Chapter 143 I don't want to do this task anymore
Qiuqiu checked the market price in the Exile Star Trading Market. All air purification and radiation purification products are very expensive, and there is no price for them.
Although Xingxing has earned a lot of star coins through live streaming in the past few days, if he really wants to buy these two things, he will be penniless immediately after buying them.
Another point is that if you want to take all these things back, you have to buy a space button.
"Even the smallest space button is very expensive..."
Qiuqiu couldn't help but want to sigh.
I just wanted to buy some energy blocks in the beginning, why is the money so wasted?
Hearing this, Xingxing lowered her eyes to look at Qi Nan's legs that were cut off at the knees and his trouser legs that were becoming increasingly empty due to atrophy and deformity, and said softly, "It's okay, let's go take a look first and buy what we can afford."
As for those that he couldn't afford, Xingxing didn't think about asking people in the live broadcast room to pay for him. Instead, he spent the remaining half of the time trying to think about other ways to make money.
However, just as this idea took shape, we arrived at the safe zone.
The safe zone on the Exile Star is not luxurious. Under the dark sky, it looks more like a large settlement from the outside.
However, there is a protective shield above this inhabited area, which can not only resist attacks from alien beasts from the outside, but also purify the air and isolate most of the radiation. Even with such a thin layer of protective shield, all humans on the Exile Star are scrambling for it.
There is a fee to enter the security zone.
Pay by duration.
The air in the safe zone is relatively clean, but every breath you inhale into your lungs is charged.
Even the two mechanical intelligent entities, Xingxing and Shisheng, need to pay per person.
No one questioned this because those who made the rules within the safe zone had absolute final say.
Before entering the safe zone, Xingxing temporarily turned off the live broadcast.
It nestled in its grandfather's arms, holding Shisheng and queuing up to enter the safe zone.
Everyone entering the city will be issued a special pass with a timer on the card. The pass cards held by residents in the safe zone and scavengers outside the safe zone are different. Without a pass, you will not be able to move in the safe zone and will be directly expelled as an intruder.
Xingxing took his own pass, looked at the large but dim star on it, touched it lightly with his fingertips, and was led into the safe zone by his grandfather.
As soon as you come in, you can clearly feel the difference around you.
Even though we were still just outside the safe zone, the surrounding buildings appeared to be well-arranged, the streets were relatively clean and tidy, and the mental outlook of the pedestrians walking on the road was also very different.
They were very different from the scavengers I met before, but there was also obvious panic and tension on their faces, which came from being oppressed by life.
The look they gave the "scavengers" entering the safe zone was dangerous, filled with fear and vigilance, but also with greed and predation.
A pair of hands reached out and covered the eyes of Xingxing and those people.
"Don't look." A voice came from above.
Xingxing obediently retracted his gaze, and Qi Nan whispered to it, "Residents outside the safe zone only have short-term residency rights, and need to unconditionally become guards of the safe zone when it is attacked or threatened."
Therefore, compared with the scavengers outside the safe zone, these residents on the periphery are actually more eager to obtain permanent residency in the safe zone.
But it's too difficult.
On the Exile Planet full of garbage, the only source of money for many people is the discarded garbage. The only garbage and energy that can be recycled can only be sold at a very cheap price. If they want to save enough money to buy permanent residence, they need to risk their lives and fight with countless people at all times.
And Xingxing, a small robot with an intelligent mechanical product number on its neck and able to move freely, is just a pile of materialized golden star coins in the eyes of these people.
But Qinan can protect it.
This may also be due to the rule that no fighting is allowed in the safe zone, but it is conceivable how much danger they will encounter when they leave the safe zone.
Qi Nan did not stay in the periphery for long, and went straight to the trading area with the two small mechanical bodies.
This place is a mixed bag, with passers-by including scavengers coming in from outside, residents from the periphery who are eyeing the place covetously, and wealthy people living in the safe zone.
When Qinan was selecting energy blocks for Xingxing, he met at least four or five people from the safe zone who asked him if he could sell this companion cub robot.
Xingxing saw love in these people's eyes, but also saw the indifference of treating herself as a commodity.
It's not unexpected.
But after hearing Qi Nan's increasingly cold rejections, he raised his hand and gently touched Shi Sheng, who was also quiet in his arms.
