Shi Lang returned to his room and he rested. He asked Zysha if she was hungry? However, the beast denied it by saying that she is fine. Though, she did take over his bed saying that it was soft and warm. Shi Lang did not mind and he used a few blankets to sleep on the floor.
As a soldier they might have to sleep in the wild without any bed or comfort so, this was his training and regulation. The night passed away in a jiffy. When the next day Shi Lang got ready he looked at the tiger on the bed curled up like a cat.
He said, “Zysha, you should take a wash.” calmly
The sleeping tiger raised her head and said, “What nonsense are you spouting from your mouth?”
Shi Lang sighed and said, “Do you know that your fur is covered with mud and god knows what, if you took a wash and became cleaner, you will be better looked after. The women in my species, they love clean and elegant felines.”
Zysha narrowed her gaze and asked, “Are you just not saying all this to get me to take a bath?”
Shi Lang shrugged his shoulders and said, “You can try it if you want to, it is not like you will need it daily.”
Zysha got down from the bed and began to walk around slowly. She said, “Can they not give you a bigger room, how do you think in this cramped up place?”
Shi Lang did not say anything to her and just focused on dressing up. After a few minutes, the tiger said, “Very well, since you insist, I shall try.”
The young man nodded and pushed open the door to the washroom. Zysha walked inside and after a few seconds she came out and asked, “How do you think I should clean up myself without a lake to dive in?”
Shi Lang smacked his forehead gently and said, “I will help you.”
That said, he went inside the washroom and gave Zysha a thorough bath. The effect of the cleaning was so much that Shi Lang himself was surprised by the transformation. The dusty blue fur on Zysha’s body was now sparkling, and her whole appearance had become more docile and elegant. The cerulean blue strips were covered with black stripes. The face looked like a petting kitten with big eyes and a small nose and whiskers.
Shi Lang said, “I did not expect you to be such a beauty, Zysha. Come let us go out, the time you eat some cooked food.”
After coming out of the bathroom, he carefully brushed her fur and made her look even more refined. After an hour, they both left the room, and when they arrived at the cafeteria, they attracted a chain of gasps and many scrutinizing gazes.
The gasp was from the few ladies in the place, even if they did not like cute things, a tiger was big enough to put mental intimidation unintentionally. Shi Lang walked over to the food counter and picked up a plate, he stacked it up with just meat, walked up to a table, and placed it there, then he said, “Zysha.”
The tiger had been waiting for him to call her and she got up on the bench, in her mind, Shi Lang had asked her to eat slowly and not to go all gory so as to not ruin her charm. With her intelligence, the tiger understood this and began to eat slowly. The gestures of her tongue cleaning her lips were so adorable that some ladies could not help but sigh at the sight.
Shi Lang got himself a plate of food and then began to eat in his seat next to Shi Lang. As he was eating a guest came over and knocked on top of the table. The guy raised his head in tandem with the tiger, he asked, “Do you need something?”
The guest was none other than Quinn, she raised her eyebrow and said, “You are so curt, even after stabbing me in the ribs you show no remorse?”
Shi Lang replied, “You should be grateful to X, if he had issued a directive to kill you, you would have been dead already.” his voice was calm and pleasant.
Zysha chuckled and the sound echoed in his brain. Quinn stood there aghast, she said, “Have you no compassion?”
Shi Lang shook his head as he said, “Not when you are not on my team.”
Quinn sat down in front of her and asked, “Did X tell you about his plans?”
Shi Lang raised his gaze to meet hers and said, “Do you think it is okay to about secrets in public?”
Quinn raised her head and gazed around, she said, “You do understand that nothing that you speak will be discussed by the others, right?”
Shi Lang shook his head and said, “That is not my concern, however, you just violated the protocol. I wonder if you still think that this place is some Top-brass mansion.”
Quinn’s pupils dilated, she asked, “Who are you and how do you know about this?”
Her tone made Zysha growl softly, she could fill the intent to kill radiating from this girl. Shi Lang patted Zysha on the back to calm her down as he replied, “Tell your attendant to not flex her identity with the pin on her uniform.”
Quinn was shocked again, she wanted to say something when the young man raised his hand and said, “When you are around me, you better follow the rules.”
His cold tone made the girl suck in a cold breath, she could hardly endure the irritation in her mind at the moment. No one has ever dared to talk to her like this, she was young, pretty, and talented, but this guy in front of her, never bother to give her face, and even brutally stabbed her to pass the exam. This sort of person was the first time she had come across.
Shi Lang finished eating his meal and said, “You may think I am trying to play hard to get, but I have two reasons to be this rude to you. One, I do not like the opposite sex to be interested in me as I have a fiancee. Second, given your skills, if everyone gave you the easy way out, then one day you might fall, only pressure can make you grow into a better sword.”
That said he stood up and picked up his plate along with Zysha’s and went to place them in the sink, he mentioned the staff to place Zysha’s plate separate and give her the same one next time. Quinn was following hot on his heels. As the three people left the cafeteria Quinn asked, “Can you tell me what you think about this arrangement made by X?”
Shi Lang replied to the question with a question, “Did he not tell you of the motive?”
“Learn about them.” said the girl.
Shi Lang nodded and said, “What more do you need to know?”
“I am not very good with the read between the lines thingy. So, tell me what it means? Please.” asked Quinn.
Zysha said, “Don’t tell her. How dare she pose in front of you?” she was angry from when the former radiated killing intent on Shi Lang.
The young man sighed, “First you learn the truth about them, if they are friendly, learn all the tech and other cultural knowledge that you can. Second, if they are hostile under the veil of friendship, sabotage them after you have learned their knowledge.”
Quinn nodded and said, “What if they do not teach us anything of significance?”
“The Hunt with wrong data was a similar situation. You can work the way around. That was the moral of this test. Now, if you excuse me, I have to go practice.” said Shi Lang and left with Zysha.
Quinn, however, had no intention of letting him go. She moved quickly to follow him and said, “Say, do you have any idea who might be the members of our team?”
Shi Lang shook his head and said, “I have no idea, from what I can deduce, the teams should be made up of young people, old people might not be able to blend well among the crowd of a new planet. Young people do not represent only easygoing but also inexperience. Thus they might not be able to see through the deceptions over there.
So the team shall be well organized, the best youths in all departments, I presume. As for the guardian and guide, is shall be some with a good head on their shoulders.”
Quinn nodded and said, “Your way of thinking is correct. I can think of a few names but they all exceed the age limit. Do you have any guesses?”
Shi Lang thought for a bit and said, “Given the size of the military, and the recruits they take inside every year, the chances of the names I have in my mind getting selected is pretty low.”
Quinn nodded and said, “True. You have a smart brain, no wonder you were placed ahead to lead.”
Shi Lang shook his head and said, “The reason I am placed ahead is so that you are safe. The daughter of the top brass, if you made a mistake, even if they can keep your identity secret, those who know you will talk. This exchange will unveil the existence of those humanoid civilizations that have the potential to take down the federation. Our team will be at the center of attention.”
His words made Quinn realize how deep this shit was.