Chapter 1 The Beginning
"First match! Jude without armor! Taken down by the Rampaging Wave, Zhan Ying!" the announcer yelled with exaggerated fervor.
Inside the cockpit,
Wu Xuan panted, a smile of excitement on his face, still buzzing from the intense battle.
Gu Ya curved his lips slightly and asked, "How does it feel?"
"Awesome!"
"Want to feel even more awesome?" Gu Ya asked mysteriously.
"Huh?" Wu Xuan looked at Gu Ya in confusion.
Not long after,
The door of the dilapidated mech cockpit opened, and a young man emerged.
The youth stood atop the mech, straightened his posture, and removed the outer garment covering his head.
All the spectators and those watching on holographic television saw his face clearly.
Wu Xuan!
Jude without armor was Wu Xuan!
In the slums, cheers of shock erupted.
Jude without armor was Wu Xuan from the slums!
He represented the vast and overlooked slum dwellers in the mech bounty matches!
The people in the contestant waiting area were equally shocked.
They hadn't expected there to be two Jude without armors.
Ling Ling smiled and shook her head, finding Gu Ya's schemes quite elaborate.
Just then, Ling Ling's communication bracelet vibrated. Seeing the caller ID, Ling Ling looked down, turned, and walked to a secluded spot to answer the call.
"What is it?"
"President, I've apprehended a member of the Crocodile Path Alliance. I learned that Gu Youyou is still at the Crocodile Path Alliance's main base. I also found out that Gu Ya is competing to save his sister. Do we need to handle this?"
Ling Ling crossed her arms, her left index finger tapping rhythmically. She mused that Gu Ya's fighting style was completely unconventional. If he managed to reach the finals, she could use his sister as leverage to make him lose his matches, thus eliminating one opponent.
Ling Ling said, "Not yet, continue to observe."
After hanging up, Ling Ling dialed another number.
"What are the test results?" Ling Ling asked.
A man's voice came through the earpiece: "President, the preliminary detection shows a 98% match rate. We are proceeding with the third round of confirmation."
Ling Ling said, "Prepare a report, I'll pick it up myself."
...
Outside the battle arena, Gu Ya and Wu Xuan returned to the junkyard driving their mechs.
Wu Xuan was surrounded by dozens of people cheering enthusiastically, escorting him to the camp.
Just moments ago, Gu Ya had persuaded Wu Xuan to impersonate him as Jude.
Wu Xuan readily accepted.
They had agreed on everything, including the motive for participation and the details of the match. Wu Xuan remembered everything clearly and cooperated perfectly.
While Wu Xuan distracted everyone, Gu Ya quickly piloted his mech into the depths of the junkyard.
He was taking a gamble, betting that the Rampaging Wave would be discarded.
In the arena, Gu Ya had precisely and forcefully struck the weak armor parts of the Rampaging Wave.
Although the Rampaging Wave appeared heavily damaged on the surface, its most critical internal components were left unharmed.
The Lan Yang Trading Company would have the money and time to repair the mech, but it would be more cost-effective to buy a new one.
The Rampaging Wave would definitely be discarded.
The night was pitch black, the cold wind howled, and silence reigned.
Gu Ya stood atop his mech, gazing up at the sky above the arena, waiting silently.
In the distant Upper City, the dazzling, dreamy, and colorful neon lights illuminated the night sky.
Although he couldn't see it firsthand, Gu Ya knew it must be incredibly beautiful and luxurious there.
Just then, four beams of searchlight pierced the sky from behind the arena.
As the four lights drew closer, Gu Ya could clearly see two heavy mechs carrying a heavily damaged mech.
When he saw the blue armor plating, Gu Ya knew his gamble had paid off; the Rampaging Wave had indeed been abandoned.
The two heavy mechs unceremoniously dropped the battered Rampaging Wave onto the junkyard pile and flew away without looking back.
Gu Ya decisively drove his mech forward, picked up the Rampaging Wave on his back, and headed back.
A genuine smile spread across his face.
...
