Star, while you were with Dr. Ai in the laboratory, did you ever notice anything unusual?"

Leo looked bewildered. "Dr. Ai? I don’t think so. He was buried in his lab almost every day. Back then, all he ever talked about was finding a way to treat your spiritual power collapse value."

"Has there always been only one Chao Si in the laboratory?" Ye Ming pressed.

Leo shook his head. "Not exactly. I remember there were two live ones at first, but one died during Dr. Ai’s experiments. We caught more later, but it’s very difficult to keep a Chao Si alive. After all that research, well, now there’s only the one left."

"And where did the ones you caught later come from?"

Ye Ming recalled that back on the battlefield against the Insect Clan, there had only been a dozen or so Chao Si. He had assumed they’d killed them all.

"From... from the Capital Star," Leo said, suddenly scratching his head. He tried his best to recall. "The ones we caught later... that was not long after you all went to Black Star. That type of Mutated Insect Clan appeared on the Capital Star again. The retreat was a bit slow, but thankfully the army reacted quickly, and there were no casualties."