Chapter 43: Did the Major Take a Fancy to Someone Else’s Fiancé?
Just as Xie Ren had guessed, the secondary command center was a temporary tent.
The researcher hadn’t even finished entering his password when the entire roof was suddenly torn away.
As one of the lead developers of the bionics project rather than a physically robust soldier, the researcher was scared out of his wits by the sudden intrusion. He immediately let out a distress signal.
The escort team, hearing the commotion, swarmed the area.
This was a unit of a hundred and fifty men. They likely hadn’t expected their command point to be discovered, so their numbers weren’t particularly high, but they were equipped with heavy weaponry. Without a word, they opened fire on the mecha.
Back at the base command post, Tao Minwan watched the damage levels of the mecha on her screen and shouted, “We’ve found the commander! There really is an escort team. Luckily, we brought twenty units. Their firepower is quite intense—oh my god, don’t hit the Guardian’s chest! That coating is the most expensive… ten thousand, twenty thousand, thirty thousand… the repair costs are going up in smoke!”
Nie Qing stared at the screen in disbelief. “There really was a secondary command? Song Zhaohui, tell Xie Ren to make sure he brings that researcher back. We need him alive.”
“Understood. I’ve already notified him.”
Clutching a piece of equipment, the researcher tried to flee into the mountains under the cover of chaos. Xie Ren leaped straight from his mecha, chasing him down and pinning him to the forest floor. The man was a beta, and he was shaking so hard it was as if he were being electrocuted. He clumsily tried to bite down on a suicide pill hidden in his mouth.
Xie Ren drove his knee into the man’s stomach, forcing him to hunch over and spit the pill out.
“Try to kill yourself again, and I’ll make you wish you were dead,” Xie Ren threatened, his voice cold.
Terrified, the man lost the last of his courage. He gritted his teeth, his body wracked with tremors.
He was wearing the Research Institute uniform of the Allied Forces—a brown jacket over a white shirt—with a “Chief Researcher” badge pinned to his chest.
Xie Ren glanced at it, and a flicker of unease crossed his mind, though he couldn’t quite place why.
Frowning, he handcuffed the man and hauled him up.
The Guardians possessed top-tier combat capabilities, sweeping through the soldiers with lightning speed. Lacking mechanized support, the escort team was quickly forced to surrender. Simultaneously, the bionics outside the base lost their source of control.
Sun Xiaoyun gasped in amazement. “The secondary command has been neutralized! They’re starting a Level One evacuation; they must know the command room was taken out.”
“Should we pursue, Boss?” Tao Minwan asked.
“Don’t.”
“Don’t chase them.”
Two voices spoke at once. Xie Ren’s voice crackled through the headset, “The situation is complicated. Don’t pursue for now.”
Nie Qing added, “Something is wrong with these people. They definitely aren’t from the Allied Forces. Tao Minwan, take a team to transport the captured bionics in. Xie Ren, you come back first.”
With a prisoner in tow, Xie Ren’s return was significantly slower. It took half an hour to reach the base, where the researcher was immediately thrown into an interrogation room.
When dealing with highly trained prisoners of war, the Falcon Regiment’s interrogation methods were notoriously brutal. Even through the bulletproof doors, muffled screams could be heard.
As Xie Ren stepped out of the interrogation room, his communicator rang. It was Xie Chengfeng.
“Tiangui has issued an interstellar warrant. Major Qin Yin of the K9 Combat Command is officially wanted. He is currently on a starship fleeing toward the Seventh Zone.”
“A warrant?” Xie Ren was surprised. “Why didn’t they just classify him as a spy and notify neighboring countries to assist in his capture?”
Xie Chengfeng replied, “His true identity can’t be found on the public network. We couldn’t do that. ‘Qin Yin’ is likely a fake name.”
Xie Ren was silent for a moment. “Is there anyone else on that starship besides him?”
Xie Chengfeng’s voice turned cold. “You don’t seem surprised by his identity, so I’m sure you can guess who else is on that ship. Tell me the truth—did you already know about his relationship with Yu Shi?”
Xie Ren tensed up instantly. “Dad, is Yu Shi being wanted too?”
“Not yet. Old Tang defended him during the meeting, insisting that we bring him back first.” Xie Chengfeng let out a cold laugh. “These scholars have soft ears; they’re easily blinded by fame and fortune. Their principles and bottom lines are paper-thin. He’ll have plenty to answer for once he’s caught.”
Xie Ren fired back in anger, “Instructor Yu was kidnapped! If you don’t know the facts, stop talking nonsense! Treason is the most serious crime there is—don’t go pinning that label on him so easily!”
Xie Chengfeng was taken aback by his son’s fury. “How do you know he was kidnapped? Anyone who runs off with a spy can’t be a good person.”
“Because he had no idea he was even boarding that starship! He left so abruptly he didn’t even tell his family or friends. Of course he was kidnapped! Can’t you even see that?!”
Xie Chengfeng snapped impatiently, “Enough. I don’t want to hear it. Just stay away from him.”
Xie Ren took a breath, forcing himself to calm down.
