272: Chapter 272 Breakthrough

"Are you two finished washing up?"

"Yeah!" Snai floated back and forth in mid-air.

"It's about time, Li Ming. It's time to rest."

Li Ming looked at Ushakov sprawled on the bed, then looked at Kuznetsov and Snai.

Before he knew it, three girls had already gathered in this room...

"Alright then... Snai, make sure you get a good night's sleep, okay?"

"Mm-hmm!" Snai spun around happily.

"Wait a second, where are you going?"

"I'm going to sleep in the next room," Li Ming said. "There are already three girls in this room, it wouldn't be appropriate for me to sleep here too, right..."

"Hmph, men and women should keep their distance..." Kuznetsov snorted coldly.

"Exactly, just that men and women should... keep their distance..."

Looking at her gaze, Li Ming instantly felt a bit guilty, though he didn't know what had happened.

"What's the matter..." Li Ming rubbed his nose.

"When I see you sleeping with Ushakov, how come you never pay attention to that 'men and women should keep their distance' thing?" Kuznetsov, wearing a nightgown, looked at him expressionlessly.

"Uh, that's because we were asleep..."

"Asleep? Does that mean you don't have to care about keeping your distance once you're asleep?" Kuznetsov sneered. "Do you hate me that much?"

"No? I really don't..." Li Ming was dumbfounded. Was this really the Marshal? "Marshal, I..."

"Call me Kuzna, you jerk." The Marshal walked up to Li Ming, grabbed his collar with one hand, and rested her other hand on his shoulder. "Is there something about me that isn't as good as Ushakov? Or are you saying you don't like me?"

"No, I already said it's not that..."

"Do you like this body?"

Her cheeks flushed, and the hand resting on his shoulder dropped, moving to pull down her collar slightly, revealing some fair skin.

Li Ming swallowed hard. "Kuzna, I..."

"Answer me, Li Ming."

There was some hesitation in the Marshal's eyes, but more of it was grievance and annoyance.

Li Ming looked away. "Honestly, I didn't think you would actually be willing to... be like this."

"Hmph, you little scoundrel with the heart but no guts..." Kuznetsov snorted coldly. "Since you're being biased, I want you to sleep with me tonight."

"Mm..."

"What? You don't want to?"

"I do, I do." Li Ming sighed. "How could I possibly not want to?"

"You have to want to whether you like it or not, hmph..."

Kuznetsov, from who knows where, found the strength to tackle Li Ming onto the bed, pressing most of her body onto him.

"Kuzna?"

"Don't speak!" Kuznetsov said imperiously. "Time to sleep."

"Gulp..." Li Ming had no choice but to obediently pull up the quilt, and while he was at it, covered Ushakov, who was on the side.

Snai floated down gently and tucked herself into the quilt.

She was sleepy too.

Afterward, the bedside lamp was turned off. Li Ming felt the sensation of Kuznetsov pressing against him, as well as her somewhat rapid breathing, and had no choice but to hold her, close his eyes, and start trying to sleep.

After a while, Li Ming was exhausted, and with his eyes closed, he soon drifted off into dreamland.

Kuznetsov's head rested on Li Ming's chest, feeling his heartbeat gradually calm down.

What the heck, he actually fell asleep. Kuznetsov thought to herself, but that was fine too. She closed her eyes, adjusted her sleeping position, and fell asleep while being held by Li Ming.

——————

Li Ming's consciousness returned once again to this starry sky.

"What's wrong? After-sales support doesn't accept returns, you know?" The Governing Body was still standing in that same spot, tilting its head when it saw him.

"There are some situations I hope you are aware of," Li Ming walked forward and looked at it, "if you are in a position to intervene."

"What is it?" It looked at him, its bright red eyes staring straight at him—but Li Ming did not feel the same sense of oppression as he did with Peter the Great.

"The Russian Federation in that world is researching Meta Technology, did you know?"

"That sort of thing..." The Governing Body lowered its head and pondered for a moment. "I know a little bit about the situation, but I don't know the specific details. I don't have a clear information node in that world."

"I learned from Mercury that she is very likely planning to use Meta Technology to treat Kuznetsov's condition, but I'm not sure how far she has gotten."

The Governing Body raised its eyebrows. "That is not good news."

"You should know how dangerous Meta is, right...?" Li Ming looked at it, a bit uncertain.

"I know." The Governing Body patted his shoulder. "Even though the worldview is different, don't assume I haven't looked into it."

"Then I've said all I have to say." Li Ming nodded to show he understood.

"If a problem really does arise, just contact me... Now, hurry back." The Governing Body gave him a gentle push, opened a portal, and sent his consciousness back.

This was not a problem he could face right now. If the Meta experiment really went wrong, the cross-world contamination might actually spread to that world.

[Security Protocol Passed]

The Governing Body turned its head to look at other report information.

"Has a Siren fleet already been prepared to be deployed to this world? As expected, you all have been keeping your eyes on this world all along..."

The Governing Body shook its head. "As expected, yet another special experimental ground. You were the ones who introduced Meta Technology too, right... It's just that you probably didn't expect your own Commander to be here, otherwise you would have stopped the experiment even if it cost you everything. Come to think of it, the development of Meta Technology in this world also has your fingerprints on it..."

——————

There are some things that, once done, there is no turning back.

When she woke up the next day, the effects of the alcohol had worn off for Kuznetsov. Opening her eyes and seeing Li Ming's face, she didn't know what to say for a moment.

But would you say she regretted it? Not at all. She was just a bit... hesitant.

It seems she really had latched onto him.

Is this really okay? Can she really do this?

Or is it that she just wanted to steal a moment of peace to make herself feel a little better?

She didn't know, but she only knew that she might not have much time left.

The Meta Technology that Peter spoke of... Honestly, Kuznetsov didn't know what that was, but she felt the possibility of it being truly useful was not high, however...

She didn't have any standing to stop her either.

"Cough, cough..." Li Ming coughed twice.

"You're awake?" Kuznetsov tried her best to keep her voice from sounding timid.

"Water..." Li Ming's voice was a bit hoarse, and his face was flushed red.

"Water?" Kuznetsov let go of him and felt his forehead with her hand.

It was very hot, definitely over 38.5.

"You have a fever?"

...

...