Chapter 154 I think there's still a chance to salvage it.
"I have a hypothesis: these people have been implanted with some kind of virus or something else, and then they lost their independent consciousness. But they can be domesticated, like raising chickens or ducks. After a long time, they will obey their owner's commands, becausethat's the current state of Li Yi and Hang Song…"
Yu Miaomiao thought about Li Yi and Hang Song's recent behavior and felt that they were like monsters she had tamed, able to obey her commands.
But then she thought that it might be herSupernatural Ability, which controls her mind, that was at work, but more testing was needed to draw a conclusion.
"It's possible, but not certain. We need more information and experiments to draw a conclusion."
Ye Jian pondered for a moment and agreed withYu Miaomiao's conjecture. He continued, "Could we find a way to settle them somewhere to prevent them from harming others and to prevent others from using them for evil purposes?"
Upon hearing this, everyone turned their gaze toward Yu Miaomiao.
"I'm truly impressed."
Yu Miaomiao never expected that after her rebirth, she would bring her spatial dimension to become a human-shaped "prison".
She waved her hand, storing all the Mercenariesinto her spatial storage and locking them in an iron trap cage.
Don't ask where these came from; I bought them unintentionally in front of Post-Apocalyptic World.
It's always better to be prepared.
"As for what to do with Zhang Yuan? Ji Mu, that's up to you."
All of this began with Ji Mu, and it should end with Ji Mu.
Ji Mu nodded, looking at Zhang Yuan, who had fainted on the ground, with a serious and complicated expression.
" Brother Xiao Mu, if someone hurts you, you should fight back."
Xu Nanwei looked at the hesitant Jimu with some anxiety. She didn't understand why Jimucouldn't bring herself to kill him, even though Zhang Yuan was already about to do so.
Xu Nanwei stepped forward, grasped Ji Mu's hand tightly, and his eyes shone with determination.
"You should protect yourself, Brother Xiao Mu. We can't let evildoers get away with it; that will only embolden them."
You have the right, and the responsibility, to make the right decision for yourself, and for everyone who might become his next target.
Ji Mu took a deep breath, his gaze lingering onZhang Yuan's unconscious figure for a long time, his heart undergoing a profound transformation.
He knew that Xu Nanwei was right; simply being lenient wouldn't solve the problem.
Sometimes, action must be taken to prevent a greater tragedy from happening.
He had just tried to kill himself and Sister Miaomiao, but he had also helped him during his most difficult time.
"good."
Ji Mu finally uttered the word slowly, as if he had made up his mind.
He took the weapon from Lu An and fired several shots at the unconscious Zhang Yuan.
Zhang Yuan was jolted awake by pain while he was unconscious, and then looked in shock at the bloody hole in his chest.
He coughed up mouthfuls of blood, but a faint smile appeared on his lips. Zhang Yuan uttered two words in a daze at the end.
"Thanks."
Zhang Yuan felt finally free, no longer having to be coerced into doing dirty things...
After dealing with Zhang Yuan's matter, everyone turned their attention to K, who was slumped on the ground.
Yu Miaomiao looked at K's extinguished "body," which resembled a person, a calm, cold corpse.
She actually felt a little sad; this robot, which had only been with them for a week, was affecting her emotions.
Yu Miaomiao approached K, squatted down, and gently stroked the metal casing that no longer radiated warmth.
Everyone's eyes involuntarily welled up with tears.
"K, thank you."
During this week, K was not an ordinary robot, but more like a well-mannered friend who provided companionship and care to everyone inSquad in a unique way.
This robot, who has a special fondness for furry friends, has been accepted by everyone in Squadand is treated almost like family.
"Don't be sad yet, I think... there's still hope for K."
Ye Jian interrupted Yu Miaomiao's emotional outburst, "It was just a short circuit that caused the power outage; the core chip shouldn't be damaged. I think with some time to fix it, it should still be usable."
Upon hearing this, Yu Miaomiao looked up abruptly, a glint of surprise flashing in her eyes, but then a hint of uncertainty crept in.
"Really? Can we fix it? Let me make it clear, I know absolutely nothing about mechanical repair."
Ye Jian smiled, squatted down to do a quick check, and then stood up to dust off his hands.
"It should be repairable, but repairing such precision machinery takes a lot of time... We also need to take it back and thoroughly test whether the chip is truly undamaged."
"That's good, then take them back first." Yu Miaomiao put all the scattered parts, wires, broken arms, and K into his spatial storage.
