The Beautiful, Strong, and Tragic Female Lead is Mine [Transmigration Into a Novel] - Chapter 105

Two days later, Xie Zhitian and her group once again arrived at the Network Center.

They had scouted ahead and knew that Meng Qiang was working inside and wouldn’t finish until the evening. Because Meng Qiang had seemed a bit resistant during their last encounter, the group chose not to go in this time. Instead, they waited quietly outside the door for her to finish work, so as not to provoke her.

The person in charge of receiving them from District 53 had been very quick; they had confirmed the authenticity of the report in just one day. However, Xie Zhitian’s request for them to continue investigating who Meng Qiang’s good friend was had not yielded any results yet.

Perhaps it was because too much time had passed. Childhood friends often drift apart as they grow up, and it’s common to lose touch for various reasons.

As Xie Zhitian thought this, her gaze returned to the colorful pinwheel in her hand.

They had spent an entire day trying to recreate this pinwheel based on Meng Qiang’s description in that interview. They went through several versions before finally getting a satisfactory result.

It was just an ordinary, colorful pinwheel, the kind with a gaudy exterior that kids love most. But since none of them had any experience, they fumbled and spent a lot of time on it.

She wondered if this little pinwheel would meet Meng Qiang’s expectations.

Xie Zhitian used her finger to flick the colorful blades, and the pinwheel immediately spun, creating a blurry, colorful streak in her vision.

Xia Fufeng was clearly just as uncertain, and she couldn’t help but ask in a hushed voice, “This is too simple. Will it work?”

“I don’t know,” Xie Zhitian said, “but we can only try.”

In her former world, there was a saying—”Internet users have a memory of only seven seconds.” No matter how explosive the news, it would slowly fade with the passage of time.

It was much the same no matter where you went. After the incident in District B, many workers protested, demanding that the use of robots be reduced and that life safety be prioritized.

However, without the assistance of robots, their daily work became much more strenuous. After only two days, the workers began to miss the robots due to physical exhaustion. Many of them switched sides, saying that while the robots had made a mistake, it was within a controllable range. Ultimately, they argued, it was because the district hadn’t maintained the railings in time, and the robots shouldn’t be blamed entirely.

This made the return of the robots a logical step. After District 54 promised to strengthen the maintenance of the metal fences, the small accident had vanished like a puff of smoke, no longer even a topic of after-dinner conversation.

District B’s efficiency once again surpassed District A’s. The tables had turned, and now it was the workers in District A who were dissatisfied, envious of the easy life in District B, and began demanding more robots to lighten their workload.

Although the situation was still under control after they had been appeased, communication was clearly necessary. Meng Qiang was the most authoritative person on robots here, so having her speak would be the most convincing.

Luo Yang said, “I don’t think Dr. Meng is someone who puts on airs. Even if she’s socially anxious, she wouldn’t be vague about something so important. There must be some other reason for her strong aversion.”

Tang Zhuoran agreed, “There must be some hidden reason that makes it inconvenient for her to talk about it.”

In the evening, the door of the Network Center was pushed open.

Meng Qiang appeared before them. The setting sun’s afterglow streamed in from the corridor window, illuminating her clear and flawless face. Despite working all day, she didn’t seem tired. However, upon seeing Xie Zhitian and the others, her face showed a momentary look of bewilderment.

She leaned on the door frame and took a half-step back. “What are you… doing here?”

Seeing her tension, Xie Zhitian also took two steps back, trying not to put any pressure on her. “Dr. Meng, we’re here to give you a small gift.”

Meng Qiang didn’t seem interested in continuing the conversation. “I don’t need it. You should go back.”

Xie Zhitian looked at her and brought out the pinwheel they had prepared from behind her back. Under the soft, warm light, the colorful pinwheel took on a dreamlike, beautiful hue.

Xie Zhitian hadn’t held much hope. She and the others had repeatedly deliberated and prepared a whole set of persuasive arguments, hoping to appeal to her emotions and reason, so that Meng Qiang would at least explain a little more.

But the moment Meng Qiang saw the pinwheel, her eyes suddenly changed.

It was like a child seeing their favorite thing suddenly appear in someone else’s hands—a look of helplessness and bewilderment.

Meng Qiang stood still, seemingly in a fierce inner struggle, but in the end, she couldn’t resist the temptation and asked softly, “Can I have it?”

Xie Zhitian was so stunned that she was a bit slow to react. “Yes, yes, of course. This was prepared for you.”

She watched as the usually distant Meng Qiang walked over, took the pinwheel from her hand, and her cold eyes flickered with complex emotions that Xie Zhitian couldn’t understand.

Xie Zhitian collected herself and cautiously asked, “Dr. Meng, do you really like pinwheels?”

Meng Qiang was silent for a moment, then she used her finger to spin the little pinwheel. “I do, but how did you know?”

