Buy The Marshal Omega Chapter 14

Marks That Should Not Exist (I)

Shen Danshi had harbored such doubts before. In fact, anyone who knew of Lu Rong’s obsession with star cores was deeply perplexed by it, though few ever dared to ask the question.

Star core mining operations were generally conducted on lifeless planets unsuitable for the emergence of life, mostly F-grade planets. Some sought the star cores of D-grade or E-grade planets, but such extractions were strictly regulated within the Empire. They required imperial supervision to proceed, partly because these star cores were of higher purity, and partly because the interiors of such planets were often home to Flame Spiders. A Feathered Serpent was required to guard the site for the mining to proceed smoothly.

Compared to the star cores of these D and E-grade planets, the quality of the star cores from Planet F6134 was not superior, making Lu Rong’s demand for them seem quite strange.

Lu Rong did not explain. He gave a vague justification: “As you know, Broken Star needs a more systematic supply of star cores to support the operation of the Star Core Furnace.”

Realizing that Lu Rong did not wish to answer, Shen Danshi spread her hands and stopped prying. She returned to her work, synthesizing Feinier’s various examination results to provide a maintenance treatment plan suitable for use during the removal of the prosthetics.

She handed the plan to Lu Rong. “How long do you think the removal will take? If it’s going to be a while, I suggest using a bit of sedation during the process.”

“Sedation?” Lu Rong paused for a moment.

Shen Danshi explained, “Because there are no longer any drugs in his body inhibiting his self-healing, the dismantling process might trigger his innate regenerative abilities. I’m not certain,”

Shen Danshi hesitated briefly. “If our treatment is effective, during your dismantling process… he might wake up due to the stimulation of the pain. The possibility is small, but if it happens and he refuses to cooperate, things could get tricky. Think about it.”

After hearing this, Lu Rong stared at Feinier for a long time without speaking. Finally, he smiled pleasantly. “So, our current treatment is effective. Otherwise, you wouldn’t be considering the possibility of him waking up. At the beginning, you even suggested euthanasia.”

Shen Danshi raised her hands in surrender. “The standard procedure for an ‘Eternal Flower’ is usually a recommendation for euthanasia. I truly didn’t expect you to find a reliable method, nor did I expect him to actually start recovering. This is completely beyond my expectations, Mr. Lu.”

“You deserve some credit as well, Dr. Shen.” Lu Rong breathed a sigh of relief, his mood visibly improved. “Then proceed according to your plan. It’s true that he might be quite restless if he wakes up.”

With everything prepared, the treatment officially entered its second stage three days later.

Dismantling prosthetics was no easy task. X01 performed real-time analysis of the removal paths, adapting to changes and repeatedly adjusting the plan. Lu Rong was responsible for the actual operation. The long tail prosthetic was moved out of the treatment pod, measuring approximately five meters in length. Because the entire prosthetic was installed around Feinier’s original skeletal structure, it had to be dismantled section by section. Fortunately, the anti-tamper devices had already been neutralized; even if they were triggered, there was nothing to worry about.

Shen Danshi left Yu Xiazhi to assist, primarily responsible for monitoring Feinier’s vital signs and adjusting the depth of anesthesia.

Lu Rong began dismantling from the tip of the tail. He woke early and slept late, making do with simple meals and working without pause. He was accustomed to doing everything to perfection; without absolute certainty, he would not rashly proceed to the next step. Consequently, it took six days to remove the first section. However, having grasped the structure of the prosthetic, the subsequent dismantling went much faster. By the time the entire prosthetic was removed, nearly a month had passed.

001 was so excited it crawled all over the floor, wishing it could fly out of the Lutesse and do a few laps. For the past month, it felt as though it had been in prison.

Lu Rong, however, remained very calm. He gathered the dismantled prosthetic parts and personally hauled them to the waste processing center, dumping them all into the trash furnace. It was unclear what elements had been added to these prosthetics, but they produced a flame test reaction during high-temperature incineration. Purple flames leaped wildly within the furnace before being exhausted from the Lutesse along with the waste gases.

The torture devices that had bound Feinier were completely gone.

