Yun Xingze was stunned for a long time.
What snapped him out of it was the PK request from “Then I’ll Protect You.”
Yun Xingze didn’t immediately accept. Instead, he typed a line in the chat box.
[I’m So Fragile]: “Senior, why did you change your name to this?”
After sending the question, Yun Xingze’s heart inexplicably began to race.
He didn’t know why, but at this moment, he felt a strange tension.
[Then I’ll Protect You]: “Didn’t you say you were fragile?”
Yun Xingze swallowed hard, his eyes fixed on the screen, wondering what Luo Wenchuan really meant by that.
The next second, another message popped up.
[Then I’ll Protect You]: “I have to protect my little mecha engineer.”
When Yun Xingze saw this message, he froze momentarily. The tension dissipated, replaced by an unexpected hint of.
Disappointment?
Yun Xingze thought his brain must be malfunctioning.
For a brief second, he had almost believed what Hebrew said that Luo Wenchuan’s name was.
[I’m So Fragile]: “Aren’t you afraid people will misunderstand?”
[Then I’ll Protect You]: “Misunderstand what?”
Seeing their two IDs side by side on the screen, Yun Xingze felt an inexplicable sense of harmony. His heartbeat, which had barely settled, began to race again.
He shook his head, telling himself he was overthinking it.
[I’m So Fragile]: “Never mind. Let’s PK.”
After a pause, the other replied with an “Mm” and sent another PK request.
When Yun Xingze accepted, a notification appeared on the public screen:
【Player “I’m So Fragile” has accepted Player “Then I’ll Protect You’s” PK invitation.】
Their IDs instantly sparked endless discussions.
“No way, no way?! Did ‘L’ change his name for love?!”
“Oh my god, shouldn’t ‘L’ hate ‘I’m So Fragile’? That guy has such bad manners!”
“I think there’s something fishy going on between these two. ‘L’ doesn’t like PKs, and ‘I’m So Fragile’ always runs after fights, yet they’ve PKed so many times!”
“Could it be… they’re in a love-hate relationship?”
“Fighting so much they end up rolling around together?”
“Wake up, this is a game. They can’t ‘roll around together.'”
“Maybe they’re playing in the same room?”
“HAHAHAHA what nonsense are you spouting? That’s too far-fetched.”
Yun Xingze and Luo Wenchuan had no idea people were already speculating wildly about their relationship.
Once the PK began, Yun Xingze chose the Twin-Star Mecha, while Luo Wenchuan used the Lightblade Mecha.
As the match started, Yun Xingze pushed all distracting thoughts aside, and the desire to defeat Luo Wenchuan surged through him again.
Time ticked by as the two fought fiercely, neither giving the other an opening.
Yun Xingze’s adrenaline spiked. Every cell in his body was immersed in the battle, his gaze locked onto the Lightblade Mecha.
At this moment, he felt he finally understood what it meant to “become one with the mecha.”
It wasn’t about a person controlling a mecha, it was about the person becoming the mecha itself.
The scene in the visor transformed into the real surroundings of the person, and every vibration from the opponent’s blade strikes was vividly transmitted to his neurons.
Thirty minutes passed quickly, and neither of them could determine a winner.
After comparing the damage levels of their mechs, the system declared Yun Xingze the winner by a narrow margin.
The gap this time was much smaller than before. Almost neck and neck.
But Yun Xingze was also a little surprised because Luo Wenchuan’s improvement was rapid. For someone already at an expert level, this was a terrifying pace.
After exiting the game pod, Yun Xingze slumped onto the sofa, exhaustion in his eyes mixed with lingering excitement.
Every time he dueled Luo Wenchuan was like this—during the fight, he desperately wanted to defeat his opponent, but afterward, he always felt exhilarated.
Luo Wenchuan was already waiting for him outside and handed him a glass of water, looking at him seriously as he asked, “How did it feel?”
