CAT Chapter 12: Sonnet (4)

Ling Yi’s day began.

At 6 am, still half-awake, he was lifted out of bed by Lin Si, washed, dressed, fed a tube of nutritional supplement, and sent to Zone 3.

Svenya had already prepared his training plan, including physical and combat training—of course, the combat was with robots, otherwise, the entire “Limitless” could be knocked down by him.

His first task in the morning was to run laps around Zone 3.

The Voyager was a massive ship, and Zone 3, which made up one-ninth of it, was naturally quite large.

The Colonel said, “Your goal is not to pursue speed, but to feel each of your muscles during this process, their strength, their purpose, and then use them perfectly!”

The Colonel then sized Ling Yi up, muttering, “Hmm… Thirty kilometers should be easy for you. If you don’t feel anything, then go for another lap—though you look like a damned delicate little beauty.”

The delicate little beauty smiled sweetly at the Colonel, “Alright, Colonel.”

The Colonel looked at him with a skeptical gaze as he ran off.

“I feel like I’m committing child abuse.” he said.

“Colonel, I must remind you, is your chest still hurting from yesterday’s injury?” Svenya said coolly.

“It hurts,” the Colonel grunted, “Good, now I have no guilty conscience at all.”

—Up until yesterday, no one had ever pressed him down and beaten him like that.

The Colonel and Svenya continued their training, while Ling Yi happily ran along the outermost corridor of Zone 3.

Most of the time, he was happy—except when he was bullied by Lin Si.

Ling Yi remembered yesterday’s Barbie doll and couldn’t help but grind his teeth—he had really wanted to watch Peppa Pig instead!

In the corridor, he naturally encountered officers from Zone 3, but Lin Si had already taught him how to recognize ranks and reminded him to greet them politely.

“Hello, two Lieutenant Colonels.”

Ling Yi greeted the two passing Lieutenant Colonels while running lightly ahead.

The two Lieutenant Colonels turned to look at him.

His steps were light, movements standard, speed very even, without a hint of fatigue, and when it was time to turn, his position was perfectly timed.

“Could it be a test robot sent from Zone 5? It’s done very well, and looks good too,” one of the Lieutenant Colonels thought to himself.

Thus, after becoming familiar to the scientists, Ling Yi also attracted the attention of the officers in Zone 3.

Halfway through, someone was looking at the stars by the viewport.

Ling Yi, “Hello, Marshal.”

And then he continued running.

However, this time, he was called to stop.

“Ling Yi, come here.” Marshal Sius withdrew his gaze from the starry sea and turned to look at him.

Ling Yi stopped, took a few steps back, and looked up at the Marshal.

Though his physique was special, after running for so long, there was still some signs of physical exhaustion. He was lightly panting, and his face was slightly flushed.

The Marshal looked at him for a while, without speaking.

Ling Yi blinked, “Marshal?”

The Marshal withdrew his stern, slightly scrutinizing gaze, and asked, “Are you training?”

Ling Yi, “Yes.”

The Marshal nodded. “…How’s Lin Si treating you?”

Ling Yi thought for a moment and replied, “Lin Si dresses me, um… he hasn’t pricked me with needles recently, and he covers me with a blanket at night.”

He spoke very obediently and cutely, and the Marshal rubbed his head. “Anything else?”

Ling Yi tilted his head. “Lin Si won’t let me watch Peppa Pig.”

The Marshal chuckled and asked, “Do you really want to watch it?”

Ling Yi nodded slightly.

The Marshal said, “Then when you go back, tell Lin Si that I order him to let you watch it.”

Ling Yi smiled, his eyes curving. “Thank you, Marshal.”

The Marshal looked at him, his expression softening a little, but then he became serious again and said, “Lin Si’s mental state is problematic. If you ever feel something’s wrong, feel free to seek help from me, and I will revoke his guardianship over you.”

Ling Yi didn’t understand.

So far, two people had told him that Lin Si was problematic and unfit to care for him—one was Svenya, and the other was Marshal Sius.

He didn’t know how to defend Lins, so he could only murmur, “He’s fine…”

The Marshal didn’t respond directly, saying, “Continue training.”

The Colonel had allowed Ling Yi some time to adapt, so the training on his first day wasn’t too intense, and he returned to Zone 6 by noon.

When he opened the bedroom door, Ling Yi found that Lin Si was napping.

Lin Si’s work was very demanding, and there was a lot to handle. When possible, he took a fixed half-hour break every day.

Ling Yi quietly took off his coat and shoes, climbed onto the bed, and crawled under the covers, lying down near Lin Si.

His senses were sharp, and he noticed that Lin Si felt cold. So, he moved a little closer, wrapping his arms around Lin Si’s to warm him up.

However, upon touching him, Ling Yi immediately realized something was wrong.

Lin Si was trembling.

It wasn’t a visible shake, but one that even Ling Yi had to observe carefully to notice. His muscles were also far from the relaxed state they should have been in while sleeping.

Ling Yi sat up, shaking Lin Sis’s shoulder with a hint of worry in his voice, “Lin Si, Lin Si?”

Lin Si didn’t wake up, but Ling Yi knew he slept lightly and could be easily awakened.

His eyes were starting to turn red, and he stopped calling Lin Si by name, instead using the title Lin Si had asked him to use before, “Gege, wake up, gege…”

Lin Si’s eyelashes finally fluttered, slowly opening his eyes.

Ling Yi froze for a moment.

At that moment, Lin Si’s eyes didn’t show any of the familiar expressions Ling Yi was used to. He couldn’t describe it, only that they were dark, empty, and made him feel deeply sad.

Like a porthole in the middle of a black hole, pitch black, with nothing inside.

After a brief moment, Lin Si closed his eyes again.

Ling Yi’s tears almost fell, and he called out “Gege” again and again.

At that moment, he felt his hand being gently squeezed.

Lin Si’s voice was weak, “Ling Yi?”

Ling Yi nodded vigorously but then remembered that Lin Si couldn’t see with his eyes closed, and with a slightly tearful tone, he said, “It’s me.”

Lin Si’s pale lips curled into a faint smile, and he opened his eyes again—this time with a normal expression, though a little weary.

“Sorry,” he gently patted Ling Yi’s back and said, “I won’t hurt you, don’t be afraid.”

Ling Yi shook his head, pressing his warm body closer to Lin Si and then raising his little face. “I’ll come back to sleep with you every noon from now on, okay?”

Because he had been on the verge of tears, his voice was a bit nasal, and with the babyish tone, it was like a kitten’s paw scratching at his heart.

Lin Si couldn’t help it, reaching out to gently rub the delicate tip of Ling Yi’s nose.

“Baobei,” his voice was still a bit weak but with a lazy smile, “How are you so good?”