Chapter 6

"Ah, ah, ah!" The deafening cries echoed incessantly throughout the cabin.

It was truly deafening! Even noise-canceling headphones couldn't completely block it out.

At first, Lan Xiao intended to keep one-third of the eggshell, but the baby that hatched from the egg cried so hard, with a voice that was almost hoarse. Nan Cheng couldn't bear it and gave the baby more to eat. As long as it ate, it wouldn't cry.

When the eggshell was reduced to one-fifth, the baby started crying again. The cries were loud and clear, like those of a tenor opera singer.

One-sixth, one-seventh, one-eighth, ... one-tenth!

In the end, one-tenth of the eggshell was retained, which was the limit. This wasn't something Lan Xiao could decide alone; he had to be responsible for the entire team. So, he had to harden his heart and let the baby cry without giving it more to eat.

Nan Cheng understood his decision, as they were scientists. Although she often looked at Lan Xiao with her tearful, beautiful eyes, she didn't ask for the baby to be fed again.

Initially, they thought the baby would stop crying once it was tired. But who knew, this baby was truly gifted! Despite crying until it was hoarse, it didn't stop. The cries were so piercing that it cried for three days and three nights.

During those three days, the reconnaissance aircraft completed its mission in the far north, but the research team was extremely exhausted. No one could rest properly with the baby's cries, whether meditating or sleeping.

The aircraft had a dedicated rest room, but even the metal door couldn't block out the cries. So, when the aircraft began its return journey and entered automatic cruise mode, everyone was extremely tired.

Nan Cheng's mind was filled with the baby's cries. She took care of the baby every day, but it wouldn't drink water or eat anything, just cry. This left Nan Cheng both physically and mentally exhausted, with no solution.

"Put the baby in the protective shield on the test bench, and you should get some sleep. The shield has better soundproofing, and it's safe inside; the baby can't get out," Lan Xiao said, looking at Nan Cheng's pale face with concern.

"Okay." Nan Cheng was also at her limit.

The protective shield did have some effect on soundproofing, reducing the cries. Everyone felt a sense of relief. Except for the pilot, who needed to stay alert to avoid any issues with the cruise, everyone else soon fell asleep.

They were extremely tired after those few days, and with the main work completed, they naturally relaxed and fell into a deep sleep, including Lan Xiao.

"Ah, ah, ah..." The baby continued to cry, its beautiful big eyes filled with委屈 (grievance).

The remaining one-tenth of the eggshell was also placed in another shield on the test bench. The shield was in a vacuum and low-temperature state to preserve its quality. They would conduct comprehensive tests and research using large instruments upon returning to the ancient soul beast research institute.

Meditating with the cries was difficult and risky, so Lan Xiao and Nan Cheng chose to sleep. They slept deeply, and the aircraft gradually became quiet, except for the baby's loud, intermittent cries.

The pilot continued to fly the aircraft, with the cruise system working normally. After leaving the far north, they immediately ascended to the stratosphere at an altitude of ten thousand meters. At this speed, it would take about seven to eight hours to return to the base airport, marking the end of their expedition.

The pilot yawned; he had also been disturbed by the cries and was extremely tired. After checking the cruise and protection systems again and confirming there were no issues, he closed his eyes and gradually fell asleep.

Modern soul-guided reconnaissance aircraft were highly advanced. If the cruise system malfunctioned, it would immediately trigger an alarm. Besides, it was rare for any problems to occur.

The breathing sounds in the aircraft became noticeably calmer, except for the baby, who continued to cry loudly. On the remaining one-tenth of the eggshell, the gold and silver patterns flickered. No one noticed that, with the baby's cries, the frequency of the light on the eggshell began to change subtly.

Whenever the cries were loudest, the gold and silver patterns would shine the brightest, and when the cries weakened, the light would dim.

Gradually, the eggshell became transparent, and tiny cracks appeared on its surface, initially very fine but continuously developing.

With a "ding," the eggshell quietly shattered, not into pieces but into a fine powder, a burst of light.

The gold and silver light easily penetrated the protective shield and entered the baby's mouth and nose, finally stopping the cries.

The entire cabin finally became peaceful. The baby, after the gold and silver light entered, was the last to fall into a deep sleep.

After an unknown amount of time...

"Buzz, buzz, buzz!" A low hum shook the cabin, gradually waking the sleeping team.

"Ugh, what a comfortable sleep! Is this the descent signal? Are we almost there?" Nan Cheng opened her eyes groggily, surprised by the signal at the front of the cabin.

The pilot, who had woken up first, smiled and said, "Yes, we're almost there. We're descending now."

Nan Cheng suddenly felt something was different. Instinctively, she looked at the test bench nearby.

The small baby was curled up, its tender skin glowing softly. It looked small and a bit lonely.

Nan Cheng instinctively thought, "Where are his parents? They must miss him too."

"Ah!" She suddenly realized what was different—the baby had stopped crying!

Nan Cheng quickly stood up and went to the baby. Its tiny chest rose and fell with each breath, and its pink face occasionally moved, even with a sweet smile.

It's really sleeping, Nan Cheng thought, feeling relieved.

"Ugh, are we almost there?" Lan Xiao stretched and stood up.

"Lan Xiao, come here, look, he's not crying anymore. He looks so cute when he's not crying!" Nan Cheng said with a smile.

"Not crying? That's why we could sleep so long." Lan Xiao smiled, then turned his head to look at the other side, and his gaze froze.

"Where's the eggshell? Where is it?" He suddenly turned to Nan Cheng, his eyes fixed on her.

"Ah?" Nan Cheng was taken aback and looked at where the eggshell was stored. Indeed, it was gone, leaving no trace.

"It's not me, I didn't do it!" Nan Cheng quickly explained, panicking.

At this moment, the others also woke up and gathered around when they noticed the eggshell was missing.

Lan Xiao gestured to Nan Cheng, "Don't panic. If you say it's not you, it's not. Opening the protective shield leaves a record. Let's check if it was opened."

Nan Cheng felt relieved. Yes, opening the test bench shield would leave a record, and each person had a different password. However, she was pleased that Lan Xiao trusted her immediately, which made her feel more relaxed. But where was the eggshell?

The cabin's surveillance system quickly provided the answer.

When everyone looked at each other and their gazes finally focused on Lan Xiao, he smiled bitterly, "Don't look at me. I can't do anything about it. It's truly a case of no evidence and no trace."