IRCDM Chapter 29

Chapter 29: Heart-to-Heart, Are You Deliberately Amusing Yourself at My Expense?

Chapter 29: Heart-to-Heart, Are You Deliberately Amusing Yourself at My Expense?

The twilight of human bases is a cold, blue-tinged dimness. Power rationing means most areas are waiting to descend into darkness, but District One is already lit up with dazzling bright lights. Outside the Mercenary Base Residential Building in District Three, various hovercrafts are parked. The light from the vehicle headlights shines through the narrow windows, making the steam from the takeout boxes appear somewhat blurry.

A double portion of takeout is a bit much, filling the small coffee table. Liang Huan sits on the carpet, leisurely eating, completely unconcerned by the cold gaze on his back.

“Even if you live here, you won’t find out any useful information. Finish eating and leave,” Li Yao says with his eyes closed. “Forget about the Transparent Species’ air sac until you successfully help me improve my mental power. You can’t afford it anywhere else anyway, so you might as well listen to me obediently—”

Before he can finish, a warmth suddenly touches his lips. He opens his eyes in shock to see Liang Huan holding a cup of warm water to his lips. “Have some water.”

“…” Li Yao is so angry he forgets what he was about to say and is forced to drink a few mouthfuls of warm water.

The empty, cramping stomach is suddenly met with warmth, and a feeling of nausea instantly surges. He furrows his brow tightly, looking like he wants to kill someone.

Liang Huan blows on the spoonful of porridge and offers it to his mouth again. “Open your mouth.”

Li Yao wants to kill him.

Liang Huan isn’t in a hurry, saying slowly, “If you want your mental power to stay like this forever, then don’t eat. I won’t force you.”

After a standoff of a dozen seconds, Li Yao opens his mouth and drinks a few mouthfuls. The nausea gradually subsides, replaced by the overwhelming hunger after two days and two nights without food. He raises his hand, takes the bowl from Liang Huan, and gulps down all the porridge in one go.

Liang Huan, who couldn’t stop him in time, says, “You have needles in you, it’s best not to move.”

Li Yao raises an eyebrow arrogantly. “I want to. Another bowl.”

Liang Huan hands him the half-eaten bowl of porridge. Li Yao doesn’t mind and finishes it in one go. Liang Huan watches him devour all the food on the table, realizing he only ate half.

“I haven’t finished eating,” he says, looking at Li Yao seriously. “You’ve been hungry for too long. Eating too much isn’t good.”

Li Yao licks his lips, raises his chin, and orders him, “A cup of tea.”

“…” Liang Huan pours him a cup and feeds it to him. Seeing that he has drunk most of it and is about to take it away, Li Yao bites the edge of the cup.

Feeling the resistance, Liang Huan lowers his eyes. “It’s not good to drink too much.”

Li Yao snorts and forces the rest of the tea into his stomach, biting the cup. He probably has energy after eating and is a little restless with the needles in him, impatiently saying, “How long until it’s done?”

“Fifteen more minutes,” Liang Huan says, holding his swaying head. “Be still.”

Li Yao stops moving. Seeing him sitting next to him, he brazenly crosses his legs, deliberately pushing him aside. “Not enough room. Stay away from me.”

Liang Huan takes out some extra silver needles. “I don’t mind giving you a few more needles.”

Li Yao scoffs dismissively, but obediently puts his legs back down and leans back on the sofa, bored.

“I heard from Uncle Yang that this happens to you often, and it lasts for a long time?” Liang Huan asks him.

Li Yao pretends not to hear, kicking Jinbao’s furry back, leaving a dirty shoe print on the robot’s brand-new skin. Jinbao extends its arm to wipe it off, but he deliberately messes with it, turning the robot around every time Jinbao is about to reach it, making Jinbao spin around anxiously, its head almost smoking.

Liang Huan can’t stand it anymore, grabbing his ankle and pressing it back, picking up Jinbao, wiping off the shoe print with a towel, and patting Jinbao’s head. “Stay away from him.”

