Chapter 56#
Signing#
After the match, both teams met backstage.
Compared to the Blasting Sheep’s excitement, the Foxes looked somewhat dejected. Big Head covered his forehead and cowered at the back, while Qiu Zhen’s eyes bulged with fury.
However, the captain readily admitted defeat and heaped praise on the Blasting Sheep. Wen Qianyong felt embarrassed by the compliments. Though he had been fuming before the match, he now felt he had been rather petty.
The two engaged in mutual flattery, creating a harmonious atmosphere. But to Ning Feng’s ears, it was a mix of nagging complaints and venomous curses from the bug race. This strange visual contrast gave him an inexplicable sense of satisfaction.
Just as he was straining to distinguish between humans and bugs, a hand suddenly extended before him.
“You played really well,” the captain said with a faint smile.
“You weren’t bad either,” Ning Feng replied, shaking his hand.
But the moment he grasped it, he froze.
This feeling…
Just then, Mad Rat’s sarcastic voice came from behind. “Tsk, tsk, Xiao Qiu, you really don’t care about your teammate, do you? He’s injured, and you don’t even check on him.”
“Hmph, I don’t need your fake kindness.” Qiu Zhen shot him a glare and turned to Big Head. “Big Head, you okay?”
“I’m fine.” Big Head stiffened and dodged to the side.
“What are you dodging for? Let me see the wound.”
“I said I’m fine.”
“Then what’s the harm in letting me—”
As they tussled, the cloth covering Big Head’s forehead fell off, exposing his wound to everyone—
And the blue-purple blood.
In an instant, the air froze.
Qiu Zhen was stunned, not even noticing that the other had broken free.
The first to react was Wen Qianyong. Trembling, he pointed at Big Head’s head.
“His blood, why is it…”
Big Head’s face changed dramatically. His eyes flickered with a sinister gleam. Suddenly, he let out a roar, pounced on the nearest person—Qiu Zhen—and bared two rows of gleaming white teeth, sinking them in viciously.
Crunch!!
The sharp teeth bit into a mechanical arm, leaving a row of holes. Ning Feng pressed down hard, using his knee to pin down all resistance.
“Get out of here!” he yelled.
Qiu Zhen shuddered as if electrocuted, his face pale as he quickly ran off.
Big Head struggled desperately beneath him, his eyes almost bulging out of their sockets, spitting out unintelligible hisses. He was incredibly strong, nearly throwing off Ning Feng’s restraint multiple times. It looked like Ning Feng wouldn’t be able to hold him much longer.
Suddenly, a shadow swept in from the side. Before anyone could react, it struck sharply.
Slash!
The blade tore through Big Head’s throat, pulling out large chunks of blue-purple flesh from inside. The air suddenly filled with a strange, sour-sweet smell.
“Captain!” Qiu Zhen stared at him in disbelief.
But the captain remained unperturbed. He pressed harder on the knife handle until the body beneath him stopped moving. Only then did he breathe a sigh of relief.
“Hope I didn’t scare you all,” he said, turning to the others.
Wen Qianyong nodded, then shook his head vigorously.
Pulling out the blade, the captain flicked off the flesh scraps. “I noticed Big Head acting strangely lately. I thought he was just tired, but I never imagined he was a bug.”
Ning Feng said nothing, just stared at him intently.
“That was really close. I got quite a fright myself. Lucky you reacted in time.” The captain reached out to pat his shoulder, but the moment he touched him, Ning Feng grabbed his arm and slammed him hard to the ground.
“Radish?!”
“Ugh!” The captain struggled but couldn’t break free. His expression turned cold. “What are you doing?”
Ning Feng remained silent. Under everyone’s stunned gaze, he picked up a dagger and thrust it forward.
“No!” Qiu Zhen screamed.
The blade grazed the captain’s cheek, piercing the ground, leaving a long, thin cut on his skin. After a moment, deep blue blood oozed from the wound.
Everyone was shocked.
Ning Feng lifted his chin slightly. “What do you think I’m doing, Captain?”
“Cap… captain…” Qiu Zhen’s eyes widened in shock as he staggered back a few steps.
His former comrade had been killed by his most trusted captain with a single stab. And now he discovered that the captain himself was a bug—an even more thoroughly infected one!
