A Chemist's Interstellar Saga
Chapter 220: Guilty Zane

Chapter 220: Guilty Zane

Quispe found himself in a daze; Zane suddenly pinned him against the wall before he could even process what was happening.

Zane’s hand, warm and strong, began to glide upwards from Quispe’s lower abdomen.

As Zane’s arm pushed Quispe’s clothing aside, it revealed his slim, toned waist, and the cool air hitting his exposed skin snapped Quispe back to reality.

As his senses returned, Quispe realized the tall man was acting recklessly. The shock hit him like a wave, making him shiver.

Furious when the situation fully registered, Quispe bit down hard, his anger boiling over.

The sharp pain made Zane, who was still caught up in the moment, grunt and release his grip on Quispe’s lips.

The second Quispe’s mouth was free, he didn’t hesitate—he kicked Zane off him with all his might.

BAM!

Zane hit the wall with a thud and slumped to the ground. The jolt of pain started to clear his head.

Now more aware, Zane looked up in a daze. Seeing Quispe’s disheveled clothes and the marks on his neck, it all clicked.

The realization of what he’d done hit Zane like a ton of bricks. The swollen lips, the messy clothes—everything screamed guilt at him.

"I..." Zane stammered, his eyes wide with shock and guilt, struggling to find words to apologize to "Quinnie."

’I forced myself on Quinnie! I’m a monster!’

Zane’s hand flew up as he slapped himself, the sting of shame burning through him. If a gun had been within reach, Zane might’ve seriously considered ending it all right then.

Quispe, still seething, paused in surprise at Zane’s self-punishment. But then it hit him that Zane’s remorse didn’t change a thing for him.

With a fierce glare, Quispe spat the blood from his mouth, let out a cold, dismissive snort, and he began to leave the cave. His steps were shaky, and Zane’s heart raced with worry. The fear that Quispe might collapse any second gripped him.

Without caring if the "young woman" would resent him, Zane rushed forward and scooped Quispe up into his arms, cradling him like a princess.

What might have been a romantic gesture to someone else was nothing but an insult to Quispe’s pride. He shook with anger.

"Zane! Put me down! I can walk!" Quispe yelled, his voice laced with fury.

"Where do you want to go? I’ll take you," Zane responded firmly, ignoring Quispe’s angry struggles.

Sensing Quispe’s fear, Zane quickly added, "I’m fully awake now. I won’t do that to you again, I swear."

"You... I..." Quispe almost blurted out the truth, that he was actually a man and didn’t need to be afraid, but he bit his tongue, thinking better of it. Frustration welled up, and he just clamped his mouth shut.

"The lake. Take me to the lake," Quispe finally muttered, giving up as exhaustion took over. He closed his eyes, done with trying to deal with this troublesome situation.

"Alright," Zane replied with a slight smile. Holding Quispe gently, he quickly made his way toward the lake.

A little while later, Zane gently set Quispe down in the lake. He even picked a spot where a large stone jutted out of the water, so Quispe could lean against it comfortably.

The cool water instantly soothed the heat simmering inside Quispe, and he let out a contented sigh, appreciating Zane’s thoughtfulness.

Lost in the refreshing embrace of the water, Quispe closed his eyes and relaxed. He didn’t notice the deep red flush creeping up Zane’s face on the shore, making it look like he might start bleeding from sheer embarrassment.

Flustered, Zane quickly turned his back to Quispe, desperately trying to get a grip. But his mind kept circling back to the cave—the young woman’s flushed cheeks, those dazed eyes, their lips meeting, and the chemistry between them...

SLAP!

’She’s so young, Zane! How could you even think of hurting her like that? Gosh, what kind of monster am I?" Zane slapped himself again, this time even harder, driven by a crushing guilt.

The sound of the slap echoed through the night, startling Quispe out of his peaceful moment in the lake.

Quispe shot a glance at Zane, feeling slightly baffled. ’What’s wrong with this guy?’ he thought, ’Is he seriously messed up? Slapping himself like that?’ He couldn’t help thinking, ’Humans really are more twisted than us insectoids!’

After silently venting his annoyance, Quispe decided Zane wasn’t worth his attention and stretched out lazily on the stone, turning his gaze to the stars above. ’What Arix is up to right now? She’s probably thinking about me.’

A mischievous smile curled Quispe’s lips as he happily splashed his feet in the lake, completely content in the moment.

...

After finishing her dinner in a rush, Arix found a random spot to crash and was out like a light in no time.

The past few days had really taken a toll on her. Just when one of her old wounds started to heal, she’d end up with a fresh one the next day.

To top it off, her Space Button—loaded with level-three healing potions—was useless in the training ground, leaving her without any way to speed up her recovery.

At first, Arix tried hunting for some medicinal ingredients to patch herself up, but after combing through the training ground for what felt like forever, she came up empty-handed.

Left with no better option, she had to settle for basic first aid and bandaged her wounds the best she could.

Thanks to her Supergiant-Class physical strength, minor cuts and even some deeper gashes healed with just a little help. But the really nasty injuries—like the deep cuts down to the bone and the puncture wound in her shoulder—were a different story.

Despite her best efforts to clean and bandage them, the lack of proper supplies and all the intense training during the day made these wounds not only stubborn but also infected.

As she slept, her body was restless, the pain seeping into her dreams.

Every so often, a muffled groan would escape her lips.

Once they were sure Arix was out cold, Cupid and the others quietly slipped out from their psychic world.

They lined up, sitting in silence as they watched Arix, their faces filled with concern at the sight of her scarred body.

"Arix has so many wounds. She must be hurting so much," Cupid whispered, snuggling closer to Sylvana, his big, round eyes welling up with tears.

Vita, Sophia and Sylvana felt the same heavy sadness. They had tried countless times to help Arix over the past few days, but she always turned them down.

This special training was a rite of passage for every military student and special forces soldier. If Arix leaned on them to get through it, it would feel like cheating.

Even though Arix was firm in her refusal, Vita and the others couldn’t help sneaking out to assist her while she slept.

"Vita, be careful, or Arix will notice," warned Sophia, now transformed into a blue-haired beauty, her expression tense and serious.

Although Arix’s Space Button was disabled, Vita and the others still had access to theirs. They pulled out some healing potions from their own Space Buttons, planning to secretly help Arix out.

"Yeah, I got it," Vita replied with a serious nod, as if he was about to carry out a crucial mission.

Sophia relaxed a bit at his response. Vita was the most compassionate of them all, making him the best choice for this delicate task. If it were left to her, Sophia, or even Sylvana, things might not go so smoothly.