Part 2
“I’m leaving early tomorrow morning,” Mǐ Qiū said, wondering if this was a marking method belonging to Sentinels. Because they were inherently dangerous and constantly needed her soothing, perhaps a sudden stimulating event turned him like this.
Sù Zé Chū finally regained his composure. He apologized for his behavior just now: “I’m sorry, I lost my composure. Mǐ Qiū, don’t mind me doing that. It’s actually a very friendly way of expression, just like kissing cheeks and hands. You can understand it as a form of etiquette.”
Mǐ Qiū nodded at him. “I know. I’m just going to pick up the second batch of guests, so you don’t need to worry about me.”
Afterward, Mǐ Qiū returned to her room and picked up Ruǎn Bái Bái. She gently stroked its back. Ruǎn Bái Bái seemed to sense something and didn’t want to let go of Mǐ Qiū’s hand for a moment. Mǐ Qiū’s hand was grabbed by its little paws. She really couldn’t handle Ruǎn Bái Bái acting like a baby, but she hardened her heart and sent Ruǎn Bái Bái to Sù Zé Chū’s room.
She couldn’t possibly take it with her when she left.
Mǐ Qiū said to Sù Zé Chū, “This is Ruǎn Bái Bái’s house. Also, there are its clothes. Change them frequently. Ruǎn Bái Bái doesn’t like wearing too many layers; it gets uncomfortable. But you must keep it warm, or it will catch a cold…”
Mǐ Qiū gave many instructions.
Sù Zé Chū: “Okay, I will take good care of it.”
Mǐ Qiū was sleepless all night. She only slept for about five or six hours before welcoming the earliest fiber-optic boat.
For breakfast, she ate some canned food casually to fill her stomach. Before boarding the fiber-optic boat, the captain told Mǐ Qiū that there were three robots here that she needed to move down.
These three robots were roughly cylindrical, about a meter long.
At first, Mǐ Qiū thought it was strange. Why did she have to move these things? What were they for? She was very confused.
Captain Shí said to Mǐ Qiū, “These are three ‘AI Xiao Meis’, divided into Evolution 1, Evolution 2, and Evolution 3. These were all assigned to you by Officer Hè.”
The captain was actually a retired Sentinel. He was a C-class retired Sentinel, and after retiring, he had been driving the fiber-optic boat on the island.
“What do they mainly do?” Mǐ Qiū asked.
Giving them the same name as the kitchen helper Xiao Měi was really perfunctory.
Sù Zé Chū appeared behind her and explained to Mǐ Qiū, “This is the result of your Officer Hè messing around.”
Captain Shí asked Sù Zé Chū to lend a hand and help move these three things down.
Captain Shí continued answering Mǐ Qiū: “They are the evolved versions, but they aren’t humanoid after all, so they can’t be as refined as simulation androids. But there is one thing: they can chat with the Sentinels when they feel bored. There are many other functions, but I don’t remember them well.”
Once outside the wooden house, the three of them stopped, and the three Xiao Meis were lined up.
Captain Shí asked Sù Zé Chū, “You are one of the Sentinels, right? Bend down a little.”
Then, he stuck something behind Sù Zé Chū’s ear.
“Don’t forget to stick them on the other two as well. This is a small gadget to match with the robots; you must wear it.”
Captain Shí hadn’t explained the evolved Xiao Meis clearly at that time. It wasn’t until Mǐ Qiū left on the fiber-optic boat and brought up the topic again that Captain Shí told her the details.
“You saw the small patch stuck behind that Sentinel’s ear. That is used to monitor his danger level.”
He said the danger levels were divided into S+ class, S class, and A class. S+ class was an extremely dangerous state.
“Can robots also soothe Sentinels?” Mǐ Qiū asked.
It was actually just a guess of hers.
Captain Shí burst out laughing. “How can robots soothe Sentinels? Some of their functions cannot replace humans.”
“But I don’t have any soothing power either. I only know hypnosis.”
Captain Shí: “That’s not the same thing. If the danger level reaches S+ and they present an attack state, then these Xiao Meis will actively run to their respective masters.”
So, these evolved Xiao Meis were really different from the cooking helper Xiao Měi in the kitchen.
“There are a lot of Guide pheromones hidden inside these robots. As soon as they detect danger approaching, they will promptly inject the Sentinels with a shot of Guide pheromone.”
Mǐ Qiū completely understood. This was Officer Hè’s way of solving the problem.
Although it couldn’t be called good, it could barely solve the issue.
Mǐ Qiū fell asleep on the fiber-optic boat just like that.
The interior of the fiber-optic boat was generally fluorescent yellow, but at night, such a bright color would automatically turn black, allowing people to sleep well.
