Love

Lin Li led Galina through the crowd still indulging their emotions and left the noisy bar. They did not return to the apartment on the next street, instead heading straight to a hotel to get a room.

At midnight, in a couples' room on the twelfth floor of the hotel, Lin Li and Galina began the sacred human act of reproduction. The Latina girl's dark brown hair spilled over her shoulders.

Lin Li's mind still worked at high speed as he said to Abu in his head:

"I think I'm very happy. The instinctive desires of my body, which my brain had suppressed, have been satisfied."

In the end, the exhausted Galina fell deeply asleep in Lin Li's arms, an expression of happiness still appearing on her face from time to time even in her dreams.

Abu finally came back to its senses as well and said somewhat awkwardly in Lin Li's mind:

"You can't blame me for this. I'm just a newborn baby. It's all my former master's fault for never teaching me about this sort of thing."

Lin Li savored the feeling from before and replied calmly, "It's my first time experiencing it too. Although it isn't my first time mating, I think I understand now why those coworkers at the company were so obsessed with being involved with different women. This desire born of physical instinct really can bring endless pleasure."

Abu hurriedly agreed. "That's right, that's right! It's really interesting, even more enjoyable than eating! So we need to mate every day from now on!"

Lin Li replied, "Aren't you a baby? As your new master, I think I should prohibit such uncivilized behavior. I can sense that I can now cut off all your external perceptions. It seems your previous master has completely handed control over you to me."

Abu became a little anxious and quickly explained, "Those are human laws. They have nothing to do with me. Flies can mate within dozens of hours after emerging as adults, and no one manages them, right? My kind can mate from the moment we're born!"

Lin Li grew interested. The emotional impact of today had awakened human desires within him, and his naturally curious nature had now been stirred as well.

"What species are you?"

Abu said somewhat proudly, "I'm a super organism created by my former master using Naegleria Amoeba as a template and combining it with his genes. I can form a symbiotic fusion with humans, turning them into superhumans. And like those guys in the sea, as long as I have enough food and energy, I can reproduce through self-division. I'm the clan leader, too. In short, I'm amazing!"

Lin Li summed it up. "So you're a parasite dependent on humans. Also, who are those guys in the sea?"

Abu said irritably, "No, we aren't! We can survive independently too, and our strength is ten times that of those blue guys in the sea. I alone can take on a whole bunch of them."

But immediately afterward, it wilted and sent Lin Li information about the Jelly creatures. Dejectedly, it said, "Those Jellies are much freer than we are. My kind was created by our master specifically as symbiotic organisms for humans. When we reproduce through division, we can't copy brain memories. Every individual has an independent will, and I can't control them either. Also, when we live alone, our energy consumption is high and we have no productive ability at all. Only by living symbiotically with humans can we freely switch between high- and low-energy-consumption modes."

Lin Li clenched his fist and felt the strength in his body, realizing that it was indeed true. If the dozens-fold physical strength he had displayed while fighting that "Tom Cat" was taken into account, then the energy consumed would also be dozens of times that of an ordinary person. The energy his body took in could not sustain such immense expenditure for long.

In fact, when he did not actively exert his strength, his physical power and speed of thought were merely two or three times that of an ordinary person. Only now did he begin to feel hungry.

Considering the information about the Jelly creatures, Lin Li suddenly said to Abu, "Perhaps, in the eyes of your former master, those Jellies were the ones meant to be discarded."

"Huh?" Abu did not quite understand. Lin Li did not explain either. It was only something he had guessed from scattered clues. Perhaps he would only be able to truly confirm it after meeting Abu's former master.

He reached out and rubbed the small Circle attached behind his cervical vertebrae, saying in his mind, "Go to sleep."

"Oh."

The next day, Lin Li took Galina sightseeing in downtown New York. Based on the pitifully few memories in Abu's mind, its former master had wanted Lin Li to understand emotions before taking up his post, and the place also needed some time to complete its basic construction.

Thus, Lin Li decided to start dating today and understand this emotion derived from the desire to reproduce.

New York's Central Park, a park with a history of one hundred and seventy years, lay in the heart of land-scarce Manhattan, surrounded by towering buildings. It was a favorite dating spot for young couples.

Lin Li and Galina got out of their smart car and walked hand in hand along a forest path. Fine rain drifted down from the sky, droplets softly falling upon their cheeks. The fresh scent in the air was rare in a great metropolis.

Lin Li still wore a black coat, with the hood hanging behind it pulled over his head. Galina had changed into a somewhat extravagant purple blouse bought at a mall beside the hotel. Still attending community college, Galina did not live comfortably; there were too many things that required money in a metropolis like New York.

However, this was nothing to Lin Li. In the past, he had hardly possessed any desires of his own, while his work developing and designing virtual games had brought him a considerable income. That was why he had gained a beautiful girlfriend soon after joining the company—young, wealthy, free of bad habits, and handsome. He had practically been a hot commodity.

When Galina had first learned about Lin Li's wealth, she had thought she was dreaming. She had never expected to meet such a perfectly well-rounded boyfriend in a nightclub. Now, she had no interest in the scenery of the park. Her mind had already begun planning how to marry Lin Li and have children with him.

On the grass beside the path, a squirrel hopped about in a dense thicket. A few leaves rustled in the wind as it flicked its tail and climbed back up a tree.

After passing through the woods, Lin Li led Galina to the zoo inside the park. It was divided into three sections—the tropical rainforest area, temperate area, and polar area—and covered only 6.5 acres, making it a miniature zoo in New York City.

Large bats hung upside down from branches, clutching their claws. An anteater crawled along the ground with its long snout extended. A thick-billed parrot with red markings on its forehead stared at Lin Li in confusion. There seemed to be something strange there. It let out a shrill, continuous cry that sounded like human laughter.

Finally, the two arrived at the polar area, home to penguins and polar bears. It was children's favorite place, and many young couples had brought their children there to see the animals up close.

Hearing the children's laughter, Galina finally snapped out of her fantasies. Looking at the young couple holding a child not far away, she asked Lin Li, "Lin, do you like children?"

Since Lin Li constantly sensed Galina's brain activity, he naturally knew what she was thinking. He replied casually, "Of course. See that black-haired child? I think he looks a lot like I did when I was little."

Galina looked at the Little Boy. Unlike the other lively and cheerful children, he was squatting expressionlessly to one side, watching a polar bear strolling along in the distance. Somewhat puzzled, she asked, "Lin, were you this quiet as a child? You're obviously so good at making girls happy now."

Lin Li said, "People are never unchanging. As the external environment changes, one's personality naturally becomes whatever best adapts to that environment."

He pulled Galina into his arms and whispered into her ear, "For example, right now, I really want to marry you immediately and then have our adorable children."

Lin Li's words left Galina dizzy. It was exactly what she had been thinking deep down, yet she had not expected this man to say it so easily.

Holding Lin Li, she said hesitantly, "But you're so outstanding. I'm afraid your parents won't be able to accept me."

Sensing the insecurity in her heart, Lin Li leaned close to her ear and said softly, "It's all right. My adoptive parents have already passed away. As long as you're willing, we can get married right now."

Her hesitation, unease, and inferiority instantly transformed into overflowing joy. Galina excitedly kissed Lin Li with all her strength, and the two began kissing passionately in the park without regard for anyone around them. The black-haired Little Boy who had been watching the polar bear expressionlessly saw this scene, and a blush appeared on his childish face as he secretly turned away.

Abu's voice sounded in Lin Li's mind. "Tsk, tsk. This woman is practically in the palm of your hand."

He replied calmly, "I haven't lied to her. Tomorrow, we'll register our marriage."