This Setup Is Broken - This Setup is Broken Chapter 10: A Test

Bai Shi is dreaming. In the dream, he is carrying a rocket launcher on his back and wielding the Xuanyuan Sword, jumping around as he fights two mechas for 300 rounds. Just when the fight is evenly matched, one mecha suddenly charges forward, decisively detonating an explosive, while the other seizes the chance to attack, leaving him utterly defeated.

Feeling particularly aggrieved, Bai Shi wipes away bitter tears and turns to head home. The scene changes rapidly, and he suddenly finds himself back in his apartment. Expressionless, he goes to his big brother, silently stares at him. His brother, as calm and refined as always, sits with his hands folded and gently asks: “What’s wrong?”

“I got beaten up.”

“Use a borrowed knife to kill them. Need my help?”

Bai Shi thinks to himself that if he wants to clear the plotline, he has to stay in that world, he can not split himself up. However, there are indeed a few real-world issues that need to be dealt with by his big brother. He quickly opens his computer and signals his brother to look. The group chat is filled with discussions about harems, almost flooding the screen.

“Girl-next-door, loli, mature woman!”

“Queen, ice princess, stunning beauty!”

“Split personality, demoness, married woman!”

For some reason, his brother suddenly transforms into an advisor and joins the discussion: “Mermaid, catgirl, twin sisters…”

“…” 

Bai Shi roars, “What the hell, stop this now! I’m gay, okay?!”

“Hmm?” The group hesitates for a moment. 

“No problem, isn’t there a villain who likes you?”

He suddenly looks up and sees a vague figure slowly floating toward him, its voice filled with madness: “Don’t even think about going to those women. You can only… only be mine!”

The next moment, the screen is filled with explicit scenes. Bai Shi wakes up instantly, terrified. His body feels weak, and he can’t muster any strength. His head pounds as if someone is hammering steel nails into his temples, making him dizzy and unsure of where he is. After a long while, he regains some clarity, only to be greeted by Tang Xin’s beautiful face.

He immediately shudders. After that nightmare, he doesn’t want to see any harems at all right now. Tang Xin’s eyes are red as she looks at him worriedly. Seeing him open his eyes, she quickly exclaims, “Ah, you’re finally awake!”

Before she finishes speaking, more people appear: Tang Xin’s butler, uncle Xiao, and Chi Haitian, all crowd around him. Bai Shi takes a few seconds to react and glances around, realizing he’s lying in the bedroom of his small house. He is briefly stunned, then quickly recalls the scene before passing out and wonders if the Tang family had saved them just in time.

Uncle Xiao checks his forehead. “The fever’s gone.”

Bai Shi takes a breath and asks in a weak voice, “…How did I get back?”

“We tracked the signal from Miss Tang’s communicator and sent people there.” The butler explains. 

“When we arrived, the two mechas near you were completely destroyed, and the kidnappers were gone. Only you two remained. What happened in between?”

Bai Shi is confused. “Huh?”

“Do you remember anything?” The butler asks with a gentle tone. He had already heard from Uncle Xiao that Bai Shi could pilot mechas. And based on the scene, Bai Shi likely piloted a mecha to escape with Miss Tang, which made him especially grateful.

However, a few things bothered him. First, the two mechas had been sliced by a high-energy blade, but Bai Shi’s mecha didn’t have such a weapon. Second, the two kidnappers’ bodies had been thrown 3,000 meters away, which clearly wasn’t something Bai Shi could have done. So, the butler suspected that another person had been involved—someone who had saved Bai Shi and Tang Xin. Perhaps even removing the bodies to avoid suspicion of two kids committing murder before disappearing without a trace.

If his guess was right, this mysterious person was likely on their side, and he wanted to find out. But since Miss Tang had switched personalities upon waking, he could only ask Bai Shi. Bai Shi still feels like someone is hammering nails into his temples. His brain is muddled, his intelligence seemingly short-circuited. After a long while, he realizes one thing: The owner of the red mecha wasn’t from the Tang family.

