Chapter 229: CH 229

Twelve hours ago.

The weather in the Glass Conservatory today was good. The wind poured in from the half-open window, slightly blowing the curtains. The light wasn’t too bright, and everything was just right.

Unfortunately, Luo Fei couldn’t relax. To be more precise, he was annoyed that his brain was hurting.

It took him a long time to digest Luo Jian’s memory and stabilize his self-awareness. After his mind was clear, his attitude towards Professor Ruan wasn’t very cordial—the admiration and recognition that belonged to Luo Jian were still there, but the rejection that belonged to Luo Fei also survived. Luo Fei’s own pursuits weren’t high. He wanted to be free. However, “wanting to be free” and “overthrowing the Mainbrain” weren’t the same order of magnitude.

And even if he agreed with Professor Ruan’s philosophy, he couldn’t accept the fact that his father was under a lot of pressure, abandoned his family, and turned himself into some kind of “tool”.

He may not even be considered his father’s son, which bothered Luo Fei in particular. He deeply resented the war that gave birth to him to the very core of his bones.

So when he received Professor Ruan’s call not long ago, Luo Fei chose a relative compromise—he didn’t intend to directly participate in Professor Ruan’s resistance plan. It was fine to help pass on the information and provide supplies, but the Glass Conservatory wouldn’t get too involved. Luo Fei decided to show Professor Ruan the spark, but he also wanted to let the other party know the price of being burned.

Having said that, he still had to do his best.

Luo Fei only wanted to guarantee one thing. The Glass Conservatory must be kept as low-key as possible throughout the plan. In this way, even if the rebels retreat again, his own people wouldn’t be implicated.

Things would have developed like this until two acquaintances came to the door—Ruan Lijie and Tang Yibu once again passed through the cyber defense wall, escaped the layers of screening with difficulty, and slipped all the way into his room at the Prevention Shelter.

With these two hot potatoes here, if Luo Fei left them alone and they were discovered, his side would definitely become the investigation of the Mainbrain.

“I thought we were already even.” Luo Fei sat expressionlessly on by the bed.

Since Luo Fei successfully got himself into the Prevention Shelter, Luo Jian, who had been discharged, would visit him from time to time and bring large bags of food with him. In order to ensure that his father wasn’t implicated, Luo Fei didn’t completely disconnect from Luo Jian, but their communication was very strained. He usually used the food sent by his father to give it to others to make connections, so he rarely ate alone.

However, said food was almost bottoming out now.

After obtaining Luo Fei’s permission, the two uninvited guests were eating at the table, like starving ghosts who had been imprisoned for 800 years. Luo Fei thought they were only padding their stomach, but the horsepower of those two were like vacuum cleaners. Boxes of snacks disappeared into the air one after another—even the snack container was eaten clean by the mechanical life they brought.

They were probably extremely hungry. Luo Fei didn’t know whether to show sympathy or pain.

“It’s clear. You two are here to talk about business.” The speed at which the two of them ate finally slowed down. Tang Yibu swallowed the food in his mouth and burped loudly. Only then did he respond to Luo Fei’s words.

Tang Yibu’s spirit had lifted a lot now to the naked eye compared to the half-dead appearance when he first entered the room.

Luo Fei glanced at the tears reflecting in the corner of Tang Yibu’s eyes. “I have nothing here.”

“You’re not fully supporting Professor Ruan.” Tang Yibu patted his stomach comfortably while wiping the corners of his eyes. “I think you don’t want to be implicated.”

“My father is very loyal to Ruan Xian, and I can feel that loyalty. It’s a pity that my thoughts are a bit different from his, and I’m not as persistent as him.”

Luo Fei glanced at the crumbs at the corner of Tang Yibu’s mouth as he spoke.

“If you’re worried that I’m hiding something in support of the rebels, you don’t have to. My primary goal is to keep my father, Auntie Yan, Xiao Han, and the others safe. When it’s really time to choose between broken jade or brick tiles*, I will choose the latter.” Luo Fei was calm. The sentimentality they first saw in him had disappeared without a trace.” If you’re here for this—”

*Referring to “A man would rather be a broken piece of jade than a complete piece of pottery.” (宁可玉碎，不能瓦全) It means that people would rather die heroically (like broken jade) than live kneeling (like a piece of brick) (AKA It’s better to die standing than live kneeling). || In this context, Luo Fei is saying he would rather live kneeling (choosing the brick) than die heroically (broken jade).

Tang Yibu happily picked up another cookie. “It’s similar to what we expected. Mr. Luo, you’re the most suitable partner.”

This was supposed to be a serious conversation, but unfortunately, the two people in front of him were in rags, with cookie crumbs all over the corners of their mouths, which made the atmosphere anything but tense. Despite that, the two of them were outstanding and very pleasing to the eye, so Luo Fei showed full patience.

“What you need to provide is very simple—at present, the Mainbrain has raised the alert level and we can no longer fabricate information out of thin air. We need a hiding place. It won’t be long. Twelve hours is enough.”

“My house?” Luo Fei quickly understood what Tang Yibu meant. Since he was locked up here, his father had moved into his previous residence.

