n

n

n

nThe room that Yin Mingzheng took Shi Qing to was where he used to live.

nEver since his ‘sacrifice’, the base had sealed this room. No one touched anything inside to give others the impression that they respected Yin Mingzheng.

nThe man planned on settling Shi Qing in the room before bringing back Old Huang to take a look at him.

nBut due to Shi Qing’s insistence for Yin Mingzheng to make up for lost time, he didn’t manage to see the doctor.

nShi Qing pulled his hand onto his chest to make him feel the mechanical heartbeat there. He said in a wronged tone: “I didn’t even sleep while looking for you.”

n“My body is like that of a human right now. I feel miserable not sleeping.”

nWhen the naturally frail-looking youth softened his voice and showed such a pitiful expression, there was no way for Yin Mingzheng to refuse him.

nEspecially since Shi Qing brought up the mechanical heart that Yin Mingzheng deceived him into installing.

nSo the two curled up and slept together for the first time in a while.

n–To Yin Mingzheng that is.

nShi Qing’s been drugging him and snuggling into his arms every night.

nYin Mingzheng was exhausted.

nOn the way back, he was being eaten alive by his guilt while also worrying about being caught by Shi Qing or the Insects. He was tense almost every second that he was awake.

nThe only reason he could make it to the base without collapsing was his strong willpower. And also the Rosemary Powder Shi Qing gave him every night that relieved his physical fatigue.

nThe only person that could deal with his mental fatigue was himself.

nIf Shi Qing didn’t appear, Yin Mingzheng would have endured by himself and pretend nothing had happened. He would’ve continued with his life like always, only more on guard.

nBut his little prince appeared.

nLike a stubborn little leopard that didn’t give up before reaching its goal, he came barreling into his lap roaring victoriously and bearing injuries.

nBefore he could react, the little leopard latched onto his clothes and began to whine. Not only did it not blame its prey for running off, it continued to rely on him like before.

nWhile Yin Mingzheng’s guilt increased because of this, he had to admit this was very gratifying as well.

nThat night, he was like a giant dragon curled around his treasure. He slept soundly.

nBefore he fell asleep, Yin Mingzheng decided on something.

nSince Shi Qing abandoned the ship to come to his side, he had to protect him well.

nShi Qing gained a weak point because of him, so it was his responsibility.

nHe felt refreshed when he woke up. Yin Mingzheng remembered last night’s promise. He closed his eyes and recalled how weak and scared Shi Qing looked yesterday. A sense of pity welled up in his heart.

nPoor little guy. He must have been so frightened since it was his first time leaving the ship.

nHe was only a 10,000 year old baby after all.

nYin Mingzheng decided to clear some time out of his schedule today to really comfort Shi Qing and assuage his fears. With that decided, he was about to open his eyes when he felt something wasn’t right with his body.

nFeeling a familiar coolness beneath his hand, Yin Mingzheng slowly cracked open his eyes.

nHe saw Shi Qing who was focused on conducting a study using his part.

nAs if he felt the man’s gaze on him, the you excitedly raised his head and looked over. He smacked his lips. “You woke up.”

n“Let’s hurry up and go through the sequence.”

nHumanity’s hero: “&#k2026;&#k2026;”

nUnder Shi Qing’s eager eyes, the man dutifully sat up.

n&#k2013;They went through the sequence for an entire hour.

nAfter that, the satisfied Shi Qing returned to his obedient self. He laid down on the bed and began to rifle through the nightstand with a curious look in his eyes.

nYin Mingzheng coughed with embarrassment as the little youth held up the glass trophy on the nightstand.

n“Is this Mingzheng’s? What is it?”

nAs expected, Shi Qing quickly turned and asked like the curious baby he was.

nWhen the world was still peaceful, he was just a normal person with above-average looks and a calm personality. This trophy was something he had won in a competition his parents took him to when he was in his teens. After they passed away in a car accident, Yin Mingzheng kept this trophy as a keepsake. Even after the Insect invasion when humanity fled, he never forgot to take it with him.

nAlthough it had such a backstory, it was still a bit silly to keep a trophy from so long ago.

