Chapter 109.3
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At the military department.
Chu Rong stood in front of the experimental subject pods, frowning as he asked, “Still can’t open it?”
Fan Xiangnan shook his head and replied, “The spiritual power identification device on it is the highest level. Forcing it open would cause the experimental subjects inside to self-destruct. That young assistant, No. 09, had never seen these before and only knew that Ning Tianxing treasured them greatly, never allowing others to see them. He doesn’t know how to open them.”
“What about the Empire?” Chu Rong asked as he glanced at the various containment pods.
“Based on the data retrieved from Ning Tianxing’s space button, the team has found the place where An Xei and Ning Tianxing secretly communicated and traded. Additionally, they discovered a facility resembling an experimental subject farm on a garbage planet near An Xei’s private planet. It was full of live experimental subjects, and there was a black hole transmission device whose destination is unknown. The team is currently mapping the patterns,” Fan Xiangnan answered in detail. He hesitated for a moment before saying, “The protection system of this pod is entirely geared towards spiritual power. To preserve the experimental subjects inside and continue the investigation, I think maybe Qiao could…”
Chu Rong waved his hand, signaling him to stop. Thinking about the speculations that had been troubling him recently, he instructed, “Try again. If it still doesn’t work, I’ll ask Qiao to come over and help.”
Fan Xiangnan didn’t understand what he was worried about and sighed inwardly, refraining from persuading him further.
In the blink of an eye, a few more days passed. The royal family members from the Empire were ready to depart for the Federation to celebrate the festival. Qiao Zhiya finally worked overtime to finish the mecha for Chu Yan.
Researching codes and patterns left him mentally exhausted, but making mechas became a way to relax.
It was another small mecha, the same silver-gray color. The mecha he made for Chu Yan was almost a replica of the one Chu Yan currently used, except the body proportions were infinitely closer to Chu Yan’s real body proportions, giving it a more aggressive appearance that most small mechas lacked.
On this mecha, he tried something new by combining the spiritual power piloting system with the manual piloting system, creating a hybrid mecha that could switch piloting modes at will.
Chu Yan’s battle style was better suited for spiritual power piloting, and Qiao Zhiya didn’t want him to give up his advantage. Moreover, a mecha limited to a single piloting mode was too restrictive. He didn’t want a future where manual and spiritual power piloting mechas split into two camps, despising and looking down on each other.
Manually-pilotee mechas served a group without spiritual power — the “disabled”—and ordinary people whose spiritual power was too low to drive spiritual power mechas. Not all mecha warriors should be limited by pure manually-piloted mechas. The genius of spiritual power piloting shouldn’t be constrained by the other piloting method’s limitations.
Joint development was the healthiest and most sustainable approach. When the research on manual piloting mechas matured, the integration of the two methods could officially begin.
He hoped that in the future, everyone could freely choose the type of mecha they wanted to drive based on their own circumstances, rather than being forced to adapt by what’s available.
Moreover, during the process of making the mecha for Chu Yan, he had an unexpected surprise.
Previously, he had been unable to find a suitable substitute for the magic array to localize and popularize the core synchronization system of manually operated mechas. However, in his research on those red patterns, he discovered a breakthrough.
The power source of the red patterns was a spirit stone, which was closer to human power. Both humans and alien beasts were native to the Blue Galaxy. Compared to magic stones, spirit stones should be better at synchronizing with the artificially cultivated veins of alien beasts.
Therefore, a combination of spirit stones and a matching spiritual power induction system might replace the combination of magic stones and magic arrays, becoming the new core of the manually operated mecha system.
“Click.”
The sensor light in the eyes of the mecha model on the table lit up. Qiao Zhiya held his breath and carefully put on the synchronization gloves beside him, tentatively moving his fingers.
The mecha model, connected to the gloves with alien beast veins, immediately responded, moving almost without pause and perfectly synchronized.
Qiao Zhiya’s eyes lit up, and he tried moving his fingers again.
“Thud.”
There seemed to be a problem with the sensor system, and the mecha model, unstable in its movements, fell face-first. He sighed, quickly took off the gloves, propped up the mecha model, and opened its shell to look at the core spirit stone that had been cut, frowning in frustration.
Adjustments were still necessary. Although spirit stones could replace magic stones, the current spiritual power induction device couldn’t replace the magic array.
