"Get up." Yi Heye's voice was still hoarse, and he was not very strong. His voice was unusually gentle. "The ground is cold."
Little Cloud has no habit of staying in bed. As soon as she received Yi Heye's voice, she immediately sprang up from the ground and pounced into his arms.
But before she could even throw herself into his arms, Yi Heye seized her by the throat.
"Go take a shower." Yi Heye patted his pink little belly, his eyes softening slightly. "You're covered in mud."
Little Cloud also loves fragrance. Last night, after she coaxed Yi Heye into bed, she went to the shower room to take a shower, but unfortunately she was too short and her chubby paws couldn't reach the tap to turn it on. So she could only endure it and sleep in such a dirty state all night.
Upon hearing that it was time to take a bath, Xiaoyunduo immediately perked up and happily followed him to the bathroom.
Yi Heye silently filled the bathtub with hot water, then found the pet shampoo and small brush he had bought for it before, and then picked up the little fat sheep weighing about 100 pounds.
"Hot pot lamb." Yi Heye tried to joke, and although his voice sounded weak, Xiao Yunduo still slowly moved her limbs, cooperating as a kidnapped sheep waiting to be slaughtered.
The lamb was very cautious when it went into the water. Its dark toes repeatedly tested the water temperature before it nodded to Yi Heye to confirm that he was allowed to go into the water.
The moment it hit the water, the entire tank of clear water turned pitch black. Yi Heye let out a disgusted "Eh!" and Xiao Yunduo immediately turned around and retorted, "Meow!!"
Yi Heye couldn't help but laugh out loud: "The fur on your face is fading? Where did this fake wool come from?"
Little Cloud kicked her legs while sticking her bottom out, protesting seriously to him.
Yi Heye patted its sturdy flesh again and sighed, "Other people's cats and dogs shrink after a bath, but you're solid."
The little cloud wagged its tail proudly, head held high and chest puffed out with an air of grandeur.
A few simple little actions made Yi Heye feel much better.
As Yi Heye helped it rub bubbles, he watched as the white wool gradually revealed its true color, and suddenly felt a little sad.
"Where have you been?" Yi Heye asked cautiously. "Why are you so dirty..."
Upon hearing this, Little Cloud immediately turned to look at him and said, "Meow."
The sentence was too long, with too many unfamiliar words and a complex structure. Yi Heye couldn't understand it, so he could only sigh silently and continue bathing it.
Does Little Cloud know that its father is gone? Does it know that its stepfather killed its biological father? How much suffering did it endure during this time, and how long did it search for itself before finally finding it?
As he thought about it, Yi Heye felt a lump in his throat again, and he squeezed out, "Little Cloud, I'm sorry, your father..."
Before she could finish speaking, Xiao Yunduo jumped out of the bathtub with a "whoosh," ignoring her soaking wet body, and immediately leaned over to lick Yi Heye's face.
Yi Heye was tickled by it and could only laugh while being forced to swallow the rest of his sentence.
"It should know everything," Yi Heye thought to himself.
It took about five or six tubs of water to completely clean the dirt off the little cloud. Finally, it stopped "fading" and turned over, floating on its back in the water for a bath.
Yi Heye looked at his pink belly and placed a little yellow duck on it—it was a free gift from the pet store when he bought feed for it last time. Before, the fat guy thought it was childish and looked down on it, but this time it was playing with it enthusiastically, quacking away.
A few minutes later, Yi Heye wiped it clean and dried it, and a brand new, fragrant, fluffy thing was back.
The radiant beauty of the baby made Yi Heye feel that the sky had brightened up a bit, which was rare for him. He invited the big white cotton pillow to snuggle up in the room and watch a movie together. The two of them opened two bags of potato chips, and then lay on the sofa, using each other as pillows, and dozed off for a while.
This was one of the few times Yi Heye had slept relatively soundly in many days. Although he didn't sleep for long, at least the process of falling asleep wasn't painful, which was a very important step for him.
As evening fell, he still took his skateboard and carried the lamb back to his workplace.
As soon as I got back, my old boss greeted me warmly, asking all sorts of questions.
