IRCDM Chapter 33

Chapter 33: Jailbreak. Get a Good Night’s Sleep.

At this hour, most parts of the Eastern Third District are pitch black. Only the indicator lights of traffic robots and the conduits of the elevated roadways are lit. The wind rushes into the vehicle, carrying a pungent smell of machine oil. The buildings on both sides of the road stand densely packed, appearing tall even when viewed from mid-air. The numerous windows resemble a honeycomb, dark and gloomy, creating a sense of oppression and dullness.

The radiation shield above blurs the night sky. Since Liang Huan arrived here, he has become accustomed to the noise, darkness, and poor air quality. The humans living here are either numb or irritable. Frankly, he finds it difficult to like this world.

But that doesn’t matter.

Passing by the Mercenary Base Residential Building, only the mercenary cafeteria is lit up in mid-air. Deng Meng deliberately slows down the car, but Liang Huan simply looks out the window without saying a word. He has no choice but to accelerate and pass the mercenary base.

“Brother Liang, at this time of day in the Eastern Third District, except for special buildings like the cafeteria and breeding bases, the entire district will be blacked out. Power won’t be supplied again until 11:00 PM for three hours,” Deng Meng says cautiously. “The Third District is located in the northwest corner of the entire Eastern District Base, mainly consisting of the mercenary base and the Black Market. Besides that, there’s also the Excited Experiment Building and the Zombie/Heteromorph Breeding Base, and the Population Matching Center…”

He leaves the rest unsaid. The Third District has the highest rate of violent incidents in the entire Eastern District Base, and the population mortality rate remains high. Many residents would rather live in the Red Light District and slums of the Eastern Fourth District than in this area. There’s really nothing to see.

The hovercar stops at the highest point on the eastern side of the Third District. Liang Huan looks at the brilliant and bright lights and towering, illuminated buildings in the east, and asks, “Is that the Eastern First District?”

“Yes, across the North River. We can’t get over there,” Deng Meng says.

Liang Huan is puzzled: “Can’t get over there?”

“Vehicles entering and exiting each district need to be registered and apply for permission. It’s basically impossible for a car from our Third District to enter the First District. It’s also difficult for people to go there. The public transportation in the First District can’t scan the chips of residents from other districts. And residents of the Third District are considered high-risk, so there are many restrictions wherever they go. The External District Entrance/Exit Center is probably the easiest to get approved,” Deng Meng sighs. “Not to mention the Black Market. The Third District is currently loosely managed, so we can still come out, even go to the External District. Ten years ago, we couldn’t even get out of the Black Market’s gate.”

“Are these regulations made by the officials here?” Liang Huan asks.

“Brother Liang, are you talking about the Political Hall? It’s become just a decoration,” Deng Meng says. “Now the Military Department basically has the final say. But some say that the Military Department is just a shell now, and the Dawn Group is the one truly controlling the entire Eastern District.”

Liang Huan vaguely remembers this name. The chips implanted in their wrists, as well as Small Panda Takeout and the mecha rental center, seem to be under this group’s name.

“But it doesn’t matter who’s in charge. There are more and more zombies and heteromorphs in the External District, and the radiation is getting worse. I don’t know how long this shield can last, and they don’t seem to want to repair it. People are getting all kinds of strange diseases. It wouldn’t be surprising if someone mutated one day,” Deng Meng says indifferently. “A few years ago, there was a news report that the Military Department had discovered advanced heteromorphs that could turn into humans, but later they denied it and said they were genetically mutated humans. Who knows if it’s true or not. Now most people think that the extinction of humanity is only a matter of time. If you can’t die, then just live.”

Liang Huan turns to look at him. He seems relaxed, but his eyes are full of confusion. Liang Huan has seen many people like this, whether in ancient times or in this so-called post-apocalyptic world. They can’t see hope for the future, but they haven’t completely despaired of the world, so they can only struggle to live like this, numb and in pain.

People like Li Yao, with fire burning in their eyes, willing to grit their teeth and move forward even if they are crushed to pieces, are a rare few.