Humans had a complete set of spiritual power induction concepts and devices, but his power was magic, after all. He had always struggled with this area, unable to find the key point. The existing basic spiritual power induction devices were still insufficient. A specialized induction device for the entire manual driving system needed to be developed.
It seemed he would have to trouble Master Ren again.
He carefully disassembled the system, recorded his ideas, and stored them in an experimental data box, intending to take it to Master Ren’s personal laboratory next time.
Suddenly, there was a knock on the lab door, and then Chu Rong pushed it open and walked in.
Qiao Zhiya’s eyes lit up. He quickly put the storage box into his storage ring and happily rushed over, saying, “Why are you back so early today? Have you eaten?”
Chu Rong opened his arms to hug him, kissed his ear, and replied, “I’m not busy today. I haven’t eaten, so I came back to spend time with you.” As he spoke, his gaze moved to the small silver-gray mecha in the center of the lab, raising an eyebrow.
“I made it for Xiao Yan. It’s called ‘Knight,’ a hybrid mecha that combines spiritual power and manual piloting methods. But the core synchronization system of this mecha still uses a magic array. For the localized version, we need Master Ren to develop a matching spiritual power induction device to replace the magic— mmph.”
Chu Rong cut him off with a kiss and pinched one of his ears.
Qiao Zhiya stared at him, dumbfounded.
“It’s time to eat.” Chu Rong pulled back slightly, brushed his lips, and directly picked him up, turning to walk out.
Qiao Zhiya wrapped his arms around Chu Rong’s neck, looking at his usual expression, his ears twitching and his eyes sparkling — had Chu Rong just been jealous because he made a mecha for Xiao Yan?
The two had a rare, warm dinner together. Gu Yan’an and Chu Yan tactfully found excuses to avoid eating with them, giving them some time alone.
After dinner, Chu Rong didn’t go to the study but stayed in the room with Qiao Zhiya, helping him research the cipher and those red patterns.
“According to the language habits of that era and the existing half-cracked cipher system, I found that the remaining part of the code has a certain connection with an ancient tribal civilization.”
Qiao Zhiya wrote a row of strange characters on an electronic notebook, his ears moving lively. Researching these seemed to make him very happy. He continued, “Also, the inventor of this code, Nan Suo, is quite interesting. He originally wanted to study medicine but ended up in the military by accident. Probably out of resentment, he incorporated some content from old, obscure medical books into this code. Look at this, this isn’t actually a letter but an abstract drawing of an extinct plant. Its real shape is like this.” He quickly sketched the rough outline of the plant on the electronic notebook.
Chu Rong listened attentively, his hand constantly touching Qiao Zhiya — sometimes patting his head, sometimes smoothing his back, and finally, slowly moving to his ears to gently rub them. Suddenly, he asked, “Qiao, does your father also have pointed ears?”
“Yes,” Qiao Zhiya nodded, a bit surprised, thinking Chu Rong wanted to chat casually. He wiggled his ear being pinched and added, “But my father’s ears are longer and more pointy than mine, much more beautiful.”
Chu Rong recalled the long-haired man he had seen in his memories, squinting his eyes before continuing, “And where did you go after you and your parents moved?”
“We went to the place where I grew up, the Pariet Valley, which is my mother’s hometown,” Qiao Zhiya answered without hesitation, thinking Chu Rong had seen his memories. He even started sketching his home, saying, “Look, this is my home. It’s a treehouse built by my father according to my mother’s preferences. I lived on this floor, with a small bow my father made for me hanging on the door, though I preferred using a crossbow.”
His drawing skills were excellent, romantic and warm. With just a few strokes, a treehouse built among giant forest trees appeared on the electronic notebook. The treehouse had two floors, surrounded by vines and blooming flowers, looking like a fairy tale setting rather than a human dwelling.
Chu Rong watched Qiao Zhiya happily sketching and describing the treehouse, unable to help clenching his fist. Afraid Qiao Zhiya might notice, he quickly moved his hand down to his back.
Humans could indeed experience memory confusion and false memories for self-protection, but such false memories were often fragmented, incomplete, and piecemeal.
Qiao Zhiya’s memories, however, were different. They were complete and clear—when they moved, where their home was, its appearance, life details, even the color of the flowers at the top of the treehouse.
