Chapter 9: I’ve Set My Eyes On You

“… A mecha?”

Wen Luan’s expression instantly turned peculiar as he couldn’t help but scrutinize the knight standing before him once more. His thoughts took an unexpected turn as he pointed at the sleek white flying horse beside them, “Then what about it?”

In this era, even mechas had mounts?

“It?” The knight turned to look at the flying horse, which promptly lowered its head in response.

The next moment, Wen Luan nearly fainted again.

“It is part of me,” the knight explained. “‘Xi’er’, ground combat mode adjustment.”

With a slight shudder, the entire flying horse began transforming from its wings outward. It swiftly collapsed into countless fragments of oddly shaped white metal, hovering in mid-air. Then, through a series of dramatic visual effects, these pieces inserted themselves into various parts of the knight’s body.

Despite this transformation, the knight didn’t appear noticeably larger or taller; instead, his attire became significantly more ornate. In certain areas where multiple layers overlapped, they resembled individual feathers from the flying horse’s sharp-winged pinions. The light armor had morphed into heavy armor, with a flying horse’s head now prominent on the chestplate, horn-like protrusions emerging at the elbows, and shoulder guards extending far outwards. Even in his hand appeared a four-meter-long cavalry lance—a stark contrast to the original weapon.

“…”

This wasn’t just any ordinary mecha—it was practically a Transformers robot!

Had Wen Luan been familiar with a certain anime called Saint Seiya from the island nation (Japan), he might have found that series’ designs even more akin to this spectacle.

“Your—your operator, where is it?” Wen Luan instinctively stared at the knight’s abdomen. After all, shouldn’t there be an operator inside such a hollow shell of a mecha?

This sense of absurdity was just like one of those buses he often drove—rushing over with a self-introduction: “I am a bus. Hello, don’t be surprised; in fact, I am merely a type of automobile.” What’s the difference?!

“Operator? Cannot answer.”

The electronic eye focused on Wen Luan once more, its blue light beginning again to flicker wildly.

On the ice-covered plain amidst the blizzard, the majestic knight, tall and imposing, placed his hand on his chest and bowed again. “Based on my highest authority, you may assign an operator to me. I will not refuse.”

Wen Luan remained silent.

Why does this tone sound so much like “you can introduce me to someone special, and I absolutely won’t object”? He wondered.

It must have been an illusion.

Wen Luan suspected that the bitter cold of the frozen plain had numbed his mind. Although the robot’s movements were somewhat stiff, the degree of anthropomorphism struck him as remarkably advanced—on par with intelligent simulation robots seen in science fiction films.

“What exactly do you mean by ‘highest authority’?” Wen Luan pressed further. “And what is this Raymond Gaeton holder?”

The knight replied without changing expression, “Raymond Gaeton refers to lost technologies from ancient Earth—the pinnacle achievements of their time—which vanished during the nuclear wars that destroyed old Earth. The Deep Blue Star Research Institute spent seven hundred years deciphering and reconstructing them. As part of these efforts, I came into being. Those who possess Raymond Gaeton hold the ultimate authority over my use.”

What kind of joke is this?! Does Earth in the 21st century possess such advanced technology?

Wen Luan was about to retort when he suddenly recalled numerous mysteries from Earth’s history—pyramids, crop circles… Well, he thought, since I’ve already been transmigrated here, even more bizarre occurrences could be possible.

“I don’t recall ever meeting any Raymond Gaeton,” Wen Luan said dryly.

Facing such a terrifyingly powerful mecha, with its immense destructive capability, the consequences of being exposed for deception would be severe. Wen Luan wouldn’t risk it.

“I don’t understand either,” the knight replied, tilting his head.

“Huh?”

“This is my first autonomous activation since successful creation, as well as my first successful boot-up.”

After a moment of speechlessness, Wen Luan firmly pointed out, “You must have mistaken someone else for him.”

“No, my boot-up protocol specifies that Raymond Gaeton encounters life-threatening danger on Deep Blue.” The knight, eyes flickering electronically, innocently continued, “Therefore, it seems you’re the one who has lost memory.”