But who could it be? Uncle Xiao notices his dazed look and tells the butler that Bai Shi has just recovered from his fever and needs some rest. The butler also sees that Bai Shi isn’t in a good state, nods in agreement, and prepares to leave. Uncle Xiao, needs to get back to work, leaves with them. The room soon quiets down.

Bai Shi looks at the person sitting by the bed and says: “Grandpa.”

Chi Haitian responds with a hum, “How are you feeling?”

“My head hurts.”

“The doctor has already checked you. A few days of rest should do it.”

“Hmm.” Exhausted, Bai Shi slowly closes his eyes. He can’t help but recall the scenes from earlier. The mecha seemed to have a complex golden pattern on it, perhaps a symbol of some organization. Why did that person save him? Could it be related to the protagonist or to future events in the story? He drifts off into sleep, pondering these thoughts.

Chi Haitian watches him. “A-Bai?”

After waiting quietly for a while, Chi Haitian assumes Bai Shi has truly fallen asleep. He then takes a small device from his pocket, attaches two contact patches to Bai Shi’s temples, and presses a switch. Rows of data quickly scroll across the semi-transparent screen projected by the device. After a few seconds, the test result appears. Mental Strength Level: S

Chi Haitian’s pupils contract slightly. He puts the device away, sits in silence for a couple of seconds. He then pulls the blanket over Bai Shi, glances at him before getting up to leave.

Bai Shi doesn’t wake until noon the next day. Perhaps due to a good rest, he feels refreshed all over. After a simple meal, he follows Chi Haitian to the repair shop. During the walk, he inquires about the follow-up to the incident and learns that the leader indeed had malicious intentions but has already been captured.

“What about the two people who were chasing us?”

“They’re dead.” 

Chi Haitian says, then asks: “What happened?”

Bai Shi is startled and recounts what he saw.

“Then what?”

“…I passed out.”

Chi Haitian glances at him, realizing he won’t get any more information. He merely responds with a faint “hmm”, no longer pressing the issue. The two soon arrive at the repair shop, where Tang Xin and her brother are inspecting the fields not far away. Upon seeing Bai Shi, they quickly rush over. Bai Shi instinctively takes half a step back, staring expressionlessly at the fierce young girl.

Tang Xin anxiously asks: “Are you feeling better?”

Bai Shi is startled by her tone, but then realizes her personality has shifted and replies that he’s fine now. Tang Xin sighs in relief, looking at him gratefully with a gentle smile. “They said you saved me, thank you.”

Bai Shi stares at the smile on her lips, remains silent for a moment, almost moved to tears. “Ah, the girl-next-door type is truly the cutest, perfect for becoming a close friend.” However, he quickly remembers that she comes with another attribute, and his heart cools a bit.

Chi Haitian, seeing the kids chatting, leaves them to go to work at the repair shop. Bai Shi patiently deals with the twins and notices that they’ve become much friendlier toward him. The younger boy even asks about piloting mecha several times, clearly looking up to him.

As he watches them, Bai Shi suddenly realizes that if this girl becomes part of the protagonist’s harem, then the boy is likely to become the protagonist’s future sidekick. Suddenly feeling a sense of responsibility being the protagonist, he starts thinking about how to befriend both of them. An idea strikes him, and he seriously looks at them. “We’ve met by fate. Let’s be friends.”

The twins nod in agreement, having no objections. Bai Shi is pleased. “I have a great idea. Do you want to hear it?”

“What is it?”

“Let’s become sworn brothers—make a blood oath and become like family.”

The twins are stunned. “A blood oath? What does that mean?”

Bai Shi patiently explains: “We each drop a bit of blood, mix it in wine, and drink it…”

“Drink blood?!” 

The twins are horrified. “No, no, no, that’s scary and unsanitary!”

Bai Shi says: “…Then how about we just burn incense?”

“What does that mean?”