In the memories Chu Rong had seen, Qiao Zhiya’s father had not successfully moved, continuing to live in the forest where Qiao Zhiya was born until a black hole appeared and a spaceship emerged, completely different from what Qiao Zhiya was now describing.
“This is where I raised rabbits. Later, it became empty… but it’s okay. When I take you home, we can bring the little rabbits along, and it will be full again. But my room will need some adjustments; you’re too tall to live in it comfortably.”
Qiao Zhiya continued to speak, envisioning a beautiful future for them.
Chu Rong’s heart tightened as he listened. He couldn’t help but hug Qiao Zhiya tightly, pulling him into his arms and softly asking, “You want to take me home?”
Qiao Zhiya was stunned by the sudden embrace, dropping the electronic pen on the table. He looked up at Chu Rong and nodded matter-of-factly, replying, “Of course. Are you worried my parents won’t like you? They will, you’re wonderful, they’ll definitely like you.”
‘No.’
Chu Rong couldn’t speak, tightening his arms and pressing his forehead to Qiao Zhiya’s. It felt like a weight was pressing on his heart.
He wasn’t wonderful at all. Qiao Zhiya’s love was honest and pure, while he was stubborn and proud. Memories could indeed be false, but the falsehood wasn’t with Qiao Zhiya — it was with himself.
Something must have gone wrong. The memory search from that day had been a mistake from the start… He cupped Qiao Zhiya’s ear, his Adam’s apple moving. Someone had tampered with Qiao’s memories, and he had fully believed in these altered memories.
Suddenly, he remembered the Imperial High Advisor who had stayed at the Chu residence during that time and Qiao’s unusual behavior then. His grip on Qiao Zhiya tightened even more.
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At the military department.
Chu Rong stood in front of the experimental subject pods, frowning as he asked, “Still can’t open it?”
Fan Xiangnan shook his head and replied, “The spiritual power identification device on it is the highest level. Forcing it open would cause the experimental subjects inside to self-destruct. That young assistant, No. 09, had never seen these before and only knew that Ning Tianxing treasured them greatly, never allowing others to see them. He doesn’t know how to open them.”
“What about the Empire?” Chu Rong asked as he glanced at the various containment pods.
“Based on the data retrieved from Ning Tianxing’s space button, the team has found the place where An Xei and Ning Tianxing secretly communicated and traded. Additionally, they discovered a facility resembling an experimental subject farm on a garbage planet near An Xei’s private planet. It was full of live experimental subjects, and there was a black hole transmission device whose destination is unknown. The team is currently mapping the patterns,” Fan Xiangnan answered in detail. He hesitated for a moment before saying, “The protection system of this pod is entirely geared towards spiritual power. To preserve the experimental subjects inside and continue the investigation, I think maybe Qiao could…”
Chu Rong waved his hand, signaling him to stop. Thinking about the speculations that had been troubling him recently, he instructed, “Try again. If it still doesn’t work, I’ll ask Qiao to come over and help.”
Fan Xiangnan didn’t understand what he was worried about and sighed inwardly, refraining from persuading him further.
In the blink of an eye, a few more days passed. The royal family members from the Empire were ready to depart for the Federation to celebrate the festival. Qiao Zhiya finally worked overtime to finish the mecha for Chu Yan.
Researching codes and patterns left him mentally exhausted, but making mechas became a way to relax.
It was another small mecha, the same silver-gray color. The mecha he made for Chu Yan was almost a replica of the one Chu Yan currently used, except the body proportions were infinitely closer to Chu Yan’s real body proportions, giving it a more aggressive appearance that most small mechas lacked.
On this mecha, he tried something new by combining the spiritual power piloting system with the manual piloting system, creating a hybrid mecha that could switch piloting modes at will.
Chu Yan’s battle style was better suited for spiritual power piloting, and Qiao Zhiya didn’t want him to give up his advantage. Moreover, a mecha limited to a single piloting mode was too restrictive. He didn’t want a future where manual and spiritual power piloting mechas split into two camps, despising and looking down on each other.
Manually-pilotee mechas served a group without spiritual power — the “disabled”—and ordinary people whose spiritual power was too low to drive spiritual power mechas. Not all mecha warriors should be limited by pure manually-piloted mechas. The genius of spiritual power piloting shouldn’t be constrained by the other piloting method’s limitations.
Joint development was the healthiest and most sustainable approach. When the research on manual piloting mechas matured, the integration of the two methods could officially begin.