He tries to find a replacement for Li Yao in his mind, but no matter how hard he searches, he still comes up empty. As a result, he becomes even more displeased.

It isn’t until he returns to the seventh floor of the Black Market and sees Yue Hang and the others that his mood improves slightly.

“Lou Chu called. I heard that Mr. Yu was very angry. I guessed that something must have happened to you on the lower eighth floor,” Yue Hang says in a low voice as he walks beside him. “What happened?”

“Lou Chu deliberately made trouble.” Liang Huan looks at the brightly lit building in front of him, and says apologetically, “I’m afraid this will implicate you. No matter what I say, just say you don’t know.”

“How can that be?” Yue Hang grabs his arm. “You’re my brother. We’ll face anything together.”

Liang Huan meets his gaze. Yue Hang says solemnly, “Mr. Yu has a very bad temper. I’m the captain of Shenfeng, so he won’t do anything to me. Don’t worry.”

A touch of just the right amount of worry appears in Liang Huan’s eyes, and he squeezes his wrist heavily.

Yu Wan Yao’s face is very ugly. Lou Chu didn’t show up at the celebration banquet he hosted, which he seized as a pretext to deal with Lou Chu later. But Liang Huan quietly ran to the lower eighth floor and almost stomped Lou Chu’s head. If he doesn’t express his attitude, the people under him might be disheartened.

Liang Huan might as well have just killed Lou Chu. Then he would have taken over the lower eighth floor smoothly and cleaned up Liang Huan in the process—but now he’s the one being roasted on the fire.

So, as soon as he sees Liang Huan, he can’t suppress his anger and throws the wine glass in his hand directly at him.

The glass shatters on the ground near Liang Huan’s feet. He lowers his eyes and says, “Mr. Yu, calm down.”

Yu Wan Yao points at him fiercely: “You’ve caused me a lot of trouble this time. What were you doing running to the lower eighth floor all by yourself?”

Liang Huan says, “Li Yao asked me to go.”

Yu Wan Yao says angrily, “What did he ask you to do? You go just because he asks you to?”

“Mr. Yu, we’re a legal spousal unit. What else could he ask me to do?” Liang Huan says unhurriedly, “He hates me but can’t let me go. The reason I went was to help you continue to gather information about the Black Box. I didn’t expect him to take me directly to the lower eighth floor.”

Yu Wan Yao frowns: “What was he doing on the lower eighth floor?”

Liang Huan sighs: “He said it was more exciting that way, and tried to scare me into going back with him. As a result, Lou Chu was blind and insisted on interfering. He couldn’t bear it, so he took action.”

Yu Wan Yao is choked by his words, his face is full of anger but he can’t say anything for a long time. After a long time, he rubs his brow in headache.

“As for saying I stomped his head, that’s purely nonsense. You know, my physical fitness is only E-,” Liang Huan says with a helpless smile, “He’s more likely to stomp my head.”

Yue Hang next to him: “…”

If he hadn’t seen Liang Huan smashing zombie heads with a stick, he almost would have believed him. He couldn’t help but look at Yu Wan Yao, only to find that he was actually thinking seriously.

Yu Wan Yao sighs, subconsciously following Liang Huan’s words. It’s intolerable for any man to be disturbed when something good is happening, especially with Li Yao’s bad temper… Damn it, how did this idiot Lou Chu pick the right person?! And he’s talking nonsense about Liang Huan stomping his head. He’s probably just deliberately trying to give him trouble.

Intoxicated with alcohol, Yu Wan Yao feels dizzy. He forces himself to calm down and sits on the sofa, then puts on an act: “Liang Huan, no matter who did this, Lou Chu has filed a complaint with me, so I must give him an explanation.”

Liang Huan is about to speak, but Yue Hang next to him says, “Mr. Yu, Liang Huan is a member of the Shenfeng Exploration Team. It’s my fault for not disciplining him properly. If you really want to give Mr. Lou an explanation, I can accept the punishment.”

