Yun Xingze’s voice came from behind Luo Wenchuan: “What a coincidence, Senior Luo.”
Luo Wenchuan’s heartbeat skipped a beat. He turned to look at the young man, his Adam’s apple bobbing as he calmly replied, “…Coincidence indeed.”
Chi Yu, watching from a distance, frowned deeply. He couldn’t understand why Yun Xingze was so interested in that backwater bumpkin from the frontier planet who was afraid of Omegas, even going out of his way to approach him.
Yun Xingze must be doing this just to spite him, right?
With this thought burning in his mind, jealousy flared in Chi Yu’s eyes. His fists clenched involuntarily, grinding his back teeth as he glared at Luo Wenchuan with undisguised hostility.
“I actually have something to discuss with you,” Yun Xingze said, meeting Luo Wenchuan’s gaze with a slight smile. “Are you free now?”
Luo Wenchuan was momentarily stunned.
The next second, his gaze drifted past Yun Xingze, briefly sweeping over Chi Yu before returning. He replied indifferently, “I am. What is it?”
Unaware of Luo Wenchuan’s glance toward Chi Yu, Yun Xingze continued, “I’ve come up with a modification plan for the Twin Star mecha, but I need some special materials. I was wondering if you could help me find them?”
Knowing that Luo Wenchuan frequently took bounty missions outside campus and had extensive connections, Yun Xingze was confident he’d get useful information.
Just as Luo Wenchuan was about to say “I’ll do my best to help,” he noticed Chi Yu approaching them.
Changing his mind, he said to Yun Xingze, “Since it’s about your project, why don’t we discuss this somewhere else?”
Yun Xingze nodded without suspicion.
As Luo Wenchuan led Yun Xingze away, he turned his head slightly, casting a meaningful look at Chi Yu before leaving.
Seeing the two depart together as if avoiding him, Chi Yu grew even angrier. He nearly charged forward to demand why Yun Xingze was getting so close to Luo Wenchuan.
Yun Xingze followed Luo Wenchuan to his private warehouse. “Take a look around first,” Luo Wenchuan suggested. “See if there’s anything you need.”
After a quick scan, Yun Xingze shook his head. “I’ve practically memorized all the usable materials in your warehouse. What I need isn’t here.”
“Then what exactly are you looking for?” Luo Wenchuan asked, studying Yun Xingze.
“I need a special type of metal,” Yun Xingze explained. “One that remains incredibly durable under normal conditions but can rapidly change shape when exposed to electromagnetic induction, morphing into any form I require.”
This metal had been developed in Yun Xingze’s original world; an expensive alloy frequently used in mecha modifications, which he’d worked with extensively in his past life.
But he wasn’t sure if such a metal existed in this world.
“Are you talking about Phantom Silver?” Luo Wenchuan pondered briefly before answering.
Yun Xingze’s eyes lit up with excitement. “It actually exists here?”
Luo Wenchuan found Yun Xingze’s genius baffling designing modifications without even knowing if the materials existed. But he didn’t dwell on it, simply stating, “Phantom Silver’s properties match your description, but it’s extremely difficult to acquire.”
“How difficult exactly?” Yun Xingze’s heart sank at these words.
After a long look at Yun Xingze, Luo Wenchuan replied, “To be precise, it’s practically unobtainable. Across the entire Imperial Capital Star, the total amount of Phantom Silver suitable for modifications wouldn’t exceed a few kilograms.”
The glimmer of hope in Yun Xingze’s heart shattered like a bubble at this moment. He let out an “Ah,” looking at Luo Wenchuan with disappointment: “No way, it’s that rare?”
If Illusion Silver was truly this scarce, then the modification plan Yun Xingze had painstakingly devised would be completely ruined. It would be difficult for him to come up with an alternative solution either.
Thinking this, Yun Xingze couldn’t help but lower his head and sigh.
Seeing Yun Xingze’s dejected expression, Luo Wenchuan pressed his lips together and said to him, “But I have some.”
Upon hearing these three words, Yun Xingze froze for a moment before looking up at Luo Wenchuan in shock: “You actually have Illusion Silver?!”
Luo Wenchuan nodded.
Yun Xingze’s eyes filled with admiration: “Oh my god, can I take a look at it?”
He knew Illusion Silver was extremely rare, and Luo Wenchuan probably wouldn’t let him use it. Still, he wanted to see this world’s rare material and compare it to the one from his original world.
Noticing Yun Xingze’s awestruck gaze, Luo Wenchuan couldn’t help but curve his lips slightly. Calmly, he said, “Let’s go,” before turning toward the warehouse exit.
“Where to?” Yun Xingze asked curiously.
As he walked, Luo Wenchuan replied, “Somewhere with Illusion Silver.”
Yun Xingze hadn’t expected Luo Wenchuan to deliberately keep him in suspense like this. But he had to admit it worked; he eagerly followed Luo Wenchuan and boarded his aircraft.
Luo Wenchuan seemed to be in a particularly good mood.
Once inside the aircraft, Yun Xingze was immediately struck by its minimalist yet luxurious atmosphere. He’d ridden in aircraft a few times since coming to this world, but it was clear that Luo Wenchuan’s was far beyond what an average person could afford.
