MASG chapter 69

 

Xia Yu instantly covered his eyes. All right, Mo An’s methods really haven’t changed since childhood.

“What’s wrong?” Seeing him like this, Mo An leaned over and asked, “Scared?”

“Yes, scared to death!” Xia Yu smacked his back hard with his gloved hand. “How could you do something so dangerous?”

Xi Ban and Mi Dou turned their heads at the same time and looked at him. What kind of logic was this? We’re fugitives, Mo An caused a huge commotion, and you’re not scolding him—you’re worried about his safety? What danger? He can even eat eco-electricity!

After being hit, Mo An wasn’t angry at all. Instead, he looked smug with happiness all over his face. “It’s not dangerous. Don’t worry about me. In a bit, just follow me. Don’t be scared.”

Don’t be scared, he says. Even though Mo An can eat eco-electricity, how can people not worry about something like blowing the fuse of an entire district for the first time? The group followed the address Ling Shi provided, using fake iris recognition to enter the building. Xia Yu’s mood was like a balloon he couldn’t hold on to—just a little loosening and the words would burst out by themselves.

The hallway wasn’t very bright, and the stairs weren’t as fancy as those on the mid-level floors. Water pipes and electrical wires lined both sides of the ceiling, and the floor tiles had circular patterns that could make people dizzy if they stared at them too long. Xia Yu’s heart was also in chaos. He knew he shouldn’t think about personal feelings right now, yet looking at Mo An’s back, he couldn’t help but do so.

He couldn’t control it.

“Hey.” Xia Yu called out to Mo An.

Mo An turned around, afraid they were too close, and put on his mask.

“I will.” Xia Yu said.

Mo An didn’t hear clearly. “What?”

“Worry about you.” Xia Yu said the three words in one breath.

Strange—his heart actually felt relieved. The balloon in his chest deflated, but the next wave of tension came immediately. He didn’t know how Mo An would respond. Xia Yu felt a bit regretful. At a time like this, he really shouldn’t have said something so soft that it made people lose their fighting spirit. What they were about to face might be YeHuai’s third stage, the pupa stage, or Nuwa’s extinction.

But, but…

Even if he were given another chance, Xia Yu still wanted to tell his little brother: I really will worry about you—more than I worry about myself.

He looked up at Mo An, who didn’t reply. Just as Xia Yu thought Mo An was going to turn and continue forward, he suddenly leaned closer. His half-finger-gloved hand reached toward Xia Yu. Xia Yu instinctively stepped back, but the hand immediately followed, finally brushing against the back of his hand.

“Got it.” Mo An smiled happily, like ice melting.

Just a single sentence, but it untied the knot in his heart. Xia Yu wasn’t acting purely out of responsibility. Mo An couldn’t stop the corners of his mouth from lifting. Clearly, this wasn’t the right time to smile. Under his mask, his mouth grinned uncontrollably. A whole day of awkwardness evaporated instantly, and all the difficulties ahead were coated with a “who cares” filter because of Xia Yu’s words.

The thing that truly mattered to him—he had already heard it.

“It’s so hot in here.” Mi Dou, unaware of the emotional exchange between the two, simply wiped his sweat. “Does this building not have an air circulation system?”

Jingwei: [Some buildings are like this. From what I know, the level of development in HuTi City is far inferior to that in Qingyao City. It’s a third-tier city, and its earliest residents were elderly people who migrated from other cities. Later, their children became the backbone of the city—Chen Jiehao is one of them.]

Ling Shi: [Ma Jiayuan, too. Ma Jiayuan is a fourth-generation migrant. The overall consumption level and cost of living in HuTi City are low—only one-tenth of Qingyao City’s.]

“One-tenth? Is Qingyao City that developed?” Mi Dou exclaimed.

Jingwei: [Qingyao City is the most developed city. Yukun City once stood shoulder-to-shoulder with it, but now Qingyao stands alone. Everyone, be careful.]

