The man's palm rested on Lu Mingming's soft waist, transmitting heat through the fabric.
As their gazes met, Lu Mingming's heart pounded. Her small, fair hand pressed against his solid chest, and all her wild thoughts dissolved in an instant, leaving her mind blank.
Orlanar, meeting Lu Mingming's clear eyes, felt as if he were facing a perfectly clear mirror, reflecting the undisguised lust and obsession on his face.
He couldn't help but shift his gaze away, a deep, turbulent emotion churning in his eyes.
The girl held tightly in his arms was like a precious piece of warm, smooth jade, making it impossible to release his hand.
Orlanar, raised under imperial education, had learned various methods of managing the alliance and had grown up amidst insults and schemes. No one had ever taught a dragon how to protect a treasure it held dear.
Only when Lu Mingming had steadied herself inside the aircraft did Orlanar dare to release his hand from her waist.
"Are you alright?"
Orlanar asked softly.
His words, like the calm and sharp scent of cedar, awakened Lu Mingming, restoring her usual rationality.
"I'm fine, thank you."
Lu Mingming's cheeks flushed, feeling embarrassed by her previous impolite behavior.
She nervously rubbed her burning earlobes and instinctively took a step back, creating a safe distance.
The embrace suddenly felt empty. Orlanar turned around, hiding his unsatisfied expression, and said,
"We'll take the aircraft to go faster. The police academy and the police department are in one area of the military zone, and the research institute is in another."
Saying this, Orlanar gestured to the public screen, which was displaying the scenery below.
The military zone was undoubtedly vast, so expansive that Lu Mingming suspected it was half the size of Sar City. The seemingly endless borders left her gasping.
A gentle breeze stirred the green plants, creating waves of verdure. In the sky, mechanical beast-like soldiers, resembling birds or fish, occasionally flew past.
It was a stark contrast to the peaceful and developed interstellar cities.
"If we walked, it would probably take a day and a night to find the correct exit."
Lu Mingming pressed against the transparent glass, looking down at the giant trees that appeared as tiny as ants from above.
She realized they were already nearly three meters above the ground in the aircraft.
"Do all soldiers have... special abilities like that just now?"
Lu Mingming asked hesitantly.
"Special abilities."
Orlanar softly repeated Lu Mingming's words.
The man lowered his gaze and chuckled softly. After a moment's thought, he leaned against the cold metal wall and replied,
"That's a cute way of putting it. It's actually the external use of mental power, which you will learn in the future.
Excellent users can recover from injuries within thirty minutes even with severed limbs, though they would need to wear a cast for a month.
Orlanar paused and added,
"That level of intensity would likely require S-class mental power allocation."
"Thank you."
Lu Mingming felt the disparity between beast-kin and pure-blooded humans once again.
She propped her chin on her hand and gazed out at the passing scenery, her mind in a turmoil.
She wondered if the mental power she had inadvertently awakened was a blessing or a curse.
Orlanar's mental power permeated every corner of the aircraft. Without needing to see, he could observe Lu Mingming's every move.
Seeing her silent, he quietly stood beside her and offered a cup of warm water.
From a perspective Lu Mingming couldn't see, Orlanar's face displayed a rare hint of contentment and peace.
He had left Morian and the little kitten to guard the hotel, while he had openly used his mental power to pose as a research institute staff member and slip away, orchestrating this private "date" with Lu Mingming.
The melancholy that had been weighing on his heart due to the recent ancestral gene disease had subsided considerably.
They arrived at their destination in silence. Orlanar had composed himself, his emotions reined in.
As the aircraft door slid open, Orlanar, using his original method, scooped Lu Mingming into his arms and leaped lightly, like a nimble large cat.
"Let's go."
Her thoughts instantly returned to the present. Lu Mingming gently patted her cheeks and took a deep breath to relax before following him.
Upon disembarking, they found the usually quiet research institute bustling with several official reporters and researchers drawn by curiosity.
A casual glance revealed countless pairs of eyes of different colors, giving Lu Mingming the strange sensation of being a monkey in a zoo participating in an exhibition.
Two particularly young intern researchers deliberately moved closer to Lu Mingming and joked,
"You don't smell like a beast-kin. Are you a pure-blooded human? How disgusting."
"Do you have fleas on you?"
