Chapter 48#
Procurement#
The shop was dimly lit, and as soon as Ning Feng entered, the camera automatically activated the night imaging system. The air was thick with a musty smell. Just as it appeared from the outside, the store was narrow, the walls mottled and peeling, with ugly mechanical pipes hanging overhead. Two wooden cabinets stood on either side, filled with dusty bottles and jars.
As soon as Ning Feng stepped into the room, he faintly heard a weak hissing sound. He immediately enhanced the audio reception, but soon the sound vanished without a trace.
Misheard?
With a half-raised brow, Ning Feng prepared to locate the source of the sound. He had just activated thermal imaging when a stooped, skinny silhouette suddenly appeared right in front of him.
Ning Feng… Ning Feng was startled, stammering. He heard a creak, and the overhead lamp turned on, instantly filling the shop with orange light.
The owner was a little old man with a sour smell all over him. He wrinkled his face, sizing up the two with curiosity and caution. After a long while, he finally asked, “Customers, what would you like to buy?”
Although the man’s gaze was almost offensive, Yin Beichen’s expression remained indifferent. He took out a piece of paper and placed it on the counter. “I want to buy the items on this list.”
He paused for a moment, then added, “Especially the nutrient solution—a large quantity.”
“Nutrient solution?” At that, the owner’s eyes grew more wary. “What do you need it for?”
He scrutinized the two cautiously.
The man standing in front wore a mask and said nothing. The tall man behind him was completely obscured by his hood, his expression unreadable. From head to toe, they radiated suspicion.
The old man hunched his back and shrank backward. “I don’t have any nutrient solution here. Go… go somewhere else!”
Yin Beichen frowned slightly, his expression gradually turning cold.
The owner, seeing this, grew even more frightened.
Ning Feng hadn’t planned to speak, but seeing the situation, he knew that if he didn’t say something, this commission might never be completed. He stepped forward, pulled back his hood, and said with a grin, “Oh, don’t be afraid, sir. We just want to buy something.”
When the owner saw Ning Feng’s appearance, he was stunned.
He hadn’t expected it to be a robot. Although it was a synthesized mechanical voice, it sounded quite pleasant. Coupled with the square, sturdy face and the little antenna swaying from side to side, it looked surprisingly agreeable at first glance.
Seeing the old man’s expression gradually relax, Ning Feng let out a heavy sigh.
“Ah! Actually, we’ve been running around for days, asking at many shops. Everywhere says they’ve sold out.” He scratched his head, his tone tinged with frustration. “And with this celebration going on, it’s too crowded—we can’t even squeeze through. We thought we’d try our luck here.”
Although still somewhat guarded, the owner had loosened up a bit. He also sighed lightly. “Don’t even mention it. Even we suppliers are struggling. My stock is almost empty.”
“Empty?” Ning Feng blinked. “What else can this nutrient solution be used for, besides research?”
The owner snorted. “You don’t know? It’s a crucial material for treating insect venom.”
“Treating insect venom?”
“That’s right.”
Some time ago, Yin Beichen led a team to clear out the insect nest planet and killed the hive lord, which directly caused the insects on certain planets to lose their queen’s guidance and start attacking indiscriminately. Several satellites on the Federation’s border regions were affected, and it took some time to finish the cleanup. The hustle and bustle outside today is to celebrate the general’s triumphant return from fighting the insectoid menace.
With many people poisoned by insect venom, the demand for this material shot up.
Although it couldn’t directly cure the venom, the victims’ bodily functions suffered during the suppression process, and this nutrient solution could quickly replenish their strength.
The owner rubbed his hands together. “Lately, a lot of people have been buying it. It’s out of stock everywhere.”
“Exactly, exactly.” Ning Feng nodded with exaggerated seriousness. “Especially in Deadman’s Harbor.”
The owner’s face changed instantly, and he clamped his mouth shut.
Originally, Deadman’s Harbor was just an ordinary little satellite, but it was near an important base of the space pirates. If anyone cooperated with Deadman’s Harbor, the trading partner was almost certainly pirates.