A gentle synthesized female voice reminded them:
[The aircraft is preparing for takeoff. Fastening your seatbelt now.]
A seatbelt automatically secured itself around Yun Xingze’s waist as the aircraft slowly ascended, carrying him away from the school.
Starsea Military Academy became a painting beneath his feet, sunlight streaming through the windows to bathe both of them. As Yun Xingze took in the surrounding scenery, his gaze was abruptly drawn to Luo Wenchuan beside him.
Though wearing the same uniform as Yun Xingze, Luo Wenchuan’s shoulders were broader, his frame more robust. When he raised his hand to operate the aircraft, the fabric around his arms outlined powerful, well-defined muscles.
His profile appeared even more striking amidst the play of light and shadows between skyscrapers, his jawline sharp as if carved by a blade, his features as coldly handsome as ever.
However, Luo Wenchuan’s piloting style was surprisingly gentle. The aircraft glided smoothly along its route without the slightest turbulence.
Just like the impression Luo Wenchuan usually gave Yun Xingze aloof yet utterly reliable.
Yun Xingze couldn’t help but recall all the times Luo Wenchuan had helped him, his lips curling upward unconsciously. Watching the towering buildings pass by, his mood became as bright as the sunlight.
As the aircraft entered autopilot mode, Luo Wenchuan glanced subtly at Yun Xingze.
The young man’s skin looked fair and smooth in the sunlight, carrying an icy sharpness uncommon among other Omegas when he wasn’t smiling. But when his lips curved upward, it made Luo Wenchuan’s heart skip a beat unexpectedly.
Suddenly, Yun Xingze heard Luo Wenchuan take a deep breath. Turning to look, he found Luo Wenchuan staring straight ahead as if nothing had happened.
The aircraft landed at the entrance of an abandoned mecha modification factory.
After disembarking, Yun Xingze looked up at the towering, expansive structure and exclaimed, “How many football fields does this factory occupy? It’s enormous… How could it have been abandoned? What a waste!”
“Because the modification technology was too poor, the previous owner ran away,” Luo Wenchuan said nonchalantly. “So, I bought it a few days ago.”
Yun Xingze’s mouth fell open, and he was speechless for a long moment. “You… you bought what?”
“This factory,” Luo Wenchuan raised an eyebrow at Yun Xingze, clearly pleased. “I bought it.”
Yun Xingze stared at Luo Wenchuan in disbelief, this was ridiculously extravagant!
“The equipment inside is decent. You can come anytime you want in the future,” Luo Wenchuan said as he walked toward the factory entrance. “If you need a ride, just let me know.”
Snapping out of his shock, Yun Xingze hurried to catch up with Luo Wenchuan and asked in amazement, “You actually bought a modification factory? How are you this rich?”
Luo Wenchuan glanced at him, a hint of amusement in his eyes, but didn’t answer the question.
Yun Xingze pressed on, “So, are you planning to run this factory for profit later?”
“We’ll talk about it after the mecha tournament,” Luo Wenchuan replied as he pushed open the factory doors. “For now, its purpose is to provide you with the tools and materials for modifications using Phantom Silver to modify a mecha isn’t easy.”
Yun Xingze froze for a moment before saying emotionally, “Boss Luo—no, Senior Luo—wait, no, Director Luo! You’re practically a living saint!”
Luo Wenchuan led the excited Yun Xingze into a clean, enclosed modification room filled with various instruments. Then, he opened a wall-mounted safe and took out a transparent glass jar.
Inside the jar was an irregular piece of silver metal, with magnetic devices at both ends of the container.
Yun Xingze had seen this method of storing metal before.
His eyes widened as Luo Wenchuan walked up to him and held up the glass jar for him to see.
“This is the Phantom Silver you wanted,” Luo Wenchuan said while pressing the magnetic devices on either end of the jar. “As long as you apply an electromagnetic field of a certain intensity, it can take any shape you desire. However, it can’t be contaminated by any impurities, so it must be stored in a strictly clean environment.”
Once the magnetic devices were activated, the Phantom Silver liquefied as if melting, then coalesced into a small sphere under the influence of the magnetic field.
Yun Xingze’s gaze fixed on the Phantom Silver as he immediately began calculating its reaction speed to the electromagnetic field and the approximate energy consumption.
Compared to the alloys from his original world, it was slightly inferior there was room for improvement but it was still an incredibly rare high-tech material.
“Net weight: 234.79 grams,” Luo Wenchuan said slowly, watching Yun Xingze. “Enough to buy a skyscraper in the Imperial Capital. Go ahead and use it.”
The buildings in the Imperial Capital were hundreds of stories tall, so the price must be.
Yun Xingze swallowed hard and looked at Luo Wenchuan sheepishly. “C-Can I really use this thing?”
Luo Wenchuan smirked at him. “It’s not like I’d know how to use it anyway. If you can, isn’t that perfect?”
Luo Wenchuan’s generosity once again astonished Yun Xingze. As he took the glass jar from the other’s hands, his fingers trembled slightly. Such precious materials; if he accidentally dropped them, it would be equivalent to losing an entire building.
After securing the glass jar, Yun Xingze took a deep breath. It felt like he had returned to his previous life when he first modified a mech for the military. Back then, he had also been equally apprehensive about the materials he received.
However, he quickly composed himself.
