Ark Simulator, Aren't I Supposed to Have No Physical Form?

They both glanced at the photo frame in the corner of the desk. The photo showed Doctor in protective gear holding Su Rui, who was wrapped up like a dumpling, against a backdrop of a burning, Mobile City. At the time, no one knew what kind of blood flowed through the veins of this child rescued from the lab.

The sudden sound of the doorknob turning shattered the tranquility.

Shining stood in the doorway, holding the medical records. Her grey-purple eyes widened slightly when she saw the two of them being intimate. The hem of her white coat swayed gently as she paused, and her pharmacist gloves still bore traces of undried disinfectant.

"Did I disturb you?" Her voice was slightly lower than usual.

Su Rui practically jumped to her feet, her lower back slamming against the desk with a dull thud. This reaction made the Doctor raise an eyebrow—she knew all too well how indulgent her adopted son was when Nightingale acted spoiled, and how helpless he was when faced with her pranks, but now he seemed as flustered as...a child caught doing something wrong?

"Dr. Shining!" Su Rui's voice was eight octaves higher than usual, "Um... I'm here to help my mother with..."

"Mother?"

The word was like ice dropped into hot oil. Shining's gaze swept back and forth between the two, finally settling on the Doctor's face. The Doctor, who was usually expressionless, frowned slightly and even her breathing became softer—this was her expression when facing an unknown pathogen.

The Doctor slowly sipped his coffee. "When Su Rui was little..."

"Doctor!" Su Rui's face turned completely red, and his fingers unconsciously tugged at the Doctor's sleeve—a small gesture he had given up since he was ten years old, which made Shining's pupils shrink slightly.

The scent of Absinthe suddenly intensified. Shining, seemingly out of nowhere, appeared beside Su Rui, her gloved fingertips gently brushing the back of his neck. "So that's why you resisted the physical exam?" Her breath tickled his ear. "Afraid I'd discover your... parental relationship with the Doctor?"

A shiver ran down Su Rui's spine. He knew that tone all too well—the last time Shining spoke in that terrifyingly gentle tone, all the targets in the training room were riddled with holes the next day.

The Doctor suddenly laughed, and under their surprised gazes, took out a thick stack of documents from the drawer. "His Originium crystal distribution map, cell activity report, and..." She pulled out the yellowed paper at the bottom, "The birthday card he drew for me when I was twelve, hiding in the closet."

Volume 12, Chapter 698: Doctor's Inspection

Three stick figures were drawn crookedly on the yellowed piece of paper.

As Shining took the paper, his gloves made a slight rubbing sound, and his fingers, which had been wielding a sword for years, trembled slightly.

"You've been waiting for this..."

"Did you know you'd be checking up on me?" The Doctor nudged Su Rui toward Shining. "After all, someone used the internal communication this morning to ask me, 'Why hasn't Su Rui come out of your office after forty-seven minutes?'"

Su Rui abruptly turned to look at Shining, who unusually turned her face away, her silvery-white eyelashes casting dappled shadows on her cheeks. Only then did he notice the Rhodes Island -made locator clipped inside her white lab coat—the same batch as the one in his cuff button.

"You..." Su Rui's voice was as soft as a sigh, "Just how many tracking devices did you implant in me?"

The Doctor and the Shining simultaneously reached out to straighten his crooked tie, their fingertips briefly touching in the air.

"Enough to ensure..." Shining's voice mingled with the Doctor's soft chuckle, "That our little genius won't be kidnapped and turned into a human computer again."

The sound of Nightingale humming its song drifted in from outside the window, and Su Rui suddenly felt his eyes well up with tears. Those days spent as a tool in the lab, those nights huddled in ventilation ducts during his wanderings—all of that was now faded into a nightmare by the sunlight. He grasped the hands of the Doctor and Shining, their body heat mingling in the morning light.

"Mother." He used that title for the first time in front of Shining. "Can we have hot pot together tonight? I bought your favorite..."

Before she could finish speaking, the door was flung open, interrupting her. Nightingale, holding a basket full of fresh apples, stood frozen in the doorway, her gaze sweeping over the three clasped hands. Suddenly, she smiled brightly, "Looks like I missed the explanation part?"

The Doctor winked at her. "Perfect timing, let's hear about how you Su Rui, mistook a nutritional supplement for..."

"Doctor!!"

Su Rui's screams and Shining's muffled chuckles, Nightingale's curious questions, and the whispers of the operators passing by the window—all melted away in the unique morning light of Rhodes Island. Those secrets hidden in their bloodlines ultimately transformed into the most ordinary bonds—like the ever-warm cup of milk on the desk, like the ever-growing number of family photos in the album, like...

The reassuring warmth emanating from beneath his glove as Shining subtly hooked her little finger around his.

