Little Pink Starfish

An Zhe and Lu Feng looked at each other.

Lu Feng’s expression was as cold and indifferent as ever, his gaze calm—he was serious.

An Zhe couldn’t even speak fluently anymore: “N-no… no need.”

If the suitcase had contained something else, and the Colonel suddenly decided to help, An Zhe, although reluctant to interact too much with this man, wouldn’t have refused.

But right now, the suitcase contained something… not good.

An Zhe placed his hand on the handle, trying to take it back from Lu Feng: “I can do it myself.”

“You can?” Lu Feng looked at him, long brows slightly furrowed. “You live on the first floor?”

“…I live on the fifth. But I can do it.”

Lu Feng: “Oh.”

His hand pressed over An Zhe’s fingers. An Zhe didn’t even know how he used his strength, but in an instant, his hand was knocked off the handle.

Click—the handle was swiftly pushed back into the suitcase. Lu Feng grabbed the side handle with one hand and effortlessly lifted the whole case.

An Zhe: “…!”

He said, “Really, there’s no need.”

Lu Feng: “Fifth floor?”

Right.
An Zhe realized he’d just betrayed his floor.

But before he could do anything else, Lu Feng was already walking toward the building entrance, and he could only follow. Before going in, he turned back to glance at Josie and saw the man watching them in shock and hesitation, not daring to move a step. Boss Xiao had said that if he snagged a powerful mercenary, Josie would surely avoid him—now it seemed that might be true, even though he was with a Judge instead of a mercenary, and had no actual relationship with Lu Feng.

But in just a moment’s distraction, Lu Feng had already left him behind by several steps. The Colonel had longer legs, and An Zhe had to quicken his pace to catch up as they entered the stairwell together.

To save electricity, only faint emergency lights lit the stairwell. It was dark and narrow, and the sound of the Colonel’s military boots hitting the floor echoed clearly, each step knocking against An Zhe’s heart. Based on what he knew of Lu Feng, this man would next ask, “What’s in the suitcase?”

But strangely and luckily, Lu Feng said nothing all the way to the fifth floor.

An Zhe stood at the door of unit 14, took out his ID card, and unlocked the door. The curtains weren’t drawn, and as the door opened, aurora light poured in through the window. The bright colors spread across the dark sky—mainly green, with edges refracting large bands of orange and purple. An Zhe stepped in and turned on the room’s small light. Out of human courtesy, he looked at the Colonel by the door: “Please come in.”

Lu Feng entered calmly and placed the suitcase by the wall. Looking at his expression, An Zhe felt he seemed to be in a decent mood—and showed no intention of leaving.

He tested: “Aren’t you going to continue your patrol?”

Lu Feng leaned against the wall, arms crossed, and said flatly, “No need.”

Those cold green eyes stared at him. An Zhe had the feeling the Judge still didn’t entirely believe he was human, still scrutinizing for flaws.

An Zhe asked quietly: “Then… what will you do later?”

“Return to the City Defense Office to rest,” he heard Lu Feng say.

An Zhe tried to match the human conversational tone: “You’re not going back to the Tribunal?”

Lu Feng: “Too far.”

An Zhe: “…Oh.”

Given the current situation, he felt he should invite the Colonel to sit, but he really wanted him to leave. Because in this room, there wasn’t just one Colonel—there were two.

He asked: “Then when will you leave?”

Lu Feng glanced at him.
An Zhe lowered his eyes and pursed his lips.

Lu Feng: “Pour me a glass of water.”

—Completely not a request or suggestion. This man spoke everything like a command.

An Zhe: “Okay.”

He picked up the glass on the desk and headed out. The public water room was at the far end of the corridor. As he walked, he stood in front of two buttons, one red and one blue, and pondered whether Lu Feng preferred hot or cold water.

Soon, he pressed the blue one—cold. There was no ice water here. Otherwise, he definitely would’ve gotten that.

Water in hand, he walked back slowly, filled with dread at the thought of facing Lu Feng again.

So, the Judge had carried his luggage up five flights just for a glass of water? Was he thirsty from a night patrol?

If he told Boss Xiao about this tomorrow, with that single-minded brain of his, he’d definitely say: “He wants to sleep with you.”

No…
An Zhe suddenly froze mid-step.

He suddenly remembered why Boss Xiao left the suitcase with him.

—Because Jin Sen, who had always been quietly selling phones at the black market, had suddenly become unreachable. Boss Xiao sensed something was wrong and didn’t want to bring the Judge mannequin back to the shop.

He furrowed his brows and began reviewing Lu Feng’s every move.

Judges always patrolled in groups. Like at the black market entrance, Lu Feng had three people with him. Why was he alone now? And why had he shown up specifically under his building?

