First Battlefield Commander! - Chapter 140

Chapter 140: Visit

If Zhou Shirui had to describe his brother in one sentence, it would probably be: "He's got issues." Although saying that wasn't very nice, it was... truly hard to put into words.

He could clearly be a charming person, yet he always made inexplicable jokes at inappropriate times.

So Zhou Shirui quickly hung up.

Hundred Meter Flying Dagger: "..."

Hundred Meter Flying Dagger: "..."

Hundred Meter Flying Dagger muttered, "Younger brothers are so hard to raise."

So he ran back, wanting to see the powerhouse he was cultivating for his brother, only to find that Lian Sheng had also disconnected and gone back to rest.

Hundred Meter Flying Dagger suddenly felt lonely. The younger generation was so impolite.

Lian Sheng's recent battle had made her thoroughly famous within the selection trial circles.

Ordinary students wouldn't undergo such rigorous training, or rather, they wouldn't train thruster techniques.

After all, they were students. Besides attending classes, they also had physical training. Where would they find so much time? Moreover, this training clearly required a massive amount of effort to adapt to. Without guidance, one probably couldn't even find the right path.

Zhao Zhuoluo and the others were very curious but too embarrassed to ask directly. How should they put it? They didn't know if this training method was confidential. Even if it wasn't, she had no obligation to tell them. After all, any discerning person could see how important this skill was for improving practical combat ability.

What's more, the individual selection trials were currently underway. Asking her to take precious time out to guide them... If they were met with a rebuff, it would be very awkward.

Of course, none of this was important; they weren't thin-skinned. It was just that, for some reason, chatting with Lian Sheng required not only thick skin but also a strong heart. One had to be prepared for the tragic sacrifice. It was difficult.

Those unfamiliar with Lian Sheng didn't even consider it, directly abandoning the idea. Zhao Zhuoluo and his group hesitated.

After much pushing and shoving amongst themselves, they finally decided on a united front: focus the attack on Comrade Zhao Zhuoluo.

Zhao Zhuoluo dashed all the way from the teaching building to the cafeteria, only to be surrounded by the three again.

Ye Buqing: "Excellent, let's just exchange some insights."

"Don't be like that, I'm telling you. Don't act like you're heading off to war," Cheng Ze said. "Think about the eight years old you promised each other back then! What wonderful eight years old did you have? What are you afraid of?!"

Zhao Zhuoluo hooked an arm around his neck and pulled him back: "Shut up!"

Cheng Ze's head tilted towards the ground, blood rushing to his face, turning it red. He didn't give up: "Why are you getting shy at a time like this? What are you shy about with Lian Sheng, tell me? Is it that hard to ask you to say a word to her?"

Zhao Zhuoluo: "We've been brothers for so many years, when did you cultivate this level of shamelessness?"

Cheng Ze flailed his hands: "Don't brothers always speak their minds? Who doesn't have some dirty thoughts? If I don't tell you, who else can I tell?"

"Let Daddy handle this." Fang Jianchen squatted in front of Zhao Zhuoluo, holding his bowl. "Bring out that overbearing CEO aura you use to reject other girls. Just tell her straight up: Woman, I've taken a fancy to your training method. Hand it over quickly. I'm willing to train together with you. Even Lian Sheng is essentially just someone who's been single since birth."

Zhao Zhuoluo couldn't free his hands, glaring furiously and tightening his grip.

Cheng Ze yelped in pain: "Holy crap!"

"Get lost! Stop causing trouble here!" Cheng Ze reached out to grab Fang Jianchen. "Son, you should go back to the furnace and be remade, lest Daddy gets screwed over by you."

Fang Jianchen nimbly retreated, bumping into someone. That person supported his back with one hand, helping him steady himself, then said, "Careful there, brother."

Fang Jianchen turned back to apologize: "Sorry about that."

Then all four saw the familiar face.

The four: "..."

The four: "..."

Lian Sheng greeted them: "Yo."

Zhao Zhuoluo released his grip, and Cheng Ze scrambled up in a second. The four sat up straight.

Cheng Ze pointed to the empty seat beside them: "Please sit."

