Chapter 51#
Parade#
The main street was packed with people, and by comparison, the side streets were much quieter.
Before long, a short-limbed, neckless, three-head-proportioned orange dinosaur wobbled out from the alley. Its mouth was wide open, its eyes bulging, and it carried a large bundle of freshly bought balloons in its hand.
“Should’ve bought a size bigger.” Ning Feng tugged at the thick tail dragging behind him.
Though walking was a bit inconvenient, with this outfit, no one would recognize him, as long as they were careful not to pass through any scanners.
He looked toward the dark alley, “Boss He, are you done with your makeup?”
After waiting a long while, a short-limbed, neckless, three-head-proportioned little yellow chicken reluctantly waddled out. Its bright red comb drooped halfway on its head, its small black eyes were tiny, and although its face couldn’t be seen, a chilling aura seemed to seep from within.
“Oh, fits you well.” Ning Feng chuckled twice.
Yin Beichen ignored him, stuffing the bag of materials into the large belly of the costume, carefully shielding it in his arms.
Those were the materials meant for Qiao Xi.
Ning Feng was silent for a moment, then curled his lips and handed a few balloons to the other, “Let’s go, Boss He.”
Watching the figure swaying and leading the way ahead, a flicker of doubt crossed Yin Beichen’s eyes.
Previously, he had always seen this AI in a robot form. Now that it was in a costume, hiding its mechanical traces, he realized the AI’s behavior was almost identical to a real person, even giving the feeling that there was a real person inside.
His brows furrowed tighter, and a very bizarre thought surfaced, but before he could grasp it, it was dispelled by Ning Feng’s urging.
The main road was crowded with tourists; they were almost pushed along by the flow. Thanks to their costumes, the two blended into the crowd effortlessly.
Along the way, children stopped them asking for balloons. At first, they patiently handed them out one by one, but soon they ran out. The children who didn’t get balloons started wailing, clutching the duo’s short legs and refusing to let go.
“Balloons! Balloons!”
“I want balloons too!”
“Not letting you go unless you give!”
Some clung to their thighs, some tugged at their tails, and a few mischievous ones even tried to pull off Ning Feng’s headpiece. Meanwhile, the parents stood by with affectionate smiles, occasionally pulling out their light-brains to take pictures, showing no intention of stopping them.
“Oh dear, there are none left, none at all.” The little dinosaur, tangled up and unable to move, struggled to keep up front and back.
Just as he was at his wit’s end, suddenly a pitch-black shadow loomed above.
The children looked up and saw a little yellow chicken backlit, its massive head shrouded in dark shadow. Its tiny eyes were lifeless, staring unblinkingly at them as if it might devour them.
“He said there are no more balloons. Can’t you hear?” A cold voice came from the chicken’s beak, oddly jarring with the cute appearance.
The children froze, nearly wetting their pants in fright, and ran off crying. Seeing their children wronged, the parents suddenly transformed into proper guardians, glaring at the little yellow chicken with angry expressions.
“Let’s go.” But the little yellow chicken ignored them, grabbing the little dinosaur’s short hand and crossing the square to the assembly point.
Ning Feng looked into the distance and saw the assembly point was lined with sentries.
Not only were those people fully armored and armed, but they also carried detection devices specifically for biomimetic androids. In contrast, their own weapons had all been confiscated upon entering the city, leaving only a few smoke grenades and sonic boom grenades for self-defense. If it came to a direct fight, they had almost no chance of winning.
“Just a little joke, and they hold a grudge.”
Ning Feng was fretting when he suddenly felt a tap on his shoulder. He turned to see the little yellow chicken pointing into the distance. Following the direction, he spotted a shooting gallery stall.
“Want to play?” the little yellow chicken asked.
“No.” The little dinosaur flatly refused.
Was this really the time to be thinking about shooting?
He just wanted to get to the assembly point as quickly as possible, get the people onto the ship, and be done with it.
