A Guide to Incubating Eggs in the Stars

by Usui Takumii

not mine, asia novel. Beware edited mtl and bl.

6. 51 to 60

Chapter 051

Bai Xiaoyu and Lou Hao traveled by spacecraft to the Herb Base, which was located on the boundary of the region, far from all cultivation points.

At this moment, Bai Xiaoyu had a large black egg behind him and a small white egg in his arms.

Lou Hao watched the two eggs, which behaved obediently in front of Bai Xiaoyu but shot him hostility every time he spoke with Bai Xiaoyu.

He had become immune to it; as an adult, he didn't want to argue with two round eggs.

Bai Xiaoyu stroked the two eggs. Both Dahai and Xiaobudian were excited about being able to go for a ride with him.

He had been too busy lately, so bringing them out now was a form of compensation. Xiaobudian was no longer as fragile as before and could handle the spacecraft ride without any issues. As for him, this flight did not require spatial jumps, so he wouldn't feel uncomfortable.

The journey across half a district took less than ten minutes with the speed of a starship.

Upon arriving at the Herb Base, they found that it had transformed significantly from the overgrown mess it once was.

A ten-meter-high metal wall shimmered silver under the sunlight, extending endlessly on both sides.

They disembarked from the spacecraft, and Bai Xiaoyu gave the metal wall several glances.

Following his gaze, Lou Hao explained, "This is a protective wall made from mecha materials, capable of withstanding attacks from S-class mechas and below. It's equipped with a grid of tens of thousands of volts, rows of energy cannons mounted on the wall, which can attack incoming targets externally and intruders above the base internally. Currently, only the first herb zone has been built, and the rest is still under expansion."

Bai Xiaoyu nodded, satisfied with the protective wall, which could be described as impregnable.

However, the downside was its high cost. Half of the hundreds of billions of credit points had already been spent on the wall.

This was still considered minimal because the raw materials for the wall were available on this planet. The governor of District Nine negotiated with the governor of District Twenty-Three, and Bai Xiaoyu agreed to prioritize supplying their district with potions at half price for three years. In return, the other side sold the metal at half price and fully supported the construction of Bai Xiaoyu's Herb Base.

The modified energy cannons installed on top were purchased from District Eleven under similar conditions.

As they approached the entrance of the Herb Base, two robots greeted them. After scanning Bai Xiaoyu and his companions, one robot said, "Identity confirmed. Please proceed."

Inside, the area was divided into herb zones based on the types of herbs, each occupying a specific area ranging from ten acres to five hundred acres. This allowed for planting according to the needs of each herb. If necessary, multiple areas could be selected for planting.

Bai Xiaoyu entered a nearby herb zone, which was a vast three-hundred-acre area with soft soil. Despite the seemingly empty surface, many machines were buried underground. The dividing walls between zones were also equipped with various sophisticated instruments that looked like question marks to him.

These instruments were designed by Tao Limeng and manufactured by District Eleven. According to the introduction, these instruments not only handled basic operations such as sowing, watering, and fertilizing but also simulated the environment and climate required for herb growth.

Most herbs in the galaxy have been thoroughly studied, allowing for fixed climate patterns to be set. However, due to varying growth stages, professional herb environment builders were needed to adjust air, light, temperature, humidity, etc., to create the most suitable growing conditions.

In addition, the soil essential for herb growth was specially formulated by professional soil mixers. Suitable soil could accelerate the growth cycle, improve quality, and enhance medicinal effects.

However, most herbs on the market already had standardized soil formulations and growth programs.

Bai Xiaoyu frowned, thinking about the herbs not recorded in the galaxy, which had no known records.

After finishing his explanation, Lou Hao looked at Bai Xiaoyu, who was stroking the two eggs, and asked, "We need to hire environment builders and soil mixers. The seeds are ready, and we can start planting soon. What are your requirements for these positions?"

Bai Xiaoyu replied, "The environment builder should be able to construct the growth environment for unrecorded herbs based on the approximate conditions I provide. The same applies to the soil mixer."

Lou Hao paused, surprised, "Boss, your requirements are quite high. Most environment builders and soil mixers work based on existing templates. Constructing new environments and exploring new soil formulations is something many lack the ability to do, even if they have the skills, it takes a long time. Unless we find geniuses in these fields."

Bai Xiaoyu responded, "Let's try recruiting. We also need to cultivate herbs that require large quantities of nutrient solutions. If we can't find suitable candidates, we'll hire some ordinary environment builders and soil mixers."

Lou Hao posted the job advertisement with Bai Xiaoyu's requirements.

The ad quickly garnered thousands of views, but there were no applicants.

Many environment builders and soil mixers thought the poster was joking. Constructing new environments and soil formulations was incredibly difficult. Existing methods had been refined over generations, and new herbs discovered annually required expert teams to study for months or even years.

Moreover, the work location was the backward and dangerous D36 planet. The base was only identified by a number, without even a proper name. It seemed like a small faction's unrealistic dream. Such factions often failed within a year, so they preferred more stable opportunities on major planets.

After three days, they received only a few dozen applications compared to the thousands of others.

Lou Hao screened out those clearly unqualified but attracted by the generous conditions. Of the remaining resumes, none met Bai Xiaoyu's standards, but they might be useful for ordinary tasks.

He invited the remaining thirty candidates for interviews, half environment builders, and half soil mixers.

Bai Xiaoyu joined the interviews. The first candidate, a middle-aged man, claimed to be an environment builder but turned out to be just a show-off during the practical test.

The second candidate, a soil mixer, had average skills but only knew how to formulate a few standard soils.

The third...

It wasn't until halfway through that a young man, an environment builder, showed some promise and passed the test. Seeing Bai Xiaoyu's difficulty in hiring, he demanded the higher pay of a versatile senior builder.

After a round of interviews, Bai Xiaoyu left. He decided to leave the responsibility entirely to Lou Hao and did not attend the next two days of interviews.

On the third day, Bai Xiaoyu was injecting nutrient solution into the ball inside Qi Yanhuan's belly.

Each injection went into the transparent sphere, causing the suction cups to react excitedly, but they couldn't absorb anything until the tentacles extended from the semi-transparent egg absorbed their fill.

Bai Xiaoyu's mental power circled inside, noticing that the egg's semi-transparent membrane had solidified slightly over the past few days. The yolk remained connected to the mother, which would separate automatically after two months when the egg fully formed and hardened. At that point, the egg would hatch.

But whether the tentacles would retract back into the egg was uncertain. He focused on the suction cups attached to the transparent sphere, wondering if he could detach the tentacles somehow.

After discussing with Qi Yanhuan, he decided to give it a try.

He removed the liquid from the transparent sphere, and the suction cups, squeezed together by a thick layer of film, began to deform. They struggled for fifteen minutes before he added the nutrient solution. An hour later, Bai Xiaoyu checked again and noticed the yolk's color had dimmed.

Clearly, the tentacles had fully integrated with the yolk. Damaging the tentacles would harm the life inside. These tentacles had become part of the yolk, so he decided to retract them himself since they wouldn't do it on their own.

Bai Xiaoyu observed the slowly solidifying outer layer of the egg, noting that the extended tentacles hindered the process. He decided to send the tentacles back into the eggshell immediately.

He injected a solution to reduce the viscosity of the water ball. Initially worried that the suction cups would break free and reattach, he had prepared a similar transparent film inside the egg.

To his surprise, the tentacles remained motionless after feeding. Using his mental power, he gently pulled one out, and the tentacle lazily moved, allowing Bai Xiaoyu to push it back into the egg.

Bai Xiaoyu quickly stuffed all the tentacles back inside, and as a precaution, he carefully covered the entire space with the thin film he had laid down earlier.

Perhaps due to insufficient energy absorption in the past, these tentacles instinctively went out to absorb energy from the mother body. Now, as long as sufficient nutrients and energy were supplied daily, the tentacles could remain inside the egg shell until the baby hatched.

Bai Xiaoyu injected nutrient fluid into the egg and noticed that the tentacles were absorbing it in clumps, moving around chaotically but not harming the yolk at all.

After observing for a while, he found that the yolk remained in good condition, and the fed tentacles became plumper and less troublesome. Bai Xiaoyu withdrew his mental power.

Lifting his head, he met the eyes of a beast on the bed—a wolf sprawled across the entire bed. At first glance, Bai Xiaoyu thought it was a husky, but it turned out to be a wolf, albeit emaciated.

This was Qi Yanhuan's beast form, similar to Xiao Xi's when she was sub-adult. Standing up, it reached Bai Xiaoyu's ears.

Since the day all the suction cups attached to the mother body were resolved, Qi Yanhuan could transform into her beast form the next day.

Beast forms have stronger constitutions than human forms and are easier to heal. In just three days, after receiving various nutrients and healing agents, the wolf had gained some weight.

Now tilting its head to look at him, Bai Xiaoyu recalled Xiao Xi's beast form, his fingers twitched but he retracted his hand. "All the tentacles inside the egg have been sent back. As long as we inject nutrient fluid daily, the baby will hatch in two months."

The docile wolf rubbed its head against Bai Xiaoyu's hand. Qin Lie, standing nearby, spoke excitedly, "Master Bai, Little Huan said thank you. You are truly our benefactor; if you need anything in the future, just let us know."

Bai Xiaoyu: "No need to be so formal; I've already received your payment."

Qin Lie hugged the wolf in its beast form. At this moment, Lou Hao, who had not done well in his interview, approached and saw Qin Lie suddenly turn into a large white rabbit, its ears twitching. A scar on its face made the rabbit look somewhat fierce.

And now, this fierce-looking rabbit was rubbing against the larger wolf, making excited noises.

Bai Xiaoyu was taken aback; such a pair at opposite ends of the food chain was quite interesting.

Lou Hao's lips twitched; he never expected that someone as burly as Qin Lie would have a rabbit as his beast form, while the gentle Qi Yanhuan was a wolf.

He glanced over and then turned to Bai Xiaoyu, handing him a folder. "From the interviews these past few days, I think only these six candidates are suitable—three herb environment constructors and three soil mixers. Take a look and see if you want to hire them."

Bai Xiaoyu took the folder and flipped through the documents. After reading, disappointment showed in his eyes. "It seems finding ideal herb environment constructors and soil mixers is quite difficult."

Lou Hao: "Boss, it's not just difficult; it's very difficult."

As they talked, they did not notice the two creatures rubbing against each other, both perking up their furry ears upon hearing something interesting.

After listening for a while, the two beasts looked at each other.

The large rabbit suddenly stood up and transformed back into human form.

He cleared his throat. "Um... may I interrupt you for a moment?"

Bai Xiaoyu turned to look at him and then at the lying wolf. "Is there something wrong?"

The wolf shook its head slightly, and Qin Lie hurriedly said, "You mentioned establishing an Herb Base and recruiting herb environment constructors and soil mixers?"

Bai Xiaoyu nodded. "That's right."

Lou Hao added, "Our boss needs herb environment constructors and soil mixers who can build environments and mix soils for unrecorded herbs based on the information he provides. The requirements are very high. Do you have any recommendations?"

Qin Lie, seeing the hopeful looks on their faces, scratched his nose, smiling sheepishly. With his wife and child recovered, the burly man's smile lacked its previous ferocity and seemed more gentle.

"I do have some recommendations. Little Huan is an herb environment constructor, and I am a soil mixer. If you don't mind that we haven't practiced our professions for ten years, we can give it a try."

Bai Xiaoyu: "Of course, you can."

Lou Hao suddenly stared at Qin Lie's face, then turned to look at Qi Yanhuan's beast form. His expression grew increasingly puzzled. "There is a slight resemblance. I wish I had paid more attention to the top students from different majors in school. The beast forms match, but the names don't."

Qin Lie felt uneasy under Lou Hao's gaze. "What are you looking at?"

Lou Hao suddenly asked, "Which school did you graduate from?"

Qin Lie answered reflexively, "Imperial Military Academy."

Lou Hao's eyes suddenly became serious. "When did you graduate?"

Qin Lie: "Ten and a half years ago."

Lou Hao's heart skipped a beat; the timing matched.

Ten years ago, the Imperial Military Academy produced two super geniuses in the fields of herb environment construction and soil mixing. They even outshone the top students in the academy's prestigious majors like command, mecha, alchemy, and cultivation.

One was herb environment constructor Qin Yanhuan, and the other was soil mixer Qi Lie.

Qin Yanhuan, like Lou Hao, was double-majoring, with a minor in mecha. Her beast form was a wolf. She loved adventure and enjoyed fighting, often challenging other mecha students.

Qi Lie's beast form was a rabbit, initially shy and gentle.

Oddly enough, they were a couple. It was said that the young rabbit Qi Lie fell in love with Qin Yanhuan during a fight and pursued her for three years. Eventually, the rabbit successfully lured the wolf into her den. This story was still talked about by their juniors ten years later.

Their abilities were even more impressive. Their excellent academic performance earned praise from many professors. During their university years, they were invited to join the Royal New Herb Research Base. In just a few months, they solved problems that had stumped experts for years. They accomplished in months what others took decades to achieve.

The entire galaxy was stunned, and the media hailed them as the new kings of herb cultivation, each excelling in their respective fields and together dominating the field.

Their collaboration was seamless, a perfect synergy that far exceeded the sum of their individual talents.

However, after graduation, the couple disappeared without a trace, unseen for ten years.

Many speculated that they might have been recruited by a major organization to research new herbs in secret. But over time, fewer people mentioned them. After all, new geniuses emerged every year, though each mention of them always brought admiration.

Seeing Lou Hao staring intently at Qin Lie, Bai Xiaoyu asked, "Why are you staring at Qin Lie like that?"

Lou Hao muttered, "Qin Lie, Qi Lie, Qi Yanhuan, Qin Yanhuan!"

He suddenly grabbed Bai Xiaoyu's shoulders. "If my guess is correct, you've got talent, no, geniuses knocking at your door! Boss, what kind of luck do you have... Ah!"

Bai Xiaoyu watched as the suddenly appearing large black egg knocked Lou Hao away, then rubbed against Bai Xiaoyu before jumping onto Lou Hao's back and smashing down hard, bouncing around and rolling over him.

Xiaoyu couldn't help but laugh and cry at the same time, thinking about Lou Hao's current double S physique; even if the big black egg applied more force, it wouldn't break him. Well, let them have their fun.

He turned to look at Qin Lie, who had already returned to Qi Yanhuan's side, now back in human form. Both of them couldn't help but laugh at the commotion caused by the large black egg.

They hadn't been this happy in a long time.

Qin Lie looked back at Bai Xiaoyu, "Lou Hao was right. Our original names are Qi Lie and Qin Yanhuan."

After graduation, Qin Yanhuan loved adventures, so Qi Lie gave up everything to accompany her. For ten years, they faced countless dangers together, traversing numerous mountains and rivers, and eventually had their own child.

Now they finally wanted to settle down. Since their benefactor had established the Herb Base, it was perfect for them to continue doing what they loved while also repaying their debt of gratitude. Why not?

Lou Hao finally managed to get up, panting heavily, and asked, "I have a question. Why did you switch surnames?"

Qin Lie and Qi Yanhuan exchanged a glance and smiled.

"Taking my surname and giving it your name. That's our way of being romantic."

Lou Hao was speechless. He glanced at the two of them, their eyes locked in a tender gaze, then looked away and saw the large black egg trying to squeeze into Bai Xiaoyu's arms.

He suddenly felt a bit overwhelmed.

Chapter 052

After stroking the large black egg, Bai Xiaoyu looked at Lou Hao's suddenly strange expression and asked, "Xiaolou, what's wrong? Are you too tired lately?"

Since Lou Hao had undergone another transformation and emerged from his shell, he had noticeably grown during this period.

Lou Hao rolled his eyes. "Being tired or not isn't that important. As long as you guys don't casually spread dog food everywhere."

Bai Xiaoyu automatically associated "you guys" with the couple showing affection nearby and found it amusing. "Who told you to ask such sensitive questions?"

Lou Hao shrugged. "Fine, I won't ask anymore. Boss, how about these people?"

Bai Xiaoyu: "I'll take another look."

At this moment, Qi Yanhuan, looking at the documents in his hand, addressed Bai Xiaoyu similarly, "Boss, let me take a look."

Bai Xiaoyu nodded and handed over the documents. "You can choose too."

After all, professionals have a sharper eye.

Upon receiving the documents, the couple immediately flipped through them, discussing quietly as they read.

Their conversation was incomprehensible to Bai Xiaoyu, as they only spoke one or two words, used tone words, and exchanged glances—outsiders couldn't penetrate their world.

Soon, the results came out. Most of the candidates were eliminated, leaving only two: an Herb Environment Construction Specialist and a Soil Mixologist.

"These two are barely satisfactory; the rest won't do."

The couple finished speaking with unsatisfied expressions on their faces.

Seeing that only two candidates remained after three days of effort, Lou Hao couldn't help but rub his forehead. "Do we need to continue recruiting?"

Bai Xiaoyu looked at the two professionals, who both nodded.

Qi Yanhuan: "For future work to go smoothly, we need a more professional team. We can handle the recruitment for this aspect."

Bai Xiaoyu: "Sure. But your body is still recovering. How about letting Qin Lie handle it?"

