"There is a very strong energy fluctuation here. They cannot bear it; they must go out at once. Otherwise there will be vast injury to the nerves of the brain, and though you could revive them it would be of no use. Revived, they would only become vegetative!" Ah-Yin cried out suddenly at his side.
Zhao Chen said not a second word, and commanded aloud, "All of you, out!"
The Panther-Girl covered her head with one hand and said with some pain, "But Commander, you… here… we…"
"This is an order. All of you, out at once, now! Wait for us outside," Zhao Chen roared.
In the end, some soldiers truly could not bear the pain, and walked out by twos and threes; and the instant they walked out they gasped in great breaths, as one who has been choking in the sea comes at last to the surface.
The Panther-Girl bore the pain and looked at the Commander. "Commander… you… have a care for your safety. If there is any danger, tell us at once. ……"
Having said it, the Panther-Girl walked out, staggering.
All at once, within this space there remained only Zhao Chen and Ah-Yin.
"Have you no reaction of pain at all?" Ah-Yin looked Zhao Chen up and down in her curiosity.
Zhao Chen shook his head. "None."
Had it not been for the reaction of everyone about him, Zhao Chen would not have perceived anything amiss just now.
He looked at Ah-Yin. "You have no reaction either, have you?"
"I am a mechanical life; my inner structure is not much like yours to begin with." Having said it, Ah-Yin began to examine what was about her.
This was an inner space shaped as a dome, and upon the walls could be seen things resembling blood vessels, beating without cease besides.
Zhao Chen looked about him as well.
Within this space, but for a great ball of flesh hanging down in the middle, there was nothing else to be suspected.
Zhao Chen and Ah-Yin exchanged a glance, and looked at the same moment toward that great ball of flesh in the middle.
Ah-Yin tapped lightly once at her own eye, and her pupils gave out a strange radiance, as though she were scanning this great ball of flesh.
"There is something inside; it is… a life…" Ah-Yin said.
Zhao Chen walked straight over; he came before the great ball of flesh and knocked upon it a few times with his hand.
The ball of flesh was soft, and had much spring in it.
"The one that sent you that message, can it be the fellow inside here?" Zhao Chen pointed within the great ball of flesh. "But now he will not come out; what are we to do?"
Ah-Yin thought a moment, and answered, "I can simulate that psychic communication of before, and transmit it within. I cannot do it so far as he can, but within these few meters it can yet be done."
Saying it, Ah-Yin stood at Zhao Chen's side, raised her hand, and pressed her palm lightly upon the great ball of flesh.
Thereafter, she closed her eyes.
Time passed by at this moment little by little.
About three minutes passed.
All of a sudden, the great ball of flesh bloomed open as it were a flower-bud, save that the whole of the petals appeared exceedingly savage, with many barbs upon them, so that seen from afar it was as a man-eating flower.
And in the middle of this bud there was a small thing curled up there.
Somewhat like a pill-bug, with a dark shell much like a hive-race creature's.
Thud.
This small thing came loose from the bud, fell upon the ground, and rolled over several times.
Thereafter, the whole small thing opened out truly as a pill-bug does, and stood up besides.
"Ahhhhh……" a slack and drowsy voice came.
She rubbed at her sleep-blurred eyes, and only after a good while was she wholly awake; she looked at the two tall figures before her.
Thereupon, in the next second, this little fellow shrank up all at once.
"You cannot see me, you cannot see me, you cannot see me."
Saying it, she tried besides to roll off to one side.
But she had not rolled far before she stopped.
Zhao Chen had one foot set against this little ball.
"This is… the fellow that sent you… the message?" Zhao Chen looked doubtfully toward Ah-Yin at his side.
Ah-Yin's gaze went over this little ball of flesh, and she nodded and said, "Yes, it is she."
Zhao Chen crouched down and knocked a finger against the shell.
"Hoy, come out a moment."
"Little Bug won't come out! Come out, and you will eat Little Bug up. Little Bug doesn't taste good! Little Bug hasn't had a bath in… in ten years! You will fall sick if you eat her!" a timid voice came from within the little ball of flesh.
"We are not going to eat you." A black line rose upon Zhao Chen's forehead.
"I don't believe you……" a voice came from within the little ball of flesh.
Zhao Chen, helpless, raised his hand, hooked forefinger against middle finger, and flicked lightly at the little ball of flesh's shell.
Thud.
Along with a crisp knocking sound, the little ball of flesh opened out.
That small figure of a moment ago lay sprawled upon the ground. "Don't… don't knock any more… so… so dizzy…."
Only now could Zhao Chen examine closely this little fellow before him.
That upon her back should be an exoskeleton grown out, much like a hive-race creature's.
But within was a humanoid creature, about a meter in height.
Upon her head were two feelers besides.
The surface of her body was covered with brown bug-plate, not so thick as that layer of bug-plate outside, and more like a manner of clothing in imitation of a humanoid creature.
In sex, she looked rather like a little girl.
At this moment this little bug-girl came to herself as well; she held her head in both hands and cried out timidly, "Don't hit Little Bug… Little Bug is afraid of pain. Little Bug wants Mama… Mama…"
"Don't cry; we will not hurt you," Zhao Chen said.
But this little bug-girl went on weeping of her own accord.
Zhao Chen, helpless, thought of something.
He tapped lightly at the armor at his waist, and a pocket appeared; he felt about within it.
A sweet was taken out.
Zhao Chen tore open the wrapper and held the sweet before the little girl.
"Won't you taste this sweet? It is very sweet."
Hearing that there was something to eat,
the little bug-girl slowly moved her hands away, but wore a timid look still.
Her gaze fell upon the sweet in Zhao Chen's hand; she licked her lips, and putting out her tongue with great care, licked at it.
When she had licked the sweet, Zhao Chen plainly noticed the little bug-girl's eyes brighten, with more spirit in them than the timidity of before.
"Is it good? Hold this in your mouth." Zhao Chen let go his hand.
The sweet rolled into the little bug-girl's mouth.
"So… so sweet," the little bug-girl said in glad surprise, her small mouth pursed.
"Let us make ourselves known. I am called Zhao Chen; I come from… another universe, and am a Lord. This lump of iron is my friend, a mechanical life, called Ah-Yin."
When Zhao Chen spoke the word friend, Ah-Yin's gaze rested upon Zhao Chen a moment.
The little bug-girl blinked her great watery eyes, looking at Zhao Chen.
"It was because we received the message you sent that we came over," Zhao Chen said.
"Message? Little Bug never sent any message," the little bug-girl said, shaking her head.
Zhao Chen's gaze went to Ah-Yin, and he knit his brows slightly.
"Maybe Granny Bug sent it," the little bug-girl said all of a sudden.