Xingxing's money is all in Qinan's computer, and Qinan has obviously already made certain purchasing plans for Xingxing in his mind.
After buying the energy blocks, he brought the two robots to a store hidden in a corner.
This was a shabby-looking store, but after walking in, Xingxing looked at the merchandise on display and discovered that there was almost everything in there.
Qiuqiu walked around the store quickly and told Xingxing: "This is a second-hand store that sells everything."
The store has a wide range of merchandise, even the anti-radiation and filtration and purification products needed by the stars are for sale.
Xingxing looked away and found that her grandfather was steering the wheelchair straight towards the counter.
The counter was not high, and an equally old human was sleeping on a recliner behind it.
He was sleeping so soundly that it seemed as if he would not be disturbed if someone broke into the store and stole something.
Until Qinan raised his hand and knocked on the counter made of unknown metal.
"Old man, wake up."
Xingxing tilted her head and keenly heard the closeness and trust in Qi Nan's tone.
Qiuqiu hurriedly searched for the plot, and finally said blankly: "Boy, this person has never appeared in the plot..."
The golden finger that Qi Nan left for the protagonist did not contain any identity information of the old man.
Xingxing looked at the old man who woke up, rubbing his eyes and yawning without caring about his image. His eyes were clear, but he said to Qiuqiu in his heart: "Because grandpa wants to protect him."
After saying that, Xingxing hugged the mechanical doll tightly in her arms.
Shi Sheng's deep blue eyes also stared at the old man for a long while before he turned around quietly and buried his little self silently in Xingxing's arms.
I don't want to watch it, and I don't want to listen to it.
Because the two smart non-human cubs had already guessed the importance of this person.
More important than Jixing in the previous life, and also more important than Lin Ye, the protagonist of the previous life.
It turned out that their belief that Qi Nan was willing to give everything for Lin Ye was actually not accurate.
Compared to Lin Ye, Qi Nan actually has someone he cares about more and wants to protect more.
No matter who he is, as long as he appears, most of what Jixing believed in his previous life will be overturned.
The remaining small half only made Jixing more clearly aware of how insignificant his identity as a "tool" was.
But Shi Sheng buried himself in Xingxing's arms and suddenly found that he was not sad or angry about it.
Perhaps it is just a string of data and has no human emotions, but feeling the warm embrace of the stars that have deliberately expended energy to keep the body at a constant temperature, Shi Sheng feels that he is very calm now.
It thought, maybe it’s not about who is more important than who, maybe even if Lin Ye hadn’t appeared, it would not have been able to get any freedom and Qinan’s love.
From the beginning, it shouldn't have awakened because of death and rebirth.
From the beginning, it met the wrong people.
And now, the person who gave him a new life changed from Qinan to Xingxing.
After dying twice, it finally met the right "kind" luckily.
The mechanical doll silently clutched the corner of Xingxing's tattered clothes, and its deep blue eyes contained a sense of security and tranquility similar to those of humans.
Behind it, the shop owner who had never appeared in the previous life had stood up and leaned on the counter. He first looked at Qi Nan's broken knee, then looked at the little robot held in Qi Nan's arms, and then grinned and teased without any hesitation: "I thought you, old man, had died a long time ago. You are indeed a scourge for thousands of years."
Qi Nan's old face also smiled. He patted the counter and said back, "You are still alive, how could I die early? It's just that I didn't raise enough money to enter the safe zone, so I can only live outside with my neck huddled."
He made no secret of his desolation.
Frank and natural, at this moment Qi Nan did not look like the scavenger who was curled up in a mess because of a tube of spoiled nutrient solution.
"I came to buy something from you." He turned his wheelchair and said to the shopkeeper who suddenly fell silent, "Old man, I came here specifically to take care of your business, so don't be secretive."
Having said that, he took out a space button and placed it on the counter, then reached out and pushed it towards the other party.
Qiuqiu's non-existent eyelids twitched violently.
Space button!!
Just now it was calculating with Xingxing how to buy the most tattered space button with the least money, but then Qi Nan took out a space button!
And it seems that it is not a second-hand space button used by someone else, because the owner's reaction is very calm, which means that Qi Nan has done the same thing and taken out the same space button many times.
You know, Qi Nan is a poor scavenger who can't even afford the cheapest nutrient solution outside the safe zone! !
How could he just turn around and take out a space button?
