Chapter 39#
First Victory#
Over the past two days, Yin Beichen had been busy with military affairs during the day and sneaking out to dig up graves at night. Whether fortunate or not, he had scoured the entire cemetery but still couldn’t find the person he was looking for.
“Sir, here are the documents you requested.” A subordinate handed over a thick stack of papers, looking much more at ease than the first time.
“Mm.” Yin Beichen buried himself in reviewing military affairs without even looking up.
The desk was already piled high with files needing approval, leaving no room for a water cup. Despite the clutter and volume, all documents were neatly categorized and arranged without a hint of disorder.
The subordinate cleared a space while sneaking a glance at Yin Beichen, who was working with his head down.
His superior’s attitude had been somewhat unusual these past two days. It wasn’t that he had become warm and approachable, but he was noticeably calmer. The usual habit of chewing people out for minor mistakes had disappeared, though major errors still earned their due scolding.
Speaking of which, the superior looked like he hadn’t slept in days—the dark circles under his eyes were almost bigger than his eyes themselves. Even so, his haggard appearance was still pleasing to the eye, like a delicate sickly beauty.
Sensing the subordinate was still standing there, Yin Beichen glanced up. “What is it?”
The subordinate cleared his throat. “The reception received a communication today from someone claiming to be the director of an orphanage. She said she was looking for… Deputy Ning.”
“Orphanage?” Yin Beichen’s brow furrowed slightly. “What did they tell her?”
“They said Deputy Ning was out on a mission and couldn’t be reached.”
Military missions were confidential. When an order came down, you had to leave immediately, and going off the grid for months was normal. If it took too long, relatives often came asking, and everyone was used to it.
Yin Beichen pondered for a moment. “What is her relationship with Ning Feng?”
“I’m not entirely sure,” the subordinate thought for a bit. “But I remember Brother Feng mentioning that he regularly sent money there every month. Probably when this month’s payment didn’t arrive, she called to check.”
[Didn’t you get the message? The subsidy was issued today.]
Ning Feng’s smile rippled out, starlight gleaming in his dark eyes.
A corner of Yin Beichen’s mouth curved up, his pupils holding a faint shimmer, but it quickly faded. “Can you find the orphanage’s account number?”
The subordinate was taken aback but nodded. “Yes, I can.”
“Send it to me.”
“Yes, sir.”
After the subordinate left, Yin Beichen stared blankly at the documents. After a long while, he let out a sigh and dialed the search team commander. As soon as it connected, he asked immediately.
“Any leads?”
“Not yet, sir.” The commander’s throat tightened when he heard no response. “But I’ve already sent people into the Scrap City for a search, and we’re starting the second round now.”
Truth be told, the commander was in a tough spot.
The search had been going on for days. Besides private garages, he had expanded the scope to include shops dealing in mechanical equipment. But the Scrap City was mercenary territory—a den of all kinds of shady characters. The military wasn’t welcome there, so progress was slow.
He was worried about Ning Feng’s safety, but he was also a bit apprehensive.
He knew his superior’s personality well—what he said was law. Back when Ning Feng was around, he could put in a good word for them. But now that the one who could speak for them was gone, if he failed to complete the mission, would he have to go wandering off into some other starfield?
Just as he was feeling anxious, Yin Beichen spoke.
“I understand. Stay safe out there.”
The commander was stunned. Although his superior had never harshly criticized them outside of work, he had never heard Yin Beichen show such concern before.
He paused for a moment. “Sir, don’t worry. Brother Feng always took good care of us. We’re all worried about him. I will find him and bring him back.”
Yin Beichen’s fingertips brushed over the armrest. He hummed in acknowledgment and ended the call.
The cold white light filled the room, drowning him in the hollow night. He sat quietly for a while, checked the time, and slowly stood up to change clothes.
Yin Beichen hadn’t told anyone about the grave digging, but his unauthorized departure from the base had been detected by the central star. Today, the high command wanted an explanation. He brushed it off as personal matters and mentioned nothing about Ning Feng.
They’d probably call him in for a talk in a couple of days.
To that, Yin Beichen felt perfectly calm, as if the person about to be reprimanded by the upper echelons wasn’t him at all. His mind was entirely occupied with his next plan.
The cemetery he visited yesterday yielded nothing. Today, he planned to try a larger burial mound.
He both hoped for a clue and hoped there wouldn’t be one.
With that thought, Yin Beichen headed toward the spaceport.
**
Today was the first match day for the Blasting Sheep squad.
The qualifiers had a viewing area, and their match took place in an open, abandoned industrial zone. Since this was just an internal qualifier for the Scrap City, it was nothing like a life-or-death battle royale. The idea wasn’t to fight to the death—whoever seized the flag on the high ground would win.
