Chapter 19: One Hand Could Grasp His Shoulder
Just as Xie Ren was about to speak, a deafening crash erupted from outside the door. Both men looked up at the surveillance monitor simultaneously.
The noise was tremendous, sounding like two trucks colliding head-on. 9527, who was sneaking a bite of a rabbit leg, gave a violent shudder of fright.
On the screen, the androids were ramming frantically against the main gate like lower lifeforms driven solely by instinct.
After a while, realizing they couldn’t break through, they began to pile on top of one another, climbing upward in an attempt to find a breach through the roof or ventilation ducts.
Yu Shi opened his portable optical computer and logged the observations:
First, they adjust their attack patterns based on the environment; the central control performance is relatively sophisticated. Second, they are poor at detailed searches, cannot crack passwords, and show no signs of active thinking. Third, when entering berserk mode, the signal lights in their eyes flash, suggesting immense energy consumption…
Xie Ren crossed his arms. “I didn’t expect these things to have evolved to this level. It seems the Fifth Institute hasn’t stopped their research in the shadows. Old Tang is the general person in charge of the baseāis he really completely unaware of this?”
Yu Shi glanced at him sideways. “What are you trying to say? Dean Tang holds an administrative position. If he harbored any thoughts of feigning compliance while acting in opposition, the Sovereign’s Council would have discovered it long ago. Itās not your place to question him.”
“You misunderstand. I didn’t mean to offend, just asking casually.” Xie Ren shrugged.
“He is my mentor,” Yu Shi said. “He has served the base since he was fifteen. His research career is filled with countless achievements; he lacks neither fame nor wealth. There is no need for him to participate in such a dangerous project.”
Xie Ren pressed on, “This research requires at least twenty years. The Fifth Institute must have a powerful protective umbrella behind it. Youāve worked at the Third Institute for so longāhave you never encountered anyone or anything suspicious?”
Yu Shi’s answer was unexpected. “I’ve never been to the base headquarters. I don’t know much about the other institutes.”
Xie Ren showed a look of surprise. As the youngest recipient of the Technology Medal, Yu Shi wasn’t a core member of the base?
“To enter the base, they check five generations of your family. You should know what my family does,” Yu Shi mocked.
Xie Ren suddenly understood. A family of arms dealers would naturally involve some inside information. He smiled and shook his head. “These old antiques at the base. What era is this, and they’re still so obsessed with having ‘pure roots and red seedlings’?”
“You, on the other hand, fit their requirements perfectly,” Yu Shi noted with a raised brow.
“I’m not going to that place,” Xie Ren curled his lip. “I heard there’s absolutely no privacy. That Chief of the Confidentiality Section? He even has someone watching when he sleeps with his wife. That kind of life is worse than prison.”
As they were talking, a puff of yellow smoke suddenly appeared on the screen.
Yu Shi immediately looked toward the vents. “They’re injecting poison gas.”
Without needing to think, he knew the gas was one hundred percent targeted at Xie Renās pheromones. He stood up instantly, intending to find gas masks.
Xie Ren, however, pressed him back down, signaling him to look at the ventilation system in the corner. “There’s an air circulation unit inside. Before you came, I already blocked the ventilation ducts. Tsk, I wondered if these bastards would use poison gasādidn’t think they actually would.”
This was the second time he had held Yu Shi down, and he did it with even more familiarity than the first.
Yu Shi looked tall, but his frame was actually slender; one hand could grasp his shoulder.
Xie Ren licked his lips and immediately retracted his hand, thinking that Yu Shi seemed too thināhe could feel the bone.
Yu Shi couldn’t help but sigh, “It seems this person really wants to kill you.”
As the traps activated, the androids outside were captured one by one. Simultaneously, the point-defense guns installed on the roof began to sweep the area automatically.
The commotion outside continued incessantly throughout the night.
By 4:00 AM, transport aircraft arrived to clean up the battlefield. Statistics showed that, including the previous two hundred, there were a total of five hundred and eight androids.
It was practically a fantasy that such a massive number could be transported in without anyone noticing.
The two were separated and brought back to NDU. The moment Yu Shi landed, he was taken into the Falcon Regimentās Investigation Division, where he stayed for three full days.
During these three days, three lead interrogators came in to record his statement, repeatedly asking about the events at the scene and relevant details, down to the exact time, ballistic velocity, and even wind speed.
Yu Shi knew this was necessary procedure and answered each question tirelessly.
Although it wasn’t torture, he still looked exhausted after three days.
Xu Bohan came out a little earlier than him and told him, “Master, Principal Tang wants you to write a report using some conventional emergencies to explain this accident. One copy for media interviews, another to notify the students.”
To put it plainly: cover it up to the public, investigate in secret.
Yu Shi nodded to indicate he understood. Without time to rest, he walked quickly toward the laboratory; the captured pheromone weapons needed to be dismantled next.
Xu Bohan hurriedly followed him. “I just heard them in a meeting. Principal Tang suspects K9 did it. It seems someone doesn’t want Xie Ren to take power.”
Yu Shi paused. “What does the Falcon Regiment have to do with K9?”
Xu Bohan shook his head. “I didn’t understand it clearly, and I didn’t dare listen too much for fear of being discovered. If the mastermind isn’t found, it feels like there will be a next time. The water here is deep, Master. You must pay attention to your personal safety and don’t get too close to Xie Ren.”
Yu Shi didn’t speak. He rushed to the laboratory to dismantle the M17s with the experts.
All the M17s came from the Armory. Yu Shi only learned later that Section Chief Huang Fuyang, who was responsible for escorting the munitions, had swallowed a gun and committed suicide the day after he returned. According to data records and surveillance, it was indeed him who had swapped the M17s that day.
