The Imperial Marshal’s Darling at the Tip of His Heart - Chapter 34

Under the forced maintenance of the Empire top tier medical resources Yun Shu body temporarily escaped immediate life threatening danger but that weakness deep in his marrow and the constant erosion of Crystal Devouring Disease remained like a localized cancer never far away

He spent most of his time in a blurred state on the edge of drowsiness and wakefulness preserving every tiny shred of energy

Ling Yao would appear occasionally often bringing new data fragments or encrypted information requiring analysis or verification

Their exchanges were cold and efficient revolving around keywords like Turbid Core Tartarus and Etchings like a transaction danced on the edge of a blade

Ling Yao no longer mentioned the suffering of Xilan and Yun Shu never asked about the movements of the Imperial high command A fragile balance based on absolute calculation of interests was temporarily maintained

However beneath this balance the undercurrents never stopped surging

Yun Shu could feel the gaze of surveillance everywhere not just the visible cameras and sensors but something invisible

He knew that every breath he took might be on the Empire evaluation charts

Amidst this suffocating high tension an extremely weak yet familiar vibration that made his heart stop like a grain of sand dropped into a deep pool quietly touched a secret connection point deep within his consciousness

It was Firefly

The super distance communication technology unique to the Xilan Academy of Sciences based on biological neural frequency encryption

For this mission he had implanted a miniature receiver in an absolute silent state within his neural center before departing Only a signal generated with a specific algorithm perfectly resonating with his personal brainwaves could activate it

It was like a sleeping seed awakened now at the other side of the distant sea of stars by the longing and anxiety of his homeland

The vibration was extremely weak intermittent and clearly had crossed the Empire powerful communication shielding network consuming massive energy and liable to cut off at any moment

Yun Shu breath nearly stopped

He immediately closed his eyes concentrating all his remaining mental strength

Everything outside the ticking of instruments the pain in his body was instantly isolated

Star Raft calling Firefly

A familiar voice struggled through countless interferences and attenuations carrying unconcealable anxiety and hoarse electronic noise

It was Lin Xiao

Received please respond Teacher are you alright

The signal was extremely unstable every word like it was struggling out of a fierce storm

Yun Shu heart felt as if it were gripped by an icy hand yet a wave of indescribable aching warmth surged within him

His homeland had not given up on him

He could not speak in response as that would immediately trigger the surveillance and evidence collection system

He could only use specific brainwave frequencies generated by focused thought like Morse code to extremely slowly and painfully tap out a response signal a process that for his current state was no less than another form of mental torture

Alive he first transmitted the most important information

Severely injured stable he briefly explained his own status

Mission partially successful touched core secrets regarding Turbid Core origin and suppression possibilities

He filtered the most critical information not daring to mention the specific movements of Tartarus and the Imperial high command it was too dangerous and the signal might not transmit fully

Empire heavily guarded situation precarious he finally told the truth

A brief silence followed with only the heart wrenching hiss of the signal crossing deep space

Clearly Lin Xiao at the other end was digesting this information and feeling immense fear and helplessness for his situation

The Head of State and all citizens are grateful for Teacher sacrifice Lin Xiao voice carried a sobbing electronic tone Domestic situation worsening Large scale infections broke out on Agricultural Satellites No 3 and No 7 Medical system on the verge of collapse Resources nearly exhausted

Each cold word hit Yun Shu heart like a heavy hammer

Despite having anticipated it hearing his homeland slide further into the abyss with his own ears brought a sense of helplessness and pain that nearly consumed him

The crystals in his lungs seemed to grate more intensely due to this emotional fluctuation bringing a sharp sting he forced himself to endure it without coughing aloud

They need hope Teacher Lin Xiao voice was full of desperate pleading Any progress any possibility is vital Please must stay alive Xilan cannot lose you

The signal here began to grow extremely blurred and intermittent as if it would disappear completely at any moment

Communication limit Next window unknown Take care

The last few words were barely audible and then that weak connection cut off completely as if it had never existed

The connection point deep in his nerve endings fell back into dead silence

Yun Shu collapsed on the medical bed like he had just been fished out of water cold sweat soaking his hospital gown every breath carrying a violent tremble and burning pain

His brain hummed from over concentration and his vision blurred

The call of his homeland the despair of his compatriots his own desperate situation like countless cold chains wrapped tightly around him making it almost impossible to breathe

Hope was as faint as stardust while the price was as heavy as a mountain

Just as he was immersed in great grief and helplessness the sliding door opened without warning

Ling Yao tall figure appeared at the doorway his face cold and his gaze sharp as a hawk instantly locking onto Yun Shu abnormal state

The abnormal flush on the pale face the rapid and difficult breathing and the temples soaked with sweat

The Imperial Marshal footsteps paused then he strode in his gaze sweeping over every monitoring instrument in the room finally landing on Yun Shu face which was written with pain and exhaustion

What happened his voice was low carrying scrutiny and a trace of undetectable alertness

The surveillance system here was arranged by him personally and theoretically there should be no omissions

But his sharp intuition told him that just now something outside of surveillance must have happened in this room

Yun Shu coughed violently this time unable to fully suppress it as bright red blood seeped from the corner of his mouth again

He raised a trembling hand to wipe it away with the back of his hand his movements weak and difficult

Nothing his voice was so hoarse it was nearly broken just suddenly felt very uncomfortable

Ling Yao clearly did not believe him

He approached the bedside looking down at him those deep eyes seeming to want to pierce through his skin to look directly at the mental storm he had just experienced

Suddenly uncomfortable Ling Yao repeated the words his tone flat yet full of pressure To have such a reaction it seems it was no ordinary discomfort

His gaze swept over Yun Shu sweat dampened forehead and the lingering pain in his eyes then he suddenly asked an extremely abrupt question

Is everything alright over there in Xilan

Yun Shu body stiffened for an imperceptible instant

Though extremely weak how could it escape Ling Yao eyes

His heart pounded in his chest almost breaking his ribs

He knew Ling Yao was suspicious

The Imperial Marshal sharpness far exceeded his expectations

Should he flatly deny it or

In a flash Yun Shu made a decision

Complete denial would only increase suspicion

He needed to throw out part of the truth to shift the focus

He closed his eyes as if overwhelmed his voice carrying a deep unfeignable exhaustion and pain Just had a nightmare Dreamed of Satellite No 3 everyone was

He did not finish but the despair and imagery contained in his words perfectly matched his genuine emotions from moments ago

He disguised the real communication content as a nightmare caused by physical weakness and mental stress

Ling Yao watched him in silence his gaze still sharp as if evaluating the truth of the words

Only Yun Shu uncontrollable broken gasps remained in the cabin

After a long time Ling Yao spoke again his tone still cold but seemingly less intent on getting to the bottom of it It seems the side effects of the Empire drugs also include affecting the nervous system I will have the medical team adjust the formula

He did not ask further about the details of the nightmare but Yun Shu knew he had not entirely dismissed his doubts

This was only a temporary stabilization

However Ling Yao next words made Yun Shu startle slightly

Focus on what you should be doing Ling Yao turned and walked toward the observation window his back to him his voice unreadable Live and get what you want Only by being alive can your nightmare possibly end If you die everything truly ends

These words were still cold even carrying the tone of an order

But the meaning hidden within did not seem entirely indifferent

Was he reminding him Or was it another form of recognition.

Yun Shu looked at that upright and cold back momentarily speechless

The call of his homeland still echoed in his ears and the Empire iron curtain surrounded him heavily

Meanwhile the greatest enemy and temporary collaborator before him grew increasingly difficult to read

Stay alive.

These two words had never been as heavy or as clear as they were at this moment.