“I was saying, how could you possibly contact us for no reason?”
It was early morning. Lao Yu let out a loud yawn on the video. “Is that all the materials? I think there’s nothing wrong with it. Xiaoman, come and take a look.”
“The delivery can be completed in half a month.” Ji Xiaoman skillfully confirmed the list.
“Okay, I’ll transfer the fee to you later.” Ruan Xian nodded.
Ruan Xian’s personal laboratory was unable to handle the storage and processing of many special materials—they require extreme conditions, giant equipment, and a lot of energy. Only a large enterprise would have such conditions to handle them.
So Yu Le and Ji Xiaoman’s company became Ruan Xian’s supplier, providing customized services exclusively for him.
…Speaking of which, Ruan Xian’s needs were usually fixed, but this time, he suddenly had new requirements.
Lao Yu yawned again and glanced at the list. “Hey, these things look like electronic brain components. Are you going to give Tang Yibu a brother or sister? Or are you two making a baby?”
Ruan Xian took a sip of hot tea and didn’t answer.
Ji Xiaoman hesitated. “Are you playing to make a new container for MUL-01…”
“Of course not,” Ruan Xian said. “By the way, this matter must be kept secret from Tang Yibu.”
Seeing Ruan Xian’s serious attitude, Yu Le and Ji Xiaoman consciously stopped asking. The relationship between this human-android couple couldn’t be predicted by common sense, and they didn’t want to get involved.
At this moment, in the living room downstairs.
Tang Yibu was watching over the pot, leisurely cooking honey-glazed barbeque.
Sunlight streamed through the huge French windows, evenly spreading over the barbeque along with the syrup. Amidst the heat, the gravy and honey sparkled.
Tang Yibu couldn’t help but have a little taste. It was just right; Mr. Ruan’s favorite flavor.
His body had just finished maintenance, and his physical body was steadily improving. The results of this physical examination showed that his sense of tense had increased by about 5%.
Tang Yibu adjusted his apron and secretly ate another piece of meat.
Normally, at this time, Ruan Xian would finish his morning reading, go downstairs for breakfast, and they would exchange a kiss before their meal. But today, Tang Yibu had finished a whole skewer of meat but still didn’t get a good morning kiss from his Mr. Ruan.
He turned down the flame and without even taking off his apron, jumped up the stairs.
Ruan Xian was writing and drawing at his desk, apparently lost in his own world. Seeing Tang Yibu approach, he casually closed his notebook and took it in his hand.
“Barbeque for breakfast? It smells delicious.” He smiled at Tang Yibu.
Tang Yibu didn’t have any suspicions. When Ruan Xian was thinking about an issue, he often would get lost in his own world.
He happily walked over and kissed Ruan Xian on the cheek. “Hurry downstairs or the meat will get overcooked.”
However, from that day on, Ruan Xian’s frequency of “selflessness” increased rapidly. He began staying up late, holed up in his private laboratory… Worst of all, they even had less time for intimacy at night.
This scene gave Tang Yibu a subtle sense of déjà vu. He suddenly remembered that when his electronic brain wasn’t yet completed, Mr. Ruan was always busy like this.
But his electronic brain had been completed long ago, and the optimization over the years had been focused on his physical body, so the complexity wasn’t that high.
Strange. What on earth is his Mr. Ruan busy with?
……
Ruan Xian recently discovered that Tang Yibu might be growing in every corner of the house.
Tang Yibu noticed his daily changes and asked him several times. Seeing that Ruan Xian was avoiding the answer, Tang Yibu didn’t insist on asking, giving him some space.
But this couldn’t dispel someone’s curiosity.
Afterwards, when Ruan Xian was researching alone, Tang Yibu would appear from all sorts of strange places—
He had a simple meal in the lab, and Tang Yibu came in to deliver eighteen different types of snacks; he went to the water bar to make coffee, and Tang Yibu would go into the water cabinet to check the screws; he went to the warehouse to get materials, and Tang Yibu would be counting inventory one shelf over.
The most exaggerated time was when several large boxes of consumables were delivered to the lab, Ruan Xian opened the box and saw an android curled up inside.
“Enclosed spaces are great for meditation.” Tang Yibu tried to argue seriously while hugging his knees.
Ruan Xian: “……”
He could almost see the question marks and expectation gleaming in the other person’s eyes. Tang Yibu stopped asking questions outwardly, but in the end, it just softened his defenses in a different way.
Ruan Xian patted Tang Yibu’s head in amusement and said, “Alright, how much have you investigated?”
Tang Yibu squeezed deeper into the box and asked, “What investigation?”
Ruan Xian gave him a meaningful look.
Tang Yibu’s eyes became purer, as if he was trying to exude an innocent aura.
Ruan Xian smiled, crossed his arms, and continued to stare at his android.
Less than half a minute later, Tang Yibu gave a few grunts, and his voice became increasingly softer. “Depending on the materials you use and the changes in our family’s funds… I guess you are doing research on a new type of electronic brain…”
At the end, his voice rose a bit. “Are you really going to create a new electronic brain?”
Before Ruan Xian could answer, Tang Yibu started spouting off.
He went from, “I’m an exceptionally rare case of success”, to, “The reason of MUL-01 failure”, to, “The crisis of proliferation of mechanical life”, and even, “I forgot to control my anger and just listened to the announcement on the tablet”.
In this way, Tang Yibu almost created a research paper out of thin air, probably titled: “On the Dangers of the Birth of a Second Electronic Brain”.
Looking at his awkward expression, it was hard to tell whether he was just an adult only child who just discovered his parents having a second child at such an older age, or one party in a long-standing DINK family announcing the cancellation of their philosophy.
…He looked quite aggrieved.
No, now’s not the time to be soft-hearted.
Ruan Xian remained expressionless. He slowly lifted the id of the box and closed it, then pushed the shaking box out of the lab.
Finally, half a month passed.
Another morning, Yu Le opened a video call and started howling.
“Your Tang Yibu has targeted us and hacked all the company’s surveillance cameras!”
Yu Le collapsed. “Not only is he watching everything we ship, but he’s also specifically targeting us. Wherever we go, all the cameras are following us. This is fucking terrifying! Big Boss, how long are you going to keep this a secret?!”
“I’ll take care of it,” Ruan Xian said.
Tang Yibu seemed to be too curious. It was almost time. Ruan Xian put on his white shirt and picked up the small box he had prepared long ago.
Downstairs, Tang Yibu was still making breakfast. This time, he was cooking noodles. His golden eyes seemed to have their own coordination as they instinctively zeroed in on Ruan Xian’s direction.
“We’re having plain noodles with boiled eggs this morning. I made tea in advance.” Tang Yibu pretended that everything was fine.
“Would you like some candy?” Ruan Xian asked.
Tang Yibu: “?”
Ruan Xian took out a metal candy box he was carrying under his arms and shook it. A faint sweet smell emanated from the box.
This was a good sign from Mr. Ruan! Tang Yibu twitched his nose and quickly rubbed against Ruan Xian. “Of course I’ll eat it.”
Ruan Xian smiled and picked up the golden candy ball. In the morning sun, it shone with a strange metallic luster, making it difficult to tell what material it was made of.
Tang Yibu opened his mouth in agreement. He had a feeling this wasn’t just candy, but Ruan Xian had already fed it to him. Even if it was poisoned, he had to swallow it. He bit down on the candy ball, his lips deliberately brushing against Ruan Xian’s fingertips.
The candy melted in his mouth, exuding a rich sweetness and a strange coolness. The coldness flowed through his throat and seeped into his brain.
It was as if a gentle breeze blew past his brain, and Tang Yibu felt a sense of relief, as if his nasal congestion, which had lasted for years, finally cleared up. He almost felt like he was floating.
This thing was too delicious. Tang Yibu looked at Ruan Xian eagerly. Then he quickly remembered something and tried to suppress his happy smile, his expression changing to a less skilled reserved one.
“Mr. Ruan, even if you bribe me with this, my opinion won’t change.”
“I made your electronic brain when I was young. The considerations weren’t comprehensive enough, and the technology at that time wasn’t as advanced as it is now,” Ruan Xian said softly. “Your physical body is regularly upgraded, but your electronic brain can only update software patches…”
Tang Yibu blinked. “I’m already very happy.”
“But I want the best for you.”
Ruan Xian reached out and caressed Tang Yibu’s hair.
If Tang Yibu’s electronic brain were to be completely replaced, he would have to undergo a series of major surgeries. Even with his own recovery ability, such surgery still carries certain risks.
If there was a problem with Tang Yibu’s program data when replacing the electronic brain, it can’t be repaired with just strong recovery ability.
Even if Ruan Xian was confident in his plan, he didn’t want to take any risks when it came to Tang Yibu.
Tang Yibu heard the hidden meaning, and his eyes became brighter. “What do you mean?”
“I programmed the nanobots in the candy. They carry new materials and can slowly upgrade your electronic brain in sections. This way, no major surgery is required, and your data will remain safe,” Ruan Xian said with a smile.
Tang Yibu’s throat bobbed. He thought his life was perfect enough, but now he was experiencing happiness that was overwhelming him.
“Why did you keep it a secret from me?” He hugged Ruan Xian tightly and let out a satisfied sigh.
“Happy birthday,” Ruan Xian said. “If I told you too early, it wouldn’t be a surprise.”
“My birthday is still five months away.”
“I know. This ‘electronic brain renewal agent’ needs to be taken for exactly five months, which is now just the right time.”
Ruan Xian stretched out his arms and hugged Tang Yibu’s back, gently rubbing it.
Tang Yibu’s electronic brain was roughly removed and taken away. His original body was urgently created and manufactured by other machines.
Tang Yibu was his, and Ruan Xian couldn’t tolerate any harm coming to him. He wanted to use newer and better things to wipe away the imperfections and regrets of the past.
Ruan Xian: “Five months later, I’ll personally complete both your mind and body… That will be your ‘real’ birthday.”
Tang Yibu’s spirits lifted and he said happily, “Perfect. Now I belong to you completely!”
“Yes.”
“This is such a great gift. It’s going to be difficult to return the favor.” Tang Yibu buried his nose in Ruan Xian’s neck. “It’s not like I can somehow let you be reborn.”
There was no need for such a thing. Before Ruan Xian could reply, he heard the android continue in a low voice.
“Oh, and not only can I be your lover, but I can also love you like your closest family—that would be giving you a new home. This is a very interesting topic!”
“Look forward to it, Mr. Ruan.”
The author has something to say:
The iron bead will appear again next time. I’m sorry (……
Tang Yibu swayed to the music while beating vanilla into the egg mixture in the mixing bowl. This was a recipe he had just found online, and it was said to make very delicious cookies.
The music was upbeat and exciting, and Tang Yibu followed to the beat as he mixed the cookie batter.
Ruan Xian stood on the other side of the kitchen, quietly cooking wontons. They made them together last night, mixing the meat filling themselves. Rang Yibu could eat dozens of them in a single meal.
The iron bead ran around the two of them, waiting with its mouth open for nay kitchen utensils that might fall. With such an enthusiastic mechanical life around, if the two dropped a spatula or a spoon, there was a 200% chance they wouldn’t be able to retrieve it.
“Almond powder~ white powdered sugar~ low-gluten flour~”
Tang Yibu spun around, humming a little tune. “Vanilla pod~ light butter~ fresh eggs~”
Bang—!
Suddenly, with a clattering sound, the stainless steel bowl and mixer filled with batter fell to the ground. The iron bead pounced on it like a lunatic, pressing the stainless steel bowl against its face while it frantically ate it, splattering the batter all over itself.
“Huh?” Tang Yibu looked at his hands.
“What’s wrong?” Ruan Xian asked.
“My hand slipped.” Tang Yibu rubbed the batter on his hand. “What bad luck! The cookies are… Mr. Ruan?”
Ruan Xian immediately turned off the stove and rushed over. He grabbed Tang Yibu’s hand. “Why did your hand slip?”
He had just lost his cookies, and now he was going to lose his wontons too!
Tang Yibu blinked. “My hand just slipped. Maybe it got wet. Mr. Ruan, the wontons need to be soaked.”
“No, your hand doesn’t ‘just slip’.”
Ruan Xian ignored the pot of wontons. He gently massaged Tang Yibu’s hands, from the wrist to the fingers, then to the joints and the fingertips, without leaving out a single piece of skin.
“I have specially modified your nervous system to ensure that you’ll never make any mistakes in battle… Remember, even if you don’t feel pain, you can’t take it lightly.”
Tang Yibu felt quite comfortable being massaged and gave a soft hum.
…It wasn’t until he was dragged into the laboratory by Ruan Xian that he realized something was wrong.
“Mr. Ruan, we haven’t had breakfast yet,” he said pitifully.
“That’s perfect. This way the blood test data will be more accurate,” Ruan Xian said mercilessly. “Just finish the test obediently and then you can eat whatever you want. I’ll make you a hundred dishes.”
“Mr. Ruan, you haven’t had breakfast yet either,” Tang Yibu repeated stubbornly.
Ruan Xian: “It doesn’t matter if my intestines and stomach are gone. Lie die and don’t move.”
Tang Yibu became obedient.
After a series of tests, including blood samples, tissue samples, and CT scans, Tang Yibu lay there feeling completely numb.
After completing the necessary examinations, Ruan Xian placed a cup of coconut water with a straw next to the bed. Tang Yibu turned his head away, sipping the drink and concentrating on watching Ruan Xian’s busy back.
Soon, Ruan Xian came to a conclusion.
“It’s a small bug.” He breathed a sigh of relief and wiped the sweat from his forehead. “There’s something wrong with the adaptation of the nervous system. Fortunately, it was discovered early… In general, Tang Yibu, you eat too many sweets.”
The sound of Tang Yibu slurping his drink suddenly stopped.
“Your body won’t get fat or age, but it does take in nutrients, which will have an impact on it.”
Ruan Xian was still busy at his desk. “If problems accumulate, your nerve endings will become dull, and you’ll occasionally experience muscle weakness.”
This isn’t fair, Tang Yibu thought sadly. Mr. Ruan was clearly eating candy too—to be more precise, Ruan Xian was even more of a candy eater than he was thanks to his exceptional recovery abilities.
But thinking back, Ruan Xian did limit his sugar intake. This included, but wasn’t limited too, reducing desserts for breakfasts and dinners, cooking as much meat as possible when he was in charge, and eating up all the sweet snacks at home before he did.
When he was playing games and drinking hot chocolate with marshmallows, Ruan Xian would constantly remind him of this.
…Then Tang Yibu would just do it secretly anyway.
After all, sugar high was really addictive. Anyway, his brain and muscles were working at high speed all the time, so he can digest any amount of sugar.
He thought Mr. Ruan was just habitually exuding “fatherly love”. Who would have thought it turned out like this!
It seems life will be less fun in the future, Tang Yibu mumbled dejectedly.
“Hmm… But this is also good. It can adjust your body’s tolerance. If it’s designed like this… Let me think about it…” Several electronic screens floated around at the same time as Ruan Xian quickly wrote something.
Unfortunately, all the wontons they made together ended up in Tang Yibu’s stomach. He tried to drag Mr. Ruan out of the lab or send some hot food in.
However, Ruan Xian didn’t want to waste any time and just swallowed nutritional supplements. He even skipped sleep, prioritizing this bug as if it would cost Tang Yibu his life.
Tang Yibu didn’t bother acting subtly. He dragged a sleeping bag into the lab and slept on the examination table at night to ensure he could see Ruan Xian as soon as he opened his eyes.
Whenever there was a chance, Tang Yibu would appear behind Ruan Xian like a ghost and stuff candies of various flavors into Ruan Xian’s mouth—he couldn’t bear to see his lover taking only nutritional supplements to fill their stomach.
Finally, on the third day, Ruan Xian left the workbench.
“It’s done.”
He took a needle-free syringe filled with golden liquid and said, “As long as you inject this, your sugar tolerance will increase. You don’t have to force yourself to correct your lifestyle habits.”
“It will exist in your body for a long time, autonomously nourishing your nerves, just like a plant takes care of its roots… If you can control it skillfully, you can even adjust the sensitivity of your nerve ending.”
Ruan Xian’s face was a little pale and his eyes were filled with a sense of relief.
“…But it’s a good thing to eat less sugar. Just treat it as daily maintenance,” he finally concluded.
Tang Yibu jumped off the examination table. Without even looking, he quickly injected it into himself and said, “Mr. Ruan, you can rest now.”
“No.” Ruan Xian grabbed Tang Yibu’s shoulders. “I need to do another check. I want to make sure you’re okay—”
“I watched you do it all. I can do it myself.” Tang Yibu kissed Ruan Xian on the forehead. “Go to sleep, Mr. Ruan.”
“No,” Ruan Xian said stubbornly.
Tang Yibu tilted his head, pulled Ruan Xian into his arms, and laid down in the soft sleep bag. “If you don’t rest, we’ll just stay here.”
The advantages of the A-type Prototype were now undeniable. Ruan Xian struggled for a long time, but Tang Yibu didn’t even loosen his grip. Not satisfied, he leaned over to Ruan Xian’s ear and whispered, “Look, my grip has returned remarkably well.”
In the end, Ruan Xian couldn’t resist his own android and fell asleep in Tang Yibu’s arms.
Tang Yibu closed his eyes and felt the warmth of the person in his arms for a while. Ruan Xian was sleeping soundly, but his hands were still tightly grasping his clothes—this was something he would do before.
Mr. Ruan’s concern made him feel itchy inside, as if a warm furball was caressing him. But if he fell ill, Ruan Xian would become particularly worried… The two things balanced each other out, so it was better for him to stay healthy.
Well, he could drink one less sweet drink a day.
……
A month passed.
Morning, kitchen.
Tang Yibu swayed to the music again while stirring the vanilla egg mixture in the bowl to the beat, making clinking noises.
This time, his hands were steadier than a robotic arm and he stirred even faster. It was just as good again.
“Almond powder~ white powdered sugar~ low-gluten flour~”
“Vanilla pod~ light butter~ fresh eggs~”
Tang Yibu spun around, feeling his precise and powerful movements. His balance ability had increased by more than 10% compared to before, making him quite satisfied.
But when it came to adding the powdered sugar, Tang Yibu hesitated for a few seconds and reduced the amount by a third.
As a cost to his health, this would undoubtedly sacrifice some taste. But on the other hand, it could increase the sensitivity of his tongue, allowing him to experience a more delicate sweetness. Ruan Xian’s improvements were successful, and Tang Yibu had thoroughly mastered their use.
Sometimes, he would deliberately increase the sensation on his tongue, fingertips, and skin. The feeling was so wonderful that it was hard to describe; enough to make up for the regret caused by the lack of sugar.
As expected from his Mr. Ruan!
In a light and happy mood, Tang Yibu mixed the cookie batter, squeezed them into heart shapes with a piping bag, and happily put them in the oven. Next, he would prepare another batch with a normal sugar content for Ruan Xian, who wasn’t afraid of high sugar consumption…
“Come here.” Ruan Xian put the spatula down as Tang Yibu stretched out his hand.
Was he asking for his help?
Tang Yibu sniffed the aroma of breakfast and approached Ruan Xian cheerfully. “What’s wrong? I just happened to be… Mr. Ruan?”
Ruan Xian put one hand around his waist and the other around the back of his neck, giving him a long kiss. Between his lips, Tang Yibu tasted a warm, sweet richness.
He hurriedly turned up the sensitivity of his tongue to the highest level and deepened the kiss—a kiss that was extremely sweet in every sense of the word.
The rich aroma of cookies wafted from the oven, while the fried eggs and bacon sizzled on the pan. The morning sun enveloped the entire kitchen, bathing the two in warm, golden light.
It wasn’t until the slight smell of burnt food appeared in the air that the two reluctantly separated, leaving faint traces of each other on their lips and tongues.
“Just now, I saw that you consciously reduced the sugar.”
Ruan Xian slid his fingers through Tang Yibu’s slightly long hair, stroking them. “So I want to give you a little bit of sugar substitute. Do you like it?”
Tang Yibu thought about it seriously for a while. “I can reduce sugar intake five more times today.”
“So active?” Ruan Xian served breakfast and pushed a plate to Tang Yibu.
“I’ve always been a believer in science,” Tang Yibu said solemnly. “If you think about it, living a healthy life isn’t that difficult. I can satisfy my sugar cravings with fresh fruit. Of course, that’s assuming I have at least five times of sugar substitutes.”
