Chapter 653

Fang Qi gritted his teeth.

When Sister An Lian had handled the maintenance check before, it hadn’t felt this bad. But this time, with someone else...

This really, really, really sucked!

At least this one was a woman...

At least, she looked like one!

Otherwise... even if Liguang had tried to stop him, he’d have thrown a punch by now!

This was just...

“Bzzzt—!!”

He was still turning things over in his head when the diagnostic device suddenly let out a loud buzz!

The instant it did, a blaze of scarlet flashed before his eyes!

The crimson light surged outward, swallowing the room and bathing everything in a dazzling red.

Fang Qi: “?!”

The screen suddenly began filling with lines of red error codes, one after another, errors flashing nonstop!

At the same time, Liguang, who had been standing quietly, gave a sudden shudder...

Her crimson eye blazed to life!

Red light poured from her right eye, casting a scarlet glow across half of her silver-haired face!

A brilliant, steady glare!

Her left eye, the amber one, remained as gentle as ever, blinking softly.

She was looking straight at Specialist S-02.

The maintenance specialist’s face was already drenched in red from the screen and the glow of Liguang’s crimson eye!

Fang Qi’s eyes flew wide open!

...What was happening?!

“—!”

He tried to ask, but no words came out... His head flared hot again!

Damn it, looks like he’d have to take action...!

...Huh?

He suddenly froze.

The new maintenance specialist, who had been so calm until now... hadn’t said a word or made a move.

She was rooted to the spot.

And...

Was she trembling?

Huh?

She was staring right back at Liguang.

Under the red glow of that crimson eye, her delicate face... Her eyes were wide open!

She was staring straight at Liguang’s red eye!

Yet apart from her eyes, the rest of her face—her brows, the corners of her mouth—still held that same calm expression.

It was a little eerie.

But Fang Qi could also see...

Her body was trembling visibly, and she had a tight grip on the edge of the diagnostic device!

She looked... frightened? Or maybe excited?

What was this...?

Suddenly, a fresh burst of deep blue code appeared on the screen!

The blue quickly covered the red error messages that had been flashing nonstop!

And at that very moment...

The crimson light in Liguang’s eye went out!

Her eyes returned to their usual gentle state.

The whole thing lasted only a few seconds.

Throughout it all, Liguang had kept smiling gently, quietly watching Specialist S-02.

Her expression never changed. Only her crimson eye had flared bright, then dimmed.

Fang Qi: “...?”

The room was no longer bathed in red. The only sound was the diagnostic device’s fan, humming as it cooled.

But Specialist S-02 was still staring at Liguang’s crimson eye.

Her body was still trembling!

Quite noticeably!

And paired with her expression, which looked almost calm, her eyes only slightly widened...

Fang Qi: “...”

...What was going on?

He could only stare, dumbfounded, as the atmosphere turned downright bizarre.

A few seconds later, Specialist S-02 gave one last little shiver and came back to herself.

She glanced unconsciously at Fang Qi, then immediately lowered her eyes...

“Tap, tap, tap.”

She resumed working on the device, fingers returning to the keyboard and flying across it.

Her expression was calm again.

On the screen, the rapidly scrolling code began to slow.

Then the data stream shifted from deep blue to a mix of blue and green, until at last...

It had all turned reassuringly green again.

The lines scrolled slowly and steadily.

Fang Qi opened his mouth, but could still manage only a breathy rasp.

...Not being able to speak felt awful. He couldn’t even ask what was going on!

So what had just happened?!

“...Mr. Fang.”

Specialist S-02 suddenly stood up and gave him a slight bow.

Her expression had fully returned to normal; there was no sign she’d been trembling just moments earlier.

She spoke calmly:

“I’ve completed a thorough examination of your AI companion’s emotional core data...”

“Your AI companion has no problems at all. She passed every single test.”

Fang Qi: “Huh...?”

He stared at the new maintenance specialist, completely at a loss.

...No problems at all?

Are you sure?

I mean...

Your computer just turned bright red, and Liguang’s eye did too!

There was a huge commotion, a glaring anomaly right in front of you...

And you’re a senior maintenance specialist, telling me there’s “nothing wrong”?

Yeah, right!

Wait!

Fang Qi’s expression sharpened as he narrowed his eyes at Specialist S-02, who was still bowing.

Could she be trying the same trick Sister An Lian had pulled before?

The kind where she told him the inspection had gone perfectly, only to leave and come right back with a group of people to cause trouble?!

He held his breath, his gaze turning dangerous.

...That had to be it! She was definitely up to something!

Absolutely not! At least, not tonight!

