Chapter 47#
Express Delivery#
Yin Beichen added, “You can ask for whatever you want.”
Ning Feng was filled with suspicion after hearing this.
Although the commission contract stated that the boss would cover all necessary expenses, these clearly didn’t fall under “necessary expenses”—why was he so eager to be taken advantage of? Did he have too much money and not know what to do with it?
Seeing the robot’s lack of response, Yin Beichen frowned slightly. “Don’t you want it?”
【Don’t you want to go?】
Ning Feng froze, suddenly recalling the graduation trip from years ago.
Thinking about it carefully, Yin Beichen was just taking pity on him. After all, they had been classmates for years, and it was pitiful that he couldn’t even go on a graduation trip. It wasn’t a large sum of money anyway, and buying a favor to make him wholeheartedly loyal was a pretty good deal.
Still, he was very grateful to Yin Beichen—at least he had given him some wonderful memories. But at the time, he was too foolish, harboring some unrealistic fantasies.
Ning Feng narrowed his lens slightly, a faint trace of sarcasm tugging at the corners of his mouth.
Just then, someone jostled him from behind, and an impatient complaint came from the other person. “Hey, are you buying or not? If not, please move aside and don’t block the way.”
Taking two steps to the side, Ning Feng suddenly laughed. “Boss He, let’s focus on business first.”
Watching the robot’s retreating figure, Yin Beichen gazed again at the exhibit suspended in the display window, lost in thought.
**
Later, the two spent the entire day wandering around Titus City.
But the pharmacies they found either didn’t have the full range or didn’t have enough stock. It wasn’t until the shops closed for the night that they returned to their hotel for dinner, where Wen Qianyong and the others had already come back.
This was the most upscale hotel in the city, and the meal was quite luxurious.
As they ate and chatted, they talked at length about what they had seen and heard that day. Wen Qianyong, in particular, got so excited describing the parade of mechas that he waved his arms wildly, spraying saliva half a meter away.
“Some people play the absentee manager, don’t lift a finger, and then come back bragging loudly.” Ning Feng shot a sideways glance. “You guys had a great time, huh? But here I am, stuck playing errand boy all day, and you didn’t even bring me a souvenir.”
Mad Mouse grinned shamelessly. “Hehe, the places I went to were all bomb shops. Do you want to fly to the sky?”
Wen Qianyong scratched his face. “Tomorrow—I’ll definitely bring you something tomorrow!”
“Tomorrow?” Ning Feng gave a cold laugh. “Tomorrow, none of you are getting away.”
Hearing this, Wen Qianyong pursed his lips.
He hadn’t had enough fun yet!
He had already arranged with Brother Mu to go check out another district tomorrow. He’d heard that a certain Federal general was returning, and the city was full of celebrations. The day after, there would be a parade of the latest War God mechas. He definitely couldn’t miss that—things like this never happened in Wastrel City.
Wen Qianyong’s eyes darted around, and he smiled ingratiatingly at Yin Beichen. “Boss He, do you need us to stick with you tomorrow?”
Yin Beichen picked up a small piece of sugar cube and dropped it into his teacup. “You’re free to act on your own, but keep communications open.”
“Boss He, is that really a good idea?” Ning Feng was quite displeased. He tapped his fingers lightly on the table, his peripheral vision sweeping over the others. “After all, you paid a high price to hire us as bodyguards. If something goes wrong, you won’t get the final payment.”
Why should he be the only one stuck dealing with Yin Beichen’s cold face while the others roamed free?
Besides, he really didn’t want to be alone with Yin Beichen.
Yin Beichen stared at his face until he felt thoroughly uncomfortable, then gave a slight nod.
“Then I’ll keep you.”
Ning Feng: …
This was worse than letting everyone roam free!
Seeing Wen Qianyong and Mad Mouse cheer loudly and start flattering Yin Beichen with sycophantic praise, Ning Feng was so aggrieved he almost spat out his oil. He furrowed his brows and was about to argue when suddenly the doorbell rang.
The room fell silent, and everyone sprang to their feet.
They were new here, unfamiliar with the place, and staying at one of the city’s most expensive hotels, where privacy and confidentiality were top-notch. If it were room service, they would have called ahead first, never just knocked.
They exchanged quick glances, shielding Yin Beichen behind them. Sha Mu walked to the door and tapped the intercom screen. “Who is it?”
The next moment, a round, adorable figure filled the screen.
“Is Mr. Blade here? There’s a package delivery~”
In an instant, everyone’s eyes focused on the robot.
“Me?” Ning Feng blinked.
After confirming there was nothing suspicious outside, he opened the door, signed for and photographed the package, then quickly shut the door again.
It was an item over a meter long—small in appearance but quite heavy. He scanned it with a detector at the door and found no dangerous items; it looked like some kind of mechanical apparatus. He rummaged through it for a while but found no sender information.
Who could it be?
They had just arrived, and someone already knew where they were staying. Or were they being watched all along? If someone had ill intentions, why send a package like this and tip them off?
The three of them huddled around the box, whispering. Sha Mu glanced at Yin Beichen, who had been calmly sipping tea the whole time, and smiled lightly. “Why not open it and see?”
Exchanging glances, they quickly tore open the packaging and pulled away the bubble wrap, revealing the item inside—
It was the very leg he had admired in the display window that afternoon!
