Chapter 31: Face Buried in Fluff

Translated by Addis of Exiled Rebels Scanlations

Editor: Karai

“Open your mouth.” Lu Yao pulled the large paw from the snow leopard’s mouth and grabbed a paper towel, wiping the damp fur clean.

He didn’t plan to get a mouthful of fur himself. Releasing the snow leopard, he cradled Torque against his chest, holding it out toward the snow leopard and lifting the white cat’s front paw to his mouth.

Under the intense gaze of the large feline, Torque sniffed his own paw, then licked the fur on the back of it. Lu Yao waved Torque slightly, and with the white cat’s soft meows filling the space, he met the snow leopard’s eyes. “Understand?”

“Purr… purr…” The snow leopard’s breathing sounded like a running engine.

Lu Yao lifted his paw to his mouth again. A trace of eagerness softened his normally cool expression. Zhou Yunchen almost wavered. But no—this big cat would not, like a silly kitten, stick out his tongue to groom. The snow leopard turned his head, refusing.

Seeing that stubborn, unyielding look, Lu Yao gave up. He accepted that this was a cat who loved cleanliness but would not groom himself.

The snow leopard watched as Lu Yao signaled to the household robot. Expecting some new trick to teach it, he blinked curiously. But Lu Yao simply retrieved the cat conditioner and shine treatment, dipping the delivery brush into the lotion to comb the snow leopard’s fur.

He first tested a small patch behind his ears. The cool liquid brushed against the fur, and the snow leopard twitched his ears but showed no allergic reaction. Satisfied, Lu Yao mixed the two lotions and applied them over the snow leopard’s entire body—neck, back, paws, tail…

The snow leopard didn’t like Lu Yao touching his belly, so that part was skipped for now.

At the end, Lu Yao held the thick tail in one hand and brushed with the other, applying treatment as the sensitive tail flicked and twitched.

Afterward, he dried the snow leopard’s fur with a blow dryer. When the grooming finished, a huge, fluffy, glossy snow leopard emerged, freshly treated.

The snow leopard had been held for quite some time. He had barely stood, only to take a few tentative steps from the sofa, when Lu Yao bumped into his back, pressing him down onto the sofa again.

Nearly two hours of work later, Lu Yao finally relaxed. Exhausted, he buried his face in the snow leopard’s warm, plush back, stretching his arms forward to nuzzle his ears.

The physical weight seemed to transform into a mental sense of satisfaction. The snow leopard, pinned to the sofa, could only see the sky half-hidden by the armrest. Wind blew in from the courtyard. The air was infused with the burning pink light of the sunset.

Zhou Yunchen hid his head in his paws again, emptying his mind. He could happily remain a snow leopard belonging to Lu Yao forever. “Prrrrrrrr…”

Forum Excerpt

Post: Did anyone see the trailer for Director Wang’s new documentary?

1: I’m shocked. He actually got that person.
2: Yep. The lead is Li Yan, right? His value has skyrocketed over the years, so getting him is impressive. But Director Wang has military backing—money’s no problem.
3: Go Li Yan!
4: Calm down… I think the original poster meant the other lead, Lu Yao.
5: Right, right! I mean Lu Yao! Li Yan being in it is no surprise, but getting Lu Yao? Central AI is willing to allow it! Lu Yao hardly has photos or videos online. He’s actually agreeing to appear in a documentary? Maybe post-divorce, his career drive is through the roof.
6: Filming a documentary is hardly slacking off for him.
7: Maybe he wants to prove the gossip wrong about being lonely and weak after divorcing General Zhou.
8: Honestly, Lu Yao and energetic Li Yan make a perfect match!
9: Uh… stop shipping them. This isn’t a romance series. Steel Titans is a legit documentary.
10: Who cares! Just seeing their faces alone is worth five episodes. Not everyone likes mecha, but who doesn’t like beautiful people?
11: Everyone just cares about looks. That’s the only appeal this omega has.
12: Are you crazy? Do you have five PhDs, or can you build advanced mecha too?
13: What’s 11 even talking about?

…

198: DW: Can’t appreciate anything, what a curse.
199: Whoa, whoa, stop fighting, stop fighting! Lu Yao’s dog is here! Big boss enters, all bystanders step aside.
200: DW: I said Lu Yao is a cat person, not a dog person. Stop calling me Lu Yao’s dog.
201: Fine, fine, whatever the queen says goes. But don’t you really want to be Lu Yao’s dog?
202: DW: …

In the following days, Lu Yao, besides following up on the routine final assembly and test schedules, also held workshops and review meetings with the Human Factors Lab, Energy and Propulsion Laboratory, and the Space Environment Research Department, discussing improvements to the mecha Gravity Control System.

Researchers from the human factors and space environment labs were surprised by Lu Yao’s proposal. The original pilot gravity tolerance standards had been in place for nearly a century, and the limits had only ever been increased, never lowered.

One of the human factors researchers couldn’t help but say, “Pilots can fully withstand the current acceleration.”

“Excessive gravity affects both physiological stability and mental clarity, which is detrimental to combat decision-making,” Lu Yao replied.

“The mecha’s onboard AI is meant to handle such situations.” The researcher’s tone carried some urgency. 

Lu Yao, who had been focused on the tabletop display, finally looked up at the researcher. For a moment, the room fell silent. All eyes followed the exchange. Lu Yao said, “The Federation Military Research Institute has already developed AI capable of controlling an entire battleship in combat.”

He didn’t understand why Lu Yao had suddenly brought up starships. “Do you want to test that kind of AI on mecha as well?”

If a mecha could be piloted entirely by AI, a human operator would be unnecessary, rendering the human factors lab redundant. In short, mecha pilots could be out of a job, and so could the mecha human factors researchers.

The researcher shivered. “I… I don’t believe AI can fully replace human pilots.”

“Yes,” Lu Yao nodded. “I think so too.”

But not for the sake of preventing unemployment. Human judgment still held an irreplaceable role on the ever-changing battlefield. He would never be discarded. Besides, relying solely on AI to control warfare would only create deeper internal crises for the pan-galactic Federation. Decision-makers would never allow it.

“So, I want the mecha cockpit to provide pilots with a minimally disruptive operating environment. Improvements to the gravity system should proceed along that direction.” Lu Yao glanced at his personal AI assistant calendar. “Within two days, I want a preliminary proposal.”

When Lu Yao returned to his office, Mo Feng was standing by the floor-to-ceiling window, intently studying the paw prints the snow leopard had left on the floor.

“Mo Feng?”

Mo Feng turned around. “You’re back! I’ve been waiting for you a while.”

Lu Yao sat at his desk. “Deus could have notified me. You didn’t have to wait here.”

Mo Feng smiled, leaning casually on the sofa. “I just took some time to wander around during a break, and thought I’d chat with you, keep in touch.”

Lu Yao raised an eyebrow questioningly. Mo Feng pondered. “Sort of… gossip. Jaeger Industries released a documentary yesterday about mecha construction, Star River Craftsmen. Their chief mecha designer, Jiang Wei, stars in it. It blew up online.”

“And?”

Mo Feng looked at Lu Yao’s expressionless face, and suddenly laughed uncontrollably, which only made Lu Yao more confused.

“Lu Yao, do you remember who Jiang Wei is?”

Lu Yao nodded, repeating quietly, “Jaeger Industries’ chief mecha designer.”

 

 

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