However, the security here showed no sign of thinning; in fact, it seemed to be increasing. He had no choice but to drag the little yellow chicken back into the crowd. But after taking only two steps, Yin Beichen pulled him back and headed straight into the shooting gallery stall.
The stall had a long queue. A magnetic shelf was placed three meters away, displaying various toys and different styles of part figures. Visitors were holding air rifles, trying to shoot down their desired trinkets, while a bunch of children stood on tiptoe, shouting for this or that. The little dinosaur and little yellow chicken, squeezed among the kids, looked completely out of place.
Looking at the dazzling array of prizes, Ning Feng lost interest.
Actually, he used to enjoy these kinds of street games. Whenever he encountered one while shopping, he’d always give it a try. But at some point, he stopped joining in the fun.
Maybe because he was afraid of being too good and making the stall owner lose money?
Just as Ning Feng was bored, a young couple squeezed in beside him.
The girl looked around for a long time, then tugged at her boyfriend. “Want to play?”
Her boyfriend smiled. “Can I not?”
“No.”
The boyfriend shook his head affectionately, picked up an air rifle, and said, “Tell me, which one do you want? I’ll shoot it down for you.”
Ning Feng froze. A blurry image flashed through his mind.
[Little Chenchen, just say what you want, and I’ll toss a ring for it.]
At that time, he had been particularly cocky, buying fifty rings in one go and handing them to Yin Beichen, hoping they could spend more time together.
But the latter naturally refused, only giving him a cold look.
[Boring.]
Yin Beichen had walked away without looking back, leaving Ning Feng to toss the fifty rings alone.
In the end, he won many prizes. Some he gave away on the spot, some he returned to the stall owner. He didn’t keep a single one for himself.
After that, he never played again.
Ning Feng curled his lips, the hum of his engine slowing down. Noise surrounded him; even though the crowd was so thick he felt almost crushed, he sensed emptiness around him, with occasional gusts of cool wind blowing by.
Just then—
“Boss, give me fifty shots.”
Ning Feng snapped back to reality and saw the little yellow chicken take an air rifle, loading it with fluid motions completely unhindered by its fat little hands.
“Which one do you want?” Yin Beichen asked.
The little dinosaur stared at him with its mouth wide open, saying nothing. After waiting a moment, the little yellow chicken raised the gun directly.
Bang, bang, bang—
Fifty shots, not a single miss. The prize box was soon filled to the brim.
The stall owner’s legs went weak, not daring to utter a word. The surrounding children looked on with awe. In all their lives, they had never seen such a cool little yellow chicken!
Ignoring the onlookers, Yin Beichen took the prizes and carried them over to the little dinosaur.
Looking at the various trinkets in the little yellow chicken’s arms, Ning Feng stood still for a long moment, then let out a soft laugh.
“Boring.”
Then he turned and walked away without looking back.
The little yellow chicken held the gifts, frowning slightly beneath the headpiece. Seeing children clustering around, staring intently at the toys in his hands, he thought for a moment, then gave all the toys away, keeping only a small keychain for himself.
**
While the two were evading detection, Rex on the other side was constantly compiling information from his subordinates.
“Sir, we have secured all external transport points in the city and monitored all street cameras.”
“Any findings?”
“None so far.”
“None?” Rex frowned deeply.
Leaving aside Yin Beichen, that robot, no matter how it disguised itself, couldn’t completely hide its original form. Yet after all this searching, they had no leads—it was highly unusual.
Suddenly, he noticed the cute mascots on the parade floats, dancing and waving to the crowd.
Mascots…
Rex pondered for a moment, then a light bulb went off in his mind.
“Notify the search teams. Equip metal detectors and focus on anyone in costume.”
Upon receiving the order, subordinates immediately tracked all people in costumes and systematically checked them with metal detectors. Finally, when they reached the 81st person in a costume, the detector let out a sharp alarm.
