Zerg: I ​​was picked up by the cold and beautiful Major General at the start of the game.

"Your Excellency, the Major General's condition is far more serious than it appears; his spiritual energy is on the verge of depletion..."

What?!

Lin Luo suddenly turned to look at Parks, his face drained of color.

Even if he didn't understand the Zerg, he knew what "spiritual depletion" meant—it foreshadowed death!

"...But the Major General pulled through!"

Parks quickly added, his eyes showing a mixture of lingering fear and relief, "It's all thanks to... the blood you gave me before."

Upon hearing this, Lin Luo immediately said urgently:

"Blood is useful, right? Then what are we waiting for? Keep drawing my blood! As much as you need!"

Parks shook his head:

"The blood was useful; it contained your special spiritual power, which forcibly stabilized the collapsing core at the last moment and preserved the major general's last chance of life."

"However, Your Excellency, your current sustained mental calming is more important and more direct than the indirect effects of the blood."

He looked at the unconscious Eland: "Right now, the Major General's mental state is like a forest that has been completely burned by a raging fire. Although the fire has been extinguished, the earth is scorched black and life is almost completely cut off."

"We've only managed to save the last bit of roots deep in the soil from being burned."

"It will take a long time and more sustained and powerful nourishment to restore this forest to its former glory."

"The current stability is merely an extremely fragile balance."

Parker's voice was extremely heavy, and he looked at Lin Luo with earnest eyes.

"Major General, we really can only rely on you now, Lord Lin Luo."

Lin Luo walked to the bedside, carefully took Ailand's cold hand, and felt the faint pulse.

He raised his head and looked at Parks, his dark eyes filled with only calm and determination.

"I will," he repeated. "I will definitely heal him."

------

The hall was dimly lit, and a female insect dressed in dark clothing stood respectfully with her head bowed below.

"Eland, what's going on now?" Case asked casually.

"Your Highness, we confirm that Major General Ailand is critically injured and on the verge of death. His mental state has suffered a devastating blow and is almost completely collapsed."

"Currently, he has been sent back to the capital and is in a deep coma. It is almost impossible for him to regain consciousness, and he is no different from a useless insect."

Case's lips slowly curled up, clearly very satisfied with the answer.

He casually instructed, "If the Marshal asks, you know what to say, right?"

The female insect immediately replied, "Your Highness, rest assured, I understand!"

Case waved his hand gently, and the female insect bowed silently and retreated, disappearing into the shadows.

--------

Military Headquarters - Field Marshal Arnold's Office

Inside the office, Adjutant Hawke, his eyes red-rimmed, was reporting to Field Marshal Arnold, whose face was as solemn as iron.

Hawke's voice trembled slightly with excitement.

"We've fallen into a space pirate ambush! This is no accident; it's a meticulously planned trap targeting Major General Ailand! They not only know our entire route, but they've also used unprecedented equipment capable of directly triggering and amplifying the Major General's mental disturbance!"

"The Major General... he was forced to overexert his spiritual energy to cover the female soldiers' retreat and ensure the male insect's safe withdrawal, that's why..."

He choked up for a moment, then forced himself to continue:

"The major general is currently unconscious, and his condition... is very bad, but..."

He added eagerly, "But His Excellency Lin Luo promised that he would do his best to cure the Major General!"

Although the words were spoken, Hawke knew all too well what the collapse of his mental sea meant. Lord Lin Luo's promise was more like a beautiful wish, with hope so slim, yet he would rather hold on to this faint hope tightly.

Arnold listened quietly, a terrifying storm churning deep within his weathered eyes.

He anticipated that the other party would force Ailand to use his mental power, but Ailand was not completely unprepared. Lin Luo was able to soothe Ailand's mental sea with just skin contact, which made Ailand's condition much better than outsiders thought.

But he had never heard of any device that could so precisely and viciously attack the female insect's mental sea.

It was the Insect Emperor who personally instructed Ailand to lead the team... but colluding with despicable space pirates and setting up such a vicious trap is not like his usual style... it's too despicable.

The marshal was filled with doubt. Who could it be?

He suppressed the turmoil in his heart, turned his gaze to the grieving Hawke, and said in a steady voice, "Lieutenant Hawke, Eland is a hero of the Empire. The Empire will never forget his sacrifice and contributions."

He paused, then continued, "Not only will Lord Linluo do his utmost, but the Empire will also use all its resources to try and rescue Ailand."

"I will immediately order the Imperial Academy of Sciences to establish a special task force to devote all its efforts to developing new medications and treatments for this type of mental trauma as quickly as possible."

Finally, the marshal's tone suddenly turned cold and sharp: "As for the traitor who leaked military secrets and colluded with space pirates... he won't be able to escape a thorough investigation."

"Once exposed, they will be brought before the highest military court and prosecuted for treason, with no leniency!"

"Yes, Marshal!" Hawke snapped to attention and shouted back.

The marshal nodded slightly: "Go down and take good care of the major general and Lord Lin Luo."

"Yes!" Hawke saluted again, then turned and strode away.

After the office door closed, Marshal Arnold sat alone in his large chair, his gaze fixed on the gloomy sky outside the window. His fingers tapped unconsciously on the table, and the chill in his eyes grew stronger.

-------

Aland's Bedroom

The room was so quiet that only their faint breathing could be heard.

Eland lay quietly on the bed, as if he were simply asleep. If it weren't for his overly pale face and the almost imperceptible rise and fall of his chest, one would hardly notice anything amiss.

Lin Luo took a deep breath and very gently unbuttoned Ailand's military shirt, carefully helping him take it off.

The body that once made him blush and dare not look directly at was now exposed before him, but it no longer aroused any passion.

The wounds were dense and crisscrossed, some still unhealed and others still showing signs of lingering purplish-blue discoloration; the deepest one wound wounded from the left scapula to the side of the waist, and although the exposed flesh had been stitched up, it was still gruesome and terrifying.

Lin Luo's fingers hovered in mid-air, trembling slightly, almost afraid to fall, lest he hurt him, even though Ailand might be completely unaware at this moment.

Even if the female soldier possesses a recovery ability far exceeding that of ordinary people, such a severe injury would not be able to heal in a short period of time. Moreover, Ailand's spiritual sea is now depleted, and his body's self-healing ability has dropped to almost zero.

Lin Luo took the ointment, dipped his finger into the cool paste, and applied it very gently, little by little, to those terrible scars.

His movements were focused and meticulous, but hot tears welled up uncontrollably in his eyes, sliding down his cheeks, one drop, two drops... silently hitting the sheets and spreading small dark stains.

He grew up in a privileged environment, with a warm and loving family. Even as life changed and his family members quarreled and separated, he never truly lost anyone.

Looking at the shattered body before him, feeling the cool touch beneath his fingertips, this was the first time he had ever so vividly experienced the pain of losing someone he cared about...

After carefully applying the medicine and bandaging the last wound, Lin Luo silently took off his shirt.

He climbed into bed, lay down on his side next to Elland, and then carefully reached out to pull the other's cold body into his arms.

Their necks intertwined, their bare chests pressed tightly together, Lin Luo trying to warm that cold spot with his own body heat.

Dr. Parks stated that the larger the skin contact area, the better the psychological calming effect.