Returning to the treatment room, Lu Rong’s mood was much lighter. He stood by the treatment pod, one hand resting on its edge, looking at the results of his labor.

The snake tail had turned into stark white bone. The bone was pure white with sharp edges, while grotesque vessels and nerves floated in the fluid, creating a bizarre and impactful visual. Fortunately, after the removal of the prosthetics, the Feathered Serpent’s recovery abilities were slowly reviving. Lu Rong could see flesh slowly growing downward from the severed ends.

Due to the intensive treatment during this period, the wound on Feinier’s collarbone had completely healed. He had also put on a little weight and no longer looked so gaunt. He was in good condition; even under sedation, his heart rate had risen to 40 bpm.

Everything was moving in a positive direction.

Lu Rong felt a faint sense of gratification. This scenario of being completely immersed in a task that ultimately brought about change gave him a strange sense of accomplishment.

He remembered a snake he had once kept back when he was still on Planet Astar. That snake had been just as snowy white and flawless, but because Yun Guang was afraid of it, he could not continue to care for it and had to find a new owner for the pet.

And now, it seemed he was raising another snake… well, a Feathered Serpent.

This time, no one would interfere with him.

Shen Danshi stood to the side, observing Lu Rong’s expression before following his gaze down to the growth of the Feathered Serpent’s tail. The recovery speed of a Feathered Serpent was indeed extraordinary. Traces of flesh and blood had already appeared on the exposed spine. Though the speed was very, very slow, even that slow pace was an utter impossibility for an ordinary person.

If it were any other beastman race instead of a Feathered Serpent, such a scene likely wouldn’t occur. An “Eternal Flower” was essentially a man-made vegetable, no different from the dead. Even with the Feathered Serpent’s self-healing ability as a guarantee, she had never initially thought she could revive an “Eternal Flower.” Such a feat might seem like just taking one step at a time, but in reality, it was not easy at all. It required immense executive power and a strong sense of conviction.

She had simply followed Lu Rong’s lead, and the impossible had become possible.

“Sometimes I feel like there’s nothing in this world you can’t solve.” Shen Danshi smiled.

This was the feeling she had gathered from following Lu Rong for many years.

When they first met, she thought Lu Rong was like those simple-minded, physically gifted Alphas, only more handsome and unique. The refinement and handsomeness of his features were truly unprecedented; Shen Danshi even suspected his skeletal structure was more elegant than others.

But through their long association, Shen Danshi had changed her view. This man seemed eternally calm and composed, always at ease. She rarely saw his emotions fluctuate; whenever a problem arose, he always had a solution.

She believed the others on the Lutesse and in Broken Star City felt the same way, otherwise they wouldn’t be so willing to stay by Lu Rong’s side.

Hearing Shen Danshi’s words, Lu Rong merely wiped the treatment fluid from his hands, looked at her, and said with a smile, “But my part is over. What comes next is the part where I am completely powerless. I can only rely on you.”

Shen Danshi smiled with full confidence. “Rest assured, I won’t let you down.”

She performed another check on Feinier. “I’m considering discontinuing his sedation. Based on his current condition, there’s a high probability he won’t wake up immediately; there will still be a transition period. But I will keep a close watch. After all, I haven’t dealt with a Feathered Serpent before. You can take this time to get some rest.”

“Alright.” Lu Rong deferred to the professional’s expert opinion. “Notify me immediately if there are any changes.”

“No problem.” Shen Danshi nodded.

Since bringing Feinier back, Lu Rong had not stopped. He had been constantly busy, even lacking the time to handle the affairs of Broken Star, leaving everything to his vice-captains Niyin and Nishi. Now that he finally had a moment of leisure, he left the treatment room, returned to his quarters, showered, and fell asleep as soon as he lay down.

Perhaps because he had been dealing with Feinier’s affairs for so long, he dreamed.

A snowy white snake tail climbed out of the pitch-black dreamscape and coiled around his leg. When he looked up, he saw a pair of golden vertical pupils in the darkness. The eyes stared at him intently, the nictitating membranes occasionally flicking across the pupils like a smear of mist.

There was no killing intent in those golden eyes. They were as calm as the deep sea at night, reflecting a crescent moon.

