C115 —- [5.10— False Them]

In the shadowy alley at the back of the pub, Zero Three’s tall body became stiff.

 

He wondered if that momentary contact just now was a misunderstanding on his part or not.

 

 

“You seem to be injured.”

 

 

As if Jiu Shu didn’t notice Zero Three’s stiffness, he narrowed his brows and looked at the patch of skin on Zero Three’s palm holding the rose that was a different colour from the surrounding area.

 

 

Seeing that the repairing ability of the new model bionic human could only recover to this extent, it was enough to see how serious the injury was when it was first sustained.

 

 

“……”

 

 

Zero Three subconsciously curled up his fingers and covered those ugly marks with his sleeves.

 

 

He didn’t want to let this young human see such a bad side of himself.

 

 

Seeing this, Jiu Shu took out a band-aid from his pocket.

 

 

It was small, but it was a token of appreciation.

 

 

“Maybe it’ll make the wound heal faster.”

 

 

Jiu Shu raised an eyebrow, his smile gentle.

 

 

Zero Three looked at the human’s white fingers reaching out towards him. He paused for a moment before carefully accepting the bandage.

 

 

 

Compared to his big, pale hand, the human’s palm in front of him was so soft and delicate that it seemed like it would melt at the touch of it, so the strength he used when receiving the bandage was extremely light.

 

 

“Goodbye then.”

 

 

Jiu Shu tilted his head, looking at the taller object of discipline, and waved his hand with a smile.

 

 

Although this body had a height of nearly one metre eight, it was still too short compared to the object of discipline in this world.

 

 

He was so short that when he stood in front of the other party, he could only see the other party’s muscular, bulging chest.

 

 

He had to raise his head to see his face.

 

 

His skin was pale, and his eyes were dark and deep.

 

 

Even with an expressionless face, the tension in his gaze could be felt.

 

 

“Bye.”

 

 

Zero Three’s voice was attractive, but his tone was flat and emotionless.

 

 

It was as if he didn’t have the slightest interest in Jiu Shu and was just saying goodbye politely.

 

 

If it were a normal person, they would probably feel dissatisfied with such a cold reception.

 

 

Instead, he just smiled, turned around, and walked into the back door of the pub.

 

 

Looking at the figure of Jiu Shu disappearing behind the door, Zero Three stood in place for a long time before lowering his eyes to look at the bandage in his hand.

 

 

It was a medical band-aid often used by the residents of the lower city and was very effective in stopping bleeding.

 

 

But it was useless to bionics.

 

 

Zero Three knew that Jiu Shu didn’t recognize his bionic human identity.

 

 

This made Zero Three breathe a sigh of relief.

 

 

This was the first gift that Jiu Shu had given him.

 

 

Perhaps it was also the last one.

 

 

Zero Three’s gaze became even softer.

 

 

He put the band-aid into the front pocket of his chest and put it together with the rose.

 

 

The night was getting darker.

 

 

The time for tonight’s support party was approaching.

 

 

Zero Three still entered the bar.

 

 

The bar was already packed.

 

 

Especially on the first floor, where Jiu Shu was located, the avid fans were sweating profusely but still looked excited, waiting for Jiu Shu’s appearance.

 

Today was the first time that Jiu Shu came to the bar.

 

 

All the fans who got the news were overjoyed and eager to see him.

 

 

Zero Three’s tall stature and transcendent human strength allowed him to gain a small area on the first floor to stand.

 

 

Amidst the noise of the crowd, his face, hidden by the hood of his hoodie, also seemed less noticeable.

 

 

Before the support party started, human idols would always sing a few songs to warm up the crowd, and this was no exception.

 

 

A figure soon came out of the dressing room.

 

 

It was Jiu Shu.

 

His face was covered with a mask that covered the lower half of his face, revealing his eyes, which were usually blocked by a mosaic.

 

 

The beautiful peach blossom-like eyes glistened in the light, mesmerizing.

