As Yun Xingze finished listening, he was about to discard the pilot suit in his hand when suddenly a tall figure blocked his light. Startled, he looked up to find Luo Wenchuan standing expressionlessly before him.
At this proximity, Yun Xingze could see an unusually intense emotion flickering in Luo Wenchuan’s eyes.
“What’s wrong?” Yun Xingze began, but before he could finish, Luo Wenchuan advanced another step, the imposing pressure making him retreat until his back hit the cold, hard leg of the black mecha behind him, his breathing growing rapid.
This closeness made Luo Wenchuan’s minty scent now mixed with pheromones; even more overwhelming to Yun Xingze’s senses.
Then, without warning, Luo Wenchuan leaned down, bringing his face close to Yun Xingze’s ear while his long fingers brushed against the back of Yun Xingze’s hand.
Yun Xingze’s eyes widened in disbelief. The notoriously aloof, Omega-averse Luo Wenchuan was voluntarily this close to him?
The next instant, Luo Wenchuan’s fingers slid over Yun Xingze’s hand and seized the nano-pilot suit he was holding.
From this angle, Yun Xingze could only see Luo Wenchuan’s ear and the broad line of his shoulder, feeling the ghost of his breath against his own ear.
A cool voice, tinged with displeasure, murmured:
“Same scent?”
Coming back to his senses, Yun Xingze instinctively replied, “Mhm.”
Luo Wenchuan’s tone was deceptively calm as he remarked, “Quite the nose you’ve got.”
Yun Xingze froze momentarily before his mind raced to comprehend the implication. “Wait, you mean this mech was originally yours?” he blurted out in shock.
While Yun Xingze was still processing, Luo Wenchuan snatched the nano-suit from his grip and glanced at it. “What do you think?” he countered.
It dawned on Yun Xingze that the secondhand mech he’d purchased had once belonged to Luo Wenchuan.
The realization hit him like a freight train, he’d modified Luo Wenchuan’s former mech into that ridiculous form and even wielded a pink plasma sword in front of him during matches. A sharp inhale escaped him at the thought.
“I, I…” Yun Xingze said awkwardly, “I didn’t know about this. I didn’t mean to modify it into something so unattractive.”
“Since you were going to discard it,” Luo Wenchuan looked at Yun Xingze and said slowly, “then…”
Yun Xingze hurriedly grabbed the pilot suit from Luo Wenchuan’s hands: “Senior, I won’t throw it away, I absolutely won’t! I’ll keep it carefully as a collector’s item. This was your pilot suit after all. And this mech, I’ll treat it well, I promise.”
Hearing this, Luo Wenchuan finally returned the pilot suit to him.
Yun Xingze couldn’t understand why Luo Wenchuan had suddenly become so assertive and seemed to be in a bad mood.
Was it because the mech had been modified so poorly?
But then he should have gotten angry much earlier.
“Senior, this just shows we’re fated,” Yun Xingze said to Luo Wenchuan. “Look, I didn’t even know this was your mech back then, but I was drawn to it at first sight.”
“Is that so?” Luo Wenchuan raised an eyebrow and asked slowly, “I rather thought it was because it was cheap?”
“Well,” Yun Xingze choked slightly, “that wasn’t the only reason. ”
“Then let’s just say…” Luo Wenchuan’s tone softened as he looked at Yun Xingze, “it was fate.”
Yun Xingze was momentarily stunned by Luo Wenchuan’s words.
As he carefully put away the pilot suit, Luo Wenchuan’s expression returned to normal, the earlier coldness gone.
After their modifications, both mechs showed improved performance.
Yun Xingze’s mech had been upgraded to A-rank, completely transformed—tall and handsome under the lights. This officially marked him as an A-rank mech warrior, ready to embark on new battles in the arena.
However, when Luo Wenchuan saw the modified version of his own mech, he paused: “Your cat, why does it still look the same?”
He tactfully omitted the word “ugly.”
Yun Xingze explained, “Because it contains so much phantom silver. It would be wasteful to modify it carelessly.”
Luo Wenchuan could only console himself while the cat remained as unattractive as ever, at least the main mech looked better now.
As long as the owner was more presentable than the pet.
During the remaining two days, Yun Xingze naturally ignored Chi Yu’s request for a talk.
He embodied the principle of “keeping personal and professional matters separate” to perfection.
