While Natarle's sneaky escape from home under the watchful eyes of Williams and Olivia remains unmentioned...
Zhou Tianming's mouth said unwilling, but his body moved honestly.
A lone man and woman alone!
More than [friendship]!
Yet not quite lovers!
His Mental Command could testify!
After arriving in Copernicus City, he maintained a stern expression while making over 10 trips to convenience stores, purchasing ten drinks and seven snacks.
Yet he still couldn't muster the courage to buy that most crucial item, ultimately slinking back to the Black Tortoise to drown his sorrows in food, hiding in his room and binge-eating. Even White Rabbit, that Artificial Dumbass, grew concerned and warned him about risking diabetes from drinking so much soda.
This made Tianming roll his eyes furiously.
This body?
Diabetes?
Are you joking?
Then that night, he became violently ill and vomited everywhere.
Yet after purging, his body recovered instantly, leaving him baffled. He could only conclude it was food poisoning. After cleaning his room deep into the night, he finally slept past 1 AM.
The next day, he awoke to incessant phone rings and White Rabbit's announcements.
The clock showed 12:27 PM.
Answering the call, he heard only breathing from the other end.
Yet even through the breaths, he sensed an icy chill.
"Natarle, my treat! Let's have a proper meal before you leave!"
"Hmph!"
Click.
Rushing through his morning routine with toothpaste foam in his mouth, Tianming mumbled: "White Rabbit, why didn't you wake me?"
"Wake-up service activated at 7:00 AM sharp, repeating every 10 minutes. Master remained unresponsive during deep sleep."
Gargling and spitting, he asked: "Has this happened before?"
"Unknown. Master either sleeps on schedule or stays awake all night. This is the first observed instance."
Frowning, Tianming considered: "Start detailed logging from now on."
"Understood."
Strange. Was it just late sleep?
Or illness?
The thought made him chuckle.
Coordinators rarely fell ill, and as an Ultimate Coordinator, his immune system was exceptionally robust.
Apart from injury treatments, he'd never been sick—not even a common cold.
Shaking his head, he dismissed the absurd notion.
Two minutes later, Tianming disembarked from the Black Tortoise and met Natarle at the Spaceport waiting lounge.
From afar, he saw her standing ramrod straight in white shirt, jeans, and running shoes, luggage at her feet. Truth be told, if not for her face, one might mistake her for some handsome youth.
Tianming sighed. No wonder they got along like brothers—her most frequent feminine attire was actually the schoolgirl uniform, believe it or not.
You should hurry and join the military; that set of elegant white uniforms is even more enticing.
As Zhou Tianming approached, he noticed the ointment on Natarle's cheek and frowned slightly. After a moment of thought, he chose not to mention it and instead smiled, raising his hand. "Natarle, sorry, I accidentally overslept."
Hearing this, Natarle frowned. "You overslept?"
"I find it strange too; it must be because I ate something bad last night."
"Is your body okay?"
"I'm fine." Zhou Tianming pounded his chest. "Just my body."
"Then I can relax." With a sigh of relief, Natarle's expression darkened, and a cold glint flickered in her purple eyes.
Zhou Tianming couldn't help but feel amused.
Afterward, the two had a lavish meal at the most luxurious restaurant in Copernicus City, one that left them completely unsatisfied.
It was expensive and had many rules.
However, they managed to create an atmosphere of shared resentment, leaving after a mutual bout of teasing.
As they walked and chatted, Zhou Tianming asked, "Natarle, are you really prepared to go with me?"
"Of course."
"You won't have to go to school for over four months? Military academy is pretty strict, right?"
"If I hit the principal, I'll probably get expelled."
Zhou Tianming stared wide-eyed at Natarle, who maintained a calm demeanor, scrutinizing her from head to toe.
Someone as rule-abiding as Natarle actually hit the principal?
Thinking back to the situation from yesterday's phone call, the injury on her face began to make a bit more sense.
Zhou Tianming reached out to touch her soft black short hair.
"Well done!"
Natarle, who had initially intended to swat his hand away, paused at his words, a blush rising on her face.
Zhou Tianming withdrew his hand from her head and smoothly grasped the hand she hadn't yet pulled away. "Let's go, let's run away from home!"