Jinbao sadly hides in the bathroom, only to find that the bathroom hasn’t been cleaned yet. It can’t help but pick up its little bucket and starts cleaning diligently.

“Li Yao, I’m asking you a question,” Liang Huan says, his voice gentle, but still carrying an invisible pressure. “Some problems don’t disappear just because you don’t answer them.”

Li Yao doesn’t buy it, lazily raising his eyelids. “Annoying. Can’t you tell I don’t want to talk about it?”

Liang Huan gets up and removes all the needles from his body. Tiny beads of blood slowly seep from the skin. The slight stinging makes Li Yao frown, but he has regained his strength and is no longer unable to sit up like before.

Liang Huan removes the needles from his ankles with a sullen face. Li Yao glances at him and kicks his knee. “Hey.”

Liang Huan wipes the blood from his ankles and gets up to wash his hands in the bathroom.

Li Yao touches his nose a little guiltily, then clicks his tongue unhappily.

He was seen by Liang Huan in this stupid state. He’s already being nice by not killing Liang Huan, even though the other party worked hard to give him acupuncture. But this is intruding on his privacy. Is he wrong for not wanting to answer?

Not wrong at all.

Li Yao leans back on the sofa, feeling his strength gradually returning. Although many symptoms caused by the drug’s side effects are still there, it’s much better than before. He originally thought he would have to wait at least seven or eight days this time…

He perks up his ears, listening to the movements in the bathroom. Seeing that the person isn’t coming out, he supports himself on his knees and stands up, leaving a dark footprint on the snow-white carpet with his first step. He snorts and deliberately steps on it a few times before walking to the bathroom door, pushing it open arrogantly. “It’s not that I don’t want to tell you, it’s that when I have this symptom, I basically—”

A mist rushes towards him, mixed with a faint fragrance. Liang Huan stands under the shower, hearing the sound, raises his head, and pushes the foamy hair behind his head, revealing his smooth forehead. The water makes him squint, and he says in a deep voice, “Basically what?”

Li Yao slams the door shut, almost hitting his nose with the door panel. He asks in shock, “Why are you showering?!”

Liang Huan is bewildered. “I was just holding you and giving you acupuncture. My clothes are dirty, so of course I need to shower.”

“The water’s cut off. How can you shower?” Li Yao says angrily.

“I bought a water storage tank before. I even told you. Did you forget?” Liang Huan’s voice travels into his ears through the water vapor and the door panel.

“When did you say that!” Li Yao says harshly. “We were talking nicely. Why are you taking a shower without a word!”

Liang Huan wipes his face. “I saw that you didn’t want to talk, so I let you calm down. Who knew you’d break in? Why are you throwing a tantrum for no reason?”

Li Yao crosses his arms. “I saw something I shouldn’t have seen.”

“I can’t shower with clothes on,” Liang Huan chuckles. “Li Yao, you’re always making things difficult.”

This laugh is wrapped in the floating water vapor in the bathroom, gently scratching Li Yao’s nerves, leaving his emotions in a state of limbo. He remembers the glimpse just now. Although the bathroom was filled with mist, and the aftereffects prevented him from seeing it clearly, the image of Liang Huan standing under the shower, pushing back his hair, and raising his eyes was so clear. The collarbones and abs seemed to be deliberately magnified and plastered in front of his eyes, and further down there was indeed some capital…

“Heh,” Li Yao sneers.

“Why are you not talking?” Liang Huan asks.

“Take your shower,” Li Yao says in a bad mood, knocking on the closed bathroom door, stepping over Jinbao in front of him, and returning to the living room.

Liang Huan finishes his shower and changes into home wear. He bought this set but didn’t have time to wear it before leaving. The light yellow short fleece jacket is soft and comfortable, and there are two small red balls sewn on the hood. He studied it for a long time but couldn’t figure out whether they were eyes or ears.

Li Yao is drinking the awful tea and almost spits it out when he sees him come out in this outfit.

“What the hell are you wearing?” he says with considerable disdain.

