The hover-car pulled up beside a row of dilapidated residential buildings, its sleek, high-tech frame drawing countless curious stares that felt entirely out of place in such a neighborhood.
Jiang Yan had suspected something on the way here, and now that they had arrived, his intuition was confirmed.
He looked at Xie Guanning, a calculated look dawning in his eyes. Xie Guanning, however, didn’t seem to care. He pushed the car door open and scrambled out, shouting back, “Wait for me a second!”
Jiang Yan watched as the youth sprinted into the building, only to emerge moments later with a black backpack slung over his shoulder.
The sky had turned a heavy, dusky gray, and the twilight air felt stifling. Xie Guanning was already lightly covered in sweat. He looked up at the Marshal, his fair skin flushed with a faint, intoxicating red, his voice a bit breathless. “Let’s go.”
Jiang Yan’s eyes flickered, but he said nothing, following the youth into the underground parking garage of the residential area.
Xie Guanning led him with practiced ease toward a specific elevator. He pulled a mask from his bag and handed it to him. “Put this on, just in case someone recognizes you.”
As he said this, Xie Guanning felt a flicker of nervousness—and a hint of deliberate testing.
Jiang Yan stared at him for a moment before murmuring, “You certainly are bold.”
Xie Guanning raised an eyebrow and chuckled. “The Underground Arena is massive; it’s on every planet and even military students frequent it. There’s no way the military doesn’t know about it.”
In fact, rules like “no intentional killing” and “no starting trouble” bore the subtle shadow of military regulation. Xie Guanning knew this, which was why he dared to bring Jiang Yan here. Otherwise, wouldn’t he be leading a wolf into his own den?
Jiang Yan put on the mask. It covered his sharp, well-defined jawline, leaving only the superior lines of his brow visible. His aura shifted instantly—he looked unremarkable yet carried a contradictory sense of being someone you shouldn’t provoke.
The elevator opened, and they stepped inside. Jiang Yan looked down at Xie Guanning and said in a deep voice, “It is better to channel the energy than to block it. The development of mechas requires such a venue. For military students, it serves as an excellent training ground.”
After all, they couldn’t send students to a real battlefield before they had fully mastered their machines. While academies had their leagues, this “wilder” style of training was also necessary.
Xie Guanning caught the key point. “Did you participate in matches here too, Marshal?”
Jiang Yan paused, looking into the youth’s bright eyes, and slowly nodded. “Yes.”
Xie Guanning laughed, asking curiously, “Then you must have been the undisputed champion back then, right?”
Unexpectedly, Jiang Yan stiffened slightly and slowly shook his head.
Xie Guanning was shocked. “It wasn’t undisputed,” Jiang Yan explained. Seeing the boy’s curiosity, he went into detail.
Back then, Jiang Yan was only a freshman, but because he had been around mechas since childhood, his strength was far beyond his peers. He had entered the arena with a casual mindset, breezing through the qualifiers and semifinals. But in the finals, he met an unexpected opponent.
Xie Zheng.
The two were of similar age, both from military families, and both possessed strong personalities. Before the Xie family’s “incident,” they were like two kings in the Capital who could never meet. Later, when the Xies moved to Planet Z0823, though they didn’t see each other for years, they remained the most elite geniuses of their generation, hearing rumors of each other’s exploits.
The time Xie Zheng returned to the Capital representing Z0823 was their first reunion in years. Standing together as opponents, the battle between two double S-grade geniuses was so rare it attracted the attention of high-ranking military officials. In a supposedly “ordinary” final, the stands were packed with legendary figures.
“So, what was the result?” Xie Guanning asked urgently.
The elevator chimed. Jiang Yan stepped out and looked back at him, his gaze arrogant yet frank. “I do not lose.”
Xie Guanning was momentarily stunned.
The Underground Arena was as lively as ever. Xie Guanning led Jiang Yan to his unassuming little shop. Even though Jiang Yan had his suspicions, he was still surprised when he saw Xie Guanning pull open the heavy shop door.
