Gu Ya was too exhausted. Twenty-four hours of continuous research on thesis materials had rendered his brain incapable of coherent thought.
Upon hearing movement, he slightly opened his eyes and vaguely saw a pair of fair thighs standing by his bed.
However, fatigue prevented him from looking up to see the person's face.
The owner of the thighs stood by the bed for a moment, then slightly bent her knees, took off her shoes, and climbed onto the bed, quietly slipping into Gu Ya's covers.
At this moment, Gu Ya finally recalled whose unique medicinal, bitter taste this was.
But fatigue rendered him incapable of any action.
A surge of anger welled up within him, and he mumbled, "Leng… Yun!"
Leng Yun's voice came from beside his ear, "Mhm, I tampered with the food. It's made of plant-based ingredients beneficial to the human body, which your excellent detoxification constitution cannot neutralize. Lie still, I won't do anything to you."
Gu Ya's entire body trembled, yet he couldn't muster any strength. He said shakily, "Dou… Mei."
"Mhm," Leng Yun snuggled into Gu Ya's embrace, tightly hugging his waist, resting her head on his chest. She listened to his heartbeat and softly said, "I have a thousand identities, a thousand names. Dou Mei, Lan Ya, Leng Yun, all are my names."
"Lie still. I only want to stay by your side. Only you can give me peace."
Gu Ya gritted his teeth and squeezed out a sound, "When I wake up… I won't forgive you…"
Leng Yun smiled faintly and whispered, "Then I'll wait for you."
The plant-based sedative took effect quickly. Gu Ya merely tilted his head and fell into a deep sleep.
By the time he woke again, it was already dawn.
He was alone in the bed; Leng Yun had already vanished.
The first thing Gu Ya did upon waking was to check his pajamas. They were intact.
Next, he retrieved a human body detection instrument from the system store and checked if he had engaged in any "overly vigorous" activities in the past few hours, or if anything was missing from his body.
Good. Dou Mei had not done anything untoward to him.
Gu Ya had preserved his purity for Ye Ying for so long, resisting so many temptations. If he failed now, how could he face Ye Ying?
But Dou Mei was unforgivable!
Gu Ya quickly washed up, grabbed his jacket, and rushed out of the dormitory. He hurried to the classroom and, in front of everyone, dragged Leng Yun out of the room.
He even grabbed her by the collar, like a chick, and carried her out of the classroom.
"Is this fun?" Gu Ya asked coldly.
Leng Yun appeared listless and slowly retorted, "What are you talking about?"
"Last night, in my dormitory!" Gu Ya's eyes widened like copper bells.
"Ah?" Leng Yun feigned surprise. "I was in my own dormitory last night. My roommate can testify."
"Don't play games with me. I know your methods!"
Gu Ya had every reason to be angry. This was the third time Dou Mei had played him for a fool.
"You're so scary. Are we close? If you continue like this, I'll call the campus police!" Leng Yun's expression turned cold as she said this, then turned and left.
Gu Ya stood there in a daze for a long time before finally noticing something amiss.
This Leng Yun did not have the bitter taste of medicine.
This meant there were two Leng Yuns, one of whom was Dou Mei in disguise.
Having figured out the truth, Gu Ya became extremely agitated. A chief executive of the Special Ninth Division's city operations, going to such lengths to get close to him, following him from Xianxia City all the way to Zhuo Yuan City, even impersonating his classmate.
Was it really necessary?
However, Gu Ya was not derailed by this minor incident. After only a few minutes of annoyance, he returned to his dormitory and continued his thesis research.
Of course, he discarded all the food stored in his dormitory and installed over a dozen surveillance cameras.
In the following days, the "Leng Yun with the bitter medicinal taste" never reappeared.
During this time, Gu Ya progressively delved into the confidential textbook's theses and gained a new understanding of the profession of battlefield mecha mechanics.
In reality, true battlefield mecha mechanics had many more capabilities beyond the operations seen in footage.
For instance, choosing suitable enemy mechas, and after destroying them, salvaging useful components. After all, it was difficult to find useful parts in the vast sea of wreckage; it was better to actively seek them out.