“I think I can grasp that sensation,” Yun Xingze said after taking several sips of water, wiping his lips. “When I really wanted to win, I found myself wishing endlessly to borrow the mech’s power to defeat you. My neurons fused even deeper with the neural interface…”
Luo Wenchuan was stunned. He hadn’t expected Yun Xingze to pinpoint the true essence of “man-machine unity” after just one exploration.
Only with an intense craving for the mech’s power would the neurons fully integrate with the neural interface.
This was “man-machine unity.”
That was why Richard had said Yun Xingze needed a strong competitive drive.
“Too bad I still couldn’t fully immerse myself in that state just now,” Yun Xingze sighed, glancing at the game pod with a complicated expression. “Maybe it’s because I’ve been in simulated battles for too long. I’ve gotten too used to my own fighting style.”
“Too long?” Luo Wenchuan looked at him in confusion. “Your account is still pretty new.”
“Ah, I played before,” Yun Xingze said casually. “This is a new account.”
He couldn’t very well say he had played hundreds of virtual mech games in his past life, could he?
“Don’t stress too much if you can’t find that state,” Luo Wenchuan reassured him. “Maybe your own fighting style is better suited for you.”
Yun Xingze was extremely composed in battle, meticulously analyzing his opponent’s strength and the mech’s data while experimenting with different moves mid-fight.
Some saw him as a genius.
But it was also possible that he was simply never meant to achieve “man-machine unity.”
Yun Xingze stopped forcing himself to chase that state and nodded at Luo Wenchuan, a faint smile tugging at his lips. “Thanks for helping me.”
Then, as if suddenly remembering something, he scratched his head awkwardly and said, “Also, about the game IDs we picked, isn’t it a little too obvious?”
“What’s obvious about it?” Luo Wenchuan leaned back on the sofa, legs crossed, holding a glass of water as he glanced at Yun Xingze with a relaxed expression. “You’re only ranked eighth on the leaderboard. It’s only noticeable because you’re paired with me.”
Yun Xingze sat beside him, staring blankly for a long moment before stammering, “Th-that’s not really appropriate, is it?”
Not only did their IDs look suspiciously like a couple’s, but they were also ranked first and second on the leaderboard.
Luo Wenchuan looked at him and raised an eyebrow. “Or should I drop to seventh place?”
“Huh?” Yun Xingze stared at him in surprise. “You have so many points, how long would it take to fall to seventh?”
“Fair point,” Luo Wenchuan replied, gazing at him. “So, it’s more realistic for you to climb up instead.”
After speaking, Luo Wenchuan stood up and left, leaving Yun Xingze staring blankly at his retreating figure.
Was this guy serious?
“If you’re too lazy to fight,” Luo Wenchuan turned back, a smirk curling his lips, “I could be your substitute player.”
Luo Wenchuan’s mech duels with light swords were notoriously swift. Unlike Yun Xingze, who enjoyed studying techniques, his own moves were textbook-perfect. literally, as countless others learned from them.
Most matches ended within a minute.
“Well, that could work?” Surprisingly, Yun Xingze agreed to Luo Wenchuan’s offer.
After Luo Wenchuan left, Yun Xingze collapsed back onto the sofa, staring at the ceiling.
After a long pause, he frowned and muttered, “Since when did Luo Wenchuan become so childish?”
He pondered further, then sat up abruptly with a troubled expression. “Then why did I agree to his ridiculous request anyway?”
Unable to find an answer, he flopped back down with a sigh. “Whatever, the boss gets what the boss wants.”
Unconsciously, he’d completed a full sit-up motion.
But soon, more pressing matters occupied Yun Xingze’s thoughts.
Since achieving “man-machine unity” remained elusive for now, and every St. Clythus competitor fought ruthlessly to win, there was no guarantee his future opponents wouldn’t have achieved perfect synchronization with their mechs.
If that happened…
His battles would become exponentially harder.
With this in mind, Yun Xingze began strategizing ways to defeat St. Clythus’s elite fighters.
