After I Stopped Being a Simp, My Husband Fell for Me on His Own - Chapter 33

The drive toward the Biological Research Institute was relatively peaceful, aside from the occasional birds covered in tumors screeching past the mecha. It was perhaps too quiet; Yu Yi actually began to feel a faint sense of relaxation.

He never imagined he could traverse a zone lethal to Alphas and Omegas with such ease. If Ji Xingxiao knew, he would be beyond shocked.

Unfortunately, Ji Xingxiao could not know. Judging by the way Chen Cheng gritted his teeth whenever he mentioned the man, Yu Yi figured the students from the Combat and Command Academies must loathe scavengers like them for interfering with their cleanup operations. While one side was purifying the area, the other was shipping pollutants back out.

He wondered what those black meat chunks he and Meng Zhao retrieved last time actually were. Recalling the scent, even the bread in his mouth started to taste a bit rotten. He gulped it down as a notification sounded in his ear.

They had arrived at the Biological Research Institute.

Yu Yi did not rush out. He picked up a gun from the back seat, but it was incredibly heavy, and he remembered he had no idea how to fire one. He reached for a grenade, then hesitated. What if he accidentally pulled the pin? Was there nothing from the technological era he could actually use?

He figured the most high-tech things he owned were the communicator in his pocket and the dilapidated mecha he was driving. Left with no choice, he tucked a knife into his belt, mostly for psychological comfort.

After hiding the mecha behind a massive tree, Yu Yi stepped out alone. The sign outside the building had long since decayed; only the words Biological Research Center were faintly visible through the suffocating grip of mutated vines.

In unpurified zones, even the plants grew to monstrous proportions. They swathed the building until it looked as if the structure had sprouted from the flora itself. The once-pristine white walls were now a map of vines and jagged cracks. The dome had been crushed by the weight of the vegetation, yet the building did not look unstable. In fact, it seemed exceptionally sturdy, likely held together by the very plants destroying it.

The air smelled strange, not like the rot from the other day, but like chemical reagents. For safety, Yu Yi doubled back to the mecha and grabbed the motorcycle helmet. Every bit of protection helped.

As he walked toward the entrance, he noticed mutated fungi covering the broken steps like a glowing green carpet. They emitted an eerie luminescence. Yu Yi did not dare step on them; they looked like they would burst into slime under his weight. One slip, and the thought was too disgusting to entertain.

He detoured toward a nearby building that seemed less overtaken by plants. Just as he was about to enter, the distinct roar of a mecha engine approached from the distance.

In a place like this, newcomers could only be students from the three major academies performing cleanup duties. Yu Yi panicked. Ignoring the disgusting fungi, he stepped onto the steps, endured the slimy sensation, and dove behind a massive, collapsed concrete wall, holding his breath.

Through a gap, he saw a black combat mecha stop in front of the building. The hatch hissed open, and two Alphas in standard hazmat suits hopped down. They held scanners, efficiently mapping the area. The mecha bore the unmistakable silver kite emblem, the mark of the Combat Academy.

Suddenly, one Alpha snapped his head toward Yu Yi’s hiding spot, his gaze sharp as an arrow. A second later, the wall Yu Yi was hiding behind collapsed in a shower of rubble and dust.

“Who is there? Come out!” a cold voice commanded through an external speaker.

He had been caught.

Yu Yi went rigid. Knowing he could not stay hidden, he sighed, pulled down his visor, and walked out of the dust with his hands raised. His life signs had likely been picked up by their scanners.

The two students remained wary. One of them quickly scanned Yu Yi’s entire body.

“A Beta?” the student asked. “One of Boss Chen’s people?”

Surprised to hear Chen Cheng’s name from a Combat Academy student, Yu Yi froze for a moment before nodding vigorously.

The student relaxed, even waving Yu Yi off with a dismissive air. “Stay away from this sector for now. We have not finished clearing the pollutants. We are waiting for the Commander to arrive and set a plan. If you want to scavenge, go check the abandoned watchtower to the east. We just scanned it; it is relatively safe.”

