Chapter 33

33. A Guest Comes Calling? (Part One)

On the XX forum, a post appeared, highlighted and pinned, titled: "An Alien, a Robot, or a Mecha...?" with several attached images, all featuring an enormous machine, less than two meters tall, moving freely—a sight straight out of legend, no, out of an animated film. In these turbulent times, the post caused quite a stir, with replies piling up until the thread soared into the hundreds. Before long, both domestic and international media picked up the story. Television outlets, too, simply broadcast the images from the forum.

After posting, Zhou Zhi left things alone, content to wait for someone to come knocking. The post—authored by Zhou Zhi—was a piece of fiction about mechas. He had disassembled a covered truck, strapped the mecha horizontally on the back, and had a driver parade it around while he took photos from select angles. He’d spent ages choosing only the shots that were flawless, confident that, once uploaded, they would cause an immediate sensation. What he hadn’t expected was to draw the attention of foreign media.

As for the overseas suspicion and condemnation, the national leaders remained unbothered, feigning indifference. They themselves were in the dark; had it not been for the news reports, they would never have known such things were afoot. Initially eager to downplay the incident, the leaders now saw fresh hope: Investigate! They must find out what this is, which organization developed it, and whether it can be mass-produced.

If the national leaders could see this, so too could the director of Aerospace City. Even before official orders for an inquiry arrived, some people were already restless. Just as Zhou Zhi had predicted, the director hoped to wait for them to return of their own accord. Who could have foreseen such a commotion? Now, waiting was out of the question. If another military district or research team found Zhou Zhi and his group first, he would come away empty-handed.

The director of Aerospace City immediately summoned his subordinates, instructing them to analyze the photos to determine which mountain range was depicted—he was convinced Zhou Zhi and his group hadn’t gone far. If somewhere could produce such mysterious machines and had mountains nearby, he had a hunch where it might be. The more he thought, the more excited he became. He must act quickly. “Go invite Zhou Zhi—no, I’ll go myself.”

“Chief Engineer, you mustn’t go. It’s dangerous out there. What if something happens?” His subordinate spoke with genuine concern, watching as the chief donned his uniform and straightened his clothes. He knew there was no stopping him.

“Dangerous? Haven’t you heard the saying about survival in perilous times? Besides, aren’t there plenty of soldiers to protect us? We must hurry—no one else must beat us to it.” He realized, belatedly, that Zhou Zhi was not one to suffer losses. With skilled mecha operators at his side, there was no way he’d wait passively for his fate. The director was convinced he’d made a grave mistake; if he found the group, he might even earn a transfer to the capital and greater protection.

Inside the factory, life went on as usual. The workers, unaware of the outside commotion, were focused on their tasks, enjoying good food and comfortable living, unconcerned about the future. In contrast, the soldiers stationed at the gate were tense and solemn. The commander had said, if not today, then tomorrow—the visitors would come. The guard force had doubled from four to eight. Wang Fei and Zhao Long had set up a large tent at the gate, with five bunk beds inside for rotation. They’d even built a defensive barricade, ready for combat at any moment.

When the director of Aerospace City arrived outside the arms factory, he inspected the surroundings. The place exuded little sign of life—could they really be here? Though he’d never entered the factory before, he knew such facilities were usually hidden in the mountains. This entrance was so well disguised, if not for the map indicating the factory’s location, he’d have suspected the driver took a wrong turn.

Indeed, everything outside the cave had been dismantled—steel beams melted down, wood used for barbecues, and other materials moved inside. The sofas for the barricade were piled up in the cave. The entrance, though mechanized, was camouflaged to blend perfectly with the mountainside. Without close inspection, no passerby would guess this was an arms factory. But a keen eye would notice: the newly paved road that led directly to the foot of the mountain gave it away. Who would pave a road here for no reason? Either it served a hidden purpose, or it was a trap for unwary drivers.

“Go knock on the door,” the director commanded, surveying the mountainside. This was an exceptionally secluded spot. If it proved secure inside, he might consider relocating the research institute here. Even before negotiations began, the director had already claimed the mountain for his own jurisdiction—a lofty attitude that ensured he would reap no benefits.

In the office, Zhou Zhi heard that someone claiming to be from Aerospace City had arrived. He walked out calmly. In terms of rank, the visitor was certainly his superior, but with such treasure in hand, Zhou Zhi could afford to elevate his own position for the sake of his comrades. When the door opened, Zhou Zhi didn’t invite the man inside; instead, he and Wang Fei stepped outside.

Zhu Anfu and Yuchi Ankang arrived just as the door opened. Zhu Anfu glanced at the newcomers with a curl of the lip, then turned away—none of them were any good. Yuchi Ankang looked at Zhao Long. “Please tell Zhou Zhi that if he works with those outside, we’ll leave.”

