NOVEL NEXT 17
Chapter 17: “He told me not to live off your resources…”
In the afternoon, Qi Yao, holding the work invitation letter personally issued by Yi Er and signed and stamped by Russell, reported to the Logistics Mecha Department under Yi Er’s guidance.
Russell, as one of the onlookers, had already witnessed Qi Yao’s true appearance on the Star Network’s hot comment section, but seeing the real person still made him brighten up.
He was a clean and handsome male.
Standing beside Yi Er, he was calm and confident, not at all restrained, and inexplicably matched Yi Er somewhat.
“Russell, Minister of the Mecha Design and Maintenance Department, will be your supervisor from now on.” Yi Er introduced Russell briefly.
Qi Yao nodded, “Hello, Minister Russell, I am…”
Russell’s flushed face broke into a warm welcoming smile, “Ah, I know you. You are Yi Er’s male, Qi Yao. Welcome to join the big family of the Logistics Mecha Department.”
Being embraced by Russell’s enthusiasm, Qi Yao looked forward to his upcoming work sincerely.
Yi Er handed Qi Yao over to Russell and returned to his own workstation.
Russell followed behind Qi Yao, explaining to him his job responsibilities while heading towards the Logistics Mecha Department.
Mecha Certification Statistician.
In short, it was to assess the performance of designed mechas, whether they were transit, combat, attack, defense, or nanny types, and then allocate the suitable mechas based on the skills of the military females.
It was a simple job, requiring no significant technical expertise or physical labor, making it suitable for male zergs to do.
Qi Yao understood as soon as he heard it; it was just checking if the mechas were qualified. If they were, he would verbally approve and then store them in the warehouse for distribution.
This job was simple and easy, filling him with confidence. The mechas certified by him would definitely perform at a hundred percent, flawless perfection!
With confidence brimming, he eagerly accepted this highly anticipated new job.
Russell specifically arranged a separate office for Qi Yao in the Logistics Mecha Department. After hanging up the sign “Mecha Certification Statistician,” this became Qi Yao’s office space.
He hadn’t expected to have his own office.
Pointing to the window of the office, which was as wide as half a wall, Russell proudly said, “If you stand here by the window, you can see Yi Er’s office.”
Following Russell’s direction, Qi Yao saw layers of deep green trees. As for Yi Er’s office… only a corner of a silver-gray building was visible through the dense foliage.
He didn’t think he could see even a glimpse of Yi Er’s figure from that corner, but he still replied graciously, “Yes, I see it. Minister Russell, you’re very considerate.”
Praised by the male, Russell felt pleased.
To live up to Russell’s enthusiasm and friendliness towards him as a new employee, after Russell had arranged everything for him, Qi Yao wasted no time and began his work with a notebook in hand.
His knowledge of mechas was not as extensive as that of the local zergs. All his knowledge was limited to the movies and TV shows he had watched and the bits and pieces of hearsay he had heard after becoming a male zerg. So, if he were asked to distinguish the performance of a mecha right now, he wouldn’t be able to do it.
However, Russell had thought it through. In order to let Qi Yao feel the warmth and care of the Logistics Mecha Department and to prevent any suspicious females in this female nest from coveting Qi Yao, Russell personally took action, bringing Qi Yao into the warehouse to teach him about mechas.
Qi Yao was determined to contribute to his and Yi Er’s family. Under Russell’s guidance, he studied very seriously.
In just a short while, he was able to recognize these various sizes of iron lumps quite well. He even found some general tricks to distinguish the performance of mechas—observing the appearance of the mechas, the agility of their movements, and the rate of energy core combustion.
Russell was amazed, “You actually got it right!”
Qi Yao: “…?”
Wasn’t it difficult?
As if to prove something, without Russell’s guidance, Qi Yao accurately classified these batches of mechas based on their appearance and operational agility.
Russell showed astonishment, “Your learning ability is beyond my imagination!”
Qi Yao: “…”
In all honesty, when Russell said this, he began to doubt the authenticity of this job.
But he wouldn’t voice this speculation.
Seeing Qi Yao complete his work so excellently and smoothly today, Russell didn’t assign him any other tasks and asked him to return to the office to rest.
Qi Yao declined, “I still want to familiarize myself with the warehouse a bit more.”
Russell said, “These are mechas that need to be operated by military females. I’m worried leaving you, a male, alone here.”