And Lu Feng—this person—was always uncanny in detecting abnormalities. Yet this time, he hadn’t asked at all what was in the suitcase?

An Zhe’s hand, now on the doorknob, paused.

He had a dreadful realization.

The Judge… might have come to arrest him.

He quickly pulled back his hand and took out his communicator. AE77243—Boss Xiao’s number.

The black-and-white screen showed four characters: “Unable to connect.”

A siren blared in his mind.

Just then, from the half-open door came a cold, deathly voice: “Come in.”

An Zhe’s heart pounded wildly. He took a deep breath and opened the door.

Lu Feng was still standing in his original spot, head slightly bowed, lost in thought. The suitcase stood beside him.

An Zhe walked forward a few steps and handed over the cup: “Colonel, your water.”

Lu Feng didn’t move.

An Zhe suddenly sensed something.

He slowly… slowly turned his head toward the other side of the room.
And locked eyes with the real Lu Feng.

Lu Feng was sitting at his desk, legs crossed, in a lofty pose. A piece of paper in hand, he looked up at An Zhe.

An Zhe felt true despair.

But at that moment, all he could do was slowly step forward and place the cup on the desk: “Your water.”

Lu Feng picked it up, took a sip, then slightly frowned: “Cold?”

An Zhe didn’t want to speak. It seemed he had made another mistake.

Lu Feng set the cup and paper down, looking at him.

An Zhe quickly confessed: “I was wrong.”

Lu Feng was silent. After a full ten seconds, he said: “What crime did you commit?”

An Zhe: “I didn’t bring you hot water.”

Lu Feng said flatly: “Cold is fine too.”

An Zhe saw the flyer in Lu Feng’s hand—bloody and glaring: Oppose the Tribunal’s violence—and felt another chill in his heart. He said: “Participated in an illegal protest.”

Lu Feng: “Not that serious.”

Then… that was it. Only one crime remained.

What was the crime for making a Judge mannequin?

As he bitterly regretted not reading the Base Laws more closely, he searched for terms—mannequin, used for… not-so-good purposes.
He recalled what Lu Feng had said to Josie downstairs, and in despair, said: “…Indecent assault?”

Lu Feng’s eyes showed the faintest hint of amusement: “Read the Base Laws?”

“No.”

Lu Feng said: “Come here.”

An Zhe stepped forward.

“Hands out.”

An Zhe obediently extended them.

Short and direct again—command tone: “Put them here.”

An Zhe: “Put them where?”

“On me.”

An Zhe hesitated, then slowly placed his hand on Lu Feng’s left chest. The silver buttons and badge were cold, with faint patterns. He didn’t know why Lu Feng wanted this.

Clack.

Cold silver handcuffs snapped around his wrists.

Lu Feng, expressionless: “Indecent assault.”

An Zhe: “…?”

Then Lu Feng picked up the communicator.

“Target apprehended. One contraband item confiscated,” he said. “Come pick up.”

---

The City Defense Office’s hallway was darker and colder than the residential buildings.

An Zhe was taken to the basement floor. Under dim lighting, all around were iron doors—he realized this might be the human prison.

He was locked in one of them.

“Interrogation tomorrow.” Lu Feng locked the door. “You have ten hours to prepare your defense.”

An Zhe: “…I don’t have one.”

Lu Feng: “Thought so.”

Then he turned and left, not looking back, leaving just one sentence: “Rest well.”

An Zhe clutched the iron bars, watching Lu Feng disappear into the corridor.

Murmurs came from across the way.

“Told you, not a single one would be missed.”

“If Hubbard hadn’t gone outside the walls, he’d be eating prison food too. He made me take those photos. You both screwed me over—pay me when we’re out.”

“Go find Du Sai. She placed the order. Still owes the balance.”

“Then take me to her.”

It was Boss Xiao and Jin Sen.

An Zhe looked toward the sound, squinting in the dim light to see the two locked up across from him: “You’re here too?”

“Of course,” Jin Sen said. “I was just selling phones when the Tribunal nabbed me.”

Boss Xiao sighed: “After we split, I didn’t even reach the station before they got me.”

Jin Sen: “What about you? How’d you get caught?”

An Zhe didn’t answer.

“Master,” he said.

Boss Xiao: “What is it?”

An Zhe: “Do I really seem like someone people want to bully?”

“You’re just realizing that?” Boss Xiao said lazily. “Why ask?”

An Zhe didn’t reply. He asked: “What crime did you guys commit?”

“What else,” Boss Xiao said. “Illegal acquisition of Judge data.”

An Zhe: “Oh, that’s it.”

“What,” said Boss Xiao. “You mean you didn’t?”

An Zhe: “I did.”

Boss Xiao let out a loud laugh: “Even your voice changed. Someone bullied you, huh?”

An Zhe coldly replied: “No.”