I Can Read Minds But Will Not Be Marked - Chap 1

Chapter 1: Number M2742

“The General’s back!”

When the person next to him said this, Lin Han was sitting by the machine conducting a routine test. He was wearing dust-proof glasses, staring intently at the dashboard and taking notes from time to time. The title that resounded through the stars from other people’s mouths didn’t seem to affect him in the slightest.

A few teenagers from the apprenticeship were talking feverishly about something. He didn’t listen carefully but thought it should be related to the upcoming celebration feast.

Since the Empire’s complete domination of the M System, one name had been resounding from the beginning to the end – he was the youngest General of the Empire, the sharpest spear, the invincible sword, the hardest armor, the blade that cut the brambles and symbolized victory.

Another nebula once circulated that as long as He YunTing stood, then he was the absolute defense of the M Galaxy – unless you were willing to block an entire planet to deal with him alone.

…As a result, there was really a certain small planet that tried to be insolent and tried to unite with the Star Pirates to crush him. Unfortunately, before either side could launch a general attack on him, General He took the initiative with an elite battle group by his side and wiped out the other side in one fell swoop.

Except for the General’s personal mechas, which were slightly damaged by the despicable Star Pirates, there was no further loss.

And today was the day of his triumph.

—

Lin Han lowered his eyes, put away the data logbook he had with him, took off his glasses, and breathed a very light sigh of relief.

The aftermath of doing something for a long time with high intensity was that at the end of the day, one would feel very tired. He pinched his eyebrows, a trace of tiredness inlaid with his expression.

The trainee researchers who were discussing on the side were talking about how General He drove his mechs and brought his most trusted men together to kill the enemy camp, and was absolutely invincible… After seeing Lin Han walk over, the group’s discussion came to an end.

They knew that Lin Han wasn’t interested in anything but mecha designs and repairs.

A teenager who could read people’s expressions and body language said tentatively, “Teacher Lin, are you still not going back today? Do you want to go and rest for a while first? By the way, your gloves.”

Lin Han nodded, said “Yes”, took the white gloves placed on the console, very careful not to touch the hands of teenagers, and asked, “When will the damaged mechas be delivered?”

“In about half an hour.”

Lin Han looked up at the time while putting on the white gloves.

Everyone seemed to be quite understanding of his mysophobia as well, and one of the teenagers bowed politely to him with a slight cunning flash in his eyes, “Then, Teacher Lin, do you see now…”

Lin Han, of course, knew what the teenager meant, and didn’t make things difficult for the other as he smiled gently, “I know. You guys have also worked quite hard today, and the next job you’re unable to do. Go back early, I won’t keep you.”

Hearing these words, the eyes of several teenagers immediately brightened up a few shades, not even hiding the excitement on their faces, “Yes, Teacher Lin! Don’t stay up too late either!”

Lin Han bent his eyes for a moment and patted one of the teenagers on the shoulder with his long, slender fingers wearing white gloves, “Okay. Be safe on the way.”

The third floor of the research institute was immediately filled with the chattering voices of the teenagers, and this time Lin Han heard clearly that the topic did revolve around the General who was known as the Imperial Blade.

Lin Han had a good personality, and after teaching them for a month, those who had admired him before hadn’t lost their admiration, but were much bolder and could say many things to his face.

Some of the teenagers would add actions when they got excited, eager to let the listener know how brave and martial General He really was; and the listener also nodded repeatedly, full of admiration. As they talked, they left the gate and walked together toward the place where the communal craft was moored, while Lin Han withdrew his gaze and returned to the position he had just left from.

He was more concerned about the damaged mechas that were about to be shipped over than the General.

It was getting late, and these days, the nights came unannounced.

Lin Han looked up at the canopy that had lowered at some point.

The starry sky of the empire seemed to stay the same forever. It was clear that he was living on one of the richest planets in the M System, but he still wanted to look up at the stars.

The sky was gray and dull, and it would light up before it was morning.

Although he did have a few cleanliness issues, they weren’t as exaggerated as the rumors said. He took off his gloves and looked down at his hands when no one was around.

The skin on the back of his hands was very thin, his bones and joints were well-defined and he had long fingers, with a cool pale hue.

These hands looked no different from others.

Only he himself knew—

These hands were hiding a secret.

—

At this moment, the door of the cubicle opened and another person wearing the same institute uniform as Lin Han walked in and brought him a nutrient, “Still not finished?”

“Thanks.” Lin Han saw the man coming, put his gloves back on, and took it while replying, “The mecha that needs repairing will be here soon, so I have to take a look.”

Shen XiuNan said, “The General’s back now, so we shouldn’t be in a hurry… forget it, it’s useless to talk to you. Such a workaholic.”

Lin Han responded, unscrewed the nutrient, and took a sip, and even though Shen XiuNan specially picked a less unpalatable taste for him, his body still physically didn’t like this stuff. Lin Han couldn’t help but frown slightly, but still continued to finish the entire nutrient drink, “You can go first.”

Shen XiuNan gave him a worried look, wanting to say something.

