Chapter 40: The Mermaid Enters the Palace

Chapter 40 The Little Mermaid Enters the Palace

Mechas are highly lethal weapons designed exclusively for military use. Even as mere components, how could they surface in such an unofficial setting? Wen Yanzhou's eyes widened in disbelief.

Yet, everyone here, including the two Major Lius, seemed to regard it as commonplace.

"Hey, old man, how much for this core unit?" A girl with a high ponytail stood before the old man's stall, one foot propped on a nearby stool, a chip from the display in her hand.

"Sharp eyes, miss. This one's top-notch," the old man declared, extending a hand to indicate a price.

The figure, however, startled the girl. "Hey, old man, are you trying to fleece me?"

As Wen Yanzhou watched the two bicker, the two Major Lius spotted a vendor in the distance. "Hey, Yanzhou, we're heading to that stall up ahead. Want to join us, or would you prefer to browse here for a bit?"

Wen Yanzhou glanced at the still-arguing pair. "I'll wander around on my own for now. You don't need to worry about me."

"Alright," the two majors responded. "We'll meet up with you after we've made our purchases."

By the time the majors had departed, the dispute between the girl and the old vendor seemed to have reached a conclusion.

"Fine, I'll take it at that price. Guess I'm in a hurry," the girl finally conceded. "Alright, pack it up for me. I'll take it."

The old man beamed, found a box, packed the chip, and handed it to her.

After the exchange of money and goods, the girl was about to leave when Wen Yanzhou, after a moment's thought, stepped forward.

"Miss, that chip is defective," Wen Yanzhou stated, pointing to the item in her hand.

"What? Defective!" The girl's voice immediately rose as she pulled out the chip and confronted the old man. "Old man, did you sell me a faulty chip?"

The old man grew agitated, pointing at Wen Yanzhou's nose. "What nonsense are you spouting? What's wrong with it? You're just causing trouble and ruining my business!"

Wen Yanzhou shook his head firmly. "Sir, it is defective. If you don't believe me, you can test it on the circuit over there."

Seeing the girl's growing distrust, the old man gritted his teeth. "Fine, let's test it then."

A test circuit stood nearby, designed for chip insertion. If a chip was functional, it would complete the circuit.

The old man retrieved the chip and placed it into the circuit.

A second later, a green light illuminated, indicating a successful connection.

The girl let out a sigh of relief, and the old man snorted. "I'm a businessman. Why would I cheat anyone?"

He pointed at Wen Yanzhou's nose again. "Young man, don't speak carelessly if you don't understand. You could damage someone's livelihood, you know?"

Wen Yanzhou had initially assumed the old man was unaware of the chip's condition and had merely offered a warning. Now, it seemed deliberate.

Wen Yanzhou sighed. "Miss, it is defective."

Under the girl's suspicious gaze, Wen Yanzhou reinserted the chip from her hand into the circuit. Unlike before, this time it failed to connect.

"Why is this?" the girl asked, shocked.

Wen Yanzhou took the chip and placed it on the old man's table. "Sir, deceiving people is wrong."

"This chip is missing its innermost energy receiver. How could it possibly be functional?"

The girl immediately understood. She lifted the top cover, and indeed, a piece was missing.

The old man tried to bluff. "Then why did it work when I tested it? You—you—if you're not buying, don't stand here holding up my customers."

The old man reached out to shove Wen Yanzhou, but Wen Yanzhou grabbed his arm and pushed him back.

"Sir, if I'm not mistaken, when you tested it with the circuit just now, you used another chip from your sleeve."

The old man frantically tried to pull his arm back, but Wen Yanzhou's grip was now surprisingly strong.

"If I'm not mistaken, that other chip is still in your sleeve, isn't it?" Wen Yanzhou said, gripping the old man's cuff while his other hand reached in from the side.

Another chip tumbled out of the sleeve.

The girl stared blankly, finally grasping the truth. "Well, old man! You actually dared to cheat me!"

Seeing his deception exposed, the old man returned the money, then hastily packed up his stall and fled.

The girl was still fuming, but at least recovering her money was a small victory.

"Thank you," she said to Wen Yanzhou. "Without you today, I would've been scammed again."

Wen Yanzhou waved his hand, indicating it was nothing.

"But are you a soldier?" the girl asked, smiling as she scrutinized Wen Yanzhou. "The way you moved just now—it really resembled military techniques."

Wen Yanzhou hadn't expected a random girl on the street to recognize military maneuvers. Was the capital truly a place where hidden talents resided?

But Wen Yanzhou was no longer a soldier. Strictly speaking, he was merely a witness in a case, brought back to the capital along with the others.

Wen Yanzhou shook his head in denial. "No, I'm not."

The girl gasped in surprise. "Did I really misjudge? But it looked so much like it! And you could even spot problems with mecha chips. If you're not a soldier, you must be incredibly gifted!"

She patted her chest proudly. "If you ever decide to join the military, let me know. I know people in the army—maybe I can help you get promoted."

