The drinking session lasted until midnight before it finally broke up, but ever since the subject of the Hunters had come up, Jiang Qi's mind had no longer been on the gathering at all.
As one of Yunting Technology's top prototype units, the very fact that Glaxia had ended up in the junk mountain was bizarre in itself.
And she herself had said it before—this was not a normal scrapping procedure.
By all logic, a prototype machine like her, a wildly popular unit that had once claimed eight consecutive 1v1 championships, still ought to have had enormous commercial value even after retirement.
Yet not only had she been discarded outright, even her core had not been recovered. No matter how one looked at it, it made no sense.
Jiang Qi had once suspected that Glaxia's appearance here might have been an accident, or something tied to the conflicts between the great corporations of the Heavenly Dome.
And if that were the case—might someone one day come into the wasteland looking for her?
And could those Hunters be the very people searching for her?
Jiang Qi's expression grew grave.
If that really was the situation, then this was likely the greatest trouble he had faced since arriving in this world.
Unless…
Unless he was willing to abandon Glaxia.
If he thought about it carefully, if the Hunters truly had come for Glaxia, then if Jiang Qi tried to stand against them head-on, there was no doubt he would only be marching toward death.
The Heavenly Dome's armed forces were not something wasteland people could contend with.
In truth, if he thought back, the reason Jiang Qi had kept Glaxia in the first place was because he believed she could help him turn his life around—change his fate as a scavenger.
But now, with Old Homa's help, his situation had already improved tremendously. His future looked bright as well. If he were only thinking of self-preservation, then abandoning Glaxia might indeed be the best option…
But…
He glanced at the tablet beside him, where a certain someone was still sending him endless nuisance messages out of boredom, then looked over at the second mech he had only recently begun constructing. He let out a quiet sigh.
Forget it.
Emotionally, Jiang Qi had to admit that he truly found it difficult to see Glaxia as some cold machine.
Even now, when he thought back to the miserable state she had been in when he first pulled her from the trash heap, his heart still clenched.
And over this period of time, he had long since grown used to her presence. True, it was irritating that the tablet at his side kept lighting up and flashing at him every other moment.
But if he tried to imagine it never lighting up again, never suddenly flickering to life…
His chest immediately felt hollow.
And from a rational standpoint, Jiang Qi was still a transmigrator carrying a cheat ability. To say he had no ambition would be a lie.
His life was certainly much better now—but if he was supposed to be satisfied with just this, that was nowhere near enough.
To say nothing else, his current quality of life still did not even measure up to his previous life. If he were content with this much, it would be a disgrace to every transmigrator out there.
And though his path ahead seemed promising, the future he could currently see was nothing more than studying hard in Withered Wood Town, then one day taking over Old Homa's role and continuing to work for the Flying Crows gang.
For most wastelanders, that kind of future would already be enviable.
But it was clearly not enough to satisfy Jiang Qi's ambitions.
If he had Glaxia's help, however, things would be entirely different.
It was not merely the monstrous combat power hidden within her. The help she could offer in every other area was equally immense.
To say nothing else, the design for the second mech alone was enough to glimpse the enormous potential contained within her.
The Heavenly Dome technology stored in her database might well possess the potential to bridge the abyss between the wasteland and the Heavenly Dome.
So unless he had absolutely no other choice, Jiang Qi would never willingly hand her over.
"I need to think of something…" Jiang Qi muttered, rubbing his chin.
At the moment, what he lacked most was information.
He did not know what methods the Hunters possessed. He did not know how they might search for Glaxia. Without that knowledge, he had no way to prepare a countermeasure.
Thinking of this, Jiang Qi instinctively picked up the tablet, intending to ask Glaxia whether she knew anything relevant.
But just as his fingers were about to touch the screen, he stopped.
A thought occurred to him all at once…
How could he be so sure that Glaxia herself would not want to go with them?
After all, Glaxia came from the Heavenly Dome. If she still held any trust in it, then upon hearing this news, it would not be strange at all if she wanted to make contact with the Hunters of her own accord.
