CAT Chapter 42: Endless Cycle (4)

“???” Ling Yi’s eyes widened.

He was just waiting for the last person! How could he be late?

But Lin Si really did put the low-temperature box away and, with a neutral tone, said, “I won’t punish you this time, but remember for next time.”

Ling Yi, “???”

Those beautiful eyes immediately glistened with tears.

Lin Si smiled lightly.

Three years had passed, and this little one was still so easily teased. Once tricked, he wouldn’t even argue back and immediately looked like he was about to cry but couldn’t.

Fortunately, Lin Si’s conscience still had just a tiny bit of mercy and wouldn’t tease him for too long.

“It wasn’t even meant for you,” Lin Si removed his transparent gloves, “A child’s brain is still developing, and the chip would affect it.”

Ling Yi didn’t accept this reasoning. “I’m already an adult!”

Lin Si stood up, reached out, and gently held Ling Yi’s chin, lifting it up and examining him closely.

His jawline was still rounded and youthful, and his slightly warm skin was very soft.

“By age, you are indeed an adult,” Lin Si said, looking directly into Ling Yi’s eyes, so close, speaking slowly, “But in fact, you haven’t even reached the voice-changing stage yet. This student of mine, you’ve been late for quite a while.”

Ling Yi glared at him and turned his head, his ears turning red again.

— How could Lin Si be so annoying!

When he grew up, he would definitely get back at Lin Si for all the teasing!

But once he pulled away, Lin Si withdrew his hand and didn’t continue to tease him, as if distracted for a moment, and Ling Yi felt a bit disappointed.

Reluctantly, he muttered, “Hey.”

His voice was soft and warm, with a slightly tender tone.

Lin Si was thinking about Ling Yi. He had already seen the results of his previous checkup, and there was no physical abnormality, it was just that his hormone levels were still at an adolescent stage.

— Purely a late development.

This was likely due to the accidental mutation, but Lin Si hadn’t yet figured out the underlying cause, so for now, he had to wait.

Moreover, Ling Yi’s various tissues were still slowly changing, even his brain tissue. If it were compared to a program, other people’s programs stayed the same, but his body’s program kept optimizing itself.

Now even Lin Si couldn’t help but want to strap this “kitten” to the dissection table and study him carefully.

He heard the “hey” and shifted his gaze back to Ling Yi. “We’ll consider the chip when you’ve fully developed… It might take another two or three years. For now, use the probe skeleton.”

Ling Yi heard that he still had to keep using the probe skeleton and was utterly despairing, “I’ll still be pricked by many needles!”

“The exoskeleton’s adjustment has been completed, you can choose not to use it,” Lin Si sat back down.

“Then I’ll be very weak!” Ling Yi struggled desperately.

“That reason doesn’t convince me. I think you may already not need the exoskeleton anymore,” Lin Si continued to write something on the form he was about to submit to the Marshal, speaking casually, “As I recall, when I wasn’t around, you played the dangerous game of hand-to-hand combat with Colonel’s exoskeleton more than once. I’ve been wanting to talk to both of you for a long time.”

Ling Yi’s confidence immediately deflated, and his gaze wandered.

The Colonel, who was adjusting to the chip exoskeleton, felt a chill run down his spine upon hearing Lin Si’s words, “I’ve been wanting to talk to both of you for a long time.”

— What a joke, where could Lin Si possibly find trouble with Ling Yi? He’d just have to press a little and they’d be back together again.

Lin Si was the real danger!

It’s not like he was trying to test Ling Yi’s limits while no one was around, and besides, he didn’t even win!

Lin Si adjusted his thin silver-rimmed glasses, casting a blank expression as he glanced over at the Colonel.

The Colonel’s imposing black mechanical suit quickly shrank down, moving swiftly like a large spider, crawling away to the other side where Lin Si couldn’t see.

A few mechanics exchanged glances and silently decided to be more careful in the future—never to provoke the legendary “Wizard” again.

Ling Yi muttered weakly, “I didn’t win, but I wasn’t hurt…”

Lin Si put the document away and said, “I’m not against you trying such challenges, but you should do a proper risk assessment before deciding whether to attempt something like this. It’s easy to do, just ask Lucia.”

“I know,” Ling Yi obediently nodded, then added, “But at that time, I felt it was safe. My instincts are always right.”

Lin Si responded with an “Mm” and said lightly, “What if one day the machine’s judgment contradicts your intuition?”

Ling Yi thought about it seriously for a moment.

“My instincts have never been wrong,” he finally said.

Lin Si replied, “But the machine has never been wrong either.”

Ling Yi shook his head, looking a little troubled.

“Go train. We’ll talk about it later,” Lin Si said.

Ling Yi nodded.

Lin Si prepared the documents and was about to deliver them to the Marshal.

Ling Yi’s instincts were always sharp and accurate, so he had always trusted them completely… which was why he suddenly thought of this issue. However, the likelihood of such a situation occurring in the future was very low, so he didn’t dwell on it.

As he was walking down the corridor in Zone 3, his wristband suddenly buzzed with a call from Madam Chen.

“Lin, could you come see me?”

Lin Si didn’t know why Madam Chen was calling, but he quickly handed the documents over and headed toward Zone 1.

Madam Chen was sitting behind her desk and smiled at Lin Si as he entered. “How have you been recently?”

“Fine,” Lin Si replied flatly.

“It seems like your relationship with the Marshal has improved,” Madam Chen smiled, “As for the chip issue, I also wasn’t happy about it, but you two have both made compromises and avoided a larger conflict, which makes me very happy.”

Lin Si said, “Sorry for worrying you.”

Madam Chen replied, “The things that have been worrying me recently aren’t about this.”

Lin Si asked, “What is it?”

Madam Chen’s smile faded slightly as she looked into his eyes. “Lin, have you decided to join the Expeditioner to explore the far stars?”

It was surprising that Madam Chen had learned about this so quickly, but Lin Si didn’t show any surprise on his face. His tone remained calm. “Yes.”

Madam Chen said, “Have you considered this carefully?”

Her question, though not explicitly opposed, clearly indicated that she didn’t support his decision.

And Lin Si hadn’t actually given it “serious consideration,” which was rare for him.

“We don’t intend to assign senior research staff and equipment to the Expeditioner,” Madam Chen said slowly. “A lot of decision-making in exploration and navigation can already be handled independently by Lucia, and the Expeditioner‘s focus is on surveying. Your role wouldn’t be significant. Moreover, even if you are on the ship, you wouldn’t be able to organize a high-efficiency research team, and it would be almost impossible to make any breakthroughs. The first mission of the Expeditioner has already been set, with a duration of at least ten years.”

She looked into Lin Si’s eyes. “You’re still very young. A scientist’s most creative and energetic ten years—the years when they produce the most results—if you choose to spend them on the Expeditioner, it would be a huge loss for both you and the ship. So I suggest you carefully weigh the pros and cons and reconsider your decision.”