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ntranslator: baumkuchen editors: serefina, glitterypanda

nSummer soon arrived. Rosie asked Chi Xiaochi, who was acting as Ji Zuoshan, if he wanted to participate in the summer training on “The Scar” together.

nChi Xiaochi asked her, “You also want to go?”

nAll those wanting to participate in the summer training on “The Scar” were, practically without exception, of decent ability, wanting to test themselves out, or even perhaps take centre stage.

nGiven Rosie’s strength, even if she didn’t partake in the ruckus, she was still a quasi-Alpha. She would be better off saving her strength for the tournament in half a year’s time.

nRosie, dressed in a pair of cargo pants and a black singlet, was currently repairing the rear thrusters of her mecha. As such, her hands were covered in machine oil.

nShe said, “I need some experimental data.”

nChi Xiaochi raised his eyebrows slightly.

nRosie said, “That place has live Zerg. I’ve seen an anatomical diagram before, but that’s still not enough. I need to personally dissect one.”

nChi Xiaochi really admired this kind of woman. He said, “That’s good then. If you need a bodyguard, I’ll go.”

n“I don’t need one.” Rosie’s blue eyes fluttered. “I just think that you probably need this opportunity. ……Hey.””

nA lock of hair fell out from where it was tucked behind Rosie’s ear, blocking her line of sight.

nStretching out her hands, she leaned down from where she was sitting cross-legged on the A-shaped ladder and motioned to Chi Xiaochi standing below the ladder to help her tie her hair up.

nBefore Chi Xiaochi could even lift his arms, Blue, standing next to him, was one step ahead of him, carefully helping Rosie put her hair up and fastening it with a hair clip. It seemed to have been completely prepared.

nDone, it bowed and said politely, “Miss Rosie, it’s done.”

nRosie still had feelings for Ji Zuoshan, but these feelings weren’t to the point where she would want to confess them; it was slightly more than admiration.

nShe was naturally one who just took advantage of opportunities when they came. Of course it was good if she could close the distance between them, but when she was cut off midway by Blue, she wasn’t mad either. She shot Blue a look, saying, “Look at you butting in on my business, tomorrow I’m going to donate you to the academy.”

nBlue let out a soft laugh, “Miss Rosie, even if Miss donates me, I’ll just sneak back.”

nChi Xiaochi looked up at Blue. Blue just so happened to be looking back.

nA human and a machine each reached out their left and right hand respectively and high-fived.

nSeeing this exhibition of the tacit understanding and closeness between master and servant, Rosie subconsciously stroked her own mecha. Her mecha, Red, then stiffly turned its head and asked, “Miss Rosie, do you have any orders?”

nRosie sighed slightly. Sure enough, an AI specialized for combat and an improved housekeeping AI weren’t the same.

n“Long hair is too troublesome.” Rosie quickly changed her focus. She shook her head around, then said, “I’ll get itshaved off tomorrow.”

nThe next day, she really did shave it off.

nAs Rosie drank her milk for breakfast, she pedaled into school on her bicycle with her hands off the handles, followed by a silent Ji Zuoshan.

n……Rosie and Ji Zuoshan were dating.

nEveryone spread the news around in that way.

nEven though this didn’t mention Zhan Yanchao in any way, everyone clearly reached the same consensus in their minds: It seemed that Zhan Yanchao had been kicked away by the very human sacrifice he had raised, otherwise he wouldn’t be acting like a rooster whose feathers had been grabbed by someone, challenging anyone he caught.

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nAnd since Zhan Yanchao did not feature in the rumours being spread, he naturally wasn’t able to find a reason to attack, which stifled him to the point that blisters formed on the corners of his mouth.

nJi Zuoshan’s interactions with Rosie filled Zhan Yanchao with envy. Every time he saw them standing shoulder to shoulder, he was upset to the point of being unable to sit still.

nHe hadn’t spoken to Ji Zuoshan in a long time now. Meanwhile, Rosie was able to sit by Ji Zuoshan’s side and study mecha structures and the setup of the Zerg’s armed forces.

nThat was the treatment he should be getting!

nSince he was young, Zhan Yanchao had never known what regret was, always remaining ignorant. When he was angry at someone, he would grab that person and beat them, and when he was happy, he would give them one kiss after another. This was the first time in his life feeling like his heart was hanging in the air, with no place to land.

nHe finally found an opportunity one day, running into Ji Zuoshan in the bathroom.

nZhan Yanchao was obviously very happy, but he still tried to firmly press down the corners of his lips. He turned on the faucet, but his gaze followed Ji Zuoshan closely, never falling behind.

nAfter two months, Ji Zuoshan had actually gotten taller, and paler. The lines of the exposed section of his forearms were incredibly beautiful. When he saw Zhan Yanchao, he acted as if he’d only seen a stranger, nodding slightly.

nHow could Zhan Yanchao stand that? He firmly suppressed the rush of anger before daring to open his mouth and speak, “You’re still doing well with Rosie?”

