SSS-Encrypted File

Lu Mi's expression turned icy. Dense killing intent surged in his dark eyes, red threads gradually appearing in the whites. The hand at his side trembled uncontrollably.

He knew something was wrong with Yu Tu.

He had prepared himself mentally, too.

But he had not expected the situation to be even worse than he had imagined.

He lowered his voice. "Can you find out who did it?"

Lan Su did not answer. His slender fingers flew across the keyboard. "Look at this first. It's a confidential document from the Blue Star Pharmaceutical Research Institute."

Lu Mi pressed his lips together and lowered his head. When his gaze fell on the words on the computer screen, shock rose in his eyes, followed immediately by fury!

Black energy markings emerged across his face. Paired with his bloodthirsty eyes, they made him look like a fiendish god from hell.

—SSS-encrypted file: "Experimental Report on Vine Power Inheritance"

Lan Su said,

"Energy Master power inheritance is nothing unusual among major Energy Master families.

For the sake of family succession, they select superior genes from their descendants, analyze and compare them against genetic data and chosen marriage candidates, then let AI produce an 'inheritance analysis' and select the best-matched pairs.

This document recorded the process and data of extracting the genes of two thousand Energy Masters awakened with 'Low-Grade Vine' energy from planets across the Blue River System, then conducting genetic compatibility analyses with different women.

The final conclusion was that when a Low-Grade Vine Energy Master mated with a female Energy Master of inferior plant type, the probability of their offspring inheriting vine power was highest: 0.03%."

Lu Mi was furious enough to kill someone.

By this point, he already knew why the Desire Compound in Yu Tu's body had exceeded the limit.

Lan Su said, "Cang Qi cracked the security networks of the Pharmacists Association and the Pharmacists Research Institute for me a long time ago. I often browse their internal websites and various encrypted documents.

"This report appeared less than half a year ago. At the time, I found it strange. Inferior Vines had no research value whatsoever."

Lan Su's gaze swept over Yu Tu in the distance, carrying a meaningful undertone. "But now, I understand."

Inferior Vines truly had no research value—but what if it was the only Diamond-Grade Vine in the Blue River System?

Lan Su's fingers tapped lightly against the tabletop.

"Since the Diamond-Grade Vine cannot be made to pledge loyalty to them, they can turn this Diamond-Grade Vine into a machine for breeding descendants.

"Wouldn't you agree, Lu Mi?"

Lu Mi was so angry his teeth nearly cracked. "It's only 0.03%!"

Lan Su smiled again. "It's enough. After all, it isn't impossible. Lu Mi, let me show you another piece of information."

Lan Su tapped the keyboard lightly. "This is a list of women who went missing on Blue Star in the two months before Yu Tu was captured.

"They were all female Energy Masters of inferior plant type.

"In just one month, there were more than nine hundred unmarried women of this type. Where do you think they went?"

Lu Mi gritted his teeth.

Lan Su said, "My guess is that Yu Tu killed them all."

Lan Su smiled. "They probably never expected the galaxy's only Diamond-Grade Vine to be this difficult to deal with.

"The Desire Compound in Yu Tu's body has already reached a lethal dose, yet they still failed to make him leave them even a single seed."

Resting his head on one hand, Lan Su turned to look at Lu Mi, gossip gleaming in his eyes.

"Yu Tu has such self-control, yet the moment he arrived on Calamity Planet, he surrendered to you without resistance... Warden Lu, don't tell me there's nothing going on between you two. I won't believe it."

Lu Mi did not take Lan Su's words in at all.

His mind was a mess, filled with the words Cang Qi had told him—

"Warden Lu, you are the one Commander Yu Tu's heart yearns for."

Lu Mi's gaze fell on Yu Tu.

Yu Tu had turned and sat down on the sofa.

His posture was perfectly proper, knees together, hands obediently resting on them. Perhaps sensing Lu Mi's gaze, Yu Tu looked up at him and grinned.

He looked utterly innocent.

Lu Mi's heart clenched violently. Then he saw Yu Tu lower his head before suddenly springing up as if his fur had bristled!

Lu Mi hurried over. "What's wrong?"

Yu Tu pointed angrily at the notebook on the coffee table.

It was the notebook Lan Su had used while questioning Yu Tu earlier.

On the blank page was a vividly drawn pig's head, with two words written beside it: "Yu Tu."

"I'm really angry!"

Lu Mi: "..."

Lu Mi raised a hand and patted Yu Tu's back. "Don't be angry. Lord Lan was just joking with you."

Lan Su immediately waved his hand. "No, no. I never like joking around. Yu Tu, I just think you're a pig."

Yu Tu rushed forward, ready to fight!

Lu Mi caught him around the waist and hoisted him up. Yu Tu immediately bared his fangs and claws at Lan Su.

Lan Su spun a pen on his fingertip. "Come on, then. Come hit me."

Yu Tu said, "Just wait! I'm coming over right now!"

Lu Mi: "... Lord Lan, stop provoking him. He really can't take teasing right now."

Lan Su smiled. "I'm not teasing him. I'm insulting him!"

Yu Tu said, "I'm going over there! I'm going to beat him up!"

Lu Mi: "..."

Cold sweat broke out on Lu Mi's forehead. "Lord Lan, let's end it here today. I'll take him away first. I'll make sure to teach him properly when we get back!"

