Chapter 20

She cut off mid-sentence, but the breathy sound still escaped. Before she could say more, Asher asked, "Wu Ying, do you have any idea what you've done?"

"Why did you leave the base? As a student—a military trainee—do you think base regulations are a joke? Was it fun out there? Do you realize that today you could have come back with more than just an injury?"

He scolded her without preamble, and Wu Ying's burning heart went cold in an instant. "So you can't wait to lecture me now?"

"You have to admit that you made a mistake this time, and it came at a huge cost."

"So what? You called me a few times just to make me admit I was wrong?"

"Shouldn't you? First, you violated regulations by leaving the base without permission. Then, without any protection, you roamed the city at will. During the battle, you didn't follow orders—when you were told to leave, why did you delay? Wu Ying, is it so hard to follow the direction of people more experienced and capable than you?"

Asher's voice was cold and sharp; even through the screen, Wu Ying could feel his severity. He listed her faults more seriously than any instructor would, looking at her as if she had committed a heinous crime. And to say she didn't follow orders—what was an order, anyway? And what did he mean by people more experienced and capable?

"What are you trying to say? Do you even know the situation, or are you just guessing? What are you basing all that on? You think I'm not capable, so I should just throw my life away recklessly? You think my judgment means nothing, and because I'm from the Protected Zone, I should just follow orders and never have a thought of my own?"

"I didn't say that—you—"

"You'd better listen to yourself. I don't know how you treat your subordinates, but don't put your tyranny and high-and-mighty attitude on display in front of me. I'm not buying it!"

Wu Ying's words came fast, her emotions boiling over. She was furious, wishing she could stab Asher through the screen. "You're prejudiced. You usually play the cold and aloof act well, but now all you can remember is that I'm from the Protected Zone. Well, Commander, you'd better remember that agreeing to marry me was your own choice. Why did you stop being so kind all of a sudden? Tired of your fake concern already, huh?"

"Wu Ying!"

"Besides yelling at me, what have you even done in this marriage?" she continued. "Oh, you had this planned all along, didn't you? Now that you've finally got something on me, you're going to punish me? Then you draft the divorce papers yourself, and I'll sign them right away!"

Wu Ying's every word struck home, and Asher couldn't keep up with her. She was completely illogical, yet she insisted on dragging everything together. Every sentence humiliated him; he had never been treated like this in his life.

"I really think we're not suited—"

"Now it's 'not suited'? So whether we're suited or not is entirely up to you—how would I ever dare to argue? Hmph, wait, I just realized—are you deliberately provoking me so I'll bring up divorce first and you can keep playing the good guy? How scheming. You're quite the sly fox, aren't you? I never would've guessed you had it in you."

"Wu Ying! What nonsense are you talking?"

Asher's voice nearly tore through the screen. Wu Ying sneered. "The thief cries 'stop thief'!"

"You're impossible!"

The screen went black. Asher stared ahead, his chest heaving. He'd always known Wu Ying knew how to get under his skin, but this time she'd gone too far.

She would say anything, completely unreasonable. They really weren't suited. She hadn't listened to a single word he said—her head was full of those useless flowers in her greenhouse, with no rational thought or concern for her own safety. So why should he care anymore? A divorce agreement was all that was needed.

Asher's dark eyes burned red with rage. For the first time in his life, someone had driven him to this state. Emotions battered his reason like bombs, and his fingers flew across his Light Brain, searching for a divorce agreement. He skimmed it, saved the file to his archive, and slammed the electronic seal down without pause.

A fresh divorce agreement sat on the screen. Asher dropped his hands and stared at it hard. The air was taut as a drawn bowstring, suffocating with menace. Then, suddenly, he lowered his head and hurled the Light Brain at the ground.

His 3S-level physique showed itself fully in that moment—the Light Brain shattered to dust the instant it touched the floor.

The sound startled the guards at the door. Meng Ke was the first to rush in, and all he saw was Asher's ferocious gaze. The towering figure was like an enraged beast, his glare promising to tear him apart. The overwhelming mental power poured out across the room, crushing the air from his lungs. Meng Ke couldn't control himself and sank to his knees.

Asher was furious. Meng Ke even wondered if the border defenses had been breached.

"Get out. Bring me a new Light Brain."

Asher's cold voice cut through, and the pressure on Meng Ke eased. He stood up, saluted, turned, and only after stepping outside did he wipe the cold sweat from his brow.

He once again understood just how formidable Asher was. Since becoming Commander, Asher rarely lost control so directly.

"What are you looking at? Never seen a couple fight before!"

