IRCDM Chapter 93

Chapter 93: Spirit and Drive – The Dawn Star Finally Shines

Li Yao deeply, personally, and profoundly understood whether Liang Huan was capable or not.

And he was slow to recover from the shock and confusion.

It wasn’t until the banquet ended and he was sitting in the hovercar that he woke up as if from a dream and turned to look at Liang Huan.

Liang Huan was now dressed in a suit and tie, looking presentable, with a proper smile on his face, completely different from the person in the pavilion amidst the flower walls—if he hadn’t experienced it himself, Li Yao would never have imagined that Liang Huan would be so…insane.

His back was about to break.

This was a 3S+ waist, even if it had now fallen to D-, it couldn’t be this outrageous.

“Uncomfortable?” Liang Huan reached out to touch his lower back. Li Yao flinched reflexively, and after realizing it, he cursed irritably.

“Let me calm down.” He turned his head to look at the scenery outside. Three seconds later, he hissed and turned back to look at Liang Huan in bewilderment. “Wait, were you pretending all this time?”

“Hmm?” Liang Huan massaged his back and infused a bit of internal energy.

Li Yao probably felt comfortable, leaning back like a master, meaningfully staring at Liang Huan: “When you were emperor, you really didn’t have any concubines?”

“…No.” Liang Huan paused for a moment.

Li Yao was immediately intrigued and carefully took stock with him: “How could a human not have desires? How did you endure so many years? Didn’t you have someone you were moved by? You don’t seem like it was your first time, Your Majesty, knowing so many tricks, almost breaking my back. Although it’s definitely a bit worse than me, this isn’t scientific.”

Liang Huan calmly said: “In the past, I was busy with government affairs and didn’t like getting close to people.”

Li Yao didn’t believe it at all: “You’re almost glued to me every day, I don’t believe it.”

Liang Huan glanced at him: “You’re different.”

“How am I different?” Li Yao was overjoyed, looking at him with eyes that wished they could strip him bare. He carefully savored it and came to a conclusion. “Indeed, my physical strength is very good, unyielding and very endur—”

“Cough.” Liang Huan cleared his throat, interrupting his not-so-serious self-praise. “There’s someone in the trunk.”

Li Yao suddenly turned his head, finally having the mind to notice the third person’s breathing. He silently closed his mouth, opened the car window, and began to blow the wind with a solemn expression.

Liang Huan flattened the corners of his mouth, manipulating the hovercar to turn: “Knocked out, might not have heard.”

Li Yao didn’t even bother to turn his head, just pinched the hand on his thigh fiercely, gritting his teeth and lowering his voice: “Just you wait.”

Liang Huan looked at the traffic robots in front and his eyes curved into a smile.

Li Yao crossed his arms and moved sideways, his voice still resentful even though it was extremely low: “I still think it’s unfair, next time don’t use internal energy, let’s compare, I don’t believe I can’t beat you.”

He leaned over, almost his entire body leaning over. Liang Huan’s neck was tickled by his hair. He reached out to straighten Li Yao’s shoulders and nodded reservedly: “Okay.”

Li Yao couldn’t stand his pretentious manner and his heart itched badly. He couldn’t help but tease him all the way. By the time the two of them returned to the administrative building of Eastern Third District, Liang Huan’s clothes had been messed up terribly.

“Brother Liang, Brother Li, you’re finally back.” Deng Meng had been waiting outside the building all night, and his hanging heart finally settled down.

“It’s alright, don’t worry.” Li Yao patted him on the shoulder.

“Thanks for your hard work.” Liang Huan pointed to the trunk, “There’s someone in the back.”

Deng Meng understood and quickly went to open the trunk. He saw a frail young man curled up inside, his skin as white as a ghost, with dark circles under his eyes, looking like a panda from the outer district’s Immigration Center who had lost weight and become a spirit.

He lifted the person out from inside with one hand.

Zhuo Ming breathed in the fresh air, staring at Liang Huan and Li Yao with a resentful expression, thinking that these two people who seemed to have good brains were actually playing emperor role-playing all the way, they were simply sick!

“Yo.” Li Yao recognized him, “Young Master Zhuo, what are you doing here?”

At this time, Li Yao and Liang Huan had taken off their masks, and Zhuo Ming also recognized the other party, taking a few steps back in shock: “It’s you?”

“Why can’t it be me?” Li Yao put his arm around Liang Huan’s shoulders, “What did you capture him for?”

“Transfer passwords are hard to get, but kidnapping is easy.” Liang Huan said with reason and evidence, “He said he’s worth a hundred billion.”

