MORIC - Chapter 109

Chapter 109: Who is the Romantic

All of Chi Yueshan's knowledge about mechas came from Zhou Fengqin, and she had heard about mechas being bound to a person's genes.

However, this kind of programming was rarely used in the mechas currently in circulation. After all, just because a blood relative could activate a mecha didn't mean the inheritor could pilot it smoothly.

Activation didn't guarantee successful control, just as Xi Zhoumeng had demonstrated for her at home. Besides, not all descendants could possibly be Alphas.

"For real?"

The boss didn't even bother to finish her meal and walked directly over to the mecha.

At first glance, the mecha was extremely dilapidated. Its coating was scraped up tragically, and many of its components were missing.

It had always been sitting in the warehouse of Qin Yuan, the previous owner of shop B9.

Sister Zhang had close business dealings with her, and they would often go to each other's warehouses to pick out items.

The mecha was alluring enough even when it was just a defective product.

One could tell that its materials were worlds apart from other mechas; it was just unknown what it had gone through to become so twisted.

If the mecha, which served as a protective layer, had nearly disintegrated, the person inside must have died.

Qin Yuan had been in poor health and didn't go out, only saying that she had collected these things in her youth.

Before she passed away, Sister Zhang went to see her and proposed to acquire them, and she had agreed.

Chi Yueshan finished the last piece of chicken thigh, wiped her mouth haphazardly, and walked over.

She was very skilled at dismantling mechas and knew that for a daily wage job, you took it one day at a time.

Slacking off meant tinkering with the mecha, which was an incredible pleasure.

She had even found replacements for the missing parts, spent some effort re-polishing them, and patched up all the damaged areas on the mecha.

The foundation of this thing was good. As long as it got a new coating, it should be restored to about eighty or ninety percent of its former glory.

"It's real."

Chi Yueshan pressed the start button. Under the boss's shocked gaze, the indicator light of this old-fashioned behemoth lit up, and the cockpit door opened.

A musty smell wafted out. Chi Yueshan had already cleaned the bloodstains from the pilot's seat.

She had inspected it up and down several times, so at this moment, she very naturally sat down in the pilot's seat. "See, the central control can be operated too."

The boss poked her head in. After all, mechas were personal killing machines, so the cockpits were very small, not to mention one of this vintage.

Many of its designs had not been updated.

"What about the gene sequence authentication?"

Chi Yueshan said, "Oh, I haven't authenticated that. I just pressed the respiration button."

"The voice system is broken. It needs a new speaker. I couldn't find a suitable model in the warehouse."

Chi Yueshan looked at the image on the lit-up screen.

She had spent several days repairing this mecha. The energy bay where the fuel was stored also had issues, and she had even used some of her own private stash to fix it.

Once the energy bay was repaired and fuel was put in, the other equipment should also be able to be activated.

"See if you can log in. This mecha's system is a bit old, but it was likely custom-made for a major family or a noble."

The boss pointed to a dented and worn backplate. The insignia was shattered, otherwise we could tell which family it belonged to… sigh, the designer's mark was worn away too.

Chi Yueshan let out a laugh. She blinked her eyes and said teasingly, "If I can log in, does that make me a noble?"

The boss laughed too. "At least the parent or grandchild of a noble. A contemporary wouldn't work."

Chi Yueshan shrugged, smiling as she stared at the control console screen, where a circle of light was continuously spinning.

That circle couldn't help but remind her of the matching test she took at the academy.

But this wasn't a match, so she had nothing to be nervous about.

If it was as the boss said, then she wouldn't be able to log in at all, since it required gene sequence authentication.

And to think she had fixed it. It was useless even if it was fixed; no one could operate it.

All was quiet around them. The boss also held her breath, watching the screen.

A pop-up window appeared. The defective product from ten or twenty years ago lit up with a bright red exclamation mark.

【Gene sequence authenticating…】

【Gene sequence match complete…】

Immediately after, a pixelated heart appeared on the screen.

【"Wee zhi?"】

Chi Yueshan froze.

The boss froze too.

She stared at Chi Yueshan in shock. "This is your family's mecha?"

Chi Yueshan said, "Impossible. My dad died over a decade ago, and my mom, I've never even met…"

That's right, I've never met her.

I wouldn't know if she's dead or alive.

So this mecha, is it hers?

Parent and grandchild… could it be my mom's mom?

So annoying. Xi Zhoumeng said she'd help me ask around, but her speed is as slow as molasses. Useless.

The boss exclaimed, "It doesn't matter if the insignia number is worn off. The energy module has a number, I haven't looked at it yet."

Chi Yueshan said, "I've seen it. It's also a heart."

Just how flashy was this person, making so many modifications, even changing the places for identification.

