Wu Renshan turned and said, "Commander, I have no reason to lie to you. Above has indeed informed me that Wang Shangmeng is..."
Xintian Cheng raised his left index finger, interrupting Wu Renshan's words, and said, "I'm aware. Then who is this arrival?"
"And the 'Taoxi' beside him, the pilot Tao Na, belongs to the Zhuo Yuan City Mech Guard and is under Old Zhao."
Wu Renshan asked in confusion, "How can they be together? It doesn't make sense."
Xintian Cheng smiled slightly and said, "There are many illogical things in this world. Since it's the War God's vehicle, then things will be easier."
"At the very least, the person piloting it, if not the War God himself, must have received the War God's approval."
Hearing Xintian Cheng's words, Wu Renshan also felt relieved and nodded, "Commander, I will issue the order now to let you pass without any hindrance!"
...
Gu Ya operated the mech calmly, constantly paying attention to the mech parameters in a list around the screen.
The screen was surrounded by darkness, with only a few small points of fire appearing in the center.
The Radiant Blue Swordsman was accelerating at four times the speed of sound.
Because the cockpit was equipped with an ecological simulation system, it blocked negative states and fulfilled all life support needs of the pilot.
The pilot did not feel the impact of high-speed travel.
What surprised Gu Ya slightly was that Tao Na was unusually silent, completely different from before.
"We're almost there, it's still not too late to turn back," Gu Ya said in a low voice.
Tao Na calmly replied, "I have five years of experience piloting combat mechs and have participated in hundreds of battles. I know what I'm doing."
Gu Ya glanced at the rear-view screen and said indifferently, "That's good. Don't hold me back, and don't expect me to save you."
Tao Na was silent for a moment, then asked, "Why did you come?"
"To kill someone I should have killed long ago," Gu Ya said sinisterly.
Tao Na replied, "War shows no mercy. You could die at any moment."
Gu Ya did not reply.
How could he not know the cruelty of war?
"Gu Ya, I was actually ordered to bring you to the Zhuo Yuan City Mech Guard," Tao Na said softly.
Gu Ya asked calmly, "Why?"
Tao Na sighed softly and said, "Many people died in the war two years ago. The replenishment of new forces is too slow, so we were ordered to recruit people from other cities."
"My orders were to find a potential mech pilot and bring them back by any means necessary."
Gu Ya stared at the screen.
On the screen, the frontal battlefield was slowly emerging.
Countless mech auras gathered in the center of the screen like countless pixels, now converging towards the southeast, as if organizing a defensive battle.
Gu Ya said calmly, "Zhuo Yuan City, I was planning to go there anyway. For myself."
"Please find someone else."
...
On the frontal battlefield,
The mechs that were attacking the black mech all received new combat orders.
The holographic sandbox displayed that approximately three thousand enemy mechs were gathering at the edge of the battlefield.
And the defending forces, including engineering mechs, numbered just over a thousand.
All the soldiers knew that the enemy's advance must be stopped.
A single, extremely bizarre black mech was already enough trouble for the defenders.
Now that Tianxing Island was about to be destroyed,
If no new reinforcements arrived, they would become an isolated force.
With enemies in front and the strange black mech behind,
The probability of perishing in the sea was very high.
"Advance steadily, reinforcements are arriving soon!"
"Hold the line, coordinate with your brother units! We can do it."
"I've faced enemies one against three, one against ten! What are you afraid of? Let them come!"
"All units line up in your respective formations. Defensive mechs, protect the long-range mechs. Let's give them a salvo!"
Ye Ying's communicator was filled with the encouragement and cheers of her comrades.
She was currently at the rear of the army.
In her Tenth Company, only she and Lan Jing remained.
They both piloted light, close-combat mechs, suitable for assassinating and ambushing small enemy units.
In large-scale army operations, they could not exert their full potential.
Therefore, they did not receive new orders to block the enemy, but instead guarded the black mech,
Ready to make a last stand if necessary.
The black mech had now slowly moved over Tianxing Island.
Judging by its appearance, it had no intention of destroying the island and continued to advance deeper into the defense line.
This brought great relief to the defenders.
Just as all the defenders were on high alert,
The black mech suddenly emitted a deafening tremor.