Yu Wan Yao supports his head, his gaze sweeping over Yue Hang and Liang Huan, revealing some dissatisfaction with Yue Hang’s actions.

Liang Huan lowers his eyes, giving Yu Wan Yao plenty of time to think, then tenses his back in a slightly “nervous and helpless” manner and says, “Mr. Yu, I’m responsible for my own actions. I can go to the lower eighth floor and apologize to Mr. Lou. It’s not Captain Yue’s fault—”

“Alright.” Yu Wan Yao interrupts him, raises his eyes to look at Yue Hang, “Since he’s your subordinate, then you take responsibility. From today onwards, you’re no longer the captain of Shenfeng. Go to the Experiment Building to receive your punishment.”

Yue Hang’s face turns pale when he hears the words “Experiment Building,” but he still says in a deep voice: “Yes, Mr. Yu.”

Yu Wan Yao waves his hand impatiently, signaling them to get lost.

But Liang Huan doesn’t leave.

“Anything else?” Yu Wan Yao narrows his eyes.

Liang Huan sits down opposite him and says calmly, “This time, Li Yao revealed some information about the Black Box to me.”

Yu Wan Yao perks up instantly: “What did he say?”

“The Black Box is very well hidden by him. Only he can get it, and his mental power must meet the standard,” Liang Huan says, “But with his current E-level mental power, it’s difficult to do so.”

“E-?” Yu Wan Yao is instantly surprised and uncertain.

“His mental power is almost completely damaged. He usually relies on taking high concentrations of mental power enhancers to maintain it at the lowest level,” Liang Huan says with a smile, “But even so, he still insists on piloting the mecha. The reason he spared my life is because I’m currently the only mental power linking object that can help him enter the mecha. So I reasonably infer that the mecha and the Black Box are inseparable.”

Yu Wan Yao looks at him thoughtfully, wondering what he’s thinking.

“I’ve already revealed my dissatisfaction with you to him, and this separation has also made him realize that although we occasionally have friction in our relationship, we are very concerned about each other. Unfortunately, I know very little about Li Yao’s past, so he can’t fully trust me yet.” Liang Huan leans back, “If Mr. Yu can agree to two conditions, perhaps I can successfully get in touch with the Black Box.”

Yu Wan Yao says in a deep voice, “What do you want?”

“For the mecha competition next week, I want to borrow your Shenfeng mecha.” Liang Huan says helplessly, “I’m short on funds and can’t afford to rent an S-class mecha. And I heard that your Shenfeng is a 2S. Li Yao’s attitude is tough, forcing me to borrow Shenfeng. Otherwise, everything I said before was a lie to him… I’m worried that our progress will be in vain.”

Yu Wan Yao laughs: “Shenfeng is my most beloved mecha.”

“But the Black Box is more important,” Liang Huan says, “Mr. Yu, it would be a pity to focus on the small and lose the big picture.”

Yu Wan Yao ponders for a moment, then raises his eyes to look at him: “What else?”

“I want to know something about Li Yao’s past,” Liang Huan says politely, “My head has suffered mental power impacts, so I don’t remember some things very clearly. Everyone is keeping quiet about the Dawn Star incident now, and I really have no choice. I hope you can understand.”

Yu Wan Yao says, “How much do you want to know?”

“As much as you can tell me.” Liang Huan smiles slightly, “If it’s sufficient, perhaps I can not only take the opportunity to help you get rid of Lou Chu, but also completely control Li Yao.”

Yu Wan Yao slowly lowers his gaze.

—

As the night deepens, the lights in the room slowly go out. Li Yao lies on the bed, propped up on his arm. A bowl of steaming medicinal soup sits on the coffee table.

Jinbao reminds him: “Master Li Yao, the medicine is getting cold.”

“What if it poisons me?” Li Yao kicks its butt. “Is your master going to pay for my life?”

“Jinbao will comfort Master well and suggest that Master bury you in the best cemetery in the Eastern District, the Dawn Memorial Tower,” Jinbao says.

