Chapter 11: Solitary Confinement Room; He Would Open His Soft, Fluffy Belly to the Intruder…
“Just arrived. What happened?”
Hearing the seriousness in Du Yuās tone, Zhuang Heās heart sank.
It seemed Du Yu didn’t know their mission hadn’t been completed, which meant she hadn’t returned to the assembly point since they left. This didn’t match Du Yuās usual cautious nature.
“Your little Sentinel got into a fight with another Sentinel. He nearly crippled the otherās mental body. Heās currently locked in the solitary confinement room according to academy rules. Do you want to come take a look?”
Zhuang He closed his eyes, unable to believe that such a serious incident had occurred in just one morning.
“Weāll talk about Lu Yinās matter later. Arrange for a medical team immediately. Something happened to Shi Yan.”
Upon hearing this, Du Yu forgot all about Lu Yin and the fight. She hung up and rushed toward the assembly point.
Only after the medical team swarmed in and took Shi Yan away did Du Yu pat her heart, which couldn’t take much more of this, and ask, “What happened to you two? I see the mission isn’t completed either?”
Zhuang Heās brow was heavy, and the aura around him was somewhat cold. His chest felt stifled, and he habitually reached for his pocket, only to realize he was wearing his combat suit.
Seeing him like this, Du Yu advised, “Smoke less. Itās bad for your body.”
“I know. Didn’t smoke.”
Zhuang He took a deep breath and recounted everything that had happened on the abandoned planet to Du Yu in detail.
“Don’t tell the high command about this for now. Help me modify the mission status. Weāll talk after Shi Yan wakes up.”
Du Yu nodded. This matter was indeed eerie and involved Shi Yan.
Shi Yan was a high-ranking official of the Empire and the First Commander of the military. For something like this to happen… it made the always alert Sentinel sense an unusual atmosphere.
“Iāll handle the mission. Iām just worried about alerting those behind this.”
“Let the soldiers come as they may.”
Zhuang He didn’t say the following sentence. He looked out the window. The students below were walking in groups of two or three; it was lunch time.
Young students were the hope of the Empire.
“Letās go see Shi Yan.”
“What about your little Sentinel?”
Zhuang He started to walk forward. The academy uniform he wore over his suit wasn’t buttoned, its hem swaying with his steps, hiding all the sharpness revealed by the combat suit.
“The solitary confinement room isn’t dangerous.”
ļ¼
About an hour later, the leader of the medical team walked out with a sigh of relief, taking off his mask. “Heās stabilized. If the Chief has time later, he can provide some soothing for him.”
“Understood. What was the situation?”
The leaderās expression was somewhat conflicted. “Iām not entirely sure. His spiritual power was collapsing, but we can’t find a reason. Hmm… itās almost as if it were the result of a confrontation with something.”
Confrontation? Zhuang Heās brow furrowed slightly, but he didn’t make things difficult for the leader. After expressing his thanks, he watched as the medical team swarmed in and then out again.
Zhuang He stood by Shi Yanās bed, looking at the quiet man lying there in thought, while Du Yu sat on a chair by the window, also deep in thought.
For a moment, the room was pin-drop silent. After a few minutes, the man on the bed let out a pained groan and then opened his weary eyes.
“Youāre awake.”
Zhuang He pulled over a chair and sat down. Golden spiritual power flowed into Shi Yanās body like a stream, making Du Yu, who was watching from the side, drool with envy.
“Chief Zhuang, when will you provide some soothing for me too?”
Zhuang He glanced at her, too lazy to answer.
“…Zhuang He? Du Yu? Hiss…”
Shi Yan looked pained, but the infusion of spiritual power eased his suffering significantly.
“Don’t talk.”
Zhuang Heās voice was just like the impression he gave othersācold and indifferent, like a mountain spring in early spring, a bit freezing yet something people longed for.
Shi Yan obediently shut his mouth and quietly accepted Zhuang Heās soothing. After a while, even the last bit of pain vanished, and Shi Yan finally felt he had come back to life.
“Feeling better?”
Du Yu walked to the other side and asked with concern. Shi Yan nodded, propping himself up on the headboard with one arm. “What happened? I… wasn’t I on a mission?”
Zhuang Heās gaze darkened. “How much do you remember?”
“Uh… the two of us were searching for Zerg traces on separate sides, and then… then…”
Shi Yan couldn’t say the words that followed because his head began to ache again. A flash of white light appeared, and the massive lion appeared before them.
The lionās eyes seemed to carry some sorrow. It ran to the bed and rubbed against Shi Yan, refusing to leave.
“Iām fine.”
Shi Yan looked at the lion with gentle eyes, reaching out to stroke its head a few times, not forgetting to smooth its somewhat messy mane.
“If you can’t remember, forget it for now. Just get some rest.”
Du Yu let out a sigh from the side. It seemed this matter wouldn’t be easy to clear up.
Then, Zhuang He looked at Du Yu. “Take me to the solitary confinement room.”
“The solitary confinement room? What are you going to do there?”
Hearing the words “solitary confinement room,” Shi Yan immediately sharpened his focus. He asked with some anxiety, “Did something happen to you that requires going there? Was it because of this mission?”