After all... in the interstellar age, this kind of large-capacity space button is generally only equipped by mecha masters, because they need to use the space button to accommodate one or more mechas.
Qi Nan could throw one out at will.
This! Doesn’t! Make! Sense! !
While Qiuqiu was shocked, the shopkeeper had already picked up the space button. After using his mental power to check the items inside, his expression became serious. He then said in a deep voice, "Old Qi, the price of these things is enough for you to buy a permanent residence permit."
Qi Nan shook his head, tapped his broken knee with his fingers, smiled and said calmly: "Forget it, it's inconvenient for me to do anything in the safe zone, it's better for me to pick up garbage outside and turn it into treasure."
After he finished speaking, he paused, looked up at his old friend who had fought side by side with him, and said carefully: "With this money, you can help me exchange part of it for the best energy blocks, and give me a light computer that can connect to the star network. As for the rest, please help me transfer it to other people according to the old rules."
"Okay, anyway, I haven't been able to persuade you once in all these years." The owner sighed resignedly and even rolled his eyes. After taking the space button, he lowered his head and fiddled with it for a while, then took out another space button from the counter and threw it to him along with an old but intact computer.
"It contains the energy blocks I got recently. It's enough for your little robot to use for a year. Also, consider this optical computer as a gift to the little guy. I won't charge you for it."
The shop owner said this, scratched his messy hair, yawned and prepared to send the guests away.
Qi Nan did not leave. Instead, he hesitated in front of the counter for a moment, as if he was considering something. After a while, he said, "I saw the captain's kid before. He probably doesn't remember me. He was bullied by a bunch of kids outside. He will come to the federal kindergarten to test his mental strength level recently. He will definitely pass. When he arrives in the safe zone, you have to help take care of him. The captain only has this one child left. If we can't even protect him... I won't be able to see the captain again after I die."
Just a few words silenced everyone.
Even Shi Sheng, who thought he was very calm, suddenly jumped out of Xingxing's arms when Qi Nan said this.
Xingxing turned her head a beat late, listening to the sound of Qiuqiu frantically searching for the plot in her mind. She pursed her lips and suddenly felt a little confused.
It is not stupid. With the super computing power of this body, its thinking ability is far beyond before.
Therefore, the only child in the captain's family that Qi Nan mentioned, the child who needs their care, is the protagonist Lin Ye.
Then, all of Qinan's actions in his previous life had completely reasonable logic at this moment.
Those seemingly unconditional good things actually have reasons.
The conversation between the two old humans passed by his ears like the wind. Xingxing sensed the stiff movements in his arms and blinked very lightly and slowly.
What will happen?
Is it relief, or deeper resentment and unwillingness?
Xingxing thought, maybe it’s a lot of sadness?
So much sadness, piling up layer by layer, seemed to be about to crush the little mechanical doll in my arms.
Even though unconditional favoritism makes people feel powerless and angry, conditional sacrifice will allow the sacrificed to fully understand their own position.
It seems like no one is wrong.
But the sacrificed star did nothing wrong.
Why should we sacrifice it to fulfill the choices that humans think are correct?
After Qinan left the shop, Xingxing, who had made a long shopping list with Qiuqiu, ended up buying nothing.
It held the always silent mechanical doll in its arms and decided to take good care of it.
If no one has done anything wrong, then light up the sacrificed star first.
Embrace it with lots and lots of love, and perhaps this will help dispel all the sadness in it bit by bit.
As for humans?
Xingxing doesn’t know, but she feels that if Qinan has extra love to take care of other children, then he must be very rich, right?
Just like he can take out expensive space buttons at will, just like he can give a lot of star coins to other people.
He is not a pauper, but rather a generous ascetic.
As a non-human in two lives, Xingxing still cannot understand many social behaviors of humans, just as it cannot understand why Qi Nan would rather drink expired nutrient solution and die in pain than leave a little money to make his life a little better.
Could it be that suffering and pain can bring humans rewards more valuable than money?
Xingxing didn't understand, but chose to respect him.
"I don't want to do this mission anymore." Xingxing said softly to Qiuqiu and Shisheng in his arms, "I don't want to compare with the protagonist to see who is more important in his heart, and I don't need his love."
It doesn't need to know the answer after the human's choice, that's not important.
Because the painful process of human choice always reminds it of some not-so-good memories.
So the stars decided to abandon this human first.
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