Ye Muo found the entire experience very novel. While he had accidentally glimpsed the memories of other Grantz through psychic power before, it felt like he was living right inside Ethan’s eyes right now.
He didn’t even dare to remain standing. After shuffling around for a while, , he finally sat down right next to Ambrose under Theodore’s guidance.
Tucking his hands securely between his thighs, he stared into the air, completely captivated.
Theodore crouched beside him like a cat, occasionally waving a paw in front of Ye Muo’s face. The child showed no response most of the time. As he grew used to the sensation, he did catch Theodore’s stray paw on occasion and gently swat it away.
[There is a severe decline in responsiveness to external stimuli, albeit with gradual adaptation over time. It is ill-advised to use such a method of teaching in unsecure locations.]
Theodore pulled up Ye Muo’s profile and meticulously logged the latest entry before putting it away. There was no logical need to continue testing anymore, but he still extended his paw to be gently swatted away. In fact, he even wanted to poke his head over for some strange reason.
Before Theodore could fully process the impulse, a hand reached in from the other side. It was Ambrose.
Ye Muo gave that hand a gentle swat too.
Ambrose drew his hand back, a small smile playing on his lips. It really was quite amusing. He rarely encountered such childish yet well-behaved little Grantz.
Said child’s psychic power, however, was an entirely different matter.
As Ambrose’s own psychic power still blanketed the entire planet, he sensed at once the thread of psychic power reaching out from Ye Muo’s body.
Although they were relatively well-behaved and didn’t experience mutual incompatibility like other Grantz’s psychic power, Ye Muo’s psychic power was actually very overbearing.
There were times when it was a bit tamer, but even then, they reminded Ambrose of a bad-tempered kitty whose claws came out at the slightest hint of discomfort, unceremoniously demanding that the psychic power of any other Grantz back off and give them some space.
Amused by this, Ambrose used his own psychic power to give them a playful nudge. Sure enough, he was instantly met with a few sharp, irritable swats from the metaphorical kitty.
Instead of lashing out in response, his own psychic power merely yielded, only to stealthily edge closer again moments later to take another beating and repeat the cycle again.
Ambrose didn’t make a conscious effort to restrain himself. His psychic power had settled down considerably as of late.
He could even tolerate the psychic power of Grantz other than Ye Muo drawing closer for a change. Even the sharpness of his psychic senses showed improvement.
As his psychic power drifted close once more, an anomalous, microscopic fluctuation was relayed back to him.
Ambrose’s smile gradually faded.
He mobilized his psychic power to perform several in-depth examinations that returned the same result. The fluctuation was minute but definitely present. The early symptoms were already rearing their ugly head.
Ambrose rose to his feet.
Ye Muo gave a sudden jolt as his field of vision abruptly cut away from Ethan’s perspective back to his own.
Ambrose had severed the connection between his psychic power and Ethan’s.
Ye Muo looked over with a look of confusion. “What happ–”
His chin was firmly grasped by Ambrose before he could finish, forcing Ye Muo to tilt his head up. Ambrose, who had always been so gentle and mild-mannered, appeared exceptionally cold and stern at this moment. Leaning halfway down, he demanded, “What are you hiding?”
Dazed, Ye Muo began to panic. Had his secret been exposed? But how? Where did he slip up for Ambrose to find out he had come from the future? What just happened?
Theodore grabbed Ambrose’s wrist. He was still calculating the exact reason behind Ambrose’s sudden shift in demeanour, but for now, he could tell the man didn’t have bad intentions.
Humans truly were the most complex of creatures. Theodore often had a difficult time comprehending their sudden shifts in behaviour.
Even so, that didn’t stop him from voicing his displeasure, “You’re scaring Xavier.”
Ambrose shot him a silent glance before his attention returned to the child. His tone softened a fraction, “You’re still too young. You don’t understand the cost of doing this.”
“There’s nothing more valuable than your own life. Commit those words deep into your mind and don’t do anything stupid.”
Theodore was so unhappy that he stopped analyzing Ambrose. “Xavier never does anything stupid. He’s very smart and always receives full marks on tests. He’s always the last to be found during hide-and-seek, and he always finishes his milk…”
This interlude took the edge off the suffocating tension in the air.
Ye Muo was the only one who grew more tense. He felt a pang of guilt with every item Theodore listed off. After all, there were a handful of times he didn’t finish his milk, and he had been found first during hide-and-seek before…
Ethan and Norton looked skyward almost in unison, their eyes fixed in the direction where Ambrose and Ye Muo were located.
Nearby, Ethan’s troops were already combing through the base, preparing to load everyone onto the starships so they could be transported back to the first supply planet that served as their headquarters.
