Little Fool Chapter 104

Chapter 104: The Search

Xiaoting tilted its head at a 45-degree angle, gave a soft sniff, and then scooted closer to Mu Mu. It adopted a high-pitched, aggrieved voice and said, “Master said that Xiaoting was useless, that I couldn’t help and would only get in the way. He told me to stay here and wait for Madam to come back.”

Xiaoting bent its two short legs, knelt by Mu Mu’s leg, and placed its big, round head on Mu Mu’s lap. Since the back of its head was facing him, it spun 360 degrees to show its tear-streaked face. “Xiaoting isn’t just a regular housekeeping robot! I’m a real military robot produced by the Military Headquarters! My chest is equipped with a laser gun and a small quantum cannon, and my combat power is comparable to a C-rank mecha!”

Mu Mu didn’t really understand how powerful a C-rank mecha was or why a robot would have combat power, but he cooperated with an enthusiastic, “Wow!” He patted Xiaoting’s head and praised, “Xiaoting is so impressive!”

Xiaoting looked a bit embarrassed by the praise and made a shy face. It rubbed its head against Mu Mu’s leg, mumbling, “Master is a big dummy. Xiaoting could have helped Ksitigarbha protect him.”

Mu Mu didn’t know how intelligent robots truly were, or if Xiaoting knew that Yan Gui Xing was missing or understood what “missing” meant. So he just smiled, caressing the robot’s cold, metal head without replying.

Xiaoting then cheerfully said how happy it was that Mu Mu had finally returned. A moment later, realizing how late it was, it urged Mu Mu to go upstairs to sleep.

Naturally, Mu Mu slept in the master bedroom. Because Xiaoting was taking care of the house, it was spotless, despite having been empty for nearly a year. The large bed was made with Mu Mu’s favorite milk velvet sheets, and the comforter was a soft, double-sided plush blanket. The star lamp that Mu Mu hadn’t taken with him was sitting right beside his pillow.

Everything seemed exactly the same, as if time had stopped on the morning Mu Mu left. All that time had been condensed into a single day: he had left in the morning to go to the gallery, and now he was coming home at night. The only difference was that the man who had once slept in this bed with him was now on a distant Frontier Star, his fate unknown.

Mu Mu lay in the soft bedding, reaching for the plump star lamp on the pillow beside him. He clutched it and turned it on.

The gentle light illuminated a small pocket of the bed. He stared at the soft glow, and the determination in his eyes grew. Gui Gui, I will find you. I will bring you home. You have to wait for Mumu.

Back in a familiar and safe place, Mu Mu fell into a dreamless sleep within minutes. When he opened his eyes again, it was already ten in the morning.

Mu Mu stretched, took a hot shower, and then went downstairs. Xiaoting had already prepared breakfast. Having not practiced its cooking in over a year, Xiaoting had gone all out, making a table full of Mu Mu’s favorite sweet pastries. Mu Mu ate six custard buns, three lava buns, and a bowl of red bean porridge until his belly was round and full.

He leaned back in his chair, half-closing his eyes, and let out a contented burp. After being away for so long, what he missed most was Xiaoting’s cooking. The food at the small restaurants on D5 Star was nowhere near as good.

He asked Xiaoting not to put away the leftover pastries but to pack them in vacuum-sealed boxes for him to put in his suitcase.

Xiaoting tilted its head, confused. “Madam, are you leaving again? Are you not going to want Xiaoting anymore?” As it spoke, its expression changed to a pitiful, teary one that was almost comical.

Mu Mu quickly explained, “No, it’s not that I don’t want you, I’m going to find Gui Gui.”

“Madam, please take Xiaoting with you to find the Master. Xiaoting is very useful and can protect you,” it pleaded.

It was clear that Xiaoting knew Yan Gui Xing was missing; otherwise, it would have asked where its master was, not to go along. Mu Mu was surprised by how smart Xiaoting was; he even thought it might be smarter than himself.

Honestly, Mu Mu was tempted by Xiaoting’s suggestion. The road ahead was uncertain, and having someone with him would be much more comforting than traveling alone. And since Xiaoting was a robot, he wouldn’t have to worry about it getting hurt.

But Mu Mu quickly suppressed that idea. Even though Xiaoting was powerful, it needed to be charged. The news had reported that the Frontier Star had been leveled into a wasteland, with technology reduced to the equivalent of a primitive society. It would be difficult to find a place to charge Xiaoting. If it ran out of power and shut down, he wouldn’t be able to carry it. He couldn’t be so selfish as to put Xiaoting in danger just so he wouldn’t be lonely.

