Chapter 11

Chapter 11

The sun shone brightly, a perfect spring day.

A White Tiger TA-type Mecha Vehicle sped through the streets of Tangde City. The man inside had flaming red hair swept back by the wind, revealing a smooth, full forehead. A silver half-mask covered his face, leaving only his crimson, finely-shaped lips exposed.

If one looked closer, an etched hollow five-pointed star could be seen on the lower right corner of the mask.

After weaving through several streets, he drove into a residential area and stopped in front of a multi-story apartment building.

"Security system upgrade?" The man raised an eyebrow and scoffed lightly. "They called me for such a simple task."

He lit a cigarette and swiped his hand through the air to open a floating screen, performing a few simple operations.

An invisible net enveloped the wall.

He glanced upward and saw a blonde-haired teenager standing on the high-rise balcony, his eyes sparkling with light.

His gaze paused, and he opened his terminal, snapping angrily.

"Issue a refund, now!"

The person on the other end of the terminal sounded nervous, confused about his sudden anger. "Boss, we—"

"Choose between refunding the money or leaving. From now on, if anyone receives a request from this number, don’t accept payment. Anyone who dares to take money is out immediately."

"Okay, okay," the person on the other end replied, voice trembling.

After closing the terminal, he started the vehicle and, as suddenly as he had arrived, disappeared into the overlapping shadows of the high-rises.

-

Upstairs, Jiang Yu was ecstatic to see the White Tiger TA-type Mecha Vehicle parked below.

Anyone familiar with the White Tiger TA-type Mecha Vehicle knew there was only one like it in all of Star-system City!

Although a product from ten years ago, its sleek design and ability to transform from a mecha vehicle into a mecha with three forms made it immensely popular among students of technological academies, captivating them deeply. Its performance was comparable to ten ordinary military flight pods.

Jiang Yu was so excited about seeing his favorite vehicle that he was beside himself. He grabbed Zhang Yuanhang’s arm, shaking him. "Zhang, why aren’t you saying anything? Don’t you want to own a White Tiger too?!"

Zhang Yuanhang was getting dizzy from being shaken. "The White Tiger TA isn’t—"

Zhang Yuanhang hesitated. "But your cousin, he’s just..."

Jiang Yu pulled him into the living room and sat him down. "Even though my cousin is named 'Lin Youhan,' there’s no way he’s the tech genius we know. He resigned from Central Star Hospital three years ago, returned to Floating Star, and has been working at 9635 Hospital ever since. He can’t be the tech genius."

Jiang Yu spoke so confidently that if Zhang Yuanhang hadn’t personally witnessed the gesture-controlled interface—a skill only Star Institute’s student council members possessed—as well as Migu, he might have believed it.

Lin Youhan gave him a strange feeling.

Like someone from his past.

This feeling was especially strong when he saw Migu.

Jiang Yu kept talking for over ten minutes, grilling Zhang Yuanhang about his hobbies and interests in detail. When he learned that Zhang Yuanhang went to Star Institute too, Jiang Yu paused slightly and looked at him cautiously. "Why aren’t you at school?"

He felt that the word "school" was a touchy subject for Zhang Yuanhang. In recent years, Star Institute hadn’t been doing as well as other tech academies, with admissions having dropped a lot. Given Zhang Yuanhang’s abilities, which he had just witnessed, Zhang Yuanhang should have been a notable figure at Star Institute based on his achievements.

Yet, as much as he wracked his brain, he couldn’t recall anyone named Zhang Yuanhang at the school.

Jiang Yu’s heart pounded with curiosity. He couldn’t wait to find out which year Zhang Yuanhang was from. "Zhang Yuanhang, would you mind telling me what year you are?"

"I—"

"Ding—"

Jiang Yu’s terminal buzzed loudly in his pocket, its volume loud enough to drown out Zhang Yuanhang’s words.

He fumbled for his terminal. Noticing Zhang Yuanhang’s lips moving, he leaned closer and asked, "What did you say? Sorry, my ringer was up too high."

Hearing this, Zhang Yuanhang shook his head. "It’s nothing."

Relieved that Jiang Yu hadn’t heard him clearly, he felt an inexplicable sense of ease. For some reason, he was hesitant to share which year he was from at Star Institute. He would answer if asked, but he always hoped the other person would drop it.

