ABRIWMTHM Chapter 4

Shi Xing’s pupils contracted, unconsciously tightening the grip of the hand that was clasped with the other person’s.

This slight movement caused the man to glance down, but he said nothing. However, the mental power that enveloped Shi Xing trembled, preparing for an attack. Even though it was only a minor reaction, the subtle flow of high-level mental power made Shi Xing, who was on the verge of entering maturity, feel extremely uncomfortable.

Shi Xing’s body swayed slightly.

The man seemed to sense something and ordered, “Withdraw all mental power.”

In the next moment, the oppressive presence weighing down on Shi Xing receded like a receding tide.

For a brief moment of daze, his eyes refocused, and he finally saw the man clearly before him.

With deep brows and an exceptional demeanor, when he looked silently at others, he exuded an aura of authority without any anger.

It was him—the prince Shi Xing had bumped into at Central Park.

At this moment, the man had yet to be tempered by time, appearing more vibrant, with a more pronounced imposing presence.

Yet his noble air remained unchanged.

This time, Shi Xing was looking up at the man, and the disparity in their statuses became even more evident.

“Are you alright?”

After a period of silence, Chi Yao asked again.

Noticing his rudeness, Shi Xing instinctively wanted to release the grip on Chi Yao’s hand, but just as he moved, a wave of dizziness hit him. With his senses returning, Shi Xing didn’t dare to absorb Chi Yao’s mental power any longer, struggling to shake off their clasped hands, he blurted out in gasps, “L-let go, I’m… maturing.”

“You’ve entered maturity?”

Shi Xing nodded, anxious to shake his hand. The moment he moved, Chi Yao’s hand naturally shifted to his sleeve, supporting him through the fabric, not entirely letting go.

“Thank you, I’m really… sorry.”

Shi Xing spoke weakly, each word felt laborious.

Raising his gaze, he belatedly noticed that behind Chi Yao followed a significant number of well-methodized soldiers, even more than the last time he had seen them. Glancing vaguely, he couldn’t see the end of the corridor; Shi Xing wasn’t sure if they were arranged in a line.

Suddenly, he felt a light touch on his forehead; Chi Yao was checking his temperature, “When did you notice you’ve entered maturity?”

“Just now?” Shi Xing croaked, “I need crystals; I have to find the administrator.”

Chi Yao understood.

It was likely his sudden visit that caused this Blue Star human to be unable to contact the Nest’s administrator.

“Can you hold on?”

Shi Xing wearily nodded.

“Then follow us; I’m about to see your administrator.”

Handing Shi Xing to his subordinate, Chi Yao continued methodically, “Get him a floating chair; be careful not to touch his skin.”

Shi Xing was taken by a military officer, and the moment he was out of Chi Yao’s sight, he inexplicably breathed a sigh of relief. He lethargically realized that although Chi Yao spoke gently to him, the aura surrounding him was still imposing.

Shi Xing was helped onto the floating chair, and the team did not stop for him, continuing to move forward, as if driven by some unseen force.

“Speak up if you feel any discomfort on the way,” the officer in charge advised.

Shi Xing nodded weakly, “Thank you,” his glance passing over the other man’s shoulder insignia, “Major General.”

The Major General smiled at Shi Xing; his youthful face combined with the military rank created a sense of dissonance.

Shi Xing thought either the other party was exceptionally talented, or… he was accompanied by individuals of transcendent status, better able to accumulate military merit.

Considering the prince’s title and the royal symbols he had seen, Shi Xing subconsciously felt it was the latter.

Once settled, Shi Xing recognized the chair was medical-grade. Looking up again, he saw several military doctors at the tail end of the line surrounded by a floating medical emergency pod whizzing past him.

He sensed unstable fluctuations of mental power surging in the pod, teetering on the edge of chaos.

“That’s not your Highness’s, right?” Shi Xing asked, looking at the medical pod.

A hint of sorrow flashed in the Major General’s eyes, and he didn’t hide it, “Inside is my superior.”

No wonder they were in such a hurry; Shi Xing roughly understood their purpose.

