Eye of Horus

When Bai​⁠‌‌​‍⁠‍⁠‍⁠​‍​‍⁠‍⁠‍⁠‌​‍‍ Ling returned to the ward, he casually glanced around. The merman was covered in various electrodes and monitoring devices, looking quite a bit cyberpunk.

The hovering screen displayed the patient’s real-time status. The medical AI system calculated that the patient’s autologous cells were actively stimulating healing, with an estimated 16 hours remaining.

Calculating the time, Bai Ling realized he likely wouldn’t be able to stay by his side for those 16 hours.

The analgesia pump chirped twice, signaling the need for a dosage top-up. Being late by merely two or three seconds caused a stinging, numb, tearing pain to bloom beneath his ribs. Yu Chen pressed the top-up button; the painkiller leaked slowly from his spinal canal before flowing ice-cold into his venous blood.

A bone-chilling cold.

An excessive dosage of medication would induce dizziness. Amidst the haze, someone walked over, took his hand, cupped it to rub for warmth, and leaned down to kiss his ice-cold knuckles. The other’s palm possessed calluses, and his finger bones were slender, yet his temperature was scalding.

It was his sweet little bird.

Yu Chen swiveled his eyes, gradually taking in Bai Ling’s hesitant face, which was filled with worry and a trace of self-reproach. He smiled faintly and noted:

“Don’t look like that. I brought this upon myself.”

Bai Ling lowered his eyes silently without uttering a word.

Yu Chen coaxed him again: “Come here. Let me hold you.”

This struck Bai Ling straight in his heart. Just as he was pondering how to ask for this embrace, the merman had already seen right through him and offered it proactively.

The old man’s method of embracing someone possessed weight and a protective intent—instinctively cradling the back of your head while looping his other hand around your waist, securely and serenely embedding you into his chest.

This was a micro-habit forged over countless life experiences, overflowing bit by bit from the details right now.

As their necks crossed, every trembling breath felt as though it were confessing his deep devotion to you.

“Are you leaving?”

Given his age, Yu Chen was vastly more sensitive than youngsters imagined.

“I came to say goodbye to you,” Bai Ling nuzzled that golden hair, which held a comforting scent of sea algae amidst its soft fluffiness. “You can no longer return to the Royal Palace. It’s far too dangerous there, so we must relocate as soon as possible. Do you have any cherished possessions in your quarters? I’ll go fetch them for you.”

Yu Chen kissed his cheek, letting out a low chuckle: “None. They are all right here.”

Bai Ling’s heartbeat spiked in an instant; he had to admit, this after-sex warmth made one’s fingers throb with a soothing numbness. Escaping the intense pursuit, merely holding each other with a gentle warmth, sharing body heat, and whispering into each other’s ears with patience and zero impetuosity—no matter how turbulent one’s emotions had been previously, they would be properly settled here.

“I am being serious; I’m not joking with you. Truly, documents, flowers, bedsheets, or the air-cushion comb for your hair? Pick a few items for me to bring along.”

Pondering briefly, Yu Chen created a fraction of distance and instructed: “Fetch my coat.”

Uncertain of his intent, Bai Ling nevertheless reached over to hook the cashmere coat off the chair. He watched the merman lower his eyes, his long golden hair flowing into the silk lining creases of the dark coat like a river across a shallow sandbar. Reaching into the inner pocket, he fished out a key and placed it in Bai Ling’s palm.

The key was an exceptionally ordinary key, even somewhat rusted.

“Take this to the sleeping quarters. The AI will inform you which door it unlocks. Open it, and you will know what I want you to bring back.”

Bai Ling arched an eyebrow. There were numerous locked doors in the quarters; he wondered what lay behind this specific one.

He asked, “Is there a lot of stuff?”

Yu Chen chuckled softly: “At least relying on you alone, you certainly won’t be able to move it.”

Excellent—the Midnight Mommy Hen, acting in his capacity as a porter chicken, could come in handy.

Bai Ling laid his plans in his mind. Having settled the primary matter, he brought up a secondary issue: “I know this is a bit forced, after all, Gorgon might not be owned by you alone, but could you lend me a ship? A starship-grade vessel. It doesn’t matter if it’s a bit beat-up, as long as it flies.”

Yu Chen said, “Not lending.”

“Huh?”

“I’m giving it to you. Consider it a minor supplementary investment on top of the 40 billion.”

Truly lavish and opulent. Bai Ling’s scalp felt slightly numb; he had a premonition that the other party’s “minor investment” was bound to be on the level of “earning a small target of a hundred million first.”

“Which spaceport is the ship docked at? I want to retrieve it now to make early preparations.”