Qin Lie nodded. "I can definitely manage it. Little Huan should focus on recovery."

Qin Lie thought for a moment. "If we're forming a team, we naturally need a working environment and funding, as well as various materials. When can you arrange it, boss?"

Having set a precedent with Tao Limeng, Bai Xiaoyu nodded. "Sure, you can directly discuss requirements with Xiaolou."

Lou Hao: "…Yes, come to me. After discussing, inform the boss so he can allocate credits."

Bai Xiaoyu thought about the recent batches of potions sold on the Star Network pharmacy, and decided to temporarily allocate the accumulated credits to Qin Lie.

Considering that Qi Yanhuan also needed a team, Bai Xiaoyu didn't mention it but instead asked Lou Hao directly, "Ask Xiao Meng if they need to recruit anyone?"

Lou Hao: "Boss, you don't know him. If he figures out the cultivation fluid synthesizer and there's no new equipment here to interest him, he'll go somewhere else where he can continue his research. Unless you want to form a research and development team centered around him, like Qi Yanhuan and Qin Lie, it's unnecessary."

Lou Hao, who had known Tao Limeng for years, understood his personality well. In Tao Limeng's research world, once he lost interest, he would be the type to leave without hesitation. No emotional or financial incentives could keep him.

Bai Xiaoyu thought of the exchange mall mentioned by the system. "No worries, he might be too busy later."

Besides, Tao Limeng, a talent capable of developing functional instruments, weapons, and even mechs, was someone everyone wanted to retain.

Without hesitation, Lou Hao believed Bai Xiaoyu's words. "Alright, I'll tell him and post the recruitment notices together."

In the following week, the recruitment process was in full swing. One evening, Bai Xiaoyu received a video call request from Su Ran of the Sixteenth Legion.

After answering, Su Ran was startled to see a person and two eggs on the bed beside Bai Xiaoyu.

Staring at his boss for a while, Su Ran realized that Bai Xiaoyu had settled down, looking like a family of three.

Feeling the odd gaze moving between them, Bai Xiaoyu couldn't help but ask, "Deputy Commander Su, what's up?"

Su Ran cleared his throat. "I heard your Herb Base is under construction. Have you decided on guards yet?"

Thinking back to the discussion with Lou Hao a few days ago, Bai Xiaoyu knew that while security measures could deter some malicious individuals, it was difficult to stop those operating advanced mechs. A powerful guard team was necessary.

Each of the Huang family's herb bases employed thousands of mercenaries for round-the-clock patrols.

They also needed manpower and had recently considered hiring mercenaries. Now that Su Ran brought it up, Bai Xiaoyu nodded and asked, "Do you have any candidates?"

Su Ran's eyes darkened slightly before returning to normal. "Yes. They are retired soldiers, mostly with physical disabilities, missing limbs, and unable to operate advanced mechs. However, I can guarantee their combat, reconnaissance, and counter-reconnaissance skills are top-notch, comparable to external mercenaries."

Bai Xiaoyu recalled Ling Ying and Chen Kai, whom Su Ran left to guard the Pharmacy Building. Both had S physiques but lacked parts. Ling Ying had a biomechanical hand, and Chen Kai had a biomechanical hand and half a mechanical leg. They looked no different from normal people.

Bai Xiaoyu provided them with many potions to heal their internal injuries and remove dark matter. Their bodies were healed, except for the missing limbs.

Recently, Bai Xiaoyu had been too busy to study limb regeneration. Previously, when helping Lou Hao, he focused on regaining and reattaching his wings.

Limb regeneration wasn't impossible but required the creation of a Creation Potion. Coincidentally, during a turbulent era, their family's ancestral notebook was torn, leaving the recipe for Creation Pills incomplete. He hadn't encountered the potion since then.

Bai Xiaoyu planned to try completing the recipe later.

Now, Ling Ying and Chen Kai could transform into beast forms without issues and had caught numerous intruders. Their combat abilities were unquestionable.

Bai Xiaoyu welcomed these retired soldiers.

Bai Xiaoyu: "Sure, we haven't found guards yet."

Hearing this, Su Ran's face lit up with excitement. "On behalf of the XVI Legion, thank you. Every year, severely injured soldiers who can no longer fight receive benefits when the commander is present. Most are given jobs. Now that the commander is missing, the higher-ups ordered them to retire. Only a small number were reassigned to administrative roles, those with intact limbs. The rest were forcibly discharged. That's why I asked if you need anyone. Apart from those arranged by the old marshal, there are still a thousand soldiers left. How many do you need?"

Bai Xiaoyu thought about it and realized he did need more hands, so he said, "All of them."

Su Ran replied, "I'll arrange it right away and guarantee to have them here within a week."

After hanging up, Bai Xiaoyu immediately contacted Lou Hao. Before the veterans from the Sixteenth Legion arrived, he built a small military base inside the Herb Base. This time, he also set up an environment and soil research department, employee dormitories, and more.

Time flew by quickly over the next six days. Bai Xiaoyu used his mental power to check on Qi Yanhuan's egg. The tentacles had grown plump and thick, and the yolk had expanded significantly. There were no signs of the previous concerns; everything was going smoothly.

However, during this period, Qi Yanhuan, under his care, had used quite a bit of medicine. With the incredible constitution of a Star Beast, she had fully recovered, her complexion rosy, a far cry from her mummy-like appearance before.

Moreover, after recovering, her personality seemed to change—or perhaps this was her true nature all along, now fully expressed as they became familiar with each other.

She was naturally outgoing and adventurous. After being cooped up for months, once her body recovered and Bai Xiaoyu gave his approval, she eagerly joined Bai Xiaoyu and the others at the Herb Base.

Upon arriving at the Herb Base, she immediately transformed into her beast form, sniffing around and exploring every corner like she was marking territory.

The large rabbit beside her wasn't idle either, digging several holes of varying depths in the nearby soil, pressing down with its paws, sniffing, and even licking the ground with its tongue.

Bai Xiaoyu watched them, both amused and exasperated. He hadn't expected that Qi Yanhuan would recover with a peak double-S constitution, similar to Lou Hao's. Otherwise, he wouldn't have let her come along.

After a thorough inspection, both the wolf and the rabbit were satisfied.

Bai Xiaoyu then took them to see their research department, where all the equipment was designed by Tao Limeng.

There was an underground warehouse nearby, filled with various soil composition materials.

Qi Yanhuan and Qin Lie were pleased with everything. Although everything was just starting and the equipment was rudimentary compared to the Royal Herb Research Institute, they felt it was perfect. Plus, Bai Xiaoyu gave them complete autonomy in their research, allowing them to use any method they preferred, which made them even happier.

Bai Xiaoyu said, "We don't need to rush. Construction is still ongoing there. For now, let's start by planting the nineteen types of herbs needed for the nutrient solution, the ones we sent you earlier."

The wolf and the rabbit transformed back into human form. Qi Yanhuan spoke, "I've looked around the environment here and already have several plans. Which one do you prefer?"

Qin Lie added, "We also have several soil compositions, all fully improved."

Bai Xiaoyu replied, "You decide on that yourselves."

This speed truly lived up to their reputation as geniuses who had outshone many students at the Imperial Military Academy for ten years.

He turned to Qi Yanhuan and said, "Let's go back now, especially you."

Qi Yanhuan responded, "With my double-S constitution, I'm not tired at all. Boss, are you the one who's tired?"

Bai Xiaoyu: "..."

Could he admit that he was indeed a little tired?

Qi Yanhuan continued, "Don't worry, we'll be done soon."

The two began discussing animatedly, with Qi Yanhuan quickly typing away at the control system, showing no signs of rust despite not having done this for ten years.

In less than half an hour, Qi Yanhuan stopped. Bai Xiaoyu noticed the temperature, lighting, and humidity in the space had changed, and a light mist began to rain down.

Qi Yanhuan walked over and patted Bai Xiaoyu's shoulder. "Boss, let's go back. Leave the rest to A Li. We can plant the seeds tomorrow."

The next day, Bai Xiaoyu came with the big black egg and Xiao Dian. Lou Hao was also there. In the nineteen herb zones, the climate, lighting, temperature, and humidity had all changed. The soil was no longer the same color but varied, with red, black, gray, and more.

They poured the seeds into the planting machine, which quickly distributed them through internal pipes, and mechanical arms dug holes in the soil, planting the same type of herb seeds together and covering them with soil.

Watching the planting of dozens of acres completed in an instant, Bai Xiaoyu was momentarily stunned, marveling at how technology truly was the first productive force of human development.

Planting the nineteen types of herb seeds, which he thought would take several days, was done in the blink of an eye.

Just as they were about to leave, a massive spacecraft landed outside the Herb Base.

From the spacecraft emerged several tall men and women in military uniforms, though most had some physical impairments. They needed prosthetic limbs, but their applications had been delayed.

Soon, they all lined up neatly, standing straight and proud, even those without legs.

When Bai Xiaoyu and the others came out, they saw these upright soldiers. Despite their young age, their eyes were full of determination, undeterred by their physical disabilities. Seeing Bai Xiaoyu, they saluted in unison.

Bai Xiaoyu paused, returned the salute, and the big black egg, which had been motionless, now stood still, no longer bickering with Xiao Dian.

It seemed to emanate a sense of sorrow as it watched these veterans.

Everyone present saluted in return, moved by the sight.

No one could miss the distinctive uniforms of the Sixteenth Legion. These soldiers were elites from various military academies, heroes who had fought on the front lines for years. Yet, now injured and unable to fight, they had not been given jobs or even prosthetic limbs.

Bai Xiaoyu noticed the big black egg's mood darken upon seeing these soldiers. He reached out to comfort it, then approached Lou Hao to arrange for the soldiers.

Seeing Bai Xiaoyu approach, the soldiers stood even straighter, worried about being rejected due to their disabilities.

Bai Xiaoyu's expression remained unchanged as he arranged the soldiers, then turned to contact Tao Limeng.

Tao Limeng was surprised; usually, Bai Xiaoyu knew he was busy researching at this time and never disturbed him. Was there an emergency now?

As soon as the call connected, Bai Xiaoyu asked, "Xiao Meng, can you make biological prosthetics?"

Tao Limeng replied, "Yes, but the raw materials for biological prosthetics are the same as those used for biological mechs. Besides obtaining them through royal approval, only the black market has them, but rarely in large quantities. How many do you need?"

Bai Xiaoyu nodded, "Over a thousand biological prosthetics."

Tao Limeng said, "Then we'll have to rely on the royal route. The chances from the black market are slim."

Bai Xiaoyu acknowledged, "I understand. You carry on."

After hanging up, Bai Xiaoyu held Xiao Dian and gently stroked the big black egg, which was still feeling low.

The royal family?

He searched his mind for related memories and found that the original host had hardly come into contact with any powerful figures. The only one was his estranged father.

Bai Xiaoyu frowned; this route was not feasible.

However, he could try his brothers and sisters. Soon, a candidate came to mind: Bai Kan, from the mech raw materials family, ranked ninety-two. He seemed to have kept a peaceful distance from the original host. The original host had been considered a good-for-nothing, while Bai Kan was half a good-for-nothing. However, despite his high mental strength, he could not stand up and had to rely on instruments or remain in a wheelchair.

Bai Xiaoyu opened his optical brain and sent a message to Bai Kan in the group: "Do you want to stand up?"

The reply came almost instantly: "?"

Chapter 53

Bai Xiaoyu looked at the question mark and sent another message: "It means exactly what it says. I can take a look at your leg. If you trust me, give it a try."

After sending it, he saw a bright red exclamation mark.

Bai Xiaoyu rubbed his forehead. This person was very sensitive about not being able to stand due to his leg condition. Now, with such a sudden message, based on their knowledge of the original owner's strength, they might think he was mocking or provoking them?

Bai Xiaoyu put this aside for now. He carried Xiaodian (Little One) and led Dahai (Big Black Egg) towards the military base inside the Herb Base.

Along the way, he kept observing Dahai, unable to resist touching him.

Dahai nudged Bai Xiaoyu and continued following him.

Lou Hao walked on the other side of Bai Xiaoyu. His emotions had not yet calmed down; those were the soldiers of the Sixteenth Legion. He had previously applied to join the Sixteenth Legion but was unsuccessful. Back then, he didn't understand the sinister intentions of the Huang family. Now, he suspected they had intercepted his application.

Now that he could finally interact closely with the soldiers of the Sixteenth Legion, he felt an inexplicable heaviness in his heart.

Lou Hao: "Boss, should we let them rest first after settling them into the military base?"

Bai Xiaoyu: "They do need rest, but some injuries are better treated sooner rather than later. Otherwise, they won't be able to rest properly with these wounds."

The newly arrived soldiers were stunned by the construction of this small base.

Before coming here, they had no expectations, as not everyone would be willing to accept a group of injured soldiers. Even though their strength had diminished, their past abilities were still sufficient to ensure the safety of the Herb Base.

If they had biomechanical limbs, they could perform their duties more reliably. Given their current state—missing limbs—the owner of the base had already been kind enough not to send them away.

Now, they saw a familiar yet unfamiliar, unexpected small base.

Inside, there was a mech training field, a combat arena, a mental strength training room, a physical fitness room, a medical room, a cafeteria, and more. It was clear that this was recently built, only partially completed.

Even with just part of it finished, it was evident how much effort had been put into it.

What moved them even more was that the layout was similar to their previous legion. It felt like they had returned to the place where they had lived for years, filled with memories.

Bai Xiaoyu had considered the soldiers' emotional sensitivity during their transition from active duty due to injuries. To help them integrate better, he asked Su Ran for a rough layout of the Sixteenth Legion's living and training areas.

Seeing the facilities and comfortable accommodations, their initial unease faded, and the soldiers' faces showed expressions of both tears and smiles. Some even hugged each other, and as they hugged, they began teasing their teammates, leading many to make plans to spar in the combat arena.

When Bai Xiaoyu arrived and saw the soldiers regaining their vitality, he smiled slightly. Dahai also perked up, bouncing a few times, no longer as dejected as before.

Bai Xiaoyu's arrival made everyone stand up straight, saluting with their chests out. The leader, somewhat nervously, spoke, "Hello, sir. Is there something you need?"

Bai Xiaoyu tried to keep his tone gentle, "You don't have to be so formal. From today onwards, this place will be managed by you. You can treat it like the Sixteenth Legion. Don't call me sir; call me boss, just like Ling Ying and Chen Kai."

The leader, Cui Zhanpeng, hearing the names of his former comrades, showed a hint of joy. Seeing all the preparations Bai Xiaoyu had made, he was filled with gratitude, "Understood, boss."

Bai Xiaoyu smiled, "They'll be back soon. You can catch up. They know this place well, so you can exchange ideas. By the way, line up according to your injuries, and I'll check you one by one."

Cui Zhanpeng was delighted, "I'll arrange it right away."

Not long after Cui Zhanpeng left, Ling Ying and Chen Kai arrived, bringing a batch of potions, including repair potions, cultivation liquids, nourishing potions, and bone-washing potions.

These were prepared by Bai Xiaoyu based on Ling Ying and Chen Kai's conditions for the wounded soldiers.

Cui Zhanpeng worked quickly, and within five minutes, all the soldiers stood orderly in front of Bai Xiaoyu. Compared to their initial meeting, their moods had improved significantly, and their gazes toward Bai Xiaoyu held new meaning.

Cui Zhanpeng and his old comrades greeted each other with punches on the shoulder.

Cui Zhanpeng stumbled, shocked at how Ling Ying and Chen Kai remained unmoved by his punch.

He and Ling Ying had similar physiques, and Ling Ying's injuries were no less severe than his own. How could Ling Ying feel stronger than during his peak?

More importantly, Ling Ying's overall condition was excellent, completely different from someone recovering from severe injuries and years of combat.

Ling Ying gave him a mysterious smile, "You'll see soon."

Bai Xiaoyu looked at the soldiers and said, "Don't resist. I'll use my mental power to check your injuries."

The soldiers responded in unison, "Understood."

Bai Xiaoyu's examination went smoothly. These soldiers were well-trained and, despite their instinctive resistance to external mental power, managed to control themselves, showing strong discipline.

With over a thousand people, Bai Xiaoyu took less than half an hour, thanks to his powerful mental strength and the soldiers' cooperation.

Bai Xiaoyu quickly identified over thirty severely injured soldiers and focused on them. For the others, Ling Ying and Chen Kai distributed the potions. Each received two bottles of cultivation liquid to replenish energy and one bottle each of the other potions, totaling five bottles.

The soldiers stared at the potions in their hands, stunned.

Weren't these the most popular potions in the legion over the past few months? However, they were extremely limited, mostly given to those on the front lines. Even then, few had access to them. With so many people in the legion and so few potions, some had received only one bottle to save their lives.

Later, when they returned, the legion provided them with these potions to heal their wounds.

But since they couldn't return to the battlefield, more frontline comrades needed these potions, so they didn't take any.

Now, receiving five bottles at once, could this really be happening?

