Chapter 62: Attack at the Harbor
Although the process had lasted less than thirty seconds, the treatment took a significant toll on Xie Qiang.
As soon as she finished, she collapsed onto the bed.
Lei Lie, who had been smiling just a moment before, hurried forward to support her. “Whatās wrong? Do you feel unwell anywhere?”
Xie Qiang shook her head weakly. She didn’t even have the strength to lift her hand; she just wanted to lie down and rest properly.
Beyond the physical exhaustion, there was the lingering pressure from those thirty seconds. She had felt Bai Zhiās almost destructive sense of possession and madness, coupled with an unreserved love that felt overwhelming.
Bai Zhi was in a similar state.
To assist Xie Qiang, it wasn’t enough for her to lower her defenses; he also had to pour everything he had into controlling the parasitic seeds to manifest his ability.
However, he managed to stagger over to a nearby armchair and sit down. His voice was faint as he spoke. “Let her sleep for a while. I need to rest, too. Weāll talk about everything after weāve recovered.”
The moment he finished speaking, his eyes drifted shut, and he fell into a deep sleep.
Xie Qiang followed suit, falling asleep instantly. The hand Lei Lie was holding went limp and slipped from his grasp.
During those thirty seconds, Yan Ci and the other two had also experienced a sensation of nearly losing control of themselves.
Si Ye finally relaxed his clenched jaw and whispered, “Let them sleep. We should go out and rest for a bit as well.”
Lei Lie could only settle Xie Qiang comfortably beside Xie Jun before getting up to follow Yan Ci out of the room. They retreated to the living room sofas to rest.
The two of them were exhausted after their desperate fight in the building. Lei Lie had even been struck by a shot in the abdomen during the battle; the burning pain of the wound had persisted until now, unnoticed by the others.
Now that everyone was resting, he rummaged through the house and found the emergency medical kit Bai Zhi kept there to treat his own injury.
Si Ye returned after arranging for the hovercar to take the guards back to the station. Seeing Lei Lieās movements, he sighed and stepped forward to take the medical instrument from him to assist with the treatment.
Lei Lie didn’t react immediately, his hand tightening around the device.
“Let go. How can you treat it properly yourself? Itāll be faster if I help you.”
Only then did Lei Lie let go and hand the medical device to Si Ye.
To be honest, Si Ye felt a twinge of regret.
He had been tied down by work and hadn’t been able to rush to help immediately.
If he had been there, perhaps Xie Qiang… but upon further thought, all he could have done was the same as Yan Ci and the others. He might have ended up covered in wounds as well. It was better not to dwell on it.
Once he finished treating Lei Lie, he turned to prepare some food.
When Xie Qiang woke up, she would need to fill her stomach.
He busied himself in the kitchen for over four hours until the round table was covered with various dishes.
The aroma of the food wafted into the bedroom, and Xie Qiangās nose twitched.
…It smells so good. Iām so hungry. Whoās cooking? Is it Mom? Is that my favorite sweet and sour pork ribs? It smells like hen soup, too… Mom, I havenāt eaten your cooking in so long…
Suddenly, her eyes snapped open. It took her a long moment to remember that she had transmigrated; this wasn’t her old world.
Not only was it a different world, but the person beside her wasn’t her mother from her dreamsāit was her younger brother in this world, and Bai Zhi was leaning back in the armchair nearby.
Xie Qiang shook off her daze and sat up. When she walked into the living room, she saw over a dozen dishes spread across the dining table.
“These dishes…” Their appearance was exactly like the ones her mother used to make. The sweet and sour ribs were dark, and a thick layer of oil floated on top of the hen soup.
Si Ye emerged from the kitchen carrying a freshly steamed fish. Seeing Xie Qiang, he smiled. “You’re awake? I figured youād be hungry when you woke up, so I made some food. We can eat together now that you’re up.”
Xie Qiang was curious. “How did you learn to cook these dishes?”
In this interstellar world, most people ate food prepared with the simplest methodsāboiled meat or vegetables. If they wanted flavor, they ate pre-packaged meals that just needed to be “dinged” in a food processor.
While simple, convenient, and fast, it lacked the soul of a hand-cooked meal.
Otherwise, Xie Qiangās dessert shop wouldn’t have become popular so quickly.
Xie Qiang took a seat, followed by Si Ye, Yan Ci, and the others. Just as they were about to start, Bai Zhi woke up and walked out of the room.
“Why didn’t you call me for dinner?” Bai Zhi looked a little aggrieved.
He had worked too, and he had done more than Yan Ci and the others. Why hadn’t they called him to eat?
Xie Qiang quickly explained, “We saw you were still sleeping. They didn’t forget you; Si Ye even set out a place for you.”
Bai Zhi counted and saw that there was indeed a set of utensils for him. However, there weren’t just five sets on the round tableāthere was an extra one.
He sat down and pointed to the empty place next to him. “Who is this for?”
Lei Lie, who was already buried in his food, didn’t even look up. “To use your words, itās a matter of consideration for others. Xie Qiangās brother is still lying there. Won’t he need to eat when he wakes up?”
It turned out they had been thinking of Xie Jun.
Bai Zhi shook his head. “There’s no need to wait for him. His mental landscape has only just stabilized, and he needs time to recover. He won’t be joining us for dinner.”
Lei Lie asked curiously, “Then when will he wake up? Is it okay for him not to eat for this long?”
“Itās fine. We just need to give him nutrient solution at set times every day. As for when heāll wake up, I don’t know. That depends on when he wants to wake up himself.”
He had performed a brief check on Xie Jun before coming to the living room.
Xie Junās mental landscape was fine, but he had physical injuries hidden beneath his clothes.
It was highly likely he was avoiding waking up out of fear of the experiment.
Lei Lie realized he had been asking too many questions and fell silent, worried that talking too much might make Xie Qiang sad.
Noticing the somber atmosphere at the table, Si Ye turned on the massive screen in Xie Qiangās living room to watch the current events broadcast.
Xie Qiang rarely used the large screen, but it seemed like a good time to change the mood.
However, after hearing just a few words, Yan Ci and the others put down their utensils.
Only Xie Qiang continued eating with an unchanged expression.
“Qiangqiang, what do we do? This news… itās clearly framing you!”
The massive screen was broadcasting a report about an attack on the Imperial planetās harbor.
According to the news, the harbor had been attacked by Xie Qiangās uncontrollable Poppy spirit, which had disrupted the harbor personnel. A large number of Sentinels had lost control, causing starships to collide and triggering explosions that left the harbor in ruins. Many were severely injured, and some had even lost their lives.
The news showed footage of the carnage, and in the corner of the screen, a figure resembling Xie Qiang appeared. Her face wasn’t visible, but she was shown standing at the harbor clutching her head.
Consequently, the news anchor directly attributed the harbor attack to Xie Qiang and her uncontrollable spiritual energy.
Lei Lie roared in anger, “Bullshit! Itās all bullshit! Qiangqiang hasn’t even been to the harbor!”
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