"Let's find a place to rest first, and then we'll think of a way to save K."
Yu Miaomiao released a motorhome from his spatial dimension. Ji Feng, who had been waiting inside the motorhome, saw a group of battle-damaged humans board the vehicle. His heart, which had been hanging in suspense, finally died speechlessly.
"Are you alright? What happened? Anan, are you hurt?"
Ji Feng's anxious gaze was fixed on Lu An, completely ignoring the blood-covered Ji Mu.
Lu An shook his head, forcing a smile to try and ease Ji Feng's worries: "I'm fine, just some superficial injuries, nothing serious. Xiao Mu, on the other hand, suffered quite serious injuries..."
"A minor injury? Sit down and let me take a look." Ji Feng was heartbroken to hear that Lu An had some minor injuries, but still selectively ignored the fact that Ji Mu was injured.
"Tch, he really forgets his brother for a pretty face..." Ji Mu limped to a seat by himself, and Yu Miaomiao took out a medicine box from his space and disinfected and applied medicine to Ji Mu.
"Hiss... Hah..." Ji Mu gritted his teeth in pain, but still endured it without making a sound.
" Xiao Mu, if it really hurts, you can cry out. It will make you feel better." Yu Miaomiao shook her head when she saw that he was biting his teeth so hard that he was almost breaking them without making a sound.
"I'm fine..."
LOL, the hardest thing in the world is a man's mouth.
"What's a little pain for a boy!" Ji Feng chimed in, making Ji Mu so angry that she threw a pillow at him.
Ji Feng was also heartbroken, but he figured that if he learned from his mistakes early on, he could avoid making the same mistakes in the future.
He frowned, feeling very worried, but seeing Yu Miaomiao disinfect, apply medicine, and bandage all the boy's wounds, he felt relieved.
"Alright, everything's taken care of. Just be careful not to get it wet or do any strenuous exercise these next few days. You and your brother should rest and recuperate together."
Yu Miaomiao carefully gave instructions. Her technique was skilled, and these were all minor injuries for her. Although Ji Mu's wounds looked gruesome, fortunately they were not very deep and would heal quickly after proper treatment.
Ji Mu's face was pale, and fine beads of sweat appeared on her forehead, but a stubborn smile still lingered on her lips, trying to appear calm and collected.
Seeing Xu Nanwei's worried expression, he suppressed his pain and said casually, "Don't worry, I'm a boy, I'm not afraid of pain."
Upon hearing this, Xu Nanwei's worried expression eased somewhat.
She skipped and hopped over to the side to helpYu Miaomiao pack up the things in her medicine box.
Ji Feng sighed, patted Ji Mu on the shoulder, and this time there was no teasing as before, but rather a brotherly concern.
"Alright, stop pushing yourself and get some rest."
Yu Miaomiao and Lu An nodded in agreement, and then Yu Miaomiao suggested, "Let's find a place nearby to rest for a day."
Ji Mu wanted to say something more, but seeing everyone's concerned looks, she finally nodded and obediently lay down on the bed next to Ji Feng.
The pain made it difficult for him to fall asleep, but he felt at ease and relaxed.
Lu An started the RV, while Yu Miaomiao usedMental Power to scan the surrounding environment. The two then chose a hillside as their parking spot.
The RV arrived at the location and parked quietly.
We've now entered a special period of extreme heat and Polar Day, where it's impossible to tell whether it's day or night without checking the time.
Yu Miaomiao glanced at the mechanical watch on her wrist; it showed that it was already past 2 a.m.
Without K keeping watch, it's actually safest to spend the night in the space, even with the RV.
However, there were already about ten Mercenaries in the space, and the maximum capacity of the space was already insufficient. Only three more people could enter at the same time, so after discussing it with Lu An, she decided to spend the night with everyone in the RV.
"It seems we'll have to think of a way to increase the space's capacity for people."
Yu Miaomiao kept this in mind.
She released the four little ones from the space, fed them, and gave everyone in the car sandwiches and milk to replenish their energy.
"Tonight's watch and guard duty will depend on you little guys."
"Woof! Don't worry!" Mahjong wagged its big tail and responded enthusiastically.
Yu Miaomiao nodded in relief, yawned, and went up to the room on the second floor of the RV. She quickly went into her space to wash up, and then Xu Nanwei and Lu An took turns going into the space to shower. By the time they finished, it was almost four in the morning.
