Praise machine

Because of the medication swap, Yu Chen had to stop taking his medicine for a while, waiting for the new batch to be formulated before resuming.

Bai Ling’s heart, which had just settled, grew turbulent once more. He knew taking the medicine was a forced choice and that going blind was a helpless consequence; if there were a better way, a workaholic like Izu Paraiso wouldn’t leave it unused.

Bai Ling tightened his grip on his fingers and, before leaving, asked: “What are the dangers of temporarily stopping the medication? Will he die?”

Having died once himself, he didn’t shy away from the topic of death.

Dappled shadows of trees fell across the granite steps of the clinic; the heavy, towering canopy blotted out the sky, blocking the midday sun. The Old Woodpecker rubbed his arms, suddenly covered in goosebumps. He didn’t dare tell Bai Ling that the end point of a Rotting-breed Merfolk’s declining mental state wasn’t death. Or rather, it was far more terrifying than death.

But these things could never be told to outsiders.

Zhuo Liangmu deliberately softened his tone: “Rest assured, unless subjected to a genetic attack, it is very difficult for a Long-lived species to die, especially a lineage with such frighteningly high physical regeneration capabilities.”

“Genetic attack…” Bai Ling muttered the words.

This kind of attack wasn’t as mystical as it sounded; the actual principle was simple.

In this country, pureblood species were indeed exceptional and superior, with the probability of producing S-level ability users being 300% higher than that of civilians. As the concentration of beast blood increased, so did their self-healing ability; ordinary blades and firearms could hardly harm them.

But if a blood relative struck, it was completely different. The upper lineage of a pureblood species has total suppression over the next generation; if an elder wishes to eliminate a junior, the latter has almost no power to fight back.

This eerie and cruel evolutionary strategy could be traced back to the global nuclear pollution of Ancient Earth. In that high-pollution era, many human-like yet non-human creatures were born; there were even bloody incidents where mothers’ wombs were accidentally ripped open by an infant’s sharp claws during pregnancy.

—The more genetic modification there is, the easier it is to give birth to a dangerous “monster.”

In this scenario, the suppression of the elder bloodline became a safety bumper. Furthermore, the fact that Sub-species abandoned live birth for egg-laying ensured the continuation of the species.

Zhuo Liangmu said meaningfully: “That person is already the last existing merman.” Meaning, a genetic attack was impossible.

Bai Ling thought for a moment and asked, “What if there are remains?”

“Remains do not exist.” All skeletons had long been sealed away in the merfolk cemetery, within that deep water tower. Zhuo Liangmu knew this well, as the task of delivering the “finishing blow” before interring the bodies was something Izu Paraiso had sent him to do.

Frosty white hair swayed under the tree shadows, carrying a faint hint of desolation. Seeing the imperceptible worry on Bai Ling’s face, Zhuo Liangmu relented slightly: “After stopping the medication, The One will experience lethargy, hunger, and then… certain changes will occur.”

“What kind of changes?”

“He will become… feral.”

Bai Ling repeated: “Feral?”

Strictly speaking, Hai Mian was far more than just a medical researcher.

She came from a prominent background. Her father was a Federal diplomat who, though now retired, still wielded considerable influence. Logically, Hai Mian’s life should have been smooth and comfortable. But in reality, her father had been cold to her since childhood, unwilling to see her even once a year, simply because: she was a crossbreed of the Federation and the Empire.

Her mother was a Sponge, the lowest and most humble of the marine race, while her father was a high-tier Grey Whale. The Grey Whale family prioritized bloodline above all else and traditionally only intermarried within the Cetacea order.

Hai Mian’s existence was a great shame to the Grey Whale family; they refused to acknowledge her, raising her outside like an illegitimate daughter.

Hai Mian hated her father’s generation. Since her earliest memories, she was determined to find her missing mother, hoping her mother would accept her, love her, and provide the family warmth she lacked.

However, after arriving in the Empire, she discovered her mother was gravely ill and in desperate need of an organ transplant.

To raise the 300 million credits for the surgery, Hai Mian steeled her heart and joined her mother’s former employer, Rayco Pharmaceutical Company, choosing to slave away for the remuneration.

But she soon discovered the company wanted more than just a researcher with excellent R&D skills.