“You know about amnesia too?” Wen Luan asked, startled. Good heavens, he thought, is this still just a mecha?

“Oh… while replicating language earlier, I also copied over the missing persons records from Deep Blue’s Bureau of Population Management,” the knight explained earnestly. “I need more data to supplement my thinking module.”

Feeling utterly helpless, Wen Luan concluded, “Then, you must definitely be infected by a virus.”

What Raymond Gaeton? He had never even heard of such a name before.

“A virus?”

The four-meter-high knight’s lance suddenly plunged into the ground. With both hands gripping it, Xi’er remained utterly still.

Wen Luan, having crawled up from the snow, endured the pain of his torn skin as he tidied his tattered snow wolf fur coat. On impulse, he scooped two chunks of rock-hard frozen snow wolf meat from the ground and tentatively called out to the knight:

“Hey?”

“The system is undergoing self-inspection,” Xi’er mumbled, head bowed low.

“I’m leaving then.”

“The system is undergoing self-inspection; please refrain from disturbing me.”

“…”

Wen Luan turned away with a dark expression, gathering all the edible portions of the snow wolf meat, packing them up, and taking them along.

Regardless of everything else, this suit of armor had saved him. Wen Luan considered himself someone who clearly distinguished between debts and grudges, so before departing, he didn’t forget to say to the knight, “Thank you, goodbye.”

“The system is undergoing self-inspection.” Xi’er didn’t lift his head at all.

The blizzard reduced visibility on the Frozen Plain significantly. Although the knight mech emitted its own light, after walking only a short distance, Wen Luan looked back—already unable to discern any outline against the snowy expanse.

“Sigh…” He exhaled heavily.

The overwhelming sense of danger emanating from Xi’er just now was truly intense. Wen Luan touched the snow wolf meat, now hardened by frost, feeling that today’s adventure hadn’t been entirely futile—he’d finally found food, hadn’t he?

—Having formidable combat power was certainly good, but it must be based on thorough understanding and absolute control over such power!

Otherwise, he would rather not possess it at all.

Wen Luan had been deeply influenced by his upbringing environment. Having witnessed numerous desperados, much like most American gangsters, he believed that even the most loyal enforcer could not be as reliable as a gun in one’s hand. And a gun one couldn’t use effectively was less dependable than a baseball bat—at least a baseball bat couldn’t accidentally discharge and blow its owner away.

Upon returning to his cave dwelling, Wen Luan used his bone knife to chop meat, ultimately managing only to roughly hack it into chunks. Then, along with the ice shards, began devouring it raw.

“My teeth…” Wen Luan thought painfully.

In America, visiting the dentist was among the costliest expenses for ordinary people.

Although no teeth were chipped during this incident, habitual thinking still led him to believe his teeth had suffered severe wear from the ordeal. He foresaw a substantial sum of money being spent in the future due to this damage alone.

In this godforsaken place, even if you had money, there was simply no way to find a dentist.

Torn between options, Wen Luan paused his meal and started pondering solutions.

The frozen plain refugees were even poorer than him; there was no need to resort to theft against them—but then again—

Wen Luan’s eyes lit up.

Earlier, hadn’t there been a group of well-equipped individuals—suspected to be from the city—engaged in combat with snow wolves? He wondered if their struggle had concluded yet. By tracking them, he might possibly salvage some valuable items.

Thought became action immediately.

Wen Luan concealed the frozen wolf meat within the cave, then continued along the same path as before. Not long after, suddenly his entire figure seemed to falter. Slowly turning around, he stared into the depths of the Frozen Plain with vacant eyes.

A fierce gale swept across the ground, swirling snowflakes in its wake.

A layer of hazy white mist spread eerily amidst the wind and snow.

In the distance came wails of sorrow and angry shouts, the scent of blood, and also…

Wen Luan walked across the Frozen Plain like a specter. His appearance was akin to someone sleepwalking. The biting cold, more savage than any blade, veered off into whirlwinds just short of reaching him, automatically diverting course.