nJi Zuoshan said, “En.”

nZhan Yanchao couldn’t help but sneer, “You should be more careful. She said that she wasn’t taking you as a human sacrifice, but when it’s time for the tournament she might go back on her words.”

nJi Zuoshan looked at Zhan Yanchao, showing a surprised expression. “It’s not like she’s you.”

nZhan Yanchao was choked to the point of almost vomiting blood. “When did I——”

nHalfway through his words, he suddenly remembered something.

nOne year, his cousin brought Ji Zuoshan out with him to serve him……

nAlthough the memories were unpleasant, Zhan Yanchao vaguely remembered that in the car, he seemed to have made a promise to Ji Zuoshan in his rage.

nSo…… it was because he heard that he wanted him to be his Omega that he’d been willing to go with Rosie?

nWhile he was in his daze, Ji Zuoshan had already washed his hands and was turning to go out.

nZhan Yanchao chased after him for a few steps, then shouted loudly, “Ji Zuoshan!!”

nJi Zuoshan turned back and looked at him.

nWhen he met those quiet eyes, however, Zhan Yanchao didn’t know what to say.

nHe had originally already made up his mind to let the boy die wherever he wanted to, but he actually found that the further the distance between them, the more intense the feelings in Zhan Yanchao’s heart, increasing rather than lessening.

n……No, it shouldn’t be like this. Ji Zuoshan shouldn’t be like this.

nHe clearly had had a very tolerant and gentle personality, he himself had clearly done even more outrageous things before……

nYes, outrageous.

nBefore, Zhan Yanchao didn’t know what outrageous was, but during these few days, he had always been mulling over everything that had happened that day. Comparing it to before, only then did he vaguely realise that his previous actions seemed to indeed be a tiny bit inappropriate.

nBut very quickly, it turned back into anger. Ji Zuoshan clearly had been able to bear so many things, so why was he suddenly unable to bear it anymore? Why hadn’t he been willing to even give him some time to adjust?

nNow, belatedly remembering that year’s promise, Zhan Yanchao finally understood the reason.

n……He had given Ji Zuoshan hope, then personally snatched it away once more. Was it because of this that Ji Zuoshan left?

nThis time, Zhan Yanchao could no longer find any excuses for himself.

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nJi Zuoshan waited for a long time, but not hearing Zhan Yanchao continue, he simply turned and left.

nAnd in the exact moment that he turned, that regret value that had already maintained its calm for two months broke the ice, rising by 7 points.

n061 said to Chi Xiaochi, “It moved.”

nChi Xiaochi’s attitude was calm. “I saw.”

nOver the past few days, 061 had constantly been watching. He found that Chi Xiaochi didn’t seem to be treating Zhan Yanchao like he’d treated his former targets. In the past, he’d purposely created traps for them to fall into, not to mention how he’d bought up cards. On the other hand, he was much more concerned about Ji Zuoshan himself, often going with him to the shopping centre to buy some snacks and chatting with him.

n061 said, “This time it seems as if you’re not doing the task.”

nChi Xiaochi protested, “But the regret value went up just now, no?”

nThinking of the water that had appeared in Zhan Yanchao’s eyes just now, 061 couldn’t help but sigh out, “He just hasn’t grown up, and doesn’t know what love is.” By the time he understood, it would already be too late.

nChi Xiaochi laughed.

n061, “What?”

nChi Xiaochi, “Liu-laoshi, you didn’t tell your previous hosts that before, did you?”

n061 thought for a moment. He didn’t have any detailed memories of what had happened before his reformatting anymore. Afterwards, he hadn’t said anything like that, but he’d heard his hosts say it more than once.

nUpon thinking of this, 061 suddenly felt a little trepidation.

nChi Xiaochi said, “If that’s what you taught them, it’s no wonder that those people threw up a fuss about wanting to stay.”

nIt was currently training time. Chi Xiaochi wasn’t in a hurry to find someone to fight. He returned to the preparation room and put Blue on standby while he leaned against the railing of the door to the preparation room and watched the latest fight in one of the sparring rooms.

n061 asked, “Why do you say that?”

nChi Xiaochi didn’t answer directly, instead saying, “That Lord God of yours is very interesting.”

n061 had a very good memory. He remembered that Chi Xiaochi had said this to 009 before, who had then told him about it.

nHe quietly waited for Chi Xiaochi’s analysis.

nChi Xiaochi said, “Why doesn’t it let the hosts grind up goodwill value, but rather the more complex regret value?”

nChi Xiaochi said, “I don’t know what its ultimate goal is. But frankly, the first time I heard the name of this so-called ‘Slag Gong Reconditioning System’, I found it a little funny.

n“When you hear it, it sounds like it’s about punishing those heartless people, like it’s about carrying out justice. But when a person holds the script to another person’s life, and knows about everything that’s going to happen in advance, Liu-laoshi, do you know what role they’re playing?”

nWithout waiting for 061 to answer, Chi Xiaochi calmly and unhurriedly gave him the answer, “……It’s God.”