Bai Xiaoyu: "These potions can heal your bodies and treat your hidden injuries. Just a reminder, the bone-washing potion will be painful, so you must endure it. Start with the cultivation liquid to replenish energy; if needed, use two bottles. Then use the repair potion, followed by the bone-washing potion after half an hour, and finally the nourishing potion. You can start using them now, and I'll watch."

The soldiers, who had been following orders, hesitated. Cui Zhanpeng, holding the potions, looked at Bai Xiaoyu, his eyes slightly red, "We have many comrades still on the battlefield who need these potions more. Can we give these to them instead?"

Bai Xiaoyu sighed and pointed to the vast Herb Base under development, "This is a newly established Herb Base. The herbs for these potions will be grown here. Once the herbs are cultivated, millions of potions can be produced for them. Currently, the defense here is weak, and many potions haven't been publicly announced. In the future, these potions will gain fame, and if you can defend this place, you can continuously provide potions to your comrades. If you can't defend it... I don't know what kind of opponents you'll face. Do you think you're currently capable of defending this vast Herb Base?"

The soldiers paused, their eyes gradually becoming determined. They all drank the potions as instructed, their eyes red.

Bai Xiaoyu watched them with satisfaction. This was right; the body is the capital of revolution. The future safety of the Herb Base could now be entrusted to these young soldiers.

Lou Hao wiped his face, "Boss, give me some too. Count me in as one of the future defenders."

Bai Xiaoyu: "There's no portion prepared for you here. Go back and drink slowly by yourself."

The little one in his arms was also restless. Bai Xiaoyu helplessly took out the specially refined nutrient solution and added it to the baby carrier.

Da Hei Dan stood quietly beside Bai Xiaoyu, rubbing against him gently.

Bai Xiaoyu stroked its warm eggshell. Finally recovered, huh?

For the other thirty or so severely injured, he arranged medicinal baths.

After they came out, he observed them for a while and found that there were no major issues.

Now he had to rush back to deal with other matters. He left Ling Ying and Chen Kai, who had experience in this area, to watch over them, and he left with the two eggs.

Meanwhile, on Imperial Star.

In a lavishly decorated venue, glasses clinked as people mingled.

Some were dancing gracefully in the ballroom, while others were drinking and chatting in the hall.

In a prominent resting area, a pale-skinned young man sat in the corner, staring at his optical brain, his eyes emitting a faint coldness.

Several people surrounded him, all young and handsome, each occupying a sofa with their dance partners, chatting, drinking, and even feeding each other fruit mouth-to-mouth, looking quite merry.

At this moment, a man stood up and said to the one staring at the optical brain, "Bai Kan, why are you just looking at your optical brain? The Imperial Star's white rose, the dream lover of many in the Empire, is here as your dance partner today. You should take good care of her."

The man looking at the optical brain was indeed Bai Kan. Hearing this, he raised his head and looked at the speaker, "Bai Qi, if you like her, feel free to take her away and take care of her. Who doesn't know about your little affair?"

He then turned to look at the person next to him, who had an exquisite appearance and every gesture seemed to carry a unique charm, looking elegant and pleasing. Unfortunately, Bai Kan did not miss the quick flash of disdain in his eyes.

He had seen such looks in the eyes of these people before, but usually, he would not bother. Now, after being provoked by Bai Xiaoyu's inexplicable message, Bai Kan's face darkened, "Qi Yun, get lost. Go as far as you can."

Qi Yun, as the president of the Imperial Royal Alchemists Association and the grandson of the only 3S mental strength alchemist in the Empire, had excellent natural talent. His mental strength reached 2S, almost reaching 3S, and could break through at any time. Currently, inheriting his grandfather's alchemy talent, he was already able to refine high-level S-grade potions at a young age.

Qi Yun, with his good looks and high talent, had never been treated like this before. His face changed, "Bai Kan, why do you always go crazy for no reason?"

Bai Kan sneered, "No reason? Do you think I'm Bai Xiaoyu, that fool? Your disdain is palpable. And yet, you still follow him around, sending gifts and whatnot. In the end, you secretly conspired with Bai Qi. When he was expelled from Imperial Star, wasn't it because of your instigation? How could he have the audacity to substitute inferior potions for the ones provided to the Sixteenth Legion by the Imperial Royal Family? Where did he get so many defective potions? Only you and Bai Qi's Huang family could do that. Everyone here knows it."

Bai Qi stood up, "Bai Kan, don't speak recklessly."

Bai Kan scoffed, "I'm not speaking recklessly. Everyone knows the truth. Look at Bai Qin, Bai Hai, and Bai You; they're all here. Has anyone refuted it?"

The few people cuddling with their dance partners shrugged, seemingly enjoying the show, watching the fire spread towards them, their expressions varied.

One remained silent, another chuckled, and another gave Bai Kan a thumbs-up.

Bai Qi gritted his teeth in anger. Each of them had backgrounds and power equal to his, unlike Bai Xiaoyu, who, without the favor of that person, could be easily manipulated.

He had intended to gather them for cooperation at this gathering, but now he had to endure. Especially Bai Kan, who supplied nearly thirty percent of the raw materials for mecha and various instruments in the Empire.

The Huang family recently developed a high-end alchemy refining instrument, requiring large quantities of materials. He couldn't afford to fall out with Bai Kan.

Bai Qi endured, "Bai Kan, we're brothers after all. Why bring up such things? Who here is truly innocent?"

Qi Yun also spoke, "We're here to gather, not to mention irrelevant people who spoil the mood."

Bai Kan sneered, staring at Qi Yun, making him feel uneasy.

Qi Yun couldn't help but touch his face, "Why are you staring at me like that?"

Bai Kan: "I just find Bai Xiaoyu not only stupid but blind. How could someone like you be called the white rose of Imperial Star? How did he ever fall for you? If he had just looked in the mirror more often to improve his taste, he wouldn't have fallen for you."

Qi Yun's face immediately turned livid, recalling how Bai Xiaoyu pursued him. A pursuer more attractive than the pursued, constantly lingering around, diverting attention from him. It was humiliating.

Seeing his face turn green and black, Bai Kan finally vented his frustration and unblocked Bai Xiaoyu.

"What, do you want to mock me now?"

Bai Xiaoyu didn't expect him to unblock him after getting angry, "No, I just want to cooperate with you. You should know I have a master alchemist with me, right?"

Bai Kan: "So what? My legs have been seen by countless master alchemists. Didn't you know that?"

Bai Xiaoyu directly sent over the data, forwarding his test report, "You also know my constitution and mental strength have been seen by many master alchemists since childhood, now at D. I might break through to C anytime soon. Want to give it a try?"

Bai Xiaoyu saw no reply for a long time and was about to exit the chat when another message came through.

Bai Kan: "What kind of cooperation do you want to discuss?"

Bai Xiaoyu: "Biomechanical mecha materials."

Bai Kan: "You're getting bolder. These are supplies for the Imperial Royal Family. You want a piece of that pie too?"

Bai Xiaoyu: "In exchange for your legs standing freely. Is it worth it?"

Bai Kan: "Deal."

Bai Xiaoyu's lips curved slightly. In his impression, Bai Kan was sensitive and sharp-tongued, but as a successor groomed by the Lu family, he acted boldly and decisively.

He liked working with such people.

Moreover, Bai Kan was a businessman. With profit, there was cooperation. This cooperation was not limited to this single transaction but marked an excellent beginning.

The group of warriors who had just arrived needed not only biomechanical limbs but also, as a guard team, mechas, high-end energy cannons, energy guns, and various combat tools. He would equip them fully, creating a formidable force.

Additionally, Tao Limeng's research required various raw materials. Who could be a better supplier than Bai Kan?

As long as Bai Kan traded with him once and succeeded, he had ways to continue further transactions.

In short, he would first get him on board.

Chapter 054

The two ended their chat, and Bai Xiaoyu busied himself refining the herbs sent by the two legions into potions.

Bai Kan, on the other hand, touched his leg. Now equipped with a biomechanical limb outside, it was attached to his leg like a second skin, feeling almost like regular skin. Walking wasn't an issue, but it wasn't the same as standing up on his own strength.

He wanted a pair of legs he could control, legs that could freely traverse the stars and pilot mechs to soar through space.

It had to be said, Bai Xiaoyu had learned his lesson this time, striking right at Bai Kan's weakness when negotiating terms.

If not for the daily growing desire in his heart, he would have angrily scolded him and severed all ties long ago. Even with just a sliver of hope, he didn't want to give up.

Now, he had no intention of staying any longer. Standing up, he planned to leave.

Bai Qi hurriedly called out, "Bai Kan, you're leaving early?"

Bai Kan: "Do I need to report to you when I leave?"

Bai Qi: "Everyone is here; don't you think it's a downer?"

Bai Kan looked at the others, who all seemed indifferent. Turning back to Bai Qi, he said, "Looks like only you are disappointed."

They were roughly the same age and from similar backgrounds. Most of them had graduated from school one or two years ago.

Among all their siblings, they were the ones who hadn't yet gained much power. The older ones were nearly twenty years their senior and had achieved significant accomplishments. They also had younger siblings who were still minors. According to the intelligence they had gathered, the youngest one hadn't even hatched and was being nurtured by Bai Xiaoyu.

Those around the same age usually interacted more and sometimes played together. The older ones would occasionally suppress them, leading to intergenerational competition, which seemed to have been passed down among those sharing half the same bloodline.

Bai Xiaoyu was originally part of their age group but had been eliminated early.

Bai Qi glanced at Qi Yun, who had been provoked by Bai Kan earlier and now wished he would leave immediately, showing no intention of retaining him, pretending not to see him.

After Bai Kan left, the others soon followed suit. Bai Qi's face turned livid. A few who had returned from the dance floor saw the empty seats and lost interest.

A carefully arranged banquet by Bai Qi was ruined without warning.

Finally, Bai Qi looked at Qi Yun, his tone harsh, "You knew I had something important to discuss with Bai Kan today. Why did you provoke him? The new herb refining device relies on the materials he provides. Even if we don't cooperate with the Lu family behind him, he owns several mining planets under his name and can provide the materials I need. Now everything is ruined because of you. Next time, he'll definitely demand more. And there are others I have deals with too."

Qi Yun's expression worsened, "How was I supposed to know he'd suddenly go crazy? My attitude towards him was even better than usual, and he still lashed out at me, using Bai Xiaoyu, that waste, to insult me. Now you blame me? Bai Qi, do you still want the new medicine from my grandfather? I'm not just working with you; the Xu family is another option."

For the first time, they argued, then parted ways unhappily, though their cooperation continued. However, a rift formed between them.

Neither of them knew that the instigator was Bai Xiaoyu, who wasn't present but had only been mentioned and expelled from their circle.

The next day, Bai Xiaoyu went to the Herb Base again. He intended to check on the soldiers but found two soldiers already standing guard at the entrance upon landing. They saluted him upon seeing him.

After examining their bodies, Bai Xiaoyu found that after a night's adjustment, they had indeed improved significantly. However, the bone-washing potion's effects lasted long, causing them pain until late last night.

"You don't need to rush back to duty. It's fine to rest for a few more days."

"Report to the boss, we've recovered a lot and can complete our tasks."

The Herb Base was crucial, so they needed to secure it quickly. Moreover, their bodies felt rejuvenated after the pain, with lingering injuries and dark matter contamination from insectoid battles vanishing. Their spirits were better than before the injuries, and their combat experience made them instantly notice the changes. Tests revealed enhanced physical constitution and mental strength, not just for one person but for everyone!

These potions were perfect, except for the taste that nearly killed them.

So, in the morning, they eagerly ran around the base to vent their excitement. Seeing their recovery, the commander promptly assigned tasks.

Apart from the guards stationed at various positions, reconnaissance teams began mapping the terrain inside and outside the base, preparing to establish land and air defense systems. The models for defense and offense were ready, and the soldiers came from different squads, covering all aspects. The allocation was so comprehensive that it shocked everyone.

Seeing this, Bai Xiaoyu was amazed by their efficiency and the completeness of the soldiers' specialties, covering sea, land, and air. He couldn't believe it was a coincidence and suspected Su Ran's deliberate arrangement.

What a pleasant surprise. He had to thank him properly.

Indeed, at the Sixteenth Legion, the old marshal, previously with silver hair, now had black hair. Even without dye, her roots were regrowing black. The medicine from Bai Xiaoyu had helped her stand again and now allowed her to oversee matters.

Su Ran stood beside her, "Old Marshal, your arrangement has likely been noticed by Young Master Bai."

The old woman paused, holding the documents, looking far ahead.

After a while, she spoke, "As long as he likes it. When he becomes more famous, send him a squad of special forces from my side."

That child will play a pivotal role in the future of the galaxy. Before he grows, we must protect him.

Su Ran nodded.

Meanwhile, Bai Xiaoyu watched a group of animals with missing front or hind legs exercising.

Hundreds of them, half were felines—leopards, leopards, jaguars, pumas, lynxes, and the rest were canines, wolves, dogs, foxes, and birds like ostriches, golden eagles, and hawks. A smaller number were cold-blooded reptiles like snakes and crocodiles.

Despite the soldiers' impressive human forms, their animal forms fought fiercely, with meows, barks, and howls filling the air, fur flying everywhere.

Not only that, but they were also practicing climbing, jumping, and hunting.

Bai Xiaoyu watched intently, seeing so many beastmen for the first time, more than in pre-apocalyptic zoos. Their animal forms were large, towering over him.

Gathering together, they showcased the speed and strength of star beasts, though their animal forms were imperfect, missing limbs. Despite this, they remained formidable fighters.

Bai Xiaoyu's arrival made them train harder, each wanting to show their best side.

Cui Zhanpeng approached, "Boss, the medicine distributed yesterday was excellent. The soldiers have recovered significantly and can now resume their duties."

Bai Xiaoyu: "We can take a few more days to adjust."

Cui Zhanpeng: "Beastmen have very vigorous energy. If you don't give them something to do, they'll vent their boundless energy in the base every day. It's better to get them working as soon as possible."

Bai Xiaoyu thought of the beastmen around him. Apart from Lou Hao and Tao Limeng, who were always busy, Qi Yanhuan was the most obvious one, with a stark difference before and after his recovery. It seemed he didn't understand interstellar beastmen well enough, so it was best to leave it to professionals.

"Then you decide."

Cui Zhanpeng now looked at Bai Xiaoyu with a completely different expression. He immediately saluted, looking serious. "Understood."

Soon, it was time for a break, and many grateful soldiers gathered around Bai Xiaoyu.

They were in their beast forms, so Bai Xiaoyu found himself surrounded by large cats and dogs.

Looking at these creatures as tall as humans, Bai Xiaoyu marveled again.

He looked at the strong and beautiful leopard in front, but unfortunately, its front paw was half gone, and its tail was missing too, ruining its wild perfection.

He waved at the leopard, which walked over without hesitation.

Bai Xiaoyu reached out, and the leopard sniffed gently, seemingly memorizing his scent. Then it tilted its head and lay down, nudging its furry head against Bai Xiaoyu's palm, rubbing it affectionately.

Facing the big cat's friendliness, Bai Xiaoyu chuckled, stroking it and feeling the soft fur. "Don't struggle; let me check your condition."

The leopard nodded slightly, and Bai Xiaoyu used his mental power to probe inside. As expected of a beastman, the recovery speed was impressive, much better than yesterday. With two or three more sessions, it would be fully recovered.

Bai Xiaoyu patted the leopard's head. "Your recovery is going well. Don't worry, I'll make sure all of you recover completely."

Hearing this, the animals surrounding Bai Xiaoyu looked at him with even greater gratitude. The leopard tilted its head and suddenly lay down, exposing its soft belly, using its intact front paw to pull Bai Xiaoyu's hand towards its furry tummy.

Bai Xiaoyu's hand touched the leopard's belly, attracted by the even softer texture, and couldn't help but stroke it a couple of times.

Unbeknownst to him, in the interstellar world, beastmen only expose their bellies to those they trust the most.

The leopard enjoyed it so much that its eyes narrowed, which caused other soldiers to become jealous. Soon, several animals pushed the leopard away.

Bai Xiaoyu checked each of their conditions and patted their bellies as well.

Finally, when Bai Xiaoyu reached the fifth one, the big black egg beside him could no longer hold back.

The big black egg suddenly rushed out and crashed into several animals lying on their backs, tempting Bai Xiaoyu with their bellies.

The big black egg was powerful, but the soldiers weren't weak either and quickly dodged. A large pit appeared on the training field.

After chasing them away, the big black egg hopped back to Bai Xiaoyu, lying down and swaying left and right, urging him to touch it.

Bai Xiaoyu couldn't help laughing and stroked the big black egg's shiny round body. "Big Black, I'm checking their internal conditions. I'll play with you later."

The big black egg refused to budge.

Bai Bai could use mental power to check, don't be tempted by their beast forms.

These guys were using their beast forms to lure Bai Bai into petting them, and it was endless. He was getting angry!

The various beast-form soldiers, interrupted by the big black egg, stared at it.

The atmosphere became tense, and eventually, a few beast-form soldiers pushed forward, leading to a fight with the big black egg.

The scene instantly became chaotic.

The big black egg quickly angered everyone by trying to monopolize Bai Xiaoyu, and was soon surrounded.

Despite being an egg, the big black egg had grown stronger recently and held its own against the many injured soldiers.

