The two piloted their mechs towards the beach to the south.
This was a bay where steep sea cliffs gradually rose to the southwest, forming a natural harbor.
To the east of the bay, the sky was already beginning to whiten.
The waves reflected the dawn's glow, and white light shimmered on the sea's surface, its sparkling ripples resembling a gathering of thousands of luminous jellyfish.
The two landed on the beach. Wang Shangmeng said, "Show me your best moves, whatever you've got!"
"Alright!" Gu Ya responded, pushing the power and control sticks.
He didn't use any special skills, but rather his current abilities.
The Qilong boosted explosively, forming an equilateral triangle kill formation around Wang Shangmeng's mech.
"Hmm! A very beautiful maneuver. Did you create it yourself?" Wang Shangmeng asked with a hint of admiration. "But there's a problem. This is an improvised action. To perform it quickly in combat, you need to program this move into your mech's system."
"Watch this!" Wang Shangmeng said, and then charged towards Gu Ya's mech.
He didn't slow down at all, his speed being several times that of Gu Ya's.
In the blink of an eye for Gu Ya, Wang Shangmeng had replicated Gu Ya's equilateral triangle kill formation.
Not only that, but Wang Shangmeng repeated it several times, each iteration almost identical in path, speed, and angle.
"Being able to program moves spontaneously during combat is also a necessary skill for a mech pilot! It can help you a lot!"
Gu Ya shouted, "I've got it, teacher!"
"Good! Now, remember these moves of mine!" With that, Wang Shangmeng piloted his mech into the sky.
In the night sky, his blue mech began to circle at a slight angle, increasing in speed. His mech was like a whirlwind kicked up from the ground, soaring straight upwards.
If an enemy were in the eye of the whirlwind, they would surely be torn to shreds.
Immediately, Wang Shangmeng yelled, "The following moves can help you counter-attack!"
"Watch closely!" He flew straight up, and as he passed the east, he suddenly vanished.
Almost the moment he disappeared, the blue mech reappeared at a slightly further position.
"How did you do that!!" Gu Ya exclaimed in shock. He hadn't even blinked, so how could the other party disappear into thin air?
He also remembered that during their night battle, Wang Shangmeng had suddenly disappeared and then reappeared behind him.
The blue mech descended from the sky, and Wang Shangmeng asked with a smile, "Does it look like magic?"
"Teacher, please teach me!" Gu Ya pleaded.
Wang Shangmeng chuckled, "I can, but on one condition: let me use the Qilong, or we're not discussing it, hahaha!"
Gu Ya's face darkened. "Teacher, are you still charging tuition?"
Wang Shangmeng laughed heartily, then quickly shifted to a warning tone. "The Qilong 003 is one of the military's most classified mechs. Gu Ya, I don't care how you got it. But if it appears, it will definitely attract the military's high attention, and they won't let you go."
Gu Ya asked warily, "Then what should I do?" Yes, although this mech was powerful, he couldn't just keep it hidden forever. It was like walking at night in fine clothes; if he couldn't use it, or couldn't be seen using it, what was the point?
"Hahaha!" Wang Shangmeng grinned mischievously and said, "But I'm different. I can openly pilot it into battle, and no one will investigate me."
"I can make it legal. Then I'll return it to you under my name."
Gu Ya was speechless and sweated. "Master, you're too despicable, playing the trick of getting something for nothing."
"Hahaha, how could that be!" Wang Shangmeng laughed. "I'll trade you my 'Brilliant Blue Swordsman' and teach you my true art. You won't be at a loss! Think it over carefully!"
Gu Ya closed his eyes and sighed. After a few minutes of thought, he said, "Master, I'll trade with you."
"It's a deal, hahaha!" With that, Wang Shangmeng piloted the "Brilliant Blue Swordsman" into the sky, saying, "The principle is very simple, requiring three factors: light source, human eye delay, and mech camera loopholes!"
"When a mech camera captures a high-speed moving target, it relies on the computer's powerful processing capabilities to calculate lead time and drive the camera's operation."
"But real situations are ever-changing!"
"There's a loophole here! If the mech is in flight and suddenly reverses a short distance along the original posture and path, the computer will automatically judge that the target has been lost and will re-search for the target."
Gu Ya nodded and said, "And then?"
Wang Shangmeng continued, "Next is to use the light source and human eye delay to deceive your opponent!"
"Find the right angle, and the moment you block the light source in your opponent's field of vision, use the programmed action sequence to quickly stop propulsion and activate reverse propulsion. This will allow you to disappear into thin air!"
"Of course! If it's at night, the effect is even better!"
"Remember what I said, and ponder it yourself!"
"Time is pressing, there are two more moves, watch closely!"
With that, Wang Shangmeng continued to demonstrate his skills.