Rayco took the new recruits to a satellite planet. In a desolate, uninhabited place, they tortured them for three months, telling them only five could survive. There, Hai Mian learned the law of the jungle, gradually becoming selfish, numb, and cold. After personally eliminating her companions, she returned to the Capital Planet as a “Special Envoy” for Rayco, specifically to handle dirty work that could never see the light of day.

Whether it was silencing victims of medical accidents or, after a disguise, planting overdoses at the Woodpecker Clinic, she hit wherever Rayco pointed without asking a single question.

Today, Hai Mian had dressed meticulously. Her target was the mecha association. In her eyes, these pilots were no different from bus drivers racing on aerial highways: crude and poorly educated. This type of person worshipped strength and easily admired professionals like doctors or lawyers. Thus, she intentionally posed as a sharp, capable female doctor to win the association’s total trust. This way, finding an opportunity to strike at “Bai Ling” would be as easy as taking something from a baby.

As soon as she arrived, Hai Mian reviewed the preliminary mental test report of “Bai Ling,” saying with a frown:

“I understand the association needs a core member, but though I don’t know how to pilot a mecha, I know that “Bai Ling” is in terrible condition. These values were measured before the tournament; his adrenaline should have been at a high level then, and even so, he only barely passed with a 61%.”

“If even a slight mishap occurs or his mood drops, his mental stability might fall below the 50% warning line. If word gets out that the [Eloquent Crows and Sparrows] association has a mentally ill pilot, it would cause huge losses to your reputation and business, wouldn’t it?”

Anna was stunned by her words. Before she could react, a routine mental therapy session had suddenly escalated into the potential ruin of the association’s face.

Anna steadied herself and explained: “Usually, whether in training or competition, the Fledgling shows extremely high operational stability. His hit rate is nearly 100%. He’s ranked first in overall quality in the association; your hypothetical scenario is unlikely.”

Hai Mian tapped her glasses frame with a ballpoint pen and smiled: “You’re just a middle-manager, aren’t you? Your Captain was the one who hurriedly called me here. Perhaps I should go and reiterate this to him?” She was using the Captain to pressure her into silence.

Anna, however, wasn’t buying it. Anna and the Captain were old friends and fellow Wild Planet natives; their bond was far stronger than most imagined and couldn’t be easily shaken. Besides, the Captain tacitly approved her daily Fledgling protection.

“Fine then, I’ll call the Captain over.” Anna arched a sharp eyebrow and said with a smile: “Furthermore, I heard you’re a genius doctor who has served in three interstellar research institutes with profound insights into brain-wave therapy. We’re just simple folk; why don’t you let us observe and learn what kind of advanced therapy you use?”

Hearing that they wanted to observe, Hai Mian’s gaze grew sharp, but she accepted readily. Not only that, she unfolded her portable testing device and set up a table by the training field, efficiently checking the association members passing by.

Her high efficiency and precise speech quickly won attention. Combined with her good looks and a unique aura, she was soon photographed by passing pilots and posted in the group chat.

“Come to the training field, there’s a beautiful doctor giving free consultations.”

“Is she only seeing me, or does it apply to other alphas too?”

“If I knew she was coming, I wouldn’t have bought supplements yesterday.”

Hai Mian was measuring an alpha’s brain pressure. Seeing him giggling at his terminal, she asked: “What’s so funny? Care to share?”

The alpha didn’t hide it, showing her the screen. “Everyone is rushing to come here.”

The queue behind her indeed grew longer. Hai Mian’s eyes darted around, and she raised her voice slightly, stating the truth: “I’m sorry, those at the back should probably stop queuing. I was hired by the Captain specifically to treat “Bai Ling.” When he arrives, I will have to serve him exclusively and won’t have time to check everyone else.”

With this sentence, everyone knew the Captain was playing favorites, and she successfully drew a wave of resentment toward Bai Ling.

A sorrowful shout came from the crowd: “I knew it! Anything that isn’t a leftover isn’t for me.”

Others, however, focused on a different point: “Isn’t “Bai Ling” doing fine in the tournament? Why does he suddenly need treatment?”

“Could it be… he has hidden mental issues?”

“Actually, I’ve always thought something was wrong. Being able to defeat a bunch of veterans at such a young age, could he be on steroids?”

“Stop talking, stop talking, he’s here—”

The crowd hurriedly shut their mouths and turned in unison toward the entrance of the training field. Seeing the spectacle, Bai Ling froze imperceptibly, his grey eyes instantly narrowing into dangerous slits.

