The mist in the center suddenly writhed, and the venomous insects and creeping things recoiled with a rustling sound, retreating completely for a moment before vanishing. The mist itself then began to dissipate.

Bright sunlight pierced the gaps in the leaves, casting circles of light onto the ground.

An Junlie’s gaze toward Ziye held a measure of approval. Although her method of solving problems was decidedly crude, it had proven surprisingly effective.

Of course, that was only on the premise that she was well acquainted with the old man.

Arriving at the rose garden, they found the old man standing in the center of the crimson blooms, gazing upon his newest creation with an almost devotional intensity, as if looking upon the most precious thing in the world. The red flowers contrasted sharply with his gentle eyes, lending his expression an eerie beauty.

Ziye waited outside the garden and murmured to An Junlie, “Never trespass on anyone’s doorstep here, or you won’t even know how you died.”

An Junlie nodded in agreement, having already sampled the bitter fruit of trespassing just the day before.

The old man stood with his back to them, completely unaware of their arrival. The small robotic girl zipped through the garden, treating them as if they were invisible. Despite standing right there, conspicuous, they seemed somehow overlooked, like ghosts.

Ziye remained unhurried, deploying a small, palm-sized light screen from her little sprout-shaped device to organize the data she hadn't finalized the previous day.

The old man remained in the garden for half an hour before finally tiring, turning to exit. He coincidentally spotted Ziye waiting outside the gate, with the tall An Junlie beside her, and couldn't help but chuckle. “You brat, have you brought me specimens? Excellent! I promise to use only the finest nutrient solution!”

Specimens?

An Junlie’s eye twitched.

Ziye spread her hands, grinning with smug satisfaction, clearly intent on provocation. “You were a step too slow, old man; he’s mine now. But bringing you something isn’t entirely out of the question.”

“Smart people are easy to deal with.” The biologist smiled without restraint and issued a command to his androids. Soon, beautiful robot maids from the greenhouse emerged, lined up in procession. The first carried a complete set of medical apparatus, followed by various containers and vessels.

Ziye frowned. “That’s an awful lot, isn’t it?”

The biologist pulled on white gloves with a challenging tone. “What? Not willing to part with even a little bit?”

Ziye glanced at An Junlie, adopting a firm stance. “I’ll do it myself.” With that, she took a pair of gloves from another robot and put them on.

The biologist considered this, deciding not to argue with Ziye. He pulled off his gloves and stepped aside. “Fine. Three strands of hair to start.”

Ziye obediently tiptoed, grasped one of An Junlie’s hairs, and yanked. An Junlie flinched, feeling only a faint sting as the strand was pulled free.

Ziye held the hair between two fingers, showed it to the biologist, and then placed it into the first container. “One strand is enough; why waste effort?”

The old man shot her a withering look.

Ziye acted as if she hadn’t noticed. She picked up a scalpel and scraped a thin layer of skin from An Junlie’s thumb.

The old man watched the blade penetrate An Junlie’s subdermal layer with excitement. “Deeper! A little more!”

Ziye ignored him.

That pervert was absolutely the type to push his luck; she wouldn't let him bully An Junlie. Whatever he needed, she knew precisely the required quantity—no more, no less.

Hair, skin, blood, flesh… she took a small sample of each and placed it in a container. The biologist was still unsatisfied, his voice hoarse as he shouted, “I want a sample of his ** too!”

“That’s impossible!” Although An Junlie remained expressionless, inside, he was furious enough to throttle the old man. Even for a pervert, that was crossing a line!

In this era of hyper-advanced technology, even the smallest component of a human body could become leverage for an enemy. They could clone an identical person and implant a control chip, leading to unpredictable catastrophes.

It was one thing for the old man to study his hair, but demanding **? This wasn't just an issue of dignity; it could lead to domestic disasters or military complications. He couldn’t bear the thought of one day suddenly seeing his own child appear, or a robot that looked exactly like his offspring…

The old man disliked his direct refusal and frowned, about to speak, when Ziye rolled her eyes at him. “Do you want him to ejaculate right in front of you? Are you sure he can do that in your presence?”

The biologist awkwardly touched his nose. When it came to men, he preferred research to observation; his preference was for little lolis. He mumbled, “Actually, I don’t really mind. While I can’t make him ejaculate, I have plenty of my little darlings—419, 438, 555—come out and entertain.”

Ziye scoffed. “If the G-series could make him finish, he would have done it at my house already…”

An Junlie felt his eye twitching. How had the conversation devolved into discussing his capacity to climax? Wasn't it bizarre for an old man and a minor to debate such a topic?

Ziye continued her threat, “I’m telling you, old pervert, you should know when to stop, hmm?” The pitch of the final ‘hmm’ rose slightly, laced with menace.

The biologist hadn't been particularly insistent on the ** sample; getting it would be a bonus, but not crucial. He decided to grant Ziye face and compromised. “Fine, we’re close by; there will be plenty of time later.”

Ziye looked disgusted. “I don’t even want to talk to you. He’s a newcomer, what’s with the bouquet of red roses?”

The biologist chuckled. “The red roses were just a joke. Since you’re here today, let’s change it up.” He signaled for 438 to approach. 438 snipped the largest, most fragrant, and most delicate white rose from the garden and presented it to An Junlie with both hands.

Ziye gave the old man a sidelong look, conveying a clear ‘You know what’s good for you’ expression. Too lazy for pleasantries, she signaled An Junlie to take the flower and prepared to leave immediately.

Just as they turned to go, the old man suddenly remembered something and called out, “When will the upgraded version of the G-series be ready?”

The T88 was only just being scrapped; Ziye sighed inwardly but maintained a composed expression. “Almost there. Just need to iron out a programming flaw, and I’ll send it over in a few days. What about your exterior casing? Any new progress?”

The old man glanced at An Junlie and chuckled slyly. “Didn’t I just receive it? Extracting DNA from his skin and hair to implant into the robot should yield a completely different appearance.”

Ziye scoffed. “I beg you, don't mess around. He’s a man, after all. If you implant him onto a little girl mech and it develops some utterly horrifying appearance, what will you do?”

The old man grumbled in dissatisfaction. “The expert is here; the expert has the final say.”

Ziye sighed again. “Fine, do whatever you want. I’m leaving.” With that, she boarded the airship and zipped away in a rush of wind.

Once they were clear of the old man’s territory, An Junlie immediately demanded, “He plans to extract my DNA to grow robot skin?”

Damn, that was entirely too unscientific!