As the sun rose above the horizon, Wang Shangmeng finished teaching all his moves and piloted Gu Ya's Qilong eastward.
Gu Ya watched its receding back and sighed deeply.
He touched the exterior armor of the "Brilliant Blue Swordsman," unsure whether he felt happy or lost. "Alright, new friend, please take care of me from now on."
Then, Gu Ya deleted the Qilong's information from his [Void Pack] and added the "Brilliant Blue Swordsman."
This way, he could freely store and retrieve the mech.
After this night, Gu Ya's stomach rumbled with hunger again.
Gu Ya sat wearily on a sea reef, then leaned back, letting the dampness of the reef soak through his back.
The coolness penetrated his skin, stimulating his nerves.
He gazed at the gradually whitening starry sky, not wanting to move at all, his eyelids beginning to droop.
The day's events had been nothing short of fantastical.
He had encountered a war god at night and received his personal tutelage, though the outcome was somewhat unexpected.
And Ye Ying's change was utterly baffling to him.
Thinking of Ye Ying, Gu Ya took out his wristband. There were three unread messages.
Damn it, he had been too engrossed in talking with his master and forgot to check his messages.
The first message read: [I saw the message, sorry for causing you trouble.]
What trouble was she talking about? She was too formal.
The second message read: [Did you bring me back?]
Who else could it have been? With Ana'i in that state, who would dare approach her except Gu Ya?
The third message read: [Are you free today? Can I have the food you cook?]
The last message was sent at 5:20 AM, and it was now 5:40 AM.
Gu Ya sprang up, his previously drowsy eyes wide open.
Immediately, he let out a faint chuckle.
[Okay, you sleep for a while first. I'll go buy some ingredients and be there around nine.]
Gu Ya suppressed his trembling hands and chuckled, covering his wristband.
He thought, I'll go to the market and make a feast. Today, I'll try to capture Ye Ying's taste buds and make a lunch she'll never forget!
……/
Enormous waves churned on the sea, the spray white.
In the surging waves, large fish could be seen chasing forward.
But the people on the ship were in no mood to admire the view.
As a storm approached, the solitary small boat was like a fallen leaf in a downpour, rising and falling with the waves. With each giant wave it encountered, the hull tilted up by 90 degrees.
In the hold, everyone slid with the rocking motion.
Huang Yaohui gripped a cracked plank with one hand and tightly held Fu Yafang's wrist with the other.
The ship tilted, and a person slid to Fu Yafang's feet.
This person was already dead, their eyes vacant, staring ahead with utter detachment.
"Hold on!" Huang Yaohui shouted.
Fu Yafang struggled to grasp a crack in a wooden plank, using all her strength with both hands to stabilize herself.
The storm raged for an hour before finally subsiding.
Just as the survivors began to feel fortunate to have escaped another disaster, the hold door was opened.
Blinding sunlight streamed in again.
Two figures entered from outside, one tall and robust, the other short and thin.
"No more food, let's catch some black meat to fill our bellies!" the robust man bellowed.
Everyone instantly cowered in fear, dreading being chosen.
The two men surveyed the scene and finally their gazes locked onto Fu Yafang.
"Huh? A little lady!" the thin man said in his insidious, cunning tone.
The robust man strode over, grabbed Fu Yafang's wrist, and pulled her up, dragging her outside without further ado.
In the hold, no one dared to speak.
Fu Yafang calmly looked back at Huang Yaohui. He had already half-crouched, his hands behind his back, his eyes sharp, ready to charge in and rescue Fu Yafang at any moment.
Fu Yafang shook her head at Huang Yaohui.
Immediately after, the hold door was heavily slammed shut.
Fu Yafang was led to the deck by the two dirty men. After more than ten days of darkness, she finally saw sunlight again. The gentle sea breeze after the rain caressed her cheeks, feeling incredibly pleasant.
But soon, more and more sailors appeared on deck, their gazes lewd, smiles plastered on their faces.
A man dressed slightly more ornately emerged from the control room. He must be the captain.
As this captain walked towards Fu Yafang, he began to unbuckle his belt.
The surrounding sailors' laughter grew louder, they whistled and shouted, all preparing to feast on this delicacy.
The captain arrived in front of Fu Yafang, grabbed her chin tightly, and lifted her face.
But the next second, the captain froze.
Fu Yafang now held a lady's pistol, pointed firmly at his throat.
At that moment, Huang Yaohui burst through the hold door, holding a modular submachine gun.
The sailors were stunned and dared not move.
Fu Yafang stared into the captain's eyes, then surveyed the other sailors, her voice icy as she declared, "Now, I announce that this ship belongs to me."
"As for you," Fu Yafang looked at the captain again, "you can go feed the fish in the sea."
As soon as she finished speaking, sparks flew from Fu Yafang's gun barrel.