Chapter 25

Chapter 25

The branch assignment ceremony concluded, bringing joy to some and sorrow to others.

Trainees not admitted on the spot were automatically placed on the reassignment list. That evening, after returning to their dormitories, they successively received their final placement results.

The entire night, the trainee dorms echoed with waves of groans and wails.

Early the next morning, Bai Luming yawned as he headed to the Mecha Department to report. Catching sight of He Yilan’s unusually grim expression, he understood—clearly, last night’s disturbances had kept someone from getting a good night’s sleep.

The Mecha Department was located in the innermost part of Fortress 6616, divided into several zones. Top-tier mechas were displayed in the deepest area, requiring the highest clearance. New recruits like Bai Luming were restricted to the outermost basic maintenance zone.

By the time they arrived, quite a few people were already present—mostly trainees reassigned from combat departments. Their expressions ranged from disinterested to outright unenthusiastic.

The Mecha Department belonged to the military’s logistics system, primarily responsible for supplying and maintaining combat tools like mechas and firearms for the combat divisions.

In a way, it was one of the logistics departments most closely connected to the front lines.

The area was filled with battle-scarred mechas, clearly awaiting repairs.

Bai Luming casually strolled around, observing that the equipment in a low-level military district on a desolate planet like 6616 was indeed far more outdated than elsewhere. At least, judging by the mechas before him, they were mostly models retired from the White Flame Legion three years prior.

After completing his circuit, he glanced back and asked offhandedly, “Your assessment?”

“They appear to be well-crafted older models.”

He Yilan responded, but Bai Luming continued to look at him with a faint, teasing smirk. “What is it?”

“Nothing,” Bai Luming replied. “It’s just rather amusing that someone like you could show such keen interest in these older models simply because of their excellent configuration.”

At first listen, it sounded like a harmless compliment, but He Yilan naturally detected the hidden meaning.

If the person before him was indeed who he suspected, it would be more surprising if he hadn’t noticed Bai Luming’s particular attention to these mechas.

He Yilan’s expression remained impassive. “A mecha’s model only represents the technological level of the era it was invented in, not its ultimate potential. New mecha models are constantly being introduced, but to this day, many active models on the battlefield remain irreplaceable.”

Bai Luming nodded in agreement. “Indeed, almost every mecha here has been perfectly modified. In terms of functionality, they’re just as effective as more advanced models. No wonder you’re so interested in the modification techniques here.”

His tone was calm, but his expression might as well have spelled out, “I’m not buying it.”

He Yilan smiled faintly, unbothered. “Actually, there’s another reason for my interest. Would you like to know?”

Bai Luming’s steps hesitated slightly at those words.

He certainly didn’t believe the casual lies spouted by He Yilan. After all, given his status, appearing suddenly on this godforsaken desolate planet was already highly unusual. Now, insisting on maintaining this fabricated identity as a trainee instead of dropping it—unless it was absolutely necessary—suggested there had to be another purpose. Bai Luming wouldn’t believe otherwise even if beaten to death.

But upper-level matters were no longer his concern. Whatever He Yilan was up to had nothing to do with a nobody from the lower districts like him.

So, while curiosity lingered, after only a brief pause, Bai Luming shook his head without hesitation. “No need. Not interested.”

He Yilan, however, seemed suddenly eager to share. “You could at least listen.”

Bai Luming shot him a look that clearly said, “Are you out of your mind?”

As the old saying goes, unsolicited kindness always hides ulterior motives. The same applied to pushing secrets on someone who clearly didn’t want to know.

Bai Luming gave He Yilan no opportunity to drag him into anything, brushing him off and walking away without looking back.

He Yilan followed. “Really won’t listen?”

Bai Luming didn’t stop. “No, thanks. No need. Appreciate the offer.”

He Yilan chuckled softly. “What a pity.”

Bai Luming snorted inwardly in response.

From the tone alone, it didn’t sound like there was any pity involved at all.

The two headed back.

As they passed the last corner, something caught Bai Luming’s eye, making him pause slightly.

In front of the outermost mecha, a uniformed trainee was crouching, meticulously studying something.

Bai Luming vaguely recalled this person.

Right after they finished signing up, this individual had also approached the Mecha Department’s registration desk to enroll.

At the time, he hadn’t paid much attention, but now he noticed the black earring on the person’s ear.

Under the daylight, it reflected a faint, pale glint—a very peculiar color.

The earring itself wasn’t remarkable; what stood out was the unique stone embedded in it.

Made from a specially synthesized material, Shadowstone was also the identity marker for "Umbra," the independent intelligence department he had established within the White Flame Legion.

Bai Luming never expected to find someone from the White Flame Legion in such a remote, numbered fortress planet.