A corner of the Rhodes Island staff canteen had been transformed into a makeshift hot pot area. Four copper pots bubbled and steamed, the aroma of chili oil and mushroom broth filling the entire space. Su Rui was busy pouring a plate of snowflake beef into the spicy broth, the bright red soup instantly engulfing the bright red slices of meat, the rising steam blurring his glasses.

"Slow down." The Doctor gently tapped his wrist with the end of his chopsticks. "The meat slices need to be cooked for ten seconds to be at their most tender."

Su Rui adjusted her glasses, the lenses still slightly fogged up. "You said eight seconds last time."

"That's the standard for ordinary people." The Doctor fished a trembling piece of beef from the spicy broth and put it in his bowl. "You always forget that your body temperature is 0.3 degrees Celsius higher than normal, so the cooking time for the meat needs to be extended accordingly."

Nightingale's chopsticks suddenly stopped in mid-air. She and Shining exchanged a glance—a detail that even Su Rui herself might have overlooked, but the Doctor remembered so clearly.

"What's wrong?" Su Rui noticed their silence, picked up a piece of tripe and dipped it in the clear broth. "Nightingale, this is your favorite."

The tripe rolled around in the dipping sauce bowl, becoming coated in sesame paste, before being brought to Nightingale's beak. The blonde girl instinctively opened her mouth, but just as she was about to bite, Su Rui gently pulled her back, their noses almost touching.

"Is it good?" he asked with a smile, his amber eyes sparkling in the rising steam from the hot pot.

Nightingale puffed out her cheeks and nodded, but the tips of her ears turned slightly red. She didn't tell Su Rui that this feeding gesture and the way the Doctor had tapped his wrist earlier were exactly the same.

Shining silently placed a piece of cooked baby bok choy into Su Rui's bowl. Unusually, she wasn't wearing gloves today. Her slender fingers held a porcelain spoon and stirred the mushroom soup, occasionally skimming off the foam. This hand, usually wielding a sword, was now performing the most ordinary action, so incongruous that it softened one's heart.

"Dr. Shining," the Doctor suddenly spoke up, "Could you pass me those dried bean curd sticks over there?"

The silver-haired doctor paused almost imperceptibly. She looked at the Doctor's outstretched hand—it had the same thin calluses on it as Su Rui's, the marks left from holding a pen.

"Give."

The porcelain plate made a soft scratching sound on the table. The moment the Doctor took it, his fingertips lightly brushed against Shining's hand. This subtle, probing gesture made Shining's grey-purple eyes narrow slightly.

Su Rui was busy squeezing shrimp paste into the pot and was completely unaware of the silent exchange. Nightingale, however, suddenly nudged his foot under the table and gestured for him to look across at the other side.

"Huh?" He looked up blankly, just in time to see the Doctor putting the cooked beef tripe into Shining's bowl. "Mother actually remembers what Dr. Shining likes to eat..."

This statement brought an odd silence to the table. The Doctor chuckled, resting his chin on his hand. "I observed this during last year's team-building event; she took three servings of 'yellow throat' (a type of Chinese medicine)."

Shining stared at the food in her bowl as if it were some kind of pathogen that required serious attention. After a long while, she picked up a piece of beef tripe and put it in her mouth, chewing slowly and with restraint.

"Thanks."

The thank you was so soft it was almost inaudible, but the Doctor's eyes curved into crescents as if he had won a great victory.

Nightingale suddenly leaned close to Su Rui's ear. "Is the Doctor...?"

"Win them over," Su Rui finished for her helplessly. "It's been like this since last week, sending snacks to the Medical Department every day, and they 'just happen' to be the buckwheat flavor that Shining likes."

Amidst the rising steam from the hot pot, the Doctor was adding plum juice to Shining's cup. The silver-haired Doctor had only made halfway through his gesture of refusal when Shining "accidentally" knocked over the cup. As the dark liquid seeped onto the white coat, the usually composed Shining displayed an almost stunned expression.

"Sorry, sorry~" The Doctor took out a handkerchief and exaggeratedly wiped her face, "Oh dear, this fabric is hard to wash off once it gets stained with sugar, so perhaps..."

"Doctor," Shining grabbed her fidgeting wrist, his voice strained, "I can do it myself."

Nightingale's shoulders trembled as she tried to suppress her laughter, while Su Rui painfully covered his eyes. He knew this routine all too well—when he was twelve, he didn't want to wear a sweater, and the Doctor had "accidentally" spilled hot cocoa on his coat, then naturally took him to buy new clothes.

"Mother..."

"Hmm?" The Doctor blinked innocently, still clutching the employee badge he'd taken from Shining. "What's wrong, honey?"