Looking at the bright red silhouette of the little dinosaur on the scanner, Rex grinned, showing a row of white teeth.
“Got you, little mouse.”
**
The fair had many stalls, all crowded. Ning Feng wandered for a while, then ducked to the roadside to loosen his ankles.
Though he didn’t feel tired, prolonged squeezing was hard on his parts. Plus, having escaped in a rush this morning, he hadn’t had time to replenish his lubricant. He could clearly feel his joints starting to dry out.
Just as Ning Feng was wondering where to buy some oil, a bottle suddenly appeared before him.
“Take it.”
Seeing the bottle, Ning Feng was stunned. He hadn’t expected Yin Beichen to bring him a bottle of lubricant in such an urgent situation.
“Where did you…”
“This is from last night.” Yin Beichen didn’t explain further, pushing the bottle closer.
Ning Feng took it, staring down at it, unsure what to feel. After a moment, he pulled out the straw, slowly inserted it into his mouth, and sipped silently.
The little yellow chicken watched for a while, then rummaged in its costume and handed over a small item.
It was a tiny robot keychain.
The little robot was made of light gray metal, with two dark black eyes, bearing a striking resemblance to his original form, swinging mid-air adorably.
“For you.” The little yellow chicken looked at him, its small black eyes reflecting the tiny orange dinosaur.
“For me?” Ning Feng looked suspicious.
What was with this guy?
He had known Yin Beichen for years and had never seen him give anything to anyone. People always gave things to him, but he either refused on the spot or threw them in the trash.
Now giving him lubricant and a toy—what was he up to?
Even if he had suspicions, this wasn’t the kind of move he’d expect.
After pondering for a while without reaching a conclusion, Ning Feng was about to refuse when his lens suddenly captured a small group of people heading their way quickly. Though dressed in plain clothes, their brisk walking posture marked them as anything but ordinary.
His brows shot up, and he immediately grabbed the little yellow chicken. “We’ve been spotted.”
Yin Beichen glanced back, then grabbed the little dinosaur and ran into a fenced-off area deep in the side street. “This way.”
Not far from the square was an abandoned port.
The buildings stood empty, with cold winds whistling through, creating a rustling sound. Though not yet dilapidated, the graffiti on the walls in all colors gave it a desolate feel.
After weaving through corners, they ducked into a dead end. Yin Beichen quickly shed the cumbersome costume, tied the cloth bag hidden inside to his waist, and pulled out two guns from somewhere, tossing one to the robot.
Taking the gun, Ning Feng saw it was the air rifle from the shooting gallery!
He nearly froze up.
“When did you—”
“These guns are pretty good quality.” Yin Beichen adjusted the gun without changing expression, licked his fingertip, and raised it to test the wind direction. “Compressed air chamber, no bullets needed. Borrowed one for use.”
Borrowed? Would he return it?
But Ning Feng had no time to pity the stall owner who had lost his gun. He quickly adjusted the weapon and took cover opposite Yin Beichen in the shadows.
The alley was very dark, with only a few dim blue emergency lights glowing. Ning Feng switched on his thermal imaging sensor and took a moment to refocus before seeing clearly.
Soon, disordered footsteps approached from a distance.
These people were armed with stun guns, indicating they only wanted to capture, not harm. But there were many—roughly over twenty—and with the patrols nearby, he guessed there would be more reinforcements later. Once they surrounded this area, escape would be almost impossible.
What to do? Ning Feng’s brows furrowed, looking troubled.
“Scared?” Yin Beichen glanced at him.
“Boss He, you really have a sense of humor.” Ning Feng snorted.
“Follow my command. Don’t get bogged down in a fight.”
“Got it.”
The synthesized voice sounded lazy. Yin Beichen looked slightly surprised but quickly masked it. His fingers lightly brushed the gun grip. Unlike his usual cold demeanor, he seemed unexpectedly calm now.
“Do you know how to use that?”
“How do you want to use it?”