Bai Xiaoyu did not stop them, believing both the big black egg and the soldiers knew their limits. Instead, he watched with great interest.

At this moment, Su Ran contacted him. After the call, seeing Bai Xiaoyu's happy smile, he couldn't help asking, "Young Master Bai, you seem in a good mood. Is there some good news?"

Bai Xiaoyu nodded. "Yes, it's good news. I need to thank you for sending such excellent soldiers. Did you arrange these troops?"

Su Ran glanced at the old marshal and replied, "It was the old marshal's idea."

Bai Xiaoyu: "Then please convey my thanks to the old marshal."

Su Ran: "I will certainly do that. By the way, I heard beastmen's calls during our conversation. Are they fighting? It sounds lively. Who has angered everyone?"

Bai Xiaoyu smiled. Indeed, it was lively now. He turned the camera to focus on the big black egg and the various beast-form soldiers.

A fierce big black egg fighting among many injured beastmen appeared before Su Ran's eyes. Surrounded by leopards, foxes, and crocodiles, the big black egg fought fiercely, holding its own. The soldiers, initially just playing, were now driven by a competitive spirit. They were also shocked—what kind of egg was this, so powerful that they couldn't defeat it together?

Su Ran: "... Huh."

Boss, it's you! What did you do to get them to gang up on you?

He almost immediately projected the scene, and the old marshal saw it too.

Chapter 55

The old marshal was taken aback as her gaze shifted from the fiercely fighting Big Black Egg to the wounded soldiers with various physical disabilities who now radiated vitality and were unrecognizably different from before. Her eyes filled with relief, "They all seem very spirited."

Xiao Chen had once left the Sixteenth Legion's medical officers and pharmacists at a loss. After he was injured, she, as his only relative, didn't have time to be by his side. Seeing him so lively and carefree now, she gradually felt reassured as his grandmother.

The other young soldiers who had been forced into early retirement due to injuries were also faring much better than they did in the legion's medical department, both physically and mentally. Their resurgence brought her great comfort.

She turned to look at Bai Xiaoyu, her expression softening even more. She owed it all to this young man, Bai Xiaoyu.

Only he could have restored these people so well across the entire galaxy.

At that moment, another urgent war report arrived, and she glanced at Su Ran.

Su Ran immediately became serious, exchanged a few brief words with Bai Xiaoyu, and ended the call. The lively projection vanished, replaced by a battlefield report.

After ending the call with Su Ran, Bai Xiaoyu watched the group fight for a bit before speaking up, "Big Black, if you keep fighting them, we won't finish until nightfall. Why don't I quickly check them over and head back?"

His voice wasn't loud, almost drowned out by the sounds of animals and combat, but Big Black Egg stopped instantly. The other warriors, slightly slower, reined in their attacks, and the chaotic scene froze as if paused.

Bai Xiaoyu waved at Big Black Egg, "Big Black, come back."

Big Black Egg pushed aside the cheetah blocking his path and excitedly ran towards Bai Xiaoyu, rubbing against him vigorously.

Bai Bai was right; finishing the tests quickly meant bringing Bai Bai back sooner. Although there would be a clingy little one waiting, still just an egg and immobile, he could tolerate it.

Bai Xiaoyu patted Big Black Egg and then addressed the many warriors, "Line up, I'll check each one."

This time, everything went smoothly with Big Black Egg watching closely, and the scene remained orderly.

Within half an hour, the checks were completed, and the warriors' conditions had improved significantly. Bai Xiaoyu left behind a batch of medications, gave instructions, and then headed back with Big Black Egg.

Three days passed quickly, and apart from a dozen severely injured soldiers, most were now fine.

Bai Xiaoyu focused on preparing medicinal baths for those dozen or so individuals whose injuries were fundamental, mostly due to severe dark matter contamination, requiring gradual recovery.

In addition, after retiring, the warriors had their high-end equipment, including mechs, confiscated. Currently, they only retained weapons purchased with military credits, while standard military-issue weapons were also reclaimed.

The warriors' mechs and armaments were provided by the legion and not personal property. Now retired, they voluntarily handed over their gear, redirecting resources to the current battlefronts.

Feeling embarrassed by their rudimentary equipment, the warriors believed Bai Xiaoyu lacked resources on D36, making it difficult to arm them properly. Moreover, Bai Xiaoyu had already spent astronomical amounts on top-grade medications for them.

Many warriors planned to pool their savings and retirement funds to collectively purchase new equipment.

Upon discovering this, Bai Xiaoyu rejected their proposal.

The reason was simple: as their employer, he was responsible for their equipment. Besides, their savings were limited, and they had families to support. Combined, their funds wouldn't cover even a few mechs.

Seeing their current gear, which included only basic energy cannons and energy guns, along with close-combat military daggers, Bai Xiaoyu realized it was insufficient. They needed various military instruments, sophisticated reconnaissance and counter-reconnaissance devices, multifunctional mechs, and a base-standard battleship.

A battleship not only combined defense and offense but also provided supplies and repairs for mechs and medical treatment for injured personnel.

Bai Xiaoyu checked online and found that even a small battleship cost billions. A basic model for a hundred-person crew started at fifty billion, and higher grades were even more expensive, starting at hundreds of billions, with no purchase rights for non-legion entities.

Bai Xiaoyu withdrew his gaze and looked at mechs instead. Most mechs sold externally were civilian-grade, with the highest being B-class. A-class mechs were rare and similarly expensive, costing nearly nine digits in credit points. S-class mechs were even pricier, doubling the cost without guaranteeing availability.

Bai Xiaoyu gained a clearer understanding of the galaxy's most expensive regions, realizing the massive investment required to build a formidable force.

But he wasn't deterred, as it was less than what he'd already invested in the Herb Base and the core research teams led by Tao Limeng and Qi Yanhuan, alongside Qin Lie. Each required significant funding.

Starting from the basics seemed necessary.

In recent days, Qi Yanhuan and Qin Lie had recruited a few more people to join their team, while Tao Limeng had declined, echoing Lou Hao's earlier sentiment that recruiting was fine but not necessary around him as a core figure.

Bai Xiaoyu approached Tao Limeng, who was busy studying a nutrient solution synthesizer.

Without looking up, Tao Limeng, seemingly accustomed to this, said, "Boss, what do you need this time?"

Bai Xiaoyu: "I do have a request, but it's hard for you to handle alone."

Tao Limeng looked up at Bai Xiaoyu, "What is it this time?"

From the alchemy furnaces for interns, spirit force training devices, to various functional instruments and defensive weapons for the Herb Base, he had never encountered such a diverse set of demands from an employer.

Had he not been preoccupied with the nutrient solution synthesizer, he might have packed up and left long ago.

Tao Limeng felt an inexplicable sense of dread, fearing he might be stuck here if he didn't leave soon.

But he dismissed the thought, confident that within three months, he could crack the synthesizer.

Bai Xiaoyu: "The warriors need more advanced weapons..."

Tao Limeng interrupted him, "Boss, that's not my problem. More advanced weapons require different materials. D36 doesn't have enough mineral varieties to provide the raw materials needed for higher-grade weapons. I've barely managed to design something reasonable with the limited resources available. This is the best I can do given the constraints."

Bai Xiaoyu placated him, "I understand. I'm not doubting your expertise. I want you to consider higher configurations if we expand the material pool."

Tao Limeng: "Then you need to specify how large the material pool should be. You don't have much here, and seeing this barren warehouse makes it hard to imagine."

Despite having access to a tech product surpassing current galactic standards by a century, Bai Xiaoyu's conditions were among the worst he'd ever encountered. Everything had to start from scratch.

However, despite the constant requests and lack of materials, Tao Limeng appreciated the freedom and support he received. The challenges had led to breakthroughs in basic designs, enhancing his work on the nutrient solution synthesizer.

Bai Xiaoyu: "Alright, I can't give specifics yet, but follow the optimal design approach."

Tao Limeng: "...Boss, you're getting ahead of yourself. My optimal design requires SSS-grade weapons. Where are you going to get such high-quality materials for me? It's not just one type of material; we need dozens or even hundreds. Not to mention, did you find the materials for the biomechanical limbs?"

At this moment, Bai Xiaoyu's optical brain flashed. He looked down and saw a message from Bai Kan.

—I'm here.

Bai Xiaoyu raised an eyebrow. He arrived so quickly. And at just the right time.

His dear supplier of raw materials.

Bai Xiaoyu turned to Tao Limeng, who had once again immersed himself in his research, and grabbed his arm.

Tao Limeng was startled. "Boss, what are you doing?"

Bai Xiaoyu smiled as he walked. "I'm taking you to see the variety of raw materials."

Tao Limeng was confused. What is he talking about?

What nonsense is this?

Tao Limeng struggled. "I don't want to go; I still have to work on the refining instrument."

Bai Xiaoyu didn't let go. "The refining instrument is currently limited by materials too. If you come with me, you might gain new design insights."

Thus, Tao Limeng was dragged by Bai Xiaoyu to the front entrance of the Pharmacy Building.

In front of them appeared a limited-edition, dual-S-class interstellar spacecraft, with a translucent light blue shell and streamlined design. Clearly capable of invisibility, it combined speed and combat power. This top-tier spacecraft, released a week ago, cost two hundred billion credits and was extremely rare, making it hard to buy even with the credits.

Tao Limeng turned to Bai Xiaoyu. "It's much better than your ten-million-credit junk."

Bai Xiaoyu: "...As long as it works. How about you make me one later?"

Tao Limeng scoffed. "Do you have the materials?"

Bai Xiaoyu pointed at the spacecraft. "Ask him for them."

Tao Limeng was stunned. Is this the supplier of raw materials? Looking at the two-hundred-billion-credit spacecraft, it seemed like they had deep pockets.

Could Bai Xiaoyu really have found a supplier?

Getting hold of such a limited-edition spacecraft meant they must be capable. But it could also be a nouveau riche who paid a huge price for it.

The former was acceptable; the latter was questionable.

Tao Limeng recalled Bai Xiaoyu's previous words and realized it was likely the former. With this supplier, A-grade materials should be no problem...

At this moment, the spacecraft opened, and a tall, fair-skinned, handsome man stepped out. He immediately looked over.

Both were taken aback.

Seeing the arrival, Tao Limeng was shocked.

Bai Kan, the next heir of the Lu family. And behind him was the Lu family, the largest supplier of raw materials in the entire galaxy!

When Bai Xiaoyu told him to broaden his design thinking, he thought it was just a corner opened. Now, his mind was completely open.

If they truly collaborated with the Lu family, there would be no shortage of raw materials!

Seeing the transformed Bai Xiaoyu, Bai Kan was surprised.

He hadn't expected that within a few months, the fool who used to be fooled by Bai Qi and others wouldn't seem foolish anymore.

This face paired with this demeanor made him seem like a different person, yet more pleasing to the eye.

Just looking at him improved his mood.

Bai Kan thought, if he really deceived me, how could I take revenge against such a face?

As a hidden appearance enthusiast, he felt a bit reluctant for the first time.

He then noticed Tao Limeng beside Bai Xiaoyu and was slightly stunned before recovering. Remembering that Bai Qi had been frantically searching for Tao Limeng, now he was here with Bai Xiaoyu.

Was this the start of a counterattack? Interesting.

Bai Xiaoyu extended his hand to Bai Kan. "Welcome."

Bai Kan looked at the pale, slender hand and didn't refuse. He reached out and shook it firmly. "Xiaoyu, don't deceive your brother."

Bai Xiaoyu returned the firm grip. "Of course not."

Bai Kan released his hand. "Then introduce me to that master? I want him to help me now. If he's not capable, don't waste my time."

Bai Xiaoyu nodded. "Sure, but you need to pay a deposit first. Did you bring the materials for the biomechanical limbs?"

Bai Kan glanced at Bai Xiaoyu and, feeling rather good, tossed him a spatial button. "Inside is one-fifth of what you need, as a deposit."

Bai Xiaoyu caught the spatial button and handed it to Tao Limeng. "Check it out."

Tao Limeng complied. "Extremely high-quality materials."

Bai Xiaoyu: "Go back and study them. I'll send you the warriors' body data later."

Tao Limeng nodded. "What about the other materials?"

Bai Xiaoyu: "I'm working on it for you."

Watching their conversation without any pretense, Bai Kan was speechless. "You're really confident."

Bai Xiaoyu: "Of course. Let's go up and help you."

Bai Kan was followed by two tall men, both of whom clearly had extremely high combat abilities.

Bai Xiaoyu led him to a newly built medical room in the Pharmacy Building, with Qi Yanhuan and the others next door.

He looked at the two men behind Bai Kan, who waved them away, "Go outside and guard."

Bai Kan glanced around. The journey here had already surprised him. He had assumed that Bai Xiaoyu's conditions would be terrible, but now he saw that although the location was a bit remote, it was actually not bad.

The people below seemed to be acquiring medicinal herbs. Judging by their appearance, this had been going on for quite some time. He recalled the intelligence he had received earlier: Bai Xiaoyu apparently seized the Huang family's herb acquisition chain on this planet?

Bai Xiaoyu had indeed changed too much. For someone to change so drastically in a short time, was he stimulated by something, or was he just pretending back on Imperial Star?

Bai Kan harbored doubts but did not show them. However, the next second, his calm demeanor was broken by Bai Xiaoyu's words.

Bai Xiaoyu suddenly touched his leg, "Take off your pants and remove the external biomechanical limb support layer."

Bai Kan jumped up instantly, "What do you want?"

Bai Xiaoyu: "I'll check your leg condition."

Bai Kan looked at him suspiciously, "Why are you looking and touching randomly? Get the master pharmacist to come."

Bai Xiaoyu: "He's right in front of you, yet you're unwilling to cooperate."

Bai Kan stared at Bai Xiaoyu, his expression cracking, "You?"

Chapter 056

Bai Xiaoyu took a few more steps toward Bai Kan, closing the distance between them once again, and extended his hand. "Can we continue now?"

Bai Kan retreated several steps, looking at Bai Xiaoyu's clearly defined hands with a terrified expression. "How long are you going to play this game? Can't you stop it already?"

Bai Xiaoyu continued to move forward. "I'm not playing; I just want to help check your leg. What are you afraid of?"

Bai Kan retreated further. "We've grown up together for so many years. Do I need to remind you how much you weigh?"

Bai Xiaoyu: "Thirty years east, thirty years west. I'm not the same person I used to be."

Bai Kan: "It hasn't even been thirty years. A few months have passed, and you think you can reach the heavens now?"

The two moved like a wolf chasing a rabbit, with Bai Xiaoyu finally cornering Bai Kan.

He raised his hand, rolled up his sleeves, and said, "Brother, let's get started quickly. I still need to see Dandan and the students, and then I have to make potions. Can we do this quickly?"

Bai Kan, cornered and unable to retreat further, shielded his pants with one hand and held the other in front of him. "Don't come any closer, or I'll be forced to be rude."

Bai Xiaoyu paused, finding Bai Kan's resistant demeanor amusing. "Can you please cooperate?"

Bai Kan tightened his grip on his pants and shook his head. "No way. I only cooperate with the master alchemist."

Bai Xiaoyu sighed. "I am that master alchemist."

Bai Kan looked up at Bai Xiaoyu and rolled his eyes.

Seeing disbelief written in Bai Kan's left eye and suspicion in his right, Bai Xiaoyu couldn't help but laugh.

He crossed his arms and met Bai Kan's gaze. "Do you not believe me?"

Bai Kan stared back. "What do you think?"

Bai Xiaoyu looked at Bai Kan, one speechless, the other disbelieving.

Thus, the two, sharing a resemblance in their features, stood there staring each other down.

Finally, Bai Kan took a deep breath, sized up Bai Xiaoyu, and relented. "How do you prove it?"

After all, he had come here and paid the deposit. Moreover, he noticed Bai Xiaoyu's serious expression. Even though it seemed absurd that someone with dual F-level mental and physical attributes could become a master alchemist, he found himself oddly believing Bai Xiaoyu.

Bai Kan emphasized that he believed only a fraction, while the rest remained skeptical.

But it was this fraction that made him stay instead of leaving, deciding to give Bai Xiaoyu a chance to prove himself.

Bai Xiaoyu directly pulled out the pill furnace from the system grid space. Bai Kan watched as this tall, classical-looking object appeared before him. Wasn't this the thing Bai Xiaoyu used to boil eggs, calling it a pill furnace?

Was he going to start boiling eggs here?

Just as he was about to ask, fighting sounds came from outside.

Before Bai Kan could react, Bai Xiaoyu spoke, "Tell your people to stop."

Bai Kan nodded and shouted, "Stop!"

At the same time, Bai Xiaoyu called out, "Dahēi, stop. Let the egg in."

Bai Kan added, "Do as he says."

Soon, the door opened, and a tall black egg hopped inside.

Upon entering, the black egg paused briefly before casually hopping over to Bai Xiaoyu. It circled him once and then nudged him with its body.

Bai Kan narrowed his eyes, watching the uninvited black egg. He hadn't missed the momentary hostility. Moreover, why did the egg keep getting closer to Bai Xiaoyu, eventually sticking to him entirely?