In that instant, his entire world turned upside down.
Suddenly, the captain lunged upward, grabbing Ning Feng’s arm and biting down viciously. The next moment, a powerful electric current surged through his body. With a crackle, he was knocked to the ground, convulsing.
“Radish—”
“Don’t come near me!”
Ning Feng pinned the man firmly to the ground. “Stay back! His blood is toxic.”
After confirming everyone was at a safe distance, he looked down at the captain beneath him. “I heard you guys were planning to visit a base?”
The captain gasped, stopping his struggles and staying silent.
Ning Feng sneered. “Tell me, which base were you planning to go to?”
The captain stared for a moment, then suddenly grinned. In the bug language, he said, [Which one? Any base will do!]
“Speak properly!”
[I’m telling the truth, robot.] The captain’s expression was full of malice. [My people are scattered across the star domain! Can you find them all?]
“You bugs don’t even bother to draft a lie—is it because you can’t read?” Ning Feng tightened his grip on the blade, his tone light but filled with killing intent.
[Soon you’ll know whether I drafted a lie or not… hehe…] His eyes turned a ghostly crimson as he let out a low, eerie laugh. Suddenly, his eyes bulged, his skin began to writhe, and his body started to bubble like boiling water, emitting white smoke and a foul, burnt odor.
Ning Feng felt a jolt and immediately turned to yell, “Run!”
The next moment, the captain’s body exploded like a biological bomb. With a loud bang, flesh and blood splattered everywhere, some of it spraying onto the corridor walls.
Ning Feng looked up to check on the others, but heard Wen Qianyong’s anxious voice.
“Brother Mu!”
Sha Mu was kneeling on the ground, gasping for breath. His back was covered in blue bloodstains, with chunks of tissue stuck to his skin. Wen Qianyong, panicked, reached out to wipe it off but was quickly pulled away by Ning Feng.
“Don’t touch!”
“Let go of me, damn it!”
“This is bug poison! You can’t go near him!”
“Don’t you see Brother Mu’s covered in it? If we don’t wipe it off, he’ll get infected!”
“If you touch him, you’ll get infected too.”
“But—”
“Xiao Yong!”
“…Brother Mu?” Wen Qianyong stared blankly at Sha Mu.
“Listen to Blade,” Sha Mu said, waving his hand. A gentle smile appeared on his blood-stained face. “Don’t worry, I’ll be fine.”
Wen Qianyong’s lips trembled. His eyes reddened as he lowered his head and fell silent.
Ning Feng stood frozen, his fists clenched, his engine humming softly.
The base. The bugs.
He felt a surge of panic and helplessness. Horrible scenes churned through his mind—countless ugly bugs swarming from all directions, breaking through the base’s defensive fire, climbing over the walls, drowning building after familiar building. The base’s warriors fought desperately, but they could only watch as the bugs reached their feet, climbed up their calves, clamped their sharp pincers around their limbs—snap!—an arm broke off…
Familiar scenes flashed in disjointed fragments. Staring at the mess around him, at these all-too-familiar images, he didn’t know what to do, what to do next.
“Mm…” Ning Feng hugged his arms and slowly crouched down under everyone’s astonished gazes.
**
Later, Sha Mu was rushed to the medical station in Scrap City. Even though blocking agents were administered immediately, the area of exposure was too large, and he had inhaled contaminated air. His condition was not optimistic.
This bug invasion incident drew serious attention from several large mercenary groups.
Normally, squabbling over a bit of commission was one thing, but this was about bugs—a toxin that had evolved to control human thoughts and actions! No one knew whether the person they faced every day was human or bug. This was no joke.
Thus, led by several group leaders, a bug toxin testing center was set up in the city, along with drugs to treat the infection. But the big groups got priority; the small ones had to wait.
This infuriated Group Leader Marcia.
The big groups had long-term partnerships with several large bases and could exchange honor points for their research results. But for medium and small groups like hers, they had to beg for even the smallest contracts, let alone access to the exchange system.
So when she received a cooperation invitation from Nora Base, she was completely stunned.
Nora Base? Was it the Nora Base she was thinking of?
Was she dreaming?
It was only the beginning of 1649, and she was already dreaming?
