Free Web NovelChapter 18: Chapter 18: Are You Willing?
To put the situation simply: his bliss was an assault on their ears.
But Jiang Xia had just gotten a new toy—and a gift from Shi Lan, at that. He was still in the honeymoon phase with it, completely oblivious to anyone else’s misery.
’He’d like to see how this little ball of yarn could possibly keep him under its spell!’
But when his paw inadvertently batted the ball away, Jiang Xia’s pupils contracted. A surge of excitement, like the first time he’d ever killed a member of the Insect Clan, washed over him. His tail twitched rapidly, and he pounced.
"A-wooo..."
A joyful sound escaped Jiang Xia’s throat. He pinned the ball under his paws. A single strand of yarn from its tail end trailed on the ground, and the sight of it made his teeth itch. He couldn’t help but lower his head to gnaw on it gently.
Pallas’s cats may be small, but their teeth are incredibly sharp. Afraid of ruining his new toy, Jiang Xia was very gentle.
’Still, this little ball of yarn was so much fun!!’
Jiang Xia was so happily absorbed in his play that the quiet prison soon filled with his delighted purrs.
Mu Tangfeng, having just disassembled the number two robot in his cell, finally lost his patience. "It’s too damn loud! Jiang Xia, can’t you be quiet for one second?"
Hearing this, Jiang Xia belatedly realized how embarrassing he’d been. ’To get so completely captivated by a little ball of yarn...’
He snuck a glance across the way. From within the darkness of Ye Ming’s cell, a pair of gleaming green eyes was fixed on the yarn ball under his paws.
He instinctively pulled his paws back, protectively tucking the toy under his belly. His thick, fluffy, brownish-white fur concealed it completely. Seeing Ye Ming’s stare, Jiang Xia silently activated his cell’s privacy screen, turning the transparent door opaque and blocking the other’s view.
Mu Tangfeng’s outburst did quiet Jiang Xia down for a while. After all, he knew the female had only bought a gift for him and not the others. It was only natural they’d feel a little jealous.
’But if anyone was to blame, it was the ball for being so damn fun. He just couldn’t help getting excited whenever he played with it.’
Mu Tangfeng had just finished patiently reassembling the robot. Before its eyes could even flicker on, he viciously ripped its chip out again.
Damn it!
The robot, once again forced into a pile of parts: "..."
Just then, Ye Ming suddenly spoke. "Jiang Xia, use the Ice Seal Skill."
Hearing the seriousness in his tone, Jiang Xia knew Ye Ming was about to discuss something important. He put aside his playful mood. "Okay."
He knew when to be serious, after all. He carefully tucked the ball of yarn under the seat of his usual Snowfall Chair, then immediately activated his Skill.
Ye Ming watched as the surveillance robots in the prison froze over, then immediately opened a communication channel with Leo.
"Your Highness, what’s the verdict?"
Leo, who had been waiting all day in the lab with Dr. Ai for a reply, spoke the moment the connection was established.
Ye Ming stared at the diagnostic data, a hint of lightness in his voice. "It seems to have had some effect."
Upon hearing this, Dr. Ai’s voice came through, filled with excitement. "Did it really lower your collapse value by ten points?"
Ye Ming shook his head. "No. But my collapse value did drop by one point."
"My spiritual power collapse value was originally at 73%. It’s now 72%."
At these words, He Hanshi’s eyes flickered.
On the other end of the line, Dr. Ai was baffled. "That’s impossible. If my potion really did lower the collapse value, it wouldn’t be by such a small amount."
"Tell me everything that happened after you took the potion."
Ye Ming then recounted the details of his spiritual power collapse episode.
Leo hadn’t realized His Highness had gone through such a dangerous ordeal. His voice was filled with lingering fear. "Your Highness, you’ve suffered!"
Dr. Ai, however, was already lost in the data. He meticulously recorded Ye Ming’s words. ’Could it be that after taking the potion, the collapse value can still drop by one point even if a spiritual power collapse occurs?’
’The process might be dangerous, but if this is the case, it could be a potential solution.’
The more Dr. Ai thought about it, the brighter his eyes shone. He couldn’t wait to continue his research on a new potion.
After all, if he successfully developed such a potion, he would go down in history as a genius pharmacist, acclaimed by all.
But then, He Hanshi suddenly spoke up. "Your Highness, are you certain the point drop occurred *after* your spiritual power collapse?"
Ye Ming was certain about this. He checked his physical data daily. Normally, his collapse value would rise by about one point per month. But now, after taking the potion, not only had it not increased, it had actually decreased by one.
He confirmed it.
He Hanshi pulled up his own spiritual power data as well. "I think," he said in a low voice, proposing a new theory, "that it might not be the potion. I had a spiritual power collapse episode a while ago, and my collapse value also dropped, from 89% to 88%."
As soon as he said this, the other Beastmen looked at him in utter disbelief. They were shocked for two reasons: first, that a collapse value could decrease, and second, that He Hanshi’s spiritual power collapse value had, without them knowing, already climbed above 80%.
He Hanshi continued, "At the time, I thought it was a fluke, so I didn’t say anything. But now that Your Highness has also experienced a one-point drop after a collapse... isn’t that too much of a coincidence?"
Dr. Ai’s shocked voice cut in, "Impossible! The research is very clear. A spiritual power collapse only ever *increases* the collapse value. It can’t decrease!"
"If it could decrease, then we wouldn’t have lost so many 2S-rank and higher Beastmen in the past."
"Furthermore, the higher a Beastman’s collapse value, the greater their risk of death during an episode."
"Based on all the past data I’ve analyzed, for Major General He to have survived a collapse episode with a value that high is a miracle in itself!"
"In the past, any Beastman whose collapse value exceeded 85% has never survived an episode. Not one."
But Dr. Ai trusted Major General He’s character. He knew the man wouldn’t lie about something like this.
The prison fell silent for a time, everyone clearly struggling to process the shocking news.
After a long moment, Dr. Ai spoke again. "Your Highness, I’ll continue my research on the potion. But I’m going to have Leo pay you another visit. If possible, would you and Major General He be willing to provide a blood sample? Perhaps there’s some other latent ability in your bodies, or a mutation..."
There were too many uncertain factors. Dr. Ai needed to run more tests to determine the actual cause.
Dr. Ai was a trustworthy man. Neither Ye Ming nor He Hanshi had any objection to his request.
The communication ended.
After they had a moment to digest everything, Mu Tangfeng couldn’t help but speak up. "Major General... I had no idea your spiritual power collapse value was so severe."
His eyes were filled with anxiety. With a collapse value that high, it was unlikely he would survive another episode. ƒгeeweɓn૦vel.com
The last time was a miracle. There were no guarantees for the next.
He Hanshi’s expression was as calm as ever. "Mm. Don’t worry about it. Live or die, it’s all up to fate."
The others fell silent. Then, Yan Huoshui suddenly retorted, "Are you sure you’re content with that?"
He Hanshi froze. Something flashed through his mind, and his heart gave a heavy thud.
Before, that really had been how he felt, just living one day at a time.
But now... it seemed his heart had found something—or someone—to be tethered to. fгeewebnovёl.com
Shi Lan—
He silently mouthed her name. A shadow of complex, sorrowful emotion passed through his placid, gentle eyes.
’No, I’m not content...’
He didn’t answer Yan Huoshui, but his lips moved, forming the words in silence.
