Chapter 5: The Obsolescence of Natural Childbirth

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Machine Oil No. 37.

The poorest quality energy in the wasteland world is the residual energy left over after the operation of various large instruments and equipment. Its quality is so poor that in the wasteland it ranks just above the nuclear waste commonly seen outside. Even the slum dwellers disdain this energy source.

Using this oil is like employing a girl who wandered into a goblin’s lair—you have no idea what it has circulated through before.

However, aside from resembling cola in appearance, it has no other connection. According to Lolis’s database, it is impossible to ascertain what this black liquid actually is just by looks alone. The best guess is “Machine Oil No. 37.”

“You’re quite picky; this is even one yuan more expensive than bottled water,” Su Yi said with a helpless smile, silently grumbling as he took the “Machine Oil No. 37” from the plastic bag.

“Here, for you.”

“Wait, sir!”

“Please allow me to put it down…”

Lolis carefully cradled the bottle of mineral water, as if frozen in place, inching it toward the edge of the table bit by bit, afraid that any sudden force might damage this strategic reserve.

As a soldier, she had been rigorously trained from childhood to strictly abide by the Swordbearer’s Code:

1. Waste no resources.

2. Always remember your duty as a weapon.

3. Be ready to sacrifice at any moment.

These principles were etched deeply into Lolis’s very bones, guiding every action she took.

Seeing her so fearful, Su Yi reached out to take the strategic resource from her and placed it in the corner of the TV cabinet. Otherwise, who knew how long it would take her to get comfortable.

“Take off your armor and exoskeleton. They’re broken anyway.”

Su Yi gathered all the exoskeleton fragments scattered on the floor. The radiation from wasteland materials was immense; the elderly residents near this old apartment building were frail and frequently ill.

If left unchecked, many would likely be hospitalized the next day with leukemia or similar ailments.

“As you command!” Lolis saluted him once more.

With a click, the mechanism disengaged, and all the adhesive from the exoskeleton vanished. The iron, insect-like tendrils peeled away from her body, leaving only the faceplate and the exoskeleton over her collarbones still operational, perfectly fused with her flesh.

“Report, sir: Lolis has disarmed completely. Should the chest wrap be removed as well?”

“Yes, there’s radiation there too; remove it…”

Su Yi nodded instinctively.

He gathered the dropped fragments in his arms and glanced back.

But in the next instant, his expression froze.

In the blink of an eye, Lolis had stripped off everything except the bandages wrapped around her chest and the inseparable exoskeleton on her collarbones.

Without hesitation, she reached behind her back to untie the bandages encasing her chest, her face as calm and mechanical as ever. Fortunately, her long hair concealed much of her modesty.

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“How can you strip down like that? I thought there was a combat suit beneath the exoskeleton!”

Su Yi politely turned his head away.

“Report, sir: the combat suit is severely damaged and fused with the exoskeleton. According to the database, this is the most efficient way to execute the mission.”

Lolis had already undone the bandages, peeling them off layer by layer. The area once bound was rapidly expanding, yet she showed no hint of embarrassment.

Realizing his misstep, Su Yi hurriedly stopped her. “Wait, don’t take it all off yet. Put this on first.”

“Clatter—”

He unzipped his school uniform jacket, took it off, and handed it over.

“As you command.” Lolis nodded, accepting the jacket and swiftly putting it on.

The silver-haired girl saluted him again. The uniform was far too large for her; as she saluted, one sleeve hung down loosely, her entire arm swallowed by the oversized fabric, drooping on her shoulder. She had to tug hard to reveal even a few fingers.

Though just an ordinary school uniform, on Lolis it resembled a dress—an oversized pro max edition.

Once dressed, Lolis reached to her chest, fishing out a bundle of dusty, bloodstained bandages and handed them to him.

“Sir, equipment replacement complete.”

A young girl’s personal, battle-worn bandages, still warm with the scent of sweat and blood.

If sold on a famous secondhand trading platform like Idle Cat, they could easily fetch at least fifty LSP. But with the radiation residue on them, in the hands of unmodified Blue Star natives, these would be lethal weapons.

Su Yi pocketed the bandages and cast a glance at Lolis, who remained expressionless after handing over her intimate clothing. He sighed deeply.

He placed his hand on the girl’s shoulder and said earnestly, “In the future, especially in public places where there are men, don’t casually take off your clothes.”

Lolis looked puzzled, her large, watery pale blue eyes full of incomprehension.

“I’m not scolding you for your behavior. I mean you should be mindful of others’ reactions to avoid causing a disturbance. Exposing your naked body in front of others is a shameful act.”

Hearing this, the white-haired girl’s expression grew even more confused. Green light flickered in her eyes. After a long pause, she seemed to suddenly understand.

“Sir, do you mean that removing all your equipment at once makes it easy to be attacked?”

“I’ll be careful next time.”

“No, that’s not what I meant!”

Su Yi shook his head quickly, rejecting that interpretation.

“This place is different from the wasteland. Natural reproduction is the norm! You know what natural reproduction is, right?”

Lolis’s eyes brightened. Finally, she heard a term from the “Sequence Two” commander that was easy to look up. Excitedly, she replied, “Understood. The database shows that it’s when a male’s sponge-like reproductive organ…”

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“No need to go into such detail!”

Clearly, the silver-haired girl still hadn’t grasped what Su Yi was trying to convey. After a moment of silence, he decided to be frank, placing his hands on her shoulders and speaking plainly:

“In a world where natural reproduction is common, a woman’s nudity is highly provocative to men, especially if she’s young.”

Lolis blinked several times. “So there are many unsequenced poor people on Blue Star?”

“What do you mean by that?”

“The database says that only unsequenced poor people in strongholds practice natural reproduction because they can’t afford more advanced methods.”

“...”

“The wealthy here also prefer natural reproduction.”

“How backward…” Lolis murmured softly.

“That’s not really backward,” Su Yi said, feeling a headache coming on. He wanted to talk about social customs and moral principles, but before he could, he let it go.

In the wasteland, he had killed many soldiers but never had deep interactions with them. He only knew they were indoctrinated to see themselves as weapons, raised in laboratories.

From his conversation with Lolis, he clearly sensed that the girl prioritized missions and orders above all else, lacking in some social aspects.

This wasn’t something that could be explained in a few sentences.

“Forget it, just consider it an order. I’ll explain more slowly later.”

“As you command.” The silver-haired girl saluted again.

Parched from talking, Su Yi gathered Lolis’s belongings in his arms and entered his bedroom. He opened the travel bag by his bed.

This bag was made from a temporary tent he brought back from the wasteland after crossing over. Its material was special, originally designed for outdoor survival and research, capable of reducing nuclear radiation to the level safe for phone use.

“Old relics, you’ll have to squeeze in…”

He gently patted the gear inside. Radiation levels on Blue Star were low, so most of these weapons wouldn’t activate; even he was restricted, far weaker than when he was in the wasteland.

He forced the exoskeleton fragments inside, filling the bag to capacity.

As he stepped out the door, he happened to see Lolis staring at the bottle of cola, sipping little by little. But as the black, foamy liquid touched her lips, the girl’s eyes widened in shock.

“Sir, this Machine Oil No. 37 tastes really strange…”