After double-checking more than a dozen times, she finally believed that a golden treasure had fallen from the sky and landed squarely on her.
Nora Base’s terms were excellent, but the signees were fixed. The first name listed was [Radish·Blade].
She immediately thought of the strangely behaved Boss He from a few days ago.
It seemed that Boss He was indeed someone with serious connections. But she didn’t care what his background was—as long as she latched onto the big backing of Nora Base, their group would finally be able to hold their heads high!
Just then, her optical brain chimed with an email notification.
Marcia opened it. It was a mission invitation. Before she could even read the task details, she was dazzled by the exorbitant commission and generous rewards. The offer was comparable to Nora Base’s. She quickly looked at the bottom and saw it was from someone code-named “Mr. G.”
“Mr. G?” Marcia stroked her chin.
Her gaze wavered between Nora Base and Mr. G. After hesitating for two seconds, she tapped “Reject” on the second email.
Soon, the Blasting Sheep received news of the signing.
Mad Rat, who had initially scoffed at the idea, agreed on the spot when he saw the commission. Wen Qianyong, upon learning the base could exchange for antidotes, insisted on bringing Sha Mu along. Sha Mu, unable to deal with his persistence, had no choice but to nod in agreement.
Ning Feng didn’t react much when he received the contract. He just spread it out in front of him and stared at it for a long time.
He had personally drafted the mercenary contract template. Every character, every punctuation mark was familiar to him. In the past, he would sign ten or twenty such contracts every quarter—but before, he was on the client side, and now he was the signee.
After picking up the pen and signing, Ning Feng stared at Yin Beichen’s signature on the contract for a long time. Even though he didn’t want to see that name, the handwriting was really beautiful.
Yin Beichen, Yin Beichen…
He rubbed his thumb over the dried ink, flipped the contract over, and slowly closed his eyes.
**
Nora Base of the Empire’s Sixth Military Region—a super-large military base in the edge star domain, the moon of all mercenary groups—had actually signed the Blasting Sheep squad!
And with a long-term contract at that!
This news was as explosive as discovering bugs in Scrap City.
Mercenary leaders were filled with envy, jealousy, and hatred. Some mercenaries quickly switched sides, submitting join requests that same night to get a piece of the pie. This left Marcia walking around town with her nose in the air for a long time.
The paperwork went through surprisingly fast. The day after the contract was submitted, an Empire transport ship docked at Scrap City’s spaceport.
In the past, even the most valued mercenaries would at most be told to gather at a certain location and then be picked up. They had never been fetched right from their doorstep, let alone by a military aircraft.
So, the landing pad was surrounded by mercenaries eager to watch the spectacle. Some immediately recognized it as the Empire’s latest model transport ship.
Not only did they send a private plane to pick them up, but it was the latest model?
How much face did they have!
Ning Feng was also puzzled.
They were just mercenaries. Even though they had signed a long-term contract that included transportation rights, a private plane…
Before he could figure it out, Marcia shoved him into the shuttle.
The engine’s airflow whipped up a hurricane on the ground, rolling up thick smoke. Amid the rumbling roar, people had to shout to be heard.
They stood in line with their luggage, waiting to board. Ning Feng turned his head to look at Qiu Zhen behind him.
He stood alone in a corner, clutching his backpack, a water bottle dangling from his body, his face tight and silent.
Perhaps because of their outstanding performance, Nora Base had signed two squads this time—one on a long-term contract, the other on a standard mission contract. This made Marcia feel as if she were walking on thin ice, afraid the contract might change, so she kept nagging Ning Feng to keep an eye on the Foxes.
Ning Feng… Ning Feng thought her worry was unnecessary.
Negotiating a partnership with Nora Base was indeed difficult, but once signed, it rarely changed. If either party breached the contract, they would have to pay a huge penalty, so selection was all the more careful.
Marcia grabbed him again and lectured him for a long time. When it was time to assemble, they boarded the cabin.
Compared to the plane “borrowed” from the Federation, this transport was highly advanced. The body was made of new steel, and it was covered with pipes and various equipment, multicolored lights flashing constantly.
They looked around, touching things, each finding a spot. Ning Feng also found a seat. As soon as he sat down, he automatically entered charging mode.
When had Big Beard upgraded this new feature?
How come he didn’t know about it?
