Wanderer of the Zerg

Chapter 61: Untitled

Xi Tian’s appearance is exquisite, and everyone who has seen him is captivated. Even Cody, who had seen countless people and various forms of beauty over the years, couldn’t express the shock he felt upon first seeing Xi Tian.

This shock didn’t stem from Xi Tian’s appearance, but from a sense of familiarity and nostalgia.

At sixteen, Cody fell in love at first sight with a male. The male had a pale complexion, indifferent eyes, and spoke words as cold as ice, yet his face was as delicate as an ice elf.

In the decades that followed, Cody could never forget him. He felt a similar sense of familiarity with Xi Tian, who had the same exquisite features as that male, but without the coldness and aloofness. Xi Tian was immersed in the world, experiencing the full spectrum of human life.

Meeting Xi Tian, perhaps after being alone for so long, Xi Tian’s willingness to be close to him awakened his long-suppressed paternal love.

When he learned that Xi Tian had left Zerg Star, it was already two months later. He had been so busy in the lab that he only realized what had happened to his beloved junior after some downtime. He then sought help and, once Xi Tian’s information was processed, invited him to retrieve his things from this planet. This was also the reason he brought Xi Tian to this planet.

The thick scrapbook, looking ancient, captivated Xi Tian, who spent an entire afternoon in his room carefully studying its contents.

As the clock’s hands moved through several cycles, the afternoon quietly passed by. When he looked up again, the sky outside had darkened, and the setting sun cast orange and purple hues through the bare trees, creating a dreamlike atmosphere in the room.

The door opened gently, and Ellis walked in. “It’s late. Would the lord like to eat something?”

He approached Xi Tian, the remaining daylight embracing him. Xi Tian opened his arms and hugged Ellis around the waist.

“Lord, what’s wrong?” Perhaps because the atmosphere was so tranquil, Ellis appeared particularly gentle, like an older brother, lightly stroking his head and softening his voice.

Xi Tian took a deep breath, exhaled, let his arms fall, releasing his hold on Ellis. He placed a silver coin in the scrapbook as a bookmark, then sat in the chair, stretched, and loosened his stiff limbs.

“Let’s go out to eat.”

Xi Tian pulled Ellis along, smiling as they walked out.

The sun dipped below the horizon, the last bit of the sunset’s glow fading away, finally sinking completely.

The sky turned a clear blue, laid out like a deep-sea curtain, as the view gradually darkened and lights began to flicker on one by one.

They walked along the road until there was no one else around. Xi Tian hesitated briefly, then removed his terminal and pressed the power button on the back.

Ellis looked curious, but Xi Tian had already reached for his wrist, removed his terminal, and also powered it off, placing it in his pocket.

Ellis’s confusion was evident, but Xi Tian nonchalantly continued walking with him.

“Lord?”

“This afternoon, the mentor said a lot to me,” Xi Tian’s voice was low and inexplicably cold in the night, causing Ellis to tighten his grip on his hand.

“I suspect the mentor’s house is bugged. He held my hand to stop me from saying I hadn’t been to that mountain where dogs bark.

I had already told him I spent the past two days exploring nearby, yet he still emphasized visiting local attractions and gave me the scrapbook, asking me to pay attention to the later reports.

It’s just as you mentioned, the reports from thirty-five years ago, focusing on events after the year 2300.”

Xi Tian turned to Ellis and said seriously, “I suspect the mentor might be in trouble.”

Xi Tian placed his hands on Ellis’s shoulders, looking at him intently, “I think from the beginning, the mentor has been trying to warn us. Whether at work, teaching, or during his leisure, he has never spoken so rudely. The idea he gave me about wearing glasses reducing intelligence was absurd, yet I believed it at the time.”

“If Professor Cody is really in trouble, should we…” Ellis paused.

Should we leave this planet?

After all, this is a completely unfamiliar planet, facing unknown trouble. It seems like a reasonable self-preservation thought, but it’s also very selfish.

Ellis didn’t even know if he should say it out loud. Seeing Xi Tian’s expression, he understood that Xi Tian knew his thoughts.

Ellis wasn’t panicked or fearful, just quietly waiting for Xi Tian’s response.

“This afternoon, the mentor gave me my identity information. He has always treated me well.

I told myself that no matter what the mentor wanted from me, I would do my best to fulfill it. After all, he was the first person in my life to genuinely and selflessly care for me.

But he has never asked anything of me.

I know that a part of my personality craves comfort and stability, which has shielded me from many potential external dangers. However, I also yearn for close relationships. I crave your love, and I also crave the mentor’s care.

The moment I realized the mentor might be in trouble, I made the decision to help him, even without knowing what we were facing.

Ellis, this is my personal matter. If you’re unwilling, I understand. Don’t let our relationship bind your own wishes, alright?”

“Yeah.” Ellis nodded, his lips curved in a slight smile, as he held Xi Tian’s hand. “Lord, I’ve accompanied you up to this point. Why would you think I’d quit halfway?

I just wanted to know your true thoughts.”

“Haha, alright then. Ellis, would you be willing to accompany me to find that mountain tomorrow?”

“Of course, but,” Ellis looked at him, a bit confused, “Lord, what mountain are you talking about?”

“Huh? I didn’t tell you? I thought I mentioned it.”

“No, you took the scrapbook from Professor Cody and went straight back to your room. When I knocked to ask if you wanted lunch, you didn’t respond.”

“No wonder I feel so weak now. I completely forgot to eat while reading that thing!”

“Pfft,” Ellis laughed, seeing the look Xi Tian gave him, he quickly covered his mouth with his hand.

Xi Tian hooked his arm around Ellis’s neck, suddenly drew closer, lowered Ellis’s hand, and just looked at him. A kiss landed softly on his lips.

Then, Xi Tian laughed lightly as they separated, but his arm remained around Ellis.

“I’ll explain it all to you on the way.”

Xi Tian believed he understood his mentor. The mentor didn’t imply that they should leave, which meant the trouble wasn’t too serious. Cody asking him to walk around the area and read the reports was a way of asking for help in investigating something, but it wasn’t convenient to say it outright now.

Moreover, the mentor didn’t emphasize the urgency, which meant there was time to handle it gradually.

The next morning, the sun hung high, and the weather was pleasant.

Ellis received a message from Angie, saying that Owen had also arrived.

Ellis hadn’t seen his friend in a long time and could hardly sit still, his heart almost flying away. But he still restrained his excitement, preparing the necessary items.

Seeing this, Xi Tian decided to put off the mountain trip, letting Ellis visit his friends while he stayed back to finish reading the reports.

Ellis hesitated but eventually nodded and apologized to Xi Tian before leaving.

Not long after Ellis left, Xi Tian received a message on his terminal from the home planet’s intelligence network. It was the annual routine comprehensive evaluation report of the citizen health check-up.

Although this planet is also a second-tier planet, its network system is much better than that of Kenna Star, with a delay of less than a few minutes.

Xi Tian opened his health report. Because he had not been on the home planet for four months, the last third of the comprehensive index was blank.

Over the years, Xi Tian’s physical fitness score had always been excellent compared to other males of his age. This year, however, due to abnormal data from the December check-up, his score had dropped to “Good.” The final comment read: “You maintained well from April to November, but December was much worse. Were you secretly possessed by aliens?”

In the past, seeing friends share such comments on their profiles would make him chuckle. Now, it just felt a bit ironic.

Not only was he “possessed by aliens,” but he had also directly become a wanderer.