Lian Sheng asked: "What does 'single since birth' mean?"

Zhao Zhuoluo waved down the eager Fang Jianchen: "Tenacious and unyielding, independent and self-reliant. Indomitable, capable of holding one's own."

Lian Sheng rubbed her chin, then sat down in the empty seat.

Cheng Ze put his arm around Zhao Zhuoluo: "My excellent friend here has something to say to you."

Lian Sheng turned her head to look at him.

Zhao Zhuoluo cleared his throat: "Lately, have you been practicing that in Sanyao? The accelerator usage?"

Lian Sheng nodded: "Yes. And some sparring too."

Zhao Zhuoluo asked again: "How does it feel?"

Lian Sheng thought for a moment, then said under everyone's expectant gaze: "Sour and numb?"

"..." Everyone, "..."

Zhao Zhuoluo stood up: "I'm leaving."

Lian Sheng spoke again: "Man, I know you've taken a fancy to my training method. I can hand it over and train with you. Anyway, I don't have any special plans recently."

Zhao Zhuoluo's expression cracked. He spun around abruptly, wanting to smash the tray in his hands onto Fang Jianchen's head.

Fang Jianchen quickly covered his head.

"Actually, it's not my training method; Brother Bulb taught me. He was sparring with me alone before, but he seems quite busy lately," Lian Sheng said. "Perfect timing, I need a partner."

Ye Buqing asked: "He taught you? How long did you practice?"

Zhao Zhuoluo silently sat back down.

"Practiced for quite a while, but the effect wasn't great. Later, during the training camp, playing on that climbing frame felt somewhat similar," Lian Sheng reported truthfully. "Learned it by falling down a lot."

The four contemplated her "falling down a lot" and fell into deep thought.

Ye Buqing: "So when are you free? There are still matches coming up. How about during the three-day break, you demonstrate for us?"

Lian Sheng: "I'm free recently, but the break might not work. Brother Bulb said he'd take me to get equipment for my mech."

Zhao Zhuoluo paused for a moment, then confirmed: "Getting equipment made?"

Lian Sheng nodded.

Lian Sheng nodded.

The expressions of the others instantly changed.

Lian Sheng: "Is this thing very complicated?"

Zhao Zhuoluo asked: "What's your surname? Do you have any long-lost brothers?"

Lian Sheng sighed with a hint of pride: "Once born, we are all brothers; why insist on blood ties?"

Lian Sheng had successfully graduated from apprenticeship and helped Bulb gain a batch of grand-disciples.

Because there were still matches later, they compared schedules and found almost no overlap. Lian Sheng was the freest, so she simply told them to go onto Sanyao themselves when they had time, no need to drag their brothers along.

The subsequent matches weren't as intense as that one, and Lian Sheng proceeded quite smoothly.

The further they progressed, the greater the changes in battle assignments and the higher the number of eliminations. Due to the military academy's minimum participant rule, losing one often meant losing a whole string of teammates.

Soon, they reached the latter half of the preliminary selection trials.

The organizing committee tallied the numbers and officially announced the start of the second half of the preliminaries.

Simultaneously, the system reassigned match pairings, and everyone had a three-day break. The competition rules were changed to a double-elimination format, meaning two consecutive losses resulted in withdrawal.

They also released the list of all selected students.

Everyone checked on time, only to be astonished to find Ji Ban's name on it.

For a moment, they thought their eyes were playing tricks, but it was written clearly, and the probability of a system error was almost nil. A closer look revealed that the school listed after his name had been changed to the First Military Academy.

He had actually successfully transferred to the First Military Academy!

Because before his forced withdrawal, he had no losses. He had accumulated 162 victories in total, 58 of which were against high-scoring opponents. Although he missed several days of competition, his data met the standard. The organizing committee determined he had sufficient strength to enter the latter half of the preliminaries, so he was added back to the participant list immediately after transferring.

The news of the First Military Academy accepting Ji Ban spread like wildfire, a move that truly made people ponder.

After all, everyone knew that current military academies couldn't provide Ji Ban with much practical guidance; his strength could only rely on his own hard work and research. And the military academies couldn't arrange his post-graduation options either. All they could do was persuade him to give up manual operation.