He hoped that in the future, everyone could freely choose the type of mecha they wanted to drive based on their own circumstances, rather than being forced to adapt by what’s available.
Moreover, during the process of making the mecha for Chu Yan, he had an unexpected surprise.
Previously, he had been unable to find a suitable substitute for the magic array to localize and popularize the core synchronization system of manually operated mechas. However, in his research on those red patterns, he discovered a breakthrough.
The power source of the red patterns was a spirit stone, which was closer to human power. Both humans and alien beasts were native to the Blue Galaxy. Compared to magic stones, spirit stones should be better at synchronizing with the artificially cultivated veins of alien beasts.
Therefore, a combination of spirit stones and a matching spiritual power induction system might replace the combination of magic stones and magic arrays, becoming the new core of the manually operated mecha system.
“Click.”
The sensor light in the eyes of the mecha model on the table lit up. Qiao Zhiya held his breath and carefully put on the synchronization gloves beside him, tentatively moving his fingers.
The mecha model, connected to the gloves with alien beast veins, immediately responded, moving almost without pause and perfectly synchronized.
Qiao Zhiya’s eyes lit up, and he tried moving his fingers again.
“Thud.”
There seemed to be a problem with the sensor system, and the mecha model, unstable in its movements, fell face-first. He sighed, quickly took off the gloves, propped up the mecha model, and opened its shell to look at the core spirit stone that had been cut, frowning in frustration.
Adjustments were still necessary. Although spirit stones could replace magic stones, the current spiritual power induction device couldn’t replace the magic array.
Humans had a complete set of spiritual power induction concepts and devices, but his power was magic, after all. He had always struggled with this area, unable to find the key point. The existing basic spiritual power induction devices were still insufficient. A specialized induction device for the entire manual driving system needed to be developed.
It seemed he would have to trouble Master Ren again.
He carefully disassembled the system, recorded his ideas, and stored them in an experimental data box, intending to take it to Master Ren’s personal laboratory next time.
Suddenly, there was a knock on the lab door, and then Chu Rong pushed it open and walked in.
Qiao Zhiya’s eyes lit up. He quickly put the storage box into his storage ring and happily rushed over, saying, “Why are you back so early today? Have you eaten?”
Chu Rong opened his arms to hug him, kissed his ear, and replied, “I’m not busy today. I haven’t eaten, so I came back to spend time with you.” As he spoke, his gaze moved to the small silver-gray mecha in the center of the lab, raising an eyebrow.
“I made it for Xiao Yan. It’s called ‘Knight,’ a hybrid mecha that combines spiritual power and manual piloting methods. But the core synchronization system of this mecha still uses a magic array. For the localized version, we need Master Ren to develop a matching spiritual power induction device to replace the magic— mmph.”
Chu Rong cut him off with a kiss and pinched one of his ears.
Qiao Zhiya stared at him, dumbfounded.
“It’s time to eat.” Chu Rong pulled back slightly, brushed his lips, and directly picked him up, turning to walk out.
Qiao Zhiya wrapped his arms around Chu Rong’s neck, looking at his usual expression, his ears twitching and his eyes sparkling — had Chu Rong just been jealous because he made a mecha for Xiao Yan?
The two had a rare, warm dinner together. Gu Yan’an and Chu Yan tactfully found excuses to avoid eating with them, giving them some time alone.
After dinner, Chu Rong didn’t go to the study but stayed in the room with Qiao Zhiya, helping him research the cipher and those red patterns.
“According to the language habits of that era and the existing half-cracked cipher system, I found that the remaining part of the code has a certain connection with an ancient tribal civilization.”
Qiao Zhiya wrote a row of strange characters on an electronic notebook, his ears moving lively. Researching these seemed to make him very happy. He continued, “Also, the inventor of this code, Nan Suo, is quite interesting. He originally wanted to study medicine but ended up in the military by accident. Probably out of resentment, he incorporated some content from old, obscure medical books into this code. Look at this, this isn’t actually a letter but an abstract drawing of an extinct plant. Its real shape is like this.” He quickly sketched the rough outline of the plant on the electronic notebook.
Chu Rong listened attentively, his hand constantly touching Qiao Zhiya — sometimes patting his head, sometimes smoothing his back, and finally, slowly moving to his ears to gently rub them. Suddenly, he asked, “Qiao, does your father also have pointed ears?”
