CH 11

TL: Moonlit

Almost tied up like a mouse biscuit, Shu Shuishui, being slow on the uptake, wondered if he had exposed himself. However, as a male dormouse who had just obtained his driver’s license, Shu Shuishui believed that fastening the seat belt was an essential part of the journey, especially since every time he rode in Shu Bao’s car back on Earth, he would be reminded multiple times to buckle up. Of course, Shu Bao’s car had specially designed seat belts, which were not present in the current vehicle.

Unaware of the consequences of revealing his intelligence, Shu Shuishui became more obedient in the following moments, occasionally scratching his head with his claws or slightly adjusting the position of the seat belt. After all, it was uncomfortable to be constantly constrained in one place.

However, when Shu Shuishui discreetly adjusted the seat belt for the third time, Gu Langgu extended a hand and effortlessly unfastened the seat belt on the passenger side.

“You don’t have to wear a seat belt,” the voice sounded unique, and clean, with a sense of accumulated years and a calmness that didn’t resemble someone who had just killed without hesitation.

Shu Shuishui’s little ears trembled, thinking it would be a waste if such a pleasant voice didn’t sing “Seaweed Dance” to him.

Fortunately, Gu Langgu, who was driving, had no idea what Shu Shuishui was thinking, otherwise, he would have exploded on the spot.

In the long night, Shu Shuishui leaned against the passenger seat with his two short legs, occasionally nodding off, but stubbornly refusing to fall into a deep sleep, as he remembered the uncertain situation.

Gu Langgu watched the sleepy pet on the passenger seat, constantly nodding and occasionally tilting its body to the side to correct its posture. Suddenly, he felt that he should also sleep, although he didn’t know what fatigue and drowsiness were. These bodily reactions, like weaknesses, had long been discarded. For Gu Langgu, there was only dormancy, not rest.

The speed of the car gradually slowed down and eventually came to a halt in the sand sea.

Due to the slight inertia of the car, Shu Shuishui finally fell onto the passenger seat with a thud. This time, he didn’t force himself to sit upright but rolled over and fell into a deep sleep within seconds.

Gu Langgu quietly watched the little life on the passenger seat. An unprecedented sense of curiosity filled him, and curiosity is often the key that unlocks desire. Yet, Gu Langgu lacked this key.

The reason Gu Langgu was abandoned by the Gu family ultimately stemmed from the fact that Gu Langgu was merely an emotionless machine. Outside the battlefield, he was not even as competent as a domestic robot. At least a domestic robot knew how to take out the trash, but Gu Langgu knew nothing, or rather, he had no desire for anything.

Gu Langgu’s brain contained abundant knowledge of various kinds, but it was useless because Gu Langgu had no desire to utilize it. After leaving the battlefield, the Gu family realized that although they had created a perfect killing machine, they had failed to develop a competent heir. Now, this perfect machine was slowly evolving in an uncontrollable direction. What can you use to control a person without desire?

The Gu family had tried various ways to rekindle Gu Langgu’s desire. Although Gu Langgu was a semi-mechanical being, he possessed everything a human did, which means that as long as his human instincts were triggered, Gu Langgu could undergo self-evolution, no different from a human. However, they could never find the key. Gu Langgu had no desires, including the desire to evolve.

After numerous attempts that ended in failure and under pressure from the Galactic Alliance, the Gu family decided to abandon Gu Langgu. In their eyes, Gu Langgu was a failed product, a failure that couldn’t evolve on its own. After leaving the battlefield, Gu Langgu became nothing but a tasteless and insignificant existence.

The Gu family probably never expected that the problem they struggled so hard to solve would be effortlessly resolved by a dormouse.

In his dream, Shu Shuishui didn’t know what he was dreaming about. His little paws twitched a couple of times, and he even smacked his lips.

Gu Langgu extended his finger and gently touched the paw that he had long coveted.

Shu Shuishui sensed something and tightly gripped Gu Langgu’s fingertip, displaying a satisfied expression in his sleep.

Soft moonlight filtered through the glass window, casting a dim light inside the car. Gu Langgu looked at the held paw, revealing a noticeably pleased expression.

Gu Langgu’s appearance wasn’t inherently aggressive but carried a sense of depth and aristocratic elegance. Every muscle and cell on Gu Langgu’s body was perfect. Such a person, based on appearance alone, was enough to capture attention. Unfortunately, the pair of eyes, cold as zero degrees, devoid of vitality, instantly shattered this perfection. It was an artwork without a soul, less pleasing than a child’s doodle.

In the car, Gu Langgu received the “sensation” transmitted to his brain and hesitated to withdraw his fingertip. The perfect artificial nerves faithfully conveyed the “sensation” of touch back to his brain, but this “sensation” was nothing more than cold, lifeless words. Gu Langgu knew it was a soft touch, but he didn’t truly understand what kind of softness it was.