It looked... unsettling?

And the egg was too big. He began searching his memory for similar eggs, knowing some races displayed their strength even while still in the egg. He wondered about Dahēi's race, his gaze shifting between the black egg and Bai Xiaoyu.

Dahēi responded to his gaze with subtle hostility.

Bai Xiaoyu patted Dahēi. "Dahēi, I need to make a potion now. Stay put, okay?"

Dahēi nudged his face gently and hopped a few times.

Bai Kan felt inexplicably annoyed and scoffed. "This pill furnace and this egg—do you plan to boil eggs in front of me? How does that prove anything?"

Bai Xiaoyu laid out the herbs. "I'm making a potion. Since you don't believe me, I'll show you."

Bai Kan was taken aback. He knew the pill furnace could boil eggs, but make potions?

His family had several alchemists, and high-level potion masters often had assistants and specialized equipment. Could Bai Xiaoyu really make a potion with just this pill furnace? And these herbs—he wasn't completely ignorant; all of them were used to make nutrient solutions, which required over a hundred different herbs. He counted only nineteen here, yet Bai Xiaoyu showed no sign of adding more.

His belief began to waver.

Feeling Bai Kan's skeptical gaze, Bai Xiaoyu started making the potion without hesitation.

He placed the herbs one by one into the pill furnace, removing impurities and forming them into medicinal balls.

Initially, Bai Kan thought Bai Xiaoyu was up to something, given his past antics in Imperial Star. But soon, his expression changed, and his gaze became increasingly serious.

Bai Xiaoyu's movements were fluid and graceful, entering a state of profound harmony.

The entire process was seamless, drawing Bai Kan in until Bai Xiaoyu finished, opening the lid of the pill furnace, releasing a faint medicinal aroma. Bai Kan snapped back to reality, startled.

Then he watched Bai Xiaoyu pack the potion into a bottle, which he promptly handed over.

In Bai Xiaoyu's palm, the potion in the transparent bottle glowed with a faint green hue, crystal clear under the light, free of any impurities, rivaling any high-grade potion he had ever seen.

This was something he had personally witnessed Bai Xiaoyu concoct...

Bai Xiaoyu looked at Bai Kan, who stood motionless, his eyes fixed on the potion in Bai Xiaoyu's hand. Seeing no reaction for a while, Bai Xiaoyu grabbed Bai Kan's hand and placed the potion in his palm.

Bai Kan stared at the potion still warm in his hand, once again realizing that this was a freshly made high-grade potion, personally concocted by Bai Xiaoyu!

Bai Xiaoyu: "Don't just stare; verify its efficacy."

Bai Kan was still stunned, "How do I verify it?"

Bai Xiaoyu: "Drink it."

Without much hesitation, Bai Kan tilted his head back and drank it. The next moment, his face twisted, turning both green and red on his pale complexion.

This brought him completely out of his daze, and he started panting heavily, "What kind of taste is this? Are you trying to poison me?"

Bai Xiaoyu: "...You'll have to get used to it. If everything goes as planned, you'll be drinking this regularly."

Bai Kan shuddered at the thought, looking at the high-quality potion with such a terrible taste!

Just now, he almost passed out from the flavor!

Bai Xiaoyu: "How's the effect?"

Bai Kan felt a gentle warmth spreading through his body, rapidly restoring his strength and spirit energy.

He turned to look at Bai Xiaoyu, his expression becoming extremely complex, and honestly said, "Very good."

Bai Xiaoyu walked over and patted the medical bed, "Then come over and take off your pants."

Big Black Egg: "!"

Bai Kan: "!"

Big Black Egg hopped over, nudging Bai Xiaoyu, trying to push him away.

Bai Xiaoyu patted Big Black Egg, "Big Black, stop it."

Bai Kan straightened up, embarrassed, "Turn around first."

Bai Xiaoyu nodded, and Big Black Egg had no choice but to block behind him.

After some rustling sounds, Bai Xiaoyu heard nothing more and asked, "Are you done yet?"

A quick animal roar came from the other side.

Bai Xiaoyu was slightly taken aback, "I'm turning around then."

Another roar confirmed it.

Bai Xiaoyu turned around to see Big Black Egg blocking his entire view. He patted Big Black Egg and gave it a light hug, and Big Black Egg reluctantly moved aside.

Finally, Bai Xiaoyu could see what was behind Big Black Egg—a large striped tiger lying on the bed, looking at him with its animal eyes and partially covering its face with a paw.

Bai Xiaoyu raised an eyebrow, wow, what a big tiger.

He walked over, with Big Black Egg following him.

Standing there, Bai Xiaoyu noticed that Big Black Egg and the tiger seemed to be facing off?

The atmosphere between the egg and the tiger changed, the tiger's eyes darkening and Big Black Egg exuding hostility, as if they were about to fight.

Bai Xiaoyu rubbed his forehead, why did these two suddenly start facing off?

But after dealing with Xiao Xi, Lou Hao, Xiao Budian, and the other warriors, Bai Xiaoyu had plenty of experience.

He reached out simultaneously, petting Big Black Egg with one hand and stroking the tiger's fluffy head with the other.

Big Black Egg immediately calmed down, rubbing against Bai Xiaoyu.

The striped tiger, however, froze at the touch on its head, quickly recovering and swatting Bai Xiaoyu's hand away with a front paw, growling at Bai Xiaoyu.

How dare you touch my head like that? What about my dignity as an older brother?

Bai Xiaoyu: "If you don't cause trouble, I won't make any moves."

After calming both the egg and the tiger, Bai Xiaoyu examined the striped tiger before him. Recalling the original host's father's beast form, Bai Kan appeared larger but was actually smaller. His aura and strength were far less impressive, his body leaner with only a thin layer of muscle, lacking explosive power.

Bai Xiaoyu remembered that Bai Kan had very high spirit energy, close to breaking into 3S from 2S, but his physical constitution was only A-.

His siblings, who were also tigers, mostly had 2S constitutions.

Despite having many children, Bai Kan's father had few with the same beast form—less than ten in total. Bai Kan was one of them, though he couldn't stand up.

Bai Qi, who didn't get along with Bai Xiaoyu, wasn't one either; his beast form was a snake, inherited from the Huang family.

After a full circle, Bai Xiaoyu's gaze landed on the tiger's hind legs, which showed no movement and appeared even thinner than the front legs.

As Bai Xiaoyu scrutinized, Bai Kan grew tense, feeling Bai Xiaoyu's gaze on his legs.

The spot where Bai Xiaoyu had touched his thigh earlier now prickled with goosebumps. Since being declared unable to walk after adulthood, he hadn't let anyone touch his legs.

Even through the biological mechanical limbs, he felt violated.

Seeming to sense Bai Kan's tension, Bai Xiaoyu reassured him, "Relax. The examination won't hurt."

After finishing, he reached out and touched the lower part of the tiger's hind leg. The large tiger lying on the bed trembled, its entire body tensing up.

The muscles under his hand, maintained by the advanced technology of Imperial Star, had not atrophied but were not as strong as the front legs. From the outside, it didn't look too bad, so he used his mental power to probe inside.

The muscles were normal, the meridians were fine, and the bones were intact.

He did not stop and continued upward. At this moment, the large tiger's eyes contracted repeatedly, and its aura unconsciously released.

Beside him, Big Black Egg moved in front of Bai Xiaoyu, seemingly trying to push him aside, staring at the tiger as if ready to pounce at any second.

Bai Xiaoyu also sensed the state of the large tiger; his eyes flickered, and he patted Big Black Egg with his other hand.

As his hand touched it, the large tiger grew increasingly tense. Its eyes fixed on Bai Xiaoyu's hand, its fur standing on end. Its front paws even gripped the metal bed beneath it, scratching out an ear-piercing sound.

Bai Xiaoyu sighed softly, realizing that Bai Kan was very concerned about his legs. In this state, he feared that if he continued touching them, Bai Kan's mental tension would snap before he finished.

Now, using his mental power to enter Bai Kan's body, Bai Kan's current state would put his mental power in an attacking mode. If he couldn't control it, it might fight against his own mental power at any moment.

This would be bad for both of them.

He thought for a moment, then withdrew his mental power, a hint of a smile flashing in his eyes.

The large tiger's gaze followed his hand as it retreated, and its tense mood gradually relaxed. However, in the next moment, Bai Xiaoyu's hand returned, slapping the fluffy rear end of the large tiger.

The large tiger's face showed confusion, and Bai Xiaoyu took the opportunity to probe with his mental power again.

The large tiger quickly reacted and began snarling at Bai Xiaoyu: "Roar roar roar..."

Bai Xiaoyu, you've grown bold, hitting my butt! How dare you!

Haven't you heard that you can't touch a tiger's butt? And you hit it?!

I'm your elder brother; do you want to rebel?

Bai Xiaoyu couldn't understand the tiger's language but found it amusing that such a fluffy large tiger could snarl at him so cutely.

Beside him, Big Black Egg jumped up several times in anger but eventually held back.

Silently, he made a note of this incident.

Bai Xiaoyu's mental power now explored Bai Kan's beast form without hesitation. Initially, he found nothing. Gradually, he discovered that Bai Kan's body contained relatively little dark matter, much less than others he had encountered before.

Perhaps this was related to the lighter dark matter pollution on Imperial Star?

He himself had little dark matter, despite his poor physical condition.

After circling around with his mental power, he found nothing.

Bai Xiaoyu withdrew his mental power and said to the tiger, which seemed still snarling at him, "Stop cursing. Have your bodyguards bring you into the alchemy cauldron."

The large tiger looked terrified. He extended his front paw, tapped the light brain, and soon a line of text appeared.

"What do you want to do now?"

Bai Xiaoyu: "Have you seen boiling eggs? Now we're going to boil you."

The large tiger pointed at Big Black Egg, who was eyeing him menacingly, "Isn't this cauldron meant to boil him?"

Bai Xiaoyu: "This is specially prepared for you, brand new, considering today's situation."

In the end, the large tiger was carried into the cauldron. Bai Xiaoyu doused him with medicinal liquid, making him look disheveled. Then Bai Xiaoyu began a thorough examination, initially struggling but eventually giving up, his eyes rolling as he endured Bai Xiaoyu's actions, worn out from the ordeal.

He felt like he came here just to suffer.

Soon, he couldn't think about it anymore because the added medicinal agents started taking effect, causing him immense pain as he rolled around.

Bai Xiaoyu noticed that after the bone-washing medicinal agent entered Bai Kan's body, he expected that Bai Kan's lesser amount of dark matter wouldn't cause such pain. Seeing the rolling large tiger, he cautiously probed with his mental power again.

He found a significant amount of dark matter seeping out from the tiger's leg bones, especially at the junction of the spine and tail, where there was even more.

With so much dark matter present, Bai Xiaoyu carefully removed it and then probed again with fine threads of mental power.

Probing into the spine-tail area, he discovered that the damage caused by the dark matter was compounded by the fact that the bones here were larger, denser, and harder than those in the front limbs.

Bai Xiaoyu realized that starting from the spine-tail area, Bai Kan's tail and hind legs were different from the front.

Upon closer observation, he confirmed that they were indeed cat-like hind legs, but evolved to a higher degree.

This was more like localized evolution.

Bai Xiaoyu recalled having interacted more with the bone claws inside Big Black Egg recently, and now Bai Kan's hind legs and tail bones resembled those of Big Black Egg more closely.

This explained why Bai Kan's body had different levels of evolution, making it difficult to coordinate.

Moreover, the dark matter seemed to have been deliberately injected.

Bai Xiaoyu explained this situation to Bai Kan. The wet large tiger seemed to fall into deep thought.

Bai Xiaoyu refocused his attention on the tiger's hind legs and noticed that the fur there was mixed with sparse silver hairs. Initially, he thought it was due to lack of exercise or physical reasons, but now he realized it was naturally this color.

This condition, now fully formed, would be hard to handle. If Bai Kan were still in the egg incubation stage, he would have many methods.

Chapter 057

As Bai Xiaoyu was deep in thought, the large tiger in the alchemy furnace regained consciousness. He once again took out his biomechanical limb, a transparent fluid-like substance slowly spreading down his lower body, gradually covering it.

Soon, the large tiger's head and legs twitched, and he turned to look straight at the contemplative Bai Xiaoyu, his eyes changing slightly.

Bai Xiaoyu sensed someone looking at him and looked up to see a wet mass staring intently at him. He looked at the tiger's messy fur and couldn't help but smile. "Why are you staring at me like that?"

The tiger's whiskers on both sides of his face moved. Well, now that his fur was matted together, only his whiskers could move.

After staring at Bai Xiaoyu for a while, the tiger suddenly leaped out of the alchemy furnace.

Now standing next to Bai Xiaoyu, the large tiger was slightly taller than him, but his appearance was drastically different from before when his fur was fluffy. It was clear he wasn't solid; after a bath, his true form was revealed, giving him an oddly cute and clumsy look.

Bai Xiaoyu looked at the agile tiger in surprise, focusing on its legs. "Is this the biomechanical limb?"

The tiger growled, and a translucent subtitle appeared on the light brain: "Yes."

Bai Xiaoyu's gaze was intense. "That's pretty convenient. Are the materials you gave me also like this?"

The tiger glanced at him with a look that seemed to say he was an idiot. "This is the highest-grade material, custom-made by a master-level manufacturer over six months. Naturally, it's different from what I gave you."

Bai Xiaoyu continued to stare at the tiger's legs intently, while the big black egg next to him nudged him gently.

Bai Xiaoyu patted the big black egg. "I'll feed you and Little One later."

Seeing the interaction between Bai Xiaoyu and the egg, the tiger bared his teeth slightly. He stared for a moment, then forcibly squeezed between Bai Xiaoyu and the big black egg. Bai Xiaoyu and the big black egg dodged quickly, or they would have been splashed by the tiger's wet fur.

The big black egg watched the tiger jump and was about to charge over.

Bai Xiaoyu quickly held back the big black egg. "Big Black, he's not fully mobile yet. Let's not argue with him for now."

It was clear that once the tiger's legs were better, anything goes. After all, this tiger was the elder brother of this body, so some respect was due.

The big black egg stopped and nudged Bai Xiaoyu again.

The tiger, who had walked away, paused and turned around, baring his teeth as if smiling.

Bai Xiaoyu suddenly had a bad feeling. The next moment, the tiger shook vigorously, splashing water all over him.

The big black egg, already jumping up and down, couldn't hold back anymore. Bai Xiaoyu wiped his face and didn't stop him this time.

The big black egg immediately charged at the tiger like a wild horse.

The egg and the tiger soon engaged in a fight, causing loud noises throughout the medical room.

Bai Xiaoyu watched with great interest, occasionally interjecting, "Big Black, avoid his legs. Use only half your strength, no, too much, adjust yourself. Help him practice well."

At first, Bai Kan didn't take it seriously. He fought anyway, since he had never liked the black egg. Despite his leg issues, he had never stopped exercising, especially after getting the biomechanical limb, which made his training even more frequent.

He had stubbornly believed that with this biomechanical limb, he was no different from a normal person.

He had sparred with his bodyguards at home many times and felt confident in his combat skills.

Fighting with an egg should be effortless.

But as soon as they started fighting, he heard Bai Xiaoyu's words and felt a bit indignant. Did he really need an egg to go easy on him?

Even with his leg issues, fighting an egg should be more than enough.

When he actually fought the big black egg, he discovered that despite its bulky appearance, it was incredibly agile.

And then...

he was dominated.

Unlike his bodyguards who hesitated to fight him fully, this egg was skilled in combat, perfectly avoiding his legs and matching his strength, forcing him into retreat.

Bai Xiaoyu watched as the tiger was beaten without any resistance. When he felt it was enough, he called out, "Big Black, that's enough. Let's go eat."

The big black egg immediately abandoned Bai Kan and turned to Bai Xiaoyu.

Bai Xiaoyu patted the big black egg. "Big Black is the best. You're our champion here."

Praised, the big black egg stood even more upright, swaying from side to side.

When Bai Kan transformed back into human form, he was bruised and battered, feeling humiliated yet excited.

Never had he fought so thoroughly. The only drawback was his legs, which still limited him.

If one day his legs were healed, he hoped to have another exhilarating fight with this egg.

He turned to the pair and stood up nonchalantly. "Are we eating? What's for dinner today?"

Bai Xiaoyu took out a box of nutrient solution. "You can have this."

Bai Kan recalled the terrible taste and his throat tightened. "I don't want to drink the solution right now. I want real food. Surely you won't deny me a meal, right?"

Bai Xiaoyu's lips twitched. "Then come down and eat with us. It's the same staff meal as Zhang Yi's. I'm eating it too, so don't complain."

Bai Kan: "Fine, I'm not picky. Whatever you're having, I'll have too."

He showed no politeness and brought along his two burly bodyguards to join the meal.

Beastmen generally had huge appetites, and Bai Xiaoyu watched them devour the equivalent of several ordinary people's meals, still unsatisfied.

Zhang Yi was stunned and offered to bring more food from the cafeteria, but Bai Xiaoyu declined.

The cafeteria was near the student residences, built alongside the dormitory building. It served meals not only to them but was also open to the public. Those who came to sell medicine could enjoy hot meals at reasonable prices, and there were special meals for children.

