Stas rarely saw Tang Wen’s face flushed with anger, which amused him. Out of habit, he pulled out a cigarette and let it rest between his lips.
Ziye looked at Tang Wen, then at Stas.
Setting aside Stas’s official status within the Unification Department, she truly felt undeserving of the title ‘Martial Uncle.’ Regardless of their connection to Tangshan, their seniority and experience placed them on an entirely different level than her.
In their presence, she could only look up to them.
Now, Stas was dangling things she could never afford in front of her—what was his game?
Whether it was a unified department pass or an aircraft carrier, these were items that cost a fortune, or perhaps couldn't be bought with mere wealth, yet Stas spoke of them with utter nonchalance.
Was he really that casual?
Ziye had a faint inkling—Stas was testing her?
While she was still pondering, Stas and Tang Wen had already started to clash.
Stas shot a sidelong glance at Tang Wen. “Hey, friend, you gave me those things, but I hold the rights to use them! I can’t just casually hand over a battleship, can I?”
Tang Wen delivered another cold splash of reality without hesitation: “Your battleship is also mine.”
“Brother, dear brother, can I call you dear brother?” Stas tossed the cigarette away, pressing his hands onto Tang Wen’s shoulders. He was slightly taller and a bit more robust than Tang Wen, giving him an air of superiority. “I only did this because I had nothing else to give. You have things; did you give anything?”
Tang Wen paused, realizing he hadn't gifted anything.
Stas read his expression, his face filled with disdain: “If you call me dear brother, I’ll help you send it.”
Ziye was just about to say she didn't need anything, when Tang Wen turned and walked out of the room.
A promising student.
Stas started to reach for another cigarette, but seeing he had just discarded one, he didn't bother. Instead, he lounged back on the sofa, grinning at Ziye, thinking to himself: As expected of a student handpicked by Tangshan, her quality is truly remarkable. Her physical fitness, her technical expertise—even my subtle provocations couldn't make her take the bait.
Could she be the child bride Tangshan selected for Tang Wen?
Even Tang Wen’s attitude surprised him. Tang Wen was usually cold to everyone, rarely discussing family matters. This time, for Ziye’s sake, he admitted her Martial Uncle status to Stas, and every action betrayed two words: fiercely protective.
Hmm, things are getting more interesting!
Stas flashed a hint of malice. The ice mountain is starting to melt. From now on, I must work hard to help Tang Wen look after his child bride! Life is truly lonely as snow.
Tang Wen returned quickly, followed by a mech model about half a man’s height—the 'Divine Crow' type.
He halted the Divine Crow and turned to Ziye. “Little Martial Uncle, this is for you as a welcome gift.”
Ziye was slightly surprised. She noticed a small remote control in the model’s hand, reached out, took it, examined the various buttons, and casually pressed one.
Crack—
The Divine Crow snapped to attention, clapped its palms together, bowed deeply, and then straightened. Ziye instinctively returned a half-bow, and the atmosphere became momentarily serious.
Stas couldn't help but laugh.
The little child bride has excellent reflexes.
Then, the Divine Crow executed a series of flamboyant calisthenics—lifted a leg, threw a punch, jumped—before drawing a blade and performing a set of military drill boxing moves.
Upon completion, it snapped back into a crisp military salute.
Ziye nearly choked with laughter. “Why did it bow initially, but now it’s giving a military salute?”
Tang Wen looked utterly innocent. “The bow and the calisthenics were set by me; the drill boxing and the salute were set by Blan.”
Ziye laughed for a long time, her eyes sparkling with anticipation. “What does the next button do?” She looked at the Divine Crow and pressed it.
The Divine Crow paused for a second, then raised its right leg in a perfect arc, forming a straight line with its left leg.
Ziye gasped softly.
Forget metal—even a human, without long-term training, couldn't hold that pose. The Divine Crow was truly divine!
What was even more divine was that the Divine Crow slowly tilted its right leg towards its body, reaching a 75-degree angle, placed its left hand on its hip, snapped its head towards Ziye, and pointed its right hand at its chest: “Hello, I am Tang Wen!”
Pfft…
Everyone burst into uncontrollable laughter, except Tang Wen.
Tang Wen’s face was ashen. He reached out to snatch the remote from Ziye’s hand, but Ziye tucked her hand behind her back, shaking her head. “La la la, I won’t give it back, I absolutely won’t!”
Tang Wen’s face turned crimson with anger. He reached out with one hand to hug Ziye while trying to grab the remote behind her with the other. Ziye hastily jumped backward. Just as Tang Wen was about to lunge, Stas cleared his throat behind them.
Tang Wen snapped back to reality and awkwardly let go of Ziye.
Stas shrugged. “Keep going, keep going.”
Just then, the Divine Crow started moving again, even adding its own soundtrack.
“Boong-cha-cha, boong-cha-cha, ai-ya-ya ai-ya-ya…” it sang while dancing, twisting its neck and shaking its hips. If an ordinary person did those movements, it would be somewhat interesting, but the Divine Crow’s every joint made a crisp ka-cha sound, making it hilariously awkward. Coupled with Tang Wen’s deadpan voice singing this tune, Ziye laughed so hard she slid onto the carpet to count ants.
Tang Wen was exasperated, turning to Blan. “Blan, what mischief have you gotten into?”