Any military academy expressing willingness to fully accept Ji Ban would face criticism—"They're just doing it for the selection trial rankings, choosing to ruin a young student!"

Such attacks were too severe for a prestigious academy; they had no need to take such a risk for a student with dim prospects. And ordinary military academies, with no hope of entering the finals, had even less reason to recruit Ji Ban.

Therefore, making this decision required considerable courage. Otherwise, given Ji Ban's skill and buzzworthiness, no military academy would have been willing to make a statement until the competition ended.

How the First Military Academy's management arranged things had nothing to do with Lian Sheng. She only knew she would have another chance to meet this legendary manual mech operator.

After the three-day break was confirmed, Bulb arranged to take her out to get weapons made.

Lian Sheng loaded her blueprints onto her optical computer and waited at the school gate.

Soon, their vehicle flew over. Bright Bulb rested one hand on the window frame and nodded at her: "Let's go, get in!"

Lian Sheng got into the vehicle, and Hundred Meter Flying Dagger immediately accelerated.

Super Bright Bulb sat in the back, chatting with her. "We've known that place for a long time, no need to worry about technical issues. Do you want to make a physical sword too, as a souvenir?"

Lian Sheng: "That's possible too?"

Super Bright Bulb: "Of course. It's convenient there, they have all the tools."

Hundred Meter Flying Dagger drove her to the suburbs, quite a distance away.

Factories lined the area, neat rows of workshops, but foot traffic was sparse. Only vehicles responsible for warehousing and transport drove back and forth on the roads.

After passing through a large road at the front, Hundred Meter Flying Dagger began to slow down, heading deeper.

It was exceptionally quiet inside. Then the vehicle stopped. Hundred Meter Flying Dagger tapped the window: "Get out, we're here."

The buildings near the road were low, single-story structures. But here, they were clearly four or five stories high.

Lian Sheng looked up and asked, "This place is?"

Hundred Meter Flying Dagger said: "It used to be a mech parts supply factory."

Lian Sheng: "And now?"

Hundred Meter Flying Dagger glanced at her disdainfully: "Obviously, it still is."

Lian Sheng: "..." Screw him.

They walked straight in. Perhaps seen on the surveillance monitors, halfway there, a young man came out from inside to lead the way.

The young man had light-colored hair and very fair skin, looking somewhat thin and frail. Seeing Hundred Meter Flying Dagger and the others, he smiled happily, extending his hand: "Hello, long time no see. How have you been lately? Is the studio busy?"

Hundred Meter Flying Dagger patted his shoulder and exchanged pleasantries.

Lian Sheng stood behind, her gaze shifting downwards to look at his legs. His legs were braced with a set of metal apparatus, extending from his thighs down to his shoes. His walking posture was also a bit stiff.

The young man noticed her gaze and turned to her: "Hello, my name is Ji Ban. Are you the one coming to get equipment made today?"

"Ji Ban?" Lian Sheng snapped back to reality and shook his hand. "That name sounds a bit familiar. Hello, my name is Lian Sheng."

Ji Ban smiled slightly and stepped back. "Come in."

Ji Ban led them further into the factory.

Hundred Meter Flying Dagger leaned down and introduced him to her: "Ji Ban... it's a story from his grandfather's generation, right? His grandfather used to be Sanyao's chief technician. Back then, Sanyao was a mech production company, incredibly successful. The military used manually operated mechs then, and they were the authority. Truly, fortunes change over thirty years."

Ji Ban led them into the building's interior. Only then did Lian Sheng realize that a single floor was over ten meters high, the walls covered with various tools and parts.

Although it was crowded inside, due to the height, there was no sense of cramped oppression.

A person in dark blue work clothes was manually polishing a piece of black material near the entrance.

Lian Sheng saw his white hair and the rough skin on his hands. Thinking about how most people in the Alliance looked young, this appearance, coupled with Hundred Meter Flying Dagger mentioning the grandfather's generation earlier, made her blurt out: "Hello, Grandpa."

Ji Ban said awkwardly: "Uh... this is my father."

