MORIC - Chapter 113
Chapter 113: She's Pretending to be Weak, Eh
Xi Zhoumeng had absolutely no idea how to talk about the queen's secret.
She and Wen Xinghuo maintained the same attitude: keep their mouths shut for now.
This was probably the most direct secret Sheng Yangkui could tell them.
Correspondingly, Sheng Yangkui wouldn't have much free time from now on.
Xi Zhoumeng thought it over. Since she had nothing better to do just sitting around, she decided to accompany Chi Yueshan to work.
Chi Yueshan had told her everything she knew, but found that Xi Zhoumeng had little reaction. Instead, she became even more like a piece of sticky gum she couldn't shake off, doing nothing but following her around.
During the day, Chi Yueshan continued to work part-time in Mechanical City. Because of her efficiency, her boss kept introducing new jobs to her.
Xi Zhoumeng, this pampered young lady, started out just standing in the warehouse holding an umbrella to accompany her.
She looked so expensive, exuding the kind of madness a neurotic person should have.
At least, that's what Chi Yueshan saw in her boss's eyes.
The young lady, accompanying her girlfriend to work, even had to carve out her own corner to drink her milk that was priced by the drop.
The exhaust fan on the warehouse ceiling spun violently. The boss would occasionally come over to check, exchanging a few words with Chi Yueshan.
Then, her gaze would drift to the Omega reading in the corner. After hesitating for a long while, she asked Chi Yueshan, "Who is she to you?"
For a moment, Chi Yueshan didn't know how to explain.
Her hands were covered in machine oil. She forcefully pried open a copper sheet, picked up a welding board with a cable attached, and snapped it on. Then she pulled a central control external drive from her pocket, looking so busy she wished she had eight arms.
"She's my..."
Before she could even look up, the boss seemed to understand, and the look she gave Chi Yueshan became even more pitiful.
"She's your creditor, right?"
The middle-aged woman sighed. "It's alright. Money can be earned slowly; you'll be able to pay it back eventually. Aren't you preparing for the mecha technician's certification exam? Are you ready? The test is coming up soon."
Chi Yueshan couldn't be bothered to explain. Who could blame her, when Xi Zhoumeng looked just like a debt collector?
The copper sheet changed shape under Chi Yueshan's hands. She was still a young girl, after all, and even with scrap metal, she liked to carve decorative patterns, inlaying them onto the client's custom-ordered, but not very high-quality, parts.
However, after being meticulously polished by Chi Yueshan, even the scrap material lost its cheapness. In fact, with a different background, it could be resold for several times the price.
"I've memorized all the books. As for the practical part..."
Chi Yueshan was just waiting until she was old enough to take the exam; her preparations were always thorough.
"This mecha, can you sell it to me?"
After finishing the copper inlay, Chi Yueshan pointed to the mecha she had assembled on the side.
It looked obviously incomplete. Even though it had been repaired, the inability to find matching materials made it look jarring.
The boss waved her hand. "What's there to sell? It was yours to begin with."
She could see that Chi Yueshan had a boundless future and was happy to be kind to her.
But she was curious after all and asked one more question: "Found your family?"
Chi Yueshan shrugged. "I guess so."
When it was time for lunch, the boss left. She didn't plan on giving Chi Yueshan a boxed lunch, because with Xi Zhoumeng here, everything was of the highest quality.
After finishing her work for the day, Chi Yueshan went to look at the mecha and climbed inside again.
A few seconds later, she came out and called to Xi Zhoumeng, "Can you stop pretending? Your book is upside down."
The young lady, who had been quiet all afternoon, put down her book and leaned lazily against the brand-new sofa. "Don't talk nonsense. How could I be holding it upside down?"
Chi Yueshan: "Are you coming?"
She hadn't even taken off her work vest and looked all grimy. For the past few days, Xi Zhoumeng had been accompanying her here during the day, and at night, the two of them would go to the library to look for information.
Including sleep, it was literally seeing this person the moment she opened her eyes, and still seeing this person when she slept.
Yet, she didn't get tired of it at all.
Xi Zhoumeng found this version of Chi Yueshan very refreshing, like getting a glimpse of the Chi Yueshan from the Lower World.
She wondered if she worked like this day after day.
How could someone find such joy in work, smiling even while disassembling and reassembling things, as if this pile of scrap metal was her wife.
Xi Zhoumeng: "Not coming."
Chi Yueshan let out a "Hey!" "Aren't you uncomfortable sitting there for days? Is it really necessary to be so studious?"
She was speechless. Ever since Chi Yueshan told Xi Zhoumeng that night that Li Rong could read ancient scripts, Xi Zhoumeng had been studying diligently.