Mǐ Qiū’s eyelids were fighting each other. After these past few days, she really couldn’t hold on anymore.
It was still early. It would take at least dozens of hours for the fiber-optic boat to leave the island and reach the rainforest. During this time, Mǐ Qiū would have to stay on the boat.
The fiber-optic boat had everything, so it was convenient.
Mǐ Qiū didn’t ask for much in terms of food and lodging. Canned food and compressed biscuits were her standard supplies. These could prevent her from being hungry all the time, and they were consumed more slowly. For Mǐ Qiū, this was enough.
For nearly four days, Mǐ Qiū replenished a lot of physical energy inside the fiber-optic boat and was almost fully rested.
At 8:15 AM, the fiber-optic boat finally docked at a place. Mǐ Qiū saw a dense forest.
This was the rainforest!
There was a sign above that read “A-Z”. Yes, this was the Field Zone.
Because she had slept for too long, Mǐ Qiū’s head had been a bit dizzy since waking up.
Before coming, Mǐ Qiū had prepared some ointments to prevent mosquito and insect bites.
“Captain Shí, will there be many, many venomous snakes and scorpions in this rainforest?”
“Yes, of course, there are, and not just a few. This kind of place is in a hot and humid zone, so the forest is full of those things. I advise you not to stay here too long. If you’re looking for someone, find them quickly and come back quickly. Usually, my fiber-optic boat doesn’t stop in this kind of place. What’s more, there is a war going on in this area now. Enough said, just be careful.”
Mǐ Qiū: “Officer Hè said someone would pick me up. Captain, can you wait until someone picks me up before you leave?”
He agreed very readily.
“No problem at all.”
Not long after the fiber-optic boat entered the rainforest section, Mǐ Qiū saw from a distance a person wearing a Sentinel uniform standing on a shore. It must be the person coming to pick her up.
Mǐ Qiū waved to him, and the other party waved back.
After she went ashore, Captain Shí left with the fiber-optic boat. “Hello, you are Guide Mǐ Qiū, right? I am an A-class Sentinel. Officer Hè asked me to pick you up.”
Mǐ Qiū shook hands with him and said, “I’m looking for your Operational Commander, Head Fu. Can you take me to see him?”
“Okay. Follow me.”
All the trees in the rainforest were very tall, some towering into the sky, but they looked almost identical. Without the guidance of the person in front, Mǐ Qiū would have completely lost her direction.
Fortunately, she could follow his steps.
“Is Head Fu not busy right now?” Mǐ Qiū asked.
“Not busy, just follow me.”
So Mǐ Qiū trekked through the rainforest.
The humidity here was really high, and it was hot.
When Mǐ Qiū came out of the island, she was still wearing fleece clothes and heavy boots. Now she had changed into short sleeves and long pants. This equipment was much more relaxed than before.
It was just that her body couldn’t quite handle the alternating cold and heat. Of course, that was only one point. Although the air inside was fresh, Mǐ Qiū always felt that some danger would befall her at any time.
Mǐ Qiū looked around. It must have rained here last night; the ground was wet.
Wet soil became very muddy. Mǐ Qiū had to watch the ground while walking because she was afraid that venomous snakes would appear beside her or on the branches, and they often blended in with the trees or leaves, making them hard to distinguish.
After 20 minutes, Mǐ Qiū was thirsty. She opened her backpack, drank water from her flask, and asked, “How much longer? Why don’t we rest here for a while?”
“Not far, just ahead.”
The man pointed ahead, but Mǐ Qiū took a look; there seemed to be no road ahead, nor any station. She really couldn’t tell if there would be anyone there.
“Are you sure we didn’t go the wrong way? Are we not there yet?” Mǐ Qiū confirmed with him again.
The A-class Sentinel, displaying an orange badge, didn’t answer her. Mǐ Qiū was afraid of annoying him, so she stopped talking and just walked blindly. Worried about slipping, she took small steps carefully. It was getting hotter and hotter. Mǐ Qiū was ruthlessly roasted by the sun, and a dense layer of sweat broke out on her forehead. Every step she took became particularly difficult. The other party didn’t speak to her anymore. Just as Mǐ Qiū was about to open her mouth to say something to him…
The Sentinel suddenly turned around. He looked at her, tilted his head, and said to Mǐ Qiū, “You came alone, right? Right?”
“Yes, Officer Hè should have told you. I came alone.”
If Mǐ Qiū didn’t hear it wrong, the man in front of her was suppressing his voice and laughing hehehe.
“I don’t really want to hand you over. Just you alone… there isn’t much meat on you, but it’s enough to fill the gaps in my teeth.”
Mǐ Qiū saw him lick his lips as he spoke…
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