novellk Chapter 20 Hehe, I'm sorry.
Chapter 20 Hehe, I'm sorry.
Aaron and Zeli had been traveling together for less than half an hour when Aaron started missing Jinx.
Compared to the noisy blonde girl in front of her, Jinx is still too "quiet"!
At most, Jinx would grab Aaron and ramble on when she was having a fit, or pick at the loose threads on Aaron's clothes.
And what about Zeli?
From the moment Aaron and the other side teamed up to defeat the armored monster, to the moment Aaron found a large box to pack the monster's corpse and prepared to take the materials to Fugen Tavern, Zeli's mouth never stopped!
They were either reliving the thrill of the battle or expressing their admiration for Aaron.
Even when Aaron was too tired to pay attention to her, she still kept talking, explaining how she got inspiration from Aaron's inventions and then modified the electrician's gun.
What drove Aaron even more crazy was that, because he knew Zeli's backstory, he casually mentioned, "You can make the electrician's gun discharge electricity mainly because of your magical talent," which completely unleashed the little girl's wildest ideas—
You actually knew I could use magic?
You know so much about magic! I want to learn magic from you!
It's okay if I don't learn magic, but can I learn how to invent and create?
……
In short, when Aaron, pushing his wheeled wooden box, saw the outline of Fugen Tavern in the distance, he was completely convinced that Zeli was a more troublesome fellow than the armored monster!
Aren't the children tired?
"Alright, I don't see any of those monsters here, so we're safe for now."
Aaron breathed a sigh of relief.
He glanced at Zeli, the implication being: you should go back.
Aaron learned from Zeli that this armored monster, which ordinary people could not deal with, was created by Smitch, who should have disappeared by now.
Aaron's immediate priority is to return to Fugen's Tavern to rest and then tell Hilco about Smith's news.
Then he had to continue searching for Jinx without stopping.
As things stand, finding Jinx is the same as finding Caitlin, and finding Caitlin means the situation won't be blown out of proportion.
Imagine if Caitlyn were to run into trouble again at this critical juncture when Smitchi, whose intentions are unclear, returns to Zaun. Piltover might very well intervene directly within Zaun.
When the Piltover people discover what Hillco has done, Aaron's years of hard work will be ruined, and his wish to create a good research environment will be shattered!
Of course, the most crucial thing is...
"Everyone has emotions, and with emotions, it's inevitable to have biases."
Aaron muttered to himself.
He knew in his heart that whether it was the armored monsters in front of him or the potential war between the two cities in the future, he always had a way to deal with or avoid them, and he always had the confidence to face them.
But the most important thing is, Jinx... Jinx can't be hurt!
Nine years of living together day and night had long made Aaron forget his original intention to change Jinx; he only wanted to make this troublesome little devil from the original storyline cause some trouble.
Now that he has personally faced that armored monster, what he can't let go of the most is Jinx, who is very likely still lingering in Zaun.
If those monsters target Jinx, will she be able to survive?
If I hadn't been that late, would things have turned out differently...? Sigh.
Aaron stopped his internal struggle, kicked open the wall of the backyard of the Fugen Tavern, and pushed the monster's coffin inside.
He forced himself not to think so much.
But when Aaron's eyes caught sight of the prototype of the Cheng Ying tactical mech piled up in the backyard, he couldn't help but let his thoughts wander:
If Jinx is really in danger, I'm afraid I'll have to let down the original world behind the black box.
Because it's difficult for him to avoid violating his bottom line, he will inevitably forcefully submit the order that is not yet perfect.
Once an order is submitted, the black box system will use the final submitted order as a blueprint and send him an identical finished mecha.
If we also consider the new samples that will be provided in the next order, I will gain a huge boost in combat power, enough to shake up the current power structure of Zaun!
By then, he can protect... Jinx?!
Aaron was contemplating what he should do in the worst-case scenario when he suddenly looked up and saw a scene that left him completely stunned—
I was just talking about Jinx, and here she is, standing in the backyard of Fuchsburg Tavern!
and……
"Uh, you, you're back, Aaron."
Jinx stepped over the debris and laboriously wiped Caitlin's hair, who was half a head taller than her.
Upon seeing Aaron, she felt the awkwardness of being caught red-handed by her family for doing something wrong, and her eyes darted around, trying to change the subject.
"The weather's nice today! You're back so early, hehehe."
……
Touching reunion scenes only exist in stories.
In fact, when Aaron saw Jinx and Caitlyn safe and sound, and in his own home, besides letting go of the heaviest burden in his heart, his first reaction was actually...
"You better tell me the truth!"
Aaron's tone was a mixture of relief and barely suppressed annoyance. He rushed up to Jinx, grabbed the girl's face with both hands, and rubbed it hard.
"I only didn't come home to you one night, and you went to Piltover and kidnapped Caitlin? Huh?!"
"Do you know the consequences of doing this! Do you know what will happen if you get caught by law enforcement! Do you know…"
As he spoke, Aaron softened his voice.
Do you know how worried I was?
He saw that Jinx neither dodged nor resisted, but just looked at him with a pitiful expression, letting him pull at the corner of her mouth. In the end, he couldn't bear it and spoke his mind.
Yes, none of the reasons mentioned above really matter.
Aaron never took Piltover's relationship with Zaun or those seemingly imposing law enforcement officers seriously.
Otherwise, he wouldn't have criticized Hilko for not prioritizing things and fantasizing about appeasement and reconciliation with Piltover.
The only person he cares about is Jinx.
Just as he had just thought, he would rather give up his nine years of persistence and turn that still imperfect mecha design into an immediate combat capability than see Jinx get hurt.
The fact that the girl was standing safely in front of her was already the best news...
"Hehe, sorry."
Realizing that Aaron had calmed down, Jinx finally dropped her previous pitiful expression and put on a sly smile again.
She winked at Caitlin, who was standing beside her in a daze, indicating that the crisis was over.
Just as Aaron understands Jinx very well, Jinx also has a "noble aura against Aaron"—whenever Aaron gets angry, she doesn't resist at all and looks at Aaron pitifully.
This trick always works, even Aaron himself is unaware of it.
"Alright, now that you're safely home, we can talk about everything else later."
Aaron had long since given up on dealing with Jinx, who was so stubborn, so he simply stopped arguing with her.
He waved for Zelly, who was still by the box, to come over, then glanced at Caitlyn, who seemed to be getting along well with Jinx, before turning and walking upstairs.
With Jinx's matter resolved, his biggest psychological burden has been lifted, and now it's time to deal with the armored monster.
Aaron believed he had some understanding of the monsters' weaknesses.
He needed to find Hilko and have a serious talk with him, to get him to react immediately to Smitch's reappearance, and absolutely not allow those monsters to slaughter Zaun...
"Hey, Aaron."
Aaron had just climbed two steps when he suddenly heard Jinx calling him from behind.
He turned around and saw the blue-haired girl pointing to the upper floor of the tavern: "Are you looking for Hillco? I already looked for him when I got Caitlin a towel."
Jinx spread her hands and shrugged.
"That's strange, he doesn't seem to be home today."