Ning Feng had only been testing the waters, but seeing the owner’s reaction, he knew his guess was correct.
But weren’t pirates supposed to be all about looting and killing?
Why would they need research materials?
And what did Yin Beichen want with such a large amount of nutrient solution?
Ning Feng glanced at Yin Beichen and saw that he was just standing there silently, his eyes devoid of any emotion. He averted his gaze and said lazily, “Sir, I see your shop is tucked away pretty deep. You must mostly deal with regulars, right?”
“That’s none of your business!” The owner had completely shed his earlier ease, glaring fiercely at Ning Feng. “I don’t have any nutrient solution here. Nothing! Go, go! Get out!”
“Whether you have stock or not, you should think carefully.” Ning Feng propped his chin on his hand, tapping the counter with his fingers like little hammers striking the heart. “We’re not buying a huge amount. It won’t interfere with filling those big boxes at your door.”
The owner’s face turned pale and then green upon hearing that.
Those boxes had been delivered by space pirates. How could this robot have known?
Space pirates were infamous, heavily targeted in every star domain. Even though some lawless regions did business with pirates, it was always through a neutral auction house. Any private contact or transaction with pirates was a serious crime that could land someone in prison.
At that thought, fine beads of sweat broke out on the owner’s forehead, and his fingers began to tremble uncontrollably.
“Oh, sir, why are you so nervous? I just want to buy something.” Ning Feng grinned crookedly, his voice carrying a peculiar charm that made people want to believe him. “We’re all in business—what does it matter who you sell to? Besides, we’ll pay double.”
“Double?” The owner’s eyes widened.
“Of course.” Ning Feng’s lips curled up, and he hooked an elbow over Yin Beichen’s shoulder. “Isn’t that right, Boss He?”
Glancing at the robot’s smug face, Yin Beichen gave a low “mm” in acknowledgment.
His thoughts oscillated between going to jail and making big money. After a long pause, the owner swallowed.
“You… how much do you want to buy?”
In the end, they finally obtained the materials.
While packing the items, Ning Feng leaned in with his arms propped up. “By the way, sir, there’s something I’d like to ask.”
“What?” The owner frowned and moved a bit farther away.
“Why do you think the pirates would want materials for insect venom? What are they up to?”
“I don’t know. Don’t ask me.”
“Oh, come on. I paid you double. Just a few more words won’t hurt.”
The owner’s expression softened a little. His eyes darted around, and he stealthily glanced at Yin Beichen, who stood silently not far away.
Seeing that, Ning Feng thumped his chest emphatically. “Don’t worry. I won’t tell him.”
The owner took a deep breath and lowered his voice. “I don’t know the specifics, but lately, the materials they’ve been buying are mostly used in synthesizing agents.”
“Synthesizing agents? Synthesizing what?”
The owner waved his hand without answering, only mouthing the word silently.
[Insects.]
Ning Feng was stunned.
Insects? The pirates were synthesizing insectoids?!
What… what were they using to synthesize with the insects?
Thoughts came flooding in. In an instant, countless ideas flashed through Ning Feng’s mind. His lens wobbled, but he quickly pulled himself together and laughed, steering the conversation elsewhere.
After paying and packing up the materials, the two walked out of the shop. The moment they stepped through the door, they heard a loud bang behind them—the door had been swiftly locked.
The two: …
“Boss He really isn’t popular,” Ning Feng said lazily, slouching where he stood.
“What did you talk to him about just now?” Yin Beichen’s tone was indifferent.
“Oh, are you looking to purchase information?”
“Purchase?”
“Of course. I’m escorting you as part of the commission. As for information outside the commission, you’ll have to pay extra.” Ning Feng stroked his chin and chuckled twice. “Maybe I should put the intel up on a mercenary auction. It might fetch a higher price.”
Yin Beichen pursed his lips, staring straight at him.
“How did you notice the boxes were suspicious?”
Ning Feng paused for a moment, then smirked. “A guess.”
