Chapter 49#
Suspicion#
Because the welcoming crowd was so overwhelming, they simply couldn’t squeeze into the shops further down the street, so the two had no choice but to return to the hotel to rest.
After dinner, Wen Qianyong pulled Ning Feng into a rambling conversation, talking endlessly about how spectacular the celebration fireworks were, how brilliant the performances were, and even showing off his spoils from time to time. Sha Mu kept smiling, chiming in with a word of agreement whenever he got excited. Crazy Mouse kept going on about the fireworks, saying that if he were the one setting them off, he’d definitely blow up the biggest one.
Ning Feng had absolutely no interest in the celebrations. He half-lay on the sofa, long legs crossed, staring blankly at the TV screen.
The screen was broadcasting today’s grand parade. From a distance, it was a dense sea of people, with occasional close-up shots revealing the excited expressions of the tourists.
Watching the noisy, chaotic scene, Ning Feng sank into thought.
After what happened this afternoon, his sensitive instincts told him something was off.
Those mercenaries they’d encountered back in Waste City had been escorting Federation cargo. Thinking about it now, they were probably heading to Death’s Harbor. Back then, he’d heard that insect language, exactly the same as what he’d heard in the pharmacy this afternoon.
Could there be bugs in this city?
Ning Feng’s lens contracted slightly as he immediately thought of that general who had supposedly returned in triumph after defeating the insect race. A vague feeling crept in that this place wasn’t safe to stay in for long.
Just then, the doorbell rang.
With last time’s experience, the group wasn’t as tense this time, but they still didn’t dare let their guard down. Checking the monitor, the familiar big face appeared on the screen again.
“Is Mr. Blade here? There’s a package~”
Everyone was silent for a few seconds, then simultaneously turned to look at Yin Beichen, who was sitting at the back.
Ning Feng’s fingers tightened. He stood still, not moving.
“Is Mr. Blade here? There’s a package~” The delivery robot repeated loudly, its mechanical voice echoing down the hallway.
“Here, here, here.” Wen Qianyong quickly opened the door, took the package, and grunted as he dragged it inside.
They unwrapped it and found another pair of long, sturdy legs. Compared to yesterday’s model, this time the skin tone was a better match for Ning Feng’s current one, and the muscle lines were more aesthetically pleasing. Even Crazy Mouse secretly pinched them for quite a while.
His lens fixed on Yin Beichen, Ning Feng let out a light laugh. “Boss He is really generous. Even when giving gifts, he lets you choose your own.”
“You need to replace those parts,” Yin Beichen said flatly.
“I don’t think there’s anything wrong with my current ones.”
“Including the ankle joints?”
Ning Feng’s thick brows instantly shot up.
During that squeeze on the street this afternoon, his upper body was fine, but the worn-out parts on his lower half had gotten a bit deformed. He hadn’t dared to push too hard into the shops later, just followed at a distance. He thought he’d hidden it pretty well, walking without any noticeable limp.
How did this guy figure it out?
“I’m just a cleaning robot. It’d be a waste to use this on me.”
“If it’s not suitable, we can swap it for other parts.”
Ning Feng’s eyes narrowed dangerously.
In that instant, the air in the living room froze.
Sensing the shift in atmosphere, Wen Qianyuan shrank his neck back. Even Crazy Mouse shut his mouth, his eyes darting back and forth between the two.
Sha Mu watched quietly for a moment, then his brows curled gently. “Radish, you really should change your legs.”
Turning to look at the mild-mannered, smiling man, Ning Feng glanced down at his battered thighs. “Then I’ll check out the mall tomorrow.”
“Come on, there’s a parade tomorrow. By the time you squeeze in there, you’ll be scrap metal.” Toying with a mini grenade, Crazy Mouse said coolly, “Might as well just take the legs and pay the boss. Treat it like buying from him.”
Yin Beichen’s eyes flickered several times, but he said nothing. Wen Qianyong, however, quickly nodded in agreement.
“Good idea, good idea. Just treat it like buying from a store. Why don’t you, uh, just take it?” It wasn’t that he was always trying to smooth things over—this Boss He had such an overwhelming presence! Radish had already offended him several times, and he was afraid the guy might get irritated and suddenly jump up to dismantle Radish into pieces.
Speaking of which, why was he even scarier than Brother Mu?
Ning Feng rubbed his chin and picked up the receipt to check the price.
Although these legs weren’t cheap, he could still afford them if he gritted his teeth. Anyway, he had to buy them somewhere, and he did need them right now. No point in making things difficult for himself.
