Chapter 95

Ai Yue leaned back lazily in his chair and said with a smile, "Why don't you tell me what kind of things you sell in your little shop?"

He wasn't entirely unaware of Pardofelis's so-called little shop. He'd heard that every time Pardofelis returned from a mission, she'd find a lot of strange little trinkets. Although she didn't know what they were for, someone always seemed to like them. Over time, it became a mysterious shop that was passed down by word of mouth within the Moth to Fire.

"It's nothing, just things I found."

Pardofelis scratched her head sheepishly, then emphasized as if she had just remembered something, "I really did pick them all up!"

"Really?"

Ai Yue said meaningfully, "Really, there was no petty theft, stealing, or substitution?"

No...

Pardofelis said guiltily, and faced with Ai Yue's silence, she finally sighed, "Okay, okay, actually there is a little bit... really only a little bit! And I only took things from bad people, so I should, probably, perhaps... you could call me a righteous thief?"

At this point, she continued, as if changing the subject, "Speaking of which, why did Brother Yue suddenly think of calling me?"

She hadn't received a call from Ai Yue for a long time, which made her forget about it and accidentally let it slip!

I miss you.

Ai Yue laughed and said, "You, you have a vacation recently, but you haven't come to see me. Isn't that a bit too much?"

"How could I dare to bother you?"

Pardofelis said in a somewhat subtle tone, "Besides, aren't Sister Niya and Sister Snake both with you?"

Pardofelis's pointed tone made Ai Yue feel somewhat embarrassed.

"Ahem, children shouldn't talk nonsense,"

Ai Yue waved his hand subconsciously, as if Pardofelis were right in front of him, "Where are you?"

"Sunbathing on the roof of the dormitory building."

Pardofelis didn't press further, but her tone became languid again, "The sun is wonderful today, not too hot, not too dark, the feeling of it on my skin is just right!"

"Is that so?"

Ai Yue couldn't help but smile. "Then stay where you are and wait for ten minutes."

He then hung up the phone.

39

Chapter Thirty-Nine: Letting cats roam freely has caused them to develop mental illnesses.

"Why wait ten minutes?"

Pardofelis asked curiously, but when she heard the phone hang up, she put down her phone and looked puzzled.

Could it be that Brother Yue is coming?

The first thought that flashed through Pardofelis's mind was this, but she immediately rejected it herself—it was impossible, Brother Yue was so busy right now, how could he possibly come back to find her?

Perhaps there's something I need to take care of, so I have to hang up and call back in ten minutes.

But if that's all there is to it, then why make her wait in the same place?

Pardofelis struggled with her thoughts, constantly negating her own ideas, and for a moment even the originally warm and gentle sunlight became scorching.

"Hey, Brother Yue, really, could you please explain yourself clearly?"

Pardofelis wanted to call back to get to the bottom of things, but she was afraid of disturbing Ai Yue's business. In the end, she could only roll around on the floor mat in frustration, and her good mood seemed to vanish in an instant.

But after calming down, she found that the corners of her mouth were turning up.

Why? Perhaps it's because he could sense from the phone call that Brother Yue's feelings for him hadn't changed?

Having figured this out, the girl couldn't help but start giggling again.

What Ai Yue didn't know was that Pardofelis had actually been going through a lot of inner turmoil during this time.

After defeating the Herrscher of Rock and the Herrscher of Domination in succession, Ai Yue's reputation within the Moth to Fire has reached an unimaginably terrifying level. It can be said that even Kevin is now a step below Ai Yue.

This is quite normal, after all, after Ai Yue came to the Moth to Fire, he could be said to have immediately reversed all the disadvantages of the Moth to Fire when facing the Herrscher.

Not strong enough? No problem. Ai Yue has improved the Fused Warrior Formula, greatly increasing the success rate of the Fusion Warrior Project. Even those who cannot participate in the Fusion Warrior Project can still get new equipment. It is indeed not enough to fight Herrscher, but it can be described as mowing grass when dealing with Honkai Beast.