Zhao Long’s eyes widened. He knew who the visitors were—why would Yuchi Ankang say such a thing? Though he had some misgivings about Aerospace City, the new chief engineer seemed decent. But he’d also noticed Zhu Anfu’s expression as he left, and Yuchi Ankang was unconditionally protective of him. If Zhu Anfu disliked someone, Yuchi Ankang would absolutely back him up. After spending so much time with Zhu Anfu, Zhao Long knew that anyone he disliked was best avoided. Glancing toward the visitors, Zhao Long’s doubts only grew—it seemed they weren’t as admirable as he’d once thought.

Back in the factory, Zhu Anfu plopped down on a bed in the office. “Kang Kang, do you think Zhou Zhi will work with him?”

“No. Zhou Zhi isn’t a fool.” Yuchi Ankang was certain that Zhu Anfu had overheard his warning. Zhou Zhi would surely turn them down—even if it soured their relationship, Yuchi Ankang would not let Zhu Anfu be displeased.

“I think he’s pretty smart, too.” Zhu Anfu picked up the latest data records and began studying them again. Jin She, who hadn’t left, sighed silently. Lord Yuchi, can’t you stop spoiling Anfu so much?

Zhou Zhi hadn’t invited the chief engineer into the cave for two reasons. First, he sensed only possessiveness from the man, not sincerity. Second, something about him made Zhou Zhi want to throw a punch—no rational explanation. He dismissed the man with a few words and turned back inside, shutting the door without a backward glance. “Wang Fei, why did I want to punch that guy? He seriously annoyed me.”

“Uh… you should talk to Anfu. His sixth sense about people is scary good.” Wang Fei stroked his chin. “Back when we first arrived in the future, Zhu Anfu immediately agreed to let Yuchi Ankang join us—me and Zhao Long, too—and warned us to avoid the others. We wondered then if the kid was just antisocial, but after two encounters with the others, we saw they truly weren’t worth knowing. Zhu Anfu had never even met them before.”

“Zhou, just now Yuchi said if we work with Aerospace City, he’s out,” Zhao Long relayed, omitting Yuchi Ankang’s more direct words.

“It must be because of Zhu Anfu!” Wang Fei immediately understood. Yuchi Ankang might seem cool, but he was usually diplomatic—unless it involved Zhu Anfu, in which case all tact disappeared.

Zhao Long nodded. It was indeed because of Zhu Anfu.

“I’ll go talk to Zhu Anfu.” Threats didn’t bother Zhou Zhi; he was more interested in Zhu Anfu’s uncanny sixth sense.

In the factory office, Zhu Anfu and Jin She compared the past two days’ data while snacking on beef jerky, double-checking everything before passing it to Yuchi Ankang. Everyone took their work seriously; a mistake could ruin more than just machines.

“What are you all busy with?” Zhou Zhi leaned against the door, his gaze lingering on Zhu Anfu—and, of course, the beef jerky. They’d been hoarding snacks! He grabbed a piece and tossed it into his mouth. “Anfu, let’s have a chat.”

Yuchi Ankang glanced up, raising an eyebrow.

“No worries, just want to talk about our sixth sense. Bro, I just saw that chief engineer and wanted to punch him.” Zhou Zhi felt prickly under Yuchi Ankang’s stare—if looks could kill, he’d be a corpse.

Yuchi Ankang lowered his head and returned to his data. Zhu Anfu and Jin She, however, grew curious and pressed Zhou Zhi for details. He recounted his reaction to the chief engineer, and Zhu Anfu agreed immediately. The two natural judges of character quickly fell into an animated exchange—how old they were when they first noticed such feelings, what signs they sensed, and so on. Hearing that Zhou Zhi had only just realized his ability, Zhu Anfu promptly declared himself the pioneer, sharing all his experiences in a torrent. Yuchi Ankang, standing close by, seemed not to hear a thing. Zhou Zhi listened as he snacked on beef jerky; by the time Jin She noticed, only one piece remained on the table.

“Chief, the chief engineer still hasn’t left. Sounds like more vehicles are arriving outside—do you think they’ll try to force their way in?” A soldier rushed in to report.

“Chief, the director of the XX Military Research Institute requests to meet with you.” Before the first could finish, another arrived with more news.

Zhou Zhi straightened his clothes. Summing up what Zhu Anfu had just shared, he realized this sixth sense was invaluable—at least, it helped him immediately distinguish friend from foe.

“Hey—Zhou Zhi, give me back my beef jerky!” Only after Zhou Zhi left did Zhu Anfu notice the jerky was gone. Jin She confirmed: Zhou Zhi had eaten it all.