Chapter 146: The Day the Code Fell in Love (16)

The interior of the spaceship was set to a constant temperature that humans found comfortable. Therefore, even though the barren planet was often rainy and the temperature frequently dropped by several degrees, wearing thin clothing inside was not a problem.

Bai Yao, currently dressed in a green floral dress, sat cross-legged on the floor in front of the floor-to-ceiling window, observing the small flowerpot in her hands. The black soil looked no different from last night; no matter how one looked at it, it was impossible for the seeds inside to sprout so quickly. But with no internet access and no games to play, she had nothing better to do.

A thin blanket was draped around her from behind, and then, someone hugged her. Bai Yao relaxed her body, leaning back into the youth’s embrace.

Shi Jiu whispered softly, "It's almost evening; the temperature will drop."

Bai Yao turned her head and smiled. "If I'm cold, you can just hold me tighter."

The corners of Shi Jiu’s eyes curved slightly. He obeyed, tightening his arms around her and leaning down so that his chest was pressed firmly against her back, leaving not a sliver of space between them. Bai Yao was held fast; if she wanted to move, she would have to get him to loosen his hold first. It was a sense of confinement, a lack of freedom. But fortunately, she was naturally indolent and didn't need that much freedom anyway.

"I wonder how much longer it will take for the seeds inside to sprout," she mused.

Shi Jiu’s gaze fell on the flowerpot. His eyes flickered, and he said, "The seed inside has broken its shell."

Bai Yao was instantly overjoyed. "You saw it?"

He nodded. "I saw it."

It was merely a scan—the most basic function of any android, one that even the cheapest, oldest models could perform.

Bai Yao’s mood improved significantly. She carefully placed the flowerpot on the floor, right next to the moonstone, whose flower bud was growing larger by the day. The appearance of this bud felt like a good omen, one that would encourage the little seed in the other pot to sprout and grow quickly.

Bai Yao shifted her arms, and he slightly relaxed his grip. She turned around and lunged at him, pinning him to the floor. Shi Jiu lay flat compliantly, his hands hovering around her to ensure that she wouldn't fall. Bai Yao cupped his face and lowered her head, smiling; her long hair cascaded over her shoulders, the ends brushing messily against his chest.

Before she could even touch him, he eagerly tilted his face upward, shortening the final distance between them. As their lips met and their breaths intertwined, he strove with every warm caress to etch her biological data into his memory chip.

She was stroking him. She loved his body; this was a good thing. Even though she should be well aware that he required no foreplay and could enter adult mode at any time, every one of her kisses and caresses told him that he was her lover, not a tool for venting.

Shi Jiu knew what kind of reactions Bai Yao liked to see, so when her hand slid toward the waistband of his trousers, he let out a stifled, ragged gasp, his moist, dark eyes looking at her with a dazed expression. His Adam's apple bobbed as he swallowed more broken sounds into his throat, silently pleading: *Love me more.*

As Bai Yao remained locked in a kiss with him, her hand had already slipped inside his waistband, but a different commotion came from outside. She lifted her head and looked out the window.

In the gloomy, overcast sky, a group of people with sluggish gaits approached from the distance. They were too far away to see their faces clearly, only that there were four men and two women, and their figures looked exhausted. No, it would be more accurate to say that everyone was exhausted except for one figure.

It was a young man carrying a backpack. His black uniform perfectly outlined his build, and every step he took was the same distance—it was rigid to the extreme. Bai Yao’s vision was average, and she couldn't see the young man's expression clearly, but she vaguely felt as if he were looking at her.

Shi Jiu sat up from the floor, smoothing out the clothes Bai Yao had ruffled and flattening her skirt to cover her thighs. Then, he looked out the window and met that emotionless gaze. His eyes darkened with unreadable depth.

Li Shenjue and his group had been walking for several hours before finally spotting the spaceship parked in the open field. Li Shenjue was trained, so his stamina was not an issue, but his heart ached for Ruan Jiaojiao. She was delicate and soft; if he used even a little too much force, he would leave red marks on her skin, and at the slightest hint of pain, her eyes would turn red like a rabbit's. Yet, she had persisted for so long, refusing to let him carry her and not letting out a single cry. Her strength of character made Li Shenjue’s heart ache to the core.

Si Dezao saw the ship and leaned against a tree, sighing in relief. "Finally, we’re here."

Ruan Jiaojiao was also at her limit; her feet were surely blistered. Throughout the journey, both Li Shenjue and Gu Mohan had offered to carry her, and she had received more than her fair share of cold sarcasm from Hua Xin. *Hmph, she wouldn't let anyone look down on her!* Even so, her soft feet were truly exhausted, and she whimpered inwardly, feeling quite sorry for herself.

The sky grew darker, and a few raindrops began to fall. Twenty-Three scanned the surroundings and said to Gu Mohan, "There are biological entities moving in the vicinity. I anticipate danger."

Before he had even finished speaking, he had drawn his weapon and shot down a black creature that was lunging at the group. Ruan Jiaojiao was startled by the sudden gunshot, and upon seeing the vicious-looking alien creature drop from the air, she let out a cry.