“You can ask your father to come here for half a day. I remember that the Prevention Shelter provides temporary housing services for family members.” Tang Yibu gulped down a glass of water and squinted his eyes contentedly. “We can guarantee that your home will not be exposed.”

After thinking for a bit, Luo Fei asked, “Is this Ruan Xian’s request or yours?”

Without directly participating in Ruan Xian’s meetings, Luo Fei only had a list of the necessary materials in his hand. Although they would also help Ruan Xian’s people deliver messages, for self-protection, Luo Fei didn’t know the content of those messages. All he knew was that Ruan Xian was planning another resistance plan. As for whether the two in front of him were involved and what role they played, he had no clue.

“Our request.” Ruan Xian finally spoke. The colic in his stomach had disappeared, and his eyes were no longer seeing black. He was finally able to calm down. “Thank you for your hospitality, Mr. Luo.”

Luo Fei waved his hand absent-mindedly. “Don’t be quick to thank me. To be honest, this is all verbal stuff. I don’t plan to believe you. Let’s hear it first. Since it’s business, what do I get in return?”

“I can encrypt and upgrade some of your contact systems.”

Although Ruan Xian stopped eating, Tang Yibu had no intention of stopping. It was obvious he was very hungry.

“You know what I can do. This is also good proof. I can show it to you live in a bit—it can help you contact people more easily. You see, in case Ruan Xian falls, the Mainbrain will no longer need to observe you and obtain relevant information. It will immediately start to rectify the irregular organization here, and your Pear Blossom will bear the brunt.”

Tang Yibu swallowed the last cookie in his hand. “Well, as a technical test, I’ll help you invade Ruan Xian’s command system later. I’ll open up part of the battle situation to you alone. You can prepare for refuge in advance or keep a low profile depending on the situation. It just proves the safety of our operation and also the fact that you’re ‘not Ruan Xian’s person’. If you have Luo Jian’s memories, you should be able to distinguish the authenticity of the content.”

If he and Mr. Ruan won, the situation would have no practical value. If he and Mr. Ruan lost, Luo Jian and Luo Fei both knew the temperament of Luo Fei. He wouldn’t take this information and defect to the Order Supervisors.

This was a deal that was destined for only those in the know.

Tang Yibu wiped his mouth contentedly.

“Just for the use of my house for twelve hours?” Professor Ruan didn’t use this kind of confidentiality as a bargaining chip. Luo Fei let out a sigh. “Battle situation sharing, system encryption… Suppose that I approve of your technology, say it, what other requirements do you have?”

“Clothes, shoes, simple equipment. This is something that’s easy to get.” Ruan Xian smiled as he took over the conversation. “In addition to these things, we also need a bit of rarer parts, which you will have to borrow from your contacts here Mr. Luo—you guys have been helping Ruan Xian transport supplies, so it shouldn’t be too hard to get this stuff within twelve hours.”

“…I can. Then, Mr. Tang, show me what you can do.”

The subsequent negotiations went smoothly, and they got an empty apartment. In order to ensure that everything was secure while they waited for the parts to be delivered, the two made ample preparations and then contacted Fan Linsong after ten hours—by hacking into the mechanical maid in Fan Linsong’s room, it took them another hour or so to obtain the information.

There was still an hour left of their time.

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“After this, we have 36 hours—about a day and a half.” Tang Yibu collapsed on the sofa.

After disposing of the dirty compression robes, the two of them put on new clothes that were easy to move in. Ruan Xian even got a new holster and a white jacket. Unlike in the past, Ruan Xian’s backpack was empty this time, waiting for the parts to be delivered so it could be filled in—those parts were quite heavy, but fortunately, they weren’t enough to affect his movements.

Tang Yibu’s backpack was stuffed with brand-new weapons and fresh food, with each of the pockets bulging. Not to mention the iron bead, even a piece of candy wouldn’t fit in it. Tang Yibu’s clothes were relatively tight-fitting, making the various props in his belt and pockets particularly conspicuous.

If it was just ordinary scouting, they would be fully armed, but considering that this was the last outfit they were wearing before facing the Mainbrain, it looked ridiculous based on how simple it was.

As the sun rose, the apartment became brighter. Ruan Xian stood up and decided not to waste precious time—he poured two glasses of water and pushed one of them in front of Tang Yibu.

The latter looked sideways at him, showing a smile without hesitation. During the conversation with Fan Linsong just now, in order to gain control of the mechanical maid, the two of them had a little tussle—Tang Yibu’s already somewhat long black hair was disheveled, and the clothes on his chest were wrinkled. The fury of his combat outfit was all but gone.

Ruan Xian was taken aback.

The room was bright. Tang Yibu was lying on the sofa, using his backpack as a pillow. Luo Fei’s apartment was originally full of life, but now there was no hunger or fatigue plaguing them, which softened the atmosphere. The current situation was special, and there wasn’t much mutual suspicion between them.

In that short moment, the surrounding crises, war, and the Mainbrain no longer seemed to exist. Ruan Xian held the water cup, hoping this second would last forever.