“I see why you called. You’re afraid that if I get too close to him, people will start suspecting me. Dad, you’re being far too cynical. He isn’t that kind of person.”
“Don’t take this lightly. The Sovereign was furious at the meeting and demanded a full investigation of the internal system,” Xie Chengfeng warned. “The water here is deep. You must stay out of it. Do you hear me?”
Xie Ren pressed his tongue against his cheek. “Is that so? Sounds like things aren’t looking good.”
“As long as you know. Anyway, it’s not convenient to talk in detail over the phone. How are things on your end?”
“Over for now,” Xie Ren said tonelessly. “But I don’t plan on letting it end. I’m going to that starship to bring Instructor Yu back.”
“…You little—! Did you not hear a word I said? Are you trying to kill me with stress?!”
The sound of his father’s explosive swearing erupted from the other end, but Xie Ren hung up without expression.
He turned around to find Nie Qing standing behind him.
Xie Ren was breathing heavily, his eyes red as he looked away, greeting him with a clipped, “Uncle Nie.”
Nie Qing patted his shoulder. “Don’t be angry. Calm down.”
Xie Ren turned his face further away, his chest heaving. He was clearly nearing his breaking point.
Nie Qing said, “You might not want to hear this, but this time, I think your father is right.”
Xie Ren’s brow furrowed deeply, but before he could speak, Nie Qing cut him off. “Listen to me first. This matter, logically and reasonably, has nothing to do with you.”
“If that researcher really was kidnapped, then it’s up to the Third Institute and K9 to save him. You don’t need to risk yourself by interfering. Besides, have you considered the possibility that he wasn’t kidnapped? You’ve never been an irrational person. Think about it—why would he be mixed up with those people? He must be after something. I don’t believe someone as sharp as you didn’t notice anything.”
Was he after something…?
When so many details collided, they ceased to be coincidences.
They were right; Yu Shi was an enigma, wrapped in complex layers. But there was one thing Xie Ren knew for certain: he trusted him completely.
“Uncle Nie, you don’t have to say anything else,” Xie Ren said, his voice raspy. “Even if there were interests involved, he would never betray Tiangui. He was the one who told me the location of that secondary command center.”
“What?” Nie Qing froze, looking thoughtful. “That makes it even stranger. Tiangui forbids the development of bionics. How did he know those details?”
Xie Ren took a deep breath. “Enough. You’re just like my dad—always doubting your own people.”
He gritted his teeth. “Don’t think I don’t know that you were the ones who led the accusations against Shao Yinghai back then. Especially you. He was your biggest rival, and you climbed the ranks after he was eliminated. To people like you, fame and fortune are far more important than the truth! Even if you know in your heart that Yu Shi could never commit treason.”
Nie Qing’s face turned pale. “Utter nonsense! You dare bring up a war criminal… If you dare lose your head over a matter of principle like this, don’t expect me to show you any mercy as an elder!”
Song Zhaohui hurried over. “Oh, why the shouting? Is everything okay, Boss Nie?”
Nie Qing yelled in a rage, “Send him back to his room! No one is allowed on a starship without my approval. You brat, you’re going to write a three-thousand-word self-reflection report for me. You are not to leave this base without my permission!”
With a frustrated wave of his hand, he stormed off, leaving Song Zhaohui standing there, stunned.
Xie Ren punched the wall with all his might.
Starship Restroom.
Yu Shi sat at the table, sketching, when someone walked in.
The woman looked at the untouched breakfast and placed a lunch tray on the table. “Eat.”
Yu Shi ignored her, focused on his study of a complex wiring diagram. She walked over and snatched the drawing away, looking at it suspiciously. “What is this? What are you up to?”
Yu Shi answered calmly, “An internal wiring diagram for a robot.”
The woman frowned. “Why aren’t you eating? Are you trying to go on a hunger strike?”
She braced herself for an argument, hands on her hips as she prepared to make a threat. To her surprise, Yu Shi simply stretched his neck and shoulders before sitting down composedly to start eating.
“No. I just forgot to eat.”
The woman blinked, then let out a scoff. “Hmph, and here I thought the legendary weapons master would have more spirit. You’ve completely caved in just three days. If that’s the case, who were you putting on that big performance of resistance for? I bet you wanted to come with us all along.”
This was the first time she had spoken so much. Yu Shi took a spoonful of rice and said tonelessly, “If you’re upset about getting chewed out at the meeting, there’s no need to take it out on me, Ms. Zheng Miaoran.”
The woman froze. “How do you know who I am?”
Yu Shi elegantly wiped the corner of his mouth. “You dropped from the sky and stabbed me with a needle that day. If I didn’t remember you, I’d be doing a disservice to your skills.”
Zheng Miaoran glared at him in disbelief. After a long moment, she let out an annoyed huff and stormed out.
That evening, she was the one to bring dinner again.
This time, she didn’t leave immediately. She stared at Yu Shi strangely and asked, “You’ve never met me. How could you know my name?”
Yu Shi said, “I saw your photo on your brother’s optical computer desktop.”
Zheng Miaoran flared up in an instant. “You went through my brother’s computer?”