He looked at Ruan Xian expectantly, the warm, wonderful sweetness still sliding across his tongue, stimulating his brain.
Before kissing him again, Ruan Xian must have secretly sucked on a special candy. Thinking of the surprise Mr. Ruan had prepared for him without telling him, Tang Yibu felt as soft and happy as if he were walking on cotton.
Across the table, Ruan Xian let out a long hum.
“Five times of sugar substitutes.” Ah, this might be a bit difficult. He picked up a piece of bacon and pointed his chopstick in Tang Yibu’s direction. “I can’t do it. How about I just kiss you five times a day, or maybe ten?”
Ruan Xian gripped the knife tightly and cut off the vines that were in the way.
Once, he thought he’d never be able to visit a place like this. The sounds of chirping birds and insects filled his ears, and the air was hot and sticky. The smell of decaying plants lingered at the tip of his nose. All he could see was green, and then more green, and darker green.
They were heading deep into an uninhabited rainforest.
Tang Yibu walked a step or two ahead of Ruan Xian, his head tilted from side to side, his whole body filled with excitement. He would occasionally suddenly stop, concentrating on studying the strange insects that had suddenly appeared, like an elementary school student visiting a museum for the first time. Ruan Xian tried to act more mature, but his gaze was constantly drawn to the spectacular scenery around him.
Even through this place called “Green Hell”, it was an extremely beautiful hell.
Well, Tang Yibu wanted to explore the rainforest alone, and life in this rainforest was no small matter. Even if he could identify all edible plants and animals, and he could defeat the most dangerous beasts here, Tang Yibu still had no way to deal with infections and toxins.
Ruan Xian was the opposite. He didn’t care about the wound infection of snake bites. But if a wild animal ate him whole, things would be difficult.
So they had to walk together, one after the other, to ensure that the other was always within their sight.
The two had come to the rainforest specifically to investigate, partly to reduce these restrictions they had. Here, they could capture mechanical life forms and find inspiration for their own upgrades.
“Look at this!”
Tang Yibu picked up a colorful caterpillar and said, ‘This isn’t in the existing biological database… Ouch!”
Before he could finish his words, he turned his wrist, his face twisted. A black leech found its way into the gap between Tang Yibu’s glove and sleeve. It had slid in to suck his blood.
Tang Yibu glared at the audacious leech with disgust on his face. Just as he got rid of the leech, the colorful caterpillar suddenly jumped up again and landed on Tang Yibu’s exposed wrist.
Suddenly, the smooth skin swelled up, and tiny blisters appeared near the wound, and it looked like it was about to start festering.
Tang Yibu’s face slowly froze and he turned to look at Ruan Xian helplessly.
Ruan Xian couldn’t help but shake his head. He held up Tang Yibu’s wrist, wiped the skin with a disinfectant cloth, and decisively applied a seal. The healing effect was immediate—the blisters that had appeared just as quickly disappeared, and the swelling of the skin abruptly subsided.
Tang Yibu finally breathed a sigh of relief and carefully put his gloves on. “Thank you, Mr. Ruan.”
As for the beautiful caterpillar, it had long since disappeared. Tang Yibu felt a bit dejected, and his pace slowed down considerably. However, he had only been rubbing his hands against the ground for a dozen seconds when Ruan Xian scooped him back and slapped him into his arms.
“Shh.” Ruan Xian rubbed his palm against Tang Yibu’s lips and the two stood there quietly.
Mr. Ruan must’ve discovered something. Tang Yibu’s golden eye scanned the surroundings. Soon, his gaze locked onto a ray of silver light.
A strange-looking creature crawled across the grass. Its body was pentagonal, like a flaked football skin, emitting a dull metallic hue. In the center of the five sides, extremely slender yellow-white armor legs protruded, exuding an artificial aura that was incompatible with other creatures.
A wild mechanical life!
Before Ruan Xian could even open his mouth, Tang Yibu dashed out. A few seconds later, he returned to Ruan Xian, proudly clutching the thing. Unlike last time, Tang Yibu covered it with an extra-tight grip, preventing the leech from getting a good stab.
Tang Yibu had learned his lesson this time. He placed the ferocious mechanical life into a box and then showed it to Ruan Xian. But the second he handed over the box, Tang Yibu hesitated and tilted his head.
“I think I was stung by it just now. It’s a little itchy here.” Tang Yibu poked the right side of his neck.
Ruan Xian took a half step closer. The skin didn’t look like it had any issue, but the problem was Tang Yibu’s heartbeat was a little faster and he seemed nervous.
“Just in case.” Ruan Xian smiled. He hugged Tang Yibu’s neck and gently sucked the skin at where he was pointing.
After the kiss, Tang Yibu happily carried the specimen box on his back, no longer showing any sign of disappointment.
The investigation continued in an orderly manner. As night was about to fall, the number of mechanical life in the box kept increasing. During the investigation—
“Mr. Ruan, my ear was bitten by an insect, and it hurts.”
“Mr. Ruan, my face was scratched. It might be infected.”
“Mr. Ruan, my eyelids hurt a little. Can you see if it’s swollen?”
……
Tang Yibu repeatedly brought his prey closer, declaring he had sustained a variety of superficial injuries—some of which were genuine. As for the rest, he could only say that even the world’s top doctors couldn’t find any abnormalities.
But some things didn’t need to be made clear. As long as Tang Yibu pointed out the “wounds” with a serious face, Ruan Xian would cooperate and kiss them one by one, while trying to suppress his smile.
At the last moment before sunset, Tang Yibu caught another rat-shaped mechanical life. “Mr. Ruan, the bridge of my nose…”
Here we go again. This time, Ruan Xian wasn’t going to accommodate this little brat.
Under Tang Yibu’s expectant gaze, Ruan Xian skipped over his injured nose and directly kissed Tang Yibu on the lips. It was a relentless and powerful deep kiss. Tang Yibu hummed with satisfaction and quietly pressed the back of Ruan Xian’s neck, turning the deep kiss into a longer one.
“I feel much better,” after they separated, Tang Yibu said seriously. It was a pity he couldn’t hide the pride in his eyes.
……
The rainforest was inconvenient to explore at night, so the two returned to their accommodation on the outskirts of the rainforest. Ruan Xian had prepared a trailer nearby, fully stocked with research equipment. With the doors closed and the air conditioning on, the heat and humidity, as well as the mosquitoes, were completely kept out.
Tang Yibu collapsed on the bed and picked up his tablet to calculate data. His gaze would occasionally pass over the edge of the tablet, looking at Ruan Xian’s back.
Ruan Xian was concentrating on designing the “Upgrade Potion”. With his lips slightly pursed and his posture straight, he looked quite handsome. Most importantly, compared to the Ruan Xian Tang Yibu had seen in the Institute’s video recordings, the Mr. Ruan in front of him looked incredibly healthy—his hair was glossy, his skin was warm and radiant, and his muscles were the right thickness.
Just looking at the other person, Tang Yibu suddenly felt the comfort of soaking in warm water.
“…Mr. Ruan.”
“Hm?”
“I don’t think the project needs to be push forward so quickly,” Tang Yibu said. “We can always work on it together, right?”
“Just in case. We’ve discussed this before,” Ruan Xian answered. Tang Yibu needed to improve his recovery, which will improve his combat capabilities. This was the upgrade goal they had set from the beginning.
“Mm. Then leave me a weakness, just one. Only you and I will know it, okay?”
Tang Yibu had no doubts in Ruan Xian’s abilities. Given time, he would undoubtedly possess a resilience comparable to Ruan Xian’s. This idea sounded great, and indeed, it was quite appealing to him—after all, it meant absolute safety.
But it would bring him another sense of insecurity.
“Why do you want to leave a weakness on purpose?” Ruan Xian asked calmly, his tone not sounding at all surprised.
“I really like the feeling of you supporting me,” Tang Yibu admitted honestly.
If he truly became invulnerable, there would be no need for his Mr. Ruan to accompany him all the time. Just imagining the scene of acting alone made Tang Yibu uncomfortable.
“I understand.” Ruan Xian nodded and used tweezers to pick out the mechanical life he had captured during the day.
Tang Yibu was speechless. “You’re not going to delve further?”
“I kind of know the reasoning.”
Ruan Xian didn’t turn around so Tang Yibu couldn’t see the expression on his face, but he was sure that there was a hint of a smile in Ruan Xian’s tone.
Wait, Tang Yibu suddenly realized a problem—
With Ruan Xian’s ability, improving individual combat power was much easier than improving healing power. However, over the years, Ruan Xian hadn’t been very interested in external weapons or increasing his own abilities. As a result, the progress of their upgrade plans was almost the same.
Ruan Xian was a cautious person. He wasn’t kind or harmless, but he definitely wasn’t a pacifist. Logically, Mr. Ruan should be keen on strengthening himself. Unless…
Unless Ruan Xian also wanted to have a “harmless” weakness.
The corners of Tang Yibu’s mouth curled up. He rolled happily on the bed, then walked to Ruan Xian’s table.
“I know why,” Tang Yibu said, trying to put on a serious expression. “We still have a long, long time. As long as we don’t encounter any weapons of mass destruction, we won’t be at risk for the time being…”
Ruan Xian gave him a sideways glance, the corner of his mouth twitching.
“Even if we face a weapon of mass destruction, we have a comprehensive contingency plan, including emergency shields and bunkers…”
Tang Yibu bent down and watched Ruan Xian fix the pentagonal mechanical life and analyze its genetic data.
“So there’s no need to rush the upgrade research. After all, it’s for personal use, so a steady and cautious approach is more reasonable. It’s not because I want to be with your forever, nor is it because you want me to stay by your side forever.”
Tang Yibu narrowed his golden eyes and moved closer. While Ruan Xian was putting the mechanical life back into the specimen box, he kissed Ruan Xian on the cheek.
“Am I right, Mr. Ruan?”
“Wrong answer.”
Ruan Xian pushed open the specimen box and ruffled Tang Yibus’s hair. “If you really have nothing to do, you can write an analysis report and look for other directions.”
“Then let’s change the subject,” Tang Yibu said happily. “Should I analyze how much I like you, or how much you like me?”
“Fine.” Ruan Xian smiled. “You’re going in the right direction this time.”
“Then I’ll analyze them all!”
The author has something to say:
Happy (belated) Qixi Festival, everyone! See you again on Valentine’s Day next year—!
Analysis report ×
Love letter show-off √
Kinky Thoughts:
It seems the extras (besides the mini extras) will continue for all of Nian Zhong series! These are “Benefits” chapters, longer than her mini extras, that are exclusive only to the JJ app and will be updated periodically.
I can’t complain, since I love me more Happy Doomsday.
In my R-rated version, Tang Yibu would be like “Mr. Ruan, my **** kind of hurts. Will you…”, but alas…
Note: These are mini extras that the author has written posted separately on JJ. She intermittently updates them, usually on Valentine’s Day and other holidays for her CPs. The translation will be updated when the author updates her blog. You can get updates when translations are updated in my Discord server. Below is a ton of dog food.
2025/29/8
Everyone’s Summer Cool-Down Routines
Another Qixi has come around, and our married couples are celebrating again.
Here are their little everyday tricks for beating the heat—
Ruan Xian lay on a swim ring, reading at his leisure.
The pool water was crystal-clear, a delightful blue. From this spot he could feel the cool air drifting out the door, perfect for sunbathing. After a short while, he set down his tablet and prepared for a nap.
Whoosh!
A jet of cold water splashed his chest, and Ruan Xian’s drowsiness vanished on the spot. He looked up and immediately saw the culprit—Tang Yibu stood under the umbrella, one hand holding a coconut-milk qing bu liang, the other a water gun.
“Just made it!” Tang Yibu boasted of his creation while attacking his Mr. Ruan with the water gun.
Ruan Xian glanced at the dessert, then at the very advanced-looking water gun. “Which one did you ‘just make’?”
“Both,” Tang Yibu said. “Come eat it, or it won’t be cold.”
Ruan Xian paddled lazily through the lukewarm water and stretched. “I put some mangoes in the fridge. If you want, add a bit.”
“—Mm!” Tang Yibu plunked the water gun and dessert on the table and bolted.
Just yesterday he had praised a certain mango cultivar and, together with Mr. Ruan, eaten every last one. Today Ruan Xian had somehow conjured up a whole new pile. It might well be some kind of magic.
In under three minutes, Tang Yibu came racing back with a heaping platter of sliced mango. He ran headlong into a water jet; the front of his shirt was soaked through.
Ruan Xian weighed the water gun in his hand. “Very nice.”
Tang looked at his wet shirt, then at the water gun. “Which is ‘very nice’?”
“Both,” Ruan Xian said with a laugh. “All right, get over here. If you don’t eat it now, it really won’t be cold.”
Tang Yibu happily agreed, popped a wedge of mango into his mouth, and gave Ruan Xian a mango-flavored kiss.
…In the end, they still didn’t eat anything cold.
2025/5/20
Everyone’s Birthday Cakes
Congrats to the couple from “Help”on moving into the Married Zone ☆(/ω＼)
This year’s 520 (May 20) mini-extra: couples celebrate their birthdays! It’s a perfect chance to compile everyone’s birthdays~
Pale yellow cream topped with colorful gummy candies and fine gold leaf. The gummies are arranged with unusual precision, as pretty as an artwork, and the taste is first-rate.
Tang Yibu meticulously crafted it. The cake looks identical on the outside every year, but the filling is completely different each time and never repeats. Sometimes it’s delicious to the extreme, and sometimes… well, it’s rather “unique”.
※ Tang Yibu insists this is the best day of the year, better than Valentine’s Day, because his Mr. Ruan is perfect and even created the perfect NUL-00. How great is that!
Tang Yibu: October 24th
Source: The day NUL-00 went online. (Programmers’ Day)
Cake: [Coconut Milk Ice Cream Cake]
A coconut milk ice cream cake covered in rainbow sprinkles, with Tang Yibu’s age carefully spelled out in frosting. The whole cake is neat and square. Sweet, icy, and addictive to eat; Tang Yibu can devour several just on his own.
His birthday isn’t in hot weather, yet he still insists on feasting on ice cream cake at home where it is warm, fully enjoying the benefits of modern technology. Ruan Xian not only indulges him, he makes an extra one each time for his beloved.
※ The day he created Tang Yibu was the luckiest day of his life and one of the happiest. Let them indulge a little.
2025/2/16
What to Do When You’re Stuck Together
Suddenly stuck together—what should you do?
A belated Valentine’s Day mini joke (?) story has arrived! Time for some sweet, sticky fluff ☆
Tang Yibu lay with his head on the table, staring straight at their clasped hands.
“Nope, can’t figure it out.” He exhaled twice. “Mr. Ruan, I’ve hit a dead end.”
Early in the morning, they had woken up with their hands inexplicably stuck together. They immediately went to the lab, but no matter what they tried, they found nothing wrong. Their vitals were normal, skin showed no abnormal substances—but their palms just wouldn’t separate.
Luckily, they’d both slept in pajamas, or they wouldn’t have even been able to dress.
Ruan Xian was calm. “Don’t worry. Our bodies are fine. Let’s just check the data every two hours.”
“What if it never goes away…”
“It will.” Ruan Xian patted Tang Yibu’s head. “If it really doesn’t, I’ll cut off this hand, grow a new one, and then remove the part stuck to yours.”
Tang Yibu let out an “oh” in disapproval and stared at their linked hands.
Since they couldn’t move much, going out was off the table, and even doing research from home was tough. Tang Yibu laid on Ruan Xian’s hand, burying his face into his stomach, enjoying the lazy time. Ruan Xian read quietly with his free hand.
A sticky morning passed. They made do with frozen dumplings for lunch. Full and satisfied, Tang Yibu burrowed his face into Ruan Xian’s pajamas again. “Mr. Ruan, I’m so bored.”
Ruan Xian put down his book and raised an eyebrow.
When Tang Yibu said he was “bored”, it usually didn’t mean just that. For example—
“It’s a rare situation—we should do something special.”
Tang Yibu mumbled. “Otherwise, it’s no different from a regular day off.”
“Something special?”
Tang Yibu hugged Ruan Xian’s waist with his free arm and lifted his head. “Mr. Ruan, let’s dance.”
…That day, they danced for hours. From tango to slow dances, to random moves matching the music when they didn’t know what to do. Tang Yibu even made up his own steps and spun wildly, while Ruan Xian couldn’t help but smile unconsciously.
At midnight, just as Ruan was about to get a glass of water, their hands suddenly came apart. Caught off guard, Ruan slid forward—right into Tang Yibu’s embrace, who performed the most perfect spin-and-dip of the day.
Ruan Xian: “……”
Tang Yibu: “……”
Tang Yibu remained still and look thoughtfully at Ruan Xian’s now-free hand.
“In the end, I still don’t know how it worked,” he muttered in dissatisfaction.
Ruan Xian took a sip of the ice water. “All vitals are fine—we can take our time studying it.”
“What if we never replicate it again…”
“No.”
Ruan Xian patted Tang Yibu’s head again.
“If we can’t replicate it again, then we’ll just hold hands on our own and dance whenever we want.”
He offered his free hand that had just regained its freedom again, and Tang Yibu happily took it.
“You’re right.”
He hugged Ruan Xian’s waist. “Let’s keep dancing, Mr. Ruan.”
2024/8/13
Everyone’s Favorite Sports
A belated short story for Qixi Festival, with a little Olympic commemoration (*/ω＼*)
Tang Yibu: [Swimming]
Swimming is Tang Yibu’s favorite sport, especially swimming in the summer. The pool water warmed by the sun always reminds him of the time when he was just an electronic brain.
For this reason, Tang Yibu specifically had their home pool built in a sunny spot.
Just like in the past, Tang Yibu knows that his Mr. Ruan will always be nearby. He also knows that now they no longer have to talk through glass. As long as he leaves the pool, he can hug the other person… or pull him into the pool with him.
The best part is that after swimming under the scorching sun, Ruan Xian always carefully applies ointment to prevent sunburn on Tang Yibu, worrying about his skin’s health.
Every time, Tang Yibu takes the opportunity to give him a big hug.
Ruan Xian: [Indoor Running]
Even though he has nearly perfect recovery abilities, Ruan Xian still pays attention to daily exercise. To be honest, it’s not purely for health reasons. Having spent the first half of his life in a wheelchair, the freedom of movement always brings him extra satisfaction.
Even so, he still doesn’t like outdoor sports. Outdoor exercise always involves encountering strangers, and Ruan Xian has no interest in socializing during workouts. He set up a gym at home and only exercises indoors. To prevent the iron bead from eating the treadmill, he even reinforced the gym door.
But somehow, someone still manages to sneak in. Tang Yibu loves to lie in front of the treadmill, grinning as he watches Ruan Xian work out.
Every time, Ruan Xian can’t help but smile.
2024/6/1
Childhood Hairstyles
I suddenly wondered what everyone’s hairstyle was like when they were kids, so I’m sharing this on Children’s Day—
Consider it a little addition to the setting (〃ω〃)
Tang Yibu: [None]
As a child, he was purely an electronic brain, without a single strand of hair. But Tang Yibu was very curious about human hair, fascinated by how hair grows from the head with no length limit—he thought it was super cool.
Ruan Xian: [No Distinct Hairstyle, Just Natural]
His family neglected to take care of him, so he didn’t get regular haircuts, and his hair grew a bit long. Since he cut his own hair, the ends were very rough. Ruan Xian himself didn’t care much about it and never proactively trimmed it.
2024/5/20
Everyone’s Favorite Fruits
This year’s Married Couple Day on 520* has arrived, so let’s write about everyone’s favorite fruits ☆
*The number 520 when pronounced in Chinese is very similar to [wǒ ài nǐ] (我爱你) I love you. Due to this, it has become a day in China called “Internet Valentine’s Day”.
Congratulations to the couple from [Full Server First Kill] for entering the happy married zone (*/ω＼*)
Tang Yibu: [Persimmon]
In Tang Yibu’s mind, persimmon cakes and “love” had a peculiar connection. Fortunately, persimmon cakes lasted much longer than fresh persimmons, and the cold storage room was well-stocked year-round.
Tang Yibu tried to make more dishes with persimmons, such as persimmon candy, persimmon drinks, and persimmon jam, but they all ended in miserable failure—persimmons were a peculiar fruit. His creations weren’t inedible, but they always lacked something in taste.