It was only then that Chi Yueshan learned that Xi Zhoumeng's two older brothers, Xi Li and Xi Chun, shared the same ancestral planet as Li Rong, as did Xi Mingguang's first Omega, who had passed away early.
Unfortunately, Xi Li had never learned the language, and Xi Chun knew even less. Only Li Rong still understood it.
Xi Zhoumeng's competitive spirit now had her clutching a copy of the text, looking like a sucker for one of those "master a language in seven days" scams.
Xi Zhoumeng flipped a page. "It's necessary. What if you come across this script again in the future? What would we do if Li Rong isn't around?"
Chi Yueshan: "What are you thinking? That entire planet exploded."
Xi Zhoumeng put on a profound look. "What if?"
Chi Yueshan hated it most when she dawdled. She ran over and pulled her up. "Aren't you curious about this mecha? It was my mother's, you know!"
She had been holding it in for days. In fact, she had wanted Xi Zhoumeng to see it since the first day she came.
But this girl, when she said she'd accompany her, she really meant it, sitting and reading in a spot where Chi Yueshan could see her just by looking up.
The warehouse was stuffy, but thankfully the weather hadn't gotten hot yet. The only light, aside from the lamps, came from the two rows of high ventilation windows on the side.
Daylight streamed in from there, casting shadows on the floor. In the afternoon, it would fall on Xi Zhoumeng's spot.
It was as if Xi Zhoumeng herself had become a unique brushstroke in this place.
And just like that, Chi Yueshan forcefully pulled Xi Zhoumeng to her feet.
The expensive fabric was wrinkled as she was forced into a light jog, and then unceremoniously pushed inside by Chi Yueshan.
The smell inside the mecha cockpit wasn't pleasant. Perhaps it was too old, or perhaps some creature had taken up residence in it when it was space junk.
Xi Zhoumeng's brow furrowed instinctively.
Chi Yueshan let out a "Hey!" "No complaining!"
She was already bold by nature. Before, she had been awkward due to Xi Zhoumeng's wealth and her own strong pride.
Now, she completely treated Xi Zhoumeng as one of her own and didn't hold back.
There was no shortage of commanding tones.
Xi Zhoumeng was pressed into the pilot's seat by her, watching as Chi Yueshan unlocked the security password.
"Look! Isn't this mecha's theme fun?"
She pointed at the pixel art pattern on the startup screen, completely unaware of how her own eyes were sparkling.
Xi Zhoumeng took Chi Yueshan's hand and wiped it with a handkerchief.
Chi Yueshan: "Don't focus on that!"
Xi Zhoumeng: "This theme is very special."
Chi Yueshan then demonstrated some of the biometric locks, as if trying to prove her connection to the mecha's owner.
Tirelessly, over and over again.
Xi Zhoumeng watched over and over again, finally reaching out to hug her.
Chi Yueshan ended up sitting on her lap.
Chi Yueshan: "You don't mind me being dirty anymore?"
Xi Zhoumeng: "You are very dirty, reeking of machine oil. But your pheromones actually suit this kind of setting."
She spoke so bluntly that Chi Yueshan stepped on her foot.
Chi Yueshan opened other functions, still a bit dejected. "The damage is too severe; it can't be fully repaired. The defense system is very advanced. I don't know who made it, but the style is so similar to my master's."
She was prone to muttering to herself. Xi Zhoumeng asked, "Was your master ever married?"
Chi Yueshan tried to pull Xi Zhoumeng's hand to touch the screen again. "I don't think so."
Xi Zhoumeng: "Auntie Shen Yu will be back tomorrow. We can let her take a look at this mecha. After all, they were comrades-in-arms."
Chi Yueshan's hand paused. "I've checked the records. Jiang Zhi was the last duchess, and she had no siblings."
Xi Zhoumeng: "There are still people who remember her."
Chi Yueshan: "I don't even have a visa. I wanted to go see for myself."
During these extraordinary times, all interstellar ship travel required review, and just getting a visa approved would take a very long time.
Xi Zhoumeng: "We can go. Our family has a private ship."
"If I'd known it was such a coincidence, I would have had you go with Shen Yu."
She spoke with a lack of deference, unlike Chi Yueshan who would at least add a military rank as a form of address.
It was as if this group of elders were her peers, possessing a natural attitude of not taking people seriously.
It made Chi Yueshan even more curious about what Xi Zhoumeng did before.
She refused to believe she was just some ordinary office worker.
Everyone else acted like a subordinate at work, but she acted like the whole world was her bitch.
But there were just too many things happening, one after another, and the moments of calm where they could talk properly were very short.
Chi Yueshan shook her head. "It's okay, it's not like a little more time will make a difference."
"More than that, I want to know about the energy source my master mentioned."
Chi Yueshan didn't hide things at all, not from Xi Zhoumeng.