Given the special nature of the "Umbra" department, it had always been directly managed by the commander since its inception. Now, only one person could authorize their actions.

So, was it Shen Yanfeng’s arrangement?

Bai Luming looked away, his steps resuming naturally. Beneath his calm expression, his mind was already racing.

Although it had nothing to do with him, he couldn’t help feeling that things were getting more and more interesting.

First He Yilan, now even the White Flame Legion was involved. Who knew what other forces were lurking around elsewhere?

It seemed the affairs on this desolate planet were far more interesting than he had imagined!

Really, even he couldn’t help feeling a bit curious.

The young man crouching there heard footsteps behind him and turned around, only catching sight of two figures walking away.

A flicker of confusion passed through his eyes before he pushed up his glasses.

Just then, the instructor walked in. Brushing off his uniform, the young man meekly went to join the assembly.

The instructor in charge of the new Mecha Department trainees was named Zhou Lubin. What stood out most were his two legs.

Though his walking posture showed no awkwardness, when the wind occasionally lifted his trousers, it revealed black-gold metal at his ankles—two prosthetic limbs.

Zhou Lubin was clearly aware of where everyone’s eyes lingered, having long grown accustomed to it.

After calling roll, he called out several names in succession: “Lu Ming, Yi Lan, Chen Wei, Gu Anzhe.”

Bai Luming stepped forward when his name was called. When “Gu Anzhe” was announced, he saw the young Umbra operative step out as well.

Huh, not just his appearance—even his name sounded elegant.

Zhou Lubin had been expressionless since entering, but now finally cracked a slight smile: "The four of you actively signed up for the Mecha Department this year, so you must be very determined about the path you want to take. Keep it up!"

As he spoke, he glanced at the others: "As for the rest of you, you were all reassigned from other departments. I know many of you didn’t want to join the logistical branch, but for soldiers, no matter which post you’re assigned to, you’re an essential part of the team—every role is indispensable! So I hope you don’t underestimate the power of the logistics departments. Is that clear?"

The students replied: "Understood!"

Zhou Lubin nodded: "Then without further ado, let’s jump right into our first lesson in the Mecha Department!"

Since many of the reassigned students had no prior exposure to related knowledge, the curriculum was arranged progressively, starting with the identification and assembly of small components.

From the very first lesson, Bai Luming knew he had indeed chosen the right department.

His blissful slacking-off life had officially begun!

*

Dormitory, Mecha Department, dormitory, Mecha Department… Bai Luming’s life in the fortress was very routine, even healthier than when he was in the lower district.

It was a simple two-point life—dorm and department—with meals and accommodation provided, no high-intensity training, and daily napping during classes.

At first, Bai Luming had been caught sleeping in class several times, but every time Zhou Lubin asked a question, he would open his eyes and answer fluently. Eventually, Instructor Zhou came to accept that this student was exceptionally gifted and began turning a blind eye, letting him sleep during lessons.

Before he knew it, Bai Luming had spent over two months idling in the Mecha Department, and the curriculum finally progressed from components to actual mecha-related content.

Bai Luming brought his cushion as usual to the maintenance room to slack off when he saw Zhou Lubin enter holding a string of items—they were all mecha Storage Buttons.

Someone nearby recognized them and grew excited: "Instructor, are these for us?"

After studying mecha theory for some time, everyone had grown thoroughly sick of the simulators they faced daily.

"They’re for you, but not for your use," Zhou Lubin said. "The Infantry Department has been conducting basic mecha operation training lately. They’ve just finished the simulator phase and are moving on to actual practical training. These are the training mechas prepared for them. Since we’ve just completed primary mecha debugging, the task of assisting in their training falls to you. Come on, everyone take one. Your mission is to support the Infantry Department in completing this phase of practical training."

As soon as he finished speaking, the excited cheers turned into groans: "No way, Instructor, this is too hard!"

"Hard? What’s so hard about it? Back when I finished your coursework, I went straight into live combat," Zhou Lubin said, impatient as ever. "The Infantry Department is waiting for training. Hurry up, all of you! Otherwise, they’ll be pestering me again. Let me be clear: do a good job, and don’t embarrass our Mecha Department. Later, I’ll ask the Infantry Department for their training records—this will count as your assessment score for this period."

The groans grew louder, but there was no other choice. They could only reluctantly step forward to collect the training mechas.

He Yilan grabbed two mecha Storage Buttons and tossed one to Bai Luming.

When he looked over, he saw that Bai Luming didn’t seem bothered at all—in fact, he looked rather pleased. He Yilan asked, "You seem pretty eager to go to the Infantry Department."

