Chapter 127: The Scent of Conspiracy

The rescue worker who had brought them there was exceptionally kind. Since he had been part of the team that successfully rescued them, he seemed to feel that he had accomplished something sacred. He did everything he could to look after the four of them, first having Zhou Yi and the others wait outside for their examinations, then taking Fatty to a mobile toilet.

In less than ten minutes, the two returned. Fatty had a roll of protective clothing tucked under his arm. Anyone could tell that the computer was hidden inside. He raised his eyebrows at Zhou Yi, then walked over to Sophia with his back turned toward her and gave the computer a little shake.

Sophia hurriedly took it and put it away.

The doctor examined all four of them. Fatty was suffering from fairly severe dehydration, but the other three were fine.

Fatty looked at Zhou Yi innocently.

“I’m not going to die, am I?”

Zhou Yi could not help laughing. That fellow really did cherish his life.

“You won’t die. You were just exposed to the sun for too long and got a little dehydrated. Eat and drink something, and you’ll recover.”

As soon as he finished speaking, two people hurried in, both looking somewhat excited.

When they saw Zhou Yi and the others, they quickly came over. Asian faces were conspicuous here, after all.

“Hello, I’m a staff member from the embassy of Hua Nation. How are your medical examinations?”

Zhou Yi glanced at Fatty. Fatty grinned. Clearly, the embassy had already verified their identities and had rushed over at once.

“Hello. We’re not seriously injured, but we have nothing on us now and can’t prove our identities...”

The embassy official waved his hand, wearing a sincere smile, and clasped Zhou Yi’s hand in a firm handshake.

“Don’t worry. The embassy will protect you, help replace your documents as quickly as possible, and arrange flights for you. All these difficulties will pass. The nation will never abandon any of its citizens abroad. We will bring every one of you home.”

They were official words, but hearing them at a moment like this still warmed the heart. When someone was far from home and had just endured a great disaster, words like those were enough to make one’s nose sting. Zhou Yi merely nodded, unable to speak for a moment.

Fatty quickly stepped forward and took the official’s hand.

“We’re grateful for your trouble. Doctor Zhou isn’t very good with words. We’ll follow your arrangements. Should we wait here for now?”

The man waved his hand, then spoke with the local doctors for a while. He probably assumed that Zhou Yi and the others had poor English and would have difficulty communicating, so he was extremely courteous. The general meaning was that, as long as they were not seriously injured, he would take them to the embassy to rest.

The doctors naturally offered no objection. Zhou Yi and the others hurried after the official. They first went to the embassy’s temporary office to have their photographs taken, then were sent to a relief center. More than a dozen people from Hua Nation were gathered there, and their accents revealed that they came from every corner of the country.

The place was spacious enough. After the officials left, food and water were distributed before long. Zhou Yi and the other three stayed together, since some of the people there were weeping constantly while others kept making phone calls. It seemed that members of their families had either died or gone missing.

Zhou Yi lowered his head slightly. It was not that he was cold-blooded. In the face of natural disaster, humanity’s strength was insignificant. Even though they had obtained so much in the Five Elements Tomb World, before nature they were still nothing more than ants.

It was already deep into the night when they were assigned two rooms. Zhou Yi looked at Fatty in surprise, silently asking what was going on. Fatty shuddered. Zhou Yi’s gaze was somewhat frightening, and with other people nearby, Fatty did not dare say anything else.

“Resources are scarce. You and your sister-in-law are legally married, so what’s there to fear? Make do with it. Where would this place find you a private room?”

Zhou Yi frowned. After a moment, he blinked. This was hardly the time to be fussy. The people around them assumed that he was simply embarrassed. An older woman patted him on the shoulder.

“Young man, once you’ve registered your marriage, you’re a lawful couple. Go get some rest. The fact that we survived and are being cared for like this is already a blessing!”

Zhou Yi smiled at the kind woman, then pulled Sophia back to the room.

From the corner of his eye, he saw that Fatty had already run off with Cheng Zhi. It was better not to draw attention to themselves at a time like this. After closing the door, Sophia glanced at the place where Zhou Yi was holding her wrist, tilted her head slightly, and placed her hand against his chest.

The sudden gesture made Zhou Yi freeze. For a moment, he had no idea what Sophia intended to do.