 

 

The cheers from the crowd on the stage were almost earth-shattering.

 

 

Jiu Shu’s eyebrows arched and his eyes were filled with amusement.

 

 

Sitting in a high chair, he sang.

 

 

The figure of this not-so-young human was indeed, as those idols had said before, slender and tall, with a youthfulness that was in-between a teenager and a young adult.

 

 

Whether it was his arms with exposed cuffs or his collarbone at the neckline, they were all white and dazzling.
Even in the dimly lit alley just now, he looked white and flawless.

 

 

The tall figure was even just right to be completely embraced into his arms.

 

 

Zero Three looked at Jiu Shu’s figure under the light for a long time without moving his eyes away.

 

 

As Jiu Shu’s song started, the atmosphere of the scene became more and more intense.

 

 

The screams of the fans rose and fell, and as far as the eye could see, almost everyone was screaming.

 

 

“Jiu Shu! Jiu Shu!”

 

 

“Oh my god, you’re here! You’re here! I finally see you!”

 

 

“I love you, Jiu Shu!”

 

 

“Ahhhh!!!”

 

 

This kind of situation was rare in the Lower City.

 

 

Because, for the most part, the residents of the lower city were numb and apathetic.

 

 

The desire to chase after underground idols wasn’t that strong, and they didn’t easily let out screams.

 

 

They thought it was humiliating.
In their eyes, the so-called underground idols were just s-ex workers with a different name.

 

 

They weren’t as obsessed with the so-called celebrity idols as the residents of the uptown area were, who were so obsessed that they could dissipate their family’s wealth for them.

 

 

But no matter how much they despised underground idols in the past, they had fallen completely.

 

 

They could only use screams to display their hearts’ love for Jiu Shu.

 

 

The madness of the scene would occasionally give people a sense of disorientation, as if they were under some kind of compulsion, so fervent that it was as if their souls had been replaced.

 

In fact, Zero Three had always felt that Jiu Shu’s singing voice had magic power.

 

 

Unrivalled magic that would addict anyone who heard him sing, more addictive than any dr-ug.

 

 

It was so addictive that it was impossible to quit.

 

 

And even after realising this, the crowd remained willing.

 

 

Zero Three saw Seven Two in the midst of this swarming crowd.

 

 

He was screaming and calling out Jiu Shu’s name with a face full of exuberance, just like he used to chase after Xiao Tiantian.

 

 

This kind of behaviour, which would have been humiliating in the lower city, wasn’t unusual within the audience today.

 

 

 

It was because every single one of those around him revealed their infatuation with Jiu Shu.

 

 

Every single one of them loved this underground idol on stage.

 

 

They loved him beyond belief.

 

 

 

And for such a human idol loved by all, the love of a bionic man at the bottom of the social ladder seemed a little ridiculous.

 

 

“……”
Standing in the shadows not illuminated by the stage lights, Zero Three lowered his eyes, his fingers subconsciously touching the band-aid in his breast pocket.

 

 

It was a gift from Jiu Shu.

 

 

A gift that no one else had.

 

 

It was enough.

 

 

The warm-up before the support party ended quickly.

 

 

The support party would follow.

 

 

 

But due to the fact that the bar owner had given out a tonne of support coupons before when Jiu Shu wasn’t popular yet, and Jiu Shu didn’t like to see too many people, this time, only a portion of the audience would be randomly selected for the support meeting, and eligibility wouldn’t be judged according to the support coupons.

 

 

“So we’ve decided to draw lots!”

 

 

The staff said it with a smile on his face.

 

 

This made the audience with support tickets on the spot more or less lose their minds.

 

 

However, since there were still a majority of people without support tickets on the scene, the crowd still drew up the lots in order.

 

 

 

Zero Three looked at the winning sign displayed on his mobile phone, and after being stunned, he put away the support ticket in his hand.

 

 

Even though it was no longer useful to Zero Three, it was still a precious item with collector’s value.

 

 

Seven Two didn’t seem to have been drawn, so he left in a state of disorientation.