There were individuals in Tanzanian uniforms present, but they offered no resistance. Many were simply gathering their belongings to bring along. For a moment, the scene was bizarrely harmonious.
Ano was already gripping the hilt of his sword, only for Norton to firmly take hold of his wrist.
“The link was severed.”
Norton’s brows furrowed. At this time, he could only make out a few vague pieces of info, such as approximate distance and general status. Attempting to glean anything more detailed would risk exposing himself.
“Save your psychic power. Wait until we find Xavier.”
Ano settled down a bit. He pushed his partially drawn blade back into its scabbard.
Meanwhile, the base commander and his adjutant were already making their way over.
By the time they arrived, Ano had collected himself.
“What is it?” he asked.
The adjutant spoke first. He seemed utterly dazed, as if he was still processing what happened himself as he relayed the entire sequence of events, “…And that’s the whole story.”
“Okay, let’s go then.” Ano immediately urged with clear impatience.
The commander and his adjutant exchanged a look. “Are you coming with us?”
Didn’t the duo come from that planet? Why were they coming with them instead of boarding the other side’s warships or leaving?
The adjutant was even starting to suspect that his superior might have a shot at fulfilling his long-held dream of recruiting these people.
Someone nearby called out to get their attention, “If we’re leaving, sirs, would you like something to eat?”
Meanwhile, on the other side.
Ethan urged his men, his tone laced with irritability as well, “Hurry it up.”
He had no idea what had just happened on Ambrose’s end to make him suddenly step in and sever the link with Xavier. Did he find this mission equally tedious?
Impatient, Ethan did his best to shift his focus elsewhere for now.
The warships were already preparing for takeoff. The Tanzanian fleet was currently sandwiched between his own fleet and Elias’. It would be their fleet’s turn soon. Ethan was unfamiliar with these models.
He made a note to tell Elias to drag out negotiations a while longer so they could keep a few personnel behind to teach them how to operate the systems.
He wondered if Xavier would like this sort of thing.
The crowd at the port gradually thinned out until only Elias and his group remained. Elias walked over to join him. “No loose threads, right, Ethan?”
Ethan’s eyes casually swept over the area before he withdrew his psychic power. “Yeah, let’s go.”
Meanwhile, Theodore was still rattling off his seemingly endless list of examples with no signs of stopping any time soon. Ambrose sat back down as well, looking a bit more composed than before.
Ye Muo glanced between Ambrose to Theodore before clamping a hand over Theodore’s mouth. Theodore instantly quieted down, letting him do as he pleased without a shred of resistance.
“I’m going to go check on Ethan,” Ye Muo announced. “He said he’d be back any minute.”
On his way out, Ye Muo suddenly stopped and turned to Ambrose.
The older man was slowly retracting back the massive web of psychic power that had blanketed the entire planet until now.
Ye Muo watched with some surprise as Ambrose stood up and walked over to him.
Leaning down, Ambrose gave the scabbard of Ye Muo’s sword a sharp, light tap. “Do keep a tight leash on your psychic power.”
It was an old habit of his to leave a residual trace of psychic power on his weapon by now. Over time, as his psychic power passively radiated outward, they would subconsciously coil themselves around the blade.
Ye Muo rarely bothered to restrain them. In fact, when he was otherwise occupied, his psychic power would automatically drift towards anyone who drew closer to check them out.
It could be considered rude, strictly speaking, especially between Grantz. But no one’s ever pointed it out to him.
Ye Muo obediently reined them all back in.
Ambrose suppressed his turbulent emotions and gave the child a light pat on the back, like one might to encourage a young pony. “Let’s go.”
It was time to place restrictions on this child, he thought. At the very least, he had to be kept away from the rest of the Grantz. They would have to pick a relatively secure location to keep him.
He began reviewing the list of planets and territories currently under their control.
As usual, Ye Muo stepped out onto the open-air skybridge suspended between high-rise buildings, a vantage point that provided a clear, full view of the docking bays below.
There were already people here: Karya, Sader and Allen. Elias was absent. With the negotiations drawing to a close, they could finally enjoy a bit of freedom.
However, they thought something was amiss, having just sensed the massive blanket of psychic power lifted from the planet, and came out to investigate.
Ye Muo kept his distance, stopping on his side of the bridge to gaze up at the port in the sky.
Then he glanced down, stepping with one foot onto the lower crossbar of the railing to boost himself up. His other leg idly swung back and forth as he watched the port.
It was a bit windy out here. Theodore spoke up after a moment, “I’ll bring you a blanket.”
“Thank you, Theodore,” Ye Muo replied. “I’d like something to eat as well.”
Theodore glanced back in the distance. “I’ll bring some food too, then.”
Karya glanced at Ye Muo from the other side. He hesitated for a second but ultimately chose to stay where he was.