Lin Han, of course, knew what he wanted to say and gave his friend and colleague a placating look, “You can leave work early, I’ll check everything. I don’t have anything to do when I go home anyway.”

“Sometimes I really think you’re a machine.” Shen Xiu Nan pursed his lips and spoke slowly, with some doubt and dissatisfaction, “You really treat the Institute as your home, not to mention when you go home, you go home to guard your pile of mecha parts and academic materials. It’s no different from being at the Institute.” He paused and added, “But it’s the General’s mecha that’s being sent over… Honestly, if I had the ability to fix it, I would want to see it up close.”

Lin Han didn’t answer, only slightly lowered his eyes, not displaying any other emotions, neither anger nor defensiveness. He stood straight, wearing the Institute’s white uniform on his lean body, his hair, and eyebrows a pure and quiet thick black. The chest plate on the top left was engraved with his identity — position, gender, and mental strength.

Imperial Mecha Institute Core Mecha Designer, Omega, Mental Power: SSS.

There were many labels affixed to him: Omega’s almost impossible mental power; the highest scorer hired by the Institute in recent years; mecha genius; a gentle, beautiful, humble personality; and a cleanliness fetishist who wears white gloves all the time.

“But that said, the General’s exclusive mecha actually doesn’t even have a name,” Shen XiuNan flipped through the report, “Just called… number M2742. It sounds almost like a mass-produced item.”

Many people would give their own mechas a name, like the General’s lieutenant, who had a very strong defensive mecha named ‘Aegis Shield’ by its owner.

Lin Han didn’t answer, but raised his hand to look at the time and asked Shen XiuNan with a smile, “You’re not off duty?”

“Soon. I’m still in a hurry to go home.” Shen XiuNan said, “I’m just here to bring you nutrients before I leave. Rest when you feel tired, there’s no need to push yourself too hard.”

Lin Han winked at him and smiled a little, “Mm. I know.”

Shen XiuNan thought to himself that even if he said he knew a hundred times, it would be useless, “I’m telling the truth. The situation is still stable. You yourself know what kind of physical strength you have, not to mention that General He even came back today. What’s there to worry about— The Emperor seemed to be celebrating the General’s triumph and was going to personally hold a feast for him.”

The words ‘General He’ has been mentioned several times today, “Mn. I heard Xi talking about it earlier.”

Shen XiuNan, after all, was the same age as Lin Han, and was obviously more calm than those teenagers, but when it came to this name, he still couldn’t hide his excitement, “But they say it’s a celebration banquet for the General. Whether he will appear in person is another matter. Over the years, I have only met the General once, a long way away kind of meet…”

His voice lowered, seemingly with some regret, then turned to ask Lin Han, “By the way, have you ever met him?”

“The General?” Lin Han opened his mouth gently, his tone was cool, and these two words were unexpectedly pleasant to the ear when they came out of his mouth.

His thick black eyes moved for a moment before he shook his head and said, “I haven’t seen him.”

Shen XiuNan nodded, “Think about it. I’m leaving.”

A workaholic buried in the research institute all day, a General who was regarded as the sharp blade of the empire; it would be strange if they met.

Just after Shen XiuNan left, Lin Han’s communicator rang, and his face finally had a different look, “Send it directly to the sixth repair room. I’m on my way.”

Five minutes later, he finally stood in front of the dark blue mecha.

Lin Han froze.

This was actually a… two-person mecha.

He got on the elevator and approached this behemoth.

Number M2742 was slightly larger than the average mecha, and the body had been cleaned up, flowing with a cold and attractive metallic color. The left arm was intact, but the right arm was half missing, the cutting edge was sharp, even the circuitry was cleanly broken, and it looked like it had been cut off.

Lin Han couldn’t help but frown.

This was considered ‘slight damage’?

The other colleagues were off duty, and he wanted to ask for a detailed report, but now it seemed he could only do it himself. Lin Han operated the elevator to move up slowly.

The mecha’s left palm was facing upward, and Lin Han stood up. The dark blue metal palm-held him in a white uniform, and the emotionless mecha inexplicably looked like it was carefully holding him.

Lin Han used the sensor key to open the left side of the mecha compartment, but before he could walk in, he caught a whiff of machine oil mixed with blood. He lowered his head and wasn’t surprised to see patches of blood that had dried in the cockpit.

It turned out that it wasn’t only the mecha that was damaged, but the pilot was also injured.

But apart from the ‘slight damage to the mecha’ that others had mentioned, no one talked about the situation in detail, and the emperor was even preparing a celebration for him. There was a black box-like data recording box inside the mecha, which must be removed before the exact extent of the damage could be known.

Lin Han was very good at this and removed the record box belonging to this two-man mecha with great speed.

It could also keep a complete record to preserve data when the mecha was severely damaged or fatally attacked, and in the event of an unexpected situation, the pilot could also leave a recording to tell the repairer exactly what had happened.

Lin Han removed it and then reentered the cockpit where the screen was shattered beyond recovery. He had just opened the record box when he heard a voice inside that was colder than the metal the mecha was made of—

“I am He YunTing.”