In the past, Xi Zhoumeng had scoffed at the idea of exchanging sincerity for sincerity, believing that such naked honesty didn't exist in the world.
But after receiving Chi Yueshan's scorching, complete trust, she realized it wasn't an exchange at all, but something involuntary.
She told Chi Yueshan what she had seen at the palace banquet.
Chi Yueshan took out that thick notebook again.
There was a subtle connection.
If the queen was a Zerg, how did she complete the transformation?
What was the pattern of the Zerg swarms over the years, and where were the other Zerg hiding?
Xi Zhoumeng had been reading for days. Although Chi Yueshan suspected she was putting on an act, she couldn't deny that Xi Zhoumeng was indeed very attractive when she was serious.
Even while working, Xi Zhoumeng in her peripheral vision still carried a certain allure.
It was as if she was trying to seduce her.
But Chi Yueshan could still distinguish what was genuine seduction.
She could only say her own self-control was too poor; a little bit of beauty was enough to make her heart flutter.
Xi Zhoumeng: "I already have an idea."
She held Chi Yueshan like this, while reaching for the control stick inside the cockpit.
After Chi Yueshan completed the genetic binding, it was successfully unlocked, but the mecha could only be controlled by her.
So she could only grab Chi Yueshan's hand to control it.
The S+ spiritual power, even without completing the secondary gender transformation, still shocked Chi Yueshan.
Because she saw the mecha's hidden blades swiftly cut through the air, clearly exposed before her eyes.
Chi Yueshan: "Aren't you still an Omega?"
The warmth from Xi Zhoumeng's palm transferred to the back of Chi Yueshan's hand, giving Chi Yueshan the illusion that it was scorching hot.
She looked up. Xi Zhoumeng was staring straight ahead, her usually nonchalant gaze now sharper than the activated blades.
It was as if she had grasped a fleeting, hidden clue.
The next second, Xi Zhoumeng let go of her hand, fell back against the seat, and sighed.
"I'm out of strength. So tired."
Chi Yueshan: ...
I really want to call her useless, but I feel like I'm pretty useless too, sob sob sob.
Chi Yueshan played with the half-finished mecha for a while longer. The blades were all rusted.
There were no means to replace them, and the core data was damaged, which was beyond Chi Yueshan's ability to repair.
She asked Xi Zhoumeng, "I want to restore the chip's data. Can you find someone to help me fix it?"
She rarely asked Xi Zhoumeng for anything. Many of her "you must" phrases were usually just a form of flirting.
Chi Yueshan was a little apprehensive.
She felt like she was always troubling Xi Zhoumeng—living in her house, eating her food, drinking her drinks, using her things.
Even Chi Yueshan's tuition was paid by Xi Zhoumeng.
Even if she didn't count it like that, it still seemed a bit much.
When Chi Yueshan got nervous, she would subconsciously bite her lip, though not obviously.
It looked like she was just pursing her lips, her front teeth biting a small part of her lower lip, completely unaware of how endearing she looked.
Xi Zhoumeng glanced at the mecha cockpit. There were many traces of the original owner.
Just from the exaggerated stickers and the flamboyant calligraphy, one could tell what kind of person she was.
Jiang Zhi, the last duchess.
She had no choice but to take this path to continue her family's honor.
The nobility of M-Galaxy was different from that of R-Galaxy.
It changed rapidly. In other words, Jiang Zhi was merely a fallen noble, her line ending after five generations.
When Shen Yu spoke of her, she sighed, saying that girl was quite down-to-earth. If not top-tier, she was at least an outstanding soldier.
It's just...
It's just that no one could have predicted the Zerg attack.
Many dreams turned into regrets.
And there was something that looked a bit comical, written by the high-spirited female officer in her mecha cockpit back then.
【Looking forward to my own love at first sight】
Was this Chi Yueshan's family setting?
Inheriting this kind of go-for-broke, no-other-choice lonely courage, carrying a completely positive enthusiasm, and possessing a charm that could make Xi Zhoumeng completely surrender.
"It's not a question of 'can'."
Xi Zhoumeng picked her up, ducked out of the mecha cockpit, and said, "This is what I should do."
She placed her on the workbench, not caring that her dress was getting stained with oil and grime.
She looked up at Chi Yueshan and smiled. "Don't feel like you owe me."
"And don't feel burdened."
"Everything I have is yours. Spend it as you please."
Xi Zhoumeng smiled often, but rarely with such pureness.
Now, there was a gentleness that made Chi Yueshan hold her breath.
"If you really feel bad about it, just give me a kiss every now and then."
Unfortunately, this gentleness was extremely rare, and in a flash, it turned into mischievous intent.
"Preferably a deep kiss. You're not very good at that, so you need more practice."
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