When Yi Heye saw that the old man's hair had turned completely white, he realized that he had really let Director Li down.
"Why did you run home without telling us? How are you doing living alone? Did you take your medicine? Should we send someone over to take care of you?"
Director Li bombarded Yi Heye with questions that left him completely bewildered, and he could only repeatedly reassure him that he could rest assured.
After checking that Yi Heye was alright, Director Li noticed the little fat sheep hiding behind him and quickly squatted down to ask, "Hey, are you alright?"
The little cloud bleated softly, seemingly a little nervous.
When Yi Heye asked this question, he learned that Director Li and Xiao Yunduo had met during this period.
After Jian Yunxian was declared dead, Xiao Yunduo became completely homeless. It wandered outside for a while before being spotted by Director Li, who happened to be passing by. Director Li took it back to the station, intending to at least take good care of it for Yi Heye. Unexpectedly, the child escaped from prison that very night, probably to go find Yi Heye.
It found itself and safely delivered itself home.
Yi Heye turned around, and there was the little fat sheep hiding timidly behind him, just like when they first met, when he hid behind Jian Yunxian.
It seems to always be wary and distant of strangers, but once it recognizes a master, it becomes a loyal little guardian.
Yi Heye rubbed its head, feeling a complex mix of emotions towards it for some reason.
As Director Li continued talking, he led them back to the office building—in Director Li's eyes, the child's willingness to return to the group was a big step towards recovery.
"Director Li, is there any work to do lately?" Yi Heye asked listlessly. "Could you arrange something for me?"
Director Li said worriedly, "Your health..."
"I'm physically fine—I wasn't seriously injured to begin with." Yi Heye lowered his head and rubbed the tip of his nose. "As for my mental state, I think being idle is more likely to cause problems..."
He paused for a moment before continuing, "I tend to overthink when I'm cooped up at home. I need to find something to distract myself, and if I'm tired, it'll help me go to bed earlier tonight."
Director Li knew that the boy's worries couldn't be resolved in a short time, and these words were indeed pertinent, but he was also worried about letting him do anything too dangerous in his current state.
“While you were gone, we’ve already coordinated all the positions, but the specialized tasks will definitely be returned to you in the end,” Director Li said. “These next few days, try to get back into the swing of things and use your free time to recover your physical strength. There’s a lot going on at the bureau lately, and I need you to come back in top condition.”
Yi Heye nodded, knowing that he did not have the energy to take on core tasks immediately, and obeyed the arrangement.
Even a second of free time made him feel uneasy. Yi Heye didn't even go back to his unit to rest before rushing out to hunt.
He rode his bike to Zone C using muscle memory. Due to the local culture, there were more illegal AIs in that area than elsewhere, and Yi Heye never left empty-handed.
After passing through the familiar cultural street, the tattoo shop was gone. The original shop had been replaced by a streetwear store, and the owner was an unfamiliar face.
Yi Heye glanced inside out of the corner of his eye, then refocused his attention.
Although Yi Heye has now become a celebrity and has been forced to step out from behind the scenes, this still does not stop him from working in a high-profile manner.
He quickly discerned the emotions on the faces of passersby. A middle-aged woman passing by hurriedly avoided his gaze, and the next second, Yi Heye was right in front of her.
Yi Heye subconsciously prepared to draw his gun, but his fingers opened up the moment they touched the gun handle. He hesitated for only a moment before quickly reaching for the restraint lock next to him.
"Hello," Yi Heye said coldly, "You are suspected of violating Article 279 of the Artificial Intelligence Management Regulations. Please cooperate with our investigation."
The aunt tried to run away, which was sufficient grounds for firing a shot, but Yi Heye still didn't draw his gun. Instead, he smoothly pinned her to the ground.
The retrieval mission went smoothly, but Yi Heye felt a lump in his throat—fortunately, he had encountered someone less efficient today, otherwise his two hesitations alone might have cost him his life.
So be it, I'll just die. The way I am now, it's as if I'm only here to die…
A negative thought flashed through Yi Heye's mind again, but he quickly suppressed it.