Inside, the lights were dim. Tools and parts were piled everywhere; there was almost nowhere to stand.
“Is this shop yours?” Jiang Yan asked, looking around.
Xie Guanning flipped the light switch. “Not exactly. The owner was an old man. He was hiring, and I happened to see the ad. I ended up here by chance.” He kicked some clutter aside to clear a path. “Later, the old man got tired of it, dumped the shop on me, and went off to enjoy himself in another star system.”
Jiang Yan’s sharp mind caught a detail. “Hiring?”
Xie Guanning paused, then said casually, “He started this shop for fun. When it got too busy, he got annoyed and wanted to hire some help so he could slack off.”
“I remember him,” Jiang Yan said quietly. Xie Guanning looked surprised. Jiang Yan continued, “My impression is that his temper was… not great.”
“Not great” was an understatement. The man was notorious for his foul attitude; “the customer is king” did not apply to him. He’d curse out anyone who spoke rudely and chase them out with a broom.
Xie Guanning burst into laughter. “That’s exactly right. He hired a few assistants before me, but none of them could stand his temper and quit within days. When he hired me, he regretted it at first because I knew nothing, but since no one else would stay, he just had to suck it up and accept me.”
Xie Guanning spoke lightly, but Jiang Yan’s gaze darkened. “When did you start?”
“After middle school graduation, I think.”
Jiang Yan’s expression was unreadable. “Child labor.”
Xie Guanning blinked, then couldn’t help but laugh. “Pfft, I guess I was. It’s a wonder that old man was willing to take me in.”
An apprentice who looked small and weak, had no foundation, and was an Omega—the old man’s tolerance, aside from desperation, was likely due to Xie Guanning’s talent. The old man had zero patience for repeating lessons, but Xie Guanning never needed to be told twice. He grasped everything instantly. Often, the old man would be gearing up to yell at him for “not getting it,” only to find Xie Guanning had already solved the problem in silence, leaving the old man’s anger trapped in his throat.
Xie Guanning moved to the counter and started clearing the mess. Jiang Yan stood there with a complex heart. A child fresh out of middle school, looking for work alone, laboring in such a grimy environment under a cranky boss… the boy described it simply, but Jiang Yan could imagine the hardships.
Jiang Yan lowered his eyes, feeling that many of the questions he had wanted to ask were no longer necessary.
Xie Guanning, thinking the Marshal was bored, said, “The central combat zone is always exciting. You can go take a look if you’re interested. Maybe you’ll find some talent for the military.”
Jiang Yan wanted to say the military already had eyes here, but he stopped. “It’s fine. I think it’s quite interesting here. Can I stay and watch? I won’t disturb you.”
Xie Guanning had no objection. Once he entered his “work zone,” he was hard to distract anyway.
As the hours passed, Jiang Yan wandered the shop while Xie Guanning immersed himself in his world. The room was filled with the sound of pen on paper and fingers tapping on screens. Jiang Yan stood by a bookshelf with a book in hand, but his gaze remained fixed on the youth under the lamp.
The boy looked so small huddled in the corner. He would press a pen against his lips in deep thought, and when inspiration struck, his beautiful peach-blossom eyes would light up, and he’d scrawl notes frantically.
Jiang Yan was usually a focused reader, but now his thoughts were entirely on Xie Guanning.
When Xie Guanning finally stood up, Jiang Yan thought he was going to rest, but the youth headed straight for the back of the shop. Jiang Yan followed and found a vast workspace filled with several mechas. Xie Guanning crouched down, hammering and adjusting with a focused, serious gaze.
The late June heat was intense. Even at night, constant movement made him break into a sweat. Jiang Yan watched as the boy’s thin back tensed into a sharp line, his shirt clinging to the lithe curve of his waist. Beads of sweat rolled down his fair jawline and into his collar. His golden hair was damp and messy against his cheeks.
He didn’t stop for a second, his breathing heavy with exhaustion, yet his dark eyes remained as brilliant as stars.
In that moment, Jiang Yan’s heart skipped a beat.