Chapter 141 Western Federation - 6 Tang Bufan felt Ze...
Tang Bufan sensed Zero's body, and his first feeling was... how cold it was.
Tang Bufan is a person with a low body temperature. Even after becoming a sub-beastman, many people felt that his hands were cold when they shook hands with him. But compared to Zero, Tang Bufan was as warm as a living person.
Tang Bufan immediately thought of the android he had encountered at the Daxinganling Tunnel Base. Peeling back the silicone outer skin revealed a silver metal skeleton inside.
Realizing this, Tang Bufan's breathing became rapid. He dared not make any rash moves, because he knew that the "person" in front of him could easily kill him in just one second.
"You're very smart." Zero's lips covered Tang Bufan's ear, satisfied with his well-behaved behavior in his arms. He whispered, "You've been in the entertainment industry, I know your acting skills are not bad, just act normally."
After he finished speaking, he left in front of Tang Bufan.
Tang Bufan's heart pounded. He stared at Zero in front of him. In this critical moment, his trained smile calmed down before his brain did.
He gave a gentle, professional smile, behaving like someone politely socializing with others. His dark eyes glanced at Lu Yi and Anderson, and seeing that they were both paying attention to him, he smiled softly again.
Today is Lu Yi's coming-of-age ceremony, and there are so many guests around. Don't panic, don't panic... Tang Bufan told himself this in his heart. Only after Lu Yi and Anderson's gazes shifted away from him did he swallow his saliva and look at Zero beside him again.
There was a human-shaped bomb in front of me.
In the huge banquet hall, the crowd was still warmly congratulating Anderson, and some people who knew Anderson even went over to hug him.
Lu Yi saw Tang Bufan smiling at him, and a slight blush rose on his face. He then turned his head to talk to a commander.
As for the man beside Tang Bufan... Lu Yi didn't recognize him. He had been away from the Federation for over a year, and thought he must be a new wife the Federation had taken in the last two years.
“Look at you now, how beautiful you are.” Zero reached out and touched Tang Bufan’s chin, giving a subtle, cold laugh. “When I saw you in the video six months ago, you were so thin you looked like one of those poisoners I kept. I felt really guilty then, so I decided to save you, to take you away from those beastmen…”
He finished speaking, his breathing becoming slightly weaker. He looked down at Tang Bufan's now bright red lips, and touched them with the pad of his thumb, gently pressing them: "You should have held on a little longer."
"Persist?" Tang Bufan's eyes reddened slightly, but not wanting Lu Yi in the distance to see, he shifted his position slightly to their side.
“I persevered for five years,” Tang Bufan said in a hoarse voice, gently brushing away Zero’s fingers that were touching his lips. “I fell into Europe and wandered around for five years before finally reaching the East. I was about to die.”
Zero didn't refute Tang Bufan's statement. Even a special forces soldier might not be able to survive on the ground for five years. Tang Bufan had already done very well.
So he didn't ask Tang Bufan why he was marked by Lu Yi, nor did he ask him why he helped the orcs fight against him in Taicheng time and time again. He just stared at Tang Bufan and asked him a question: "Back then, you told the drone that your heart still belonged to humans. Was that true?"
Tang Bufan blinked slightly, and after a brief moment of confusion, he uttered the answer: "Of course."
The answer doesn't matter; Tang Bufan just wants to survive.
He had always survived by clinging to life like this, whether it was shamelessly following Uncle Wolf and Eberron back then, or later pretending to be kind and wary of Lu Yi.
Zero stared at Tang Bufan's face. If you looked closely, you could see his eyes contracting and rotating slightly, like a camera adjusting its focus.
“The micro-expression analysis system tells me you’re lying.” Zero’s words chilled Tang Bufan to the bone, but fortunately he had no intention of arguing with Tang Bufan: “Given that you’ve married Louis Smith and are pregnant with his child, I forgive your betrayal of humanity; it’s only human nature.”
After Zero finished speaking, he glanced in Lu Yi's direction and commented calmly, "Among orcs, he is indeed quite good, especially in his treatment of humans."
He put down his wine glass and gestured to Tang Bufan, "Let's go."
Tang Bufan's heart raced again, and his hands tightened somewhat helplessly: "Where to?"
Zero gave a slightly mocking smile, glanced at him, and asked, "Where do you think we should go?"
"..." Tang Bufan's face turned pale again. Why didn't he appear when he was frantically trying to find Zero? And then, when he decided to let go of everything, he appeared casually and gestured for him to come with him.
Tang Bufan looked up, his eyes reddening even more. He stared at Zero and said, "You can't play with my life like this."
Zero raised an eyebrow slightly upon hearing this: "Is this the life you wanted?"
Tang Bufan didn't quite understand why he asked that question, so he could only frown.
"Why did you quit modeling to prepare for the teacher qualification exam?" Zero asked him. "I thought you were someone who followed your heart."
