Chapter 52

Chapter 52

The next day, Xue Hongyi got up early and, with a crew cut, drove straight to Balk's farm. However, they waited in vain the whole day there, not even catching a glimpse of the goldfinch.

On the third day, Xue Hongyi, determined not to sit idle as the day before, scurried to borrow a small dog from the princess and took it in the car to search for the goldfinch in the nearby forest.

All this information was given to Wuyin by the Black Knight during his visit. Now, he was much more spirited than before, with shiny fur and bright eyes, wagging his tail uncontrollably upon seeing Wuyin, especially his dog-like head, acting like an overly affectionate dog, eagerly pouncing on him.

Accompanying the Black Knight was also a small two-headed dog. With his father's return, it finally got its own name, called "Your Highness."

"Your Highness…" Xie Linyuan smiled as he served two bowls of plain water, the only thing available to entertain guests in his sparsely furnished house, "One a young master, the other a highness, and here I am, the hardworking old servant."

"I will be taking him away in ten days, you know that, right?" Wuyin, sipping the fresh milk brought by Xue Hongyi, casually wiped away a drop of milk from the corner of his mouth with his thumb.

Xue Hongyi's attitude towards him was surprisingly good, even excessively attentive. Since the day Wuyin was discharged from the hospital, the daily fresh milk never stopped. Now, Yang Mo, Qin Yue, and Lao Hu all tacitly acknowledged Xue Hongyi's pursuit of Fifteen.

And Fifteen didn't seem to reject Xue Hongyi either, taking the daily milk for granted and even making requests to the deputy team leader who delivered the milk, such as adding sugar or changing to soy milk, behaving as if he already considered himself the beloved grandson-in-law of the military district's marshal.

Consequently, the expressions of Yang, Qin, and Hu towards Xie Linyuan became quite peculiar, always feeling like it was a love competition with a foregone conclusion. As long as they were in the southern camp, Xie Linyuan couldn't possibly outdo Xue Hongyi.

……

The Black Knight lifted a paw, resting it on Wu Yin's knee.

"I know. Leaving with you is the best choice for it."

"Does His Highness know about this?"

"He doesn't need to. But how do you plan to take him away? His Highness is explicitly forbidden from going beyond Zones A-D. Every trip is closely monitored, requiring registration and strict time limits."

"Who issued these orders?"

……

Man and dog brazenly discussed the details of dognapping, though to onlookers, it appeared Wu Yin was talking to himself in front of a mutated two-headed dog.

With its beloved human and father busy in serious conversation, His Highness, full of naive and robust curiosity, turned his attention to the silver-haired man. He raised his paws, scraping at Xie Linyuan's trousers, sniffing with both heads to memorize his scent.

Xie Linyuan stroked their heads, feeling the warm, soft touch. Especially the pampered pup, showing an utterly blissful expression, giving a profound sense of accomplishment.

Xie Linyuan wondered if, after parting ways with Wu Yin, he could not only take the bionic being but also steal the dog. This thought made him feel like a calculating man in a divorce, not only splitting his wife’s assets but even taking her dog – the epitome of scum.

……

After sending off the Black Knight and His Highness, Xie Linyuan changed into a set of worn, dirt-resistant overalls, ill-fitted for his size. Rolling up the overly large sleeves, he asked, “I’m going to work now. What would you like for breakfast tomorrow?”

Old Balk's payment would take four more days. In the meantime, to prevent him and Wu Yin from starving, Xie Linyuan, as the versatile life assistant, had to step up and shoulder the responsibility of supporting them.

He found a job patrolling Zone G at the labor market, rotating three shifts. It was somewhat dangerous but paid significantly more than similar jobs in other areas. Interestingly, the so-called danger came not just from polluters or mutants but also from the residents of Zone G. Desperate for food, they would do anything.

Guard against outsiders by day, and your own people by night.

It wasn’t a desirable job, but vacancies were rare as few left their positions. Xie Linyuan's employment was purely coincidental; his predecessor had died in a severe violent incident just two nights before, creating a rare opening, which he filled the next day.

It was Xie Linyuan's turn for the night shift. Bending over to change his shoes at the entrance, he heard Wu Yin lazily say from the sofa, "Buns."

"What filling?"

"Whatever, there's no meat filling anyway."

Xie Linyuan chuckled, "True, biting into it, it's all crust, and even after you're done, it's still crust." Despite this, the overall living conditions in the southern camp were much better than at the Wolf Smoke Shelter. There, even the middle-class residents couldn't afford the crust of a bun.

"Qin Yue will bring your dinner later, I'm leaving now."

"Mhm." Wu Yin waved his hand without looking back, yawning and stretching his legs onto the sofa, as the noisy sound effects of Tetris echoed through the room.

Xie Linyuan watched the short black hair peeking out over the top of the sofa, slightly messy, with a strand defying gravity. The smile at the corner of his lips slowly faded. The moment the door lock clicked shut, Xie Linyuan's face disappeared into the shadows of the corridor, his eyes sharp and his expression becoming enigmatic.

He turned emotionlessly and went downstairs, walking against the flow of people coming home from work. Suddenly feeling something, he looked up at the towering residential building beside him, his gaze climbing the floors until it rested on an open window on the 27th floor...