Another example: modifying teammates' mechas to make them integral parts of a powerful offensive weapon.
They could also create entirely new offensive weapons on the spot, catching enemies off guard.
They could even modify their own mechas to become more powerful.
They could even assemble them into colossal siege beam cannon barrels approaching 200 meters in length, becoming true battlefield deterrents.
In essence, they would stop at nothing to achieve their objectives.
Therefore, battlefield mecha mechanics also had several somewhat mysterious and terrifying names: Mecha Butcher, Mecha Alchemist, Mecha Anatomist.
Gu Ya had also consulted Liang Xun on a question: why, despite participating in several battles, had he never seen any battlefield mecha mechanics on the battlefield?
Liang Xun's answer was quite telling: "Probably busy dissecting mechas."
On the night of his birthday, Gu Ya gathered with his family via holographic projection and had a warm and sweet "reunion birthday dinner."
Immediately afterward, the Leng Yun with the bitter medicinal taste appeared.
She once again brazenly opened Gu Ya's dormitory door and barged in without permission.
However, Gu Ya did not argue with her. This dormitory must have been arranged by her for him. Without this dormitory, Gu Ya wouldn't have been able to learn so much knowledge without disturbance.
"Which name should I call you?" Gu Ya placed his dinner plate into the automatic dishwasher and then turned to face "Leng Yun."
"Whatever you prefer."
"I'll still call you Dou Mei. Actually, you don't need to disguise yourself as someone else every time. Can't you be more direct?" Gu Ya walked into the study and sat on the thinking sofa, preparing to begin his studies for the night.
Dou Mei, with Leng Yun's appearance, walked to the study door, smiling, "Hehe, I'm disguising myself for work requirements."
"You've visited, so leave quickly. I need to start studying." Gu Ya closed his eyes and opened the [Star Construct Blueprint] in his mind.
Dou Mei quietly sat beside Gu Ya, not disturbing him.
By the time Gu Ya opened his eyes again, it was past two in the morning.
Dou Mei was sleeping soundly, her head resting on Gu Ya's jacket.
Gu Ya had been wary of her for a long time, but in the end, she had succeeded. She always found a way to get close to Gu Ya; it was impossible to guard against!
However, seeing Dou Mei's docile appearance while asleep, Gu Ya couldn't help but feel a flicker of compassion.
He fetched a blanket to cover Dou Mei and got a cup of water, intending to place it beside her. This was the most he could do for her.
Gu Ya still remembered Ye Ying's parting words, "Don't fall for any woman." He had always adhered to his promise to Ye Ying.
Now, in Gu Ya's heart, Ye Ying had transformed into an even firmer belief.
No one could ever take away his love for Ye Ying from his heart.
Feeling the warmth of the blanket, Dou Mei slowly woke up, smiled wearily at Gu Ya, and asked, "How long have I slept?"
"About six or seven hours," Gu Ya replied faintly.
Dou Mei yawned, let out a sigh, stood up, and stretched her limbs. "I can only sleep soundly here with you. Alright, let's get down to business now."
Gu Ya looked at Dou Mei curiously. She had come with a mission.
Dou Mei pursed her lips, looked at Gu Ya with a serious expression, and said formally, "I hereby appoint Special Elite Level 1 Mecha Mechanic Gu Ya as a soldier of the Mecha Guard Team stationed in Wu He City, Yong Gu Zhi Lan War Zone."
Gu Ya's eyes widened, and he looked at Dou Mei in disbelief.
This was an appointment from a war zone. How could it be announced by a chief executive of the Special Ninth Division's city operations?
Dou Mei continued, "Gu Ya is to report to the Wu He City Mecha Guard Team immediately upon receiving this appointment letter."
"Appointing Authority: Xian Xia Strategic Department. Classification: Military Secret Level 1."
The water cup in Gu Ya's hand slipped and fell to the floor, splashing water everywhere.
What was bound to come, would come.
Gu Ya just hadn't expected it to arrive so quickly.