Still, the organizers weren’t responsible for any accidents that occurred during the match.
The arena was large. Each player was assigned a camera for real-time recording so the audience outside could better enjoy the event. A massive screen hung in the center of the arena, displaying the real-time odds and win probabilities for both sides.
Since it was just a qualifier, not many spectators were present. The circular stands were half-filled with people scattered in twos and threes, eagerly discussing the odds. But when it came to the Blasting Sheep—dead last among the last—most believed the opposing team had a strong chance of winning.
When both teams entered the preparation room, they came face to face.
One of the opponents raised his chin at Wen Qianyong and made a thumbs-down gesture. Their captain not only failed to stop him but cast a dismissive glance at the Blasting Sheep team, as if looking at garbage.
Ning Feng glanced sideways. Samu was inspecting their mechs and didn’t notice, while Wen Qianyong kept his head down, saying nothing.
“What’s wrong, A’Yong?” Ning Feng asked softly.
Wen Qianyong shook his head with a bitter expression. “I’m too weak. I’m holding Brother Mu back… He could’ve gone so much further.”
With that, he let out a dejected sigh.
Oh? Is that it?
Ning Feng felt like raising an eyebrow but realized he didn’t have that function. He offered a few half-hearted words of comfort and then bet the last two star coins he had on the fifteen-minute wager.
When everyone boarded their mechs and the central panel displayed the countdown numbers, he opened the team channel and casually said to Mad Mouse, “I heard the opponents are very good at ambushes. This time, their lineup doesn’t include a medical mech.”
“Oh? Then can he dodge a jumping flea with a tracker?” Mad Mouse cackled.
“Hard to say. I just noticed the rooftops here are pretty wide open.”
“You questioning my skills?”
“Yes.”
“Hmph, boring provocation. You think I’ll fall for that?”
“Oh? You won’t?”
Mad Mouse’s reply was to cut off the team channel directly.
Five seconds left…
Seeing his goal achieved, Ning Feng didn’t press further. He turned to Wen Qianyong. “A’Yong, ready?”
Sure enough, the voice channel erupted with an impassioned roar.
“Bring it on, you scumbags!” Accompanied by the roar of the engine, Wen Qianyong bellowed, “Who the hell was eyeing Brother Mu just now? Come out and die!”
“Good.” Ning Feng tugged at his mouth, eyes fixed on the countdown as it hit one.
Ding!—
With a short prompt, the warehouse door swung open.
“Go!”
The moment the words left his mouth, the massive robot charged out.
Mad Mouse immediately ducked into a corner, scrambled up onto a sheet-metal roof, and vanished from sight. Wen Qianyong’s heavy-firepower mech charged straight down the main road toward the flag’s location.
The abandoned industrial zone was crisscrossed with paths, but there weren’t many wide enough for a heavy-firepower mech. Such a massive beast lumbering down the road was basically a sitting duck.
Ning Feng’s opponents had expected the Blasting Sheep to cower in a corner and refuse to fight. Instead, they were surprised to see two targets pop up on their radar before long.
Not just them—even the audience outside was astonished.
“They’re not even using their stealth devices?”
“Pretty confident, huh.”
Other spectators were thrilled. Although the match could be won simply by capturing the flag, after all, they had paid for tickets—it would be a bit boring if it were too easy. A little action in addition to the betting would be nice.
“This is gonna be good!”
Clearly, the opposing captain thought the same.
“Fine, saves us the trouble of finding them.” The captain sneered, piloting his mech straight into the fray, coordinating with an assassin mech to launch a joint assault.
This wasn’t the first time the two sides had clashed.
Although Wen Qianyong’s mech packed a powerful punch, it was sluggish. As long as they were careful with positioning and stayed out of close combat range to disable his firepower, he would become a pure punching bag.
But this time, the captain found things unexpectedly tricky.
Whenever they tried to attack Wen Qianyong, a medical mech would pop out from who-knew-where, predict their attack direction, and throw up a shield. The most infuriating part was that the shield’s range was incredibly precise, covering only the area under attack. This protected their teammates while conserving energy to the maximum.
To make matters worse, the opponents were all in an offensive formation. After a few exchanges, the Blasting Sheep had suffered minimal losses, while their own team was starting to show damage.
“Lock onto the healer’s position,” the captain ordered in a low voice.
“No good—he keeps blocking my line of sight!”
They could still try to lock onto the medical mech, but every time they got close to the attack range, Wen Qianyong’s heavy-firepower mech would block them firmly. If they didn’t retreat fast enough, they’d catch two shells.
Damn it! They should never have allowed a medical mech to join the match!
Meanwhile, the audience outside had a clear view.
