Chapter 81: I Love Slacking Off
A massive ship sailed through the galaxy. The nebula outside the porthole was dazzling and romantic, a sight to behold.
It was a pity that the only person inside was critically injured, lying in a capsule-like healing chamber, hovering between life and death.
Countless medical machines surrounded the lone figure in the healing chamber, closely monitoring her vital signs.
Time passed slowly. The galaxy gradually receded as the ship advanced. With the disappearance of the brilliant nebula, the vital signs on the medical machines gradually decreased until they reached zero.
From the moment the machines issued a warning to the complete cessation of vital signs, no medical team appeared in the brightly lit, silver-white ward. It remained quiet, as if a vacuum had sealed the small room.
Five minutes later, the vital signs declaring death flickered, and the still chest slowly rose and fell.
The movement was subtle, almost invisible through the glass cover, but it was definitely rising and falling.
Amidst the tremors, the eyelashes of the sleeping figure in the healing chamber fluttered, and finally, her eyes opened, two physiological tears squeezed out by the bright lights of the room.
At the same time, an emotionless electronic voice echoed in her mind: [Loading successful!]
She blinked, clearing the residual drowsiness from her eyes, her gaze instantly becoming sharp.
As soon as she opened her eyes, she saw her personal data displayed on the glass cover above the healing chamber. Nourished by her soul, the data slowly recovered, approaching that of a weak but living person.
Tao Ning glanced at it, confirming there were no major issues. After lying there for five minutes, she opened the chamber door, a little clumsily.
Her body had been lying down for several days, her muscles stiff, her whole being like a malfunctioning robot, neither graceful nor agile.
Tao Ning could only grip the edges of the healing chamber with both hands, slowly sitting up, her knuckles white from the effort.
Her flawless, delicate skin revealed that these were hands accustomed to a life of leisure.
In fact, this was indeed the case. These hands had never worked harder than twisting open a bottle of mecha oil. They were soft and white, without a trace of labor.
After some effort, Tao Ning sat on the edge of the healing chamber. The chamber was elevated, so her toes still dangled above the floor.
She didn’t rush to get down. Her dark eyes swept across the room. It wasn’t large, and the furnishings were simple. The setup resembled a student dormitory more than a hospital ward.
The reason she thought it was a student dormitory was because she saw books pressed under some medicine, the keywords all related to command.
Her pale feet touched the floor, and for a moment, it was difficult to tell which was colder, her skin or the silver-white flooring.
520 was still calibrating data. Seeing its newly resurrected host about to get down, trembling like a candle in the wind, it felt a pang of anxiety, fearing she would fall: [Ancestor, why don’t we sit for a while before going out? Shouldn’t we receive the information first?]
Having spent a long time in the Xianxia world, and constantly hearing those juniors call her “Ancestor,” it had picked up the habit.
520 couldn’t help but feel a pang of sorrow. What had time done to it, turning it into something resembling a housekeeper?
But it knew very well that Tao Ning wasn’t someone whose will could be easily swayed.
Sure enough, Tao Ning only paused for a moment. She said, “We’ll go over the original host’s personal information later. Give me the world line first.”
520: [How about lying back down first… Okay, just a moment.] Seeing the host’s stubbornness, it knew persuasion was futile.
Having gone through the previous world, her soul had been tempered. Tao Ning no longer experienced severe discomfort when receiving the world line; now, she only felt slightly dizzy.
She could endure this dizziness, and even while enduring it, she found her shoes and put them on, using the furniture to support herself as she practiced walking.
520 had never seen her so impatient, wanting to advise her but not knowing how.
After receiving the world line, she could walk normally, though her steps would occasionally falter if she moved too quickly.
Tao Ning asked, “What’s the date today?”
The room’s AI announced in a monotonous voice: “Today’s date: New Star Calendar 1101, June 2nd.”
