Chapter 54: Wanted
The robot, curious about the small, moving creature, poked Tang Yu’an with its other hand.
Although the force was minimal for the robot, Tang Yu’an fell backwards.
He felt like he had been hit by a car.
The robot, surprised by his fragility, stopped touching him, tilting its head, which was adorned with various pieces of scrap metal, and observing him.
Tang Yu’an then remembered Jinshan had also fallen, quickly crawling to the edge of the robot’s hand and looking down.
The robot, thinking he was about to jump, gently picked him up by the waist.
Tang Yu’an exclaimed: “Let me go! I need to go down!”
He hadn’t expected the robot to understand him, but it gently placed him back on the ground.
It understands me?
He dismissed the thought, shouting Jinshan’s name.
In the darkness, he couldn’t see clearly. Just as he was starting to fear the worst, an arm emerged from a pile of debris.
He rushed over and pulled Jinshan out. He was alive, his clothes torn, looking like a homeless person.
Jinshan had been lucky, landing on a discarded cushion, and his cybernetic enhancements made him more resilient.
A bright yellow light shone on them. They looked up, seeing the robot crouching before them like a mountain.
Tang Yu’an had no experience dealing with robots, but he assumed Jinshan, having encountered all sorts of strange things, would have a solution. He whispered: “It understands us. Do you have any ideas?”
Jinshan was a master of begging for mercy.
He fell to his knees, kowtowing three times: “Oh great Robot, we were just passing by, we didn’t mean to offend you, please, kind sir, let us go!”
The robot didn’t move. Jinshan, thinking he had succeeded, pulled Tang Yu’an along, trying to escape before being crushed, but they were quickly caught and lifted up.
The robot held them, one in each hand, bringing them closer together.
Jinshan yelled, “Don’t eat me!” But Tang Yu’an noticed something unusual.
“Stop yelling, look at its neck!”
Jinshan looked closely, seeing a broken device on the robot’s neck.
It looked like… a giant voice modulator.
Tang Yu’an guessed: “Are you keeping us here because you need help speaking again?”
The robot nodded. He was right!
Since they weren’t going to be eaten, Jinshan relaxed: “Oh, that’s all? No problem, we can handle that…”
He asked the robot to put them down, so they could fix it.
The robot complied. Jinshan immediately turned to Tang Yu’an: “I don’t know how to fix this. Do you?”
Tang Yu’an: “…”
And you were so confident just now!
Fortunately, he had seen a diagram of a similar device in the employee handbook. He examined it, realizing it was a simple model, just requiring a replacement part.
The robot was lucky; the surrounding junk provided the necessary materials.
After some effort, they managed to install the reassembled voice modulator, but the system required an hour to initialize, so they waited with the robot.
Jinshan’s stomach growled. He took another pill.
Tang Yu’an: “That pill can satisfy your hunger?”
Jinshan: “No, but it makes me feel so good I forget about being hungry.”
Tang Yu’an also felt hungry. He had exerted himself tonight.
“If only we had something to eat…” he sighed.
The robot suddenly moved, opening a compartment in its arm, retrieving a small box and placing it before Tang Yu’an.
It contained cookies and a bottle of alcohol, still within its expiration date!
Jinshan’s eyes lit up: “Oh, my robot overlord, you’re my new best friend…”
Tang Yu’an looked up, smiling in the yellow light: “Thank you!”
The robot was surprisingly grateful, providing them with rations.
After eating and drinking, his stomach warm, Tang Yu’an thought the alcohol was quite strong, he shouldn’t have any more.
Jinshan, immune to alcohol, continued drinking happily, commenting that the robot was probably a discarded prototype, abandoned after being replaced by a newer model.
Tang Yu’an, slightly drunk, forgetting Jinshan’s true nature, said: “You know so much.”
Jinshan finished the rest of the alcohol, throwing the empty bottle away with a flourish.
In the yellow light, his usual mercenary demeanor seemed to soften.
He suddenly asked seriously: “Do you think I’m a hopeless scumbag?”
Tang Yu’an replied that if he kept abusing his body with drugs, he would develop a resistance, and then he would truly be hopeless.
Jinshan burst into laughter, a cheerful sound, but his expression was like that of someone crying.
After a long pause, he said softly: “Actually… I used to be like Iron Hand, dealing in prosthetics.”
Tang Yu’an had assumed he had always been a scavenger. Intrigued, he sat cross-legged, waiting for him to continue.