His companion chimed in, “Another one of Chen Cheng’s recruits?”

“Yeah,” the first student replied flatly. “He likes hiring Betas. They are cheap.”

The words stung Yu Yi’s ears. He was at a loss for words. These students seemed accustomed to this. They were not even curious about a Beta wearing a motorcycle helmet in a Contaminated Zone.

Seeing Yu Yi standing there, the student added impatiently, “Stop wasting time. A Beta only has an hour at most. Stay too long and you will have problems. Get going.”

“Oh, right. Okay,” Yu Yi replied, his voice muffled.

Just then, another Alpha ran up, reporting quickly, “We found an obsolete, old-model mecha behind a tree.”

The Alpha with the scanner tilted his chin toward Yu Yi. The newcomer looked at Yu Yi’s mismatched, primitive gear and had an epiphany. “Oh, Chen Cheng’s side again.”

“Exactly,” the student with the scanner said. “Captain Ji’s team found an ancient ocean and is planning a cleanup. They will not be coming out for the rest of the semester. That old fox Chen Cheng must have caught wind of it and is rushing people out to squeeze in a few more scores.”

Captain Ji? Was it Ji Xingxiao?

Yu Yi wanted to hear more, but the student raised an eyebrow. “Are you still here?”

“Oh, sorry! Going now!” Afraid of blowing his cover, Yu Yi turned and hurried away. He caught fragments of a conversation about a Commander sent down from the Central System, but the voices soon faded.

Back in his mecha, Yu Yi replayed the Alpha’s words. Ji Xingxiao definitely could not find out about this.

Since he had time, Yu Yi headed to the eastern watchtower. He picked up some discarded pipes and, seeing it was 5:30 PM, headed back to the scrap yard with a load of junk.

Chen Cheng was genuinely surprised. “Where did you get these?”

“Eastern watchtower,” Yu Yi said, omitting his encounter with the map. “I ran into some Combat Academy guys. They told me to go to the tower since it had been cleared.”

“I see.” Chen Cheng did not care at all that Yu Yi had been spotted. He knelt to inspect the pipes. “These energy tubes can be melted down for communicator core materials. They are worth a fortune!”

By then, Chen Cheng’s other workers had returned. Including Meng Zhao, there were three of them gathering in the yard to tally the day’s haul. Meng Zhao had brought back more meat chunks, while the other two had scrap similar to Yu Yi’s, though far less in quantity.

“Damn it, Xiao Lin! Look at the trash you brought back. Look at Yu Yi’s haul!” Chen Cheng called one of the Alphas over.

Aside from Meng Zhao, the other two were Alphas. The one called Xiao Lin looked at Yu Yi. “This is the Beta you found?”

“The very one.” Chen Cheng introduced him to the group. “Everyone, this is Yu Yi, from the Defense Academy.”

The Alpha looked refined and wore glasses. He extended a hand. “Hello, I am Lin Xi.”

“Nice to meet you. I am Yu Yi.” Yu Yi shook his hand quickly.

Another tall Alpha, nearly two meters tall, nodded at him. “Zhang Jingfei.”

Yu Yi looked at them hesitantly. “Are you seniors from the Combat Academy?”

“Hardly. Do you think the Combat Academy is that easy to get into?” Chen Cheng shook his head. “But in the Contaminated Zone, they are no worse than those Combat Academy rich boys. Did you know? Plenty of those kids get their final credits by having these guys substitute for them. Without them, half the class would fail.”

“Credits? Substitutes?” Yu Yi was astonished.

“Yeah, for the online Mecha Practice Grounds,” Chen Cheng said, holding up five fingers. “0.5 credits per match.”

“I see,” Yu Yi sat down quietly. So that was the kind of subbing they did. He had thought it was for actual brawling.

