39: Complete the blueprints, An'an's hug

The spaceship traveled smoothly through the sea of stars, the engine's roar deep and rhythmic, like the breathing of a giant beast in slumber.

In the medical bay, the air was filled with a faint scent of disinfectant, mixed with a hint of barely perceptible blood.

Gu Pingsheng sat by the bed, holding a medical scissor, his expression focused.

Before him, An An hung her head like a child who had done something wrong, the sleeves of her black hoodie rolled up to her shoulders, revealing a slender but pale arm.

On that arm, a gruesome wound stretched from her elbow to her wrist, skin and flesh torn open, blood still seeping out, staining half of her sleeve red.

That was from when she blocked a suddenly falling sharp steel plate for Gu Pingsheng during the evacuation of the Ghost Ship.

At the time, the situation was urgent, and she didn't utter a sound, not even frowning, still lurking in the shadows as if nothing had happened.

If Gu Pingsheng hadn't been sharp-eyed and noticed those few glaring drops of red blood on the floor, she probably would have endured it until the wound became infected and inflamed.

"Bear with it."

Gu Pingsheng put down the scissors and picked up a bottle of povidone-iodine cotton balls.

His voice was very soft, showing no emotion, but his movements were surprisingly gentle.

The cool cotton ball touched the edge of the wound.

An An's body trembled violently, her already pale face instantly becoming even more transparent, and a fine layer of cold sweat seeped onto her forehead.

But she still bit her lip tightly, not allowing herself to make a sound.

"If it hurts, just shout."

Gu Pingsheng looked up at her.

Those eyes, usually hidden in the shadow of her hood, were now looking at him, glistening, without pain, only a nearly obsessive focus.

As if the wound wasn't on her, but on someone else.

"No... it doesn't hurt..."

An An shook her head, her voice as faint as a mosquito's buzz.

"As long as... as long as master is fine..."

Gu Pingsheng's hand paused.

He looked at the small girl in front of him.

Normally, she was always like a ghost, without presence, her breathing so light it was easy to ignore.

But such a seemingly fragile shadow had, without hesitation, used her own body to block a fatal blow for him when danger arrived.

This pure, almost twisted loyalty, slightly touched his heart, which had long become hardened in the apocalypse.

"Silly girl."

He sighed, his tone now containing a hint of helplessness and an almost imperceptible indulgence.

He lowered his head again and began to clean the wound.

This time, his movements were even slower, each wipe cautious, as if he were handling a fragile porcelain object.

An An stared at him blankly.

She looked at his lowered brows and eyes, his straight nose, and those eyes that were usually cold and ruthless, but were now filled with seriousness.

At this moment, the pain from the wound seemed to vanish.

It was replaced by a tingling warmth that welled up from the bottom of her heart.

That was the feeling of being cared for.

The feeling of being cherished.

She couldn't help but reach out her other, uninjured hand, wanting to touch his face, but stopped halfway.

That was the face of a god.

She was just a humble shadow, how dared she desecrate it?

Just as her hand was about to retract.

Gu Pingsheng suddenly looked up and grabbed her wrist.

An An was startled and instinctively tried to pull away.

"Don't move."

Gu Pingsheng held her hand and pressed her palm against his cheek.

A warm sensation spread.

An An's pupils suddenly dilated, and her entire body stiffened.

"Don't do that again."

Gu Pingsheng looked into her eyes, enunciating each word.

"You are my shadow, and also my sharp blade."

"I do not allow any damage to my weapon."

"Do you understand?"

Overbearing.

Unreasonable.

Yet irresistible.

An An felt her heart was about to burst from her chest.

Beneath her palm was the warmth of his cheek, the feel of his skin.

That sense of reality made her a little dizzy.

"I... I understand..."

She stammered in reply, her cheeks rapidly flushing crimson, spreading all the way to her earlobes.

Gu Pingsheng let go of her hand, picked up the gauze, and began to bandage her.

One wrap, two wraps.

The white gauze covered the gruesome wound, finally tied with a beautiful knot.

"There, done."