Instinctively trying to pull her hand back but failing, Natarle nodded slightly, her face still flushed.
The atmosphere between them was just right, and their vigilance dropped significantly as they became engrossed in each other, completely unaware that someone was watching them from a nearby corner. A man in a khaki camouflage jacket was taking pictures of Zhou Tianming with a professional long-lens camera.
"I didn't expect to have an unexpected gain."
The man lowered his camera and opened a library app on his phone to leave a message.
Half an hour later, the message reached Mattias, the leader of the Clan, at an astonishing speed.
With blue short hair and in her twenties, she wore a loose-fitting dark female outfit with a high collar that wrapped around her neck. Sitting behind her desk, she browsed through the information on her computer and called her subordinate in after a while.
A young man in dark Eurasian military attire entered and saluted. "Lady Mattias."
"Contact the Special Forces; Zhou Tianming is heading to outer space, a two-month journey. This is an opportunity to capture him."
"Lady, won't his identity be a bit troublesome?"
"Isn't it quite normal for accidents to happen in outer space?"
"But haven't we already captured Sample 02? Do we really need Zhou Tianming, Sample 01?"
Exhaling, Mattias shook her head. "Although Sample 02 has outstanding abilities, it's still just that."
"Looking at Zhou Tianming's achievements, can you imagine that the owner of those achievements is only 17 years old? The difference in performance is almost like two different species; we must seize this rare opportunity."
"Understood."
The young man left after receiving his orders.
Deep in thought, Mattias suddenly heard a commotion outside. Listening carefully, her expression darkened as she let out a heavy sigh.
Leaving her office, she didn't have to walk far before seeing a crowd gathered in the hallway.
A sharp, hoarse, and slightly hysterical female voice screamed, "Let me go! Let me go! Don't you dare touch Mother!"
As Mattias approached, her subordinates quickly dispersed.
Inside the circle of people, a woman in her twenties who looked identical to Mattias was curled up on the floor, clutching a heavily creased painting. Her dull, dry blue hair sprawled wildly across her body, her face pale and lips cracked—she looked in terrible condition. Mattias grabbed the woman by the shoulders. "Maltis! Snap out of it! Stop this madness!"
Maltis' voice cut off abruptly, but her eyes glared fiercely at Mattias as she growled through clenched teeth, "You traitor! Why didn't you save Mother? Why? Why?!"
Sighing, Mattias softened her tone. "Maltis, Mother died when we were born."
Maltis shrieked hysterically, "That's not true! Mother was always with us as we grew up! That day, she said she was just... just going to..." Her eyes glazed over, as if recalling something, but her pupils darted erratically.
Suddenly, she began pounding her head and gripping her hair tightly. "It's broken! Broken! Why can't I remember?!"
Mattias' heart ached at the sight, and she quickly grabbed Maltis' arms to stop her from hurting herself.
"Let me go! Let me go! You traitor!"
In their struggle, Mattias accidentally stepped on the painting on the floor. Maltis let out a piercing scream and bit down hard on Mattias' hand.
Wincing in pain, Mattias released her grip and clutched her bleeding wound. A doctor in a white coat nearby hurriedly rummaged through a medical kit and handed her gauze. Maltis threw herself onto the floor, clutching the painting tightly to her chest, murmuring incessantly, "Mother... Mother... Mother..." Then she suddenly looked up, her unfocused eyes sweeping the room in confusion. "You're all insane! Insane! Insane!"
Unable to bear it any longer, Mattias snatched a sedative from one of her subordinates and injected it into her sister herself.
Maltis' body went limp, her voice fading. "Fake... fake..."
Watching as her sister was taken to the hospital, Mattias stood in silence for a long time before turning and entering a nearby open door.
Inside the room, the floor was covered with paintings—all depicting a woman with blurred features.
"Mother..."
Her face filled with sorrow, she muttered, "Why is it like this...?"
She tried to recall, but her memories were hazy. "You died when we were born, so why does Maltis believe we lived together?" She exhaled sharply. "Looks like we still need to—"
Her thoughts were abruptly cut off as her vision blurred.
Her expression shifted suddenly, and she turned to leave the room. "We can't afford any mistakes in the operation to capture Zhou Tianming. This is our only chance."