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Mu Mu looked away, hardening his heart, and refused. “Mumu can’t bring Xiaoting. You need to stay at home and take good care of the house.”

The moment Xiaoting heard it had to stay home, two wide streams of tears flowed down its face, accompanied by a gushing sound that made it sound more like a broken faucet than a crying robot.

However, the top priority in Xiaoting’s programming was to obey its master. Yan Gui Xing had previously told it that Mu Mu was also its master and that Mu Mu’s commands held the same weight as his. So despite its crying, Xiaoting still packed up food for Mu Mu and prepared some medical supplies to put in his suitcase. It even spent ten minutes giving him a quick and effective lesson in basic first aid.

When it was almost time to leave, Xiaoting led Mu Mu to Yan Gui Xing’s private transport, set the destinations, enabled the autopilot, and tearfully sent Mu Mu on his way.

The Frontier Star was two billion light-years from Glass Star. The trip required three jump points and three space jumps, taking a total of twenty-five hours. Luckily, before they left, Xiaoting had changed Mu Mu’s ticket to first class. He got a luxurious private compartment, an adequate but not-so-smart service robot, two mediocre meals, and a comfortable and uneventful journey.

Even though Mu Mu had mentally prepared himself before he left, he was still taken aback when he stepped out of the temporary spaceport and saw the scarred planet and the people in rags. After a moment of melancholy, he was lost. He had said with great conviction that he would find Yan Gui Xing, but he had no idea where to start or how to look for him. He had arrived on a wave of pure emotion, and now everything was up to fate.

As for what he had told Zheng An about contacting Achi, that was just a lie to get him off his back. He had just sent Zheng An a message to say he was safe, telling him he’d already contacted Achi and was on his way to the Legion’s base in a military camouflage vehicle. He had made that up on the spot after seeing a military transport pass by. Mu Mu wasn’t an idiot. He knew that if he contacted Achi, he would be put under guard for his own safety and wouldn’t be allowed to wander around. He would never be able to find Yan Gui Xing that way.

Carrying his suitcase, Mu Mu blended in with the crowd of people leaving the spaceport, letting them guide him. Some of these people were from the Frontier Star but had been studying or working on other planets and couldn’t return during the war. Now that the fighting was over, they had rushed back to find their families and friends. Mu Mu’s eyes welled with tears as he watched families hugging and sobbing with relief. He watched for a while before continuing to follow the crowd.

The other people were also there to find someone; no one without a connection would come to a war zone for fun. Those who weren’t met by family members had to find temporary lodging. These so-called hotels were either salvaged houses or newly built shacks that the surviving locals rented out. The rent was a bit steep, but it was reasonable for a war-torn area that needed to be rebuilt. Mu Mu had plenty of Star Coins, so he chose to rent an entire small house in the central part of the main city, which was also the main combat zone. He chose to stay there because it was close to the battlefield, making it easier for him to look for someone.

According to Mu Mu’s simple logic, since Yan Gui Xing went missing during a battle, the battlefield was the right place to look.

He didn’t know how long it would take to find Yan Gui Xing, so he splurged and rented the house for two months. The landlady was an elderly woman. When she learned Mu Mu was here to find someone, she thought of her own son who had died in the war and took pity on Mu Mu, giving him a fifty-percent discount on the rent.

The golden window for rescue is 72 hours, and after that, the chances are very slim. But Mu Mu didn’t want to waste a single second. After leaving his suitcase at his temporary home, he went out to search.

The Frontier Star was not very big. The habitable area was only about as large as two districts of Glass Star. The rest was half forest and half wasteland. But the protracted war had turned the land upside down. Trees were mixed with shattered buildings, and the ground was a mess of mounds and deep craters. It was hard to even walk, but Mu Mu was afraid of missing something, so he made sure to search every corner and look inside every crater.

At the end of the first day, his fingertips were raw and bloody, stinging when he washed them. His legs ached so badly that the pain would sometimes wake him up in the middle of the night. But Mu Mu didn’t care. After treating his wounds, he stuffed a custard bun and a tube of nutrient fluid in his pocket and went out again early the next morning.

Many other people were also searching, but they didn’t have Mu Mu’s resolve. Knowing there was little hope, most gave up after a day or two. Only Mu Mu continued to search tirelessly, even after three or four days had passed with no sign of hope.

[Author’s Note]: He’ll find Yan So-and-so in the next chapter.

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