Right on Target (TARGET)
Mom Fu's basement was a large modification workshop with low temperatures and soundproofed metal walls.
The constant hum of ventilation equipment filled the space. Her workbench stood at the center, surrounded by neatly arranged modification devices.
Su Heting noticed some unfinished models on the control panel against the wall and asked between sneezes, "What's that?"
Mom Fu replied nonchalantly, "Your little brother."
Su Heting said, "What?"
"Your little brother!" Mom Fu snapped, clearly not in the mood to explain further. "Stop looking around and hurry up—change your clothes and lie down!"
Su Heting protested, "I barely glanced at it!"
By the time he changed and came out, Mom Fu had already tied up her hair. Six mechanical arms extended from her back, each busy with a different task. She adjusted a monocle over one eye and said curtly, "Lie down."
Su Heting lay on the workbench as the surroundings darkened, and a dreamlike ring of light appeared. The ring started at his head and moved downward, its speed controlled by one of Mom Fu’s mechanical arms.
A floating display screen hovered in front of Mom Fu’s monocle, flashing data about Su Heting. She paused the ring at his eyes and pushed an inspection device closer with another mechanical arm. "You used your eye, didn’t you? How many times?"
"Two or three," Su Heting answered obediently on the table. "All in the virtual world."
"At least you’ve got some sense left." The tip of Mom Fu’s mechanical arm transformed into a metal clamp that gently adjusted the modified eye. The blue hue of the eye deepened, revealing an "X" symbol. After observing for a moment, she said, "Don’t show off in the real world. Wei Zhixin has been keeping tabs on this eye."
Su Heting glanced upward with his still-functional left eye. "How do you know? Did Wei Zhixin come to see you?"
Mom Fu scolded, "Stop rolling your eyes—it looks hideous! What, can he visit you but not me?"
Su Heting said, "Sure, he can visit whoever he wants. What did he want with you?"
Mom Fu’s expression darkened. "He’s got a screw loose—his whole family’s insane."
Seeing her anger, Su Heting guessed, "He must’ve been rude, barged in uninvited, and you probably ended up fighting his Hybrids."
Mom Fu scoffed. "Ridiculous. That brat isn’t even worth my time. You got it all wrong—it was his father, Wei Da, who came. That man put on airs, saying he was tired of the artificial meat business and wanted to try something new. He planned to gather all the skilled doctors from the Black Market to set up an experimental base. I told him to keep his ass off my couch and get lost."
The word "experiment" made Su Heting’s eyelid twitch. "What’s he researching?"
Mom Fu fell silent for once, her face cold as she adjusted the light ring. After a pause, she said, "A new type of artificial human—one better suited for this world than Hybrids."
Su Heting let out an "Oh," then remarked, "No wonder Wei Zhixin acts so brazenly. He’s got an immunity card."
Mom Fu snapped, "You’re just saying ‘Oh’? Remember this well! The higher-ups in Xingtian fully support Wei Da—they’re in their honeymoon phase right now. If Wei Zhixin rigs a match or even kills you, Xingtian will turn a blind eye."
Su Heting chuckled, though the smile didn’t reach his eyes. "If they’re making artificial humans, why is Wei Zhixin still fixated on my eye?"
Mom Fu scoffed, “That brat's been spoiled rotten—his temper's worse than yours. You killed two of his experiments in a row; he’s bound to save face somehow.”
“See? See?” Su Heting seized the opportunity. “Not my fault, right? They didn’t exactly stamp "experiment" on my opponent’s forehead.”
Mom Fu smacked him. “Stop making excuses! Don’t think I don’t know you—you should’ve surrendered with King Shen match! Who’s Wei Zhixin? And who are you? Did you really think one match would make him realize he’s a worthless scumbag? I’ve told you before—the rules of the new world revolve around the big bosses! Have you ever seen Xingtian dare to fart in their direction? If even Xingtian doesn’t dare, what makes you think you can?”
