CH 7

The next day Lin Han arrived at the Institute on time. After all, even though his estrus was a little early, he brought twice as much nutrients and suppressants as usual just in case.

Shen XiuNan saw the extra stuff when he passed by his office, and with the intuition of his kind, asked, “Are you in heat?”

Lin Han nodded, his tone natural.

Shen XiuNan was also an Omega, but couldn’t understand the psychological behavior of workaholics, “You haven’t used even one day from this year’s time off, right? How many Omega in heat can’t wait to lie at home for three days? Only you would still carry nutrients and inhibitors to work…”

Lin Han was noncommittal, “There’s nothing uncomfortable about it.”

Shen XiuNan was about to say something, but Lin Han, afraid of his worry, explained with a sentence, “And in the next two days there’s repair work that must be completed as soon as possible.”

“What repair work? Haven’t you…” Shen XiuNan suddenly realized halfway through the sentence, “Oh, oh, of course, you have the General’s mecha. But now that he’s back, and this is a mecha, it’s reasonable to say that it doesn’t need to be rushed…” Shen XiuNan thought about it and added, “Or you’d better go back to rest and I’ll help you out for two days? As long as it’s not too complicated, I can fix it.”

Lin Han said, “I’m afraid you can’t.”

“Eh?” Shen XiuNan raised his voice, but quickly fell back, “I know.”

“Then don’t push yourself too much. If something happens, contact me.”

Usually, when Lin Han said it like that, there were only two reasons: either the fine part of it only he can operate, or he needed to connect the spiritual power.

Shen XiuNan was already considered one of the better ones among the Omegas, so he also got into the Institute as a mecha master with excellent grades, but his spiritual power was weak, and when it came to spiritual power, he still had to let others do it.

After Shen XiuNan left, Lin Han refilled an inhibitor to make sure there would be no surprises, and went into the repair room with the key and samples He YunTing gave him the day before.

Lin Han’s task was to overhaul the core systems and calibrate them several times to ensure that there wouldn’t be any accidents in the interface between the mental power and the mecha.

The current mecha had a semi-manual, semi-psychic mode of operation, in which the pilot had to calculate the position of each voyage and launch with precision each time, flexibly driving the mecha to dodge or attack, while the psychic power connected to a higher level of AI, thus turning the mecha into the best weapon.

A mecha master who repaired the mecha would keep starting the mecha during repeated tests, and would operate it countless times in the limited room, and then hand it over to the original pilot to check it until it was perfect before it was truly repaired.

He YunTing’s mental strength was undoubtedly top-notch, which was why he was afraid that Lin Han wouldn’t be able to handle it during the test drive, so he specifically asked Lu AnHe to give him a sample of his own.

Lin Han retracted his thoughts, greeted his colleagues who were circling around M2742 and asked them to temporarily switch to another room for repair, leaving him alone in the large repair room.

The big guy’s right arm had been repaired, but it still wasn’t as good as before because of the damage to the advanced center. Lin Han operated the elevator into the hatch and entered the cockpit.

In his hand was the exclusive key to the mecha, and a sample of the designated pilot’s mental energy.

It wasn’t that Lin Han had never driven a mecha before, it was just that every time he did, it was a mecha that had been sent to him for repair, and for testing and verification. He would start these big guys up, but only to test and verify them in this confined space… 

The mecha he ‘piloted’ never even left the repair room.

Lin Han closed the hatch with his eyes downcast, sat in the pilot’s seat, picked up the helmet and put it on. He was so obsessed with the mecha that every mecha he had ever designed had ridden the seas of stars.

——Even if he had never touched the stars.

The galaxy must carry the memory, he thought.

Lin Han inserted the key and the console began to respond, a sliver of buttons began to flash, and the display, which hadn’t been fully repaired, began to light up. He looked at the mental power sample in his hand, settled his mind, and was about to open it—

When his communicator went off.

Lin Han felt this was a bit strange, he would turn on the communication filter when he was working, usually messages from friends couldn’t be picked up at all, only superior orders or sudden situations could be transferred directly to his communicator.

Could something have happened?

He lowered his helmet and saw the command, “Pick up, Lin Han.”

Lin Han picked it up and saw the signature on it.

It was the General’s line, which didn’t need to pass through the normal human communication filter, and could be directly contacted in person. The mecha had already started up, emitting a unique mechanical roar.

He picked it up with suspicion, “Hello?”

Then he heard the cold voice again, calling his name, “Lin Han.”

Before he could respond, he heard Lu AnHe’s voice coming from the communicator again, “Mr. Lin!”　

“Don’t open the mental power sample and don’t connect to the mainframe…”

“——it’s fake!”

— 

Zone A, Selna Manor.

