Chapter 34#
Blade’s Edge#
At the start of each month, Scrap City sends out a list of recommended teams to the outside world. Teams or individuals on that list receive more commissions and higher rewards, and the points earned after completing tasks are also substantial. With those points, one can purchase equipment from the underground mall in the city, which is a way to encourage everyone to actively complete assignments.
The names on this list are determined by the rankings of a monthly selection tournament.
Mercenaries live their lives trading their lives for money, so no one wants to miss such a good opportunity for exposure. The mercenary group that the Blasting Sheep belonged to was no exception; they wished everyone would go and participate. Unfortunately, their squad only had two members. Even if they dragged Sham, who usually handled logistics, out to join, they still wouldn’t meet the minimum requirement of three participants. So, they had to team up with others.
“Then why not team up?” Ning Feng tilted his head.
“I don’t like teaming up,” Wen Qianyong said, twisting the parts into a mess.
“Don’t like it?”
“Those people always bully Brother Mu.”
Before, they had cooperated with other teams. But after working hard to complete a mission, when it came time to distribute the rewards, they were always shortchanged by others because of their smaller numbers. In a place where might makes right, they had nowhere to even plead their case. Over time, they preferred to take on simple tasks on their own.
Ning Feng shook the empty bottle. “Who does the leader want you to team up with?”
“With me.”
Suddenly, a sharp, thin voice came from outside the door. They turned to look and saw a lean young man standing outside. He was hunched over, with a golden afro, and his right arm was replaced from the shoulder down by a finely crafted mechanical arm. His whole face had a shifty, rat-like look.
“Crazy Rat!” Wen Qianyong shot up from his seat. By then, Sham had also rushed over.
“Oh, a cleaning robot? A new product?” Crazy Rat strolled in slowly, looking around with a face full of disdain. “I say, Dr. Sham, your taste is getting worse and worse. Can it even sweep the floor?”
“What are you doing here? Get out!” Wen Qianyong’s face was full of rage, his eyes practically shooting flames, his rugged features looking extremely fierce.
“The leader sent me. You think I want to be here?” Crazy Rat sneered.
“I told you, I’m absolutely not teaming up with you!”
“Hehe, that’s not up to you, cute little Yong.” Crazy Rat cackled ominously. “The leader said if you don’t participate, this broken team of yours will be disbanded, and you’ll never get to team up with your Brother Mu again.”
Wen Qianyong’s face turned pale. He looked back at Sham, only to see the latter nod helplessly.
“Don’t make that face. Participating in the tournament benefits all of us.” Crazy Rat shrugged indifferently. “Didn’t the military go off to blow up bugs a while back? Their demand for mercenaries is at its peak. If we don’t make money now, when will we? In times of peace and prosperity?”
“Actually, we’re not that short on money.” Sham was still smiling, but his smile seemed distant.
“Not short on money? Who are you kidding?” Crazy Rat scooped up a handful of scrappy parts. “Out of the entire mercenary base, this spot of yours is the most run-down. Don’t you want to trade up for a bigger room?”
“Get lost! You big liar!” Wen Qianyong was so angry his fingers trembled. “First give back what you owe us from last time and the time before that!”
“Hehe, one thing at a time.” Crazy Rat tossed the parts aside carelessly, grinning like a rogue. “Look at you guys. After all these years, you’re still this down-and-out, never knowing where your next meal is coming from.”
He walked over to the robot and knocked on the steel plate on its chest, making a clanging sound. “Even the cleaning robot you use is garbage. It’ll probably fall apart after taking two steps, right?”
Just then, the robot, which had been silent all along, suddenly moved. The little light on its head flashed bright red. Crazy Rat was startled and was about to run away when he found his mechanical arm out of control, pulling him in the opposite direction.
Wh-what’s going on?!
After he frantically sent out brainwave commands, the mechanical arm finally moved. It clenched its fist, swung it left and right a couple of times as if testing the force, then punched Crazy Rat right in the face.
