Chapter 16: Let Me Recharge You

“This group of people is really too much. Am I really that terrifying...” Su Yi held his phone, looking at the message that the group had been disbanded, a slight twitch appearing at the corner of his mouth.

That day in the dormitory, he admittedly lost control for a moment and drew his knife, aiming at his roommate’s head. But he restrained his strength and redirected the blade in time, so it only pierced the pillow and didn't injure anyone.

Su Yi paid the necessary compensation and offered apologies; he did everything required, and the roommate who was almost accidentally hurt had forgiven him. Yet, after the incident spread, the rumors grew increasingly distorted—some even claimed he was a ruthless killer who took lives without a blink.

He did not deny being ruthless; after all, he had killed many in the wasteland over ten years. But since traveling back, he had never harmed a single person on Blue Star.

“Forget it. Next time, I won’t let Mu Xiaowei add me to any groups again.”

Su Yi understood that once rumors ferment, they are like lint stuck on a sweater—no matter how you try to pick it off or wash it out, it still itches.

Setting up and disbanding class groups was a hassle anyway, and in a few months, he wouldn’t see these high school classmates again.

“Dun dun dun—”

“Commander! Another external invasion!”

Loli Xi, who was seriously watching the news, suddenly stood up, pulling out the dagger in her hand, ready to strike. But the next second, Su Yi pressed her head back down.

“There’s no external invasion. It’s just the delivery guy...”

From afar, Su Yi could already smell the fragrance of fried chicken—it was unmistakable. He sluggishly got up from the sofa in his flip-flops and staggered to the apartment door, receiving the 32.6-yuan gourmet meal from the young man in the yellow uniform.

“Today I’ll treat you to something good. Instant noodles are low on Blue Star’s food hierarchy.”

He placed the still-warm yellow plastic bag on the dining table, tore it open by hand, and pulled out a small packet of green dipping sauce, nodding repeatedly. “Not bad, not bad. They even brought what I asked for.”

“See these chicken nuggets? Cumin flavor. Slather some mustard on them, then dip them in cola. It’s truly delicious,” Su Yi said enthusiastically.

“Is that so?” Loli Xi picked up a small chicken drumstick and imitated him. With the chip’s powerful learning ability, even the mustard’s shape squeezed out was remarkably similar.

“Yes! Eat up.”

“Okay.” Loli Xi swallowed, thinking that if even the commander said it was delicious, it must be truly tasty.

She popped the entire chicken drumstick, bone and meat, into her mouth, crunching loudly before swallowing within seconds.

“Tasty, much better than nuclear waste,” Loli Xi praised sincerely.

“Wastelanders really know how to appreciate good food,” Su Yi said with a smile.

For some reason, no matter how good the taste, whenever he introduced it to outsiders, he was met with disdainful looks. Mu Xiaowei even called him a pervert. The mindset of Blue Star inhabitants was becoming more and more conservative.

“But next time, remember to spit out the bones.”

Su Yi shook the chicken bones he had finished eating, then reached for new nuggets to smear with mustard.

Bones were like stones—no nutritional value.

“Mm~” The girl obediently nodded.

Picking at the chicken bones in her hand, Su Yi glanced at the time. It was already 7 p.m. He turned his head and said, “I have to go to school tomorrow, probably back around this time. You’ll have to stay at home by yourself.”

“Go to school?”

“Yes. You can think of it as Blue Star’s elite selection method. Except for a few geniuses, most people are trained this way,” Su Yi explained while eating.

“Can Loli Xi go to school too? I want to receive training... The wasteland’s database isn’t compatible here...” Loli Xi whispered. If there was a way to train and learn knowledge quickly, she wouldn’t trouble Professor Su Yi.

As a second-ranked commander, she must be very busy with various affairs. It wouldn’t be good to waste her time.

“That’s a bit tricky...” Su Yi frowned slightly.

How to get a girl without even official registration into school by formal means?

He hadn’t thought of a feasible plan yet. Besides, even if there was a way, Su Yi wouldn’t let Loli Xi go out alone—any misunderstanding could be fatal.

“Unless you have an invisibility ability, maybe I can sneak you into school to broaden your horizons first.”

Su Yi muttered quietly.

But Loli Xi’s eyes suddenly lit up. She gently touched the exoskeleton on her cheek and seemed to press a button.

Her eyes turned pale green, and her entire body flickered like a television screen with static. Her face, hair, even her tracksuit gradually blended into the surrounding objects, until she completely disappeared from sight.

“Commander, is this okay?”

A girl’s voice came from midair.

Upon hearing this, Su Yi’s gaze sharpened and he expanded his senses: “Invisible to the eye, but your scent, temperature, and energy fluctuations remain.”

Useless against experts, but enough to fool ordinary people and those with dull senses—especially Blue Star natives.

“You actually have this function.”

Su Yi was amazed. Before he traveled back, invisibility technology was still undeveloped; only abilities could achieve it.

“This is a new prosthetic installed by grandma before the mission.”

The voice responded again indoors. Su Yi sensed Loli Xi had moved in front of him, but she was still invisible to the naked eye.

“With her capability, breaking through this technology is no problem.”

Su Yi knew that Ifina was a genius in technology.

“But why didn’t you use it yesterday? Wouldn’t that have been better?”

Like Su Yi, Loli Xi was cautious. If this function could make her and her clothes vanish, why didn’t she use it when she was hanging on the windowsill yesterday?

Before she could answer, Loli Xi’s body flickered several times and reappeared indoors. She scratched her cheek and said, “Using this prosthetic drains a lot of energy. The chip’s power is nearly depleted...”

“Then I’ll have to charge you up.”

Su Yi circled the girl, lifting her silver hair to reveal a round external port on the back of her neck. He took an old power strip from home, unplugged a wire, plugged one end into the outlet, and the other into Loli Xi’s neck port.

“Ah~~”

As the wire entered her body, Loli Xi felt a sharp sting, then energy flowed warmly throughout her, bringing a pleasant sensation that made her moan involuntarily.

“Commander~~ so comfortable.”

“That should solve your power shortage,” Su Yi muttered softly.

However, the overwhelming comfort made Loli Xi gradually lose control. Her eyes shone with dazzling green light, her body’s load increased continuously, and her temperature rose rapidly, like a high-powered water pump greedily drawing in electricity.

The old apartment’s wiring couldn’t bear the burden. Soon the overhead light began crackling, the TV flickered chaotically, turning extremely unstable.

“Wait, you need to learn restraint.”

Su Yi realized something was wrong and tried to unplug the wire from Loli Xi’s neck, but it was too late. The circuit breaker tripped, plunging the entire building into darkness.

“Commander, chip charge at 15%.”

“Huh? What happened? Why is the base blacked out?”

Loli Xi, unaware of what occurred, slowly opened her eyes and looked around excitedly. Before she could say more, a heavy thump landed on her head.

Su Yi, clutching his phone, said harshly:

“This candle will last no more than one hour.”

“Tonight, you’re going to be the light bulb—and you still have to charge my phone.”