Chapter 44#

Reunion#

The massive ship slowly started up, pulling out of the spaceport, stirring a cool night breeze.

The two of them simply stared at each other in silence.

The engine ran at high speed, emitting a humming sound. His fingertips trembled uncontrollably. Ning Feng rubbed them hard, then held still.

Yin Beichen’s brows furrowed slightly, a flicker of suspicion flashing in his eyes as he stepped forward.

“You—”

“Found hazardous waste. Activating cleaning mode!”

Suddenly, Ning Feng pulled out a broom from who knows where, swung his arm, and charged forward. “Starting cleaning!”

Yin Beichen was startled and got smacked right in the face.

This robot’s strength was no joke; with that one hit, red marks immediately appeared on his fair skin. But he reacted quickly, retreating several steps to escape the attack range just as the other raised the broom for a second strike. However, the opponent didn’t give up and charged again, forcing him to dodge.

Yin Beichen’s eyes turned cold. Seizing a gap in the attack, he grabbed the broom. Just as he was about to speak, the small light hanging from the robot’s head suddenly flashed red.

Zap!

A current ran through his body. His hand went numb, and he instantly let go. The robot stumbled back half a step but relentlessly pressed on.

Ning Feng was ruthless, not caring about any damage to himself. As long as he could land one more punch on the other, he absolutely wouldn’t settle for a slap.

But both were battle-hardened. No matter how formidable Ning Feng was, his broken parts affected his performance. Yin Beichen soon found a flaw in his movements. With a low sweep and a reverse over-the-shoulder throw, a loud crash echoed as the robot slammed onto the ground, its ankle clanking loudly.

Pinning the struggling body beneath him, Yin Beichen breathed heavily and said coldly, “Who are you?”

“Found garbage.”

But the reply came in the form of a merciless punch to his face.

Rip—

A sound of tearing fabric. His already tight shirt split open with a large gash, revealing honey-colored muscles. Ning Feng’s brows shot up, and he intensified his attacks.

Just as the two were locked in a fierce struggle, Wen Qianyong heard the noise and ran over, his voice cracking as he shouted.

“Radish! You, you—”

“Radish?” Distracted, Yin Beichen caught a iron fist grazing his face, leaving a bright red cut.

“Stop!” Wen Qianyong rushed over.

The commotion drew the attention of the other two, who followed the sound and came out.

Crazy Rat dashed over to the robot in a few quick steps. Seeing that its body hadn’t fallen apart, he breathed a sigh of relief and then started his usual sarcasm. “What a piece of junk. Can’t even beat the boss.”

“Can you get up?” Sha Mu asked.

Staring at the handsome man protected behind the others, Ning Feng’s lens zoomed in and out repeatedly before finally stopping. He sat with his head down for a while, then suddenly stood up, picked up the broom, and started sweeping vigorously.

Everyone: ?

Wen Qianyong sighed in relief and quickly apologized to Yin Beichen with a flattering smile. “Sorry, Boss He. This is our team’s robot, Radish. It tends to glitch and randomly start cleaning. Sometimes it even attacks people…”

“Glitch?”

Noticing the strange expression on the other’s face, he suddenly realized he’d said something wrong again and panicked. “Ahhh, that’s extremely rare! Boss He, please rest assured. Radish is usually amazing and would never hurt you!”

“Idiot.” Crazy Rat rolled his eyes.

Yin Beichen didn’t say anything, only his brows furrowed deeper.

Thinking his words had displeased the other, Wen Qianyong’s face turned red with anxiety. But Radish, for some reason, was now completely absorbed in sweeping, acting just like a cleaning robot.

Where did he even get that broom!?

Seeing Wen Qianyong spinning in circles, Sha Mu patted him on the back, nodded politely to Yin Beichen, and extended his hand. “Mr. He, it’s a pleasure to meet you.”

Yin Beichen glanced at him but didn’t shake his hand.

Sha Mu wasn’t offended. Instead, he smiled warmly and introduced everyone one by one. Finally, when it came to Ning Feng, he said with a smile, “This is our team’s cleaning robot, Radish. It’s currently his fixed daily cleaning time. If he’s caused you any trouble, I apologize.”

“Cleaning time?” Yin Beichen’s gaze was意味深长.

Ning Feng didn’t look at him, silently continuing to sweep.

“It’s windy outside. Why don’t we continue inside?” Sha Mu gestured with a bow.

Yin Beichen looked at him for a moment, then deeply at the sweeping robot before withdrawing his gaze and walking into the room. The other two exchanged glances and, without a word, followed him in.

Feeling that sharp gaze leave, Ning Feng paused in his movements and stared blankly in that position.

In truth, the moment he saw Yin Beichen, his mind went completely blank. It took him half a day to process what was happening. But his body reacted faster than his thoughts. By the time he came to, he’d already charged forward.

Ning Feng thought he had let go, that he had moved on, even started to forget.

But the body doesn’t lie.

He hadn’t forgotten Yin Beichen. He couldn’t.

He felt the biggest failure of his life was falling for this guy. Though Ning Feng was usually a bit unreliable, he had never done anything truly harmful. Sometimes he wondered if he had destroyed the world in a past life, and that’s why such a person was sent to torment him.

How ridiculous.

Crack!

With a sharp sound, the broom was finally bent and broken. Ning Feng curled his lips and casually tossed it aside.

Come to think of it, why was Yin Beichen here?

