Top Warzone Analyst Chapter 5

“Hello?”

The call was picked up after just one ring.

Because it was late at night, there were no other noises around, so the voices on both ends of the communicator sounded exceptionally clear. The age and weariness in the speaker’s voice were distinctly audible.

Xiang Yunjian said, “Hello, we’re students from the United Federation University. We’d like to ask you something about Cheng Feng.”

“I’ve heard about it, but honestly, I don’t know much. I hope I can offer you a little help.”

The old man’s voice was somewhat muffled, as though it were trapped in his throat and barely pushed out with each breath. There was also a slight, unfamiliar local accent in his speech.

Xiang Yunjian turned the volume up to the maximum to better hear what the other person was saying.

“Many documents and records from the wartime period have been lost, especially since the kid was born during the chaotic years and was essentially undocumented. There were many children like Cheng Feng back then, most of whom never found their families. Cheng Feng’s father… or more accurately, adoptive father, was a soldier. He took care of Cheng Feng for some time back then.”

The intermittent night wind carried his slightly hoarse voice, inexplicably evoking a sense of weathered hardship.

Yellow sand swept through the streets and alleys of the abandoned city, settling into a picture full of scars and ruins.

“Not long after the war ended, Cheng Feng’s father took his own life due to post-traumatic stress disorder.”

Jiang Linxia took a deep breath and asked, “Why? Wasn’t it all over?”

“Hmm…” The other side fell silent for a long time, murmuring something almost inaudible. Only towards the end did the words gradually become clear.

“Perhaps you from the Alliance don’t fully understand. After the war ended, the population and casualties had to be tallied. Over several days, he learned that all of his closest comrades had fallen, and his family had perished too…”

This was a new world of peace – yet for him, it had become a barren wasteland.

The ruins were stained with blood, marked by scars, and covered with graves.

On the tombstones were hastily carved the memories of a youth no one remembered, the pain, the loved ones, and the future he would never have.

The storm of war never truly ceased, just as the past could never be undone – like a life now hollow, stretching ahead in solitary desolation.

He did not die a hero’s death. Instead, on a day when all had settled into calm, he quietly slipped away in a silent corner.

Perhaps that was his way, the only way, to finally make peace with this world.

“During those turbulent times, combat robots were actually quite common. They weren’t as terrifying as the manuals made them out to be. In many cases, they helped people protect their families… or deliver their last words.”

War brought endless uncertainty, and perhaps the greatest of them all was this: where would they go next?

On which path would the signpost between life and death point, and what lay at the end of that road?

Combat robots were programmed with a preset response for such questions.

After her father’s suicide, Cheng Feng had once asked while leaning on the robot’s back.

The combat robot’s reply at the time was: “He went home. He went to seek freedom without restraint. He went to a world where goodbyes are no longer needed.”

The old man said, “He wanted to go home.”

The group fell silent, standing still as they listened to his calm retelling.

“Afterward, we took Cheng Feng into the welfare home. The kid had spent too much time with that robot and struggled to fit in. Back then, resources were scarce, and staff were stretched thin. Many children went hungry, competing or forming cliques, while the adults couldn’t keep up. Cheng Feng was small, but fought fiercely. So regardless of who started it, the kid was often the one punished.

“Cheng Feng didn’t stay long before running away. We were overwhelmed ourselves and couldn’t go looking for the kid. We only knew Cheng Feng stayed at home, living with the robot.”

“Since the robot would… steal vegetables, they managed to scrape by. Of course, they improved later – they started growing their own.”

Combat robots were not nanny robots; their programming was fundamentally different.

The group found it hard to imagine what such a life must have been like.

“Cheng Feng didn’t have many friends. The kid could endure hunger, poverty, and loneliness – but couldn’t bear life in the welfare home.”

The old man coughed softly and sighed. “Perhaps in that place, Cheng Feng felt the darker side of the world. Even what we call ‘human nature’ seemed less pure to the kid than the combat robot’s code – and that was true even among the children.”

“Everyone grew up tumbling through hardships, rarely staying innocent. I was busy every day, overwhelmed by money worries. In an atmosphere so anxious, nothing felt normal. A place like that could hardly be called a home, could it? So Cheng Feng left. And that was my fault.”

Xiang Yunjian thought of Cheng Feng’s eyes.

Calm and clear, they reflected every color in this world.

She would try hard to keep them open, wanting to see the person before her clearly -and sometimes turn her face away to avoid a question she didn’t wish to face.

She understood labor, knew the need to strive. Studied diligently, trying to be someone who wasn’t a danger.

Compared to the complexities of human interactions she’d experienced since first encountering people, she preferred the clamorous yet straightforward, deceit-free world of machines.

She, too, just wanted to go home – to seek a kind of freedom where she could follow her heart.

If someone like her couldn’t be called normal, then what about those who rush about, driven by ambition and haste – what should they be called?