"..." Lian Sheng, "Hello, Uncle."

Ji Ban smiled slightly: "It's alright. Our family tends to have children late. Both my grandfather and my father had me when they were older. My grandfather passed away a long time ago."

The man in front nodded along. "Calling me Grandpa is fine too. Age-wise, it fits the generation. Have a seat."

The setup here was simple, with only two stools. Robots weren't allowed inside either.

Ji Ban went inside and found a few more chairs, telling them to sit and rest first.

He placed his hand on his waist, and the devices on his legs bent, allowing him to sit. Then he opened the blueprints and began to study them carefully.

Hundred Meter Flying Dagger leaned close to Lian Sheng's ear and whispered: "Why do you keep staring at his legs? Don't you know a man's legs are also off-limits for girls to look at?"

Lian Sheng gave him a disdainful look, then pushed him away.

Hundred Meter Flying Dagger leaned in again: "What? Haven't you seen walking aids before? Staring at someone's prosthetic legs like that is very impolite, you know?"

Lian Sheng froze in astonishment, then subconsciously glanced at Ji Ban's legs again.

Prosthetic legs?

Ji Ban seemed to have heard, looking up and smiling faintly at her.

Sensors transmit based on neural activity. He had no legs. If he wanted to use a mech, this was naturally the only way.

Everyone speculated why Ji Ban insisted on using primitive command input to operate his mech, but no one thought it was because of this. Because no one would believe a person could be this obsessed with mechs.

With technological support, limb disabilities didn't significantly impact daily life. In fact, after getting used to the unique power of machines, it seemed even more convenient. However, they couldn't enter any industry related to sensors.

But there was no need to be so hard on oneself.

Ji Ban put down his optical computer, having roughly understood her design. He looked up and asked: "You were in the Materials Engineering Academy before, right? What materials do you want to use?"

Lian Sheng was lost in thought: "Hmm..."

Ji Ban: "Then, what about the size ratio? It's not written here either."

Lian Sheng: "Hmm..."

"..." Ji Ban, "So where do you want to mount it? The left, right, top, bottom, and height data."

Lian Sheng looked at Hundred Meter Flying Dagger.

"Oh heavens." Hundred Meter Flying Dagger patted her head affectionately. "You don't date, don't attend class, and don't play games in university. What exactly do you do with your time?"

Lian Sheng pushed his hand away again, indicating she didn't really want to talk to him.

"Then come with me, try it out," Ji Ban said. "Feel the handling or length yourself, then tell me."

He stood up again and led Lian Sheng inside. Hundred Meter Flying Dagger followed to help.

They first transferred the data of other converted weapons onto the Pojun mech, letting Lian Sheng confirm the weight and length, then determined the data one by one.

This was truly a troublesome process. Ji Ban asked very detailed questions, and they patiently calibrated for over an hour, yet this was only the initial confirmation of the weapon model.

Lian Sheng now understood why so few people had custom weapons. Non-professionals couldn't do this, and professionals rarely had the time for such bothersome tasks.

Finally, the weapon data was settled. Everyone breathed a sigh of relief and walked out of the room together.

Ji Ban walked ahead, holding his optical computer.

Lian Sheng was thinking they could probably head back when he suddenly turned around and said, "...Want to see my mech?"

Lian Sheng paused: "Your mech?"

"Yes. It has my name on it." Ji Ban pointed ahead. "Right up front!"

Hundred Meter Flying Dagger laughed from behind: "Let's go, let's go, let's go take a look!"

Ji Ban had addressed Lian Sheng, so Hundred Meter Flying Dagger had clearly seen it before.

Like sharing one's toys with someone, Ji Ban became very happy upon receiving a response.

Of course, Lian Sheng was also very happy to see the legendary mech.

Ji Ban changed direction, leading them towards the basement and then deeper inside.

There were layers upon layers of security along the way. He carefully entered the passwords until they reached a spacious room. The lights flickered on, revealing a large cube covered by a protective metal shield.

He pressed something on the wall, finally revealing the mech inside.

To call it a mech was less accurate than calling it a black machine, because it completely lacked the silhouette of the mechs Lian Sheng usually saw. Currently folded up, it resembled a flying vehicle.

