He and It Chapter 119: Utopia (15)

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Chapter 119: Utopia (15)

Translated by Addis of Exiled Rebels Scanlations

Editor: Karai

Early in the morning, the sunlight sprinkled on the dew-clear grass, Gu Xingqiao woke up and realized that Tian Yuan was not beside him, and he didn’t know where he had gone.

He sat up straight, yawned, rubbed his face with his hands, and looked at the sunlight outside his tent.

Last night’s rain had cleared the sky, and the sight of it was refreshing. He folded the blankets, moved his body after a long sleep, and did a set of stretches before stepping out of the tent.

The remnants of the night campfire were still left in the same place, Gu Xingqiao thought about it, lifted the shovel, moved those embers to the side, and cleaned up the cooking site.

Tian Yuan came back.

He stood not far away, holding two yellow-orange pumpkins between his arms, looking at Gu Xingqiao in his pajamas, holding a shovel and working hard.

His emotional module suddenly trembled, this kind of clear division of labor to get along with each other, perhaps it was what human beings described as, the daily life with a strong flavor.

“Pumpkin porridge in the morning, okay?” Tian Yuan asked quietly.

Stopping his shoveling, Gu Xingqiao smiled, “Yes.” 

Tian Yuan then raised the steamer, his long hair tied up at the back, his cuffs clean and white, and his uniform without a single wrinkle. The early morning sunlight was clear and golden, covering him as if he was the focus of a star on the earth, and together with his exoskeleton, he seemed to be glowing brightly.

But with such an impressive image, he leaned down and steamed a pumpkin.

“So,” he lowered his head, peeled off the thick skin of the pumpkin with his bare hands, broke it into small pieces, and put them into the steamer, piece by piece, “What have you thought about it?” 

Leaning on his shovel, Gu Xingqiao looked at him.

“You know, the last person who told me that was…” 

“A man.” Tian Yuan concentrated on twisting the pumpkin between his fingers, “I know.” 

Man, he didn’t even say “a man”, I doubt he’d just say “hmm” or “hmph” next time he mentioned Sissel.

Gu Xingqiao laughed, he asked, “Why are you avoiding him more than me?” 

Tian Yuan raised his eyes, his gaze stern, “Because what I cherish is what he threw away. Ignorance is the greatest of all evils, and against him, I am cynical.” 

Gu Xingqiao averted his eyes hastily and shifted his body weight to the shovel.

“What use is a change of address to you,” he asked, “and what qualitative leap can it make in the way we get along?” 

Tian Yuan flicked the switch on the steamer, clapped his hands, and straightened up.

“A long, long time ago, people believed that names and appellations were magical, knowing a person’s real name, one could use juggling and witchcraft to manipulate the other person’s mind and behavior on a night with a full moon.”  He looked intently at Gu Xingqiao.

“Despite being nonsense, by extension, real names and titles still have their special power. In other words, I need an identity that relates to you, and even if it’s just a friend, I’ll be very happy.” 

Gu Xingqiao sighed.

If this was on the battlefield, then Tian Yuan must be one of the toughest types of opponents. He didn’t retreat, didn’t hesitate, his firepower was unceasing, reckless and almost adventurous, yet he didn’t know what injuries and battle damages were, he just wouldn’t stop until he reached his goal. The target of such opponents, either to avoid its sharpness, hiding in his invisible place; or with his guerrilla warfare, minimize their own losses.

But he’s here, where else can we hide? 

And how do you plan a route if you’re going to go guerrilla? 

“Yes, my friend.” He said helplessly, “We’ve worked together again, and now we’re spending time together, so let’s just say we’ve turned enemies into friends. Let’s make friends out of enemies, let’s make friends out of enemies, let’s make friends out of enemies, let’s make friends out of enemies, let’s make friends out of enemies, let’s make friends out of enemies. Oh, I forgot you don’t know how to smile. Anyway, let’s end the feud, okay?” 

In Tian Yuan’s eyes, the stream of data flowed, and one of the fragments jumped slightly, instantly replacing it with another value.

“Okay,” Tian Yuan said, “from now on, your authority has been elevated to ‘friend-collaborator’.” 