The light was dim, but Jinshan felt Tang Yu’an’s eyes shining brightly.
He thought, perhaps he really was a star fallen from the sky.
Jinshan told him that although his business had been small, he had a good reputation, selling quality products at low prices, never cheating his customers.
This contradicted Tang Yu’an’s perception of him, but he didn’t interrupt, sensing a change in him, the usual slick exterior gone, replaced by a normal person, capable of being hurt, with his own thoughts and feelings.
He said everything changed after he met a certain customer, who ruined his business, forcing him to become a scavenger.
Tang Yu’an asked if the customer had been dissatisfied with his product, seeking revenge.
Jinshan shook his head: “No, he was very satisfied.”
He said he had found the customer himself, a man with no legs, freezing to death on the street during a snowstorm.
He had taken him home, and learning he couldn’t find work because of his disability, offered him a pair of prosthetic legs, telling him he could pay later, after finding a job.
The man had thanked him, walking away with his new legs, then returning three days later.
He hadn’t come back with gratitude, but with corporate mercenaries.
The corporation had a monopoly on the prosthetics industry, driving up prices, making them unaffordable for many, including this disabled man.
Facing this monopoly, people started resisting, creating their own small businesses, which was, of course, illegal. If caught, their assets would be confiscated, and they would be exiled from Future City.
What a joke, “their rights,” rules created by the corporations themselves.
Jinshan had been restrained, watching as his belongings were taken away, asking incredulously why he had been reported.
The man had simply replied that it wasn’t personal, the bounty was too good to pass up, it meant he wouldn’t have to work.
After finishing his story, he opened another bottle of alcohol. Tang Yu’an stopped him: “Don’t drink anymore, it’s bad for your stomach.”
“Who cares,” he said. “With enough money, you can buy anything, new organs, a new identity, a new life. Money is all that matters.”
Tang Yu’an didn’t argue, taking the bottle and drinking some himself.
Jinshan, intrigued, offered him a pill: “Want one? Goes great with alcohol.”
Tang Yu’an said that making money was like taking drugs, addictive.
“If you’re sick, you take medicine to get better.” He closed the pillbox. “But medicine is also poison. Don’t destroy yourself for a quick fix.”
The night was quiet. His words, like a cool breeze, soothed Jinshan’s troubled mind.
Just as he was about to say something, the motionless robot suddenly stood up, its system initialized. It could speak again.
It tested a few simple syllables, its voice like a loudspeaker.
Then it crouched down, looking at Tang Yu’an, and said: “Mama.”
Tang Yu’an: “?”
Jinshan: “!”
Assuming its recognition system malfunctioned, Tang Yu’an corrected it: “I’m male.”
But the robot insisted, even displaying a holographic recording.
A woman’s face appeared, her long hair flowing, a bright smile on her face.
She said: “Test 105 commencing.”
The scene changed, showing the robot, new and pristine.
The woman, explaining the procedure, installed the voice modulator, saying it would allow them to communicate.
As the robot activated, she said proudly: “From today onwards, I’m your mama!”
The recording ended, and silence returned.
Tang Yu’an now understood. He had installed the voice modulator; the robot had mistaken him for its creator.
“I’m not your mama,” he said. “See? I don’t look like her at all.”
The robot didn’t understand. Appearances could be changed with replacement parts, what difference did it make?
Only Mama would repair him so meticulously and talk to him.
His programming was outdated and flawed; that was the only explanation.
But Mama clearly didn’t want to stay. It didn’t matter, he could follow her, continue his mining work.
Tang Yu’an was speechless when he heard the robot say it wanted to go to Future City with him.
Taking a giant robot with him was too conspicuous!
It wouldn’t work. Jinshan told him that a discarded robot approaching the city would be shot down by the defense system and salvaged for parts.
They learned that the robot had been abandoned here after malfunctioning during a mining operation. It was an outdated model.
It had reactivated and wandered off while the crew was away, and the company, not bothering to retrieve it, left it in the wasteland.
It had wandered for a long time, then entered sleep mode when its energy was low, reactivated only by their arrival.
The robot, still believing Tang Yu’an was its “mama,” opened a compartment in its abdomen, retrieving a package.
The normal-sized package looked like a grain of rice compared to the robot. It carefully placed it in Tang Yu’an’s arms.
“Mama, the thing you asked me to protect, I’m returning it to you.”