In an instant, Gu Langgu suddenly had an impulse to restore the sensation of real touch. He wanted to experience it genuinely, rather than receive cold information feedback.

In his dream, Shu Shuishui seemed content with the pillow he was holding. He even used his paws to touch it up and down, feeling that this “pillow” was more comfortable than holding his own tail, except it lacked a bit of fluffiness.

When Shu Shuishui woke up again, it was already noon the next day. The desert resembled a giant furnace, ready to melt everything in the sand sea. Gu Langgu was still driving, skillfully navigating the modified vehicle through the desert. The car’s air conditioning effectively isolated the scorching heat outside.

Shu Shuishui stretched lazily, tilting his little head to look at Gu Langgu, as if asking, ‘Where are we going? How much longer do we have to travel?’

Gu Langgu tugged at his collar without looking away. “We still have around fifty more hours of driving. Let me introduce myself, I’m Gu Langgu, and from now on, I’ll be taking care of you.”

Shu Shuishui had an expression that said, ‘I knew it’. He thought to himself that this man must have been captivated by his beauty. Coincidentally, Shu Shuishui had never kept a human as a pet before. In this unusual world, he felt that he could boldly give it a try and raise a human pet who was visually appealing and had a pleasing voice. For this reason, the little dormouse was prepared to spend all his fortune, even though it seemed like raising a human cub would be quite expensive. Although this cub appeared to be an adult and didn’t need formula milk and diapers at the moment.

After pondering in his mind, Shu Shuishui felt that this pet could be kept. So he showed his sincerity as an owner and climbed onto the sunshade mat in front of the car, extending his little paw towards Gu Langgu. “I’m Shu Shuishui, I’ll take care of you from now on.”

Before Gu Langgu could figure out the meaning of “I’ll take care of you,” his hand had already reacted ahead of his brain, extending towards Shu Shuishui’s paw. They shook hands, and as Gu Langgu was about to retract his hand, Shu Shuishui secretly gave it a couple of strokes.

Gu Langgu pretended not to notice anything and retracted his hand.

Driving in the desert, there was no need to worry about obstacles. Shu Shuishui sat directly in front of Gu Langgu, occasionally sticking his head out to look around.

With nothing to do, Shu Shuishui took out his little notebook and a pen, preparing to be a responsible owner. He began his list of a hundred questions for being a good owner. “Do you have any requirements for your nest?”

Gu Langgu replied, “No requirements.”

“What kind of food do you like? Any preferences?”

“Anything is fine.”

“What’s your favorite color? Any hobbies?”

“Anything is okay.”

…

After finishing the questions, Shu Shuishui looked at his pet survey report. He felt that humans weren’t as difficult to care for as he had imagined, as long as he worked hard to cultivate and provide food.

After the conversation, Shu Shuishui’s mouth felt dry. He took out a baby bottle filled with water and started drinking from it while holding the pen and doodling in his notebook, making plans for the proper care of an adult human pet.

Gu Langgu’s gaze fell on the baby bottle in Shu Shuishui’s hands. When Shu Shuishui noticed it, he immediately raised the bottle high, indicating that Gu Langgu could have some water.

However, the mature human pet Gu Langgu was not prepared to fight over the bottle, so he averted his gaze.

Shu Shuishui didn’t mind. “I’ll prepare separate water cups, bowls, clothes, food, and a bed. These will all be expenses…” Shu Shuishui decided to allocate a small area in his spiritual space specifically for Gu Langgu’s personal belongings, and he also needed to collect some toys.

Compared to the action-oriented Shu Shuishui, it seemed that Gu Langgu’s journey of raising a pet had yet to begin.

The long drive quickly wore out Shu Shuishui’s energy, and eventually, he couldn’t resist his dormouse nature and found a comfortable spot on the sunshade mat to fall asleep.

When Gu Langgu drove back to the base, Yu Jin, who had been anxiously waiting, was overjoyed. “Boss, you finally came back! If you hadn’t returned, everyone in the base would have left.”

Rushing to the car window, Yu Jin quickly briefed Gu Langgu on the recent events. Many factions in Zone C had come to persuade Gu Langgu to join forces and seize control of Zone B’s territory. Following Gu Langgu’s orders, Yu Jin rejected all of them. However, news of the electromagnetic storm’s power and Gu Langgu’s loss of control and disappearance spread, clearly indicating someone’s manipulation, and it was successful. Many people in the base had left, some joining other factions while others sought their own paths.

“Huh? Boss, did you change the car’s decoration? This ornament looks so realistic, and it’s…” Yu Jin’s words were cut short as the realistic ornament turned over, revealing a soft belly and confused wide-open eyes. Then, it extended its paws and waved at him as if greeting.

Yu Jin: ?

I want the little mouse to also wave at me T^T