The Imperial Marshal’s Darling at the Tip of His Heart - Chapter 17

Ling Yao’s recognition was a double-edged sword. Yun Shu was temporarily safe and had perhaps even earned a bit of negligible privilege, but the hypothesis regarding the resonance remained like a scorching secret, burning in his heart.

The Imperial research departments were not fools; they would soon verify the authenticity of the signal and might even analyze further characteristics. Would they link it to Crystal-Erosion Disease? If they did, how would they react? Would they see it as a dawn of a cure, or as another weapon to be exploited? He could not pin his hopes on the Empire’s mercy or foresight. He had to rely on himself.

His consciousness submerged once more into the fragments of information from the chip he had risked his life for, focusing on the hidden private data node coordinates and the orientation of the Calante Asteroid Belt. Was there a connection between them and the other lead Ling Yao had mentioned? Would that node contain more records about this resonance phenomenon, or perhaps the connection between Tartarus and this resonance?

His thoughts were like a tangled mess, yet his body groaned in protest. A new round of violent coughing struck, more fierce than before. Blue crystalline shards accompanied by streaks of bright red blood splashed onto the pure white sheets, a startling sight. The monitor emitted a sharp alarm.

The sliding door opened quickly. It was not Ling Yao, but the expressionless Imperial military doctor and two soldiers. The doctor acted swiftly, injecting him with powerful sedatives and hemostatic agents while changing the contaminated sheets. His movements were mechanical and efficient, devoid of unnecessary words. The power of the drugs forcibly suppressed his body’s revolt and dragged his consciousness into a groggy abyss.

Before sinking into darkness, the only thing Yun Shu could do was engrave the coordinates of that hidden data node and the orientation of the Calante Asteroid Belt deep into his mind.

He drifted in a void of darkness for an unknown amount of time, occasionally sensing intense pain and the feeling of cold liquid being injected into his veins. Time lost its meaning. When he regained consciousness, he felt the pain in his body had been temporarily suppressed by a more powerful drug. Though the sense of weakness still reached his marrow, his breathing was much smoother.

The light in the cell had been dimmed to accommodate his sensitive eyes. The sliding door opened, and this time Ling Yao entered alone. He held a new data pad. His face showed no emotion, but the cold pressure surrounding him seemed slightly retracted. He walked to the bedside, and rather than scrutinizing Yun Shu as before, he turned the data pad screen directly toward him. The screen displayed complex energy spectrum analysis charts and several preliminary conclusion reports.

“The harmonic you discovered,” Ling Yao began, his voice steady and emotionless, “has been reviewed and analyzed in depth by the Imperial Research Institute using a large array. The signal source is confirmed to be located deep within the Calante Asteroid Belt. The energy characteristics are extremely rare; it indeed exhibits strong post-resonance decay properties and is not a direct radiation from the Turbid Core.”

Yun Shu’s heart rose slightly as he listened in silence.

“The Institute proposed seventeen theoretical models that could produce such harmonics,” Ling Yao continued, his gaze landing on Yun Shu’s face with a searching quality. “Three of them involve the decay of specific rare elements under extreme energy fields; five relate to the energy organ residues of certain extinct alien organisms; and a few others… relate to energy ripples produced by high-intensity bioelectric activity.”

When he mentioned bioelectric activity, his gaze seemed to linger on Yun Shu’s face for half a second. Yun Shu’s heart skipped a beat, but his face maintained a weak composure. He even displayed a timely, well-measured curiosity befitting a researcher. “Bioelectric activity? On such a large scale? That… seems hard to imagine.”

“Indeed,” Ling Yao did not press further and withdrew his gaze, his tone taking on a trace of almost undetectable excitement. “Regardless of which possibility it is, it means there is a special energy source or phenomenon deep within the Calante Asteroid Belt that we were previously unaware of, one closely related to Turbid Core pollution. This might be the key to unlocking the laws of Turbid Core energy or even finding a control method.”

He paused and looked at Yun Shu. “The analysis direction and preliminary filtering model you provided saved the Imperial Research Institute at least two months of time. Well done.”

This nearly blunt affirmation took Yun Shu by surprise. Ling Yao seemed to have completely integrated his discovery into the Empire’s research track, temporarily making no association with Crystal-Erosion Disease.