But there was nothing there, not the pair of teal eyes watching him that Xie Linyuan had imagined.

He paused momentarily, then continued forward, reaching the cross-district shuttle stop, blending in with the many others waiting to go home. But as the last bus arrived and people hurriedly disembarked and others desperately pushed to get on, Xie Linyuan slipped away into a deserted alley amidst the chaos.

A white sedan had been waiting there for a long time, its rear door wide open, beckoning him in.

Xie Linyuan paused at the alley's entrance, confirming he wasn't followed, then bent down and got into the back seat of the car. Xia Yangyan, the man with a quick temper, turned from the passenger seat, smiled faintly at him, and then instructed the driver to start the car.

"Good evening, Mr. Xie," he said, "Pleased to meet you."

His tone now bore no trace of the irritability that would flare up at any disagreement, composed and courteous, "The Marshal has been waiting for you in his office."

"Hmm." Xie Linyuan nodded, not at all surprised, his nonchalance impressing Xia Yangyan, who glanced at him approvingly. "So, Mr. Xie, you already knew that the person wanting to meet you tonight was our camp's Chief Marshal?"

The note handed to Xie Linyuan earlier had only the code Z1932, the time, and the place of the meeting, with no name signed. Xia Yangyan had thought that mentioning the Marshal today would elicit a look of surprise.

"Is it that hard?" Xie Linyuan crossed his legs, calm and composed, "Who else could it be that can make you, and will make you, obediently follow Xue Hongyi's orders?"

Xia Yangyan nodded in understanding, turned back around, and stopped chatting.

The military car glided silently on the road as evening fell, its lights like twin red ribbons, crossing two checkpoints from District C to the military camp in District A.

In the distance, darkness engulfed everything, boundless and vast, as if monsters had swallowed the whole world. Only in District A were the lights bright, with continuous laughter and music, and the revelry of a world at odds with the apocalypse. But this faded as the car entered the military area, replaced by the solemn atmosphere unique to the barracks.

Xie Linyuan followed Xia Yangyan, taking the Marshal's private elevator directly to his office floor. Xia Yangyan signaled to the guard at the door, who knocked three times and respectfully announced, "Marshal, Mr. Xie has arrived."

The door opened swiftly, and Xie Linyuan stepped in slowly, enveloped by the bright incandescent light.

Behind the tea table, a face somewhat resembling Xue Hongyi appeared, clad in a crisp army uniform. Despite the streaks of white in his hair, his presence was commanding, exuding a silent oppression just by sitting there.

His eyes were deep and sharp, weathered by experiences, a trait seemingly common among those in high positions, as if they could see through everything about a newcomer.

"Take a seat, Z."

The familiar address caused an involuntary tremor in Xie Linyuan's fingertips. Xue Yue seemed not to notice as he set down his teacup. "I've heard the Wolf Smoke people call you 'Z.' But I'm curious, there's more than one 'Z' in the Northern Camp, what do they call you then?"

"Marshal," Xie Linyuan replied, lowering his head and closing his eyes briefly, concealing his disgust and rejection for the title. "Speak plainly, I need to return to work in Area G."

Xue Yue fell silent for a moment before suddenly pulling out a phone-shaped device from the drawer under the table and casually tossing it onto the surface, producing a crisp clinking sound.

It was a high-command device of the Mechanical God series, marked with the insignia of the Northern Camp.

Xie Linyuan's pupils contracted slightly, his muscles tensing almost reflexively, preparing for resistance and defense. This reaction, ingrained in his genes over years, caused his breathing to become rapid. Nightmares, long pushed to the back of his mind, resurfaced, relentless and inescapable.

Xue Yue observed all this, unflinching. Despite Xie Linyuan's clear hostility, he remained unmoved. "Relax, Z. This is just an empty shell replicated by our Southern Camp. It's incapable of 'controlling' you."

The word 'control' triggered an immediate stress response in Xie Linyuan, who glared fiercely at Xue Yue, his look threatening enough to suggest a challenge.

Unperturbed, Xue Yue continued calmly, "Our Southern Camp also bid for you in the auction, but unfortunately, we couldn't compete with the martial lunatics of Wolf Smoke. We're very curious about the technology and even sent people to the Northern Camp to learn and observe. But the Mechanical God series is the Northern Camp's trump card, a top secret. The team in charge is tight-lipped, impossible to pry open. We've tried replicating it, but the technical barriers are too high, and at most, we've only managed to produce this controller."

“……”

As the clear water in the teapot began to boil, Xue Yue poured a cup of light green tea for the silently observing Jie Linyuan, filling the room with a fragrant aroma. "Relax," he said, "all this talk is just to ease the atmosphere, just some casual chit-chat."

What kind of casual chit-chat is this? Jie Linyuan thought bitterly. It was nothing more than a show of power, a message that he knew everything about Jie – his connection to the Northern Camp, even potentially collaborating with the team responsible for the Z series to devise new control methods and recapture this escaped subject.

It might not be easy, but it was a constant threat hanging over Jie Linyuan’s head, never knowing when it might strike.

...His control was always in the hands of others.

After silently finishing his tea, Xue Yue, confirming that Jie Linyuan understood the situation, spoke again: "Z1932, we're not interested in you. It's the person beside you we want."