The more Lin Zhen thought about it, the more possible it seemed.
Yun Ruoxi’s new collar was a whole size larger than before, making it look like she was wearing a toilet seat around her neck—it was extremely out of place.
Maybe it was just to fit a force field generator inside.
The moment he thought of this possibility, Lin Zhen felt an urge to rush into Yun Ruoxi’s dorm right away and tear off that damned collar.
But he also knew he absolutely couldn’t act on impulse.
If he really just took off the collar, maybe before he was even out the door, the Doctor and the others would be right on his heels. To prevent this from happening again, they might even brainwash him along with her.
So in this situation where he wasn’t in control, he had to shield the force field without damaging the collar—and without letting the War Camp notice anything right away.
After all, Lin Zhen was sure that the War Camp would regularly check on Yun Ruoxi’s brainwashing status.
So the moment he broke Yun Ruoxi free from the brainwashing, it would only be a matter of time before they were found out.
It was hard. Extremely hard.
But all of this was what Lin Zhen owed Yun Ruoxi.
No matter how difficult or dangerous, even if he had to risk his life, he would get it done.
“How about after breaking Xiao Xi’s brainwashing, we just take the chance to run away with everyone?”
Lin Zhen’s escape plan was already nearly complete, though the success rate was still low.
But even if it failed—
The worst that could happen was being dragged back for more brainwashing. Staying here, being subtly brainwashed, what difference did it make?
Might as well take a chance.
“I’ll take Xiao Xi, Jiu, Xiao Ai, Ayun, A Kai, and Anvil with me to see my home. Let them meet my grandparents, let them see the place where I grew up! And then we’ll go to their homes, visit their home planets!”
Lin Zhen clenched his fists tightly, his eyes full of determination and longing.
The OP of “Stellar” started playing softly at that moment, and the scenery in the shot began to change rapidly.
Students coming and going, the twin suns rising and setting outside the windows.
Training rooms, practice rooms, dorms… No matter where Lin Zhen was, in his mind he was always searching for a way to shield the force field.
Meanwhile, Yun Ruoxi was leaving her dorm again with Aili accompanying her.
She had listened to everything Lin Zhen said that day, trying her best to suppress the sudden destructive impulses that arose inside her.
If she couldn’t help it, she would vent those feelings out on the training field.
And so, time slipped quietly by in a montage.
***
One night, a month later.
It was the dead of night in the literal sense, the sky outside pitch black, and War Camp time had reached 2:00 a.m.
Everything was silent.
The entire student living area was almost deserted.
Yun Ruoxi was fast asleep in her dorm bed.
Aili, who always stayed with her, had a habit of lying across Yun Ruoxi’s chest while she slept, often making it hard for her to breathe. Because of that, she’d been banished to another bed.
A shadow suddenly appeared outside Yun Ruoxi’s dorm.
He placed a hand on the door.
Immediately, the thick alloy door melted open, forming a hole just big enough for one person to slip through.
The shadow slowly lifted his head—it was Lin Zhen himself.
He peered through the hole into Yun Ruoxi’s dorm and spoke in a low voice:
“Elder Chacha?”
“I’ve blocked the surveillance for you, but I can only hold it for three minutes. You have to hurry.”
“Alright!” Lin Zhen nodded.
Three days ago.
After confirming that he could use Yi Neng to shield the force field, he’d reached out to Chicha again.
He’d asked for help blocking the surveillance, and Chicha had agreed, setting a time with him.
And now was that moment.
Lin Zhen ducked through the hole and entered the dorm. The hole in the door behind him closed up on its own.
He quickly walked over to Yun Ruoxi’s bed, stepped on the rail, and in two moves climbed up onto the blue-haired girl’s bed.
Then he straddled her waist, reaching his right hand toward her chest.
「666, this is my favorite kind of night raid」
「Any good sleep recs?」
「Chilly hands, chilly hands! I said my hands are cold, are your ears broken?」
「Last time someone sat on Lao Xi like that, they got torn apart by her dark side, didn’t they (lol)」
「I’m watching anime in the living room and my dad just looked at me and told me to go watch in my room. Is that right?」
「Lao Lin’s not afraid of getting torn apart. Honestly, I bet the newlyweds will use this position a lot in the future」
「They’re both thirteen, what are you saying, are you that repressed by the stars」
“Huff… huff…”
The blue-haired girl’s breathing was deep and steady. Her slightly rising and falling chest gave off a faint, pleasant fragrance that lingered at Lin Zhen’s nose, making him pause for a moment.
But quickly, his right hand reached out and pressed down on the black collar at Yun Ruoxi’s chest.
“Let’s begin!”
Lin Zhen took a deep breath.
He slowly closed his eyes, and the complicated structure inside the collar appeared in his senses.
Clink!
Silently, the boy activated his Yi Neng.
A strand of black iron fluid shot out from beneath his clothes, slid through the gap in the collar, and seeped inside, turning into a film of iron that wrapped layer by layer around the special device inside—one that was different from ordinary collars.
This was a new alloy he’d developed with his Yi Neng. Although he’d failed over a hundred times in the process, he finally confirmed it could shield the force field of a therapeutic device.
So it should have no problem blocking the brainwashing field as well.
“Did it work?” Chicha’s voice sounded softly.
Lin Zhen raised his right hand, gazed at the sweetly sleeping girl, and let out a gentle breath.
“It should have worked, but I’ll need to watch Xiao Xi’s reactions for a few days to be sure.”
“Mm, you still have two minutes of surveillance block left. You’re quick, you can go now.”
“Alright.” Lin Zhen replied softly and got up to leave.
But just then, he didn’t know whether it was because he’d blocked the brainwashing field and affected Yun Ruoxi’s mental state, or because he’d made too much noise, but the girl’s smile slowly faded, her brows furrowing.
She tossed restlessly, and in her sleep, turned over and hugged the thing in front of her—Lin Zhen’s leg.
A soft, tender feeling pressed against his thigh.
Lin Zhen smiled wryly.
He tried to pull his left leg free, but there was no way to do it without waking Yun Ruoxi.
Considering that the War Camp’s surveillance was everywhere, he hadn’t told Yun Ruoxi about tonight’s plan in advance.
He hadn’t expected that just when he was about to succeed, something like this would happen.
Lin Zhen could only reach out and gently push Yun Ruoxi, trying to wake her up.
“Xiao Xi, Xiao Xi.”
He called her name more than ten times, but Yun Ruoxi showed no signs of waking up.
As he watched the seconds tick away on the surveillance block, Lin Zhen grew anxious and simply covered the girl’s mouth and nose with his hand.
Warm, moist breath brushed against his sensitive palm, making it unbearably ticklish.
In that moment, he felt a strange impulse—like a fire burning inside him.
But as the girl slowly opened her eyes, he didn’t have time to wonder what that impulse was anymore.
“Strange Impulse” Young man, you’ve really grown huh? You’re even getting lustful at Xiao Xi???