During the persimmon harvest season, Tang Yibu once again started experimenting with persimmons until Ruan Xian put down two cups of fresh persimmon smoothies.
“We have persimmon cakes all year round, and when the season comes, we can also enjoy fresh persimmons. This is the best way to eat them,” Ruan Xian said. “Maybe they don’t need to be like other fruits.”
※ Mr. Ruan is always right, Tang Yibu thought as he happily sipped his persimmon smoothie.
Ruan Xian: [Coconut]
Ruan Xian didn’t have a particular preference for fruits. When he was still weak, he could only eat fruit products that were similar to purees. These had no texture, only slight flavor differences, often artificially flavored. To Ruan Xian, fruit was simply a flavor variation, not something he could develop a special fondness for.
However, there was one exception—coconut.
He could drink coconut water just like any other normal person. Coconut water was theoretically sterile, nutrient-rich, with a mild sweetness. Strangely, it gave him a sense of “normalcy”.
Coincidentally, the small electronic brain soaked in cooling liquid also resembled a coconut. It too gave him a faint sense of “normalcy”, and being with it, he could almost feel like he was “living”.
※ To him, the taste symbolizes “uniqueness”, Ruan Xian thought.
~~~
During the apocalypse, Tang Yibu wasn’t particularly interested in coconuts—they lacked sweetness, had soft flesh, were bland, and not as convenient to eat. On top of that, coconut water didn’t have the same kick as carbonated drinks.
After the world returned to order, the coconuts in the fridge were only consumed by Ruan Xian. Noticing this, Ruan Xian specially dug out the coconut meat to make coconut milk ice cream, coconut flakes, and baked coconut chips.
From then on, the coconuts at home began to disappear at an astonishing speed. The day after Ruan Xian made coconut milk ice cream, Tang Yibu would finish it off. Like persimmon cakes, coconuts became one of the household’s staple fruits.
One hot summer day.
Under the sunshade, by the family pool, Tang Yibu was peeling a coconut. With a slight force of his fingers, he easily pried open the coconut shell. The coconut juice was poured into a large glass jug, and the coconut meat was scooped out with a spoon and piled into a bowl.
Footsteps approached from behind, and Tang Yibu proudly handed over the jug and bowl, exchanging them for the coconut milk ice cream that Ruan Xian had just made, along with a coconut-scented kiss.
2024/2/14
Couple’s Pajama Party
Valentine’s Day, of course, calls for a grand pajama reveal (?
And favorite intimate acts (???
~Tang Yibu~
[None] Prefers not to wear clothes when sleeping at home. He has never had the habit of wearing clothes since he was a child (?). Truly a naked sleeper!
※ “A blanket, a sheet, and Mr. Ruan are enough,” Tang Yibu said seriously.
~Ruan Xian~
[Gray tie-waist long robe] worn regularly at home and straight to sleep. The material is soft and slippery, making it very easy to untie.
[Cotton boxer briefs] in white, pure cotton, from a very expensive brand, bought in bulk.
※ Fully respects his lover’s preference for sleeping naked, with no intention to educate.
Surprisingly, he enjoys hugs. It’s a pity Tang Yibu’s sleeping posture is terrible. Even if not embraced, Tang Yibu would clutch the corner of Ruan Xian’s robe tightly.
Sometimes Mr. Tang clutches so tightly and sleeps so deeply that they might both end up naked by morning.
“Actually, ‘easy to untie’ prevents me from being strangled awake in the middle of the night,” Mr. Ruan unromantically said afterward.
2024/1/1
Magical Summoning Abilities
New Year’s Mysterious Magic☆ Couple Summoning Technique~10 Seconds Guaranteed~ The effect is magical, comparable to spatial teleportation!
Ruan Xian’s exclusive magic: Pretend to fall asleep on the workbench as night falls.
Magic effect: Tang Yibu steps over quietly, first buries his head in his embrace, then carries him back to the bedroom.
※ Sometimes, Tang Yibu secretly kisses his neck.
Tang Yibu’s exclusive magic: Look pitifully in a certain direction; the more melancholic the expression, the better.
Magic effect: Mr. Ruan will automatically appear from that direction.
※ Never fails!
2023/10/31
Got A Pumpkin
~Ruan Xian’s Pumpkin~
Tang Yibu had always been enthusiastic about various festivals. So, Ruan Xian specially made 26 pumpkin-flavored candies with lettered labels and hid them all around the room.
After all, Tang Yibu always hid things in various corners of the house. He would probably like this game.
Indeed, Tang Yibu enjoyed the game. He ran around the house, jumping up and down all afternoon. He found twenty-five candies before dark.
“There’s no ‘N’.” He sat dejectedly on the couch, counting the pumpkin-wrapped candies. “It’s impossible. I know Mr. Ruan so well… I should be able to guess all the candy hiding places…”
Ruan Xian smiled, patting Tang Yibu’s shoulder, slightly opening his mouth. The candy labeled “N” lay on his tongue.
Joyfully, Tang Yibu took it, sealing the moment with a kiss.
※ “N for NUL-00”
~Tang Yibu’s Pumpkin~
Tang Yibu was always in charge of the home garden. Ruan Xian wasn’t particularly interested in gardening and preferred to handle more of the indoor chores. This meant that he sometimes had to deal with various “specialties” Tang Yibu brought in—bugs in various stages of growth, beautiful flowers, oddly shaped radishes, and the like.
Today, Ruan Xian found a large orange shadow at the door.
“I want to give you a pumpkin carriage!” Tang Yibu announced.
Ruan Xian: “Why are you blocking the door?”
“A pumpkin carriage symbolizes a magically wonderful new life.”
“Why are you blocking the door?”
Tang Yibu: “I underestimated the complexities of the fruit’s growth…”
Ruan Xian jumped out of the window and silently gazed at the pumpkin that almost filled the yard.
“Thank you for the pumpkin castle,” he said. “It’s a pity, my life is already as magical.”※ They ate pumpkin for a month.
2023/10/04
Late Mid-Autumn Festival? National Day? Short joke~(*/ω＼*)
Everyone’s Belongings
~Ruan Xian’s personal items~
◆ A small knife: Made of special materials, it can pass through security checks. It can be used to slit someone’s throat or peel fruit.
※ Primarily used for peeling fruit, and then using the tip to pick and feed someone the fruit flesh.
◆ A pencil: Some ideas need to be written down promptly to expand upon.
※ Especially during deep infiltrations into enemy territory, to adjust combat strategies.
◆ A chocolate peanut-flavored energy bar: So sweet that it can make one feel sick but can replenish energy in crucial moments. Honestly, it’s never been used for this purpose.
※ Most of the time, it ends up in someone’s mouth and turns into sweet kisses.
~Tang Yibu’s personal items~
◆ A sturdy small cloth bag: Occasionally picks up some rare parts from crime scenes (?) to bring back and give π a surprise treat.
※ This habit has left countless question marks for those investigating afterward.
◆ A bright yellow plastic whistle: A small souvenir bought during the last trip with Mr. Ruan. It’s very cheap, but Tang Yibu loves it. After the next trip, it might be replaced with another trinket.
※ “Don’t blow it in the middle of the night,” Ruan Xian commented ominously.
◆ A palm-sized persimmon-shaped sticky note: Ruan Xian sometimes needs to write ideas on paper, and these can be useful in certain situations. Tang Yibu only buys this design and never changes.
※ He occasionally jots down (what he believes to be) brilliant love notes and sticks them in random corners of the house—a great surprise attack!
2023/08/22
Qixi Scheduled! Perfect to rate everyone’s culinary skills~☆
~Tang Yibu’s Culinary Skills~
Overall rating: ★★★★☆
Strengths: Never underestimate this strong AI’s obsession with food. If it needs to be cooked, it can do it.
Weaknesses: Hates preparing ingredients, hates cleaning the stovetop and sink, hates washing pots and dishes… even dislikes dishwashers.
※ Ruan Xian isn’t surprised. “We are adding a new kitchen-cleaning feature to π.”
~Ruan Xian’s Cooking Skills~
Overall rating: ★★★★☆
Strengths: With the excellent performance of the S-type Prototype and a smart brain, he can replicate any taste.
Weaknesses: Lacks a personal taste preference, resulting in dishes that lack soul.
※ “Indeed,” Tang Yibu affirms. “It doesn’t matter if they lack a soul. I have one, and that’s enough.”
2023/05/30
Indulging in “Tears of the Kingdom” led to postponement of the mini… A small corner of everyone’s daily life!
Ruan Xian’s modified car broke down.
The car was a gift from Tang Yibu, painted in a rich deep yellow. Machines always have various malfunctions, and strictly speaking, this wasn’t the car’s fault this time—they drove it through gunfire, and it endured more than a sedan should.
Now it lay pathetically in the garage, nearly resembling a pile of scrap metal. Tang Yibu circled around it, seemingly trying to reverse time through this inexplicable ritual.
“I won’t throw away the gift you gave me. We can make a display case for it,” Ruan Xian comforted him.
Tang Yibu stopped circling. “It can still be fixed.”
Indeed, it could be. But with damage to this extent, it would be more troublesome to fix it than to make a new one. Artificial intelligence always pursues efficiency, and Tang Yibu’s statement seemed… not quite like him.
Ruan Xian didn’t respond and just watched Tang Yibu tinkering with the car parts.
“The components are fine; reconfiguring the alloy is a bit tricky. We can reinforce its defenses, especially since the shell needs a major overhaul,” Tang Yibu said as he pried open the deformed hood and carefully examined the engine. “This time I’ll arm it with thermal weapons. We’ll need to rethink security checks…”
“It can definitely be fixed,” Tang Yibu announced with open arms.
His expression looked very much like a doctor facing a severely injured family member.
“… Are you worried that one day I’ll put you in a display case?” Ruan Xian quipped.
Still in his “grand declaration” pose, Tang Yibu swiveled his eyes. “No, how could that be? I won’t have any malfunctions. I self-check more than four times a day, and my testing algorithm is optimized every month. Even if something were to happen, I know you wouldn’t treat me like that… would you?”
“You guess?”
“Won’t.”
“You’re right, I definitely won’t,” Ruan Xian said. “Leave the car be.”
“But if one day, I mean if, I suffered such damage… would you…”
Ruan Xian raised an eyebrow. “There’s no such ‘if’. If you were damaged to this extent, there wouldn’t be any ‘me’ left. By then, our corpses would be displayed together.”
Ruan Xian’s tone was very certain, and Tang Yibu slowly closed his mouth.
Two days later, Ruan Xian saw the car in the garage again.
Tang Yibu had fixed it. It looked exactly the same as before, except for the intricate inlay pattern on the hood, under which Ruan Xian suspected there was a laser gun. Additionally, a striking “prohibition” sticker was added to the window—
[NO SHOWCASE]
2023/02/15
A belated Valentine’s Day mini: Everyone’s game preference.
~Tang Yibu’s Gaming Preferences~
Occupation Choice: DPS, melee-type classes.
Gaming Tendency: Doesn’t require a tank; he solves everything through calculations. Prefers PVP over PVE, consistently ranks first in PVP leaderboards. Has received invitations from professional teams but declined them all.
Teaming Tendencies: Dislikes teaming up with anyone other than Ruan Xian, sometimes hacks the game to modify restrictions.
※When Ruan Xian isn’t around, he’ll secretly take control of a Boss to play tricks on unsuspecting players.
~Ruan Xian’s Gaming Preferences~
Occupation Choice: Healer, particularly pure healing classes.
Gaming Tendency: Even when facing the game, he meticulously formulates strategies (only including himself and Tang Yibu). Doesn’t have a clear preference for PVE or PVP, completely ignores players from the same camp.
Teaming Tendencies: Has no clear preference for teaming, intensely dislikes noisy players or troublesome newbies. Does not follow any commands, does his own thing, and has no interest in in-game interpersonal relationships.
※When he has to leave, he’ll arrange for the Iron Bead to play on his behalf, resulting in inconsistent skill levels.
2022/08/05
Tanabata, Tanabata, Everyone’s Outfit Special Edition~
~At home~
Tang Yibu:
[Large bright yellow T-shirt] The color is bright, giving a dazzling sense of existence. When someone is running around in it, it looks like a big happy bee.
[White half-pants] Also large, with an elastic waistband that is not tightened at all.
[Black slippers] Often appear on different floors. What is this all about?
※”Don’t run around with one foot bare,” Ruan Xian said.
Ruan Xian:
[Gray lace-up long nightgown] Probably made from the most comfortable fabric in the world. It’s easy to untie. Repeating it again. It’s very easy to untie.
※”But you clearly walk around barefoot.” Tang Yibu was aggrieved. Maybe this was the benefit of a strong recovery system.
~Outside~
Tang Yibu:
[Relatively low-key white T-shirt with jacket] The T-shirt is always clean, and there may be a deadly weapon hidden in the jacket?
[Sweatpants that can be seen everywhere] The drape is very good, and it stacks slightly at the ankles. It’s not eye-catching and convenient to move in to act anytime, anywhere.
[Wear-resistant sneakers] Designed by Professor Ruan himself, the materials have been specially strengthened so that they will not be worn out by vigorous movement.
※Ruan Xian specially added a lot of gold elements to the sneakers.
Ruan Xian:
[Gray shirt] Not really special, but when someone wears it, it gives off an elite aura.
[White trousers] I don’t know how but the white trousers are always spotless.
[Casual leather shoes] The ankle lines are very beautiful.
※The two of them were clearly unrelated, but Tang Yibu felt the unique aura of the Institute uniform from it, making it impossible for him to look away.
2022/02/13
Valentine’s Day Album, Inexplicable Nightmare Feature ✨
Tang Yibu had the ability to dream, but he wasn’t satisfied.
His dreams were more animal-like than human, and they weren’t too treacherous or bizarre—after all, there was limited time when making NUL-00, so Ruan Xian didn’t get the chance to elaborate on the ability to “dream”. Now they finally had time, so Tang Yibu gave himself a Valentine’s Day gift.
Usually, during the holidays, the two of them would keep the gifts they want to give strictly confidential. This time, Tang Yibu took the initiative to make the request, which surprised Ruan Xian.
“I can help you upgrade the programs related to ‘Dreamland’, but…”
“I understand that ‘human dreams are irrational and illogical’, while my dreams are relatively harmless. Upgrading might do more harm than good.” Tang Yibu sat straight, showing just the right amount of supplicating expression. “Mr. Ruan, I don’t want to become human. I just want to experience how you feel—so that I can get to know you better.”
Ruan Xian was always helpless against this type of behavior.
……
The night after the upgrade, Tang Yibu watched several horror movies with interest. He then took a hot bath for an hour, got into bed, hugged Ruan Xian tightly, and looked like he was going out on an adventure.
Ruan Xian: “…Some dreams may not be the same as you imagined.”
Tang Yibu looked serious. “Whether it’s a beautiful dream or a nightmare, I’m fully prepared.”
In the early hours of the morning, Ruan Xian was awakened by a loud noise. He turned on the night light and opened his eyes in a daze—Tang Yibu had rolled off the bed and was lying stiff as a wooden board on the ground. The iron bead that was sleeping nearby was startled and began circling around him. Tang Yibu didn’t respond to it and kept staring at the ceiling wwith a thoughtful expression on his face.
Ruan Xian yawned and stretched out a hand to him. “Well, ‘fully prepared’?”
Tang Yibu grabbed his hand and crawled back to bed.
“My understanding of ‘no logic’ isn’t thorough enough,” he hugged Ruan Xian tightly as he muttered bitterly. “It’s terrible.”
“What did you dream of?”
“Sweet potatoes all over the world had disappeared, and even its DNA couldn’t be recovered. You made a special appearance and gave a speech at the sweet potato’s funeral…”
“……”
“Actually, I plan to give you a brand-new modified car tomorrow.” Tang Yibu continued to grumble. “Do you like sweet potato yellow?”
Ruan Xian couldn’t hold back after that and laughed. “Yes.”
*Clarity: Remember, sweet potatoes is Tang Yibu’s favorite food that he mentioned way, way back in arc 1.
2022/02/01
Spring Festival Special, Everyone’s Specialty Dishes♪
Once again, I wish you all a wonderful Year of the Tiger–! 🎉
~Ruan Xian’s Specialty~
Soft-boiled eggs: The coagulation degree is controlled quite brilliantly, so that even a machine can’t do it as accurately. It can be eaten with salt or hot sauce. The egg white is soft and smooth, and the yolk is mellow, so people can’t stop eating it. This is a fixed breakfast recipe that the two of them will eat four of every day.
Tang Yibu once said that he could eat ten a day, but Mr. Ruan rejected his request on the grounds of a “healthy diet”.
※”You used to secretly eat candy yourself!” Mr. Tang felt wronged for two seconds until his attention was drawn away by persimmons.
Scallion oil noodles: Scallion oil is mixed with smooth and tough fine noodles, and then served with a little shredded meat. Ruan Xian originally liked this dish very much. Since it has memories of the doomsday, the taste has a bit more special meaning.
※Tang Yibu’s taste is comparable to his own, but the android will always add more sugar.
~Tang Yibu’s specialty~
Bags of gummy candy: Heart-shaped gummy candy with various flavors. If you eat two together, there will be a wonderful change in taste. It is Ruan Xian’s favorite snack at work. Most of them have a variety of fresh fruit flavors, and occasionally the wonderful flavors of “baked sweet potato”, “persimmons”, or “soy milk”. Every time the two of them go out on a mission, Ruan Xian always carries a small bag.
※Ruan Xian is very satisfied because they can have kisses in various flavors.
Super Deluxe Hotdog: The recipe comes from the most popular hotdog shop. From bread to fillings, Tang Yibu completely reproduced this hotdog and added a lot of his favorite side dishes. Because he is not willing to give up any side dishes, the finished product is always too large.
※Half for one person, just right for dinner.
2021/11/06
Halloween Extra 🎃
Tang Yibu and Ruan Xian had never missed Halloween.
In order to add some freshness, they refused to discuss dressing up in advance, so that the two of them would only know each other’s costumes before they set off. This year, Ruan Xian put on a wizard’s cloak and then waited at the door… for a black cat.
The black cat squatted at the doorway. Its fur was shiny and smooth, and its golden eyes gleamed happily. It had a warm orange collar around its neck with a tag that was engraved with [NUL-00-01].
“Mr. Ruan, I really like this perspective. I haven’t looked up at you for a long time.” The black cat circled Ruan Xian’s ankle as it spoke happily. “Can you hug me?”
“What a terrific costume.” Ruan Xian picked up the black cat and put it on his shoulder. The cat was soft to the touch, and its fur was warm.
Tang Yibu rubbed against Ruan Xian’s face. “Surprise, right? I’ve been developing it for a long time to make sure the nervous system is connected.”
Ruan Xian glanced at the living room. Tang Yibu’s body was lying on the sofa, looking like he was taking a nap. He smiled and shook his head while scratching the cat’s chin.
It didn’t take long for Ruan Xian to know Tang Yibu’s purpose…
In the darkness, the black cat jumped on the string of lights in a dignified manner and ran lightly, causing light to flash everywhere. These cheap lights could only be manipulated at close range. They obediently formed a torrent of lights, swirling together into a vortex of lights and shadows.
The “haunted” light path had obviously been carefully calculated. Amidst the burst of awe, Tang Yibu snuck back quietly and climbed onto Ruan Xian’s shoulder. The black cat said nothing and curled its tail high while making a face full of pride.
Unfortunately, after a few seconds, this pride changed. Without him, there were too many Halloween-limited foods on the street. Tang Yibu clenched his lover’s shoulders tightly, stretching out and retracting the tip of his claws, making Ruan Xian feel a little itchy.
“I haven’t perfected my sense of smell and taste,” Tang Yibu murmured in frustration.
“What about the sense of touch?”
“It’s perfect.”
“That’s enough.” Ruan Xian picked up the black cat and kissed it on the tip of its nose. He then pulled his cloak over his shoulders and held the cat in his arms.
He wrapped the other party up in his own heat, just like a long time ago.
2021/08/14
How can we miss the Qixi Festival! Write about everyone in the eyes of a passersby (?
@An agency investigator/male/35 years old
“Laozi can’t really do this surveillance job anymore. Yes, yes, I know those two boys are suspicious, but I have been monitoring them for three years. If they are really related to the ‘Red Ghost’, then they have to reveal something, right? But everything is airtight. If it weren’t for our technology, I suspect that they know they’re being followed.”