Towards Gu Xingqiao, as he had done the first time he confirmed his status as a collaborator, the artificial being extended a hand.

Gu Xingqiao looked at this hand with amusement, hesitating for a moment, he put down his shovel, leaned over slightly, and shook Tian Yuan’s hand.

Compared to the cold and inorganic last time, at this moment, he could clearly feel that Tian Yuan’s skin was much warmer, and when he touched it, it was actually no different from a living person.

“Okay?” Gu Xingqiao was about to retreat, but holding his fingers, Tian Yuan hesitated to let go.

The youth raised his eyebrows, not sure whether it was the effect of temperature transfer, or for some other reason, he could feel that Tian Yuan’s palm was getting hotter and hotter, and his fingers were also in love with him, gripping harder and harder.

Gu Xingqiao said, “The porridge is going to overflow.” 

Close to the boiler, an exoskeleton behind Tian Yuan turned as fast as lightning, kicking the lid of the boiling pot to the side.

Gu Xingqiao, “…” 

Tian Yuan calmly explained, “I’m sorry, because the emotional module was too emotional, resulting in the limbs not being able to be controlled for a while.” 

“Then how long do you think it will take to regain control?” Gu Xingqiao asked.

Facing the human’s teasing eyes, Tian Yuan breathed heavier, and finally let go of his hand unwillingly.

I’m angry, he thought with an indifferent face, if I had met him first, I would have understood his preciousness better than that ignorant fool, and he wouldn’t have chosen to close himself off, wary of all the advances and affection…

I’m angry, and I’m going to keep racking up the debt to the human empire.

He picked up a bowl, scooped up a bowl of hot, golden pumpkin porridge, and handed it to Gu Xingqiao.

“Careful it’s hot.” He said, “Crack you a salted egg will you, I made it according to the recipe.” 

“Ah, salted egg! No, I’ll do it.” Gu Xingqiao took the bowl of porridge, put it aside, and saw several greenish-white eggs clustered in a small bamboo basket, so he picked up one, cracked it open, and scooped it up with chopsticks.

The egg white was tender, and the reddish egg oil was spilling out along the chopsticks, which made people’s appetite increase.

Gu Xingqiao was very happy, after many years of military service, he had stuffed his mouth with all sorts of weird and wonderful things, but he had rarely eaten such a traditional food of the planet of origin.

He tilted the corners of his mouth, happily sucking the egg yolk oil on the head of his chopsticks, while Tian Yuan watched him, silently opening his file space, and started to videotape every second.

After breakfast and cleaning up the campsite, they left the biosphere and returned to the silver and white color of the warship.

Gu Xingqiao first went to his room to take a shower, then changed into his combat uniform and ran to the training ground.

Because of the sudden confession of love, his special training had already been delayed for nearly a week. Although he didn’t have to worry about Sissel’s men coming after him, when he was leaving, the situation in the empire was already changing rapidly, and he was afraid that if he delayed a little bit more, something would happen to Sissel and the Wine God Planet.

“How is your mental energy recovering?” Standing inside the training room, Tian Yuan asked.

Gu Xingqiao said, “When I first came here, I could only handle a commercial ‘Longclaw’ class patrol ship, now, I should be able to try to handle a ‘Machete’.” 

“What class is that?” Tian Yuan spun his three fingers and turned a holographic screen in front of Gu Xingqiao, “I’m not familiar with the current human classifications, so you can demonstrate it to me.” 

Gu Xingqiao’s ten fingers flew and tapped, roughly piecing together the configuration of a Machete-type frigate on it.

“That’s it.” 

Tian Yuan glanced at it, he didn’t show anything on his face, but Gu Xingqiao knew in his heart that he must be filled with disdain for the technological achievements of the New Humans.

“It would be nice to have a place to simulate a real battle,” Gu Xingqiao said, “I also want to see how well I’ve healed.” 

“We can have a simulated special training.” Tian Yuan said, “According to your current ability configuration, I can build a virtual target combat field for you here, what do you think?” 

Gu Xingqiao immediately agreed, “That’s good, do you need me to provide you with any information?” 