He felt he might not be tired enough, so he went down to the underground shooting range on the lower level.
Three to five years ago, shooting training was already too basic for him. He was the only person in the entire unit who openly and never went to the shooting range, but this time, he knew he had to.
It was already very late, and Yi Heye was the only person on the entire shooting range.
After quickly passing through security, he received the pistol assigned to him at the shooting range. The range was a combination of various types, including indoor precision targets, video targets, and moving targets at different distances. It also allowed for simulated outdoor shooting training by activating holographic projection and a wind turbine.
Yi Heye chose indoor 50-meter precision shooting. In the distance, a small robot with bullet holes all over its head helped him change the target paper and began to help him check the shooting safety.
The shooting gun in his hand felt very different from the silver key, so it did not immediately arouse Yi Heye's discomfort.
He quickly and skillfully checked the gun, loaded the bullets, and cocked it; up to this point, everything went smoothly.
Until he raised his hand and looked at the target opposite him through the crosshairs, the human-shaped target inexplicably transformed into Jian Yunxian's appearance in his field of vision.
The guy stood far away opposite him, smiling at the dark muzzle of his gun, seemingly waiting for him to pull the trigger.
Yi Heye's hand trembled, and he looked up in fright, confirming that he was hallucinating, but by then his heartbeat was already erratic.
After readjusting himself, Yi Heye tried to aim again, but the moment he raised his gun, he seemed to see his field of vision turn crimson again, and a familiar body fell where his gun was pointing.
Yi Heye trembled violently, his body drenched in cold sweat as he uncontrollably backed away, triggering the firing range's safety alarm: "Warning! Please return to the safe firing area! Please return to the safe firing area!!"
Yi Heye had no choice but to bite the bullet and walk back. This time, he simply closed his eyes. He thought that as long as the gun went off, it would be fine.
But just as his finger touched the trigger, the first thing he heard wasn't the sound of a gunshot, but Jian Yunxian's words—
"Yi Heye, shoot me."
In that instant, he nearly dropped his gun. Seeing that something was wrong, the range robot immediately ran over and forcibly took the gun from his hand.
Yi Heye looked down at his trembling fingers—it seemed he had forgotten how to fire a gun.
Another wave of tears welled up in his eyes, and he hurriedly lowered his head to control his tears. Then, covered in cold sweat, he fled from the security checkpoint, feeling utterly pathetic in his state.
Yi Heye hurriedly grabbed his things, intending to go back and take a shower to calm his bad mood, only to find that he had received four or five missed calls while he was shooting.
They were all calling from the same unknown number. Judging from the time, it must have been a recent call. Five calls in a row must have been urgent.
Fearing he might delay important matters, Yi Heye quickly returned the call. On the other end of the line was a very familiar, androgynous voice.
"Hello, is this Commander Yi Heye from the Artificial Intelligence Administration Bureau...?" The voice on the other end was very cautious, with a hint of suppressed hesitation.
Yi Heye immediately replied solemnly, "Yes."
The voice on the other end was silent for a moment: "...I am Lu Qing."
Lu Qing is the name of that piercing technician.
"You said before that I could call you if I needed anything..." Lu Qing took a deep breath before breaking down and said, "Please help us, we really can't survive anymore..."
Author's Note:
Little Cloud has something to say: Meow meow meow.
Chapter 164 (Number 164)
Upon hearing this, Yi Heye asked, "What do you mean?"
Hearing her hesitation, Yi Heye said coldly, "If you're asking someone for a favor, then show some sincerity."
Lu Qing took a deep breath before painfully saying, "Aqi and I... were being chased..."
Aqi's real name is Chen Yueqi, and she is Lu Qing's girlfriend. According to Lu Qing, they moved away from the tattoo shop because people had broken into the shop several times.
Lu Qing said, "Several times it happened at night, and I was certain they wanted to kill us."
At first, they were followed by strange people, who chased them from Cultural Street to their residence. Later, people started loitering around the shop entrance and even tried to attack them several times.
Lu Qing said, "...Because I have studied martial arts, I am relatively vigilant. When I first felt something was strange, I made some preparations."