Chapter 57#
Introduction#
Under the impatient urging of the captain, they were herded off the plane like chicks. After being left on the tarmac for half a day, a ground crew member finally shuffled over slowly.
Though annoyed, since it was their first time entering such a large-scale base, curiosity got the better of them. They walked along, looking around. They were taken to a room, and the staff member handling the handover didn’t give them any attitude—just glanced at them a couple of extra times upon hearing the name “Blade.”
After filling out registration forms and passing through a series of strict detection instruments, they collected their supplies and were assigned their respective positions.
As a mechanic, Samu was naturally assigned to the heavy weapons factory. Wen Qianyong and Crazy Mouse were assigned to the patrol team for routine patrols. Ning Feng and Qiu Zhen were sent to the logistics department.
“Why am I in logistics?” Qiu Zhen was very dissatisfied.
“This arrangement is based on work capabilities and the base’s needs.”
“What’s wrong with my work capability?”
“Hehe, it means with your ability, you’re only fit for odd jobs.”
“Why do you get to go to the patrol team?”
“If you’re dissatisfied, you can submit a request at any time,” the staff member said indifferently. “We might arrange another position, or we might not. Or we could terminate the contract for ‘insubordination.’”
Qiu Zhen pursed his lips, angry but not daring to speak.
Ning Feng leaned against the wall watching for a while, then let out a soft laugh.
“What’s the rush? They must have done their research before signing the contracts.” He paused and continued, “Those two came from the same team, so they probably work better together—perfect for the patrol team. You, on the other hand, have plenty of practical experience, but with the New Year approaching, logistics needs more hands.”
Everyone was taken aback, especially the staff member, who looked suspicious and wary.
The gazes around them instantly sharpened—some probing, some speculative, all carrying a hint of malice. But Ning Feng didn’t care and walked over casually.
“Don’t underestimate logistics just because it’s all trivial tasks. All supplies coming in and out of the base, as well as wartime resource allocation, rely on logistics. Since this base combines command and support, the functionality of other departments depends entirely on logistics support.”
“Haha, well said.”
Suddenly, a hearty laugh came from afar. Ning Feng followed the sound and was stunned to find it was Big Beard.
He froze.
“You little robot sure knows a lot.” Big Beard patted the robot on the shoulder, his eyes full of approval.
Seeing a friend he hadn’t met in days, Ning Feng’s lens contracted briefly before he suppressed the surging emotions in his heart. His flat mechanical voice responded lightly, “Thank you.”
“Commander, what brings you here?” The ground crew member quickly stood up. Though Big Beard was the head of the heavy weapons factory, their work often overlapped, making him something of a half-superior.
“I had some free time, so I thought I’d drop by.” Big Beard cleared his throat, scanned the room, and finally fixed his gaze on Samu.
“You’re Samu?”
“Hello.” Samu smiled slightly.
Big Beard nodded. “General Yin has already applied for an antidote for you in advance. I’ll have someone take you to the research department later. As for you two,” he looked at Wen Qianyong and Crazy Mouse, “report to the Marine Corps now. The squad leader has been waiting for you half the day, and he doesn’t have the best temper.”
“As for you all…” His gaze landed on the robot. “Come on, I’ll show you around.”
The ground crew member was dumbfounded. Normally, such orientation tasks were given to just anyone—why would the department head do it himself?
As if reading his thoughts, Big Beard lowered his voice and pointed upward.
“I’ve got time anyway.”
“… "
Since he “had time,” there were no more questions. After completing the formalities, everyone went their separate ways according to their assignments.
Big Beard led them around the base, introducing things as they walked.
When they reached logistics, Ning Feng took the opportunity to ask about recent cargo shipments—whether there had been anything unusual since before he left. After all, the Federation’s previous incursion by the Zerg had also been through shipping routes.
However, Big Beard didn’t go into much detail. First, they were new here; second, confidentiality was a concern since they weren’t regular soldiers.
Just as Ning Feng was peppering him with questions, he suddenly noticed Big Beard staring behind him with a surprised expression.
“Commander?”
Ning Feng paused. The next moment, a cool, clear voice brushed past his ear.
“Mm.”
The movement of someone walking by stirred a slight breeze, carrying a familiar scent, and then stopped beside him. Something swelled in his chest, gradually boiling over and spreading through his body. The mechanical lens tightened and loosened several times before he slowly turned around and smiled.
“Fancy meeting you again, Boss He.”
Yin Beichen’s brows furrowed slightly as he looked at him.
Anyone could tell there was something strange about this reaction. Qiu Zhen’s eyes darted between the two, but Big Beard quickly smoothed things over with a laugh. “Boss He? Haha, this is the base’s supreme commander—”
“You’re that Major General Yin!” Qiu Zhen’s eyes widened in shock as he unabashedly sized him up. “You look way too young! I thought you’d be some old uncle, but your face is actually pretty—”
“Ahem!” Big Beard quickly cut him off. “Commander, these two are newly hired mercenaries.”