If that was the case, then wouldn't it be better not to tell her?
Jiang Qi hesitated.
For a moment, he felt lost.
If Glaxia actually wanted to be taken away by the Heavenly Dome's people, then the entire nature of this matter—and his own position in it—would change completely…
No. That wasn't right.
If the moment the Heavenly Dome came for her she would leave with them, then could he truly trust her at all?
What he needed was a reliable, trustworthy partner—not a ticking bomb he could only keep at his side through concealment and deception.
The moment he realized that, Jiang Qi's thoughts became crystal clear.
There was nothing to struggle over.
If Glaxia wanted to leave with them, then he would let her go.
That would prove she was not worthy of trust, and at the same time it would save him a great deal of trouble.
He opened the tablet, ignored the pile of accumulated nuisance messages, told Glaxia about the Hunters, and asked her bluntly whether she wanted to make contact with them.
Jiang Qi had assumed she would think it over seriously.
Instead, Glaxia showed him what top-tier AI response speed really looked like.
The very instant his message was sent, two words popped up beneath it.
No.
The reply came so quickly it almost seemed as though she had not needed to type at all—
Then again, she did not need to type in the first place.
"So… does that mean the Hunters aren't actually on the same side as the Heavenly Dome?" Jiang Qi asked, puzzled.
No, I mean I don't want to go back to the Heavenly Dome.
The moment Jiang Qi saw that answer, the heart that had been hanging in suspense finally dropped back into place.
He had to admit it—he had desperately wanted to see exactly those words.
At the same time, though, he was also confused.
He genuinely had not expected that answer.
After all, in terms of repair conditions alone, the Heavenly Dome was obviously far superior to him.
What was more, as a prototype machine, if Glaxia returned to the Heavenly Dome, she would most likely be sent straight back to the original factory for repairs.
Jiang Qi had indeed promised that he would fix her too, but with her intelligence, she certainly understood that it would not be easy for him. Even if he succeeded, it would take a very long time.
Jiang Qi was just about to ask why, but before he had even finished typing the first line, Glaxia's reply came through.
I only lost one match, and they threw me down from the Heavenly Dome, left me lying in a garbage heap, and abandoned me to die in endless darkness.
What I find strange is why, after knowing I went through something like that, you still think I might harbor any illusions about the Heavenly Dome.
Do you take me for an idiot?
Jiang Qi froze.
He realized Glaxia was making far too much sense.
So much sense that, for a moment, he could not think of a single argument to offer in return.
To the point that all his earlier worry and indecision now seemed unbelievably foolish—like the behavior of an utter clown.
Join here to read ahead.
In Star Rail, Ultra-Beast Armored — Have I Caught "Equilibrium"? l (Chapter 80)
Uma Musume, But I Only Have Five Years Left to Live (Chapter 175)
Zenless Zone Zero: I'm a Doctor, Not a Bangboo (Chapter 115)
Ben Tennyson Wants to Join the Justice League (Chapter 119)
TYPE-MOON: Redemption Beginning with the Holy Grail War (Chapter105)
Yu-Gi-Oh! — Transmigrated into the White Dragon Girl (Chapter100)
"Is this chat group even serious?" (Chapter79)
I, Lord Ravager, Utterly Loyal! (Chapter125)
Can Playing Games Save the World? 65
Crossover Anime Multiverse: The Demon Hunter of an Unnatural World 70
From Junkman to Wasteland 60
Weekly Refresh of Overpowered 31
I'm Grinding Proficiency Like 40
From Kiana, Lord Ravager, Onwa 73
Honkai: Is This Still the Prev 42
Elf: My Starter Pokémon Is Inc 55
Warhammer: My Primarch Is Remi 66
From Demon Slayer to Grand Ass 64
The Way the Umamusume Look at 63
Uma Musume, but My Cheat Power 55
Naruto: Weaving the Future, Be 45
Zenless Zone Zero, but Kamen R 31
Multiverse Crossover: The Perf 31
My Cyberpsycho Girlfriend 31
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