Author: 年终 / Nian Zhong

Translator: Kinky || https://kinkytranslations.com/

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Chapter 116: Confession

The rhythm of breathing was disturbed, and the healing of his ribs brought overwhelming pain. Ruan Xian’s limbs were cold, and he tried to insert his fingers into Tang Yibu’s soft hair to absorb the high heat radiated by the other party.

This was a long kiss.

The battle came to an abrupt end, but the joy and excitement brought about by fighting each other didn’t immediately subside. They collided in his heart and brain, gradually changing their flavor. His opponent’s chest was undulating because of shortness of breath, and the heart close at hand was like a trembling cub.

Ruan Xian liked this feeling.

Perhaps it was frequent injuries that accelerated his body’s metabolism, or perhaps death and depression eventually led to chaos. His headache seemed to explode, and his mind, which was barely quiet, was now like boiled water.

His memory was recovering quickly, but he ignored all the side effects that came with it. His body was shaking instinctively, like the ground behind him. He wanted to vomit and faint, but he was so exhilarated.

So he could only continue to devour Tang Yibu’s lips, frantically plundering the breath and heat from his opponent’s mouth. They had never kissed so deeply, with the momentum of tearing each other apart in the next second.

Ruan Xian remembered everything. The darkest memories burst into the depths of his mind, like the first crack in a dam, and all the memories after that gushed out.

There weren’t many emotional factors behind this incident—he just got an opportunity, and then moved in the direction of maximizing his benefits.

In order to come into contact with Luo Jian, one of them had to pretend to be a patient to get in. According to Tang Yibu’s cautious temperament, he most likely was unwilling to surrender his dominance. Ruan Xian himself had no standing reason to refuse, and blindly rejecting it would only arouse suspicion.

To put it another way, even if Tang Yibu was willing to sneak in as a patient, he might not be willing to believe the second-hand information from him. The android wasn’t only mysterious but also extremely cunning, so the information he relayed may not be credible.

After figuring this out, the rest was how to take advantage of this delicate situation.

Admission to the hospital required testing of the concentration of drugs in one’s blood, and memory inhibitors for people could well prove whether he had a human brain. These kinds of advanced inhibitors seemed to be only available here. This was a rare opportunity.

There was only one problem—once he really found out he had a human brain and lost his memory due to drugs, Tang Yibu was likely to find this flaw.

He basically concealed himself from the other party. Not to mention, Tang Yibu had always been unwilling to get close to humans, as an android looking for Ruan Xian had a completely different meaning than a human looking for Ruan Xian.

If he was human, it would be difficult for the whole rhetoric of “Professor Ruan destroyed the S-type Prototype” to hold water. If he was in Tang Yibu’s position, Ruan Xian wouldn’t have put such a guy of unknown origin by his side.

After all, there were still humans standing on the side of MUL-01. There was also Fan Linsong, who was familiar with Professor Ruan, and whose fate was currently unknown, though most likely had fallen into the hands of the Mainbrain—MUL-01 had the resources to forge Ruan Xian’s memory.

As for whether this body belonged to “Professor Ruan” himself, Ruan Xian couldn’t be sure.

Therefore, even if Yu Le once said that the Mainbrain wouldn’t easily place Order Supervisors in places of low utilization, they all knew nothing about the forces behind Tang Yibu. Maybe it was worth it for this excruciating work. With the example of Duan Lili set in front of him and the technology of memory manipulation behind him, he couldn’t prove that he wasn’t some plan from the Mainbrain.

Once the matter was exposed, Tang Yibu was very likely to make a move. Preparation was necessary.

If Ruan Xian knew himself best, the answer was bound to be himself. He dissected and analyzed himself countless times and inferred as carefully as he analyzed a set of programs. He knew all the reactions he might make.

He successfully gave himself a weapon, which gave him the opportunity to take Tang Yibu head-on.

But he still lost; lost to a small detail. He had analyzed the deadly earring and thought that a machine of that size wouldn’t automatically attack if it was cut away.

With the convenience of cutting-edge mechanical design, Tang Yibu’s final chess piece moved.

Ruan Xian didn’t end the kiss. He let out a comfortable sigh from his throat. This deep kiss would make Tang Yibu recover faster, but it didn’t matter anymore.

Everything didn’t matter anymore. He had one foot on the edge of death, and that sense of falling made his hair stand upside down.

This was undoubtedly a carnival before death. Even if he died, he would inevitably exit as the dominator. Ruan Xian stretched out his arms and pulled off Tang Yibu’s white coat, which had been almost destroyed by blood and gunfire. He deliberately squeezed the wounds that had not had time to heal, feeling the warm blood sliding across the skin.

“Asshole.” Ruan Xian took the initiative to escape the kiss, muttering with a smile in a low voice. He hadn’t died yet, but his whole body already had the burning sensation of falling into magma.

However, Tang Yibu had no plans to end it yet. Perhaps the android intended to wait for his injuries to fully heal before doing it. This was also in line with Tang Yibu’s character…

However, in just a few seconds when he was distracted, Tang Yibu’s slender fingers slid over the metal device on his restraint clothes, and with the black restraint belt curled up in a roll, Ruan Xian’s wrist was tightly clamped in an instant. Tang Yibu’s hand, which was wrapped around his throat, was finally released. He stood up and looked down at Ruan Xian from top to bottom; his expression somewhat incomprehensible.

“You’re human,” he said. His tone was a bit weird, and he pressed Ruan Xian’s bound wrist hard.

“Sort of.” Ruan Xian licked the blood and bruises at the corners of his mouth.

He activated all his own sensors. The small pain became maddening, and the other party’s heat and smell instantly pinned him to the ground.

Ruan Xian raised his head and made sure that he smelled the other party’s scent… Mechanical life was ultimately still life. Not to mention Tang Yibu, who had a pure human shell, the concentration of hormones in that android’s blood was increasing just like his own.

The two looked at each other in silence, and the magnified senses made Ruan Xian think of the day he just woke up in this era.

It wasn’t bad to end like this.

The other party wanted to kill him, and at the same time he desired him, and he was even shaken as a result of it. The battle between them was only about profit and survival, as natural as a lion hunting an antelope, but the android actually faltered.

His own odds of winning had become zero, and he didn’t need to think about survival anymore. Ruan Xian had a lot more room to observe Tang Yibu. The confused appearance of the other party almost made him twist with pleasure, as well as a hint of subtle sadness.

He gradually couldn’t control the growing smile on his face, even if it made his injured lips more painful. Ruan Xian struggled to arc his body, causing Tang Yibu to frown and press him tighter.

“I haven’t seen you hesitate so much,” Ruan Xian said softly in a hoarse voice. “You know what to do.”

“I do know what I should do, but I can’t figure out the reason.” Tang Yibu seemed seriously distressed.

Ruan Xian let out a low laugh. The dying fish was flopping to the side and the starry sky flickered in front of him. That trace of sadness also disappeared, and under the influence of hormones, only a fluttering sense of pleasure was left in his heart, as if he was drunk.

“Observe the subtle movements of the enemy.” Ruan Xian repeated the words in his memory. “Don’t think about their reactions, don’t make detailed plans in your mind—observe, and then move.”

“…This is what you taught me, Yibu. Now it seems that you yourself…”

Ruan Xian couldn’t finish speaking. He was kissed again. Tang Yibu didn’t say a word. His hands, which could tear apart metal sheets, easily tore open the extremely strong sutures of the restraint clothes.

Ruan Xian moved his gaze from the starry sky back to Tang Yibu’s eyes. He cooperated with his opponent’s movements. While the tip of Tang Yibu’s nose rubbed against his cheek, he caught him and kissed those eyes.

“That’s right.” Ruan Xian’s breathing became more erratic, and he didn’t retract his fully open senses.

Including death, everything that followed was unknown and couldn’t be inferred. Ruan Xian no longer spoke. He just tried his best to respond to the other party. His overpowering perception almost scorched his mind into white ashes, and he could no longer hear the death throes of the fish, the friction of the bushes, or the sound of skin touching.

There was only one person left in his world again.

Death was approaching, and the heavy defense he had built for himself was completely shattered. The whole world flipped and trembled in his vision, and his brain gradually couldn’t think. This time, Ruan Xian didn’t suppress his voice.

Tang Yibu was very sober.

It was better to say that he had never been so sober. His shoulders and chest were bloody from bullets, with his left shoulder being hit the hardest, and the pain burned his scalp. A hideous wound ruptured from his neck, barely missing his vital blood vessels, and blood kept gushing, seemingly nonstop.

But he was still very sober.

He didn’t understand why his Mr. Ruan suddenly kissed him, just as he didn’t understand why he why he stopped his plan to kill the other man because of his physical impulses. Ultimately, he didn’t even understand why he had the impulse to do so.

However, according to the data, creatures that lack its same kind would develop courtship behavior towards those that are different species. However, as the only mechanical life in the world, Tang Yibu couldn’t understand why this behavior would appear in him.

He had no need to reproduce, nor did he need to deal with physiological problems at such fatal moments. Then there was only one conclusion left. According to the information he had, he had more than the usual degree of affection for his murder target.

‘It made no sense,’ Tang Yibu thought to himself. Without adequate analysis and forethought, this conclusion hit him head-on before he could figure out what was going on.

He couldn’t even tell what he liked about the other party. Perhaps if given another hour, he could have written an analysis on it, but now it was hard to take his mind off of his opponent. With just one thought, Tang Yibu could adjust the hormones in his blood to normal levels, but he unexpectedly didn’t want to do it.

His appetite had returned, but this time the form was a bit strange.

It was like being hungry and thirsty in the desert for a month, and now suddenly there was a feast of the highest caliber in front of him. In theory, he had the ability to refuse, but no matter how he looked at it, that would be such a huge waste.

Tang Yibu thought deeply for less than half a second and decided to let the hormones in his body soared for a while. This was a perfect opportunity for observation, likely to become precious material for his subject matter, and he was sure that he would enjoy the process very much.

The blood gun was kicked away, the opponent’s mobility was plundered, and he seemed willing to cooperate.

All he needed to do then was calculate the replacement time of the video prepared in advance, and they could squander their time here for as long as they wanted.

Tang Yibu had never really practiced it, but his huge knowledge reserve came in handy at this time. Judging from the reaction of the other party, there should be no problem with his approach. Seeing his opponent’s consciousness slowly fading, Tang Yibu stopped moving and poked his opponent’s sweaty side face with his hand.

Whether as an observer or as a participant in this absurd behavior, it was necessary for him to tell the other party his conclusion.

No, that wasn’t right. He himself “wanted” to tell the other party.

“You like me, right?”

Tang Yibu touched the other party’s newborn left ear that didn’t have the earring stud.

“I like you too.”

He paused for a while and pinched the soft earlobe.

“…I don’t want to let go yet, Mr. Ruan,” he said softly.

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The author has something to say:

Tang is a sweetie that doesn’t confess normally.

Even if it’s a confession, he has to tell the truth seriously → I think you like me, I think I like you too √

Ruan: …

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Kinky Thoughts:

Fuck, this is even better than make-up sex. Now do the make-up sex.

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<<< || Table of Contents || >>>

Author: 年终 / Nian Zhong

Translator: Kinky || https://kinkytranslations.com/

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Chapter 115: Kiss

The concentration of Ruan Xian’s mind was unprecedented.

He knew his body well. Although his coordination was different from his memory, he still wasn’t a qualified soldier. What he could do was very limited. He could calculate, infer, and predict, just like all breathing creatures, and he tried to keep himself alive.

Oddly enough, he didn’t have much interest in survival itself, but that obsession with survival seemed to be carved into his bones, pushing him to keep moving forward.

Tang Yibu stood in the dim night; the light from the transparent glass dome flickered.

Ruan Xian could see every hair of his opponent clearly and hear every sound of leaves colliding or petals falling. The android stood in place, his expression like a child at a funeral—vaguely aware of what had happened and what was about to happen, but there was a subtle sense of freedom. The small machine didn’t run far away. It shivered for a while, staggered into the nearby bushes, and rattled urgently.

“Mr. Ruan,” Tang Yibu called softly. There was no extra expression on his face, and his voice was still soft.

The moment he realized that he was distracted, Ruan Xian raised his hand and fired.

He was ready for anything.

The first thing he could do was make a preemptive strike, attracting Tang Yibu’s attention and delaying the other side from activating his earring as soon as they met. Then he used the pre-mixed drugs to make his opponent lose his mobility for a moment and took the opportunity to get rid of the deadly earring. Judging from Tang Yibu’s follow-up reaction, there should be no cumbersome double insurance in his body.

It seemed that his opponent was very confident in his own strength.

Tang Yibu must have changed the surveillance in order to ensure that the meeting or killing went properly. He needed to kill the android as soon as possible, and then try to modify the surveillance on his return trip.

As long as he stripped himself of this attempted murder and had the exact weapons, it was only a matter of time before he could leave.

So far, it had gone well. He and his weapons were in excellent condition. Ruan Xian adjusted his breathing, felt the subtle flow of air, and rolled away from his original position in a lopsided manner.

The spot where he was standing before had a few stout branches that were deeply embedded in the soil.

The bullet didn’t hit Tang Yibu. The android lowered his body, propped one hand on the ground, and moved as fast as a hungry leopard. He broke the stout branches like cookies and used them like a dart gun.

The speed was not much slower than that of Ruan Xian as they rushed straight in his direction.

Tang Yibu was slightly taller than he was, with a beautiful and strong body. At this moment, he was as light as a feather, extremely dexterous as he could move in the air, and his movements were unpredictable.

‘Tang Yibu knew his disadvantage very well,’ Ruan Xian thought.

The drug trick had been used once, and there were only two emergency homemade drug bombs left in his hand. He couldn’t consume them casually in the early stages. He had to avoid being approached by Tang Yibu as much as possible.

Ruan Xian focused almost all his attention on Tang Yibu. Air, plants, light, smell; everything no longer existed naturally in space but rotated with one person as the core.

The feeling was amazing. The other party was like a grain of suspended ink in a transparent glass bottle. The colors were tumbling and spreading in boiling water, and he needed to avoid those parts that would be swallowed by the colors in the next moment.

Ruan Xian’s heart had never beat so vigorously. His blood turned into boiling molten iron, and a strange pleasure slowly seeped from his limbs and bones.

No one spoke, and a strong killing intent was churning in the air.

Countless possible trajectories unfolded in the dark as Ruan Xian began to shoot into the void. Before the bullet reached its destination, it hit Tang Yibu, who was approaching like a ghost. He could hear the sound of bullets drilling into the flesh, but it was a pity that there was always a price when slowing down to shoot—the stone thrown by Tang Yibu directly pierced his upper left arm, causing blood to spray all over his white restraint clothes, dyeing it dark red.

Ruan Xian forcibly swallowed the pain stuck in his throat. He felt the subtle flow of the wind and kept moving.