 

 

Not noticing that his companion Zero Three was also present.

 

 

There were many other bionics on the scene, and Zero Three wasn’t the most notable among them.

 

 

Jiu Shu’s singing voice was an indiscriminate attack on both humans and bionics and was even more attractive to bionics, so there were quite a few bionic fans.

 

 

There were also quite a few of them who were drawn, which made them all excited.

 

 

Even in an underground bar where nothing was forbidden, bionics were the lowest class of people, and the fact that the lottery wasn’t manipulated secretly was something to be thankful for.

 

 

The venue for the support meeting was in the hall at the back of the first floor.

 

 

That was the usual venue for human idols to hold support meetings.

 

 

It was said that there were many rooms inside that could even be used to rest with the idols.

 

 

Of course, it was usually the kind of rest that meant skin to skin.

 

 

But Jiu Shu probably wouldn’t use those rooms.

 

 

Zero Three swept his gaze over those rooms behind the hall and denied the thought that depressed his mind.

 

 

Jiu Shu wouldn’t do that.

 

 

“……”

 

 

Zero Three thought so, his head hanging low, his expression unreadable.

 

 

It was now the waiting period before the start of the support party.

 

 

Even if only a portion of them had been selected, the number of attendees at the support party was too large, and there was a long line of people in front of Zero Three.

 

 

All of them were fans who were dancing with excitement, both male and female, both human and bionic.

 

 

Zero Three tapped on his mobile phone in the gap between waiting.

 

 

At this time, there was no longer a figure of Jiu Shu on the monitor.

 

 

This actually made Zero Three a bit uncomfortable.

 

 

He was used to the feeling of being able to see Jiu Shu on his mobile phone at all times.

 

 

But he was also clear that such a habit wasn’t good.

 

 

Humans always had to have their privacy.

 

 

If Jiu Shu knew that he had spied on him like this, he would definitely gag in disgust.

 

 

He was just trying to protect him better.

 

 

Zero Three closed the surveillance screen and tapped on the other software on his phone.

 

 

It was social software that he had never used before.

 

 

During this period of time, he followed many entertainment blogs.

 

 

The reason for this was to be able to see Jiu Shu’s news at all times.

 

 

Although Jiu Shu was just an underground idol in the underground city area, as his fame grew day by day, it wasn’t just offline in the lower city area.

 

He also had many fans on the internet.

 

 

They were madly obsessed with this underground idol who had risen to fame.

 

 

Various high-definition captured pictures of his performances were put on social media platforms from time to time.

 

 

Even information about the agency’s arrangements for Jiu Shu would occasionally appear as well.

 

 

For Zero Three, who hadn’t known anything about these things, these accounts were something he had fumbled with a little bit.

 

 

He liked to see his phone filled with information about that human.

 

 

After all, he was the object of his protection, so it was only natural to have more information about him on his phone, right?

 

 

He tapped on a new account that he had recently followed.

 

The first thing that caught his eye was a message about Jiu Shu’s trip.

 

 

It was said that Jiu Shu had managed to catch the attention of many talent scouts in the uptown area.

 

 

They were working with the agency in the downtown area and were preparing to send Jiu Shu to perform on TV.

 

The first thing that was going to happen was a talk show.

 

 

Although it was just a small, unheard-of programme, it was already something that would shine for these unseen underground idols in the lower city.
Clicking on the picture in the blog post, Zero Three looked at this photo taken last night.

 

 

Under the neon light of the bar, the brilliance of the holographic projection wasn’t hidden in the slightest.

 

 

The human’s slender fingers could be clearly seen lightly picking at the strings with rounded fingertips.

 

 

Jiu Shu’s fans had always had the ability to accurately capture his charm.

 

 

Every inconspicuous detail could be displayed in photos that caught the eye.

 

 

Although Zero Three felt that it actually still couldn’t compare to what Jiu Shu looked like in reality, looking at these photos, Zero Three still clicked the save button.