“Since Boss He is so enthusiastic, it would be rude of me to refuse again.” He lazily leaned against the table. “Alright, I’ll take it as a purchase. I’ll transfer the money to you now.”
Yin Beichen’s eyes tightened. He stared directly at the robot’s stance, frowning as he pondered for a long moment before finally opening his optical computer.
“I’ll add you to my contacts.”
“I don’t need to add contacts for a transfer.”
“If there’s a quality issue, I’ll need to go through the seller for a return or exchange.”
“I can return it myself.”
“The registration is under my information.”
“…”
Seeing the darkening expression on his face, Wen Qianyong quickly tugged at the robot’s sleeve. Though Ning Feng was reluctant, since this thing wasn’t cheap, he figured he could just block him later if there turned out to be no issues.
“Fine, then.”
The transfer barcode hadn’t been sent yet, but the friend request notification chimed first. Glancing at the little red dot for the request, Ning Feng’s lens flickered with a faint red light. With a sudden crooked grin, he pressed accept.
Ding!
The sound of the acceptance notification rang out. Yin Beichen didn’t bother looking at the payment info and continued browsing his optical computer.
With the gift-giving incident finally put to rest, Wen Qianyong breathed a sigh of relief. Along with Crazy Mouse, he started egging Ning Feng on to go change into the new legs right away. Ning Feng didn’t object and followed Sha Mu into the room.
True to being the latest model of components, they were very convenient to replace. In no time, Ning Feng had transformed from a robot with a battered lower half that could fall apart at any moment into a tall, upright figure with a broad chest and a narrow waist—a certified handsome guy.
The only thing that hadn’t changed was that square, blocky face.
He had to admit, Yin Beichen had decent taste. Though it couldn’t compare to his original body, Ning Feng was quite satisfied.
But since they were out and about without professional tools, the fast-charging feature was temporarily unavailable. The charging dock’s plug could only be connected in Yin Beichen’s bedroom, so Ning Feng was still keeping watch in the living room tonight.
He stretched, listening to the parts clicking inside him, found a comfortable spot on the sofa, and lay down. He crossed his legs and stared at the ceiling.
Two more days, and the commission would be done.
Looking back, the whole journey had been pretty surreal. From now on, when taking commissions, he couldn’t just look at the money—he’d have to investigate the client’s background, or he might get screwed over without even knowing it. He also needed to prepare well for the selection tournament; maybe he could snag a championship, runner-up, or third place. He wondered when the points from the previous competition would be credited—he’d had his eye on a certain part for a long time…
Lost in these random thoughts, the low-power warning light began glowing red in his chest. Ning Feng’s mind quieted, and he slowly closed his eyes.
The living room was shrouded in darkness. The colorful neon lights from outside filtered through the glass window, casting fragmented patterns of light on the carpet. Before long, a figure silently cast a shadow over the sofa, blocking the robot’s face.
Yin Beichen stood looking down at the low-power, shut-down robot.
After a long while, he bent down and, with some effort, lifted the entire robot horizontally into his arms.
The robot’s frame was large—a solid lump of iron. That square head in particular was awkward to rest anywhere. He fumbled for quite a while to stabilize his hold before slowly heading toward the bedroom.
“Mr. He, charging the radish again?” Suddenly, Sha Mu’s voice came from the opposite door.
Yin Beichen’s brows were furrowed; he didn’t speak.
“Actually, you could just send a message to customer service to activate the living room’s port. Then the charging dock could stay outside, and you wouldn’t have to carry it back and forth every night.” Sha Mu leaned against the doorframe. “These parts aren’t light, you know.”
“Not necessary.” Yin Beichen’s expression was very cold.
“Seems like Mr. He really does care about our Radish.” Sha Mu let out a soft laugh. “If you need, I can recommend a specialty store for cleaning robots.”
But this time, Yin Beichen ignored him. He brushed past and returned to his bedroom.
Watching this, Sha Mu narrowed his eyes slightly. “As expected of a Major General. So arrogant.”
“Brother Mu?” Just then, Wen Qianyong walked out, looking drowsy.
Hearing this, Sha Mu’s eyes softened. “Did I wake you?”
“Who were you talking to?”
“Nothing.” Reaching out to wrap an arm around the other’s waist, Sha Mu pressed his lips together and smiled. “Go back to sleep. Didn’t you say you wanted to see the mecha parade tomorrow?”
“Yeah. Good night, Brother Mu.” Wen Qianyong let out a big yawn, a trace of moisture gathering at the corners of his eyes, softening his rugged features.
Sha Mu’s gaze lingered over the tanned neck for a moment before he masked his obscure emotions and curled the corner of his mouth.