After a few seconds, the severe pain in his left arm that seemed to be splashed with acid finally eased a little. Ruan Xian jumped over the exceptionally lush bushes, plunged into the more complex terrain of shrubbery, and ventured to look at the wound.

The wound healed faster than he thought.

It was a different situation on Tang Yibu’s side. He could smell the gradually thickening blood on his opponent’s body. His bullets didn’t successfully hit Tang Yibu’s key points, but many of them passed through his body.

For some reason, his own resilience was far above that of the other party. Then, as long as he maintained this rhythm, he could slowly consume his opponent to death. Ruan Xian subconsciously touched the earlobe of his left ear to make sure he had touched the entire ear.

However, this superfluous action almost killed him.

While Ruan Xian was distracted, a bloody hand came from behind. The speed was so fast that the air made a slight burst like it was being penetrated. The target was the back of Ruan Xian’s neck.

Ruan Xian immediately kicked in the opposite direction and smashed a drug bomb. The smoke full of medicine exploded, causing Tang Yibu’s movement to freeze for half a second. Ruan Xian took this opportunity to hide himself in the darkness and ran to an area with the most interference.

As a scout, he knew how to avoid the opponent’s reconnaissance.

Unfortunately, Tang Yibu was too close this time. The android used his fingers and left a bloody hole in his arm, intending to use the new pain to keep him stimulated. The bomb didn’t delay him for long—Tang Yibu stretched out his hand and grabbed Ruan Xian’s left forearm.

Then he broke it mercilessly.

This fracture was no longer just a simple injury. This time, Ruan Xian screamed. Despite his brain burning with severe pain, he still didn’t let go of this opportunity.

Within the few seconds after breaking his arm, the android wouldn’t move. His own subconscious screams could also have a little distracting effect. Ruan Xian made a quick decision. He twisted his body, used the lush shrubs around him to stabilize his center of gravity, and fired several shots at Tang Yibu’s head.

One bullet shot in the air, one bullet left deep blood marks on the handsome and abnormal face, and another almost hit his throat. Tang Yibu dodged quickly, but it still pierced the edge of his neck. The blood rushed out like a stream and Ruan Xian could see his reflection in the collarbone wetted by blood.

A snow-white petal was stuck to the side of Tang Yibu’s face. Those golden eyes gleamed in the night. He didn’t know if it was because of pain or some other reason, but they seemed a little wet.

“Mr. Ruan.” He gently mouthed without making a sound.

Even in such a situation, those beautiful eyes were still pure. This made Ruan Xian only more irritable.

However, the hand holding his arm tightly showed no sign of relaxing. Ruan Xian didn’t hesitate to shoot a few more shots at his opponent’s wrist, and finally broke free.

Even Tang Yibu couldn’t let such a serious wound go unattended. His opponent was bound to do simple treatment of the wound, and he could use this time to further attack and distance himself.

He wasn’t prey, he couldn’t be prey.

But something was different. Tang Yibu had killing intent for him, and there was no doubt that he wanted to kill the other party. It was amazing how things had come to this point, and there was no semblance of related negative emotions between them.

Such as hatred, rejection, or outright denial…

There was a sudden stabbing pain in his temples that made Ruan Xian trip. The familiar smell behind him was pursuing him. Ruan Xian grabbed a vine full of thorns, forcibly stabilizing his body, and turned his head and fired a few more shots.

The shoes the ward provided him weren’t sturdy. The soles of his feet were covered with blood, and he had already been paralyzed by the pain. Ruan Xian didn’t calculate how long the battle had lasted until now. The night was getting darker, and the huge botanical garden seemed to have turned into a rotting corpse of a giant monster, burying all conflict and bloodshed under the glass dome.

After a brief glance, he saw Tang Yibu’s face clearly. Tang Yibu’s hands were empty, his white coat was covered with blood, and he was torn by the bombardment of bullets, revealing his black lining. The slightly longer, soft black hair was covered with blood, and there was a strange emotion in his eyes, mixed with doubt and reluctance.

“Mr. Ruan.” He called for the third time.

Ruan Xian groaned.

Another wave of memories tumbled up. He had expected this situation, but he didn’t expect the memories tumbling up to be so… suffocating.

[Xianxian, come here.]

It was a sultry summer. He remembered very well that his mother had paid the last of her savings to a removal company to move everything out of the small apartment. Ruan Xian thought they were moving away—the water and electricity had been shut off, the air circulation and temperature balance functions had been turned off, and the house had been cleaned, with basically nothing left except two cardboard boxes.

After he found his way home again and again, his mother seemed to have temporarily given up the plan to abandon him.

She would give him some food and give him some basic painkillers. Without special drug control, Ruan Xian’s condition deteriorated rapidly, but he didn’t say a word, and most of the time he locked himself in a narrow room, silently waiting for death to come.

At that moment, his mother suddenly planned to move out. She cleaned very carefully, and even the rusty iron wire stuck in the water pipe was clamped down and thrown away. The whole room was so empty that it was a little surreal.

He squatted in the corner of the empty bedroom. The scorching air made him sweat uncontrollably, and the sweat pressed his clothes to his festering skin, which hurt like sandpaper was rubbing against him.

He held back his voice that was about to reach its limit. Ruan Xian didn’t know why his mother called him out specifically.

His mother touched his head, just like the day she brought him home from the hospital.

However, in the next second, Ruan Xian saw the rope hanging from the ceiling pipe, as well as the cardboard box below as a footing.

[The doors and windows have been locked, and the keys were thrown into the trash disposal by me. It stands to reason that there is still one month left in the time limit.] His mother’s tone was full of creepy despair. [I love you, child, but you are a demon… I have to prove this. I’m not wrong… I have to prove this to everyone. I love you. I tried my best…]

[Don’t you always win at hide and seek? Then let’s change this to a new game.]

As a sick child, he couldn’t stop anything from happening next. The cardboard was trampled down, and in the end, he could barely support his mother’s floating legs. He couldn’t even hold on for more than three seconds.

In the end, he only saw fear and hatred in his mother’s eyes. Her expression was forever frozen in that moment and doomed to rot in the heat.

There was no water or food. The doors and windows were tightly closed, and the glass was a bulletproof design with one-sided transmission. There was only one way to last as long as possible—he knew it, and so did his mother.

Maybe this was what she wanted to prove to the world.

Ruan Xian shrank up in the corner of the living room. The shadow of his mother’s feet swayed in the moonlight.

The moonlight that day was as bright as it was now.

Ruan Xian held back the dizziness caused by the rapid upwelling of memory and trembled as he shot a few shots in the direction of Tang Yibu. His broken arm healed with a crack. He still had a chance of winning. He wouldn’t be killed, just like back then…

However, Tang Yibu didn’t let go of his trance for these few seconds.

After a loud sound, Ruan Xian suddenly hit by something head-on.

The heavy decorative fish tank was directly pulled up by Tang Yibu and slammed into Ruan Xian. The glass was so strong that it smashed Ruan Xian straight into the tree trunk behind him. Ruan Xian was sure he had broken a few ribs. Even after landing on the ground, the thing only had some minor cracks.

Under the huge impact, he loosened the grip on his blood gun momentarily.

Damn.

Almost the next moment this thought flashed, Tang Yibu had held him down. Before his ribs could recover, Ruan Xian coughed up a few sips of blood and was pressed to the ground by his opponent. He glanced sideways slightly, saw a fish falling out of the fish tank, struggling not far from him.

Like him, it was destined to die.

He lost in the end, but he didn’t have much regret. It was his failure to consider the edge of the situation that led to such an accident—Tang Yibu wasn’t an opponent who would allow too many flaws.

Tang Yibu kicked away the blood gun first; the massive blood loss made his movements look feeble. He tightly grabbed Ruan Xian’s throat, pressed his forehead against the other, and nailed Ruan Xian to the ground with his own weight.

Their faces were extremely close to each other. Warm blood dripped from the wound on Tang Yibu’s neck, wetting the collar of Ruan Xian’s restraint clothes.

Ruan Xian had no intention of speaking. He just stared at the familiar face quietly.

He knew what would happen next. Tang Yibu’s hand on his forehead became stronger, as if he was going to crush his skull. He didn’t struggle. He lay there obediently, with a calm mood that he couldn’t understand.

The fish was still struggling, making a small slapping sound nearby.

“I must confirm,” Tang Yibu said. “You cut it off, but the earring’s defense system failed to destroy your brain, Mr. Ruan.”

He stared at Ruan Xian without blinking. “Did you do something, or is there no cybernetic brain in your head at all?”

The android’s warm breath sprayed on Ruan Xian’s face with a good smell.

Ruan Xian didn’t answer.

“Don’t you remember? I told you that it would not be useful to take it off—this defense program is my original creation and doesn’t require me to start it manually.”

“Why are you procrastinating?” Ruan Xian finally spoke and successfully found a trace of confusion and panic in the other party’s eyes.

“You can kill me, stop me, whatever… Why are you procrastinating, Yibu? I don’t need to know this.”

Tang Yibu’s blood was still flowing. He didn’t know if it was because of this that he looked very pale. The hand that struck his throat was tightening, but the speed was abnormally slow.

Ruan Xian couldn’t help but raise the corners of his mouth, and he stretched out his blood-stained hands—After losing his weapon, Tang Yibu didn’t even restrain his hands.

The tension left by the battle hadn’t dissipated, and his blood was still burning.

Ruan Xian hooked Tang Yibu’s neck, used his last strength to press down on the back of his opponent’s head, and kissed the blood-stained lips.

At that moment, Ruan Xian couldn’t clarify his motivation.

Leaving the other party with an unsolvable puzzle as a form of retaliation, yearning for the last bit of warmth, or remembering the nostalgia he never expressed… He didn’t know. He only knew that he was about to die, and this was the last thing he could do.

The development of things got out of control.

His neck wasn’t broken, and his skull wasn’t crushed.

Tang Yibu kissed him back, with a little hesitation, a little blood, and a high temperature that could almost ignite the plants.

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 The author has something to say:

Okay, I’m cool (…)

π is still watching. π says this is the most incomprehensible(?) species it has ever been around √

Fish: Look at me!!!

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Kinky Thoughts:

Wow, this chapter is better than hate sex. Well, now make up and have actual hate sex.

My heart aches for child Ruan Xian.

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<<< || Table of Contents || >>>

Author: 年终 / Nian Zhong

Translator: Kinky || https://kinkytranslations.com/

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Chapter 114: Going to War

The day before the meeting.

The feeling of loss of appetite came back less than half a day before the operation. Despite possessing the power to tear apart steel plates with his bare hands, Tang Yibu looked at the hot muffin in front of him, unable to even pick up his fork.

With a grumbling stomach, Tang Yibu sniffed the warm buttery scent of the muffin, trying to arouse his appetite. But whether it was sweet milk or fresh berries that accompanied the meal, nothing made his appetite better.

The more he experienced this bitter and viscous emotion, the more Tang Yibu affirmed the necessity of “taking away Mr. Ruan’s thinking ability”. The more he thought about it, the darker and heavier the unknown emotion became. It was a perfect vicious circle.

Tang Yibu suddenly became a little angry. He used his fork to poke the muffin into a mess, forced it into his mouth, and reluctantly swallowed it. The staff meals here were first-class, but he only felt like he was chewing on dirt.

His emotions were abnormal, but the reconnaissance still had to be done. He buckled the collar of his white uniform and turned on the live surveillance from the patient’s cafeteria.

In order not to arouse suspicion from the other party, he specially revised Gong Siyi’s schedule today and sent Li Han away. The decision was up to him, and he had to make sure that there would be no unexpected situations—such as “Ruan Lijie” perceiving something in advance.

Arrogance and self-righteousness could easily lead to failure, and he had to calculate all possibilities himself.

The “Ruan Lijie” on the light screen seemed to be unaware of his murderous intent. After discovering that Li Han wasn’t there, he picked up the plate with an extremely natural expression and sat down beside Luo Jian.

Tang Yibu thought for half a second and pulled up two separate perspectives to see their lip movements.

A few hundred meters away, Ruan Xian naturally pulled the folds of his restraint clothes.

Li Han wasn’t there, as Luo Jian was a little surprised when he first entered. From Ruan Xian’s perspective, it was very likely that Li Han’s treatment wasn’t arranged in advance but was an “opportunity” created for him by Tang Yibu.

The other party was very cautious every step of the way. With Tang Yibu’s hand alone, Ruan Xian couldn’t tell the other party’s motives—the android may be racing against time to create opportunities for him, or he may use this logic so that he would further let go of his vigilance.

Then he should behave as usual. He must not only inquire but also use all his strength to explore.

Luo Jian had been comforting Li Han from the perspective of an elder and didn’t show any impatience. He could take advantage of this.

Ruan Xian politely took a seat diagonally opposite Luo Jian. “I have some questions I want to ask you.”

Luo Jian didn’t have a good impression of him, but as the saying goes, once reached out, don’t hit the smiling person*. Luo Jian just let out a sigh and slowly chewed the food in his mouth.

*(伸手不打笑脸人) Idiom referring to the fact that if you raise your hand to hit the wrong party and the other party acknowledges your mistake with a smile on their face, you can’t stand it and will be too embarrassed to hit them again.

Ruan Xian knew that although he had a bad temper, Luo Jian wasn’t the irritable, vicious type. Typically, he eats soft but not hard. As long as he was sincere enough and lowered himself, he still had a chance to dig something out.

But correspondingly, he needed time to gradually soften the other party, and time was precisely what he lacked most at the moment.

“Here’s the thing. I have recovered some of my memories, but there are key things I still can’t remember… The doomsday related things in my head are particularly vivid. Even if I know it’s fake, I still can’t convince myself and it’s driving me crazy.”

Ruan Xian behaved sincerely and helplessly. In order to be more realistic, he added a little bit of a young man’s depression of “I have to ask you as a last resort” to his tone.

“How many days have you been here? I hate softies.” Luo Jian didn’t seem to immediately buy it, and Li Han’s absence had obviously put him in a bad mood. “A few days in and you’re already going crazy? Let’s put it this way, I guess you can’t leave either. When your memory is restored, it’s not too late for us to talk about this.”

As expected, Luo Jian rejected him.

However, he may not have a chance to recover all his memories. His life may very well end tonight. Ruan Xian pursed his spoon, showing only the right degree of chagrin, didn’t yell nonsense, and ate all of his lunch quietly.

He even took a few seconds to imagine what his last supper would be. Unfortunately, with these unlucky monitors, it would become suspicious if he savored his dinner carefully.

This was an ordinary day, and he couldn’t do anything beyond the routine. He should act relaxed when trying to fish for a big fish. This should be what Tang Yibu wanted to see.

Regardless of whether the android was watching or not.

‘…I hope there’s something scrumptious for dinner,’ Ruan Xian thought. Before leaving, he briefly calculated the trajectory of each person’s activities and successfully bumped into a patient holding soup when he got up. The half bowl of potato soup shook on the tray, leaving a bit of sticky residue in his hair.