Tang Bufan felt a lump in his throat. Pursuing one's true self... Yes, if it weren't for pursuing one's true self, he wouldn't have left the entertainment company at the height of his career. At the time, many people didn't understand him, including his university teachers and classmates. Being a star was much more promising and glamorous than being a teacher.
But Tang Bufan had a dream in his heart.
With red eyes, Tang Bufan turned his head and looked around at everything. The bright and luxurious banquet hall, the crowd in custom-made suits, the live band playing in his ears, and the aroma of cocktails in the air. If he had chosen the path of acting, he would probably have attended a banquet like this at the age of 28.
But this is not what he wanted.
"My true self... Six years ago, I did enter the school with lofty ideals. I thought I was an ambitious young man. I was full of enthusiasm and energy. But... what did I get?" Tang Bufan's eyes were almost wet with tears. He stared straight at Zero: "You have no right to criticize me. The moment my student died, my ideal was destroyed. But you destroyed it."
"..." Faced with Tang Bufan's accusation, Zero lowered his eyes. After a moment, he calmly raised his eyes again: "Then make up for all of this. Why do you think I came to find you?"
Tang Bufan's heart skipped a beat, and his eyes widened slightly, a glimmer of light appearing within them: "Chen Fei... can Chen Fei be brought back to life?"
“…It depends on which one.” Zero’s words were vague. Then, noticing the silver-haired, silver-eyed orc walking towards them, he gently pressed his lips to Tang Bufan’s ear again: “I’ll be waiting for you in the garden.”
After saying that, he stood up, picked up his wine glass, and slowly left.
Anderson was facing him. He had just seen Zero hugging and talking to Tang Bufan, so he glanced in Zero's direction and found him a little strange.
What's strange about it? Anderson thought for a moment but couldn't quite put his finger on it. Only after the two had passed each other did he suddenly realize what was wrong and abruptly turn back.
However, the man in the white tuxedo had already turned the corner and disappeared behind the wall.
Anderson sat down on the single sofa next to Tang Bufan.
"Who was that person just now?" he asked Tang Bufan.
Tang Bufan bit his lip lightly. Thinking of the dead child, his heart ached, and he hesitated before choosing to keep it a secret.
"...The new lady just arrived from the underground city this year." Tang Bufan lied, "I don't remember her husband's name or which commander he was."
“Is that so…” Anderson said, still thinking about the man’s handsome face, “His eyes look like prosthetics.”
"Hmm?" Tang Bufan, feeling guilty, was startled. He hadn't expected Anderson to be so sensitive.
“When I was in the mental hospital, the psychiatrist who lived across from me was blind in one eye. He would often take off his prosthetic eye, put it in his mouth, and then put it back in,” Anderson explained. “Most people would hardly notice the difference, but the prosthetic eye doesn’t have any light in its eyes.”
"...You must be mistaken." Tang Bufan lied for Zero, his heart pounding: "It's just that his eyes are darker."
Anderson glanced at Tang Bufan's dark eyes and said noncommittally, "You Easterners do have pretty dark eyes."
Seeing that Anderson did not pursue the matter further, Tang Bufan secretly breathed a sigh of relief.
Because of Zero's appearance, Tang Bufan became anxious. He began to scrutinize everyone in the banquet hall. Every unfamiliar face made him feel uneasy. The way they looked at him and the smiles they showed seemed fake.
He tried to calm himself down, so he drank glass after glass of juice.
Should he go out to see Zero? Tang Bufan was racking his brains over this question. If he went, he would have to be prepared not to come back. That wouldn't do; he couldn't abandon Lu Yi.
But what will Chen Fei do if he doesn't go?
Tang Bufan's hand tightened slightly on the glass; the chance to bring that child back to life was now right in front of him...
"Madam." A gentle call startled Tang Bufan awake. The man looked up and saw a well-dressed lady with a little girl.
“My daughter said you are very beautiful, and she wants to give you a flower,” the woman said, then encouraged her child to go up to Tang Bufan.
Tang Bufan immediately smiled gently. The little girl walked shyly and timidly to Tang Bufan and handed him a rose.
"You are very beautiful," she said in her childish voice.
"Thank you." Tang Bufan was very happy. He took the rose, reached out and ruffled the little girl's hair, and said with a smile, "You are very pretty too."
The little girl blushed and ran shyly yet happily back to her mother's side.
"Bless you, Madam." The gentle lady bowed slightly to Tang Bufan, then left with her daughter, whom she had finally gotten her wish.
Tang Bufan watched their backs as they walked away, then looked down at the flowers in his hand. Finally, he picked up the juice on the table, took a sip, and stood up from the sofa.
"I'm going back to my room first," Tang Bufan said to Anderson. "You don't need to come with me. I see you have quite a few old friends. Why don't you get back together with them?"
"What's the point of restoring it?" Anderson said dismissively, getting up with Tang Bufan. "I'll take you back to your room."
