Chapter 17: That Rogue Scoundrel part 1
Bai Mu let out a self-deprecating curl of his lips. He looked at Han Naijin as if he wanted to say something, but after deliberating for a moment, he shook his head and let it go.
The sound of footsteps and voices came from nearby. Several people in protective suits hurried toward them and helped them up. They were supported as they walked out of the transmission tower, went to the locker room to shed their suits and change into clean clothes, and were finally escorted back to the control room by the crowd.
The Level 3 defense test had been forced to terminate. The system was temporarily maintaining a Level 1 defense state; there was no further danger of the reactor exploding, but many program errors in the operating system still hadn’t been fixed.
By now, evening was approaching, and the light was fading. Having survived a harrowing afternoon, everyone was mentally exhausted and couldn’t hide their fatigue. Thus, after consulting the Consul, the Mecha Masters who had come to help and the government officials who had accompanied him decided to stay overnight until the Level 3 defense test was completed.
Wei Bichen called the logistics manager over the comms, and the other maintenance officers who weren’t on duty began to leave the control room. The manager, a young Beta who looked shrewd and capable, arrived shortly. He looked at everyone with a troubled expression. “My sincere apologies, everyone. Room availability in the base apartments is tight. You’ll have to squeeze in with two people per room.”
Upon hearing this, everyone couldn’t help but frown. After a hard day’s work, they were reluctant to go without a comfortable environment to catch up on sleep.
Seeing their concern, the manager explained, “The apartment rooms all consist of a bedroom and a lounge. The sofa in the lounge can be extended into a bed. Two people can live separately without disturbing each other.”
Hearing the manager say this, the expressions on their faces softened. However, Bai Mu felt helpless. He had come to the North Tower base to leave from here. An accident had occurred during the day, so recharging the ladybug could only be done at night. Once the ladybug was fully charged, he would slip away quietly in the dead of night.
But sharing a room undoubtedly increased the difficulty of his escape. Since the situation couldn’t be changed, he could only pray for a thick-skinned roommate who was a deep sleeper. At the very least, he couldn’t be paired with Han Naijin. On second thought, Bai Mu felt the possibility of being with Han Naijin was slim; after all, Han Naijin was the Consul and probably had special arrangements.
After everyone nodded in agreement, the manager first walked over to Han Naijin and whispered a few words to him. Bai Mu saw Han Naijin nod slightly, and he thought he saw a playful curl at the corner of Han Naijin’s mouth.
The manager smiled and returned to the group. While handing out room cards, he said, “Rooms are assigned randomly. I hope no one minds.”
Bai Mu’s hanging heart settled slightly. Since it was random, the chances of him staying with Han Naijin were low.
Just then, the manager added, “Luo Yi—where is Luo Yi? You’ll be staying with the Consul tonight.”
Bai Mu’s face instantly darkened.
Didn’t he say it was random?
Why wasn’t it random when it came to him?!
Bai Mu walked over to the manager and said in a low voice, “I am Luo Yi. Are there any extra rooms, or could you possibly swap my room?”
The manager’s answer was very blunt: “None left.”
The manager looked confused, his eyes practically saying, ‘Don’t you know what’s good for you?’ He said to Bai Mu, “Staying with the Consul is better than staying with anyone else. Seeing as you’re an Omega, I arranged it specifically for you. I even coordinated with the Consul beforehand. Look at you, honestly.”
The corner of Bai Mu’s mouth twitched. He managed to squeeze out, “Thank you for the trouble.”
The manager finally nodded with satisfaction and led everyone toward the apartments.
The apartments were in the living area, separated from the transmission tower by some distance. Several Mecha Masters were noisily complaining about being tired as they walked in front. Han Naijin and several government officials followed behind, still discussing government affairs. After walking for about twenty minutes, they arrived at the apartment building. Their assigned rooms were on different floors; it seemed rooms were indeed tight, and these were just a few that had been squeezed out.
Bai Mu looked at his room card and went straight to find his room number.
The room was on the third floor. When he swiped the door open, Han Naijin, who had been some distance away, appeared behind him at some point and brushed past his shoulder to enter the room the moment he opened the door.
Bai Mu walked into the room with an indelible frown. Ignoring Han Naijin’s deliberate attempt to make his presence known, he first circled the room. The layout and furnishings were simple, but he observed them very closely because he had to plan how to get from the apartment to the energy pool. Earlier, in the control room, he had seen the location of the light mecha energy pool on the base layout map; the apartment building they were staying in wasn’t far from it.
By the time he finished his circuit of the room, Han Naijin was sitting at the table, having already downed a bottle of nutrient solution. Only the last piece of canned beef remained on the table. He speared the beef with a fork, put it in his mouth, and then stood up to go to the bathroom.
Opposite Han Naijin’s seat, a bottle of nutrient solution and a can of beef had also been placed.
Since the meal was prepared for him, Bai Mu sat down directly. He had consumed too much physical energy today, so he drank the nutrient solution first and then opened the canned beef to eat.
Bai Mu ate much more delicately than Han Naijin. By the time Han Naijin emerged from the bathroom with his bathrobe loosely tied, Bai Mu hadn’t finished eating, but he unconsciously increased his pace.
Han Naijin pulled out the chair opposite Bai Mu and sat down lazily. Watching Bai Mu eat in his slow, methodical way, a trace of an unnoticeable smile appeared in the corners of his eyes. “We can only have nutrient solutions today. When we get back, I’ll make you a good meal as compensation.”
Bai Mu lifted his lowered eyelids. Han Naijin’s bathrobe was actually wrapped quite tightly today, the collar pulled all the way to his neck. His semi-dry hair clung to his forehead, making him look less aggressive and a bit softer than usual.
Although Jiao had mentioned that Han Naijin was a good cook, Bai Mu felt he probably wouldn’t have the chance to eat Han Naijin’s cooking. Still, he played along and said, “Okay.”
Han Naijin seemed about to say something else when his light computer let out a notification sound. Han Naijin picked it up, walked to the window, and took the call.
Bai Mu threw the empty bottle and the can into the trash. He took a bathrobe from the cabinet and went to the bathroom.
Bai Mu locked the bathroom door. He turned on the shower but didn’t rinse off immediately. He went to the bathroom window and looked down. During his earlier observation of the room, he had discovered that this side of the bathroom was closest to the energy pool and was in a visual blind spot. Thus, under the circumstance of sharing a room with Han Naijin, climbing out the bathroom window was currently the most feasible plan.
When Bai Mu emerged from the bathroom, Han Naijin had already opened the folding sofa in the lounge and was lying on it. Han Naijin was too tall; even with the sofa extended, he could only lie down with his legs curled. From the looks of it, Han Naijin had given him the bedroom again.
Seeing that Han Naijin was still focused on his light computer, Bai Mu said no more, quickly bypassed him, went into the bedroom, and closed the door.
Bai Mu lay on the bed and had the ladybug set an alarm. He drifted off into a light sleep.
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