Chapter 41: It Was All a Lie.
Xie Ren waited all night but didn’t receive a message from Yu Shi. Thinking he was busy with social obligations, he didn’t disturb him further.
Unexpectedly, something happened the next day.
After the Falcon Regiment uncovered an android production line, they followed the clues to an underground casino. Xie Ren and two others disguised themselves and slipped inside.
Just as they were gathering information, the heavens and earth suddenly shook. The walls of the casino cracked, dust billowed down, and the chips on the tables were scattered all over the floor.
At first, everyone thought it was an earthquake and hurriedly evacuated through the back door. An Oro businessman clutching a bag of chips rushed to the front, but the moment he stepped out, he was blown away by stray bullets.
People scrambled on the streets. Cries, roars, and explosions rose and fell. The air was filled with the heat of artillery fire and a heavy scent of blood. Shells and fighter jets streaked across the sky, sirens echoed through the streets, and peacekeeping forces armed with guns quickly occupied the checkpoints.
His subordinates immediately covered Xie Ren as they boarded a car. The three of them took a private vehicle that had been waiting for a long time, speeding toward the Falcon Regiment base. En route, they received a call from Nie Qing.
“The Seventh Zone has entered combat readiness,” the voice on the other end said.
The Seventh Zone belonged to a federal territory and was jointly supervised by several countries, among which Oro occupied the largest area.
Half an hour ago, the federal military released the latest news, claiming that Heaven’s Punishment, after failing negotiations with the Sixth Zone, had secretly launched a sneak attack on Lona City. They claimed the attackers had confessed everything, denounced Li Huaiquan as treacherous and immoral, and stated they would take up arms to counterattack.
“This is absolute nonsense!” Sun Xiaoyun frowned as she listened. “Marshal Li is in the Sixth Zone; how could he possibly send troops here? Besides, he’s a person who would revise a community combat plan over twenty times. He wouldn’t launch a sneak attack without any warning.”
Xie Ren sneered, “Just a play they directed and acted in themselves. People were doing this decades ago.”
“Are you saying this sneak attack was planned by the Federation itself?” another subordinate asked.
Xie Ren said, “Lona is an ally of Oro. A year ago, the two countries tried to smuggle goods to Tiangui but were seized by Customs. Later, the three parties reached an agreement, and the specifics were not made public. Looking at the current situation, nine times out of ten, the smuggled goods were that batch of androids. This attack occurred in Lona territory, and Oro formed an allied force and issued combat readiness within half an hour. It’s hard not to suspect they had planned this all along.”
Sun Xiaoyun said angrily, “So they held a grudge and sought intentional revenge. These two countries are colluding together. If other countries in the Federation also get involved, won’t we have to fight many as one?”
“There’s no need to worry about that,” Xie Ren analyzed. “The Federation and Tiangui have trade relations in many aspects; other countries won’t easily enter the fray. Secondly, I believe this attack is just a deterrent; a large-scale hot war won’t break out temporarily.”
The other subordinate agreed, “The Captain is right. If Marshal Li truly didn’t act, then what follows will be negotiations and a war of public opinion. This kind of small-scale attack is not a major problem.”
Sun Xiaoyun let out a breath of relief. There were still gunshots on the streets, and people were running everywhere to hide.
After returning to the base, Xie Ren gave Yu Shi a call. The other end showed the phone was turned off. He then called Zhao Yi.
Zhao Yi had just finished training and said, “Instructor Yu went out last night. Hey, Bohan, is he back today?”
Xu Bohan shook his head. “No. He went on a date yesterday; he’s probably staying out.”
“A date?” Xie Ren frowned, gradually feeling that something was wrong.
Xu Bohan took over the communicator and told him the general situation. “The guard said he was picked up by a business car with an assistant and a driver. It should be an Alpha with a wealthy family…”
Xie Ren said immediately, “Go find the guard and pull the surveillance right now. Have Zhao Yi send me the license plate information.”
