Chapter 46

Chapter 46

The moment Lin Youhan leaped, the three individuals aboard the mecha felt their hearts skip a beat.

Yet, almost instantly, a whooshing sound filled the air, and a blinding flash erupted from where Lin Youhan had fallen, accompanied by the roar of a mutant beast.

Immediately after, a colossal mecha materialized before them. It seized the mutant beast by its tail, hoisted it skyward, then violently slammed it into the ground, gouging out a massive crater.

The battle was far from over. The mecha swung its fists twice in the air, gathering momentum, then plunged them down onto the mutant beast below with a resounding "boom—." The once-ferocious creature was now utterly motionless, unable even to lift its head.

The trio stared, dumbfounded. Before they could fully register what had transpired, a black-and-red mecha, resembling the white one, appeared and effortlessly hoisted the mutant beast, subjecting it to a relentless barrage of blows.

The mutant beast let out a savage roar, lashing its tail towards the black-red mecha. The mecha deftly caught its tail, then, using its grip, swung the beast around and hurled it into a nearby thicket of trees. Granting it no respite, the mecha instantly teleported to the beast, pinning it underfoot before delivering a powerful punch to its head.

"Holy… this mutant beast is ridiculously weak," Jiang Xun muttered, maneuvering his own mecha into action. He was now starting to believe Lin Youhan’s assertion that the fight wouldn't be difficult.

Lu Zhao and Zhao Minglang had each brought their school's training mechas.

Having spent their time at the military academy, they hadn't yet constructed their own mechas and were thus using the school's equipment for the interim.

Just then, a fiery red robot descended from the sky, extending mechanical arms and legs, swiftly transforming from its robotic state into a mecha.

All three were captivated. "What is that?"

"Are there more mutant beasts?"

Lin Youhan chuckled upon hearing this. While fending off the mutant beast, he addressed them, "What are you thinking? Zhaohui, introduce yourself to them."

"Understood." Zhaohui nodded towards him, then approached Lu Zhao and extended a mechanical hand. "Hello, I am the Vermilion Bird of the Four Symbols Series Mecha, a WE-type Mecha Vehicle. You may call me Zhaohui."

Lu Zhao stared blankly at the outstretched mechanical hand. "Do I know you?"

Witnessing Lu Zhao’s bewildered expression, Jiang Xun grew exasperated. "Lu Zhao, do you realize what kind of mecha this is?! It’s choosing its pilot—aren’t you going to accept it?!"

"The Four Symbols Mecha…" Lu Zhao replied honestly. Then, as if struck by a sudden realization, his mind momentarily froze. He looked towards Lin Youhan, who was still engaged with the mutant beast. "Lin… Brother Lin, is this for me?"

Lin Youhan corrected him, "It’s not that I’m giving it to you—it chose you ten years ago."

Lu Zhao hesitated. "But we’ve never met."

He couldn't comprehend how he had formed a connection with Zhaohui.

Hearing this, Lin Youhan fell silent. Usually, Lu Zhao's mind was quite sharp, so why was he acting so foolish now?!

Jiang Xun blurted out, "Lu Zhao, if you won’t pilot it, I will. Let me test it out for you."

Lu Zhao: "…"

Zhao Minglang: "…"

Zhaohui: "…"

Lu Zhao politely declined. "No need, I’ll go get Brother Lin and the others right away."

With that, he immediately extended his psychic energy to connect with Zhaohui. In just one second, the connection was successful, without any resistance.

At that moment, Lu Zhao finally understood why Lin Youhan had said Zhaohui had chosen him.

Once the psychic connection was established, Zhaohui spoke, "Lu Zhao, it’s been ten years. I’ve finally met you."

Lu Zhao was about to speak when Zhao Minglang patted his hand and said, "Last time your psychic energy went haywire, it was Zhaohui and Brother Lin who saved you."

Their connection had begun a decade ago.

No wonder Liao Baixing had uttered such peculiar words that night—she must have known all along.

With that thought, he cast aside his worries and piloted his mecha directly into the swarm of mutant beasts, joining Migu and Snow to eliminate them.

Though there were over a hundred mutant beasts, they were swiftly dispatched thanks to the combined efforts of the five.

After vanquishing the mutant beast horde, they leaned exhaustedly against their mechas.