The old man’s voice grew so faint it was almost dissolving into silence.

“A few more years passed, and the government began confiscating prohibited weapons. Cheng Feng tried to hide the combat robot, but in the end, it was destroyed too.”

“Sometimes I’d see the kid carrying a basket, learning to be independent earlier than others that’s around the same age. I thought Cheng Feng was remarkable – awkward, perhaps, but trying hard to fit into society. Only, fitting in meant finding your own kind. And Cheng Feng’s kind… was a robot.”

“That’s about all there is to it.”

After the conversation ended, they all stood rooted to the spot, lost in a kind of daze.

No matter how much training they had received, without experiencing the shadow of war themselves, they couldn’t truly speak of understanding – or casually claim to be broad-minded.

Nor could they say with certainty whether, in such a context, wanting to become a robot was right or wrong.

It wasn’t until a raindrop landed on one of their heads, trailing slowly down a strand of hair, that the spell broke.

The already chilly autumn night grew even colder with this sudden, fine drizzle.

“Dammit!” Jiang Linxia hopped in alarm. “The equipment can’t get wet! Did anyone bring an umbrella?”

While Yan Shen was still fumbling for one, Xiang Yunjian made a split-second decision and turned to sprint back the way they came.

Together, they raced toward the low-rise building not far away.

…

Cheng Feng fished out a bright yellow wrapper from her pocket, tore it open, and held it under her nose to sniff – the scent of pineapple.

She passed the candy to her friend, waited a moment, then took it back and popped it into her mouth.

Just as a hint of sweetness began to spread in her mouth, the door swung open again. The four young men who had left not long ago stood at the entrance, straightening their clothes. After setting down their bags, they stepped in to greet her. “It’s raining. We’ll take shelter here for the night.”

Cheng Feng resisted immediately. “There’s no room.”

“Finance will cover it,” Xiang Yunjian waved a hand dismissively. “A thousand a night.”

Cheng Feng shot to her feet, strode over to Xin Kuang, and pulled out a standard customer-service smile – complete with a slight bow. “Thank you for your patronage. One thousand, please.”

From the outer room, Jiang Linxia called loudly, “Hey kid, it’s freezing. Do you have heating in your room?”

Cheng Feng, head down as she counted the cash, replied without looking up, “No.”

After a quick look around, they realized there was not only no heating but also no extra bedding.

Apart from piles of scrap parts, the kid’s home was appallingly bare.

Once again struck by this ruthless little entrepreneur, Jiang Linxia gritted his teeth and demanded, “Do you only take the money and offer zero service?”

Cheng Feng’s conscience wavered briefly. Then, in a gesture of goodwill, she rented out the blanket draped over her robot’s legs to him.

“Use it sparingly,” Cheng Feng advised kindly. “It’s a small blanket.”

Jiang Linxia: “???”

Are you for real?

…

By the time Xiang Yunjian finished showering, Cheng Feng was already lying in bed.

Her habits hadn’t changed – she was as unfussy as ever. She’d only taken off her outermost jacket and was still wearing that baffling mix of clothes that defied normal aesthetic judgment. She even kept a hat on while sleeping, though she’d swapped it for a different one.

The new hat was made of a soft, snug cotton fabric, also loosely drooping down over her eyes. It looked comfortable enough.

Xiang Yunjian could understand why she slept in thick clothes – now there was only a thin, worn-out blanket on the bed.

All the bedding from her cupboard had been divided up. Jiang Linxia, who hadn’t managed to claim her bed, insisted on sharing her blanket and pillow as part of his consumer rights.

What amused Xiang Yunjian was Cheng Feng’s stubborn attachment to her bed.

It was only a single bed to begin with. Cheng Feng lay against the wall, stretching one arm and one leg out in an unnatural posture, occupying most of the remaining space – her intention couldn’t have been clearer.

Xiang Yunjian stood beside the bed, looking down at her. He wiped his damp hair with a towel and said with amusement, “That’s strange. Shouldn’t robots sleep standing up?”

Cheng Feng’s eyelids twitched slightly. She deliberately made her breathing louder.

Luckily, Xiang Yunjian walked away.

Cheng Feng let out a quiet sigh of relief.

Soon, another blanket was draped over her, squarely covering her face.

Cheng Feng subtly hooked a finger to pull it down, only to hear Xiang Yunjian say, “Take your jacket off.”

From the other side of the room, Jiang Linxia wailed, “Xiang Yunjian!!”

Xiang Yunjian replied mercilessly, “Put your clothes back on.”

Jiang Linxia said, “I only took off one jacket! I’ve been wearing the rest!”

“You said it yourself today – not taking a single needle or thread from civilians. The kid’s not your junior yet, and taking a minor’s blanket counts as particularly severe misconduct.” Xiang Yunjian tossed his tablet over. “Alright, notify the students on the list. Tomorrow at nine, we’ll start the drill right here.”