Chapter 14: The Entertainment Section
Bai Mu was woken up by the buzzing sound of the cleaning robot.
He stretched in bed and saw that it was nearly noon; he had actually slept that long.
He had been too tired the night before and was tricked into drinking strong liquor. He had fallen asleep shortly after returning to the car and barely remembered how he got back to this room. Seeing the shopping bags by the bed, the events of the previous night slowly became clear. Thinking of that drink, Bai Mu’s anger flared up again.
Bai Mu looked around for the little ladybug. After a quick scan, it flew out from behind the curtain to his side. It circled him several times, looking very happy. Bai Mu held out his hand, and the ladybug landed.
Its wings flickered, and its little legs stepped left and right in his palm. It took Bai Mu a while to realize—this thing was actually dancing!
After bouncing for a bit, the little ladybug finally spoke: “Master, boohoohoo.”
Bai Mu was puzzled. It clearly looked happy, so why did it sound like it was crying? Bai Mu stroked its wings in comfort. “Why are you crying?”
The ladybug used its legs to wipe away imaginary tears; although a mecha, it had no tears to wipe. “Master, you finally have an Alpha. I’m so happy for you…”
Bai Mu: “…”
He really shouldn’t have expected anything from this idiot.
Bai Mu pinched the ladybug’s wing and held it before his eyes. This idiot had limited comprehension, so he had to be concise. “He is not my Alpha.”
As he said the words “my Alpha,” Bai Mu’s face suddenly felt strangely hot.
The ladybug was shocked. “He’s not your Alpha?! Then you went shopping, ate, and bought clothes with him, and you’re living in his house! Master, I didn’t expect you to be that kind of Omega!”
What kind of nonsense was this!
But Bai Mu opened his mouth for a long time and couldn’t find a single word to argue back.
Thinking about it, it was no wonder the ladybug was confused. Lately, his interactions with Han Naijin seemed to have indeed exceeded proper boundaries.
He couldn’t stay in Laea City for long, and as for Han Naijin, he shouldn’t have any unnecessary entanglements with him.
The priority now was to recharge the ladybug and then leave.
Bai Mu let out a light cough to hide his embarrassment and then took a tactical diversion, skipping the topic entirely to have the ladybug find the political news as usual.
The current events in the galaxy had been quite ordinary over the past few days. Bai Mu quickly scanned through them.
After scrolling past several political items, an entertainment section suddenly popped up. The reason for the push was: “We think you’ll definitely like this.”
When had he ever followed entertainment gossip? Bai Mu was about to swipe it away.
But after looking closer at the headline, his hand stopped. The entertainment headline was:
[Consul’s relationship allegedly exposed! Driving away with a mysterious Omega after dining at a restaurant.]
Bai Mu never dreamed that an Imperial Mecha Master with top-secret information would one day end up on the entertainment front page. Since arriving in Laea City, it felt like he had experienced every bizarre event he hadn’t encountered in the previous twenty-some years of his life.
With a complex mood, Bai Mu clicked the link. The beginning was a brief description, and in the center was a photo so blurry even a mother wouldn’t recognize her son. But as the person involved, Bai Mu could tell at a glance that it was taken in the shopping center’s underground garage when they were about to leave after dinner. Because he was drunk, he was leaning on Han Naijin’s shoulder, making them look very intimate.
The news already had tens of thousands of comments, with some forming massive threads. Its popularity was evident.
#1: [Hardworking Lad]: I was the one who served the Consul and his Omega last night! As for who the Omega is, I can’t say—I have professional ethics. But I can give you a hint: who is the most popular idol lately?
#2: [Lavilla Sky Restaurant]: Want to experience dining while overlooking the scenery of Laea City? Want to sit where the Consul sat and order what he ordered? Then what are you waiting for? Book on your light computer now! (Warm tip: The Consul’s table is fully booked this week; a few spots left for next week.)
#3: [Can’t Lose Weight]: Replying to #1, that’s not right. Isn’t the most popular one lately the model Daniel? A few days ago, paparazzi caught Daniel kissing rich boy Zhang Qing in a car. How could he be dating the Consul now? Besides, the Consul and Zhang Qing are longtime friends. If this is true, it’s too doggy-blood. Did the Consul green-hat Young Master Zhang??? My god!!!
#4: [Stop Talking Nonsense]: As a die-hard Consul fan, can you brain-dead people stop talking nonsense? How could the Consul take someone else’s leftovers? With the Consul’s status, he can find anyone he wants. What’s so good about Daniel? I… how am I worse than him, boohoo…
#5: [User 564227689]: Just a passerby. Wow, the person above is the real brain-dead one, hahahahaha. Go look in a mirror.