The outer shell was polished to a shine, its black-to-glowing color exuding a kind of majesty.

Lian Sheng walked up to it and asked, "What is this?"

Ji Ban said, almost showing off: "A transforming mech."

Lian Sheng took a step closer: "A model?"

"Of course not! This was left by my grandfather, his most outstanding achievement, his life's research. Its energy consumption rate is only one-third of ordinary mechs, but its acceleration efficiency can reach twice theirs. And it combines both speed and attack power." Ji Ban looked at the mech before him, his eyes shining. "However, what he left was a semi-finished product. My father completed and processed the rest based on the blueprints."

Seeing Lian Sheng's eager look, he took her hand and placed it on the mech's body: "You can touch it. The material is very sturdy and durable; ordinary portable guns can't even leave a mark."

It felt cold to the touch, the surface extremely smooth.

Lian Sheng asked: "Can it be operated?"

Ji Ban said: "It can be operated. It undergoes daily maintenance, performance checks, and parts reinforcement. But it cannot be activated."

Lian Sheng: "Why can't it be activated?"

Ji Ban: "...It doesn't have Alliance approval, nor a qualification mark."

"Oh." Lian Sheng nodded. "Why no Alliance approval?"

Ji Ban: "Uh... because no expert has issued documentation certifying that it meets standards and is safe to pilot."

Lian Sheng: "Does it meet the standards? Can it be operated?"

Ji Ban said: "Yes, it can!"

Several people looked at the mech in silence for a moment.

Lian Sheng turned her head again and asked: "Then why won't they approve it?"

Ji Ban: "..."

He really wanted to know too!

Hundred Meter Flying Dagger patted Lian Sheng: "This is adult stuff, you wouldn't understand. Alright, let's go."

Explaining this matter was rather awkward, so they directly dragged Lian Sheng out of the storage room.

Ji Ban's father was still polishing that piece of black material at the entrance.

Lian Sheng recognized it now; judging by the material, it seemed to be the outer shell material of the mech in the basement.

"Mechs can't stay idle forever, otherwise the parts will age. But it has been idle for decades, so we can only keep replacing its parts," Ji Ban explained. "Dad is thinking when he polishes things, don't mind him."

Lian Sheng believed that the cost of building a mech was definitely beyond what an ordinary person could afford. Or rather, its maintenance costs alone were unaffordable for ordinary people. And failing to obtain qualification approval for decades spoke volumes. So Lian Sheng didn't quite understand.

Spending enormous funds to maintain a mech that might never be activated, what was the purpose? Spending over a decade of effort learning command operations that might never be put into practical use, again, what was the purpose?

Of course, she couldn't possibly say this in front of these people. She simply nodded, bowed slightly to them, and then followed Hundred Meter Flying Dagger and the others out.

Several people got into the vehicle. Lian Sheng fastened her seatbelt, waiting to depart.

Hundred Meter Flying Dagger rested one hand on the console and said, "Ji Ban usually lives here. He loves mechs and data, dislikes classes, so he stays here to help. Very few people come here, so it's hard for him to make friends. He can run and jump, and he's better with mechs than you guys. You can interact with him more."

That was true. Their understanding of mechs was limited to Sanyao, while Ji Ban's understanding was of real mechs.

Hundred Meter Flying Dagger said: "We might not be in the 3rd District for a while, and you might not be able to contact us. Come pick up the equipment yourself in a week. Did you memorize the way?"

Lian Sheng was always confused about the Alliance's districts. Outside the Alliance, the various legions were designated by numbers like the Nth Legion.

Probably some jerk disliked naming things, so everything was replaced with numbers.

Lian Sheng marked the location: "Memorized."

Hundred Meter Flying Dagger: "Good. If you get lost, find Ji Ban. I'll send you his contact number. If he talks to you, 'hmm' him a couple of times, okay?"

Lian Sheng said loudly: "Hmm hmm!"

After the three-day break, new training was about to begin.

Entering the latter half of the individual selection trials required competing at designated monitoring points within the Alliance.