Jiang Xun leaped out of his mecha cockpit, wiping sweat from his forehead, and declared, "Now that we’ve dealt with the mutant beasts, we can move on to the next scenario, right?"

Having expended a significant amount of psychic energy, Lin Youhan appeared somewhat pale. After exiting his mecha cockpit, he remained leaning against the mecha. Si Muyun noticed his condition and offered him water.

Lin Youhan glanced at him in surprise, accepted the water without ceremony, and said while drinking, "I didn’t expect you to bring water."

Si Muyun replied, "Just in case."

Snow, who had been silently observing, averted his gaze, thinking to himself: That water was clearly mine!

But when he turned around, he was met with two pairs of curious eyes.

It was Migu and Zhaohui.

Snow: "? What are you two doing?"

Three mechanical eyes stared at each other, each looking without uttering a word.

Finally, Snow broke the silence: "Do you need something?"

Migu: "Can't we just look at you?"

Zhaohui nodded in agreement.

Noticing that his words were being ignored, Jiang Xun stomped over, intending to see what was happening. As soon as he arrived, he saw three robots staring blankly at each other.

Hearing the robots conversing effortlessly, his eyes widened in shock. "You can actually talk?!"

Migu rolled its eyes. "Why wouldn’t we be able to talk?"

Jiang Xun pointed at his own mecha. "Mine can’t."

The three robots coolly shifted their gaze to Jiang Xun’s mecha, which, noticing their attention, silently looked back.

Seeing those melancholic eyes and considering Jiang Xun’s personality, Migu instantly understood why Jiang Xun’s robot was so taciturn.

It turned to Jiang Xun and bluntly stated, "Clearly, it’s because you talk too much."

Jiang Xun: "…?"

How was he talking too much?!

Jiang Xun, too incensed to let it go, wanted to argue with Migu. Just then, a mechanical hand grabbed his clothes. He turned, ready to scold, only to find his own robot silently gazing at him.

Jiang Xun: "What kind of look is that?"

Migu saw right through him: "It despises you. Didn’t you know?"

Hearing this, Jiang Xun instantly erupted, "You're Lin Hanhan's robot, aren't you?! Truly, like owner, like robot!"

Migu retorted without hesitation, "Then why are you so different from it? It has far more sense than you!"

"You—"

Jiang Xun never imagined that one day he wouldn't just lose an argument to a person, but also to someone's mecha. Migu's few words left him utterly speechless.

"Also, you still don't even know who he is. I think you're an idiot."

Jiang Xun froze, "If he's not Lin Hanhan, then who is he?"

Migu: "What kind of man would give himself a name like that? Besides, your cousin also has a name in this style. You know your cousin's identity but not my owner's?"

Perhaps because their conversation grew too loud, Lu Zhao and Zhao Minglang were drawn over. As they approached and overheard this, they cast a sympathetic glance at Jiang Xun.

Jiang Xun was still trying to figure out how to defend himself when his wandering eyes met their sympathetic gazes.

Jiang Xun: "...You two knew all along?"

Lu Zhao said awkwardly, "Not that early, probably just before we went to military academy."

Hearing that last part, Jiang Xun completely broke down, "Why didn't you tell me?!"

Zhao Minglang quietly added, "We weren't that close back then."

Jiang Xun fell silent.

Jiang Xun was at a loss.

Jiang Xun exploded.

Why on earth weren't he and Lu Zhao and Zhao Minglang close back then?!!!

He desperately looked at Migu: "So who is he?"

Just then, a lazy voice cut in, "You tell me—if I can produce the S02 mecha and even build the Vermilion Bird Zhaohui, who do you think I am?"

Everyone turned towards the source of the voice. Lin Youhan was leaning against his mecha, watching them with an amused grin.

The answer was self-evident.

No one but Lin Youhan himself could possess the S02 mecha, let alone create the Vermilion Bird.

Jiang Xun muttered a low curse.

The next second, he looked up and met Si Muyun's dark, intense gaze.

Jiang Xun immediately explained, "Cousin, I was cursing myself for being so clueless, for not recognizing the big shot right in front of me! If you'd told me earlier he was Lin Youhan, I'd kneel and lick his shoes right now."

Si Muyun: "..."

Lin Youhan: "..."

Lu Zhao: "..."

Zhao Minglang: "..."

The other robots: "..."