Yu Chen lifted the corner of his shirt, shoving an ice-cold hand inside to unreservedly stroke up the skin along his spine, causing that bird’s feathers to puff up at the crown of his head. Yet he still didn’t stay his hand, weaving beneath the thick sweater, his thumb and index finger pinching together to lightly roll that small point of flesh.

“Hss…” Bai Ling gasped, instinctively wanting to shrink back.

Met with a light glance from Yu Chen, he silently squared his chest again, offering it up for the old bastard to play with.

There was no way around it—who made this the benefactor who had agreed on the spot to gift a gargantuan warship?

Pinched to the point of turning restlessly aroused, Bai Ling’s inner fire was on the verge of exploding. He was forced to loop his arms around the man’s neck, trapping that bad hand that was fanning the flames between their chests to prevent him from moving, then leaned close to his ear to ask:

“Which spaceport is it docked at, hmm?”

Yu Chen’s frame dazed for a fraction of a second. When he turned his eyes to look at him, the color of his pupils darkened significantly for some reason as he noted: “The next time you beg me, slow down and remember to adopt this tone.”

Bai Ling: “…Fuck!”

The merman finally showed mercy and released him, stating offhandedly: “As for the ship’s location, you will find out.”

Old fox—playing him for free!

Yu Chen said in total seriousness: “If you ever dare to secretly buy egg-prevention pills behind my back again, I’ll spank your rear.”

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Lifting the little mother hen by his wings, the two swam through the waterway back to the Royal Palace.

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“Hey, this milk tastes the exact same as the one your guardian brought over last time.”

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“…It’s cow’s milk he bought, not produced. Please keep your brain normal, you smelly chicken.” Bai Ling was truly at a loss with Sava, letting him wander around like a security uncle with his hands behind his back and a ring of milk hanging from his mouth, poking his head around to observe.

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“No, I didn’t step inside the house last time. Entering the house this time, I feel like the layout here is absurdly familiar… For instance, there’s a corridor here, and behind it are three doors—”

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Yet examining the nearby decorations, he was certain he had never visited a similar location. Where on earth did that strange sense of familiarity originate?

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Bai Ling nodded. He had harbored a similar marvel when he first arrived, feeling that this place was far too large for a sleeping quarters. The room structures were also quite odd—some areas were extraordinarily vast, while certain corridors were so narrow they accommodated only one person at a time, carrying a spatial sense that was simultaneously frugal yet wasteful.

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Though the key was rusted, it turned with a sharp click and opened.

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So what manner of precious cargo was locked inside this door that the merman was so determined to take away?

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High-pressure turbines, air separators, nuclear auxiliary equipment cabins, nuclear reactor containment vessels, alongside crisscrossing pipelines and bearings…

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Clear, pristine blue water sat undisturbed within the nuclear reactor—a blue so intense it resembled a pool of gelatin. That was the optical wave effect formed by fast-moving charged particles when Cherenkov radiation passed through the water.

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What manner of concept was this? A single nuclear reactor could output 10,000 horsepower with a thermal efficiency of 26%—more than enough to power a medium-sized city. Ten nuclear reactors held enough power to cover the electrical consumption across the entire territory of a small country from Ancient Earth.

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This bewilderment expanded infinitely from the moment he spotted the maintenance log mounted on the wall, causing a continuous ringing in his ears.

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[Vermilion Bird, safe navigation exceeding 18,261 days. Captain & First Mate: Admiral Schloran, Marshal Sava I]

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It had clearly been picked up by the Merman and repurposed to cultivate flowers!

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That was the Vermilion Bird!

The iron monster belonging to the previous century, the divine-demon class mothership capable of traversing black holes completely unscathed—a flawless masterpiece forged by mobilizing the power of the entire Empire during that brilliant era of galaxy-spanning navigation.

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The honorary medals pinned inside the Vermilion Bird‘s cabin alone outnumbered those held by an Admiral. If the Empire back then possessed Five Tiger Generals, then this giant ship forged of steel and iron was indisputably the Sixth General.

Recalling everything prior, every single anomaly found its answer at this exact moment.

No wonder—no wonder! He had wondered why this sleeping quarters was terrifyingly massive, why it was fully equipped inside down to an abandoned operating room, why its electrical wiring was uniquely beat-up—requiring immense effort in the black market just to source replacement wires—and why its interior decor was so obsolete, manifesting the charm of the previous century everywhere, while the Merman clearly possessed wealth yet refrained from redecorating it…

And that once-dark greenhouse, which held no waterproofing on the floor yet obstinately cultivated flowers, plants, and trees, unbothered by the possibility of plant roots bursting through the floor slabs.

So that was why.

Izu Paraiso had consistently been protecting the nation’s exceptionally precious, final heritage in his own manner.