n061 nodded, expressing his agreement.

n“But this privilege isn’t given freely. God can’t be played by just anyone. So these hosts don’t dare to deviate from the script, deathly afraid of losing this privilege, so they can only force themselves into the role of the original hosts,” Chi Xiaochis said, “And for people with this kind of mindset, they have the greatest enemy. ——Even if they are scum, they still always have some good points.

n“Yang Baihua had good looks, was gentle to others, and was easy to please. As long as one had a strong tolerance and could wholeheartedly devote themselves to his parents, it would have been fine; Lou Sifan had talent. As long as one didn’t get in the way of his personal interests, he would be happy to show his kindness to them; even Zhou Kai wasn’t without any good points, at least he had enough money. For someone without anything against Stockholm syndrome, it could still be considereda bad pot paired with a **ty lid, a match made in heaven. As for Zhan Yanchao, he’s an even better potential partner, isn’t he? He’s from a rich family, and even though his personality is **ty it’s not completely rotten. There’s still space for correction, and once it is cured, he can just barely be considered a good partner.

n“Faced with a Zhou Kai, hosts might still want to stay as far away as possible from him, but what if they’re faced with a Zhan Yanchao who can still be helped?

n“As ‘God’, compassion comes easiest for them. For someone completely beyond redemption, it’s of course true that the sooner you get rid of them the better. But for someone who can still be saved, can ‘God’ still ignore them?

n“He looks at you pitifully, sheds a few tears, says a few words of repentance, and ‘God’ will of course sympathise. After all, ‘it is to one’s glory to overlook an offense’.”

n061 was covered in a layer of cold sweat from his words, while Ji Zuoshan didn’t know what they were talking about, but felt like his words were very reasonable, so his chat bubble popped up, “Mister Chi is right.”

nChi Xiaochi leaned against the railing and said in an unhurried, yet not slow pace, “So that’s why I say that your Lord God is very interesting. It pushes ordinary people to be a God who has to earn regret value, but doesn’t care about how an ordinary person thinks. One world is still fine, two worlds are also still fine, but after ten worlds, going through all the different types of worlds out there, and maybe even bumping into one or two lovers for whom their teachings worked, and ‘know what love is’, who would still be willing to go back to being a vegetable with nothing and have been lying for two or three years?”

nBeing choked with his own words from just now by Chi Xiaochi, 061 felt a little embarrassed.

nBut Chi Xiaochi didn’t seem to have any intentions of letting him off. He continued, asking, “Liu-laoshi, have you ever been in a relationship?”

nWithout waiting for 061 to respond, Chi Xiaochi then remembered, “Oh, right, you have someone you love.”

nThe mention of that person made 061 fall silent.

nTo him, that person was an illusory phantom consisted of hundreds of thousands of broken fragments that he had no way of putting back together, but this phantom was what gave him his will to live.

n——He knew that there was someone waiting for him. And this knowledge let him know that he still had consciousness, know that he wasn’t just a pile of data, that he was once a person.

nChi Xiaochi said, “I’ve loved someone before.

n“I loved going up and down the stairs with him, I loved it when he taught me how to play video games, where for every six of his wins he would never forget to let me win four, I loved when he cooked for me and Dog Meat, I loved when he taught me subjects, I loved when he would cover my ears whenever my parents fought—— I was never asleep, I was always listening.”

nJi Zuoshan’s preparation room was on the second floor. As Chi Xiaochi looked at that slight height below his feet, a tinge of sadness entered his careless gaze.

n“……Love is when after he died I wanted nothing more than to go with him, but was afraid that other than me, no one else would remember him, so I could only use what bound him to the world to bind myself to it. I lived on for him, and even had to live well.”

nAfter saying this, Chi Xiaochi found it funny. He said, “Why am I even telling you this. ……Mm?”

nBefore his voice fell, without warning, he was pulled into a hug. A hand stroked his head, bringing with it the warmth of a human.

nChi Xiaochi looked up. Finding out who it was, he couldn’t help but find it amusing. “Blue?”

nBlue said, “Master isn’t in a good mood.”

nChi Xiaochi had long since gotten used to Blue’s sharpness. As an improved housekeeping AI, it was of course able to better understand human emotions than other AIs.

nChi Xiaochi smiled and said, “Alright, don’t fuss, let’s go train.”

nBlue hugged him, the force it was using neither too weak nor too strong, but leaving no room for doubt. “Master, don’t move. Let’s just sit for a while, okay?”

nThe author has something to say:

nXiaochi: I’m not God, I’m just an actor.

nLittle seal: Mister Chi is right. 【Clap clap】

nBlue: ……【Hugs 】

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npanda: 😭😭😭😭😭💔

nsere: omg wow this author just bashed an entire genre i’m so down for this

nbaum: a heavy chapter, but on a lighter note JZS is so cute!! even though he doesn’t know what they’re talking about, he’s just like “Mister Chi is right” lmao

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