Chapter 41: The Ownership of the Mecha

Before Shi Chan could take Xi Ming to the activity room, Cheng San had already pushed a wheelchair back, with Wu Hongyuan following beside him.

“This wheelchair is for you,” Wu Hongyuan said, pointing at the brand-new wheelchair in Cheng San’s hands. At the same time, he handed a book to Shi Chan, repeating the same phrase, “This is for you.”

Hearing the phrase “for you” repeatedly, Shi Chan understood their intentions. Looking at the simple wheelchair, a hint of surprise flashed across his face, and he smiled. “Thank you.”

He had been wondering how to find an alternative for Xi Ming’s wheelchair.

Shi Chan didn’t even have time to look at the book. As soon as he received the wheelchair, he gently placed Xi Ming in it, bending down to adjust his position to make him more comfortable. With a smile in his eyes, he expressed his gratitude again.

After carefully smoothing his hand over Xi Ming’s body to ensure there were no discomforts, Shi Chan finally turned his attention to the book.

Wu Hongyuan had given him a basic language learning book meant for children. Of course, it wasn’t one of those high-tech interstellar books with built-in holograms—just a thin, paper book filled with colorful images and words, without any accompanying audio recordings.

Flipping through a few pages, Shi Chan deduced from the vibrant illustrations and simple phrases that it was a beginner’s language textbook designed to help him learn the local language.

“This is very useful to me too. Thank you!”

Falling into an unfamiliar place where he couldn’t understand the language meant their lives would undoubtedly be difficult. But with Wu Hongyuan and the others’ help, Shi Chan and Xi Ming quickly found stability and a safe place to recover. Shi Chan was truly grateful.

After a brief exchange, they parted ways. Shi Chan thought about the first time he met Wu Hongyuan and had noticed the training methods they used to enhance physical fitness. He now had a vague idea of how to repay them.

Squatting down, he tucked Xi Ming’s clothes in place, his face showing confidence in their future. Speaking in the common language, he said, “Brother Ming, this wheelchair might not be as comfortable as your original one, but it looks like they don’t have the kind of advanced technology we had in the Empire. Their tech level seems quite low. I’ll check if I can modify it to make it more comfortable for you.”

“Also, Wu Hongyuan gave me a language textbook. With this, I should be able to learn their language quickly, at least enough for simple conversations. Our lives will be much easier once I can communicate.”

“This place doesn’t seem to be a regular residential area; the living conditions are quite basic. From what I’ve observed, it looks more like an outpost. Since our supplies are delivered from outside, that means there must be a nearby residential community. I think it’s that cluster of buildings we saw earlier.”

“They asked me before if I wanted to go there, but you were still unconscious at the time, so I refused. Now that you’re awake, maybe we should consider going there in a while. The living conditions should be better.”

“But I still want to live alone with you, even if we don’t go out much. Just like when we lived in that small cabin on the starship—just the two of us. No matter how the outside world changes, I just want to stay with you and recover together.”

As Shi Chan spoke, he kept an eye on Xi Ming, but there was no reaction from him. Shi Chan’s expression dimmed for a moment before he quickly cheered himself up again.

“Brother Ming, if we’re going to leave, we should wait until I’ve learned the language well enough. Also, we need to get Wu Hongyuan’s contact information or address. They’ve helped us a lot, and if we get the chance, we must repay them.”

For Shi Chan, karma mattered. Revenge had to be taken, and kindness had to be repaid.

“I don’t know what the medical facilities are like here. Ideally, you should get checked at a hospital, but I still don’t even know what star system we’re in. I just hope this place has no connection to the Empire or the Federation—then we can truly focus on recovering.”

Shi Chan let out a silent sigh. He had developed the habit of talking to himself while trying to wake Xi Ming from his coma, and it seemed he would need to keep it up.

“Sometimes, I feel like we’ve fallen into a terrible situation. But then I also think, at least we survived.”

His voice grew quieter. “But maybe it’s because I’m not the one who’s completely paralyzed that I can say ‘at least’ so easily. If I were the one lying there, if I had experienced what you went through, I doubt I could handle it as well as you.”

The stronger someone was, the harder it was to accept being utterly powerless and dependent on others.

Shi Chan could still remember Xi Ming’s commanding presence in battle, piloting his mecha through the vastness of space. He could still picture Xi Ming in the command room, making strategic decisions with unwavering confidence…

But the tragic reality was that a hero had fallen. And instead of receiving flowers and honor, he was met with slander, humiliation, and a fate drowned in blood and darkness.

From the moment Shi Chan first heard of Xi Ming’s downfall to this very day, he had never stopped feeling anger and sorrow on his behalf.

Xi Ming was meant to soar freely through the stars.

Shi Chan had initially planned for a quiet life, but the more time he spent with Xi Ming, the stronger his rage became.

Seeing Xi Ming completely unresponsive, a burning fury surged in Shi Chan’s chest.

Why should a hero who defended the Empire be left crippled?
Why should a warrior who fought off the insectoid invasion be cast aside by the very nation he protected?

If fate refused to favor Xi Ming, then Shi Chan would.
If the world tried to crush Xi Ming, Shi Chan would fight against it.
If even death tried to claim Xi Ming, Shi Chan would drag him back from its grasp.

He would restore Xi Ming to the pinnacle he belonged to!

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The wheelchair had at least solved Shi Chan’s immediate problem.

Although Xi Ming still spent most of his time in bed recovering, having the wheelchair made it much easier to take him to the bathroom, wash up, and get some sunlight.

Since the public bathhouse only provided hot water at scheduled times, Shi Chan couldn’t bring Xi Ming to bathe with the others. Instead, just like before, he fetched water daily and helped Xi Ming clean up in their room.

But compared to the hurried routine from before, he now had time to talk to Xi Ming while fetching water. He also took the opportunity to ask others about the pronunciation of words from the textbook.

With pronunciation, written characters, and illustrations all available, coupled with his excellent memory, Shi Chan’s vocabulary in the new language grew rapidly. Within a few days, he could already understand parts of conversations.

Even as he learned the language, Shi Chan continued treating Xi Ming with his spiritual energy. He used half of it to cleanse radiation from Xi Ming’s body and the other half to heal his injuries, keeping only a small portion for himself.

The radiation levels were decreasing, but the bad news was that Xi Ming’s body was not significantly improving. Shi Chan’s energy could prevent his condition from worsening, but not heal him completely.

Xi Ming’s mental state was also terrible, as if he had completely given up. That was one of the main reasons for his slow recovery—if even his consciousness had surrendered, his body would naturally decline.

As Shi Chan watched Xi Ming’s condition deteriorate, he grew increasingly anxious.

A few more days passed, and Shi Chan could now hold basic conversations. Around that time, Wu Hongyuan told him that a supply truck would arrive the next day, offering them a ride to the nearest residential area.

Glancing at the lifeless Xi Ming, Shi Chan made up his mind.

They needed a new environment.

But just before their departure, a dispute arose over the ownership of the mecha.

Since the mecha belonged to Xi Ming, Shi Chan naturally intended to take it with them. However, another rescue team’s leader, Zu Jiang, disagreed, demanding that the mecha be left behind as “payment” for their stay.

Shi Chan’s face darkened.

“That’s mine.”

If he were at full strength, he would have simply stored the mecha in his spatial storage and left with Xi Ming immediately.

Now, he had no choice but to fight for it.