Chapter 28: Chapter 28: It Seems There’s a... Female Scent?

"A little more, connect it to the slot on the left."

Alex guided Gu Ning’s hand, moving it toward the port on the left.

’The left...’ Gu Ning saw several slots on the left. Pinching the thin connector cable, she inserted it into the port. After fumbling around and comparing them for a moment, she forcefully pressed the connector head into one of the slots.

The next second, the defense unit flashed bright red and an error alarm blared.

At the same time, the cannon barrel on top of the unit slowly raised, beginning to charge up for an attack.

Gu Ning: "?!" ’Did I connect it wrong again?’

She scrambled to pull the connector out, but it was much harder to remove than it was to insert. The head was stuck fast in the slot and wouldn’t budge.

The surrounding Beastmen all looked over. Some shaded their eyes with their hands to scan the sky. The cannon barrel was tilted to its highest angle, aimed at the heavens, but they couldn’t see any flying Mutant Species.

’Are they hiding in the clouds?’ The Beastmen immediately grew vigilant.

Gu Ning was still trying everything she could to yank out the wire, breaking into a sweat from the sheer stress.

Unflustered, Alex took out a pair of pliers. SNAP. He snipped the wire.

The alarm stopped, and the cannon barrel lowered with a CREAK.

Gu Ning let out a sigh of relief and turned to look at Alex, her heart pounding with guilt.

’Messing up in front of the boss really makes you break out in a cold sweat.’

Alex saw the little Mixed Breed looking at him helplessly. He pulled out the broken connector head and handed her a new wire. "Left. Top. Slot."

He spoke to Gu Ning one word at a time. Listening to the translation in her ear, Gu Ning thought, ’This translation device really isn’t reliable sometimes. It mashes words together in longer sentences.’

’Single words are much clearer.’

Usually, when listening to Beastmen communicate, the general meaning was close enough that it didn’t matter. But the work she was doing now was extremely delicate; a single wrong word could cause a problem.

And unlike yesterday, Alex wasn’t just having her pass him tools; he was letting her do the repairs herself. She had already made several mistakes this morning.

’Looks like I’ll have to seriously study the Beastman language myself in the future. I can’t rely completely on this translator.’

This time, Gu Ning successfully connected the wire. Alex gave her an encouraging pat on the back, then used the secondary rope to pull her over to the next section.

After that, the number of mistakes Gu Ning made dropped significantly. Alex seemed to realize she didn’t quite understand some of the technical terms, so he continued to speak to her carefully, one word at a time.

After fixing another defense unit, seeing the light of the defense system activating, a sense of accomplishment welled up inside Gu Ning.

Compared to the manual labor of hauling materials and patching the wall, this kind of detailed work was a much better fit for her. And her boss, Alex, didn’t put on airs. He didn’t even scold her when she made mistakes, instead patiently teaching her again.

If it weren’t for the dangerous nature of the job, she would even think it was a pretty good one. At least she only had to deal with one Beastman, Alex.

Plus, he was very accepting of her evasiveness and silence on certain topics, never pressing her for details.

When lunchtime arrived, Gu Ning couldn’t hold it any longer and had to go to the restroom.

She couldn’t just do what the Beastmen hanging on the outer wall did—descend to the nearest tunnel entrance and relieve themselves at the edge.

She had to return to the inner wall, take an elevator down to the ground, and use the public restroom.

This was the Beastmen’s break time, so quite a few were coming and going from the public restroom, mostly those who worked on or near the inner wall.

Gu Ning waited by a corner outside the restroom for a while, dashing in only when she saw the crowd thin out.

Thankfully, the Beastmen were just straightforward, not savages. The restroom had stalls. Built to accommodate Beastman physiques, the stalls were very spacious. The hygiene and ventilation were well-maintained, and the air carried a strong smell of disinfectant mixed with a faint, grassy scent.

Gu Ning found an empty stall, darted inside, and shut the door.

After relieving herself, Gu Ning finally felt comfortable.

She flushed the toilet and was about to open the door and leave when she suddenly heard Beastmen talking outside:

"Do you guys smell that? It’s kind of like... the scent of a female?"

"I’ve been smelling it for a few days now. It can’t be a female. This is Zone 19, where would a female come from?"

"It must be a Mimic Mutant Species that’s snuck in. I’ve been smelling it every day for the past few days."

"Be careful not to get tricked by a Mutant Species. They start hunting this season."

"I’d laugh for the rest of my life at anyone who fell for a Mimic Mutant Species."

"..."

Gu Ning slowly pulled her hand back from the doorknob.

Just then, another Beastman spoke up. "We should probably report that a Mutant Species has snuck in. Has this been reported to the higher-ups?"

"It has. Management had people spray disinfectant and deodorizer several times a day, but why can I still smell it?"

"..."

After the Beastmen talking outside had walked away, Gu Ning repeatedly mashed the flush button on the toilet.

’Looks like I need to come to the restroom less often from now on. I smell like a Mimic Mixed Species inside and out. If I get mistaken for a Mutant Species this season, I’m done for.’

Every time Gu Ning flushed, the ventilation fan overhead would cycle the air.

After flushing several more times, Gu Ning finally left the public restroom and returned to the city wall.

Alex was already working when she got back. Seeing her descend, he gave her rope a little tug to help her, and once she was steady, he went back to his work.

’This guy is such a workaholic,’ Gu Ning thought. ’He was even working during the few minutes of the lunch break. I haven’t even seen him go to the restroom once.’

Seeing that their break was almost over, she pushed off the wall with her feet and moved over to assist him.

"You rest a while longer." Alex glanced at her. "I’ll call you when there’s something to do."

’An offer to slack off in plain sight? Couldn’t ask for anything better.’

Still, it wouldn’t look good to play on her terminal right next to her boss. After dangling in mid-air and spinning around a few times, she started to doze off.

Since her rope was attached to Alex’s, she felt an inexplicable sense of security. As she nodded off, she eventually fell completely asleep.

Alex heard the faint, even breathing beside him. His hands paused, and he turned his head to look.

The little Mixed Breed was clutching the safety ropes on both sides, his head tilted as he slept.

’Yesterday, he was so scared of the outer wall his legs went soft. I called him a coward, yet here he is, sleeping while hanging in the air.’ Alex wasn’t sure if this behavior was typical for a Mixed Breed.

After staring at the little Mixed Breed for a moment, a few messages popped up on Alex’s terminal. He pulled his gaze away and opened them to read.

「...」

After resting for nearly an hour, Gu Ning was pulled over by Alex to start working.

Gu Ning wiped the drool from the corner of her mouth with her bib, stretched her arms and legs, and moved around a bit to get ready for work.

Beside her, Alex suddenly said, "The public restroom is too far. From now on, use the one in my room."

Gu Ning stared at him, momentarily stunned.

Alex continued, "The break times are being shortened. There will be even more Beastmen at the public restroom. My room is much closer, and you won’t have to wait in line."

Gu Ning snapped back to her senses. ’Oh, he’s just worried I’ll waste work time.’

Alex lived in Building One, and the public restroom was located a bit behind it, so his place was indeed closer. But...

Alex cut off her thoughts. "But remember to use the deodorizer after you’re done. It’s on top of the water tank. It gets rid of all odors. I’m a clean freak."

Seeing her daze, Alex tapped her helmet. "Understand?"