Chapter 55: A Cat Mecha?!

Translated by Addis of Exiled Rebels Scanlations

Editor: Karai

Following Yan Jiujiang was another middle-aged alpha male, dressed similarly. Lu Yao barely managed to match this equally sun-darkened face to the photo of Carriedo. He stepped forward. Since it was his first time meeting Lu Yao, he couldn’t be as warm as Yan Jiujiang, but he also set down a burlap sack from his shoulder. Yan Jiujiang introduced him to Lu Yao: “Here are sweet potatoes, salted fish, and braised pork ribs.”

A hint of confusion appeared in Lu Yao’s cold eyes. He opened his mouth but didn’t know what to say. Looking up, his gaze met Zhou Yunchen, who had accompanied Carriedo and Yan Jiujiang. Even the usually commanding General’s eyes were tinged with puzzlement.

“You won’t taste it directly. You could make popcorn from the corn, fries from the sweet potatoes, and share the salted fish and ribs with your co-worker Mo Feng—he likes this kind of meat.”

“Thank you, Mr. Yan.” Lu Yao tried to lift the two large sacks, but realized how heavy they were, nearly toppling him. Zhou Yunchen silently reached out, took the sacks from him, and placed them aside.

Yan Jiujiang looked at Zhou Yunchen’s back and said to Lu Yao, “Your alpha is quite good. Just a bit quiet, but then, you’re not very talkative either. A good match.”

Lu Yao was momentarily stunned. “He’s not my alpha.”

Yan Jiujiang raised an eyebrow. “Oh, I remember the last news I saw about you two—three years ago, you were matched and married.”

“We’re divorced.”

“Not a fan of the matching marriage system? That’s fine too. Two people being together doesn’t require a marriage contract.”

“Mr. Yan, Zhou Yunchen and I are not together,” Lu Yao had to interrupt. Yan Jiujiang blinked. The look exchanged between Lu Yao and Zhou Yunchen had been so intense it seemed viscous enough to drip. He had assumed there was a romantic connection—but it turned out his judgment was wrong.

Still, could an alpha and omega who had lived together for three years, and even undergone marking, really be ordinary friends? Yan Jiujiang doubted it. Marking isn’t play—it’s inevitably linked to intimacy.

At this moment, Director Wang Chuanshan approached. “Mr. Yan, it’s an honor. I’m Wang Chuanshan, the director of this shoot.”

“Hello, Director Wang,” Yan Jiujiang said with a smile. “Shall we start filming now?”

“Anytime. The studio sets are ready.”

“Good, I’ve memorized the script and lines.”

“Do you want a costume change, or will you appear as is?”

Yan Jiujiang looked down at his simple checked shirt—it didn’t match the public image of a mecha Chief Engineer. “Do you have period uniforms?”

“I found some base uniforms from twenty years ago in the museum,” Lu Yao said.

Lu Yao accompanied Yan Jiujiang to change clothes. Zhou Yunchen and Carriedo remained in the studio; there was no work for them here. The two alphas stood by the wall, chatting to pass the time.

“Jiujiang hasn’t worn that uniform for many years. At the farm, our clothes are mixed up, hard to tell apart…” Carriedo glanced at the silent Zhou Yunchen, suddenly laughing self-deprecatingly. “After hearing all my and Jiujiang’s stories, you must be bored.”

“No,” Zhou Yunchen replied. Carriedo shook his head with a smile. “I don’t believe it—you’re distracted.”

Zhou Yunchen was indeed lost in thought, but not bored. He was thinking about Lu Yao.

Carriedo and Yan Jiujiang met late in life. Over the past hundred years, they each had brilliant careers and complex personal histories. When they finally traveled the universe alone, they first met each other. Compared with the long past, they had known each other only briefly, and the journey ahead couldn’t match the years gone by. But in the present, their connection was genuine and joyful.

Lu Yao and Zhou Yunchen, by contrast, had too much shared history. Those etched memories were like a temple, or a tombstone—sometimes a blessing, sometimes a burden. Zhou Yunchen couldn’t help but wonder: if he hadn’t felt that fleeting, suppressed love when young, and it was his first time meeting Lu Yao, would he have approached him so lightly? But without Lu Yao, he wouldn’t be here now… Fate had long intertwined their years. Zhou Yunchen suddenly marveled at how terrifying the computational power of the Federation Central AI must be.

“Did you hear what Lu Yao just said with Jiujiang?”

“What?”

“He mentioned your divorce.”

Zhou Yunchen heard it. Lu Yao’s voice was soft, but as an S-class alpha, Zhou Yunchen’s acute hearing captured every nuance.

“You didn’t want the divorce, right?” Carriedo said. “Don’t look at me like that. We’ve known each other for many years. Your feelings were obvious. If you didn’t want it, and he doesn’t dislike you, and has no other partner, why did you agree to the divorce?”

“I didn’t refuse his request,” Zhou Yunchen said.

“And beyond that? You’re not an antique robot that requires a command. Modern AI can anticipate human intentions from subtle actions.”