#6: [Stop Talking Nonsense]: Replying to #5, you just got out of the hospital and you’re already biting people, sb!
#7: [Stay Positive]: Don’t panic, everyone. Based on my observation, the Omega in the photo looks fragile and weak. His looks are, well, okay I guess, but he clearly looks like a flower vase. Remember the Consul said he hates flower vases the most? So, it must be this scheming Omega pestering the Consul!
#8: [Wawa’s Happy Life]: Hard not to agree with the person above. I think maybe it was a ‘drunk and doing that’ thing. The Consul is young and vigorous; having needs is normal. Everyone, just watch—the Consul will get bored in a few days and dump him. No big deal! The Consul is still ours!
#9: [Melon Eater]: Alright, stop fighting. I’m a Mecha Master at the base. Don’t dig for my identity! I’ll give you a real scoop: the Consul has been very close to a certain Mecha Master lately, even brought him to the base. They’re always together, acting very intimate.
#10: [Naming is Hard]: Replying to #9, you’re saying the Consul’s date is a Mecha Master? That’s even more wrong. How could a Mecha Master be an Omega? It must be an Alpha or a Beta. What are you talking about?
#11: [Melon Eater]: Who’s talking nonsense? It’s true. No one believes the truth, but they go wild for the fakes.
#12: [I Am a Support Rod]: So funny, hahaha. Just here to leave a mark.
What is all this? Foul and chaotic!
Bai Mu didn’t know why he had clicked the link. After reading it, he felt his blood pressure rise and his chest tighten. He shut off the projection and flicked the ladybug away with his thumb and middle finger.
The ladybug did a 360-degree spin in the air. “…”
Are Omegas in love always this temperamental!
Bai Mu pushed aside his gloom and got out of bed to wash up. He settled for a nutrient solution for lunch. Since Han Naijin and Situ were busy, Han Naijin had sent a driver to take him to the mecha base. The driver was already waiting downstairs. Bai Mu went down and got in the car, the ladybug tucked in his pocket.
Arriving at the base entrance, he had the ladybug fly in on its own through a weak point in the defenses he had scouted earlier, to meet him after he passed security.
When Bai Mu reached the landing pad, everyone was busy; no one paid him any mind. Previously, when he came with Han Naijin or Situ, people wouldn’t dare neglect him even if they didn’t respect him. But today, coming alone, even those who saw him acted like they hadn’t. Only Qi Ji greeted him, but he was soon called away to continue repairs.
Bai Mu stood in the middle of the massive space, his solitary figure looking exceptionally out of place among the busy crowd.
“Mr. Luo Yi.”
A voice sounded from behind. Bai Mu turned to see Tang Li. The ravages of time had turned his hair gray, and deep wrinkles were etched into his forehead and the corners of his eyes—marks left by years of a researcher’s mental and spiritual exhaustion. Seeing Tang Li, Bai Mu couldn’t help but think of his teacher, the former Chief Mecha Master of the Imperial Mecha Institute, Vigio.
In a daze, Tang Li reached him. Bai Mu nodded. “Chief Master Tang, is there anything else you need me to do?”
Tang Li’s tone was polite. “On behalf of the base, I’d like to express our gratitude for your selfless help, Mr. Luo Yi. Since you have already shared the plan with everyone, I believe the base’s Mecha Masters will be able to complete the maintenance tasks. You’ve gone through a lot of trouble these past few days.”
To be honest, Bai Mu hadn’t expected such an answer. Tang Li’s words were gentle and polite, but anyone could hear the underlying message: he was being told to leave. Tang Li didn’t want him at the mecha base. It seemed this Chief Mecha Master wasn’t as broad-minded as he appeared; he had shown clear hostility after only two days.
But he couldn’t just leave.
First, he had finally managed to get into the base and hadn’t recharged the ladybug yet. Second, as a Mecha Master, he couldn’t accept groundless suspicion and targeting.
Bai Mu asked, “Then what do you want me to do?”
Tang Li was clearly taken aback. His words were clear; he believed the person across from him would understand and then politely take his leave. He hadn’t expected this Omega to be so tactless as to ask him back. Tang Li’s face immediately darkened, and his words became sharp: “A mecha base is not a suitable place for an Omega to work. You may have high intelligence and talent, but to be a qualified Mecha Master, one must have a powerful body and endurance in addition to talent. Mecha maintenance is high-intensity physical labor. Your physical condition is not enough.”
Bai Mu finally understood the crux of the issue: it all came down to him being an Omega. Actually, thinking about it, Tang Li’s reasoning wasn’t entirely wrong; his current physical state indeed wasn’t suitable for high-intensity external mecha repairs. But to claim he was unprofessional and incompetent just because of his current health and gender was something he couldn’t accept.