Everything was ready, lacking only the east wind. The group carefully passed through the corridors, enduring the building’s stuffiness.

It was really hot.

Chen Jiehao woke up in a sweat. The conditions in this residential building were mediocre at best, especially now that the central ventilation system was gone. The building felt like a suffocating coffin. He walked to the window and gazed into the distance. The landmark of HuTi City, the Lake-Heart Tower, was directly to the east, shining brightly.

And the buildings surrounding the Lake-Heart Tower were the real core of the city. The skyscrapers there were said to be a hundred times more advanced than the buildings where he lived now—aircraft could even hover above them. Each floor had neon lights, mechanical service personnel, attentive companions, and excellent ventilation.

It was so hot. Chen Jiehao didn’t know why he felt so hot. He couldn’t bear to use water for showers—he only wiped down simply each day. His room and body gave off an indescribable smell, but he didn’t care much. People had to survive, after all.

It’s so hot. Chen Jiehao took a sip of cold water. The water tasted awful. He wondered if something was wrong with his sense of taste. How come the water tasted metallic?

Knock, knock, knock. There was a knock at the door.

At this time, who could be coming? Chen Jiehao slowly walked over. He was especially heavy right now; even taking two steps made him pant. His left leg was mechanical, but the model was outdated. He needed to save up 30,000 yuan to replace it. It would probably take him five years to save that much. The problem was that he didn’t know how many years he had left to live.

Should he save every penny to get a good leg, only to die before he could enjoy it? Or should he simply give up, spend all his money, and live a carefree old age? Chen Jiehao couldn’t decide. His life had never truly been lived.

“Who is it?” He hadn’t figured it out yet, but he opened the door.

“Hello, we’re from the Electricity Bureau.” A tall guy standing outside said.

Electricity Bureau? Oh, right. The power system in this area often malfunctions. Chen Jiehao pulled the door open a crack, and hot air flooded in. He looked like a withered mango pulled up from water, his skin a pale yellow.

“We’ll leave after asking you a few questions.” Mo An sized him up; the gun at his waist was not on safety. If Chen Jiehao was a cocoon, Mo An had to ensure his own safety first.

“Ask.” Chen Jiehao wiped his sweat. “Can it be fixed tonight?”

He also sized up the people outside the door. Their black clothes and silver hair looked like those of an organization. They were really tall. Without light, he couldn’t see their faces clearly when he glanced up, but the bridge of their noses looked like 2D turning into 3D.

“We’re rushing the repairs.” Mo An casually flashed an ID. The Control Center’s ID specifications looked pretty intimidating. “There are a few questions we want to ask you. Has the electricity in this area always been unstable? When was the last outage? Has anyone come to investigate before?”

Three questions were enough for Chen Jiehao to pause and think. Bean-sized drops of sweat pattered down. “It’s always been unstable, but every time the power goes out, it’s repaired quickly. The last outage was two or three months ago, I think. No one asked anything. It breaks, gets fixed, breaks again, and the cycle continues.”

“All right, thank you for your feedback.” Mo An stepped aside a little. “Please sign here. Once you sign, our investigation is complete. Repairs will begin immediately. Please endure for a bit longer.”

Endure, endure.

“It’s fine. Enduring is what I’m best at.” Chen Jiehao took the form from someone else’s hand. Honestly, he couldn’t see the words clearly in this lighting anyway, but signing randomly was fine. After all, residents like them had no voice. Even if they shouted loudly, it wouldn’t result in stable electricity.

But isn’t everything done with a facial scan or iris signature nowadays? Why were they using a pen?

The question flashed through his mind. Chen Jiehao had already finished signing. As he returned the pen, his fingertip was accidentally squeezed by someone. It was fine—under the dim lighting, mistaking fingers for pens was normal. Chen Jiehao watched them leave, then closed the door and looked toward the shower.

It was so hot. He might as well take a shower. He didn’t need to change his leg; enduring was his specialty.

