Melting Ice Cream

Black Tower​⁠​​​​​⁠⁠‌⁠⁠⁠‍⁠‍‌​⁠​​‌‌‍ didn’t respond to the Protectors’ doubts about Codex, so the matter naturally didn’t subside quickly.

Anonymous posts were bumped up every day. Besides Codex, everyone above the 190th floor was discussed. Although Zhu Tao felt the junior high-ranking officers had ample reason to stand their ground, those with lower presence were still complained about.

Bearing the brunt was An. It was unknown how the news leaked, but An’s violation of the ban by secretly uploading his consciousness during the Molly incident became known to everyone. An Yu scrolled through those posts, frowning as he read.

– The Spire’s worst-tempered healer. They say his ability is strong, but I haven’t seen him support many missions.

– Agreed. What’s the use of strong ability if he doesn’t deign to use it, only enjoying being coddled??

– What social withdrawal? It’s just being spoiled.

– Heard that he didn’t do much work on missions with Xi De either. In complex situations, Xi De even had to bring an extra support to manage survival values. Ning not only had to look after the whole team’s mental strength but also constantly comfort An… My god…

– No need to discuss him… Just consider Xi De’s supervision subject as buy one get one free. Think of him as a bonus gift for recruiting Ning.

– Tbh, is he a bonus gift or a burden?

– He’s also occupying a support slot for Corner. Really curious what it’s like when he goes on missions with Corner.

At that time, An Yu was sitting in the cafeteria drinking milk tea with Zhu Tao. He frowned at the post, but when he refreshed, the screen suddenly went white.

—That post, which had been discussed for nearly half a month and built up thousands of replies, vanished into thin air.

[System Error: This post has been forcibly deleted by High-Level Authority – Xi De! For questions, please appeal to higher authorities. Available targets: Law, Flame, Feng.]

An Yu paused. “Xi De is back?”

Zhu Tao hummed in agreement, chewing on the tapioca pearls in his milk tea and mumbling, “Heard he just landed two minutes ago. First thing he did after getting off the plane was deal with this post. Xi De is very protective; he doesn’t care if others call him tyrannical.”

An Yu breathed a sigh of relief. “They were gone on this mission for a long time.”

“Tell me about it.” Zhu Tao swallowed a mouthful of milk tea. “I almost thought he and Bo wouldn’t make it back.”

An Yu subconsciously looked toward the elevator. Zhu Tao added, “Don’t look, they went to Brain.”

He put down his terminal and sighed, “This mission was very dangerous. Bo almost had an accident. Xi De got heavily injured protecting him and has to recuperate at Brain for a few days… What is going on? The high-ranking members are collectively unlucky recently.”

As Zhu Tao spoke, he suddenly leaned forward and winked at An Yu. “Friendly tip: Xi De is your physical training teacher. Considering basic social etiquette, it wouldn’t be appropriate if you didn’t go visit him, right?”

“Me?” An Yu was stunned. “By myself?”

“Law and my Commander are both very busy recently. Flame took Lumen on a field mission three days ago. Commander Shen Yang was interfered with during the Molly incident and hasn’t fully recovered emotionally. Other juniors theoretically don’t have permission to go out—” Zhu Tao smiled broadly. “Only you are left, the last hope above the 190th floor.”

By the time An Yu reacted, he was already sitting in the car Yan Xi sent to pick him up, hugging two large bags of comfort gifts.

On the hospital bed, Xi De’s face was pale and an ice pack was stuck to his forehead. Only those eyes remained sharp and bright, showing no sign of weakness.

The ward was spacious, with only a single bed placed in the center. Two broad, golden phoenix wings were spread out on either side, encased in a special apparatus. There was a deep laceration on the left wing, with exposing muscle and bone. The device inside the treatment case was slowly spraying a snow-white mist, seemingly to cool the area and staunch the bleeding.

An Yu placed the two large bags of comfort gifts on the floor. “Here is the chestnut wing stew Grape cooked personally, the cinnamon tea Ning asked me to bring that you like, a monster guide from Codex to relieve your boredom, and from Commander Flame… he brought a set of checkers for you and Bo to play.”

Xi De didn’t listen carefully at all. He just looked An Yu up and down, seemingly checking if he had gained any muscle. Finally, he asked somewhat dissatisfiedly, “And what about Law and you?”

An Yu nudged the larger paper bag with his foot. “The Corner Bakery Grand Gift Pack. It not only has all the products currently on the market but also some new items under development.”

He paused, then added, “You are welcome to give your evaluation after tasting.”

Xi De laughed instantly. “Using me as a poison tester, are you?”

He raised his hand to peel the ice pack off his forehead, closed his eyes, and lay flat. “Help me turn off the cold air blowing on my wings; it’s freezing me to death.”