All the defenders were accustomed to its hum and thought it was about to roar again,
But something unexpected happened.
The black mech actually reduced its thrust and slowly stopped advancing.
It hovered directly above Tianxing Island, no longer moving forward.
Ye Ying frowned, watching the black mech intently.
"Why isn't it moving?" Lan Jing said coldly. "Is it about to attack?"
"No, it's not," Ye Ying said. "It seems to be waiting."
"Waiting?" Lan Jing asked, puzzled. "Waiting for what?"
Before Ye Ying could figure out how to answer Lan Jing,
The black mech trembled again, as if covered in fleas, shaking incessantly while letting out a cry of pain mixed with joy: "Gu—Ya!"
"I remember who the pilot of the black mech is. He's waiting for Gu Ya," Ye Ying said softly.
Lan Jing was once again perplexed. Hearing Ye Ying's confident tone, she clearly knew some inside story.
"Gu Ya is a person's name?" Lan Jing asked, confused.
At this moment, the black mech unprecedentedly began to rotate its body.
Its rotation was very slow, not in a hurry, as if enjoying the process.
Ye Ying narrowed her eyes and quietly looked in the direction the black mech was facing.
In fact, a sliver of anticipation, worry, excitement, and unease was also in her heart.
For the first time, she felt such complex emotions about someone's arrival.
It had been a week since she left the academy, but it felt like only a day had passed.
It was as if all the good things had just happened.
"Yes, it's Gu Ya," Ye Ying controlled her mech and ascended towards the northwest, flying up.
Lan Jing followed closely.
Directly above the black mech,
The Nightingale hovered quietly, waiting.
Ye Ying gazed intently, hoping that her thoughts would not be in vain.
But the empty night seemed like an abyss that could devour longing.
The more she stared, the more hopeless it became.
A few minutes passed.
Ye Ying began to doubt herself.
Perhaps I'm overthinking it?
This is wartime; everything will be kept secret.
Gradually, she sensed a faint pang in her heart.
Yes, it's impossible.
Ye Ying lowered her head, sighed softly, and pushed the control stick to fly her mech back.
Lan Jing whispered coldly, "What's wrong?"
Ye Ying said softly, "He's not coming."
"You mean Gu Ya?" Lan Jing asked again.
Ye Ying did not reply. Her hopes had ultimately come to naught.
A sense of ridiculous childishness emerged in her heart.
Why would she place expectations on something impossible?
For the first time in her life, Ye Ying's eyes began to water.
"Hey... Ye Ying..." Lan Jing reminded her coldly.
It doesn't matter anymore, Ye Ying thought, call me whatever you want. Besides Gu Ya, no one else could make her turn around.
"Hey, don't go, take another look," Lan Jing called out again.
Suddenly, a discordant, never-before-heard, faint engine growl drifted over.
Ye Ying raised her eyes and listened carefully.
Her memory was excellent. She had seen thousands of mechs and heard many different engine sounds, even being able to determine a mech's model from subtle differences in its engine.
In this battle, she had heard countless sounds.
No mech's engine sound was as restless yet possessed such a unique and stubborn frequency as this one.
It was as if, among the myriad of beings, it was the only one with its own frequency.
Ye Ying slowly turned her mech around and looked back into the vast night sky.
Beneath the magnificent and ethereal starry sky,
A blue mech with erupting thrust was rapidly approaching.
Its true silhouette gradually became clear.
It was an incredibly unique and majestic blue mech!
Ye Ying's heart leaped.
"Is that... Tao Na!?" Lan Jing was shocked. She had never witnessed such an absurd event!
"Gu—Ya!!!"
From within the black mech, a cry of extreme excitement suddenly erupted, as if intending to destroy everything with its sonic waves.
The majestic Radiant Blue Swordsman came straight on,
Stopping steadily in front of the black mech, level with its head.
Their sizes were so disproportionate;
The black mech was like a strong, crude fatty.
But the Radiant Blue Swordsman's aura was in no way inferior,
In fact, it was even more grand and magnificent, looking down upon all others!
Gu Ya's voice came from the Radiant Blue Swordsman,
So cold and angry,
Yet it exuded an inexplicable sense of security.
"Xu Jie, I'm going to kill you!"
A smile bloomed on Ye Ying's face.