Gu Pingsheng stood up and clapped his hands.

"Don't get it wet for the next two days, and don't use that arm to exert force."

"I'll speak to Chen Chuxia and have her prepare some blood-tonifying medicinal cuisine for you."

An An looked at the butterfly knot on her arm, her eyes suddenly feeling hot.

This was bandaged by her master personally.

It was the master's... medal for her.

She suddenly had an impulse.

An impulse to preserve this moment forever.

"Hm?"

Gu Pingsheng was tidying the medical tray, and turned around at her sound.

Before he could react.

An An suddenly jumped off the bed and threw herself into his arms.

She hugged his waist tightly with her uninjured arm, burying her face in his chest, greedily breathing in his scent.

It was a faint scent of tobacco, mixed with the fresh fragrance of shower gel, and a unique, cool and powerful scent that belonged only to him.

"Thank you..."

Her voice was muffled, with a hint of a choke.

"Thank you... for not abandoning me..."

In this cruel apocalypse, injury often meant abandonment.

Especially for someone like her, with no background and no resources.

But Gu Pingsheng didn't.

Not only did he not despise her as a burden, but he personally treated her wounds.

She was willing to repay this kindness with her life.

Gu Pingsheng was stunned for a moment.

Then, he reached out and gently ruffled her hair.

Her hair was soft and smooth, like a docile kitten.

"You are my shadow."

He whispered in her ear.

"How can a shadow leave its person?"

After speaking, he lowered his head and gently kissed her forehead.

Like a dragonfly touching the water.

Touching and separating instantly.

But for An An, this was nothing short of an earth-shattering storm.

She was completely petrified.

Her entire body turned red from head to toe, like a cooked shrimp.

Her mind was blank, only that warm sensation on her forehead remained, constantly expanding, expanding...

"Alright, go rest."

Gu Pingsheng patted her back and gently pushed her away from his embrace.

If he hugged her any longer, this girl would probably pass out.

An An walked out of the medical bay in a daze.

Even after returning to her room and burrowing under the covers, she still felt as if it were all a dream.

She reached up and touched her forehead.

His warmth seemed to still linger there.

"Hehe..."

In the darkness, a silly laugh was heard.

...

After settling An An, Gu Pingsheng returned to the Captains Quarters.

Although the moment of tenderness was nice, important matters couldn't be delayed.

He walked to the desk and sat down, taking out the incomplete blueprint he had brought back from the Ghost Ship from his pocket.

The edges of the blueprint were charred, covered with complex circuits and symbols, most of which were blurred and indistinct.

Only the words "radar" and "phase" could be vaguely discerned.

[Detected incomplete blueprint: Phase Radar (Blue·Damaged)]

[Attempt repair?]

Gu Pingsheng took a deep breath.

This was good stuff.

Phase Radar, that was a high-end item capable of scanning cloaked units.

In this perilous universe, being able to see what others couldn't often meant survival.

"Repair."

He silently recited in his mind.

"Ding! Hand of God activated!"

"Repairing... Repair successful!"

"Critical hit... Critical hit successful!"

"Congratulations on obtaining: [Phase Radar Blueprint (purple·Perfect)]!"

A purple light flashed.

The tattered blueprint instantly looked brand new.

The paper became tough and smooth, the lines on it clearly visible, and even many complex structures that weren't there before had appeared.

Gu Pingsheng picked up the blueprint and carefully checked its attributes.

[Phase Radar (purple·Perfect)]

[Description: Employs the most advanced Phase Radar scanning technology, capable of ignoring most stealth methods.]

[Function 1: Full-frequency scan. Detection range expanded tenfold, covering a surrounding airspace of 5000 kilometers.]

[Function 2: Anti-stealth. Can precisely lock onto cloaked units, stealth creatures, and subspace fluctuations.]

[Function 3: Weakness analysis. Automatically analyzes target structural weaknesses and marks them on the tactical map.]

"Good stuff!"

Gu Pingsheng couldn't help but exclaim.

With this, he wouldn't be so passive when encountering assassins like An An who could stealth, or those invisible ghost monsters.

