Chapter 27: This Is Not Normal

"Damn it, this game is absolute trash. The opponent is clearly setting up a double cannon strike, and yet he moves the guard in front of his general just to capture a measly pawn. That’s just handing over the game!"

"And look at this—he’s about to be checkmated, yet he’s still obsessed with taking pawns. He’s lined up the five pawns he captured; does he think he’s playing Snake?"

"He’s the King of Pawns. It’s like the guy isn't playing to win, but just to collect as many pieces as possible."

Su Yi frowned, gripping the edge of the table tightly, venting the frustration built up from a night of surveillance.

He hadn't expected Old Zhang to play Chinese chess with the white-haired old man all night long. It was truly baffling. These elders usually looked lethargic, yet they possessed an unexpectedly staggering amount of energy when it came to certain things.

He was accustomed to surveillance; watching for an entire day was no trouble at all. But that old man’s chess skills were so abysmal that they were genuinely infuriating. Playing against Old Zhang—whom Su Yi easily decimated in every match—the old man hadn't won a single game, suffering twenty consecutive losses.

If he didn't know better, he’d think the man was playing an auto-battler, waiting for a loss streak bonus. Some of the old man's moves were so stupid that Su Yi wanted to jump in and play for him. Old Zhang, meanwhile, was laughing his head off, acting like a grandmaster, loudly explaining the game while constantly refilling the other man’s cup.

"Is this guy actually a master, or does he know he’s being watched and is deliberately acting weak to lower his profile?" Su Yi mused, rubbing his chin.

The morning light pierced through the clouds, rising from the edge of the blue-black horizon. Warm sunlight spilled onto the earth, causing the ground to steam.

After a night of finding nothing, his "Observation" intel-gathering method had failed. Feeling a bit dejected, he checked the time on his phone: 5:00 AM. It was getting late. He had to prepare for school; he was under surveillance, so he couldn't afford to skip class, or he’d risk giving them leverage.

Su Yi stretched, walked out of the bedroom, filled the iron pot with water, and began to prepare breakfast.

"Lorishi, come here and watch. I’ll teach you how to make instant noodles."

Su Yi tore open a packet of noodles and shouted to the silver-haired girl, who had remained frozen by the window all night like a statue. He couldn't show any cracks while monitoring others; he had to eat breakfast normally and let them see him doing so.

Hearing her commander call, Lorishi trotted over with short, quick steps. "Commander, are we stopping the surveillance?"

"Yes, there’s nothing to gain. The other party is determined to hide." Su Yi shook his head helplessly. Time was limited; if one approach didn't work, he had to try another.

The small pot of noodles began to bubble, and thick steam filled the cramped kitchen, blurring his vision. Su Yi pushed open the frozen window to let the vapor escape. Today was much colder than yesterday—the temperature felt like minus ten degrees. The window was covered in a thick layer of frost that crunched audibly when he tugged at it.

In the past, Su Yi hated this weather. He’d wake up with a freezing nose and a dry throat, and if he wasn't careful, he’d get sick, leaving him lethargic all day. But it was different now; if any virus or bacteria dared to invade his body, he would simply raise his internal temperature and burn the impurities to ash. He rarely got sick anymore.

"Watch closely. It’s enough once the water starts bubbling. Gently put the noodles in, then take the seasoning packets from the bag. Squeeze them well—if you can't get it all out, hold it with your chopsticks and swish it in the water."

"Take them out quickly after a moment. If you wait too long, the noodles will get mushy and the texture will be ruined."

Su Yi explained patiently while demonstrating. He scooped the noodles into bowls and added two pieces of braised pork to each. Over the next few days, he needed to teach Lorishi more about life on Blue Star. Afterward, he could put her to work on chores... or, rather, avoid attracting suspicion with strange behavior.

Lorishi learned quite diligently—perhaps too diligently. Green light flickered in her eyes as she looked up at him:

"The water temperature is 98.5 degrees. The noodles were added 7 seconds after reaching temperature. The seasoning was added at 32 seconds. Then, 267.7 grams were served to the Commander, and 241.2 grams were allocated for Lorishi. Then, 330ml and 410ml of broth were poured into each bowl respectively."

"Commander, is this correct?"

"Uh—" Su Yi blinked. "Actually, there’s no need to be that precise. Just scoop it out by eye, and remember to give me a bit more."

"Understood!" Lorishi replied crisply. She had recorded Su Yi’s noodle-making technique and stored it in her mind. She would make it perfect next time; this was the first skill her commander had taught her, and she had to master it.

Su Yi served his own portion and said, "You try it. Two packs aren't enough for both of us anyway."

He had taught many people back in the wasteland. He always preferred hands-on practice over theory. They used an electric pot, so there was no need to worry about fires, gas explosions, or leaks. For Lorishi, who charged herself with electricity, it was perfectly safe—no major trouble would come from a minor operation error.

Su Yi helped Lorishi roll up her sleeves, pushing her tracksuit up to her elbows to keep them clean. Encouraged by his gaze, Lorishi nodded solemnly. She turned her focus to the task, becoming incredibly serious—she looked like a Super Saiyan at full power, fully prepared for battle.

A moment later, the girl began. Following Su Yi’s example, she picked up the iron pot, turned on the faucet, filled it with tap water, plugged it in, and pressed the start button.

Su Yi nodded. This simple task wasn't difficult; he had clearly worried too much. Everything proceeded normally: tearing the bag, taking out the noodles, getting the seasoning, and waiting for the water to boil.

Then, she reached her hand into the boiling water to check if it was at 100 degrees.

Wait... that was not normal!

"Hey! Take your hand out! That’s not how you check the water temperature!" Su Yi hurriedly grabbed the girl's arm and pulled her away from the pot, shouting.

Lorishi didn't seem to realize what she had done wrong, her face full of confusion. "Commander, this allows for a more accurate temperature reading."

On her first mission, Lorishi wanted to do her best. She believed physical contact would allow for precise temperature control.

"Measuring the temperature doesn't mean you should hurt yourself. Your body isn't enhanced like mine; your tolerance for external temperature isn't that high." The heavy snowfall had already proven that Lorishi’s body wasn't exactly durable.

Su Yi quickly ran her hand under cold water. Sure enough, her delicate, bamboo-shoot-like fingers were already flushed red. Fortunately, it hadn't been long; a bit of toothpaste would fix it later.

"The wasteland might have given you a skewed understanding of water. Let me tell you: when boiling water, you can tell the temperature by the surface agitation. Once bubbles start rising, you can put the noodles in." Su Yi explained patiently. Water physics were a blind spot for her, which couldn't be helped. "Of course, the boiling point changes with altitude, but that won't be an issue here."

"Com-Commander is so amazing..." Lorishi whispered. Before she could finish, a large hand pressed down on her small head and began to rub it vigorously.

"Ow~" The girl was forced to lower her head.

"Before doing anything or executing a mission, you must protect yourself. Protecting yourself is the most important thing. Even in the wasteland, the Swordbearers aimed to protect themselves and their friends. What's gotten into you?" Su Yi sighed, increasing the pressure of his hand.

"Remember this! Remember it! Remember it!"

Like Bodhi the Patriarch tapping Sun Wukong, he tapped her head three times until the girl nodded repeatedly, and only then did he stop.

"Try again."