I fell asleep the moment my head hit the bed and slept soundly through the night without any dreams.
I didn't wake up until almost noon the next day.
Yu Miaomiao sat up, stretched, and felt that yesterday's fatigue had been swept away.
"Adequate rest is clearly very effective." She didn't wake Lu An and Xu Nanwei, who were fast asleep beside her, allowing everyone to get enough rest so they could prepare for the rest of the journey.
She tiptoed downstairs, trying not to disturb anyone's sleep. Only the four little ones happily surrounded her, watching her busy in the RV's small kitchen.
She was going to cook a big brunch for everyone. There was still some food stored in the refrigerator. Yu Miaomiao picked out a few fresh ingredients, then flashed into her space to get some eggs from the chicken coop. She also picked fresh vegetables from the space's vegetable garden and got busy.
Soon, an enticing aroma filled the kitchen: fried eggs, bacon, toast, stir-fried spinach, pan-fried fish fillets, and freshly squeezed juice—simple yet nutritionally balanced.
As the aroma of food filled the air, the other members of the RV gradually woke up. They gathered around the dining table with delighted expressions, praising the unexpected brunch.
Xu Nanwei rubbed her eyes and laughed, "Wow, it looks delicious! Sister Miaomiao, are you trying to turn me into a complete lazybones, expecting me to be waited on hand and foot? You're going to spoil me rotten."
"Go, go, it's fine for a child to be taken care of. Hurry up and brush your teeth, wash your face, and come eat."
Yu Miaomiao smiled. Xu Nanwei is usually so well-behaved, always helping everyone out. She didn't think that doing this little thing was spoiling her at all.
He Liang yawned widely and joined the table. "Yeah, this kind of life is so comfortable. I can't even imagine that this is during the apocalypse."
Everyone ate and chatted, creating a relaxed and pleasant atmosphere.
It's like a group of friends going on a picnic in the wild; you'd never guess they're surviving the apocalypse.
" Ye Jian, after we finish eating, let's check on K's situation together. Without K, we've lost contact with Underground City, which might make it impossible to find the main force of Underground City later."
Yu Miaomiao discovered that K was very useful, and most importantly, K was essential for maintaining smooth communication.
"What's wrong with K? Can I help?" Ji Feng, who hadn't been able to offer much assistance, suddenly interjected.
"Yes, Ji Feng, you used to run a Weapon Factoryand did a lot of mechanical modifications, so you must know a lot about this area, right?"
Lu An looked at Ji Feng with expectant eyes.
Ji Feng felt Lu An's eager and expectant gaze, and the tips of his ears turned slightly red. He touched the tip of his pen, composed himself, and said, "I'm not a professional in this field, but I studied engineering. When I was doing my master's degree, I really liked the direction of weapons and military industry. I love to delve into things, so I can give it a try."
"Okay, let's take a look together later." Ye Jianhad also witnessed the power of Weapon Factory's things and greatly admired Ji Feng.
After dinner, everyone got out of the RV together, and Lu An also pushed Ji Feng out of the RV.
Finding an open space, Yu Miaomiao released K from the space.
They also found a small set of repair tools in the space.
Ye Jian took the repair tools, squatted down, and began to carefully inspect various parts of K, while explaining his repair approach to everyone.
"First, we need to find the short circuit and try reconnecting the circuit to see if it can start. If it can start, then we need to check if the core chip is intact. If everything goes well, K can be revived."
Ji Feng nodded, "It seems to be just wiring damage caused by the broken arm."
Yu Miaomiao watched Ye Jian work nervously from the side, occasionally handing him tools or helping to fix parts, silently praying for a miracle to happen.
As time passed and night deepened, beads of sweat glistened on Ye Jian's forehead under the dim light, but his hands did not stop moving in the slightest.
Suddenly, a faint "beep" broke the silence, and K's body trembled slightly.
Then, the eyes that had once given them a sense of security slowly began to light up. Although they were still very faint, they were enough to excite everyone present.
"K! You're back!"
Everyone was overjoyed, but their smiles soon faded.
K looked around blankly, his eyes empty and lifeless.
He said, enunciating each word clearly, "Hello, welcome."
"K, don't you recognize everyone?" Ye Jian looked at K with a puzzled expression, feeling that K was a stranger to them, not the K they knew.
"Hello, please follow the steps below to complete the initial power-on activation process."
K? Why was it reset?