translator: liu_kaixuan  editor: valvrave
in the bedroom, jiang liushi was lying on his big bed, and he frowned from time to time as if he was having nightmares.
jiang zhuying stared at her brother, stroking his cheek gently. then, she handed the mutant nuclei to ying. later, ying placed one mutant nucleus on jiang liushiâs forehead.
at that moment, something strange and amazing happened. the mutant nucleus, like hot fudge, slowly melted and gradually merged with jiang liushiâs forehead.
jiang zhuying could feel her brotherâs body was slowly absorbing that mutant nucleus. about 20 minutes later, that mutant nucleus had been absorbed completely. it lost its luster and turned into powder.
then, ying picked up another mutant nucleus and placed it again on jiang liushiâs forehead. the same thing happened again, but this time the absorption was faster, lasting 15 minutes. after that, ying repeated the process numerous times until one nucleus was consumed every 10 minutes.
if any other regular were to be present, the membersâ hearts would be bleeding. jiang liushiâs consumption rate was akin to burning money. however, for the shi ying squad, nothing was more important than saving jiang liushi. therefore, the nucleiâs consumption was nothing at all.
two hours later, a total of 15 mutant nuclei had been used.
âbrother jiangâs body has changed,â said li yuxin excitedly.
li yuxin had long noticed the change but had not said anything until now because she wanted to make sure everything was okay. of course, li yuxin did not know about starseedâs existence in jiang liushiâs mind nor was she sure that jiang liushi was the one absorbing the mutant nucleiâs energy. she could only feel that all the changes were beneficial to jiang liushi.
it was evident that jiang liushiâs heartbeat was getting slower, but each beat, like a drum. his breath was becoming more stable, breathing more and for longer with vitality. some cells of jiang liushi were experiencing further differentiation. li yuxin could even see an energy channel that had suddenly appeared in jiang liushiâs body. that channel was integrated with blue and purple lights.
âcould this be the legendary meridians?â thought li yuxin. she knew that the meridians were the circulation of the air channel.
humans had spirit, but their aura was the most ethereal and unintelligible thing. it was hard for li yuxin to comprehend the vague description, but now, due to jiang liushiâs condition and reaction, she could accept it.
after doomsday, everything related to the evolution of life on earth had shown that life was far more complex and profound than they understood.
everyone present, including xiang xuehai that had come earlier, noticed jiang liushiâs change. they had a vague feeling that jiang liushi would undergo an evolution that was more complete than any other evolution.
when ying placed the 16th mutant nucleus on his forehead, jiang liushi began to tremble violently. it was as if he was suffering miserably.
âbrother!â
âbrother jiang!â all the girls were worried. nobody knew what would happen next.
currently, only ying was still calm. she stared at jiang liushi and then placed the 16th mutant nucleus on the forehead of jiang liushi. then, jiang liushiâs body shook more violently. his muscles began to spasm, and the blue tendons on his forehead slowly bulged like earthworms.
a few minutes later, with the absorption of the 16th mutant nucleus, jiang liushiâs skin began to turn red, while his sweat drenched his body.
jiang zhuying touched the forehead of jiang liushi nervously, but she withdrew her hands quickly.
âitâs too hot.â jiang zhuyingâs expression was changed dramatically. how could a man have such a high fever? his temperature had at least reached 50°c! ordinary people would have long died from such horrifying fever.
âying, are you sure? is it okay?â xiang xuehai asked again because she was worried.
however, ying didnât answer her at all. she just looked at jiang liushi carefully, as if everything happening around her was none of her business. in her eyes, there was only jiang liushi.
the 16th mutant nucleus was absorbed quickly, and then, ying picked up the 17th mutant nucleus.
upon seeing that, xiang xuehai got even more nervous. she did not expect ying to be so bold and resolute in doing things.
as soon as the 17th mutant nucleus was placed on jiang liushiâs forehead, his body turned red and even the sweat covering his body evaporated! if that was not enough, blood oozed out of jiang liushiâs orifices.
everyone was startled by the scene. they did not know what to do.
to everyoneâs surprise, ying, who was still calm, placed the 18th mutant nucleus on jiang liushiâs forehead.
not only xiang xuehai, but all the girls held their breath.
jiang liushiâs body began convulsed violently, while the blue tendons bulging on his forehead and arms seemed that they would burst out at any moment. then, jiang liushiâs pores exuded dirty substances out of his pores, which released a pungent smell.
however, no one cared about this. they only wondered what was wrong with jiang liushi and what they should do to help him. fortunately, jiang liushi fell into a deep sleep again. moreover, this time, he looked very quiet and calm without looking in pain.
ying took a deep breath and stopped. touching the sweet sweat on her forehead, ying looked very tired.
xiang xuehai felt it was a little bit strange. ying had just placed 17 mutant nuclei on jiang liushiâs forehead, so why was she extremely tired?
in fact, when ying was helping jiang liushi, all her mental energy was used to pay attention to starseed, checking every subtle change in jiang liushiâs body. it was a pity that nobody knew this.