Wen Yanzhou didn't know how to respond. Fortunately, the girl didn't wait for an answer, continuing on her own. "I'm truly grateful for your help today. If it weren't for a long-lost friend suddenly showing up and urgently needing this chip, I wouldn't have bought it here."

She pulled a piece of paper from her pocket, swiftly jotted down a few numbers, and said, "This is my NeuralCom account. If you ever need anything in the future, you can contact me. Maybe I can help!"

Wen Yanzhou was about to decline, but the girl, seemingly in a hurry, had already scurried off, leaving only the paper in his hand.

Just then, the two Major Lius returned with their purchases. After confirming that Wen Yanzhou didn't need anything else, the three of them headed back to the courtyard.

Not long after, Dr. Lin gathered everyone, announcing important instructions.

Once everyone had assembled, Dr. Lin produced several neck rings. "These are suppression collars. They can prevent Alphas and Omegas from emitting pheromones. You must wear them before entering the palace tomorrow."

Everyone else had already put theirs on. Only Wen Yanzhou and Qu Zhuo, being new here, were unfamiliar with the collars.

Wen Yanzhou examined the collar and asked, "Is this more effective than suppression patches?"

Adjutant Zhang nodded. "Of course. Suppression patches can fall off, but these won't."

"Moreover, the collars offer robust protection. No matter how high-ranking an Alpha or Omega, they won't be able to bypass it to release pheromones."

Normally, suppression patches would suffice. Even in their original city, as long as people weren't in their rut or heat cycles, not wearing suppressants wasn't a major issue.

Wen Yanzhou remarked, "Is this because it's the palace? They're this strict?"

Adjutant Zhang chuckled lightly. "Actually, it wasn't this strict in the past."

Wen Yanzhou looked curiously at Adjutant Zhang.

He continued, "The palace used to be much like our own city—a suppressant patch was usually enough."

"But one time, an Alpha in their rut suddenly burst out in the palace and encountered Princess Ning Luo, who had just completed her differentiation. Tsk, it nearly caused a disaster that time…"

Adjutant Zhang wore a look of lingering fear. "After that, everyone entering or leaving the palace was required to wear a suppression collar."

"Princess Ning Luo…" Wen Yanzhou repeated.

"Yes," Adjutant Zhang went on, "the princess is highly favored in the palace. You absolutely must not offend her."

Wen Yanzhou nodded solemnly.

Seeing Wen Yanzhou's small figure with such a serious expression, Adjutant Zhang let out a soft laugh. "Don't be so nervous. The princess is elusive—we probably won't even get to see her."

Princess Ning Luo was free-spirited and sometimes stayed outside the palace for extended periods. The king could rarely control her and mostly let her have her way.

Wen Yanzhou nodded.

Dr. Lin picked up a collar, demonstrated how to put it on, then handed it to Instructor Xiao Liu beside him. The collars were passed down one by one. Wen Yanzhou was seated next to Qu Zhuo, who handed him his collar.

"Wen Yanzhou, yours." Qu Zhuo passed him the collar.

Wen Yanzhou was still preoccupied with what he'd just heard and momentarily distracted. As he took the collar, he accidentally brushed against Qu Zhuo's hand.

Before he could get a firm grip, Qu Zhuo's hand instinctively recoiled, and the collar fell to the ground with a clatter.

After a moment, Wen Yanzhou said, "Sorry," and picked the collar back up.

Qu Zhuo's face seemed to flush slightly. He shook his head and said, "It's fine," but kept his right hand pressed over the spot on his left hand where Wen Yanzhou had touched him.

—

Early the next morning, everyone headed to the palace. Since their courtyard was right nearby, they all proceeded on foot.

Inside the palace, the scene was entirely different. All the buildings were meticulously ordered, and palace staff hurried back and forth with their heads down, not sparing a glance for the outsiders.

A court attendant in blue led them toward the council chamber.

They hadn't gone far when Lu Feng suddenly turned around, his gaze pinpointing Wen Yanzhou at the back of the group, who was looking around curiously.

"Wen Yanzhou." Lu Feng's voice was deep.

"Y-yes! Present!" Wen Yanzhou thought he'd been caught sneaking peeks around the palace and quickly straightened up, standing at attention, looking at Lu Feng ahead.

"You're not coming with us."

Lu Feng walked over to Wen Yanzhou.

"Ah? Why?" Wen Yanzhou looked utterly confused.

Lu Feng pointed toward the hall up ahead. "We're going to the council chamber to give our reports. In your current position, you probably can't enter."

Hearing this, Wen Yanzhou bit his lip and lowered his head. He wasn't a soldier anymore, so of course he didn't have the right to join them in reporting.

"Then… what should I do now?" Wen Yanzhou's voice was as faint as a mosquito's hum. "Should I leave now?"

He'd only just entered the palace and had barely seen anything—was he really expected to leave just like that?

Wen Yanzhou took one last glance around the palace. Fine, it wasn't that impressive anyway—just more people and bigger buildings, right?

Since he wouldn't get to see much more of the palace, Wen Yanzhou chose to dismiss it instead.

A soft chuckle came from above him. "Who said anything about making you leave?"