Yin Beichen withdrew his gaze and said coldly, “I’m Yin Beichen.”
Ning Feng raised an eyebrow, the curve of his lips widening.
“So, Boss Yin it is.”
Everyone: …
Sensing the awkward atmosphere, Big Beard let out a dry laugh. “What brings you here?”
“I was just inspecting the troops’ training and happened to pass by,” Yin Beichen said, looking away.
The training ground was on the opposite side of the base—how was that “on the way”?
Though he wanted to complain, Big Beard didn’t call him out. Just as he was about to continue the introduction, Yin Beichen interrupted. “A cargo ship just docked at the spaceport. I saw logistics looking for help.”
Qiu Zhen’s eyes lit up immediately. “Commander, I volunteer to help!”
Yin Beichen gave a faint “mm,” and Qiu Zhen trotted off happily.
Big Beard: …
Since not everyone was present, the tour could end there. Just as he was about to send the others to report for duty, Yin Beichen spoke again. “About the data you mentioned earlier—elaborate on it.” After a moment’s thought, he added, “Focus on the last two months.”
Big Beard was completely stunned. This was all critical base data concerning combat readiness and personnel—how could he discuss it openly in front of a mercenary?
“Commander, this…”
“What’s the matter?”
“… Nothing.”
Meeting Yin Beichen’s slightly furrowed brow, Big Beard shuddered. He finally understood why the commander had insisted on him coming. If it had been the logistics head, that rigid stickler wouldn’t have uttered a single word.
Ning Feng glanced at Yin Beichen but said nothing, focusing his attention on the data.
This so-called tour lasted nearly two hours.
Throughout it, Yin Beichen accompanied them in silence, only occasionally interjecting an explanation or indicating a section to be elaborated on. But his eyes kept drifting to the side. Big Beard couldn’t ignore it even if he tried.
“I understand,” Ning Feng nodded.
“Is there anything you don’t understand?” Yin Beichen asked.
“No,” Ning Feng shook his head. “But…”
Hearing that “but,” Big Beard’s throat tightened, dreading another two hours. He stared at the robot, only to notice that its square, battered metal face somehow carried a hint of… mischief?
Ning Feng paused for a moment, then pointed at one of the crates.
“But what’s this?”
Big Beard hurried over. On the side of the steel crate was a small symbol that looked like the letter [G].
Yin Beichen’s brow twitched. “Which batch is this from?”
Big Beard immediately checked the records. “It arrived this morning—mostly fresh fruits and vegetables. With the New Year approaching, we’re short-handed, so it’s been temporarily left unloaded.”
“How many crates like this are there?” Ning Feng asked again.
Having worked at the base for so many years, Big Beard was being interrogated by an external mercenary for the first time. He paused and looked at Yin Beichen. To his surprise, the latter didn’t find anything wrong with it and even helped ask again.
“How many?”
“… I’ll need to confirm with logistics.”
“Have them confirm it as soon as possible.”
Big Beard was stunned again. He never thought his stubborn commander, who was immune to soft or hard tactics, would actually listen to a mercenary’s opinion and order a thorough investigation of an obscure symbol!
Who was this robot?
Was it just because he was called Blade?
For the first time, Big Beard carefully scrutinized the robot.
After waiting a while with no response, Yin Beichen frowned. “Understood?”
Big Beard snapped back to reality. “Understood, Commander.”
“You may go. I’ll show him around.”
Big Beard: ???
Compared to Big Beard’s shock, Ning Feng was rather nonchalant. “Boss Yin, I’m just a mercenary, and you’re a big shot. Isn’t it inappropriate for you to show me around?”
“Inappropriate?” Yin Beichen turned to Big Beard, his gaze flat.
Big Beard felt his skin crawl and his hair stand on end.
“Appropriate, very appropriate.” He gave a dry laugh. “Ah, I just remembered I have something to take care of. I’ll leave it to you, Commander!”
With that, he saluted and fled without looking back.
In an instant, only Ning Feng and Yin Beichen were left in the warehouse.
Glancing at Ning Feng, Yin Beichen said lightly, “Let’s go.”
Watching the tall figure ahead, Ning Feng furrowed his thick brows and clicked his tongue.
**
Compared to Big Beard’s detailed introduction, Yin Beichen was a terrible guide.
He didn’t say a word the whole time. Only when they arrived at a place would he blandly say, “This is such-and-such department,” then call over the department head for introductions. The department heads would look bewildered but, out of respect for the commander, had to force a polite exchange.
By the end of the day, they hadn’t visited many places, but they had met all the department heads.
Except for the research department.
Ning Feng: …
As for Yin Beichen’s intentions, Ning Feng couldn’t figure them out.