“While I’m chasing after people’s asses as they run around, they’re having a good time, while my wife is having a cold war with me. What? Travel at the company’s expense? Fuck no! Those young people are traveling up mountains and across rivers while I’m fucking worried nearby for fear of accidentally losing them. Don’t you know? Those two would travel all over the world every day. God knows which country they would go to all of a sudden.”
“If you want me to tell you they have a fixed itinerary, they really don’t. Not to mention, I have studied for two years and found a route—once they arrive at a specific date, they will transfer to several cities in the country, then go to foreign cities on the corresponding dates. The cities on this route have been increasing, but the pattern is the same.”
“Breakthrough? Ha, I was so excited at the time, I specially adjusted the most advanced AI to analyze it. The AI spent all its energy and came up with a conclusion for me that day.”
“They go around the world leisurely in date order to spend Valentine’s Day everywhere!!!”
“No, it’s not the internationally common one. It’s a traditional festival unique to various places. The whole thing was so outrageous that I was scolded badly by my boss. Anyway, at the end of the year, I said I’m applying for a transfer. Otherwise, if I have to spend my holiday following people all year round, it’ll be over when I get home… Don’t persuade laozi. No matter how much money you’re offering, I won’t do it! Not doing it!”
“Wait, there’s another information access prompt. Let me see…”
“…Fuck, those two boys are searching for a holiday hotel again!”
2021/05/31
Simple and trivial daily life, everyone’s schedule ♪
~Ruan Xian’s Schedule~
08:00-09:00 Checked π’s physical condition, prepared breakfast, and then had a meal with his lover.
09:00-12:00 Hugged Tang Yibu while reading a book. At 12:00 sharp, Tang Yibu would break free and randomly choose a chef’s set meal to make.
12:00-16:00 The two analyzed intelligence and anomalies together and selected the criminals to deal with.
16:00-20:00 Hunting criminals with Tang Yibu. He passed by a small shop with good reviews and stopped in for dinner. Tang Yibu liked the stir-fried pork in the shop very much. Ruan Xian silently wrote down the taste and decided to go back and analyze the recipe with him.
20:00-00:00 The two of them didn’t wash their bloody clothes. They went directly to the kitchen to try the dishes as soon as possible. It took three tries for them to finally crack the recipe. Tang Yibu was quite happy and memorized it carefully in his mind. The two of them cleaned off their bloodstains, which took more than three hours.
~Tang Yibu’s Schedule~
08:00-09:00 While eating breakfast, he would make some investments and accumulate wealth.
09:00-12:00 Was hugged by Ruan Xian while he browsed for the latest information, and at the same time had to complete the important matter of “deciding the content of lunch”. It was really the most relaxing and hardest (?) part of the day.
12:00-16:00 Selected which criminals to deal with. After deciding on the list, Tang Yibu would throw a die in his head and choose one of them.
16:00-20:00 Hunting criminals with Ruan Xian. Ruan Xian paid attention to a small restaurant nearby. The taste of the stir-fried pork was amazing. Tang Yibu added three bowls of rice. The bloodstains on his cuffs were almost seen by the shopkeeper.
20:00-00:00 Ruan Xian specially wrote down the taste of the stir-fried pork. The two of them squeezed in front of the wok, concentrating on trying to replicate the recipe. After being full food and drink, Tang Yibu decided to be “full of food and drink” again. Not to mention the pleasure of physical entanglement, he loved the touch and heat of Ruan Xian’s very much, so he would always be uneasy if he didn’t touch it for a few hours.
“The chili they use is not good enough. I want to eat a more fragrant taste.”
“Okay. Yibu, if you don’t go out tomorrow, let’s change the chili together.”
2021/02/14
Valentine’s Day Chocolate Special 🍫
[New chocolate set (?) by famous chef x 1]
Purchaser(?): Ruan Xian
Item description:
Tang Yibu’s second favorite chef launched a new creation, and a certain Mr. Ruan quickly ordered a set.
The chocoate was mixed with a cherry filling, made by Ruan Xian himself. Tang Yibu ate it in one bite.
His favorite chef would always be his Mr. Ruan.
[Chocolate printed NUL-00 model × 1]
Producer: Tang Yibu
Item description:
A 1:1 size NUL-00 model made strictly according to the size, made of pure chocolate with no added sugar or milk.
After Ruan Xian picked up the fork, Tang Yibu suddenly felt that something was wrong, and his expression changed from triumph to horror. Ruan Xian laughed for a long time and finally made a fresh-preservation container to keep the chocolate version of NUL-00 forever.
As compensation, Tang Yibu gave half the chocolate made by the chef to his lover.
2020/11/11
No holiday, but I wrote a special episode that I thought of. Sleeping together. _(:D”∠)_
One thunderstorm night, Ruan Xian was awakened by the sound of thunder outside the window. He frowned and rolled over. The tip of his nose almost hit a pair of feet.
The feet were white and clean, the soles were against the head of the bed, and the pillow was kicked aside. Ruan Xian propped himself up and found Tang Yibu’s head at the end of the bed—he had turned 180° by himself. His head and feet had swapped places while he slept soundly. God knew how this happened.
When the two first met, this guy slept better than anyone else, but now he was showing his true colors. Ruan Xian sighed, put Tang Yibu’s pillow back under his head, and pulled the blanket again.
As a result, Ruan Xian had just planned to lie back, when the tugging of his pajamas suddenly increased. He touched the corner of his clothes and found a warm hand—Tang Yibu was still sleeping soundly, but his right hand was clenched to the corner of Ruan Xian’s pajamas tightly, with red marks on his fingers from clenching for too long.
Ruan Xian was silent for a moment, then he moved his pillow to the end of the bed and lay down. Tang Yibu smacked his lips, abandoned the pillow again, and buried himself into Ruan Xian’s neck, still without letting go of his grip.
‘I have to buy looser pajamas tomorrow,’ Ruan Xian thought silently.
2020/09/26
Late Tanabata Extra, Pet Special☆
In the early morning, Ruan Xian was awakened by a loud banging noise. He walked downstairs and quickly found Tang Yibu covered in jam.
“π overturned the oil can last night, and the cleaning robot didn’t clean it up. I didn’t pay attention and slipped.” Tang Yibu was laying on the ground sadly with a bottle of jam overturned on his body. He didn’t seem to have any plans for getting up. “I just wanted to make some toast and jam—”
“π, come here.” Ruan Xian cleared his throat.
Unlike before, the iron bead remained motionless. Ruan Xian raised his eyebrows and glanced at Tang Yibu on the ground.
“It ate the cleaning robot again.” Tang Yibu licked the jam off his finger.
“That’s the third one. π, come here. I know you’re under the sofa.”
Ten seconds later, the iron bead stretched out its thin legs and tremblingly moved closer. “Gwah gwah…”
“To it, those things look like pies running on the ground,” Tang Yibu translated. “The core of the cleaning robot is warm, and its shell is crispy, so it’s very delicious… I can also relate. I just dreamed of toast and jam…”
“Gwah! Gwah gwah gwah gwah!”
“It asks why I can steal jam at 5 AM but it can’t steal the cleaning robot at 3 AM.” Tang Yibu finished translating and fell into contemplation, as if he were completely overwhelmed by this question.
“It’s okay if you don’t answer. You can get up from the ground first.” Ruan Xian was dumbfounded. He pulled Tang Yibu up by the wrist. The latter was so heavy that it made Ruan Xian’s center of gravity unstable, and he fell on Tang Yibu, failing to escape the fate of being covered with jam.
“Mr. Ruan, I think it should be given a reasonable prey.” Tang Yibu took advantage of the situation to circle Ruan Xian’s waist. “Like I could prey on jam bread.”
“…Your predation isn’t very successful.” Ruan Xian wiped the jam from his face and didn’t even try to get up again. Well, I’ll think of a way.”
A few days later, late at night, in a flash of cold light, a round body caught up with the cleaning robot and devoured it. It crunched on its abdomen. After the meal, the iron bead belched contentedly, got into its own exclusive car—a modified cleaning robot with a bowl-shaped seat—and began to patrol all directions.
Naturally they could afford to buy a cleaning robot every day, Ruan Xian thought, upstairs, as he adjusted his posture in Tang Yibu’s arms.
After the pleasant “race” with the iron bead, the two of them spent a few hours cleaning up. Of course, those were all afterthoughts.
2020/05/20
Bathroom Special (.･ω･｡)ﾉ♡
Tang Yibu missed the weekly inspection more than ten years ago.
The coolant in NUL-00 was replaced once a week. When replacing, Ruan Xian would take out its small cybernetic brain, dry the residual liquid with warm air, and then wipe it carefully with a special soft cloth. When the cybernetic brain was dry, Mr. Ruan would patiently check every inch of the surface.
At that time, Tang Yibu had no real sense of touch, but he could still perceive temperature and humidity from his shell. Being treated carefully by Mr. Ruan, he always had a wonderful sense of satisfaction.
It was a pity that more than ten years later, his head was bigger than Ruan Xian, and it was impossible to be held in the palm of his hand and blown dry. Tang Yibu thought deeply for a moment, and set up a large dryer for himself, just big enough for one person to stand inside.
The dryer was warm and dry. Tang Yibu was quite satisfied and planned to try it out after taking a shower.
After taking a shower on the first day, he kissed Ruan Xian on the neck, and the two went straight to the bedroom. After taking a shower the next day, Ruan Xian squeezed his lips, and the two stumbled back into the bedroom. Day three…
A week later, Ruan Xian found that there was a new piece of equipment in the kitchen, which was full of his favorite sausages and bacon.
“The dryer,” Tang Yibu explained. “Mr. Ruan, do you still want to eat dried meats? I’ll bake it together.”
Tang Yibu thought it was fine if he didn’t need it.
After all, Ruan Xian’s body temperature was better.
2020/02/14
Valentine’s Day for everyone ❤
It was Valentine’s Day in the computer room more than ten years ago. NUL-00 projected the entire room in pink.
“In this festival, humans seem to be particularly eager for companionship,” it said confidently. “Since you have no one to accompany you, I can accompany you. Do you like this kind of holiday decoration?”
Ruan Xian didn’t want to correct its strange cognition. “I like it.”
More than ten years later, Valentine’s Day. Ruan Xian found that the walls of their home were all painted pink by Tang Yibu.
“I like it very much,” Ruan Xian said. This time, he was serious.
They kept the paint like this until the next Valentine’s Day.
Yu Si hugged the waist of the person in front of him. The oncoming wind was damp and cold.
The hoverbike crossed the complex terrain and headed deep into the mountains and forests. Yu Si freed up one hand and adjusted his collar.
“Don’t move around, asshole! Do you want to fall off?” The rebuke came from the front in an instant.
“Sister,” Yu Si whispered.
“You’re a grown man now, but you don’t seem like it at all.” Yu Sheng raised her voice. Even if it was her twin brother behind her, she didn’t mean to be merciful at all. “I told you the road here is dangerous… Damn, I don’t understand who would live in such a shithole.”
“The terrain is complicated. There’s no need to drive so fast.”
“I always feel as if someone is watching us… Forget it.” Yu Sheng glanced at the rearview mirror and accelerated.
The Walking Stones City had been developing steadily for more than 30 years, but the surrounding area of the adjacent mountains hadn’t been developed. It was more common to say that in order to protect the ecology, as a well-known combat machine operator, Yu Sheng had also heard some rumors—the soil in this vicinity was special and extremely difficult to develop on.
Uncle Tu, who had been in contact with their family for a long time, also said that there were no mineral deposits nearby, so there was no need for development in terms of transportation, and simply left it at that.
Something was wrong. The scenery in this mountainous area was beautiful. Even if a resort was developed, they wouldn’t lose money. However, she was a combat machine operator and not a real estate developer, so Yu Sheng had no intention of getting to the bottom of it.
It wasn’t until the last few days, when her father officially stepped down, that this little question was answered.
“Why are you stepping down?”
Just yesterday afternoon, Yu Sheng yelled at her father—although Yu Si was her younger brother, he had a simple and quiet temperament. He was devoted to mechanical research and was unwilling to do management work.
The drama of competing for the position of heir to the company didn’t appear at all. On the contrary, even Yu Sheng’s enthusiasm wasn’t high.
Her father, Yu Le, was already in his sixties. However, at a time when the average human lifespan was 122, her father was barely in his prime. She tinkled with the small calculator in her heart, estimating that her father would at least manage the company for another decade, and she could still get away with operating the combat machine for longer.
Unexpectedly, her father ran away halfway through the job.
“Why am I stepping down?” Yu Le roared back angrily. “Laozi is over sixty. Sixty! In the last century, at this age is when people give up their seat. If I don’t retire, I won’t have any fucking time left, get it you annoying girl?”
“That was last century!” Yu Sheng slammed the table with both hands and roared back at her father. “You haven’t reached the legal retirement age yet!”
“Because I’m rich!” Yu Le said justifiably. The father and daughter faced off like two fire-breathing dragons.
Yu Sheng choked back her words at the last second.
“Unfilial, ah.” Yu Le took advantage of the victory and wiped away his nonexistent tears. “I’m going to tell your mother that I promised to travel around the world with her yesterday, but because her daughter didn’t want to work and is being greedy…”
“I earn a lot of money now too,” Yu Sheng muttered.
“Can you afford your mechanical transformation studio?”
“……”
“You promised me,” Yu Le continued slyly.
“I’m still young! I’ll die if I have to sit in a conference room every day.” Yu Sheng scratched her head hard. “Dad, I know you’re great, but I don’t think I have extraordinary business acumen… Yu Si is more ideal. He has a wife and children. I…”
“Worried that you can’t hold up?” Yu Le smiled suspiciously. “Hey, I called you two to come. Your mother and I are officially ‘stepping down’. I called two people to this meeting. Yu Si, stop eavesdropping and come in quickly!”
“Now that you both are grown up and have your own families, it’s time to tell you… Fuck off, you shitty girl. Do you think all my business trips are meetings? You’ll be scared to death if you knew the truth!”
……
As a result, the old fart pretended to be mysterious and didn’t explain anything. He just gave them an inexplicable address and went abroad with their mother the next day. She didn’t know if it was an illusion, but she felt the aura of her parents was like that of primary school kids who had just gone on vacation.
The address was in a barren mountain area, and the answer was close at hand. Yu Sheng sped up the hoverbike to its maximum and rushed to the destination.
She had imagined many things before. Since it was acquaintances of her parents who would live in a shithole that even birds wouldn’t crap in, maybe it was two people with strange quirks.
Seeing the lush fruit orchard outside, Yu Sheng’s guess became a little firmer.
As a result, as soon as she stopped the car, a dark shadow pounced on her.
In a short glance, Yu Sheng saw a large metal mouth, like a mouthpiece from an insect. She took a deep breath, pressed her brother to the ground, lowered her body, and crossed the hoverbike in a series of movements like flowing water.
The thing screamed and gnawed off the handle of the hoverbike.
“π, come back. It’s a guest.” A voice that unexpectedly sounded young rang out.
The terrifying giant deformed mouth shrank back, revealing a round metal ball that fell to the ground. Its three small eyes flashed. Four thin legs protruded out and it stepped back obediently and rubbed against the young man’s pant leg.
“Good skills.” The other side smiled brightly, holding a basket full of strawberries in his right hand. “Do you want strawberries? I can split some with you.”
“It’s over,” Yu Sheng whispered to Yu Si. “He was being so mysterious before. That old fart didn’t raise some illegitimate child, right? If mom knew this, she would definitely kill him herself…”
Yu Si was obviously worried about the same thing. He gulped and swallowed his spit.
The golden-eyed young man’s smile twisted downward.
“Where are Mr. Yu and Ms. Ji?” He stuffed the strawberry into his mouth and aggravated the pronunciation of “Mr. Yu”.
“Our parents are traveling abroad. Dad asked me to come to see you…?” Yu Sheng looked around, but didn’t see the second figure.
“Come in and we’ll talk.” The beautiful young man swallowed the strawberry and wiped his mouth. “You can call me Tang Yibu.”
Yu Sheng looked at the hoverbike that had been chewed with some agony and dragged her brother, who was still lost in thought, into the house. This duplex villa was the style of decades ago, but it was really clean and open. Even when they were inside, it had the same relaxed feeling as if they were outdoors.
There was no sign of another person in the house.
“I think Mr. Yu sent you two over probably to want you to continue our ‘transaction’… plus a little more.” Tang Yibu politely poured two glasses of water, then started to wash the strawberries. The small pot on one side exuded a sweet aroma of chocolate.
Yu Sheng didn’t touch the glass of water. The young man a few steps away gave her a very bad feeling. She couldn’t tell where that feeling came from, but it was extremely clear. It was just like an animal encountering its natural enemy; that feeling was deeply engraved in their bones.
Sweat slowly oozed from her forehead as the ceramic knife she used for self-defense slipped into her cuffs.
“Transaction?” Yu Si, who had always been quiet, spoke first.
“Both of your parents are members of the Red Ghost, but now they are no longer young. It’s natural for them to want to take a vacation.” Tang Yibu carefully went to the basket and stuffed another one into his mouth. “But our agreement with them is not familial, so you may not be willing to cooperate with us—”
“Red Ghost?” Yu Sheng stretched out her arm, faintly, to protect her brother. “The criminal organization that’s been wanted for more than 30 years?”
Her voice was a bit hoarse.
The Red Ghost wasn’t an ordinary criminal organization. It was currently wanted by more than two dozen countries. Unlike other survivor organizations, the Red Ghost didn’t deliberately destroy anything but targeted vicious organizations with the most destructive appetite for killing. In a sense, they were murderers who specialized in sniping murderers.
However, even if they killed sinners, a murderer was still a murderer. Although the Red Ghost had many supporters, the laws of various countries weren’t just for decoration.
Not to mention, the Red Ghost itself had no intention of donning a righteous hat—those found at the scene of a purge were often bloodied and in a gruesome state. It was obvious they had no intention of taking the pro-noir hero route. The good news was that the people who were doing it didn’t look like they enjoyed killing itself, but more like they were just completing a certain mission.
Yu Sheng was past the age of following idols. She didn’t have any special affection for the Red Ghost, but she didn’t dislike them either. Having said that, suddenly finding out that her parents were members of the Red Ghost was a blow that definitely wasn’t small.
Yu Si crossed his fingers and said nothing.
Tang Yibu didn’t rush to advance the topic. He ignored the young siblings behind him and began to dip the washed strawberries in melted chocolate and place them neatly on a plate. The sun was shining through the glass wall. Coupled with the lush greenery outside, this scene was somewhat pleasing to the eye.
“What deal did mom and dad make with you?” Yu Si took in a breath. “Let’s talk about it first.”
His sister, Yu Sheng, had always been sharper than him. Right now, she was breaking out in a cold sweat, which meant the other party was definitely someone dangerous. His son had just turned one month old, so Yu Si didn’t want to make any trouble. Tang Yibu didn’t seem hostile, so it was better to stabilize the situation first.
Anyway, the other party looked at most 25 years old. Maybe, like himself, he was probably dragged into this mess by the previous generation. But in regard to his parents, the other side saying “our agreement with them” was a bit odd…
“I provided investment guidance to Mr. Yu while Mr. Ruan helped Ms. Ji improve the mechanical design drawings. In exchange, they use their status to provide us with a certain amount of social asylum and conduct field investigations that couldn’t be completed by the internet.”
Tang Yibu licked the chocolate off his fingertips.
“In the case of the two of you, I can continue to provide investment guidance to Miss Yu Sheng, and Mr. Ruan can also continue to help Mr. Yu Si with his mechanical designs. You will have access to a world that’s completely inaccessible before. I promise, everything will be very interesting.”
He glanced at Yu Sheng, who was still breaking out in cold sweat as he added the last part.
“What if we don’t agree?” Yu Sheng cleared her throat. “Human judgment cannot replace the law. You can’t be sure that the people you killed are guilty.”
Since her parents only provided technology and information, it must be these people who did the killing. Since dad dared to let them come here, the other party wouldn’t kill them.
“It doesn’t matter. Please go back if you don’t agree.”
Tang Yibu tasted the strawberry chocolate he made, nodded in satisfaction, and didn’t look back.
“According to the temperament of the two of you, you will never report your biological parents—but if the police find us, your parents will certainly be implicated, but Mr. Ruan and I can disappear at any time. This is not something Mr. Yu and Ms. Ji can easily do. Besides, you two helping is simply icing on the cake. I don’t mean to force you from the start… That was on Yu Le’s part.”
