Chapter 295 Machine 34
The robot that appeared at the door wasn't Yin Jia. The light in Jiang Chan's eyes slowly dimmed. Just as she was about to answer the robot, it suddenly froze, its words morphing into meaningless, robotic sounds. Amidst the throbbing hum of the machine, Jiang Chan frowned and stepped back, leaning against the edge of the table. She watched helplessly as the door to the landscape room closed and the robot vanished from sight.
...What's going on?
Jiang Chan didn't dare to leave rashly, and stayed quietly in the room thinking.
The lights in the landscape studio flickered, and the atmosphere was somewhat eerie. What made her most uncomfortable was the vague feeling of being watched, as if someone was hiding in the dark, stripping off her clothes with their eyes, licking her skin inch by inch. The numbness rising from the soles of her feet temporarily deprived her of the ability to move, and she stood stiffly beside the computer.
A dazzling red light suddenly filled the entire landscape room.
"……ah!"
Jiang Chan instinctively covered her eyes, but after a few seconds, the red light still existed. She silently encouraged herself in her heart, suddenly opened her eyes, and looked towards the source of the red light, her gaze fixed on the screen -
A gorgeous red rose.
The image changed in an instant. Rose after rose filled the screen, blossoming to its fullest. Fiery red petals filled the monotonous field of vision, as if a raging fire were burning. Jiang Chan's eyes burned red. She stared intently, afraid that if she missed, she would lose sight of them. She took a few steps forward, and the flowers on the screen increased, and increased, until they seemed to overflow, to pile up at her feet, to cover her body...
Is the screen malfunctioning? Jiang Chan immediately dismissed this suspicion. The equipment in the landscape room was made of top-tier components, and this was a royal machine. So far, no one except Silver Armor had the ability to decipher the royal password or control the royal machine.
But if this was done by Yin Jia, then where was he? Was he okay? Why didn't he come find her? Crystal tears fell from her eyes one by one, her eyes red as a wronged rabbit. She opened her mouth, but was afraid to disturb the delicate roses on the screen.
"Silver Armor..."
Jiang Chan hoped it was him. If it wasn't him and what she saw was just an illusion, she would rather never wake up.
Yin Jia is the most important person in her life. It is no exaggeration to say that if her world is dark, Yin Jia is the eternal sunlight. She should have fallen with the sunlight, but she cannot let her sister stay alone in the dilapidated mechanical city that urgently needs rebirth. She pretends to be strong, but is shrouded in pain every day.
"Silver Armor, Silver Armor, Silver Armor..."
There was a crackling sound of electricity in her ears, and Jiang Chan asked cryingly, "Is it Yin Jia?" There was no answer on the screen, only roses blooming. The gorgeous roses turned into a rain of flowers falling from the sky, and the soft petals were like Yin Jia's palm, touching her face through the cold screen.
Jiang Chan pressed her face against the screen, curled up, and closed her eyes while crying.
When Jiang Chan woke up again, she was lying in bed. Ming Jianyue was sitting next to her, handling government affairs. Noticing Jiang Chan's movements, Ming Jianyue dropped his work and asked, "What's wrong? You're finally awake. What do you want to eat? I'll ask the nanny to bring it in."
Jiang Chan: "...I'm not hungry." Her voice was weak.
Ming Jianyue sighed, leaned over and touched her forehead, "Is it my sister who didn't notice your emotions? Silver Armor is very important to you, right?"
Jiang Chan's eyes suddenly lit up, "Sister, what do you mean by this?" She struggled to sit up, holding Ming Jianyue's hand, her face full of anticipation.
Ming Jianyue: "Xingxing, it's not that I'm hiding this from you on purpose. Silver Armor was destroyed at the time, and we couldn't even find its parts. Later, Kun found Silver Armor's memory chip in the ruins, and we brought it back, hoping to rebuild a robot. But Silver Armor was made by my father after all, and we're afraid the difference will be too big. We're still working on it. If I tell you earlier, you'll be expecting too much, and then you'll be disappointed..."
Jiang Chan listened intently. When she heard about the memory chip, her heart leaped. She was afraid the robot she'd create wouldn't be Silver Armor, just a new one with memories. But before that robot was even built, roses appeared in the landscape studio. Only Silver Armor could do that. It was Silver Armor, and it still existed...
Jiang Chan cried with joy and hugged Ming Jianyue. Ming Jianyue raised her hand, touched her hair, and asked, "Can you eat well now?"