No matter what kind of cover was nearby, the medical mech always positioned itself at the very edge of its protection range, occasionally poking out its head. It seemed random, but it was as precise as if it had been calculated, making it extremely difficult for the opponents to handle.
“Didn’t expect that cleaning robot to be such a nuisance.”
“What cleaning robot? That’s Samu’s latest invention!”
“I knew that positioning was too sneaky.”
“Hey, it’s already been five minutes. Can they finish this or not?”
…
As the battle reached a stalemate, the captain didn’t seem impatient. Instead, he did his best to keep the enemy occupied. He was stalling for time, using all his effort to create an opportunity for his speed mech to sneak in and capture the flag.
Seeing the heavy-firepower mech grow anxious and try to break through the defense, the captain sneered coldly.
You may have firepower, but what of it? This match isn’t about killing an opponent.
When he had learned that the opposing team included Mad Mouse, famous for ambushes, he had deliberately chosen a speed mech pilot. This man was an experienced mercenary—unlike most mech pilots, he never took the conventional route—
BOOM!!
Before he could finish his thought, a thunderous explosion echoed from afar. Not just one or two, but a whole series, lasting a full three minutes. Even a string of firecrackers couldn’t have lasted that long.
Captain: ???
Their mechs were only equipped with basic grenades; there’s no way they could cause such a big commotion. Could it be…?
“Captain! I’ve been ambushed!”
“What happened?!” the captain exclaimed in shock.
“That damn Mad Mouse buried mines on the rooftop!”
“Rooftop?”
Mines don’t move; they’re usually placed on the enemy’s path.
But this lunatic actually planted them on a roof, and a whole string of them at that! Even then, not every mine would hit its mark… but these mines had tracking capabilities! The moment he took to the sky, he never came back down!
If his mech’s armor weren’t tough enough, he’d already be a heap of scrap metal. As it was, he wasn’t far from it.
“Captain, I need to head back for emergency repairs.”
“Meet up in one minute.” The captain took a deep breath, forcing down his frustration. He glared at the behemoth in front of him with dark, gloomy eyes.
Tch, they’ve actually gotten pretty good in just a few days.
Half the time was already gone. But now it wasn’t about the bet anymore—it was about winning or losing. With their combat power reduced, and with that medical mech around, a head-on fight was a losing battle.
After a moment’s thought, the captain decisively threw down a smoke bomb to disengage, then went into hiding with his assassin mech.
“Damn it! This healer is such a pain!” his teammate growled angrily.
It was just a qualifier—why go through all this trouble with roundabout tactics? Why not just surrender cleanly? They’d never had any decent results anyway; even if they advanced, they’d just lose again.
The captain said nothing, only carefully analyzing the enemy mech’s scan data.
“Listen up. If they want to capture the flag, they’ll have to pass through here. I’ll draw their fire while you circle around to the rear.” He gave orders while staying hidden. “I’ve confirmed it: their healer doesn’t have a stealth device. Teams like this aren’t good at close combat. Find your chance.”
Then he made a slashing motion across his neck.
“Understood!”
The match inside was heating up, and the audience outside was raising a ruckus.
“Oh god, I bet two thousand star coins on fifteen minutes!”
“You’re yelling about that? I bet five thousand.”
“Well, at this point, it’s hard to say who’ll win…”
…
Meanwhile, the Blasting Sheep squad was puzzled. They were advancing rapidly toward the flag, and the platform with the flag was already visible at the edge of their sight. Yet they hadn’t encountered any ambushes along the way.
“Where did they go?” Ning Feng had his detection radar turned to maximum.
“Hmph! Cowards,” Wen Qianyong hoisted his machine gun.
“A few mines scared them that badly?” Mad Mouse scoffed.
Ning Feng glanced at the time. There were less than five minutes left before the hundred-fold payout. “Let’s just push straight through—”
Before he could finish, a loud crash rang out. The low wall in front of them collapsed as a long-range assault mech charged out.
It raised its energy cannon and fired at Wen Qianyong without regard for cost. Although Ning Feng had already thrown up an energy shield, some joints still took unavoidable damage. The already cumbersome mech became even harder to move.
“Enemy attack!”
Ning Feng shouted. Just as he found cover, a dark shadow suddenly lunged from his side. He rolled on the ground and turned to see the assassin mech closing in again, followed by a half-damaged speed mech gripping a blade glowing with killing intent.
“Oh wow, a broken robot like me getting this much attention?”
Ning Feng felt like whistling. He elbowed through a door panel and slipped inside a building.
“Don’t let him get away!” The two mechs followed.
They chased through narrow alleys. Whenever they were about to catch up, Ning Feng would somehow duck around a corner and disappear again. Anxious, they increased their speed, their engines rumbling through the desolate alleys.
After who knows how long, they finally saw the dark silhouette ahead stop at a turn.