A black motorcycle sped through the deserted streets, its crimson taillight leaving a long streak of light that cut through the night.
With a harsh screech of brakes, the motorcycle came to a steady stop in front of a skyscraper.
Atop the skyscraper hung a large red neon sign: Tian Xuan Group, He Cheng Branch.
Ling Ling dismounted from the motorcycle and quickly entered the building.
On the 18th underground floor, in the bio-laboratory,
The elevator doors opened, and Ling Ling stepped inside.
A staff member in a white coat handed her two files.
Ling Ling opened the files. At the top right corner of the first file, a young boy's immature portrait was affixed.
Below it, in the data section, were dozens of lines of text. The first few lines read:
[Classification: Secret]
[Number of Detections: Two]
[Subject of Detection: Gu Ya]
[Detection Result: Clone Variant Type 005x-b, 99.99% Genetic Overlap]
Ling Ling then opened the second file:
[Subject of Detection: Gu Youyou]
[Detection Result: Clone Variant Type 006x-c, 99.99% Genetic Overlap]
Ling Ling smiled and asked, "So, that means it can be confirmed."
The staff member nodded and said, "If the third detection result is the same, we can fully confirm they are the two clone variants who went missing five years ago."
Ling Ling hummed, closed the files, and said, "Notify me immediately when there are results," before turning to leave the laboratory.
...
In the junkyard, Gu Ya was squatting over the Rampaging Wave, quickly removing the fastening bolts of the chest armor, and then piloting his mech to lift the armor plate away.
Finally, Gu Ya climbed into the Rampaging Wave's cockpit and used [Code Tampering] to search for and modify the Rampaging Wave's underlying code.
The second round of matches would conclude around noon tomorrow, so he had to hurry.
However, finding the Rampaging Wave's underlying code was like searching for a needle in a haystack.
Gu Ya searched for two hours, his head aching. Coupled with not having eaten for more than a day, he was too exhausted to move.
But time was of the essence.
And Youyou's life hung in the balance.
If he couldn't find it, he would dismantle important parts and assemble them onto his own mech.
Exhausted, Gu Ya crawled out of the cockpit. As he was about to climb into his own mech, his hand slipped, and he fell heavily to the ground.
Pain, dizziness, abdominal cramps, and weakness in his limbs – all the unpleasant sensations hit him at once. He was truly exhausted and had no strength left.
Gu Ya let out a couple of pained groans, his heart filled with immense sorrow.
If he were in his original world, he would surely be in a school laboratory now, tinkering with his beloved mechanical equipment.
He'd snack when hungry and close his eyes to rest when tired.
But now, he felt trapped, burdened by his sister's life and a sky-high bounty debt.
He also had to battle a group of ruthless individuals.
Unconsciously, a tear of grievance rolled down Gu Ya's cheek.
He could easily abandon his responsibilities, pretend nothing was wrong, and go to and from school alone, earning a living for himself.
But the thought of Youyou's cute little face, and her sincere calls of "Brother!"
Youyou was the only person in this world who could bring him warmth and motivation to move forward.
How could Gu Ya bear to let others insult and trample on Youyou?
That was the original owner's hope, and now, it was his hope too.
Since he wasn't dead yet, he had to get up!
Gu Ya wiped away his tears, gritted his teeth, and desperately propped himself up, standing again.
At this moment, Wu Xuan arrived with a group of people carrying searchlights.
"It's Xiao Zhao! He's over there!"
"Finally found him!"
"Haha, I knew he was looking for mech parts!"
"Guys! Let's put in some effort, we'll help Jude repair the mech!"
Wu Xuan walked over and supported Gu Ya, saying with concern, "Brother, you go rest. Leave this to us."
Gu Ya pushed Wu Xuan away and said, "We'll do it together."
This area of the junkyard lit up, with dozens of people dispersed around, busily working in an orderly fashion.
Gu Ya climbed back into the mech's cockpit, his eyes devoid of sadness or hesitation, only the longing for his goal and victory.
I haven't lost yet, I cannot lose.
Youyou, wait for me, brother.