Bai Ling hadn’t expected to see Hai Mian here. Finding her was supposed to take a lot of effort, but the suspect has delivered herself to my door.

Earlier, the Captain had informed him that he needed to undergo mental therapy. He knew his own condition; his stability had never been higher than 65% in two lifetimes, so therapy was useless. He had intended to decline.

But the Captain was extremely enthusiastic, saying a lot of heart-to-heart things: “We’re all family now, it’s only right to look out for each other. That’s what the association spirit is all about.” Finally, he mentioned that he was currently helping him deal with Lu Hang.

Ultimately, the man was concerned for him. Unable to refuse his kindness, Bai Ling decided to come and go through the motions. Now, it seems this trip was perfectly timed.

Bai Ling walked over calmly. The other alphas chimed in: “We heard your spirit is unstable and you nearly crashed. Quick, let Dr. Hai check you out.”

They coaxed Bai Ling into wearing the scanning helmet. Such enthusiasm was half out of concern, and half out of a desire to see a scandal. After all, according to tournament custom, if a pilot’s mental stats failed to meet the standard, the association had the right to swap in a substitute. If they were lucky and Bai Ling was disqualified during the physical, they could step into the finals on the back of his results.

It’s exciting just to think about!

“Dr. Hai, are the results out?” Several alphas in the crowd were particularly urgent, stretching their necks to see Hai Mian’s screen.

Hai Mian looked at the scan, her expression suddenly turning solemn: “How can it be like this…”

At her murmur, everyone’s hearts leapt into their throats. Only Bai Ling curled his lips into a cold sneer. This Hai Mian is quite the actress. In his past life within the legion, she had often “accidentally” leaked his private information, mentioning before the soldiers that Bai Ling often had nightmares and spoke nonsensically, painting his mental state as terrible. Over time, his subordinates’ eyes were filled with nothing but suspicion.

Whenever he would step onto the command platform to discuss the next move with his second-in-command, the other man would always give him a complicated look and advise, “Commander Bai, I heard you’ve been having nightmares again. You should head back and get some rest.”

Looking back now, his prestige within the army had been systematically dismantled in exactly that fashion: bit by bit.

The more others doubted and invalidated him, the more tense and anxious he became, obsessively trying to prove he was still capable. Eventually, he fell into a self-destructive cycle of “cutting open his stomach to prove how much porridge he ate,” until he was completely isolated by his own crew.

Bai Ling’s knuckles turned white from the force of his grip. He couldn’t stop the memory of that pain, the pain of being kicked out of the very regiment he had built with his own hands.

In truth, if only one person had stood by his side back then, supporting and validating him unconditionally, perhaps he wouldn’t have lost control entirely.

Bai Ling curled his lips in a self-deprecating smile. From this perspective, he and Izu Paraiso were remarkably alike.

Bai Ling couldn’t help but let his eyes crinkle into a smile, and in that instant, the icy tension melted away.

The alphas nearby caught a glimpse and felt their hearts skip a beat, instinctively inhaling the cold beauty’s pheromones—

BOOM!

The aura of a top-tier alpha crushed down on them with overwhelming force.

Ultra-possessive!

The alphas immediately shrank back, ducking their necks, not daring to let their thoughts wander again. They had heard that “Bai Ling” had recently hooked up with an arms dealer; that scent surely belonged to that big shot.

Turning back to Bai Ling, he had already returned to a state of frigid composure. He lifted his chin, slowly scanned Hai Mian, and arched an eyebrow:

“What about me? Speak up, I’m listening.”

Author’s Note:

[Fish Scales, Snatched]: What’s this? A fish tail? Poke it. What’s this? Fish abs? Touch them. What’s this? Fish chest? Grab it. What’s this? A is an internal gas-filled organ in bony fish that functions to modulate buoyancy, and thus allowing the fish to stay at desired water depth without having to maintain lift via swimming, which expends more energy." footnote="false"]fish maw? Eat—mgh!

[Falcon Dumpling, Dusted in Soy Flour]: That’s the air inside the fish maw. Be a good boy and swallow it all.

[Fish Scales, Snatched]: And what’s this? Fish bells? Squeeze them.

[Falcon Dumpling, grabbed a handful]: …Be good, let go.