Besides, at the Imperial Mecha Institute, those high-difficulty hull repairs were all completed under his leadership.
Bai Mu’s tone also grew cold. “I believe I understand what you mean, but I do not agree with your viewpoint. You have a clear discrimination and prejudice against Omegas. Such a biased judgment is unbecoming of a senior researcher.”
Bai Mu’s tone was flat, but the cold hardness in his words was like a sharp sword, its edge revealed.
“Furthermore, you haven’t even seen my maintenance operations. How do you know my physical condition is insufficient?”
Tang Li was speechless for a while, eventually squeezing out a harsh sentence: “There is no need for you to waste time here with me. I will explain your situation to the Consul, and I’m sure he will—”
“Chief Master Tang, an emergency communication from North Tower Base! Please go and receive it!”
Tang Li was interrupted halfway. Hearing the words “North Tower Base,” Tang Li’s expression immediately turned solemn. He stopped confronting Bai Mu and quickly left the landing pad, accompanied by the newcomer.
Bai Mu was once again left alone, but watching Tang Li’s hurried figure, he guessed that something serious might have happened.
North Tower Base was where Laea City’s defense sky-curtain transmission towers were located. Because the entire base was built in the desert north of the city-state, it was called North Tower.
the space environment of the Hongdu Galaxy was very different from Ancient Earth. The planets’ magnetic fields were weak, the number of meteorites was abnormal, and there were countless pieces of space junk, crashed aircraft, and probes. Once these celestial bodies fell into a certain nation or city, they would cause a major disaster. Thus, every nation and city-state built its own defense system. Initially, they were just to intercept celestial impacts, but they gradually evolved into all-purpose systems with military defense capabilities.
When the system was activated, the transmission devices at the top of the tower would scatter invisible micro-particles into the air. Eventually, the particles would converge to form a transparent film, like a giant umbrella slowly opening, covering the entire city-state to resist celestial impacts and interstellar bombardment.
About ten minutes later, Tang Li reappeared at the maintenance site. He frowned when his gaze swept over Bai Mu but said nothing more. Tang Li then called all the Mecha Masters to stop their work and gathered them together. He said solemnly, “I just received a request for help from North Tower Base. I am announcing an emergency task. During a Level 3 defense test yesterday at North Tower, an accidental failure occurred in the energy reactor. Since Independence Day is approaching and time is tight for North Tower’s own maintenance crew, they hope we can send Mecha Masters to assist.”
Hearing this, Bai Mu immediately understood what had happened.
Activating the defense system required immense energy. Generally, Level 1 defense was active during ordinary days, but on major holidays, Level 3 defense—the widest coverage and strongest interception capability—would be activated for public safety. Bai Mu guessed that since it hadn’t been activated for a long time, a failure occurred during the testing process, which wasn’t uncommon.
But a failure in the energy reactor was a major event.
The activation of the sky-curtain relied entirely on energy generated by burning ores in the reactor. It could be said that the energy reactor was the most important device in the entire defense base. Since the working principle of an energy reactor was identical to a mecha’s power furnace, Mecha Masters were quite familiar with repairing them.
“Who is willing to go to North Tower Base?” Tang Li’s gaze swept over all the Mecha Masters.
The previously noisy landing pad suddenly became dead silent. All the Mecha Masters lowered their heads and remained silent, fearing they would be picked.
The crowd’s reaction was as Bai Mu expected. After hearing Tang Li’s description, he also knew this was a laborious and extremely dangerous task.
The energy reactor was where energy was burned; the surrounding temperature was incredibly high, and the radioactive material content was extremely high. Maintenance crew had to wear protective suits weighing dozens of pounds and then endure extreme heat for hours—or more—on an observation platform above the reactor. Thus, every year there were reports of North Tower maintenance crew unable to withstand the excessive heat or exhausted to the point of falling to their deaths from the platform.
So, who would want to leave the superior conditions of the mecha base to suffer in a base in the desert?
Everyone only lowered their heads further, maintaining silence.
But Bai Mu didn’t think that way. He had been thinking about how to leave. He happened to have the ladybug with him today. North Tower also had an energy pool that could recharge the ladybug. Additionally, North Tower was remote and desolate; if he left from there, it would be harder to notice.
“A total of eight Mecha Masters are needed. Who is willing to go?”
Faced with the silence, Tang Li asked again, but there was still no response. Some people even lowered their breathing, and the atmosphere continued to cool. Tang Li’s expression turned ugly.
“I can go.”
A cold voice cut through the silence. Everyone’s eyes snapped toward the source. The Omega standing in the corner stepped forward and said firmly amidst all the surprise, scrutiny, and disbelief: “I am willing to go to North Tower Base to assist with the repairs.”
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