This style was practically a direct inheritance from Xi Zhoumeng. If the age wasn't wrong, Chi Yueshan would have suspected Xi Zhoumeng was her mother.

"'Zhi' is definitely not a surname…"

The boss also fell into deep thought. "Sigh, Qin Yuan has been dead for several years. These acquisition records can't be found either. They might have been bought as scrap metal by the pound."

Chi Yueshan's mind went blank. Her reason told her she shouldn't jump to such a hasty conclusion, especially since this mecha had been modified.

It could have been grafted from other defective mechas; it wasn't certain.

But how could it not be certain? The gene sequence couldn't lie.

No matter which mecha it was, as long as she could authenticate it, it meant this person was related to her.

Her Omega father was an ordinary person. Her Alpha mother's identity was unknown.

There was a button with a gold dark-patterned design. She might have been a military officer from the last century.

Hmph… I still have to find Xi Zhoumeng.

Why don't I have anyone else?

But the timing is wrong. At this moment…

Xi Zhoumeng should have already entered the royal palace.

The weather wasn't good today, or rather, the weather hadn't been good recently.

At this time, it even began to snow.

Xi Zhoumeng was in a car with Xi Mingguang and Xi Li. Vehicles were not permitted past the parking lot to the inner gate of the royal palace.

Although there were escalators, Xi Zhoumeng was still very displeased.

She wore a sullen face at this time every year, something Xi Li had grown accustomed to.

With Xi Mingguang present this year, Xi Li was being even more of a mother hen.

"Can't you wear a bit more? A fur coat on top and bare legs on the bottom. Look at the girl from the Chu family who just passed, she's even wearing thermal pants."

After saying that, Xi Li felt a bit strange. Even if Xi Zhoumeng really became an Alpha, in his heart, she was still the Omega sister who needed protection.

Xi Li sighed again. "Forget it. Just treat it as a rehearsal."

Xi Mingguang was busy taking pictures of the sky to show Chu Jing, paying no attention to her son and daughter.

There were many people around, dressed as if it were a red carpet event where everyone was vying for attention. Xi Zhoumeng, carrying a green pearl bag, glanced at Xi Li. "Rehearsal for what? Why do you always speak in halves?"

Xi Li said in a low voice, "Look at those female Alphas. None of them are like you."

Xi Zhoumeng couldn't be bothered with his stereotypes. "Who made the rule that they have to be a certain way? Are they as good-looking as me?"

Xi Li was at a loss for words.

Xi Zhoumeng was usually fussy enough. For an occasion like this, she was simply dressed too grandly, as if it were her own coronation, yet she didn't give off the impression of trying too hard.

The girls from other noble families gave Xi Zhoumeng a wide berth, afraid of being pulled into a side-by-side comparison, which would be a tragic sight no matter how one looked at it.

Xi Li said, "Mom, look at her."

Xi Mingguang was dressed very much like a female Alpha, her solemnity carrying the century-old stability of her family. The insignia on her left chest complemented her temperament perfectly.

Xi Mingguang said, "As long as she likes it."

Xi Zhoumeng retorted, "Exactly. Stop nagging me."

The snowy day was very cold. Xi Zhoumeng was thinking about Chi Yueshan, wondering if that girl would get home on time.

The past few days, waiting for Chi Yueshan at home had given her a sense of loneliness, like being left alone in an empty boudoir.

How could there be someone in this world who loved working so much?

Xi Zhoumeng had nowhere to vent her frustrations, so she ended up messaging Sheng Yangkui.

She didn't know what Wen Xinghuo had done that day, but even without a mark, Sheng Yangkui looked as if she had ripened.

The next day, when Xi Zhoumeng took Sheng Yangkui back, she was dying of curiosity.

But Sheng Yangkui was naturally stubborn and simply wouldn't say a word.

In response to Xi Zhoumeng's complaints, she even replied—

"Someone who works for the future is very charming."

Xi Zhoumeng hadn't been angry at first; her anger threshold wasn't that low.

But the more she waited, the angrier she became, and the more she felt that Sheng Yangkui was insulting her.

Chi Yueshan is with me, and she still has to work for the future?

I'm not a pauper like Wen Xinghuo.

Xi Zhoumeng had originally planned to complain properly when Chi Yueshan got back, but who would have thought that working in Mechanical City was like having a kidney removed. Chi Yueshan would fall asleep the moment her head hit the pillow every day, not even giving Xi Zhoumeng a chance for intimate whispers.

Now, with snow falling from the sky, even though Xi Zhoumeng felt neglected, she was still worried that Chi Yueshan wouldn't be home when she got back.

I wonder if she's eaten.

Yesterday I asked her, and she only ate her boxed lunch at three in the afternoon. Can you even eat food that's gone cold?

Perhaps Xi Zhoumeng's sullen face was too terrifying. Xi Li decided not to risk getting scolded and silently stood behind Xi Mingguang.

