Lu Jin looked at Chu Li, who was staring blankly out the glass window, and said, “There isn’t much to learn from this kind of mecha social mixer. Once you join the military, you’ll see real combat-type mechas.”
Chu Li parted his lips, not quite understanding. Was it not Lu Jin who wanted to attend this mixer in the first place?
“You pick the sparring partner,” Lu Jin said.
“Then the one on the far left,” Chu Li replied, pointing toward Evans, his lips curling slightly. It was a free opportunity; it would be a waste not to beat him up.
Fu Lin’s voice rang out from outside the door again: “Admiral, which mecha would you like to display?”
“Pompeii.” Lu Jin had not brought any other mechas on this trip; he only carried his frequently used mecha, Pompeii, with him.
Hearing the name Pompeii, Fu Lin’s face immediately flushed with excitement. Pompeii was Lu Jin’s most powerful weapon, and more accurately, the Empire’s most powerful weapon. Even as the eldest son of the prestigious Fu family, Fu Lin, like the general public, had only ever seen Pompeii in the media.
“Admiral, please follow me to the roof to prepare.”
Lu Jin turned to Chu Li and said, “Pompeii supports dual-pilot operation.”
Chu Li’s eyes flickered. “Then, can you take me with you?”
“Mm.”
Chu Li had been in the Mecha Department for so long but had not touched a real mecha yet. Lately, he had only been able to satisfy his craving by drawing blueprints. Hearing Lu Jin’s words, he “tactfully” spoke up, asking to be taken along.
The Rooftop
Two rows of mechas spread their sharp wings against the morning sun like giant eagles lurking on the ground. The bodies were encrusted with dazzling, brilliant seven-colored crystals. As the sunlight hit the gems, they shimmered with vibrant, shifting hues, looking like dancing rainbows changing shape. Just standing there motionless, they provided a visual feast for the crowd below.
As soon as Lu Jin appeared, the eight scions of the great families stopped flaunting their own luxurious mechas and crowded around, trying to cozy up to him.
Fu Lin put on a show of blocking them, telling them not to disturb the Admiral.
The black bracelet on Lu Jin’s right wrist was a spatial folding device. After he pressed the activation button, a black mecha appeared out of thin air on the open ground.
The model was simple and elegant, its body almost devoid of decorations, looking completely out of place next to the eight luxury mechas encrusted with diamonds and jade.
Pompeii’s material was the same as Poy’s, utilizing a black dark-iron alloy, but the surface was plated with a faint layer of red. Only upon closer inspection could one see that the red consisted of frosted cinnabar stones. These stones spread across Pompeii like veins; when the body was damaged or even dismantled, they could quickly bond the fragments back together like a magnet, firmly stabilizing the frame.
Chu Li entered the mecha first and sat in the cockpit. Beneath his calm exterior, his heart skipped a beat.
Lu Jin coughed slightly. “Familiarize yourself with Pompeii first.”
“Alright.”
Lu Jin closed the hatch, adjusted the cockpit position, and handed the conduction patches to Chu Li. Chu Li shook his head and said, “Admiral, you should pilot it. I will just watch from the side.”
Lu Jin knew what he was worried about. “I will assist you in controlling Pompeii through mechanical overrides. You do not need to worry about anything going wrong.”
Chu Li looked at Lu Jin. Seeing that the man was not joking and feeling a surge of impulsive excitement himself, he took the patches and attached them to his body.
The Training Ground
Evans could not see the faces of the VIPs on the roof, but he knew they were all powerful youths from various departments of the Empire. Pleasing even one of them would ensure a life of luxury.
Especially the one in that black mecha in the center.
Major General Fu Lin had specifically reminded them earlier that the mecha belonged to Admiral Lu Jin. If anyone was chosen by the Admiral, they had to serve with utmost care. If they performed well, it would not just be a life of comfort; it would be a meteoric rise to the top. As if his thoughts had been sensed, the black mecha in the middle raised an arm and pointed at him.
Evans was instantly ecstatic, as if he could already see his glorious future. He immediately bragged to the sparring partners beside him, “I will take this bit of good luck for myself. Do not be discouraged, the other guests are quite good too.”
The other sparring partners turned pale with rage at his sarcastic tone. He bowed deeply toward the black mecha, performing a grand salute, completely unaware of who was actually sitting inside the cockpit.
After the starting gun fired, the nine mechas on the roof flew into the training ground together, followed by the nine basic sparring mechas.
The host’s voice came through the headsets: “Honored guests, we have now reached the final event of this mixer. We will provide a comprehensive display of the combat capabilities of the Empire’s nine coolest mechas. They represent the Empire’s most advanced technology, a spectacle only we, living in this glorious era, are privileged to witness.”
As the host finished, the guests below cheered and jumped, having clearly waited a long time for this finale.
Chu Li worked hard to establish a deeper resonance with Pompeii. Every time he bonded with a mecha, it gave him new insights, as if he were exploring a vast, boundless black hole in the starry sky. These attempts were but a glimpse through a narrow straw.
The second gun sounded. Chu Li maneuvered Pompeii into the air. The inertia forced him back into his seat, and the thrill of the rapid ascent sent his adrenaline skyrocketing.
As the black mecha took flight, the wings hidden beneath its back slowly unfurled. The surface reflected points of red light under the sun, its silhouette tracing a vigorous and agile arc in mid-air like an eagle.