“One shot, one kill.”
“Oh, that’s troublesome.” Ning Feng locked his lens on the alley entrance. “I usually take out several with one shot.”
Yin Beichen pressed himself against the wall, watching quietly, not saying a word in the long silence. Just as Ning Feng was starting to feel uncomfortable under his gaze, he suddenly spoke.
“Contact in ten seconds.”
Somehow, Ning Feng felt relieved, then started making jokes again. “Why so long? They’re not walking fast enough.”
“Five seconds.”
“Need a sexy countdown, Boss He?”
“Four, three—”
The robot gripped the gun with both hands, aiming the muzzle into the dimness ahead. Just as he was about to act, Yin Beichen suddenly turned to look at him.
“You’re just as noisy as him.”
Ning Feng was taken aback, mouth opening.
Before he could recover, Yin Beichen shifted his weight, swung his long arm, and a smoke grenade arced through the air.
“Go!”
**
“Enemy attack!” The guards were startled and immediately opened fire.
Bang!!
The ammunition exploded into a massive cloud of smoke, blinding them. They reacted quickly, pulling out equipment to put on, but the next moment, cries of pain rang out.
Before the smoke had even cleared, compressed air blasts shot out from the corners, sending sparks flying where Ning Feng was positioned. The deafening sounds of impacts echoed everywhere—metal pierced, wood splintered, debris flying all over.
The two covered each other, moving back to back, advancing forward. In no time, they had taken down several people.
But these were just air rifles, limited in power, only temporarily incapacitating their targets. After a round of suppressive fire, they seized the opportunity to duck into a nearby alley.
Outside, the noise was chaotic, with occasional fireworks displays. The fierce fighting here went completely unnoticed.
Due to their unfavorable position, they attempted several assaults but couldn’t break through, and their own side had suffered casualties. Rex grew increasingly impatient.
After all, Yin Beichen was an Imperial Major General. Any casualties would be a serious diplomatic incident, and he didn’t want things to escalate to that point. But if he let the man slip away, he’d be finished as an adjutant.
“Tch, troublesome!” he cursed under his breath.
“Sir, should we use grenades?”
“This is a busy area. What grenades? Are you stupid?!”
“Then… what now…”
Rex took a breath. “Take two squads and flank them from the back streets. Trap them in the—”
BOOM!!
Before he could finish, a deafening explosion erupted from outside the square, shaking the ground beneath their feet. The air went silent for a moment, then was followed by thunderous cheers.
Rex’s heart jolted.
He knew about the mecha parade. The shells had all been replaced with fireworks. There was no way the explosion was that powerful. What was—
Just then, a frantic report came through the comms.
“Sir, the Ares mecha has deviated from its route!”
“Deviated? Then contact the pilot. Why are you coming to—”
“Can’t reach him. I suspect it’s been hijacked!”
“Hijacked?!”
Rex’s face turned pale.
The Ares mecha was one of the Federation’s most powerful units. It was still in the parade procession; if it went out of control, it would cause severe casualties. But as an experienced commander, he quickly calmed down. “Immediately evacuate the crowd. Make sure not to cause panic. Keep close tabs on the mecha’s movements. Leave squads A, B, and C here. All other units, reinforce the square at once. Find an opportunity to take control of the mecha!”
“Understood!”
The guards quickly reorganized and executed orders methodically.
Turning to look into the depths of the alley, Rex’s eyes grew more dangerous.
“The rest of you, follow me!”
“Yes, sir!”
**
“Hahaha! This is awesome!” Over the squad channel, Wen Qianyong’s voice was extremely excited, accompanied by the roar of engines and the noise of fireworks.
“Awesome what? I haven’t even swapped out the bombs yet.”
“Xiaoyong, have your fun, but be careful not to step on anyone.”
“I know, I know.”
Ning Feng chuckled and shook his head, sending a burst of shots toward the enemy. “You guys head to the starport. They’re sending people your way. Be careful.”