Liang Huan sits down on the sofa. “I think it’s very comfortable and warm. You modern people do have some good points.”

Li Yao is amused by his serious look and can’t help reaching out to pinch the small balls hanging from his hood. “You’re really uncultured. It’s ugly.”

“I think it’s very good,” the emperor himself says, displeased that his aesthetic sense is being attacked.

Li Yao ties a knot in the hood string, poking his face with the small balls.

Liang Huan grabs his wrist. “What did you want to say when you came in just now?”

“Forgot,” Li Yao says, shaking off his hand, slumping on the sofa and yawning. “Since you helped me tonight, I’ll barely put you up for one night. If others find out about the aftereffects, you’re dead.”

Liang Huan sighs softly.

Li Yao turns his head to stare at him.

Liang Huan meets his gaze without changing his expression, and unties the knot on the small balls.

“Fine,” Li Yao turns his head back, saying in the darkness, “When the drug’s side effects kick in, I have no awareness at all. Many actions are beyond my control. At first, sedatives were useful, but later I became immune. If I eat less, it’s just uncomfortable. If I eat a lot, sometimes it lasts for two or three days. I can think of ways to stay awake… Just help me improve my mental power. Then I won’t need to take these drugs. Don’t worry about these little things.”

Liang Huan asks, “Is your mental power really C-grade?”

Li Yao suddenly falls silent.

“Before you took the medicine, I could barely feel your mental power,” Liang Huan says. “I saw on the data that even the lowest S-grade mental power can sense D-grade. Li Yao, I want to hear the truth.”

There is an especially long silence in the darkness. After an unknown amount of time, Li Yao slowly opens his mouth. “E-minus.”

Liang Huan is stunned.

“After I was salvaged from space, my mental power completely collapsed. At first, I couldn’t even stay awake,” Li Yao’s voice is very low, with a kind of suppressed unwillingness and anger. “And they determined that I have severe post-traumatic stress and trauma. In the doctor’s eyes, the most suitable place for me to go is a sanatorium. Until now, I can’t even drive a hovercraft… If there’s even a sliver of possibility, I don’t want to place my hopes on others. In the forest of the outer district before, it was the first time in ten years that I re-entered the mecha. I didn’t even think I could take another step in the mecha. Do you know what that means to me?”

Liang Huan grabs his cold hand and squeezes his palm hard. “So you need to use drugs to stabilize your mental power to C-grade?”

Li Yao didn’t expect him to suddenly grab his hand. He stiffens for a moment, then pulls his hand away under the guise of reaching for a cigarette, lowers his head, lights a cigarette, and puts it in his mouth, laughing self-deprecatingly.

“The highest I can reach is C-grade. In the mercenary world, ugly body data will cause trouble. I don’t have that much energy to deal with these things.” He puts one foot on the edge of the sofa, and his bent leg blocks Liang Huan’s arm. He reaches out and takes down the burning cigarette. “Choking? I’ll put it out if it is.”

“It’s fine,” Liang Huan senses his wariness and resistance and doesn’t get any closer. “Why must you continue to pilot mechas?”

The red glow between his fingers flickers, reflecting Li Yao’s sharp and resolute profile. His gaze is unfocused, as if he’s looking at something through his eyes. “Liang Huan, you have things you must do, and so do I. Knowing too much isn’t good for you, nor for me. Don’t ask.”

“Okay,” Liang Huan nods.

“I’ve never told anyone this. It’s quite embarrassing. Keep it a secret for me,” Li Yao twists out the cigarette, tilting his head to stare at the faint electrical wires on the ceiling. “If you’re really a spy sent by the military, I’m done for.”

“I won’t,” Liang Huan says. “I’ll think of a way to help you.”

“You really just want the Transparent Species’ marrow?” Li Yao raises his eyebrows. “That’s no small favor.”

Liang Huan stares at him with a deep gaze. “Li Yao, I hope that one day, you can completely trust and accept me. I appreciate you very much, and I love you even more. In the future, if—”

Before he can finish, his mouth is covered.