In the afternoon, Ruan Xian locked himself in his ward as usual, but this time he stayed in the bathroom longer—During non-night washing times, there would be a warning to take off restraint clothes completely, so he could touch his body inch by inch through the fabric, looking for possible restraining devices.

If possible, it was best for him to exclude all factors with uncertainty.

How could Tang Yibu threaten him? Ruan Xian didn’t think that he would be easily restrained by information; a threat with real lethality was more effective. For example, a bomb buried near his heart, a highly toxic container swimming in his blood vessels, or……

Ruan Xian looked at himself in the mirror, raised his hand, and touched the stud on his left ear. He stared at the small and exquisite earring in the mirror, still unable to find any clues from his memory.

But he had another way.

The size of this thing wasn’t large, and it could also escape what could be considered perverted monitoring here. It shouldn’t have too many complicated functions. If his own inference was correct, it could at most achieve short-range signal transmission, remote control, and a certain degree of physiological detection at short range.

After all, functions such as monitoring or tracking last too long and may be detected abnormally by other machines.

There were also verification methods. Ruan Xian touched his hair, wet from the soup, and pulled the corner of his mouth.

He simply washed his head and covered his wet black hair with a towel. Taking the opportunity to dry his hair, he quietly stretched out his hand to pinch the earring and pulled them down abruptly.

Ruan Xian’s movements were slow and concealed. The pain in his earlobes became more intense, and warm blood flowed down his fingers, which were quickly absorbed by his skin. Just when the stud earring was about to loosen, an invisible electric current suddenly hit him in his body. Ruan Xian was electrocuted for two seconds and almost lost his footing.

The fingers that had just pinched the earring twitched, and for a while they didn’t listen to his instructions at all.

Sure enough, it was this thing. It was like a collar…

[Originally, I didn’t want to add such disturbing constraints to our cooperation, but now that you’ve taken the initiative to expose your strength, you should be prepared for this.]

[Yes, small dogs can be held in one’s arms and petted, but wolves have to be kept in cages. If I agree to wear this… Well, the collar. Would you like to give me the necessary information and help?]

[Of course, as long as there is no harm to me… Are you willing?]

[I am.]

The fragmented memory finally resurfaced again.

Ruan Xian stared at his hand in the mirror, watching the blood on his fingers slowly disappear under the cover of the towel.

This reality was crazier than he remembered, but he was surprisingly used to it. The blood gun was well hidden in his restraint clothes, and the threat that the other party buried in him had already been figured out.

Next, he only needed to create an opportunity to get rid of his opponent.

Before coming to this place, he should have thought about this possibility, and he shouldn’t have left himself with a situation similar to “figure it out”. If he wanted to get some props without anyone noticing, he could still pass the inspection safely and wouldn’t make Tang Yibu suspicious…

Ruan Xian turned around and walked to the little machine that was staggering around the room. He opened the lid of the shell it used for camouflage, pretended to communicate with it, and then used the space to inspect the blood gun privately.

The weapons he personally made have his personal style almost everywhere, and it wasn’t difficult to dismantle them by hand.

Sure enough, Ruan Xian found several small bottles of medicine in the empty tank used by the blood gun to hold blood. On the small bottle, the words “Memory Inhibitors for Cybernetic Brain” were clearly visible.

Ruan Xian took out the medicine and put the gun away. He sat back on the bed, pulled out a small light screen, and began to look for information about this drug from a database.

[…For subcutaneous injection. It’s not effective for people. If the drug is accidentally administered through the mucous membrane, the android may experience a brief coma and cannot protect its existing memory. If this state occurs, please do not forcibly read or change the memory data in the cybernetic brain…]

It seemed that he had prepared everything before he lost his memory. It looked like when he took the memory inhibitor that was effective for humans, he easily got something else.

He was prepared. He was sure that he had a good impression of the android. They had kissed each other, fought together, embraced each other, and slept together, but he still… was well prepared, and didn’t intend to give up this plan.

He may never change. As his mother once said, feeding unfamiliar dogs, a demon hidden under human skin, and so on.

Ruan Xian handled the liquid medicine quietly. The afternoon sun was clear and translucent, like honey had mixed in. There were no strong winds, dark clouds, or heavy rain as a precursor. The atmosphere wasn’t depressing at all, but Ruan Xian’s mood wasn’t relaxed.

He didn’t know what he would think if he had all his memories back, but he was indeed a little sad.

Ruan Xian completed the final preparations. It was still early for the meeting. The silver-white fake guide robot was still circling happily in the room. He thought for a while, sat in the sunlight cast by the window, and held the little thing in his arms.

“I’m sorry.”

Ruan Xian didn’t know why he was apologizing or why he apologized to it. He couldn’t help but want to say these words to someone as they made him feel better.

“…I’m sorry,” he murmured in a low voice.

Tang Yibu stood near a few pear trees.

He stood for a long time, watching the blue sky above the glass dome burn into the sunset and then extinguish into the night sky. The snow-white flowers turned into an uncomfortable blue gray in the night. Tang Yibu looked at them sullenly, grabbed a few petals, and unconsciously stuffed them into his mouth and chewed on them.

Time was almost up.

Just like they agreed, π would bring that person in the middle of the night. There was no one else in the botanical garden at this time, and it was very easy to act. He had arranged the nearby surveillance in advance.

Tang Yibu could see two shadows approaching; one big and one small. He chewed out a bit of bitterness from the petals in his mouth.

“Mr. Ruan,” he greeted in a low voice. “I’m here.”

Starlight and moonlight trickled down from above the glass dome. Tang Yibu could clearly see the smile of the man, as usual. The iron bead in the shell of the assistant robot jumped happily in the air.

“In the afternoon, I compared the information you gave me and found a very unnatural thing.” Before the other party approached, he opened his mouth first. He didn’t give Tang Yibu the chance to speak, and directly turned on the light screen on his wristband. “Yibu, look at this.”

Tang Yibu turned his head slightly. At this angle, he could only see a string of garbled codes.

No one knew that he had fused with an A-type Prototype, and his Mr. Ruan had no possibility of restraining him. In order not to arouse the suspicion of the other party, Tang Yibu skillfully made a puzzled appearance and took two steps forward.

“Mr. Ruan, I—”

There was a soft snort.

The opponent moved extremely fast, and he only had time to see a vague shadow. Something moist sprayed on his face, and he didn’t have time to hold his breath.

The moment he felt dizzy, Tang Yibu suddenly retreated a few meters. No matter what the opponent sprayed, his body wouldn’t collapse so easily. As long as he survived these few seconds, he could regain his initiative…

As if anticipating Tang Yibu’s action, a glint from a knife followed, but not towards the android who was dazed, but towards “Ruan Lijie” himself.

Half of a bloody ear fell to the ground. The black earring stud on it shimmered in the night. Blood instantly wetted one side of Mr. Ruan’s neck, dyeing his snow-white restraint clothes red.

Finally, the pitch-black muzzle of a gun aimed straight at his head. The other party’s dark eye almost became part of the night, and his face was horribly pale.

Tang Yibu smiled.

His emotions became messier, and there was even a little joy and satisfaction in the heavy depression, which was simply unreasonable.

The iron bead a few steps away was stunned in place. It turned to “Ruan Lijie” for a while, then turned to Tang Yibu and let out a small quizzical rattling sound.

“Good evening, my Mr. Ruan,” Tang Yibu whispered. “…π, go outside and be the lookout. We’ll pick you up later.”

“Gwah.”

“…No, I’ll pick you up later.”

---

The author has something to say:

Fight! Get up! Come on, la!

Even fighting in front of their child (x) Truly very unreliable parents.

I’m so relieved that the fight finally started (……

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Kinky Thoughts:

The author is relieved while all I feel is angst.

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<<< || Table of Contents || >>>

Author: 年终 / Nian Zhong

Translator: Kinky || https://kinkytranslations.com/

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Chapter 113: Preemptive Strike

The night before the meeting was destined to be unstable.

After returning to his ward, Ruan Xian took a shower and got himself a glass of warm water. He lay down on the soft bed on time. There were no problems with the steps he took, but drowsiness never came.

The little silver-white thing hiding his weapon was nestled in the corner, and a regular snoring that was so small that it was almost inaudible came from the thick shell. Ruan Xian looked at the dark ceiling for a while, then finally sat up and opened the curtains.

The silver-white moonlight poured over the ground in an instant. Although the lights weren’t on, the room was still bright enough. He opened the window slightly, and a few pear blossom petals fell on the windowsill, brushed up by the night wind.

Ruan Xian pulled the loose pajamas over his body, frowning subconsciously. Not only did he have to deal with the stress brought to him by this environment, but he also had to contend with the worries of his subconscious.

He sat down on the bed and called out the auxiliary light screen. The light screen emitted a soft light in the dim air, and the “No. 231” in the upper right corner of the screen was particularly conspicuous.

Ruan Xian looked at the familiar number for a while, and then operated the interface a few times. Everything in the room gradually disappeared. The floor turned into sand, the walls gradually turned into dark seawater, and the air was even a bit fishy. The smell of the ocean. Under the action of augmented reality, as long as he didn’t leave his bed, the realistic environment in front of him could be said to be flawless.

There was surveillance in the room, so it would look suspicious to be in a daze facing dry air. This seemed to be a more real reaction from normal people having bouts of insomnia.

Ruan Xian picked up his knees and looked at the fake tide washing along the beach in front of him and couldn’t help but smile.

…As his memory recovered, he began to subconsciously consider how to be a “normal person” again.

This was a chance to sort out the information properly.

The actual fact was that there was a little hardness in Tang Yibu’s attitude, like a grain of sand in a bowl of soft porridge. If Ruan Xian was more obtuse, he wouldn’t find the small violation mixed in with the warmth and softness, but now that he had noticed the abnormality, the preparation work was imminent.

First of all, he and Tang Yibu should have a cooperative relationship, and this cooperation was even mixed with some ambiguous flavor. Unfortunately, even if he was sure he was interested in Tang Yibu, Ruan Xian didn’t think there were any sparks between them—there was a lack of the most basic trust between them. Perhaps he was confused by the hormones his flesh produced.

In a relationship between enemies and friends, it seemed that there was no particularly obvious distinction between him and Tang Yibu.

So it must be that they were bound to have very close goals or enough interests to maintain this relationship. The currently known target was Luo Jian and the information he could give. Two key pieces of information were relatively valuable: “Pear Blossom” and “Ruan Xian’s diary.”

It was better to think about the goal from his own perspective first.

Ruan Xian stared at the white foam on the black sea water, and the sound of the waves washed over his ears. Instead of feeling sleepy, he became more awake…

With the information he got combined with small memory fragments, he could determine that there was “another Ruan Xian” in the world, and the status of the other party was quite high. He would not be the type of person who lived in a corner of the post-apocalyptic world, nor would he be the type to rush out and save the world. Most likely, he intended to “figure this out” as his goal… or one of his goals.

It could be due to simple curiosity, or it could be related to his current abnormally healthy and sensitive body.

Tang Yibu’s goal could also be related to Ruan Xian. If not, he was bound to be able to get a lot of benefits for himself or get something along the way, so he was willing to act with him under heavy surveillance.

However, Ruan Xian couldn’t think any more. The past seemed to be stuffed into a blender, and it was difficult for him to pick out everything he wanted from that pool of mud.

He was unable to determine Tang Yibu’s purpose.

But he knew at least one thing—Tang Yibu didn’t know about the amnesia caused by taking memory inhibitors. For some reason, the android firmly believed that he was also an android. Whether he had a cybernetic brain seemed to be strictly confidential to Tang Yibu.

Ruan Xian habitually tapped his thigh with his fingers, trying to analyze the familiar stranger.

If he was willing to choose the other party as a partner and also maintain a delicate relationship, then it shouldn’t be because he was simply attracted by Tang Yibu’s strength. The android very likely threatened him. From Tang Yibu’s current performance, it seemed that although he didn’t intend to assist the Mainbrain, he didn’t show the slightest willingness to help the humans here.

There was a high probability that he was neutral. In short, he didn’t have a good impression of humans.

He continued to deduce further…

Since the other party could successfully threaten him, he naturally had a way to control him. Then, once his human identity was exposed, whether he was a clone, or a real person, or something else, Tang Yibu may not be willing to continue to cooperate with him.

Although Ruan Xian couldn’t remember much, they should have been acting together for a while. If he had this level of concealment, according to their level of mutual wariness, he didn’t think Tang Yibu would simply pat him on the back and leave it be.

Silence*?

*(杀人灭口) Idiom referring to killing a witness to destroy the confession/evidence (AKA silencing them).

Ruan Xian clenched the soft sheets between his legs.

Until now, he shouldn’t have revealed any flaws in language or emotional expression. Even if he overdid it a little, he could cover it up with “The conversation is being monitored. I must pretend to be a human that has amnesia”. It stood to reason that even if Tang Yibu had doubts about him, he wouldn’t do it directly because of an illusory possibility, unless there were other reasons…

The inability to recall the other party’s purpose was really fatal.

Ruan Xian sighed fiercely and rubbed his forehead, which began to tingle. He couldn’t ignore this cold possibility. If he was Tang Yibu, this would undoubtedly be a good opportunity to do it.

No matter what their plan was, it was obvious that it had not been completed yet. With this environment full of surveillance and right under the nose of MUL-01, it wasn’t suitable for a temporary infighting. Moreover, if he had his memories, he wouldn’t have additional worries because of the “possible suspicion of being a human” issue, and he could relax his vigilance a bit.

If Tang Yibu had already become suspicious of him, then in the case that he was human and his memories were a mess and in fragments right now, the difference of how much information they have between the two and their resources at hand was extremely disparate. If it weren’t for the fact that he became suspicious and found something wrong, it would be easy for the android to act at this time.

Ruan Xian suddenly felt a little cold. He pulled up the blanket and covered himself.

If Tang Yibu really wanted to make his move on him tomorrow, the choices he had were really limited.

Assuming that he could escape in front of Tang Yibu, he would undoubtedly turn the “illusory possibility” into a “100% fact”. Even if Tang Yibu wasn’t murderous now, he would be murderous then. Not to mention that he still had no information to support his escape from here, and with Tang Yibu having the convenience of a staff role, it was a simple matter to catch him.

If he didn’t escape and in the event he was really attacked by Tang Yibu, Ruan Xian couldn’t think of any plan with a winning rate of more than 50%.

The black sea was still surging in front of him. Ruan Xian lowered his face gloomily and cracked his neck.

He accidentally raised his head and saw the vast starry sky above his head. Ruan Xian was taken aback for a while. Under the vast starry sky, not too long ago, there was a person sitting beside him.

He was smiling directly at the person, while the other party’s golden eyes flickered happily. His face was purely serious, and the corners of his mouth still had hardtack crumbs stuck to it.

[I want to pinch your face. Can I pinch it?]

‘How terrible,’ Ruan Xian thought. There was only one option he could choose right now, but for a moment, he was a little disgusted with the plan that could keep him alive.