He wasn’t worried about being recognized. Not only had his appearance changed drastically, but even his voice was completely different—there was no way he’d be identified. Besides, with the fifteenth-level insect venom, no one could survive.

And if Yin Beichen had seen through him, he wouldn’t have just called him “Blade.”

Was it really a coincidence?

Suddenly, Ning Feng remembered that this commission was to purchase supplies from the Federation.

From past experience, the other side would definitely arrange a team for covert protection, but they’d also have him along. Now, coming alone? That was too bold. If it was just buying things, they could send anyone. Why come personally?

Taking such a big risk—what exactly did Yin Beichen need to buy?

Ning Feng lowered his head, thinking hard. Then he caught sight of the metal ankle beneath the maid’s skirt. It was covered in scratches and dents, the toes caked with mud, battered and worn.

Countless memories surged up. His fingertips clenched slightly, and the corner of his mouth twisted.

Right. What did any of this have to do with him?

He was just a cleaning robot now.

His gaze scattered blankly on the floor, Ning Feng stared into space until Crazy Rat called him inside. Only then did he limp in.

By then, they were sitting on the sofa in the living room discussing business. On the coffee table was a miniature holographic projector displaying a map of the city.

As soon as he entered, Yin Beichen’s gaze locked onto him.

Ning Feng’s lens never met the other’s eyes. He sidestepped the spot Wen Qianyong had vacated for him and stood with his hands down by the sofa, like a real service robot.

The others were a bit puzzled but quickly refocused on the commission.

“The destination is here.” Yin Beichen pointed at the holographic map.

Ning Feng followed his finger and saw it was the shopping district of the Federation’s main city.

This was the busiest area of the entire city. The security wasn’t exactly tight, but patrols were definitely frequent. Yin Beichen had quite a lot to buy. Getting everything might take several days. With his sensitive identity, every extra day increased the risk.

When the team heard this, their expressions soured.

They had thought it would be simple: deliver the person, finish the shopping, and head straight back. They hadn’t expected to take it slow.

As expected, star coins weren’t that easy to earn.

“This is the full content of the commission.” Yin Beichen elegantly crossed his legs. “Not very difficult, but there are some variables. Regardless, the supplies must be acquired.”

Seeing the team’s low spirits, he thought for a moment and added, “Captain Maya told me that the Blasting Sheep is a very professional team. I believe you won’t let me down.”

“Of course, of course.” Wen Qianyong laughed dryly and swallowed. “Um… Boss He, what exactly are you buying?”

For a moment, Yin Beichen’s gaze deepened.

“Something very, very important.” He seemed to recall something, a soft light flickering in his cool eyes, along with a trace of rarely seen tenderness.

Everyone was stunned. But Yin Beichen quickly composed himself, reverting to his cold expression.

“If it goes smoothly, I’ll double the tip,” he said.

“Double the tip!” Crazy Rat nearly jumped up. Even Wen Qianyong’s eyes went wide.

The commission was the money from the visible contract, to be split proportionally with the mercenary group. Tips, however, were entirely theirs to keep. If they did well, the tip could even exceed the commission.

The team’s excitement grew as they discussed further. Ning Feng, however, half-lowered his eyelids, retracting half of his lens.

The fleeting tenderness on Yin Beichen’s face just now gave him a dizzying sense of time displacement. In all these years, he had rarely seen such tenderness. For the other to treasure something so much, it must be someone very important. Perhaps a gift for a loved one.

Like Josie.

The high-speed engine gradually slowed down. Ning Feng’s lips twisted, and he openly went into a daze.

The team discussed evacuation plans for a long time. He didn’t utter a word, didn’t offer any opinions, just kept pretending to be in standby mode. He could keenly feel a gaze occasionally falling on him, but he remained unmoved.

Just as everyone was getting into the groove, Yin Beichen, who had been quietly listening, suddenly looked at him.

“What do you think?”

Ning Feng was startled and pointed at himself. “Me?”

When he saw the intimidating gleam in the other’s eyes, he realized he had spoken aloud.

No longer able to pretend to be a robot, Ning Feng thought: Tch. What a cunning bastard.

His thick brows shot up. He didn’t want to answer, but Wen Qianyong tugged at his sleeve. He gave a light sniff. “Sorry, I don’t know.”

“The captain said you’re the most advanced AI robot, good at analyzing combat situations,” Yin Beichen continued.

“Do I look like the most advanced version?”

“At least when you were attacking people just now.”

“Boss He has a great sense of humor.”

Ning Feng twisted his mouth and pointed at his square head. “I really am an AI, but I’m just a cleaning robot. Analysis isn’t my strong suit. I’m pretty handy with a broom, though.” His tone was flat but carried a hint of sarcasm. “Asking so many questions—aren’t you afraid I’ll glitch again?”

For a few seconds, the air in the room froze.

Yin Beichen’s gaze was probing, but he didn’t seem angry.

The others’ eyes flickered between the two. Even the thick-skinned Wen Qianyong sensed something was off. It wasn’t until the starship attendant lightly knocked on the door that the silence was broken.

“Everyone, dinner is ready.”

“Mr. He, shall we eat first?” Sha Mu suggested with a light smile.

After staring for a long moment, Yin Beichen hummed in agreement, stood up, and walked toward the dining room.

“Radish, what’s wrong with you?” Wen Qianyong asked quietly.

Ning Feng knew his behavior was unusual, but the moment he saw Yin Beichen’s face, he couldn’t help wanting to swing a broom. Irritated, he rubbed the wires on top of his head and turned away.

“Seasick.”

“…Ah?”