The deal was done, and the four of them ignored the man sitting alone in the sedan chair and returned to the transport boat.
There was no place to stay, and even if the fat man offered to host them, they wouldn't accept. The so-called accommodations here were mostly leaky shacks cobbled together from large pieces of garbage, requiring the use of an oxygen mask for proper sleep. Safety aside, the comfort alone was likely even less comfortable than the folding beds inside the submarine. Of course, life in a low-gravity environment wasn't something an ordinary person could easily adapt to, and Qin Zhongquan was prepared for a sleepless night.
The hatch slowly closed. Upon hearing the status alarm for the life-cycle system within the boat, the crew eagerly removed their helmets and breathed in the recirculated air from the military-grade air filter. The exoskeleton's oxygen module typically only provided about 15 minutes of helium-oxygen mixture. Unless additional tanks were installed, the exoskeleton relied solely on the integrated catalytic plate.
After a pause, Qin Zhongquan checked the oxygen module, temperature control module, walking module and helmet core according to the simplified exoskeleton maintenance procedure. After confirming that they were in good condition, he squatted down and crawled out from the opening on the back, as "easy" as taking off a jumpsuit.
He put the matching helmet back in place, ignored the people blocking the hatch, stepped over the two floor cracks used to secure the cargo box, opened a tool cabinet on top of the bulkhead, and took out a bottle of sugary drinks from it.
"Boss, you also brought this?" The sharp-eyed subordinates were always paying attention to his movements.
"I'm not interested in that." Qin Zhongquan raised his eyebrows. "I just happened to see those sneaky people in the hangar—Go on!"
"And...Terr?"
"Father, stop fiddling with that crappy fire control module of yours. Let Ah Xiang help you later. Have a drink first to refresh yourself!"
He threw the cans of drinks in his hand over one by one.
"Burp~~~~" When the priest controlled the inflexible exoskeleton arm to catch the fragile aluminum can, Axiang, who got the drink first, had already drunk most of it.
Soon, the sound of hiccups began to rise one after another. The three of them stood in a row around the priest, admiring the burly man as he awkwardly tried to hook the pull ring with his alloy fingers. At this moment, the exoskeleton was like a kind of shackle that restricted his movement, making all his actions slow down by several beats.
"Snap--" The poor pull ring naturally couldn't withstand the destruction of the strange force. The thin aluminum sheet suffered fatigue damage in a few seconds and fell to the ground.
Qin Zhongquan felt the time had come. He stepped forward, shielding the two ugly faces with his body, and said with concern, "Father, are you sure you've learned how to operate the exoskeleton? In my hometown, even five-year-olds can use exoskeletons to climb up roofs and remove tiles..."
"Uh, okay. Actually... I just randomly picked a few of those abandoned people and read their memories. I didn't do anything else." The priest tried again and finally gave up.
"So, you're also psychically sensitive? It's a shame I'm so defensive. When did that happen?"
"Before I met you. I know you want to ask about your good friend - but unfortunately, it has nothing to do with me."
"Do you know who it is?"
"Space Army."
"Of course I know it might be the Space Army!" Qin Zhongquan knocked on the priest's exoskeleton, and all the joints of the exoskeleton were immediately locked, turning it into a sculpture.
"All right, all right!" The priest's face flushed, as if he were in some pain. "It's Mr. K's order!"
"It's fine if you don't tell the truth." Qin Zhongquan took a step back and watched his face turn from red to blue and blood flow from his nose. "What a waste of an exoskeleton."
"Axiang, Tel, give me a hand and throw it out."
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