With a focused gaze, Chu Li gripped the control stick. The mecha dove down in one breath, swinging its right fist toward Evans.
Seeing the aggressive mecha coming his way, Evans instinctively tried to dodge. However, he was not fast enough; the head of his mecha was struck, and the metal buckled instantly. The guests in the stands burst into laughter, seemingly mocking Evans’ pathetic state.
Evans was stunned with fear. In the next instant, the opposing mecha’s attacks came raining down like a storm. He was beaten into a steady retreat but did not dare fight back. His job was to take a beating to keep Admiral Lu Jin happy. He just had not expected the Admiral to strike so directly, with moves so violent and fierce; it was as if there were a personal vendetta.
Evans gritted his teeth, gripped the control sticks, and struggled to stabilize his wobbling machine.
Across from him, Chu Li took advantage of the staggering mecha, raised a leg, and kicked it in the stomach, sending it flying.
With a loud clang, Evans crashed to the ground. Chu Li pressed the advantage and stomped down on Evans. The legs of Evans’ mecha splayed open, and the crotch area was nearly crushed. Terrified, he scrambled to retreat, the alloy screeching harshly against the stone floor.
The guests erupted into another fit of laughter, clapping their hands. The other eight performance groups were not fighting quite so hotly; they were following the rules, which was not exciting enough. Consequently, everyone’s eyes shifted to the pair of Chu Li and Evans.
Chu Li stomped down again. This time, Evans failed to escape. A piece of the mecha’s crotch was stomped off, and the laughter from the stands reached a crescendo.
Chu Li rotated the mecha’s ten fingers, lifted Evans up, and slammed him violently against the ground. Clang, clang! Cracking sounds echoed from Evans’ mecha. Inside the cockpit, Evans was dizzy from the impact, his nose bleeding profusely. He thought the beating was almost over, but to his horror, Chu Li dragged him back up into the high sky.
The mecha rose abruptly. The intense pressure caused Evans’ ears to throb with pain. He slammed against the glass canopy, and seeing the ground receding, he began to scream in terror.
At that moment, Chu Li suddenly let go. Evans fell uncontrollably from the heights. His screams were choked off by terror, his eyes lost focus, and he lost control of his bladder out of sheer fright.
He thought he was going to be smashed into a pulp, but Chu Li caught him the instant before he hit the ground. Over the next few minutes, Chu Li expertly took him high into the air, dropped him, caught him, took him back up, dropped him, and caught him again.
Repeatedly subjected to this, Evans was completely terrified out of his wits. His urination became intermittent, soaking his pants. The stains even dripped through the cracks in the mecha’s outer shell.
On the ground, Fu Lin felt what seemed like rain. He reached up to touch his forehead, smelled a foul stench, and his face instantly turned as black as coal.
The crowd could not help but clap and cheer, letting out delighted shrieks.
“Hahaha, exciting! Give us more! If he dies, it is on me!”
“This is a real combat drill! Not like those other groups, all dressed up fancy but fighting like primary school kids pecking at each other!”
Chu Li vented his emotions, then tossed Evans aside and suppressed the feelings rising within him.
Lu Jin, who had witnessed the entire process from the side, was silent. He had originally thought he would need to step in and help control the mecha, but he had not expected Chu Li’s maneuvers to be so proficient. The entire sequence would score at least an 85.
This was also the first time Lu Jin had seen Chu Li lose his temper. Chu Li had always given him the impression of being like water, very flat and very still, only giving a small ripple if a stone was thrown in. It turned out that when the water was truly provoked, one would see the side of a stormy sea.
Lu Jin looked at the sparring partner crawling out of the mecha with a face covered in blood. He narrowed his eyes. From Chu Li’s reaction just now, he could roughly guess who this sparring partner was: Evans.
Medical staff rushed over to take Evans to see a doctor, but Evans pushed them away. While wiping his blood-smeared face, he dragged his stiff legs and walked toward the black mecha with a fawning expression. This was a rare opportunity. So what if he was injured or wet his pants? As long as he could cling to Lu Jin’s coattails, it was all worth it.
Evans stood before the towering mecha, bowed deeply, and looked up with a diligent smile.
The cockpit door opened. Lu Jin’s black leather shoes stepped onto the ramp as he slowly descended. Evans stepped forward humbly, his head nearly touching Lu Jin’s shoes. He did not dare look Lu Jin in the eye, so he kept his head low.
“Lord Admiral, it is a great honor for this lowly one to serve as your sparring partner.”
Lu Jin did not speak. Evans held his breath. Out of the corner of his eye, he spotted a pair of white canvas shoes, the kind specially made for the military academy, stepping onto the ramp and following Lu Jin down. Lu Jin seemed afraid the person behind him might be unsteady, reaching out a hand to steady him.
Unable to contain his curiosity, Evans quietly tilted his head to steal a glance at the person behind Lu Jin. However, upon seeing that person’s face, he felt as if he had been struck by a bolt from the blue. He froze on the spot. Shock, terror, and disbelief washed over his face. He forgot to manage his expression, staring blankly at Chu Li with wide eyes and an open mouth.
It was Chu Li! How could it be Chu Li? How did that lowly Beta know Lu Jin?
He must be seeing things! He pinched his thigh hard. Pain instantly spread, nearly bringing him to tears, but the person in front of him did not disappear.
It was truly, unmistakably, Chu Li’s face.