Just then, Shen Yu came up from behind and squeezed in next to Xi Zhoumeng.

She said in a low voice, "I've verified it. Jiang Zhi did indeed go to the Lower World that day."

Shen Yu was already heroic and imposing, looking very formidable just by standing there. She and Xi Mingguang, one in front of the other, were already eye-catching. Now with Xi Zhoumeng standing there too.

Even fewer people wanted to come close. It was a complete assault on one's looks, to the point where anyone who saw them would want to get plastic surgery.

Shen Yu, all dressed up and nothing like the slob who was herding geese the other day, sighed. "I'll tell you the specifics after this is over."

"What I can be sure of is that the mother Xiao Yueshan is looking for is her."

Xi Zhoumeng felt a little happy, then her brows furrowed again.

Snowflakes drifted outside. Xi Zhoumeng said, "Thank you."

Then she asked, "Before Jiang Zhi died in battle, did she have any fiancée or illegitimate child?"

Shen Yu replied, "Of course not. That woman was very flashy, a romantic through and through. She believed in love at first sight. The startup sound of her mecha was even a pixelated heart sound effect."

When she spoke of her old friend, her voice was always tinged with nostalgia, and the wrinkles at the corners of her eyes reminded Xi Zhoumeng.

Chi Yueshan really has no one else.

Family and relatives, one after another, have disappeared.

A secret delight rose in Xi Zhoumeng again.

Then she only has me.

There was a commotion in the distance. Shen Yu looked up and said, "Oh, isn't that Wen Xinghuo? Why are the Wen family members willing to let her come this year?"

Xi Zhoumeng said, "Her second sister solicited a Beta at a club and didn't pay. She's still locked up at the police station."

Shen Yu remarked, "…This family is really bizarre."

She had wanted to say that if you're going to solicit a man, you should at least pay up, but then she thought of the Wen family's extreme stinginess and their several older, unmarried Betas and unmarried Alphas.

"Xiao Wen really has it tough, huh."

That group was always noisy every year, and those attending the palace banquet were used to it.

It was just that among a group of boorish people, there was now one who looked boorish just from her appearance, and many people started whispering—

"Who's that tall Alpha? Is she also from the Wen family?"

"Oh, that's the illegitimate daughter they suddenly brought up that year…"

"Who does she take after? I remember Old Man Wen doesn't have that build…"

"What do you know about fooling around? Didn't he go to the Lower World for an inspection one year? He might have changed his tastes."

"That child's spiritual power is very high. My kid really admires her."

"Really?"

"Yes, yes, have you forgotten? She even dated the youngest of the Xi family."

"Dated? They broke up now?"

"Young people…"

In truth, nobles and commoners weren't that different. Shen Yu had had a painful time being set up on dates over the years.

But as long as the gossip wasn't about her, she could enjoy it just fine.

She asked, "They really dated?"

Xi Mingguang had told her about Xi Zhoumeng's constitution and had also discussed with her about taking Xi Zhoumeng to the front lines during the next Zerg Tide.

The Shen family and the Xi family were already close, and they knew what had happened to the Xi family before.

They hadn't expected it to be a case of atavism.

Xi Zhoumeng said, "No. Do you think she and I are a match?"

Shen Yu glanced from afar at Wen Xinghuo, who was silently keeping her distance from her relatives.

Actually, this junior Alpha was passably good-looking and well-built. She was dressed well today too, with a powerful physique.

With Xi Zhoumeng…

Let's not even talk about the possibility of them being two Alphas. With Xi Zhoumeng's personality, no one could…

Oh, wait. There is someone.

Shen Yu's gaze suddenly changed. She called out gravely, "Zhoumeng."

Xi Zhoumeng glanced over lazily. "Didn't you say we'd talk after this is over?"

Shen Yu said, "Can you be good to Xiao Yueshan for a lifetime?"

Xi Zhoumeng asked, "Huh?"

Shen Yu said, "I'm asking you as her mom's friend."

She looked at Xi Zhoumeng from a different perspective. She felt that although this child had a rich family background, if she were an Alpha, she'd probably be a smooth-talker like Xi Li's type. As an Omega, she was full of charm.

But this was a matter of a lifetime. Living a life wasn't something you could get by with just smooth talk.

There were daily necessities to consider.

It was too terrifying. The more Shen Yu thought about it, the more she felt those four words—firewood, rice, oil, salt—had absolutely nothing to do with Xi Zhoumeng.

Xi Zhoumeng gave Shen Yu a half-smile. "Auntie Shen, you should ask yourself first. You can't win Auntie Lan Lan over just by herding geese."

"I'm different. Chi Yueshan and I are doing great."

She even flaunted it openly. "We sleep together every night. And you?"

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