Li Yao’s expression immediately changed: “Meng Meng, quickly untie the young master.”

Deng Meng politely untied Zhuo Ming. Zhuo Ming snorted, patted the wrinkles on his suit that had been caused by being tied up, and strutted triumphantly into the administrative building of Eastern Third District.

Li Yao glanced at the rope on the ground: “Tsk, I was wondering why you tied him up so neatly, so you’ve been practicing on people?”

“I’ve practiced a long time ago.” Liang Huan massaged his wrist for him, “After all, you always want to run away.”

“I didn’t say I wanted to run away, you just suddenly went crazy.” Li Yao very smoothly tugged at his ear.

Liang Huan tilted his head in the direction of his strength: “Let me take your pulse.”

Li Yao was wary: “Can you get weak in just one night?”

Liang Huan held his wrist: “It’s your mental power that’s too unstable…”

The two of them huddled together muttering, wishing they could stick together as one. Deng Meng puzzledly rubbed his chin in front.

How come Brother Liang and Brother Li seemed…much more intimate after going out for one night?

Deng Meng was puzzled. These two could argue even when they were sitting still, and could even get physical from time to time. What could make them so inseparable?

So strange.

“What’s so strange about that?” Zhuo Ming sat casually on the sofa, wiping his nose triumphantly with his thumb, “I can smell the scent of mental power since I was born. My dad even hired a research team for me, but they didn’t research anything. Before, I even helped my dad identify heteromorph pretenders, I could tell with just one sniff.”

As soon as his voice fell, the reception room fell silent. Whether it was Liang Huan, Li Yao, or Deng Meng, their gazes towards him became slightly eager.

He rubbed the goosebumps that had popped up on his arms: “W-what are you going to do?”

Soon, the meeting room was filled with people, men and women, old and young, tall and short, fat and thin. Shuangta stood in the crowd wearing sunglasses, unexpectedly meeting Wei Ning’s eyes, and couldn’t help but roll his eyes.

Wei Ning stood in place, still wearing a mental power shield on her neck. Ever since she was caught by Liang Huan, she had been locked in a nutrient tank in the laboratory. Although she had agreed to help Liang Huan with testing, her freedom was still restricted, but at least she could see the light of day again. She narrowed her eyes and looked at the young man at the door.

Zhuo Ming was blindfolded, and Deng Meng helped him smell each person in the room.

His expression didn’t change for the people in front, but he stopped when he passed Shuangta, stepping forward and sniffing hard. Shuangta retreated in disgust, almost squeezing out his double chin. Just as he was about to speak, Deng Meng stopped him with a look.

He turned his head impatiently and casually did a few math assignments that Ling Xuan had left for him.

Tsk, all wrong.

When the test was over, Zhuo Ming took off his blindfold, and the room was already empty.

“How many heteromorphs are in the room?” Liang Huan’s voice came from the chip.

Zhuo Ming frowned: “Three.”

In the next room, Liang Huan and Li Yao exchanged glances. After Zhuo Ming accurately pointed out the positions of Shuangta and Wei Ning, he stopped in the center of the room, raised his hand, and pointed to the ceiling: “The last one is here. The smell isn’t as pure as the first two, it’s more like…a hybrid?”

A few minutes later.

The hybrid caught in the hunting net sat in Liang Huan’s office, looking slightly indignant: “I’m not a hybrid, I just came to see what you’re doing.”

Liang Huan raised his eyes to look at him: “Didn’t I tell you to stay obediently in the military?”

Mu Bo said with a paralyzed face: “The military is too boring. Besides training and meetings, Ye Zhen never shows up. Lu Lian is nowhere to be seen. Xiao Heng is a brainless violent maniac. Xu Jiong and Zhao Zhiren are too old. Shen Fangxing and Du Han seem to be having an affair. Pei Zhong and Yue Hang are too bulky, and everyone else is too weak. I originally wanted to find an official position higher than yours, but other than scheming old men, there were only sick old men. I don’t want to live that kind of miserable life.”

Coming back to Eastern Third District, he could at least see Liang Huan and Li Yao. Deng Meng would take him and Jinbao to the amusement park. Occasionally, he would fight with Shuangta, do experiments with Su Murong, and at worst, be caught by Ling Xuan to do homework. He could also find time to build a nest at night, which was much happier than being in the military.

Li Yao laughed out loud, crossing his legs: “I agree with that, the military is indeed not as fun as Eastern Third District.”