Bai Xiaoyu told Lou Hao and Tao Limeng, who hadn't eaten enough, to go to the cafeteria and serve themselves. The cafeteria had a special section for beastmen, as they required large amounts of meat. Lou Hao and Tao Limeng, along with some other beastman students, were regulars there.

After sending the two away, Bai Xiaoyu returned to the incubation facility to check on the eggs.

Bai Kan followed him, and Bai Xiaoyu turned around, "What do you want from me?"

Bai Kan: "You took my deposit. Is it a problem that I'm following you now?"

Bai Xiaoyu: "Following me won't help because I haven't figured out a solution yet. For now, I can only help adjust your condition and remove the dark matter from your bone marrow."

Bai Kan remembered how much better he felt after Bai Xiaoyu gave him a medicinal bath, his hind legs feeling lighter and his overall energy improved, "If you can disperse dark matter, you've really come a long way."

Bai Xiaoyu: "Thanks for the compliment."

Bai Kan clicked his tongue, "Where are you going now?"

Bai Xiaoyu continued walking, his pace a bit hurried, "I only put nutrient solutions in Dahei's and Xiaobudian's containers before taking you guys to eat. Now Dahei is fine, but Xiaobudian is throwing a tantrum because no one has been with him for half a day."

Bai Kan was confused, knowing about Dahei but not understanding who Xiaobudian was.

When he followed Bai Xiaoyu into the incubation room, he was shocked by the rows of eggs of various sizes and shapes.

Although he knew about Bai Xiaoyu's incubation work and had occasionally watched his livestreams, he hadn't seen this recent batch. Seeing so many eggs at once almost overwhelmed him.

Bai Xiaoyu turned to Bai Kan, "Do you still want to follow me while I check each egg?"

Bai Kan nodded, "Don't worry about me; just do what you need to do."

Bai Xiaoyu: "Alright then."

With that, Bai Xiaoyu began using his mental power to check the condition of the eggs. After growing for some time, the eggs were all healthy, getting bigger every day, showing strong growth.

Bai Kan followed behind Bai Xiaoyu, watching him skillfully examine each egg, record data, and check the reports generated by the incubators.

He observed the person who was so different from before, realizing that in less than half a year since leaving Imperial Star, Bai Xiaoyu had quietly grown in ways they couldn't see.

Bai Xiaoyu was also helpless, finding Bai Kan quite peculiar, as he followed him step by step like a shadow.

Continuing to examine the eggs, these were the ones that had been damaged previously. They were large, round, covered with a network of closed-loop red blood vessels, and the liquid inside flowed in a pulsating pattern.

Bai Kan shifted his gaze from Bai Xiaoyu to the egg his hand touched, startled.

He stepped forward, "What kind of egg is this?"

Bai Xiaoyu: "This egg had a cracked shell before, but it's been repaired."

Bai Kan recalled the batch of eggs Bai Xiaoyu had taken from the battlefield, "It's been repaired to this extent?"

His eyes fell on the data displayed above the incubator, again amazed by the health of the egg.

Many people had doubted Bai Xiaoyu, even mocking him at gatherings, waiting to see him fail with this batch of eggs. Now, they were being nurtured so well?

He continued looking ahead, noticing about twenty eggs, each report indicating their extremely healthy state.

Bai Kan stared at Bai Xiaoyu, scrutinizing him, "How did you manage this?"

Bai Xiaoyu, busy, casually pulled something out of his system storage space and shoved it into Bai Kan's hand, "Want to know? Go study it."

Bai Kan looked down at the half-foot bone Bai Xiaoyu had placed in his hand, with a small red flower in the middle. The contrast between the red and white was unsettling, and the texture was bizarre. The little red flower seemed to have fluid flowing through it, making him feel uneasy.

"What is this thing? Why are you giving me a human foot bone?"

Bai Xiaoyu: "This is a White Bone Flower, which helped save these eggs. Don't damage it. I plan to have Qi Yanhuan and others study it later. There aren't many of them, so we'll see if we can grow more."

Bai Kan's expression changed, "With this texture and shape, you're calling it a flower?"

Then came the multi-yolk egg. Bai Kan was again startled by its size and health.

This time, he quickly regained his composure, having already been shocked by the blood eggs. He accepted the multi-yolk egg quickly.

Now, looking at Bai Xiaoyu, his gaze grew increasingly complex.

Perhaps back on Imperial Star, Bai Xiaoyu had always worn a mask, acting for everyone's benefit.

But perhaps it was for the best. If he had shown such talent back then, relying solely on his mother, who had no power, he might have ended up dead and buried.

Now, Bai Xiaoyu was competing with people his own age. If he showed exceptional talent, the older siblings with real power would intervene.

Thinking of the dark matter in his body, Bai Kan's face darkened.

Yet, Bai Xiaoyu had managed to fool everyone with his act of being a wastrel! It was something he could never have done. Despite doing everything to embarrass himself, he was eventually exonerated and safely removed from Imperial Star, developing his own power base on D36 planet. His mind and courage made Bai Kan feel inferior.

Bai Kan: "Suddenly, I feel that if we weren't on the same side, you'd be a terrifying opponent."

Bai Xiaoyu looked bewildered, "What are you talking about?"

Bai Kan: "...Since you don't want to reveal yourself, suit yourself."

Caught in the act, still pretending? Fine, smart people keep their insights to themselves.

Bai Kan: "Keep checking your eggs. It seems they're all very healthy."

As he spoke, Bai Xiaoyu picked up an egg slightly larger than his palm and patted the neighboring Dahei egg.

This egg was much smaller than the others, especially compared to Dahei.

The egg was so small that many newborn eggs were larger.

Holding Xiaobudian, Bai Xiaoyu used his mental power to play with the little tentacle inside and gently rubbed the egg with his fingertips.

Finally managed to calm the little one down.

Bai Kan looked at the small white egg in his arms and suddenly remembered the intelligence he had received earlier. "This couldn't be the egg your mother laid, could it?"

Bai Xiaoyu nodded. "Yes."

Bai Kan marveled at the egg, circling it once. Soon, his eyes widened in surprise—this little white egg was actually showing hostility towards him?

Just like Bai Xiaoyu, they sure have guts.

Bai Kan leaned in and whispered to the little white egg, "Little one, do you believe I could pop you with just one finger?"

Bai Xiaoyu quickly sensed the little one's mental tendrils drooping softly, trembling slightly. He immediately turned to Bai Kan, his tone icy. "Bai Kan, if you scare him again, I'll poke you until you burst."

The big black egg, absorbing nutrients inside its energy shield nearby, watched their exchange and couldn't help rolling over, almost choking on the nutrient fluid.

This little one is quite mischievous and knows how to play the victim well. Being frail and sickly, Bai Bai pities him the most. This foolish tiger has stumbled right into trouble.

Bai Kan watched the rolling big black egg and the little white egg still showing hostility towards him. Under Bai Xiaoyu's unfriendly gaze, his lips twitched slightly, feeling as if an adult had been outwitted by an egg.

Bai Kan straightened up, no longer intimidating the little one. "So this little white egg is the first one to leave the Royal Nursery, looking even smaller than you did back then."

Bai Xiaoyu: "Royal Nursery?"

He searched his memory but found that the original host hadn't paid much attention to it, so there wasn't much information.

Bai Kan: "That's right. You didn't have any backing before, so it's normal you wouldn't know. Every royal offspring is sent to the Royal Nursery for cultivation. They have the best potions and the most skilled cultivators. As you know, among our siblings, the percentage of Beastmen is much higher than average. Also, the amount of dark matter in our bodies is minimal. This is all thanks to the cultivators and potion masters at the Royal Nursery."

Bai Xiaoyu listened carefully. It turned out that the Royal Pharmacy also had potion masters and cultivators who could remove dark matter from eggs. They worked together to cultivate newborn eggs, similar to how Bai Xiaoyu trained students in both potion-making and cultivation simultaneously.

While they didn't achieve Bai Xiaoyu's high success rate, they still managed around seventy to eighty percent. However, this required significant resources, which the Royal Pharmacy fully supported. Many factions wanted to send their eggs there, but only royal offspring were accepted. Before the appearance of their adoptive father, the Royal Nursery was relatively quiet. Families like the Lu family, who bore Bai Kan, got a chance to send one of their eggs to the Royal Nursery, with an eighty percent chance of hatching a Beastman.

Bai Xiaoyu frowned, thinking about those children. "If they can already tackle dark matter, why doesn't the royal family promote it?"

Bai Kan: "It's simple. The Royal Nursery has hundreds of the best potion masters and cultivators tending to just a few eggs, pouring in immense resources. Moreover, the royal family wants their lineage to start stronger and more excellent than others, ensuring the continuation of their glory."

Bai Kan looked at Bai Xiaoyu, then turned to all the eggs present, his eyes flickering. "Staying here on this fringe planet is fine for now, but one day, they will come for you."

Bai Kan withdrew his gaze, saying enough. With Bai Xiaoyu's current resolve, he should understand his meaning.

Get stronger, as strong as possible. Otherwise, everything you have now might not belong to you in the future.

Seeing the big black egg suddenly jump out to guard Bai Xiaoyu, with the little white egg in his arms showing battle intent, Bai Kan was speechless. What can you two eggs do? You're not as capable as me.

After some thought, he changed the subject. "It's too early to talk about this. By the way, I've seen what you looked like when you were an egg. Are you curious? Call me a good brother, and I'll tell you."

Bai Kan assumed Bai Xiaoyu would be interested in his past as an egg, but Bai Xiaoyu showed no reaction. Instead, the two knight eggs beside him—one big and black, one small and white—released intense hostility towards him, urging him to speak.

Especially the big black egg, leaning towards him, seemed ready to use force to threaten him.

Chapter 058

Bai Kan looked at Bai Xiaoyu three times before finally asking, "Xiaoyu, aren't you interested? That was you as an egg, chubby and round, bouncing and rolling around."

Bai Xiaoyu glanced at the surrounding eggs. "Look at these eggs; there are all kinds here. Do you think I'd be interested?"

Bai Kan pointed to two eggs beside him. "They're very interested."

Bai Xiaoyu: "Then tell them. Besides, if you don't, it'll be hard to wrap this up now."

Bai Kan looked at the big black egg jumping around and the aggressive little white egg, his mouth twitching.

Back then, he was only three years old. The Lu family had a spot in the Royal Nursery, which they gave to his cousin.

His cousin happened to be in the same batch as Bai Xiaoyu.

For some reason, Marshal Bai stayed at the Royal Nursery for a week that year. After finding out, he insisted on going with his mother to see his cousin.

His cousin was still an egg, occasionally moving. Unlike his mother, who was delighted every time the egg moved, he found watching an egg for long periods extremely boring.

So he shifted his attention and quietly left. His real goal was Marshal Bai.

Unexpectedly, when he arrived at another egg's incubation room, he saw an egg bounce and roll out.

He was shocked.

This egg was much smaller than his cousin's but was incredibly lively. It was the first time he had seen an egg roll like that.

The eggs in the Royal Nursery were not numerous, each occupying its own incubation room. He could already read at that age, so he looked up at the door sign—Number One Hundred.

Such numbering was clear to him. Unlike his cousin, whose egg bore the name of a major family, this number indicated that the egg was his brother or sister.

He immediately followed the egg.

The egg soon noticed him and seemed to think it was lost, pointing in a certain direction with its body.

At that moment, he liked the egg and walked over, squatting down to introduce himself. "Little One Hundred, I'm your Big Brother Ninety-Two. Come on, call me brother."

After saying that, he tried to pick up the egg, but it dodged away.

Instead, it bounced into the arms of the person in front, whom he saw for the first time—Marshal Bai. The legendary cold and aloof war god held an egg, looking completely natural.

Later, when he came again, he didn't see Marshal Bai or the egg.

Not until his cousin hatched did he come back, sneaking into Little One Hundred's incubation room. This time, the egg was quietly staying inside the incubation chamber, seemingly losing its vitality.

Later, he heard that the main pharmacists and trainers responsible for Little One Hundred had suddenly suffered damage to their mental seas and entered a state of sleep for repair. They hadn't woken up since.

Little One Hundred hatched half a month later than expected, born as a double F-rank waste. Later, when he went to school, he specifically went to see Little One Hundred, following him and discovering that he was growing more and more crooked.

Completely devoid of the cuteness he had as an egg, he was manipulated by Bai Qi and others after adulthood, stupid, rebellious, and spoiled.

Seeing him made him furious, wishing he could stuff him back into the egg and start over.

Hearing Bai Kan curse him, Bai Xiaoyu patted the two agitated eggs. "It seems you really like eggs. Starting over might indeed be a good idea."

Bai Kan coughed lightly. "I meant the previous you. Your act as a spoiled brat makes me want to punch you. But back then, even though you were small, you were bigger than this little white egg. You were cuter as an egg than you are now. So the current you is fine, no need to start over."

Bai Xiaoyu smiled, not without malice. "I certainly don't need to start over. I'm talking about you."

Bai Kan was confused. "Me?"

Bai Xiaoyu nodded. "Your condition is partial evolution, and now other parts need to catch up with the strength of your hind legs."

Bai Kan: "That's not simple. As you said before, this isn't just evolution but partial reversion."

Bai Xiaoyu responded with a soft "Hmm."

Bai Kan, seeing his reaction, began explaining. "You haven't read the history of the royal family, have you? Back then, two brothers founded this empire, one with a white tiger form and the other with the current royal beast form. They split into two branches, with the younger brother's branch becoming the royal family managing the galaxy, while the elder brother's branch, surnamed Bai, guarded the galaxy. That's why Marshal Bai could freely appear in the Royal Nursery. The Bai family also has the right to breed offspring without limits in the Royal Nursery. Unfortunately, the Bai family's descendants are few and far between, with decades passing without a single one. Bai family descendants tend to be white tigers, and Marshal Bai's beast form is one, with 3S-level mental power and physical strength."

This 3S level sets a lower limit but not an upper one. While rare, many people in the galaxy reach it. Even he could break through given enough time, unlike Marshal Bai, who was born with 3S.

Looking at his own hind legs, Bai Kan felt conflicted. He never imagined his inability to move for years was due to reversion and evolution, which should have been a good thing. He thought about the dark matter in his bone marrow, likely discovered during his incubation period. Was this to prevent him or because the royal family feared the return of the white tiger?

Bai Kan wasn't sure if this was someone's doing or the royal family's intention. After all, various forces infiltrated the Royal Nursery, making anything possible.

Bai Xiaoyu's eyes brightened. Partial evolution was tricky, but reversion would be easier for him.

Several bloodline-stimulating potions immediately came to mind. Eliminating those with high failure rates and unsuitable for Bai Kan's situation, only one remained—the Blood Ignition Potion. This potion required soaking the entire body in the liquid, constantly stimulating and activating the bloodline while strengthening the body.

However, the duration varied from person to person, ranging from one month to over a year.

Bai Xiaoyu didn't know how long Bai Kan would need, but having hope was good.

As for the main ingredient of the Blood Ignition Potion, he had previously found it on the black market, proving its existence. Other auxiliary ingredients were well-documented in the galactic herbology texts.

However, the potion also needed a catalyst—a blood sample from someone or something with a reverted lineage to stimulate and purify the bloodline, causing it to revert.

The catalyst needed to be stronger than the partially reverted lineage. In other words, Bai Kan needed to find someone with a stronger lineage than his hind legs.

Bai Xiaoyu told Bai Kan about this, leaving him stunned.

He never expected such a surprise so quickly. But soon, his face clouded over with worry.

Seeing this, Bai Xiaoyu asked, "What's wrong? Aren't you happy to have a solution?"

Bai Kan replied, "Not exactly, but the Bai family has very few members now. With Marshal Bai missing, only the old marshal remains. If I ask him for blood, I won't even get to see him, and if I do, I'll surely be kicked out."

Bai Xiaoyu turned to look at him and the big black egg rubbing against him, "Maybe you can beg Big Black. If he agrees, you'll naturally get the medicinal ingredient."

Bai Kan: "Do you mean Big Black can persuade the old marshal?"

Bai Xiaoyu: "What I mean is that Big Black's bones are similar to yours but more advanced. His blood can serve as your medicinal ingredient. But once you accept Big Black's blood, it will activate and be absorbed by your body. Then, you'll have Big Black's blood flowing in you, making you his half-son."

Hearing this, Bai Kan looked at the big black egg, his expression changing repeatedly.

On one side was his long-held dream, on the other side was gaining an egg father.

Bai Xiaoyu watched Bai Kan without disturbing him, letting him make his decision.

Bai Kan thought about the distant father on Imperial Star; having him or not was almost the same. Now, this big black egg was still an egg, but it could help him stand up...

Bai Xiaoyu watched Bai Kan force a smile at the big black egg, which looked even more painful than crying, and couldn't help but feel amused.

Over the next three days, Bai Xiaoyu had people collect the herbs for the Blood Ignition Elixir. The auxiliary herbs were easy to find, and the Sixteenth Legion sent over a dozen main herbs.

Now that the herbs were collected, he wondered how the interaction between the egg and its unwilling father was progressing.