“A guess?” Yin Beichen’s thin lips curled into a cold smile. “The material those boxes are made from is only produced in the satellite starfields attached to Deadman’s Harbor. It’s their exclusive trade goods. Unless someone has been involved in the transport work along the border starfields, no one would pay special attention to that. It’s certainly not something a mercenary would know.”
He cast a faint, probing glance at the robot. “How did you really guess?”
Ning Feng was silent for a moment, then let out a soft laugh.
“Oh, Boss He is really sharp. I can’t hide anything from you.” He stretched. “Alright, alright, I actually looked it up on the StarNet.”
He continued, “I’m a ‘high-end’ AI, you know. This high-definition lens comes with scanning functions. I detected the crate material, looked it up on the StarNet—how hard is that?”
Yin Beichen narrowed his eyes, neither confirming nor denying the statement. But Ning Feng didn’t care. He hefted the bag on his shoulder.
“So, Boss He, where to next?”
The bag didn’t look big, but it was heavy. Even though he tried to distribute the weight, the rough rope had already left a mark on the soft leather of his shoulder. Yin Beichen frowned and reached out to take it, but the robot sidestepped him nimbly.
“Oh, I couldn’t let you do such heavy work.” Ning Feng switched the bag to his other shoulder. “You’re the client—I have to serve you well. What if you give me a bad review?”
Yin Beichen’s gaze darkened, and he was about to say something when suddenly the crowd surged, all streaming in one direction.
“He’s coming! The general is coming!”
“Ahhh! General!”
…
A wave of enthusiastic cheers erupted from the crowd. Flying cameras overhead converged, and the streets on both sides were packed tight, noisy and chaotic. The security personnel on duty struggled to maintain order, but with the surging crowd, their efforts were futile.
The two were swept along by the flow of people, unable to break free until they were pushed to the edge of the main road.
“Hey! Stop pushing, stop pushing!” Ning Feng couldn’t help shouting, but his voice was soon drowned out by the uproar. He heard the parts inside him groaning, and he felt like he was back in the academy cafeteria during mealtime.
Even though a mechanical body didn’t feel pain, it could still get crushed!
Just as he tried to struggle free, someone shoved him hard from behind. He stumbled, nearly trampled underfoot, when suddenly his wrist was grabbed and he was yanked forward.
The hood over his head was pulled back, revealing his square head. Ning Feng heard gasps all around.
Looking up, he saw Yin Beichen standing in front of him. The mask that had been covering his face had been squeezed off somewhere, leaving his face fully exposed. But he didn’t seem to care. He just used his back to block the crushing pressure from the crowd and pulled Ning Feng closer.
The clamor of voices blended together. The cool touch on his wrist gradually grew warm. Ning Feng subtly tried to pull his hand free, but it was held tighter.
“Don’t get separated,” Yin Beichen said without looking back.
Ning Feng’s lens contracted slightly. He jabbed an elbow into Yin Beichen’s chest, and as the other man looked at him in surprise, Ning Feng said in a light tone.
“Thanks, Boss He. I can walk on my own.”
With that, he sidestepped and walked away.
Yin Beichen touched his chest, his eyes flickering. After a moment, he followed.
Not long after they left, a rustling sound came from the end of a dark alley. From the shadows behind the wooden crates, a blurry mass scurried out, then the previously calm space rippled and shifted before quickly settling down again.
Within moments, this small incident in the corner was drowned out by the cheers.
Meanwhile, a camera in the air caught Ning Feng’s face. The director found it amusing and even gave him a few seconds of close-up—after all, old-fashioned robots with square heads were hard to come by these days.
And this scene caught the attention of someone in the security room.
“Hmm?” Suddenly, Rex frowned. “That robot just now—zoom in on it.”
“Understood.” The technician immediately complied.
His eyes locked onto the brown-haired man beside the robot, Rex’s face tightened.
“Sir, is there a problem?” an subordinate asked carefully.
“It looks like I saw an old acquaintance.” Rex squinted slightly, pointing at the person on the screen. “Send someone to check on that guy. Find his location but don’t make a move yet. Wait for my orders.”
“Yes, sir!”