Ning Feng was stunned on the spot.
“What a beautiful leg!” Wen Qianyong couldn’t resist reaching out to touch it.
“And the quality is excellent,” Sha Mu nodded.
This lower limb was equipped with a wireless charging device—just placing it against a charging pad would complete the charge, and it was very fast. With Ning Feng’s current battery capacity, it used to take at least a whole night; now it only took five minutes. Having this would make it much more convenient to upgrade to a higher-capacity battery later.
“How did you have that much money to buy this?” Mad Mouse looked at the receipt, his tone sour.
Ning Feng’s brows twitched, and he immediately looked up, colliding head-on with a pair of calm, deep eyes.
“What does Boss He mean by this?” He narrowed his eyes.
“There are a lot of people in the city, and we’ll be squeezing through crowded places for the next few days. Replacing your parts with better ones will improve efficiency,” Yin Beichen said.
Hearing this, Ning Feng slowly lowered his gaze, the corner of his mouth twisting into a smile.
“It seems Boss He really values this mission,” he said, closing the box. “But you’ve already paid the fee. I can’t accept this.”
Yin Beichen frowned slightly.
Seeing the tension, Wen Qianyong quickly tried to smooth things over. “Radish, this is the boss’s goodwill. Since he already bought it, you can’t just throw it away, can you?”
“I just replaced these two legs not long ago—they’re still quite durable. Taking another pair would be wasteful. But since it’s already bought…” Ning Feng rubbed his chin thoughtfully, then tilted his neck to look at Yin Beichen.
“How about you keep it for yourself?”
Everyone: …
Though it was just an ordinary synthetic voice, it somehow carried a teasing tone, making it hard to tell whether he was genuinely suggesting it or meant something else.
Yin Beichen’s eyes darkened, staring intently at the robot with an innocent expression. After a long pause, he looked away.
“Suit yourself.”
“And the legs…”
“Leave them at the door.” Yin Beichen slammed down his teacup and quickly left the living room. As he passed the dining table, he pointed at a glass. “The black tea-flavored oil—I had them adjust the formula. Remember to drink it.”
With a bang, the bedroom door slammed shut.
“Mr. He isn’t as good-tempered as he seems, is he?” Sha Mu said, half-smiling.
“Hehe, he’s a big spender, so it’s normal for him to have a temper,” Mad Mouse said, understanding.
“Why didn’t you take it?” Wen Qianyong asked quietly. “Boss He treats you pretty well—giving you gifts, customizing oil for you. Why are you so resistant?”
“What’s so good about it? Isn’t it all for the mission?” Ning Feng snorted.
“What does that matter? It’s not hurting you.”
“If you like it so much, take it yourself.”
“No way—it wasn’t given to me.”
Ignoring the gossiping group, Ning Feng leisurely packed the delivery back into the box and tossed it outside the door. By the time he was done, only he remained in the living room.
Ning Feng turned back, walked over to the table, and looked down at the glass from above.
The oil inside was clear and transparent, without a trace of impurities—obviously filtered many times. Taking a closer sniff, a faint tea fragrance lingered.
He stared at it for a long time, then picked up the glass and walked to the sink. Turning on the faucet, he slowly tilted the glass.
The greasy liquid mixed with the clear water, swirling together as it was swept down into the drain, making a gurgling sound. Ning Feng watched expressionlessly, a hint of sarcasm curling at the corner of his mouth.
**
Early the next morning, the group set out again.
Passing through the lobby, Ning Feng noticed that the delivery box from last night was gone.
Probably returned, he thought with a shrug.
The streets were especially lively today. Banners with welcoming slogans hung from advertising boards high and low, and even the logos on rooftops had been replaced with the Federation’s emblem.
Multiple cameras circled overhead, live-streaming the parade’s grandeur. Many pedestrians clutched flowers, crowding through the market streets, weaving through the dense traffic. Everywhere was a sea of people.
After crossing just two intersections, they were scattered.
“Oh, it’s so lively over there.” Ning Feng, squeezed into a corner, looked into the distance. “Hear it’s the General returning in triumph from fighting the bugs!”
“You want to watch?” Yin Beichen glanced at him.
“What’s so interesting about a general? I’d rather watch the bugs.” Ning Feng smirked, murmuring under his breath, “Let’s finish buying and get out of here quick.”
Without lingering, the two turned and ducked into a small alley.
Since most people had gone to watch the parade, the alley was very quiet. The buildings along the side-street weren’t as tidy as those on the main road. Old electric scooters and trash bins were scattered haphazardly on both sides, and laundry lines crisscrossed overhead, dripping water from freshly washed sheets—careless passersby would get smacked in the face.
Ning Feng followed behind Yin Beichen, turning left and right through several twists until they reached the end, where a shop finally came into view.
Compared to the big shopping malls they had visited yesterday, this shop had only a tiny storefront, a wooden door covered in moss, and a sign even larger than the door hanging above it, bearing two words in Federationspeak: “Pharmacy.”
Standing at the entrance, Ning Feng looked at the cluttered boxes piled in the corner of the storefront. He noticed some colorful symbols marked on them, and the material of the boxes seemed vaguely familiar…
“What’s with the box?”
Suddenly, a cool voice came from behind. Ning Feng turned around and immediately met a probing gaze.
“Nothing.” He averted his eyes, pushing open the shop door with a straight face.