“Owww!!” Crazy Rat screamed in agony. Before he could recover, another punch came slamming down.
Wen Qianyong was dumbfounded. This was the first time they’d seen someone so crazy they’d even hit themselves.
Covered in lumps from the beating, Crazy Rat staggered and fell to the ground, dazed. He realized his mechanical arm had somehow regained control. As a seasoned mercenary, he immediately understood what was going on and shot Sham a vicious glare.
“How dare you make it hit me!?”
But Ning Feng’s response was a series of garbled electronic sounds.
“Cleaning mode activated. Scanning for trash.”
“Wh-what are you trying to do?” Crazy Rat stumbled back several steps.
“Scan complete.”
“Target locked.”
“Laser cannon preparing.”
Those few words sent Crazy Rat fleeing in terror. He scrambled out of the room, knocking over cabinets and chairs as he ran away screaming.
The small lab suddenly became utterly silent.
Wen Qianyong swallowed hard and stepped in front of Sham. “Brother Mu, Radish glitched out…”
Sham smiled faintly. “Your Radish is just fine.”
Wen Qianyong took another careful look at the robot.
Ning Feng shook his hand, muttered “Amateur” under his breath, then plopped down and started looking for a screwdriver. He let out a sigh, then showered Ning Feng with a bunch of praise, but soon grew worried again.
“Brother Mu, what do we do? Do we really have to team up?”
Sham was about to speak, but Ning Feng cut him off.
“Team up, then. It’s just a selection tournament anyway.” He was carefully adjusting the joints. While moving earlier, he had felt something off. This mechanical body was cheap and broken, but for now, he’d have to make do.
“Didn’t that guy say it? If you don’t participate, you’ll be disbanded. Participating gives you a chance to make money. That’s fine.” Ning Feng loosened his wrist and tested the movement. “I could use some new parts anyway. And your Brother Mu definitely has something he wants to buy.”
Hearing that, Sham was taken aback.
Recently, the underground market had gotten a batch of high-tech composite materials. Admittedly, they were tempting. But they could only be exchanged for points, not bought directly, so he’d have to take on mercenary missions. However, he had never shown it or talked about it…
How did Ning Feng know?
Sham’s eyelids drooped slightly, his fingertips brushing his chin. He sent Wen Qianyong out to clean up, then started his routine maintenance on Ning Feng. But no sooner had he begun inspecting than Ning Feng stared at him again.
“What’s up? Do you have something to say?” the robot asked.
“Is it that obvious?” Sham paused.
“I’ve got high-definition cameras.”
Sham couldn’t help but let out a bitter laugh. “Scrap City has been cracking down hard on incoming and outgoing aircraft recently. I just got word that someone’s checking the ships that were previously docked at the starport…”
He paused, carefully observing the other’s reaction. “Your cabin might not be safe anymore.”
Ning Feng listened quietly. After a long moment, he said indifferently, “Mm. I see.”
“You’re not worried?”
Sham was very surprised.
After all, he had helped many people replace their limbs. Every single one of them had been hysterical, wanting their original severed limbs back. Sometimes he had to sedate them just to complete the transplant. He had never seen anyone react so calmly. So calm, in fact, that it was as if the body didn’t belong to them.
No, calling it “calm” wasn’t quite right. It was more like disgust.
Yes, disgust.
He seemed to really hate “himself.”
Really hate him.
“It’s just a piece of junk body, and it’s full of poison. Whoever wants it can take it.” Ning Feng twisted the corner of his mouth, his eyes fixed on the glaring white ceiling until the camera in front of him started to white out. “Anyway, this body I’ve got now is pretty good. It doesn’t get hurt when I fight, and it doesn’t hurt. Swap out a part, and I can get right back in the fight.”
The key point was that the robot had no heart, no lungs—only a brain. Without a heart or lungs, you couldn’t get hurt, couldn’t keep making the same mistakes.