Getting the hint that Zhang Yuanhang was reluctant to continue, Jiang Yu answered the communication. A steady male voice immediately spoke: "Are you Lin Youhan’s cousin?"

Before Jiang Yu could respond, the voice continued: "Your cousin has had an accident. Please come and sign the critical care form."

-

Opening his eyes, everything was dark, except for the soft glow of a nearby machine and the stark, bright white contrasting against the black.

Lin Youhan closed his eyes again gently. Even though he had no memory of the past ten years, whenever he found himself alone in the dark, a creepy feeling would wash over him.

This feeling had persisted for ten years, never fading. It reappeared every time he closed his eyes.

"Migu?" He threw off the blankets, got out of bed, and walked barefoot on the smooth, cold tiles. The chill spread from the soles of his feet to his heart, sharpening his foggy thoughts.

The curtains in the room were half-drawn. Light filtered through the uncovered window, reflecting off the clean white ceiling with a faint glow.

Using the light, he opened the door.

The surroundings were dark, except for a brightly lit area in the center—a well-built white capsule from which there was no escape.

He lay inside, quietly sensing his surroundings.

"Seven days. Time to change the medication," someone muttered.

Another voice said, "His vitals are low. If this continues, he’ll die."

The first person replied, "That’s not our concern."

Their voices gradually faded.

Not long after, he heard the sound of the Restart Capsule opening. The outside air rushed in freely, filling the confined space.

"Cough, cough." He coughed.

Blood that had lain dormant for too long began to stir.

"Mr. Lin, this is the improved Version 2.5," said a person clad in a full protective suit, only their eyes visible, as they retrieved a reagent from a nearby box.

He asked, his voice raspy, "Will I die?"

"Yes," the person replied indifferently, as though it were a trivial matter. Then, as if remembering something, added, "But not quickly. You’ll have time to feel it slowly."

Lin Youhan closed his eyes. The cold liquid entered his body bit by bit under pressure.

A familiar sense of suffocation washed over him once again.

"How long has it been?" a hoarse voice cut through the quiet.

"Three months."

With a "beep—", the Restart Capsule closed again.

Lin Youhan was enveloped in darkness once more.

It's so cold.

He thought to himself.

He looked at his reflection in the transparent mirror of the Restart Capsule and smiled.

Underneath his dark hair lay a stark, striking white.

-

In the corridor smelling strongly of disinfectant, three somewhat odd-looking individuals appeared.

Two young boys sat on either end of a public bench, while a man who appeared detached stood leaning against the wall, his head wrapped in a bandage, gaze lowered.

The blond boy closest to the door was so tired his head kept nodding against the wall, unconsciously slumping halfway before suddenly snapping awake, looking around dazedly as if trying to remember what he was doing there.

Suddenly, the door to the hospital room opened from the inside, and a man with graying hair stepped out. Noticing the three, his sharp eyes swept over them.

"Didn’t I tell you all to go back and sleep?" the Dean said angrily.

Jiang Yu said pleadingly, "Grandpa Dean, when will my brother wake up?"

"He’s stuck in a nightmare now. If he wanted to wake up, he would have done so long ago."

A nightmare?

As the Dean turned to leave, Jiang Yu stopped him. "Then… is there any way to wake him up?"

"Just give him a push."

Jiang Yu scratched his head, watching the Dean’s retreating figure in confusion. If a simple push was all it took, why didn’t the Dean just wake him up himself? Was he just letting everyone worry for nothing?!

He pushed the door open, walked in, and gave him a shove.

The person who had been unconscious for a day and a night suddenly grabbed his hand, twisting it at a bizarre angle.

"Ahhh—!"

…

Once Lin Youhan saw who it was, he let go.

"Brother! This is trying to kill your own brother, you know?! I’ve been worried about you all this time, and as soon as you wake up, you give me this kind of 'gift'!" Jiang Yu complained while applying medicine to his hand.

Lin Youhan flexed his stiff hand, ignoring his words completely.

"Brother! Can you at least tell your dear little brother before you go off doing something big? I was just at home when the Dean sent me a critical condition notice! Even though you usually don’t care much about me, as your brother, I still care about you.

