Wanderer of the Zerg

Chapter 70: Mentor’s Past

Returning home, the house was brightly lit.

Cody was already sitting on the living room sofa, with a documentary about the animal world playing on the home terminal in front of him.

Xi Tian greeted his mentor and quickly went to the washroom to wash his face.

Returning to the living room, he sat on the sofa next to his mentor, sinking into the soft, green, quicksand-like cushions. Facing the familiar face, he suddenly didn’t know how to begin.

“Is something wrong? Go ahead and speak,” Cody said, pausing the documentary. The house instantly fell silent.

“How did you know I had something to ask?” Xi Tian asked absentmindedly, blurting out his question.

“Every time you stare at me without blinking, it’s because you have something to ask,” Cody said confidently.

Xi Tian quickly took out the bone fragment from his pocket. It was wrapped in layers of a handkerchief and handed it to Cody.

“Where did you pick this up from this time?”

Cody held the handkerchief in his hand and picked up a magnifying glass nearby to examine it closely.

Xi Tian felt a bit nervous and carefully rubbed his hands together, glancing almost imperceptibly around, guessing possible corners that might have surveillance.

“I went up the mountain to play and picked it up randomly.”

In the back, Ellis walked out of the kitchen and said, “There are still some ingredients in the kitchen. Should I start cooking now, and you guys can eat later?”

Xi Tian nodded at him, and Cody turned back and said, “Thank you.”

“What do you want me to do?”

“Could you please use your lab equipment to check what kind of animal bone this is? The place where I found this fragment is a bit peculiar.”

Cody wrapped the handkerchief back up and put it in his pocket.

“Sure, I’ll send you the results when they’re ready.

Xi Tian, are all history graduates this curious? Recently, I got a new guy in my lab who studied history as an undergrad and switched to our field from his master’s. He’s just like you, always wanting to research everything in the lab.”

“Oh, really?” Xi Tian didn’t understand why his mentor suddenly brought this up and could only respond dryly.

“You used to love bringing random things home. I still have your iron box filled with various treasures locked in my lab cabinet back on Zerg Planet,” Cody said, glancing at Xi Tian.

“I don’t pick up random stuff anymore. There’s nothing messy at home now!”

Whenever his peculiar habits from early university days were mentioned, Xi Tian couldn’t believe that was his past self.

“Actually, that was quite good. You were only nineteen then, full of curiosity, eager to understand and try out everything, whether good or bad.

Sometimes, I think if I had a child, he might be around your age now.”

“Why are you suddenly talking about kids, mentor? Aren’t you a firm bachelor?”

“Having made the decision, I have no regrets. But sometimes, I can’t help but wonder if I had chosen a different path when I was younger, how different things might be today.”

Cody, with a hint of nostalgia, leaned back against the sofa, one hand resting on its edge, adopting a very relaxed posture.

Xi Tian instantly understood that his mentor’s gaze was clearly reflective and that Cody was likely about to share stories from his past.

And indeed, Cody began:

“I discovered this interest much earlier than you did. In my childhood memories, there was only my dad. At first, I thought I didn’t have a father. It was only after I grew up that I learned I was conceived through artificial insemination. I grew up beside him, accompanying him to work. My childhood memories are filled with images of him in research attire and the bustling research institute. I got used to that environment early on and adapted to a life of constant relocation.

When I was fourteen, nearly fifteen, my dad took me back to our hometown because a company had invested in a new research institute there. The security was stricter than any I had ever seen.

At that young age, I didn’t think much of it and continued to play. It was there that I first met a young man who made my heart flutter. He looked very much like you—your eyes, the color and style of your hair, your demeanor. When I first saw you, I really thought you were him.

Later, the research institute exploded and caught fire. All the researchers, including my dad, perished in the blaze. I, however, had taken that young man out to play, and we avoided the explosion.

Then I became a child without a dad. The local police contacted my uncle, who was far away on Zerg Planet. From then on, I lived with my uncle’s family, attending school and working in a routine manner.”

This was the first time Xi Tian heard Cody speak so candidly about his past.

“Mentor, don’t be too sad. Everything is in the past.”

“Yes, what’s past is past, and what’s unresolved remains with us now.

I still remember, the year I arrived on Zerg Planet, there was a popular TV drama about a doctor. The lead character, a young man named Bo, often wore a white coat. I loved that show and the lead actor, as his back always reminded me of my dad.”

Xi Tian patted Cody’s hand, rarely showing his emotional side.

Cody looked at Xi Tian’s face and said, “Xi Tian, seeing you grown up and having your own family, and even having been a part of your life for four years, I have no regrets.”

Xi Tian sensed something was wrong, as if Cody’s words were like a farewell.

“Mentor! What’s wrong? Do you have cancer, something terminal and untreatable?” Xi Tian stood up in panic.

Cody laughed and said, “What nonsense are you talking about? Are you cursing me?”

“Then why say such things?!”

“An older person tends to reminisce about the past and needs someone to talk to.”

“Mentor, I’m so sorry,” Xi Tian said, thinking about his decision to leave the planet to search for his parents, unable to stay with his lonely mentor.

“You’re planning to leave here, aren’t you?” Cody said softly. “Even though you’ve washed your face, your tear-streaked eyes are hard to deceive. What made you cry, if not witnessing death firsthand, is the matter of your parents.”

“Yes, I may find clues about them on Wood Tower Star, so I will go there.”

“Finding clues about your parents is a good thing. Didn’t you always want to know your origins? You don’t need to apologize to me; I’m not so needy for affection.”

“Wood Tower Star,” Cody said, tapping his chin thoughtfully, “is also a secondary neutral planet. Once you get there, you might still be affected by the election information from Zerg Planet.

That said, since you’ve been moving around secondary planets since you left Zerg Planet, maybe you should just settle down on a secondary planet from now on.” Cody said with a chuckle.

“…Mentor, you still have the energy to joke around,” Xi Tian replied, speechless.

“Everyone needs to smile sometimes. Those who only weep with the wind and are sorrowful under the moon won’t live long,” Cody said, as if reminiscing. “By the way, while you’re at Wood Tower Star, could you do me a favor and bring something back?”

“Sure,” Xi Tian agreed.

Meanwhile, Ellis called them for dinner.