“Good night.”
**
Setting the robot down on the bed, Yin Beichen propped up the pillow and positioned the limbs, then skillfully pulled out the port and plugged in the charging dock. Seeing the blue light indicating charging, he sat on the edge of the bed and stared at the robot.
It lay there quietly, its casual clothes hanging loosely on its frame, with deep and shallow indentations on its shoulders—marks left from carrying parcels during the day. The synthetic skin was nothing like real skin; once damaged, it wouldn’t heal on its own. These marks would remain forever until the limb was replaced.
Yin Beichen’s brow furrowed slightly. He reached out to rub the marks, trying to smooth them out, but only made the grooves more prominent. He could only retract his hand in resignation.
Finally, his gaze fell on the face.
From prolonged use, some of the metal plating had worn away. The brows were uneven too—one long, one short. The only part still intact was the lip line, which was permanently crooked, curving into a faint arc of mockery toward the world before it.
An aircraft zoomed past the window, a harsh beam of white light cutting through the dimness of the room. For an instant, the robot’s profile was gilded with a soft silver edge, and the worn metal shimmered with broken wisps of light.
Yin Beichen’s gaze was vacant. By the time he came back to himself, his hand had already reached toward the robot’s face.
He paused, then casually touched Ning Feng’s head. He watched it wobble slightly and then go still again.
Yin Beichen’s pupils trembled.
He sat up slowly, pulled out that bright yellow triangular talisman. He stared at it for a moment, then dialed the all-too-familiar number. After the familiar, laid-back voicemail played, he finally spoke slowly.
“Ning Feng, it’s me.” His gaze fell on the silent robot. “Do you remember the AI I mentioned to you before?”
Yin Beichen was silent for a long while, his expression unreadable.
“It’s a lot like you.”
**
Morning sunlight poured into the room, spilling across the robot’s face. The charging completion notification chimed. Ning Feng opened his eyelids and rotated his lens.
Same old ceiling. He was starting to get used to waking up in a different room.
His body was a bit stiff from not moving all night. He waited for the internal systems to warm up, then slowly sat up—only to meet a pair of brown eyes directly.
Ning Feng: …
Yin Beichen, still in his casual home clothes, was leaning back on the sofa, long legs crossed. The warm yellow light cast a faint shadow over him, blurring his outlines. He didn’t speak, just stared fixedly. If Ning Feng still had a heart, he might have had a heart attack on the spot.
But in the past when he’d booted up, Yin Beichen was never in the room. What was he still doing here?
“Awake?” Yin Beichen’s face was expressionless.
“Oh, Boss He, you’re up early.” Feeling unnerved by that gaze, Ning Feng threw off the covers and hopped off the bed swiftly. “Gosh, how could I sleep in your bed? You should go back to sleep for a while.”
Yin Beichen didn’t move. He just watched him, his gaze very faint, an unreadable emotion on his face.
“Why aren’t you using the wax oil in the cabinet?”
“What wax oil?”
“The wax oil contains additives. Good for you.”
Seeing that pretending ignorance wouldn’t work, Ning Feng let out a lazy laugh. “Someone like me, who trades life for money, isn’t so particular. Those high-class products of yours—I’m not used to them.”
Watching him silently for a moment, Yin Beichen stood up, took a black hair tie, and began tying his own hair back. He didn’t speak, just meticulously tidied his clothes, just like back in the base—except back then, it was Ning Feng who tied the hair tie.
Feeling the growing tension in the air, Ning Feng muttered, “I’ll go wake them up,” and slipped out of the room.
It was still early. The others hadn’t woken yet, and the spacious living room was quiet. Freed from that oppressive gaze, Ning Feng exhaled in relief and asked room service to deliver breakfast.
He knew it: Yin Beichen was already suspicious.
But whether he was suspicious or not was his business. Even if he knew, he couldn’t prove anything. Once the commission was done and Yin Beichen was on the starship, they would have no connection.
No, not “they.”
Ning Feng curled his lip.
It was just better to avoid unnecessary trouble. He needed to hurry up with finding the materials. Just as he was browsing the StarNet to look up other pharmacies, the doorbell rang again.
He paused, thinking the room service was pretty fast. But when he opened the door, he found the hallway filled with uniformed military guards.
The Federation army!
The engine hummed quietly. Ning Feng froze on the spot.
“A domestic robot?” The Federation soldier at the front seemed surprised that a robot had answered the door. He sized up Ning Feng, then leaned in to peek inside, wearing a very polite yet cautious smile.
“Is Boss He in?”