He didn’t have the guts to leave Yi Er’s male alone in the warehouse. In case something happened, where would he find another male like Qi Yao for Yi Er?
Qi Yao said, “I’m free anyway, and I’ll be dealing with these things in the future. It’s better to get to know them more now. Besides, I wasn’t able to distinguish some of the mechas clearly just now.”
Russell said, “You’ve already done well enough.”
Qi Yao said, “I can do better.”
After a moment of silence, Russell pondered, “You are truly the only male I’ve seen who relies on a noble female like Yi Er and works so hard.”
Qi Yao felt a bit guilty about the praise. Since Russell didn’t say much more, he went back to his office and picked up someone for controlling mechas. Russell gave it to him and asked him to take care of him properly, then went to attend to his own business.
This mecha controller was named Locke. He was young, not yet nineteen years old, with silver-gray hair. Because he was eager to become a military female but didn’t reach a B level in any dimension of the multi-dimensional assessment tests, he didn’t qualify for frontline combat. After entering the Second Military District, he was assigned to the Logistics Mecha Department as a mecha maintenance technician.
When Locke saw Qi Yao, he gave him a once-over with a disdainful look, then snorted and said impatiently, “You’re Qi Yao? Yi Er’s male? I heard you have an S-level mental power. Is that true or false?”
In Locke’s eyes, which were completely different from Russell’s, Qi Yao perceived hostility.
He didn’t understand. He was a male zerg, while Locke was a female zerg. Where did Locke’s hostility towards him come from? Was it because he was lagging behind in spiritual level, not being a frontline military male, which made him uncomfortable?
Qi Yao calmly said, “Yi Er’s male lord is real, but the S-level spiritual power is fake.”
His lying ability had now become as natural as breathing, heartbeat, and blinking. His mental toughness could be described as strong.
Locke’s large, round, blue eyes blinked loosely, obviously disbelieving. “How come I heard that your spiritual power is S-level?”
Qi Yao casually replied, “That’s just nonsense.”
Locke narrowed his eyes and sternly asked, “You don’t even have S-level spiritual power? How can you be worthy of General Yi Er? Is your second molting over?”
Qi Yao didn’t quite understand Locke’s meaning and answered carefully, “I haven’t experienced the second molting yet.”
Only then was Locke satisfied. “Well, you better become an S-level male zerg after the second molting, or else I will look down on you.”
“…”
After Locke finished speaking, without waiting for Qi Yao to say anything else, he grabbed a nearby mech, leaped agilely, and sat at the entrance of the mech control room. He turned his head and said to Qi Yao, “Director Russell said I should take you, but didn’t say what I should teach you. What do you want to learn?”
Qi Yao blurted out, “What do you know?”
Locke replied, “I know how to operate mechs and how to repair them.”
Qi Yao said, “Then teach me how to operate mechs.”
Locke himself first entered the mech control room, closed the door, and then poked his head out. “First, you need to learn how to climb into the control room yourself.”
“…”
Qi Yao was speechless. After experiencing Russell’s enthusiasm, Locke’s hostility and indifference became even more obvious. He still didn’t know where he had offended Locke.
Could it be that workplace discrimination was not only common on Blue Star but also prevalent in the zerg race society?
Did Locke know that he got this job through connections and therefore treated him with disdain?
Qi Yao pondered silently. He needed to establish good relationships with his colleagues on the first day, understand where Locke’s hostility towards him came from, and be careful to avoid it in the future to prevent being targeted.
With these thoughts in mind, Qi Yao stepped on the pedal of the mech and climbed into the mech control room.
Locke’s eyes widened in surprise. “You can climb up by yourself without needing help.”
Qi Yao smiled lightly. “It’s just climbing onto a mech, no big deal. Do I need other zergs’ help?”
Locke turned away without saying anything. Qi Yao thought to himself that perhaps when Locke first climbed onto a mech, he had experienced many hardships.
Otherwise, why would he look so surprised to see Qi Yao smoothly climb onto the mech with such a dumbfounded expression?
“So, Teacher Locke, where do we start?” Qi Yao asked after sitting down.
Locke, expressionless, pressed the control button in front of him, and the mech rumbled to life.
Qi Yao reflexively grabbed something that looked like a safety handle nearby.