Jiang Chan: "Well, sister, please let the robot nanny come in."
The display screen on the robot nanny's chest played the latest menu. Jiang Chan picked a few items at random. After Ming Jianyue left, she immediately turned on all the electronic devices, not even letting the robot nanny leave.
She waited quietly, but the device didn't change at all. Jiang Chan called Yin Jia's name tentatively, but still nothing happened. Just as she was about to give up, the brand new robotic nanny suddenly began to crackle, as if its internal circuits were burning. The air was faintly filled with the smell of burning.
"...Silver Armor?"
The robot nanny stood silently before her, its body continuously crackling. Jiang Chan's voice reached its sensors, and the robot spoke in a slow, obviously faulty voice, "...Miss Xing... please... is there anything you need...?"
Jiang Chan was confused and walked around the robot twice. No matter what she said, the robot just repeated what it had just said. Jiang Chan concluded that there was a problem with the robot. Although she was disappointed, she couldn't help but look forward to Yin Jia. She sent the robot nanny for repair. Although life was the same day after day, Jiang Chan was obviously more energetic.
Ming Jianyue thought it was because of the new robot she sent. In fact, the new robot did contribute to it, but it was not entirely because of it.
Jiang Chan realized something was wrong only later. The robots around her were always having conflicts every now and then. Just a few days ago, a robot suddenly cut off its right arm with a pair of scissors used to prune flower branches.
This was originally a gardening robot with two long scissors for pruning gardens. It would deliver fresh branches to Jiang Chan's house every morning. The robot's behavior was pre-programmed with a very low error rate. However, this robot, which stood out from other robots and was used in the royal garden, suddenly cut off its own arm. Its behavior was no less than that of a docile cat that had been vaccinated on time and suddenly had a rabies attack.
At first, Jiang Chan didn't care. But more and more such things happened, like the robot Ming Jianyue had just given her.
Kun was indeed Yu Nanhua's apprentice. The new robot he had created bore a striking resemblance to Silver Armor. Sometimes, Jiang Chan had the illusion that Silver Armor was right beside her, but this was merely an illusion. The new robot's behavior was highly similar to Silver Armor's from long ago. Once Silver Armor's internal programming was activated, it became a robot with its own independent thinking, a level the current Mechanical City couldn't achieve.
Silver Armor is unique and cannot be replaced. Jiang Chan will try her best to avoid getting along with the new robot, because it will always make her immersed in the memories of Silver Armor, but if there are some things that must be helped, the new robot will stay by her side.
It was on that day that Jiang Chan, accompanied by the new robot, came to the vicinity of the research institute. She originally wanted to sense Yin Jia at close range because Kun was inside. The research institute was where robots were forged. But before she could get close, the new robot next to her made a teeth-grinding clicking sound. Jiang Chan instinctively stepped back and watched the new robot dodge the security guard. Jiang Chan chased after it and ordered the new robot to come back, but the new robot did not respond, and then it fell into the furnace.
“…”
Jiang Chan was helpless. Kun rushed over after hearing the noise and asked, "What's going on?"
Jiang Chan pursed her lips, staring at the spot where only shattered metal remained. She said thoughtfully, "I don't quite understand the details. Isn't Yin Jia's body still built? Tell me the truth, what's wrong with him? Can he be repaired?"
Kun looked embarrassed.
He has been very busy with the Silver Armor issue recently. Logically speaking, he is the most powerful mechanic at present. Moreover, he has reshaped the body of Silver Armor before. The mechanical body he created should be the most suitable. However, no matter how the new mechanical body is modified, it cannot activate the dormant Silver Armor.
Another possibility was that the memory chip had been damaged and was as good as rotten metal. But he didn't dare tell Jiang Chan that. He had been studying Yu Nanhua's notes day and night, but just yesterday, when the precious memory chip disappeared without a trace, not only that, but even the research institute was robbed, and a huge amount of expensive materials were lost. Who on earth had the ability to break in without any loopholes?
Could it be the remnants of Louis's forces? But that's impossible. Louis's people are all useless. They don't have such ability at all...
Kun finally told Jiang Chan the truth. He carefully observed Jiang Chan's expression. Jiang Chan was very calm. After getting the news, she said goodbye to Kun and left the institute. Standing in the sunlight, Jiang Chan squinted her eyes and reviewed her previous experiences. The corners of her straight mouth curled up slightly. She didn't know what Yin Jia was thinking, but as long as she knew he was still by her side, she felt at ease.