Wu Ying whipped her head around and glared at Luo Meng, who had been craning his neck to watch her. There was no sorrow from the argument in her eyes—only blazing anger. The moment he met her gaze, he fell back onto the bed with a thud, his head and the bed frame letting out a sharp, intimate squeal. Seeing him lie down obediently, Wu Ying turned back and jabbed furiously at her Light Brain. Divorce? She'd make him regret it!

Her taps on the screen were rapid and dense. Luo Meng closed his eyes and listened for a while, but curiosity got the better of him, and he peeked at her again.

Luo Meng had never actually seen people argue—at most, they had debates. But Wu Ying's performance just now left him stunned. If a complete stranger could be this angry, he could only imagine how infuriated the person on the other end must have been.

She was amazing, Luo Meng thought, looking at Wu Ying. It seemed like a little flame was leaping on top of her head.

Luo Meng's ears turned red. He pulled the blanket up and risked quick, sneaky glances at her, flinching every time he feared she might notice, yet unable to tear his eyes away. So he kept stealing glances, one after another.

Wu Ying didn't feel any of it. She had more important things to do.

On her Light Brain was a document titled "On Asher's Inhumane Treatment in Marriage," followed by one, two, three... Wu Ying wrote a great deal. Relying purely on her thoughts, her hands moved fast—hundreds of characters a minute. The more she thought about it, the more she found problems with Asher. As a husband, he was completely unqualified.

Two hours passed. She'd spent nearly half an hour just arguing with Asher, and by the time the doctor came to let them leave, she was still writing, reluctant to stop. The word count had already reached over fifteen thousand.

And that didn't even include the references and regulations she planned to cite. Of course, some of the more irrational statements and baseless assumptions would need revision.

"Um, I didn't fully understand everything you said, but... I support you in getting a divorce."

Before she left, Luo Meng tiptoed over and whispered to her. Though she didn't quite understand and was a bit surprised, Wu Ying chose to accept his support.

See—someone supported her!

It meant her words weren't without merit. Luo Meng, who knew nothing, could still understand and support her, while Asher did the exact opposite. So how could she be wrong to scold him?

Wu Ying stormed back to her own ward, ready to continue her written attack. Luo Meng watched her go, rubbing his ears, his whole sense of awe rushing up to them.

So the word count on her Light Brain kept growing into the evening. If they hadn't been called for reports, she would've kept going.

She had a rough idea of how reports worked—first give an oral account, then write it up. The two versions would be compared, and finally analyzed by experts. It was a somewhat complicated process.

By the time Wu Ying could finally leave the small room, her head was buzzing. The doctor arrived right away. Wu Ying's mental power had been damaged, and she shouldn't have been doing extended mental work in the first place, but she was the focus of this report, so there was no way around it.

The doctor gave her an IV drip, and Wu Ying felt drowsiness hit her immediately.

After she fell asleep, someone slipped silently into her ward. He walked with heavy steps to the bedside, then stood still, not making a sound the entire time.

There was a sleep aid mixed into her medication, so she was sleeping soundly now.

Asher's gaze rested on her face. She looked so obedient like this—how could someone who looked like this say such infuriating things? Her face was still pale, her lips lacked color, a world apart from how she looked at home. Wearing a hospital gown, she was a small lump curled under the blanket, so frail it made you instinctively soften your breathing.

During their call, he hadn't noticed she was hurt this badly. Then again, he'd been so furious he hadn't had the mind to look.

Asher sat in the chair nearby, recalling what she'd said about the incident—how the insect had kept staring at her, how terrified she'd been. When he'd called earlier, he'd only seen the others' reports, not what she'd personally experienced.

Combining everyone's accounts, Wu Ying had been the first to spot the insect race, and its peculiar fixation on her might have to do with the characteristics of the new strain. Asher had to admit: Wu Ying had made her judgment based on what she'd observed herself, and it was the most reasonable conclusion.

The IV still had about half an hour left. Asher had Meng Ke inform the base and the school that he was taking Wu Ying for her confinement period.

Asher had never been an easygoing man, nor was he someone bound by rules—that was a habit he'd developed since childhood. He was clear about his own actions. His focus was never on the rules of the moment, but on whether the bigger picture required it.

So, he'd handle Wu Ying's confinement himself. The base needn't bother.

He was undeniably arrogant—in fact, in all his memory, no one had ever spoken back to him or insulted him like this. Wu Ying, with her logic and her words, had successfully torn him apart. This was the first time Asher had ever called someone impossible.

Even now, Asher still thought Wu Ying was impossible. They could have communicated properly and reached an understanding—why did she have to provoke him like that?