He had to make it until tomorrow morning, save his progress, and lock Liguang’s memories—and the hat she’d given him—safely into the save file!

Until then, nothing could go wrong!

No one was taking away the hat my wife gave me!

His heart lurched, and he immediately stepped forward, opening his mouth...

He was going to order Liguang to take her down!

She wasn’t leaving tonight. Tie her up! Tie her up and...!

“Hhk...!”

Only a hoarse rasp came from his throat.

Fang Qi: “...”

Fine.

Liguang was still standing there calmly, wires connected at her neck. She looked at him and gave a soft blink.

Specialist S-02 straightened from her slight bow, smiled at Fang Qi, and nodded.

“You can’t speak, Mr. Fang, but you look quite happy. I take it you’re relieved that your AI companion is all right.”

Fang Qi: “...”

I... I look happy?

But I was just...

...!

His eyes flickered. He held his breath.

Had he almost acted on impulse again, without thinking?

He’d nearly blurted out an order for Liguang to tie the woman up...

Tch.

If he’d actually done that, things would’ve gotten serious...

He still didn’t know what Specialist S-02 really was.

If she was... if she was like Liguang...!

Fang Qi’s gaze instantly cleared.

He took a deep breath, then gave Specialist S-02 a friendly smile and a small nod.

Still, he felt a little shaken.

If he’d really done that, there was no telling whether he’d even make it to tomorrow morning...

And even if he did manage to save his progress, tomorrow would be Hell mode!

He raised a hand to his forehead, shielding his eyes with his wrist, and shot Liguang a discreet glare.

Crazy Girl, this truth serum of yours is the real deal!

Liguang simply kept smiling, gentle as ever, and gave him a little wink.

“Mr. Fang…”

Specialist S-02 lowered her head slightly once more.

“This time, I really did disturb you so late at night. Please forgive me. To make up for it…”

She raised her eyebrows a little and looked at Fang Qi, her gaze as calm as ever.

“If you ever need anything, you can reach me anytime through Dawnlight Company’s hotline. Just give them my ID, S-02.”

“I’ll… do everything I can to help you.”

When she finished, she gave Liguang a small nod, too.

Fang Qi stared at her quiet, peach-blossom eyes.

…What was she getting at? It almost seemed like…

Suddenly, a flash of silver blocked his view!

Liguang had walked over and positioned herself squarely between him and Specialist S-02.

She smiled at Specialist S-02 without saying a word, looking for all the world like she was showing her to the door.

And so Fang Qi watched as…

Specialist S-02 immediately lowered her eyes.

Without another word, she began packing up her equipment, carefully putting each of the delicate instruments back into her toolbox.

Fang Qi watched her, momentarily dazed.

He really couldn’t make sense of what was happening.

But he had a feeling…

That last thing Specialist S-02 had said hadn’t just been a polite formality.

It seemed she wouldn’t come looking for trouble again. In fact, what she’d just said seemed to mean…

That he should get in touch with her?

Was that it?

And she seemed… serious about it.

Huh?

Or maybe he was imagining things.

With that expression, she could probably make anything she said sound serious.

Fang Qi watched her snap the toolbox shut.

…Hey, who are you, really?

The questions in Fang Qi’s mind kept piling up, crowding his throat until it felt hard to breathe.

He really wanted to ask her a few things.

Like—

Do I have to call Dawnlight’s hotline and give them your ID to reach you? Do you have a business card? What’s your name?

Are you even… human?

You’re not…?!

But he couldn’t speak, and Crazy Girl was blocking his way…

All he could do was watch as this utterly mysterious woman packed away her tools, bit by bit.

Liguang tilted her head slightly and gave him a brief glance over her shoulder.

She was making it perfectly clear that he wasn’t to approach her or even try to “talk” to her. Fang Qi felt a little helpless… but he was used to it.

Still, it was probably a good thing. If Liguang was suddenly this “possessive,” that meant…

Honey, you must’ve noticed something, right?

Once Miss 02 leaves, Liguang…

We’re going to have a long talk!

…

“Click.”

The door opened.

Specialist S-02 stood outside and bowed slightly once more, the closed silver toolbox held in her arms.

“Sorry to have disturbed you.”

Then she took one last look at the two people in the room, her gaze lightly passing over them…

And turned to leave.

Her black hair swayed beneath the hallway lights.

But at the instant she turned away, Fang Qi pressed his lips together.

This time, he was sure he’d seen it.

At the corner of her peach-blossom eyes, a flash of…

Unmistakable, deep-blue light.

The exact same deep-blue glow as Liguang’s original core.

…

He thought he’d figured out who this woman was.