The room Yin Mingzheng brought Shi Qing to was the one he used to live in.
Since his "sacrifice," the base had sealed off this room, and no one had touched anything inside, giving the impression that they respected Yin Mingzheng.
The man had originally planned to settle Shi Qing in the room first and then go find Old Huang to see if he needed any treatment. But because Shi Qing insisted on having Yin Mingzheng accompany him for a nap, he didn't manage to see the medic.
Shi Qing held his hand and pressed it against his mechanical heart, asking him to feel the mechanical heart beating steadily. He spoke softly, sounding a bit aggrieved, "I haven't slept at all while trying to find you."
"I'm in a human body now; not sleeping would be uncomfortable."
Whenever this naturally weak-looking young man softened his tone and wore a pitiful expression, Yin Mingzheng could never refuse him. Especially when Shi Qing had managed to bring Yin Mingzheng's mechanical heart out.
So, the two of them comfortably cuddled together and slept, something that had been rare for Yin Mingzheng.
After all, these days, Shi Qing had been sedating him every night and snuggling up to him in his sleep.
Yin Mingzheng was exhausted. On this journey, he had felt inner guilt, worried about Shi Qing catching up to him, and had to remain vigilant against nearby insectoid creatures. He was on edge almost every waking second.
His endurance until they reached the base was due to his strong willpower and the nightly treatments with rosemary that Shi Qing had given him, relieving his physical exhaustion.
However, while physical fatigue could be treated, mental exhaustion needed his own adjustments. If Shi Qing hadn't appeared, Yin Mingzheng would have silently borne it, as if nothing had happened, and remained mentally vigilant in his work.
But his little prince had appeared.
Like a determined little leopard that wouldn't give up until it achieved its goal, Shi Qing, disheveled and exhausted, had pounced into his arms. Before he could react, the little leopard had tugged at his clothes and whimpered, not blaming him for running away as prey but instead showing dependency.
Yin Mingzheng couldn't help but feel guilty and satisfied at the same time.
That night, like a mighty dragon, he encircled his treasure and slept soundly.
Before going to sleep, Yin Mingzheng made a decision.
Since Shi Qing had given up the spaceship to be with him, he had to protect him. Shi Qing had a vulnerability because of him, and it was his responsibility.
When he woke up refreshed the next morning, Yin Mingzheng remembered his promise from the previous night. Memories flooded back, and he closed his eyes, thinking about Shi Qing's timid and fearful appearance from the night before, feeling pity deep in his heart.
The poor little guy must have been frightened on his first time leaving the spaceship. After all, he was just a baby of a few tens of thousands of years.
Yin Mingzheng decided to set aside time today to comfort Shi Qing and make him feel less afraid. Determined to keep his promise, he was about to open his eyes when he suddenly felt something was amiss on his body.
Feeling the familiar coolness under his hand, Yin Mingzheng slowly opened his eyes and saw Shi Qing diligently exploring and studying parts with components on his bed.
As if sensing the man's gaze, the excited young man looked up and puckered his lips, saying, "You're awake."
"Come, let's run a program."
The human hero: "..."
Under Shi Qing's eager gaze, the man obediently sat up.
They ran a program for an hour, and afterward, Shi Qing, content and acting as sweet and soft as ever, lay back on the bed. He curiously examined the items on the bedside table.
Seeing the curious baby-like behavior, Yin Mingzheng couldn't help but cough awkwardly. "Is this mine? What is it?"
As expected, the curious baby, Shi Qing, turned around and quickly asked.
Yin Mingzheng felt a bit uncomfortable on his face but still replied, "It's a trophy I won in a competition when I was younger."
In peacetime, he had been an ordinary person with good looks and a calm temperament. This trophy had been awarded to him when he was a teenager, accompanied by his parents. After his parents died in a car accident, he had regarded this trophy as a memento. Even during the insectoid invasion and the evacuation of humanity, he hadn't forgotten to take it with him.
Although it sounded a bit silly to have kept a trophy from his teenage years all this time, at least Shi Qing was an alien who wouldn't understand these things.