"Honestly, you should leave dangerous stuff to others! You’re not exactly strong, yet you go being a hero? Our family doesn’t need any more police commendations—just focus on recovering properly."

As if thirsty, he poured himself a glass of water and continued, "Brother, when did you learn those moves? You’ve got to recommend where I can train too. It’d be so cool if I could fight five people at once… Oh, and you were right—someone did come to my place these past few days. He didn’t say much, just upgraded Student Zhang’s security system. Now, not even I can figure it out, and neither can he."

Finally, Lin Han responded, "What did he look like?"

"You might not know, but he had bright red hair—really cool—wore a silver openwork pentagram half-mask, and drove a White Tiger TA-type Mecha Vehicle. It was just absolutely incredible…"

Red hair, a mask, White Tiger… It must be someone from the Central Star.

-

Just as Si Muyun pushed the door open, Lin Youhan happened to look up at him.

His eyes were dark as ink, exuding intensity when he looked down at people, along with an inexplicable aloofness.

He was carrying several food containers that seemed still warm, a thin layer of mist covering the transparent bags.

Si Muyun passed out the food to each of them, found a seat, and noticed Lin Youhan’s gaze still fixed on his face.

He instinctively touched his face. "What’s wrong?"

"Nothing, just thought Captain Si reminds me of someone from my past," Lin Youhan said with a smile, shaking his head.

As for who that person was, he had long forgotten.

"Funny, I think you remind me of someone from the past too."

He had suspected before that Lin Youhan might have amnesia. After a week of observation, it was clear Lin Youhan didn’t remember him.

Ten years ago, when Lin Youhan left, he told no one but him.

Back then, Lin Youhan had said, "Just wait for me. I’ll come back with a surprise."

He had a pretty good idea what Lin Youhan meant, but he waited ten years only to be met with a Lin Youhan who had complete memory loss.

-

After two days of recuperation in the hospital, Lin Youhan was finally allowed to be discharged. But before he could even leave, he ran into Mo Xiaobei. Whatever Mo Xiaobei had been up to, he looked exactly the same as when Lin Youhan had left the hospital, making Lin Youhan suspect the Dean hadn’t actually granted him any vacation time.

Seeing Lin Youhan, Mo Xiaobei yawned and asked, "When are you coming back to work?"

Lin Youhan pointed at Si Muyun behind him. "Do you think I'll get the chance?"

Mo Xiaobei followed his gesture and saw Si Muyun dressed in a dark blue police uniform today, buttoned up to the collar, looking stern, aloof, and with a faintly intimidating air.

He immediately left Lin Youhan behind and walked away.

Lin Youhan watched his retreating figure in silence.

Some friend.

Lin Youhan followed Si Muyun back to the police station, ate breakfast outside, and then went upstairs. As soon as he reached the top floor, he found everyone staring at him.

Wang Xiao, who had been discharged earlier than him, hurried over to help carry his things, being unusually helpful.

He glanced at Si Muyun, his eyes asking what was going on.

Si Muyun ignored him and led him to an office. Wang Xiao, following behind, brought him a glass of water—this was clearly the treatment reserved for a distinguished guest.

"From now on, this will be your break room. If you need anything, just ask Wang Xiao to buy it for you," Si Muyun said, handing him the keys.

Lin Youhan took the keys casually and smiled. "We’re just working on a case together, Captain Si. There’s no need for all this special treatment, is there?"

When Si Muyun didn’t respond, he added, "Or… has Captain Si finally realized what I'm worth?"

Si Muyun looked down at him, his eyes deep and filled with unreadable emotion. "Dr. Lin is welcome to think so."

Lin Youhan suddenly felt his face grow warm.

Wang Xiao rushed over in a rush after just receiving a call from Song Chenglei. He didn’t know what had happened in the office but felt the tension. Lowering his voice instinctively, he said, "Captain Si, Dr. Lin, Deputy Captain Song has found signs of Sister Wen in the suburbs. She’s with a few people and seems to be about to leave Tangde City."

Lin Youhan and Si Muyun both looked up.

Lin Youhan placed the keys on the table with a clatter. His tone was flat, carrying a barely detectable edge of fierceness. "We’ll have to settle the score with her for the hospital incident."

-

Five minutes later, Lin Youhan climbed into the police car. This was his second time riding in one; the first was when he was arrested on Anyang Street.

