Wanderer of the Zerg

Chapter 60: Reinstatement of Identitiy

Upon reaching the door, just as he was about to insert the key into the lock, the door was pushed open slightly by the key, revealing a small gap.

Xi Tian was taken aback, trying to recall if he had forgotten to lock the door when leaving. Ellis extended his hand, lightly touching the door with his fingers. The door creaked open with a loud “creak,” swinging wide.

Inside the house was quiet. Sunlight filtered through the glass, forming a beam of light on the floor, with tiny dust particles floating up and down in the air.

As they entered the house, Xi Tian looked around, catching a brief glimmer of light. The sound of footsteps scraping against the floor came from behind, while Ellis remained right in front of him.

“You’re back. Did you go out to have fun?”

Behind them stood their mentor, who had been missing for the past two days. He was dressed in a plain gray home outfit, with slightly messy hair, and he was holding a small puppy in his arms. The puppy’s fur was pure white, and its tiny black eyes were endearing.

“Yeah, we just took a walk around nearby.” Xi Tian’s eyes were fixed on the puppy as he reached out his hand. However, as he was about to touch it, the puppy barked loudly, its bark echoing through the room. Its limbs flailed wildly in Cody’s embrace, looking like it was about to break free and leap towards Xi Tian.

Seeing this, Ellis quickly moved between them, blocking the little barking creature from reaching his master. He extended his hand to Cody, saying, “Give it to me.”

Cody handed the puppy to Ellis. The puppy sniffed Ellis and then found a spot, wagging its short, fluffy tail.

“It looks like Dokk and you don’t get along!” Cody observed the puppy and then looked at Xi Tian, laughing heartily.

Xi Tian rubbed his nose, feeling helpless. “I’m innocent; I didn’t even touch it, yet it barks so fiercely. The dog we had before didn’t act like this.”

Xi Tian turned and asked Ellis sternly, “Have you secretly become friends with it behind my back?”

Seeing Xi Tian’s mock-serious expression, Ellis waved Dokk’s front paws, “How could that be? Don’t accuse me falsely!”

Cody laughed beside them, “You two really get along well.”

It was puzzling how the mentor could infer their good relationship from their conversation.

Feeling a bit embarrassed, Xi Tian grumbled to himself and then asked, “mentor, is this your dog?”

“I get so caught up in work at the lab that I lose track of time. I wouldn’t dare keep a living creature! I only allow people to stay temporarily, and when it’s time, they go off to find their own food,” Cody shook his head. “This puppy belongs to one of my lab members. They asked me to take care of it for a couple of days.”

Cody walked over to Ellis, rubbing the puppy’s head. The puppy barked excitedly.

Xi Tian moved closer but stayed an arm’s length away from Ellis. Dokk stared with wide eyes, bared its teeth, and growled like a large beast preparing to attack.

“I haven’t done anything, is it being sexist?” Xi Tian stood still, helplessly holding his forehead.

“This little guy is quite attached to male zergs. It might be your own fault.”

“How would I know why a dog is baring its teeth at me?”

Cody continued to laugh. He said to Ellis, “Please keep an eye on it for me.”

“Xi Tian, come with me to the study.”

In the study, three sides were lined with bookshelves. Two sides were neatly arranged, while the remaining side had books haphazardly strewn about.

“So, where have you been these past couple of days?” Cody laboriously pulled out a chair from under the desk and offered it to Xi Tian, while he settled into a large armchair.

Xi Tian listed the places he had visited to Cody, who then confirmed, “You didn’t go anywhere else?”

“No, that’s all,” Xi Tian said, looking at his mentor. “Is something wrong?”

“There’s an abandoned old building up on the mountain nearby. Locals take their dogs up there to hunt, and every time they pass by, the dogs start barking inexplicably. People coming down from the mountain are also surrounded and barked at by other dogs. Over time, people just stopped using that route.”

Xi Tian’s eyes widened. “I didn’t know there was such a thing.”

Cody took his hand, assuming the tone of a seasoned lecturer.

“You must have been unaware and accidentally passed by that place, picking up its scent. You and your bad habit of getting lost!”

“I…” Xi Tian started to refute, but Cody’s grip was quite firm, a sign of years of handling experiments.

“Maybe that’s the case,” Xi Tian conceded.

“Enjoying going out is a good thing. Young people should get out more and see the world. This planet has many attractions. Even if you visit them all, it will take you ten days to half a month. Spend these days wandering around nearby, but don’t stray too far from this house. I’m likely to head back to the lab soon, and Dokk will need you to look after it.”

Cody patted his hand, but Xi Tian quickly pulled it away, interlocking his fingers and stretching them. “In plain terms, you just want me to come over to help you check the house.”

“Ha ha, you’re not wrong. But you’ve gotten much better compared to when you used to stay at home all the time.”

“I’ve always been fine.”

“Back then, even if I bought you a ticket, you wouldn’t leave Zerg Star.”

“Well, I’m out now.”

“You were forced to leave. That said, whether by choice or force, you’re doing much better now than before.”

“Why are we talking about my departure from my home planet again?” Xi Tian scratched his head, suddenly standing up from his chair, pacing a couple of laps on the floor, and then dejectedly sitting back down. “I’m worse off now. At least I was a native of my home planet before; now I’m just a homeless wanderer!”

“It’s not a big deal.”

“How can it not be a big deal? I was kicked out of my home!” Xi Tian said, fuming.

Cody pushed a button-shaped object across the table to Xi Tian.

“What’s this?”

“It’s your identity information from Zerg Star,” Cody said casually.

“Oh my god!” Xi Tian quickly took the button in his hands, examining it repeatedly. “mentor, how did you manage this?”

“The trial process was itself flawed, so finding procedural loopholes was easy. After that, everything fell into place.”

Xi Tian knew that the process was certainly not as simple as Cody made it sound.

“After you return to Zerg Star, just get your residency verified at the local police office, and your citizenship will be restored directly.”

“I know about that,” Xi Tian said, holding up the button and examining it closely. “What is this button for? I’ve never seen one before.”

“The button is a government tool for storing personal information.”

“Thank you so much, mentor!” Xi Tian said sincerely.

“I’m your elder, no need for thanks,” Cody said, though he smiled with squinted eyes. “By the way, if you have time, could you help me organize the books on that wall? The ones on either side are neat, but the middle isn’t, and it looks quite uncomfortable.”

“I’ll make sure my service meets your satisfaction,” Xi Tian replied with a smile.

“I don’t have anything else for now, so you can go,” Cody said, pointing to the thick scrapbook on the table. “Take the scrapbook with you. It contains interesting little stories I cut out years ago. I’m sure you’ll enjoy them.”

Xi Tian picked up the scrapbook and flipped through it.

“The later sections are deeper than the earlier ones, so don’t skim through them as you did with the beginning.”

The scrapbook was from yesterday and didn’t seem particularly extraordinary.

However, since the mentor had suggested it, Xi Tian took the thick scrapbook and left, planning to read it when he got home in the evening.

(T/N: Am i uncaring for not wanting the leads of the story to go back to zerg star?!)