After finishing refining the herbs, Bai Xiaoyu went out and saw Bai Kan hand him several spatial nodes.

Bai Xiaoyu asked in confusion, "What are these?"

Bai Kan: "These are the conditions agreed upon with Big Black. Besides the remaining materials for the bio-mechanical limbs you needed, there are also many high-grade energy cannon materials and some materials for refining instruments."

Bai Xiaoyu looked at the various good materials inside the spatial nodes, surprised.

He didn't know how they managed to communicate successfully, but now it seemed Big Black had agreed.

These materials were exactly what he needed.

Without mentioning other things, at least he had the materials for the soldiers' bio-mechanical limbs.

Thinking of how Big Black usually clung to him, Bai Xiaoyu's gaze softened. As soon as he stepped out, he gave Big Black a bear hug and a kiss.

Watching Big Black stand there for a while after being kissed, he couldn't help but chuckle softly.

Bai Kan felt his teeth ache and finally couldn't stand it anymore and ran away.

Then Bai Xiaoyu took Bai Kan to Tao Limeng to customize a metal eggshell.

Tao Limeng was already used to Bai Xiaoyu's strange requests and quickly got to work.

After making the arrangements, Bai Xiaoyu returned to refine pills. This time, he was lucky and refined another Essence Cleansing Pill.

Bai Xiaoyu directly gave Big Black an herbal bath.

Watching Big Black rolling in the cauldron, the liquid inside and outside gradually turning murky and black, he cleaned it several times before washing Big Black thoroughly.

He patted Big Black's eggshell, "Big Black, let me see your condition inside."

Big Black did not resist. After Bai Xiaoyu entered, the enthusiastic bone claw was eagerly waiting for him.

Upon finding him, it started circling and scratching his mental threads, trying to grab them each time.

Half of the blackness on the bone claw had receded, and flesh was growing back.

It looked much better than before.

Bai Xiaoyu watched the new blood vessels in the flesh, still showing signs of dark matter consumption, continuously seeping blood. Now that the dark matter had just been dispelled, it would seep out again after a while, becoming worse. Seeing the bone claw like this, he felt a twinge of sympathy, but the bone claw proactively extended itself towards him.

Bai Bai, quickly absorb this blood; if not, it will be consumed soon.

Bai Xiaoyu used his mental power to collect a dozen drops.

Then he comforted Big Black and helped clean up after the herbal bath.

Big Black was dried off by Bai Xiaoyu and rolled around on the bed, almost annoying Little Point. Little Point was envious and jealous of Big Black getting a bath from Bai Xiaoyu, so he frantically used his small tentacles to call Bai Xiaoyu.

Only after Bai Xiaoyu wiped him down with a towel did he calm down.

Then they continued to glare at each other from opposite sides of the bed, aiming to push the other off.

The next day, Bai Xiaoyu carried Little Point, followed closely by Big Black, and went to Tao Limeng with Bai Kan.

Upon entering, they saw a silver metal eggshell spinning on a machine, taller than Bai Xiaoyu.

This metal eggshell was more like a full-body repair instrument. It required the person to be completely immersed in the repair fluid. They could breathe and move inside, even play with their light brain, and receive energy supplements when hungry or tired, all without affecting the healing process.

Bai Xiaoyu patted the metal eggshell, and a door opened quickly. He turned to Bai Kan, "Come, try it out quickly."

Bai Kan looked at the huge eggshell, almost as big as Big Black, and grimaced at Bai Xiaoyu, "Are you secretly taking revenge on me for saying you weren't cute when you hatched?"

Bai Xiaoyu: "Why would I secretly take revenge? I'm doing it openly. Come in, everyone is waiting for you."

Bai Kan looked at the two people and two eggs in front of him, all seemingly eager to see what he was about to do.

Thinking about the upcoming experience, he took a deep breath and slowly walked in.

Bai Xiaoyu watched the metal door close automatically, revealing a silver egg. It looked exceptionally complete, with no trace of the door closing.

Bai Xiaoyu began adding the prepared medicinal liquid, then the Blood Ignition Elixir, and took out a bottle. Inside the bottle were a dozen drops of blood.

Looking at the blood, the lineage was very pure, containing powerful energy. Big Black must be a pureblood. One drop of blood could stimulate Bai Kan for at least three days.

There was enough here for Bai Kan to use for a while.

He opened the bottle and dripped one drop inside.

This blood quickly flowed through the liquid inside the metal eggshell, spreading to every corner of it.

After transforming back into his beast form shortly after entering, Bai Kan's fur was soaked in the medicinal liquid. Initially, when his body came into contact with these agents, every pore felt a subtle warmth and expansion. Then, upon seeing Bai Xiaoyu drop a fresh droplet of blood inside, pain soon followed. Blood threads began to seep through his skin, while the blood threads dispersed in the solution did the opposite—they wanted to enter.

As these blood threads entered his body, the large tiger in the solution suddenly widened its eyes and started rolling on the ground in the next second.

Hot and painful, his entire body felt as if it were burning and boiling.

It was unbearable.

Due to Bai Kan's violent movements inside the metal egg, the outer shell was also affected, rolling wildly.

The two eggs, one large and one small, were both extremely curious. The big black egg circled the rolling metal egg and then returned to stand close to Bai Xiaoyu.

Tao Limeng walked over, staring at the metal egg and asked, "Boss, he is our supplier after all, right? Is he okay now?"

His eyes conveyed a hint of "please go easy and don't scare him away."

Bai Xiaoyu: "No major issues. Although it's very painful, I believe in Bai Kan's endurance. He will be fine."

Bai Kan suffered for half a day, thinking this pain would gradually lessen, but it turned out to be an endless torment.

During this period of pain, the intensity didn't decrease; instead, he adapted to it first.

After adapting, he could shift his attention from the pain and soon noticed a slight change in his body. He had a vague feeling of becoming slightly stronger.

He stared at his front paw, where the claws looked sharper and harder.

What made him even happier was that his forelimbs and hind limbs, which used to feel like separate entities, now gave him a sense of slowly merging into one.

Even though all these sensations were just tiny changes, he could still feel them.

The large tiger curled up, its eyes fixed on its hind legs, even using its paws to scratch at its legs and tail.

For over twenty years, from hope to despair, he had never been able to control these legs and tail, as if they were strangers living inside his body.

Now, amidst the despair, hope arose again, and the large tiger couldn't help but let out a low growl.

This growl startled everyone outside and also woke Bai Kan from his excitement.

Gradually regaining his composure, he tried to stand up but slipped due to lack of practice, falling heavily to the ground with a loud thud.

Bai Xiaoyu and the others saw the metal egg rolling around, then suddenly roar and stand up, causing another loud thud.

Facing Tao Limeng's skeptical gaze, just as Bai Xiaoyu was about to doubt himself too, the metal egg calmed down and began practicing moving in its egg shape repeatedly.

Though constantly slipping and thudding, it eventually managed to grasp the technique slowly.

Finally, the metal egg clumsily rolled and flipped its way to Bai Xiaoyu. It tried to nudge him like the big black egg, but was pushed aside by the latter.

The collision between the two eggs produced a loud thud and even sparks.

Bai Xiaoyu: "..."

With Bai Kan's strength control, a nudge from him might lift someone away.

After this incident, the big black egg kept watch, not allowing Bai Kan to get close to Bai Xiaoyu. The metal egg finally settled down, occasionally rolling on the ground.

Being an egg can actually be quite interesting.

Bai Xiaoyu looked at the three eggs of different sizes and colors. Finally, focusing on the rolling metal egg, he said with a smile, "Big Black Egg and Little White Egg, as for you, you'll be called Iron Egg."

The silver metal egg, which had almost failed to get up after rolling again: "..."

Chapter 059

Bai Xiaoyu looked at the motionless metal egg. "What, don't you like the name Iron Egg? Big Black and the Little Dots really like it."

Metal egg: "…"

It rolled again, seemingly struggling. Later, Bai Xiaoyu called out to it twice more. The silver metal egg slipped on the ground, rolling several times before finally coming to a stop.

Bai Xiaoyu went forward to check on the metal egg. Since it was high-tech, a transparent vertical screen would pop up, displaying the report of the person inside the egg.

All the data was normal, with only a slight increase compared to a few hours ago—nothing to worry about. The only issue was the intense emotional fluctuations.

Bai Kan should have already felt the changes in his body during this time; the emotional fluctuations were understandable.

Bai Xiaoyu's mental power probed into the eggshell and quickly saw a large tiger drooping its head in the medicinal liquid. It seemed to sense Bai Xiaoyu's mental power and extended a paw weakly, waving at him.

Bai Xiaoyu's mental power thread reached out to poke the big paw, soon penetrating deep into the tiger's body, discovering that the internal temperature had noticeably risen and blood circulation had sped up.

This was the effect of the Blood Ignition Elixir, which would continuously deliver the external elixir and catalyst into the bloodstream, stimulating and strengthening bones and muscles.

The current situation was good. The front part of the muscles and bones had begun to develop new bloodline energies, gradually blending with those in the hind limbs.

After lingering for a while within the tiger's body, Bai Xiaoyu's mental power emerged, only to find a pair of beast eyes looking at him expectantly.

Bai Xiaoyu circled the tiger with his mental power and said, "The elixir and catalyst have been integrated into your body. So far, everything is progressing smoothly. You just need to endure the constant pain of bodily evolution, and the success rate will be very high."

He withdrew his mental power and patted the silver metal egg. "Come on, Iron Egg."

The metal egg, excited by Bai Xiaoyu's words, wanted to roll around but then wilted at the name "Iron Egg."

Tao Limeng laughed uncontrollably; he never thought Bai Kan would have such a day.

Lou Hao, who had rushed over after finishing his work, was immensely grateful that he had only spent a few days in an egg state and was mostly in hibernation during that time. Otherwise, he would have suffered like Bai Kan now.

Bai Kan was struggling to learn how to live as an egg.

On the first day, the egg rolled all over the place, unable to control its strength or direction. By the second day, it could walk normally. On the third day, it could control its strength precisely, no longer causing accidents when greeting people.

These few days had actually been quite bearable. Besides the novelty, he could feel his body gradually strengthening, making the experience excellent.

The only downside was that every time Bai Xiaoyu came to change the medicinal liquid, it contained various terrifying elixirs mixed together.

On the first day of changing the liquid, his entire body was permeated by the mixed, terrible smell, leaving nowhere to hide.

During that time, the pain was secondary; he felt his senses had been ruined by these elixirs.

He wished he could knock himself out to escape the torment.

Bai Xiaoyu packed the newly prepared Vital Essence Elixir, Blood Ignition Elixir, Marrow Washing Elixir, and the mixed cultivation liquid into the system storage space, carrying a box outside. He saw the metal egg standing under a tree, contemplating its egg life, but as soon as it saw him, the originally clumsy silver metal egg, which was taller than him, rolled away in ten seconds, moving three hundred meters from the cultivation facility to the front door of the Pharmacy Building.

Bai Xiaoyu: "…"

He looked down at the box in his hand, filled with bottles and jars.

This Iron Egg wasn't so tough, afraid of taking medicine.

Bai Xiaoyu raised an eyebrow, standing there. These elixirs weren't for him; it wasn't time to change the medicine yet.

Soon, the metal egg realized its actions were embarrassing. It hadn't expected to react so strongly to Bai Xiaoyu holding the elixirs.

The blame lay solely with the terrifying taste of those elixirs.

Bai Kan felt he couldn't show fear in front of Xiaoyu, being the older brother.

So, Bai Xiaoyu saw the silver metal egg slowly roll back, moving like a snail toward him.

Finally reaching Bai Xiaoyu, it lay down on the ground, signaling him to continue.

Bai Xiaoyu found it amusing. "What are you doing? It's not time to change the medicine yet. These are practice elixirs for the students' mental power training."

He opened the box and tilted it to show the colorful mental power dyes inside.

Metal egg: "…"

He had fully prepared himself mentally, only to be told it wasn't time to change the medicine?

Bai Xiaoyu patted the metal egg, smiling. "I'll come over later to change it. Now, I'm going to see the students."

The metal egg trembled and immediately jumped up, blocking Bai Xiaoyu's path with flexible movements.

Bai Xiaoyu: "What's wrong now?"

The metal egg frantically shook in front of Bai Xiaoyu and lay down again in front of him.

Better to get it over with now rather than later.

Bai Xiaoyu was still wondering what the blocking egg wanted when his optical brain flashed. Opening it, he saw a message from Bai Kan.

"Change the medicine, change the medicine, change the medicine..."

Bai Xiaoyu found it amusing watching the rolling metal egg. Was it refusing to let him go unless he changed the medicine?

"Changing the medicine is fine, but there are still unabsorbed elixirs inside. We'll only add more now and filter and change it tonight."

Bai Xiaoyu took out the elixir and injected it into the metal egg, adding another drop of blood.

Then he probed in with his mental power. After three days of refinement, the tiger's bones and flesh inside the egg had been thoroughly penetrated by the catalyst. The originally white bones now had a faint red tinge. Their hardness and density had increased significantly.

The red color in the bones would deepen as the evolution progressed and gradually fade back to their original color once completed.

Now in the deepening phase, perhaps Dahan's bloodline purity far exceeds that of Bai Kan's hind limbs. The bones and flesh at the front have begun to approach the strength of the hind limbs, even the hind limbs themselves have been stained with color and evolved together.

Bai Xiaoyu used his mental power to select a spot on the spine, targeting a specific nerve. His mental power pierced through, and the originally motionless tail and hind limbs moved simultaneously.

Inside the eggshell, he had been rolling his eyes due to the various medicinal smells, but suddenly his entire body shook, causing the entire egg to vibrate on the ground.

The big tiger turned his head sharply, his animal eyes fixed on his hind limbs. Just now... did they move?

Why aren't they moving now?

Seeing this, Bai Xiaoyu stimulated that spot again.

This time, Bai Kan clearly saw his tail suddenly spring up high, and his two hind legs kicked simultaneously.

Without relying on biomechanical limbs, his hind limbs moved!

Looking at the stunned big tiger staring at its own hind limbs, Bai Xiaoyu said, "Dahan's bloodline is better than expected. Since the strength between the front and back has become closer, it is slowly forming a whole. After further refinement and evolution for some time, you will gradually regain control over your hind limbs. From now on, you will start to recover control bit by bit, from simple occasional kicks to fully controlling standing, jumping, and other complex movements. How long this process takes depends on your recovery rate."

After finishing, Bai Xiaoyu noticed that the metal egg was still in a daze, so he signaled to the nearby bodyguard and left.

Not long after Bai Xiaoyu left, the metal egg finally reacted. Just as he wanted to give Bai Xiaoyu a hard egg rub, he realized Bai Xiaoyu was gone. The metal egg began to roll frantically on the ground, spinning out a large pit in the grass, and stopped covered in mud.

He was too excited.

Xiaoyu really gave him a huge surprise!

What should he give Xiaoyu as a thank-you gift?

At this moment, Bai Xiaoyu was watching the interns practicing their mental power. After this period of training, all of them could pierce the targets and successfully enter the second stage.

Watching the interns use their colorful mental powers to attack the targets inside the transparent boxes.

Those who initially entered here can now mostly hit the fifth target.

Ren Zitao and Zhou Miaomiao can already hit the seventh target.

Bai Xiaoyu watched their green and orange mental powers, which were now vastly different from before.

Initially, their mental power tentacles were thick and clumsy, but now they can extend to over five meters, freely moving and driving for long-distance attacks.

Besides the changes in form, their mental powers were also undergoing qualitative changes. If the initial mental power tentacles were fixed points, after the first round of training, they upgraded to lines, and now if they pass this training, they will form more stable planes.

These interns' initial mental powers were completely different from Bai Xiaoyu's, like the difference between a point and a three-dimensional space.

After ending this mental power training session, Bai Xiaoyu watched them practice alchemy.

In the same location, with the same people, and the same... earplugs.

After this period of training, the students' mental powers improved, but they still couldn't avoid explosions.

Students who had passed the fifth target found it relatively easy; they could already separate some impurities from the herbs. Zhou Miaomiao and Ren Zitao, who had passed the seventh target, could already refine simple potions.

However, they still couldn't remove the dark matter within. They couldn't even identify the dark matter in the herbs, let alone capture it.

Moreover, dark matter can harm mental power. Currently, the interns can handle ordinary dark matter, but if the concentration is higher, it would also harm them, not to mention removing it from eggs.

To help them understand dark matter, Bai Xiaoyu even refined other potions, collected the dark matter extracted from the eggs in the breeding facility, dyed it, and injected it into artificial eggs. Dark matter is extremely small, even when dyed, it is difficult to find easily.

Using his mental power, Bai Xiaoyu scanned each egg. To him, the dyed dark matter within the eggs was like seeing countless stars in the sky.

Now, looking at the troubled interns, some couldn't find the dark matter, and others caused explosions and egg destruction, which was quite awkward.

Of course, there were also many students who quickly found it. For these dark matters, their first contact was both surprising and frightening.

After all, these things not only affect the qualifications and birth rates of star people but also cause countless deformed half-beasts among newborn eggs, leading to a sharp decline in the number of beasts. Over time, this has significantly weakened the interstellar forces against the insect race. It is something that everyone in the interstellar hates.