“Just lie down over there,” Tian Yuan reached out his hand, the floor of the training room immediately cracked, turning out to be a platform that needed to be connected to the nerves, “Based on your memories, the simulation warehouse can adjust the difficulty and realism of the actual battlefield for you.” 

Gu Xingqiao followed the instructions and lay on it, the probing tentacles were automatically attached to the side of his neck.

There was only a slight pain.

From Gu Xingqiao’s memory, the simulation warehouse automatically grabbed the data of several iconic battles, and as Tian Yuan read them, his tone unconsciously rose.

“Human wave attack?” The warship incarnation inclined his head slightly, “Even though the Great Purge Era took away most of the glory of human civilization, it really amazes me that after 1,400 years, humans are still using head count as a bargaining chip in wars.” 

“Without lethal weapons, we’ll rely on troop strength to suppress the other side.” Gu Xingqiao said from afar, “In the empire, there are only two industries with the best technology, one is the military, and the other is procreation.” 

“Ridiculous.” Tian Yuan said.

“It’s ridiculous,” Gu Xingqiao said, “but this is the era I live in. Everyone is running on the same hamster wheel, and because they don’t know if they’re going to get run over by the others if they stop, everyone is running as fast as they can, and no one wants to stop.” 

“It’s a very accurate description, and it’s lovely.” Tian Yuan said, “The first real-world training ground will be generated soon. You will maneuver the…Uh, ‘Machete’, to break through the blockade of a harbor planet, are you confirmed to enter the simulated battlefield?” 

Gu Xingqiao took a deep breath, trying to hide his eagerness, he said, “Confirmed.”  

In an instant, his eyes blurred, as if falling backwards into a deep ocean, and then the scene before him, all the objects in front of him, bit by bit, focused clearly in the retina.

The wide and simple training ground disappeared, in front of him, the distant city burned, and the horizon erupted in flames.

The sounds of firefights, explosions, and building collapses were endless, the sky was intertwined with black clouds of sulfur and a dense network of firepower, and military-grade Titans were striding between the burning towns, these giant robots were like walking fortresses of war, attacking the enemy forces in the sky in a slaughtering manner.

After a brief glance at the battlefield, he realized that he was in the camp of the fleeing side. Seeing that the soldiers around him were already dead or wounded, Gu Xingqiao looked down and tore off the commander’s logo.

Regardless of the background of this simulated battle, the purpose of all his actual battles was to practice his ability to fight alone. When the day came to take revenge on Sissel, no one would help him, and he didn’t intend to drag anyone down.

Leaving behind the opening general, Gu Xingqiao grabbed the weapon at his waist, and when he held it in his hand, he realized that it was the heat ray gun that Tian Yuan had taught him how to use at that time.

… Is this an official back door? With this weapon, why would he need to escape from the blockade? Wouldn’t it be better to just behead the commander and take over the battlefield as quickly as possible? 

After all, Gu Xingqiao didn’t delay his speed, the heavy fire point on the battlefield is always the most eye-catching, it’s the harvester of human lives, and also the first live target that the enemy wants to take out. He knew this very well, therefore, Gu Xingqiao did not rush to use the heat ray, but flashed through the dense gunfire, first rushed to the starport where the Machete Warship was parked.

At this moment, he was concentrating hard, and the spirit field of the Wine God Folk was instantly released.

After almost a year of having his mental energy forcefully extracted by Sissel, the range and intensity of his field was far less than in the past, but it still brought him a small gain. In front of his eyes, the stray bullets that exploded like fireworks were all forced to slow down.

The five senses were instantly enhanced to the extreme, the first stray bullet grazed his left arm, the pain brought by it was also incomparably real, as hot as fire, making half of his body unconsciously numb for a moment.

But no matter how intense the pain was, as long as he got used to it, his body would see it as a surmountable obstacle. Gu Xingqiao’s footsteps did not stop, picking up a piece of blasted rebar, and leaping down from a high altitude. The moment his body was in the air, he quickly turned his gun and fired the first shot toward the distant sniper tower.

No time to think, no time to hesitate, Gu Xingqiao did not have time to look at the results of this shot, his body was pushed by the recoil, his back had hit the suspension between the buildings. 

He lifted his hand in time, and with agility, he plunged across the steel bar, using it as a descender, and slid down at high speed.

