45: Chapter 45 Goodnight, Child

"Good evening, Commander."

"Hu Jian... you look a bit better."

"You too, Commander... is it still hurting today?"

"No, you know how strong my recovery ability is." Li Ming patted his chest.

"That's good." Fujian wasn't wearing her breastplate; she had been busy processing basic information for the past two days. She had even taken back some documents that Li Ming had previously taken over.

To be honest, Li Ming was actually a bit of a picky eater, but surprisingly, he never picked at normal home-cooked meals. Instead, he showed obvious resistance and dislike toward expensive or rare ingredients.

Fujian had originally wanted him to try some specialties from the Min Region, but Li Ming explicitly opposed it, so the idea had to be dropped.

(Actually, the reason is the same as before: Fujian simply cannot cook.)

"How is A6 today?" Li Ming asked. He had rested all day today and hadn't paid much attention to her, except during lunch, the afternoon, and dinner.

"She's learning to adapt." Fujian thought for a moment. "Though her verbal tic is very strange. She sounds like a... robot?"

"Indeed, but that's exactly where the problem lies. What exactly did she go through? Z23 has no impression of the so-called Stuttgart Experimental Center at all. She said that experiments regarding the humanization of Wisdom Cubes were shut down long ago, and there couldn't be any results on Iron Blood's home soil, so..." Li Ming rubbed his chin, which was stubbly again.

"So?" Fujian looked at him.

"Just as the Sirens have many testing grounds, she might be from one of the possible testing ground worlds. This also explains why she was suddenly sent here. I can't think of anyone other than the Sirens who could do this."

"Do we need to increase observation?" Fujian looked around. This was a vacant lounge; Li Ming didn't usually rest here, but he had converted it into a computer room.

"No, she needs her own privacy, and..." Li Ming paused and leaned forward slightly, "aren't you here?"

"But, Commander..."

"Since she didn't fire directly at me, I'm willing to trust her." Li Ming pulled her down to sit on the sofa. "Unless she's Observer, it's possible she could infiltrate this way, but it doesn't make sense. Why would they have smoothbore gun data yet produce a 128mm rifled gun, and use an MG42 for the machine gun? I don't believe she doesn't know I recognize the Leopard 2."

Fujian thought for a while; that seemed to make sense.

"What does the Commander plan to do next?"

"She mentioned to me this afternoon that her equipment has a dedicated nutrient solution storage tank for her physiological maintenance. Therefore, I think I need to get her consent to extract one-third... no, one-fifth of the nutrient solution for replication research. At the very least, we need to achieve small-scale production." As Li Ming said this, his expression turned serious.

This was the first time he had faced something like this. If he were even slightly careless, he might kill a child.

"Commander." Fujian held his hand. "Trust everyone. There will be a way."

"Yeah, I believe so."

"Then let's do that... I'll go with you and wait at the door. That child seems quite wary of me." Fujian did not take her breastplate out of her rigging space and even put her military cap inside.

——————

Knock, knock, knock.

"A6, can I come in?"

"Response: Room is secure, Sir."

Li Ming gently opened the door. "Getting used to things?"

He slipped inside and gently closed the door.

She was still suspended from her equipment. The coat she used for warmth hung on a nearby rack, and the wardrobe on the side was already stuffed with some basic clothing—contributed by Javelin, saving Li Ming the embarrassment of having to measure her and pick out outfits.

"Response: Everything is normal."

"Is that so? I was a bit worried you wouldn't adjust well..." Li Ming stepped forward and looked around. Z23 had arranged things well; although she was still in the restraint frame, she was in a sitting position, so at least she shouldn't be too tired. "Or that you wouldn't adapt. After all, for the first two days after I arrived here, I couldn't eat or sleep well."

"Objection: As a top-tier weapon, adaptation to any extreme environment is required. Current environmental status: Good."

"As long as you're comfortable." Li Ming pulled up a nearby chair and sat down. He had been wearing a white short-sleeved shirt all day, and there were still oil stains from dinner. "I've come to see you now because of another matter."

She didn't answer, only listened.

"You told us this afternoon that you rely on a special nutrient solution to survive..." Li Ming hesitated. "Considering we don't know the composition of this nutrient solution, I hope to obtain about one-fifth of it from you. Is that okay?"

"...Query." Her face showed no emotion. "This type of nutrient solution involves a complex process and is highly expensive. It does not meet economic investment criteria. The long-term return on investment is extremely low."

"Return on investment? Economic investment?" Li Ming's shoulders slumped. "In my place, I will absolutely not allow anything to happen to anyone, and that includes you."

"...Query: You are continuously engaging in strategic gambles, placing yourself and other subordinates in future danger." A6 was silent for a long time before saying this.

"Future? Danger?" Li Ming smiled, and his slumped shoulders straightened again. "Perhaps. But I can't and don't want to watch you die a slow death here, and neither does anyone else. Besides, they aren't my subordinates; they are my... family."

"...Affirmative. Sir's behavior is consistent with top-level clearance directives."

"No, I want a direct answer from you." Li Ming sat up straight and leaned forward a bit. "Are you willing or not?... Maybe I'm acting a bit forceful right now, but... sigh, just consider it as me satisfying my own vanity."

Li Ming straightened back up. "I hope you can agree. Your body is your own, but I hope you can understand my thoughts... yeah."

'Am I being a bit hypocritical?' Li Ming thought to himself.

A6 seemed to freeze up again.

The two of them remained in a stalemate for a long time.

Finally, A6 looked at him with a flash of confusion, but she quickly returned to normal.

"Yes, Sir."

"Hmm?"

"Your behavior is consistent with your values," she continued. "The life support system is located inside the right turret."

"Okay... thank you."

"Query: Unable to comprehend your expression of gratitude." A6 began to freeze up again.

"It's nothing. Yeah, it's nothing." Li Ming shook his head. "Then I'll have the engineers come over tomorrow. Is there anything else you want?"

"Negative, Sir."

"Alright then... goodnight?"

Li Ming stood up, pushed the chair back, and then went to the door, preparing to leave.

Turning back, he saw her looking at him, saying nothing.

Li Ming opened the door, slipped out of the room, and gently closed it again.

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