Gu Ya's vision turned into rapidly burning, yellowed paper,
The darkness that had originally surrounded him was gradually replaced by a dim yellow hue.
Within seconds, Gu Ya felt as if he had been transported, appearing on a vast expanse of yellow desert.
The sun blazed in the sky, and heatwaves surged.
Gu Ya lowered his head, standing barefoot on the desert. The dry, suffocating air converged from all directions, causing him to break out in a sweat.
He raised his head again and saw a magnificent city in the far distance.
Countless skyscrapers stood tall,
Innumerable towering chimneys belched thick smoke.
Which city was this?
The scene before his eyes flickered and vanished, replaced by countless plumes of industrial black smoke drifting across a blood-red sky.
Legions of steel mechs, blocking out the sun, poured into the city.
Skyscrapers crumbled, factories were destroyed, and enormous fires raged through the city.
The air was filled with the smell of burning.
The roar of mechs, the shrill whistle of missiles streaking across the sky, explosions, screams, pleas, and cries intermingled.
Was this a hallucination or reality? It felt so real!
Gu Ya collapsed onto the ground, his heart pounding wildly, unable to shout or move.
Suddenly, the image cut off abruptly. Bright lights illuminated the space, a machine door opened, and sunlight streamed in once more.
Gu Ya’s eyes were wide open. He turned his head to look outside the door.
The students waiting in the examination hall were all quietly gazing at him.
"Twenty minutes!"
"Holy shit!"
"Gu Ya, twenty minutes!?"
"How is that possible? Is the machine broken?"
"Twenty minutes! That's insane."
Explosive gasps came from outside the door.
Two teachers entered and reached out to help Gu Ya.
Gu Ya brushed their hands away and stood up on his own.
"Very good. Proceed to the waiting area," the invigilator said, a smile finally gracing his face.
Gu Ya slowly walked to the waiting area, where five other students were present.
Liu Feng slumped in his chair, offering Gu Ya a weary smile.
Even now, Gu Ya hadn't fully emerged from the shock of the scene he had witnessed. His gaze was fixed ahead, as he tried to recall the images.
What city was that?
"What did you see?" Liu Feng nudged Gu Ya and asked.
"The apocalypse! What about you?" Gu Ya slowly turned to Liu Feng and retorted.
Liu Feng smiled sheepishly and whispered, "Heh heh, I spent the rest of my life with Fu Yafang."
Gu Ya took two deep breaths, finally regaining his composure. He looked somewhat speechless and said, "So, you were hitting on someone in there and didn't want to come out?"
Just then, Ye Ying walked in slowly.
Judging by her distressed appearance, she had clearly experienced a significant blow.
Gu Ya gestured for Ye Ying to sit beside him. The three of them sat there, exhaling deeply, neither of them having the energy to attend to the others.
Indeed, the instrument possessed a kind of magic, capable of making those who experienced it unable to forget the images they saw.
Gu Ya felt as if he had walked through the gates of hell. Grief, despair, anger, regret—all negative emotions bombarded his mind relentlessly.
No one could easily emerge from such a shadow.
After an unknown period, four invigilators entered the waiting area together.
The teacher at the forefront surveyed the room and addressed the other three. "There are only ten students this year. Gu Ya has been accepted exceptionally. For the rest, we'll review their overall scores. Those who fail will be eliminated."
Ultimately, all ten students were admitted.
The invigilator nodded and said, "Let's begin the roll call. Those whose names are called will follow Teacher One. Shao Yang, Wang Yu, Fei Ming."
"Here!"
The three A-class students quickly stood up and followed a teacher out.
"Hei Ye, Bai Lingfeng, Ning Xue, follow Teacher Two."
"Yes!"
It was then that Gu Ya realized Hei Ye had also passed the assessment. The other two were B-class students whom Gu Ya had defeated in the class battles.
"Liu Feng, Yu Yue, with Teacher Three."
"Coming!" Liu Feng excitedly stood up and left, turning back to say to Gu Ya, "There's a graduate bonfire party tonight. I'll come find you guys later."
