Carrying the chill of late autumn mountains, Ning Zhuo swiftly entered the sixteenth underground floor.
Turning into the corridor, the first thing that caught his eye was a shattered wall of tiles.
The tiles split along a long, ferocious crack, winding and jagged.
As Ning Zhuo passed by, the vibrations from his steps caused small, fingernail-sized fragments to fall, producing a faint, scalp-tingling “rustle.”
Not many people were guarding Min Min.
To control the chaos, only Yu Shifei, Fenghuang, Jin Xueshen, and Min Min’s assistant, Xiao Wen, were present.
Seeing Ning Zhuo, who hadn’t returned in a long time, Xiao Wen rushed toward him as if spotting a savior, pleading, “Ning-ge—”
Like a gust of wind, Ning Zhuo brushed past him.
He was the one who brought Min Min into “Haina.” He knew her situation best and needed no explanations.
Jin Xueshen had no time to ask where Ning Zhuo had been and tactfully stepped aside, while throwing a sharp glare at Yu Shifei.
Yu Shifei lowered his head obediently.
Shan Feibai slowed his steps, glancing at Fenghuang and Yu Shifei.
The two understood and moved closer to him.
Fenghuang knew that the cause of the incident had likely been explained by Kuang Hexuan outside.
So she concisely described the current situation: “At first, she did attack people with a blade, but now she’s calmed down and isn’t as crazed. She doesn’t trust us, though, and insists on waiting for you or Boss Fu.”
Shan Feibai asked, “Don’t you two get along well?”
Before he left “Haina,” he had seen them plan to smoke together.
Fenghuang shrugged. “I do get along with Min Min… but *her*?”
She glanced at the woman sitting upright in the corner, one hand resting on a blade. “‘Her’? I don’t even know who she is.”
Min Min had a new look—a striking red leather outfit, her hair cut into neat, ear-length strands, and the word “escape” tattooed on her right eyebrow.
But her aura now was utterly different from her usual cheerful, smiling self.
Her expression was grim, silent, her hair slightly disheveled, her eyes sharp and wary as they fixed on the space ahead.
She gripped a long, heavy black iron blade, its weight revealing the well-defined muscles usually hidden. The blade’s reflection cast her face in a strange, unfamiliar blur.
Ning Zhuo approached her alone and asked, “Side A or Side B?”
The woman looked up. Her voice, usually laced with playful teasing, had shifted subtly—cold, slow, as if unaccustomed to speaking, deliberately drawn out: “…Where did all these strangers come from?”
Ning Zhuo realized it was Side B.
“They’re from ‘Panqiao.’ We’ve merged.”
He reached for the handle of her blade. “Too many people here. Put the weapon away.”
But with a crisp kick, she sent the heavy blade swinging upward, slicing toward his neck!
Ning Zhuo didn’t flinch.
It was a warning, not meant to strike him.
Her blade stopped three inches from his throat, halted by sheer arm strength, leaving only a cool, sharp breeze brushing his skin.
Such terrifying muscle control could only come from years of grueling training.
Her voice was icy, pressing closer. “I remember ‘Panqiao’ as Haina’s sworn enemy. Is it appropriate to put Min Min in such a dangerous place?”
Everyone’s hearts had leaped when she swung at Ning Zhuo.
But now, it seemed her reason for waiting for someone in charge was to demand answers—her tone was that of a protective parent: “My Min Min is in danger. What are you going to do about it?”
This “parent,” however, wielded a blade with wild flair.
Unfazed, Ning Zhuo replied, “She agreed to it. She’s an adult.”
The woman shook her head, lowering the blade. The forty-pound weapon touched the ground with a faint metallic clink.
Mentioning “Min Min” softened her gaze. “Her? She’s fearless, like a bold kid who doesn’t know what danger is.”
Ning Zhuo didn’t touch her blade again, asking calmly why she’d emerged unannounced. “You came out without warning because of the ‘Columbus’ concert hall?”
She stared into the distance, her tone tinged with nostalgia and warmth. “That logo—it’s identical to the ship’s emblem we designed back then. I thought I was still on the ship, fighting, being fought, lost in chaos… so I came out.”
Ning Zhuo nodded, not probing her old wounds further. “Anything you want to say to Min Min?”
The woman replied, “Nothing. Just tell her I’m sorry. Because of me, she’ll be called a freak again.”