Tao Ning’s brows furrowed slightly. Her face was pale, and from her appearance, she looked like a delicate beauty: “June 2nd, so the tremors just now were because she boarded the ship.”
Without bothering to put on a coat, Tao Ning walked out in her white hospital gown, her dark hair swaying around her face.
The doors of the student dormitories on the ship were supposed to be opened with facial recognition. However, because the original host was seriously injured, the access had been changed to a password for easier access during treatment. She didn’t remember the password, so she used facial recognition to exit.
The door closed behind her. Tao Ning looked around, having 520 scan the ship’s map. It was too late for the doorway, she decided to check the lower decks.
After taking a few steps, she looked back at the closed door, where a nameplate hung.
It displayed the name of the room’s owner—Zang Yuzhu, Command Department.
The figure supporting herself against the wall gradually disappeared down the corridor.
Long after she left, another person approached from the opposite direction, draped in a long white coat, strolling slowly.
They skillfully entered the password, and the door opened.
Looking at the empty dormitory/ward, the newcomer let out a puzzled hum, asking, “Where is she?”
Tao Ning’s guess was correct. Down on this level, there were more people.
There were soldiers in silver-gray uniforms, medics in white coats, and young people in various simple training suits, all gathered together, discussing something in low voices.
In the interstellar age, human lifespan had increased significantly, with an average age of three hundred years. Essentially, from adulthood to around two hundred years old, they all looked relatively young.
However, the difference between real soldiers and students could be easily discerned from their posture and demeanor. Students lacked the disciplined air of soldiers who had been in combat for years.
But their expressions were now much the same, all looking in the same direction with anticipation.
The only thing that could make everyone’s expression change and fill them with longing was…
“A Mermaid! I finally get to see one with my own eyes!”
With so many people crowding around, Tao Ning, who had arrived a step late, couldn’t see anything.
“It has to be Major General Gu Yuan. He found the Mermaid during a patrol and brought her back.”
“Well, look at him, the Federation’s youngest Major General. His abilities are undeniable. Good-looking, capable, and with S-level psychic power. Absolutely perfect.”
“Not exactly perfect though… his cousin is quite…”
No one finished the sentence, but those who heard it exchanged knowing looks of sympathy.
Even the most capable people have weaknesses, and Gu Yuan, hailed as the Federation’s dream lover, had a weakness: his particularly troublesome cousin.
But in most people’s eyes, the existence of his cousin, Zang Yuzhu, only added a touch of sympathy to his otherwise flawless image.
Tao Ning took a breath, gathering her strength, preparing to take her next step. She wasn’t sure yet, but she had to see for herself to be certain.
Amidst the excited chatter, several puzzled voices called out from behind: “Zang Yuzhu? Is that really you, Zang Yuzhu?”
The person walking ahead ignored them, continuing to move forward while supporting herself against the wall.
This disregard annoyed the caller, who strode forward: “Why aren’t you answering when I’m talking to you, Zang Yuzhu…?”
She reached out to grab the swaying figure, but before her hand touched the thin shoulder, it was caught by a cold hand and twisted outwards.
Tao Ning turned her head, giving her a cold glance: “What do you want?”
Tina froze, stunned by the hostile look.
The tall woman who followed frowned slightly, disapprovingly calling out, “Tina, she just woke up from a life-threatening injury.”
“I didn’t even touch her, and she grabbed my hand…” Tina struggled, unable to pull her wrist free from the grip, her expression gradually becoming blank.
She, a mecha mechanic with A-level psychic power, couldn’t pull her hand back from a frail, sickly patient?
Her mind momentarily short-circuited as Tina stared at the hand. If she remembered correctly, just a few days ago, this hand couldn’t even open a bottle of mecha lubricant, and its soft, reddened palm had been held out with a coquettish pout, complaining of being hurt.
What the hell, was this Zang Yuzhu?
Had the delicate rose grown thorns?
Two more girls in silver-white training suits approached, nameplates pinned to their chests. Tao Ning didn’t recognize any of them, but they seemed to know the original host, even quite well.
