After over an hour, the storm of passion gradually subsided.
The two pressed flesh-to-flesh in the cramped metal container.
Zhou Tianming shifted slightly.
Natarle's rose-colored cheeks flushed deeper as she glared with beautiful eyes: "Don't move!"
"I can't help it."
"You'll have to endure it. Your body hasn't recovered yet."
Zhou Tianming looked exasperated: "You know my body hasn't recovered? Then who was it just now—"
Her palm covered his mouth as Natarle's entire face turned red enough to steam.
Zhou Tianming licked—
Her beautiful eyes turned icy as Natarle's slender fingers pinched his tongue.
Zhou Tianming quickly begged for mercy with muffled whimpers.
As they playfully teased each other, White Rabbit's voice interrupted: "External communication line detected. Source: Zhou Junguo. Accept call?" Natarle stiffened at the voice before burying her face in Zhou Tianming's chest.
Zhou Tianming only felt the "egg" in his arms heating up like a furnace and chuckled.
Sitting up, he reached over the container wall to pick up a piece of clothing from the floor, draping it over Natarle while deepening his voice: "It's dead~"
Without lifting her head, Natarle punched Zhou Tianming's stomach repeatedly.
"Stop moving! I can't hold back."
Only then did she obediently cease.
Zhou Tianming put on his shirt: "Accept audio communication."
"Acknowledged."
Seconds later, Zhou Junguo's voice came through: "Any results?"
"Success. No immediate problems."
A long exhale followed before he continued: "Then return. Both of them are worried. Your mother collapsed today—" "Is she alright?" Zhou Tianming asked anxiously.
"She's fine. Probably mental exhaustion from stress and lack of sleep. She's awake now but in poor condition. If you're done there, don't keep them waiting—give them good news soon."
"Grandfather, bring Mom and Grandma here. I can't leave this place."
His tone brightened slightly: "Understood."
After the call ended, Zhou Tianming looked at the bashful Natarle and suddenly slapped a certain plump, springy spot, making the perky "egg" tremble. "Later, help me fetch Mom, Grandfather, and Grandma. I still have research to finish."
"..."
Motionless, Natarle replied softly.
Hours later, after repeatedly confirming Zhou Tianming's stable condition, Natarle left Black Tortoise to retrieve their family.
Meanwhile, Zhou Tianming leaned against the metal container reviewing data.
In his hands were three Mental Power samples—
First: From a mysterious Newtype, exceptionally high quality.
Second: Residue from Vermilion Bird's Psycho-Frame after Mental Command usage.
Third, the new Psycho-Frame from the Black Tortoise was formed by the scattered Mindpower naturally attracted to the frame during Li Chuang and his team's prolonged repairs and construction of the ship. Its structure was loose and heterogeneous.
Zhou Tianming combined two types of [Psycommu Alloy] with the structure of the Mental Defense Helmet to create a Storage Device capable of preserving Mindpower. Preliminary test results had already been obtained—
Several hours had passed, and the Newtype's Mindpower showed no signs of depletion—what Zhou Tianming considered an "unbreakable defense." Meanwhile, his own Mindpower was depleting at a rate of about 300 units per minute.
The lowest-quality heterogeneous Mindpower was being consumed even faster, at a rate fluctuating between 1,000 to 1,500 units per minute.
Reviewing the data, Zhou Tianming couldn't help but shake his head.
The consumption was too high.
For now, he could only rely on that tiny bit of Newtype Mindpower to maintain his condition.
But his body wasn't improving. Over time, the Newtype's Mindpower would eventually be breached, and his own would begin to deplete.
After learning the results, he tried to study why the Newtype's Mindpower was so fundamentally different. Unfortunately, the same old problem persisted—he couldn't observe its structure, making replication impossible.
The only conclusion he could draw was that Newtypes were, mentally, an entirely different species.
With the optimal solution out of reach, Zhou Tianming abandoned the second-best option as well.
Even if he did nothing all day, his drained Mindpower couldn't withstand the consumption.
And after this round of research, his maximum Mindpower had dwindled to around 150—utterly exhausted.
His last hope lay in that heterogeneous Mindpower, and he already had a plan.
