Chapter 62: Bulletproof Vest

Chapter 62: Chapter 62: Bulletproof Vest

The moment Xiang Yi stepped into the Southwest City District, he noticed someone glance his way and then bolt.

Before long, Du Bingtian materialized out of nowhere with a grin plastered across his face. "Big Brother Du Bingtian, what brings you here?" he asked, sidling up to Xiang Yi.

The greeting nearly made Xiang Yi choke. He hadn’t expected yesterday’s offhand use of Du Bingtian’s name to come back and bite him this fast.

He kept his expression neutral. "Take me to the place from before."

"Sure thing."

Du Bingtian immediately fell into step ahead of them, playing the eager errand boy to a tee.

Several of his so-called "brothers" had died just yesterday, yet here he was, acting like none of it had ever happened.

Then again, that probably meant the robot had accepted the offer to cooperate.

The three of them reached the hardware store quickly.

The rolling shutter out front had been replaced with a new one, though the inner metal panel hadn’t been swapped out yet.

Xiang Yi walked in and dropped himself casually onto one of the shop’s equipment units. The robot greeted him as if yesterday had never happened. "What do you need?"

"Just came to check on things. The rest of the city district seems to have a lot more patrol vehicles than before, but it looks like nothing’s changed out here."

"This area was written off a long time ago. The cops won’t come near the place, so of course there are no patrols."

"Things are going to get turbulent soon. If you want to stay safe, stop wandering into the city district."

The robot almost sounded like it was looking out for his health — which just went to show how valuable that Blood Crystal really was.

"I can see it’s getting dangerous in there, but I still have to go."

"Why are you so fixated on getting into the city?"

"I already told you."

"Legal residency status?"

"That’s right."

"That’s not something you can just walk in and get," the robot said, sounding genuinely puzzled. "You need connections, bribes, the right people in your corner. How would someone from outside ever get legal status that easily?"

"Honestly, legal status doesn’t matter that much. Plenty of people survive in the city without it."

It was pretty clear the robot had pegged Xiang Yi as some kind of fugitive who’d slipped in from elsewhere.

"But I’m not just looking to survive."

The robot listened, then extended one of its mechanical arms and pointed toward the door.

The faint wail of sirens drifted in from outside.

"Then wait a while."

A place that’s truly safe doesn’t need a heavy guard presence. When that kind of presence starts showing up in force, it means something has already happened — or is about to.

That was what it was getting at.

Xiang Yi had already felt it in his gut. The robot’s words only confirmed what he’d been thinking.

He’d have to be a lot more careful over the next few days — possibly longer.

But when whatever was shaking this city finally broke wide open, that would be his window.

The robot didn’t bother with more small talk. It turned back to the workbench and resumed what it was doing. "If there’s nothing else, I have work to get back to."

"Actually, there is." That stopped the robot in its tracks.

"What about the things I had Du Bingtian bring you yesterday?"

"I ran a basic check on the material properties. A more precise analysis is still being handled — I can’t give you a full report yet."

"The quality is good, but the quantity is way too small. There’s not enough to run proper tests or make anything worthwhile."

"You got it for free and you’re still complaining?"

"You can never have too much of something good. If you can keep supplying Abnormality Material like that, I can introduce you to someone with real pull in the city. They might be able to help with what you’re after."

Xiang Yi recalled the robot mentioning yesterday that legal status could only be issued by officials in the city’s population bureau. So this big shot was some kind of official...

"I’ll need to think about it."

Same problem as yesterday — he still couldn’t bring himself to fully trust the robot.

He had no idea who this supposed VIP actually was, or whether the person even existed.

And he had no clue how much more material he’d be expected to hand over. Handing things over blindly was absolutely out of the question.

"Suit yourself." The robot didn’t push it. "Anything else?"

"Yeah. I want to buy some gear from you."

"What kind?"

"If you’ve got guns, I’m guessing you’ve got body armor too?"

The changes sweeping through the city district, combined with the robot’s unusual setup and whoever was pulling its strings, had brought him to this conclusion.

After all, if the robot got torn apart, whoever was operating it would walk away just fine. But Xiang Yi had no robot to hide behind — he had to show up in person and take the risks himself.

He might be a Spiritual Ability User, but his body was just as fragile as any ordinary person’s.

He could get hurt. He could die.

The whole escape from prison had driven that point home. He needed something to keep himself alive.

Body armor was the most practical option he could actually get his hands on right now, and it seemed like exactly what the situation called for in the days ahead.

"I do have some, but now that you mention it — I’m starting to think I got the raw end of the deal by not shooting last time."

"Maybe. If your aim’s good enough, you might’ve dropped me with one shot. But this one definitely wouldn’t have made it."

Xiang Yi jerked his chin toward Du Bingtian.

Du Bingtian looked between the two people he absolutely could not afford to cross and forced out the most pained smile he could manage.

"Fair point."

"I’ve got a few different models. What are you looking for?"

Xiang Yi thought for a moment, then ventured, "Power Armor?"

