Beta finished its lengthy speech, its virtual avatar staring intently at Veronica, who had slipped into some strange fantasy, and Xi Yan, who was playing dead beneath his blanket.
"That's my plan. Do you understand?"
"I don't understand!" Xi Yan wailed from beneath the blanket. "Is this revenge for working you like a slave? Why has this taken such a bizarre turn?"
Beta's tone grew stern again.
"Admit it! You have very serious psychological issues. For your own sake and the Empire's, using radical methods to solve them is perfectly reasonable. So get to it, young man!"
"Why?!"
"Xi Yan!!!" Beta suddenly roared, its raised voice also startling Veronica out of her little world.
"No running away! This is a serious issue!"
"Find a partner, open your heart, engage in some deep inter♂course, relieve your stress, and get back to normal. Understood? Question me again and I'll control a robot to give you fifty good lashes with a belt and knock some sense into you!"
Beta meant business.
It couldn't stand by and watch Xi Yan suffer a mental breakdown.
"But, whew, honestly, after all that fuss, I do feel a lot better."
For some reason, Xi Yan, who had finally settled down, suddenly grew calm. He pulled the blanket off his head and let out a heavy breath as he spoke, his icy expression softening a little.
"Your problem won't be fully resolved until you can truly open your heart to other people." Beta had always seen it clearly. "Xi Yan, you're special. Your thinking is far ahead of this era, so you've closed yourself off and kept everyone else at a distance. While that gives you foresight and rationality, it also makes it easier for negative emotions to build up."
"Besides, your actions have always gone against the