nIt was a good thing that Shi Qing was an alien and probably didn’t understand that.

nShi Qing thoughtfully looked over the trophy before returning it.

nIt was made of glass, so Yin Mingzheng must have taken extra care to preserve it so well. It was apparent how important this trophy was to him.

nAfter the alien youth snooped around the entire room like a puppy curious about its new home, he collapsed back onto the bed with a satisfied expression.

n“Mingzheng’s scent is everywhere here.”

nHe knew that Shi Qing was just saying that innocently, but the no longer pure Yin Mingzheng couldn’t help but think of inappropriate images in his head.

nHumanity’s hero struggled to get his mind out of the gutter and back to business. “Shi Qing, how did you leave the ship? Are you going back?”

n“Of course. I came to take Mingzheng back.”

nShi Qing’s reply was very straightforward.

nYing Mingzheng was taken aback. His words became somewhat bitter, “What if…….I don’t plan on going back?”

nThe alien youth turned to look at him with a lost expression. A pair of silvery eyes stared at him as if he had abandoned them. He stared at the man without saying a word.

nYin Mingzheng couldn’t stand it. He added, “If you want, you can stay in the base and live with me.”

nWeakness flashed past Shi Qing’s eyes, but he quickly raised his nose snootily: “The Mechanical race would never help others.”

n“I’m not asking for your help.”

nThe atmosphere was supposed to be serious, but the youth’s actions made the man laugh. He reached out and bundled the other into his lap while cajoling him in a soft tone: “You’ve always been stuck on the ship. Haven’t you ever been curious about what the outside world is like? You don’t need to do anything but live happily if you stay.”

n“I know you’re afraid of me taking you away, but it’s fine. You’re my companion so I’ll listen to you.”

nThe alien youth shamelessly acted spoiled in Yin Mingzheng’s lap. He raised those pretty eyes of his and said with conviction: “My smart computer is never wrong.”

nHe rolled around angrily in the man’s lap, quietly muttering: “I guess I’ll try staying here with you. But when the humans betray you, you need to obediently go back with me.”

nYin Mingzheng’s eyes darkened.

nBefore, he devoted himself wholeheartedly towards protecting the base. He never suspected that someone inside would stab him in the back.

nNow that he knew, he had no intention of backing down.

n–If there was a stubborn stone in his way, he’d kick it away.

n–If anyone dared to stop him, he’ll kill them.

nHe’s already died once anyways.

nThe man lowered his head to look at the youth rolling around in his arms. He rubbed his little head: “Okay. We’ll wait and see together.”

nShi Qing: Why do I get the feeling that he’s always treating me like a little kid? Has the animosity value gone down?

nThe System that’s read its mantras for an hour resurfaced. Its voice was soft and fawning: It has lowered to 40 my dear Host. According to the universal animosity value guidelines, 50 and above is standard animosity while 50 and below is normal. Yin Mingzheng’s current value of 40 towards the lovely Host means that he feels a shallow friendship towards you. This one advises the capable Host to continue to reduce the value to create a buffer for major fluctuations.

nShi Qing had goosebumps from the praises the System heaped upon him.

nWhat’s wrong with your voice? Change it back quickly.

nThe System was confused: Does the Host not like it? This is the reward that I’ve decided to give the Host for lowering the animosity value below 50 for the first time.

nQuickly, quickly change it back!

nThe System reluctantly complied.

nShi Qing was playing with Yin Mingzheng’s sleeve.

nWho would’ve thought that Yin Mingzheng could act so attentive towards him but not consider him a lover in his heart.

nNormally speaking, men like this were either scum or blind.

nBut Yin Mingzheng was clearly neither.

nHe only felt responsible for him.

nAnd if something happened that outweighed his feelings of guilt and responsibility towards Shi Qing, his animosity value would still go up.

nIn other words, this was a strategy game.

nThe System was afraid that Shi Qing was under too much pressure. It comforted: Don’t be afraid, Host. The animosity value doesn’t usually rise……

nIt suddenly remembered last time when Yin Mingzheng’s animosity value skyrocketed. It shut its own mouth.