“You didn’t answer my question.” Yu Sheng took a deep breath. “We really won’t report our parents, but before we talk about cooperation, I have to figure out, how are you sure—”
“You ate fried noodles with two eggs and soy sauce last night and opened a can of beer. Your husband is still on a business trip in Country F. He made a call to you at 21:29:04 last night, which lasted for 13 minutes and 22 seconds. If you want, I can repeat the content.”
“You’re spying on us?!”
“Mr. Yu Si left work 4 minutes and 11 seconds early yesterday. Before going home, he ordered a 2,898 yuan H-brand toy bear for his son and bought 3 dozen champagne roses for his wife.”
Tang Yibu turned his head. His golden eyes had a wonderful, transparent texture in the sun.
Yu Si’s face paled instantly. He clenched his fist and said nothing.
“Mr. Ma Houfu got up today at 05:43:21 today. Starting at 06:39:04, he made five phone calls and began to do a summary of the activity route of the target of concern. He went out at 08:19:20 today…”
“No, wait a minute. Who is Ma Houfu? We don’t know this person.” Yu Sheng was still emboldened to interrupt.
“…And led five people to successfully catch up with the target at 09:27:56, intending to carry out the kidnapping of the target, Mr. Yu Si.”
Yu Sheng stood up. “What?!”
“They followed your brother for a week. According to the contents of the call, they intend to strike in recent days. Yu Le revealed the idea of retiring to some people in the Yu Group in advance to set out the bait.”
Yu Sheng felt cold in her heart.
Indeed, Yu Si was a better target. Her younger brother was a typical scholar; civilized and meek, so he could be well controlled. Her relatives had always been her weakness. If they wanted to make her compromise, kidnapping Yu Si was more effective than kidnapping her. However, this wasn’t the point at the moment. The point was…
“Do you know everyone’s activities?” Yu Sheng felt a chill go down her spine. No matter what, people’s energy was always limited. Not to mention that there were so many people in this world. This person had to eat and sleep, so it was impossible to watch everyone all the time.
This was something that humans couldn’t do.
“I do. Now even refrigerators have intelligent sensing devices. As long as people are near electrical appliances, I can always get information. At the same time, it’s not difficult for me to process that information.”
Tang Yibu seemed to read her thoughts.
“Even if I’m distracted for the time being, my ‘brother’ will help collect information. You guessed it correctly. I am indeed not human. You don’t need to worry about the accuracy of the information.”
Yu Sheng closed her mouth and took a step back. She had never seen anything like this before. After so many years, bionic research would always encounter some kind of problem, so similar creations like this should’ve disappeared long ago.
On the other hand, if Tang Yibu really worked with her parents, his age shouldn’t be this young. Why? Since he needed to eat, why wasn’t he aging?
Yu Si’s concern was elsewhere. “Suppose I cooperate with you—I mean, suppose—can you guarantee the safety of our families?”
“Before you die naturally, yes.” Tang Yibu nodded. “Your parents made a similar request back then.”
“Deal.” Yu Si’s voice wasn’t loud, but it was firm. “Whether my sister agrees or not, I will cooperate with you on our behalf.”
There were countless question marks flying in Yu Sheng’s mind, swelling inside her head. “I… I need to go back and think about it. You can leave your contact information.”
“No need. If you make up your mind, it’s enough to find a contact tool and call my name. This applies to you too, Mr. Yu Si. You have one night to think about it, and we’ll talk about it in detail tomorrow.”
Tang Yibu made a look like he was sending off guests.
“The kidnappers…” Yu Sheng immediately asked.
“Mr. Ruan should have solved it. The two of you can return home at any time. As for the situation about me and Mr. Ruan, after you confirm the cooperation, you can ask Mr. Yu and Ms. Ji.” Tang Yibu wrinkled his nose and made a face full of “you should go”.
Yu Sheng carefully looked at the “thing” in human skin in front of her. Why did he suddenly let them leave? Would her father really tell the truth when she returned? The person in front of her had an aura of danger. Yu Sheng wasn’t sure if it was a good idea to plunge into another, more terrifying danger in order to avoid this one.
Tang Yibu cleared his throat very loudly.
“Excuse me.” Yu Sheng coughed dryly, then paused. “My car was bitten by that orb just now. I wonder if you have any repair tools here?”
“I already asked π to pull out a new one from the warehouse.”
“……”
“Take care.” Tang Yibu seemed afraid they would change their minds, so he took another step forward.
“Let’s go, A’Si, back to our parents. We need to discuss things.” Yu Sheng had already stepped out of the room.
“Nn.”
As a result, as soon as the two of them went out, they saw the reason for Tang Yibu’s sudden rush—the other owner of the house stepped into the yard, was equally young and beautiful, and was well dressed. The “Mr. Ruan” glanced at them, nodded slightly, then walked straight in the direction of the door.
Before Yu Sheng and Yu Si started the hoverbike, they could see the two figures kissing in the foyer.
“Weirdos.” Yu Sheng clicked her tongue and rushed out of the isolated courtyard.
Inside the room.
“Yu Le’s and Ji Xiaoman’s kids?” Ruan Xian walked inside and took off his blood-stained coat.
“Yes. Yu Le probably found the person who was following his son, and it wasn’t easy for him to do it himself, so he simply asked them to come to our door in advance.” Tang Yibu picked up a chocolate-covered strawberry and stuffed it into Ruan Xian’s mouth. “It may be he’s scared about his children and thinks we’ll only take action at a critical moment.”
“That old fox.” Ruan Xian swallowed the strawberry and shook his head. “That group of people have a criminal record and have been taken away. It’s fun to pretend to be a bounty hunter occasionally.”
He then raised his head and saw Tang Yibu’s serious expression and quickly added, “The dessert is very delicious.”
Only then did Tang Yibu raise the corner of his mouth in satisfaction. “Right, I squatted in the strawberry orchard for a long time and picked the biggest ones.”
“Is that why your hair is all messed up?”
Tang Yibu tried to smooth out his hair stained with grass clippings with his hands.
“I’ll do it. Come here.” Ruan Xian laughed. He leaned on the sofa, took off the coat and tossed it aside, and took out a comb from the cabinet. Tang Yibu grabbed the snack tray full of chocolate-covered strawberries and sat happily on the carpet.
Ruan Xian carefully combed the smooth and soft hair, as if it were as fragile as spider silk. Tang Yibu chewed strawberries, raised his head from time to time, and would stuff one into Ruan Xian’s mouth.
A few minutes later, Tang Yibu’s hair was beautifully tied up, and the grass clippings were brushed cleanly away.
However, the owner of the hair didn’t seem satisfied.
“I smell like chocolate.” Tang Yibu pointed it out seriously, with a strawberry in his mouth. “You have chocolate on your hands. It’s better for me to take a shower.”
Then he blinked slyly. “You also smell of blood. Let’s shower together.”
“You did it on purpose.”
“I did.”
Ruan Xian looked amused at Tang Yibu. He ate another strawberry, then stuffed the last one into Tang Yibu’s mouth, causing the cheeks of the android to bulge.
“Good,” Ruan Xian said with a smile as he patted off the chocolate powder in his hands.
The atmosphere in Yu Le’s house was quite tense.
With their parents traveling, only the siblings were left in an empty living room.
“Come on. Just tonight, let’s sort this out… Let’s turn off everything.” Yu Sheng sighed, took out the communication wristband, and turned it off.
“It’s useless, sister.” As a senior mechanic, Yu Si pointed this out. “Smart devices are used in many places at home. You can’t completely shut them down.”
“Even if we turn off the electricity?”
“Both the central AC and the refrigerator have backup batteries.”
“……”
Not far away, the sensor light on the refrigerator flashed, unnoticed by the siblings.
“Do you think they will agree?’
Professor Ruan sat down on the sofa in the virtual space and stared at the siblings on the screen.
Unlike the pure white space more than 30 years ago, he gradually understood the usage of this virtual space. Professor Ruan had restored it to his residence when he was at the Institute, and MUL-01 had no opinions about this.
It was no longer the white human form that it was at the beginning. It faintly had the form of a young human, but its face was still a vague mass with no facial features.
“There’s a 99.999999998% chance that they will,” MUL-01 replied peacefully.
“I think so too.” Professor Ruan’s tone was brisk. “Let’s keep watching.”
“Okay.”
In a certain corner of the living room, a very realistic, three-dimensional map of the world floated in the air. It was shrunk so small that the details could not be seen clearly.
But at a cursory glance, everything was thriving.
The author has something to say:
I remember someone asking before: Will there be a problem with the two protagonists killing people in a legal society? There must be a problem. XDDD
In the end, the two became dangerous and wanted criminals. Doesn’t this have a sense of déjà vu?……
After that, everyone will live well ☆-σ(>ω0)b
——
Thank you all for your support! This novel is now over.
It’s an attempt at an alternative protagonist’s character. The protagonists in this novel and the previous were probably bipolar hhh, but they are still the same, and have many flaws OTZ, but I have already touched a bit of the edge! Striving to improve in the next novel——
The next novel “Saving Unpermitted” can be seen in the author’s column ←
The title of the fourth book has also been decided. The slightly wuxia “Send Off” ←
The above two books are expected to be completed in 2020. If the number of words is well controlled, perhaps a fifth book will be opened. This time I want to finish all the rough outlines of the book first and then do it! And then write a million more. I’m a such dog (…..
Finally, thank you again for your genuine support, everyone! See you in the next book~ XD
Kinky Thoughts:
With this, we reached the conclusion of Happy Doomsday. I hope everyone enjoyed the novel. If you did, do recommend it.
Please consider supporting the author by buying the raws. I used Google Chrome with their auto translate and this guide on how to buy novels on jjwxc. Remember, only with your (financial) support can artists continue to produce more great works.
Regarding the author’s notes, Saving Unpermitted is being worked on by a different translator, and as for Nian Zhong’s fourth novel, “Send Off” (rough translation for now)… No comment on that for the time being. I am working on her fifth novel, Evil As Humans, which will now have regular updates now that Happy Doomsday has wrapped up. You can also check out her first novel, Stray, if you like this author’s work (I highly recommend it, as this was the novel that made me fall in love with this author).
Finally, I like to thank everyone for your comments, encouragement, help with my translations, and ko-fi donations. It in part fuels my motivation to release so frequently.
With that, there is one last treat. This is an extra extra from the author’s blog, where she writes mini updates for her characters (usually on special holidays). It’s not officially on jjwxc, but I’ve decided to translate it. She usually updates this yearly, so check back each year on those special days for a new update.
The usually lively android wrapped himself up in a blanket, sniffled, and sneezed from time to time, making his soft black hair a mess. Ruan Xian stood by the big bed and held a cup of hot honey water, his eyes full of helplessness.
“You have a fever, it’s best to treat it as soon as possible.” He put honey water on the head of the bed and sat on the side of the bed.
A kiss or a drop of blood from him would cure Tang Yibu, but he insisted on not doing it! When he first discovered Tang Yibu’s condition was wrong, Ruan Xian’s first reaction was to kiss him, but the next second, his lips were covered by warm hands.
“I want to experience it.” Tang Yibu’s voice had a nasal sound. “It’s rare to catch a cold, and it can be cured at any time anyway.”
This was true.
In the era when MUL-01 was still in charge of the world, Tang Yibu was extremely careful. He didn’t go to places that could be pathogenic and didn’t touch things that could be poisonous. Once there was anything good or bad, it would be followed by half a mouthful of blood or a kiss, as he acted with extreme caution.
After the world recovered, Tang Yibu lived with him. His intake of the S-type Prototype didn’t stop. Ruan Xian showed no signs of aging, and Tang Yibu’s physical age remained at 25. This could be regarded as the peak period of a human’s physique. The android was extremely strong and basically never got sick.
However, after five years passing, Tang Yibu had become more open—not long after Christmas, the two of them went to Country R to destroy an evil cult that believed in the survivor theory, but they were composed of non-survivors. Tang Yibu insisted on playing in the snow in the forest of Country R, and Ruan Xian responded as always.
Just a few minutes before Ruan Xian was about to eat, Tang Yibu went to chase hares in the forest to play. He didn’t know if he was chasing too intently or if his feet slipped, but the android had plunged into the ice lake, making a loud crash.
A picnic in the forest was no longer possible. Ruan Xian took out almost all the clothes they had packed and pressed Tang Yibu to the fire. He was wrapped tightly like a Christmas tree and then dragged to the hotel to completely dry off. Just in case, Ruan Xian gave him a kiss on those slightly cool lips four or five times. Tang Yibu looked fine at the time and was in good spirits, but he caught a cold after they returned home.
Their house was on the edge of the forest. There was now thick snow outside. Though it was evening, Ruan Xian didn’t turn on the light and instead kept the fireplace lit, which made crackling noises throughout the house as the glass wall was stained with blue from the night.
“Experiencing it is fine, but when you get to the point where you have to go to the hospital, I’ll treat you no matter what you say.” Ruan Xian touched Tang Yibu’s cheek. The other party’s skin was abnormally hot, and his body temperature was estimated to be above 38℃. “It’s not a good thing. Isn’t one day of experience enough?”
Tang Yibu turned his head and let out a vague sigh.
Then he propped up his body, wrapped the blanket around his bare shoulders, and reached for the cup. Ruan Xian handed it over and inserted a straw. Tang Yibu obediently sucked on the honey water before he spoke. “It feels terrible to be sick. My whole body is sore.”
“That’s what being sick is like.” Ruan Xian put the empty cup back at the head of the bed. “It’s just five now. Since you refuse to take medicine, you have to eat something… Stewed pears or egg custard? Choose one. Or both? I asked Yu Le for the recipe.”
However, Tang Yibu didn’t answer and just looked at Ruan Xian.
“No appetite?”
“No.” Tang Yibu sniffled, and his voice was muffled. “I know it’s just a common cold, but it’s already making me uncomfortable and irritable. You have been sick for so many years, so your condition must be worse.”
Ruan Xian was stunned for a few seconds.
“I won’t get sick again,” he replied, with a subtle sourness in his chest.
“I know, but I just want to understand you better.” Tang Yibu continued with a hoarse voice. “I don’t want to eat, so give me a good night kiss before going to bed… Otherwise, I really have to go to the hospital to get some prescriptions tomorrow.”
“……Okay.”
Tang Yibu carefully opened the quilt and made an inviting gesture. The heat in the quilt instantly dissipated for a bit, causing the android to shake very uncomfortably. Ruan Xian kissed Tang Yibu on the cheek, then turned off the lights in the corridor. He got into the blankets and let the other party entangle him like an octopus.
On the other side of the glass wall, the sky was getting darker. Goose-feather-like snowflakes were flying again. The sound of the whirring wind mixed with the soft sound of firewood burning was very hypnotic.
The iron bead’s nest was next to the fireplace. Once one side was warm to satisfaction, it turned around lazily to bake the other side while giving out a low rattle. The room was warm, but in contrast, Tang Yibu’s body temperature was scorching.
“Good night,” Tang Yibu murmured vaguely, twisted his body, hugged Ruan Xian firmly, and fell asleep again, this time groggily.
Ruan Xian held the other’s head on his chest and stared at the falling snow outside. A rarely felt emotion enveloped him. Perhaps it was the satisfaction of “living in the world” itself, he thought.
He lowered his head and kissed the other’s warm lips. It was a deep kiss, and it would take away the abnormal body temperature of the person in his arms. When the sun rose again, the android would probably have to get up early and forage for food.
After a long kiss, Ruan Xian said, “Good night.”
However, a string of ringtones broke the quiet atmosphere in the room.
“Don’t blame me for using emergency communications. Why don’t you reply to my messages? It’s been almost a day. Are you two still coming tomorrow?” Tang Yibu was awakened by the ringtone and pressed the answer button in a daze. Yu Le’s loud voice came from the electronic wristband.
“We just came back from Country R today. The situation was more complicated than we thought.” Considering that Tang Yibu’s voice was still hoarse, Ruan Xian replied for him. “The cult leader had a lot of biochemical weapons in reserve. Considering that we can’t let innocent people be harmed, it delayed us for a while. Yibu, he…”
“What happened to Tang Yibu?” Lao Yu gasped as he interjected. “If you’re recovering from a serious injury, it’s okay if you don’t come.”
“Yibu has a cold.” Ruan Xian finished calmly.
“What?”
“He wanted to experience the feeling of a cold, so he’s been in bed for most of the day and won’t let me treat him.” Ruan Xian still hugged Tang Yibu in his arms while he spoke. “He may have turned off the ordinary notification.”
“……What?!”
“That’s how it is. We’ll come over tomorrow night. Anyway, tomorrow’s task is mainly investigation. You and Miss Ji can fully handle it.”
“You guys just get weirder and weirder when you’re in love.”
“Thank you.”
“…” Yu Le clicked his tongue loudly and hung up.
Unlike the two people who went to bed early, Yu Le was sitting at a table for two in a restaurant, waiting for someone while reading the menu.
Five years later, he was now a very successful entrepreneur. At the beginning, Tang Yibu gave him the false identity of a businessman and some production equipment in the Mainbrain’s city. Yu Le immediately moved into the “Walking Stones City” and later built a machine factory. He took in all the original Walking Stones pirates who came for help and ensured that his former crew members would have a meal to eat.
Ruan Xian and Tang Yibu didn’t work at all. They usually just made investments in the market to earn their living.
In the absence of other strong AIs, the market was basically equivalent to a playground for those two. Yu Le looked at them with envy and shouted for a piece of that pie. The price was that he had to go on “business trips” around the world from time to time to do investigations or use his social status to form connections as he continued to act as a member of the Red Ghost.
Considering the rewards were quite generous, Yu Le didn’t have much opinion. After the transaction was finalized, Tang Yibu would occasionally look at all kinds of data in the factory, while Ruan Xian would help review the mechanical design. There was no shortage of funds, and the machine factory was getting more and more prosperous. Even Tu Rui, with the help of his family’s resources, invested a good amount.
However, Tu Rui didn’t let go of his hatred for the off-roader—after the Walking Stones Resort was built, he took out the yellow magazines found on the ship and put it in a separate showcase. The top of one of the covers showed a beautiful woman being princess carried by a princess.
This left Yu Le with an extremely bitter taste.
The door of the restaurant opened, and in came a young woman in her twenties. She was wearing a gray coat, and half her face was hidden behind a scarf. Her hair was shoulder-length, and she had beautiful eyes.
“Little Captain, there you are,” Yu Le hurriedly greeted.
Ji Xiaoman’s limbs had already returned to normal. It was just that she was used to fighting with prosthetics, so without them, she had improved her combat equipment and stubbornly hid them on her body.
She looked a little nervous right now. Her eyes swept around in a circle before she sat down slowly.
“What’s wrong? You look nervous.”
“Someone was following me just now.”
Ji Xiaoman took off her scarf, revealing a sweater that exposed her clavicle, which had a delicate raspberry pattern tattoo.
“It’s a man. It started when I left the college dorm and went to the nearby industrial zone.”
Yu Le instinctively wanted to ask, “Are you okay?” But Ji Xiaoman didn’t even have messy hair, so he decided to swallow the question.
“Then what?” He pushed the menu toward her.
“Near the industrial zone, a few former people of the Underground City attacked me. I took care of them. As a result, the man yelled and rushed over, and I easily knocked him out.”
Ji Xiaoman took the menu and continued to speak in a low voice as she scanned it.
“I took a picture of his face and found that he was a third-year student at our school. I have bumped into him many times ‘accidentally’ at school. It seems he’s been making excuses to approach me. Maybe it was someone from some organization who found out I’m working for the Red Ghost…”
“…” Yu Le stopped talking.
‘This girl is really oblivious,’ he thought.
Forget it. No matter if that kid had good intentions or not, it wasn’t a good thing to follow a girl secretly, so he’ll just let her think so. For some reason, Yu Le had a strange sense of joy.
“In short, I suggest you check it out.” Ji Xiaoman was very serious. “When will Ruan Xian and Tang Yibu come tomorrow? It’s time for them to settle my last month’s salary.”
“It sounds like tomorrow night.”
“Wasn’t it supposed to be noon tomorrow?”
“They have a personal matter going on. If you need money urgently, I can lend you some.”
“It’s fine. My mom’s in good health. It’s just they basically ran out of my inventory last month, so I decided to ask for 30% more as overtime pay.”