When Richard came to the simulation training room to evaluate their progress, even he was surprised by how well Yun Xingze and the others coordinated.
Having heard about the history between Yun Xingze and Chi Yu, Richard had expected Yun Xingze to be uncooperative during training out of spite.
But Yun Xingze’s performance spoke for itself regardless of his actual skill level, his attitude was undoubtedly mature.
Though Richard’s opinion of Yun Xingze improved slightly, he knew skill remained the young man’s weakness and refrained from excessive praise.
“Gikot’s three-man team is competent,” Richard said, “though not as strong as their solo competitors. Their advantage lies in having no obvious weaknesses. You’ll need to be flexible in your tactics.”
The three responded in unison, “Understood.”
Chi Yu glanced at Yun Xingze, his heart heavy with resignation. Yun Xingze had pushed him away completely, and even this rare opportunity to interact left them more distant than ever.
Was there really no chance left for them?
This year marked the 98th National Military Academy Mech Tournament, hosted on the home planet of last year’s champion school—Noah.
Noah Star and Imperial Capital Star are located within the same star system, positioned very close to each other, making Noah one of the empire’s key military strongholds.
Due to its larger size, Noah Star could absorb significant risks for the Imperial Capital during wartime, thus serving as the “knight” guarding its side.
The journey between the two planets takes just one hour via starship.
Yun Xingze specifically researched Noah Star and discovered its exceptional strength in mecha technology.
The day before departure, Yun Xingze showed immense enthusiasm for Noah Star, constantly studying its various maps.
“Why are you so excited?” Lu Ranxu asked curiously. “Noah is beautiful, but it can’t compare to St. Clythus in the Black Swan system, and its economy isn’t as developed as the Imperial Capital…”
“But the Mecha Research Institute is on Noah,” Yun Xingze replied matter-of-factly. “The Mecha Research Institute, I’ve heard it houses the empire’s most advanced mecha technology.”
“You want to visit the institute?” Lu Ranxu paused. “Don’t you know? It’s nicknamed ‘The Empire’s Fortress.’ Ordinary people can’t get in.”
Yun Xingze understood such a high-security research facility wouldn’t be accessible to a regular military academy student.
“Though I’ve heard NCLM has a special tradition,” Lu Ranxu continued after some thought. “The championship team gets invited to tour the Imperial Mecha Research Institute though probably just the outermost areas.”
Hearing this, Yun Xingze’s desire for victory in the tournament grew stronger.
If he could enter the institute, maybe even find a way to stay he’d gain access to laboratories, making it far easier to develop new technologies and design advanced mechas.
“Ah, no point overthinking it,” Lu Ranxu said while heading back to his room. “Our school might not even make it past the qualifiers.”
Yun Xingze sighed in agreement.
After all, whether Starsea Military Academy’s team could win wasn’t solely up to him.
Meanwhile, as Yun Xingze yearned for the Mecha Research Institute.
On Noah Star.
Within the so-called “Empire’s Fortress.”
The institute’s buildings, constructed with special reinforced materials, were nestled in a hidden forest, their surfaces coated with camouflage that made them nearly undetectable.
These structures resembled ancient castles from Earth’s past, yet inside, cutting-edge laboratories and equipment operated at breakneck speed. Researchers and robots worked in perfect, clockwork precision like components of a vast, flawless machine developing the empire’s newest mecha technologies.
Once, the empire’s mecha technology had lagged behind their neighboring federation’s, and the rivalry between the two interstellar powers never ceased.
Outmatched, the empire had long been on the defensive.
Until twenty years ago, when the Imperial Mecha Research Institute developed revolutionary new mechas, reversing the empire’s disadvantage and enabling it to stand equal to the federation.
Inside the institute’s highest-security chamber.
“Everyone knows that the research institute’s top priority now is studying how to improve neural interface technology and break through the mental limitations of mechs,” said the middle-aged man seated at the center. “But we’ve always lacked someone with powerful mental regulation abilities to help us complete the experiments. ”
As he spoke, his gaze swept across the room and his tone shifted:
“However, our intelligence officers recently discovered someone who appears to possess precisely this talent.”
At these words, all the assembled researchers exchanged looks of astonishment.
As the middle-aged man’s voice faded, a video suddenly appeared in everyone’s view, making them collectively hold their breath.
What played on screen was footage from what appeared to be an unremarkable campus mech competition.
