CH 10.2

When Bai Jing woke up again, he found himself lying in a closed oval container. The moment he moved, the top half of the container opened automatically and he saw pure white.

A man with a long hair with gold-rimmed glasses approached him and greeted him with a smile: “Beauty, you’re awake?”

Bai Jing touched the bridge of his nose, his black frames were gone. Sitting up in the container, he looked around, “Where– where am I?”

His voice was a little hoarse from the long absence of vocalization.

The man with the long hair handed him a glass of water just then and thanking him, Bai Jing drank it. As the warm water rushed down his throat, he felt a little better.

“This is my private clinic. My name is Fu Yan and I’m a Senior Doctor.

You’ve been lying in the medical bay for a day now. If Young Master Gu hadn’t brought you here in time, you would have died of genetic decay.”

Fu Yan pushed his glasses up, saying with a degree of seriousness.

“Genetic decay….” Bai Jing’s pupils shrank as he thought of his weakened state before he fell unconscious.

He had known that there was something wrong with his body but he had never thought about going to the hospital. If it was discovered that he was genetically different from the natives, he would be subjected to endless experiments!

“Don’t worry, the chances of having genetic decay is small, but it’s not impossible. It can be cured.”

Seeing the teenager become defensive all of a sudden, with his pretty teal eyes showing hostility, Fu Yan couldn’t help but soften his tone.

He was like a pretty cat who was so wary that you couldn’t help but want to sneak up on him to pet him but would have to be careful to not get hurt by his sharp claws.

“You mean there are others with the same symptoms as me?”

Bai Jing breathed a quiet sigh of relief, the wariness in his eyes lifting a little. As long as no one found out that he wasn’t a native then it was good.

“That’s right. Genetic decay is caused by cosmic radiation, and was a very common symptom at first.

But in the centuries since the migration, Imperial researchers have been working on genetic modification and the citizens themselves have evolved so that, so far, 95% of the citizens have been able to withstand the radiation but 5% are still unable to adapt and suffer genetic decay.”

“The Empire has now developed a Special Genetic Fluid for this group, but it is very expensive. Uhh… it costs five million starcoins a vial and with your current level of genetic decay-“

Fu Yan thought of the teenager’s frugal clothes and thin body and spoke with some reluctance, “You would need at least ten of them.”

Bai Jing’s eyes drooped slightly. Ten vials of Special Genetic Fluid would cost fifty million starcoins and he had less than thirteen million starcoins now. He didn’t know how long it would take to get the rest.

To him, though, it was a great gift to be in an interstellar age without zombies, so he would do his best to survive.

As Fu Yan looked at the teenager with his head bowed down, revealing his soft, curly hair with a few cute strays on top, he couldn’t help but reach out to touch it comfortingly when he heard a ‘clang’.

Gu Yuanzhao had kicked open the half-shut door of the private clinic.

His figure was unusually tall, his body in the black military uniform broad-shouldered and long-legged as he exuded an unmistakable air of authority.

He pushed Fu Yan away with one hand and sat down in the swivel chair next to Bai Jing with his long legs stretched out to the side as he had nowhere else to put them.

“Young Master Gu, you startled me with your entrance. Can you knock next time?”

Fu Yan said in a helpless tone as he steadied himself then pushed up the golden glasses on the bridge of his nose.

Gu Yuanzhao narrowed his eyes as he looked at him, “What were you doing?”

Normally he wouldn’t have been so impulsive, it was just that…

Fu Yan smiled as he pushed his glasses up, “Of course I was examining the beauty.”

Gu Yuanzhao gave Fu Yan a warning look, “Stay away from him.”

Fu Yan: “……” Ah, he wasn’t even allowed to touch his head?

Gu Yuanzhao turned around, his dark eyes fixing on Bai Jing then he reached out to touch Bai Jing’s forehead, only to have him avoid him swiftly.

He withdrew his hand calmly without a trace of embarrassment.

“Young Master Gu, thank you for saving me.”

Bai Jing looked up, his foggy teal eyes looking at Gu Yuanzhao, his long eyelashes fluttering gently, his beautiful eyes looking like they contained a clear spring, which made one unable to help but fall into them.

“What is the cost of the treatment? I’ll transfer it to you right away. If there is anything I can do for you, please don’t hesitate to ask.”

“I do need you for something.”

Gu Yuanzhao rose and his tall body moved closer to Bai Jing, his long arm propped up on the side of the medical bay, which made it look as if he were holding Bai Jing in his arms.