 

 

It was the dream of many underground idols to be able to perform publicly on television.

 

 

In the downtown area, many human idols didn’t actually become idols because they were forced to by life; many of them also came to downtown to try their luck after being eliminated by the entertainment companies in the uptown area.

 

 

Dreaming of one day being able to step up from being an underground idol and become a truly glorious orthodox idol.

 

 

However, the gap between classes couldn’t be easily crossed, and very few underground idols were able to transfer to become real idols.

 

 

Zero Three looked at the beautifully curved lips of Jiu Shu in the picture, and his eyes became much gentler.

 

 

He felt that Jiu Shu could definitely become a true idol.

 

 

Then leave this degenerate lower city and go to the upper city, a metropolis that truly belonged to humans.

 

 

There, Jiu Shu would definitely be able to live a good life.

 

 

Not having to be targeted by the Resistance or spied on by vile bionics like him.

 

 

A life of true happiness away from the filth and nuisance of the lower city.

 

 

Zero Three’s face under his hood was obscured by shadows as he looked at the screen of his mobile phone for a long moment before putting it away.

 

 

While there was still a queue, another fan support session had already begun at the other end of the hall.

 

 

It was Xiao Tiantian’s group.

 

 

The woman with the pink hair winked in a pretentiously cute way and smiled at every fan who came up to the table.

 

 

Each person with a support ticket in their hand was able to get close enough to take a picture of her by holding her in their arms.

 

 

All the while tucking the cash in his other hand into the seam of the woman’s shirt.

 

 

This was the norm for underground idols in this bar.

 

Zero Three saw that many of the people in the queue had also seen their support scene; all of them were blushing, obviously imagining some inappropriate images for children.

 

 

Zero Three watched them in silence until the staff began to guide people in an orderly manner, then he withdrew his gaze.

 

At the other end of the hall, Jiu Shu was already sitting behind a table and waiting.

 

 

He leaned somewhat lazily against the table, turning a signing pen in his hand.

 

 

Even with the mask on, he was still too beautiful to be forgotten.

 

 

“Jiu Shu! I like you so much!”

 

 

The first fan to arrive reached out his hand and couldn’t wait to hug him.

 

 

But he was stopped by the security guard next to him.

 

 

Signalling that only signing was allowed, excluding any intimate contact.

 

 

Many fans had a lost expression on their faces.

 

 

Only Zero Three loosened the tightly curled fingers at his side.

 

 

Jiu Shu hated physical contact with people.

 

 

Zero Three realised this.

 

 

Looking at the way Jiu Shu smiled with an arched brow and signed autographs for each fan, he suddenly remembered the brief contact at the back door of the bar.

 

 

It should be that he misunderstood.

 

 

He just wanted to return something to him, so he inadvertently touched the palm.

 

 

Zero Three suppressed his accelerating heartbeat.

 

 

But by the time the group gradually reached the end and he stood in front of Jiu Shu, his heartbeat started to get out of control again.

 

“Where is it going to be signed?”

 

 

The human idol’s voice was warm, soft, and moving.

 

 

Zero Three froze, and only after a long time did he take out a cut piece of paper that was supposed to be used to fold paper flowers.

 

 

Zero Three didn’t know if Jiu Shu would recognise the texture of the paper.

 

 

“Alright, sign it.”

 

 

Apparently, Jiu Shu didn’t.

 

But this time, the movement of his fingertips across Zero Three’s palm became more pronounced.

 

 

Zero Three’s brain went blank.

 

 

It must be that he was overthinking it.
“By the way, you seem to be injured; do you need to go to the back room to rest?”

 

Just as Zero Three kept saying in his mind that he was overthinking, the human idol added with a smile.

 

The room was in the back.

 

 

The room was where those idols used to get up close and personal with their fans.

 

“!!!”

 

---

TN:

Site was moved to a different web hosting so it was down for a bit, sorry about that ✌️, I’m posting four chapters just cause 🤷‍♀️💗