Chapter 144 Trouble

Chapter 144

"Um, could you perhaps share some bedding with us?"

Xiao Ke-ren looked at Mei, who was rolling around happily on the soft and comfortable bed, and then glanced back at her own side—a bare, hard wooden board. Her eyes were filled with envy as she couldn't help but speak up.

Hearing this, Mei raised her head, looked at her in confusion, and asked, "Don't you have a spatial storage? Why are you asking to borrow from us?"

"Y-Y-You, how do you know I have a spatial storage?" Upon hearing Mei's words, Xiao Ke-ren instantly looked terrified, her face turning pale as she stumbled over her words.

As soon as Xiao Ke-feng heard Mei's remark, he instinctively stepped in front of his younger sister, glaring vigilantly at everyone in the room while fixing a murderous stare on Mei.

His actions immediately provoked the displeasure of Mo Chen and the others, though they didn't take any action. They merely let out a cold, warning snort. The brother and sister duo simply weren't a threat worth their attention.

Mei glanced at the overreacting Xiao siblings, then at the contemplative Ling Feng, and finally at Wanqi Wen-yue, who was thoroughly enjoying the spectacle. With a look of surprise, Mei said, "Oh! So you haven't told anyone yet? I'm sorry, I didn't know!"

"Still, I don't think you need to be this nervous! Not only does Ah Chen have a spatial storage on our side, but we also couldn't care less about your little stash. As for Colonel Ling Feng, I'm sure he's not a gossip and wouldn't casually leak the secret of your spatial storage to others. And as for this lady here—sis, you two should have a good chat, and I'm sure she'll be willing to keep it confidential!"

Before Mei could even finish her sentence, Wanqi Wen-yue cried out in excitement, "Little Loli, you finally called me sis! Oh! I'm so thrilled!"

With that, Wanqi Wen-yue lunged toward Mei, wanting to hug her, but was intercepted with lightning speed by Ye Jing-xuan.

Having been blocked numerous times back on the Undercurrent, Wanqi Wen-yue wasn't upset this time either. She merely shrugged regretfully, turned to Xiao Ke-ren, and said, "Don't worry, little sister, this older sister won't tell anyone about your spatial storage."

Hearing this, Xiao Ke-ren relaxed slightly, though Xiao Ke-feng stared at Wanqi Wen-yue with extreme distrust and demanded, "Why should we believe you?"

"Believe it or not! I'm not begging you to believe me!" Wanqi Wen-yue snapped, her brows arching up in anger as she glared at him.

"Is that any way to speak?" Stung by Wanqi Wen-yue's retort, Xiao Ke-feng was deeply provoked. Unfortunately, he was truly terrible at arguing. Having been talked to like that, he suddenly didn't know what to say and could only squeeze out those words after a long pause.

"That's just how this lady speaks!" Wanqi Wen-yue retorted with one hand on her hip, radiating an imposing aura.

"Brother, drop it! I believe this sister won't spread my secret. Let's hurry up and make the bed!" Xiao Ke-ren tugged at her brother's sleeve, stopping him from arguing any further with Wanqi Wen-yue.

Casting one last look at the others in the room, Xiao Ke-ren began pulling bedding out from her spatial storage, only stopping when the entire bed was fully covered.

The supplies Xiao Ke-ren had collected were quite substantial. Because she had always had to keep them hidden from others, her consumption had been relatively low. Now, pulling out so much in front of everyone for the very first time, aside from a bit of nervousness, she felt a profound sense of catharsis.

To be honest, having a spatial storage yet constantly living in fear of being spied on—not daring to show off what you ate, wore, or used, and having to constantly endure—was truly stifling.

Now that she no longer needed to hide, nor force herself to adapt to a miserable environment, her heart naturally felt immensely liberated!

Seeing that Xiao Ke-ren had already brought the items out and realizing that further concealment was impossible, Xiao Ke-feng could only glare fiercely at Mei and Wanqi Wen-yue before hastily rushing over to help his sister.

Although she had been glared at several times, Mei wasn't angry at all. She merely sighed inwardly, thinking that this Xiao Ke-feng was truly a faultless, wonderful older brother!

"What's wrong? Are you envious?" Seeing her stare at Xiao Ke-feng, Xirier suddenly spoke up. Moreover, he wasn't using the language of this world, but Elven.

Hearing the Elven language that she hadn't heard in a long time, Mei froze for a moment before replying, "Envious? Not at all! Even though I don't have an older brother who takes care of everything for me, Ah Chen and the others aren't any worse. They treat me just as well as Xiao Ke-feng treats Xiao Ke-ren, perhaps even more attentively. So what do I have to be envious of? I'm just feeling a bit emotional, that's all!"

"That being said, you aren't looking forward to this upcoming brother of yours at all! Why? Haven't you always longed for familial affection?" Xirier's observational skills were as sharp as ever.