Could it be that spending so long in the water had somehow damaged one of Sophia’s components’ waterproofing?

Sophia’s hand was somewhat cool, but the touch was comfortable enough, and Zhou Yi did not pull away.

“What is it?”

Sophia smiled.

“Your heartbeat is normal now. When Fatty said that you and I would share a room, your heart rate clearly accelerated. It exceeded one hundred and twenty-five beats per minute. Aside from the first time you met Walden, this was the greatest change I’ve ever observed. I thought you were unwell, but apparently that wasn’t the case.”

Zhou Yi could not help laughing. The awkwardness from moments earlier vanished completely. It seemed that he was the one being old-fashioned.

“All right, let’s rest for now. We’ve been exhausted these past two days. You wash and change first, and then I will.”

Sophia shook her head as though making up her mind, then looked at Zhou Yi.

“I know what you’re thinking. You don’t need to regard me as some deputy commander of the base. I told you before that your mark is special. I want to help you conceal your strength, so that you can eventually establish a base of your own and free yourself from Walden’s control.

“Only when you become powerful—more powerful than Walden—or gain the recognition of the Lord of Spacetime City will you be able to take me away. I don’t want to remain with him at Base Seventy-Two, and I don’t want to take part in what he intends to do.

“Of course, if you wish, you can have me at any time. Although I’m a half-machine, I possess everything a human woman should have, and the proportions are probably the most perfect possible. Only the bones in my limbs have been replaced, allowing the potential of my body to be developed to its limits.

“Do you... want me?”

The question was dangerously seductive. Zhou Yi’s breathing caught, and he nodded before shaking his head.

Being asked such a thing by a woman face-to-face left him at a loss for an answer. Still, he knew that Sophia was merely making her position clear.

“Sophia, you’re very attractive. But for the moment, I don’t want that, and I don’t have such a need. It isn’t because of you; it’s because of me.

“But just now, you said that you wanted to leave Base Seventy-Two and had no desire to take part in Walden’s affairs. It sounded as though there was more behind your words. Can you tell me about it?”

The sudden change of subject made Sophia sigh softly. She remained silent for a long while. Zhou Yi thought she did not want to speak and was about to say something when Sophia suddenly seemed relieved. She fixed her eyes on him and said:

“I don’t know everything. But Walden once wanted me to swear allegiance to him and even tried to alter my settings. I refused. I told him that, according to my programming, I was required to obey the orders of the lord of Base Seventy-Two, not those of any particular individual.

“After hearing that, he said nothing more. But I know that he has some connection with the central intelligence, or perhaps another kind of relationship. There is also Avery King, the lord of Base Thirty-Seven. The two of them have been researching something together.

“Two years ago, I went to a mission world to bring back some slaves. I had something to discuss with Walden, but Carter stopped me. At the time, I didn’t know why, so I forced my way into Walden’s room.

“I saw that his body was covered in wounds. The four-pointed star mark on his arm had faded until it was barely visible. I was stunned and didn’t know what to do. To protect myself, I could only say that if the lord was injured, I could transfer my energy value to him for treatment.

“When I said that, the gloom on Walden’s face finally eased. He said that he had been injured while carrying out a special mission with Avery King of Base Thirty-Seven, and that someone from Spacetime City would soon come to treat him.

“After that, Walden began keeping his guard up against me. But since I never took the initiative to contact Doctor Laura of Spacetime City, he did not say anything more. Still, I know they must be plotting something.

“That Avery King also benefited from the last great battle against the Hunter Clan. He distinguished himself tremendously in that battle and was granted the title of Warrior of Spacetime City, along with the greatest share of the mission-world rewards.

“Yet when he entered the battle, he was only a Level Two Chosen One. After a single battle, he advanced directly to Level Four. I heard that he spent most of the following years recovering from his injuries and rarely appeared in public. But he is a ruthless man. To secure victory, he sacrificed the lives of more than twenty other Chosen Ones. Many people were deeply hostile toward him, yet the central intelligence held him in exceptionally high regard.”

Sophia did not know much, but after putting the pieces together, it seemed that something was indeed wrong with Walden and Avery King.

A man who disliked the Chosen Ones from the moment they were born, who was so ruthless, and who could still earn the central intelligence’s favor and receive its full support—everything about it reeked of conspiracy.