Perfect! A dead end!
Delighted, they floored it and rounded the corner—only to find two red-hot heavy-firepower machine guns aimed directly at their cockpits.
And there was the medical mech, legs crossed, sitting leisurely on the shoulder of the heavy-firepower mech.
At that moment, a flat mechanical voice came through the public channel.
“Oh, you’re here? What a coincidence.”
The two: …
Two shots. The two wrecked mechs crashed to the ground with a thunderous boom. The captain, who had rushed over upon hearing the noise, could only watch helplessly as his teammates lost combat capability and collapsed.
“Who the hell are you?!” the captain roared, face red with fury.
This wasn’t his first time fighting the Blasting Sheep. No matter what kind of mechs they fielded, they had never performed like this. Now, just because they swapped in a medical mech, their combat power had jumped this much?!
“Me?” Ning Feng smirked.
“I’m Blade, the cleaning robot.”
Captain: …
The hell he’s a cleaning robot! Bullshit!
Mad Mouse’s assassin mech appeared on the rooftop, and Wen Qianyong’s machine gun remained in free-fire mode. The captain knew he had no chance of winning. He stopped struggling, dejectedly dropped his weapons, and raised his hands.
The audience outside erupted in uproar.
The Blasting Sheep squad was a temporary match. The two teams were nearly twenty ranks apart. And yet, this medical mech had forced the opposing captain to surrender?!
Was this the power of a healer?
The audience’s thoughts were lost on the squad. Mad Mouse cackled. “That’s more like it. A wise man knows when to yield.”
Wen Qianyong walked up to the immobilized mech, stuck out his hand, and gave a thumbs-down.
At that, the captain’s face went red and pale by turns.
Ning Feng, however, didn’t mock him. He simply kicked the weapons aside, told them to keep an eye on their people, and leisurely walked to the open space in the center of the arena. Under the burning gaze of the crowd, he firmly grabbed the flagpole. But he didn’t pull the flag immediately. He stood upright, as if waiting for something.
The audience grew restless.
Though most knew the outcome was already decided, they wanted to see what this medical mech was up to—until someone looked up at the timer.
14:58.
The next moment, Ning Feng gave a sharp tug. The flag was yanked out, bringing a clump of dirt with it.
Ding!!—
The match-ending sound echoed through the arena. The stands fell silent for a moment, then exploded into thunderous cheers.
He was timing it!
“Oh god, they really won in under fifteen minutes!”
“A hundred times, a hundred times! Who bought that?! Who?!”
“My five hundred star coins!”
“Damn it! Refund!”
“Still, that healer was pretty cool…”
…
Ning Feng glanced at the timer and clicked his tongue inwardly.
“Tch, pulled a little too early.”
**
After the match, the Blasting Sheep squad was jubilant.
Wen Qianyong hugged Samu and spun him around, laughing all the while. Samu just smiled, letting him do as he pleased. Only when Wen Qianyong got so excited that his eyes turned red did Samu gently pat him on the back to comfort him.
Mad Mouse, meanwhile, was staring at his own light brain and pounding his chest. He kept muttering things like “I bet too little, what a waste,” occasionally banging his fist against the wall.
As for Ning Feng, he was lounging on the sofa, legs crossed, leisurely calling up his system.
First, he repaid Mad Mouse’s loan of a thousand star coins with interest. Then he slowly counted the number of zeros at the end of his account balance. After that, he opened the StarNet shopping platform and typed into the search bar: “abdominal muscle shell, honey-colored, synthetic skin, texture, robot…”
“Hey, let’s take a commemorative photo!”
Wen Qianyong was overjoyed. He ran into the room, rummaged through drawers, and dug out an old, worn-out camera. After fiddling with it for ages, he finally found the power button. Under his persistent coaxing, the others reluctantly posed for a group shot.
The camera whirred for a while, then spat out a yellowed photo. Wen Qianyong waved it around by one corner for a long time before the image finally appeared. He pulled out an oily pen and scribbled on it. When he got to the date line, he scratched his head.
“What’s today’s date?”
Mad Mouse glanced at his light brain. “December 10, Star Calendar 1648.”
Hearing this, Ning Feng, who had been browsing StarNet, froze.
“Today is December 10th?”
“Yeah.” Mad Mouse picked at his ear.
Ning Feng stared blankly at the others—or maybe he wasn’t looking at them at all. He just stood there stiffly, silent. The orange light from outside cast a faint shadow over him.
“What’s wrong?” Samu was the first to notice.
The camera’s aperture shifted focus a few times before Ning Feng snapped out of it. He twisted the corner of his mouth, and his rough palm rubbed against the frayed edge of his shell. He muttered softly.
“Today is my birthday.”