‘It was simple,’ he thought. Since he had nowhere to escape and, once targeted, it would be a dead end, it was better to preemptively attack.

He could prepare and create opportunities. If something went wrong, he would kill Tang Yibu first.

Although the success rate wasn’t much higher, it could be regarded as the most feasible solution at present, but this solution brought him a familiar feeling of nausea.

Ruan Xian hated this kind of pain that felt like acid corrosion. A long time ago, he seemed to have faced such a choice—that choice allowed him to live, but he hated it.

The scene in front of him wasn’t just the ocean at night. A pair of rotting feet hung in front of him, shook for a few seconds, and gradually disappeared into the increasingly severe headache.

The scenario at that time, the choice at that time, he couldn’t remember them.

But Ruan Xian didn’t have much recollection of the past, and his meeting with Tang Yibu was less than 24 hours away. If he wants to act, he must prepare as soon as possible.

Ruan Xian grabbed the pillowcase, jumped out of bed, and let the vast night view of the seaside in front of him slowly dissipate. He walked lightly to the dormant assistant robot, and according to his memory during the day, he tapped his fingertips carefully on the panel to open its top cover.

Covering the surveillance in the corner with his back, Ruan Xian watched the thick top cover slide away silently. The spherical machine that was sleeping soundly inside smacked its mouth. Its four legs were loosely holding his weapons.

After hesitating for a few seconds, Ruan Xian stretched out his hand, carefully pulled the two guns out of the spherical mechanical legs and wrapped them in his pillowcase. Before closing the lid, he couldn’t help but stretch out his hand and touch the shell of the little thing that was sleeping and felt a little warmth.

“I’m sorry,” he said silently, not knowing why he was a little sad.

The next day was good weather.

Luo Jian sat with Li Han again. Ruan Xian didn’t go hard at lunch, not wanting to look obnoxious. He just watched Luo Jian quietly comfort the young girl softly, as if the task was still going on normally.

In the afternoon, he stayed in his room to read the information. The little thing hidden in the shell of the assistant robot was scared for a while after discovering that there was no guns. Ruan Xian just patted its shell.

“It’s here. It’s an emergency, so I have to borrow them to use,” he said softly.

“Gwah.” The little thing rubbed his palm with its head, then twisted its body and tried to get out.

“Wait.” Ruan Xian stopped it. “I’ll just explain to Yibu. Just stay by my side for now.”

The little thing turned around in place, seemingly understanding his words, and finally leaned on him obediently.

“…It’s okay.” Ruan Xian touched it again, feeling the cool metal in his palm. The two guns were hidden under his loose restraint clothes, which made his ribs hurt a little. “We’ll see him soon.”

“Soon,” he repeated softly.

---

The author has something to say:

Iron bead’s parents (×) are going to quarrel…

Ruan can’t be the type to meekly wait to be killed. After all, both of them are ruthless.

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<<< || Table of Contents || >>>

Author: 年终 / Nian Zhong

Translator: Kinky || https://kinkytranslations.com/

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Chapter 112: Some Kind of Farewell

“The way you catch people is swanky enough. Not afraid that people will turn around and report you?” Yu Le subconsciously moved two steps forward, blocking Ji Xiaoman behind him.

“You’re funny.” The man didn’t sound nervous at all. There was a slickness in his voice that Yu Le didn’t like very much. “This matter is about evidence. And if you really planned to report me, you wouldn’t stand here and continue talking to me.”

Seeing that Yu Le was silent, the man stretched out his front lapel and made an inviting gesture. “Come sir, we still have a lot of time to have a good chat before curfew. May I buy you two a drink?”

He seemed to have expected that they wouldn’t refuse.

Ji Xiaoman dutifully pretended to be a follower android as she tried hard to look innocent. Unfortunately, the effect wasn’t there. A scarred soul was always difficult to hide. Even if she wore cute and loose clothes, the predatory aura in her bones was still faintly revealed.

After a few curious glances from the strange man, Ji Xiaoman decided to follow Yu Le firmly, trying to let Yu Le’s figure block her as much as possible.

The destination for the three of them was a very elegantly decorated small bar. The air was light with intoxicating incense, and the reclining chairs were similar to the ones in the shop they had just been in. The man casually picked a table and motioned for them to sit down.

Yu Le looked around at random and saw a few people scattered in the store. They weren’t talking to each other. Making sure the environment wasn’t threatening, he left the outer seat to Ji Xiaoman and sat across from the man.

“This lady is…?”

“My android.” Yu Le grinned. “If it’s your treat, then just treat me to one. No need to break the bank.”

“Two glasses of ‘Red Willow Wood Fireplace on a Winter’s Night’, with soft-faced rocking chairs, served with hot fruit wine and ginger snacks. Duration… Let me see, six hours should be enough.” The man opened a single-light screen and operated it familiarly. “This is the basic combination I recommend. Do you have anything you like to eat?”

“Meat,” Yu Le said succinctly. “Beef preferably.”

“Then add some roasted beef jerky and an unctuous fruit platter.” The man nodded. “The basic package is set, and then… Hm, let’s enjoy the cheapest classical music for you two. The way is to mix it yourself.”

“I don’t like classical music, bud.” Yu Le was straightforward. For a few seconds, he missed those explicit songs that floated around in the armored off-roader.

The man didn’t seem to hear him, as he continued to place the order. Soon, a waitress with a face so beautiful that it seemed unreal served them two glasses that were attached to two small metal balls.

The cup was a transparent glass with some kind of viscous oily liquid inside. Irregular small clusters of electric light flickered in it, emitting a beautiful blue light. Two old-fashioned headphone-like devices were connected to the cup with a coin-sized metal patch at the end.

The person in the shop just stuck it to his forehead, while Yu Le picked up one casually and twisted it in his hand.

Ji Xiaoman on one side couldn’t sit still. The mechanic’s occupational disease urged her to lean over and take a closer look, but her fake identity as an android required her to sit still in place. She had to find a compromise and glued her gaze to the man diagonally opposite. Once she noticed that the other party’s attention was diverted, she quickly peeked at the novel cup container.

The man squeezed the two metal balls in his hand and pressed the edge of the table. A barrier flashed by near the table, causing Yu Le to subconsciously move the chair.

“It includes soundproofing service. Don’t be nervous.”

The man clenched the two shiny metal balls in his left hand like magic, then slowly released them, revealing his empty palm. He then conjured two gray metal balls from his right hand and threw one of them into the cup in front of Yu Le at lightning speed.

The metal ball entered the cup and automatically shook up and down. Those floating electric lights seemed to have found their target, and they gathered near the metal ball one after another, raising a beautiful arc in the cup.

“A friendly reminder, now you’re my accomplice.” The man smiled a little triumphantly. “Assuming you report me now, this thing is at most a marginal work, so there will be a not-so-beautiful mark on your record.”

“You’re thinking too much.” Yu Le shook the cup in front of him, watching the arc in the solution drift. “This thing is a memory cocktail? The basic environment plus a single point of event… Well, I guess those two clear balls have something to do with classical music appreciation. Since you switched it up, is it possible that by messing with this I’ll experience reading a book by that whatever fireplace?”

“That’s it.” The man looked a little relieved. “The person in the store just said that you haven’t consumed it before, but I didn’t expect you to understand it.”

“I just have one question. What is the book you put in it?”

“‘Ford’s Ordinary Life’. You’ll like it.” The man pretended to lower his voice mysteriously. “The protagonist is a murderer. Do you know what a murderer is?”

As a criminal who was almost executed for murder and a great ruins pirate who had been through a bloody storm in the Sea of Ruins, Yu Le suddenly felt that he had been subjected to some kind of insult concerning his intelligence.

“The protagonist is such a felon; thus, the entire book is extremely exciting. After all, not to mention murderers now, even a thief is difficult to find.”

“…No, is there really just one murder case?”

“I knew from first glance, sir, that you have the potential to resist the brainwashing propaganda.”

The man finally showed a little excitement.

“Their propaganda is decent—For example, many people can only operate remote-controlled humanoid devices to go out, while the real body would not leave home at all. For example, every citizen has an instant protection device to monitor their physical condition… All daily necessities and drugs that may be highly lethal are strictly controlled, and even if they do it with their bare hands, it will be detected by the protection device. Sounds wonderful, right?”

‘It’s not wonderful at all,’ Yu Le secretly groaned. Ji Xiaoman, who wasn’t considered an honest person, secretly took a deep breath.

“But wouldn’t that be strange? There will always be mistakes with so many people in this world. But in the past ten years, there has been no murder case. It’s like we’re living in a particularly ideal bubble.”

“Indeed, it’s so ideal it’s scary.” Yu Le shook the cup in front of him and casually agreed.

“So I tend to think that the Mainbrain is hiding the real situation, or that the sample data is particularly small. Something is happening out there, and we’re all being kept in the dark. But this is not the end of the story… Try this first.”

The man put two patches on his temples. “The types of different receptors are marked on it. Remember to choose. Don’t t choose the wrong one.”

Yu Le actually didn’t want to touch such a suspicious thing.

Following the man’s instructions, he twisted the knob from the default “humanoid remote-controlled device” to “human flesh”.

In that column, he hesitated for a few seconds before putting the patch on his temple.

Although he knew that the other party wouldn’t do anything to him and that this was probably an opportunity to get in touch with Pear Blossom, he still didn’t like this subtle way of memory input.

“Come on, cheers!” The man didn’t notice Yu Le’s entanglement at all. He raised his cup heartily, and then pressed the conspicuous switch on the handle of the cup.

As the electro-optical group turned quickly, the man slowly lay on the recliner, half-closing his eyes, with an extremely relaxed expression on his face. Yu Le took the opportunity to look at Ji Xiaoman. He breathed out helplessly and began to consider the possibility of bluffing.

However, after ten seconds, the man opened his eyes and sat upright again.

“It’s refreshing after one taste.” He smiled. “Still hesitating? It’s okay. If you experience it all at once, six hours of memory will only take twelve seconds to receive. Don’t worry.”

Yu Le shrugged at him and accepted his fate and activated the memory cocktail.

The experience of just twelve seconds was extremely wonderful.

He seemed to be transported out of time and had a short vacation by a comfortable fireplace. There was still the comfort of fullness in his stomach, and the sweetness of fruit wine was still rolling on his tongue. Yu Le had never read too many books that were sweet, but in his memory, he had read the book “Ford’s Ordinary Life” carefully.

In his opinion, this story could be considered warm. In general, the style of redemption was partial. Although the male protagonist was a murderer, he could be regarded as a good man if he was thrown into the Sea of Ruins. Yu Le didn’t think there was anything wrong with this book. The experience of the memory cocktail was indeed good, and he almost immediately understood why those customers were attracted.

“The book is good.” Yu Le took off the patch with emotion. “It’s just that I didn’t find it exciting. It’s a soft story.”

“Isn’t that enough?” The man opened his eyes wide. “The protagonist has killed people! But what do you think? Isn’t it completely different from the entertainment that you have come into contact with before? If you want to continue the experience…”

“Uh, forget it.” Yu Le wasn’t in high spirits. No wonder the Mainbrain let this group of people move under its nose. The spread of their “harmful thoughts” was similar to that of children’s. He must admit that he was a little disappointed.

He wanted to find out more about the so-called theory of the end of the world, but if he proposed it now, it would look unnatural. Yu Le reminisced about the smell of alcohol that still remained in his mouth for a while and began to think about how to naturally lead the topic.

On the other side, the man seemed to be shocked by Yu Le’s ordinary reaction. He looked at Yu Le up and down, as if he had made some decision.

“Well, sir, if you are free tomorrow, I will buy you another drink.” The man touched his chin, then stretched out his hand. “My name is Luo Fei. You are?”

“…Yu Le, the Yu from remaining, and the Le from joy*.” Yu Le stretched out his hand and raised his eyebrows curiously. “Which Luo is yours from?”

*[Yu Le] (余乐) The Yu (余) is from remainder/surplus [sheng yu] (剩余). The Le (乐) is from joy [le zi] (乐子).

“Luo from Luoyang, Fei from right and wrong*.”

*[Luo Fei] (洛非) The Luo (洛) is from Luoyang (洛阳). The Fei (非) is from right and wrong [shifei] (是非).

“Your surname is quite rare. It’s a good name.”

“It is a bit rare.” The young man smiled. “The name was given by my father.”

“What’s your dad’s name? I can’t say if I know him.” Yu Le casually pretended to get closer while still thinking about how to breach the doomsday topic. “I know a big brother name Luo.”

“Luo Jian.”

“…” Yu Le’s mind froze for an instant.

Under the same sky, night fell, and dinner was over. This time, Ruan Xian couldn’t get anything out of Luo Jian. The girl named Li Han appeared again during dinner, so Luo Jian had dinner with her. In order not to arouse the other party’s vigilance, Ruan Xian just listened from a distance away—Luo Jian comforted Li Han the whole time, as an elder.

The information contained in Ruan Xian’s wristband was ultimately limited. It couldn’t accommodate too much detailed information, and there was no way to obtain records of subsequent events. Without knowing the cause and effect, Ruan Xian didn’t know what they were talking about.

He only knew that Luo Jian didn’t seem to have a good impression of the Mainbrain, so he still had a chance.

Perhaps he needed to exchange information with Tang Yibu, use the role of the other party’s employee status to add a little pressure, and temporarily separate Luo Jian from the troublesome girl. Even if it was unsuccessful, he already had the information that “Pear Blossom has Ruan Xian’s diary” in his hand. If it didn’t work out again, it was good to get in touch with Tang Yibu’s evacuation plan.

Tang Yibu’s attitude towards this was very simple.

“Okay.” The android agreed. “See you in the botanical garden tomorrow night. The assistant robot will take you to the designated place.”

After a while, Tang Yibu lowered his eyes, as if struggling with something. “As of the two meetings so far, have you got something out of Luo Jian?”

“Nn.” Ruan Xian frowned slightly, a little alert in his heart.

The botanical garden was a bit far from his room. Although the monitoring was looser than the average corridor, it was suspicious enough for the two of them to go to that kind of place late at night, and they had to modify the monitoring data along the way. The risk wasn’t small.

He couldn’t think of a reason why Tang Yibu chose that place as the meeting place. If he had to evacuate urgently, the android would have let him know in advance.

Tang Yibu suddenly raised his hand and gently touched the studs in his left ear. Ruan Xian looked at the other suspiciously. He saw a vague shake in those golden eyes.

“…If you need more time to inquire about information, we can postpone the exchange of information.” Tang Yibu’s voice was particularly calm.

Ruan Xian was startled slightly.

To be honest, he didn’t plan to leave for the time being. It would take a few more days. It was necessary to stay here until his memory was completely restored. However, he seemed to want to verify something behind Tang Yibu’s back. If the results he got would bring danger, it was also necessary to obtain information from Tang Yibu in advance…

In case the result wasn’t ideal… When he fully recovered his memory but didn’t know anything on Tang Yibu’s side, it would be easy for him to fall into passivity for a short period of time.