Blan, having seen the effect during the initial testing, hadn't laughed as exaggeratedly as the other two. Fearing Tang Wen would question him, he was quietly sneaking toward the door. But he was caught right at the threshold, tense enough to beg for mercy. “It wasn’t intentional, I really didn’t mean it, I was just testing the functions!”
Tang Wen stared at him, gritting his teeth. Blan quickly added, “I’ll change it immediately, right now!”
Ziye was having too much fun. Seeing Blan about to take the remote, she quickly hugged the model. “No way! Teacher promised to give it to me, you can’t take it back!”
Stas also rushed in to muddy the waters. “I want that model too!”
Ziye pushed his shoulder in protest. “You bad guy! This is a gift from Teacher!”
Stas curled his hand into a fist. “I challenge you to a duel!”
Ziye was momentarily stunned. “How do we duel?” Please don’t let it be a mech fight; someone like Stas would definitely beat me into the ground.
Stas waved his fist, then opened and closed it. “Rock, Paper, Scissors!”
Ziye immediately caught on. “One round to decide the winner!”
She was just about to raise her hand when her Chrono-Communicator chimed on her wrist. She opened the light screen to see Li Chunyu calling. She walked a few steps toward the window. “I need to take this call.”
“Ziye, have you reached the research institute? How are things?”
Ziye blushed slightly. After all that chaos, she’d forgotten the main reason for her visit. She quickly asked, “Teacher, will you lead the team for the Mech Competition?”
Tang Wen, still fuming, snapped back: “No way!”
Ziye sighed and relayed the message to Li Chunyu. “Teacher Tang Wen said he won’t lead the team.”
Li Chunyu sounded a bit disappointed but then thought that Tang Wen would very likely be a guest judge for the competition. “That’s alright. It’s getting late; get back soon, and be careful on the road.”
Ziye nodded, cut the call, and looked up. The Divine Crow was gone!
“Where is the Divine Crow?” Ziye glared at Stas without reservation. “Did you take it?”
Stas shrugged. “Blan snatched it back.”
Ziye scoffed. “You couldn’t even fight off Blan?”
Stas felt like spitting blood. “Didn’t you see? The Grim Face and Blan attacked me together!”
Looking at Tang Wen, his expression had softened considerably; he was clearly satisfied about reclaiming the Divine Crow. Ziye made a face at him, patted her cheek, and said seriously, “Ahem, I should also present you both with a welcome gift. Wait a moment.” With that, she ran out.
Stas, intrigued, asked the Grim Face, “What gift do you think she’s going to bring us?”
Tang Wen didn't even feign interest, just shot him a glance. “How would I know?”
Stas couldn't stand this about him—the moment Ziye left, he immediately reverted to his Grim Face expression. Who was he putting on that act for? Stas shook his head and sighed. “Hopeless. You men have no romance.”
Ziye returned quickly to the lounge, followed by two beautiful beings—oh, wait, they were beautiful robots!
One was a K-series culinary bot modified by the perverse scientist, and the other was a completely overhauled W-series universal service robot. Tang Wen and Stas were mid-conversation when they saw a pair of handsome man and beautiful woman walking in, looking surprised. The next second, Ziye smiled. “These are the latest collaborative works between me and my friends: K1122 and W0889. They are gifts for you.”
Stas’s eyes locked onto the sight!
K1122 was voluptuous, wearing a short, flowing skirt that revealed a pair of long, smooth legs—she was the darling of the perverse scientist. Her eyes, deeply set beneath thick lashes, shone with a brilliant luster that stunned onlookers.
Stas rushed forward unceremoniously and embraced the beauty, his ‘salty pig paw’ moving directly to her chest. In that instant, Stas was utterly satisfied; the texture was soft, real, and delicate—even better than a real person’s.
The next second, the beauty’s red lips parted slightly. “Master, I only cook; I don’t warm the bed.”
Stas laughed suggestively. “That’s fine, we’ll eat first then. Be good, darling, what can you cook?”
The beauty smiled coyly. “I can prepare dishes from the Four Major Star Domains, covering twenty major star systems—a total of 3,144 recipes.”
Stas kissed her neck happily. “Excellent! We’ll try your cooking today.”
The beauty rubbed against his chest, then turned and walked toward the kitchen.
After she was a safe distance away, Stas turned to Ziye. “Did you really make her?”
Ziye was instructing the W-series robot on how to brew tea. “Not just me, my friends and I.” She designed the schematic, she made the core, and the perverse scientist implanted the skin.
Stas brought his hand to his lips, still feeling the warmth from the beauty’s body. His eyes gleamed. “Can you mass-produce these?”
Ziye replied proudly, “Of course!”
“Fantastic!” Stas happily draped his arm over her shoulder. “A beauty who can manage the parlor and the kitchen is an absolute favorite of the military. If she’s good at cooking, our armed forces will definitely become your biggest client!”
Ziye promptly pulled up Black Beard’s contact on her communicator. “No problem. For the quantity you need, contact him directly. I’ll tell him I sent you, and you’ll get a friendly discount—20% off.”
While K-Beauty was cooking, she demonstrated the W-series universal robot. Tang Wen was slightly embarrassed, but for someone as domestically challenged as him, a universal robot was exactly what he needed, and he accepted it happily.
After finishing the meal prepared by K-Beauty, Stas decisively claimed K-Beauty as well. Seeing him so delighted, Ziye was equally pleased; she was certain Stas would bring back a deluge of orders!
All for the sake of making money, hehe! -RS