Su Rui opened her mouth, but ultimately lowered her head in frustration. "... It's nothing."

The hot pot meal lasted a full two hours. When the waiter came to clear the tableware, Nightingale was dozing off on Su Rui's shoulder, a few chili seeds still stuck in her golden hair. Shining had taken off her white coat and draped it over the back of the chair, the cuffs of her shirt rolled up to her elbows, revealing faint Originium crystals on her forearms.

"How about letting Su Rui keep me company tonight?" the Doctor suddenly said.

Nightingale's eyelashes fluttered, but she didn't open her eyes. Shining paused for a second while tidying up the cutlery, then continued.

"Okay." The silver-haired doctor's answer was unusually straightforward.

Su Rui looked at her in surprise. Shining simply reached out and brushed the chili seeds from Nightingale's hair, her movements as gentle as if she were handling something fragile. "Remember to bring him for his morning check-up at seven tomorrow."

The Doctor grinned like a cat that had stolen a fish. "I guarantee it will be returned intact."

Volume 12, Chapter 699: Double the Return

On the way back to the dormitory, Nightingale held Su Rui's hand the whole time. It wasn't until they reached a fork in the road that she suddenly grabbed his collar and bit his lip hard.

"This is interest," she muttered, rubbing her lips. "You'll have to pay me double tomorrow."

Shining stood three steps away, the moonlight casting a bluish glow on her silver hair. When Su Rui looked at her, the Doctor merely nodded slightly, his back straight and tall as a sword as he turned and left. But he clearly saw that her fingers, hidden behind her back, were unconsciously stroking her name tag—which still held the Doctor's warmth.

The Doctor's dormitory was always filled with a faint aroma of coffee. Su Rui took out a spare set of pajamas from the closet as if she knew her way around, and found that the "R" embroidered on the collar had been changed to the conjoined letters "RS".

"I embroidered it last month," the Doctor hummed in the bathroom. "The initials for Shining and Nightingale were too difficult to design, so I ended up using a variation of the Medical Department's emblem..."

The sound of water stopped abruptly. Su Rui stood in the doorway, clutching her pajamas, then suddenly realized something. "You had this planned all along?"

The Doctor emerged, drying her hair, the water droplets tracing winding paths on the floor. "From the first time you fell asleep beside Nightingale's bed," she said, poking Su Rui's flushed cheek. "My little genius is amazing at everything, except when it comes to matters of the heart—it's frustratingly slow."

Outside the window, the lights on Rhodes Island went out one by one. Su Rui lay on the folding bed she used to sleep on as a child, and heard the Doctor whisper in the darkness, "They're important to you, aren't they?"

Moonlight streamed through the gaps in the curtains, drawing a silver line on the floor. Su Rui gazed at the ceiling, recalling the weight of Nightingale on his shoulder and the cool touch of Shining's fingers as she straightened his tie.

"Like breathing," he replied softly.

The Doctor's laughter was like a feather falling onto the pillow. "That's enough."

The woman who had once dug him out of the ruins was now pushing him into the arms of two other people with the same force. Su Rui buried her face in the pillow, smelling the sunshine on it— the Doctor must have taken it out to air it often, just as she always left a way home for lost children.

In the distance came the announcement of the Medical Department's shift change. Su Rui knew that at this moment, Shining must be standing in front of a monitor screen, watching the location dot representing him quietly stop in the Doctor's dormitory; while Nightingale was probably hugging his pillow, secretly spraying an excessive amount of lavender perfume on it.

(I need to bring buckwheat biscuits for Shining tomorrow and make honey lemon tea for Nightingale...)

As he drifted off to sleep amidst the aroma of coffee, he overheard the Doctor texting Kal'tsit: "Give me a list tomorrow. I need to know who's been watching my child..."

Kal'tsit: "There are too many people, it's impossible. Figure it out yourself."

Doctor:"?"

The morning light streamed in through the gaps in the curtains like melting honey. Su Rui turned over in his sleep, his cheek brushing against a piece of fabric that smelled of coffee. He opened his eyes groggily and saw the Doctor's profile as he looked down at his documents, the morning light giving her a fuzzy, golden edge.

"Awake?" The Doctor gently brushed aside the stray hairs on his forehead, his fingertips warm and dry. "Shining and Nightingale have been waiting outside for twenty minutes."

Su Rui instantly became more alert and subconsciously reached for her glasses on the bedside table. "Why aren't they coming in?"

"I said you were still asleep." The Doctor's soft chuckle brushed against my eardrums like a feather. "Nightingale immediately started speaking in a whisper, Shining even muted his terminal notifications."