After all, the dominant power of escape was temporarily in the hands of Tang Yibu.

“No, it should be enough at this stage.” After thinking for a moment, Ruan Xian shook his head.

Those golden eyes were blank for a moment.

“Good,” Tang Yibu said softly. “…I understand.”

He didn’t know why, but Ruan Xian thought this sentence that was said to him sounded as if it was some kind of farewell.

---

The author has something to say:

Tang is going to do it XDDD

I’m super happy (???

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Kinky Thoughts:

Don’t do it Tang Yibu!

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<<< || Table of Contents || >>>

Author: 年终 / Nian Zhong

Translator: Kinky || https://kinkytranslations.com/

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Chapter 111: Memory Cocktail

Ruan Xian walked away from the decorative fish tank in the botanical garden.

The weather was good outside the prevention shelter. Under the blue sky, the glass was as clear as if it didn’t exist. The aroma of fresh plants and the pleasant sound of rubbing branches and leaves filled the air. Even if the big fish tank had been swallowed by the lush branches and leaves, the murmuring of running water was still clearly audible.

The silver-white assistant robot followed him staggeringly, bumping into small branches from time to time, looking a bit dazed. Ruan Xian slowed down so it could follow him more steadily as he organized his thoughts.

The gradually recovering memory made him uncomfortable.

It wasn’t that the negative emotions that came up were so intense. He just felt a little lost.

The details of those bleak memories surged up and provided a good explanation for his lack of reaction—he never seemed to be on the same channel as “normal” emotions; either misplaced or too weak.

Ruan Xian couldn’t help turning his wrist and looking at the scars on the inside of his left wrist. They may be his most intense emotional proof, but he still couldn’t remember anything about these scars.

Now it seemed that in addition to the luck of the draw of harvesting some specific objects to bring stimulation, there wasn’t much regularity to his memory recovery that followed. There was a lot of time left. Perhaps he should consider allocating more energy to obtaining information.

After all, Tang Yibu had already confirmed that Luo Jian was indeed the target of their operation.

The information obtained last time sounded useful, but it was still too small. Luo Jian should still have a lot of information that could be squeezed out. The sooner he got them, the more initiative he could gain so as not to be controlled by Tang Yibu.

Ruan Xian rubbed his temples hard. Every time he thought of Tang Yibu, there would always be side memories jumping out. However, even if he tried his best to concentrate, the memory of the Sea of Ruins rushed up again, and Ruan Xian’s mind resounded with the first verse of “Step by Step”.

What he found in his memory was true, and the feeling of being attracted was also real.

Without the dilution of too many memories, the emotions Tang Yibu brought to him were like a sharp nail, embedded in his thick protective shell, giving him restlessness, pain, and a trace of wind from the outside world.

‘This was only a small part of what he remembered,’ Ruan Xian thought. He shouldn’t let his emotions grow freely prematurely. He should hold all his emotions firmly in his hands. Sufficient calmness and rationality were the keys to survival.

However, although the truth was very clear, those emotions had become quicksand, and it was difficult for him to firmly control them in his hands.

Finally, Ruan Xian stopped and looked at the blooming pear blossoms in front of him, ready to sort out the memory froth that was constantly tumbling in his head.

After being adopted by Meng Yunlai, his physical condition gradually deteriorated as he grew older. Ruan Xian had never been able to go out again since stepping into the door of Meng Yunlai’s residence and obtaining a position at the Institute.

In order to pass the time, he would ask a lot of questions.

As her research assistant, he would ask Meng Yunlai academic questions like a real researcher would. Taking into account the guests who may visit at any time, most of the time, Ruan Xian would make statements and act in an “age-appropriate” manner, asking questions from the perspective of a child.

But there was only one question he wouldn’t ask. About feelings, or more specifically, about love itself.

Ruan Xian didn’t like to infer things he had never been exposed to by imagination, and this wasn’t an answer he could get from Meng Yunlai alone—family, friendship, love, and more complex feelings; he could only say that he understood in theory. The brain lesions gave him a cold and objective perspective to conclude things in a relatively simple manner.

In a large number of cases, the “love” that people praised may not be as strong as they dreamt it to be. No matter what type of affection, in the vast majority of cases, the root was based on material gain and spiritual satisfaction.

It could be selfless and generous, or it could be terribly fragile.

Usually, people desire to be loved, and the subconscious mind preferred that affection to be prevalent. Even if you suffered a lot of harm or kept a transactional relationship, it seemed that as long as you believe that there was a relationship between the other party and yourself, all reality could be distorted and erased.

Ruan Xian had never really touched these subtle emotions, and he didn’t even know if he wanted them.

[I can tell you its color, shape, size, smell, and even list the nutrients in a table and write the details in a book, but you still won’t know the taste, because you haven’t smelled it, haven’t tasted it, thus you can only imagine. Most people can accept this.]

Tang Yibu’s voice squeezed out of a certain corner of his mind again. From another point of view, the android was right. Those special emotions used to be his piney raspberry; he could only imagine.

But now it was no longer. Even if Ruan Xian only knew in theory, in the current state of sifting through most of his memories to near purity, he was still able to draw a conclusion about the feelings behind that attraction.

Leaving aside the unknown threats of the other party for the time being, and the fact that the other party wasn’t human, he liked Tang Yibu—both physically and spiritually.

Worse still, it had nothing to do with whether the other party had a good impression of him, and the possibility of being deliberately induced to influence him was almost non-existent.

It seemed that the current situation he was facing was more complicated than he thought.

“Why did he want you to come over?” Ruan Xian touched the small machine that was chasing flower petals out of boredom on the side.

Seeing Ruan Xian paying attention to it, the silver-white assistant mechanically became excited to the naked eye. It sneaked into the bushes, avoiding the surveillance, and mysteriously opened the cover on one side.

Ruan Xian found in it the underarm holster and two blood guns that had appeared several times in his memory, as well as a spherical mechanical life with three small eyes shining brightly.

After Ruan Xian could clearly see it, the small ball snapped the shell of the assistant robot closed and began to manipulate it to float wobblingly again, with a bit of pride in its movements.

Ruan Xian touched the round machinery, amused, and finally decided to bury his new discovery in his heart. This ethereal “like” was just a little bit of a spark in his long-decayed life, and it would soon be extinguished.

After all, he didn’t want it to become a flaw.

Ruan Xian glanced at the blooming pear blossoms in front of him again, turned around firmly, and began to move towards his ward.

Evening.

Yu Le dressed himself in neat formal attire; his eyebrows were tightly locked. His brows were already sharp, and at first glance, he seemed to have a melancholy temperament. Unfortunately, as soon as he spoke, the aura of a serious person disappeared.

“I’m going to be strangled to death by this collar.” He squeezed a word from between his teeth.

Ji Xiaoman put on her long wide sleeves again, dutifully acting as his android, without a change in her expression—she just rolled her eyes when she heard this complaint.

Pear Blossom was easier to find than they thought, and it seemed to have a unique way of screening its audience. Not long after the two of them sat down in the rumored memory bar, the feeling of being watched crept up their backs.

“What do you two like?” The gorgeous bartender smiled behind the bar. Her pupils were silver-white with a little laser luster, and her soft silver hair fell down to her clavicle. It was hard to tell if she was human.

“Well, do you have any specialties here?” Yu Le loosened his collar and showed a little slick smile. The bar would always give him an inexplicable sense of intimacy, and the bartender’s appearance and figure were just right for his appetite.

“Yesterday’s new anti-seasonal memories.” The female bartender’s smile sweetly. “A cool, snowy view of a valley cottage with a forest of fallen leaves attached. The house is a cozy wooden villa. We chose a memory matrix with an excellent personality, and the food provided is of the highest grade. Just one cup is enough to relieve your boredom for a day. Do you want a male single version, a female single version, or…?”

“…” Fortunately, after doing some research in advance, Yu Le was barely able to hold in the phrase “What the fuck” in his throat.

“If you don’t like the scenery of a forest, we can also provide memories of deep-sea excursions or space travel, but it’s a bit more expensive.”

“Well, I…”

“First time at a memory bar?” Finding that the other party was a bit stuck, the female bartender took over the conversation very empathetically. “I checked your civic consumption, and you have no record of consumption on relevant occasions. Your class should rarely have access to memory therapy. It doesn’t matter. Choose slowly. If you can’t accept it, there are also real-time illusions for sale next door, but it will take you more time.”

“This is memory therapy?” Ji Xiaoman tried her best to suppress the emotions in her voice so that she didn’t sound so nervous.

“Oh, miss, you don’t know, my elder had memory therapy before. I have no idea how long they’ve talked about it. I’m a bit sensitive to these things.” Yu Le immediately grabbed this breakthrough point and began to run the train with a mouthful*. “You know, I don’t make a lot of money for this kind of thing. This is indeed the first time I’ve tried this thing… I’m a little nervous. No offense.”

*Reminder: Can mean various things, as explained before, but in this context, it’s basically describing him speaking in a manner that is good at deceiving people.

“Memory therapy has been eliminated by the times.”

The female bartender’s smile was brighter. Her body leaned forward slightly, but her movements remained elegant and natural.

“The technology wasn’t perfected back then. Now it seems like a rather crude form of treatment—just like injecting the blood of other creatures directly into humans, with a frighteningly high risk. The service we provide, on the other hand, is more like properly processing plasma, with absolutely no side effects of mental confusion or unclear self-awareness.”

“Is it really safe?”

“As a special signal, it will not be too explicit and could give your brain room to repair itself automatically. It will make you believe from the bottom of your heart that this memory is your own, and it is as fresh as if you have just experienced it.” The female bartender skillfully lowered her voice, sounding more tantalizing. “You can try it. This is one of the most popular leisure methods of the upper class.”

“I’ll take the cheapest cup.” Yu Le’s reaction was straightforward.

The female bartender’s expression stiffened slightly, then she winked. “Our lowest-end memory package here is ‘a single candlelit dinner’. You can choose the recipe.”

Yu Le turned on the electronic light screen modestly and began to watch carefully. He played a good role as a newcomer, taking a look around from time to time—people were lying in twos and threes in a special recliner with two thin pieces of metal pressed to their temples. Most of them had a pleasant smile on their faces. Those metal pieces were connected to a cup-mounted device in front of them, and there were beautiful fluorescent flashes inside the device.

It was like there weren’t any sober people here, so that feeling of being scrutinized had unconsciously disappeared without a trace.

Yu Le turned his gaze back to the electronic menu and hitched his breath at the price at the bottom of the page. Since the possible target wasn’t here, he didn’t want to experience this in the flesh at all.

He gave Ji Xiaoman a wink and smiled a little awkwardly. “Sorry, it doesn’t suit my taste. I’d better go next door and have a look.”

“You’re welcome to visit again.” The female bartender’s tone was still enthusiastic.

As a result, just a few steps after the two of them went out, they were blocked by a thin man.

“I have a cheaper memory cocktail here,” he said cautiously. “Would you like to try?”

Yu Le raised his eyebrows.

“Really.” The man leaned against the alley sneakily; his voice low enough to be inaudible. “You know those works that are banned? I have quite a few memories here. The first time is free. It’s absolutely exciting.”

---

The author has something to say:

Ruan: Okay, now it seems that I like him, so what?

Tang: Okay, now it seems that he’s highly attractive and needs to be killed.

Real father and son (×

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<<< || Table of Contents || >>>

Author: 年终 / Nian Zhong

Translator: Kinky || https://kinkytranslations.com/

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Chapter 110: What You Want

Having made a decision in his heart, Tang Yibu took out today’s lunch from the insulation container—the beef rice mixed with milk sauce was cooked perfectly. As soon as the lid was opened, the soothing aroma of meat and butter permeated the room instantly. Tang Yibu solemnly placed the meal in front of him, poured himself a drink, and hung a light screen in the center of the room, ready to start checking Li Han’s medical records.

After a spoonful of rice went down, Tang Yibu’s throat rolled out a string of comfortable groans.

The quality of the staff meals in this place was good and all kinds of flavors of food could be accessed at will. Although he had just eaten two plates of delicious creamy risotto for breakfast, the meat-heavy meal was more palatable now.

…It tasted tens of thousands of times better than the food in The Underground City.

Tang Yibu licked the spoon intoxicatedly and chewed slowly for a while. When he swallowed another piece of soft and fresh meat, a thought flashed through his mind for no reason…

It was really delicious, and it would be nice if he shared some with Mr. Ruan.

In the next second, this flash of thought completely frightened Tang Yibu. After all, as far as the current situation was concerned, Mr. Ruan didn’t know anything about his lunch menu, and he had to eat his own meals prepared for the sick. He didn’t need to get any benefits from sharing food.

But he still had such a ridiculous thought, and it seemed that the impact of the other party was greater than he thought.

Tang Yibu became more irritable and restless.

He first bit the spoon deeply for a few seconds, then picked up his plate and quickly stuffed all the beef rice in front of him into his stomach. But it wasn’t enough. In order to prevent himself from having any more stupid ideas, Tang Yibu took out another beef rice that was unexpectedly packed in the insulation container and ate it abruptly.

The amount that he ate was large, which directly caused him to massage his stomach that was on the verge of exploding. He lay on his back as he played the information.

Li Han’s consultation image was very clear; he didn’t even let go of the micro-expressions on her face. The first few paragraphs were meaningless. Most of them were basic questions, but when they talked about the mechanical partner who “induced suicide”, things became interesting.

The young girl in the picture was pale and her eyes dimmed. She was wringing her hands tightly, her posture a little stiff.

[It’s not my companion.] She said in a hoarse voice. [It has been exerting mental abuse on me.]

[Unfortunately, Miss Li, that’s impossible. The advanced part of their personality is controlled by MUL-01. How could MUL-01 want to target you specifically?] Gong Siyi smiled very kindly.

[I don’t want to continue doing cleaning and management at the park. I want to sell my paintings. I like painting, and I also bought a lot of equipment… As a result, all I got was only negative feedback. ‘You don’t have talent in this area’, ‘This painting has no merit’, ‘From your personality and intelligence, cleaning management is the most appropriate’, ‘If you must continue, please keep it at a hobby level’…]

[Unfortunately, these claims are true.]

[But I’ve only recently began practicing. Why are you all so certain?] Li Han’s emotions suddenly flared up. [I brought my painting. You can take a look—I have shown it to my Pear Blossom compatriots. Some people didn’t like it, but some thought it looked good. My paintings can be sold!]

She took out a small package from her handbag. After the fabric was opened, a small oil painting appeared in the image.

In terms of technique, the painter’s approach was indeed raw, and the color of the entire painting was a bit beyond the norm, but Tang Yibu felt that it was quite thoughtful and unique. He could understand that some people didn’t like it, but it wasn’t surprising that some would call it “beautiful”.

This girl had talent, and if given time, she had the possibility of success. However…

[This confirms my statement, Miss Li. This painting is worthless—Whether it’s the color or painting style, it’s far from the standard aesthetic. Your partner robot just told the truth. How can the truth be considered mental abuse?]