Su Heting winced from the smacks, dodging a few times. He didn’t mention Viper hunting him down, instead grumbling, “So annoying! You’re so mean!”
Mom Fu threatened, “Wei Zhixin’s gonna drag you off for experiments sooner or later!”
Su Heting retorted, “You’re definitely not my real mom!”
“Dream on. You think I could birth a little troublemaker like you? Keep dreaming—now lie still!” Mom Fu pushed the scanner back over him and continued the checkup. “Why’ve you been hanging around the armed unit so much lately?”
“They need my help,” Su Heting mused. “Tell me, which is more important—the great cause of human liberation or the artificial human experiments?”
Mom Fu snorted. “I’ll answer that with my big toe—artificial human experiments.”
Su Heting didn’t believe her. “Say that again?”
Mom Fu snapped, “Artificial human experiments! The survival zones are packed to the brim—where would we even put liberated humans? Your place? Look at Xingtian—how many decent attacks have they organized in the past few years? Since the Great Explosion, the Black Market hasn’t seen a single new survivor, and it’s the same for the other zones.”
“That’s not right,” Su Heting argued. “Wouldn’t artificial humans make the survival zones even more crowded?”
“Wei Da’s thought further ahead than you,” Mom Fu sneered. “He’s positioning artificial humans as expendables—tools designed to serve survivors and ready to be thrown into battle at any moment. They don’t need to be smart, just able to follow orders. They don’t even have brain computer interfaces, so the Main God System can’t hack their minds. With them, Xingtian can expand territory in the new world and wage war against the Main God System without hesitation. Wei Da’s whole plan is to use them to phase out Hybrids.”
Su Heting thought of Fei Yi—his schizophrenic performance in the match had left an impression, not to mention that bizarre vanishing act. It hadn’t even seemed like he was there to fight.
Mom Fu studied Su Heting’s data. “Stay out of this. Don’t meddle in the decisions of the big shots. Whatever the armed unit wants from you, keep a clear head. Xingtian might be a protector of survivors, but they treat Hybrids like slaves in the new world. Know who you are—don’t pin your hopes on them.” Her gaze dropped to him. “Walk out that door at dawn, go back to your apartment, and stop tangling with Wei Zhixin. Leave the rest to me.”
The scanning ring had reached Su Heting’s feet. He tested his cybernetic eye, where the 'X' symbol still glowed faintly and was visible in the overhead mirror. Su Heting gave a half-hearted “Yeah,” then suddenly pointed at the reflection of his eye. “I’ve been meaning to ask—why is there an "X" in my cyber-eye? Some weird hobby of yours?”
"Are you stupid? This was your own request back then," said Mom Fu.
Su Heting froze. "Mine?"
He had no memory of it.
Mom Fu's mechanical arm tapped the workbench. "You were lying right here with the anesthesia hadn’t kicked in yet. I asked if you wanted to keep a mark in your eye to commemorate the one that got blown off. You were as weak as a noodle and just gestured an 'X' at me."
Su Heting eyed her skeptically. "Really?"
Mom Fu scoffed. "Nonsense! I asked three times, and each time you gave me an 'X'!"
Su Heting was half-convinced.
Why would I gesture an 'X'? Was it some kind of abbreviation?
Hermit was in the middle of an animated rant: "Su Heting fights with his own tail—he calls it agility training. Up in the attic where you sleep, he goes at it like the world’s ending—"
The basement door swung open, and Hermit instantly clammed up. He sat up straight with his expression solemn, as if he’d just been discussing the philosophy of life with Xie Zhenshu.
Su Heting’s cat ears twitched. "Done talking?" he asked warily.
Hermit nodded vigorously, then turned to shoot Xie Zhenshu a meaningful look. "Yeah… just some everyday stuff. You guys done with the checkup? Everything alright?"
Su Heting glanced at Xie Zhenshu, who seemed perfectly normal. "Mm," he replied. "All good."