Of everyone present, she was the only one who had not received professional training. The others, sensing the danger, drew their weapons one after another.

Fan Gu shouted, "There are too many of these monsters!" They were also too difficult to kill; unless shot in a lethal spot, they would quickly crawl back up and continue their attack. However, the humans could not target moving objects as accurately as Number Twenty-Three.

Hua Xin shot a black monster that was heading for Fan Gu from behind. She looked at the stunned Fan Gu and scoffed, "The First Fleet, praised by everyone as the elite, doesn't seem like much."

Fan Gu’s expression darkened. Li Shenjue was shielding the delicate Ruan Jiaojiao, and he was also finding the situation difficult to manage. Gu Mohan took down several black monsters charging at Ruan Jiaojiao and provoked Li Shenjue, saying, "If you can't handle it, you might as well hand her over to me for protection."

Li Shenjue snapped, "Get lost!"

Ruan Jiaojiao’s heart pounded. When was this happening? These two men were still arguing over her!

Si Dezao suddenly shouted, "The spaceship door is opening!"

More and more black monsters were swarming in; if they didn't escape now, they would likely become food for the creatures. Faced with death, Si Dezao was the first to run toward the ship, and the others followed. Gu Mohan yelled, "Twenty-Three, cover the rear!"

Twenty-Three stayed at the back of the group. Just as he finished off one lunging monster, another rushed over and bit his arm. He expressionlessly flung the creature to the ground and crushed it with his foot. Sparks flickered from the wound on his arm, and error prompts began to appear in his eyes. He had no time for emergency repairs, so he used his uninjured hand to lift his gun and turned to face the monsters pouring in.

The group rushed into the airlock and entered the spaceship.

Si Dezao yelled at the people inside, "Close the door quickly!"

The girl in the green floral dress said, "Your companion is still outside."

When Si Dezao saw the girl, a flash of amazement crossed his eyes. *It was actually Bai Yao!* Everyone present who knew Bai Yao looked surprised.

Si Dezao softened his tone. "The one outside is an android; don't worry about him. There are more and more monsters, hurry and close the airlock."

Bai Yao, however, looked outside and said, "He can make it."

Sure enough, the monsters were not interested in the android and were heading toward the airlock, while Twenty-Three’s speed was also very high. Seeing the monsters drawing closer, Li Shenjue frowned. "Bai Yao, close the airlock!"

The authorization for this ship clearly rested with Bai Yao; no one else could issue commands to it. Bai Yao ignored Li Shenjue. She walked toward the door in no hurry, picking up a mechanical arm she had set aside just in case. The mechanical arm automatically attached itself to her limb.

The figure at the door was close now. Just as he stepped through the threshold, Bai Yao brushed past him. She raised her hand, the mechanical arm exerting force, and punched a black monster charging toward the door, smashing it away. The monster's head shattered into fragments, and its slime splattered onto the other creatures, causing them to hesitate and stop advancing for a moment.

Rain fell from the sky, and the ground quickly turned muddy. At that moment, someone threw a package outside; it burst open in mid-air, scattering small heaters across the ground. Bai Yao deactivated the mechanical arm and picked up a stun gun. She switched it on and tossed it onto the water-logged ground.

The powerful current spread through the water, detonating the heaters scattered everywhere. Like bombs, the heaters exploded one after another, blowing the dense swarm of black monsters into pieces. Their severed limbs flew everywhere, both disgusting and terrifying.

Bai Yao stood at the doorway, the wind and rain causing her green dress to flutter wildly. Looking at the shattered black creatures, she suddenly felt a sense of satisfaction. Her lips curled upward, and she said with pleasure, "Go to hell, you scum."

The airlock closed, shutting out the wind and rain. Bai Yao turned around, and the youth who had been guarding the side offered her a dry towel to wipe the rainwater from her face. She enjoyed his service with peace of mind, sweeping her eyes over everyone present.

Her demeanor was aloof, as if she were inspecting cabbages in a field. This attitude of disregarding everyone was much like how she had just referred to those dangerous creatures as "scum." Even people like Li Shenjue and Gu Mohan seemed a head shorter than her in terms of aura.

Ruan Jiaojiao looked at Shi Jiu in disbelief. He seemed slightly different from the person in her memory, though she couldn't say exactly what had changed. She couldn't help but speak up, "Shi Jiu?"

Hearing his name, Shi Jiu looked at Ruan Jiaojiao, his brows curving slightly with a smile that was innocent and pure. It was still the same Shi Jiu.

Ruan Jiaojiao felt a surge of joy and was about to walk over, but she stopped in her tracks when she saw Shi Jiu take Bai Yao’s hand.

Twenty-Three walked forward a few steps. He was injured, but as a military-grade android, his physical durability was higher, so the damage was not critical. He stared at Bai Yao with his black eyes for a long moment, then looked up, meeting the youth’s eyes, and asked calmly, "Why did you refuse to connect with me and share the information regarding this lady?"