The Nest nurtured Blue Star humans while also possessing the most advanced medical technology in the empire for dealing with mental power issues. Although Blue Star humans wouldn’t return to the Nest after maturity, the mental power of the Mother Tree itself had powerful soothing effects. Within its coverage, even if wounds couldn’t be fully healed, the treatment might be more effective than elsewhere.

However… didn’t their Highness have any matched Blue Star humans?

The moment this question emerged in his mind, Shi Xing already had the answer—clearly, no. If there were, they wouldn’t have rushed for medical resources like this.

The communicator rang, and Shi Xing relaxed upon seeing the name; the administrator had finally received his call.

Chi Yao and Shi Xing arrived simultaneously at the reception hall where the administrator was.

Shi Xing’s situation had been clarified en route, so when he briefly met the administrator, he was soon taken by the medical staff of the Nest.

The crowd split in two, the medical staff surrounded Shi Xing, while the soldiers clustered around Chi Yao and the officials of the Nest, creating a mental barrier that separated the administrator from the visitors.

“He’s entered maturity; his body temperature is elevated; we need to send him to the medical room for monitoring quickly.”

After a brief examination, the doctor stated.

In Shi Xing’s line of sight, the administrator and Chi Yao came closer. Upon hearing the words, the administrator looked at the prince.

Chi Yao understood the implication, “Is this the doctor prepared for us?”

While speaking, the doctor didn’t stop, quickly walking to the medical pod to check the data.

The administrator nodded, “Doctor Wang is currently the best doctor in the Nest for treating mental disturbances. The other doctors were also summoned for Shi Xing, but the Nest issued a lockdown order. They need some time to arrive.”

In other words, the doctor assessing Shi Xing was originally waiting for the officer inside the medical pod, not him.

“The situation of Major General Fei isn’t optimistic; I need to conduct the examination in the mental power isolation chamber of the medical room,” Doctor Wang continued.

Not wanting to put the administrator in a difficult position, Shi Xing proactively conceded, “My mental sea is fairly stable; I can wait.”

Having entered maturity for the second time, Shi Xing was aware of his condition.

By comparison, the situation inside the medical pod was clearly more urgent.

He thought the other party would gracefully concede, but unexpectedly, the man took a couple of steps closer, his gaze scrutinizing him, a somber gray in his eyes as he confirmed with the doctor, “Can he wait?”

A subtle feeling of being cared for surged in Shi Xing’s heart.

“The situation is still relatively stable,” Doctor Wang offered a perfect solution, “Otherwise, I could take both the Major General and Shi Xing to the medical room, and once the other doctors have arrived, we can hand Shi Xing over to them?”

Chi Yao decisively replied, “Then let’s go; I’ll go too.”

With that decision, Shi Xing was handed over to the nurse.

It was unclear whether the nurse lacked relevant experience or didn’t understand how to avoid suspicion, as she remained uncomfortably close behind Doctor Wang, who was discussing the illness with Chi Yao while the administrator spoke with a soldier. Though Shi Xing couldn’t hear what they were saying, being so near these high-ranking individuals made him uncomfortable, and he frequently shifted his sitting position.

Suddenly, Chi Yao glanced back at him, and Shi Xing’s fidgeting body froze.

Before he could feel nervous, that gaze swiftly shifted away, as though it were merely an inadvertent action.

Without an answer, Shi Xing didn’t dare to move again and simply closed his eyes, lying back.

In this moment of brief closing of his eyes, the crystal handed to him by the medical staff continuously provided energy, allowing Shi Xing to drift off to sleep.

He dreamed of the days following his match with Lu Lu.

In the beginning, aside from limitations during the maturity phase, he and Lu Lu truly had some good times together.

Shi Xing forgot when the changes began.

Was it when he healed his body, revealing his high-level talents, that moment when the princess cast that obscure and inexplicable glance; or was it when he entered military school and noticed Bi Shu’s different feelings towards Lu Lu; perhaps it was when he realized he must feed on higher-grade beast cores, no matter how many crystals he absorbed, it was never enough…

The scene froze at the moment Lu Lu and the princess got into a heated argument…

Shi Xing jolted awake.

A flurry of sounds surrounded him, and he realized he was, at some point, already in the medical room, connected to numerous data collectors. The noise he had heard earlier was from his movements causing probes to fall to the ground.

The nurse rushed over to check.

