Hexi: I Regret It! I Really Do!

For example, the subtle traces of technology that didn't quite match Earth's.

For example, that faint sense of being watched.

For example, the uncertainty over whether the enemy she had once secretly tried to test for even existed...

And many, many other things.

The trivial memories of Han Fei taking her to the mall flashed through her mind, along with the sense of security she'd felt when he comforted her in the panic following her amnesia, the shyness she'd felt when he said he used to pursue her, his nagging habit of waking her up every morning, Aunt Li's delicious meals, and the warmth of "home"...

Most importantly, from the very first moment she'd seen him, she hadn't wanted to hurt him. (The truth was, she couldn't.)

It made her feel inexplicably softhearted.

There were many things she still couldn't figure out.

But at the very least, Han Fei was her friend. That much was true.

That was enough.

At least for now.

So.

"I've actually been very happy lately."

"I kind of like it here."

Her eyes unconsciously glanced at Han Fei.

Hexi: I regret it! I really do!

Han Fei looked at Hexi with a stern expression.

He listened to what she said.

He didn't feel much of anything.

If he had to name something, it would probably be delight.

Don't get the wrong idea. Not that kind of delight.

Just the delight of a test succeeding, meaning he could use her without worry.

It seemed that emotional bonding worked very well on her while she had amnesia.

Han Fei couldn't help thinking.

That was right.

It had all been part of the plan!

She wouldn't hurt him, but if he wanted her to work for him, he needed more than material benefits. He needed an emotional connection, too.

And the strongest bond was one that mixed affection with mutual benefit.

As for the benefits, there was protection, a salary, and so on. As for emotions, those could only be cultivated through certain techniques.

And deception...

Was one such technique.

He admitted that it was a little despicable.

But when survival was at stake, he was dealing with a stranger who had no feelings for him.

Even if her memories gave him a head start with her affection, he wasn't a child. He could tell fantasy from reality.

So.

Why not?

As for developing feelings for her and ending up in some kind of "chasing-the-wife-to-the-crematorium" plot...

Impossible.

Absolutely impossible!

He wasn't like her, suffering from amnesia. Two months wasn't enough to sway him.

Besides, he had faith in his own willpower.

Plan successful!

Across from him.

Hexi couldn't help feeling inexplicably nervous as she watched Han Fei's stern expression.

It was a hard-to-describe nervousness.

She pressed her lips tightly together.

"Good."

Han Fei smiled.

Hexi felt a sudden, inexplicable release of tension in her heart.

"Next, I'll show you my secret. Don't tell anyone."

Hearing Han Fei say that, Hexi suddenly felt a little thrilled to be trusted.

As he spoke, Han Fei took a wooden box from a safe and opened it.

A faint green glow flickered within.

"Here."

Han Fei gestured for her to take it.

Hexi looked at the... grass?

A hint of confusion and curiosity flashed in her eyes.

She gently picked it up.

Then she looked at Han Fei.

Seeing no sign that she was about to use her Eye of Insight, Han Fei knew the result of his covert test had been satisfactory. He began to explain.

"This thing is called Green Baby. You can also call it Wisdom Grass. As for where it came from, it's one of the legacies of a civilization I inherited."

"It can provide an enormous amount of energy, and it can also be replicated."

As he spoke, he handed her the data on Green Baby's energy source.

Hexi seemed not to have heard him mention the legacy of a civilization at all. She obediently took the data, her eyes full of curiosity and keen interest.

"I'll leave this to you to study. I hope you can find the best way to use it."

"Also, besides this, I feel there are still problems with the weapons for things like mechs. Lasers are great, but we can't rely on them alone. We need to develop some new weapons, like the standard-issue drones for mechs. And it'd be even better if we could make something like an AT Field. What? What's an AT Field? I'm not a researcher."

"Also, we need to speed up work on the life-support pods and their matching nutrient solutions. The medical industry has always been hugely profitable..."

"As for the several Explorer-class ships, do you think there's room to optimize them? I'm not saying they're bad. I just mean, can we improve their defenses and offensive capabilities? They're spaceships, after all..."

"Also, I'm going to ... this afternoon. Prepare what I need in advance."

"Oh, and another thing..."

At that moment, with his endless chatter and gesturing, Han Fei looked every bit like a loathsome client.

Hexi, who had been so obedient up to then, grew paler and paler.

A thought suddenly occurred to her.

"...Would it be bad to take back what I said earlier?"

Business continued to develop steadily.

He kept fishing up bottles.

It was just that the bottles he'd found lately hadn't contained anything good—just some rocks and weeds.

Even after using the location method.

The only things he'd found in the Happy Goat world were still weeds.

He was wondering whether he should try locating a different world.

The ones that had produced mechs, spaceships, and Light-Shadow Stones had all been pretty good.

Hmm, he could give it a try.

Aside from that, a few other things had happened lately.

Just everyday life, really.

Because of the Super Gene—and, well, because of a tiny, unspeakable reason—he'd maintained a good relationship with Qi Lin.

By now, the two of them were very good friends.

So sometimes they went out together.

But after Hexi found out, she seemed to misunderstand something and insisted on tagging along.

Unable to talk her out of it, he eventually had to take her to meet Qi Lin.

As it happened, Qi Lin brought along a policewoman named He Weiran.

She said He Weiran was a good friend of hers.

She wanted to introduce them so they could get to know each other.

As a result...

Hexi spent the entire day observing Qi Lin.

And when they finally headed home, the two women had even added each other as friends.

It seemed they were friends now.

"Friends."

That was how Han Fei saw it.

In reality...

Four months had passed since his ability evolved and he found Hexi.

It was the end of December 2012.

Another year was about to end.

Han Fei called Zhao Xin and Liu Chuang back.

Gorge City Airport.

Two men in black clothes, black pants, and black sunglasses, each with a faintly menacing air, walked out of the airport. At a glance, they looked like they were acting in The Matrix.

Quite a few people waiting to pick someone up instinctively moved away from them.

Han Fei, on the other hand, lit up and went to greet them.

"Hahaha!"

Amid hearty laughter, the three of them hugged.

"Brother Fei, we're back!"

"I know, I know. Let's go first. I had Aunt Li make dinner. We can eat and talk."

Han Fei and the others got into the car.

Before long, they arrived back at Han Fei's compound.