“Yes,” Qiao Zhiya nodded, a bit surprised, thinking Chu Rong wanted to chat casually. He wiggled his ear being pinched and added, “But my father’s ears are longer and more pointy than mine, much more beautiful.”
Chu Rong recalled the long-haired man he had seen in his memories, squinting his eyes before continuing, “And where did you go after you and your parents moved?”
“We went to the place where I grew up, the Pariet Valley, which is my mother’s hometown,” Qiao Zhiya answered without hesitation, thinking Chu Rong had seen his memories. He even started sketching his home, saying, “Look, this is my home. It’s a treehouse built by my father according to my mother’s preferences. I lived on this floor, with a small bow my father made for me hanging on the door, though I preferred using a crossbow.”
His drawing skills were excellent, romantic and warm. With just a few strokes, a treehouse built among giant forest trees appeared on the electronic notebook. The treehouse had two floors, surrounded by vines and blooming flowers, looking like a fairy tale setting rather than a human dwelling.
Chu Rong watched Qiao Zhiya happily sketching and describing the treehouse, unable to help clenching his fist. Afraid Qiao Zhiya might notice, he quickly moved his hand down to his back.
Humans could indeed experience memory confusion and false memories for self-protection, but such false memories were often fragmented, incomplete, and piecemeal.
Qiao Zhiya’s memories, however, were different. They were complete and clear—when they moved, where their home was, its appearance, life details, even the color of the flowers at the top of the treehouse.
In the memories Chu Rong had seen, Qiao Zhiya’s father had not successfully moved, continuing to live in the forest where Qiao Zhiya was born until a black hole appeared and a spaceship emerged, completely different from what Qiao Zhiya was now describing.
“This is where I raised rabbits. Later, it became empty… but it’s okay. When I take you home, we can bring the little rabbits along, and it will be full again. But my room will need some adjustments; you’re too tall to live in it comfortably.”
Qiao Zhiya continued to speak, envisioning a beautiful future for them.
Chu Rong’s heart tightened as he listened. He couldn’t help but hug Qiao Zhiya tightly, pulling him into his arms and softly asking, “You want to take me home?”
Qiao Zhiya was stunned by the sudden embrace, dropping the electronic pen on the table. He looked up at Chu Rong and nodded matter-of-factly, replying, “Of course. Are you worried my parents won’t like you? They will, you’re wonderful, they’ll definitely like you.”
‘No.’
Chu Rong couldn’t speak, tightening his arms and pressing his forehead to Qiao Zhiya’s. It felt like a weight was pressing on his heart.
He wasn’t wonderful at all. Qiao Zhiya’s love was honest and pure, while he was stubborn and proud. Memories could indeed be false, but the falsehood wasn’t with Qiao Zhiya — it was with himself.
Something must have gone wrong. The memory search from that day had been a mistake from the start… He cupped Qiao Zhiya’s ear, his Adam’s apple moving. Someone had tampered with Qiao’s memories, and he had fully believed in these altered memories.
Suddenly, he remembered the Imperial High Advisor who had stayed at the Chu residence during that time and Qiao’s unusual behavior then. His grip on Qiao Zhiya tightened even more.