Tao Ning had to suppress her impatience and respond patiently. She didn’t have the original host’s memories, so it was best to say as little as possible.
The crowd gathered at the top of the stairs had all gone down, wanting a closer look at the rare Mermaid.
For a moment, only the frail patient and the three First Academy students who had just come out of the simulation training room remained near the stairwell.
“Zang Yuzhu, what are you doing here?” The tall woman with “An He” and “Mecha Department” on her nameplate spoke first.
Judging by their positions, An He seemed to be the leader of the group, or at least a central figure like a captain.
Tao Ning’s face was pale. She said, “I’m sorry, my head is still dizzy. I woke up and found no one in the room, so I came out to take a look.”
Captain An He’s expression became more serious: “How could there be no one watching over you in your room?”
Tina was still staring at her hand in disbelief. She now even wanted to rush back to the repair room and lift a wrench to prove that her strength hadn’t regressed during training.
Another girl, also from the Mecha Department, said, “Maybe they all went to see the Mermaid.”
Crossing her arms and sneering, she looked Tao Ning up and down, saying, “Shouldn’t you be resting in your room waiting for the doctor to come back? Don’t complain again if you get hurt that the doctor isn’t providing you with personal care. Medical resources on the ship aren’t exactly abundant.”
The first sentence was directed at the others, but the rest was aimed at Tao Ning.
Her name was Song Fangzhou, also from the Mecha Department.
Tao Ning lowered her eyelashes and remained silent. Ignoring what she might have done before, just looking at her face, it was hard to feel any blame towards her.
An He couldn’t bear it. She said, “You can’t be left unattended in your condition. Let’s take you back to your dormitory.”
She stepped forward, supporting Tao Ning’s thin arm with a gentle but firm grip.
No matter how capable a person was, after suffering a near-fatal injury that almost destroyed their psychic sea, and surviving only on nutrient solution in a healing chamber, they should be weak and frail, let alone someone like Zang Yuzhu who had grown up pampered.
Tao Ning grabbed her wrist, her pale lips uttering a weak voice, “No, I want to see…”
Song Fangzhou, even more impatient than Tina, interrupted her, unwilling to listen to the faint voice: “Don’t tell me you’re dragging your sick body out here to see your dear cousin? Miss Yuzhu, you’re truly touching.”
Coming from a military family, Song Fangzhou naturally had no interest in Gu Yuan. She simply disliked people like Zang Yuzhu.
Disobedient, afraid of hardship, almost endangering her teammates, lacking a sense of cooperation—these were all things Song Fangzhou couldn’t tolerate.
This wasn’t a ladies’ tea party where only the beauty of power was appreciated, not the beauty of appearance. One should fulfill their duties. Since she chose the battlefield, she shouldn’t bring her bad habits along.
Tao Ning straightened up, pushing An He’s hand away. She gave a faint smile: “No, I’m here to see you.”
Song Fangzhou was taken aback by the smile.
Even though her beauty had faded after being ravaged by illness, there wasn’t a trace of vulnerability in her demeanor.
Tao Ning turned and walked downstairs, leaving the others momentarily frozen, forgetting to stop her.
520 sighed inwardly, thinking: I wouldn’t dare provoke a twice-widowed woman, but you guys are lining up to be dealt with.
After a while, Song Fangzhou asked in confusion, “What did she mean? Was she flirting with me?”
Tina hummed, “Maybe.”
Song Fangzhou rolled up her sleeves, her eyebrows furrowing: “No way, I have to go and have a good talk with her. She doesn’t seem to have any remorse.”
A hand stopped her. Looking over, it was Captain An He who had reached out.
An He said, “She’s already suffered a serious injury, almost died. We’re all safe and sound, isn’t that punishment enough for her?”
Song Fangzhou was speechless. She pulled the dazed Tina along and headed downstairs.
A rare Mermaid, a sight not to be missed.
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