Su Rui's ears burned. He grabbed the crumpled uniform jacket, but found a crookedly sewn button on the cuff—clearly Nightingale's "masterpiece" from last night. Even more outrageous was the Medical Department logo embroidered in silver thread on the inside, the stitches so precise that it was obvious who had done it.

Suddenly, the sound of dishes clinking together came from outside the door, followed by Nightingale's barely audible exclamation. "Hot!"

"I told you not to touch the insulated box." Shining's voice was three degrees softer than usual. "What if I spill black tea on the report?"

"But Su Rui likes it hotter..."

The Doctor raised an eyebrow at Su Rui was frozen in place. "Looks like my breakfast invitation will have to become a four-person affair?"

When the door finally opened, Shining, carrying a tray of food, and Nightingale, holding an incubator, both looked up at the same time. Morning light streamed in through the corridor window, giving their silver hair a platinum sheen and making their golden hair flow with a honey-like texture. Nightingale still had a bit of jam on her lips, while half a thermometer peeked out of Shining's white lab coat pocket.

"Good morning..." Su Rui's Adam's apple bobbed.

Nightingale's eyes instantly lit up like stars. She darted to Su Rui like a little animal and proudly opened the insulated box. "I baked scones! I used the Doctor's favorite..."

"Ceylon tea," Shining added calmly, placing the plate on the coffee table. On the porcelain plate were diamond-shaped sandwiches, each slice precisely 2.5 centimeters thick, the same thickness Su Rui usually held.

After breakfast and saying goodbye to the Doctor, Su Rui was led through the corridor by Shining and Nightingale, one on each side. The shadows of the three intertwined in the morning light, forming a warm silhouette.

"Actually, I can walk by myself..." Su Rui protested softly, but did not break free from their hands.

Nightingale's fingers gently scratched his palm, her golden eyes brimming with a mischievous smile, "No way, today you're our 'special assistant'."

Shining didn't speak, but she tightened her grip on his hand slightly. Her fingertips, which were usually a little cool, warmed up at this moment because of the heat of his body against hers.

The automatic door to the Medical Department slid open silently. To Su Rui's surprise, there were no glaring operating lights or the pungent smell of disinfectant in the examination room—a small bottle of fresh white flowers sat on the windowsill, sunlight refracting through the glass to create dappled patterns of light; a comfortable armchair had been added next to the desk, with Nightingale's usual pale yellow cushion on it.

"This is...?"

"Special Operations Station." Shining released his hand and took a thermos from the cabinet. "Jasmine tea, your favorite."

Su Rui took the cup, and the warm aroma of tea wafted up. Only then did he notice a plate of apples cut into the shape of rabbits on the coffee table—the same cut he had casually mentioned thinking was cute.

Nightingale had already turned around in her office chair, patting the empty seat next to her. "Come on, today's task is—" she deliberately dragged out the word, "... to help us organize medical records~"

Shining coughed lightly, the tips of her ears turning slightly red. "Just routine paperwork."

Su Rui was somewhat puzzled and not entirely convinced; the expressions on these two people's faces didn't suggest they were discussing anything serious.

However, trusting Shining and Nightingale, Su Rui started looking at the documents in her hands, unaware of Shining and Nightingale getting closer behind her.

Volume 12, Chapter 700: I need a break.

In front of the floor-to-ceiling windows of the Medical Department, the afternoon sunlight flowed in like melting honey. Su Rui sat at his Oak desk, his pen scratching softly on the paper. His brows were slightly furrowed, his glasses slipped down to the tip of his nose, and his amber eyes shone with a translucent honey color in the sunlight.

"This report needs to be checked again..."

His fingertips tapped lightly on the table, his nails neatly trimmed, the knuckles slightly white from holding a pen for so long. The sounds of laughter and conversation drifted from outside the window, carried by the operators on the Rhodes Island deck, but these sounds seemed to be shut out from his focused world.

Suddenly, a strand of golden hair fell onto the document. Before Su Rui could react, a pair of warm arms wrapped around his shoulders from behind. Nightingale's chin rested gently on his head, and the scent of lavender from her hair instantly enveloped him.

"The working hours are too long."

Her voice was sweet as honey, and her warm breath brushed against his ear. Su Rui's pen paused on the paper, leaving a small ink stain. He instinctively wanted to turn his head, but his attention was drawn to the movement on the other side.

The sound of the chair being pulled out was almost inaudible. Shining silently sat down to his left, her silvery-white eyelashes nearly transparent in the sunlight. She wasn't wearing gloves today, and her slender fingers gently removed Su Rui's glasses.

"His eyes are red."

Her voice was soft, yet filled with undeniable concern. Her grey-purple eyes were fixed intently on Su Rui's slightly reddened eyes, and her fingertips gently traced his temples. The touch was cool, yet surprisingly comforting.