At the military department.Chu Rong stood in front of the experimental subject pods, frowning as he asked, Still can't open it?Fan Xiangnan shook his head and replied, The spiritual power identification device on it is the highest level. Forcing it open would cause the experimental subjects inside to self-destruct. That young assistant, No. 09, had never seen these before and only knew that Ning Tianxing treasured them greatly, never allowing others to see them. He doesn't know how to open them.What about the Empire? Chu Rong asked as he glanced at the various containment pods.Based on the data retrieved from Ning Tianxing's space button, the team has found the place where An Xei and Ning Tianxing secretly communicated and traded. Additionally, they discovered a facility resembling an experimental subject farm on a garbage planet near An Xei's private planet. It was full of live experimental subjects, and there was a black hole transmission device whose destination is unknown. The team is currently mapping the patterns, Fan Xiangnan answered in detail. He hesitated for a moment before saying, The protection system of this pod is entirely geared towards spiritual power. To preserve the experimental subjects inside and continue the investigation, I think maybe Qiao couldChu Rong waved his hand, signaling him to stop. Thinking about the speculations that had been troubling him recently, he instructed, Try again. If it still doesn't work, I'll ask Qiao to come over and help.Fan Xiangnan didn't understand what he was worried about and sighed inwardly, refraining from persuading him further.In the blink of an eye, a few more days passed. The royal family members from the Empire were ready to depart for the Federation to celebrate the festival. Qiao Zhiya finally worked overtime to finish the mecha for Chu Yan.Researching codes and patterns left him mentally exhausted, but making mechas became a way to relax.It was another small mecha, the same silver-gray color. The mecha he made for Chu Yan was almost a replica of the one Chu Yan currently used, except the body proportions were infinitely closer to Chu Yan's real body proportions, giving it a more aggressive appearance that most small mechas lacked.On this mecha, he tried something new by combining the spiritual power piloting system with the manual piloting system, creating a hybrid mecha that could switch piloting modes at will.Chu Yan's battle style was better suited for spiritual power piloting, and Qiao Zhiya didn't want him to give up his advantage. Moreover, a mecha limited to a single piloting mode was too restrictive. He didn't want a future where manual and spiritual power piloting mechas split into two camps, despising and looking down on each other.Manually-pilotee mechas served a group without spiritual power the disabledand ordinary people whose spiritual power was too low to drive spiritual power mechas. Not all mecha warriors should be limited by pure manually-piloted mechas. The genius of spiritual power piloting shouldn't be constrained by the other piloting method's limitations.Joint development was the healthiest and most sustainable approach. When the research on manual piloting mechas matured, the integration of the two methods could officially begin.He hoped that in the future, everyone could freely choose the type of mecha they wanted to drive based on their own circumstances, rather than being forced to adapt by what's available.Moreover, during the process of making the mecha for Chu Yan, he had an unexpected surprise.Previously, he had been unable to find a suitable substitute for the magic array to localize and popularize the core synchronization system of manually operated mechas. However, in his research on those red patterns, he discovered a breakthrough.The power source of the red patterns was a spirit stone, which was closer to human power. Both humans and alien beasts were native to the Blue Galaxy. Compared to magic stones, spirit stones should be better at synchronizing with the artificially cultivated veins of alien beasts.Therefore, a combination of spirit stones and a matching spiritual power induction system might replace the combination of magic stones and magic arrays, becoming the new core of the manually operated mecha system.Click.The sensor light in the eyes of the mecha model on the table lit up. Qiao Zhiya held his breath and carefully put on the synchronization gloves beside him, tentatively moving his fingers.The mecha model, connected to the gloves with alien beast veins, immediately responded, moving almost without pause and perfectly synchronized.Qiao Zhiya's eyes lit up, and he tried moving his fingers again.Thud.There seemed to be a problem with the sensor system, and the mecha model, unstable in its movements, fell face-first. He sighed, quickly took off the gloves, propped up the mecha model, and opened its shell to look at the core spirit stone that had been cut, frowning in frustration.Adjustments were still necessary. Although spirit stones could replace magic stones, the current spiritual power induction device couldn't replace the magic array.Humans had a complete set of spiritual power induction concepts and devices, but his power was magic, after all. He had always struggled with this area, unable to find the key point. The existing basic spiritual power induction devices were still insufficient. A specialized induction device for the entire manual driving system needed to be developed.It seemed he would have to trouble Master Ren again.He carefully disassembled the system, recorded his ideas, and stored them in an experimental data box, intending to take it to Master Ren's personal laboratory next time.Suddenly, there was a knock on the lab door, and then Chu Rong pushed it open and walked in.Qiao Zhiya's eyes lit