Du Yu gave him an exasperated look, interrupting his wild thoughts. “What nonsense are you talking about? Itās the 3S Sentinel Zhuang He is leading whoās been locked in the solitary confinement room.”
Shi Yanās brow furrowed as he muttered to himself, “Itās him. To think heād be locked in solitary… he really is a handful…”
Zhuang He glanced at Shi Yan, ignored his muttering, and turned to walk out.
Du Yu hurried to follow. Soon, the two walked across the long glass walkway, passed the teaching building, and arrived at the solitary confinement room.
The solitary confinement room was a completely enclosed small room. There was no light or sound insideāonly silence and stillness. Those locked inside completely lost their sense of time, which was a great torment to the psyche.
Upon reaching the door of the room, Zhuang Heās stomach let out a gurgle. He didn’t care, but Du Yu remembered. “You only had breakfast, right? I bet you only drank a bottle of nutrient solution.”
Zhuang He nodded and verified his iris against the closed glass door. With a beep, the door opened. The interior decoration was cold and bleak, no different from a prison.
His hard boots made a dull sound on the floor, echoing in the empty hall. Silver-white iron doors were arranged neatly on all sides; Lu Yin was locked behind one of them.
Du Yu walked past Zhuang He and entered Lu Yinās student ID into an instrument on the wall. Immediately, among the identical iron doors, a red light on one of them lit up.
“Letās go.”
Zhuang He followed behind Du Yu. It was impossible to tell what he was thinking, but the sound of his boots was heavy as he approached from a distance, like an executioner heading to perform a death sentence.
When they reached the door, Du Yu verified her iris again. The iron door opened with a clack, and only pitch-black darkness could be seen through the gap.
Zhuang He extended his long arm and pushed the iron door wide. The light from the hallway spilled inside, revealing the situation within.
It was a pitch-black cubic space with no windows, no light, and no bed. Only a chair was placed in the center, and at this moment, someone was sitting on it. His back was perfectly straight, and as the hallway light entered, a faint glow was ignited over his broad back.
Lu Yin didn’t know how long he had been inside. Perhaps an hour? Or maybe two.
His communication equipment had been confiscated, so he could only stare at the pitch-black surroundings in a daze. Fortunately, when his parents went out to earn money in the past, they often left his young self alone in their small home. Although it had been brighter than the solitary confinement room, the difference wasn’t great.
Lu Yin sat in the darkness, recalling everything that had happened in his eighteen years. Finally, the image that remained in his mind was Zhuang He in his off-white loungewear during their video call yesterday.
The manās expression was always cold and indifferent, yet he had shown no impatience toward his nonsensical questions, answering each one seriously.
Zhuang He… Zhuang He… He didn’t seem to be like this with others, except for the Dean and that Shi Yan.
So Teacher has placed me within his social circle? Thinking of this, Lu Yin smiled.
How cute. Like a predator that only likes to stay in its own territory, wary of all intruders. But once someone forcibly enters and releases a friendly signal, he will open his soft, fluffy belly to the intruder.
Lu Yin licked his upper palate, a madness in his eyes that he hadn’t even noticed himself.
But just as he was still immersed in Zhuang Heās beautiful face, he heard a clack. With the light shining in, Lu Yin realized with a start: the door had opened, and the teacher who had just been in his memories had vanished.
This made Lu Yin somewhat dissatisfied, but since there was no one in the Academy he could afford to offend, he composed his expression and turned toward the door with an innocent look.
…Was he dreaming? The man who had only appeared in his memories a moment ago was now standing before him.
The man still had that cold and indifferent expression, but Lu Yin precisely captured the trace of hidden worry in his eyes.
Today he was wearing the familiar combat suit, with his broad and firm chest stretching the fabric. His waist was very thin, cinched tightly by a silver belt, and the two large characters on the nameplate nearly blinded Lu Yinās eyes with their shimmer.
The man walked in with his long, straight legs. His military boots tapped against the floor, and Lu Yin felt as if the tapping were striking his own heart.
Immediately, Lu Yin was dazed. The long period of darkness made him unable to distinguish the flow of time, nor could he tell virtuality from reality.
“…Teacher?”
Lu Yin called out in disbelief once Zhuang He drew near.
“Mhm. Letās head out first.”
After entering, Zhuang Heās figure was also hidden in the darkness. Lu Yin couldn’t see his features clearly and couldn’t tell if Zhuang He was angry, making him feel somewhat uneasy.
Once Du Yu saw the two of them off, she leaned against the doorway, staring blankly at the two departing backs. For some reason, she felt there was a strange atmosphere between Zhuang He and Lu Yin.
ļ¼
Lu Yin was still technically in solitary confinement, so Zhuang He couldn’t send him directly back to the dormitory. Since there were many people in the Academy, he used his authority to open an independent suite in the soothing center to avoid prying eyes.
Once they entered the suite, Zhuang He first poured a glass of water for himself. But as the water went down, his hunger became more apparent, and several uncooperative gurgles sounded.
Lu Yin heard them. His brow furrowed as he asked, “Teacher hasn’t eaten yet?”
“No. Iāll eat later. First, tell me what happened today.”
Zhuang Heās gaze on Lu Yin was sharp and probing, but there was no blame or disappointment, which made Lu Yin feel much better.
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