Li Yao smiles: “Dawn Memorial Tower…”

He gets up and drinks the bitter medicinal soup. Even though his sense of taste isn’t very sensitive, he still almost throws up. He takes out a piece of candy from the cabinet and throws it into his mouth, chewing it loudly. Only after a while does he feel his soul return to his body.

He squats on the ground and stares at Jinbao, deliberately turning the robot upside down, which makes it spin around in place anxiously. He gloats: “If you want to blame someone, blame Liang Huan for not coming back. You’re in my hands now, so cry.”

Perhaps triggered by some instruction, Jinbao actually starts crying, its virtual tears exploding in the air like a fountain. Li Yao persists for ten seconds, then sighs, flips the little robot back, and threatens, “I’ll tear you apart if you cry again.”

Jinbao sniffs very humanly, leans over, hugs his calf, and rubs against it.

Li Yao laughs and kicks it: “Go play.”

Jinbao happily strides off on its short legs to clean.

He doesn’t know what’s in this medicine. After drinking it, his head feels groggy. Just as he’s about to fall asleep, the chip on his wrist suddenly vibrates.

He opens his eyes with difficulty and turns on the screen. He sees a message from Liang Huan’s default avatar: [Li Yao, did you drink the medicine?]

Li Yao sneers and doesn’t really want to pay attention to him.

He closes his eyes to prepare to sleep, but opens them again a few minutes later. The chip vibrates appropriately, and Liang Huan’s call comes through directly.

Jinbao lies on the head of the bed and whispers a reminder: “Master Li Yao, Master is calling.”

“Tch, you answer it.” Li Yao puts the chip on Jinbao’s ear.

“Li Yao.” Liang Huan’s voice sounds heavily in the room.

Li Yao doesn’t say anything. Jinbao says in a thin voice, “Hello, Master. Master Li Yao asked me to connect the call. Do you have anything to say? Please leave a message after the tone.”

Liang Huan: “…Let Li Yao answer.”

Li Yao says lazily, “What?”

Liang Huan asks, “Did you drink the medicine?”

“Didn’t drink it. My mouth hurts too much to open,” Li Yao says with a snort.

“…” Liang Huan is silent for a moment.

Suddenly, an explosion comes from the other side of the call.

Li Yao sits up abruptly: “Where are you?”

Liang Huan stands in front of the Black Market’s “Experiment Building,” the fire after the building’s explosion reflecting in his dark eyes. He watches Lu Biao and Deng Meng lead people rushing into the fire, and says in a deep voice: “I’m breaking into jail.”

“What?” Li Yao frowns.

“I stomped Lou Chu’s head. Yu Wan Yao plans to get rid of me and has locked Yue Hang in the Black Market Experiment Building.” Liang Huan’s voice is gentle. “Li Yao, I don’t know if I can survive this time. If something happens to me, the mental power enhancers are in the villa I live in on the seventh floor. You can come and get them if you need them. The medicinal soup should still be made according to my prescription. I wish you a speedy recovery and hope you find another husband who can help you match into the mecha.”

“No, wait a minute,” Li Yao’s drowsiness disappears instantly. “Lou Chu isn’t dead. Is Yu Wan Yao going that far?”

“Li Yao.” Liang Huan says with a helpless smile. “I’m a spy, approaching you to get information. I haven’t been able to give him useful information for a long time, so I’m not very useful anymore. Keeping me is just a hassle for him.”

Li Yao curses inwardly and grabs the coat on the ground, but is still more cautious: “Then why are you calling me? You don’t expect me to save you, do you? Don’t dream.”

A chuckle comes from the call: “I just suddenly wanted to hear your voice again.”

“Damn it.” Li Yao’s hand grabs the doorknob, but he suddenly turns back, grabs two large bottles of mental power enhancers from the cabinet, and rushes out the door.

On the seventh floor of the Black Market, Liang Huan walks unhurriedly into the constantly exploding fire. The sound of alarms frantically blaring rings through the sky. He takes out the chip from his wrist expressionlessly, crushes it, and throws it into the burning flames.