"I do long for it, but it's just a longing, nothing more! Strictly speaking, Number Nine and I are still two different people. After all, we look completely different, and our genes and such don't match either. Isn't genetic testing considered the sole standard for recognizing family on this planet? If aliens are the same way, I doubt that Galore will ever acknowledge me!"

Mei never hid any of her thoughts from Xirier. Hearing him ask, she blurted it out without a second thought, completely forgetting there were other people in the room. Although they couldn't understand what she was saying, the desolate expression on her face could not be concealed.

Xirier frowned slightly and said, "Use your brain! Since the people on this planet are capable of altering genes, how could an alien civilization more advanced than this one fail to do so? Once genes can be modified, they cease to be a standard for measuring an individual! Have you been troubled by such pointless matters all these days?"

"Uh, well, not entirely!" Mei said with a guilty conscience. She truly hadn't thought of that point. Prompted by Xirier, she realized her worries in this regard were indeed somewhat redundant.

However, her concerns didn't end there. Afraid of being lectured by Xirier, she quickly explained, "The main reason I'm not pinning my hopes on Galore is that I don't know what kind of person he is. I don't know if he's looking for me simply because I'm his sister, or if there's some other motive behind it."

"It doesn't matter. As long as he's willing to take us away from this planet, once we understand other worlds, we can always leave if he truly harbors any schemes." Xirier paused to think before speaking.

For a stranger they had never met, they indeed shouldn't hold overly high expectations. Xirier agreed with her perspective, and a new plan began to form in his mind.

Hearing Xirier's words, Mei nodded approvingly. Indeed, if the other party really harbored hidden intentions, she wouldn't let herself be easily used. With this thought, the gloominess caused by Galore's impending arrival instantly dissipated quite a bit.

Once the two of them finished chatting, Mei remembered that there were other people in the room. She secretly checked Mo Chen and the others' reactions. Seeing that they were each busy with their own tasks and didn't look displeased, she finally breathed a sigh of relief.

It wasn't that she deliberately meant to hide things from them; it was just that some things were still impossible for her to voice to them.

It wasn't that she didn't trust them enough, but rather that when facing them, she was accustomed to placing herself in the role of the protector. To those who still needed her protection, she didn't feel they were capable of solving her troubles.

She knew her mindset wasn't necessarily right, but it was hard to change it overnight.

Although Mo Chen didn't know what Mei was thinking, feeling that she had something on her mind yet was unwilling to discuss it with him still left him feeling quite lost. In her heart, after all, he couldn't compare to Xirier!

Ye Jing-xuan's mood at the moment was similar to Mo Chen's, but he thought deeper than Mo Chen did. Mei's refusal to rely on him—was it a lack of trust, or did she feel he wasn't strong enough?

It seemed he would have to work even harder!

An Zi-you didn't have too many thoughts. Although Mei was very close to him at times, when it came to the level of trust, leaving aside Xirier, he couldn't even compare to Mo Chen or Ye Jing-xuan. Therefore, he didn't demand much; as long as he wasn't abandoned, it was enough for him right now.

As for Lin Shao-jie, aside from marveling at how many languages Mei could speak, he had no other thoughts.

As for the remaining people in the room, Wanqi Wen-yue simply felt that she still understood far too little about Mei and the others, and that breaking into their inner circle was simply too difficult; she had no other agenda.

Xiao Ke-feng cared about no one except his younger sister. Xiao Ke-ren, meanwhile, secretly observed An Zi-you's expression, and seeing that he didn't look at her any differently just because she had a spatial storage, she couldn't help but reveal a look of disappointment.

The only one who had any real thoughts was Ling Feng!

Mei was perhaps the only person in his life he could never quite see through!

From the first time he saw her through a security camera, he felt she wasn't as simple as she appeared on the surface. Facts proved that his intuition was correct: whether it was the negotiation at the Changyang Base or her later performance during missions, both had exceeded his imagination.

Although she had contributed a great deal during that mission, when she became trapped deep within the experimental base, he had ultimately chosen to abandon her. Even so, at the time, he felt a certain degree of regret. To lose such a powerful asset just like that!

He hadn't expected her to survive such an environment, so when he received her message from the Qingshen Base, he was truly surprised.

What surprised him even more was their meeting during this mission in Country A.

How on earth had she managed to survive while falling that severely ill?

Clearly, back then, all her vital signs had dropped to their absolute lowest points!

Why did unexpected things always happen around her?

Even on this ghost ship, where everyone else went missing without a return, only she was able to bring others back alive. Just how many secrets were hidden within her?

Ling Feng looked at Mei, an indescribable emotion flashing through his eyes!

For someone accustomed to controlling the situation, he actually disliked people he couldn't see through. Because too many variables existed around such individuals, and too many variables would only cause the situation to slip out of his control.

Yet, toward Mei, he simply couldn't muster any dislike!

Could it be because he had repeatedly needed to rely on her strength?

Just like now, watching Mei take out a computer and start tinkering with it, Ling Feng walked over.

"Could I ask you for a favor?"