High casualty rate? No problem. Ai Yue invented a new alloy formula and improved the armor worn by ordinary soldiers of the Moth to Fire, increasing the protection by 300%. There are even drone swarms used as combat units to replace ordinary soldiers in close combat with the Honkai Beast. The casualty rate during the Great Honkai of the Mu Continent has dropped to an astonishing 0.1.

Honkai Sickness is incurable, and many warriors who survive the battlefield will die from subsequent Honkai Energy? It doesn't matter. Ai Yue's story of conquering the Honkai Sickness Antibody in 48 hours is still questioned by many people, but it cannot be denied that after he went to the Fifth Science Department, the entire Fifth Science Department was disbanded. At the same time, the Moth to Fire also produced a cheap and effective Honkai Sickness vaccine. This may not be entirely due to Ai Yue, but he is definitely very much involved.

As for things like establishing schools, inventing teleportation devices, and building a global Honkai Energy network, these are all trivial matters to Ai Yue, and not even worth mentioning.

And this is only what ordinary members know; compared to what Ai Yue has been doing, this is just the tip of the iceberg.

It can be said that everything related to Ai Yue receives special attention, and even Pardofelis is no exception.

It could even be said that, compared to Ai Yue, Pardofelis was too ordinary and was the one most severely affected.

Pardofelis's troubles during this period stemmed from this. As Ai Yue's reputation continued to rise, she also received too much attention, to the point that wherever she went, people would ask her all sorts of questions out of curiosity.

While this made "Pardo's Shop" more popular than anyone could have imagined, Pardofelis herself also faced many unexpected questions.

The most frequent question was, "Do you really know Doctor Ai Yue?"

Although Pardofelis could answer this question with the armor system that Ai Yue had specially built for her, over time, she couldn't help but start to doubt herself.

After everything they've been through, will Ai Yue still treat her the same way as before? Or will they gradually become strangers as the gap between them widens?

Pardofelis is a carefree person. Even when she encounters something sad, she will only be sad for a short while, but Ai Yue's situation is an exception.

She hadn't gone to see Ai Yue during this time because she was afraid the answer to this question would be the complete opposite of what she expected.

At least, as long as we keep ignoring it, life can continue like this...

Come to think of it, is ten minutes really that long?

Pardofelis lay on the mat, waiting for the deadline Ai Yue had mentioned.

Just then, she keenly caught a rustling sound and then looked sharply toward the entrance on the rooftop.

Ai Yue's figure appeared there.

"Brother Yue?!"

Pardofelis was surprised and scrambled to her feet, momentarily at a loss for words.

"Keep your voice down, don't let anyone hear you."

Ai Yue gestured for silence, looking somewhat embarrassed. "Why is the rooftop locked? We have to pick the lock to get up here."

Oh, that was the sound of someone picking the lock.

"The explosion in the adjacent passageway was actually a malfunction; you could squeeze something out through that crack."

Seeing Ai Yue's somewhat embarrassed expression, Pardofelis suddenly laughed, "Brother Yue, what brings you here?"

"If you don't come to me, then I have no choice but to come to you?"

Ai Yue dusted off his hands. "Make me some space. I want to sunbathe too."

"Okay,"

Pardofelis moved aside, making room on the mat. "Come on, Brother Yue."

"Why is this floor mat smaller than the one we used on Twilight Street back then...?"

Ai Yue leaned closer, frowning. "Wait, isn't this the same spot from back then? The medicine I applied is still here!"

He pointed to the half-finished handprint in the corner and said that it was from when Pardofelis dragged him to sunbathe on Twilight Street. He accidentally got it on his hand and couldn't wash it off, so it's been there ever since.

"This floor mat is so nice, I love it!"

Pardofelis said seriously, then added after thinking for a moment, "It's okay if it's a little smaller, we can just squeeze in, right?"