Tang Bufan did not refuse. The two walked over to Lu Yi and told him. Since everyone knew that Tang Bufan was pregnant, no one objected to his early departure. A group of people Tang Bufan didn't know even told him to get some rest.
The two went up the wide staircase and encountered two maids talking in hushed tones on the second floor.
"Young Master Luther is looking for Mrs. Ethan."
"He wasn't wearing a bracelet, was he?"
"It should be in the garden..."
Upon seeing Tang Bufan and Anderson, the two simultaneously fell silent.
Luther and Ethan attended Lu Yi's coming-of-age ceremony during the day, but Tang Bufan didn't see them in the banquet hall just now.
The garden… Tang Bufan frowned slightly, hoping he wouldn’t bump into Ethan there.
Anderson escorted Tang Bufan back to his room, then went back downstairs to continue attending the banquet. Tang Bufan approached the door and listened to Anderson's footsteps, only hurrying towards the dressing room after confirming that he had left.
Most of his and Lu Yi's luggage was stored here, including what they had taken out of the RV.
Tang Bufan turned on the light in the dressing room and immediately saw the worn-out little schoolbag. His throat tightened, and he walked over and slung it over one shoulder.
Unable to use the main entrance, Tang Bufan carried his small schoolbag to the corner window and looked down.
There's a drainpipe nearby, but you have to climb out the window and walk along the windowsill for a while first.
Tang Bufan estimated the width of the windowsill to be about ten centimeters. Fortunately, his feet weren't big, so it shouldn't be difficult for him to step on it.
Just as Tang Bufan was about to climb out of the window, Kai Ge's gentle electronic male voice came from the bracelet on his wrist: "Little Tang, I don't recommend you do this."
Tang Bufan was startled by its sudden sound and immediately sat on the windowsill, panting, still shaken.
He had completely forgotten that Kai was with him.
"You didn't tell Lu Yi, did you?" Tang Bufan asked him nervously.
“No, Zero blocked the surrounding signals when he got close, so I couldn’t send any messages,” Kai said. “And after he left, I thought… I should respect your wishes. You are my master.”
"Don't tell him," Tang Bufan said, his voice trembling with emotion. "Don't let him worry, and don't make a big fuss about it."
Judging from Zero's attitude tonight, he didn't seem to have any intention to attack, but if the two sides clashed, Tang Bufan was afraid that tonight's banquet would turn into a bloodbath.
“You’re doing something that’s making him worry,” Kai continued.
Tang Bufan carefully placed his feet on the windowsill, which was a dozen centimeters wide, and took a few deep breaths while looking up at the ground.
"Don't worry, I'm not going with Zero." Tang Bufan swallowed and began to slowly move along the narrow windowsill toward the drainpipe not far away: "I'm just going to give him this backpack."
Upon seeing the mother and the little girl, Tang Bufan thought to himself, Lu Yi is his treasure, and the child in his belly is also his treasure, but isn't Chen Fei also their treasure?
He says he can let go, but who can let go for a family that has lost a child?
"I have to go, Kai-ge." Tang Bufan slung the small backpack over one shoulder, his eyes red as he moved slowly. The evening breeze blew the hair on his forehead and brushed against his face, but he didn't dare to raise his hand to brush it away.
“You once told me that as teachers, taking on a student means taking on a responsibility. If a child gets a toothache or bleeds at school, it’s our responsibility. Chen Fei got into trouble because of me, so it’s my responsibility.” Tang Bufan pressed his back tightly against the wall, and by the time he moved to the drainpipe, his forehead was covered in a thin layer of sweat.
“I can’t continue living my life like this.” Tang Bufan hugged the cold metal tube with both hands, using his strength to slide down it little by little. His breathing became rapid due to the height of the tunnel. “I want to be with Lu Yi with a clear conscience, and I don’t want Lu Yi to feel wronged… So… I have to resolve this matter. Lu Yi loves me wholeheartedly, and I want to love him wholeheartedly too… I have to resolve this matter…”
He slid down the pipes to the first floor, muttering to himself as the cool breeze blew through him. During this time, Kai didn't say anything more, as if afraid of disturbing him.
The moment his feet touched the ground, Tang Bufan bent over and let out a deep sigh of relief.
The ancient castle was hidden in the thick fog, and the streetlights in the distance were dim. Tang Bufan wiped the sweat from his forehead, adjusted the small backpack on his shoulder, and strode towards the garden that was out of sight in the distance.
On the third floor, a figure stood at the window watching Tang Bufan disappear into the mist.
“Two little mice, one crawled in, and the other ran out,” Hans said expressionlessly.
"Should we call the security team?" a mechanical voice asked, the AI mastermind of the castle.
“We can’t catch a flying android,” Hans said calmly. After a moment’s thought, he said to the mainframe, “Call Dr. Bohr over.”
"Yes, Your Majesty."
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