The Ares mecha was now on the main road. The guards were cautious and wouldn’t dare to attack head-on, but given time, the situation could turn.
Taking advantage of a lull in the enemy’s assault, Yin Beichen pulled up a map to examine it closely. Amid the howling gunfire, he squinted, his expression focused.
“They’re too far from the starport. They can’t get there in time.” He swiped his finger, marking several red dots. “Change the assembly point to this pier. I’ll arrange guards to rendezvous nearby. Follow the route I’ve marked. Avoid side streets. No offensive actions. Keep pace with the crowd.”
He looked up, his voice very calm. “Understood?”
The comms went silent for a moment. No one answered.
Ning Feng pressed the gun lazily. “Hey, I’m asking you, did you hear that?”
“How does this boss know how to command?” Mad Mouse muttered softly.
“And he has guards too.” Sha Mu’s voice carried a smile.
“Shut up!” With a click, Wen Qianyong cut off the channel.
Ning Feng: …
“What about us?” Ning Feng asked.
“Wait,” Yin Beichen said.
The moment they were pursued, Yin Beichen had sent his coordinates to the guards hidden in the city and also put out a support request to the patrols outside the airspace. Though they couldn’t blatantly enter the airspace, maintaining a deterrent presence on the perimeter was still useful.
Ning Feng sent the orders. Just as he was about to say something, he was interrupted by a fierce volley of shots.
He ducked back behind cover, compressing hundreds of air bullets. Meanwhile, Yin Beichen clutched the bag close, and taking advantage of the smoke cover, he somehow found a large, thick steel plate, quickly spraying it with insulating oil.
“Target is the third door at two o’clock.” Yin Beichen looked at the robot. “Ready?”
Ning Feng grinned, a hint of excitement in his tone. “Time for our show.”
“Go!”
The next moment, Yin Beichen raised the steel plate and charged toward the enemy.
A rain of electric bolts arced through the air, striking walls and concrete, the steel plate vibrating with a crackling sound.
Braving the storm of bullets, Yin Beichen pushed forward, heading straight for the target point. In the brief gaps when the enemy reloaded, he fired several shots, cleanly taking down two.
Ning Feng stayed at the flank, using the terrain to shield and parry, weaving through the electric flashes and screams with ease.
Fierce electric energy poured down. Though blocked by the insulating fluid, the steel plate still grew scorching hot. The hand holding it was red from the heat, but Yin Beichen didn’t even frown, slamming his shoulder into the path to force through.
“Stop him!” Rex roared, and the stun gun fire intensified.
“Want to stop me? Come on!” A stream of bullets flew past his side. Ning Feng’s attack speed increased. Just as he was about to fire again, his receiver suddenly went quiet, then emitted a piercing noise.
A sonic boom grenade!
Caught off guard, Ning Feng staggered. A blinding flash burst before him, and in an instant, someone lunged at him, pressing down hard.
“Ugh!”
A muffled grunt sounded in his ear. Ning Feng didn’t waste time thinking. The moment he regained his bearings, he ducked and weaved, continuing forward. They broke through the enemy formation and ducked into a dark corner.
“Oh, close call.” Ning Feng kept his gun ready, tone relaxed.
Although electric guns weren’t as strong as regular energy weapons, they posed a serious threat to robots. A direct hit could either disrupt signal input or destroy the engine entirely. Good thing the steel plate had a thick insulating coating, or he would have—
Suddenly, he caught a strong smell of blood.
Ning Feng froze and immediately turned to look.
Yin Beichen leaned against the wall, breathing heavily, one hand pressed to his side. He slid slowly to the ground, eyes tightly shut, face covered in sweat. Blood seeped through his fingers, staining his plain pajamas a deep red.
“Bei—”
His components shuddered. Ning Feng stood still for a moment, then rushed over, half-kneeling to carefully lift the hem and examine the wound.