By removing them, newborn eggs can be born healthy and normal, with improved qualifications, unlike the young ones who come to play with them, born with regrets.

Bai Xiaoyu: "Some have found it, so carefully identify the dark matter. These are all floating dark matter within the eggs, not stubborn, similar to the state of dark matter forced out by the bone-marrow washing agent. Try using your mental power to drive them out."

This was the first time dispersing dark matter in eggs. Half of the people caused egg explosions. The remaining ones were those who had passed the fifth target in the second round of mental power training.

After passing the fifth target, their mental powers naturally underwent a qualitative leap. Driving out dark matter from a specific point wasn't a problem, but harming the egg was an issue.

Each artificial egg was set with a tolerance level. Exceeding this value would cause an explosion. If not exceeded, repeated damage accumulating to a certain extent would also cause an explosion. Tao Limeng had set up various damage values for the artificial eggs, generating a report of the damage before the egg exploded, sent to the corresponding intern's optical brain.

Half an hour later, Bai Xiaoyu quietly watched the interns silently reading their reports. The report was a three-dimensional monitoring of the egg, like making the egg transparent, recording every injury with different colors indicating varying degrees of damage. Some eggs were riddled with holes before exploding, silently conveying a message to the interns.

Bai Xiaoyu also looked, from which he could see the state and mastery of the interns' mental powers, categorize the issues, and provide unified explanations.

Every time an egg exploded, the interns made progress. Analyzing and pointing out problems helped them understand and adjust quickly.

This was what Bai Xiaoyu was most satisfied with.

Glancing around, his gaze soon fell on a particular intern. He was the only one here with S-level mental power, Liu Chen. Despite being shorter than the others and having the lowest talent, he worked very hard, almost like a tireless warrior, so his progress was better than some with higher talents.

Seeing Bai Xiaoyu look over, he slightly dodged.

Bai Xiaoyu nodded slightly and quickly averted his gaze.

After class, Bai Xiaoyu went to the Pharmacy Building to refine potions. Recently, he had been producing a batch of potions daily, using the obtained credit points to build the Herb Base. The second major area was about to be completed. Looking at the consumption rate of credit points, he had previously invested enough to establish a third area, but he wasn't in a hurry now.

Continuing to refine potions, he had just finished a batch when he received a message from Tao Limeng, saying that the batch of biomechanical limbs for which Bai Kan had paid a deposit was ready.

Chapter 60

At the same time, in the military base within the Herb Base, Cui Zhanpeng signed for a package delivered by a robot. Looking at the stack of boxes, he couldn't help but smile.

These were the biomechanical limbs they had applied for, which had been pending approval until a few days ago when he received a message from a comrade in the logistics department of the Sixteenth Legion. Their biomechanical limbs had finally been issued and sent to him with an address.

Now that the biomechanical limbs had arrived, everyone could train and live normally with complete human forms.

The soldiers taking their breaks nearby also gathered around, curiously examining the boxes.

"Captain Cui, what's in these boxes?"

Cui Zhanpeng smiled and said, "Guess."

Their eyes lit up, and they looked at each other. "Could it be our biomechanical limbs?"

Cui Zhanpeng nodded. "Smart. Help me move them over. I'll send messages to them so they can come pick them up after training or during their shifts off."

The soldiers eagerly moved the boxes away.

The soldiers who received the notification were equally delighted.

However, as Cui Zhanpeng and the logistics personnel counted the items, their initially good mood soured when they opened the boxes containing their own biomechanical limbs.

Cui Zhanpeng hadn't opened his yet, but seeing their faces, he asked, "What's wrong?"

"Captain Cui, these aren't biomechanical limbs; they're ordinary mechanical limbs."

Cui Zhanpeng walked over and saw that indeed, the boxes contained the most basic mechanical limbs. These limbs, due to their material, couldn't withstand the high physical demands of advanced individuals; they were designed for those below B-level.

Even more absurdly, the box labeled with the name of a logistics soldier contained a mechanical hand, while the soldier had injured his leg.

Cui Zhanpeng checked the other boxes and opened his own. After inspecting the mechanical limbs of about a dozen soldiers nearby, he found that all were ordinary mechanical limbs, with only a couple coincidentally matching their needs.

Cui Zhanpeng's face turned grim.

These ordinary mechanical limbs were useless. They seemed deliberately small-sized. The soldiers from the Sixteenth Legion were all tall and strong. Even if they wanted to use them, it would be difficult to find a match. Moreover, mechanical limbs needed to be custom-made; randomly assigning them was ridiculous.

Cui Zhanpeng contacted his comrade in the logistics team, who was equally shocked upon learning this. They hadn't opened the biomechanical limbs and had forwarded them immediately upon receipt.

They quickly reported the issue and re-applied through the military supply system. However, because the system showed that biomechanical limbs had already been issued, the soldiers no longer had the right to reapply.

They were the first batch, and they caught it early. The applications of subsequent soldiers were immediately paused and reported to Su Ran.

With the ongoing conflict, Su Ran clenched his teeth as he read the report. If not for being unable to leave, he would have returned to Imperial Star.

He also became wary, suspecting someone was trying to force the marshal out.

Only the highest-ranking officer of the Sixteenth Legion had the authority to return the issued supplies for reissue. Although the old marshal was temporarily in charge, his influence within the Sixteenth Legion remained, but he wasn't the direct marshal, making many actions less legitimate.

They only issued this one batch, likely as a test. They didn't send all ordinary mechanical limbs, fearing the marshal's reaction.

Such incidents had occurred countless times since the marshal's disappearance, only improving slightly under the old marshal's leadership. Despite his deterrent presence, they followed procedures strictly.

At the logistics department on Imperial Star, two colleagues chatted via messages.

"The Sixteenth Legion has received their first batch of mechanical limbs and hasn't returned them."

"In my opinion, if Marshal Bai were still alive, this wouldn't happen. This has happened multiple times recently. Why do the higher-ups keep targeting the Sixteenth Legion, insisting that Marshal Bai is still alive?"

"Do your job and don't ask too much."

"Who will get the freed-up biomechanical limb slots?"

"Weren't those limbs provided by the Huang family? They might go to the Seventy-First Legion they support."

Bai Qi felt pleased seeing the benefits for his legion. He had worked hard to secure this. As for the Sixteenth Legion, ignoring all the powerful royal heirs on Imperial Star, they shouldn't blame others for piling on now.

Moreover, the royal pharmacy had assigned part of the medicinal task to the Huang family. With the pharmacy in their hands, the Sixteenth Legion's war efforts would consume large amounts of medicine, making it difficult for them to challenge the suppliers without the marshal.

Meanwhile, Cui Zhanpeng, upon learning they no longer had the right to apply for biomechanical limbs, thought about his comrades' future with missing limbs and glared at the boxes of mechanical limbs.

Ordinary mechanical limbs were unsuitable for them; any intense movement would cause them to break down. Biomechanical limbs, besides being provided by the empire, were even harder to obtain through other channels. Not only did they require a large number of credit points, but they were also scarce.

Looking at the boxes, he realized the notifications had already been sent, and people would soon arrive to collect them.

He ran his hand through his short hair, unsure how to face his comrades' disappointed looks.

On the other side, Bai Xiaoyu arrived at Tao Limeng's workshop. The entire floor belonged to Tao Limeng, filled with various precision instruments costing over a hundred billion credit points. This was after Tao Limeng had made many instruments himself; otherwise, the equipment would have cost twice as much.

Although Tao Limeng was still unsatisfied, Bai Xiaoyu lacked everything. After purchasing the basic instruments, he used them to make additional tools, otherwise lacking the means to work.

Bai Xiaoyu looked at a silver-colored metal leg. "Is this a biomechanical limb?"

Tao Limeng nodded. "Due to material and instrument limitations here, the current biomechanical limbs can only take two forms: humanoid and beast."

Bai Xiaoyu nodded in satisfaction. "It seems fine. I wonder if the soldiers will be satisfied and like them."

Tao Limeng, seeing Bai Xiaoyu's lack of knowledge again, had hoped for praise but instead faced skepticism. He defended himself, "Why do you think the biomechanical limbs won't satisfy or delight them, rather than surprise them?"

Lou Hao laughed. "Boss, the empire's biomechanical limbs are single-form and non-convertible. Most of the soldiers here are beasts. These convertible biomechanical limbs will definitely be liked."

In Bai Xiaoyu's original memories, he surrounded himself with well-off friends, all physically intact, lacking experience with such matters. He had recently seen Bai Kan's mechanical limb and assumed biomechanical limbs were dual-functional.

Bai Xiaoyu said, "Indeed, our Xiao Meng is amazing, able to create such advanced limbs."

Tao Limeng pushed a pile of biomechanical limbs towards Bai Xiaoyu. "Here are two hundred limbs, numbered. Take them and distribute them according to the names."

Bai Xiaoyu said, "Be careful not to damage them."

Tao Limeng: "With these warriors equipped, I can't guarantee they'll perform at full strength, but eighty percent is definitely possible. They can fight alongside the warriors. No matter how you handle them, your fragile body might be the one that breaks."

Bai Xiaoyu: "..."

Hey, that's going too far.

After watching the commotion, Lou Hao added, "Earlier, Cui Zhanpeng contacted me to register, saying that the logistics department had an extra thousand biomechanical limbs."

Bai Xiaoyu: "Their biomechanical limbs have arrived?"

Lou Hao: "It seems so. Should we still take these limbs over to them?"

Bai Xiaoyu: "Of course. They deserve the best. Aren't the ones Xiao Meng made a hundred times better than what the Empire provides? Besides, these limbs were custom-made for the warriors. Who else would we give them to?"

After saying this, he loaded the biomechanical limbs into the system storage space.

Bai Xiaoyu and Lou Hao brought the biomechanical limbs to the Herb Base. The place had transformed significantly. As they walked through the herb sections, each area displayed different environments and temperatures. Underground, small seedlings had sprouted two or three leaves, barely reaching the height of a pinky finger. The leaves were tender and yellowish-green, looking delicate yet full of vitality.

At first glance, the fields of seedlings seemed endless.

Bai Xiaoyu was very pleased. These were the nineteen herbs from the original nutrient solution, all growing well now.

The Herb Base was now cultivating herbs suitable for the current interstellar environment and soil conditions. In addition to the nineteen herbs from the nutrient solution, the twenty-five herbs for the repair agent and the seventeen herbs for the mental energy recovery agent had also been planted.

Currently, Qi Yanhuan and Qin Lie were focusing on researching the cultivation environment and soil composition for the Peiyuan and Xisui agents. The Peiyuan agent requires twenty-one herbs, while the Xisui agent requires twenty-six.

Five of the auxiliary herbs for the Peiyuan agent have already been researched and will be planted soon.

Qi Yanhuan and Qin Lie are indeed geniuses. With basic information provided by Bai Xiaoyu, they could crack the growth environment and soil composition of a single herb within three days.

As Bai Xiaoyu and Lou Hao walked through the area, the once barren land had been developed, with fields of herbs planted everywhere. Seeing the small sprouts spreading out, they felt increasingly relaxed.

Even Lou Hao was moved. When he impulsively followed Bai Xiaoyu from scratch, he never imagined that seeing these seedlings would fill him with hope.

Even after seeing several herb bases in the Huang family, none gave him this feeling.

After walking around, their moods lifted as they approached the military base. However, the atmosphere there was tense.

Apart from the guards, everyone else was training intensely.

Seeing their bodies still in their original damaged state without the biomechanical limbs, Bai Xiaoyu wondered what was happening. Weren't the biomechanical limbs supposed to have arrived?

Just then, Cui Zhanpeng came out. Noticing his troubled expression, Bai Xiaoyu called out, "Captain Cui, what's wrong?"

Cui Zhanpeng was startled and then saw Bai Xiaoyu. "Boss, you're here."

Bai Xiaoyu nodded, his gaze moving between Cui Zhanpeng and the warriors.

Cui Zhanpeng smiled bitterly and led them to the warehouse to see the biomechanical limbs. "These long-awaited biomechanical limbs are like scrap metal to us."

Even though Bai Xiaoyu wasn't an expert, he could tell the material quality was extremely poor. "Are all the biomechanical limbs distributed by the Empire like this?"

Cui Zhanpeng shook his head. "No, someone switched them. They used ordinary mechanical limbs to fool us."

Lou Hao picked up a limb, touched it, and with a light squeeze, broke it into pieces with his 2S physique. "With such weak limbs, they can't use them. Calling them scrap metal isn't an exaggeration."

Cui Zhanpeng rubbed his face, embarrassed. "We will train harder. Even without the biomechanical limbs, we'll do our best to protect the Herb Base."

They had hoped that with the biomechanical limbs, their strength would improve, allowing them to better protect the base for Bai Xiaoyu, who had been tirelessly helping them recover.

Now that everyone was almost fully recovered, with improved mental energy and physical strength, this setback was unexpected.

He knew Bai Xiaoyu wouldn't look down on them, but they felt ashamed that their current abilities didn't match the excellent treatment they received.

Bai Xiaoyu shrugged. "Take them to Tao Limeng. If there are any useful materials, salvage them. Otherwise, sell them cheaply."

Cui Zhanpeng: "That's the only option. These are useless to us. The official biomechanical limbs distributed by the Empire are good; many retired comrades find them convenient. You can't even buy them with credits on the black market. It would have been great if they hadn't been switched."

Bai Xiaoyu: "Don't worry. Even if they weren't switched, they'd still be treated like scrap metal."

Seeing Cui Zhanpeng's puzzled expression, Bai Xiaoyu found an empty storage box and waved his hand, revealing a pile of soft, metallic limbs—legs, arms, tails, and other body parts.

Cui Zhanpeng was shocked at the sight of these high-quality biomechanical limbs, which looked brand new and made of premium materials.

Compared to the dull gray ordinary mechanical limbs packed neatly nearby, these slightly reflective silver limbs shone brilliantly. It was like comparing pebbles to jade.

Even the pebbles were packed in fancy boxes, while the jade was piled like cabbages.

Looking at Bai Xiaoyu, he feared he might hear him shout, "Three credits per pound, ten credits for three pounds."

Facing Cui Zhanpeng's strange gaze, Bai Xiaoyu was confused. "Why are you looking at me like that? Look at these limbs and remember to distribute them according to the warriors' numbers."

Cui Zhanpeng picked up a limb, which felt warm and smooth, like human skin.

How advanced must the material be to have such quality and touch?

Weren't biomechanical materials controlled by the royal family? Where did his boss get so many?

But Cui Zhanpeng couldn't think further. His mood had plummeted and then soared again because of Bai Xiaoyu.

This boss had everything—agents and biomechanical limbs. If he had more, Cui Zhanpeng would suspect he had a magic bag.

Seeing Cui Zhanpeng's excited gaze, Bai Xiaoyu waved his hand. "Here are two hundred limbs. I just sent you the numbers. Distribute them to the warriors. They need to adapt to them as soon as possible."

Cui Zhanpeng: "Understood. I'll notify them right away."

The warriors who received the notification and had no current tasks came over. Seeing the pile of limbs, their expressions mirrored Cui Zhanpeng's.

1. They were distributed one by one, and the warriors quickly activated their mechanical limbs. Soon, the biomechanical limbs flowed like liquid, connecting to the stumps of their missing body parts. The originally silver metal began to transform, soon becoming indistinguishable from human hands, legs, or other body parts.

2. These biomechanical limbs would connect with the human nervous system, allowing direct control through the brain. They could also be set to transmit sensations, differing from normal body parts only in the lack of blood circulation.

3. Seeing the warriors' expressions of immense joy, Bai Xiaoyu dropped another bombshell, "You can try transforming back into your beast forms."

4. Following his words, dozens of various animals appeared before them, mostly large cats.

5. The black panther at the front had his front paw change along with his transformation, rapidly shifting from a human hand to a beast's forelimb. The transformed claws were incredibly sharp, gleaming with a cold light. A light scratch against an ordinary mechanical limb instantly severed it into several pieces. This was undoubtedly S-grade material or better!

6. However, that forelimb looked very similar to the other one, appearing to have a layer of fine fur. This was merely a visual illusion; when touched, it was smooth and lacked any fuzz.

7. This was considered the most noticeable flaw, but Bai Xiaoyu felt it was insignificant.

8. The warriors did not see this as a flaw at all; they believed no biomechanical limb could be more perfect than this.

9. Various beasts jumped, ran, and chased each other with their newly regained limbs, filled with excitement.

10. Watching them, Bai Xiaoyu couldn't help but feel happy for them.

11. Soon, he found himself surrounded by various animals...

12. Half an hour later, his hair was disheveled, and his clothes were covered in marks from various animals. He had worn a darker-colored outfit today, which now bore several claw prints.

13. Not long after Bai Xiaoyu returned, he faced scrutiny from three eggs—one black, one white, and one silver.

14. Seeing the three eggs lined up as if waiting for an explanation, he rubbed his nose, tidied his hair, and patted off the claw marks, "Ha ha, the warriors were a bit enthusiastic."

15. As soon as he finished speaking, the big black egg shot out.