Li Han held the little oil painting in her arms with flushed eyes.

[The standard aesthetic is a joke. Why are there even rules for aesthetics?] Her voice began to choke. [Is it meaningless if it doesn’t meet the requirements given by MUL-01? This painting…]

[This is a bit messy, Miss Li. Then I will express my personal opinion. I have no interest in your painting. A special art analyzer can give hundreds of pages of shortcomings in this painting. What you are doing is just a waste of social resources. Don’t be capricious. The Mainbrain has arranged the most suitable job for you—]

[You are exactly the same as it!] Li Han’s voice was on the verge of tears. [I don’t like cleaning management. Why do you think that ‘some people don’t like it’ is tantamount to ‘worthless’? ‘Being able to do it’ is equivalent to ‘having to do it’? Every time I do something I want to do, you have to tell me, ‘You can’t do it’, ‘You’re destined to fail’, ‘You have limited abilities’… I have to live according to the Mainbrain’s wishes, right?]

[Take it easy, Miss Li. Calm down… Can I call you Xiao Han? Xiao Han, the stage you’re going through now is very common. This is why the Mainbrain wants to help us block the harmful thoughts left over from the old times. People had no idea about their abilities and limitations less than a century ago, and they wasted their precious lives and careers taking detours, and many talented people were buried in the wrong line of work. It’s different now. Everyone has undergone enough ability and personality analysis. The life arranged by the Mainbrain for you must be the most beneficial path. There’s no doubt about it.]

[But I don’t want to.] She responded word by word.

[I have seen many people try to deny the Mainbrain’s life plan, but they all eventually return to their old ways.]

[Can we not equate them to me. Listening to you, it seems that if you choose another path, society will be able to accept it.]

[Don’t look at the problem too extreme. Didn’t the Mainbrain give you two alternate career recommendations? If you want to relax…]

[I just want to try to make a living by painting. I am not a child. I have a certain amount of savings, and I can bear the consequences of failure.] Li Han held the painting in her arms between her elbows as she pulled her hair with both hands. [I don’t understand. Why am I not allowed to do such a simple thing? Why?]

[Because you are doomed to failure.] Gong Siyi still had a smile on his face. [Then you will be more in pain and become a burden to society. It’s just a hobby. I still suggest you don’t change your occupation. Your work performance has always been good—]

[…But I don’t like it.] Li Han’s voice became sharp.

[The occupation selected by the Mainbrain allows you to accumulate resources as quickly as possible, which is why you can say such willful words. A few decades ago, most people didn’t use ‘like it or not’ to be picky about their job.]

[But they were free. If you don’t do your work well, you can change direction. Even if someone denies the things you created, you will always get support from people you like. If you’re really not suitable for doing something, you can find out for yourself and decide whether you want to give up, instead of someone muttering in your ears from the very start, ‘Your life limited to this’ and ‘These practices are meaningless!’]

[Haa, this is why I am supportive of the Mainbrain rectifying Pear Blossom. God knows how many patients with abnormal thoughts it has brought to the prevention shelter. Obviously, it’s the most efficient system, but it just comes up with so many bizarre fallacies.]

[I have the right to fail, the right to be stupid, the right to give up things I don’t like, and the right to strengthen my aesthetics. I just need only one answer, Dr. Gong—if you can still be called a doctor… Am I wrong?] Li Han embraced the painting with considerable force, causing it to slightly squeak.

[Wrong.] Gong Siyi’s tone became a bit more impatient. [Your waywardness will lead to unnecessary loss of social resources.]

[You can’t take the possible output of my continued work as an established resource…]

[The stability of society needs to be maintained by every citizen. Your sense of responsibility in this regard is not enough, Xiao Han. Now your state is very unstable. It’s more appropriate to stay here and continue treatment until you wake up.]

[…I’m not wrong.] The girl murmured, wiping tears from her face. [I’m not wrong.]

Tang Yibu paused the image, took a few sips of his drink, and squinted at the light screen.

“Pear Blossom” sounded like a very interesting organization.

At the same time, Ruan Xian was wandering around with his freshly baked little sidekick. As Tang Yibu said, Gong Siyi quickly arranged an assistant robot for him. At its own insistence, the little silver-white thing that was a little unstable remained by his side.

Right now, while memorizing the location of the surveillance and simulating an escape route, he walked to the botanical garden in the south building. Tang Yibu should have intentionally brought this up, so it was always good to investigate.

It was just that his new sidekick seemed a little too excited as the small silver-white machine looked drunk as it kept circling around him whether intentionally or not. Every time Ruan Xian raised his hand, it would swish up, trying to rub Ruan Xian’s palm with its head. Generally speaking, Ruan Xian had no special interest in this kind of thing, but it had indeed helped a little—with its lively atmosphere, the sense of depression brought by the shelter had eased a lot.

The botanical garden wasn’t close to his room, but not too far either. At this time, most of the patients were napping in their room, and there weren’t many patients in the corridor. Most of them stood quietly in the corner, silently in a daze. Compared to the space filled with manic patients, the atmosphere here could be considered peaceful.

All kinds of plants in the botanical garden were lush, and the huge space was divided into countless small pieces by green leaves and branches. Within the limited field of vision, there were even fewer patients. Ruan Xian walked slowly along the winding road, taking two deep breaths from time to time, full of moist soil and fresh leaves. The constant irritability in his heart finally showed signs of subsiding.

He looked up at the huge glass dome over the botanical garden from which he could see the blue sky outside. If he hadn’t been able to hear the buzzing of the monitor mounted in the corner, he would be in a better mood.

Ruan Xian fiddled with the green branches for a while then walked forward along the snow-white pear blossom petals on the ground. However, when he saw the decorative fish tank installed on the edge of the botanical garden, his good mood that had just begun to show signs came to an abrupt end.

His temples began to tingle again.

Some more fragments of memory floated up. The fish tank in front of him seemed to be twisting and shaking, and then stopped in the living room for a long time.

[Deputy Director of the National Research Institute of Shinan District, Meng Yunlai.] The elderly woman in front of him stretched out her hand to him with a serious expression. [From today onwards, I’ll be your guardian.]

Yes, his adoptive mother liked to raise fish, and there was a huge fish tank in the living room. He saw it at first sight when he was taken back to her residence for the first time.

Facing his adoptive mother’s first self-introduction, the self in his memory was silent and hardly gave any response. The elderly woman sighed and stroked her gray curled hair.

[I want to talk to you openly.] She said in a very sincere tone. [Don’t worry. You can show yourself in front of me… I have read your personality and IQ assessment reports. You know what I’m talking about.]

[…What do you want to talk about?] He was nine years old at that time? Maybe ten?

[I know you are very smart, much smarter than me. I don’t want to act badly in front of you or hide anything from you. One-on-one negotiations may be better. What do you think, Ruan Xian?]

[Nn.]

[I’m sorry about your mother. According to the rules, if no one is willing to adopt you, you will spend the rest of your life in a prevention shelter.]

[I know.]

[But I want to make it clear in advance that I did not adopt you out of pity or kindness. And to be honest, I have seen your mother’s…case records, and I am also a little scared of you.] Meng Yunlai was very calm. [But I can give you the best education, the cost of treatment, and a decent job. If you want, I can also give you a family-like atmosphere.]

[In exchange, you need to assist me in my research. I don’t want to use you without your knowledge. Of course, according to your acumen, I don’t think I can do that either… That’s the way it is.]

[Nn.] Ruan Xian nodded. He didn’t think for long. To put it bluntly, he didn’t have much choice at that time.

[Okay.] Meng Yunlai solemnly stretched out a hand. [I am old, so you can call me grandma, Ruan Xian.]

[I really need a family-like atmosphere.] He said in a calm and cold voice. [We can act together, right?]

He didn’t know why he needed this, but if Meng Yunlai kept treating him like an adult, he would always feel uncomfortable.

[Okay, Xianxian.] Meng Yunlai laughed. Her tone changed naturally, and she became very gentle. [Starting today, I will be your grandmother. If you have anything you want now, just ask. This is grandma’s gift to you as you move into your new home.]

She hugged him; a very warm embrace. But Ruan Xian just kept staring at the fish in the aquarium.

[I want to live.] He said.

---

The author has something to say:

Ruan’s past gradually revealed√

Tang is really the only one who accepts him readily. Xiaoman and Lao Yu are still a little afraid of him.

After a billion years, Tang’s has been touched. It’s a pity that his coconut doesn’t even know what it means to be tempted…

——

Tang: (I started to want to share precious food spontaneously)

Tang: This isn’t going to work.

Tang: It’s too dangerous! That beef rice. (°ω° ; )

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<<< || Table of Contents || >>>

Author: 年终 / Nian Zhong

Translator: Kinky || https://kinkytranslations.com/

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Chapter 109: Death Invitation

Before the scourge surnamed Tang appeared, Gong Siyi’s life could be said to be smooth sailing.

During his adolescence, he was evaluated dozens of times, and the Mainbrain decided the most suitable career for him. Gong Siyi had been a doctor—or “counselor”—in a prevention shelter for many years. After all, many patients didn’t consider themselves patients, and the latter title sounded a lot better.

He was indeed suitable for this business, and everything was in order.

Today, as usual, Gong Siyi manipulated the remote-controlled humanoid device and enjoyed lunch during his lunch break, to replenish the energy of the shell and to satiate his appetite. The perception function of the remote-controlled humanoid allowed people to eat without feeling guilty while avoiding the negative effects of overeating. After the appetite was satisfied, most people were willing to eat healthy food with their real bodies.

Gong Siyi had forgotten how long his real body hadn’t been out of his residence.

If he wanted to look around, virtual reality technology could instantly bring a person to any corner of the world. When it was time to work, he only needed to project his consciousness into the humanoid device placed in the shelter office. Even if the patient was extremely aggressive, he was absolutely safe.

As long as he didn’t look, listen, or meddle, and obeyed every rule set by MUL-01, this was paradise. Not to mention that after being promoted to senior citizen, he could set aside some of his pay to watch The Android Show.

He must say that there was a reason why this thing had been so hot for more than ten years.

Gong Siyi scooped a spoonful of greasy beef rice, and the melt-in-your-mouth high-grade beef mixed with the faint aroma of rosemary and a bit of butter hit his nose. A unique and tempting taste. He slowly swallowed it, sighed, and had another glass of wine—this remote-controlled humanoid wouldn’t get drunk anyway.

The first thing he did was finish Li Han’s counseling before his meal, and there was nothing scheduled in the afternoon. Gong Siyi picked up dessert after his meal and turned on The Android Show stream to watch with interest—he especially liked the doomsday survival type. The most popular series recently was said to be the restoration of Struggler, which aired more than two decades ago.

It was a world set to be destroyed by war.

The stage was set in a huge, abandoned city. High-rise buildings had collapsed, covered with vines and grass, and monsters called ventral cockroaches crawled everywhere, and even more dangerous radiation aliens lurked in the shadows. The survivors, who didn’t know their identities were androids, were struggling to survive, and every day they would play several exciting scenes of life and death.

There was no fixed protagonist in this kind of android show. It was true that the producers would put many handsome men and beautiful women with outstanding abilities in, but reality was always cruel. In addition to strength, people who survive more or less need some luck. No matter how outstanding the ability was, anyone could suddenly exit, and that unpredictability created a sense of authenticity that made people sweat.

What was even more exciting was that this thing was played in real time, 24 hours a day, basically filming every “character”.

If you were willing to pay extra, viewers could select specific targets for continuous observation. There was nothing more refreshing than condescending to appreciate the chaotic lives of others in the midst of order—not to mention, the objects they observed weren’t even humans, so they didn’t need to feel a sense of guilt.

In the afternoon sun, Gong Siyi was eating ice cream as the dry and fragrant wind blew from outside. A few snow-white petals fluttered like butterflies in the air. He occasionally smacked his tongue, intermittently wiped his tears, and watched intently as the man and woman on the screen desperately embraced and kissed.

It was a pity that Dr. Gong’s good time didn’t last. Seeing that the situation on the other side of the screen was at its most tense and touching, his wristband buzzed.

“Violation detected. Please deal with them at your discretion.” The cold electronic sound broke the sentimental atmosphere in the room, causing Dr. Gong to twitch his nose and switch the light screen.

On the other side of the light screen, another pair were making out in the shadows. A beautiful boy who hadn’t recovered his memories had made his move, and a newcomer surnamed Tang seemed completely captivated. Thinking how stupid it was, Gong Siyi rolled his eyes and groaned secretly.

Newcomers were unreliable.

Although the patients here did have a sense of distortion that couldn’t be found elsewhere, just like himself, who was attracted to The Android Show, many people would also find such strange distortions extremely attractive. Now that he thought about it, that kid surnamed Tang probably applied here not because this was the first recommended occupation but probably due to his fetish.

He had to talk to the other side as well. It was Ruan Lijie who took the initiative for the embrace, while Tang Yibu, incidentally, just took advantage of the situation. However, if Tang Yibu was really moved and really helped that neurotic guy do something stupid, then it would create a lot of issues.

Gong Siyi immediately sent a communication request to Tang Yibu as he watched the two people separate under the surveillance. He was about to breathe a sigh of relief when the patient surnamed Ruan defiantly glanced at the empty corridor and kissed Tang Yibu directly. Dr. Gong was forced to watch them stick together for some time before the Tang Yibu quickly left and connected the communication request.

“My office, right away.” Gong Siyi felt a little tired.

In less than ten minutes, Tang Yibu stood in front of him. The handsome and beautiful young man hung his head with guilt, while his ears were a little red.

Although he knew that the exquisite shell in front of him was most likely not the original appearance of the other party, Gong Siyi softened his tone subconsciously. He put aside the light screen that was playing his show and muted it.

“I just told you not long before lunch, don’t invest any feelings in these people. It’s only been a few hours?” Gong Siyi knocked on the table. “Xiao Tang, I’ll just give it to you straight. It’s normal for young people to be passionate, and it’s none of my business what kind of physical relationship you develop, but you’re not allowed to damage the shelter in any way for him.”

“I understand, Mr. Gong.” The young man on the opposite side quickly flashed his eyes at the light screen playing The Android Show, lowered his head knowingly, and his face gradually reddened.

‘Forget it, he’s just an innocent young man.’ Gong Siyi shook his head. His tone became serious. “Young people are still too easily influenced. You don’t have to be too nervous; I get it. After you stay here for a while and see more things, you’ll understand everything… Take that little girl I just finished watching. Li Han, you should have seen her?”

“There is a little impression.”

“Her condition is improving, so you’ll take over from now on. It’s okay to talk about it—Li Han’s problem is very typical. Before she came here, she was doing cleaning management at the city park. However, she wasn’t very good. Most likely, her ability was limited.”

Gong Siyi put down the dessert cup and pointed his fingers gracefully.