Gu Ya and Ye Ying were left alone in the waiting area.
The male teacher walked over to them, sat down opposite them, and elegantly produced a cigarette, lighting it.
He had a tall, lean build and handsome features, yet he exuded an approachable aura.
The teacher leaned back comfortably in his chair and asked Gu Ya, "What did you see inside the instrument?"
"The apocalypse of a city, countless enemies invading, but I didn't recognize the city," Gu Ya replied.
"Is that so?" The teacher exhaled a smoke ring, his expression unchanging. He then turned to Ye Ying and asked, "And you, young lady?"
"The same," Ye Ying replied softly.
The male teacher's interest was piqued. "Oh? The same for both of you. This situation has never happened before."
Gu Ya inquired, "Teacher, can the scenes from the instrument be replayed? I want to know which city that was."
The teacher chuckled lightly, extinguished his cigarette, and said slowly, "Don't worry, the scenes you saw will never come to pass." He then stood up.
Gu Ya and Ye Ying also managed to stand.
The teacher extended his hand for a handshake, saying, "Cherish your last week of leisure time. We'll meet again in a week!"
Watching the teacher's retreating back, Gu Ya sighed and said to Ye Ying, "I really hope those scenes never come to pass."
Ye Ying, however, was remarkably calm and emotionless. "I've seen too much."
...
In the dim laboratory, only a surgical lamp above the operating table was lit.
Xu Jie lay on the operating table, his entire body wrapped in white bandages, only his eyes visible.
Three people stood around him: two in medical white coats, and the woman who had interrogated him that day.
One of the white-coated individuals said emotionlessly, "Major General, it's too soon. If the bandages are removed now, he might die."
The woman chuckled lightly as she looked at Xu Jie and said, "He was meant to be a dead bug anyway, so it doesn't matter. Remove the bandages now, and we'll begin operations tonight."
The two in white coats nodded and began to remove the bandages in front of the woman.
Once all the bandages were removed, Xu Jie's body was fully exposed.
His face was the only part made of flesh; the rest had been replaced with bionic tissue.
Under the surgical lamp, it gleamed with a chilling silver metallic sheen.
The woman leaned forward slightly, a smug yet chilling smile on her face. She whispered, "Alright, little boy, now, hate! And then, with that hatred, you will join us in destroying their city!"
...
Outside the examination hall, Gu Ya and Ye Ying were met by Liu Feng. Liu Feng was still beaming with excitement. "What did the instructor say to you?"
"He said he'll see us in a week," Gu Ya replied.
Liu Feng grinned. "About that. Fu Yafang just messaged me. I told her I passed the mech pilot assessment, and she's very happy too, hehe."
As he spoke, Liu Feng nudged Gu Ya and whispered conspiratorially, "You need to hurry up too! Don't let Ye Ying slip away with someone else."
Gu Ya glared at him but said nothing.
Ye Ying, who had clearly overheard Liu Feng's comment, turned her head away, a blush creeping onto her face.
"Enough of that. There's a graduate bonfire party tonight. Meet at the sports field! I'm going home to tell my parents first!" Liu Feng said with a laugh and ran off.
Gu Ya chuckled inwardly. Liu Feng was truly terrible at lying; he clearly didn't want to be the third wheel.
Gu Ya subtly glanced at Ye Ying. He didn't know how to approach this shy girl.
Are we both too passive?
Gu Ya sighed inwardly and asked, "Is Instructor Wu picking you up later?"
Ye Ying shook her head.
Gu Ya continued, "Why don't you come to my place first? We can't let you starve all afternoon."
The blush on Ye Ying's face deepened. She lowered her head and softly replied, "Going to your place... might not be appropriate."
"There's nothing wrong with friends helping each other. Let's go, my place is only twenty minutes away."
Ye Ying's heart felt like a giant stone dropped into a calm lake, creating enormous waves.
He considers me a friend? Did I hear that right?