I'm just an internet cafe owner

He really wanted to experience it for himself.

“Rick…”

Hugh didn't understand what Rick was doing.

In her judgment, such sentimental behavior was meaningless. But she still recorded Rick's current state, intending to observe it later.

"Alright, let's get this done and at least make sure we cover the internet fees for the next period of time."

"Good~"

If it were just Rick alone, it would take several weeks to dismantle the remains, but with Shubi there, the dismantling was completed very quickly.

Depending on the location and function of the parts, the value given by Riku and Shubi's systems is completely different. For example, the core computing 'chip' of the Machine-type is about the size of a human brain, diamond-shaped, and named the Data Core by the system. Even fragments of it can sell for 300+, and the higher the degree of completion, the higher the value. Riku once appraised Shubi.

The value of a complete machine-type machine is roughly enough for thirty humans to buy all the games available in internet cafes and play them continuously for ten years.

However, a fully programmed Mech can only be sold to itself, not by someone else. Besides, he couldn't bear to sell such an adorable Mech. An obedient Mech is far more useful than money.

Because internet access time can be exchanged for lifespan, but other races cannot exchange their intelligence for lifespan.

In eight hours, the two had disassembled and categorized all the machine guns below. However, during this process, they also had an unexpected surprise.

A complete and undamaged data core, according to the system, can be sold for a high price of 100,000 yuan.

"Rick?"

She didn't understand what Rick was thinking. Shouldn't he be happy to have obtained such a complete 'part'? Why was he pondering it now? Couldn't he just exchange it for a lot of study time? What was there to think about?

"Shubi, can we get its data?"

Upon hearing this question, Hughie shook her head: "This action is pointless; it had already uploaded all the data before the shutdown."

Is that so?

The internet cafe opened, and Liu Yuan, who was waiting for customers as usual, yawned and complained, "I told you to throw the Iron Curtain for my buildings or tanks, not for the enemy's tanks."

"You have someone living across the street from you! Who would have thought that he would run over there just as you used it?"

"Yeah, the opponent has five Black Tanks, I just send them directly."

The two were still chatting about a casual game they played before opening the shop. Liu Yuan's base was invaded by Moon 3's tanks, who wiped out all of Liu Yuan's tanks. However, Liu Yuan's tanks also managed to switch to Moon 3's base. At that moment, Kisara's Iron Curtain was just off cooldown, so whether she used it on the main base or the frontline troops, it would be a guaranteed win. 694936135

Then she gave Moon 3 Tank Iron Curtain.

The Black Tank of Moon 3 swept through Liu Yuan's house in a grand procession, and then Mu Geng was also defeated.

"Hehe~ My hands are shaking, my hands are shaking."

As the two were joking around, Rick and Hugh walked into the store.

"Boss, ship the goods."

Seeing Rick's secretive demeanor, Liu Yuan couldn't help but complain, "How many times have I told you? This is a legitimate shop, not a shady one. We sell things openly and honestly. Holy crap? You have some good stuff?"

Liu Yuan asked in surprise, "Did you just kill the living Mechs? How did you manage to gather so many parts?"

As he spoke, he glanced at Hugh, whose physical condition was excellent, with no parts missing.

How much can it sell for?

"Let me do the math? It's over 239,000, but I'll give you 240,000."

"Thank you, boss."

"No need to thank me, I'll just waive the bill you kept. But I have a suggestion."

"what?"

Tina, Minato, and Fujimaru all said that Liu Yuan's suggestion was very useful and could be a lifesaver in a critical moment.

Chapter Seventy: Hugh's Kiss? (Bonus Chapter)

"My personal advice is not to sell all these parts. Machines like Shubi can't maintain their bodies after leaving the team. If there's a problem, I can help you replace some parts. If you sell them directly, it will be difficult to buy them later. You can store them here with me first, and sell them when you need them."

If you sell it directly to the system, the system will exchange it for resources through various means. According to the system, this kind of high-tech gadget is popular in many worlds. It buys it here for 24, and can resell it for an even better price.

This shows that many parts are very useful, especially the things that the system evaluates as 'mental cores'. For the system, they might be worth 100,000 yen, but for Shubi, they could be another life.

"Is that so? Thank you for your hard work, boss."

"It's not hard work! But I'd like to remind you that if you want to store it, there is a storage fee of one hundred yuan per day for such precision electronic equipment."

This wasn't Liu Yuan charging arbitrarily; it was the standard price given by the system, and he didn't want much of it.

Rick wasn't deterred by the price; instead, he chose to sell the equipment worth 50,000 yuan and store the rest for future use.