As he was leaving the building, Xia Yu happened to see the repair team fixing the circuit. With today’s technology, this circuit system was indeed abnormally aged. Qingyao City had long stopped using this kind of power equipment—no wonder there were constant blackouts.

“Find anything?” Mo An asked 107.

107 also wiped his sweat. The temperature here was worlds apart from Frozen Island. “Found it. His biggest desire is to make the earth explode.”

“What? The Earth exploded?” Everyone was shocked by this wish. Xia Yu was even more incredulous. Could an elderly man who looked so simple and ordinary actually want all of humanity to die?

“Could this be his own thought? Could it be the cocoon inside him thinking it?” Silver Fang asked.

Mi Dou thought the same: “His thoughts are too suspicious. If the Plague Knight wants to eliminate humans, then the cocoon would really think that. Should we go back and grab him?”

“Let’s check on the other two people first.” Xia Yu didn’t make a decision. “Jingwei, are you there?”

Jingwei: [Always here.]

“Help me investigate the three people who had last contact with Ma Jiayuan. Find out what their identities and backgrounds are. The more detailed, the better.” As Xia Yu spoke, the building behind them lit up. It was just replacing a fuse—something that simple. “Who’s next?”

Ling Shi: [The next one is called Liu Fangfang, a former supermarket cashier. She is…a natural human. She is 49 years old, married, and has one son.]

“All right, let’s go find her.” Xia Yu looked toward the aircraft.

The aircraft lifted off again. In the hazy, dreamlike light, it seemed to move at light speed. Although Chen Jiehao was highly suspicious, that didn’t mean the other two were fine. The scenery outside the window quickly shifted from shabby, old residential buildings in the city district to Green Lake, heading toward the tall tower in the center.

At the foot of the tower were high-class residential buildings arranged in a circular layout that formed something like an independent city. On the transparent rooftop, a party was in progress. A robot and a semi-mechanical person with only one natural arm were kissing. The lighthouse’s highest point emitted a crimson light that hung over the lake like a blazing sunset. Compared to the old city, which often experienced blackouts, this side was a sleepless city.

As the lighthouse’s gatekeeper, Liu Fangfang had long grown accustomed to the light pollution.

It wasn’t too late yet, and she was nodding off with her eyes half-closed. The screen showed a flood of ads from the Rising Beauty Plastic Surgery Hospital, and she held a flyer from the Mechanical Omnipotence Cult in her hand.

[Flesh is weak and bitter; machinery ascends. Welcome the blooming.]

She was probably the only fully natural human left in the city, so naturally, her status was the lowest. Semi-mechanicals, aberrants, and parasite-hosts were all stronger than her. Her fate was to watch the gate, keep her daily expenses under twenty points, and barely survive.

A pleasant voice suddenly rang out, and someone tapped her shoulder. “Hello, is the lighthouse open right now?”

“Huh?” Liu Fangfang lifted her head and forced her sleepy eyes open. “It’s already closed. Come back tomorrow morning.”

“Okay, thank you.”

The youth in white clothes flickered away in an instant, as if he had never been there at all. Liu Fangfang couldn’t tell if it was a dream or reality and lowered her head to sleep again.

107 got on the aircraft and said, “Her thoughts are simple. She’s hot.”

“It really is hot enough.” Xia Yu was sweating even though the air conditioner was on. “She’s just that simple?”

“Yes, just that simple. She’s thinking, ‘It’s so hot; I want to cool down.'” 107 nodded seriously. “And she’s a fully natural human. That’s really rare. When I was on Frozen Island, I never saw someone like her. Everyone was modified.”

“Sigh. Isn’t that just the trend nowadays?” Mo An stuffed a piece of candy in his mouth and turned to ask Xia Yu, “Right?”

“What do you mean, ‘right’? What are you talking about?” Xia Yu leaned in and asked.