Li Yao looks at him for two seconds, drooping his head dejectedly. “Your Majesty, my teeth are about to turn to mush. Put away your magic. Don’t say those mushy and disgusting words to me anymore.”

Liang Huan takes his wrist away. “Okay.”

Li Yao can’t help but sigh. “Sleep.”

“I still want to talk to you,” Liang Huan says, releasing his hand. “I don’t know when I’ll be back next time. I sent you messages, but you didn’t reply. You don’t answer my calls either.”

“…” Li Yao meets his sincere and gentle gaze, is silent for two seconds, and collapses, covering his eyes on the sofa. “Kill me.”

“Why?” Liang Huan asks seriously.

“You—” Li Yao feels like he punched cotton. That bit of annoyance is indescribable, but its presence is extremely strong, hooking him there. He was just about to solve it violently when he suddenly glimpsed the subtle smile in Liang Huan’s eyes.

Li Yao raises his eyebrows slowly. “You’re not doing this on purpose, are you?”

“Huh?” Liang Huan asks in confusion.

He narrows his eyes dangerously. “Are you deliberately trying to make me happy?”

Liang Huan says solemnly, “I am not.”

“You still dare to say no. You were smiling just now, your fox tail couldn’t be hidden!” Li Yao grabs his neck and presses him onto the sofa.

Liang Huan doesn’t get angry even when his neck is grabbed. He just grabs the little black dragon on his wrist, lies on the sofa, and looks at him with a smile, saying, “Other people don’t believe that I’m the emperor.”

Li Yao is shocked. “Does it look like I believe you?”

“I didn’t say you were stupid,” the smile in Liang Huan’s eyes deepens. “It just sounds a little unrealistic. I hope you can keep it a secret for me.”

Li Yao laughs inexplicably by him. After laughing, he realizes that he is pressing the person on the sofa. The two people’s postures are now slightly intimate. He clears his throat, lets go, and gets up. “Sleep more and talk less. Don’t disturb my rest here.”

Liang Huan gets up, straightens his clothes, and says seriously, “Although sometimes I think your reaction is interesting, everything I say is sincere. Li Yao, consider it carefully and come to my side.”

Li Yao sighs. “Your Majesty, you should get your brain fixed first.”

Liang Huan is helpless.

Li Yao is looking at the chip with his head down, when he suddenly says, “Did the mecha competition pass the review?”

“It passed. Although the competition doesn’t restrict mental power and physical fitness, the competition system is divided according to mental power level. After the mental power challenge of the same level, the competition will be upgraded. It will be a long time before it’s my turn,” Liang Huan says.

His mental power is S-grade, and the singles competition is ranked very late. The doubles and team competitions will have to wait until the singles competition is over before starting. Therefore, they have plenty of time to prepare.

Li Yao says, “黑金金金金’s shell was destroyed by the Transparent Species. It needs a new body now.”

Liang Huan understands. “That A-grade mecha used as a prize?”

“And three million Condensed Coins, which can be used as repair fees,” Li Yao calculates with a clatter. “If you can win the championship, I can give you a little sample of the Transparent Species’ marrow.”

Liang Huan says, “You’re really stingy. When did I say that the prize would all belong to you?”

The room suddenly falls silent. He turns his head to look and sees that Li Yao has already fallen asleep. He is resting in the sofa with his head tilted. The dark circles under his eyes are obvious, and the fatigue around his body cannot be dispelled. Even Liang Huan did not expect that he could hold on for so long. Logically, he should have fallen asleep unconscious as soon as he pulled the needles out. Just now, he was relying on willpower to support it.

He was just about to get up when his shoulder suddenly becomes heavy.

Liang Huan leans back on the sofa, crosses his legs to change to a comfortable position, and opens the chip to start studying the mecha driving tutorial. In the darkness, only the warm touch on his shoulder and the heavy breathing in his ears are left.

It seems that the plan to steal the Transparent Species’ marrow tonight is not going to work.