nShi Qing didn’t feel like he was stressed at all. He dove into Yin Mingzheng’s lap with excitement to suppress his laughter.

nIt’s so stimulating! I like it!

n***

nWith the backing of a big shot like Yin Mingzheng, Shi Qing quickly settled into his life at the base.

nEveryday, he drank some ‘tea’, watched some movies, was led out on walks and underwent the human-robot sequence with Yin Mingzheng.

nEver since the animosity value dropped to 40 and they were no longer at risk of being kicked out of the world, the System has been ecstatic. Even if it could only face a mosaic all day, it amused itself by reciting its mantras.

nShi Qing was also a big hit with the ability users squad.

nIn the current state of the world, ability users that could fight were all conscripted regardless of their age. Even teens had to pretend to be adults.

nThe civilians were even worse off. They were trapped in the base all day doing backbreaking manual labour. When the Insects invaded, they could only huddle in their homes and wait for rescue.

nUnder these circumstances, a little prince like Shi Qing who was cute, pampered, had a sweet mouth and didn’t bother anyone (other than Yin Mingzheng) was a welcome addition.

nEspecially because he was the apple of Yin Mingzheng’s eye. The ability users had to treat him well out of respect for their boss anyways.

nIn addition, the second day he came to the base, the little prince who returned from a stroll excitedly threw himself into Yin Mingzheng’s arms, announcing that:

n“I want to have an ability!”

nThe man held him in his arms like he always did and brushed his windswept hair. He smiled while saying: “Abilities aren’t something you can control getting.”

n“I can. My body has human-like parts so I can have an ability if I want!”

nYin Mingzheng paused. He hadn’t considered it that way.

nAlthough he suggested it before, Shi Qing refused to bring his robots here and insisted on staying here in his weak body to be protected by Yin Mingzheng.

nYin Mingzheng didn’t say anything more because he was still worried about Shi Qing forcefully taking him back when he was unhappy.

nBut he could no longer leave the base without worrying.

nIt was like a person that had lived by themselves for a long time suddenly getting an unweaned kitten.

nThe kitten was too young and soft. It could only drink milk, crawl around or cry in its tiny voice. It seemed like it could only live if someone was there to feed it.

nHow could he go about his day without worrying about what the kitten was doing back home? Was he hungry? Was he scared?

nNow that he knew that Shi Qing could have an ability, Yin Mingzheng was able to let out a breath. He hugged the little youth and asked: “Can you control what ability you’ll get?”

n“Yep. I can change my internal molecular structure to attract the ability-granting particles on this planet.”

nAlthough it sounded a bit far fetched, Yin Mingzheng was already used to the truth sounding like something out of a sci-fi novel.

nHe considered it for a moment: “You should get a lightning ability. It’s the strongest kind, plus you can borrow lightning from the sky to protect yourself.”

n“I don’t want that.”

nShi Qing immediately rejected it.

nYin Mingzheng patiently coaxed him: “Be good. This isn’t the time to act spoiled. I’m usually outside the base so I can’t protect you all the time.”

n“I want a healing ability.”

nThe little prince raised his head proudly with his hand on the man’s heart.

n“I want to protect you too.”

nYin Mingzheng was taken aback.

nIn the eyes on many people, he was humanity’s hero.

nHe was the god of war that never lost.

nAnd the hope for defeating the Insect race.

nBut this was the first time that someone said they wanted to protect him.

nAfter his heart was finished pounding, Yin Mingzheng calmed down: “No. You have to ensure your own safety first!”

nShi Qing didn’t listen to him. He nimbly jumped down from his arms and ran away quickly. “Catch me if you can! I’m not going to listen to you anyways!”

nThe mischievous figure of the little prince was in front of the man’s eyes.

nYin Mingzheng saw the way that he snuck glances behind him to see if he was following. His lips twitched up in a reluctant smile. How can there be a little dummy like this? He gave up on his own safety but still wanted to protect others.

nHe smiled, but his eyes were filled with warmth.

n“He’s really a little dummy.

n

n