Ning Zhuo said, “She doesn’t mind.”
Like an older sister, she pushed his head playfully. “You talk too much.”
Then, she reached behind her head, touching a small brain-machine interface, gently rubbing it with her thumb before pressing it.
The next second, her body went limp, head drooping as if powered off, lurching forward.
Before she could collapse, her right foot shot out, steadying her.
Min Min lifted her head, dazed, as if waking from a nap. Seeing Ning Zhuo, she froze. “Why’re you back…?”
As she spoke, her grip slackened.
The heavy blade tilted, but Ning Zhuo caught it swiftly.
Noticing the blade, Min Min’s expression flickered. “…She was here?”
Ning Zhuo propped the blade against a wall, resting a hand on her shoulder without answering directly. “Rest up.”
The true culprit was surprisingly innocent.
Yu Shifei clutched two tickets to the “Columbus” concert hall, mumbling, “I just wanted to invite Mr. Raven to a show. He’s on the sixteenth floor, so I came to find him.”
Shan Feibai took the tickets, his fingertip brushing the top-right corner.
It was the “Columbus” logo the mysterious woman had compared to a “ship’s emblem.”
A circular wooden ship’s wheel framed it.
Raging waves cradled a red ship, half-submerged, nearly blending into the fiery sea—a wild, vibrant beauty.
Shan Feibai studied it thoughtfully, then pocketed the tickets. “Confiscated.”
Without looking back, he strode after Ning Zhuo.
Xiao Wen helped Min Min to the rest area. Jin Xueshen, seeing the situation hadn’t spiraled out of control, felt his racing heart settle.
He sidled up to Yu Shifei, smirking. “Trouble, huh? Two tickets, and you’re still showing off.”
“Sorry,” Yu Shifei said earnestly. “I didn’t want to ask everyone before giving you the tickets, but I thought you’re shy. If I gave them to you directly, would it be too forward? Would you be overwhelmed?”
Jin Xueshen blinked. “…What?”
It took a moment to sink in. “The tickets… were for me?”
Yu Shifei nodded solemnly. “Yes. Lesson learned. I’ll give you things directly from now on. Please answer my calls so I know where you are.”
Jin Xueshen, flustered, felt his face heat up.
To hide it, he turned and stormed off, muttering, “Nutcase. I’m blocking you. Don’t clog my comms.”
Fenghuang watched Jin Xueshen’s retreat, grinning. “Yu, stop teasing him.”
Yu Shifei replied objectively, “I’m not teasing. I just want to connect with him.”
Fenghuang raised an eyebrow, sensing something odd. “…Why not connect with me?”
Yu Shifei answered frankly, “Because you don’t blush.”
Fenghuang caught the hint. “You tease him *because* he blushes?”
Yu Shifei corrected her precisely. “Because he blushes, I *want* to connect with him.”
With that, he headed off to smooth things over with the “Panqiao” group.
Fenghuang stood there, muttering, “…Can androids catch fire in an old house?”
Logically, Yu Shifei could produce dopamine, simulating human “love” or attraction.
But Fenghuang worried. “…Isn’t this the wrong spark? Romeo and Juliet?”
In her mind, “Panqiao” and “Haina” were still bitter enemies.
If those two want to be together, they’ll first have to get past Shan Feibai and Ning Zhuo, won’t they?
Can those two let go of the past?
…While Fenghuang earnestly fretted over the future of the second-in-command, Ning Zhuo and Shan Feibai returned to Ning Zhuo’s residence, one following the other.
After closing the door, Ning Zhuo let out a weary sigh, his hand brushing the side of his neck.
The cold touch of the blade still lingered there.
Shan Feibai voiced his guess: “…Is Min Min-Jie a split personality?”
To his surprise, Ning Zhuo shook his head. “No.”
As he spoke, he shed his jacket, giving the true answer: “Since joining ‘Haina,’ Min Min has always been ‘two people.’”
Shan Feibai hugged the jacket, still warm from Ning Zhuo’s body, resting his chin on it.
He began to understand why Ning Zhuo had called Min Min “the craziest bioroid among us.”
Sure enough, Ning Zhuo explained: “What you saw earlier was Min Qiu, Min Min’s twin sister.”
“She lives in Min Min’s brain-machine interface. She doesn’t come out often, but when there’s work to be done or protection is needed, Min Min lets her take over.”
“They live together forever… but never meet.”