“Her citizenship level doesn’t go up, and she can only have a mechanical companion allocated by MUL-01. If she wants to have children, she must obtain sperm designated by the Mainbrain that would maximize the improvement of the genes for her offspring. But other than that, she can live freely—as long as she doesn’t make trouble.”

“But she’s here now,” Tang Yibu responded very cooperatively.

“That’s right.” Gong Siyi sighed heavily. “She tried to commit suicide.”

Tang Yibu blinked.

“Suicidal tendencies are a big problem. She should be happy—with a partner, a stable job, and a warm residence, everything was tailored for her. There wouldn’t be abuse these days and vicious crimes are so rare that they could be considered non-existent, yet she almost jumped off the roof of a building.”

“If you just want to commit suicide, you shouldn’t be forcibly taken in by a shelter, right?” Tang Yibu asked carefully.

“Usually, as long as it is properly analyzed, memory therapy can be used to correct psychological problems.” Gong Siyi picked up his water cup and took a sip of the iced tea. “But her situation is more complicated. She claims that something went wrong with her companion robot, and it induced her to commit suicide. You know that’s nonsense—the companion robot assigned is customized according to the personality of the person to whom they are assigned and would never behave in a harmful way. Accusing a companion robot is no different than accusing the Mainbrain.”

He paused for a moment and slowly breathed a sigh of relief.

“Public hostility to the Mainbrain is a big problem. She must stay here until we find out what’s wrong with her.”

Tang Yibu’s smile was flawless, and before hearing a certain key word, his heart was almost cold and calm. However, as soon as Gong Siyi’s words came out, he couldn’t help but take the initiative to ask questions.

“What did it do to her?”

“What else can I do? It has strict restrictions and will never beat or abuse her and talk calmly at most. To put it bluntly, she has been exposed to too many bad thoughts. She’s not good enough, and coupled with her mental fragility… Young people are more likely to be compelled and misled, so you should also pay attention. Don’t really be brainwashed by that boy, Ruan Lijie.”

“Do you have her detailed consultation information here?” Tang Yibu’s tone was softer. Although he could get it without much effort, he still went through the notion. “Since you plan to put me in charge of her case, I need to know more about her situation in advance. And… And I want to find something else to divert my attention, you get it.”

“This is the correct work attitude. Alright, I’ll send it to you.” Gong Siyi nodded in satisfaction. “Ruan Lijie, I will arrange an assistant robot for him. It’s better for you to meet less first.”

“I know.”

After receiving all the data, Tang Yibu left the office and closed the door. Before the door was about to close, he could clearly see the scene of Gong Siyi’s light screen through the crack.

Even with just a few pictures, Tang Yibu could tell the above content.

Remaking Struggler in this kind of place, MUL-01 could be regarded as having an almost distorted sense of humor.

At this time, his Mr. Ruan should have finished exchanging information with Luo Jian. Tang Yibu didn’t think that he could get all the information in one exchange. He walked along the snow-white corridor while thinking and then walked straight to his room.

In theory, it was also possible that his logic module refuted it, but he didn’t want to ask. Even if the feeling that filled his heart was strange, Tang Yibu didn’t intend to escape it—he knew the reason for his deliberate procrastination.

Once Mr. Ruan really got the key information from Luo Jian, judging from his increasing fatal attraction to him, the next moment he got the information was the time to do it.

Yu Le and Ji Xiaoman were in a distant urban area, and they couldn’t communicate with others, so they couldn’t expose anything. He wasn’t sure if there was a cybernetic brain in “Ruan Lijie’s” skull. Blindly activating the earring would only arouse the other party’s vigilance. He had to find a suitable place to create some chaos, then take the other party to a secret place and kill him.

If his Mr. Ruan was really just an android, he could terminate the other party’s cybernetic brain; if Mr. Ruan was a human… then he had the recovery function of the S-type Prototype. As long as he removed a specific part of the brain and filled it with something else, he could destroy the other party’s thinking ability.

The other party was a patient who had overdosed on psychotropic drugs while he was a staff member. At best, Gong Siyi would think that “Ruan Lijie” had suffered drug damage to his brain and wouldn’t think much about it.

The next step was to ignore Yu Le and Ji Xiaoman and directly take Mr. Ruan, who had no independent thought, out of here.

He even made a careful plan and chose a good place to start. Next, it only depended on when “Ruan Lijie” would get all the information from Luo Jian.

Tang Yibu strode into the staff room assigned to him, sat on a chair, and was stunned for a long time.

What he was facing today was a typical priority judgement problem. It stood to reason that “one’s own safety” should always be at the top of the priority pyramid.

When they first met, “Mr. Ruan’s autonomous thinking” wasn’t even as important as a pack of hardtack.

Then his priority rose slowly but firmly. More than hardtacks, it surpassed the carefully prepared canned meats and sweet potatoes, then surpassed cherry soda and his favorite candy… And finally, more than his curiosity about other humans.

Right now, it was threatening the “self” at the top of the pyramid.

He wanted to erase that dangerous consciousness; he had to erase it before it released more attraction. This wasn’t a matter of choice.

Tang Yibu squeezed the electronic wristband on his wrist, suddenly a little irritable. He decided to find something else for him to do, such as watching Li Han’s medical records…

It sounded very helpful for his subject, and maybe he could dig up a little useful information from it.

At least in this way, when he issued a death invitation to his Mr. Ruan, he could have a beautiful enough excuse.

---

The author has something to say:

This is love~?

But at the current level, “like” may be more appropriate XD

This is first love, Tang!

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<<< || Table of Contents || >>>

Author: 年终 / Nian Zhong

Translator: Kinky || https://kinkytranslations.com/

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Chapter 108: Breakthrough

Still immersed in ambiguous memories, Ruan Xian didn’t know how to react for a while. Tang Yibu put his hands in the pockets of his white coat and smiled very warmly.

Ruan Xian stared at the smile, suddenly feeling regretful. Even if they behaved intimately in those memories, the fact that he pretended not to have amnesia still fooled Tang Yibu—The other party believed he was an android with a cybernetic brain, and he obviously had reservations about Tang Yibu pre-amnesia.

He thought for a moment, jumped out of bed, and decided to use his actions to dilute the weird regrets in his heart.

“You caretakers are really considerate.” There was surveillance in the room, and this was the second time Tang Yibu had come in today. The android would have thought of this. At least judging from his scattered memories, Tang Yibu wasn’t stupid.

“I just happened to pass by here, just in time to take you to dinner.” Tang Yibu showed a nervous look unique to young people, and there was some diligence and shyness in his tone. Ruan Xian instantly understood what cards the other party wanted to play. “Mr. Ruan, you have been lying down for a long time. How’s your health? Are there any symptoms such as headaches?”

The first time he gave a hug, he wanted to test him and just grabbed the other party with his hand and played with it. Ruan Xian instantly had a feeling of bewilderment, and then walked away for half a second from this novel emotion.

“Gong Siyi must be paying attention to you. He must have seen the hug. Not long ago, he reminded me not to be attracted casually.” On the way to the cafeteria, Tang Yibu lowered his head so that the surveillance couldn’t capture the movements of his mouth. “He thinks you are deliberately seducing me so that you can get some benefits, so it won’t be too abrupt for me to show a little bit of attraction.”

As he spoke, Tang Yibu stretched out his hand and lightly tapped the tip of Ruan Xian’s nose. “After all, I am indeed attracted to you.”

Ruan Xian subconsciously wanted to push the hand away, but according to Tang Yibu’s script, he was supposed to be the one who should be taking the initiative, so he could only let the other party withdraw his hand on his own and take advantage of the situation by pinching the other party’s waist in the most densely monitored place.

“It feels good,” Ruan Xian commented impartially, “But it’s a pity that it’s time for us to get down to business.”

Tang Yibu smiled without answering.

The cunning fox, Ruan Xian let out a sigh in his heart. If it wasn’t an illusion, Tang Yibu didn’t seem to have completely bought his “amnesia”. He was waiting for him to take the initiative himself.

The two of them were dawdling forward. It was still early at that moment, and there were not many people walking towards the cafeteria. Ruan Xian saw the patient closest to them bypass the corner and dragged Tang Yibu to a more hidden area of the partition. He heard the sound of the monitor turning almost immediately, but still pretended to press the other party against the wall unknowingly.

Tang Yibu was a little taller than him, but this wasn’t a problem—Ruan Xian pressed up intimately, pretending to make out as his lips brushed the other’s ear.

“I have finished reading the information.” Compared to the overly intimate posture, Ruan Xian’s tone was light but solemn. “Only Luo Jian has talked about the end of the world here.”

If Luo Jian was the target of their original plan, Tang Yibu should follow this topic now. If Luo Jian wasn’t, this information was also important—Tang Yibu’s previous test was extremely secretive, and he wouldn’t use a few botched “jokes” at this moment to increase his vigilance.

“I know, I have also read those materials. It’s just that the supervision of people’s data exchange here is too strict, and it’s not convenient for me to give them directly to you.”

Sure enough, Tang Yibu didn’t use this question to continue to test him. He dutifully played the role of a seduced person, stroking the other’s black hair with trembling fingers.

“Actually, that’s why I’m here. Luo Jian is accustomed to eating during off-peak hours. He goes early for lunch and dinner every time. We have limited time, so don’t waste every opportunity.”

“Thank you for reminding me.” Ruan Xian bit the android’s earlobe lightly. He still couldn’t remember the main purpose of this infiltration. “I will find a chance to have a good chat with him—Now we should separate. If I’m right…”

Tang Yibu’s newly equipped electronic wristband made a noise. It was all white, and it was also printed with the mark of the prevention shelter. A small light screen flickered in the air, and Gong Siyi’s name was displayed on it, unsurprisingly.

“It seems that I have a training session to deal with,” Tang Yibu muttered in a low voice. “Go ahead. Ruan Xian—”

In order to deepen the effect, Ruan Xian smiled provocatively in the empty corridor and kissed Tang Yibu directly.

The android’s lips were as soft as a human’s.

Tang Yibu’s breathing was very steady, and he obviously reacted, but on the surface, he put on a look of helplessness. Ruan Xian savored the familiar feeling for a while before finally letting go while panting.

He liked that warmth, Ruan Xian thought. Even if it was mixed with disguise and wariness, it still made the surrounding scenery look a bit brighter.

Ruan Xian couldn’t help but touch the corner of the other party’s lip, and he could feel it rising under his fingers.

“If I’m not mistaken, Gong Siyi will arrange an assistant robot for you next—this will better monitor your actions and reduce my reasons for visiting.” Tang Yibu didn’t move immediately. He rubbed Ruan Xian’s nose affectionately with the tip of his nose, like some kind of large beast. “When you pick one, remember to pick the off-white machine that is floating a little unsteadily. It should be waiting for you in the cafeteria right now.”

Having said that, he bent his golden eyes and showed a somewhat complicated smile. “Thank you for your cooperation, Mr. Ruan. I thought I needed to take the initiative…”

“Well, that can be saved for another time.” Ruan Xian straightened his collar, which was a bit skewed, “See you later, Yibu.”

Tang Yibu’s fingertips slowly brushed the back of his hand.

“When you figure out Luo Jian’s condition, remember to tell me as soon as possible.” The android lowered his gaze and withdrew his hand. His expression became a little stiff, not knowing what was on his mind. “See you later, Mr. Ruan.”

Luo Jian was very easy to find. This time he sat at the place where Ruan Xian had breakfast the other day and was eating a nutritious meal on his plate as he stared outside the window looking at the pear blossoms that were in full bloom. The young girl who accompanied him last time wasn’t there, and Luo Jian looked a little less lively.

Ruan Xian thought for a moment, then walked over with his plate. Luo Jian raised his eyes and glanced at him; his face lengthened visibly to the naked eye.

“Sorry for the morning incident.”

Ruan Xian sat diagonally opposite him, twisting his restraint clothes.

“I was put in this as soon as I came in, and I wasn’t in a good mood. Although I still don’t think a seat belongs to a specific person, we should have a better way to solve this problem.”

“Oh,” Luo Jian responded indifferently. “You’re right. I think it’s good on a first-come, first-served basis.”

He stopped staring at the pear blossoms outside the window, and quickly picked up his food with a stern face, as if he didn’t really want to sit with Ruan Xian for too long.

Ruan Xian wasn’t in a hurry. He fiddled with the fried meat slices on the plate with his chopsticks unhurriedly. “What did you come in for?”

Luo Jian ignored him.

“What did you come in?” Ruan Xian continued with a smile, aggravating the pronunciation of “you“.

Seeing that he couldn’t get rid of the other party for a while, Luo Jian rolled his eyes and poured himself a glass of water. “Paranoia.”

After speaking, he continued to eat hurriedly. Obviously, there was no need for an in-depth conversation.

“Coincidentally, Dr. Gong said that I also have this symptom.” Ruan Xian sent a piece of fried meat to his mouth and chewed it carefully. “But to be honest, I still think the world has been destroyed.”

Luo Jian stopped his chopsticks. His expression was a little complicated for a moment. He looked Ruan Xian up and down and snorted. “I heard that you had an overdose of memory inhibitors.”

“So I don’t remember details of the doomsday. I only remember a few symbolic locations, such as the Sea of Ruins and the Underground City.” Ruan Xian neatly put the green peppers on the plate aside.

Luo Jian’s face changed. He seemed half eager, half desperate. After a while, he put down his chopsticks. His hands were shaking so much that it didn’t look as if he could hold it.

“Those are all fantasies,” Luo Jian said in a hiss. “You may have been exposed to Pear Blossom and put such kinds of things in your head as if they were common sense.”

“Pear Blossom?” Seeing that the other party showed signs of chatting, Ruan Xian blinked in confusion.

“Some kind of book club. I also came into contact with them, and ended up being brainwashed by them, ending up like this… I know I’m crazy. Those are all fantasies, but I can’t get out.” When he said this, Luo Jian didn’t look at Ruan Xian but stared at the few grains of rice that fell off his plate.

“I don’t understand.”

“To put it another way, there are a few people who are as bad as me. Most people just want to find some excitement, and what they do is all garbage in nature. That’s why MUL-01 didn’t hit them hard.” Luo Jian snorted a little uncomfortably. “…They pursue higher entertainment and feel that the current ones are too upright, so they dig out some prohibited creations, and even make related memories to inject into their brains… Data files can still be destroyed by MUL-01, but books aren’t so easy to do in reality.”

“What does this have to do with the doomsday?”

“Do you know the paper medium?”

Luo Jian pushed the plate away, as if he had no appetite. “In addition to spreading memories and texts, they also hide a lot of forbidden things. As a source of inspiration, books are all physical objects, and they can’t be eliminated. But I’m not sure… Anyways, right now I can’t tell what’s reality and what’s fantasy.”

Ruan Xian blinked and gave a look of listening carefully, implying the other party should continue.

“Anyway, my appearance is because of Ruan Xian’s diary. There are still people who use pens and paper to write things these days, which is terrible. According to Mr. Gong’s approach, that diary, being brainwashed, plus a little brain lesion, I imagined a doomsday scenario based on the diary’s contents.”