Sham shook his head with a rueful laugh. “Your chip is one of a kind. If it gets damaged, I can’t fix it. Please don’t get too cocky, Vice-Adjutant Ning—”
“Don’t call me Adjutant!” Ning Feng suddenly roared.
Sham froze in shock, his hands stopping.
Realizing what he’d done, Ning Feng went silent for a few seconds, clenched his hand tightly, and barely managed to suppress his boiling anger. When he spoke again, his tone was icy. “Sorry. I’m no one’s adjutant now. I’m just a piece-of-junk robot.”
That title “Adjutant” was something he had fought tooth and nail for back then. Once a treasured rank, it was now nothing but a silent mockery.
After calming down for a moment, Ning Feng forced a light-hearted smile. “Let’s get back to talking about this body of mine. Say, could you install a mouth on me?”
“A mouth?”
“Yeah, one that can open and close, and add an emotional voice system.” Ning Feng thought carefully. “Oh, and I want a nose too. A tall, straight one.”
“…”
Looking at the robot who had been a bit downcast a moment ago and was now chattering about planning his own face, Sham lifted his gaze slightly and let out a soft laugh.
“As expected of someone Qu Yan would fight tooth and nail to get.”
“? What?”
“Nothing.” Sham bent his head again, tinkering away. “The things you mentioned can’t be done for now.”
“Is it a money problem?”
“No. The equipment you can buy with star coins is limited in quality.”
In the underground market of Scrap City, there were many special equipment and supplies, most of which were good stuff you couldn’t buy on the StarNet. They could only be purchased with points. Though not as good as military-grade gear, they were more than enough for ordinary commissions.
Ning Feng flipped through the underground market’s list and found that the mechanical parts there were of excellent quality, especially the large robot components. The more he looked, the more tempted he became. But when he saw the points required, his heart sank halfway.
Forget it. He’d figure out how to earn star coins first.
Speaking of which, how many star coins did winning a match give?
He glanced around the messy little room, scratched his head a little sheepishly, and said, “Looks like I’ll have to leech off you two for a while.”
“Don’t worry. I’ll bill Qu Yan for every cent I spend on you,” Sham said with a slight smile. “Oh, I’ve put two star coins in your lightbrain account. That’s a personal sponsorship. Feel free to use it.”
Ning Feng: …
For some reason, Ning Feng felt that this elegant man with his affable smile had a core that was quite different from what he had imagined.
Unaware of the robot’s thoughts, Sham continued, “By the way, if we’re entering the selection tournament, I plan to have you, Xiaoyong, and Crazy Rat as the three members, with me handling logistics and repairs. When you sign up, what name do you want to use?”
Name?
That’s right. He didn’t have a name now.
Actually, he still liked his own name. It was given to him by the old dean. But since he had died once already, should he still be called “Ning Feng”? Should he still be “Ning Feng”? That “Ning Feng” who could only follow someone around…
Seeing him silent, Sham thought he didn’t know what name to pick and kindly suggested, “How about going with Radish like Xiaoyong? It sounds pretty friendly.”
Ning Feng: …
Ning Feng lowered his head and looked at his hand.
His original hand had been thick and large, covered in calluses and scars of all sizes. Now, his hand was just a simple claw shape, split into three parts: left, center, and right. Two of the parts were thinner, acting as thumb and index finger, just enough to pull a trigger. It was covered in fine scratches and blotches of dirty grease, which he couldn’t scrub clean no matter how hard he rubbed against a rag.
He thought of his beloved mount, and his close comrade—the silver-white mech that had been with him for years.
Once, it had been sleek and shiny, majestic and imposing. But in the end, to save him, it was blasted to dust by a photon cannon. Now, it was probably floating somewhere unknown in the cosmos.
It was pretty pathetic when he thought about it. It seemed like none of the things that belonged to him had a good end.
Ning Feng stared fixedly for a long time—so long that Sham was almost done with his inspection—before he spoke in a low, distant voice.
“Blade.”
“? What?”
Ning Feng slowly clenched his fist.
“I’m called Blade.”