The Beautiful, Strong, and Tragic Female Lead is Mine [Transmigration Into a Novel] - Chapter 102

The glorious dawn broke over the horizon, painting the dim sky with vibrant colors.

The air was crisp and fresh, and the morning light was warm but not harsh. Dewdrops gathered on the yellowing grass blades, refracting a gentle glow.

Inside, the heating was on, and a thin layer of mist had formed on the glass window. The view outside was blurred, and the shapes were indistinct.

The girl lying in bed frowned slightly before slowly waking up.

Her vision gradually cleared, and her mind was foggy for a moment. The person beside her was nestled in her arms, a presence that brought a sense of security.

Xie Zhitian lowered her head and gently kissed her soft lips, then held her even tighter.

Luo Yang, half-asleep, noticed the movement beside her. With her eyes half-closed, she called out, “Tiantian, are you getting up?”

“It’s still early, go back to sleep,” Xie Zhitian said, stroking her back. She coaxed her in a low voice, “We have to work tonight.”

Luo Yang nodded, burying her face in her neck. Her voice was muffled as she said, “Then you sleep more, too.”

Listening to the steady breathing beside her, Xie Zhitian smiled softly.

Both the base and the mining area require people to be on duty at night. Even though the workers aren’t in the mine, the reformed soldiers must take turns on shift to prevent any aliens from entering at night.

Their group of four, Unit Seven, was scheduled for the night shift today. This meant they didn’t have to work during the day and could get some extra rest.

Xie Zhitian shifted slightly, and her thoughts drifted back to what had happened yesterday afternoon.

After learning Zhong Wanfeng’s name yesterday, they had returned to the base to do some investigating. A few of the older reformed soldiers had some knowledge of her, and by piecing together their stories, they had formed a complete picture.

Zhong Wanfeng was once a very outstanding reformed soldier, a top performer in every respect. She was a legendary figure with terrifying strength, on a completely different level from most people, with no basis for comparison. She had fought on countless battlefields, executed innumerable high-difficulty missions, and achieved remarkable merits. Every scar on her body told a perilous story.

After the situation had stabilized, Zhong Wanfeng didn’t return to a district to serve as a guard like others. Instead, she submitted her resignation to the central command, saying she was tired of the battlefield and only wanted to live a normal life. After that, she disappeared for a while, and no one knew where she went.

At the time, Xie Zhitian was confused and couldn’t help but ask, “Can a reformed soldier resign? Where is her self-destruct system remote control now?”

The soldiers looked at each other and said in unison, “We don’t know.”

One of them hesitated, “I did hear one theory. Since she was so meritorious and her vitals were never abnormal, the Queen granted her freedom as a reward when she learned of her resignation. So her remote control is in her own hands.”

Another person chimed in, “But that’s just a rumor. I don’t think it’s possible to give a reformed soldier their remote control. But Zhong Wanfeng is a pretty mysterious person. She’s cold to everyone and doesn’t have any friends. She would never mention the remote control.”

Xie Zhitian pressed on, “Then why is she here, and in this…”

Although she didn’t finish her sentence, everyone understood what she meant. If Zhong Wanfeng wanted fame and fortune, she wouldn’t have resigned and chosen to live in seclusion. So if she didn’t crave money or power, why would she be willing to work for the commander?

Someone speculated, “Maybe Commander Gu Hong got a hold of her remote control and made her obey?”

Another offered a different opinion, “Not necessarily. Maybe she wasn’t happy with the position the Queen arranged for her, so she resigned and secretly joined the commander?”

“Don’t even get me started. I heard that the price Gu Hong offered her was so high it made a lot of people jealous and caused a bit of a stir…”

“No way, I don’t think Miss Zhong is that kind of person…”

For a time, there were many different opinions. In the end, Zhong Wanfeng remained a mystery.

Still, from Zhong Wanfeng’s attitude yesterday, she didn’t show any hostility toward them. She had simply killed the invading aliens as normal. Knowing that there was such a powerful figure on the opposing side, they just needed to be on guard.

After lunch, the group went to find Yisha as they had planned.

Yisha had a small office in the base’s admin area. She worked there during the day, mainly summarizing the soldiers’ various needs and finding solutions as quickly as possible. At night, she stayed in the living quarters just like the soldiers.

When she saw them, Yisha’s eyes lit up, and she enthusiastically welcomed them inside.

“I was just thinking of coming to find you today to ask if you’ve had any trouble since you arrived, or if you need anything.”

Yisha poured hot tea for everyone as she smiled, “It’s been so cold lately. Have some hot water to warm up first.”

“Thanks, we’re all good on things,” Xie Zhitian said, taking the cup and smiling at her. “We came this time because we want to ask you about two people.”

Yisha sat down across from them. “Who?”

“The first person is Zhong Wanfeng. Have you heard of her?” Xie Zhitian asked.

Yisha blinked. “I’ve heard of her. She’s that amazing reformed soldier, right? I only know that she resigned from the Queen and is now working for the 54th district.”

She sighed as she said this. “You all think it’s a shame, don’t you? I do, too. Why would such an outstanding person sell herself to the commander?”

Luo Yang asked, “So you don’t know the reason she did it?”

