Chapter 17
Another deep night. Silence reigned supreme. A small lamp glowed in He Yuan’s room, accompanied by soft rustling sounds.
A coding session finally came to a pause. Just before 4:00 AM, He Yuan yawned and stretched his body as hard as he could, thinking he should get a little sleep.
Just one hour. He would sleep for one hour, get up to edit another section, and then make breakfast. He decided to sleep sitting up with the lights on—because if he turned them off and got into bed, it would be too comfortable, and he was afraid he wouldn’t be able to get up!
Sweeping the items on the desk aside, he grabbed the thin blanket from the chair back—half draping it over himself, half hugging it—and laid his head down sideways, closing his eyes. Thoughts clashed inside his mind like a world war.
The appearance competition was only three days away. He had to speed up!
But Admiral Wen Su was still angry. What should he do…
He didn’t know if the Admiral had read his letter.
Maybe he should apologize verbally? Tomorrow… oh wait, today! He would tell him today!
…
Thinking these thoughts, He Yuan drifted off.
When he woke up, the first thought in his mind wasn’t the impending apology to Wen Su, but rather: Oh no.
He seemed to have caught a cold. His head was dizzy and hot, his throat was sore, and his whole body ached!
Did he catch a chill?
Sigh. The Chongming Bird’s exterior wasn’t finished, and Admiral Wen Su hadn’t been coaxed back to a good mood yet. How could he get sick now?!
I absolutely will not yield!!!
Summoning all his strength to stand up, he took a fever reducer and painkiller, gulped down a large cup of hot water, and put on a long, fleece-lined loungewear robe over his regular clothes. Mumbling mantras like “I’m fine, I’m fine, not sick, not sick,” he continued editing the code segments for Chongming’s exterior. When preparing breakfast, however, he was very careful to wear an isolation mask.
But when he arrived at the dining room, he found no one there!
What was going on? After all this, was he still unable to escape the fate of being fired?!
At that moment, the robot butler walked over, bowed like a gentleman, and greeted him with its mechanical voice: “Good morning, He Yuan.”
“Hello! Where is the Admiral?!”
“Admiral Wen Su left the base at 5:00 AM today to carry out a military mission. The estimated duration is three days.”
Not fired?
Finally letting out a sigh of relief, He Yuan set down the tray and collapsed onto a dining chair. “So that’s it.”
He suddenly froze.
“But the appearance competition is in three days. Will the Admiral make it back in time?”
“The schedule shows that Admiral Wen Su will proceed directly to the competition venue after the mission concludes.”
“Is that so? Then… what about me?”
They had agreed to go together, but now…
He froze again.
“Right, right, if the Admiral went on a mission, what about Lord Chongming?”
“He went along as a key combat asset.”
As expected.
So even if the exterior skin was finished, there would be no chance to test it.
But the mission was more important.
And since it was a combat mission, he wondered if it was dangerous.
regardless, he hoped Admiral Wen Su and the Chongming Bird would stay safe.
He Yuan sat with his head drooping, fingers fidgeting together. The light in his big eyes dimmed, blinking slowly.
The robot butler observed him.
“He Yuan, are you unhappy? Are you sad?”
He Yuan paused. The analytical capabilities of a high-end robot butler were indeed strong. He was indeed feeling very low right now, but…
Clenching his hands into fists on his lap, he tried hard to adjust and calm himself amidst the dizziness. Finally, he looked up, flashing a brilliant smile with crinkled eyes at the robot butler, and said brightly, “No, I’m not!”
At the same time, on the maglev train.
When Wen Su saw this scene on the wall-sized virtual screen via the robot butler’s camera, the heart that had been calm for a full week rippled again with a heavy thump.
When he left the base in the early morning, a single window on the third floor had been abruptly lit in the quiet darkness—He Yuan’s bedroom.
The Omega’s schedule had always been regular.
Even if he occasionally stayed up late, this time seemed too late to be staying up, yet too early to be waking up.
And the Omega had always been weak.
On the principle of being responsible for a life just in case, he had ordered the robot butler to check.
Without knocking, the robot activated its perspective mode, scanning through the wall. It found the Omega sleeping sprawled across a cluttered desk.
The scan showed stable vital signs.
However, due to long-term exhaustion, his immunity was at a low level, and his body temperature was slightly high.
What was he doing to push himself to this extent?
Wen Su thought subconsciously.
However, reason prevented him from thinking any further—
As long as there was no life-threatening danger, he could leave without any burden.
After a general leaves their base, they use a real-time dynamic system to maintain control over their jurisdiction. He had momentarily forgotten to order the robot butler to turn off the perspective function. So, when he activated the monitoring on the maglev train, one of the many split screens on the virtual display showed the interior of the villa.