It was truly wonderful that this crown jewel of the nation hadn’t been liquidated by the tyrant or dismantled into scrap metal. This was truly the second best piece of news he had received since his rebirth. The first was finding Mr. D.

“Tsk-tsk. But having been left here for so long without maintenance, if all the reactors are fired up, the cables upstairs will probably burn out, right?” Sava rested his hands on his hips, peering into the depths of the reaction pools.

Bai Ling braced his arms, lifting his chin: “They won’t. An expert has already repaired them.”

Sava turned his head: “Which expert?”

Bai Ling noted proudly: “Me.”

“You pulled off this flex with absolute success, you smelly bird!”

With Sava acting as a living design blueprint, the two rapidly divided the labor, cooperating seamlessly to conduct a dense and detailed inspection of this gargantuan power cabin.

Fortunately, it was exceptionally well-preserved; aside from a slightly excessive layer of dust, its other functions could still be described as robust in its old age.

Sava activated the optical computer on the console to check the data, only to be unexpectedly blocked by an authorization password.

He entered his grandfather’s birthday, Admiral Schloran’s birthday, the enlistment years of both individuals, and even attempted their wedding date, yet the screen continuously displayed a password error.

“Try 2362-7-14.”

A voice appeared above them without any warning.

Bai Ling instinctively lifted his head to look up, catching sight of the small robot’s metallic belly pressed against the railing, its loudspeaker aimed directly at them.

Only then did he realize that Yu Chen had linked into the small robot and was speaking to them.

Sava struck the keyboard heavily: “2362-7-14, Loading… Passed! Absolute perfection.”

Checking online offhandedly, it turned out this string of digits was the test flight date when the Vermilion Bird was completed.

Yu Chen’s voice echoed within the cabin: “I have already approved the control authorization in the background. You may add two administrator profiles. Bai Ling, arrange it yourself.”

Sava turned his face over; Bai Ling nodded to him, admitting: “It’s my guardian.”

Bai Ling tucked his hands into his coat pockets, lifting his neck as he shouted with a smile toward the small robot: “Do you truly intend to gift this to me? Are you certain you didn’t grow confused from taking painkillers?”

“Certain,” the other party’s voice was refined and elegant. “Furthermore, starting today, it will no longer be the military symbol of the Old Empire, the ‘Vermilion Bird.’ It shall become your vessel, named the ‘Eye of Horus.'”

Horus, the patron deity of Egyptian Pharaohs, a symbol of royal power. Possessing a peregrine falcon’s head and a human frame, he was the deity representing kingship and the sky.

Yu Chen’s intent was self-evident—to become the eyes of the blind Emperor, representing supreme authority as he waged war across the sky.

Bai Ling dazed for a long spell, then suddenly stood at rigid attention, executing a standard, flawless military salute toward the camera lens:

“I shall by no means fail the mission.”

Sava leaned close to Bai Ling, lowering his voice to murmur: “How should I put it? The way your big alpha handles matters truly resembles that historical figure… Both love observing people through camera lenses.”

Bai Ling asked, “The One?”

“Yes, yes, exactly.”

Sharing a unspoken understanding, Bai Ling turned his head back and smiled at Sava. Sava’s expression froze, and suddenly realizing something, he clucked and shrieked aloud:

“Holy shit! So you’re sleeping with this Emperor!”

“And so?”

“A great sleep; keep it up. You better go back and poach two eggs for him now.”

Bai Ling: “……” He knew a chicken’s beak could never spit out ivory.

Prior to departing, the two entered their fingerprint and iris information into the control system, dividing and assigning positions with flawless tacit understanding.

Upon the wiped-clean screen, the maintenance log updated:

[Eye of Horus, safe navigation exceeding 18,261 days. Captain & First Mate: Captain Bai Ling, Lieutenant Sava II]

Author’s Note:

I feel that the fact that the Old Merman’s sleeping quarters was an aircraft carrier was probably guessed by many people, hahaha. After all, when the little bird repaired the electrical wires in Chapter 6, he grumbled: “Feels like repairing an aircraft carrier.”

Description of the shipborne nuclear reactor: referenced from the Nimitz-class aircraft carrier. Introduction to the Egyptian god Horus:referenced from Wikipedia.

Old Merman: (Elegantly pinching a spoon) (Slurping poached eggs) In truth, I still have other stocks in reserve.

Little Bird: (Muffling his head beneath the blanket) (While others use clothes to build a nest, he uses the old man’s property deeds) I beg you to rest a bit! I owe far too many debts, and this child can no longer repay them!

M1zushi: i loved this chapter when i first read it bcs no way i’d imagined they lived in a motherfucking ship XD