“You don’t know what incense is?”

The twins shake their heads in unison. Bai Shi quickly realizes the issue—this is a futuristic setting. Although the group chat never mentioned anything about incense, the world’s logic likely erased the concept. After a moment of silence, he says: “Never mind, let’s just drink wine then.”

“But we’re underage, we can’t drink!” The twins stare at him in confusion, as if questioning whether he’s a delinquent.

Bai Shi: “…”

“Flipping the table! Forget it, I’m done with this!”

He turns to leave, but after two steps, he comes back, takes a deep breath, and reminds himself not to stoop to a child’s level. He suggests: “Let’s just make a pinky promise. From now on, we’ll be like family.” 

The twins happily agree, and the three hook their pinkies together. Bai Shi asks for their ages, saying: “I’m older than you, so you have to call me big brother.”

The twins then call out in unison, “Big brother.”

Bai Shi feels content. “Good.”

Their friendship deepens, the atmosphere becomes harmonious. After playing with them for a while, the butler arrives. Bai Shi, hearing him mention the mysterious person, shares what he knows and asks for the butler’s thoughts. The butler shakes his head, saying that many organizations mark their mechas with golden patterns, so it’s impossible to pinpoint the owner.

Bai Shi falls silent. He suspects that the owner of the red mecha might be a friend of the Tang family. But from his perspective, he leans more toward the idea that it’s related to the protagonist. After all, the protagonist has a hidden identity, and it could be a bodyguard sent by his family. However, this is all just speculation. If he encounters the person again in the future, he’ll eventually find out.

The afternoon passes quickly, Bai Shi feels the warmth of everyone’s care. Satisfied with a bunch of food in his arms, he heads home with Chi Haitian. He then sleeps soundly once again and is woken up early the next morning. As soon as he opens his eyes, he sees Tang Xin’s cold, frosty face and instantly realizes that her “channel” has switched again.

Gripping the blanket, he sits up and slowly scoots back, expressionless, wondering what she’s going to do now. “After all, I did save your life, even if only partially. You wouldn’t really want to kill me, right? Don’t be too brutal, young girl!”

“You’re finally awake?” 

Tang Xin orders coldly: “Get up quickly.”

Bai Shi, puzzled, asks: “Why?”

Tang Xin pauses, then coughs. “You guessed it right. I owe you for saving me, so I’ll let your craziness slide this time. I’m about to head back.”

“Oh.”

Tang Xin glares at him. “Oh what?! Aren’t you going to see me off?”

“What the heck, her temper is awful! Does she know what manners means?!” Bai Shi curses inwardly, motions for her to leave first. He quickly tidies up before heading out with her.

The butler and the others are waiting outside. When the younger boy sees them, he immediately runs up with a smile. But noticing Tang Xin’s imposing glare, he freezes for a moment, as if realizing that his sister has switched to a different mode. He quickly hides his playful side and adopts a mature expression, nodding to Bai Shi. “Big brother.”

Bai Shi is speechless. He knows that Tang Xin wants her brother to mature quickly, but isn’t she afraid of giving him a split personality too? Suppressing his annoyance, Bai Shi calmly responds with a “hmm.”

Tang Xin stands next to the butler and looks at him. “I heard about the pinky promise. If you ever get into trouble, you can come to the Tang family for help.”

She’s eager to return and deal with her stepmother. So after a brief conversation, she boards the aircraft and quickly departs. Bai Shi watches them leave, then turns back to the house. He figures that Tang Xin has approved their oath of brotherhood. He feels relieved, having handled one “harem member”.

But this is only one, and who knows how many more there will be in the future, all kinds of “types”. What should he do? Bai Shi falls into silence, feeling a sudden darkness looming over his life. He slowly walks back into the house and sees Chi Haitian staring at him. Startled, Bai Shi asks: “Grandpa?”

Chi Haitian responds with a soft hum and calmly asks: “A-Bai, how much do you want to become a mecha pilot?”