Ai Yue paused for a moment, then smiled and said, "That's true."

The two lay side by side on the small mat, basking in the warmth of the sun, and neither of them spoke for a moment.

A moment later, Pardofelis suddenly laughed.

"What's wrong?"

With her eyes closed, Ai Yue turned her head slightly, revealing the girl's pretty profile and radiant smile.

"Nothing."

Pardofelis said with a grin, her expression completely relaxed.

Nothing has changed.

40

Chapter 40: Please choose your Honkai Beast.

Ai Yue was unaware of Pardofelis's inner thoughts, but after being warned by Aponia today, Ai Yue became increasingly attentive to the words and actions of those around him.

From Pardofelis's series of reactions when she saw him, Ai Yue could also sense a slight distance and hesitation in her heart.

This conflicting emotion immediately reminded him of Xun Ge'er and Runtu, but fortunately, Pardofelis was indeed carefree, and things hadn't escalated to that extent, so he didn't hear Pardofelis respectfully call him "Doctor Ai Yue".

Ai Yue asked himself honestly, if Pardofelis really showed a respectful expression, he couldn't be sure what he would do next.

Ai Yue didn't show anything on the surface, but he breathed a huge sigh of relief in his heart. As the first person he met after coming into this world, and also the one who saved his life, Pardofelis naturally held a special place in his heart.

Not to mention that Pardofelis was willing to give up her free life to come to the Moth to Fire with him, a decision that undoubtedly affirmed the familial bond between them.

Perhaps that's why Ai Yue subconsciously felt that this connection would never change, but after being reminded by Aponia, he realized that humans are ultimately unable to communicate through telepathy, at least not now.

Therefore, no matter how strong the bond is, it still needs to be maintained. Even blood relatives can have disagreements and conflicts, let alone other people.

Even if one's feelings have never changed, if one cannot express them or convey them to others, then even the strongest feelings are nothing more than self-satisfaction.

"Pardo, there's something I need to tell you."

Thinking of this, Ai Yue couldn't help but sit up, revealing a serious expression.

"W-What's wrong, Brother Yue?"

Pardofelis involuntarily sat up as well, her eyes darting around as if trying to recall if she had made any serious mistakes recently. "I've been very well-behaved lately!"

"Not those things,"

Distracted by Pardofelis, Ai Yue found it difficult to remain serious and could only offer a helpless smile. "I'm going to transfer you to the Star of Light Experiment Base and place you by my side."

"Huh? Why so suddenly?"

Pardofelis paused for a moment, "Wait, judging from your tone, Brother Yue, it doesn't seem like you want to discuss this with me, right?"

"Yes, that's an order."

Ai Yue nodded. "Whether you agree or not, the order has already taken effect, just now."

Why?

Pardofelis scratched her head, looking puzzled, and subconsciously turned to the side. "Brother Yue, you don't need me, do you?"

No, I need you.

Ai Yue reached out and cupped Pardofelis's cheeks, forcing her to turn her gaze back to him. "I really need you by my side."

"Huh, huh?"

Pardofelis's face flushed instantly. "Is that so?"

She wanted to escape, but Ai Yue's hands made it difficult for her to move. In his sincere gaze, Pardofelis could also feel the emotions in his heart.

For some reason, she suddenly remembered the night she decided to sneak onto that transport plane.

I didn't make that choice on a whim.

"If that's the case, then there's nothing we can do."

Thinking about this, Pardofelis gradually calmed down and revealed her usual cheerful expression again. "Anyway, well... oh, military orders are absolute, I can't refuse, right?"

Seeing that Pardofelis did not show a strong attitude of rejection, Ai Yue breathed a sigh of relief.

Before speaking, for a moment, Ai Yue did worry that Pardo might resist such a mandatory request, but even so, he still chose to speak.

Because those words were his heartfelt wishes.

"Alright, since that's the case, let's get started."