Chen Hao's Gift

"He's not your brother-in-law!"

Android 18 stamped her foot furiously, making the ground tremble.

"Not yet. Who knows what'll happen later?"

Android 17 laughed as he slipped away at top speed, his cheerful footsteps fading into the distance.

Android 18 was beside herself with irritation and could only stomp on the spot. There was really nothing she could do about him.

She clenched her fists, her chest rising and falling a few times before she finally let out a helpless sigh.

An hour later, the laboratory door finally creaked open.

Chen Hao stepped out, a fine sheen of sweat still on his forehead, a sheet covered in data clutched in his hand.

His steps were steady, though clearly urgent. "The information's been sorted out."

As he spoke, he turned the paper over and folded it neatly. "Hold out your hand."

Android 17 froze for a moment, then held out his hand, palm up.

Chen Hao gently took hold of his wrist, pressing his fingertips against his pulse.

He closed his eyes and frowned slightly. Even his breathing slowed, as though he were intently listening to the wind.

Before long, he opened his eyes, his expression darkening. "Just as I thought. There's a problem."

"What problem?"

Android 17 abruptly sat up from the ground, his ash-white hair swaying as a bead of sweat ran down his forehead.

Bracing himself against the ground, his fingertips dug into the cracks between the stones until his knuckles turned white, as if he were trying to grasp something.

Spiderweb-like cracks spread from the impact crater in the wall, while the dust of dusk drifted slowly through the air.

The distant wind floated over like night itself, carrying several dead leaves in circles past his feet.

"Part of the energy circuits in your body was absorbed by Cell."

Chen Hao released his hand, moving his palm away from Android 17's chest. A faint glimmer still lingered at his fingertips beneath the sunlight, like scattered fireflies fading away.

He lowered his head to look at his own hand, frowned, then raised his eyes to gaze heavily at Android 17. His voice carried an unconcealed gravity. "Your combat power has dropped by at least twenty percent. If you don't repair it soon, your body won't be able to hold up forever—at first, you'll find yourself unable to exert strength. Then your senses will gradually become sluggish. In the end, you'll collapse completely."

"What do we do?"

Android 18 rushed over in a single stride, her silver hair sweeping a graceful arc through the air.

She crouched down and gripped Android 17's shoulder, her fingers trembling faintly, her nails nearly digging into his leather jacket.

Her face had gone terribly pale, her lips pressed into a tight line as she stared at Chen Hao as though she could force an answer out of him.

"Simple."

Chen Hao gave a soft snort and pulled a slender test tube from his clothes.

The test tube gleamed amber in the sunset filtering through the clouds. The liquid inside swirled like a miniature storm sleeping within it.

He gave it a shake, and the liquid slapped against the glass. "I mixed this medicine according to Dr. Gero's notes. Drink it, and it'll repair the circuits. Though... it might taste about as bad as bitter melon juice."

"Really?"

Android 17 was uncertain, but he still accepted the test tube.

His fingertips slid along the smooth glass, feeling its faint chill.

He looked up at Chen Hao, his eyes holding both wariness and hope. His lips moved, but in the end, he didn't ask.

"You'll know if you try it."

Chen Hao shrugged, dust falling from his shoulders.

With both hands in his pockets, he tilted up his chin and stared at Android 17. "Believe it or not. Your choice."

Android 17 gritted his teeth, hard lines tightening across his cheeks.

He raised the test tube to the light. The amber liquid flowed beneath the sunset like gold.

He took a deep breath, closed his eyes, tipped back his head, and drained it in one gulp.

The liquid rolled down his throat with a burning sensation, like warm flames searing their way down his esophagus and into his stomach.

He could feel it sink, then the heat abruptly spread outward from his stomach through his entire body, as though every inch of him had been steeped in sunlight.

The next moment, a surge of heat exploded in his lower abdomen, flooding through his limbs and bones like a wave from the inside out.

Android 17's eyes snapped open. His pupils constricted, then widened as he lowered his head to look at his hands—his wounds visibly healed, his cracked skin becoming smooth again, even the traces of blood between his fingers vanishing.

The knot that had been lodged in his chest all this time shattered like glass, finally loosening.

The energy circuits throughout his body seemed to light up anew. Specks of light raced through his veins, humming low and deep.

"It worked!"

He sprang to his feet, stirring up a gust of wind.

He clenched his fist, and that familiar power flowed through his entire body—more smoothly than ever.

He looked at Chen Hao, his eyes filled with delight. The corners of his mouth lifted uncontrollably, and there was even a glimmer in his gaze. "It... it really worked! I feel... even better than before!"

"Told you."

Chen Hao waved a hand and turned to look beyond the terrace of Kami's Lookout. "For the next three days, don't go crazy. Don't pick fights with beasts or any leftover Cell minions. Wait until your body's circuits stabilize."

He pulled out a piece of candy, unwrapped it, and tossed it into his mouth before adding vaguely, "There won't be a second dose."

"Got it."

Android 17 nodded, his fists slowly loosening as his breathing eased.

He stared earnestly at Chen Hao's back and said in a low voice, "Thank you."

"No need."

Chen Hao waved him off and headed toward the terrace of Kami's Lookout. His shadow stretched long beneath the setting sun, as though he were draped in a dark cloak.

Android 18 hesitated for a moment, then hurried after him.

Her steps carried the wind, her silver hair rising and falling. She reached out as if to tug at Chen Hao's sleeve, only to pull her hand back when she got close.

She followed less than a step behind him and asked tentatively, "Where are you going?"

"To get some air."

Chen Hao didn't turn around. His voice was calm, almost perfunctory, but Android 18 could hear the faint exhaustion beneath it.

He walked to the edge of the terrace and braced both hands against the stone railing. His knuckles tapped the old stone, producing a dull sound.

Android 18 followed and stood beside him, one hand resting on the railing while the other hung by the seam of her pants, her fingertips absently rubbing at a loose thread.

A distant breeze swept in, carrying the scent of earth and grass. The horizon was covered in orange-red sunset clouds, layered like flames as they stretched farther and farther away.

Mountain ranges rolled into the distance, their peaks veiled in a faint golden glow.

"Chen Hao..."

Android 18 suddenly spoke softly, her voice so quiet it was as if she feared disturbing something. "Why did you help me? You don't owe me anything."

"Didn't I say? It was a trade."

Chen Hao still didn't look back. His gaze remained fixed on the distant sky, his voice casual and lazy, as though they were discussing the weather. "You helped me once, so I help you once. Fair."

"You're lying."

Android 18 shook her head, silver hair brushing over her shoulders. She tilted her head and stared intently at Chen Hao's profile, taking in the line of his jaw and the faint, almost imperceptible smile at the corner of his mouth. "You know perfectly well I have nothing to trade with you. I'm just an android someone threw away. Even Gero thought we weren't good enough."

"Who says you have nothing?"

Chen Hao finally turned his head, his gaze leaving the distant clouds to meet her eyes.

The sunset's golden light reflected in his eyes. He smiled slightly, a meaning no one could decipher hidden in the curve of his lips. "You're beautiful. That's what I thought the first time I saw you."

Android 18 froze where she stood, as if her entire body had been instantly locked in place. She even forgot to breathe.

Her eyes widened, her lips parted slightly, revealing a row of teeth.

The wind stirred the ends of her hair, and her face suddenly flushed red, the color spreading from her ears to her cheekbones.