“What’s wrong? Is there a problem?” Xu Bohan was confused.
Xie Ren clenched his fist, hoping he was overthinking things.
Twenty minutes later, Zhao Yi sent the vehicle information. That car was a Mount Everest MH9, and the registered owner was named Zheng Xiao.
Using high-level authority, Xie Ren quickly found the relevant information for this person.
Zheng Xiao, 26 years old, S-grade Alpha, General Manager of Huanzhou Group, both parents deceased, no partner…
At first glance, he seemed like an ordinary person, but a bit of searching revealed clues.
Huanzhou Group was in shipping. Over a decade ago, it was recruited by K9 because of special technology and became a military industry enterprise, ranking among the best in Tiangui’s shipping industry. However, no reports about this General Manager could be found online.
Directly searching the name “Zheng Xiao” resulted in people with the same name, none of whom matched his identity.
Before long, Zheng Xiao’s ID photo popped up.
Xie Ren’s expression suddenly changed as he recalled this person’s figure.
—This was the secret guard he had encountered on the day of the dinner.
His heart throbbed twice. He immediately sent Zheng Xiao’s file to the relevant departments to pull school records, and then contacted Tang Jiadong to have him look for Yu Shi’s parents. If there was no news, he was to call the police.
Xie Ren called Xie Chengfeng. The assistant picked up, saying Xie Chengfeng was in an emergency meeting.
The room was quiet and oppressive. The air was as thick as glue, so heavy it was hard to breathe.
Xie Ren paced anxiously, repeatedly dialing Yu Shi’s number. The communicator returned a continuous busy tone. He was in a terrible mood, and an ominous premonition spread through his body.
Yu Shi would never just vanish.
This Zheng Xiao—what exactly was his relationship with him?
Suddenly, an explosion rang out from outside the base, and the alarm shrieked piercingly.
Xie Ren’s expression turned stern, and he immediately rushed to the command hall.
Dozens of communicators were connected, and the holographic screen showed the locations of red explosion points.
Sun Xiaoyun said in shock, “Are these allied forces crazy? They actually dare to attack a foreign-based base?!”
“Fuck their ancestors! Do these idiots not have eyes when they bomb?!” Song Zhaohui angrily swept a walkie-talkie to the floor.
Xie Ren scanned the large screen. “Perhaps they are intentionally provoking us.”
The locations of the explosion points were clearly chosen; they didn’t look like accidental damage.
Everyone looked toward Nie Qing, who walked into the hall. Their fighting intent had already been stirred, and they were all fuming with rage, just waiting for Nie Qing to issue an order.
Tao Mingwan hesitated, “If it’s intentional, then if we act, won’t we be playing right into their hands?”
Xie Ren said coldly, “We are different from Heaven’s Punishment. Nominally, we don’t belong to the national defense army and only serve the Sovereign. Since the allied forces dare to invade our territory, there’s no reason to let them return intact.”
“That’s the truth,” Song Zhaohui said angrily. “These people have bombed right to the base’s doorstep. If we don’t fight back, the command room will be blown away.”
Nie Qing stared heavily at the screen. The red dots were still advancing. The enemy had at least a brigade and looked like they came with ill intent.
He gave a decisive order: “All departments prepare for a counterattack. Xie Ren and Song Zhaohui, to the front commanding positions.”
“Yes!” Everyone immediately took their positions.
Inside the starship, the light was dim.
Yu Shi’s consciousness was blurred and his head was dizzy. He felt someone moving his body.
He had a vague sign of waking up, but was then injected with medicine and fell back into a deep sleep.
He slept and woke, woke and slept like this several times, not knowing what was happening around him.
The sound of walking and dialogue, as well as the hum of machines, reached his ears. After a long while, the anesthesia gradually faded, and he finally regained a bit of sensation.
Yu Shi was incredibly numb all over, like a severe lack of blood after being tied up. He couldn’t lift his arms or legs at all. After moving his fingers, he slowly lifted his eyelids.