Shi Qing, as if pondering something, held the trophy and looked at it for a while before putting it back.
The trophy was made of glass, and after all these years, Yin Mingzheng had managed to preserve it so well, showing how much he valued it.
Watching the alien youth, like a curious puppy exploring its new home, making a mess and rummaging through Yin Mingzheng's neatly arranged things, Shi Qing eventually lay back on the bed with a satisfied expression.
"All these things here smell like you."
Though he knew Shi Qing was innocently talking about the scent, Yin Mingzheng's mind couldn't help but wander to some less-than-harmonious thoughts. He struggled to bring his thoughts back to normal and asked about important matters, "Shi Qing, how did you leave the spaceship, and do you plan to go back?"
"Of course, I came to bring you back," Shi Qing answered cheerfully.
Yin Mingzheng was taken aback and then a hint of bitterness appeared at the corner of his eyes. "What if I don't want to go back?"
The alien youth turned to him, a bewildered look in his silver-white eyes, as if abandoned, and stared at the man in silence.
In the end, Yin Mingzheng couldn't bear Shi Qing's gaze and took the initiative to say, "If you're willing, Shi Qing, you can stay at the base and live with me."
Shi Qing's eyes showed confusion for a moment, but then he proudly raised his head. "The mechanical race doesn't help other races."
"I don't need your help."
It was a heavy atmosphere, but seeing the youth's actions, the man couldn't help but chuckle. He extended his long arm and hugged Shi Qing, speaking softly, "You've been trapped on the spaceship for so long; don't you want to see what the outside world looks like? Stay here; you don't need to do anything, just live well."
"I know you're afraid I'll take you away, but you're my partner, and I'll consider your feelings."
The alien youth acted like a spoiled child, squirming in Yin Mingzheng's arms and muttering softly, "I'll reluctantly stay here with you for now. When you're betrayed by humans, then you'll come with me obediently."
Yin Mingzheng's eyes darkened. He had always been focused on protecting the base and had never suspected that certain people within it might want to harm him. Even if he knew now, he had no intention of retreating. If there were obstacles, he would simply kick them away. If there were obstacles in his path, he would eliminate them. After all, he had already died once.
The man lowered his head, looked at the youth rolling around in his arms, and gently stroked his small head. "Alright, we'll wait and see together."
Shi Qing: [Why do I feel like he treats me like a child? Wasn't the rejection level supposed to decrease?]
After an hour of reading the Tao Te Ching, the system popped up, its voice soft and flattering, "The rejection level has decreased to forty, host. According to the universal rejection level standards, above fifty is severe rejection, below fifty is normal rejection. Currently, Yin Mingzheng's rejection level towards you is at forty, indicating that he is friendly towards you but not deeply attached. I recommend continuing to decrease the rejection level, just in case it rises again if something happens."
Shi Qing was covered in goosebumps from the system's overly sweet tone. "What's wrong with your voice? Change it back!"
The system, sounding bewildered, asked, "Don't you like it, host? This is the first time I've awarded you a reduction to fifty rejection level, after all."
"Change it, change it back!"
The system reluctantly switched back.
Shi Qing nestled in Yin Mingzheng's arms, playing with the cuffs of his sleeves.
Unexpectedly, even though Yin Mingzheng seemed so obedient and his gaze was tender enough to melt, he still didn't truly consider Shi Qing his lover.
Generally speaking, men who acted like this were either scoundrels or womanizers.
But Yin Mingzheng clearly fell into neither category.
He was simply driven by a sense of responsibility.
However, when a certain situation occurred, if the guilt and responsibility towards Shi Qing were suppressed, his level of rejection would still rise.
In other words, this was still a game of conquest.
The system, concerned that Shi Qing might be under too much pressure, consoled him, saying, "Host, don't worry. Generally, it's difficult for the rejection level to increase..."
Just as it was speaking, it suddenly remembered the scene where Yin Mingzheng's rejection level had skyrocketed last time and fell silent.
Shi Qing didn't feel any pressure at all. He excitedly buried his head in Yin Mingzheng's embrace, almost bursting into laughter. "How thrilling! I love it!"