After a moment of silence, Lin Youhan quietly averted his eyes, "Si Muyun, you taught him well."

Si Muyun fell silent once more.

Lin Youhan straightened up and changed the subject, "Alright, let's gather our things and head back to the city."

Their mission was to deal with the mutant beasts outside the city. Now that it was resolved, they should return and await the next scenario the following day.

However, shortly after they climbed into their mechas, they sensed something amiss.

The wind in the dense forest seemed to have ceased.

Lin Youhan turned as if sensing something, and saw that not far from the deep pit left by the fallen mutant beasts, countless red eyes glowed.

Lu Zhao looked up at Lin Youhan, "Brother Lin, what's going on?"

Jiang Xun rubbed his eyes and, realizing there wasn't a single trace of battle on the ground, was utterly baffled. "Wait, how does this scenario mode work? They can respawn after being killed??! That can't be right!"

"From the moment we entered, the evaluation program began its full operation," Lin Youhan stated calmly. "Those within the code cannot break these codes."

Jiang Xun was utterly confused. "But they still can't come back to life, can they?"

"They can," Lin Youhan affirmed with certainty. "When we first began learning code, looping was an essential process. If the corresponding conditions aren't met, it will continue to loop indefinitely."

"So within the program, resurrection after death is possible."

"The mutant beasts, as code written into the scenario, can also do so."

Throughout Earth's long history, death has always been inevitable. But now, with advanced technology, improved hibernation techniques, and the continuous emergence of digital life, living indefinitely has also become a possibility.

It's just that this possibility is quite cruel to the living.

Lin Youhan thought of this the moment he saw the reappearing mutant beasts.

The others were startled by his conclusion but soon understood.

Si Muyun gazed coldly at the mutant beasts and pinpointed the key to breaking the cycle: "So we need to find the point that stops the loop."

Jiang Xun scratched his head, "But we don't know anything. How do we find it?"

Lin Youhan mused, "We can consider anything that seemed ordinary but was actually illogical from the moment we entered this scenario until now."

"As soon as we entered, we encountered that ordinary mutant beast and then went into Mountain City. What was strange—" Lu Zhao began.

But before he could finish, Lin Youhan interrupted him, "That's the anomaly."

"Ah?" Everyone's eyes turned to him.

Lin Youhan cracked a smile, "The mutant beasts we're encountering now are all mutated types, but the one we met at the entrance was ordinary. That's highly suspicious."

"Besides, it was the one that led us into the Mountain City battle scenario. Perhaps it's the key."

Everyone instantly felt that ordinary mutant beast was special after Lin Youhan's analysis.

Jiang Xun was the first to act. He entered his cockpit, took off in his mecha, and excitedly shouted, "Then what are we waiting for? Let's go catch it!"

Seeing Jiang Xun's boundless energy, Lin Youhan sighed, facepalming.

Then the others also entered their mechas and headed to the entrance to find that mutant beast.

-

Arriving at the entrance, the area grew darker, but a red tongue could still be seen hanging down.

Hearing the noise, the mutant beast opened its eyes and looked puzzled at the five who had returned.

Lin Youhan leaped out of the mecha and slowly walked towards the mutant beast.

Jiang Xun: "You’re not expecting to talk to it, are you?"

Lin Youhan turned his head and flashed him a bright smile, "Why don’t you crawl into my stomach and be my tapeworm? Then I’ll tell you what I’m thinking."

Jiang Xun: "…"

"You’re disgusting," Jiang Xun muttered under his breath.

Just then, a faint voice chimed in: "Show some respect to your cousin."

Lin Youhan, who was walking ahead, nearly stumbled onto the mutant beast’s tongue upon hearing this. He steadied himself, glared back at Si Muyun, then turned away.

Only Jiang Xun, the victim of the moment, fell silent.

Lu Zhao and Zhao Minglang didn’t dare make a sound, afraid of getting involved.

Ignoring Jiang Xun’s reaction, Lin Youhan locked eyes with those golden-yellow orbs, unsure what he was to do next.

Suddenly, the mutant beast moved, retracting its tongue and fearfully backing away two steps.

"What’s wrong with it?" Jiang Xun quickly forgot his earlier displeasure, craning his neck to watch the mutant beast’s movements.

Lin Youhan noticed its gaze fixed on a particular spot. Following its line of sight, he saw Zhaohui standing beside Lu Zhao.

