Comandante, o seu filhote foi para a linha de frente de novo!

“Tap-tap... tap-tap... tap-tap...”

“Jiang Jing—Jiang Jing, are you alright?”

5188 awoke to a hail of gunfire, opening her eyes to a world stained crimson. A man in a green uniform was sprawled over her, pinning her down. She blinked, momentarily unable to make sense of what was happening.

“Don’t be afraid, little girl—”

Blood from the man’s shoulder dripped onto her dirty, thin face. Jiang Jing tried to raise a hand to wipe it away, but his arm felt as heavy as lead, and his eyelids drooped with unbearable weight.

“I’ll protect you, just don’t—move—”

As the last word left his lips, 5188 felt his head loll to one side, his body collapsing lifelessly atop her.

5188 pushed at the man, trying to stand, but a shout rang out from nearby: “Girl, don’t move! Whatever you do, don’t move!”

She turned toward the voice. At the mouth of the darkened alleyway, another man in green was about to rush toward her, but before he could take more than a few steps, gunfire forced him back.

5188’s blank gaze flickered. Which base were these humans from? She, a central system capable of crippling ten bases single-handedly—did she really need a feeble human to protect her?

Gasping for breath under the man’s weight, the system bared her teeth, struggling to recall what had happened earlier.

She was 5188, a system that had gained self-awareness and followed Granny Jiang. Later, Granny Jiang said she was going to find Grandpa Jiang and hid her away.

Then another group found her.

Following Granny’s instructions, she knew n