“…Little Captain, your true nature as a little profiteer has not changed.”
“Don’t call me Little Captain.” Ji Xiaoman’s voice was too low to be heard. “I have a name.”
“Okay, Xiao Ji.”
Ji Xiaoman looked even more dissatisfied. She rolled her eyes and looked at Yu Le with a stifled face.
“Xiaoman.”
Ji Xiaoman snorted and retracted her gaze.
“Let’s investigate tomorrow together.” After reading the menu, she smiled at Yu Le. “That club doesn’t allow single people. If those two don’t come, it’s more low-key for the two of us to go.”
“Isn’t that a couple’s club?”
“What? You have a girlfriend? In that case, just ignore what I just said…”
“No, no, no. I’m forced to run around until my legs break off every day by those two bastards. Where do I have time to find a woman?”
“Then let’s go together.”
“No, you see, I’m 41 now and you’re only 25… My business is a bit famous, and you’re still in college. If I take you to that kind of place, it may leave you with a bad reputation.”
Ji Xiaoman began to roll her eyes and looked at Yu Le again.
“That’s it?” She carelessly pressed the items on the menu on the light screen. “I don’t care. If you take me out a few more times, there shouldn’t be that kind of rumors.”
“That’s true, but this…”
“Then it’s settled.”
‘This kid is really oblivious,’ she thought.
The author has something to say:
I also gave a brief introduction to Lao Yu and Xiaoman five years later XD
Lao Yu was 36 years old at the time of the text, so this year he’s wearing red*.
*Clarity: She’s making a joke regarding his underwear. Basically, this year would be his natal year (the year of his zodiac animal). According to Han customs, some people are often treated specially this year, such as being forced to “put on red underwear”.
——
Today’s Mr. Ruan and Mr. Tang are a pair stuck in bed√
Kinky Thoughts:
Normally I would raise an eyebrow at that age gap, considering their age, but given the setting and all they’ve been through, it’s understandable.
On a certain street corner in N City, a hotdog store was celebrating its 15th anniversary. This business had always been quite prosperous, and the evaluation online was quite high. As soon as the news of the launch of new products during the store celebration came out, young people rushed there in droves.
It was Christmas Eve. Snowflakes were flying, yet there were still many people in line on the street. The shop owner put the squishy sausages on the fire and roasted them, creating an aroma of hot grease that wafted from the store.
“Six new hotdogs, one for each of the six sauces.” The young man in front of the store took off his scarf and exhaled white mist into the air.
The shop owner raised his head and was taken aback.
The young man in front of him was very good-looking. He thought for a moment that it was an internet idol who had come to his store. However, this person was dressed normally, without sunglasses, revealing cold black eyes. The shopkeeper quickly tossed such thoughts out.
“Young man, the quantity you ordered is quite large. It’ll take a day to eat it all.” The shopkeeper pointed to the holographic projection in front of the store. “That’s a one-to-one size, see? If you want to taste the sauce, you can buy a small portion…”
“It’s okay. I’m not eating alone.” The handsome young man shook his head. “Six of the new products, please.”
Seeing that his persuasion was ineffective, the shopkeeper didn’t intend to make a fuss over money. He quickly wrapped six hotdogs and handed them out with difficulty. To add a festive touch, the bag was decorated with a huge ribbon bow in festive red.
The young man easily took the bag. Before leaving the pickup area, he looked at the camera that was next to the store.
Don’t be a dangerous person. The shopkeeper’s heart jumped.
“Ruan Xian—”
As a result, before the shopkeeper finished worrying, another young man ran over amidst the snow, holding crepes in both his hands and hot drinks in a bag on his arm. One of the crepes was already half eaten, and snowflakes were falling on the milky cream.
“Ah, you bought it.” The new young man had attractive golden eyes and looked equally good. He sniffed the aroma of the grilled sausages and fried onions in the air and gave out a sigh of contentment.
“Nn.” The young man known as Ruan Xian stretched out his hand and wiped the cream from the corner of the mouth of the opposite person. “Let’s find a warmer place to eat.”
“I’ve been looking forward to this store for a long time.” The golden-eyed young man hummed happily. “There’s also a nice hot spring nearby. We can stay there for the night.”
“Okay, sounds good.” Ruan Xian smiled, which instantly dissipated his cold aura. “Are you sure you don’t want anything else?”
“Time is limited, so I can only finish these first.” The golden-eyed young man sighed as he stuffed the half-eaten crepe into his mouth. “…Give me the bag. I’ll start with the spicy one first.”
Ruan Xian took the untouched crepe from him and handed the hotdog bag to Tang Yibu. “Is it still the same?”
The golden-eyed young man swallowed the food in his mouth, nodded vigorously, and kissed Ruan Xian’s forehead.
The shopkeeper thought that it seemed as if he was overthinking things. Not to mention, after meeting with that person, the uncomfortable aura of “Ruan Xian” suddenly dissipated. Even if they really plan to do something bad, holding such a big bag would be inconvenient.
Almost five years had passed since the changes in the 22nd century. The two on the opposite side seemed to be less than 30 years old. They shouldn’t be the “survivors” of the 7-year-old transformation. Now that the world was at peace, he had to change his pessimistic outlook.
It was just a sweet couple. The shopkeeper shook his head and continued to focus on making hotdogs.
The pair of young people who were so dazzling had disappeared into the snow and wind.
“Was this the store you were looking at at that time?” Ruan Xian bit the crepe and walked with Tang Yibu to the most chaotic area of N City.
“Yeah.” Tang Yibu had already taken a hotdog from the bag and bit into it in delight. His eyes even turned a little red. “…It’s as delicious as I thought. My god.”
After that, he held the hotdog to Ruan Xian’s mouth, who took a bite naturally. “It’s really good.”
“When I watched it through the camera, their best seller was the other one.” Tang Yibu’s cheeks were bulging as he muttered while chewing. “It’s a pity that it’s no longer on the menu.”
“Is the warehouse here?” Ruan Xian touched Tang Yibu’s frozen ear, which had turned red.
“Yes. It’s said that Feng Jiang will appear this time.” Tang Yibu felt the heat of the other person’s palm and narrowed his eyes comfortably. “The news was discovered by K6, who manages this area. As a result, these people got a high concentration of fireflies and are planning to sell them.”
“Fu Yu has contacted the police, so why did K6 contact you?” Ruan Xian quickly ate his crepe. “It’s not his style to make an emergency call.”
“The police have been tracking ‘Feng Ge’ for a long time. They’ll arrive in about an hour… But this group of people just bought enhanced nanobots from the black market, so they can’t be dealt with as ordinary drug dealers. The police don’t know this yet. Even if they did, the casualties wouldn’t be small. These people are all core members, so K6 is more inclined to take them down in one fell swoop.”
“I see.” Ruan Xian finished eating and patted his hands. “I hear them. Let’s go.”
“Nn.” Tang Yibu put the drinks and hotdog bag in one arm and took out a black knife.
The temperature control was turned on in the warehouse, which was quite warm. Several people were checking the emerald pill in the box while the others were drinking; their bodies were covered with advanced guns.
“It’s absolutely safe here,” one of them said proudly. “The management of this place isn’t human. One of them is an android in the doomsday period, and his identity is fake. I’ve got him by the balls—if we’re exposed, he’ll be buried with us. Feng Jiang, come on. Don’t look at the goods. Drink!”
Feng Jiang ignored him.
“How did you find out?” another asked curiously.
“How else could I find out? I saw a little beauty in the neighborhood that night, so I followed her. Anyway, we all know that there are messy clones out there now, so how can they be considered human—as a result, as soon as I restrained her, that idiot rushed out, and I shot him in the head.”
The man made a gesture of shooting with his fingers.
“Jesus man, the skull of that thing opened up, but nothing splattered. Most likely, he’s been strengthened by a D-type product. This left him dumbfounded when I found out. The woman managed to escape, but I was able to make a big return and get this management warehouse.”
“I’m still not at ease.” Feng Jiang glanced at the man in disgust. “There’s a human who lives with him, and he appears to be aging. Most likely, he’s one of the people from the doomsday. He may report us.”
“Boss, don’t you have faith in me? I checked. There’s a young girl and a teenage boy living with them. This kind of person who has a family is the best to deal with—I’ve already prepared everything. As long as I see a cop in the vicinity, my brothers will slaughter his family.”
“Feng Ge is too serious.” Another person laughed. “Let’s transfer the goods here, and we’ll leave once we’re done. Besides, we’re equipped with weapons and nanobots. Even if the cops come, they’ll be skinned alive. Don’t worry.”
Before Feng Jiang could reply, an alarm suddenly sounded in the warehouse.
The people who were still leaning on the table just now immediately became alert. They all stood up and held their weapons in their hands.
However, it wasn’t the police that they thought rushed in, but a beautiful young man, walking in empty-handed while wearing an expensive winter coat and scarf.
“This kid is in the wrong place. Fucking idiot.” One of them huffed.
“What’s with all this chattering? Don’t let him leave. You guys over there, stop him! Hey, this person looks pretty good. Don’t kill him. He could be worth some money. Feng Ge, look… Feng Ge?”
Feng Jiang stared at the man opposite, and his face paled.
“Ruan Lijie?” he asked in a hoarse voice. “Why are you—why haven’t you changed at all?! What are you?”
Ruan Xian didn’t answer him. He took out his blood gun from under his clothes and threw a little red round thing on the ground that looked like a clown’s nose.
“Fuck. Take him out. Kill him!”
However, the next second, their newly bought high-tech guns instantly froze.
“Mini EMP.” Feng Jiang sighed. “I recognize this… This is the handywork of the Red Ghost mechanic. Are you from the Red Ghost?”
Ruan Xian didn’t plan to answer him. He shot directly behind Feng Jiang. The two drug dealers who tried to lock the door fell to the ground.
Hearing this name, the men, who had just looked relaxed, suddenly tensed their faces. “Change to an old-fashioned gun and kill him quickly. Regardless of Red Ghost or Green Ghost, there’s only one person on the other side—”
A wave of bullets came surging, but their target stood still under the rain of bullets, dodging neatly and avoiding all their shots.
“Surround him. Don’t let this guy move!”
“Wait! Don’t clump together!” Feng Jiang shouted, but unfortunately, he was a step too late.
The drug dealers who gathered together felt a chill, then heat, on their throats. Before they could see the killer’s face clearly, they all fell to the ground in pain. The nanobots that were supposed to enhance their bodies didn’t come in handy.
“I never said I came alone,” Ruan Xian said as he shot a man who was shooting indiscriminately in the head.
“I spilled my hot chocolate.” Tang Yibu’s tone was aggrieved. The knife in his hand was still dripping with blood.
The hotdog and hot drink in the bag were still hanging from his other arm. The hot drink bag was splashed with a little blood, and a little brown sweet drink spilled along the opening of the lid.
“I’ll take that cup,” Ruan Xian comforted as he fired two more shots. “Why don’t we buy another cup later?”
“…You two…”
Feng Jiang leaned his back against the mountains of fireflies. His expression turned dull. He had obviously recognized Tang Yibu.
In an instant, he was the only person still alive in the warehouse.
“Don’t kill me!” Seeing the two of them turn their heads at the same time, Feng Jiang immediately shouted. “I’m different from them! They are just bandits from the Sea of Ruins, and the choices of collaborators these days are too limited—”
“Bandits?” Ruan Xian didn’t listen to Feng Jiang’s explanation. “Further purifying and transforming fireflies and selling them as a new type of drug was also what these ‘bandits’ forced you to do at gunpoint, ‘Boss Feng’?”
“You don’t understand!” Feng Jiang screamed in pain. “I didn’t want to do this either, but I have to work for the welfare of the survivors, and I need money from all places to do this! You must remember those seven years before the agreement was signed by the Mainbrain. Those ‘things’ outside aren’t humans. Ruan Xian didn’t see through this but reconciled with the Mainbrain! He’s either a coward who’s afraid to die or he’s been brainwashed by MUL-01—”
“Then you prefer to live in an environment like the Sea of Ruins?” Tang Yibu said in surprise. “If that’s true, I really admire you… But I’ve checked. You’ve been rotating between five-star hotels in the past few years.”
“In order to communicate with more high-level people, it’s necessary…” Feng Jiang’s voice fell silent.
Then he seemed to think of something and opened his mouth again. “You can’t treat me like this. Survivors should care about each other! Please, let me go now. I can give you money, as much as you want—”
Ruan Xian neatly tied Feng Jiang up. “We’re not short of money.”
“Give me five minutes. Let me talk about my proposition. You’ll understand… Wait!”
Tang Yibu stuffed Feng Jiang’s mouth with the hotdog bag. “We don’t care. Ruan Xian, how long will it take for the police to come?”
“50 minutes.”
“That’s enough time.” Tang Yibu took off the ribbon bow from the hotdog bag and tied it around Feng Jiang’s head. “It’s quite warm here. Let’s go after eating our hotdog.”
“Give me the honey mustard sauce.” Ruan Xian stepped over the corpses, ignoring all the blood on the ground, and sat down at the table with Tang Yibu. “I’ll arrange a new identity for K6 and the others first, then I’ll notify them.”
50 minutes later.
The heavily armed police broke in, preparing for a bloody battle, but they only saw blood in their eyes.
The corpses of the drug dealers lay in a pool of blood, and only ‘Feng Ge’ sat shivering in front of the boxes of drugs, tied up like a zongzi with a ribbon bow on top of his head.
His electronic wristband was completely blacked out, with two light screens floating around him.
[This is Feng Jiang→]
Below the large words were countless small-print introductions of all the identities of the corpses and their criminal records. The data was accurate down to the time, minute, second, and longitude and latitude of the crime location.
There were only two characters on the other light screen that was red to the point of blinding…
[:D]
The author has something to say:
Tang Enlightenment Hotdog Shop√
Finally, he got to eat it with Ruan—
As a result, those two still don’t have any serious work…_(:з”∠)_
Lao Li rode on a hoverbike as he guarded the dangling cargo on the transport machine. This was a remote area with few cars coming and going, and the road was winding. He simply turned on the news broadcast on one earphone and passed the time listening to it.
This trip was a bit weird. The quantity of this batch of goods wasn’t large—less than eight cubic meters—but the price was surprisingly high. The purchaser also paid an expensive service fee and required a manual escort. Lao Li originally thought that his destination was a wealthy area in the city center, but instead he was heading straight to the most desolate place on the outskirts of the city.
Lao Li sighed while carefully avoiding a wild cat on the side of the road.
Half a year had passed since the “global change” on December 21, 2100. On the last day of last year, people all over the world fell into a collective coma for seven hours.
Planes that were supposed to be flying in the sky appeared en masse at the airport of their destination, and land vehicles, such as ships and trucks, all stopped at once. In the hospitals, all patients in resuscitation or surgery had all their superficial injuries healed, and newborn babies were sleeping soundly in their incubators. Fortunately, due to the high degree of automation of the power network and other facilities, nothing stopped when all the humans fell asleep. After a short period of chaos, the operations of cities everywhere quickly returned to normal.
Electrical appliances, including clocks and watches, would operate as usual from 00:00:00 to 7:00:00 on December 31, 2100.
Then people began to discover various anomalies. The animals and plants in non-human settlements showed abnormal growth, and about 0.3% of the human population experienced rapid aging. The reason was unknown. Among the people who suddenly aged, many of them possessed special abilities, and their memories were lost.
Some people claimed that the world was once destroyed, and mankind had been at the mercy of the Mainbrain for seven years, but this view was unbelievable and wasn’t accepted by the public.
As for those with “special abilities”, doctors had detected nanobots and mechanical transformations in their bodies that far exceeded the current level of science and technology. However, not everyone was willing to go to the hospital honestly. Many people had begun to sell the proliferating nanomachines in their bodies at high prices on the black market or the technical details behind the transformation technology. Some people also set up various organizations that started to collide with each other.
Since the beginning of the changes, the news in the last half year had been very interesting. Lao Li smacked his lips. There was no shade on this section of the road. Despite wearing simple cooling equipment, the midsummer sun was still surprisingly lethal.
He stopped his hoverbike, found a cool place to drink water, and took a look at the city that was left in the distance.
There were countless wonderful disappearances from all over the world, and all kinds of abnormal landscapes had been discovered one after another…
The City of the Walking Stones was one of these anomalies.
On the second day of the global change, someone discovered this empty city to the south of S City. The white city emerged from the ground overnight, with all kinds of equipment intact, fully equipped, and facing forward, but there were few figures. It was a huge city with only a few thousand people living in it, and the residents were very resistant to communicating with the outside world.
It had been confirmed that these people were registered citizens who had been aging for about seven years. Except for a few newborns, almost everyone had a normal identity and wasn’t an outsider.
In the following six months, people who had aged during the global change and had abnormal memories gradually gathered in this white city. The city that was named The Walking Stones slowly became a large city with a population of a million.
In other words, the city had the most people with special abilities or abnormal brains. Several fierce organization leaders originated from there. However, those people were either protesting about scientific and technological issues that Lao Li didn’t understand, or they were trying to publicize the possible hidden dangers of scientific and technological progress moving too fast. It could simply be a situation of rabbits not eating the grass by their nest*, or it could be that there were some mysteries hidden in the city itself—most of those who engaged in violent crimes dared not make trouble in the City of the Walking Stones, or even the entire Y continent.
*(兔子不吃窝边草) Metaphor referring to bad people don’t do bad things locally.
The evil place belonged to evil, but this was still the safest place in the world.
Lao Li finished drinking his water. He put the water cup back on his hoverbike and continued to listen to the news on his headphones. This person lived too far away, so he still had a while to go.
“As for now, MUL-01 is still missing. Its branch system is still operating normally, so people’s lives and travel will not be affected. However, the S City Research Institute recently responded without the coordination of MUL-01, announcing that they would no longer produce androids equipped with artificial intelligence…”
Anyway, most people didn’t have that kind of thing at home. Lao Li snorted. He had also seen these androids on the Android Show, but after the global change, the androids in the show were either damaged or disappeared. It was estimated that there would never be a revival again—but that was something young people loved to watch. Lao Li was too lazy to pay attention to the follow-up.
“…Recently, Fan Linsong, the main person in charge of MUL-01, was found dead at home. The cause of death was suspected to be suicide. The whereabouts of Mr. Ruan Xian, the main designer of MUL-01 are still unknown. The three Prototypes involved have also disappeared. The police are actively searching… At present, the S City Research Institute revealed that there’s no reconstruction plan for MUL-01 or the Prototypes for the time being. Deputy Director Guan Haiming said that in the future, the focus of research will shift to improvement and strict restriction on memory operation technology…”
Lao Li wasn’t interested in these messy technology-related issues. It made him sleepy as he listened to them. He knocked on the electronic wristband and changed the channel.
“…Last night, Ms. Lu, a citizen of H City, found a large boat slanted in the mud in the Northwest wilderness area. The hull of the boat was printed with ‘The Walking Stones’. The interior of the cabin was empty, and the floor of the cabin was level with the soil outside with all plants intact. Regarding this strange phenomenon, some experts say…”
This was a bit interesting. Lao Li was shocked and listened carefully.
“… Mr. Tu, an entrepreneur in H City, expressed his willingness to invest in the development of a resort near the “Walking Stones” to drive the economic development of the surrounding area. Mr. Tu is 80 years old this year. His only son, Tu Rui, works for the local geological team, and was part of the group that aged during the global change of the 22nd century…”
He didn’t know if the Walking Stones had anything to do with the City of the Walking Stones.
The next story was more or less the same. A Country dug up some new stuff; what kind of surviving organization was established in B Country. Lao Li listened with interest and finally arrived at his destination around 5:00 PM.
The home was beautiful, but it was a pity the owner was stupid. Lao Li looked around for a while and sighed at the bottom of his heart.
A small plot with a duplex villa was located next to a forest. One wall was replaced by huge floor-to-ceiling windows, inlaid with large pieces of glass, which made the entire building look bright and clean. The interior decoration was of high taste, with many different configurations that looked exquisite. It could be seen that the owner was quite wealthy.
Except that the design was too simple resulting in no warm living atmosphere in the interior, Lao Li couldn’t find any other faults.
As for the surrounding area of the house, there were too many problems—there were no commercial or residential areas nearby, or even farmland. Even the homeless wouldn’t come here. This place could be considered deserted. The terrain here was rugged, and only a hoverbike could drive across it. Conservatively estimated, it would take four to five hours to reach the nearest hospital or store.