The 3rd District was a relatively developed area, with four qualified points established here. Alliance University, being wealthy and influential, and having numerous selected students each year, had one internally.

Military academies in remote areas had it tougher.

Because the match schedule for the latter half was generally twice a week. Not too long, not too short. They couldn't possibly travel back and forth by vehicle every time a match approached; it would be too difficult for the students to adjust their condition. Nor could they afford to rent a hotel long-term and stay here; the student budget couldn't handle it.

Therefore, military academies with good relations with Alliance University would, after requesting permission, have their students move here temporarily, which also facilitated mutual sparring.

Only true powerhouses possessed such magnanimity. Alliance University projected an attitude of "My students fear no challenge," opening its doors wide in welcome.

As students moved in one after another, the prediction list for the next three matches was soon released.

Lian Sheng glanced at it and found they were all people she didn't recognize—of course, she barely recognized anyone anyway—so she nonchalantly logged into Sanyao, opened an urban street map, and continued her training.

Shortly after, Zhao Zhuoluo and his three roommates finished their group training project and also logged into Sanyao one by one.

They were still discussing incessantly when they arrived, or more accurately, one person was complaining.

"Ji Ban! That Ji Ban!" Fang Jianchen said. "My first match is actually him!"

Cheng Ze said: "Don't worry, if you lose, you lose. Our revival spot is meant for situations like that."

In the small maps of the selection trials, snipers were indeed at a disadvantage.

"Go away, go away!" Fang Jianchen said angrily. "Daddy finally finished cramming the loving materials Junior Zhou prepared for me, only for some guy surnamed Ji to drop from the sky and ruin my good fortune. What kind of crap is this?"

Fang Jianchen thought for a moment and found the source of his anger: "Why is it someone surnamed Ji again! Why are people surnamed Ji always so annoying! Just love breaking up us father and son, unwilling to let us share familial bliss?"

Lian Sheng looked up at the sky.

Ji Fangxiao wasn't even at the school anymore, yet he was still being remembered by him.

Zhao Zhuoluo didn't participate in Fang Jianchen's non-stop topic, training alone by falling and climbing.

Fang Jianchen seemed to have lost motivation, squatting nearby, looking dejected.

Lian Sheng said: "You can still go cram now, there's still time."

Ye Buqing laughed heartily: "He already crammed, realized he really couldn't beat him, so he came up here to throw a tantrum and curse."

Fang Jianchen just couldn't figure it out: "Who the hell is he? How come I've never heard of him? Where's he from? Which deity is he? Even if he doesn't attend school, someone practicing manual operation should be famous. Where does he practice manual operation? It has to be Sanyao, right? But there's absolutely no trace."

This was probably the biggest puzzle he had ever encountered in his life.

Lian Sheng suddenly said: "I've met him."

"Huh?" Fang Jianchen turned his head excitedly. "You've met him?"

Lian Sheng hummed in affirmation.

Fang Jianchen: "How is he?"

Lian Sheng thought for a moment: "A very cute boy."

Fang Jianchen immediately said: "You're lying to me!"

Lian Sheng ignored him and walked over to check on Zhao Zhuoluo's situation.

Zhao Zhuoluo was falling uncontrollably.

His speed was quite fast, and his stability was much better than Lian Sheng's initially, but he always lost control of his speed at turns. He either subconsciously slowed down, causing the thruster direction to become chaotic, or turned too slowly and crashed straight out.

Lian Sheng felt sorry for his mech; it was a high-end, fully equipped model. Repairs must cost a fortune.

Lian Sheng said: "Let me help you."

Zhao Zhuoluo glanced sideways at her and said politely, "Thank you, how can you help?"

Lian Sheng: "Start moving first. Accelerate slowly, run a lap smoothly."

Zhao Zhuoluo followed her instructions, starting to accelerate within the field and circling lap after lap.

Lian Sheng followed closely behind, occasionally giving him pointers, helping him correct his direction and adjust his body posture.

In this situation, a third party could see more clearly, especially Lian Sheng, who had the best understanding of human anatomy.

Zhao Zhuoluo maintained a certain speed and quickly began to adapt. Lian Sheng then told him to continue accelerating.

