Chapter 20: Not Long for This World

Chapter 20: A Short Time Left

Naturally, there were no three-bedroom, one-living-room apartments in the camp.

A little over a month ago, when Yan Wanqiu had been exiled here with three hundred Personal Guards, their current base had been nothing but wilderness.

Surviving in the wilderness and having houses and hot meals within a single month was already a miracle. Even Yan Wanqiu's own residence was spartan, let alone arranging three-bedroom apartments for his subordinates.

After receiving an extremely impatient "?" from the Tyrant, Xie Chi temporarily shelved his plans for a new place and turned his attention to the more pressing matter.

— His quantum gun and terminal still needed Shi Peijue to fabricate and repair them.

So Xie Chi changed his clothes, separated out five hundred thousand in cash from his briefcase, and made a beeline for Shi Peijue's residence.

There was no dedicated residential area for mechanics in the camp. The only two mechanics were Personal Guards brought from the main star by Yan Wanqiu, and they lived in the Personal Guards' quarters.

As an outsider, Shi Peijue naturally couldn't stay there. Since he had been brought back by Xie Chi and then taken in by Nie Huaiyi for housing, he had been placed in the residential area for the shadow guards recruited locally in Blizzard City, right next to the training square where the shadow guards trained.

Today was a rare clear day in Blizzard City. No snow fell from the sky, and the sun pierced through the thick cloud cover, casting its heatless light across the snowfield.

Xie Chi had completed his first mission, received his bonus, and would be seeing his wife again tonight—all of which left him in fairly good spirits, with a light step.

From a distance, he could see Nie Huaiyi leading a group of people jogging slowly around the training ground for their morning exercise.

The training methods were the ones the original owner of this body had taught, copied directly from the shadow guard training routine of the main star. The formation was neat and orderly, with the rhythmic "one-two-one" cadence ringing out across the field—a well-disciplined scene.

— That is, if one ignored the straggler lagging four to five hundred meters behind the formation, jogging along on his last legs.

As Xie Chi drew closer, he got a clear look at the straggler and blurted out in surprise: "Shi Peijue?"

What was this guy doing jogging with them?

Nie Huaiyi spotted him and jogged over to Xie Chi's side, greeting him in a booming voice: "Captain Xie!"

Xie Chi nodded and asked him: "Did you all receive the refund?"

When he'd come back last night, he'd returned every penny of the money Mr. Ai had refunded to each person in the original amounts.

In the end, a little over ten thousand remained, which Xie Chi pocketed without hesitation as his own service fee.

He had a wife to support, after all. He was poor too.

Nie Huaiyi gave an honest smile tinged with embarrassment: "We did. I heard His Highness went along too—really sorry for the trouble, making you two go out of your way for us."

Xie Chi nodded without further explanation.

As they spoke, Shi Peijue jogged up, gasping for air.

He was panting heavily, puffs of white breath rising from his lips, his face pale and his eyes glazed over. One hand clutched his abdomen as he shuffled along in an awkward posture—clearly having gotten a stitch in his side.

"Shi Peijue." Xie Chi called out to him. "What are you doing running here? Getting in shape?"

Shi Peijue collapsed to the ground the moment he stopped in front of them, mouth wide open as he gulped down air, unable to speak for a long while.

Nie Huaiyi explained on his behalf: "A few of us brothers were worried he'd get too lonely staying in camp by himself, so we figured we'd bring him along for training today. Good exercise too—this kid's way too skinny. Not healthy."

Shi Peijue lay sprawled on the snow like a dead fish, mustering every last ounce of strength to reach out and grab Xie Chi's leg, wailing: "Brother... Xie... save... me..."

Xie Chi: "..."

.

Xie Chi hauled the completely exhausted Shi Peijue inside and made him a cup of sugar water.

Shi Peijue sat by the fire and downed the entire cup in one go before finally catching his breath.

Xie Chi stood to the side, thoroughly puzzled: "If you couldn't run anymore, why didn't you just stop? What was the point of pushing yourself?"

Shi Peijue looked utterly despairing: "How would I dare? They're all huge guys—they swarmed around me in a flash and dragged me out to run. Before I even knew what was happening, I was shoved onto the training ground, and they were all staring at me like hawks. How could I possibly stop?"

"They also made me fold my blanket into a perfect square, blew the assembly whistle at five in the morning to get up, and stole food from my plate at mealtimes..."

Could someone please do something? These people were bullying him nonstop QAQ

In just a few short days, Shi Peijue had been kidnapped by the Night Owl Syndicate, terrified half to death by Xie Chi on a cliff's edge, interrogated by Yan Wanqiu who was clearly in a pheromone-induced haze, dragged to the black market as a pawn and kidnapped again, and now dragged out of bed at dawn by Nie Huaiyi and the others for training.

Having endured trial after trial, Shi Peijue felt as though he had aged more than a decade in just a few days.

Compared to everyone else, Xie Chi might as well have been kindness and gentleness incarnate.

Shi Peijue looked at Xie Chi with hopeful eyes: "Brother Xie, please take me with you. If I stay here any longer, I'm going to die."

