Chapter Twenty: The Perfect Android

The Butcher Doctor picked up the yellowed leather-bound notebook. Inside were the meticulous notes he had kept over the years on medical bionic robots. Having worked for more than thirty years, all his records detailed manuals for repairing bionic beings of unknown origin. Most who sought him out were escapees from the Floating Island. More precisely, they were not humans, but sentient bionic beings. Through years of repairs, he had discovered several types of these bionic entities.

The first type was technical, found within the academy, primarily responsible for guiding the growth of children in bionic families. The second was combat-oriented, a rare awakened type he had encountered only once. The third was the caretaker type, which had the highest rate of awakening and often played parental roles in families.

Unfortunately, despite repairing numerous bionic beings, he had yet to produce a perfect restoration. Most of these beings, once repaired and leaving his care, were quickly tracked down and recaptured by the Lingdu Federal Investigation Bureau. This current case was assigned to him by the authorities above—not because Gu Xi had come looking for him, but because he was waiting for Gu Xi to arrive. If this time he could successfully repair a nearly perfect bionic being outside of the Floating Island, they would grant him the antidote.

The thought of the antidote brought a faint, relieved smile to the Butcher Doctor’s face. Gu Xi took the leather notebook from him, leafing through it carefully. Despite his intimidating appearance, the doctor’s mind proved to be remarkably meticulous. The notebook contained his accumulated medical knowledge and experience. Gu Xi was deeply impressed after reading it.

“So, you mean, just one more chip is needed to repair Su Chen?” she asked for confirmation.

“That’s right, but that chip is quite difficult to obtain,” he replied, casually reclaiming his notebook. This was top-secret information, essentially exposing his own vulnerability to Gu Xi. There was no need for her to know anything else—she only needed to help retrieve the chip. In his current condition, if he appeared out on the street, he would surely be arrested immediately.

“Then, since it’s so hard to get, don’t bother charging me for the repair,” Gu Xi insisted. After her rebirth, she trusted no one and disliked owing anyone favors. She wished her skin were a bit thicker.

But thicker than this? the Butcher Doctor thought silently.

“You can’t think of it that way, little sister. Retrieving the chip is something you must do because you want this bionic being to live. And my repair work is a normal charge—I won’t gouge you,” he said in a low voice.

“Well, if I leave his body here, how can you guarantee its safety?” Gu Xi countered. What a stubborn girl.

Gu Xi wasn’t concerned for any other reason than that Su Chen was useful to her. Though not strong, he could create illusions with some of his abilities, and most importantly, he held a living map. Although many areas were still undiscovered, it was a map that revealed parts of the terrain—without it, finding destinations was truly inconvenient. In this world, Su Chen was like a godlike dream master. She had to have him.

“If you’re worried about safety, just carry him on your back—like when you brought him in,” the doctor replied. He knew the temperament of Gu Xi’s clan; those bearing the same tattoo as her were hot-tempered and didn’t respond well to provocation.

“Fine, I’ll carry him,” Gu Xi said coolly, reaching out to lift Su Chen.

???

This little girl was nothing like her relatives! Truly remarkable.

“Wait a moment. I’ll add you as a contact and send you daily videos of his care,” the Butcher said, conceding.

Gu Xi thought to herself that the doctor still wanted to make money.

“Quote your price,” she said straightforwardly. After all, this was the black market—she wanted to see if she could even afford the debt.

“Not much—just seven figures,” the Butcher said, hands on hips.

“You dare ask, I dare quote!” Gu Xi retorted.

“Alright, just wait,” she agreed readily. Though she said it casually, she was already thinking that once she obtained the chip, the initiative would no longer belong to the doctor.

“Tell me how to get there,” Gu Xi pressed.

“I’ll give you an address. After passing through this place, there’s a pig farm; behind the pig farm is the spot,” the Butcher explained, drawing a map with pen and paper.

In this era, anyone who still used pen and paper to map out directions was not an ordinary person.

Gu Xi studied the map carefully.

“Taolin Town…” she murmured. She would have to pass through there. It seemed urgent. Going alone was out of the question.

For some reason, she felt this place held both danger and opportunity.

“Wait, Wang Yiyi, you’re a hacker, but you don’t have a computer—how do you hack? You don’t have any devices on you,” Gu Xi asked curiously. Wang Yiyi was the only one nearby with any hint of talent.

Gu Xi was already scheming, thinking about how she might utilize her. The living map was gone for now; she had to think of another way.

“It’s not like I said that, big sister. How do you know I don’t have any devices?” Wang Yiyi felt her intelligence was insulted.

She then pulled from the back pocket of her pants a palm-sized gadget resembling a toy tool. With a few taps, within two seconds, a message flashed before Gu Xi’s eyes: “Bleh bleh bleh, I am Wang Yiyi,” accompanied by a grimace emoji.

Gu Xi raised an eyebrow at the small gesture, which Wang Yiyi noticed.

“Pfft, I’m not trying to hack you. That doesn’t mean I can’t,” she said proudly, clapping her hands.

Gu Xi hurriedly checked her system and found nothing missing—just that brief line of text that soon disappeared.

“Impressive, impressive,” Gu Xi gave a thumbs up, pretending to praise her. If Wang Yiyi were truly skilled, she would have hacked Gu Xi’s system from the start. The reason no attack had come was probably because she only understood the basics, not real skill.

“Alright, would you like to come with me to find the chip? Don’t worry about food—I’ll make sure you’re well fed,” Gu Xi invited directly.

Wang Yiyi inwardly rejoiced. She thought this was a golden opportunity—a potential meal ticket. But she kept a straight face. “Hmph, after you just doubted my skills, I need to think about it. Miss, you can’t judge a book by its cover.”

Before wandering, she was a native of Lingdu’s Shangjiang City, though fate had played a cruel joke on her, leading to her current plight.

Hearing Wang Yiyi’s coquettish tone, Gu Xi was certain she had her. This time, she extended her right hand in a friendly gesture.

“However, before we set off, I have a few conditions you must agree to. After all, Taolin Town isn’t a place just anyone can enter,” Wang Yiyi said arrogantly, hands on hips.