Cheng Ze and the others saw this, slowed down, and watched them, hoping to learn something. They wanted Lian Sheng to guide them too after Zhao Zhuoluo adapted.

When they were on their fifth lap, Zhao Zhuoluo made another mistake.

At the street intersection with consecutive turns, operating at high speed, he still couldn't fully adapt to the oncoming impact. His heart skipped a beat, and his rhythm fell apart.

Zhao Zhuoluo grimaced, knowing he was probably going to crash again. Then he heard Lian Sheng shout from behind: "Left!"

He tilted his body, trying his best to go left, attempting to avoid the obstacle there. But estimating the distance, he felt the chances were low.

Suddenly, his waist tightened. He realized Lian Sheng had grabbed him from behind and pulled him straight back.

Zhao Zhuoluo gasped sharply, steadied himself, and stopped.

Fang Jianchen saw this scene, let out a sharp cry, and jumped: "Holy crap!"

"Don't stop, continue." Lian Sheng looked at them. "Do you guys want to try too?"

The three almost instinctively shook their heads in unison.

Lian Sheng gave Zhao Zhuoluo a push, urging, "Then you continue."

Zhao Zhuoluo: "..." He didn't quite dare to continue.

Lian Sheng said: "What are you afraid of? I didn't touch you inappropriately, this is proper training!"

Zhao Zhuoluo certainly knew it was proper training.

Under proper training, one shouldn't be so concerned about the male-female dynamic; it would make him seem unprofessional. But the thought of Lian Sheng holding his waist made him feel... an indescribable... shame.

Lian Sheng watched him hesitantly start moving again, but without picking up speed. She followed behind, saying: "What are you doing now? Acting like some young wife I'd taken advantage of. Am I that kind of person?"

"No." Zhao Zhuoluo held it in, looking towards the starting point: "I need to rest for a bit."

Lian Sheng scolded: "You just got here, what the hell are you resting for! What's wrong? Be professional, Excellent Classmate Zhao."

Zhao Zhuoluo shook his head and accelerated again.

Lian Sheng said: "If you don't fall, I won't touch you."

Hearing this, Zhao Zhuoluo straightened his spine, deciding to bring out his professional demeanor.

Lian Sheng slapped him squarely on the back: "Bend your back, find your center of gravity! What are you trying to do with that posture?"

As Zhao Zhuoluo passed the spot where the three stood, they stood neatly in a row, giving him a solemn salute. They watched him arrive, then adjusted their direction with small steps, watching him depart again.

They trained until eleven at night. Fang Jianchen and the others had practically turned into statues waiting for their husbands.

Considering the match tomorrow, everyone logged off first to rest.

Lian Sheng walked out of the sensor room and found several unread messages.

Ji Ban had sent her a picture: a mech model resting in a palm. It looked exactly like the one they saw today.

Ji Ban said: "Look!"

Lian Sheng praised: "Amazing, amazing. Did you make this?"

Ji Ban replied shortly after: "You're back?"

Ji Ban sent her another animated GIF. In it, he pulled the mech, transforming it. It still didn't turn into a standard mech shape, but it was hard to describe what shape it was.

Lian Sheng looked at his background and asked, "Aren't you at the military academy?"

Ji Ban: "Nope, I'm at the factory."

Lian Sheng: "Aren't you going to the military academy for training? Doesn't the Expeditionary Force recruitment look at physical fitness?"

Ji Ban: "I don't know! But the military doesn't have special exceptions for recruiting disabled people as frontline soldiers."

Lian Sheng rubbed her ear: "Then why are you participating in the selection trials?"

Ji Ban: "I want to say that the mech our family developed is really powerful! I want to prove that manual operation mechs aren't outdated technology, they're really amazing! It's the pilots who are lacking!"

Lian Sheng: "..."

Those words really hit a sore spot. Brother, you can't talk like that.

Ji Ban: "So even if my opponent is you, I will win. I won't lose!"

Lian Sheng thought for a moment: "Uh-huh, uh-huh!"

Previous Contents Next

If you enjoy my translations, please consider supporting me!