Shi Xing belatedly noticed that everyone was looking at him, including the prince, the officers behind him, and the administrator.

Shi Xing felt at a loss.

Chi Yao’s calm voice bore a hint of gentleness as he asked, “Did you have a nightmare? Why are you crying?”

Shi Xing froze, reaching up to touch his face; oh, he was crying.

Shi Xing muttered dully, “…It must be a nightmare.”

Suddenly, a wave of mental power spread out, causing everyone to turn their heads in unison.

In the specially designed isolation chamber of the medical room, Shi Xing saw chaotic mental waves penetrating the specially made glass, leaking outward…

Wait, he… he could see?

Realizing something, Shi Xing glanced towards the man and the officers beside him; sure enough, with concentration, different mental powers manifested as varying hues of light, dimly wrapping around each individual.

Excluding the prince, Shi Xing could vaguely sense the intensity and fluctuations of the mental power from everyone else.

Shi Xing incredulously touched the corner of his eye; had his abilities returned?

But he hadn’t fully entered maturity yet, nor completed the awakening of his talents?

“Your Highness, Major General Fei’s mental disturbance has worsened; a breakout could occur at any time.”

Doctor Wang stepped out, stating.

Chi Yao furrowed his brow, “Is there no way to suppress it?”

“I came back from the border; I didn’t expect to hear this result.”

The atmosphere became heavy, with pressure weighing down on every official present in the Nest.

Doctor Wang wiped the sweat from his forehead, “You know, there are no Blue Star humans who have entered maturity in the Nest.”

Once matched, Blue Star humans would leave with their partners. The medical resources for those who could go through maturity were prioritized for the partners providing crystals and beast cores, making shortages a norm. For outsiders seeking treatment, booking periods typically extended to years, and there were very few Blue Star humans after maturity.

“The closest therapist to Ancheng has already been requisitioned in the shortest time on behalf of the Nest, and the earliest can arrive by tomorrow, but…”

“Speak.” Just one word, yet it felt heavy and pressuring.

Doctor Wang swallowed, “I’m afraid Major General Fei won’t last until then; his mental sea will… start to wilt.”

A wilting mental sea would undoubtedly lead to a degradation of mental power.

As for how much it would drop, it depended on how far the mental sea had shrunk.

If it dried up completely, as Shi Xing had experienced before, he would lose his mental power entirely, becoming worse than an ordinary person.

Though he knew he shouldn’t interfere, Shi Xing couldn’t help but maneuver his floating chair closer to the isolation chamber.

No one stopped him.

Under Chi Yao’s silent gaze, everyone dared not even breathe, the medical room fell into an eerie silence.

Shi Xing was certain, Doctor Wang was right.

“Was the injury caused by a C-level star beast?”

Shi Xing’s voice suddenly rang out, not loud, but everyone heard it.

The administrator’s heart tightened, confused about what Shi Xing was trying to do, yet fearful that the Emperor’s wrath would spill onto the oblivious little Blue Star human.

“Yes.”

Without questioning how Shi Xing knew, the man directly provided the answer.

Shi Xing nodded, understanding C-grade or above mutated star beasts all possessed the ability to damage the mental sea; the distinction was that as long as they exceeded C-grade, he could do nothing today.

“Using instruments, there should be a surge of chaotic energy racing through this officer’s mental sea, right?”

Doctor Wang was taken aback, blurting, “Exactly.”

Shi Xing: “The star beast’s mental power has penetrated the mental sea, currently damaging the mental threads.”

His tone was calm, even though it sounded weak. Yet realizing what he was saying, all the officers who had come with Chi Yao became serious.

Shi Xing didn’t beat around the bush, “If Doctor Wang can’t help, perhaps I can try.”

“But let me clarify, I can only help him hold on until dawn. After that, the therapist must arrive; otherwise…”

Chi Yao narrowed his eyes, emanating an aura of dominance so thick it felt tangible, intimidating everyone present into stillness, and even Shi Xing, who had ample confidence in himself, held his breath unconsciously under the gaze.

“Otherwise?”

Those two words, light yet heavy, seemed to herald an approaching storm.

Forcing himself to meet those gray eyes, Shi Xing was unafraid as he stated: “Otherwise, his mental sea will completely dry up, Your Highness.”