As a young alpha, she couldn’t perfectly control her emotions. With her fluctuating mood, a trace of S-class pheromones leaked out into the room, which the mechanical systems immediately sucked away.
“Yes,” Yu Shi admitted frankly. “I went through Qin Yin’s, too. But his encryption level was higher, and I couldn’t hack in.”
“…” Zheng Miaoran was left speechless, her breath hitching. She was finally realizing just how poisonous this researcher’s tongue could be.
“You—!” she snarled.
“I’ve heard your brother mention you,” Yu Shi said, easily taking control of her mood. “There was one time he was on a mission, and you called to say you were in the hospital. He hung up on you.”
Zheng Miaoran’s expression shifted, a look of shocked pain crossing her face as she glared at him.
Yu Shi continued, “But what you don’t know is that he stood outside Qin Yin’s door all night that day, requesting that you be transferred to a safety department. He actually cares quite a bit about your well-being.”
Zheng Miaoran snapped, “Ridiculous! You’re an outsider. What right do you have to judge my brother? Who do you think you are?!”
“I’m sorry.” Yu Shi looked up into her eyes.
The sudden shift caught Zheng Miaoran off guard. Before she could react, he pushed her into a blind spot of the surveillance cameras. She tried to resist, but her vision suddenly went black as she lost consciousness.
Yu Shi gripped her arms, staring intensely into her eyes.
A second later, Zheng Miaoran opened her eyes. Her pupils and the whites of her eyes had turned pitch black.
She didn’t push Yu Shi away. Instead, her eyes returned to normal, and she spoke mechanically, “Teacher Yu.”
Yu Shi let out a massive sigh of relief, his body finally relaxing.
He had been trying for the last few days to use pheromone connections to allow the intelligent system to control a living body. He had tried connecting Yu Zhizhi to a mecha before, and he’d experimented with bionics in the lab. After some thought, he believed it was possible to establish a connection with a real human body.
He had tried establishing it with his own pheromones, but it was extremely unstable.
It was the same with Zheng Miaoran now. A flicker of struggle appeared on her face, as if her brain’s consciousness was waking up.
Yu Shi said quickly, “9527, go outside and lead the guards away.”
Zheng Miaoran followed the command, walking toward the door with a wooden expression.
Yu Shi’s body was tense, his heart rate accelerating. Just as she was about to push the door open, it opened from the outside. Zheng Xiao walked in, his face devoid of expression.
Yu Shi’s mind went blank as he met the man’s scrutinizing gaze.
Zheng Xiao glanced inside and said to Zheng Miaoran, “Didn’t I tell you that you didn’t need to deliver the food? The Major is looking for you.”
Zheng Miaoran hesitated before saying, “Understood.”
As the two walked out together, Zheng Xiao shot another glance at Yu Shi before locking the door behind him.
Yu Shi’s heart sank. This is bad, he thought. He immediately entered a command to turn up 9527’s audio output.
A muffled voice came through—it was the Zheng siblings talking.
Zheng Xiao said, “Don’t deliver his meals anymore. I’ll arrange for someone else.”
“Oh.” Zheng Miaoran nodded. She had been feeling depressed lately anyway, so she didn’t say much, which avoided arousing suspicion.
“Don’t worry too much about what the Major said. You let such an important person escape this time; his lack of severe punishment is a sign of his leniency. Make sure you apologize properly once we land.”
Yu Shi’s pupils constricted. He quickly extracted two pieces of information: first, Qin Yin’s rank in Olo was likely also Major, or Zheng Xiao wouldn’t still be calling him that; second, the starship was about to land.
The room had no windows, making it impossible to determine their location, but he was certain they hadn’t reached the Seventh Zone yet.
That meant they had been intercepted by the Desai Republic while passing through the companion stars.
There were layers of checkpoints between the companion stars. The Third and Fourth Zones were under Desai’s jurisdiction. To get to the Seventh Zone via the Fourth, they had to pass inspection.
For Yu Shi, this was an unparalleled opportunity to escape.
He held his breath and continued to listen.
Zheng Miaoran grumbled, “Is that person really that important? I don’t understand why the Major is so angry.”
Yu Shi’s breath hitched, a cold sweat breaking out on his back.
9527 automatically responded without a command: “What? Did the Major take a fancy to someone else’s fiancé? He has some strange tastes!”
The silence that followed was deafening.
Yu Shi thought to himself: I really shouldn’t overestimate AI. No matter how clever it is, it’s still just an AI. How much emotional intelligence can you expect from it…
Zheng Xiao patted her on the head. “Stop talking nonsense. Watch out or he’ll hear you.”
He gave Zheng Miaoran a warning look and pushed open the door in front of them.
The air went silent—a terrifying, heavy silence. Just as Yu Shi was nervously wondering if they had been caught, 9527 let out a startled sound: “Yu… Yu Yu…”
The indicator light flickered and died. The connection had been abruptly severed.
Zheng Miaoran’s body swayed, and the light returned to her eyes.
Recommended Reads
![Accidentally Turned a Tragic Romance Plotline into a Sweet and Pampering One [Transmigration]](https://beereads.space/wp-content/uploads/2025/02/ACCIDENTALLY.png)