His eyes were dry and aching; he struggled to adapt to the light.
In his sight was a metallic ceiling, titanium alloy walls, and an air circulation machine hanging on the wall… looking around, he found he was lying in a room on a starship.
He had been quietly taken out of the country.
There was no doubt this starship was heading toward the Seventh Zone.
A numb stinging came from his glands. He was exceptionally familiar with this feeling—it was a symptom of being injected with special long-acting drugs that could suppress the release of combat pheromones.
In other words, at this moment, he had become a fish on a cutting board, at the mercy of others.
A strange-looking creature walked out of the corner. The thing was terrifyingly ugly and immediately caught Yu Shi’s attention.
It was a disassembled micro-robot.
The outer shell was completely burned through, making the original color almost unidentifiable. Only fragmented pink fabric hung at the joints. The central control had been completely removed, exposing the complex wires and parts inside, resembling human intestines and brains.
It was filthy all over, as if it had undergone a fierce fight. A flashing light on its head served as “eyes,” and it tilted its head to stare blankly at Yu Shi.
Yu Shi’s gaze fell on that piece of fabric, and his heart suddenly tightened—that was the fabric he had used to make a dress for Yu Zhizhi. He had sewn it personally, so it was exceptionally familiar.
Just then, someone pushed the door and entered. After seeing that he was awake, they ran out quickly.
Before long, Zheng Xiao entered with a food tray.
He had changed his clothes and was wearing Oro’s sea-blue military uniform. He placed the tray on the table expressionlessly. It was filled with fresh fruits, vegetables, and steaming food.
That uniform looked cold and unfamiliar, no better than a killer’s clothes.
He stood to one side, examining Yu Shi coldly.
Yu Shi didn’t speak, appearing excessively calm—not looking at all like a kidnapped prisoner.
The calmness on his face was very piercing, like a silent mockery.
So Zheng Xiao gave the robot dog a kick, saying mockingly, “Mr. Qin was afraid you’d be lonely on the journey and had me bring your little pet along as well.”
The robot dog was kicked and rolled twice. Wire ends and parts fell all over the floor. It clumsily tried to stuff them back into its belly, but they kept flowing out again and again. It could only stare blankly at the floor, looking at a loss.
“It put up quite a fierce resistance. I nearly smashed its core. I disassembled all its weapons and equipment,” Zheng Xiao said coldly. “You don’t treat people well, but you’re quite attentive to pets. You even made clothes for a lifeless thing.”
Yu Shi glanced at him and said flatly, “I won’t take my anger out on people, let alone on machines.”
A look of something like anger surfaced on Zheng Xiao’s face, and he looked at Yu Shi with irritation.
How rare, Yu Shi thought. Isn’t he a piece of wood without emotions?
He didn’t tell Zheng Xiao that he had grabbed the wrong dog.
Yu Zhizhi was with Xie Ren; this was 9527, who had “stolen” her dress.
Zheng Xiao took several deep breaths and couldn’t help but ask, “Were the words you said on the roof true?”
Yu Shi didn’t answer, looking at the surveillance camera in the corner.
Zheng Xiao seemed to know what he was thinking and said, “Mr. Qin is in a meeting. He isn’t so bored that he would monitor you every moment. He has many things to do.”
“Fake,” Yu Shi said nonchalantly. “It was all a lie.”
“…”
“I don’t remember things from my childhood, nor do I remember how I met Qin Yin. It’s only because he keeps mentioning it that I know we’ve met before.”
He said he “didn’t remember.” As a leader in the scientific research field, Yu Shi’s memory was comparable to hyperthymesia; he remembered all kinds of data clearly. Yet he said he didn’t remember things from his childhood.
Zheng Xiao couldn’t help but frown, his expression becoming perplexed.
Yu Shi said, “You’re really stupid. Taking me along as baggage will only hinder your plans. I am of vital importance to the Third Academy; they will surely catch up.”