After saying this, its energy depleted, its head drooping, its yellow eyes dimming.
The wasteland was plunged into darkness.
Tang Yu’an, afraid of the package’s contents, hesitated to open it. It clearly wasn’t his; it was best not to touch it.
Jinshan, however, had no such qualms, saying it must be valuable, left behind by the company, and eagerly opened it.
Inside were some daily necessities, and in a hidden compartment, an ID card with the woman’s picture.
Jinshan’s eyes lit up: “A high-level employee ID card from NeuroTech! We’ll make a fortune selling this on the black market!”
Tang Yu’an took the ID card: “Can we find the owner?”
The robot had guarded this package for so long, waiting to return it to its “mama,” but she never came. Perhaps she had abandoned it.
Jinshan said shamelessly: “We’re the owners now! Finders keepers!”
Tang Yu’an ignored him, picking up his damaged bicycle, ready to continue their journey.
He took one last look at the deactivated robot—
Its massive body half-kneeling, its head drooping, its hand still outstretched, as if offering its most precious possession.
The cold starlight on its metal frame made it look like a giant, fossilized beast.
Although its appearance was completely different, he couldn’t help but think of his dog.
His Xingqiu, its body also stiff in death.
A memory flashed through his mind. He saw his younger self squatting beside a small mound of dirt with his friend, Chen Fei.
Chen Fei asked: “Why here? It’s close to the road, won’t Xingqiu find it too noisy?”
Tang Yu’an shook his head: “Xingqiu likes noise.”
Whenever he spoke to it, it would wag its tail happily, as if nothing could dampen its spirits.
Chen Fei, knowing he was sad, said: “It’s okay, it’s probably been reincarnated, maybe even right outside your door, to be your dog again!”
“I hope not,” Tang Yu’an said, looking at the small mound. “I couldn’t even protect it…”
“Then let it be reincarnated as a human! Then I can take both of you on adventures!”
Although it was a childish fantasy, Tang Yu’an replied: “It’s a deal.”
As night fell, he reluctantly turned to leave.
Chen Fei walked with him, even buying him a cupcake with the money he earned, a rare treat.
Tang Yu’an, not wanting to eat it alone, shared it with him.
Chen Fei refused his thanks: “Why thank me? You’re my…”
Friend? Little brother?
Neither seemed right. They had a bond forged through shared experiences; these words were too ordinary.
So he said: “You’re my person, so I protect you. It’s that simple.”
Tang Yu’an smiled faintly. The cupcake was gone, but a lingering sweetness remained on his tongue.
As they walked, they encountered someone unexpected—
Tang Yu’an stopped, seeing Tang Ze and his friends: “What are you doing here?”
“Picking you up, of course,” Tang Ze smiled. “Gege.”
He rarely called him that, the sudden change jarring.
Chen Fei knew about Tang Yu’an’s younger brother. Although Tang Yu’an rarely talked about his family, he had gleaned from his few words that his brother wasn’t a good person.
Faced with a scheming villain, as a hero, he had to act.
He stepped forward, shielding Tang Yu’an: “When did you ever look for him? I know you’re up to no good. What do you want?!”
Tang Ze shrugged: “I don’t know what you’re talking about. I just saved Gege from danger. I’m just here for some praise.”
Now it was Tang Yu’an who was confused: “What danger?”
Tang Ze’s following words chilled him to the bone.
“Gege was always being bothered by that stray dog, and Mom and Dad were worried he would bring diseases home, so I took care of it. Aren’t I a good brother?”
Tang Yu’an’s voice trembled: “You… you killed Xingqiu?”
Tang Ze’s silence was confirmation. Tang Yu’an felt like he was drowning, grief choking him, the sounds around him muffled, as if coming from underwater.
He didn’t hear what Tang Ze said next, but it couldn’t have been anything good, because the next moment, he saw a dramatic scene—
Chen Fei charged forward like a tank, knocking Tang Ze to the ground, punching him in the face, blood splattering.
Tang Ze’s friends, startled, didn’t react.
But Chen Fei was eventually stopped by a passing adult.
Tang Ze, clutching his bleeding nose, ran home, telling his parents he had been bullied by Tang Yu’an’s delinquent friends.
Tang Yu’an was beaten and grounded. He didn’t know if his parents had confronted Chen Fei. He hoped he hadn’t been implicated.
That night, after tending to his injury, Tang Ze entered Tang Yu’an’s room.