âbrother jiang is fine, but he may need to sleep for a long time. i will have a rest,â said ying with her pale face. then, she stood up and walked out of the room.
the other girls remained, looking at each other. they did not know what to do next.
currently, jiang liushiâs body was covered in filth. meanwhile, due to his high temperature, the dirty substances covering his body had dried up, and the disgusting smell had intensified.
finally, after recovering their calm, they had all the time to think about an embarrassing matter. if they did not do anything, jiang liushi would remain covered in filth. moreover, the disgusting smell would gradually spread throughout the tour bus.
li yuxin took a towel to wipe jiang liushi, but his clothes were drenched in sweat.
âthisâ¦uh, should we help brother jiang take a bath?â asked li yuxin.
all the girls were stunned. of course, jiang liushi needed a bath, but who should be arranged to help him?
âi suggest zhuying do it. itâs more convenient for you to help brother jiang,â said li yuxin.
âuh? me? really?â shouted jiang zhuying, while her big eyes opened wide. âhe is my brother! do you really think iâm the right one for the job?â
âjust because he is your elder brother, you are suitable. didnât you take baths with your brother together when you were still children?â said li yuxin again.
âof course, but that was when we were little kids! in primary schoolâ¦â explained jiang zhuying immediately.
âreally? you were taking baths with your brother until you went to primary school?â asked li yuxin joyfully.
jiang zhuyingâs face turned red at once. as a matter of fact, jiang zhuying and jiang liushiâs parents had passed away early, so they had to rely on each other while growing up. jiang zhuying was an insecure girl in her childhood years, so she always followed jiang liushi, even in the bathroom. in the second grade, jiang liushi had forced her to bathe alone, which was only the normal thing to do.
âsister yuxin, donât make fun of me. you are a doctor, so of course, you should help my brother to take a bath. itâs not my turn,â said jiang zhuying mischievously, and then she added, ânot to mention that you can do some naughty thingsâ¦â
âlittle girlâ¦donât spout nonsenseâ¦â said li yuxin.
âno, itâs not nonsense. it would be the best chance for you to observe my brother,â said jiang zhuying and started laughing.
li yuxin âs face turned red immediately. âlittle kid, what are thinking all day?â said li yuxin, and then she remembered ran xiyu immediately. âxiyu, you are the most suitable one because you are patient and careful.â
they all knew that ran xiyu liked jiang liushi, so ran xiyu suddenly became nervous.
âiâm sorry. it feels uncomfortable. iâm afraid that i canât do it wellâ¦â among all the girls, ran xiyu was the shiest one. how could she do such a thing in front of so many people?
at this moment, xiang xuehai interjected, âisnât it just a bath? if you donât want to do it, i will. i can wash and dry brother jiang at the same time with my wind.â
li yuxin and ran xiyu were shocked. why was she not shy like them?
li yuxin felt nervous. if she let xiang xuehai help jiang liushi take a bath, how could she sleep at night? as a result, she said quickly, âafter careful consideration, as a nurse and a doctor, taking care of brother jiang is one of my responsibilities. iâd like to help brother jiang.â
âno, i can do it on my own. iâll be careful the whole time. iâll make sure to wash brother jiang clean and neatly,â said xiang xuehai.
li yuxin felt annoyed and wondered how xiang xuehai could use so bold words. at the same time, she touched ran xiyuâs waist gently, hoping ran xiyu could help her.
âwellâ¦â ran xiyu was about to speak, but her face turned crimson red. âactually, i also can help brother jiang. although iâm still weak, i can monitor brother jiangâs bodyâ¦â
xiang xuehai blinked and said, âthatâ¦how about we shower brother jiang together?â
âwhat? really?â li yuxin was totally shocked.
three girls helping a man in a coma to take a bath was indeed a beautiful scene. but of course, it would be the best way to deal with their predicament. otherwise, who knew what things xiang xuehai would do.
âokay, letâs begin,â said xiang xuehai.
li yuxin and ran xiyu looked at each other, and they wondered why xiang xuehai could be so calm. as for jiang zhuying, she was sneering all the time.
xiang xuehai blinked her eyes and asked, âzhuying! would you like to join us?â
suddenly, the smile on jiang zhuyingâs face disappeared.
âoh, no! you wash him slowly. iâm leaving.â jiang zhuying took her i-pad and ran away quickly.
then, only xiang xuehai, li yuxin, ran xiyu, and jiang liushi were left in the room. li yuxin and ran xiyu felt confused about what to do next, but they noticed that xiang xuehai had already begun to remove jiang liushiâs clothes. first the shirt, then the trousersâ¦
the clothes were dirty and would be thrown away. there was no shortage of clothes in this world. moreover, it was a piece of cake for the shi ying squad to find new clothes.