Bai Luming toyed with the Storage Button in his hand and smiled: "Of course. Our dear little Chu Xiao is in the Infantry Department. Haven't seen him in ages. I miss the guy. I wonder how he’s been doing."

He Yilan pointed out: "We saw him just last night in the cafeteria."

Bai Luming clicked his tongue: "The cafeteria and the training field are totally different. Come on, let’s go check on him."

Anyway, he had to show some proper care for his little fan.

After crossing nearly half the fortress, the Mecha Department group finally arrived at the training field area for basic mecha training.

The Infantry Department members were already waiting there in formation.

Bai Luming followed the others over and immediately spotted Chu Xiao.

Surprisingly, Chu Xiao didn’t seem as lively as usual today.

But the moment he saw the two of them, Chu Xiao’s lips curled into a bright smile, and he waved from a distance: "Lu Ming, Yi Lan, you actually came! I was wondering if you’d be among the Mecha Department people coming over!"

"Yeah." Bai Luming walked over, glanced at Chu Xiao’s expression, and asked casually, "What’s wrong? You look preoccupied."

"Ugh, don’t even mention it," Chu Xiao sighed even more deeply.

Before he could continue, another student nearby laughed: "He can’t get the hang of any operations—of course he’s anxious! Even the instructor said Chu Xiao is the dumbest student he’s ever seen in his life, the Waterloo of his teaching career. He’s basically given up on him!"

Chu Xiao retorted indignantly: "The instructor said I’m the least talented student, not the dumbest!"

"Isn’t that the same thing?" another student chimed in. "If you ask me, you shouldn’t even participate in this training. Your performance in the simulator practices the past few days was awful, and today we’re using real mechas. If you break one, can you even afford to pay for it?"

Bai Luming roughly understood after hearing this.

Chu Xiao’s individual combat skills were undeniable, but it seemed that for every door God opened, He closed a window—his ability to operate mechanical weapons was, to put it mildly, lamentable.

A voice interrupted their conversation.

"What’s everyone talking about?"

Bai Luming turned to look and saw the long-unseen face of Young Master Pei Suqi.

As soon as Pei Suqi appeared, those who had been making sarcastic remarks suddenly changed their tune, crowding around him with ingratiating smiles: "Young Master Pei, what brings you here?"

"I’m here to find someone." Pei Suqi sensed the strange atmosphere but didn’t think much of it.

He had spotted Bai Luming from afar and come straight over, but now that he was here, he seemed awkward.

He opened his mouth, looking as if he’d done a lot of mental preparation, then spoke with a stiff expression: "Today’s training is in one-on-one pairs. Lu Ming, you’ll be teaming up with me later."

Several Mecha Department students who had been following Pei Suqi hoping to partner with him and curry favor were surprised to hear this and couldn’t help staring at Bai Luming.

Bai Luming smiled faintly: "Young Master Pei, long time no see. I didn’t expect you to think so highly of me."

Pei Suqi, who had mustered the courage to extend the invitation, was irritated by the response: "Cut the nonsense. If I say you’re with me, you’re with me!"

Bai Luming’s impression of his former benefactor wasn’t actually bad—after all, the hundredfold payment alone deserved excellent after-sales service.

But at this moment, he could only decline apologetically: "Sorry, Young Master Pei, I already have a partner."

As he spoke, Bai Luming patted Chu Xiao’s shoulder with a smile: "This is my captain from the exercise assessment. We already agreed to team up just now."

Chu Xiao was taken aback: "Huh?"

He was touched by Bai Luming’s loyalty but still hesitant. He leaned in and whispered: "But Lu Ming, my skills are really terrible. Out of 100 points, I only scored 20 on the simulator yesterday—I even blew up the engine! You guys in the Mecha Department must have assessments too. What if I really break your mecha?"

Bai Luming calmly and confidently reassured him: "Don’t worry, Captain. With me here, you won’t break it."

Then, he thoughtfully recommended another ideal candidate to Pei Suqi: "Young Master Pei, why don’t you partner with Yi Lan? He’s also from our family’s repair shop. Don’t worry, his skills are equally impeccable! He can provide you with exclusive after-sales service on behalf of our family!"

He Yilan, who had been standing aside uninvolved, was caught off guard by the sudden mention.

He glanced at Bai Luming, and their eyes met. Bai Luming winked at him: "You can do it, right?"

After a moment of eye contact, He Yilan finally nodded: "...Yeah, I can."

Pei Suqi: "...?"

Can what? What can he do?

Wasn’t he the one who made the invitation first? How did he end up being assigned like this?!

As if reading his mind, Bai Luming patted his shoulder solemnly, speaking with utmost sincerity: "Young Master Pei, don’t worry. Trust me, you’re really getting a great deal."