Card Room

Meanwhile, Shao Qingge and Ye Qi followed Lu Jiuchuan's car to his residence.

Lu Jiuchuan had been worried about Tang Ci's leg injury. Today, they happened to meet the Shao Ye duo and everyone had time. Lu Jiuchuan privately asked Shao Qingge to heal Tang Ci's legs tonight and Shao Qingge readily agreed. After arriving at the villa, Lu Jiuchuan locked the door and carried Tang Ci onto the sofa.

Shao Qingge said, "Xiao Ye, use your card. Mr Tang, let me look at your legs."

Tang Ci calmly rolled up his trousers. The place below his knees was empty. They had been cut off by some kind of sharp weapon. It was really distressing to see and it was hard to imagine how this person had persevered to live.

Shao Qingge patted Ye Qi's shoulder. "Get ready and let the bugs repair the severed limbs." He added warmly toward Tang Ci, "Mr Tang, it will take about 30 minutes to regrow your legs. The healing of the bugs won't be painful but the image… it can be a bit disgusting."

Ye Qi added, "Yes, the two of you should close your eyes."

"Is it really that bad?" Lu Jiuchuan sat next to Tang Ci and gently placed an arm on Tang Ci's shoulders, joking, "Xiao Tang, close your eyes or else I'm afraid you won't be able to bear the stimulation."

Tang Ci ignored Lu Jiuchuan's joke and stared at his severed limbs without caring. "It doesn't matter. Come on."

Ye Qi asked, "Start now?"

Tang Ci nodded. "Yes."

Ye Qi took out the Bug King card and turned into the bug king. Tang Ci found that Ye Qi's eyes suddenly turned blood red, which was quite cool.

Then he gently touched Tang Ci's severed limbs with his fingers. Many bugs crawled out along Ye Qi's fingers and tightly clung to Tang Ci's severed legs. Lu Jiuchuan was disgusted by the scene and felt numb, but Tang Ci's expression was calm as he commented, "They are cute bugs."

The three people, "……"

Cute?

Lu Jiuchuan helplessly said, "I forgot he likes bugs. He also made a bunch of mechanical ants."

Shao Qingge smiled and touched his nose. "Mr Tang's preferences are really special."

Ye Qi looked very serious because he needed to focus on the treatment.

Every time the bug king treated wounds, it consumed the bugs. The consumption for a normal wound ranged between 1% to 10%. Meanwhile, Tang Ci had lost almost half his legs. In order to completely restore it, this Bug King card needed to consume around 50% of its reserves. The strength of the Bug King card was directly proportional to the number of stored bugs. From now on, the strength of this card would be halved.

Fortunately, Shao Qingge also had the Bug King card. Moreover, the transformation of the bug king lasted 24 hours and they wouldn't necessarily encounter danger during this time. It was a bargain as long as Ye Qi's card healed Tang Ci. It was because the data of S-grade secret rooms wouldn't be cleared. As long as it was cured now, Tang Ci's legs would be healthy after leaving the secret room!

Thanks to the efforts of the bugs, Tang Ci's severed legs started to slowly grow new flesh and blood…

The new flesh was tender and the skin of the calves was almost transparent under the light.

This scene was very magical. Lu Jiuchuan watched for a while before some pictures flashed in his mind and a feeling of pain struck. Lu Jiuchuan hugged his head and his voice was hoarse. “Bugs&#k2026; the bugs&#k2026;”

Shao Qingge turned to him. "What are you thinking of?"

The bug secret room was the 8 of Spades room that Xiao Lou's team had cleared. At that time, Lu Jiuchuan and Tang Ci hadn't joined the team yet, so they hadn't experienced the bug's instance. This was the first time Lu Jiuchuan had seen the scene of bugs treating wounds. The strange thing was that this scene… seemed to have been left in his memory for a long time. It was familiar.

He took a deep breath and spoke while pressing a hand against his pained temples. "Where have I seen these bugs before?"

Tang Ci was startled and observed the bugs on his legs. "I also have a small impression of them."

Shao Qingge narrowed his eyes as he thought about it. "You haven't been to the bug's secret room. The first secret room after everyone joined the team was the Diamonds World Weekly. The Bug King card was banned, so neither Ye Qi nor I have used it. According to your previous words, you haven't seen the bugs before. Since they are now present in your memories, perhaps you have seen them in this world?"

Tang Ci looked up. "Is it the Hilt No Man's Land? Does it have to do with our lost memories?"

Lu Jiuchuan knocked on his head. "It is possible. The bugs are alien creatures and we are now in the interstellar era. It doesn't seem strange to see bugs on distant planets."

Shao Qingge added, "The bugs are originally aliens and it is indeed possible to see them again in an interstellar world. However, the bugs in this world should be an upgraded version different from the ones we encountered. Otherwise, I would be able to use the Bug King card to order all the bugs to listen to my commands and have an army of millions of bugs. I don't think the keepers will be so kind."

Lu Jiuchuan also felt it was impossible for the keepers to send an army of bugs to Shao Qingge as helpers.

What were those bugs in his memories?

30 minutes soon passed. Ye Qi focused on the treatment and was sweating profusely when he finally put away the bugs. He stared at Tang Ci's legs and exclaimed excitedly, "They really grew out!"

Tang Ci's legs were completely grown and even the white toes were very distinct. Tang Ci was joyful in his heart and tried to stand up. It was just that he hadn't stood for a long time and his legs were weak. He almost fell back on the sofa.

Lu Jiuchuan hurriedly supported him, letting Tang Ci lean against his arms while reminding him in a low and gentle voice, "Be careful."