“Right, I can also go to the Black Market underground to help you supervise the work.” Mu Bo put his hands on his knees, and semi-transparent tentacles emerged because he was too excited, “The military is simply not a place for heteromorphs to stay. You don’t know how those mechas and signal towers are buzzing all day long, I’m getting tinnitus.”

He looked at Liang Huan expectantly. Compared to the days of being imprisoned in the military, the matter of rebelling could be put on hold first.

Liang Huan looked at him: “The signal towers are ringing all day long?”

Mu Bo nodded: “I don’t know what the old men are up to. Ye Zhen said that the Mecha I Department has been isolated and can’t get any news at all. I finally found a chance to investigate, but I was almost killed.”

“Humans?” Li Yao sat up straight.

Mu Bo said with lingering fear: “Not like humans either. Half of his body is mechanical, and half of his body is heteromorph, but his mental source is very strange, like a salad mixed with human and heteromorph slices, which makes me very scared. I don’t dare to run around anymore. A wise man does not stand under a dangerous wall, and a great man can bend and stretch. I was afraid of being accidentally killed by him, so I secretly ran back.”

He didn’t know what famous work he had read again, but between the lines was his emphasis on his own little life.

“It’s Yi Heng Bai.” Li Yao retrieved a screenshot video from the chip, which showed Yi Heng Bai in an image of negotiating with him.

Mu Bo’s pupils shrank suddenly, and he sat to the side, away from the holographic video, thinking that he was not noticed.

Liang Huan looked at the young man in the video who was completely unlike Li Yao: “With the current technology, can the dead be resurrected to this extent?”

Li Yao shook his head: “I don’t know, but the feeling he gives me is very strange. Sometimes I feel like he is Yi Heng Bai, and sometimes I feel more like a virtual life form…that doesn’t seem like a heteromorph pretender.”

Liang Huan leaned on the back of the sofa, meeting the eyes of the person in the holographic video: “They sent Yi Heng Bai, is it just to persuade you to go back?”

“Do you remember the chimaera laboratory on the top floor of the bar?” Li Yao sat on the armrest of the sofa, raised his hand to intercept the scene of Yi Heng Bai revealing his arm into a tentacle, “Does it look similar?”

Liang Huan narrowed his eyes: “So Lu Lian was so anxious to attack us and let You Zhao Chen escape, because he was afraid that we would find out deeper things.”

The two of them looked at Mu Bo at the same time.

Mu Bo didn’t understand their charade: “Is Lu Lian going to catch me?”

Li Yao explained to him patiently: “Chimaeras are different from variants. Variants are Shuangta and Wei Ning. Although their behavior patterns are more like humans, they are essentially heteromorphs. And because they have undergone genetic modification, although their combat power is high, their lifespan is very short. As for chimaeras—”

“Chimaeras are more like combining humans and heteromorphs after cutting them in half.” Liang Huan gave him a more intuitive explanation, “As for whether the consciousness of humans or the consciousness of heteromorphs is dominant, it is difficult to say. We know very little about chimaeras.”

Mu Bo suddenly realized: “Su Murong read me relevant papers. Whether it is chimaeras or variants, they are strictly prohibited in the field of experimentation.”

“Devouring corpses to become pretenders is the only natural way for heteromorphs to come into contact with human genes.” Li Yao chuckled, “Heteromorphs want to use pretenders to confuse humans and plunder resources. Humans are naturally greedy for their powerful mental power and physique. Raising so many heteromorphs in the breeding area is not simply to obtain fuel…tsk, it’s all disgusting enough.”

“Then what am I? Am I a heteromorph pretender, a variant, or a chimaera?” Mu Bo was a little confused.

“You can ask Chuan Wu.” Liang Huan smiled.

Carrying thoughts about his own identity, Mu Bo couldn’t wait to go to the laboratory where Chuan Wu was being held.

“Is he okay going by himself?” Li Yao was a little worried.

“He just looks stupid, Chuan Wu gave him an intelligence rating of 3S.” Liang Huan said, “Acting and reproduction are just his hobbies.”

Li Yao sighed: “What a wise man hiding his ability.”

Liang Huan squeezed his wrist, shifting his attention back: “No wonder one Yi Heng Bai made you lose your composure. Do you think this is a signal from Xun Zan?”

“Before the Dawn Project, the military had been vying for dominance. Xun Zan and Chen An were staunch purists, believing that humans and heteromorphs absolutely could not coexist. Yi Yuan was an experimentalist, believing that humans could take the genes of heteromorphs for their own use, so he had always had contact with the Chuan Wu laboratory. Others were coexistence factions, evacuation factions…heh, each held their own opinions, but most people advocated purging heteromorphs and finding a new home, so the Dawn Project could be carried out.”