The first clue was effectively dead.
After dismantling, there was nothing suspicious about the gun bodies. aside from the Fifth Institute manufacturing marks on the bullets, no other source could be foundāand the Fifth Institute’s archives had long been destroyed.
Thus, the second clue was also dead.
Yu Shi held a bullet, sinking into deep thought. There were 93 bullets in total. The small number was due to the limited amount of pheromones on them.
The pheromone sample in the database was 0.1ml, but these bullets required at least a tube of 10ml.
So the question was: how did the other party obtain Xie Ren’s pheromones?
He thought of a place: the hospital.
Suspicion grew in his heart, and a sense of unease spontaneously arose.
Xu Bohan ran in. “Master, Principal Tang is calling you for a meeting… Um, are you still not coming to evening self-study today? Should I take attendance and let them do homework?”
Yu Shi nodded. He hadn’t been to self-study for a week.
Half an hour later, he arrived at the Principal’s office.
Sitting inside were people from the Investigation Division and Tang Jiadong.
Everyone’s expression was grim. Tang Jiadong said, “Just now, the head of the NDU medical system jumped to his death, and the battlefield supervisor has also gone missing. Relevant departments have been contacted to issue a warrant for him.”
Yu Shiās pupils constricted. Another one dead.
Tang Jiadong said coldly, “To dare plant so many people in NDU… this person’s identity is likely not simple. Chief Tao, tell them the latest progress.”
The Chief of the Investigation Division said, “We found a unique symbol on the central hub of the androids.”
He tapped his optical computer, projecting an image onto the screen.
It was a black circular vine containing strange characters, looking a bit like Ancient Earth hieroglyphs, or perhaps some kind of sigil.
Yu Shi’s heart stopped for a second. Blood rushed to his head with a buzz, and his fingernails under the table dug hard into his palms.
A familiar figure surfaced in his mind.
It was him.
“According to the investigation, this symbol comes from the Black Market in Zone 7. In other words, these androids were shipped from there. We’ve established an investigation team setting off for Zone 7 tonight. It may take several months.”
Tang Jiadong looked at Yu Shi. “Instructor Yu, I heard you went to the Zone 7 front line with the army. Have you heard of the Black Market there?”
Everyone looked at Yu Shi. The room was full of mind-reading experts, their eyes fixed on him. Rather than asking if he had “heard of it,” it was more likely they had investigated his entry and exit records.
Yu Shi showed no panic, his eyes not even wavering. He met Tang Jiadong’s gaze calmly. “Never heard of it. What do they sell?”
When people lie, there are always various flawsāfrom large movements and tone to breathing and micro-expressions.
However, Tang Jiadong couldn’t see any emotion in him; everything was an extremely normal reaction.
He said to Chief Tao, “Give Instructor Yu a briefing.”
“Zone 7’s pillar industries are pheromones, contraband drugs, and human trafficking. The Black Market is located in the capital, Rona City, selling everything related to these three industries. We originally wanted to ask Instructor Yu to assist in the investigation, but considering that place is too chaotic, we abandoned that idea.”
Yu Shi nodded. “If there are questions related to my profession, you can send them to me. I will do my best to answer.”
Chief Tao smiled. “Many thanks for your cooperation, Instructor Yu.”
He had been the one interrogating Yu Shi on the first day. He looked mild-tempered, but his eyes were shrewd. After speaking, he nodded to Tang Jiadong.
Tang Jiadong then let Yu Shi go back first while the others continued to discuss the case procedures.
Night deepened, and the NDU campus returned to tranquility.
On the second floor of a club on Zhongxing Road, inside a spacious private room at the end of the corridor, several Alphas were clinking glasses, each with an Omega in their arms. The lighting was ambiguous, the scene lavish.
Qin Yin sat in the middle. An Omega leaned in with a wine glass. “Major, you haven’t paid attention to anyone all night, nor drank with us. Is something on your mind?”
Qin Yin pushed him away, smiling. “Piss off. Don’t annoy me.”
Although he was smiling, his eyes looked extremely cold. The Omega didn’t dare approach again and walked away timidly.
Someone next to him laughed. “Major Qin came suddenly today, so I didn’t have time to scout good goods. If you don’t like these, I’ll have someone transfer a few S-ranks from elsewhere. Or that android from the auction last time wasn’t badāwhat do you think?”
Qin Yin took a sip of the Gin Fizz in front of him, noncommittal. “That android was the most boring. Empty shell, no soul.”
“Haha, if you want, we can iterate a system for him. But that tech would probably require a top expert to operate.”
Qin Yin shook his head. “Boring. Take it and destroy it.”
The man’s eyes darted around, looking for other topics to flatter him. Others also chimed in to offer treasures. Usually, Qin Yin would have told them to get lost long ago, but today he sat motionless, occasionally humming in agreement.
The manager came over and whispered something in his ear. Qin Yin said to the side, “Zheng Xiao, go bring him up.”
The bodyguard walked out. A moment later, he brought someone ināan Omega.
As soon as this Omega entered, he attracted all attention.
Someone smiled. “No wonder the Major wouldn’t take anyone. Turns out he called for a stunning beauty.”
Then, his expression suddenly changed, sensing something wrong.
Yu Shi, face full of fury, walked straight up to Qin Yin, picked up the wine on the table, and threw it all over his face without a word.
The bodyguard didn’t even have time to intercept. The private room was instantly muted, falling into a dead silence.
Translator’s Note: From the author: That’s how you protect your husband [kisses]. Next chapter is updated.
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