CH 146

Seeing the legendary figure with his own eyes, Qing Mengxing couldn’t help but think that rumors were indeed unreliable. The man rumored to have caused the total destruction of both enemy and allied forces due to his uncontrollable powers seemed quite different from his imagination. At the very least, those vivid eyes didn’t resemble something a purely mechanical being could possess.

“General Gu, hello, I’m Qing Mengxing,” Qing Mengxing said, facing the seemingly fearless ‘General Gu’ with a hint of nervousness.

Gu Langu nodded slightly. “I know, the one Shui Shui picked up.”

Qing Mengxing was momentarily taken aback, then his gaze shifted to Shu Shuishui standing beside Gu Langu. He hesitated for a moment, unsure of how to address him.

“I’m Shu Shuishui, and everyone here picked you up; otherwise, you would have become fertilizer for the trees,” Shu Shuishui introduced himself and pointed to a gray rat sitting by the campfire in the distance. “That rat found you and even gave you water,” he added. “Fed you with a bottle.”

Qing Mengxing remained silent, wondering what else they expected him to say.

He had never thanked a rat before, but he silently noted it and planned to express his gratitude when the time was right. Due to his injuries, Qing Mengxing soon returned to his tent and lay down. Of course, before that, he had a bowl of watery porridge, given his current condition; it was the only suitable option.

After dinner, Shu Shuishui and Gu Langu entered the tent where Qing Mengxing was resting. As the tent’s curtains were drawn, the outside world’s flickering firelight and noise were instantly cut off. Inside the tent, a light was on, and Qing Mengxing was tinkering with a computer, seemingly surprised by the level of technological advancement in the Shui Jing Gong. Upon their arrival, Qing Mengxing put down his computer.

“The technological development here really makes one envious,” Qing Mengxing smiled and appeared much more relaxed than before. His gaze casually swept around, and suddenly, he noticed a new bandage wrapped around Gu Langu’s fingers. He raised an eyebrow in surprise, recalling that Gu Langu’s skin and muscles were said to have been chosen from the strongest supermetals.

Gu Langu noticed Qing Mengxing’s gaze, and instead of avoiding it, he raised his hand, speaking quite naturally. “Cut myself accidentally while dealing with fish. Shui Shui insisted on bandaging it, saying it’s hot weather and easy to get infected. Do you have a loved one?”

Qing Mengxing shook his head stiffly, feeling that something was off.

Gu Langu reassured him, “It’s okay; there are plenty of singles in the base. You’re not alone.”

Qing Mengxing’s mind was a bit confused, unable to determine if this was meant as comfort or boasting.

After consuming some dog food without realizing it, Qing Mengxing finally regained some control over the conversation. He briefly recounted his experiences and his purpose for coming here.

Apart from Qing Mengxing, there were no survivors in the Dream Star River. He didn’t go into detail about the devastating battle, but after that, he set his sights on Zones A and S, lurking nearby to gather information and plan to assassinate Mang Ya, the initiator of the extermination order.

However, the result was clear, he didn’t succeed. Mang Ya himself, being an exceptional assassin, was too familiar with the assassination profession. He was able to establish himself in Zone S, relying on both his assassination and counter-assassination skills.

According to Qing Mengxing, after his failed assassination attempt, he was severely injured by Mang Ya. But Mang Ya was extremely arrogant, or perhaps he wasn’t particularly keen on killing him, allowing him to escape.

Qing Mengxing managed to escape, but he didn’t immediately come to the Cangyu Mountains because he suspected that Mang Ya let him go with the intention of following him to find a way into the Cangyu Mountains. After all, the Cangyu Mountains only accepted wanderers from the southern hemisphere, and no one from Zone S had entered the Cangyu Mountains yet.

But as the temperature gradually rose and the environment deteriorated, Qing Mengxing had to approach the Cangyu Mountains to obtain essential supplies for survival. However, his injuries deteriorated faster than expected, so he lost consciousness before he could contact the Shui Jing Gong. Just before closing his eyes, Qing Mengxing felt that the only regret he had was not being able to get revenge.

As for contacting the Shui Jing Gong, it was because while Qing Mengxing was lurking in Zone S, he heard the news that Mang Ya was preparing to launch an attack before the end of the dry season. In the next two months, Zones S and A would try to find a way to enter the Cangyu Mountains, and even if they didn’t find a way in, they would launch a full-scale attack at any cost.

Qing Mengxing couldn’t understand why Zones A and S harbored such intense resentment toward them, newcomers from the southern hemisphere. In the past, it could be explained by competition for resources and land, but the fleet from the southern hemisphere had already found new places to settle with the help of the Shui Jing Gong. Perhaps, in their eyes, the Cangyu Mountains belonged to all of them, and Qing Mengxing could only think that way.

“I arrived at Cang Zhan Star quite early, so I don’t know much about Mang Ya’s information, but judging by his actions, his goals are very clear. We speculate that he’s a Death Contract assassin,” Qing Mengxing naturally referred to Gu Langu as the target.

Shu Shuishui frowned slightly, obviously not fond of this person named Mang Ya. But before he could say anything, Cui Cui, who had been eavesdropping in his hair, couldn’t hold back anymore. It poked its tiny head out, swaying back and forth and happily chirping. Its crisp sound was pleasant to the ears, clearly reflecting its joyful mood.

Gu Langu: “…”

Qing Mengxing: ???

Why is this bird suddenly so happy?