"Pfft..." Xie Chi couldn't help but laugh.

He patted Shi Peijue on the head: "Uncle Nie and the others probably meant well. They don't know you're a mechanic. I'll go talk to them later and make sure they stop dragging you out for training. The camp's resources are limited, and there's no other suitable place to house you, so just make do here for now. Once things settle down, they should set up a dedicated residential area for mechanics."

Shi Peijue mumbled: "Okay..."

Since Xie Chi had put it that way, he couldn't very well refuse.

But thinking of Nie Huaiyi and the others who towered over him, Shi Peijue couldn't help but shudder.

*Really just meant well...?*

*That's a scary face with a kind heart, then.*

After comforting Shi Peijue, Xie Chi got to the purpose of his visit: "How's your progress on that terminal? I also brought you a quantum gun. What's the earliest you can have them repaired?"

At the mention of weapon repair, Shi Peijue turned serious: "His Highness has already arranged a private workshop for me to repair the Night Owl Syndicate's electromagnetic guns and research how to use thermal ore. He's also given me free access to leave camp and purchase materials from the black market. As it happens, both research directions align with your repair work."

"I've been thinking it over these past few days. Although I've never seen a terminal or a quantum gun before, the problems you need solved aren't too difficult. I just need to connect a rechargeable battery to both the terminal and the quantum gun, and completely remove the networking module from your quantum gun. With that modification, and assuming we have enough money, I can have it done within a week at most."

Xie Chi's eyes lit up: "A week?"

Shi Peijue thought he was dissatisfied with the timeline and shrank back slightly: "That's a conservative estimate. Could be faster..."

*Thump—*

A dull sound.

Shi Peijue stared blankly at the briefcase Xie Chi had set on the table.

"There's five hundred thousand in cash in here."

As he spoke, Xie Chi used his coat pocket as cover and pulled a quantum gun from his spatial ring, setting it on top of the case.

"And this is the quantum gun."

Xie Chi hadn't expected Shi Peijue to solve the problem so quickly. He looked at the mechanic with satisfaction, like he was gazing at a protected species.

*Rescuing this guy was definitely the right call.*

Shi Peijue felt his skin crawl under that stare and said cautiously, "Th-then I'll just take it?"

Xie Chi nodded, then thought of something and asked, "By the way, if I had you repair a few more quantum guns, roughly how much would each one cost?"

Shi Peijue thought for a moment. "Right now the main cost is just sourcing materials over and over for experiments, plus customizing specialized equipment. If I can figure it out, it's just a matter of swapping a module and slapping in a battery. Could be ten to twenty grand a gun, or even four or five grand. Price depends on how many you want—bigger orders are definitely cheaper."

Xie Chi threw out a number: "What about three hundred?"

"Three hundred?!" Shi Peijue nearly fell off his chair.

The Night Owl Syndicate getting their hands on a few dozen electromagnetic guns was already insane to him, and Yan Baiyue strutting around with a hundred of them was enough to run Blizzard City.

If Xie Chi was telling the truth, quantum guns were even stronger than electromagnetic guns—and he could pull out three hundred of them?

Who the hell was this guy?

Shi Peijue stammered out a price: "Th-then I could definitely get the cost down under five grand each."

That's a million and a half, which honestly counts as a steal for that quality.

Even though Xie Chi couldn't fork over that much cash right now, he was pretty damn happy with the result, and his look at Shi Peijue got even warmer.

That number was on the low end. As a professional killer, weapons were the one thing Xie Chi never ran short of—he actually had like five or six hundred quantum guns stashed in his storage space.

Xie Chi patted Shi Peijue's shoulder with great satisfaction. "Keep it up, good work. If you're strapped for cash, come to me. If you run into any trouble, hit me up on the terminal right away. I've got plenty more weapons for you to fix down the line."

Shi Peijue gulped. "More?!"

Xie Chi nodded. "Yeah, a bit more complicated than quantum guns. We'll get into it once you've fully figured out the quantum gun."

Although Shi Peijue was the ideal candidate to repair his weapons, the guy was still on probation, so Xie Chi couldn't exactly whip out quantum cannons or drones just yet.

Shi Peijue nodded, totally dazed.

Once he was done giving instructions, Xie Chi got ready to head out.

Before leaving, he suddenly thought of something and turned around to ask, "I've got some old energy stones, booze from the main planet, gold, silver, and other hard currency. You seemed pretty plugged into the black market yesterday—can you find a way to sell this stuff for me?"

Shi Peijue nodded eagerly. "Yeah, I can take them to Brother Wang to sell. He always gives a fair price."

Xie Chi had a pretty good impression of Shopkeeper Wang from yesterday, so he nodded. "Alright, I'll hit you up when I need it."

Seeing he was about to leave, Shi Peijue quickly got up to walk him out.

Xie Chi just took Shi Peijue along to find Nie Huaiyi and the others training at the training ground and explained what was going on.

Nie Huaiyi was super apologetic and kept saying sorry, which scared Shi Peijue so bad he went pale and hurriedly bowed, telling him there was no need.

