93: Chapter 93 The Unconventional Moments After the War
Some news simply cannot be hidden.
For example, after the battle with the Zerg, Laya didn't step out of her dormitory for three whole days.
On the first day, everyone thought it was just normal post-war fatigue. After all, the battle had been intense; even an iron man like Chu Xinghe had gone back to his dorm and slept for eighteen hours straight.
By the second day, people started sensing something was off. She wasn't seen at mealtimes, wasn't at the training grounds, and didn't even join her favorite activity—lounging by the bridge's observation window.
On the third day, even the smart robots responsible for cleaning the corridors began flashing question mark lights at that tightly closed door—
According to their programming, seventy-two consecutive hours with no record of entry or exit while vital signs remained stable was classified as "abnormal shut-in behavior." It could be Starry Sky Solitude Syndrome and needed to be reported to the Mental Health Module.
Then, the truth came to light in an extremely simple manner.
Early morning on the fourth day.
Laya was half-supported and half-carried out of the room by Li Yuan. Her entire body was as limp as if she had no bones, her cheeks flushed with a lazy pink, and her walking posture... well, it was slightly and subtly unnatural.
Those big eyes that were always blinking were now half-squinted, as if she hadn't fully woken up from some overly prolonged "deep sleep."
As for Li Yuan himself, he was glowing with health, refreshed, and walking with a spring in his step. He even greeted the passing Chu Xinghe in the corridor: "Morning, Senior Brother. The weather's nice today—oh, there's no weather in space, so the starlight is nice."
Chu Xinghe was munching on an Energy Bar at the time. His gaze moved from Li Yuan's face to Laya, who was hanging onto him, then back again, remaining silent for a full five seconds.
Then he slowly raised the Energy Bar in his hand, made a "you're awesome" gesture, and turned to leave.
The news was like water dropped into hot oil, exploding instantly.
...
Men's dormitory area, breakfast time.
Sai Wei viciously stabbed the Synthetic Steak on his plate with a fork as if it were Li Yuan's face. "On what basis? Huh? Why does he get to... while we're stuck here eating this crap?"
Luo Lan sliced his portion unhurriedly without looking up. "You can choose not to eat. It's your own fault for not having a girlfriend."
"Is this about the food?!" Sai Wei lowered his voice, but he couldn't suppress his bitterness.
Chu Xinghe strolled over with his tray and plopped down next to Luo Lan, a punchable "I know everything" smile on his face. "Ah, it's good to be young and full of energy. Back in my day, I..."
"What about your day?" Luo Lan looked up.
"Back in my day..." Chu Xinghe stalled for half a second, then said without changing his expression, "I also watched other people being young like this!"
A chorus of boos rang out around them.
Sai Wei suddenly leaned in towards Senior Brother Chu and asked sneakily, "Senior Brother Chu, do you think... that kid Li Yuan has some special technique? Or... used some auxiliary items? Does our legion's logistics department have that kind of... you know, physical enhancement..."
Chu Xinghe looked at him as if he were an idiot. "First of all, given his own tankiness, do you think he needs that stuff? Secondly," he patted Sai Wei's shoulder and said earnestly, "my boy, the beginning of maturity is admitting that others are indeed 'extraordinarily gifted' in certain areas."
Sai Wei: "..."
He sat back indignantly, turning his grief and anger into appetite, chewing the steak with a loud crunch.
...
On the girls' side, the atmosphere was much more complicated.
When Chen Yao cornered Laya, who had just "emerged from seclusion," in the training room, her eyes were as bright as searchlights.
"Laya, Laya!" She grabbed Laya's hand, her voice extremely low but trembling with excitement. "Quick, tell me! What was it like? Was it like in the novels, floating on air? Soul flying to the heavens? Three days! Three whole days! My god, that kid Li Yuan looks so refined, I didn't expect..."
Laya's face instantly turned bright red, steam almost rising from her head. She tried to pull her hand back in a panic, her voice as thin as a mosquito's buzz. "Senior... Senior Student Chen Yao... don't... don't ask anymore. It's really not that. Brother Li Yuan taught me a new set of skills, and it was caused by those skills."
"Oh, I understand, 'new skills,' right? What's there to be shy about? We're all girls here, let's exchange some experience... Hey, don't run!"
Laya still ran away, fleeing back to the dormitory area.
But some people were unavoidable.
Elia.
The silver-haired girl "happened" to meet Laya, who was stargazing in the observation corridor one evening. She didn't ask anything, just crossed her arms and quietly watched Laya with her ice-blue eyes for a full minute.
How to describe that look... It wasn't the gossipy excitement of Chen Yao, nor was it the envy or teasing of the other girls. It was a very complex look, a mix of inquiry, reflection, and something Laya couldn't quite understand... wistfulness?
It made Laya feel completely uneasy, her fingers reflexively twisting the hem of her clothes.
"Elia...?" she whispered tentatively.
Elia finally looked away, gazing at the river of stars flowing outside the window. Her voice was as cold as ever, but it seemed slightly softer than usual. "It's nothing. I just feel... you seem a bit different."
"H-How am I different?" Laya looked down at herself.
"I can't say." Elia paused, then suddenly turned and naturally linked arms with Laya. "Let's go to the cafeteria. I heard there's North Star special edition ice cream today."
Laya: "...Eh?"
She was half-dragged away. Over the next few days, the frequency of Elia seeking her out for "private chats" increased significantly. The topics ranged far and wide—from the Angel Legion's meals to the human world's desserts, from combat techniques to star map identification... but she never once mentioned Li Yuan or those three days.
But this deliberate avoidance made Laya feel even... weirder.
Li Yuan's comment on this was: "Maybe Elia finally realized that she's an indispensable and important combatant of our team, and she intends to strengthen the sisterhood and blend in?"
Laya looked at him suspiciously. "This 'blending in,' is it the decent kind?"
"Of course." Li Yuan looked righteous. "Otherwise, how could it be indecent?"
"Hmph... hmph, I can't be bothered with you." Laya wore a look of contempt, then happily went off to continue sharing her newly learned "human social tips" with Elia.
But when she made a large movement, she must have pulled something, as she hissed in pain.
Li Yuan watched her back, stroked his chin, and decided to temporarily bury certain potential indecencies in his heart.
...
Gossip aside, the important matters weren't delayed.
After the battle with the Zerg, a small wave of rank advancement swept through the fleet.
Major General Zhao Yu said this was normal: "If you don't show some progress after fighting the bugs, then the battle was suffered for nothing."
Chu Xinghe stabilized at the Peak of the Fourth Rank, Chen Yao entered the Middle Stage of the Fourth Rank, and Luo Lan officially stepped into the fourth rank, with the prediction accuracy of "Heavenly Drive" reaching a new level.
Chen Jingyi also reached the fourth rank, and the maximum number of drones she could control broke the one hundred thousand mark.
Even Sai Wei pushed himself with a burst of energy to reach the fourth rank, though the process was somewhat tragic—according to witnesses, he was struck by his own lightning seventeen times in the training room, and his hair stood on end for three days.
Only Aria showed no movement, which was unusual. She was clearly a cultivation fanatic and had been the fastest to advance before.
From Li Yuan's perspective, the Zerg corpses stored on the ship were constantly dissipating life essence. Most of this essence was absorbed by Aria, yet she showed no signs of advancing. Strange!
Li Yuan also naturally opened his upgrade interface.
[Lord of Light] (SSS-rank Class)
Current Rank: Rank 2 (+)
Required to reach Rank 3: 1,000,000 life essence points
[Promote?]