Shu Shuishui tapped the little hummingbird’s head with his finger. “Cui Cui, don’t worry. Gu Gu will be fine, and he will definitely beat Mang Ya.”

“Chirp!” The hummingbird’s chirping abruptly stopped, and it became somewhat stiff. Its round, beady eyes cautiously looked at Gu Langu.

Gu Langu had a smile that wasn’t quite a smile on his face. His height advantage allowed him to easily look down at the little hummingbird hiding in Shu Shuishui’s hair. “Cui Cui, how about sleeping with me tonight? Let’s build some rapport; you can’t always stick to Shui Shui.”

Shu Shuishui readily agreed. “Sure.”

Cui Cui flipped over and landed on Shu Shuishui’s head, looking like it had given up, with an expression that seemed to say, ‘I’m dead, don’t mind me.’

Qing Mengxing, who witnessed the entire scene, was left speechless.

After successfully scaring the little hummingbird, Gu Langu returned to a serious demeanor. “I’ve heard something about Mang Ya. It’s said that he’s a madman, not in terms of mental illness, but his personality is crazy. He kills based on his mood and preferences. Anyone who has fought him should be dead, so his true strength has never been accurately assessed. But without a doubt, he’s very powerful and hasn’t failed once; that’s the information I had before coming to Cang Zhan Star.”

After hearing the explanation, Qing Mengxing had a moment of realization. “If that’s the case, it’s easy to explain. Mang Ya’s extermination of Zone S personnel is definitely on a catastrophic level. Although he successfully took control of Zone S, its strength was greatly reduced due to his massacre. The total attack in two months seems to completely disregard Zone S’s future development as if it were solely for the purpose of killing the target. The orders seem childish as if just to please himself.”

“Such individuals are the most troublesome. Most of the others who tried to assassinate General Gu and entered Cang Zhan Star did so for reasons like money, threats, or exchanging something else. But Mang Ya came to Cang Zhan Star probably just for fun. He has no inhibitions, no fear, and killing General Gu is purely out of interest,” Qing Mengxing explained.

After realizing this, Shu Shuishui couldn’t help but feel a headache. “This guy isn’t cute at all. Gu Gu must stay with me for the next two months, and I’ll protect Gu Gu.” He said it firmly and decisively.

Qing Mengxing, whose gaze had been shifting between the two of them, couldn’t help but comment, “You two have such a good relationship.”

Shu Shuishui didn’t hesitate. “Of course, he’s Gu Gu, after all.”

Gu Langu’s eyes instantly softened. “Because I’m Shui Shui’s Gu Gu.”

Shu Shuishui blinked at Gu Langu, understanding his meaning. It was because of his arrival that Gu Langu became Gu Gu.

Qing Mengxing couldn’t understand the cryptic exchange between the two but felt that the scene was somewhat awkward, with a lingering scent of romance in the air.

Leaving Qing Mengxing’s tent behind, Shu Shuishui and Gu Langu headed to their dwelling, discussing Mang Ya along the way. It was clear that Mang Ya couldn’t be judged by common sense. If he went mad, he probably wouldn’t care about the losses in Zones S and A. His attack might even be suicidal. In that case, even with the mutant creatures on their side, they would still suffer heavy casualties.

Back in the bedroom, they took turns to freshen up. Before Shu Shuishui entered the bathroom, he picked up Cui Cui.

Cui Cui turned stiff as a specimen, standing obediently on the bed. Sensing Gu Langu approaching, it instantly fluffed up its feathers and then started flapping its wings toward the bathroom.

There was no way Gu Langu would allow it to rush into the bathroom. He easily caught it and threw Cui Cui into the micro-ranch.

The micro-ranch had everything one could ask for, with gentle breezes, grass, a fake mountain, and a small stream at just the right temperature. Cui Cui let out a sigh of relief, muttering chirps, thinking that Gu Langu hadn’t done anything too excessive. It flapped its wings a bit, found a comfortable spot in the micro-ranch, and went to sleep.

Little did the bold and innocent Cui Cui know that Gu Langu had been brewing this idea for a while.

Why did Gu Langu throw Cui Cui into the ranch? One, the little bird couldn’t control itself and disturbed Shu Shuishui’s precious grasshoppers, earning his anger. Two, the little bird successfully integrated into the pasture and made friends with the grasshoppers, preventing Shu Shuishui from eating them, which annoyed him. Three, the little bird didn’t like the grasshoppers, making Shu Shuishui question its taste and gradually distance himself from it.

After thinking it over, Gu Langu felt this plan was perfect. So, when Shu Shuishui came out of the bathroom and asked about Cui Cui, Gu Langu casually informed him that Cui Cui had already gone to sleep.

With dreams of success, Gu Langu embraced Shu Shuishui and entered the world of dreams. However, the next day, he was still awakened by Cui Cui’s chirping. When he opened his eyes, he saw Cui Cui stepping on a grasshopper and, upon seeing Shu Shuishui awake, struggling to flap its little wings and placing the grasshopper in front of Shu Shuishui as if it had worked diligently to prepare breakfast for him.

Shu Shuishui was pleasantly surprised as he received a grasshopper. “Look, Gu Gu, even Cui Cui can make breakfast now. It’s definitely growing up.”

Gu Langu: “…” It seemed like the filter wasn’t just for himself.

Cui Cui raised its tiny head triumphantly. “Chirp chirp chirp!”

Translator’s corner:

Plan failed! HAHAHAHAHAHAHHAHAAHAHHAH