“Oh, right. I need to test your tolerance levels.” Chen Cheng brought over a scanner. “Put your finger in.”

Yu Yi felt a sharp prick. A moment later, a massive amount of data appeared.

“Holy cow,” Chen Cheng gasped, calling the others over. “Come look at Yu Yi’s data!”

Yu Yi felt nervous, but the phrase “our Yu Yi” gave him a strange, sudden sense of belonging.

“This is insane, Yu Yi! Your tolerance level has surpassed 300 hours. Gosh, you could practically live in the Contaminated Zone!” Chen Cheng exclaimed.

Yu Yi gave a forced laugh. “Really?”

“Yes!” Chen Cheng slapped him on the back. “This is great. Next week I will give you a specific route. You have to scout it for me.”

Meng Zhao gave a cold laugh. “The old fox finally shows his tail.”

The other two Alphas laughed. “So impatient. Are you not afraid of scaring off the rookie?”

“Not a chance. Yu Yi is full of ambition. He brought back energy tubes from the watchtower today. Some people cannot even drive a mecha to the tower. Who was that again?” Chen Cheng teased the others.

“Stop calling that tractor a mecha,” Lin Xi retorted. “Get me a real Academy mecha, and I will go to the very heart of the zone, let alone a tower.”

“Haha, is it not just a tractor?” Zhang Jingfei joked.

Watching them joke around, Yu Yi suddenly remembered the time. “I have to go back.”

“So early? Stay for dinner,” Chen Cheng offered.

“No, thank you.” Yu Yi waved him off. “If I wait any longer, there will be no seats on the train.”

“Fine. Just remember to use the shower to clean up. Otherwise, that fiancé of yours will smell the Contaminated Zone on you instantly,” Chen Cheng warned.

Perhaps because of Chen Cheng’s words before the mission, the word fiancé sounded particularly grating. “Right. Thanks.”

Yu Yi found the bathroom in the room where he had previously rested. He put his clothes in the purification box and stepped into the shower. It was surprisingly user-friendly; someone had used tape to label the switches for Purify and Remove Pheromones. Yu Yi pressed them all.

He did not feel any different after cleaning up. He put his clothes back on and, just as he pulled his shirt over his head, he found Meng Zhao standing at the door.

“What are you doing here?” Yu Yi jumped.

“Exchanging contact information.” Meng Zhao raised an eyebrow, his piercing catching the light. “The goods you brought back today were good. Let us head to the zone together next time.”

His attitude had completely flipped.

“Sure.” Yu Yi did not mind; it was always good to have more friends. He nodded and realized the brow piercing was actually Meng Zhao’s communicator. He pulled out his thin card and scanned the code.

Meng Zhao’s screen name was very direct: AAA Final Exam Sub Xiao Meng.

By the time he finished cleaning up, it was 6:30 PM. Yu Yi splurged on a fast-track car, reaching the Command Academy gates in forty minutes. His heart bled when he paid the 500 star coins. He did not know why, but he just really wanted to see Ji Xingxiao.

At the dorm, Yu Yi took a deep breath. It felt like he had not seen Ji Xingxiao in forever. He opened the door and completed the iris scan. The living room was dark, save for the eerie blue glow that made it look like an underwater world.

Ji Xingxiao seemed to be out. Yu Yi felt a faint pang of disappointment. He took off his shoes and walked further in, only to stop dead in his tracks.

Ji Xingxiao was home!

He was slumped deep in the shadows of the sofa, one hand supporting his head. His long fingers perfectly masked the birthmark on his right cheek. His eyes were closed in a relaxed state, as if he were napping after a deep therapy session.

Yu Yi held his breath and took a cautious step forward. In that instant, Ji Xingxiao’s eyes snapped open. Yu Yi was caught off guard by a gaze as cold as a frozen pond.

Ji Xingxiao looked at him, his calm eyes seemingly seeing through everything. There was a chilling scrutiny in his voice.

“You purified your body? Why?”

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