Lu Mingming turned back, her calm, expressionless gaze resembling that of a parent watching unruly children at play.
The two intern researchers were subtly intimidated. Only after Lu Mingming had walked away did they dare to follow her within the crowd of researchers, muttering insults, their voices growing quieter for fear of being discovered by Lu Mingming.
After their brief spectacle, the researchers returned to their posts, regaining their focus.
Lu Mingming and Orlanar walked at the forefront of the crowd. From a distance, they saw a dignified and stern middle-aged woman standing at the entrance of a research laboratory, her nameplate clearly displaying "Bai Yingfang."
The two intern researchers who had just insulted Lu Mingming hurried past, far less ostentatious than they had been outside.
A hushed whisper reached Lu Mingming's ears.
"Isn't that Professor Mo's great-aunt? How did old stick-in-the-mud Bai deign to leave her laboratory?"
"I don't know, perhaps she's receiving important guests! Hurry and greet her, don't incur her displeasure."
The intern researchers quickly abandoned their joking demeanor and obediently saluted the woman.
Bai Yingfang glanced at them, snorted, and said, "Don't think I didn't hear you. You two will stand at attention for an hour outside."
Without acknowledging their resigned sighs, the two intern researchers stood at the entrance, accepting the stares of passersby.
As Lu Mingming approached, they scoffed again:
"I hope Professor Bai disciplines this ignorant pure-blooded human."
"Exactly, what right does she have to enter the Beast-kin Research Institute? She's probably here to steal data."
Lu Mingming ignored them. The white-coated researchers, who had been about to enter the institute, paused to watch the unfolding scene.
While Lu Mingming maintained a pretense of composure, the woman gracefully approached her.
"Hello, are you Miss Lu Mingming?"
"Yes."
Lu Mingming answered truthfully.
Bai Yingfang's expression, which had seemed like deep-seated hatred, quickly softened. She bowed respectfully to Lu Mingming and gave a military salute.
"It is my honor to serve you."
What was going on?
The surrounding researchers were stunned. The two intern researchers were so shocked their mouths could have accommodated goose eggs.
"When has that old witch ever been so gentle with us?!"
"Who is this woman?!"
Bai Yingfang turned her head at the sound, her eyes immediately turning icy cold. "The two of you will stand here for a week."
Without paying heed to their lamentations, Bai Yingfang, with the crisp sound of her heels, led Lu Mingming into the testing room.
"I am Bai Yingfang, a distinguished professor who participated in the development of StarNet. I have been entrusted by the Star Lord to conduct a mental power assessment for Miss Lu.
The higher one's mental power level, the greater the probability of obtaining a Special Grade Caregiver certification.
The further one progresses, the greater the mental power required. Without substantial mental power support, it is impossible to reach the level of a Special Grade Caregiver."
Was it overkill for a special grade expert to examine someone as unknown as her?
Under Bai Yingfang's direction, Lu Mingming put on the helmet equipment and nervously sat on the testing platform.
In front of Lu Mingming was a transparent screen with a raised black soft pad in the center. On the left were light bars of six different colors, which she guessed represented various bodily metrics.
"Relax, it's very simple."
Orlanar stood below, his usually calm and collected face showing a gentle warmth.
Bai Yingfang stated, "The test is divided into two sections. The first section is physical fitness, and the second is mental power level. Both are simple.
We will now begin the first section. Please strike the black soft pad in front of you with your fist. Do not hold back; this is important for the test results."
Lu Mingming nodded, indicating she understood.
"Ready—strike!"
She clenched her fists, took a deep breath, and put all her might into striking the black soft pad in the center of the screen.
As she threw the punch, Lu Mingming swore she had never exerted herself so much, not even when she was a baby.
Despite her delicate frame, her fist moved with a gust of wind, like a powerful swing of a hammer, and landed with a muffled thud.
After this punch, the pent-up frustration within Lu Mingming seemed to be expelled along with it, leaving her feeling refreshed.
Under this force, the light bars on the screen flickered back and forth before finally settling at a certain position.
A string of data appeared on the large machine screen in front of Bai Yingfang.
Orlanar crossed his arms, pursed his lips, and leaned closer to look—
"Tester: Lu Mingming
Reaction Ability: C
Physique: D
Intelligence: B+
Strength: D
Stamina: D-
In summary, this is an extremely ordinary pure-blooded human physique."