He was an external hire now—an awkward position. Investigating the Zerg issue would be no small challenge. But after this stir, at least people now had a preliminary impression of him. With Yin Beichen’s endorsement, they might cooperate a bit more in the future if needed.
But… why was Yin Beichen doing this?
He wasn’t narcissistic enough to think the other was helping him. Maybe Yin Beichen wanted to use him to investigate something—after all, some things were easier for him to handle.
Yeah, that must be it.
Ning Feng chuckled bitterly, his emotions gradually settling. He mechanically followed Yin Beichen until they passed a certain garage, where he stopped.
He remembered this was his old private garage. Inside was—
“What’s wrong?” Yin Beichen turned to look.
“Nothing~” Ning Feng looked away.
Glancing at the garage door, then at Ning Feng’s slightly turned face, Yin Beichen lowered his eyes, hiding the emotions flowing in their depths.
They walked in silence. When Ning Feng came to his senses, he realized they were heading toward the dorms.
“What are we seeing here?”
“Visiting the dorms.”
“The group dorms aren’t this way.”
Yin Beichen paused, turning his head slightly to fix his gaze on him. “How do you know you’re staying in the group dorms?”
Hearing this, Ning Feng froze.
The base had separate accommodations for external personnel, not with the regular troops. But this was his first day—how could he possibly know that?
Ning Feng fell silent.
Fortunately, Yin Beichen didn’t press further and simply continued leading the way.
The two walked quietly, one after the other, their footsteps echoing in the corridor. The distant roar of shuttles taking off and landing felt like a different world from the small space they occupied. The faint scent of flowers drifted from both sides, relaxing the nerves.
However, the deeper they went along this route, the tighter Ning Feng’s nerves became.
This path…
His eyelids trembled slightly, and he slowed down.
Yin Beichen immediately sensed the change and stopped ahead, waiting silently. Ning Feng furrowed his brows, let out a derisive laugh, and quickened his pace to catch up.
Finally, they stopped in front of a door.
This was his dorm.
Staring at the familiar door panel, Ning Feng felt like a heavy stone was pressing on his chest, making his engine whine softly. He bowed his head slightly, his fingertips pressing hard before stopping.
With a beep, Yin Beichen unlocked the door but didn’t push it open. “This is your dorm.”
“You want me to stay here?” Ning Feng’s tone dropped.
“Mm.”
After a moment of silence, Ning Feng’s lips twisted into a smirk, and he strode in casually with his hands in his pockets.
The room was clean—someone had clearly cleaned it regularly. The items were in the same positions as he remembered, even the pillows and blankets on the bed hadn’t been touched.
He touched things here and there, occasionally picking up an object to examine closely, and slowly made a full circle. “Really? Me, staying in such a nice place alone—doesn’t seem appropriate, does it?”
“Nothing inappropriate. Dorms are for people to live in,” Yin Beichen said, standing by the door without entering.
“What if I don’t want to?”
“Where do you want to stay?”
“With the others, in the group dorms.”
“The group dorms don’t have dedicated charging stations.”
“Then the garage. There must be one in the garage, right?” Ning Feng tossed an object aside carelessly. “This room is too precious. I’m just a broken robot—I can’t afford to stay here; I’m not used to it. I appreciate the thought, but next time you have this kind of spare time, you might want to put it into more practical matters—like cutting me some slack when I’m working. After all, I’m getting paid by you, so I need to do my job properly.”
Yin Beichen pressed his lips together. After a long, heavy silence, he let out a slow breath. “The garage conditions are poor, and the people there are mixed. It’s not like the dorms, which have guards stationed outside.”
“Are you worried I won’t sleep well?” Ning Feng sneered.
“I’m worried about your safety.” His blue eyes fixed on the robot, carrying an emotion that was hard to read.
Ning Feng had never expected to hear these words from Yin Beichen. He froze, his engine stalling for a moment.
“Worried?” He muttered the word and then laughed.
“Boss Yin, you sure care about me. I’m flattered.” He walked step by step until he was right in front of the other. “What, are you mistaking me for some dead person again?”
Yin Beichen didn’t speak, his brows only drawing tighter.
“This room is full of personal items—someone lived here before, right? That dead person? Not bad, it looks pretty clean. Did you have someone clean it specially?” Ning Feng let out a sneer, his voice rising slightly. “But it’s funny—you only think to worry after the person is dead?”
He glanced sideways. “What are you trying to play for me?”
“That’s not what I meant.” Yin Beichen’s face turned cold. He instinctively reached out to grab, but Ning Feng dodged nimbly.
Just then—
“Carrot!”
Ning Feng was startled. He followed the voice and saw Qu Yan standing at the end of the corridor, panting. He immediately grinned crookedly. “Ooh, where’d this handsome guy come from? Can I get your contact info?”
In an instant, the paleness of Yin Beichen’s handsome face showed a trace of barely concealed stiffness.