The apartment wasn’t his, the peace and quiet wasn’t his, but the smile of the person in front of him was.

The scene was closer to a “home” than anything he had ever seen. Ruan Xian glanced at Tang Yibu’s mottled injuries—in order to get to the Glass Conservatory as soon as possible, Tang Yibu suffered a lot of scratches while running. The injuries weren’t serious, but the cut was quite deep, which made it look jarring.

Ruan Xian put down the water cup in his hand, sat by the edge of the sofa, and leaned over to kiss Tang Yibu.

He would kiss him, then bite the tip of his tongue and send as much blood as possible before the tongue healed. Ruan Xian was very familiar with this process. Tang Yibu had once rejected him on the way. At that time, it was just a slight burn, and perhaps it was just an overreaction on his part. Now that they were well supplied and in stable condition, it was always good to heal when he could.

As a result, seeing Ruan Xian kissing him, Tang Yibu shrank his neck and titled his face to one side, just avoiding the kiss.

Still mad? Was he angry with him for interfering with his conversation with Fan Linsong just now?

Ruan Xian stroked Tang Yibu’s ear soothingly with one hand and moved it gently. As a result, Tang Yibu suddenly stretched out his neck and avoided the second kiss. Seeing the android shaking his head flexibly like a seal, Ruan Xian didn’t know whether to laugh or cry. “…Do you have any questions?”

He grabbed Tang Yibu’s wrist and shook the finely scarred hand in front of him. “Don’t you want a hand?”

“Let’s talk about the bouquet patch.” Tang Yibu’s eyes wandered, and his tone was serious.

“It won’t take a whole hour to talk about this.” Ruan Xian raised his brows. “We can talk about it in a minute. Now, stop messing around and let me treat your injuries.”

“This level is fine by tomorrow.” Tang Yibu insisted on not looking at his hand.

“But I don’t feel comfortable when I see it.”

“This relationship has really made life a lot more difficult.” Tang Yibu’s tone was quite strange. It sounded like he was complaining, but there were hints of excitement. “It hurts when you bite your tongue.”

“I’m used to it.”

Tang Yibu frowned instead. He turned his gaze and looked at Ruan Xian for a while, then he opened his arms and pressed the other party into his body.

“Is this related to when ‘you feel pain’?” Tang Yibu pulled Ruan Xian’s face with one hand and asked suspiciously. “You are ‘used to it’, so it doesn’t matter if you inflect new pain? What kind of logic is that? Unless there’s no other option, I don’t want to see you get hurt.”

Ruan Xian didn’t answer. He just took advantage of the posture under the other’s gaze, propped his body forward, and kissed Tang Yibu’s eyes.

“It doesn’t matter. It’s my misjudgment.” A few minutes later, Ruan Xian propped himself up and felt an inexplicable pleasure from his emotions. “Now, let’s talk about the bouquet patch.”

Tang Yibu sat up, took a sip of water, and almost spat it out—

“What are you doing?”

“Preparing supplies in advance,” Ruan Xian replied casually. At that moment, he was standing in the kitchen, using a vial to catch his blood. “Next, we’re going to Yu Le and Ji Xiaoman. Although there’s a lot of free time on our journey, who knows what will happen, so I plan to make some early preparations—don’t look like that. This is necessary, Yibu. I plan to prepare earlier and make several small batches, so I won’t be too weak all at once.”

Tang Yibu held his tongue, unable to find a reason to refute him, and could only let out a brief grunt.

Ruan Xian carefully filled three vials, sealed them, tied them with soft straps, and then sucked on the wound on his wrist. The preparation was completed quickly. He handed the packed vial to Tang Yibu and then accurately caught the other’s lips.

In fact, Tang Yibu was good at coping with figuring out the rules of getting along with Ruan Xian. Ruan Xian held back his laughter and tried to maintain a serious expression.

The effect was immediate. The wounds on Tang Yibu’s hands slowly healed, leaving not even a scar behind. After a long while, Ruan Xian ended his kiss and looked at his favorite golden eyes.

“Mr. Ruan.”

Tang Yibu pondered for a while before opening his mouth.

“If you want to kiss me, you don’t have to be so… shy. I won’t refuse. It’s better to say I quite welcome it—also, when I want to kiss you in the future, I don’t want to say it upfront.”

“…” Ah, this guy isn’t as easy to deal with. Ruan Xian coughed.

Tang Yibu tried his best to squeeze out a sincere expression but couldn’t hide the trace of banter in his eyes.

“We can stay here for 40 minutes.” Then Tang Yibu carefully stuffed the vials of blood into his arms without dallying. “Next, I’ll explain to you the principle of the bouquet patch and how we may use it. When we see Yu Le, we won’t have that much time to prepare, so we must make plans in advance.”

“I understand.” Ruan Xian looked at the room with a little nostalgia, then adjusted his new acquired wristband and summoned a blank light screen in front of him.

“Let’s get started, Yibu.”

The author has something to say:

Luo Fei: I reasonably suspect that these two people are here to destroy me.

The chessboard between the Mainbrain and Professor Ruan is about to crash and burn (?

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