Lu Rong sat up and reached out to grab the snake tail wrapped around him, but just as his fingertips touched the cold scales, a voice reached his ears. “Mr. Lu!”

He opened his eyes.

X01 was right by his ear. “Wake up, something’s happened! He’s awake!”

Lu Rong was still immersed in the hazy dream, but X01’s words swept through his nerves like an electric current. He snapped awake, rubbed his face, and sat up. “What’s the situation?”

X01 said, “I’ve already opened the teleportation channel for you. Dr. Shen just sent a message saying she left young Dr. Yu on the night watch. Ten minutes ago, Dr. Yu sent her a message saying ‘He’s awake,’ and then he couldn’t be contacted anymore.”

X01 continued, “I’ve already reviewed the surveillance. He’s awake and he’s run out.”

“Who—” Lu Rong asked instinctively, but halfway through he suddenly reacted. He grabbed a shirt and threw it on, buttoning it as he walked toward the temporary teleportation channel in the room, while simultaneously instructing X01, “Lock down L5-C3.”

X01 reacted quickly. As Lu Rong stepped through the teleportation channel and arrived at the L5-C3 craft, the roar of isolation doors slamming shut echoed around the vessel, cutting it off from the rest of the starship. Then, in the ensuing silence, Lu Rong walked from the channel into the treatment room.

The treatment room was a mess. Treatment fluid was spilled everywhere, mixed with viscous traces of blood. The scent of blood filled the space. The treatment pod was empty; Feinier was gone.

Shen Danshi was standing by the treatment pod, her face somewhat pale. Lu Rong glanced at the bloodstains on her and helped her up from the floor. “Are you alright? Did you encounter him?”

Shen Danshi waved her hand. “I’m fine. I did encounter him. When I arrived, Xiao Yu was already in a standoff with him. But it’s not my blood; it’s the Feathered Serpent’s blood.”

Shen Danshi transmitted the data from her terminal to Lu Rong. “The treatment pod recorded the time he woke up. Before waking, all his vital signs were maintained at very low values, which is why Xiao Yu didn’t detect his awakening. In the middle of the night, his vital signs suddenly shifted, instantly returning to the normal values of a Feathered Serpent.”

“I suspect he woke up shortly after the sedation was lifted, but because he didn’t trust his surroundings, he faked his vital signs. He waited until the middle of the night when Xiao Yu fell asleep to get up and observe his environment.”

“Xiao Yu wasn’t sleeping deeply and woke up when he heard the sound of water, coming face-to-face with him. He’s too alert and won’t let anyone get close. Xiao Yu tried to explain the situation to him, but he acted as if he couldn’t hear, charging around recklessly.”

“I also tried to explain when I arrived, but he wouldn’t listen to anything. Xiao Yu tried to administer an anesthetic but missed. This action provoked him, and he used his tail to take Xiao Yu hostage. I tried to pull Xiao Yu back, but I was struck by his tail.”

As Shen Danshi spoke, she picked up a medical eye and an emergency kit, her expression calm. “The treatment fluid contained enough hemostatic agents. Once he leaves the fluid, he will continue to bleed. His current state is not good. I’ve brought a gas-atomized hemostatic agent. Xiao Yu also needs rescue. I’ll go with you to find them.”

“Alright.” Lu Rong walked to the door of the treatment room, following the trail of blood deeper into the craft.

X01 operated automatically. Without needing Lu Rong’s command, it had already summarized the necessary information. “He hasn’t gone far. He’s in the room two doors ahead—oh, it’s a bedroom. He seems to have smashed the lights, I can’t see clearly.”

At the same time, Shen Danshi found a tranquilizer gun in the messy treatment room and handed it to Lu Rong. “Take this.”

“No need.” Lu Rong didn’t take the gun. “I think I know where he is. Follow me, but don’t get too close, and don’t attack him rashly. He has a bad temper, but he’s not entirely impossible to communicate with.”

Shen Danshi hesitated. Having just witnessed the Feathered Serpent’s frenzy, she was still shaken and remained skeptical of Lu Rong’s words. Consequently, she tucked the gun into the holster at the small of her back and carried the emergency kit. “Then let’s go.”