Yisha shook her head, repeating what the other soldiers had said yesterday. “Zhong Wanfeng is a pretty mysterious person, and she disappeared for a while. No one knows what she’s thinking.”

It seemed they wouldn’t get any more information about Zhong Wanfeng from Yisha. The group exchanged a look and didn’t continue the topic.

Tang Zhuoran spoke up, “What about Dr. Meng Qiang? Do you know her?”

Yisha thought for a moment. “I know of her. The famous scientist. I’ve delivered supplies to her two or three times, but I’m not familiar with her… What about her?”

Xie Zhitian explained honestly, “It’s like this: our mining speed is slower than B-district’s, so everyone was thinking of talking to Dr. Meng to see if we could increase the number of robots. But she doesn’t seem to want to communicate with others, and we’re worried. If B-district gets too far ahead, the commander will inevitably stir up public opinion, saying we’re incompetent.”

Yisha’s face wrinkled as she listened. “That makes sense. I’ve also heard the workers talking about this lately. But we’re all laypeople, so it’s hard to interfere with Dr. Meng’s judgment, isn’t it?”

Xie Zhitian said, “It’s not about interfering. We just want her to come out and explain the reason to everyone to reassure them. I know she’s an authority, but since she’s part of a team, she should at least listen to what others have to say.”

Yisha looked thoughtful. “That’s true… So, is there anything I can help you with?”

Luo Yang asked, “I heard that Dr. Meng is so cautious because she once had a serious accident. Have you heard about that?”

“Yes, I have. I heard it from my supervisor. It was before the end of the world,” Yisha replied. “At that time, Dr. Meng’s main research direction was how to use AI to make human life more convenient. So most of the robots she developed were ‘nanny’ types that could do housework and provide emotional support, and they received a lot of praise.”

“Then one day, an accident suddenly happened. A robot developed by Dr. Meng suddenly malfunctioned and severely misinterpreted its owner’s instructions. The owner had an important party that day with many guests, so she told the robot to ‘clean the house as fast as possible, and the cleaner the better.’ She then left to go shopping. The robot ended up throwing almost everything in the house out the window, including the owner’s seven-year-old daughter. Luckily, the family lived in a three-story villa, and there was soft grass below. The child was thrown out of a second-floor window and wasn’t hurt, just terrified.”

Listening to Yisha’s description, a chill ran down Xie Zhitian’s spine. She already found things like AI, which mechanically and unconditionally obeyed human commands, a little creepy, let alone when they malfunctioned. As Yisha said, it was fortunate that this happened in a detached house. If it had happened in a high-rise apartment, the consequences would have been unimaginable.

She asked, “Was Dr. Meng severely affected?”

Yisha said, “Actually, only that one robot was faulty; all the others were fine. It was quickly discovered that the problem was a glitch in a specific part of the production line, not the developer’s mistake. But Dr. Meng is a perfectionist, and she blamed herself a lot. After that, she became even more careful, and the speed of her research output slowed down.”

This made Dr. Meng’s strict screening of robots understandable. Still, the group wanted to talk to her.

Xia Fufeng said, “I heard that Dr. Meng’s office and residence don’t let people in casually. You’ve delivered supplies to her before, right? The next time you do, can we come with you? We’ll take the chance to try and talk to her.”

Yisha looked a bit conflicted. “But we’ve delivered all the necessary supplies. Dr. Meng probably won’t need anything recently… Oh, wait. How about this: the next time Dr. Meng goes to the Network Center, you can go there and try your luck.”

Xia Fufeng’s eyes widened, as if she couldn’t believe what she was hearing. “The Network Center? You have the internet here?”

“I can’t speak for other places, but our district is at the forefront of network technology,” Yisha said, a proud smile on her face. “It’s still in the early stages and the range isn’t large, but we can communicate between the base and the 53rd district. Dr. Meng sometimes uses the network to communicate with technicians in the district and send files. Soldiers can use it if they need to, too, but most people just want to contact their families, and they use the phone more.”

“Also, Dr. Meng can monitor the status of those robots and fix bugs in their programs in real-time through the network, so she goes to the Network Center quite often.”

This was an unexpected gain. Xie Zhitian nodded. “Okay, we’ll go take a look in the next couple of days.” She paused, then asked, “Is the 53rd district the only one with a network right now?”

“I’m not sure about other districts, but the 54th district has one too,” Yisha replied. “Ever since they decided to re-zone Ghost City and mine for iron ore, both sides have been competing against each other, not willing to fall behind.”

She remembered something else. “Oh, by the way, if you meet Dr. Meng, don’t be too intense with your words. You still have to trust her judgment. Before, I often heard the workers complain that our district had too few robots, which made everyone tired. But after what happened in B-district yesterday, many people’s opinions changed, and they’re not complaining as much.”

Xie Zhitian was taken aback. “Why?” Before they came to see Yisha today, they had been resting in their rooms to recharge, so they hadn’t talked to anyone about the alien attack in B-district yesterday.

“You don’t know? I heard several workers talking about it,” Yisha said, a bit surprised. She patiently explained, “Normally, the metal fences in the mining area aren’t as strong as walls, but they can’t be broken through so easily. The reason the aliens were able to invade so quickly yesterday was that in the morning, a few of B-district’s robots suddenly went out of control and damaged the fence, and they didn’t have time to fix it.”

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