At first, it was just a small square.
Because initially, everywhere the robot butler went was an empty room, offering nothing to see.
Later, He Yuan entered the field of view. The surprise, panic, confusion, and sadness on that face were painfully obvious.
Wen Su enlarged that split screen. The Omega’s expressions immediately crashed into his forehead like solid waves—including that final, extremely strenuous, and extremely fake smile.
He had enlarged the screen on purpose.
He knew he was being affected by the Omega again.
Breaking free from the shackles of ridiculous emotions rarely went smoothly; there were usually twists and turns. He knew all this.
So he wouldn’t run away. He chose to face it directly. Whatever he was afraid of, he would actively engage with it, then gradually get used to it, and finally achieve clarity.
Desensitization therapy.
So, on the way to the mission, he kept observing He Yuan.
He clearly knew He Yuan was sick.
Yet the guy worked overtime while sick, taking care of the villa inside and out, rushing to finish the Chongming Bird’s exterior. As a result, despite taking medicine, his condition showed no signs of improving.
It even seemed to be getting worse.
But so what?
Everyone’s life is their own choice.
Regardless of whether it is right or wrong, difficult or easy, one must bear the consequences oneself.
If one cannot bear it, it is only because one is too weak.
upon arriving at the mission location, Wen Su closed the screen. He had no leisure to continue thinking about the Omega.
Stepping off the maglev train, the sudden natural light made him uncomfortable. Frowning, he turned his head away, only to be greeted by a dashing figure approaching from the backlight.
“Wen Su.”
“Hello.”
“Hello… Hmm, you don’t look too good. Did something happen? Your expression is so complex. You rarely have such complex expressions.”
Wen Su’s frown deepened. “Please do not judge others casually, General Tulip.”
“I am never casual, General. Rose.” Song Pei took a step forward, smiling as he leaned in toward Wen Su’s face, attempting to continue his observation.
Wen Su reached out to block him and walked straight ahead. “Adjust yourself. The mission is starting soon.”
It was meant as a warning to Song Pei, but as the words fell, he suddenly froze.
Song Pei liked to joke and spout nonsense, but he also had the sharpest perception among the generals. How much of what he just said was true, and how much was false?
Had he indeed changed without realizing it?
Was “adjust yourself” also a subconscious reminder to himself?
The day before the Military Mecha Appearance Competitive Friendly Match.
He Yuan stood in the living room, dressed neatly.
The robot butler asked worriedly, “He Yuan, are you sure you want to go?”
“Yes. The Admiral didn’t cancel this matter, so I must go! Since the Admiral isn’t here, I’ll just go directly to the venue and wait for him outside.”
“But you are still sick.”
“It doesn’t matter, I’m much better!” After saying that, he let out a disappointing cough.
The robot butler stated, “Obviously, there is no improvement.”
“But I must go!” He Yuan widened his eyes, leaving no room for argument. “The exterior is finished, how can I not go? Besides, I still owe the Admiral a formal apology. I can’t delay it any longer! Open the permissions for me.”
He Yuan didn’t have permission to leave the base perimeter, but the robot butler did. Seeing his determination, the robot butler could only accept.
It unlocked the permissions and thoughtfully provided the detailed address of the venue, suitable transportation methods, and the local weather forecast.
“It will rain heavily there. Please make preparations in advance.”
“Mm! Thank you!” He Yuan smiled. “Don’t worry. I’ll arrive almost exactly on time. I’ll meet the Admiral as soon as I get there. If he asks me to accompany him, I will. If he doesn’t, I’ll hand over the exterior program to him and come back. I won’t get caught in the rain!”
He patted the robot butler on the shoulder.
“Goodbye! I leave the base to you for the next few days!”
Although he felt dizzy and uncomfortable all over, he had finally finished everything before the deadline. He Yuan set off with high aspirations.
The competition was held in the city where the Military Headquarters was located.
When he arrived, it was indeed pouring rain just as the robot butler had said. There were very few pedestrians on the road.
He Yuan huddled into himself and quickened his pace. Even with an umbrella, he couldn’t avoid getting soaked.
The venue complex was not far away. He ran toward it in one breath, thinking that everything would be fine once he got there.
However, man proposes, but heaven disposes. The area near the complex was completely empty. It was almost time for the competition to start, yet there was not a single sign of an event about to take place.
What was going on?
Holding his umbrella, his breath anxious and scorching hot, he looked around. All he saw was a vast expanse of rain and mist. The cluster of buildings looked like a mirage—hazy and distant.
He coughed, his body shrinking further involuntarily.
The rain, he thought, is even heavier than before.
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