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Before Xi De could speak, a cool, youthful voice rang out from the doorway. “Of course not.”

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“My wings grew out of a fire pile to begin with.” Xi De rolled over impatiently. “You’ve been brainwashed too deeply by those idiots at Brain.”

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Bo walked over and replaced the ice pack on his forehead with a new one. “Commander, please behave, otherwise…”

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Xi De glared. “You’re not the one being blown by cold air; what do you have to be uneasy about?”

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Bo quirked his lips slightly at this and handed over a cone. “The doctor said you can eat ice cream.”

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Xi De began to play dead, turning his head away without making a sound.

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“Take it away.” Xi De’s voice dropped. “Don’t make me say it a third time.”

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Bo: “……”

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Two ice creams, one for him and one for An Yu. Before Bo could even raise his to his mouth, An Yu had already slurped up half the top of his cone.

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Bo whispered, “Commander, your childhood is long gone.”

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Xi De said curtly, “No time. Bo, take the call for me.”

“Huh?” Bo paused, then stood up and walked to the head of the bed. “Chao Wu?”

Chao Wu, who had been complaining about the rigid regulations on the other end, went quiet for a moment. “Mhm. My Commander isn’t in the Main City recently, but she asked me to deliver some things to Commander Xi De. There’s a bouquet of flowers and a few conch shells. The shells have the sound of ocean waves inside; listening to them brings calmness… Is your Commander okay?”

An Yu frowned at Xi De. The man was right there, but acted as if he had no mouth, just staring dryly at Bo.

Bo had no choice but to answer for him, “He needs to recuperate for a few days. Is Commander Shen Yang okay? I heard she was greatly affected during the Molly incident.”

“Commander has been painting by the sea. She always goes there to paint the ocean when her mood is unstable.” Chao Wu’s voice dropped a little. “After Molly self-destructed, she voluntarily deleted the AI she made in her late sister’s image.”

“Keep her company.”

“I will. You too, spend more time with Commander Xi De.” Chao Wu paused for a moment, stammering for a long time before asking, “Is Commander Xi De’s injury serious? How many days until he can return to the Spire?”

Before Bo could open his mouth, Xi De’s sudden muteness cured itself. He raised his voice and said, “Two days at most. If Brain doesn’t release me within two days, I’ll let Bo go back first. Don’t worry.”

An Yu looked at Bo in confusion. The cooling unit kept the ward’s temperature very low, yet Bo’s ears were red.

“Talk later. I’ll go down and bring the things up. Wait for me a moment.” Bo hurriedly hung up the communication, avoiding Xi De’s smiling gaze, and quickly left the ward.

An Yu frowned at his retreating figure. After a moment of silence, he picked up the ice cream Bo hadn’t eaten and quickly licked the already melting cream.

Xi De snorted with a laugh. “I see you’ve stayed in the Spire for so long for nothing. You still don’t understand anything.”

An Yu finished the ice cream in silence, then suddenly asked, “Have you ever really eaten ice cream?”

“What?” Xi De thought for a moment. “Counting from birth?”

“Mhm.”

“Ate it twice when I was a kid.” Xi De frowned in disgust. “The first time, that dog father of mine brought it to me on his own. The second time was when he locked me in the freezer. At first, I didn’t realize what was happening. I was excited seeing cabinet after cabinet of ice cream and actually ate one on my own initiative…” He sneered as he said this. “Idiot.”

An Yu nodded and continued chewing the crispy cookie cone.

Xi De glanced at him. “Why ask this?”

“Nothing.” An Yu shook his head. “Since you’ve eaten it, it’s not a regret.”

Xi De raised an eyebrow. “You seem to be comparing me to someone else.”

An Yu nodded and whispered, “My Commander.”

Xi De was surprised. “What about Law?”

“Hard to explain.” An Yu shook his head. “Never mind, pretend I didn’t say anything.”

Actually, there was nothing hard to explain.

Xi De had tasted the deliciousness of ice cream, so even choosing to give it up wasn’t a regret. But the Commander, from childhood to adulthood, had always been used, yet never fully trusted. Over time, even he himself believed it was only natural for humans to remain vigilant and skeptical of him.

He just gave up the right to be treated kindly like that.

Recently, An Yu often recalled how, not long ago, he would receive a small reward just for casually saying a few words on the Commander’s behalf in front of the higher-ups.

At that time, the Commander smiled and said, “I’m rewarding you for defending me.” He thought it was a joke back then, but carefully thinking about it now, his heart felt cold.

An Yu stood up. “Gifts and greetings have been delivered. I’ll head back now.”

Xi De gave an “Mhm” and smiled with a raised eyebrow. “Training is suspended for a few days. Practice well on your own. Don’t let down your Commander’s expectations of you.”

“I will work hard,” An Yu said softly.