"My baby!" Mom Fu shoved past Su Heting and scooped up Lulu from the floor as if they’d been apart for ages. "How can you lie on the cold floor? Mama hasn’t even laid out a blanket for you yet! Come on, let’s get you some breakfast."
Su Heting was completely blocked from view. He raised a hand. "I want waffles."
Mom Fu twisted away. "You’ll get nothing!"
Hermit stood up. "Mama, let me handle breakfast."
Su Heting droned on, utterly deadpan: "I want waffles—"
Mom Fu ignored him and turned to Xie Zhenshu. "What would you like to eat?"
Su Heting intoned, "Waff—les—"
Mom Fu plopped Lulu onto Su Heting’s face, muffling him. Lulu meowed twice, then pawed at his cat ears.
"Hey!" Su Heting grabbed her. "I’m warning you!"
Xie Zhenshu was about to speak when the communicator in his ear suddenly buzzed. His expression shifted slightly. "Sorry, I—"
The signal was urgent.
Xie Zhenshu seemed to realize something. He stood abruptly. "I have to go."
Su Heting lifted Lulu higher and looked at him.
The floor creaked as Mom Fu moved. She leaned over and patted Xie Zhenshu’s shoulder, gesturing toward the door. "Go on. We’ll catch up another time."
Xie Zhenshu locked eyes with Su Heting for a second. Su Heting felt like he was waiting for something and hesitantly offered, "Bye?"
Xie Zhenshu’s gaze was deep, tinged with something unreadable. But his expression remained steady. "Goodbye," he said firmly, then turned and pulled open the door, leaving in a hurry.
Hermit didn’t even have time to stop him, managing only a startled "Huh?" He scratched his head and turned to explain to Mom Fu. "They’re on-call for jobs—no fixed schedule. Probably the client was pressing him… I’ll cook, Mama."
Hermit and Mom Fu headed to the kitchen, leaving Su Heting alone.
He still held Lulu aloft, watching the door until the chime above it fell silent. Then he lowered his gaze and muttered to Lulu, "What’re you staring at? Keep it up and I’ll eat you."
Lulu meowed back at him indignantly. Su Heting set her down, and she scampered off after Mom Fu.
Su Heting could probably guess why Xie Zhenshu had left. He had been offline for two days—the daylight in the Punishment Zone must have ended by now.
Should he help? Xiao Gu was still injured. But how was he supposed to explain it to the Chief?
Hello, I’m volunteering to work, can you get me into the Punishment Zone ASAP?
Su Heting ate breakfast absentmindedly that earned several scoldings from Mom Fu. He let the words go in one ear and out the other, still mulling over how to call Monk.
After breakfast, everyone dispersed—Hermit still had to go back and piece together that head.
Su Heting walked alone down the street. While waiting at a traffic light, he pulled out his phone and unblocked Monk’s number.
‘Good morning, old man. Can you patch me through to Chief?’
He rehearsed the words in his head.
It was still early and the streets were shrouded in thick fog. The sky was overcast, heavy with the promise of rain.
Suddenly, Su Heting’s phone rang—an unfamiliar number. Without much thought, he answered. “Hello?”
Silence on the other end.
A frown creased his brow as a sense of foreboding settled in. He asked again, “Who is this?”
“Your good friend,” Wei Zhixin’s voice came through, laced with amusement as he lowered the phone, letting Su Heting listen. “Is her name Jiali?”
Su Heting’s pulse spiked. He heard screaming—no, not screaming anymore. It was a howl of agony.
Jiali’s tortured cries pierced through the receiver, stabbing into his ears. His grip on the phone tightened as his fingers trembled faintly, but his voice remained icy calm. “Where are you?”
“I’ll be waiting for you on the third floor of the Trading Hall,” Wei Zhixin enunciated clearly. “You. Filthy. Mongrel.”
Su Heting hung up.
Raindrops splattered against his face as he broke into a sprint, racing toward the Trading Hall.
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