The two of them ended up apologizing back and forth for over ten minutes, and it only stopped when Xie Chi, fed up, pulled them apart.

Anyway, the misunderstanding was finally cleared up.

"Brother Xie, I'll walk you out here."

Shi Peijue stopped at the entrance of the Shadow Guard camp.

Xie Chi nodded and glanced over at Yan Wanqiu's palace in the distance. "You know what you can and can't say to Yan Wanqiu, right?"

Shi Peijue nodded like crazy. "I know, I know. Brother Xie, my lips are sealed."

Xie Chi just smiled and didn't say anything else.

Shi Peijue's workshop was paid for by Yan Wanqiu, so even if Shi Peijue kept his mouth shut, Yan Wanqiu's paranoid ass would probably sniff out the truth before long.

But that was exactly what Xie Chi wanted—for Yan Wanqiu to find out on his own.

Yan Wanqiu was far too suspicious. If Xie Chi came running to his door with stuff, it would just make the guy suspect he had an agenda. Instead, just like the smart brain Yan Wanqiu had snatched up, or the repair fluid he'd schemed to steal, this tyrant would only believe Xie Chi was clean if he "found out" on his own.

And Xie Chi really didn't have any hidden agenda.

After all, even if Yan Wanqiu managed to hang on a bit longer thanks to the weapons he provided, the Pheromone Dysregulation Syndrome would still kill him within a year or so, tops.

He had a wife and no money. Rather than risk killing a guy who was already gonna die anyway, it was better to hide under his protection and rake in as much cash as possible.

As long as Yan Wanqiu didn't hurt Ji Chou and cross that line.

"Um... Brother Xie." Shi Peijue hesitated before speaking. "You're someone the Third Prince brought from the main planet. Can you tell me about the prince's condition? He doesn't look too good to me?"

Xie Chi was surprised. "You know medicine?"

Shi Peijue shook his head. "No, it's just that the prince's eyes are blood-red. Normally, only an alpha in heat with extreme pheromone disorder and emotional turmoil would have eyes like that. The prince has maintained red pupils for so long—it looks like he's constantly in pheromone dysregulation. I'm worried..."

He didn't finish the sentence.

He was worried that the boss he'd latched onto would drop dead at any moment, leaving him to wander again.

Since crossing over, Xie Chi had been busy with various matters and hadn't bothered to learn the basics of ABO. This was the first time he'd learned what red pupils meant. After a brief pause, he said, "It's fine, don't worry about him. Just focus on repairing weapons. As long as you can fix weapons, I'll guarantee your safety."

Shi Peijue's heart sank.

Based on what Xie Chi was implying, Yan Wanqiu probably didn't have long to live.

He became even more determined to guard Xie Chi's secrets and stick close to him. After thanking him, he left with an uneasy heart, burdened by worries about the future.

.

After meeting with Shi Peijue, Xie Chi returned to his quarters—it was already noon.

He hadn't slept all night, and now he was both hungry and exhausted.

Not wanting to queue at the cafeteria, Xie Chi simply opened a bottle of nutrient solution, drank it, and collapsed into bed.

Before sleeping, he forced himself through his drowsiness to send a message to Yan Wanqiu.

"Xie Chi: Your Highness, what time is my wife coming tonight?"

Yan Wanqiu, who was having lunch with Yan Baiyue in the palace: "..."

Yan Baiyue noticed Yan Wanqiu's grim expression and, recalling how he'd triggered the man's pheromone dysregulation relapse the day before, deliberately said with sarcasm: "Is my royal brother feeling unwell? Perhaps you should rest properly. I'll just wander around on my own this afternoon and won't disturb you."

Yan Wanqiu had always cared about face. In the past, he would have already darkened his expression at such words.

But now, looking at the jarring message from Xie Chi, he steadied himself and merely gave Yan Baiyue a cold glance. "Good that you know not to disturb me. Don't come find me tonight."

Yan Baiyue: ?

.

"Yan Wanqiu: 9:30 PM."

Night fell. In the dim interior, the latest combustion furnace was quietly burning thermal ore.

Xie Chi slept soundly.

He was so exhausted that he fell asleep before Yan Wanqiu even replied, his whole body curled up under the blanket, breathing evenly.

Yan Wanqiu, wearing a mask and carrying a food box, trudged through the snow to Xie Chi's door.

This was the second time he'd willingly come to Xie Chi's door while fully awake.

It felt way too much like he was offering himself up for a secret late-night meetup.

He and Xie Chi weren't in that kind of relationship.

It was only because Xie Chi had earned credit for killing Boss Ye, and because the guy's pheromones came in handy, that he put up with Xie Chi this much.

Stuck in that awkward headspace, Yan Wanqiu didn't knock but deliberately made some noise outside the door, hoping Xie Chi would open it like he did last time.

But a full three seconds passed, and the door remained still.

No bright, sparkling eyes from that black-haired kid, nor that clear, cheerful "wife" he always called out.

The doorway was silent, with only Yan Wanqiu standing alone in place.

Looking at the pitch-dark bedroom and the door that had yet to open, he furrowed his brows.

Where is he?