But this time, he was the one doing the arresting.

It was a strange feeling.

The outskirts of Tangde City weren’t just barren wilderness but rather rows of abandoned warehouses, perfect for hiding.

Many AIs were systematically cleaning out the junk inside the warehouses. In fact, what passed for trash was just outdated, violently destroyed, or out of power AI robots that couldn't be matched with new batteries.

If repair shops collected discarded AI robots, these warehouses served as temporary storage before other AIs moved them to the repair shops.

After Star City separated from Earth, scientists in the Technology Hall wanted to research perpetual motion machines. However, it turned out that even in the universe, perpetual motion remained impossible. Nothing lasts forever, not even the universe.

When Earth’s resources were depleted, people sought a new home and built Star City in space—a place like Earth where humans could live, so civilization could continue.

-

They soon arrived at the location Song Chenglei had tracked.

Lin Youhan was the first to step out of the car and casually asked, "Is your police department still hiring?"

Si Muyun also got out and was surprised by the question. "Dr. Lin is interested in becoming a police officer?"

"Not for me. It’s for my future grandchildren—to toughen them up."

"Is it?" Si Muyun’s eyes held an unreadable glint.

Lin Youhan didn’t notice and kept walking.

After a short while, they spotted Song Chenglei near the back door of an abandoned warehouse. It seemed Song Chenglei had already exchanged blows with them before their arrival. His once-neat police uniform now had several tears, with traces of blood seeping through.

"They've got help," Song Chenglei briefly explained. "There are five of them, each armed with an M192."

Lin Youhan frowned slightly. The M192 was a military-issue firearm—seemingly lightweight but incredibly powerful, with a much better range than other types of guns.

He looked toward the nearby warehouse. It looked old, with large patches of paint peeling off the walls, revealing rust beneath. From his angle, he could only see a glass window, distant green-covered mountains, and black dots floating in the sky.

"What do you see?" Si Muyun asked him.

"A flight pod."

The distant black dots gradually grew larger, revealing strange characters on the fuselage.

Even the normally calm Song Chenglei couldn’t help but curse at the sight. "They’re playing dirty."

"If they didn’t play dirty, why have police?" Lin Youhan said, turning to Si Muyun. "Captain Si, I don’t have a mech. If they take Liu Wenwen away today, this case might hit a dead end here."

Hearing this, Song Chenglei looked puzzled. "How did you know Captain Si has a mech?"

"Just a guess," Lin Youhan shrugged.

Si Muyun glanced at him but offered no explanation. He removed the necklace he always wore and crushed it.

A massive black-red mech appeared. Its red glowing mechanical eyes scanned Lin Youhan before extending a mechanical arm toward him. For a moment, Lin Youhan’s heart raced. Slowly, he placed his hand on it. The moment he did, he looked up in disbelief, his voice trembling. "Your name is... Snow?"

"My name is Snow," the mechanical voice confirmed.

Lin Youhan turned to Si Muyun, his lips trembling too much to form words.

It took him a long time to finally speak a complete sentence. "Who are you?"

Si Muyun soothingly ruffled his hair but said nothing.

The moment he decided to summon Snow, he had already anticipated this outcome.

Reuniting with someone familiar after ten years could still be painful.

"Wait here," Si Muyun said before piloting the mech toward the distant flight pod.

Watching the mech grow smaller, Lin Youhan turned to Song Chenglei. "Deputy Captain Song, keep an eye out. I’m going to climb onto the roof to take a look."

Without waiting for a response, he darted toward the warehouse using obstacles for cover and soon reached the base of the abandoned structure.

The warehouse door was tightly shut, with bullet holes puncturing its surface.

Lin Youhan took a few deep breaths to calm himself, focusing his mind. "Migu, send me up."

As soon as he reached the roof, he came face to face with the five people Song Chenglei had mentioned. Among them was a woman tied up with ropes.

Though he had never seen her before, his intuition told him she was Liu Wenwen.

"Who are you?" asked a tall man standing at the front.

Lin Youhan froze, not because of the man’s imposing physique but because he had spoken in Tianwai language.

Languages in Star City had diversified since Earth, but Tianwai, as a civilization similar to humans, naturally had its own language—Tianwai language.