Lu Mi carried Yu Tu away. After taking a few steps, he turned back and asked, "Lord Lan, the thing in his body... can it be completely eliminated?"

"It can." Lan Su nodded with a smile. "Warden Lu, work harder. Don't hold back—just exercise more."

Lu Mi said, "...Thank you, Lord Lan. We'll be leaving now."

Lu Mi carried Yu Tu toward the door, but just as they reached it—

AI: "Welcome, Deputy Warden Cang Qi."

The doors slowly slid open to either side. Cang Qi stood in the doorway with a huge suitcase, his face full of delight.

When he saw Lu Mi and the frantic Yu Tu, he froze for a moment.

"Warden Lu, Commander Yu Tu? What are you doing?"

Yu Tu glared indignantly at Lan Su. "I'm going to beat him!"

Lu Mi's brow twitched. He smacked Yu Tu hard on the butt. "0456, improper wording. You deserve that!"

Yu Tu pouted. "I'm going to hit him!"

The delight on Cang Qi's face vanished completely. He strode angrily over to Yu Tu.

To meet Yu Tu's eyes, Cang Qi deliberately crouched down.

"Commander Yu Tu, you can't hit Lord Lan! If you hit Lord Lan, you'll be my enemy!"

"But he insulted me!"

Cang Qi frowned. "How could that be? How could Lord Lan possibly insult you?"

Lan Su, delighted to stir up more trouble, said cheerfully, "I did insult him. I called him a pig. Yes, Yu Tu is a pig."

Cang Qi: "..."

Yu Tu said, "Did you hear that?!"

Cang Qi: "..."

Cang Qi awkwardly stood up.

Lu Mi sped away.

The entrance doors closed. Cang Qi cautiously turned toward Lan Su. "Lord Lan, are you in a bad mood today? I made you some new toys. Would you like to take a look?"

Cang Qi opened the suitcase and took out five strange little mechanical gadgets. He placed them one by one before Lan Su, then reached out and stroked the wheelchair beneath Lan Su.

"White Star, were you good today?"

White Star was Lan Su's pet mech. It had originally taken the form of a White Whale and loved playing in water.

On the day Lan Su was sent to Calamity Planet, White Star had been ordered destroyed.

The official responsible for its destruction could not bear to do it and left Lan Su with a fragment of White Star's core.

The core fragment did not contain enough power to support its reconstruction as a pet mech. Lan Su's legs had been severed, and even if he had a pet mech, he could not provide it with the daily energy it required.

Cang Qi connected with the core fragment and, following White Star's wishes, built it a new body—the wheelchair beneath Lan Su.

Although White Star could no longer fight for Lan Su, it was connected to his heart and mind. With a single thought from Lan Su, it could take him anywhere it could go.

The wheelchair rolled back and forth slightly.

Lan Su raised a hand and patted the wheelchair's armrest. "White Star isn't very happy today."

Lan Su smiled. "It's all right. It likes you very much. Pet it more."

Cang Qi froze, instinctively looking toward Lan Su. His adorable doll-like face suddenly turned bright red.

"Lord Lan... wh-what did you just say?"

Lan Su leaned back, supporting his head with one hand. His smiling gaze settled on Cang Qi, and a tender affection suddenly filled his gray-blue eyes.

"Cang Qi, I said White Star likes you very much. Just like its owner does."

Cang Qi's face reddened even further. For no apparent reason, he began flailing helplessly at the air. His eyes did not dare settle on Lan Su as they darted everywhere.

"Uh, haha, Lord Lan, are you satisfied with today's air humidity?"

"Is there anything you dislike? I'll change it for you immediately!"

"Ah, do you like these little things? You probably don't need me to explain how to use them, right? You're so smart, you don't need me to teach you at all!"

"Lord Lan, do you have—"

White Star suddenly rolled up in front of Cang Qi, cutting off his voice.

When he lowered his head, his eyes met Lan Su's.

Cang Qi's voice trembled as tears kept falling down his face.

"L-Lord Lan, did I... did I just hear things? I think... I think I heard you say... that you like me."

Something complicated flashed through Lan Su's eyes. He sighed softly, reached up to hook an arm around Cang Qi's neck, and pulled him down before kissing away the tears on his face.

"Cang Qi, you didn't hear wrong."

Cang Qi cried even louder, clutching Lan Su as he sobbed uncontrollably.

"Wah, Lord Lan, I thought you hated me!"

"How could I? I know you came here for me."

Lan Su wiped away his tears, only for them to fall even faster. With a helpless sigh, he simply gave up.

Lan Su chose to shut Cang Qi up.

Two hamster ears popped out on Cang Qi's head in fright!

"Mm!! Mm..."

Lord Lan was such a good kisser?!

Cang Qi went soft from the kiss, no longer having the strength to cry. He slumped limply in Lan Su's arms.

"Lord Lan, why... why are you suddenly so passionate today?"

Lan Su smiled without answering. His eyes were dark as the sea, a faint smile on his lips, while his voice carried sincere affection for Cang Qi.

"I'm sorry, Cang Qi, for making you sad.

"Don't worry. From now on... I'll never make you sad again.

"Cang Qi, I'll cherish you for the rest of my life."