Li Yao shook his head: “Before Marshal Xun got sick, he also carried out large-scale cleanups in the military. His position has always been very firm. Although Yi Heng Bai and Yi Yuan are father and son, he followed Marshal Xun. I can’t figure out the purpose of Marshal Xun sending him. Anyone can tell me the news that Chen An is still alive—unless his attitude has changed.”

Liang Huan raised an eyebrow: “He’s joined forces with Yi Yuan?”

“There’s a possibility.” Li Yao closed his eyes, “If he and Yi Yuan join forces, Yi Yuan will never let Chen An come back, so I’m so anxious to…”

This topic was too sensitive between the two of them, so he didn’t continue.

Liang Huan smiled: “If I were Xun Zan, I would also force you to go back. If the signal receiver is on you, activating the coordinates might bring back Chen An, or it might give Yi Yuan an explanation. If the signal receiver is not on you, he can use you to deal with me, or even turn around and restrain Yi Yuan—you care so much about Chen An and Yi Heng Bai, you’re so obsessed with the Dawn Project, you definitely can’t stand it and want to go back and see.”

The teacher who might come back and the comrades who sacrificed for him, the brother who was suspected of being a chimaera and could not rest in peace, and the old marshal with an unclear position and the military who was about to go astray. With Li Yao’s conscience, it was impossible not to go back. Xun Zan had gone all in, adding the biggest weight.

He contemptuously commented: “The old scoundrel is really dying, desperately trying to save himself with a good plan.”

Li Yao: “…Is that how you used to scold people when you were in court?”

Liang Huan raised an eyebrow: “I’m the only one who gets scolded, there won’t be any historians staring at me to record it here.”

He would kick the historians out and then scold them.

Li Yao sympathetically touched his head: “It’s not easy for you either.”

Liang Huan nodded: “I will die young, all due to those stupid pigs in the court.”

Li Yao couldn’t help but laugh.

Liang Huan pulled him onto his lap: “So what conditions are you planning to give me?”

Li Yao raised an eyebrow: “I didn’t say I was going back to the military now, what if you desperately jump over the wall too?”

Xun Zan’s bet was already clear, but he wasn’t sure what Liang Huan would do.

“Cooperating with the military now doesn’t do me any good.” Liang Huan said.

Li Yao understood: “Not necessarily.”

Liang Huan met his eyes: “There are too many uncontrollable factors, the Mecha I Department is already a useless piece for Xun Zan.”

“What if you add the mine behind it?” Li Yao raised his hand and rubbed the back of his neck, “You don’t care about the current military, what about a military completely controlled by me?”

Liang Huan pushed away his shoulders, and the way he looked at him became a little dangerous.

“I have to give myself an explanation for these years.” The lifeless mental power finally showed a trace of vigorous and upward vitality, like a defeated and dying lion finally gathering strength to stand up again and show its fangs to the behemoth opponent across from it, “Liang Huan, I don’t want to keep enduring it, and I won’t let the military manipulate me at will anymore.”

Before meeting Liang Huan, he lived a life of indifference, heading towards a predetermined ending numbly and despondently, letting people ridicule, mock, and slander him. But after meeting Liang Huan, every time he ran away, every time he dodged, he would be dragged back by this person domineeringly and firmly, forcing him to face the cruel reality and the faint future. No one believed that he was the Dawn Star more firmly than Liang Huan. Even if he fell into the mud and was worthless, Liang Huan would only pick him up, wipe him clean, and regard him as a treasure.

So much so that he actually developed a bit of fighting spirit and wanted to resist the arranged fate.

The surprise in Liang Huan’s eyes flashed, he even felt his breathing become rapid. The surge of surprise and excitement almost drowned his whole being. He deliberately suppressed his emotions, and his voice was calm and cold: “Really?”

Li Yao hooked his chin, arrogant and playful: “Your Majesty, don’t you want to see it?”

Liang Huan held the little black dragon between his wrists and gently stroked it.

“I’ll help you subdue the military, and you’ll help me find Chen An,” he smiled confidently and flamboyantly, “Even without the signal receiver, I can still activate the coordinates.”

Those beautiful eyes slowly overlapped with the seventeen-year-old Yi Heng Chen, spirited and fearless.

Liang Huan heard a satisfied sigh from deep within his heart. The howling satisfaction brought an unspeakable tremor, giving him a little more sense of reality in this world.

The Dawn Star he had painstakingly obtained was finally shining.