Zhou Yunchen hesitated, unsure whether to discuss this with Carriedo. Eventually, he surrendered. At least Carriedo had experience pursuing a spouse. “I tried staying by his side, helping him.”

“Staying by his side?” Carriedo almost laughed at the war-hardened General now shy about pursuing love, but decided not to tease him. “Little Lu recently bought the villa I designed. The master bedroom has a huge bed—enough for…”

“I know. I’ve seen it.”

Carriedo was stunned. He intended to encourage Zhou Yunchen with a bright future, but now it seemed off. “An omega invited you into the bedroom. You did nothing?”

“It’s not what you think.”

The one accompanying Lu Yao into the bedroom nightly was a snow leopard, not Zhou Yunchen. Zhou Yunchen didn’t know how to explain this. Carriedo frowned, then remembered something. “I just noticed a bite scar on the back of Lu Yao’s neck. Did he have another admirer before?” Was Zhou Yunchen afraid to confess for this reason?

“No, that’s mine. Between us, there was once a… medical marking.”

Carriedo: “?”

“Inviting you to the bedroom, the forced marking… isn’t that enough to understand Lu Yao’s intentions?” Carriedo said. “If he truly disliked you, he would have drawn a clear boundary after all that—not allowed you to follow like a little tail.”

“What tail?” Lu Yao returned with Yan Jiujiang. Zhou Yunchen heard his voice and immediately replied, “The snow leopard’s tail. Carriedo has never seen a real snow leopard.”

“Does Mr. Carriedo want to see the snow leopard?”

“No, he doesn’t. He’s allergic to cat fur, so I suggested he order a bionic snow leopard from a company.”

Yan Jiujiang looked at Carriedo. There were chickens, ducks, cats, and dogs on the farm—how could he not know the old man was allergic? Carriedo squinted helplessly.

After changing into the uniform, a makeup artist applied light makeup on Yan Jiujiang, and filming officially began. Director Wang had Yan Jiujiang act in a studio set recreating the barren star environment.

Lu Yao’s past occurred on barren planet B13 in an uncharted star region. The star region was under Federation jurisdiction but hard to reach; star pirates roamed freely, far from New Blue Star. The crew recreated the scene based on Lu Yao and Yan Jiujiang’s memories.

Wearing the gray base uniform again, Yan Jiujiang looked every bit the strict and steady Chief Engineer of the past, recounting the story for the camera. After filming the studio scene, the crew moved to the First Research Base museum—the main highlight of the shoot.

Yan Jiujiang entered the museum, long unseen by him, and gazed at the deepest part, at that special mecha, smiling with nostalgia for the camera. “I have always marveled at Lu Yao’s first mecha creation.”

“It wasn’t the untested designs from the academy, nor the XYL-type mecha he built after joining the Research Institute. The mecha before you is Lu Yao’s most imaginative creation.”

The special episode of Steel Titans premiered two days later. Millions of netizens rushed online, curious to see how Lu Yao would try to clear his name. But unexpectedly, the first voice to reach their ears was slightly aged—it wasn’t Lu Yao.

Lu Yao’s voice was like ice. As darkness gradually receded, a giant spotlight illuminated the space, casting two silhouettes. One figure stood before a towering five-person-high object, with strange pointed protrusions on either side. The real-time comment section was full of confusion: What kind of mecha is this?

In the next moment, the figure yanked away the cloth covering the mecha. Amid the rustling of polyester fibers, the audience caught a fleeting glimpse: a perfect… giant cat head? ??? Is this Lu Yao’s “whitewashing” strategy?

Yet the cat-head mecha did look intriguing. Viewers couldn’t help but continue watching. However, the cat-head appeared only briefly before the scene shifted. Vast yellow sands stretched into the sky, with not a cloud in sight. A massive planet hovered above, eerie and oppressive.

This wasn’t New Blue Star, nor any habitable planet familiar to viewers. Based on the surface sand structures and distant atmosphere, anyone with basic knowledge began to wonder: could humans even survive here?

A person entered the frame, and subtitles revealed his identity—Yan Jiujiang, former Chief Engineer of Federation’s Mecha Research Institute First Research Base. He wore a slightly outdated base uniform, a smile at the corner of his mouth, gazing at a distant, blazing star.

“What you’re seeing is B13, an uncharted planet in the Nameless Star Region—a planet of heat and desert. It’s where Lu Yao lived alone for a year after leaving Morningstar Military Academy. There’s a story in the mecha industry about Lu Yao: they say he’s an absolute genius. Give him time and materials, and he could single-handedly build a mecha. Many young people today think this is an exaggerated joke. But I want to tell you: it’s true. During the year he spent here, Lu Yao built his first mecha entirely with his own hands.”

Author’s note:

Yes, Chief Engineer Lu really is handsome. Another day of Zhou Yunchen envying the snow leopard.

But things are moving fast! Within roughly five chapters, they’ll confess their feelings to each other—if not, it’ll definitely happen in eight chapters.

 

 

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