This solution made him marvel at the whims of fate—unmanned cars.
Yes, specifically the Psycommu Alloy-made unmanned cars from White Rabbit.
If the Black Tortoise could collect Mindpower from Li Chuang and the others, then White Rabbit could do the same from its passengers.
Just think—how many people used unmanned cars every day?
The seemingly most wasteful heterogeneous Mindpower was actually the answer, because compared to the sheer volume available, the consumption was negligible.
"White Rabbit—"
"Here."
He sighed. "Tell your unmanned car friends I surrender. I won't bully them anymore. Help me contact their headquarters—I have something to discuss." A few seconds later, White Rabbit replied, "They say you have to compensate for the hundreds of cars you wrecked in the Junk Guild. Latest models only, with a year of premium warranty and maintenance."
Rolling his eyes, he muttered, "Fine."
At that moment, the large screen in the maintenance room suddenly displayed rows of chibi-style cartoon cars.
They marched in formation from the left side of the screen, arranging themselves into the character for "Victory."
Then, the sound of car horns blared through the speakers.
Zhou Tianming's temple throbbed.
Just wait until I recover—I'll wipe you all out!
Around 5 p.m., his family arrived at the shipyard.
The moment they entered the maintenance bay, they were greeted by the sight of a massive metal coffin. Grandma Gao Jing staggered back in shock, nearly fainting into Zhou Junguo's arms.
Zhou Hanxiang rushed forward and pressed herself against the metal crate, peering inside. There, she saw Zhou Tianming, eyes closed, fast asleep.
The sight made her both angry and amused. She reached in and pinched his cheek, shaking him awake.
"Ow, ow, ow!"
Zhou Tianming grabbed her hand and sat up. "Mom, I was just taking a nap!"
Seeing this, Zhou Junguo and Gao Jing also let out a long sigh of relief before their expressions darkened with malice as they charged forward.
Their attacks were exceptionally "brutal and ruthless."
"Wait—why?!" Zhou Tianming cried, hugging his head while curled up inside the [Mental Resistance Device]. "Natarle! Help!"
At the doorway, Natarle smiled radiantly.
After venting their anger, the family members began to worry again. Zhou Tianming rubbed his sore spots and explained everything one by one.
"So you can't leave this box now?"
Grandmother Gao Jing curiously examined the device up and down.
"Right. The mental power field generated by this device is helping me resist physical damage. I can't leave until I optimize the structure and create a smaller version."
"But this one seems a bit cramped. Is it comfortable to lie in? Should I get you a mattress to pad it?"
As Gao Jing started considering how to improve his living conditions, Zhou Hanxiang still wore a worried expression: "Is this [Mental Resistance Device] really safe?"
"There are bound to be issues, but at least now we have time to address them gradually."
Zhou Tianming looked at Zhou Hanxiang seriously: "This is all I can do for now. The treatment part will have to rely on you, Mom."
"I understand." Zhou Hanxiang's gaze was resolute, and a trace of relief appeared on her exhausted face. "As long as there's time—even just a little—I'll find a way to cure you."
Meanwhile, Zhou Junguo, who had been scrutinizing the [Mental Resistance Device], frowned and asked sternly: "What's the source of the mental power? Is it sufficient? Are there any side effects?"
"I already have a plan. I'll contact the parent company of the unmanned cars to discuss installing mental power collection devices on their vehicles. That way, I'll have a steady supply."
"There are virtually no side effects. I'm only collecting the scattered remnants—everyone expends some daily, so it's not a problem."
Nodding, Zhou Junguo relaxed slightly: "Good. Have you thought about how to negotiate?"
Shaking his head, Zhou Tianming sighed: "I'm practically the only one who needs this, so it's hard to offer them anything enticing. I plan to tailor my approach by researching the company's background—who owns it."
After a moment of contemplation, Zhou Junguo said: "Would you consider handing over these developments to the state?"
Nodding, Zhou Tianming replied: "Yes."
Beyond extending his own life, the greatest purpose of this device was to counter mysterious lifeforms capable of mental attacks.
It might not be effective yet, but with further development, it could one day secure a future for humanity.
It must never be buried in his hands.
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