A shorter man with mottled tattoos grabbed the tall man’s arm. "This is Star City. Don’t expose us."

The tall man panicked slightly upon realizing his slip-up.

"Who are you? Why are you here?" Lin Youhan asked them fluently in Tianwai.

Hearing his question, the five were visibly stunned, scrutinizing him with strange looks. Soon, their expressions turned fierce.

Lin Youhan glanced at the flight pod. "Leave the person behind, and maybe we’ll spare your lives."

"No, we must take this person with us," the tall man said warily.

Lin Youhan pointed at the massive black-red mech. "See that? It’ll be very hard for you to leave today."

The shorter man unconsciously tightened his grip on the trigger. The four exchanged glances.

Lin Youhan shrank back at the sight of the gun. "I-I’m warning you, don’t shoot recklessly. If anything happens to me, you’re all finished..."

"Enough talk," the shorter man fired a shot at him.

Lin Youhan narrowed his eyes, sidestepping the bullet with a casual yet imposing smile.

He coldly addressed the group. "Those who threatened me are already waiting for you underground. Would you like to join them?"

The shorter man dismissed the warning and struck first. Seeing they couldn’t dissuade him, the tall man and the others followed suit. Against someone who only talked big, their skills were more than sufficient.

The shorter man crushed a bracelet, and a massive mech materialized before them. The dark-themed mech emanated an eerie red glow, slowly spreading and enveloping the area.

The tall man hadn't expected the short man to act so decisively against someone clearly not from the military. By the time he thought to intervene, it was too late, and the situation had worsened.

"Some people never learn until it's too late," the short man said as he climbed into the mech, manipulating its arm to hurl an iron ball toward Lin Han.

Watching Lin Han gradually being engulfed by the crimson flame's white light, he couldn't help but burst into laughter. Without a mech, the other stood no chance against him.

He said viciously, "Since you're so eager to die, I'll grant your wish!"

-

In the distance above, Si Muyun broke free from the enemy mech and turned just in time to see Lin Youhan about to be struck by flames. Without a second thought for his ongoing battle, he maneuvered his mech toward Lin Youhan at top speed.

He'd better be okay...

Just then, the mech he had been fighting teleported in front of him. "Fighting me and still daring to lose focus?!"

Unable to contain his anxiety, Si Muyun threw a punch and growled, "Get out of my way."

"Listen to that tone—anyone would think your partner is about to die," the opponent mocked, glancing toward his teammate. A frail man without a mech actually dared to challenge them? What overconfidence.

A single life shouldn't be worth distraction.

Si Muyun’s heart raced as he watched the fireball closing in on Lin Youhan. He pushed his mech to its limits, flying faster than ever.

Lin Youhan hadn’t remembered him yet—Lin Youhan couldn’t die!

"No—"

-

Lin Youhan seemed to sense something and glanced up at the sky. There, he saw Si Muyun desperately racing toward him. A familiar pounding gripped his heart, a feeling of instant familiarity so intense it made him forget how he had slowly forgotten everything.

He had forgotten everyone who had ever appeared in his life.

But he still disliked the sensation of impending death, and he especially disliked others watching him die—including Si Muyun, whom he had only just met.

Everything would end soon.

"Migu," he turned and whispered softly.

Just as the fireball was about to hit Lin Youhan, a giant hand caught it, instantly freezing it into ice.

Behind the giant hand stood a massive, silver-gray mech, its head gleaming with a piercing red light.

The giant hand clenched into a fist and hurled the ice ball back.

The mech controlled by the short man staggered backward from the tremendous impact. Before he could even process the frozen iron ball, he stared in disbelief at the silver-white mech and muttered, "The Code S02 mech that disappeared ten years ago—"

His gaze shifted to Lin Youhan, who stood there utterly composed. "Who are you?"

"Just," Lin Youhan chuckled lightly.

"An ordinary person."

No sooner had the words left his mouth than the mech beside him sprang into action, creating a biting gust of wind as it lunged toward the man.

-

The lake near Yuehu Jiangxinzhou was calm on the surface, but deep beneath, where undercurrents surged, a single eye slowly opened.

In an instant, an electronic information screen appeared before it, displaying Lin Youhan’s face prominently!

A moment later, the screen shattered into fragments, and the lake returned to its tranquil state.