Just as he was thinking how convenient this function was, he heard sarcasm from next door.
“What’s there to get so excited about just riding a plane?” Qiu Zhen said, half-lying back with his eyes closed.
“Country bumpkin. Never been on one before.”
“Hmph, no taste. I’ve seen plenty of these transports.” At that, Qiu Zhen sat up straight. “Back when my squad was on missions at big bases, we saw this model every day. There were even bigger ones!”
“Hehe, bragging so much, yet now you’re the only one left,” Mad Rat sneered mercilessly.
“So what if it’s just me?” Qiu Zhen glared angrily and clenched his fists. “Let me tell you, even if the Foxes are just me alone, I can still beat you guys till you cry and go home. Don’t think I’m easy to bully!”
“Yeah, yeah, your Foxes are the strongest.”
Shut down and unable to retort, Qiu Zhen hunched over in silence, hugging his backpack tightly to his chest.
Ning Feng stared at the silent young man beside him, saying nothing.
Everyone said the Foxes were chosen because of the Blasting Sheep’s influence. No one remembered anymore that this brilliant three-person combo was actually last quarter’s championship team.
And now, only Qiu Zhen remained.
The transport slowly ascended. When it reached high orbit, it suddenly accelerated, rushing into space.
Once they entered the star domain, time seemed to stand still.
After an unknown period, Ning Feng suddenly heard rustling from beside him. He turned his head and found Qiu Zhen staring at him without blinking.
Ning Feng: ?
“What’s wrong? Airsick?”
“…You’re the one who’s airsick.”
“Then don’t tell me you’ve taken a liking to me?”
“…”
Qiu Zhen turned his head away. After a long moment, he mumbled.
“Thank you.”
Ning Feng thought he misheard.
“? For what?”
“That day backstage, you saved me.” The young man tugged at his shirt. “I owe you one.”
But quickly, he added gruffly, “Don’t get me wrong. Even though you saved me, I won’t help you with anything illegal or immoral. Don’t think you can use that to blackmail me.”
Ning Feng was taken aback for a moment, then slowly curled his lip.
“Oh? So this is how you treat your savior?”
“I’m just drawing a bottom line.”
“Looks more like you’re drawing a line between us.”
**
After two days of flight, the transport finally reached the edge star domain.
Everyone was eagerly gazing at the base in the distance when suddenly, the sealed cockpit door hissed open with a release of pressure. A pilot walked in.
The man held a datapad, scanning them all with a rude look.
“Hey, you.”
They were all baffled by his tone, staring at him without moving.
“What are you looking at? I’m talking to you!” The man’s tone grew worse, tapping the datapad with his finger. “Which one of you is Blade?”
Instantly, no one spoke, no one moved. They just stared straight at him.
When there was no response, the man’s face reddened with anger. “Speak! Cat got your tongues?”
Ning Feng raised an eyebrow lazily and lifted one hand.
“I am.”
“You? A robot?”
He looked Ning Feng up and down with a critical eye, his gaze full of undisguised contempt. Then he snorted. “With a piece of junk like you, you still call yourself ‘Blade’?”
Ning Feng didn’t react much, but Wen Qianyong’s face reddened. “How can you talk like that—”
“We land in ten minutes. Buckle up or not, I don’t care. If you get thrown out, it’s not my problem.” Without even acknowledging what they said, the man turned and went back into the cockpit, slamming the door shut.
“Why do they talk like that?!”
“Xiao Yong, just ignore him.”
“Idiot, you think everyone’s as nice as Boss He?”
…
Ning Feng couldn’t be bothered to correct the lofty image of “Boss He” in their minds. He turned his head to look out the window.
The afternoon sunlight fell on the spaceport, casting a pale blue glow. Logistics landing pads extended around them. Beyond the wide, flat landing field stood orderly defensive structures and building complexes. At the heart of it all were the base’s command room and intelligence room—where Ning Feng used to handle military affairs.
Seeing all the familiar sights, Ning Feng felt a surreal, almost otherworldly sensation. Some fragmentary memories pressed lightly against his chest.
The roar of the transport gradually faded. The ship slowly rotated, the engine sounds changing. Finally, with a slight jolt, the engine came to a complete stop—
Nora Base had arrived.