Moreover, expanding the detection range tenfold meant he could discover resources earlier than others, and also detect danger sooner.

This was practically like having a full map hack!

He immediately opened his communicator and called Gu Nian.

"Gu Nian, come to the Captains Quarters."

"Bring that diary."

...

A few minutes later.

Gu Nian pushed the door open and entered.

She had changed into a sharp professional outfit: a white shirt, a hip-hugging skirt, black stockings covering her long legs, and high heels.

In her hand was the yellowed diary.

Her whole demeanor exuded an intellectual and ascetic aura.

"Captain."

She walked to the table and placed the diary on it.

"I've already read this diary."

"The contents... are astonishing."

Gu Pingsheng gestured for her to sit down.

"Tell me."

Gu Nian pushed up her glasses, opened the diary, and pointed to several pages.

"This Ghost Ship originally belonged to the flagship of a resistance organization called 'Wings of Freedom'.

"About a hundred years ago, they launched an uprising to resist the tyranny of the Interstellar Federation at the time."

"But that's not the point."

Gu Nian's voice paused, and her gaze became solemn.

"The point is, they were searching for a place."

"A place called 'Eden'."

"Eden?"

Gu Pingsheng raised an eyebrow.

The name sounded a little familiar.

It seemed to have appeared in many sci-fi stories, usually representing paradise, hope, or... the ultimate secret.

"Exactly."

Gu Nian nodded.

"According to the diary's records, Eden is a legendary sanctuary."

"It possesses infinite energy, technology that can cure all diseases, and even... the secret to eternal life."

"The resistance believed that by finding Eden, they could overthrow the Federation and establish a new world."

"So, they initiated an experiment codenamed 'God Creation'."

At this point, Gu Nian's face turned a little pale.

"They tried to use the genes of some alien creature to create a super-soldier, to serve as the key to open the gates of Eden."

"But... the experiment went out of control."

"That alien creature... which is the source of the vengeful spirits we encountered on the ship... not only wasn't controlled, but it infected everyone on the entire ship."

"Finally, the captain had to order the spaceship to be sealed, sinking into this abandoned starfield with all its secrets."

After listening, Gu Pingsheng's fingers lightly tapped the desktop.

God Creation Experiment.

Eden.

Eternal life.

These words combined to outline a vast and insane plan.

And that incomplete fragment of the Warp Engine was very likely one of the map pieces leading to Eden.

"Interesting."

Gu Pingsheng's lips curled into a cold smile.

"It seems we've unwittingly stumbled into big trouble."

"However..."

He picked up the Phase Radar blueprint from the table and handed it to Gu Nian.

"Trouble often means opportunity."

"As long as we are strong enough, any trouble can become a stepping stone."

Gu Nian took the blueprint, glanced at it, and her eyes instantly lit up.

"This is... Phase Radar?!"

As the Queen of Finance, she knew the value of this item all too well.

If sold on the black market, it could definitely fetch resources equivalent to half a fleet!

But she knew Gu Pingsheng wouldn't sell it.

Strategic-level equipment like this was only the most cost-effective investment when installed on their own ship.

"Arrange for its manufacturing immediately."

Gu Pingsheng ordered.

"If materials are insufficient, buy them on the black market. Money is not an issue."

"I have a premonition that we will need it soon."

Gu Nian took a deep breath, suppressing the excitement in her heart.

She looked at the man before her.

From the initial escape pod to the current silver-rank destroyer.

From having nothing to being the overlord of the entire region.

He was like a creator of miracles, always able to produce unexpected things.

Following such a man, perhaps they could truly find that legendary Eden in this apocalypse.

"Yes, Captain."

Gu Nian stood up, her eyes sparkling with determination.

"Give me three hours."

"I will make the eyes of this ship shine."

She turned and left, her high heels clicking crisply and confidently on the floor.

Gu Pingsheng watched her retreating figure, then looked at the deep starry sky outside the window.

Eden, huh?

No matter what was there.

If it blocked his path, he would even kill a god for her to see.