He felt that Liu Yuan made sense. Although Fujimaru Kaori's world was also an apocalypse, she could travel through time and plunder everywhere. He couldn't do that. As an ordinary human, the only person he could use or rely on right now was Shubi.

While Liu Yuan was giving Rick advice, Kisara whispered to Hugh, "See? He's saving resources for you, spending huge sums of money every day to maintain those parts, just so that if you're ever in danger, there will be replacement parts available."

"for

"Me?"

Hughie looked at Kishou in confusion. She couldn't understand Rick's thoughts, and she had no idea what to do next.

Kisara knows that Shubi is a robot, but that doesn't stop her from doing crazy things.

She whispered in Hugh's ear, "I have a way to express my gratitude, but it can only be used on one person in your lifetime. Do you think he is someone worth spending your whole life with?"

"Shubi...is Rick's..."

This made Mu nod in satisfaction: "You're teachable. Come on, let me tell you how to do this and then..."

Kisara started coming up with bad ideas.

"Shubi, get on the plane."

Rick's call interrupted their quiet conversation. Hughie thanked Mu for the call and then followed Rick.

On their way to the plane, Shubi leaned closer to Rick and whispered, "Is Rick doing this for Shubi?"

"no!"

Rick rejected it outright because his long-cultivated closed-mindedness allowed him to lie without batting an eye.

"Is that so, Rick?"

"what happened?"

Rick turned to look at Shupi. Shupi waved, gesturing for him to come closer.

He thought Hugh had some secret to tell him, so he moved closer.

"chirp"

Feeling the slightly cool sensation on his face, Rick widened his eyes and looked at the girl beside him.

"What are you doing?"

"The internet cafe manager told me that kissing is a way to express gratitude to someone who can be with you forever. Thank you."

"???"

Rick instinctively looked at Kisara, who was whistling and looking up at the sky.

Liu Yuan, standing to the side, looked down into Mu Geng's eyes and said, "Our dear Miss Geng!"

"Hey? Boss? What's wrong?"

The coquettish tone of the voice made Liu Yuan's smile even brighter: "Are you the one corrupting the guests?"

"What do you mean by 'teaching bad things'? I'm just helping Shubi understand her own feelings. Boss, don't talk nonsense."

"Heh, you dare to do it but not admit it? In that case, don't blame me for being ruthless."

Liu Yuan clenched his fists and, as if possessed by Shin-chan's mother, pressed them against Kisara's temples and began drilling.

"save…!!!"

Accompanied by Kisara's screams, the shop's beautiful day began. Customers who entered later, seeing Kisara's pitiful state, invariably thought, "You've angered the boss again."

"Miss Kisara is being reckless again."

Saying things like that, Kisara covered her face, feeling like this demon couldn't stay in the shop anymore. She channeled her grief and anger into her appetite, eating three bowls of rice at noon as if eating two more bowls would make her pay for it.

A kiss—a simple yet complex act. In a family, a kiss from an elder represents care for the younger generation. A kiss between lovers represents their love for each other. So, what about Schwi's kiss to Rick?

Rick was in a daze all day after being kissed like that. He got slaughtered in Red Alert with Hugh, and when he made a mistake while rolling in Elden's Ring, he was stabbed to death by a soldier.

These were all mistakes he shouldn't have made, yet he made them all. Even after closing time that evening, as he followed Huggies out of the store, he still hadn't recovered.

“Rick~”

"Huh? What's wrong?"

Rick snapped out of his daze and looked at Shubi beside him, his face turning slightly red, especially when he looked at her mouth.

He himself did not notice that, compared to before, his eyes had become more spirited, and at the same time, there was a person, or rather, a machine race, deep within his eyes.

Even Liu Yuan himself couldn't understand fate, let alone Rick. In the years he had been the village leader, only 48 people had died, a number worthy of praise in the history of humankind. Yet, even so, it gradually closed him off, until now.

"Is Rick out of sorts today because of me?"

"... "

Rick looked at Shubi, who had a human appearance but no human inner qualities. Despite being a machine without emotions, the simulated emotions were indistinguishable from reality. In this situation, he couldn't tell whether it was real or an illusion.

"Ah."

Rick denied his feelings for the first time: "Because you are my tool, and if the tool malfunctions, I will be very troubled."

This made Shubi hug me: "Shubi belongs to Riku~"

"Hey, hey, hey, what are you doing?"

"Shubi belongs to Rick~"

"It's a tool~"

"It's Rick's~"

"tool!"

After repeating this several times, Rick silently shut his mouth. Whether he couldn't win the argument with Shubi, or had tacitly accepted the relationship, who knows? Aside from those with the special ability to read minds, no one could understand what Rick was thinking.

After they left, Liu Yuan faced a difficult choice.