Tang Ci glanced at Ye Qi and Shao Qingge. He seemed to be holding back a certain emotion as a layer of water appeared in his eyes. "Thank you. I never thought I could… stand up again."

Ye Qi smiled and scratched his head. "Mr Tang doesn't need to thank us. It is just using a card and we should do so."

Lu Jiuchuan told Shao Qingge, "Don't be polite. If you need anything in the future then feel free to ask."

Shao Qingge nodded. "Yes. In any case, Mr Tang's legs have just grown out. We haven't used the severed limbs healing ability of the bugs before and I don't know the effect. Don't walk too much for the next two days and adapt slowly."

Lu Jiuchuan smiled. "Don't worry. I'll watch him."

Since it was very late, Shao Qingge and Ye Qi left to return to their residence.

Tang Ci had to walk a few steps to try it out but his legs trembled after only two steps. Obviously, he hadn't yet adapted to the new legs. Moreover, he walked barefoot on the marble floor, which made Lu Jiuchuan feel distressed.

Seeing Tang Ci's face turn pale, Lu Jiuchuan simply picked him up and brought him back to the bedroom, solemnly ordering, "Take a good rest. You have to adapt to your new legs. Patients who have a leg fracture have to rehabilitate slowly let alone you who hasn't walked for six months. What is the hurry? I'll walk with you tomorrow."

Tang Ci's face showed a rare shallow smile when he met Lu Jiuchuan's concerned gaze. "Brother Jiu."

Lu Jiuchuan waved his hand. "There will be no discussion."

Tang Ci's voice was very soft. "Thank you for staying with me. If it wasn't for you, I wouldn't have been able to hold on until now."

Lu Jiuchuan was startled. "What?"

Tang Ci got into the bed and covered his body with his quilt. "I won't say good words twice. Forget it if you didn't hear it."

Lu Jiuchuan, "……"

He really didn't hear it clearly. He only vaguely heard' thank you'. Lu Jiuchuan smiled and touched his nose. "There is no need for thanks. Since when have you treated me with such formal courtesy? Have a good rest and we'll talk about it tomorrow."

He leaned over to pull at the quilt for Tang Ci, unable to help the widening smile on his face.

It was a miracle that Tang Ci could stand up.

He would no longer have to sit in a wheelchair, pretending to calmly cover his empty trouser legs with a blanket.

The Tang Ci in front of him had straight and slender legs and walked with confidence and calmness. For six months, he had been in a wheelchair with limited mobility and even going to the bathroom was a form of torture. Thus, Tang Ci tried to reduce his meals and his entire body slimmed down. Lu Jiuchuan felt pain in his heart when he thought about this. He wanted to take this on for Tang Ci.

Now the Tang Ci who could walk was back. It was great.

Lu Jiuchuan sat by the bed and looked at the pale person lying on the bed. He secretly swore in his heart that this time, he would protect Xiao Tang and never again let him suffer any grievances.

***

Shao Qingge and Ye Qi arrived home and turned on their communicator. There was indeed a message left by Tang Ci.

The two of them had rushed to attend the crown prince's birthday banquet and missed this special message. Fortunately, the 'Xiao Lou' in the palace didn't do anything against them. Shao Qingge and Ye Qi weren't affected by the clone.

Ye Qi was tired from the day. He changed out of his military uniform and went to take a bath. Meanwhile, Shao Qingge went to the study and opened his communicator.

His father had already passed away and handed the Noah Medical Technology company to Shao Qingge. At that same time, he handed Shao Qingge a key to activate the safety deposit box of the Shao family in the bank.

It was an induction ring that had been locked in a cabinet of the study by Shao Qingge.

After entering the study, he thought of it and immediately opened the lock with his fingerprint. He saw the blue ring quietly lying there.

He took out the ring and put it on, remembering that it was given to him by his father before his father's death. Many wealthy people would rent a safe at the bank to store gold or cash for emergencies. This type of safe required a special token to open. What would be in his father's safety deposit box? It wouldn't be a sum of money, right?

Could it be related to the Noah's Ark project?

Shao Qingge frowned. He opened the management system of the medical company and entered his identity and password. Currently, he was the most powerful person in the company with the highest system authority.

He checked the company's investment projects over the years and found the Noah's Ark project 20 years ago.

After opening the project plan, Shao Qingge read it carefully and found several suspicious points.

First, this project was about the Noah's Ark Restart Plan. The restart meant there had been a Noah's Ark plan before. When was the first time? What did they study?

Second, if the investment amount was converted into yuan then it would be as high as 3 billion yuan. The plan for such an important project didn't list any details, including the direction of funds, the cost budget, the profit distribution, etc. The plan was too brief. It only said 'the gene project will benefit humanity'. It was a false slogan without any core content.

An investment of 3 billion would definitely require discussion and approval from the board of directors. Obviously, this top secret plan was approved by the senior executives of the board of directors at that time. They also knew that there were too many medical ethics issues involved in this matter so they didn't dare make it public. They deliberately made the plan vague.

Shao Qingge glanced at the information. The plan had his father's signature. In addition, there was information about some cooperative scientists. Among them was a well-known professor from the Imperial Academy of Sciences… Zhang Shaohua?

Wasn't this Lin Yan's mother?

Shao Qingge narrowed his eyes and copied the information, intending to send it to Xiao Lou tomorrow.

In addition, the ring for the safe must be an important clue. Once the bank opened tomorrow, he would go there first and open the safe left by his father.

TL: Btw, I have a side blog where I have written up novel reviews of danmei raws I have read. I've also written a post about how I got into translating and danmei, as well as a list of all the novels I have translated. Feel free to check it out here.

Proofreader: Fictional Reality & Paranoid Kitten