The wound was long and deep, viscous fluid oozing out with each breath, looking vicious. Fortunately, there was no residual electrical energy. He quickly pulled out a hemostatic spray for emergency treatment.
“Mm…”
The stinging spray hit the wound, and Yin Beichen grunted softly, quickly swallowing the sound. A film formed over the wound surface, but any movement tore it again. Between tearing and resealing, they finally managed to stop the bleeding.
Warm, sticky red stained his hands. Ning Feng didn’t speak as he continued bandaging, but his cooling system hummed loudly.
Damn it, that idiot Rex!
Yin Beichen was an Imperial Major General, a high-ranking officer! They could put on a show, but to actually try to kill him?
Suicide!
After sitting for a while, Yin Beichen finally caught his breath. Panting, he checked the bag, made sure it was intact, then said calmly, “Don’t worry, they won’t kill me—”
“Shut up!” Ning Feng clenched his fists. If not for the injury, he would have thrown a punch.
“I’ve already notified the guards. They’re on their way.” Yin Beichen ignored him, clutching the bag tightly. Cold sweat dripped down his jaw. “Once they arrive, your mission is done.”
Watching Yin Beichen’s pale face, still gripping the bag—the bag belonging to Qiao Xi…
The long alley blocked the bright light above. In the dim corner, figures flickered in the shadows, restless and churning.
His chest felt hot and swollen, the chip implant area burning so hot it almost smoked. Ning Feng lowered his head, his fingertips pressing hard.
Suddenly, Rex’s voice rang out from outside.
“Major General, come out,” he said, wearing thermal imaging goggles, staring at the figure in the corner. “You’re an honored guest. We’ll follow basic diplomatic protocol and treat you well.”
He curled his lips slightly. “This place is heavily sealed off. You can’t escape.”
“They’re preparing to storm. It’ll be hard for you to hold alone.” Yin Beichen breathed with difficulty, his tone very calm. “I’ll cover you. Just hold out a little longer—”
“Who asked you to cover me?”
The unfinished words were cut off sharply. Ning Feng’s voice was light, but beneath it brewed a storm.
Sunlight cut in from outside the street, mingling with the smoke, casting a golden edge on the robot’s battered face. He slowly stood up, letting out a cold laugh.
“Who do you think you are?”
Ning Feng’s fingers clenched suddenly, the small bulb on his head blazing bright.
The next moment, the engine hummed, mechanical parts crackled with sparks, and his entire chest trembled slightly. With a sharp screech, a surge of electromagnetic energy exploded outward from him.
Wooo—
Suddenly, a blinding flash erupted. The electromagnetic pulse swept through everything violently. In an instant, nearby electronic devices failed completely. Occasional electric ions tried to resist but were torn apart by the wildly discharging energy.
The narrow, intense wave of energy pierced straight through the sophisticated protective equipment, forcing the nerves of everyone present to resonate involuntarily at the frequency Ning Feng controlled.
“Ugh!” Rex covered his ears in pain, his vision blurring.
Dimly, he saw a figure flicker through the smoke. He tried to warn his men, but the acrid smoke choked him red in the face. Screams surrounded him. He could feel the thing drawing closer, closer…
Damn it!
Rex held his breath, raised his stun gun, and squeezed the trigger—
Suddenly, an icy cold sensation pressed against his throat.
“Hello, Adjutant.”
A flat, emotionless voice sounded beside him, carrying a carefree smile.
Rex’s face tightened. He tried to struggle, but a jolt of electricity numbed his whole body, leaving him half-paralyzed. Looking down, he saw a sharp short blade pressed against his throat, gleaming with a sinister cold light.
That stance, that posture…
A violent tremor ran through his eyes. Yin Beichen, leaning against the corner, gripped the windowsill so hard his knuckles went white. The wound, which had just stopped bleeding, was seeping again from the strain.
But he didn’t care. His gaze was fixed on the distant figure, his face flushed red.