He exaggerated a gasp, reminding Tang Yu’an of his injury, then said sarcastically: “When you had your thug friend beat me up, did you think you’d end up worse?”
Tang Yu’an, his lip bruised, sat by the window, looking at the stars, ignoring him.
Tang Ze, annoyed, approached him, and he finally spoke: “Why did you kill Xingqiu?”
His voice was as hollow as his heart: “The disease was just an excuse. I know.”
Tang Ze didn’t bother hiding it: “That stupid dog wouldn’t listen to me. I just wanted it to spin around, and it bared its teeth at me. Didn’t it deserve to die?”
He had seen it happily playing with Tang Yu’an, why was it different with him?
Tang Yu’an sounded exhausted, his voice barely a whisper.
“Just because of that? It was just because of that…”
Tang Ze, finding him boring, took two paintbrushes from his room and left.
Tang Yu’an sat by the window for a long time, shivering despite the room’s constant temperature.
His limbs were stiff from remaining in the same position. Late at night, an unexpected visitor interrupted his solitude.
He saw Chen Fei outside his window and rushed to the door, almost falling, startling him.
The window was nailed shut. He couldn’t hear what Chen Fei was saying, but the boy, after fogging the window with his breath, wrote with his finger: “Are you okay?”
He wrote backwards, slowly, his handwriting messy, but the gesture warmed Tang Yu’an’s heart.
He nodded, finding a piece of paper and writing: “What about you?”
Chen Fei replied: “I can still take on ten of them!”
It seemed his parents hadn’t punished him too severely, or perhaps the matter had been resolved.
Tang Yu’an suddenly felt like he had a lot to say.
He wrote: “I don’t want Xingqiu to be reincarnated as a human anymore.”
Being human wasn’t necessarily a good thing.
Chen Fei replied, then let it become a star. When you miss it, look up at the sky, and it will wink at you.
————
Tang Yu’an looked up at the starry sky above the Junkyard Planet, wondering childishly if the deactivated robot had also become a star.
He asked: “Do you think robots have thoughts? Are their actions predetermined by their programming?”
Jinshan said robots were just machines, they couldn’t have thoughts, otherwise what was the difference between them and humans?
Robots follow instructions, Tang Yu’an thought, but humans don’t always follow their hearts. Aren’t we also constrained by invisible rules, pushing us down an ever-narrowing path?
He adjusted his sleeves, dusting off the bicycle seat: “Let’s go.”
After a long ride, they finally left the wasteland.
As they approached Future City, they started seeing signs of civilization, almost being robbed three times, but Jinshan, resourceful, even managed to rob them in return.
Future City required ID cards for entry. Jinshan was blacklisted, and Tang Yu’an had no ID at all.
Tang Yu’an asked: “Can you get us some ID cards?”
This was Jinshan’s area of expertise. He patted his chest: “Leave it to me! Money can buy anything!”
Tang Yu’an wasn’t letting him contact the black market alone; he might be scammed.
Jinshan led him through the process, his professionalism making it feel like a job interview.
They finally obtained two ID cards for one hundred fifty thousand star coins, normally fifty thousand each, but Jinshan’s blacklisting added an extra fifty thousand.
Jinshan initially said he didn’t need to enter, that Tang Yu’an could go to the bridge and ask for someone called “Blacklight” about getting back to the sky city, to save money.
But Tang Yu’an insisted he come along, just in case.
Jinshan, delighted to have his identity restored, eagerly led him into Future City, taking a deep breath, saying the air here was much cleaner than the wasteland.
It was still dark. Jinshan suggested getting breakfast at the morning market, but Tang Yu’an was impatient, wanting to find Blacklight.
Under the bridge, looking at the homeless people huddled together, Tang Yu’an doubted Jinshan’s information.
These people… didn’t seem like they had connections, they looked like they were starving.
Jinshan searched, even pulling a drunkard out of a trash can, but Blacklight wasn’t there.
“It’s okay, he likes wandering around at night, he’ll be back soon.”
Tang Yu’an found a spot to sit and rest, but a nearby homeless man yelled at him, claiming to be the descendant of some royal bloodline, this was his throne, no one could touch it.
Not wanting to argue with a drug addict, he decided to wait outside with Jinshan.
But before leaving, a tattered poster on the wall caught his eye.
He approached it slowly, his heart pounding.
It was a wanted poster. A gust of wind ripped it off the wall, and he caught it.
It was Wei Langxing’s face.