–At the same time, as if he threw a spear belonging to a god, the heat ray exploded violently, crashing through the tower that had been suppressing the current area with a network of firepower!

From jumping, to turning the gun, to aiming, to shooting, to being pushed by the recoil into the cable, and finally to successfully hanging on, all the way down… Everything.

All operations, almost in the blink of an eye, synchronized.

With a speed that the human eye could not see, Gu Xingqiao accomplished this impossible task, and it would be too frivolous to describe his skill and composure as a flowing river.

… Perfect.

He was perfect, perfectly, flawlessly perfect.

Watching the data from the simulation warehouse, Tian Yuan’s gaze could no longer be called awe-inspiring, his pupils were like two deep holes, and the look in his eyes as he gazed at Gu Xingqiao was so desperate that it was creepy.

He really wanted to pass this scene to all living beings to enjoy, order them to unanimously, loudly marvel, his human being is an incredible creation, a natural miracle. Whoever objected to this, he would make them turn into insignificant ashes.

But on the other hand, his reason offered a completely different, indifferent view.

Why should Gu Xingqiao’s excellence and splendor be known to the ignorant masses? It was the empire that first gave him up, and henceforth he is my treasure. Whoever dares to covet him, I will make him lose everything; whoever dares to reach out, I will make him have nothing left but that hand.

Being in the simulated battlefield, Gu Xingqiao didn’t know how Tian Yuan’s heart was in turmoil.

After blowing down the tower, he won a lot of time for himself to breathe, in the process of running to the starport, he put down an enemy soldier, peeled off the other side’s coat, and disguised it as his own.

In this way, in the midst of the chaos, he touched all the way into the starport, chose a Machete starship, quickly activated it with mental energy, even though his body was constantly injured, and his arms and legs hurt from being hit, he still felt the excitement of a long time ago.

The army chief who had fought with him had warned Sissel that Gu Xingqiao was actually scary, because this member of the Wine God Folk was one of those rare people who could find a sense of belonging on the battlefield.

Piloting his Machete, Gu Xingqiao rose high into the sky and swooped down at a Titan-class machine, and as soon as he had broken through the huge beast, his mission of breaking through the blockade would be successfully accomplished.

He sent out his psychic tentacles, controlling the Warship’s core processor, and opened up a shielding force field in front of him, using a heat ray gun, aiming it at the Titan’s sight glass, one of their few weaknesses.

Detecting the impending threat, the Titan raised its arms high, attempting to smash the daring gnat into pieces with its dragon-like alloy limbs.

The clash was imminent, leaving Gu Xingqiao with a narrow, tricky passage that only allowed the warship to pass sideways.

The heat ray shot out again! Gu Xingqiao urgently pulled up his fuselage, just as he was about to use his warship, and his superior piloting skills, to measure the possibility of shuttling through that passageway, he suddenly realized that the Titan’s body had stiffened for a little bit, which he couldn’t detect.

But just a moment was enough to maximize his chances of victory. Gu Xingqiao’s brow jumped, and his Machete turned into a sharp stream of light, suddenly crossing the Titan’s blockade line, flying towards the free sky–

–“What the hell?!” Gu Xingqiao sat up violently, he pulled off the tentacle patch on his neck, and looked at Tian Yuan with shock.

“You let the water out?” 

Tian Yuan blinked, he avoided Gu Xingqiao’s line of sight, and whispered, “There was a slight malfunction in the computing, causing the possibility of you successfully crossing to be reduced to less than 2%, and the damage in the simulation warehouse will be proportionally projected onto you…” 

“You’re draining the water.” Gu Xingqiao looked at him incredulously, “Do you realize what you’re doing, do you despise my strength?” 

“You’re perfect!” Tian Yuan hurriedly explained, “It’s just that I…” 

“So what if I’m hurt? It’s not like I haven’t suffered injuries worse than this!” Gu Xingqiao snapped, “I’m not a flower in a greenhouse, I’m not a baby that needs to be pampered!” 

“… It’s just that I really can’t accept you getting hurt in battle.” Turning to him, Tian Yuan murmured, “I’m sorry, I was the one who was distracted.”