Zhaohui, now the focus of both human and beast, calmly stepped forward.

Unexpectedly, as Zhaohui approached, the mutant beast immediately turned and fled.

Lin Youhan: "…"

Realizing the mutant beast was running in a different direction than the way to Mountain City, Lin Youhan immediately grabbed Si Muyun’s hand and ran after it.

"It probably knows the way out," Lin Youhan explained the reason for holding hands.

Si Muyun glanced at their interlocked fingers but didn’t call him on his excuse.

Seeing the two almost out of sight ahead, the other three quickly followed.

However, after they left, the buildings behind them began to collapse, and the space started to distort.

"What the hell?! What kind of path is this?!" Jiang Xun yelled as he ran. He was last in line, with the spatial collapse happening right behind him, which terrified him.

Lin Youhan and Si Muyun also noticed the anomaly behind him and quickened their pace.

When they reached the end, they found a heavy door blocking their path. Looking around, all they saw were walls—no way forward. The mutant beast that had been running ahead of them had vanished into thin air, completely gone.

Seeing the door, Jiang Xun’s heart sank. The space behind him was still collapsing, and he was just inches away from falling.

Witnessing this, Lin Youhan didn’t hesitate. He decisively ordered Migu to ram the door open.

As soon as Migu crashed into it once, an information screen appeared on the door, and a mechanical voice rang out overhead: "Detected current scenario progress at 100%. Would you like to proceed to the next scenario ahead of schedule?"

"Begin immediately," Lin Youhan replied without hesitation.

"Affirmative."

As soon as the voice faded, the collapsing space halted. Jiang Xun pulled his hovering foot back and breathed a sigh of relief.

Seeing Jiang Xun safe, the others also relaxed.

Suddenly, the heavy door swung open, and the sound of bustling noise poured out—competing calls and occasional bursts of applause.

Seeing the familiar scene, Lin Youhan froze instantly, his hands trembling uncontrollably.

The next moment, his hand was held again. A reassuring warmth passed through, immediately diverting his attention.

Lu Zhao shrank back at the sight before him. Memories from his dreams came flooding back, replaying vividly in his mind.

"Brother Lin…" he murmured.

Lin Youhan didn’t respond, as the mechanical voice overhead sounded again.

"The early-activated scenario is Walt's Auction House from New Era 140. Mission: Find the missing Vermilion Bird design plans."

Lin Youhan closed his eyes, having apparently anticipated this outcome.

He tightened his grip on Si Muyun’s hand and said calmly, "Perhaps this is the first scenario we were meant to enter."

"Not perhaps—it is," Si Muyun stated, already certain from the mechanical voice’s announcement that this was the event from when Lin Youhan had rushed to Walt’s back in the day. "This time, I’m with you."

"But you wouldn’t want to see me at my weakest and most helpless," Lin Youhan laughed self-deprecatingly.

Si Muyun rebutted lightly, "But that wouldn’t stop me from falling in love with you."

Lin Youhan’s smile faltered for a moment. "True."

He turned to the other three. "Let’s go in."

Then he added leisurely, "Once we’re in, let’s wreck the place. It’s bad juju just looking at it."

-

Meanwhile, in the Star Institute conference room, a red exclamation mark abruptly flashed across the large screen, followed by an alarm: "Alert—Alert—Alert—"

Everyone looked up to see what was happening.

"What’s going on?" someone asked.

Another replied, "Not sure. Wasn’t there a screen that wasn’t working today? Maybe it’s that one?"

"Are you talking about the team that drew the war scenario?"

"If they got the war scenario first, the following scenarios won’t be any better. They might be stuck there for five days."

"Then they’ll probably miss the Technology Conference?"

"Just their tough luck."

…

Suddenly, a cold mechanical female voice announced: "Detected a team activating a scenario ahead of schedule. The original scenario has collapsed, with recorded progress at 100%. The feed will now be restored for this team."

As soon as the voice finished, everyone in the conference room saw the screen that had been dark since morning light up. All five team members appeared on screen, and soon they were seen stepping through a doorway into a bustling city.

Everyone stared at the footage in disbelief.

After a long silence, a voice abruptly spoke up: "I remember this team drew the war scenario, right?"

"They cleared the war scenario in half a day?!"

"Are they even human?!"