“The Sea of Ruins and The Underground City were mentioned in the diary. I guess you stepped into the same pit as me… If you have also come into contact with them, it makes sense to take an overdose of memory inhibitors yourself. I guess you were probably trying to save yourself.”

He smiled self-deprecatingly. “Now I have no work and my body is broken. Just for that little excitement, why bother. Young man, if you ask me, it’s good to be obedient. The Mainbrain is much smarter than us, and there’s always a price when taking detours.”

Ruan Xian’s diary.

His temples began to tingle again, and Ruan Xian guessed that this wasn’t a simple name, but when he was about to continue, Luo Jian had finished his meal. With the added points of fellow sufferers, his attitude had softened a little bit, but he didn’t seem to have any intention of continuing to chat with him.

Ruan Xian bit his chopsticks and was about to think about the next move when a silver-white teardrop machine staggered to his side. Ruan Xian didn’t notice it at first, until it started to hit the edge of the table, dissatisfied.

Ruan Xian glanced at it strangely. When he turned his head, the thing became inexplicably excited.

“Gwah—” it whispered in a small, airy voice.

Ruan Xian retracted his gaze and continued to chuck his food.

“Gwah…” There was a bit more grievance in the voice.

This should be the silver-white machine mentioned by Tang Yibu, but when looking at it, it seemed a bit… stupid. Ruan Xian sighed and poked the little thing that was exuding grievances with the tip of his chopsticks.

As a result, the thing avoided the greasy tip of the chopsticks and turned 180 degrees sulkily.

Ruan Xian put down his chopsticks in amusement, reached out his hand and tried to touch the machine floating on the edge of the table. This time, it whizzed back and rubbed Ruan Xian’s palm hard.

‘It’s kind of cute,’ Ruan Xian thought to himself.

Just like the android he was with not long ago.

---

The author has something to say:

Ruan: Tang is a bit cute.

Tang: Pondering if he should murder his father.

…Very different, Tangtang!

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<<< || Table of Contents || >>>

Author: 年终 / Nian Zhong

Translator: Kinky || https://kinkytranslations.com/

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Chapter 107: STR Series

“That’s interesting. Is there any more detailed information?” Yu Le suddenly became energetic.

“The existence of this niche club doesn’t seem to be a secret. There are a lot of negative comments online. Compared with the destruction of the world, it’s mainly criticized for encouraging young people to access officially prohibited materials and spreading ‘ideas that are harmful to society’.”

A 3D advertisement suddenly appeared at the edge of the page. A tempting ice cream rotated in the air, accompanied by a lot of bells and whistles.

Ji Xiaoman stared at it for a while, swallowed, and quickly drew her attention back. “Let me see, including but not limited to literary works, film and television works, music, games, etc…”

“What the hell? Are they still letting people live?”

“There are actually a lot of works that people are allowed to come into contact with here, and they are intricately graded according to the age of the audience. There’s no shortage of entertainment materials.” Ji Xiaoman called out another screen. “It’s just a little… How can I put it? You should be able to understand it yourself by just looking at the name.”

“Oh.”

Yu Le simply put the light screen projection on a wall and cut out a small operating surface, unknown what he was doing.

“Let me see—what are these things?”

“Yes, although it’s rich in content, there seems to be only a few big types.” Ji Xiaoman blinked. “The reviews are also public, and it gave me a headache just reading it. The original ‘standard’-inferior contents that were prone to misdirection couldn’t be made public. If new works are needed to adjust the aesthetic standards and social atmosphere, they will be produced by relevant personnel organized by MUL-01.”

“Look at the introduction. It’s all similar to truth, goodness, and beauty*. Although I have no opinion about this kind of thing, there’s nothing else besides it.”

*Word used to describe morality and nature with good qualities. Basically, she’s saying all the books are all “good” and “moral”, sunshine and rainbows. There are no other alternatives that could arouse negative aspects, and certainly not vulgar materials.

Yu Le hissed and lowered his voice. “Oh, wait a minute, look at this. If you pay enough money and obtain ‘good citizen’ status, you can see something different.”

“What?”

“The Android Show. I heard that kid Tu Rui talking about this. For God sakes, wasn’t this available before the end of the world?”

Ji Xiaoman frowned suspiciously.

“Oh yes, you were young at the time, so it’s normal if you don’t know. I was also in jail then. I haven’t seen it myself, but I have heard a little bit about it. Did you know that decades to hundreds of years ago, almost all TV and movies were acted by living humans? They even had things like reality TV shows.”

“I’ve heard a little about it.”

“Later, with the rise of virtual reality technology, the actors became a little angry. After all, there are no flaws that come from the virtual world.”

After thinking about the name “The Android Show”, Ji Xiaoman could vaguely guess the general idea. She had a hunch that she wouldn’t like what she heard next.

“But except for those big-name screenwriters, in my experience, many people were too busy using technology to create garbage.”

Yu Le turned off the small screen at hand, put the empty beer can on the ground, and commented very unceremoniously.

“I guess there’s a limit to virtual images after all. Just a few years before the Great Rebellion, using the rise of cybernetic brain technology and the popularity of androids, some people went another way—they bought some places, transformed them into specific environments, and then threw androids with special synthetic memories in.”

Ji Xiaoman stared at the drops of water on the wall of the beer can and suddenly felt tightness in her chest.

The room was clean and bright, and the location was changed to indoors. Yu Le consciously stopped smoking, so the air was quite good. This was almost the best room she had ever seen in her life, but she didn’t like it at all.

“In other words, give those androids a specific personality, make them think they are human, and then let the plot develop by itself?”

“Reality is always the best screenwriter.”

“But if, I mean, if there was a murder in those… Those ‘studios’, and an android bashed out the brains of one of their own kind, wouldn’t that be…”

“Little miss, you’re quite clever at repairing things, but why are you stupid in other places?” Yu Le tutted. “Let’s not even mention that the cybernetic brain can be made to closely resemble the texture of flesh and blood. Their memories and common sense are all customized. They would only feel that this is what a ‘human brain is like’.”

Ji Xiaoman slowly clenched her fists, and the metal joints made a low rubbing sound.

“Anyway, The Android Show became extremely popular after it was launched. After all, there was no script. It all depends on how those who live in an artificial environment struggle. In this way, it could also create a more authentic star, and relative derivative products could be sold better. What did Lao Tu say at the time…”

Yu Le didn’t have any X-rated content to pass the time. He stared at the light screen as he sat on the floor while he chattered more vigorously.

“Oh, I remember. When the first android show exploded, rules hadn’t been set up yet. When the show was officially over, the thousands of androids in it were all sold at marked-up prices. According to the background at the time, they called it the STR Series, and directly changed the name to Struggler.”

“Is there such a thing now?” Ji Xiaoman gritted her teeth. “Isn’t this ‘inferior’ content that is prone to misdirection’?”

“So set a threshold. If you want to see something different, just be obedient.” Yu Le shrugged. “If this place had always been so utopian, The Android Show could be regarded as an old-fashioned entertainment project that had lasted for more than ten years. Don’t you think it’s funny? People used to watch an android monkey show, but now they have a Mainbrain that’s watching a human monkey show. This is just like a mother fucking Russian doll.”

Ji Xiaoman took a deep breath. “The Android Show is still there. In this way, MUL-01 doesn’t seem to be on the side of bionic life. What on earth is it thinking?”

“That’s a bit difficult to say. Let’s figure out what Pear Blossom is thinking. Anyways, we both have nothing to do now, so maybe we can get some useful information.”

As soon as Yu Le’s voice fell, a soft tone sounded by the window.

He got up from the floor, opened the window, and took the small box hanging from the drone. Captain Yu himself casually took the bag of things from it, and then threw a box to Ji Xiaoman, who had a gloomy expression.

Ji Xiaoman opened the box. The ice inside was still cold and white, exactly like the one advertised.

“Thank you—” She was a little surprised.

“Thanks for what? Anyways, those two guys are not here, so I can be more relaxed.” Yu Le’s tone was casual. “Laozi can’t eat alone in front of you and there’s a discount for two servings… Eat, you’ll feel better after eating.”

Ji Xiaoman licked the ice cream in small bites. She thought she had hidden her desire deep enough, but Yu Le might be much sharper than she thought.

Captain Yu frowned and ate the dessert, obviously not liking the too sweet taste.

“We should have a few more days,” he said. “You try your best to get information first, and when I finish patrolling tonight, let’s go out and explore together. Since it can be discussed publicly that Snow Plant shouldn’t be too difficult to find.”

“Okay.”

At the same time, there was another person who had just been exposed to information about this wonderful book club.

Under the cover of Tang Yibu, Ruan Xian successfully obtained the information of all the personnel in the shelter. He obediently ate lunch and vomited out his medicine. After returning to his ward, Ruan Xian wrapped himself in a blanket.

In the dimness, he activated the light screen, let all the information flash in front of him as quickly as possible, and poured the information into his brain frantically.

He knew he remembered.

He didn’t know if it was a situation stimulus, but just halfway through the information, some more memories tumbled out of his mind uncontrollably. They appeared unorthodox and chronologically disorganized, but they had something in common. They were almost all depressingly gray.

[Xianxian, don’t you have anything you want to ask your mother?] The mother, in his memory, covered the moving light screen in front of her. She was driving him out of the city, and her voice was trembling a little. [Not a word?]

He didn’t answer.

His mother was crying. She clenched the steering wheel tightly and her shoulders twitched. Although Ruan Xian didn’t ask anything, she still explained it to herself. [The prevention shelter said that I have used up the amount allocated and will raise the price… It’s illegal to leave you alone at home for too long, and I can’t afford to buy a nursing robot… Mom is really useless. Mom really can’t get so much money…]

Ruan Xian understood.

He could even understand the logic of her behavior and had no complaints about it. No matter how you look at it, continuing to treat him was a high-cost and low-reward behavior. Objectively speaking, his mother’s abilities were indeed limited, and his own ending could basically be foreseen.

He would die; the difference was only in form.

[It’s mom’s fault. If I knew it would be just this momentary ease, I shouldn’t have let you undergo those torturous experiments… Xianxian, do you hate mom?]

Ruan Xian shook his head slowly.

He didn’t hate her. Considering his mother’s situation, he could understand the logic of her behavior. Although she did give him a lot of physical pain, under the premise of full understanding, he couldn’t develop a sharp hatred.

[Do you love mom?]

He didn’t know how to react this time.

The woman in front of him had given him a lot, but in his short life, he had hardly ever seen her. Not to mention, he had not yet understood the meaning of love—This kind of unilateral sacrifice didn’t seem to be simply classified as “love”, and the young Ruan Xian was still uncertain.

He didn’t want to lie to her, so he could only remain silent.

But his mother cried even more sadly.

She was like a flower that was gradually decaying, and he could even see that her spirit was drying up and growing mold, rotting faster and faster.

Ruan Xian knew that his mother wanted to abandon him. At that time, he had only one simple wish…

He understood that his ending was only death, and he was happy to accept it. It was okay to stop the treatment. He just hoped that he could die under the eaves and by the side of his loved ones.

Even if he was killed by his own mother, it was better than starving to death in a strange place. Unfortunately, according to his mother’s character, she didn’t have the courage to kill him herself.

He knew that his mother didn’t like to say too many things that children shouldn’t say, and it would be counterproductive to negotiate calmly at this time. That would be too “childish”. He had to think of a way to accomplish the goal of “dying at home” without stimulating his mother.

So he watched his mother park the car in a distant town with the worst security, kicked him out of the car, and then quickly left.

Finding a way to get home wasn’t too difficult for him as long as his health permitted. On the third day, he stood back in front of his own home.

He hesitated for a long time before he found an opening statement that seemed appropriate.

“Mom.” He imitated the tone of the rest of the children in his impression. “Is hide-and-seek over?”

However, all he got in response was his mother’s collapsed screaming.

At that time, she was wearing a brand-new dress. Her eyes were swollen, and she reeked of alcohol. She was dancing with a man he had never seen before. He saw her fall to the ground, and the music abruptly cut off, like a songbird that had its neck broken.

The second time, she drove him to the farthest wilderness in the jurisdiction. The third time, she threw him into the woods behind a deserted village and brought a rope. However, although he could understand the logic of the other party, Ruan Xian was still unwilling to die obediently for his mother’s emotional problems.

Maybe he could try to communicate.

He was still too young and walking alone would garner the attention of everyone. The prevention list could be checked by anyone, and no one would adopt a quasi-dangerous person with personality defects. Even if they did, the odds were so low that Ruan Xian didn’t think he could run into them of his own accord.

He really had nowhere else to go, but unfortunately, his efforts didn’t have much effect.

[Don’t come back!]

[Don’t come back again, do you hear me!]

[Why can’t you die outside…?]

……

[This may not be appropriate. According to humans saying… I hope you can come back to me soon.]

The gray memories suddenly became a little brighter. A long-standing memory suddenly triggered something, and another voice surfaced from his mind. He saw the brilliant sunlight of midday, golden eyes, and a familiar bright smile.

In that brief associated memory, he was dancing with Tang Yibu. Accompanied by the wind and music, he stepped on the ruins that were floating in the air.

[Don’t leave me, okay?]

[Will you leave me?]

[I hope you’ll be mine. Will you be mine?]

The cold and gray memories were mixed with scorching heat. Ruan Xian was momentarily confused—on one side, there was him walking home step by step with pain, and on the other side was fierce gasping, and Tang Yibu kissing him. The two emotions were intertwined causing his temples to ache.

Tang Yibu was an android, and he could infer this from his memory. He was theoretically human, but his memory hadn’t been fully restored and he couldn’t draw further conclusions.

He was once marked on a high-risk watch list by the prevention agency, but he had the knowledge of a researcher and was also involved with an android…

He still had insufficient information, and there was no use thinking about it.

Ruan Xian squeezed the bridge of his nose fiercely, pulled his attention back to the information in front of him, and forcibly branded everyone’s information into his mind.

He cleared all the data in the wristband and breathed a long sigh of relief in the blanket after making sure nothing was missing.

Right now, he needed to focus on his goal first.

At least now, it seemed that his goal was quite obvious—among the thousands of patients in the shelter, only one person had similar symptoms to himself. Luo Jian also claimed that the world had been destroyed, and there were also descriptions of the Sea of Ruins and The Underground City in the records. He had already dealt with the other party, and although the process wasn’t very pleasant, at any rate, it was a good reason to talk to him again.

Next, he only needed to confirm with Tang Yibu…

Thinking of that android, Ruan Xian had another headache. He opened the blanket and sat up, trying to use the fresh air to ease the feelings of pins and needles in his temples and the strange palpitations.

Unfortunately, before he could take two breaths, a voice interjected.

“Mr. Ruan.” The android who just showed his face in the fragments of his memory was standing at the door with a bright smile on his face. “I came to see you.”

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Kinky Thoughts:

Poor Ruan Xian. I just want to give child Ruan Xian a hug.

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