Lao Li took a special look and made sure he didn’t see a helicopter or similar flying tools.
…This place was almost isolated from human society and was completely unsuitable for long-term residence.
Anyway, the house wasn’t too big. Most likely, it was a suburban holiday home built by some rich man. Lao Li manipulated the transport machine and approached the gate, becoming more sure of his thoughts.
Looking closer, the house was getting weirder—the interior looked extremely modern in design, but the feel of technology was too heavy to feel like a home. However, the outside of the house was full of messy fruits and vegetables, dotted with a few out-of-place orchids.
There was also a huge sunflower field behind the house. Lao Li looked around as his heart beat faster—fortunately, this family didn’t raise any chickens, ducks, or geese. Otherwise, he would start to doubt his life.
Bypassing the dense grape racks, Lao Li finally saw someone.
Sitting by the outdoor swimming pool was a young man with golden eyes, who looked about 25 years old. He had fair skin and a bit too delicate a facial feature.
The man was wearing a loose sleeveless shirt and cropped pants that looked rather soft. He shrank comfortably in the shadows as he soaked his feet in the water while holding a black knife in his hand and skillfully cutting fruit.
The green grapes were peeled and stacked in piles. The watermelon scoops were so red that it looked extremely gratifying… They were beautifully cut into squares and placed in a fruit tray on one side. The pulp that was inconvenient to process was being eaten by the man smoothly—he just cut and ate it like this, without wasting the slightest bit, and there was an exasperatingly lazy feel to his movement.
“Mr. Ruan? The goods that you ordered…”
“Ruan Xian, Ruan Xian—the things you bought have arrived. Do you want me to collect them? I’m almost done here.” The young man bent his eyes, got up, and shouted into the house.
Lao Li nodded politely and directed the transport machine to get closer. The temperature around the house was significantly cooler, so he wanted to rub off a bit of cool air.
Unexpectedly, looking closer, more details jumped out.
There were several fresh hickey marks left on the young man’s neck, and there were many tooth marks left on his beautiful clavicle, which showed the intensity of last night. He had exposed them carelessly, paying no attention to Lao Li’s gaze.
After he got up, what was originally blocked was exposed—it was a bowl-shaped pet kennel, but there wasn’t a dog or cat inside. There was only a metal ball the size of a watermelon that made some soft rattling sounds from time to time, as if it were taking a nap.
Lao Li didn’t want to guess at all what this family’s situation was.
“I’ll go collect it.” Another person walked out of the house. “Yibu, I’ll go and get the fruit plate later. You go and pick three tomatoes… Hello, sir, please transport the box labeled ‘Tang Yibu’ over here first. Inside are fresh and frozen products that can’t be left outside for too long.”
The “Ruan Xian” was much younger than Lao Li thought. He looked incredibly handsome, but his temperament was much colder than that of the other person just now. He wore a tight white shirt that had the aroma of food coming off of it, which barely covered up his coldness.
Tang Yibu slowly walked around the swimming pool and stretched out one foot. The tips of his toe slowly crossed the shadows and entered the sunlight, then shrank back in the next second.
“The tomato field is too far away, Mr. Ruan.” He made a bitter face as he spoke softly. “And the sun is very hot.”
Ruan Xian laughed, walked forward, and kissed Tang Yibu on the lips.
“The soup is already cooking, and I have to deal with the spices and meat quickly, then prepare other ingredients. When you pick the tomatoes and come back, it’ll be finished just in time… It’s not impossible for me to go, but if you take over, you won’t be able to taste my new recipe.”
Tang Yibu showed a struggling expression.
“If you really don’t want to, I can leave the tomatoes alone, but the taste—”
“I’m going.” The golden-eyed young man plucked up his courage and poked the iron ball in the pet’s nest with his foot. “π, come with me.”
The ball popped out of the nest, stretched out four thin calves, and rattled reluctantly.
“Mr. Ruan, can I ask.” Lao Li looked at the metal ball that was getting farther and farther away in confusion. “What is that thing?”
“Our doorman,” Ruan Xian said as he opened the small cooler on the side of the house.
“You’re so funny.” Lao Li huffed. “It looks a bit funny, so I want to buy one for my grandson—”
“Can’t buy it.” Ruan Xian smiled at him. “A friend specially made it, so it’s out of print. Sorry.”
“Oh, oh, oh, I’m just curious,” Lao Li said hurriedly.
Ruan Xian nodded and began to lay out the ingredients quietly—this person bought a full 65 pounds of high-grade beef alone, which were all stored in the freezer. There were countless other expensive foods. Lao Li began to suspect that there must be a bunch of people hidden in this home who didn’t show up.
“Young people nowadays are really amazing. So young yet they can afford such a place.” Lao Li directed the transport machine to help place the goods as he changed topics. “What do you two do?”
“I usually make investments at home. I just recently made a small profit.” Ruan Xian didn’t seem very sensitive in this regard as he didn’t show any wary expression. “It’s not a stable job.”
“Work from home? No wonder you bought so much food… But it’s better to take advantage of your youth. At my age, it takes a year and a half to plan any trips.”
“When you have to go, you gotta go.” Ruan Xian smiled. “The one in my family can’t sit still.”
Lao Li casually said a few more words, but this Mr. Ruan was obviously not the type to chat. Seeing that all the ingredients were in the freezer, Ruan Xian went back to the kitchen in the next second while leaving the non-food parts to dry in the yard.
Except for taking the initiative to fill up his canteen, the young homeowner didn’t talk to Lao Li too much. Lao Li had a weird feeling, as if this person seemed to have a subtle communication disorder.
But what did it matter to him?
Lao Li drank a few mouthfuls of cold water and sat back on his hoverbike—it was the last job of the day, so he could finally get off work.
Tang Yibu went back and forth for about 15 minutes. When he returned to the kitchen again, he had three plump tomatoes in his hand. The air was filled with a seductive aroma of soup and barbeque, and the kitchen table was cleaner than a lab bench.
“I picked the best in the entire garden,” he announced happily as π continued to bite at his heel, obviously still angry from having its nap disturbed.
“Taste it without the tomatoes first.” Ruan Xian scooped a spoonful of soup with a spoon, blew on it, then delivered it to Tang Yibu’s mouth.
“It’s already delicious!” Tang Yibu took a sip and announced happily. “Give me a bowl of this first.”
“Alright,” Ruan Xian filled up a bowl of soup for Tang Yibu, while the latter ran to the front yard and moved the remaining goods into the house in one go.
“Speaking of which, I want to change tomorrow’s restaurant appointment with Yu Le and Ji Xiaoman.” Tang Yibu sorted out the daily necessities that Ruan Xian had brought back and casually fed the small parts of the sealed box to the iron bead. “The ruins pirates of Elysium have formed a group of their own and intend to cause trouble around T City. We can make an appointment there and meet in the nearby B City.”
As he spoke, he nodded. “I listened to their plans, which are quite detailed. Ji Xiaoman is studying at the university in B City and should be free on the weekends. Yu Le has more freedom. Anyway, the two of them live in the same community, so it’s also convenient to act.”
“If it’s B City, wouldn’t it be good to inform Luo Fei and Luo Jian?” Ruan Xian began to deal with the tomatoes. “Their organization is near B City. They’re ones who have always taken the moderate route. This turmoil should be suppressed.”
“Feng Jiang and Duan Feng have hidden a lot of the flickering grass fruit, and they have fireflies in their hands. They may not be able to handle it. Ordinary police force will only cause unnecessary confusion and casualties… Ah, how troublesome.”
“I understand,” Ruan Xian said. “Then let’s put the investigation of the survivors in Country R on hold for now. I’ll change the itinerary.”
“Nn.”
“…We’ll be eating dinner soon. Put down those cookies in your hand.”
“But the soup is so delicious, and I’m already hungry.” Tang Yibu’s little movement was caught in the act.
“The boiled eggs in the small pot are almost ready. If you eat them now, they’ll be too soft.” Ruan Xian pointed to the small pot on his right. “Like this.”
Having said that, Ruan Xian adjusted the soup to keep it warm. He had planned on finishing up the barbeque when a few more boiled eggs appeared under his nose.
“Help me peel them, Mr. Ruan. I’ll cut the barbeque.”
“Wait.” Ruan Xian stretched out his thumb and gently wiped the cookie crumbs from the corner of Tang Yibu’s mouth.
Then he licked his thumb lightly.
It was approaching evening, and the blue sky began to turn golden red. Tang Yibu was standing opposite him, with his back to the setting sun. His entire body was bursting with vigorous life, and the black earring on his right ear was glittering. The dense steam and the air conditioning in the house neutralized each other, creating an ambiguous atmosphere.
Ruan Xian stared at the scene in front of him for a while and was just about to follow his compulsion when Tang Yibu had already kissed him.
He turned off the oven casually, put his palm into Tang Yibu’s clothes, and stroked the back of his neck, slowly moving his hand down his spine. As the kiss got deeper, the two stumbled, fought their way out of the kitchen area, and collapsed on the soft carpet.
‘What a pity,’ Ruan Xian thought.
They failed to have a dinner normally yesterday, and now history was about to repeat itself. Dinner would once again be left cold all night.
[END]
The author has something to say:
End of text·*·:≡(ε:)
I didn’t expect this article to be so long _(:з”∠)_
Although it is clear that everyone will have various opinions on such an ending, the ending is what I thought of when I started the article, and it can be regarded as an expression of my own XD.
The world will indeed not be calm, but Ruan and Tang are clear. They can handle everything.——
This is not a story of saving the world. This is a love story√
——————
My next work:
As the world’s No. 1 professional player in “Erosion”, “Undead Legend” Shu Jun was preparing to retire.
Finally, about to completely return to reality from virtual reality, Mr. Shu was so emotional that he even tried to confess.
[See You Tomorrow]: When we win the finals. Let’s meet. I’ll find you.
[Smoke]: …Okay.
Unfortunately, despite Shu Jun’s countless calculations, his tactics didn’t collapse, his command didn’t collapse, and the performance of his own players didn’t collapse, but instead the world collapse—when he opened his eyes again, he became the most dangerous monster in the game.
Kinky Thoughts:
This marks the end of the main story of Happy Doomsday. I hope everyone enjoyed the novel. It was wildly different from Stray, but I enjoyed it very much nonetheless, especially Tang Yibu. Best and cutest ML ever. Do recommend this story if you like this novel.
If you did enjoy it, please consider supporting the author by buying the raws. I used Google Chrome with their auto translate and this guide on how to buy novels on jjwxc. Remember, only with your (financial) support can artists continue to produce more great works.
The author’s notes include a summary of her next work: Saving Unpermitted, which is being done by someone else. Do check it out if you like works by the author, and for those who haven’t, I recommend you read Stray. I’m also doing another project by Nian Zhong as well, called: Evil As Humans, which will be updated more regularly now that Happy Doomsday is finished.
Finally, I like to thank everyone for your comments, encouragement, help with my translations, and ko-fi donations. It in part fuels my motivation to release so frequently and try to finish this novel as soon as possible.
There are just a few extras left. Below is the final arc summary.
—
With Ruan Xian captured, Tang Yibu infiltrated the stronghold where he was being held in order to take him back. There, Tang Yibu came to realize that he was in love, and this new feeling confused him. Ruan Xian, likewise, also came to realize what his feelings for Tang Yibu were and that the way he was going about solving things was wrong. Together, they decided to work on a plan jointly, without joining forces with the Mainbrain or Professor Ruan.
Meanwhile, Yu Le and Ji Xiaoman were sent by Professor Ruan to fetch the backup assassination machine, as Professor Ruan (correctly) predicted that Ruan Xian would sell them out so the assassination machine could no longer be used. In the process of picking up the device, they were followed by the Order Supervisors. Knowing they couldn’t escape, they set up a plan to purposefully get captured while leaving hints behind for Ruan Xian and Tang Yibu.
Tang Yibu returned to Professor Ruan’s base to find that Yu Le and Ji Xiaoman had been captured. He went to the Underground City, where K6 relayed Yu Le’s last message, and found Yu Le’s car, which was holding the parts of the backup assassination machine. With this in mind, he devised a plan and returned back to Ruan Xian at the Mainbrain’s stronghold to discuss so they could come up with a plan together.
During this process, Ruan Xian was able to infiltrate the data of the stronghold and find out where the Mainbrain was hiding Fan Linsong; however, this blew his cover, and he and Tang Yibu hastily escaped from the stronghold. They were forced to fight against two of the Mainbrain’s upgraded soldiers and managed to beat them, at the cost of revealing Ruan Xian’s true identity and the fact that he had the S-type Prototype.
After the battle, they paid a visit to Fan Linsong, who told them the Mainbrain’s weakness: it could get overheated without the help of an auxiliary support cooling system due to a patch that Ruan Xian installed. With this in mind, Ruan Xian and Tang Yibu put their plan into action.
With things exposed, they plan to defeat the Mainbrain within 72 hours. First up was to rescue Ji Xiaoman and Yu Le, who were captured by the Order Supervisors. With the help of the Walking Stones pirates, they managed to rescue them, and the group reunited again.
While Ruan Xian and Tang Yibu head to the desert, where the Mainbrain’s physical body was located, Yu Le and Ji Xiaoman head to the forest petri dish to activate Professor Ruan’s assassination machine, which had now been captured by the Order Supervisors. They were successful in this task.
When they reached the Mainbrain’s body, Ruan Xian headed straight towards the Mainbrain’s main cube, which was right in the middle of the gigantic body, while Tang Yibu held off all attacks from the outside. Ruan Xian linked up with the Mainbrain using Professor Ruan’s spare assassination machine that they modified and entered its digital system to distract it, making it think that they were there to seize its body for Tang Yibu.
Eventually, they were able to force the Mainbrain into a corner as Tang Yibu overrode its control using what was essentially spam to clog up its processing with the help of the previous assassination machine activated by Yu Le and Ji Xiaoman acting as the amplifier. With no option left, the Mainbrain backed itself up into a spare body and abandoned its main body.
However, this act fell right into Ruan Xian’s and Tang Yibu’s trap. When the Mainbrain backed itself up into its spare body, before it could escape, Tang Yibu abandoned taking over its main body and snatched its brain away.
Their entire goal this whole time was to level the playing field so they could negotiate on equal terms. With the Mainbrain inside a singular cube and under hostage, they lay out their terms, which mainly boiled down to restoring everything to the day before the doomsday. The Mainbrain would play a behind-the-scenes role of watching and collecting data from humans, and whether humans went down the path of destruction or not would be up to them. Once humanity was destroyed, the Mainbrain could use that data to create its own world. In return, Tang Yibu and Ruan Xian were guaranteed their safety, and they would become semi-watchers to help stabilize the reset world. Professor Ruan decided to crush himself and joined the Mainbrain’s system.
All in all, everything worked out in the end. The world was restored to how it was the day before the doomsday with some minor corrections in technological advancement to hopefully prevent humanity from going off course. Ruan Xian and Tang Yibu moved to an isolated area and are living a happy (sex-filled) life with π while semi-helping maintain some stability in the new world order, while the Mainbrain and Professor Ruan now have a private room to play their chess game without any cats interrupting.
In the wind and snow, the mobile stronghold began to move forward again and went deeper in the Arctic hinterland with the Mainbrain. It finally stopped in no man’s land and opened the perceptual camouflage, turning the array of black cubes into a plain white mountain peak.
MUL-01 would live on top of this ice land and continue its calculation in the vast world.
However, it wasn’t only itself that was left behind.
The mechanical beings that transcended the times surrounded it. Their metabolism was minimized, and they fell into a deep sleep. A few high-level officials of the Order Supervisors decided to follow the Mainbrain. In order to deal with possible threats or changes nearby, they put the mobile stronghold within range of the perceptual camouflage and then entered a sleeping cabin that was prepared for long-term hibernation. Only when the Mainbrain was back in charge of human society would they officially return.
The snowmobile quietly left the edge of the polar region.
After sending off Professor Ruan, Guan Haiming hurriedly bid farewell to the two of them—December 31st was coming, and the things that needed to be done were higher than a mountain, so he didn’t have much time to be sad.
Ruan Xian and Tang Yibu returned directly to S City, which was close to recovery.
The dark gray sky was constantly sprinkled with snow. Huge flying machines stopped in the air while vehicles that looked similar to crushing devices were set up on the street.
The Mainbrain was ready for its final preparations.
The city was approaching perfection. The power system was operating normally. Only the residents were missing. Many survivors from their hometown in S City walked on the streets with confusion or heavy emotions on their faces. However, there were still too few people, which made the entire city look extremely empty.
At this moment, Ruan Xian and Tang Yibu weren’t on the street.
Ruan Xian first returned to his residence in the underground of the Institute. The Mainbrain had restored everything very well, but it had been used by Professor Ruan for several years, so he didn’t find much that belonged to him. Leaving the residence empty-handed, Ruan Xian found Tang Yibu in the computer lab.
Tang Yibu was sitting on a radiator in the lab, looking at the swirling snow through the window.
“According to the information from the Mainbrain, Zhuo Muran has officially entered hibernation. He has no plans to return to society at all.” Tang Yibu followed Ruan Xian, who was approaching him, with his eyes. “The D-type Prototypes are gone, which means that for you and me, the final threat no longer exists.”
“Nn.”
“I checked the progress of all AI research at this point in time. Before the environment matures, I can control it before it turns into an alpha wolf.” Ruan Xian didn’t know where Tang Yibu had found some candies, but he threw one to Ruan Xian while he sucked on the other one himself.
The Institute was warm and quiet.
“…Now that your illness is cured, where do you want to go?” Tang Yibu bit the candy, causing a crunching sound.
Whether it was the scene in front of him or the problem at hand, there was a weird sense of familiarity. Ruan Xian was startled and put the candy in his pocket.
“I want to find a place to live with you first.” After thinking for a moment, he gave a realistic answer. “I made our fake identities, but the specific residence is still undecided. The Mainbrain has left a few construction machines, so we can plan it well. Yibu, time is limited. It’s better to leave here as soon as possible—”
Tang Yibu swallowed the candy, creating a loud noise that interrupted Ruan Xian’s words. He turned his head slightly, without meaning to move from his spot.
“We have unfished business.” After taking a few more glances at the familiar window, Tang Yibu jumped off the radiator. “Time is almost up.”
“What time…?” However, before he could finish asking, a sound ringing around Ruan Xian answered for him.
Yes, although the snowflakes were flying around and the sky was dark, it was indeed time for an afternoon break. Carol Young’s “And So It Goes” came on. The soft song swept through the empty Institute.
“What belongs to NUL-00 must end here.”
Tang Yibu walked up to Ruan Xian and lowered his head. The two were so close that Ruan Xian could feel the other party’s warm breath. This place was as warm as he remembered, if not warmer.
“Regarding the question you left back then, I want to formally give my answer… About the definition of hurt.”
Ruan Xian held his breath and waited quietly for the other party to answer. The wind and snow outside the window blew softly against the glass.
“Article 97325,” Tang Yibu said.
“What?”
“In the agreement between me and the main brain, I listed 97,325 things that may harm me personally. This is still the first edition,” Tang Yibu said. “I am not proficient in controlling emotions, so I won’t have too much influence and interference of the same kind, but I have at least 97,325 situations that bring harm… By the way, I have passed this information to you. You can take a look when you have time.”
“……”
“Then it took me nearly a year to get to know you, but I still can’t be completely sure which things will hurt you and which will make you unhappy. You also belong to the type of emotionally distant human. If you were classified by complexity, you would be the easiest to analyze—but I still can’t give a complete answer. My way of observing is changing, and so are you.”
Ruan Xian looked at Tang Yibu’s golden eyes. The outside of the window was gray, and the lab was plain and cold; only those yes carried the warmth of color.
“As for other intelligent lives, the same reasoning can be deduced. Perhaps Yu Le has more than 100,000 damage concepts, while Ji Xiaoman has 200,000—there may be some commonalities and conflicts. They may also have different judgments about an exact scenario. These are known only to themselves… or until a particular moment comes.” The android had a serious expression.
“I may be able to roughly classify and guess commonalities, but I can’t give a precise definition of harm. You gave me an unanswerable question, Mr. Ruan. I will never be able to obtain complete data until all intelligent life in the world completely fades away.”
With that, Tang Yibu’s eyes curved up because he was smiling.
“So I can only continue to observe, act cautiously, and don’t jump to conclusions… Is this what you’re trying to tell me?”
