Lin Mo raised an eyebrow. 'I don't believe her,' he thought, but he didn't press the issue. Any problems would be revealed once they got to the research institute for an examination.
Lin Mo brought Ning Xuan onto the spaceship. To ensure safety, he placed her in his own cabin. Once aboard, Lin Mo took off his helmet and removed his face mask. After Ning Xuan got a clear look at his face, she couldn't help but stare.
Lin Mo had fair skin, delicate features, and a head of curly golden hair. With his long, straight legs, his looks were simply outstanding. He also carried an air of cold nobility, exuding an unapproachable aloofness.
As the youngest lieutenant general in the Federation's history, born of nobility, exceptionally talented, and with a long list of military accomplishments, Lin Mo had certainly earned the right to be proud.
Lin Mo felt a little embarrassed by Ning Xuan's undisguised gaze, and a faint blush appeared on his face. He stood up and pulled back the curtain covering the spaceship's window to look outside. Ning Xuan looked out the window as well. She saw cracked earth, islands shrouded in thick fog, deep lakes, pits spitting fire, enormous and bizarre beasts, and strange, large birds that flitted across the sky. She curiously sized up this new world until the spaceship came to a stop in front of a building. Next to this strangely shaped building stood a sign that read: Exotic Plant Research Institute.
Lin Mo directed Hu Xia and the others to carry the captured Exotic Plant inside and hand it over to the relevant staff. He then took Ning Xuan to an examination room. A refined-looking researcher wearing glasses saw Ning Xuan and immediately stood up. "Hello, ma'am. How may I help you?" the researcher asked deferentially.
"I found her while on a mission. I suspect she has a parasitic Exotic Plant inside her body. I need you to run a thorough check," Lin Mo explained.
Ning Xuan's face darkened, and she remained silent. 'A parasite,' she thought. 'Is he talking about the Ghost-faced Red Vine? The Ghost-faced Red Vine used up all its energy and reverted to a seed. I wonder if they can even detect it. If they do find it, what will they do?'
After hearing Lin Mo, the researcher gave Ning Xuan a puzzled look. He didn't seem to agree with Lin Mo's suspicion, but he still led Ning Xuan into a heavily shielded examination room. "Rest assured, ma'am," he said. "This machine only targets contaminated Exotic Plants or Exotic Beasts; it won't cause any harm to your body. The examination will only take a few minutes. There's a screen over here where you can clearly see what's happening inside you." The researcher spoke to Ning Xuan very politely, almost cautiously, as if afraid of startling her.
Ning Xuan's expression softened slightly. 'It sounds like a CT scan or an MRI,' she thought. "Sir, thank you for the reassurance, but I do not wish to undergo this examination. What you're doing is against my will!" she said, testing the waters.
"I'm very sorry, ma'am. As you can see, Lieutenant General Lin Mo insists that you may have a dangerous Exotic Plant inside you. To eliminate that risk, I can only follow his orders. I have no choice. Please understand." After speaking, the researcher even gave her a bow, his attitude extremely polite.
"I can understand. Tell me, if there's nothing wrong with me, can I sue that man outside?" Just as Ning Xuan finished speaking, Lin Mo's tall figure appeared outside the door, and he tapped on the glass as if to hurry them along.
And so, without receiving an answer, Ning Xuan was guided onto a 30-centimeter-high platform. A low "HUMMM" sounded, and then a blue light focused on her body. The light scanned back and forth across her but found no abnormalities.
"Nothing?" Lin Mo was a little surprised but didn't ask any more questions. As long as the danger had been ruled out, that was all that mattered.
"Ma'am, there are no abnormalities in your body. Regarding your earlier question, you can demand compensation from Lieutenant General Lin Mo. If he refuses, you can file a complaint with the Women's Protection Association. I am willing to testify for you." The researcher turned off the machine and led Ning Xuan out.
Lin Mo gave Ning Xuan a slight bow. "Ma'am, I apologize for going against your wishes. However, it was to ensure your safety, and I was merely following procedure. How about this? I'll personally escort you home, and we'll call it even. How does that sound?" Clearly, he had heard everything Ning Xuan said earlier.
"..." Ning Xuan was stunned. 'Home? My home is in Tianhe City, on Earth. I doubt he has the ability to take me there.'
"Let's go. Where do you live? I'll take you," Lin Mo urged.
"I don't know," Ning Xuan answered, a little dejected. She couldn't go back to her real home for the time being, and she truly had no idea where this body's original owner lived. The previous owner hadn't left her a single memory.
"Fine. Then I'll take you to the Information Registration Center to look it up." Lin Mo assumed Ning Xuan was being uncooperative because she was upset, but he didn't dwell on it. Wanting to resolve the matter quickly, he took her to the information center.
"Honored ma'am, we just need to scan your iris to pull up all your information. Would you like this inquiry to be kept confidential?" The receptionist at the Information Registration Center was, again, a man. Ning Xuan suddenly realized that there hadn't been a single female employee at either the Exotic Plant Research Institute or here at the information center.
'What, are women not allowed to be part of the workforce?'
'Judging by their attitudes, they seem very respectful and friendly toward women. Aside from Lin Mo, everyone else's first reaction upon seeing her was to lower their heads as a sign of respect and deference.'
"Confidential?" Ning Xuan looked at him, confused.
"Retrieving information leaves an inquiry log. If you choose for it to be confidential, I can delete the record of this inquiry for you," the staff member explained with a smile, showing no sign of impatience at her ignorance.
"Let's keep it confidential, then." Ning Xuan knew nothing about this body's original owner and was a little curious about what information they were about to find.
At the staff member's signal, Ning Xuan positioned her eye in front of a microscope-like device. About five seconds later, a holographic screen materialized beside the device, and lines of text began to appear with a rapid series of clicks.
Profile
Regular Citizen (Minor)
Name: Ning Xuan
Gender: Female
Age: 17
Mother: Ning Zilan (Deceased)
Father: Bai Xiwen (Deceased)
Domicile: D-level Star, D618 Planet, Zone 4 Residence, Xingluo Bay
School: Xingluo Bay Middle and High Level Joint Academy
Major: Culinary Arts
Spiritual Power: Unawakened
Brain Domain Width: Slash
Companion Spirit (Companion Superpower Body): Slash
Contractor: None
The holographic screen had just finished displaying the information when the machine suddenly started beeping. BEEP BEEP BEEP. Everyone in the hall couldn't help but look over.
The staff member glanced down at the machine. "Ms. Ning," he said, "when your information was last entered, your spiritual power was unawakened. It has now awakened, so your information needs to be updated. Please proceed to the second floor to have your Spiritual Power Value tested. Once the test is complete, the data here will update automatically," the staff member explained with a smile.