up. He quickly put the storage box into his storage ring and happily rushed over, saying, Why are you back so early today? Have you eaten?Chu Rong opened his arms to hug him, kissed his ear, and replied, I'm not busy today. I haven't eaten, so I came back to spend time with you. As he spoke, his gaze moved to the small silver-gray mecha in the center of the lab, raising an eyebrow.I made it for Xiao Yan. It's called Knight,' a hybrid mecha that combines spiritual power and manual piloting methods. But the core synchronization system of this mecha still uses a magic array. For the localized version, we need Master Ren to develop a matching spiritual power induction device to replace the magic mmph.Chu Rong cut him off with a kiss and pinched one of his ears.Qiao Zhiya stared at him, dumbfounded.It's time to eat. Chu Rong pulled back slightly, brushed his lips, and directly picked him up, turning to walk out.Qiao Zhiya wrapped his arms around Chu Rong's neck, looking at his usual expression, his ears twitching and his eyes sparkling had Chu Rong just been jealous because he made a mecha for Xiao Yan?The two had a rare, warm dinner together. Gu Yan'an and Chu Yan tactfully found excuses to avoid eating with them, giving them some time alone.After dinner, Chu Rong didn't go to the study but stayed in the room with Qiao Zhiya, helping him research the cipher and those red patterns.According to the language habits of that era and the existing half-cracked cipher system, I found that the remaining part of the code has a certain connection with an ancient tribal civilization.Qiao Zhiya wrote a row of strange characters on an electronic notebook, his ears moving lively. Researching these seemed to make him very happy. He continued, Also, the inventor of this code, Nan Suo, is quite interesting. He originally wanted to study medicine but ended up in the military by accident. Probably out of resentment, he incorporated some content from old, obscure medical books into this code. Look at this, this isn't actually a letter but an abstract drawing of an extinct plant. Its real shape is like this. He quickly sketched the rough outline of the plant on the electronic notebook.Chu Rong listened attentively, his hand constantly touching Qiao Zhiya sometimes patting his head, sometimes smoothing his back, and finally, slowly moving to his ears to gently rub them. Suddenly, he asked, Qiao, does your father also have pointed ears?Yes, Qiao Zhiya nodded, a bit surprised, thinking Chu Rong wanted to chat casually. He wiggled his ear being pinched and added, But my father's ears are longer and more pointy than mine, much more beautiful.Chu Rong recalled the long-haired man he had seen in his memories, squinting his eyes before continuing, And where did you go after you and your parents moved?We went to the place where I grew up, the Pariet Valley, which is my mother's hometown, Qiao Zhiya answered without hesitation, thinking Chu Rong had seen his memories. He even started sketching his home, saying, Look, this is my home. It's a treehouse built by my father according to my mother's preferences. I lived on this floor, with a small bow my father made for me hanging on the door, though I preferred using a crossbow.His drawing skills were excellent, romantic and warm. With just a few strokes, a treehouse built among giant forest trees appeared on the electronic notebook. The treehouse had two floors, surrounded by vines and blooming flowers, looking like a fairy tale setting rather than a human dwelling.Chu Rong watched Qiao Zhiya happily sketching and describing the treehouse, unable to help clenching his fist. Afraid Qiao Zhiya might notice, he quickly moved his hand down to his back.Humans could indeed experience memory confusion and false memories for self-protection, but such false memories were often fragmented, incomplete, and piecemeal.Qiao Zhiya's memories, however, were different. They were complete and clearwhen they moved, where their home was, its appearance, life details, even the color of the flowers at the top of the treehouse.In the memories Chu Rong had seen, Qiao Zhiya's father had not successfully moved, continuing to live in the forest where Qiao Zhiya was born until a black hole appeared and a spaceship emerged, completely different from what Qiao Zhiya was now describing.This is where I raised rabbits. Later, it became empty but it's okay. When I take you home, we can bring the little rabbits along, and it will be full again. But my room will need some adjustments; you're too tall to live in it comfortably.Qiao Zhiya continued to speak, envisioning a beautiful future for them.Chu Rong's heart tightened as he listened. He couldn't help but hug Qiao Zhiya tightly, pulling him into his arms and softly asking, You want to take me home?Qiao Zhiya was stunned by the sudden embrace, dropping the electronic pen on the table. He looked up at Chu Rong and nodded matter-of-factly, replying, Of course. Are you worried my parents won't like you? They will, you're wonderful, they'll definitely like you.No.'Chu Rong couldn't speak, tightening his arms and pressing his forehead to Qiao Zhiya's. It felt like a weight was pressing on his heart.He wasn't wonderful at all. Qiao Zhiya's love was honest and pure, while he was stubborn and proud. Memories could indeed be false, but the falsehood wasn't with Qiao Zhiya it was with himself.Something must have gone wrong. The memory search from that day had been a mistake from the start He cupped Qiao Zhiya's ear, his Adam's apple moving. Someone had tampered with Qiao's memories, and he had fully believed in these altered memories.Suddenly, he remembered the Imperial High Advisor who had stayed at the Chu residence during that time and Qiao's unusual behavior then. His grip on Qiao Zhiya tightened even more.