Ambrose approached Ye Muo from behind at an even, leisurely pace.
Karya lowered his eyes and quietly went back to observing the docking bays below.
Sader and Allen exchanged a meaningful look. They both had a gut feeling that something major was brewing.
People were gradually being picked up from the docks, but many more remained stranded as negotiations continued. Rows of tents had been pitched to accommodate them.
Having moved past their initial blind panic, most of the hostages seemed to realize they weren’t in any immediate peril and had settled down. Some were even in the mood to sunbathe outside.
In fact, even the massive psychic fluctuation overhead moments before hadn’t garnered much attention.
They could access the galactic network from here and get in contact with their loved ones. Quite a few were eagerly streaming their daily lives as captives, offering detailed reviews of the rations distributed for every meal.
Others expressed worry over the state of their home planets.
[How did it turn out like this? My home planet’s been overrun by the insects, but this place is still safe. A few days ago, my family was worried sick about me. Now, I have to watch as they flee for their lives every day.
The fleet that was coming for me has now gone to evacuate them. Am I going to be stuck here forever?]
The comment section below was flooded with replies like:
[Is staying there really that bad?]
[Talk about taking your blessings for granted.]
[Right now, you’re probably in the safest place in the system.]
Ye Muo suddenly looked up as he gripped the railing. The deep, low roar of incoming warships echoed down from the port seconds later, growing louder by the second.
The people down in the docking bays paid little heed at first. They had grown accustomed to the sights and sounds of warships coming and going, though it rarely happened in rapid succession.
However, as the incoming fleet began to land in droves, culminating in an entire fleet emblazoned with the Tanzanian insignia, the crowd instantly erupted into a frenzy.
“That’s Tanzar for you! They’re the first to touch down with such presence. Even the blue borders were shipped out in batches or picked up by isolated warships.”
“Man, I’m actually a bit jealous. Do you think they’ll take us back as well? Our homeworld has a pretty solid diplomatic relationship with Tanzar.”
“Who knows. Can you help me record a video first? I need to update my fans on this.”
Among the crowd, the Tanzanian citizens were by far the most ecstatic.
Even Karya breathed a subconscious sigh of relief.
People began streaming out of the starships in droves.
Because Grantz had been gradually introducing a standardized military uniform to ensure allies could easily recognize one another during the heat of battle, there was an exceptionally distinct boundary separating the Tanzanian personnel from the Grantz forces.
Ano and Norton blended in among the Tanzanian crowd.
Norton suddenly stopped in his tracks amidst the crowd and looked up in a certain direction. His gaze near-instantly locked on to Ye Muo.
Found you.
The realization dominated Norton’s mind.
Ye Muo soon sensed the intense gaze on him and looked down toward the crowd. He froze in place.
Norton was already on the move. He lunged directly toward Ye Muo, with Ano right on his heels.
The two of them launched themselves into the air without hesitation, clearing the distance in the blink of an eye and landing right in front of Ye Muo.
No one had time to react to this sudden, explosive burst of speed.
Even Ethan, who had just disembarked, could only look over in sheer bewilderment.
By the time Norton landed with lithe precision on the other side of the railing, Ambrose was already pulling Ye Muo behind him.
Norton instantly went on the offensive, dropping his center of gravity to drive a powerful knee strike forward.
Ambrose brought his forearm up to block the blow.
As they collided, a thunderous boom split the air, registering in everyone’s ears far quicker than their eyes could follow.
It was a contest of sheer, unadulterated physical strength.
This brief contact was more than enough for Ambrose to identify his opponent as a fellow Grantz.
Ano immediately lunged out from behind Norton. His sword was already flashing out of its scabbard as he vaulted over Norton’s shoulder.
Yet his pupils contracted just seconds later as he forcibly stopped his strike mid-swing.
Ye Muo had thrown himself into the fray, holding his own scabbard up to block the blade.
Swiftly shifting posture in midair, Ano unceremoniously kicked off Ambrose’s shoulder to flip over and land behind them.
“Father! Ano!” Ye Muo cried out in a panic. “This is Ambrose, he’s not an enemy!”
Ano first glanced at Ambrose. Only after making sure the older man had no intention of continuing the fight did he turn to Ye Muo.
Meanwhile, Ambrose slowly relaxed his stance as Norton backed off as well. He vaulted over the railing and headed straight for Ye Muo.
Ye Muo opened his mouth, wanting to explain further, only to be pulled into a fierce embrace.
“I found you.” he heard Norton murmur quietly.
Author’s Corner
Ye Muo’s psychic power: You thought we’d be well-behaved now that we’re full? LOL, we’re still as naughty and bad-tempered as ever.