Luo Yang answered truthfully, “We saw your previous interview. When you talked about your biggest regret, you mentioned that when you were a child, you and a friend were out shopping, and your friend saw a pinwheel she really liked, but neither of you had a wallet, so you couldn’t buy it.”

“If you’ve been so bothered by it for so long, it must be something you really love. So we thought we’d make a similar one for you, hoping it can help you relax when you see it after work.”

“Actually, after some time, we went shopping and managed to buy a similar pinwheel.”

Meng Qiang seemed to be lost in a memory, her voice soft. “But after the apocalypse happened… and a series of other things, I lost it. And then, I could never buy another one.”

Luo Yang understood and looked at Meng Qiang with a bit of sympathy.

During the apocalypse, everyone was focused on stockpiling supplies, and no one would deliberately keep things like toys. After production resumed, toys were even lower on the priority list and were very rare. Meng Qiang was busy with work, so the matter of the pinwheel must have been put on hold. And given Meng Qiang’s personality of not wanting to trouble others, she wouldn’t have gone to great lengths to ask someone else to find a pinwheel for her.

After hearing Meng Qiang’s words, Xia Fufeng asked carefully, “Dr. Meng, is your friend… okay now?”

They had a few theories about Meng Qiang’s friend, such as them slowly growing apart, losing touch during the apocalypse, or even more sadly, no longer being alive.

But Meng Qiang gave a surprising answer. “She’s doing very well.”

After a pause, she added, “We are doing very well.”

Everyone was taken aback, but seeing how serious Meng Qiang was, she didn’t seem to be lying. Besides, why would she lie about something like this?

In any case, after giving her the little pinwheel, their communication with Meng Qiang had made great progress. The group exchanged a glance, and Tang Zhuoran spoke up, “Dr. Meng, we don’t mean to disrupt your work, but given the current situation, everyone really needs your help.”

Meng Qiang didn’t immediately refuse this time. She thought for a moment. “What do you need me to do?”

This question lifted everyone’s spirits. Tang Zhuoran immediately seized the opportunity and succinctly described the recent events, saying that they hoped Meng Qiang could come forward to take charge, provide explanations, and calm people’s minds.

Meng Qiang was silent for a long time after listening. Her voice was a bit strained. “I’m not good at communicating with people. I might mess things up.”

Tang Zhuoran looked at her, confusion in his eyes. When Meng Qiang had responded to the out-of-control robot in the interview, she had been poised and confident. What could have happened in the past ten years of the apocalypse?

Xie Zhitian thought for a moment and suggested, “What about writing it down?”

Meng Qiang was surprised. “Writing it down?”

Xie Zhitian nodded and explained, “We can first collect everyone’s questions, and you can write the answers. We’ll pass them on for you. If you just have to write, it’ll be less stressful since you don’t have to talk to people face-to-face.”

Meng Qiang looked hesitant, but when she saw the pinwheel in her hand, she agreed. “Alright, I’ll write.”

Upon hearing this, everyone felt a weight lift from their shoulders. Although they didn’t understand the significance of the pinwheel to Meng Qiang, they knew it was her private matter and there was no need to pry.

“Then we’ll go back and compile the questions,” Xie Zhitian said. “We’ll have to trouble you to answer them then.”

“It’s no trouble,” Meng Qiang nodded. “Is there anything else?”

“No,” Xie Zhitian replied. “You’ve worked hard. Get some rest.”

Meng Qiang turned to leave, but the sound of hurried footsteps echoed in the corridor, and a tall figure appeared before them.

It was Guan Qin.

She was out of breath from running. Her eyes lit up when she saw Meng Qiang, and she rushed over. “Dr. Meng!”

Meng Qiang clearly didn’t like this abruptness. She hid the pinwheel behind her back and took several steps back. “Is something wrong?”

Xie Zhitian was about to explain the situation, that Meng Qiang had relented, so Guan Qin could be at ease. But she saw the anxious look in Guan Qin’s eyes and felt that the matter was not that simple, so she remained silent for now.

Sure enough, the next second, Guan Qin spoke. “Dr. Meng, something happened with the robots in District B again.”

Meng Qiang’s eyes shifted slightly. “Did the robots lose control again?”

“It’s not just a simple loss of control. This time, it’s a big deal.”

Guan Qin’s voice was urgent, and she didn’t care about the others present as she spoke rapidly. “Before, many workers in District B complained that it was too tiring to work without robots and insisted on bringing back more robots. They might have rushed the process, leading to poor quality control. Today, dozens of robots collectively malfunctioned and started attacking humans indiscriminately.”

“Indiscriminate attack?” Xie Zhitian gasped. “Were there serious casualties?”

Guan Qin’s expression was complicated. “This is the strange thing. The robots suddenly went haywire and started a rampage near the gathering point for the modified warriors. So, the workers in the mining area only suffered minor injuries, but several modified warriors died there.”

She looked at Meng Qiang. “I felt the nature of this matter was very serious, so I came to report to you immediately.”

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