From that day on, every morning when Jiang Chan opened her eyes, there would be an exquisite and beautiful mechanical flower beside her pillow. When she was watching videos, the screen would suddenly bloom with a shower of roses, and sometimes there would be a surging ocean and snow-capped mountains shrouded in golden light. When Jiang Chan walked on the street, she felt a sense of being watched all the time. She felt that Yin Jia must have his own difficulties, but why couldn't he come to her side?
Jiang Chan couldn't understand.
But she was seriously trying to return to her normal life. As long as Shining Armor was by her side, she was like a puppet with flesh and blood again.
Jiang Chan's identity was not exposed, and no one in the Royal Academy knew that their classmate was Queen Yue's biological sister.
After the holiday, Jiang Chan came to the classroom accompanied by a mechanical nanny. She sat quietly in her seat and checked her study materials. There were only a dozen people in the class and the classroom was very empty. Not long after, the classroom's mechanical teaching assistant led the new students to the podium.
"Good morning, students!" The mechanical voice deliberately created a joyful tone.
"This is our new classmate. Please introduce yourselves. We will be one big family from now on. I hope we can help each other and make progress together!"
The robotic teaching assistant slowly moved away, revealing the new student next to it.
Jiang Chan looked up politely and looked at him.
The new classmate had an excellent appearance, like a beautiful male body built by the best modeler according to the human body proportions. His broad shoulders were wrapped in a straight gray-black suit, and the buttoned buttons outlined his narrow waist and abdomen, and below were his slender legs. His skin was pale, and he had a thin feeling as if he had never seen the sun all day, but his eyebrows were very handsome. At first glance, he looked like a touch of pure snow on the snow-capped mountains. Looking again, it was like the surface of the water brushed by the spring breeze, rippling with a warm and gentle breath.
Jiang Chan was slightly stunned and stared at the new classmate. There were many people like her. The classmates were all stunned, as if their hearts and souls were taken away by the new classmate.
In fact, this is very unreasonable.
People have different aesthetic tastes, and the classrooms are located in different locations, so people see things from different angles. Normal people always have flaws in their appearance, but the new classmate's facial features are like carefully crafted ones, and his bones seem to have been deliberately carved. Every part is too perfect. The only shortcoming is that in the eyes of others, the new classmate is too cold and austere, not like a real person, but more like someone out of a comic book. Although he is perfect, there is always a sense of incongruity that he is too perfect.
"I'm Nian Xingchen, nice to meet you." His voice was equally pleasant, somewhat inconsistent with his appearance. His voice was very gentle, with a soft tone, and a hoarseness that seemed to have been deliberately processed, which inexplicably added a bit of magnetism.
Everyone was bewildered by his appearance, and when they recalled his words, they all wondered if they had misheard him. "Nice to meet you? You? Shouldn't that mean you all?" The new student looked calm. He couldn't have said it wrong; they must have missed a word. Everyone straightened their backs, hoping the teaching assistant would assign the new student to their side.
Regardless of gender, the new classmate looks like someone who is particularly good at studying and exudes the aura of a top student. Everyone wants him to be their deskmate, after all, it will help their studies.
If there was one person who felt strange here, it was Jiang Chan.
She was certain the new student hadn't missed a word; he'd said it on purpose. His eyes were beautiful, their black pupils like glittering gemstones. His gaze was gentle, like a soft petal falling on her, unable to leave. He pulled the corners of his lips slightly, the curve as if carefully planned, revealing eight perfectly white teeth, and he slowly walked down the podium.
He was very tall. Jiang Chan looked up and estimated that he was nearly 1.9 meters tall. He stopped beside her and spoke in a gentler tone.
"Excuse me, can I sit next to you?" Nian Xingchen asked.
Jiang Chan clenched her fingers tightly, and that familiar feeling came over her. Her feeling was not wrong. He said that on purpose. His eyes, his movements, his tone, were all intentional. He only told her -
Nice to meet you.
Jiang Chan: "...Okay."
She became nervous and glanced sideways at the new classmate next to her, who gave her a standard smile.
"I am reading the stars."
Jiang Chan extended her hand and gently shook it. Although she was confused, she remained calm on the surface. "I am Jiang Chan."
"Jiang Chan, Jiang Chan..." Nian Xingchen's eyes were focused, "It's a very nice name."
"...Thank you. Your name is very interesting and meaningful."
Nian Xingchen let out a light, slow laugh and accepted Jiang Chan's compliment without hesitation.
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