“I did as you asked. Fortunately the contact was timely, and Mr. Lin only just activated the mecha and hadn’t connected to the mental power hub yet.”

He YunTing pursed up the corners of his thin cold lips, not saying a word, his blue eyes sinking down, like he was thinking about something.

Lu AnHe raised his head, “But it doesn’t make sense, that sample was handed to him by me, and then I also personally sent him back, so there was no chance of switching… By the way, are you feeling better?”

“Negligible.” He YunTing suddenly spoke, didn’t answer the question about his injury, and directly pointed out the object of suspicion, “That waiter.”

Lu AnHe “Ah”, recalled a moment, “that day you just said to send me he came… And specifically pushed the door to your right shoulder wound! I’ll go check.”

He YunTing said, “No need.”

Whoever dared to do this must have planned it, and the waiter must be just an insignificant cannon fodder, and there would be no trace of him after a day of searching.

He YunTing pondered for a moment, but asked a different question, “What did he say?”

“…Ah?” Lu AnHe paused for a moment, “Mr. Lin said he had destroyed the fake mental power sample at the first opportunity, but didn’t ask when he could come to get a new one.”

“Boss, do you have a clue?” Lu AnHe looked at him, “Not good, is your wound still seeping blood?”

He YunTing only wore the simplest of regular clothes, the dark shirt outlined the hidden muscle lines, and the color somewhere on his right shoulder seemed to be a little darker.

“It’s fine.” He YunTing didn’t seem to want to dwell on this issue, “This is something to hide first.”

“Okay.” Lu AnHe nodded, “But I think that the old man of the radical faction has a problem. When you said last time that a team of people are needed to clean up the Star Pirates, they wanted you to add a new group of mecha, and you didn’t want to. It’s really out of the blue…”

He YunTing stayed silent.

Lu AnHe knew that it was useless to continue, so he shut his mouth angrily.

When it was time for lunch, He YunTing stopped talking about the issue, “Let’s go.”

The two were walking side by side in the corridor when Lu AnHe thought of something and decided to change the subject, “So Boss, have you met Mr. Lin before?”

He YunTing paused in his steps, his blue eyes blinking lightly, as if he was thinking about something. But soon he answered, “No.”

It was just that he felt strange after their first meeting.

“Oh.” Lu AnHe said.

He YunTing was known as a genius and the hope of the Empire when he was at the Imperial Army University, and he was number one in everything. He had a particularly good memory, which his mentors at the time praised, saying that he was practically synonymous with unforgettable.

Anyone or anything that passed through his mind, He YunTing could remember and reconnect the antecedents and consequences associated with it. So he could quickly determine that the person who switched the samples was the waiter, and he was convinced.

What was more, Lin Han’s appearance was already beautiful and good-looking, and according to He YunTing’s unforgettable skills, how could he not have any impression? There was no possibility that he’d seen him before.

“So, Boss…” Probably because the recent days were really free, Lu AnHe’s jumpy nature was also more obvious, and even dared to gossip about his boss’s personal affairs to his face, “Are you…”

He YunTing swept a dissatisfied glance at Lu AnHe, “You’ve been talking a bit too much lately.”

Lieutenant Colonel Lu looked like he was briefly scared and closed his mouth.

When he said that, the butler in a tuxedo happened to walk in, and when he saw the two of them there, he bowed respectfully before gesturing behind him and starting to lay out the food.

Lu AnHe often lived here, so the kitchen was familiar with his tastes and served a lot of food that was overloaded with oil and salt but must taste good; while He YunTing’s food was much simpler, and only needed to be customized according to the standard meal of the military side.

——But today the General’s meal had one more thing added.

Next to the boring and unchanging meal, there was a small brown plate that was roasted to a crisp.

The butler cautiously winked at Lu AnHe: Sure you don’t want pudding but only caramel?

Lu AnHe raised his chin and gave the butler a gesture when He YunTing wasn’t looking: No problem, don’t worry.

The housekeeper put his heart back into his stomach and closed the door after the preparation, leaving He YunTing alone in the room again.

Lu AnHe was in a really good mood, even though he had just been told off by the boss, he still didn’t die trying to finish the rest of his sentence. He called out to the General and waited for He YunTing’s hand with the spoon to stop and look at him again before continuing to touch the tiger’s butt without fear of death, “Did you fall in love with Mr. Lin…? Love at first sight?”

He YunTing licked his lips, and then quickly realized that he had actually made this action inadvertently, so he quickly withdrew it. In a place that Lu AnHe couldn’t see, the tip of his tongue very lightly moved against his upper jaw, while the expression on his face remained cold, and even frowned deeper and deeper, coldly answering, “No.”