Zheng Xiao said, “As a hostage, you don’t seem to understand your situation. The starship has already left the Third Zone. No one can save you.”
“Since we’ve left the Third Zone, why have we been circling near the space station? Let me guess—it’s because Qin Yin is being wanted and you have to avoid a search?”
Zheng Xiao’s gaze became fierce.
Yu Shi asked, “What do you plan to do with me next? Imprison me and extract my pheromones? Or do you plan to have me research weapons for Oro?”
This time Zheng Xiao didn’t take the bait. He gave him a wary look and stormed out without a word.
Yu Shi let out a breath, a look of irritation appearing on his face.
Those words just now were merely his guesses. He hadn’t left any messages. He estimated that by the time his home and the school discovered he was missing, the starship would have already flown to the companion star.
Zheng Xiao was indeed right. Once they left Tiangui territory, the difficulty of rescue would increase exponentially because every country had to go through complex negotiations—especially in a state of war.
He let out a sigh.
9527 was holding its “intestines,” the indicator light on its head flickering on and off. Yu Shi shook his head and went over to help it repair the wires.
The room didn’t have any tools. He could only unscrew the bolts with his bare hands and piece together the remaining wires. The outer shell was too ruined to be repaired; he had to fix the core first.
As the crackling sound of current flowed through, 9527 opened its mouth and shouted, “Ah… ahhh… ah… eeya eeya…”
“Shh. Be quiet.”
Knowing it didn’t have human consciousness, Yu Shi still soothed it softly. “You glutton. You snuck out several times to buy spicy strips—was it because of that that you were caught?”
With the final wire connected, 9527 produced a chugging sound of music. It sounded high-spirited and magnificent, but because the player had taken on water, it sounded somewhat comical.
Yu Shi said, “Alright, stop singing. Save a bit of power; there are no batteries for you to use here.”
9527 was still singing gibberish. Yu Shi studied the broken panel and realized it was playing back the last program used by its previous owner—Xie Ren. This was likely because some wires had been connected incorrectly.
He pulled out that bundle of “intestines” and carefully checked which wire was crossed.
Suddenly, a familiar voice rang out from 9527, making his hand pause.
“Thank you to the country and the public for their support of the Third Academy. I also thank my mentor Tang Senmiao and my senior brother Luo Shenggе. Thank you to all the researchers of the Third Academy for their efforts. Actually, everyone is a recipient of this medal…”
Yu Shi was stunned. This was actually his acceptance speech.
Before Xie Ren left the school, the last thing he watched… was his award video?
The wires slid from his hand. He sat on the floor and listened quietly.
A mess of camera shutter sounds rang out in the surroundings, mixed with applause and cheers. The photographer said, “Director Yu, please smile.”
Click! The photographer pressed the shutter.
The noise of the crowd, the flowers, and the applause on that day felt as if they were right before his eyes.
But what Yu Shi thought of was not the award ceremony, but that photo Xie Ren had secretly kept.
The young military officer had looked up at the large screen, his posture straight, as if looking at his faith.
Yu Shi couldn’t help but daze. A heart-throb was like the tentacles of a snail—soft, small, fleeting.
Translator’s Note: Poor 9527! It really got the short end of the stick in this kidnapping.
- Loner Saint (獨身主義聖徒 – Dúshēn zhǔyì shèngtú): A term from the prologue describing Yu Shi’s choice to stay single despite being an Omega.
- Aten 1 (阿頓1號 – Ādùn 1 hào): Named after the Egyptian sun god, this sounds like a formidable ship.
- Hongmen Banquet: Another reference to that “trap” invitation.
- Hyperthymesia (超憶症 – Chāoyì zhèng): A condition where a person can remember a vast amount of life experiences in vivid detail.
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Oh no!! xie shi 9527 don’t worry, your xie ren will come save you!!!!!!!
thank you translator nim for translating💝💝