Within the narrow ice valley lay scattered corpses of snow wolves, strewn helter-skelter.

Wen Luan crossed over the bodies without sparing them a glance. At this moment, his balance exhibited an eerie precision; on the slippery icy surface covered in accumulated snow, he left not even a single footprint behind.

The heavy gasps were indistinct in the cold wind. Wen Luan followed this sound, moving silently until he stood before a man lying on the ground.

This person’s blood and wounds had frozen over entirely. He clung to his last breath, consciousness fading as he labored for air. In the frigid expanse of the Frozen Plain, he would soon be utterly swallowed by death…

The severely injured individual murmured deliriously, as if struggling within a nightmare.

Wen Luan slowly bent down, his eyes harboring an inhuman coldness.

“I haven’t sinned; you cannot exile me!” The wounded man suddenly awakened, springing up from where he lay. But his injuries were too grave; he gradually crumpled back down, emitting feeble groans like the wheezing of a bellows.

Did you call out to me? Wen Luan asked expressionlessly. His words weren’t in any known language, yet they resonated directly with the soul. In that instant, all the raging blizzard within three meters froze still, as if time itself had ceased its flow.

“Who… who are you?” The gravely injured man’s eyes widened in terror, unsure whether this was a hallucination before death or a glimmer of hope.

What price are you willing to pay?

“Haha, ha.” The gravely wounded man’s pupils had dilated as he said with his last remaining strength, “Regardless of whether you’re a demon or a god, let me take revenge; you can take everything from me.”

No sooner had these words left his lips than the Exile suddenly let out a piercing scream. His entire body curled up, blood gushing forth like arrows from his wound. His eyes widened before they lost all light.

Wen Luan roared angrily, “Who dares to steal my prey?“

A figure gradually emerged through the windblown snow, shrouded in an exceptionally thick black cloak. Standing at the edge of the canyon, he resembled a devil slowly materializing from endless darkness, exuding a terrifying aura that made one tremble. Even the vast frozen plain seemed to quiver beneath him alone. From this lofty vantage point, he looked down upon Wen Luan, revealing only a pair of icy golden eyes and a few strands of blonde hair against his forehead. In a low chuckle, he murmured,

“At long last, I’ve found you.”

The howling gale swept across the land, causing both Wen Luan and the cloaked figure to lean back simultaneously. Losing their balance, they each stumbled three steps backward before blankly raising their heads once more. Without conscious coordination, both tightened their clothing—the frigid plain was truly too cold.

Then, in unison, they bowed their heads to look down—Huh, where are we now?

For a brief moment, confusion clouded their minds as memories failed them. But within seconds, their recollections filled in the gaps seamlessly.

Wen Luan recalled that he had come here with the intention of scavenging for weapons when he first spotted this figure standing above the canyon. A competitor?

This person didn’t resemble a refugee from the Frozen Plain at all. With those golden eyes, Wen Luan would bet money on him being beautiful—uh, handsome?

Another fierce gale swept across the land, causing his cloak’s fur-lined hood to fall off. As Wen Luan clearly saw the other man’s face, his Adam’s apple involuntarily bobbed once.

On this bitterly cold frozen plain where even food was hard to find, it had been n long since Wen Luan last experienced “physical desires.”

But upon seeing the stranger’s appearance and feeling his presence amidst the icy wind, Wen Luan felt as if his blood were about to boil in his veins. He no longer noticed the bone-chilling cold. From the sudden brightness in the other man’s golden eyes—a gaze now filled with conquering desire—Wen Luan realized instantly that he wasn’t alone in experiencing this peculiar surge of impulse.

“What is going on?” Wen Luan found himself dumbfounded.

The newcomer looked exceptionally good, more handsome and charming than any celebrity, actor, or model he’d ever seen on TV. But surely such beauty couldn’t be enough to trigger an immediate physical reaction within him, right? This guy was male—male, I say!

Sigh, could it be that the blizzard had indeed addled his brain after all?