The robot twitched — whoever was operating it from behind the scenes had clearly been caught off guard by that one.

"What exactly is going on in your head?"

"Can’t a person dream?"

"Dream all you want. Let’s see you actually find Power Armor somewhere."

"I’m joking."

Xiang Yi quickly steered the conversation back on track.

Though honestly, it wasn’t entirely a joke. He really did want Power Armor.

Pretty much anyone who’d ever gotten into sci-fi had probably imagined what it would feel like to wear a suit of it.

Xiang Yi was no different. In the world he came from, it had been nothing but a fantasy. But in this world...

If he couldn’t buy it, maybe building one himself wasn’t completely out of the question.

With his learning ability, given enough time and the right resources, he was confident he could figure out the relevant tech. Materials and equipment were the only real sticking points.

But he didn’t have time for any of that. For now, he needed to buy himself a vest.

"Something that can stop the caliber of the rifle I walked out with last time."

The robot had no face to speak of, but Xiang Yi could tell the person behind it wasn’t happy — clearly that particular memory had just resurfaced.

"As it happens, I’ve got exactly one piece like that. Bingtian, go grab it for me."

Du Bingtian scrambled out the door at the word.

A short while later, he came jogging back in, arms full of a vest that looked heavy and well-worn.

"Military surplus, older hard-plate model. Made with a composite metal using solid-state liquid iron — an advanced-grade material. They managed to keep the weight down while still giving it better protection than standard alloys."

A sharp pain flashed through Xiang Yi’s head, and a chunk of new memories about advanced-grade materials surfaced.

Advanced-grade materials were one tier in the Federation’s classification system.

The Human Federation divided materials into three tiers: Standard, Advanced, and Special.

Standard materials covered everything discovered and manufactured before the space age.

Advanced materials were those discovered only after humanity entered the space age — superior in properties to Standard materials and significantly more expensive.

Special materials were extraordinarily rare, found only on specific planets within certain Star Systems, and generally the most powerful of their kind.

As for Abnormality Material, Xiang Yi found nothing in his memories that matched it.

It didn’t seem to fall under any of those three tiers — it appeared to be its own separate category entirely.

Even Standard-material body armor had long been capable of stopping a 7.62mm rifle round. Advanced-grade would only perform better.

"Let me try it on."

The robot gestured for him to go ahead.

Xiang Yi shrugged off his outer jacket and, with Shi Tie’s help, worked his way into the vest. The plates were rigid to the touch.

Under his jacket, it was barely noticeable. It didn’t really change his silhouette — you’d never guess it was there just by looking at him.

There was a new weight pressing down on him, but somehow that weight felt reassuring.

"It’s kind of heavy."

"Of course it’s heavy on you. This is more your bodyguard’s size."

"He doesn’t need it. My life’s worth a little more than his."

Xiang Yi shifted around, getting a feel for the vest.

"How much?"

"Twenty thousand."

"You’re robbing me."

"Take it or leave it."

He couldn’t leave it — not when his life was on the line. But twenty thousand was steep.

"Fifteen thousand."

The words had barely left his mouth before the robot extended its hand. "Give it back."

"Sixteen thousand."

The robot didn’t budge. Hand still out.

"Seventeen thousand. That’s my final offer."

"Deal."

The robot finally nodded and pulled out a terminal to complete the transaction — seventeen thousand Federation Coins.

That left Xiang Yi’s account at three thousand seven hundred and eighty-two. Barely enough for basic necessities. He needed to find a way to make money, fast.

"Do you carry tritium fuel?"

"Not in stock. I can order it — put down a deposit now and pick it up in a week."

"Never mind, then."

Waiting a whole week wasn’t worth it. Better to check in with Ning Ye first and see if anything had come through on that end.

"Then we’re done here."

Xiang Yi had asked everything he needed to ask and bought everything he needed to buy. He turned and walked out of the hardware store.

The whole way back, he heard sirens more than once, and more than once he spotted patrol vehicles rolling through the city district with guard robots riding along.

Even near the city wall on the outer edges, he could see patrols making their rounds.

Things were getting more dangerous out there by the hour.

A storm was coming.

He needed to move fast — gather resources on every front, whether that meant survival supplies or people he could count on.

Right now, he had a shallow trading relationship with the robot. It claimed to have connections that could get him legal status, but there was no proof, nothing he could truly rely on.

He also had whatever was left of his arrangement with Ning Ye — though whether that was still going anywhere, he wasn’t sure.

Two days in, and this was the best he’d managed. He knew it wasn’t nearly enough. None of this was going to get him off this planet.

So what other resources could he actually get his hands on right now?

And if legal status turned out to be permanently out of reach, he’d have to think harder about his options.

Was he prepared to settle in for the long haul on this planet? Or did he risk something far more dangerous — sneaking off on an illegal ship?

Whatever he decided, whatever came next — right now, he needed rest.

After last night’s exertions, his body felt even more worn down today. The lingering aftereffects still hadn’t fully cleared.

One good night’s sleep.

Tomorrow, he had to make a trip outside the city.