“It was merely a stroke of luck to capture the anomaly,” Yun Shu responded in a low voice, being careful not to take too much credit.

“Luck is also a part of strength, especially in your state,” Ling Yao said flatly. He operated the data pad and pulled up a new file. “Based on your discovery and the information previously obtained from the ruins regarding Turbid Core activity, the Imperial High Command has approved a new exploration mission.”

Data for a planet appeared on the screen. The environment was harsh, shrouded in a thick mist filled with radiation and anomalous energy. Scanning signals were extremely poor, and large areas of the map were marked as “unexplored” and “high risk.”

“Planet Wuyin,” Ling Yao pointed to the planet. “Ancient star map markings show it once had a name: The Eye of the Turbid Core. We believe it may be an ancient outlet for periodic eruptions of Turbid Core energy, or an important energy node. The source of the anomalous signal in the Calante Asteroid Belt likely has some energy connection with Planet Wuyin as well.”

Yun Shu’s heart leaped. Planet Wuyin! There were scattered records in Xilan’s ancient texts as well, calling it the Cursed Land and noting a vague connection to the early outbreaks of Crystal-Erosion Disease. Ling Yao was actually going to take the initiative to go there?

“We need a top-tier energy pattern analyst, someone who can understand those ancient energy signatures to provide judgment and guidance on-site.” Ling Yao’s gaze focused on Yun Shu again, his eyes sharp as if trying to see through him. “You are currently the most suitable candidate.”

There it was. This was Ling Yao’s true purpose. The so-called cooperation and recognition were ultimately for the sake of using him as a key in the most dangerous of places.

“I…” Yun Shu instinctively wanted to refuse. Given his physical condition, going to such a place was synonymous with suicide.

“The Imperial medical ship will accompany us, equipped with the highest-level life support systems. I will lead the team personally,” Ling Yao interrupted, his tone brookling no argument as if he had long anticipated the reaction. “This is an order, not a discussion. Chief Yun Shu, the time has come to prove your true value.”

He leaned down, his voice dropping low, carrying a hint of cold temptation and an unmistakable threat. “On Planet Wuyin, you might find something closer to the truth than the Primal Gene Sequence. Clues about the Turbid Core, about resonance… perhaps even about the antidote you are so desperately searching for. Do you not want to see it with your own eyes?”

This sentence accurately struck Yun Shu’s deepest weakness. Planet Wuyin, the Calante resonance, the Eye of the Turbid Core… these clues intertwined to point toward possibilities he could not refuse. Even knowing it was a trap and that he was being used, he had to go.

He closed his eyes and took a deep breath of the air, which carried the cloying sweetness of medicine. When he opened them again, only a weary but determined glimmer remained.

“I need more detailed environmental data and historical exploration records for Planet Wuyin,” he said. He did not answer directly, but instead made a request.

The corner of Ling Yao’s mouth seemed to twitch almost imperceptibly, as if satisfied with his compromise. “The materials have already been prepared for you.” He left the data pad by the bed. “You have two days to familiarize yourself. During that time, the medical team will perform adaptive treatment and physical enhancement on you. Don’t die on the way, Chief Yun Shu. Your life is very precious now.”

With that, he turned and left without spareing Yun Shu another glance.

The sliding door closed. Yun Shu picked up the cold data pad. Inside was a massive amount of information regarding Planet Wuyin: terrifying environmental data, dangerous local organisms, and failed exploration records. Yet, it was also mixed with startling ancient legends and energy anomaly reports that vaguely matched the records in Xilan’s ancient texts.

His finger slid across the image of the mist-shrouded planet on the screen, his gaze finally landing on the central area labeled as the “Eye of the Turbid Core.” Fear and hope were like twin vines, tightly winding around his heart.

He knew this journey was a desperate gamble with a slim chance of survival. But he knew even better that this might be his only chance to touch the truth and win a sliver of hope for Xilan. Ling Yao had given him a bait he could not refuse, and had also pushed him into a deeper abyss.

He stopped looking at the materials. Instead, he closed his eyes again and focused all his spirit on the coordinates of that hidden data node. He had to learn as much as possible before they departed.