Mother of Insects

Chapter Nineteen

Draft
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Even though it's obvious that this weird laughter was only because of Liz's Sunu accent.

Lin Xi still couldn't help feeling terrified- the swollen and deformed mixed-race Sunu woman on the ceiling laughed like he'd never seen before, like a frightening ghost in a horror novel.

At that moment, he thought of Talan... Talan might've been secretly killed by the Ando couple.

This idea was ridiculous, but Lin Xi just couldn't control his chaotic thoughts.

"I went to test Captain Talan..."

Fortunately, Shizuo Ando quickly explained, dispelling the terrible guess in Lin Xi's mind.

"His headaches are very serious. This is an old problem of his, he's been relying on medicine for maintenance. With Helios' accident, his reserve has long been depleted, so he's been occupied for a while... I mean, at least until Dr Bryce figures out a way to formulate some alternative medicine, he probably won't spare much thought about the statue of the Star God sealed in the warehouse."

He paused, turning his head and glancing at Lin Xi.

Perhaps it was because Lin Xi's expression was a bit too obvious, he seemed to have guessed what he was thinking, he added: "The medicine Captain Talan needs is a special Sunu product. Before this, he came to Liz to ask her if she still had any in stock. We gave him everything we could, but it seems that he ran out of that soon enough..."

"Still..."

Lin Xi wanted to say something more but quickly noticed Dr Ando giving him a look behind Liz's back.

He frowned, and followed Ando's hint, after a perfunctory conversation that even he himself didn't remember, he acted very calm and left this cramped, dim and foul-smelling cabin.

As soon as he walked out of that cabin, Lin Xi couldn't help taking a deep breath. He had never considered the always mildly stale air of Helios to be so fresh and charming.

Soon, Ando followed him out after turning off all the lights in the room.

Under the bright lights of the corridor, Ando looked even more haggard and thinner than in mere moments. It was as if this man would be reduced to powder in front of him with just a gust of wind.

He opened his eyes wide and stared blankly at Lin Xi, the look in Ando's eyes made Lin Xi's scalp tingle.

"I know what you're going to say Dr. Lin Xi, and I also know that what I did was wrong." Before Lin Xi had time to speak, he spoke first, "But there was nothing I could do... Dr. Lin Xi, you're a good man, you saw Liz with your own eyes. She probably won't make it through a day without that statue. She would die, and so would the children."

"I don't think a statue can do that. It has an otherworldly aura, yes, I admit that the sculpture looks a bit magical- although I would prefer to describe it as weird. But based on what I just saw, I think Liz needs Bryce's treatment, not a sculpture. Especially a sculpture that had never been approved for private use. Professor Ando, ​​you should remember that once those Sunu relics got aboard Helios, they've become the property of the government, your behaviour—"

"You don't understand..."

Dr. Ando looked at Lin Xi blankly, his lips moved, and his voice sounded miserable and desperate.

"I don't understand? No, I think you're the one who can't comprehend the reality. I think you should talk to Alyssa, Taran may be a jerk, but Alyssa's different, she'll help you."