Looking at Bai Jing’s wary eyes, his lips rose slightly then he looked sideways at Fu Yan behind him, “Go out first.”

“Fine, fine, fine. I won’t bother you and your beauty anymore.”

Fu Yan smiled indifferently and after leaving, thoughtfully lifted the slightly twisted door upwards and struggled to close it.

“Bai Jing, age 18, just registered with the light brain ten days ago, and bet on winning rough stones at the gambling house. As a newcomer, you have been able to solve a glass jadeite on your first bet.”

Gu Yuanzhao looked at Bai Jing with deep interest, “You seem to have a lot of luck?”

“Thank you, I feel lucky as well.” Bai Jing said in a calm tone, with one unable to detect anything on his delicate face.

Gu Yuanzhao watched his expression carefully then after a moment said, “Because of this luck of yours, I would like to hire you as the Gu Group’s exclusive Master Stone Gambler.”

He straightened up and transmitted the employment agreement he had already drawn up to him using his light brain.

Bai Jing went through it word by word on his light brain’s screen after he received it.

The agreement was only two pages long with the duration of the agreement and the breach of contract at the top. And in bold, large print it read:

“This agreement is for a period of five years and if either party unilaterally terminates the agreement within five years, the other party will be required to pay 10 billion starcoins in liquidated damages.”

Ten billion?

Bai Jing thought to himself, he could never afford to pay such a high penalty.

He continued to read on, as the payment for the breach of contract was followed by his obligations as the Gu Group’s exclusive Stone Gambler.

a. Once you have become an official Stone Gambler, you will be required to participate in no less than four gambling battles per month and, if necessary, represent the Gu Group in intergalactic battles.

b) The Gu Group has the right to purchase all high quality jadeite stones unraveled by you.

c) For newly mined rough stones in the Gu Group’s quarries, Party B shall assist the Senior Gambling Master in the zoning of the rough stones.

…….

Bai Jing read on line by line, followed by the benefits offered to him by the Gu Group.

Including: five million starcoins a year, other benefits and — the cost of treating his genetic decay!

Bai Jing looked up at Gu Yuanzhao, but meeting his deep gaze, turned his head slightly to avoid his aggressive gaze.

“Young Master Gu, I accept all the other terms, except that the cost of treating my personal genetic decay should not be the responsibility of the Gu Group.”

“The Gu Group can afford to pay for this.” Gu Yuanzhao was completely unmoved. “Since there is no problem, you can sign it.” His long, slender finger tapped on the line where his signature was required.

Bai Jing didn’t budge in this regard, his tone unusually insistent: “I will transfer 12 million starcoins to you first, and will pay back the remaining 38 million starcoins as soon as possible.”

The two of them entered a stalemate situation for a while before a hint of helplessness flashed in Gu Yuanzhao’s eyes, “… As you wish.”

If Qiao An were here, he would have been dumbfounded.

Young Master Gu had always been a man of his word and made decisions that no one could refute, but now he was giving in like this??

With the agreement finally reached, Bai Jing transferred the 12 million starcoins from his account to him and signed his name on the second page of the agreement.

Gu Yuanzhao also signed the agreement and uploaded it to the Gu Group’s headquarters and set the permission to top secret so that no one but he himself could access it.

And seeing that Bai Jing’s face was still pale, hurriedly called Fu Yan.

It wasn’t long before there was a clear knock on the door and Fu Yan entered the room with a tray of ten golden liquids with a fine stream of light on it.

“Your date is over?”

Fu Yan gave a teasing laugh, not embarrassed to see no reaction from the two of them, smiling as he said to Bai Jing, “These are the ten vials of Special Genetic Fluid that Young Master Gu prepared especially for you, drink them now.”

“Thank you.” Bai Jing thanked Gu Yuanzhao once again and took the ten vials of genetic fluid.

The rich energy surged into his limbs and bones, immediately starting an ongoing repairing of the genes that had been decayed by the cosmic radiation, causing his weak body to suddenly gain strength, making it even better than the previous state it had been in.

As the energy in the genetic fluid kept repairing his body, Bai Jing felt as if his ability had improved even further than before and that his overall physical ability and memory had improved dramatically.

Now, he could easily sense Gu Yuanzhao’s strength, that the active response in his body had reached its peak, every muscle and part of his body was full of strength and explosive power. It was the most perfect body he had ever seen.

‘Was this the body of a 3S? It was just too perfect.’ Bai Jing exclaimed in his heart.

Then he felt his consciousness sinking deeper and deeper as the effects of the Special Genetic Fluid took effect, and he eventually fell into a deep sleep in the medical bay.