Mo An immediately stuffed a candy into his mouth, looking excited as if he had won a prize. “Nothing. I just wanted to talk to you. You’ve been deep in thought. I didn’t dare bother you.”

“Nonsense.” Xia Yu bit the candy. “If you want to talk then talk, I never… forbade you.”

But Mo An didn’t say anything after that. He just kept smiling. The way he smiled made it seem like he had won something, as if he wanted to spread his elbow fins and dive ten thousand meters deep into the sea. 107 sat opposite them, racking his brains to classify their relationship as some sort of category. After much thought, he decided to categorize them as a “young couple in love.”

Xia Yu, one of the young lovers who was completely unaware of their romance, raised his bracelet again. “Jingwei, please set a route for us. Now, let’s find the last one.”

HuTi City wasn’t big, but the far eastern side bordered a mine. The mine had already been hollowed out, so very few people remained. Below the mining area was a residential zone. Back then, this was the most popular place. Treasure hunters, gold diggers, and extraction teams crowded the area. It was packed; you couldn’t even find a room.

But as the mineral vein dried up, everyone left, and only the residents of HuTi City remained, maintaining the sparse activity near the mine. Wang Haoren ran a supermarket there and worked day in and day out without complaint. Life had its good and bad days, and the bustle or bitterness around him wasn’t his concern. His current problem was that he couldn’t reach the goods on the high shelf.

The shelves were very high. He was named Wang Haoren[mfn]Good Man Wang[/mfn], but he wasn’t Wang Gaoren[mfn]Tall Man Wang[/mfn]. Even standing on a stool, he couldn’t reach the top. He tried again, but this pointless attempt only made the situation more ridiculous. A can of beer fell to his feet and exploded.

“Sigh.” Wang Haoren climbed down from the stool and wiped his sweat.

This beer can was definitely unsellable. He felt a pang of regret and quickly bent down to pick it up and drink it. He never drank supermarket beverages, and he certainly didn’t drink alcohol, so after a few sips of the ice-cold beer, he not only couldn’t swallow it, but the alcohol foam also came up at his throat, making his mouth full. Desperate, Wang Haoren quickly went to the tap, bent down, tilted his head, opened his mouth, and let the tap water rush in.

It was so hot. The icy water shocked him briefly. He smacked his lips—this beer really tasted awful.

“Hello, do you need help with anything?” A youth dressed in white stood in front of the shelf.

“If you can reach, help me lower the beer.” Wang Haoren walked toward him and pointed to the shelf. “Topmost level.”

“Okay, but can you hold me steady? I’m afraid I’ll misstep on the chair.” The youth in the white clothes climbed up and lifted half a case of beer.

Of course, Wang Haoren had no reason to refuse. He held him steady and said, “Sorry about this, making a kid like you laugh at me. Back when the mine was thriving, people lined up to buy things in the shop. I couldn’t handle it alone. I had so many helpers that I never felt short-handed. Now…sigh…forget it.”

“You can apply for a mechanical assistant.” The youth put down his beer and slowly stepped away.

Wang Haoren waved his hand; he couldn’t afford a mechanical assistant. “Are you buying anything?”

“I…I just came in for the air conditioning. I’m not buying anything. Goodbye.” The youth in the white clothes also waved and left just as mysteriously as he came, walking out quickly. As he watched his back, Wang Haoren’s eyes glinted with hatred.

The aircraft door opened again. As soon as 107 got on, he threw himself at Xi Ban. “It was so scary! Wang Haoren wants to kill me!”

“What did you say?” Xia Yu grabbed his gun and stood up.

“His strongest wish was to kill me.” 107 was nearly incoherent at the moment of contact; he could barely hold it together, trembling from fright. Despite having been imprisoned for years, he had never encountered someone who wanted to kill him outright.

“Alright, alright, it’s fine now. Everyone’s here.” Xi Ban gently patted the back of his head, then looked firmly at Xia Yu. “It should be Wang Haoren. I suspect that the cocoon… has already guessed our goal and our arrival.”