Locke caught sight of it, and his eyes widened again. “Be careful, don’t grab there! General Yi Er once piloted this mech, single-handedly breaking through the siege of the border star system. It almost became scrap, and I worked hard to repair it to its original state. Don’t damage it!”
So this mech was once piloted by Yi Er. Although Locke scolded him, Qi Yao didn’t feel too sad. Instead, he asked, “General Yi Er piloted this mech?”
Locke proudly said, “Of course. Before departure, I personally checked and confirmed it. I installed the most accurate energy core and replaced the shell with the highest density and hardest impact-resistant and flame-retardant material. General Yi Er was able to break through the enemy’s encirclement unscathed, which was partly due to my contribution!”
Talking about Yi Er, Locke’s eyes sparkled.
Qi Yao keenly noticed this and may have found the reason for Locke’s hostility towards him.
“Really? Is it this mech that we’re sitting in now?” Qi Yao put on a surprised and admiring expression. “This is an attack-type mech with defensive attributes. With General Yi Er’s successful breakthrough, you indeed deserve credit! Locke, you’re amazing!”
Locke received praise and remained proud. “It’s necessary. Every time General Yi Er goes into battle, I personally check the mech. I absolutely won’t allow any problems with the mech used by General Yi Er!”
Qi Yao said, “Wow, I must report your credit to General Yi Er!”
Locke snorted, “You don’t need to report it. I support General Yi Er’s career from behind. I don’t care whether he knows about me or not.”
Qi Yao nodded in appreciation and silently gave Locke a thumbs up.
Under Locke’s control, the mech made various movements. Qi Yao watched attentively and took notes. Suddenly, Locke muttered without preamble, “I don’t know what’s good about you that made General Yi Er suddenly get married. I thought he would remain beautiful forever.”
Qi Yao was taken aback and couldn’t help sitting up straight, glancing at Locke beside him.
Locke lifted his head from the control panel and caught Qi Yao’s gaze, saying fiercely, “I have no right to interfere with General Yi Er’s life, but you have to promise me that you’ll treat him well. Don’t bully him, and don’t think just because he’s an excellent female military general, you can take advantage of him.”
Qi Yao couldn’t hold back his laughter. “Don’t worry, I will always treat him well.”
“Now that you’re working, don’t reach out and ask him for money.”
“I work to be self-sufficient.”
“And don’t cause him trouble in life.”
“Don’t worry, I won’t trouble him with things I can handle myself, well… except for this job.”
“Was it sincere of you to feed him cookies at noon yesterday?”
“If the cookies were made by me, isn’t that enough to show my sincerity?”
Locke was surprised to learn that it was a male zerg who made the cookies. He blinked once, then suddenly turned cold again. “Why are you staring at me? Do you stare at other female zergs like this? Are you already betraying him in action?”
“…No,” Qi Yao looked at Locke’s blue eyes, locked his gaze for a moment, then moved his eyes to Locke’s hair, noticing the thick golden color at the roots. Once again, he couldn’t help but smile uncontrollably, “I just wanted to remind you that your contact lens slipped.”
*
An hour later, the tense and awkward teaching time finally ended.
Qi Yao breathed a sigh of relief as he got off the mech.
After arranging tomorrow’s teaching time with Locke, the two zergs went their separate ways.
Returning to his office, Qi Yao found Yi Er sitting on the sofa against the wall, waiting for him.
“Why did you suddenly come?”
Yi Er patted the sofa, indicating for Qi Yao to sit down. “Just to see how you’re doing here.”
Qi Yao sat down and, recalling the moist atmosphere of this job, said casually, “It’s easy. The ratio of work time to goofing off time is 1:10, and I also met one of your devoted fans, who dyed their hair a weird silver color and wore contact lenses in the same color as your eyes. They taught me about mechs while indirectly reminding me to treat you better.”
Yi Er frowned. “Devoted fan?”
“Yeah… let’s just call them a fan, maybe more like your true love fan.”
Yi Er smiled. “How did they make you treat me better?”
Qi Yao recalled and summarized, “They told me not to live off you.”
“What do you mean?”
Qi Yao looked up at the sky, slowly organizing his words. “Take this job, for example. Was there such a position as a Mech Certification Statistician in the logistics mech department before? Shouldn’t a mech be classified when it’s designed? Does it need a Mech Certification Statistician to classify it? Yi Er, can you confirm for me that the position you arranged for me wasn’t created today?”