With the protection of Yin Mingzheng, a human hero highly respected within the base, Shi Qing settled in smoothly.
His daily routine consisted of sipping "tea," watching TV dramas, strolling hand in hand with Yin Mingzheng, and engaging in serious conversations about humans and the mechanical race.
Since the rejection level had dropped to forty, and he no longer had to worry about being expelled from the world consciousness at every moment, the system was overjoyed. Even when faced with a screen full of mosaic, it still enjoyed reciting the Tao Te Ching.
Shi Qing was undoubtedly very popular among the superhumans in the base.
In the current world, capable superhumans fought to defend the base. Even teenagers in their early teens had weathered many hardships and had the demeanor of adults.
The situation was even worse for civilians, who were trapped in the base, operating numbly and exhausted every day. When the insectoids attacked, they trembled in their homes, helpless, and awaited rescue.
In such a context, someone like Shi Qing, who was delicate, soft, spoke sweetly, and didn't bother others (except for Yin Mingzheng), was naturally well-received.
Moreover, he was the apple of Yin Mingzheng's eye. Even if it was just for Yin Mingzheng's sake, these superhumans would treat him with the utmost care.
Furthermore, on the second day of his arrival at the base, after wandering around casually, the young prince joyfully ran into Yin Mingzheng's arms and declared:
"I want superpowers too!"
Yin Mingzheng skillfully held him in his arms, helping him tidy his slightly messy hair due to excitement. He smiled as he coaxed, "Superpowers aren't something you can have just because you want them."
"I can have them. My body now has a human structure. As long as I want, I can have superpowers!"
Yin Mingzheng was momentarily stunned. He hadn't expected this.
But he had asked Shi Qing before, and Shi Qing had refused to summon humanoid mechanical beings. Instead, he had remained in the base with his human-like body, completely reliant on Yin Mingzheng's protection.
Considering his concerns about the possibility of Shi Qing summoning mechanical beings and forcibly taking him away, Yin Mingzheng didn't say anything more.
However, when he went on missions outside, he couldn't help but worry.
It was like living with an unweaned little kitten.
The little kitten was too small, soft, and hadn't been weaned yet. It could only crawl, and its cries were small and delicate, as if it wouldn't survive without someone feeding it.
In this situation, how could he put his mind at ease? He had to think about what the little kitten was doing at home, whether it was hungry, and if it was scared.
Now that he learned that Shi Qing could have superpowers, Yin Mingzheng also breathed a sigh of relief. He held the young teenager and asked, "Can you control any superpower by yourself?"
"Yes, I can change my internal molecular structure to match the air's superpower content on this planet."
Although it sounded a bit far-fetched, Yin Mingzheng had become accustomed to hearing such seemingly implausible but true statements.
He thought for a moment and suggested, "How about using electricity-based superpowers? They are the most powerful and can harness lightning from the sky to protect yourself."
"No," Shi Qing immediately refused.
Yin Mingzheng patiently coaxed him, "Be good, now is not the time to be willful. I'm often away from home on missions, and sometimes I can't protect you."
"I want healing powers."
The little prince arrogantly raised his head and placed his hand on Yin Mingzheng's heart.
"I want to protect you too."
Yin Mingzheng was stunned.
In the eyes of many, he was a human hero.
He was a battle-hardened god of war.
And also the hope for countering the insectoids.
But this was the first time someone had said they wanted to protect him.
The palpitations in his heart faded, and Yin Mingzheng calmed down. "No, you have to ensure your own safety first!"
Shi Qing simply didn't listen to him. He skillfully jumped out of Yin Mingzheng's embrace and ran off, saying, "You have to catch me! Even if you catch me, I won't listen to you."
The gleeful figure of the young prince disappeared in front of the man's eyes.
Yin Mingzheng watched him, occasionally sneaking glances back at him, his lips curved helplessly. How could there be such a little fool who gave up his own safety and wanted to protect others?
He smiled, his eyes filled with tenderness.
"What a little fool."
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