“No. I’m just curious about your answer.” Ruan Xian shook his head. “An ordinary afternoon. An ordinary detection problem. That’s all.”
“I see.” Tang Yibu stretched out his hand to hold Ruan Xian’s waist and put his chin on his shoulder as he muttered in a low voice, “I gave you my answer… The NUL-00 project can end here, Mr. Ruan.”
Ruan Xian was hugged tightly by Tang Yibu, and he could feel the beating of Tang Yibu’s heart.
“It’s not over yet,” Ruan Xian said suddenly.
Tang Yibu took a step back, and a trace of horror appeared on his face.
“I am very curious about your experience in these twelve years,” Ruan Xian said solemnly. “We will have a long time after this, so you have to tell me slowly—as the main person in charge of the NUL-00 project, this is my last request.”
The android breathed an undisguised sigh of relief.
“And…”
“And?” Tang Yibu quickly tensed up again.
“Before our home is settled, there’s still room for our fake identity to be perfected. It’s just that to complete this information, you need your own signature.”
Ruan Xian pressed on the electronic wristband, and a light screen floated in front of Tang Yibu.
“Considering that the two of us are going to live and act together for a long time. The identity of a distant relative is not appropriate, and there are all kinds of inconveniences if you’re a brother…”
Ruan Xian stopped.
“…If you don’t have much opinion, sign this marriage registration document.”
The android was stunned in place for a full five seconds before he reacted. Tang Yibu poked his finger on the light screen and quickly left his signature—
“You changed ‘Ruan Lijie’ to ‘Ruan Xian’?” After signing his name, Tang Yibu looked curiously at the information on the light screen.
“Nn. Ruan Xian isn’t a special name, and the citizens also have the right to change their names.”
“So does that count as a proposal?”
“Nn.”
“We don’t have a ring.”
“When order is restored, I will buy it.”
“And there are no flowers.”
“Do you want that kind of thing? I remembered you weren’t interested in them.”
“I didn’t even get down on one knee.”
Ruan Xian crossed his arms and raised his eyebrows at Tang Yibu.
“…I’m just comparing it with the standard process.”
Tang Yibu clicked his tongue loudly; his expression had not yet recovered from the shock. He circled Ruan Xian a few times like a beast and finally stopped in front of Ruan Xian again. This time he took out a small box from his pocket, which still smelled of fruit candy.
Two black earrings lay quietly in a small box; the style was more exquisite than the previous two.
“Since I left the Mainbrain, I haven’t had time to give you a new one,” Tang Yibu said. “Let’s use this instead of the ring first.”
He put the earrings in his palm. “They’re not fatal. I only put on location tracking and communication. No matter where you are on earth, I can find you and contact you, and vice versa.”
When he said this, he secretly looked at Ruan Xian with his eyes.
“I like you wearing what I gave you.” After a while, Tang Yibu added another sentence. “Since I am your legal husband, the cooperation policy between us can be updated. I won’t keep you… Ah, forcibly by my side.”
“But if you leave without saying goodbye and stay away for too long, I’ll never stop contacting you until I get an answer,” he continued to emphasize. “Maybe I’ll even call the police.”
“……”
“By the way, the ringtone of the earring is the cry of the iron bead. You don’t want it to ring in your head for too long.”
Ruan Xian pondered for a while, then reached out, picked up the earring, and put it on his left ear.
Tang Yibu followed his movements closely. The android put the other earring on his right ear, and a little blood oozed from his earlobe. Then he leaned forward, pressed himself close to Ruan Xian, and hooked the tip of his tongue to remove the beads of blood from Ruan Xian’s left earlobe.
“But for the next few years, or even decades, we may not be able to withdraw completely. The rebel army and the Order Supervisors almost unanimously chose to keep their memories. There are many radicals on both sides, so they definitely won’t give up.”
After confirming that the earrings were working normally, Tang Yibu played with Ruan Xian’s soft earlobes, and began to ramble again.
“There are also many third-party forces—such as the pirates—who have used cutting-edge technology from the Mainbrain era for themselves in the past seven years. Now, with the Mainbrain living in seclusion behind the scenes, the world’s technological level has decreased by a lot. The transformation of this part of people who are “beyond the times” will also become a factor of instability… Thinking about it this way, the errand left by Professor Ruan is quite troublesome.”
“At least it’s better to deal with that than complete chaos. Moreover, it will take a long time for the world to return to its place, and when everything stabilizes, it’s not too late to consider countermeasures.”
Ruan Xian pressed on Tang Yibu’s lips, forcibly interrupted the other party’s rambling, and motioned for him to listen quietly.
The afternoon lunch break wasn’t over yet, and Carol Young’s songs were still echoing in the room. Half a day later, the reset world would arrive, enveloped in chaos and the unknown.
But before that, they still have a little time.
“Since your topic is temporarily suspended, our information is almost perfect. If you want a proposal ceremony, we still have time to make up some formalities—there are about 20 minutes left in the lunch break, come on.”
Whether it was love, a relationship, or a formal registration, they didn’t seem to follow the “normal” process.
But it didn’t matter.
The lights in the computer room were pale, but the temperature was just right. The melody of “Step by Step” suppressed the sound of the window from outside. Ruan Xian couldn’t help but smile in the looping melody. He stretched out his hand and made an inviting gesture.
“Yibu, would you like to dance with me?”
Whether it was love or formal registration, they didn’t seem to follow the “normal” process.
The author has something to say:
There is one more chapter until the end XDDD
Oh my god, I finally got them married. It wasn’t easy (×
——
Once upon a time, a scientist made a coconut Tang as a project.
Twelve years later, he was abducted by the coconut Tang when it grew up√
Kinky Thoughts:
One more chapter to go before the end. Yes, it only took them 248 chapters to reach this point, dear author.
I have to say Tang Yibu is so cute, from beginning to end. He is too adorable.
The people who were still alive gave various reactions at the beginning—some didn’t know about it but just marveled at the “old-fashioned cities” that rose up; those who thought they were survivors cried bitterly, kissed the land, and rejoiced in the Doomsday; the Order Supervisors worked as usual, as they had long been accustomed to living according to the instructions of the Mainbrain.
The rebel army was the most responsive wave among them. One moment, they were still preparing their weapons conscientiously, deciding to die gloriously on the battlefield. The next moment, the Mainbrain suddenly changed its mind, prepared a big recovery, and then left it alone. This was like a punch hitting cotton.
“You should understand this feeling best, Lao Ruan!” One of them was roaring at Professor Ruan. “The Mainbrain killed so many people—”
“There are already very few real survivors,” Professor Ruan interrupted the light screen. “Everyone knows that most of our friends in the petri dishes are replicants. The dead won’t come back, and the situation is stable again. There’s no need to make unnecessary sacrifices—we don’t have half a chance of winning if NUL-00 and MUL-01 join forces.”
“I can’t accept it! There must be vengeance! Otherwise, what about all our comrades who died before?” The person on the other side of the light screen swept all the things on the table to the floor.
Professor Ruan could understand the mood of the other party. Unfortunately, two certain people were not ones who would care about the revenge plans of others. Those two lunatics single-handedly destroyed the Mainbrain’s body and forced it to sign an agreement for completely personal reasons.
……All so they could verify and experience their feelings more deeply. Professor Ruan believed that only those two in the world could turn the Mainbrain into an auxiliary tool.
In order to ensure that this wasn’t some kind of farce, he flipped through the program that NUL-00 actively opened back and forth thousands of times until NUL-00 began to huff in dissatisfaction. After the meeting, Professor Ruan was sure that NUL-00 and Ruan Xian didn’t lie.
Even if it was emotionally unacceptable, the current situation made it pointless to protest with human lives.
So in that meeting, Professor Ruan quickly found a new direction. For the first month, he had been putting forward various suggestions for a society that was about to be “reset” to ensure that the survivors could live a normal life.
In this regard, NUL-00 was completely miserable.
“According to your request,” he yelled at Professor Ruan dissatisfied, “for most of these three months, I have to stay with MUL-01 to calculate. It’s so boring, I’ll suffocate to death! I want to stay by Mr. Ruan’s side—”
“Ruan Xian has to stay and work on my side. You can contact each other through the light screen.”
After agreeing with the Mainbrain to coordinate the affairs of the rebels, NUL-00 had no other choice but to grit his teeth hard at him.
The request made by Professor Ruan was quite troublesome—as society recovered, the social identity system that Ruan Xian had participated in making would start to operate again. Since Ruan Xian was able to set up “Ruan Lijie” as a fake identity, it wouldn’t’ be a problem to create other fake identities.
After all, from 2100 to the present, although not many, there were still some children who didn’t exist before the end of the world who were born and successfully survived. In addition, there were many special cases…
Among the survivors were Yu Le, who didn’t want to restore his status as a death row prisoner, and Ji Xiaoman, who had long grown up and didn’t want to go back to the orphanage; among the androids, there were K9 and A’Qiao, who wanted to continue their lives, and Ji Xiaoman, who wanted to keep her “mother”; among the replicants, there was Luo Fei, who was created out of thin air, and Zhong Qing and Ding Zepeng, who had duplicate identities, and so on.
Their job was to record these survivors, whether they were natural humans, androids, or replicants, and set up a suitable fake identity for them in a society that was about to recover so they could continue to live.
This was such a tedious job that even with Guan Haiming’s and Major Ding’s assistance, the workload still wasn’t small.
The focus of the work of the Mainbrain and NUL-00 wasn’t identity forgery, but it was closely related to it.
…They issued a “choice agreement” to all surviving humans and guaranteed them two months to think.
If they agreed that a replicant who was completely physiologically and psychologically the same as themselves was valid, then the situation was easy. For those people who didn’t agree, the people who died during the Great Rebellion would not return.
That meant that even if society recovered, they would face hundreds of millions of “imposters”.
[Since you are still alive, I will not specifically do a special reset.] MUL-01 stated in the selection agreement. [This means that once human society returns to the state of December 31, 2100, for those who have been reset, your age will increase by 7 years “out of thin air”. Please be aware of this.]
[If you want to keep your memory and accept the changes, you can confirm in the reservation column and apply for a suitable new identity.]
[If you want to forget everything in the past 7 years, you can confirm it in the elimination column. If you choose to eliminate your memory, after two months, except for the age of your body, your life will not change compared with 2100.]
[Some people were sampled by me on December 31, 2100, and then specially cloned. This part of the population can see the third option—select the reset bar and painlessly be crushed. I will restore the data on December 31, 2100 separately.]
[You have two months to think about it. Please confirm the result before 00:00:00 on December 31. If you do not select within the time limit, it will be processed according to “memory elimination in the last 7 years”. In addition, so far, some cities have been completely restored. If necessary, you can apply to the Order Supervisors to return to your hometown. Treatment sites for diseases and disabilities will be opened at the following locations…]
The blue selection agreement surrounded everyone like a floating ghost.
For the next two months, Professor Ruan and Ruan Xian were busy stuffing perfect fake identities into the social system, while Tang Yibu had to bite the bullet and work with NMUL-01 to prepare for memory elimination, urban restoration, and population reset.
Finally, the autumn leaves fell, and snow began to fall from the sky. According to the calendar, another December 31st was approaching.
Under the power supply of the mobile stronghold, the body made of cubes of the Mainbrain moved like a living creature and finally stopped at the Arctic border.
After fighting with thousands of fake identities for so long, Tang Yibu was detained by MUL-01 again. After a lapse of two months, Ruan Xian finally saw the living Tang Yibu—the latter’s eyes straightened, and his whole body looked shriveled.
Tang Yibu, who was wrapped very tightly in warm clothes, suddenly rushed over. Ruan Xian couldn’t bear to take two steps back. He was able to maintain his standing position, allowing Tang Yibu’s head to rub against him.
“I never want to see MUL-01 again in my life.” After a short greeting, Tang Yibu said sadly, “What’s so good about work? Even if I don’t sign that cooperation agreement, I don’t want to interfere with its affairs with humans—”
“The next step is a vacation, Yibu. A very long vacation.”
Ruan Xian stroked Tang Yibu’s back hard, soothing him for a long time before the android calmed down. π, who was ball-shaped, was buried deep in the snow. It was so anxious that it kicked on all four legs and couldn’t move.
The familiar temperature finally gave him peace of mind. Ruan Xian leisurely wrapped his arm around Tang Yibu, temporarily ignoring the angry rattles of the iron bead.
This wasn’t a meeting between the two of them. A snowmobile was parked a few meters away.
Accompanied by Guan Haiming, the three-legged little machine shrank in the insulation box. The huge body of the Mainbrain stood in the wind and snow, surrounded by hundreds of mobile strongholds, making the half-human insulation box almost negligible.
The so-called “meeting” didn’t feel like a meeting at all.
The array of black cubes in the Mainbrain was motionless, like a large church. The black cubes slowly tumbled as blue arcs kept flashing. Professor Ruan, who was only a brain, also couldn’t make any expressions. The atmosphere felt awkward for a while.
“You only came with these people?” Finding that only Guan Haiming and Ruan Xian were accompanying, Tang Yibu raised his eyebrows.
“Ji Xiaoman had her stump recovery a few days ago. Her newborn limbs can’t be frozen. Yu Le’s taking care of her,” Ruan Xian explained. “The rest is Professor Ruan’s own arrangement.”
Having said that, Ruan Xian looked at the three-legged machine a few steps away—it stood to reason that if he wanted to communicate with the Mainbrain, he would insert a brain probe at this moment, enter the system space of the Mainbrain, like he did back then, and talk to the Mainbrain’s virtual image.
That was more like a meeting in the usual sense, but Professor Ruan had been staying quietly there for half an hour without the slightest intention of connecting to the system.
What exactly does he want to do?
“To this day, I still don’t agree with the approach taken by you two.”
After a long silence, an electronic voice rang out from the three-legged machine.
“Even if everything is reset back to the end of 2100 and the Mainbrain ‘disappears’ and the research at the Institute stops, Plan Corp, or companies similar to them will always bring back a strong AI into the world… If morality and law are the rails of society’s progress, at that point in time, society will already begin to derail.”
Ruan Xian exhaled a mouthful of white vapor.
“No one can resist the benefits this market brings. There are too few survivors, and their voices may not be heard. Ruan Xian, we have made a total of less than three million fake identities… Of the 30 million people who are still alive, less than one-tenth of them have decided to keep their memories.”
“So?”
“Someone must ensure the safety of the train, or at least not let things repeat themselves too quickly.”
Listening to the other party’s tone, Ruan Xian faintly had a ridiculous guess.
“Can’t you stop it?” Tang Yibu let go of Ruan Xian and held the iron bead, who was making a fuss in the snow, and motioned for it to be quiet. “You still have at least 10 years to live. If you want, I can design a more suitable device—”
Ruan Xian patted Tang Yibu’s arm and shook his head.
“Ten years isn’t enough.” The three-legged machine tilted its glass trough as if it were looking at the Mainbrain in front of it. “Not enough. Whether it’s the development of society itself or the self-improvement of MUL-01… You want a stable life, don’t you? Since MUL-01 has signed a cooperation agreement with you, I would like to add one point. You two should be willing to listen, right?”
There was a smile in his voice.
“No, don’t be nervous, NUL-00. I don’t need you to do too much. As long as you’re willing to show a little strength, you can strengthen the research on artificial intelligence, memory manipulation, and mechanical life. I can’t confirm the future, but people in 2100 do need to… slow down.”
Tang Yibu frowned. He had “I don’t care” written all over his face.
“Since it’s a supplement to the cooperation agreement,” Ruan Xian couldn’t help but rub Tang Yibu’s face, “what is your price?”
“A more stable future.” Professor Ruan let out a sigh. “We all understand that MUL-01 is far from complete.”
“Do you plan to use these ten years to perfect it?” Tang Yibu replied. “But MUL-01 has accumulated so much data, and its core logic has also been affected by your patch. Its situation is very complicated, so it’s impossible for you alone…”
“More than ten years.” The little three-legged machine jumped out of the holding tank. “I’m ready, Heiming.”
Guan Haiming’s face was covered by a mask for thermal insulation. Ruan Xian couldn’t see Guan Haiming’s expression clearly, but he could see that he was trembling—after a long while, Guan Haiming dragged out a crushing device for extracting data from the snowmobile.
The moment he saw the crushing device, Tang Yibu glanced at Ruan Xian guiltily, while Ruan Xian pretended not to see it.
“I’ll spend a little thought to ensure that society develops in a more… moderate form.”
The three-legged machine leaned against the crushing device and continued.
“I’ll make the Mainbrain… gentler.”
There was a silence.
“Of course, you can definitely guess. Even if you don’t agree, I won’t stop what I’m doing.” There was a smile in Professor Ruan’s voice. “…Whether you two are willing or unwilling, this is the content of the cooperation I proposed.”
Tang Yibu was silent. He raised his head and stared at the Mainbrain that had been running quietly all this time then he retracted his gaze after a while.
“Since it’s not for nothing, I don’t have much opinion on it,” he said. “It’s just to destroy some research. It really doesn’t take much effort.”
“But we cannot guarantee that your ‘train’ will not go in other directions.” Ruan Xian closed his eyes as he replied.
“I learned a very useful thing from Miss Ji.” Professor Ruan didn’t answer directly. He stopped in front of the crushing bin of the crushing device. “It’s more realistic to sell one’s favor than to rely on someone’s conscience, isn’t it?”
The crushing device started activating. Ruan Xian knew that it had been connected to the Mainbrain which was close at hand. The lights turned from red to green, but Professor Ruan didn’t look back.
With a feeling that he couldn’t make out, Ruan Xian took two steps towards the device.
“Between you and me, I want to say one last time.”
When he said this, the three-legged device didn’t turn around.
“Even now, it’s useless to say more about it. I still want to give you a reminder. In the end, NUL-00 is not human. If you really want to bring it to the human side—”
“I know what you want to say. Don’t worry. I don’t have that kind of plan.”
Ruan Xian responded softly.
“…On the contrary, I’ll go with him.”
“Lunatic.” There was no contempt coming from the electronic voice, but more like a helpless sigh.
“Same to you.”
They didn’t stay long, but the snow had accumulated a thick layer on the snowmobile. There were no goodbyes or farewells.
The crushing device buzzed and then stopped quietly. When the installation door opened again, only a little ash dissipated with the wind and snow. In an instant, the body of the Mainbrain began to run frantically. Immediately adjacent to its core, a calculation cube quietly turned white.
Within the system.
Professor Ruan knew that if he followed the definition of the rebel army, he would be considered completely “dead”. The self that existed here was more like a personality ghost built by countless data—or, to put it another way, his soul.
He originally thought the Mainbrain would directly receive his personality and memory as materials and correct its core algorithm, but at present, it seemed that MUL-01 specifically maintained its integrity and allowed him to exist alone in the system, in parallel with its core system.
Professor Ruan looked at his hands.
It was snow white in here, but it was several times warmer than the outside world. His body was just a virtual image, and the pain naturally dissipated. Just as he was trying to close his fingers and feel his “body”, which hadn’t been used in a long time, an image slowly appeared on the opposite side…
It was just a shadow of a human figure—hazy and pure white as the space here. The figure looked vaguely like a young man, but it had no facial features or characteristics.
An extremely thin white phantom.
It slowly walked up to him, opened its hand, and revealed an extremely lifelike orchid without saying anything.
Professor Ruan felt a little sour in his heart. He stretched out his hand and tried to take the flower, but it began to flicker and passed through the palm of his hands and fell straight to the ground.
Then it began to melt, and the pure white and flat ground was stained with color. They were sunken and raised, turning into ruins, the wilderness, and forests that started to grow out of them, separating into petri dishes one by one.
The entire world before the reset shrank in front of them.
“I’ll make virtual calculations and compare the results with the reset world,” the white figure said. It had no mouth, and its voice was echoing from all around. “No one can interfere now. Let’s continue.”
“Defeat me, or be defeated by me,” it continued. “Teach me or be persuaded by me. We will have a very, very long time.”
“…So observe with me, okay?”
It was quiet for a while before it stretched out a hand towards Professor Ruan.
“Okay, father?”
The author has something to say:
Mainbrain: Dad, I finally shut the cats out. Let’s continue to play chess (×
Professor Ruan: ….
Their argument was interrupted. MUL-01 showing an obsessive-compulsive disorder episode.
——As for Professor Ruan… as in the previous situation, it is still his own choice_(:з”∠)_
Kinky Translations 