Chapter 81: Blue Light, Bright as the Sun

Translated by Addis of Exiled Rebels Scanlations

Editor: Karai

The meticulous packaging and the exquisite presentation immediately told everyone this wasn’t the work of some assembly-line restaurant. Lu Yao’s colleagues couldn’t help but show envious glances.

“Chief Engineer Lu, who sent this?” a young technician asked, egged on by his peers. They all knew Lu Yao normally only drank nutrient solutions. His family and friends had never sent him meals before; thinking it over, it could only be a significant other who would go to such lengths.

“Zhou Yunchen.”

The technicians froze in disbelief. General Zhou could cook?

Lu Yao looked up and saw a group of younger engineers clustered together like a pile of groundhogs, their eyes wide, staring at the lunch boxes in his hands—equal parts envy and astonishment. “Hungry?” he asked.

The groundhogs nodded frantically. Over the past few days, they had been working alongside Lu Yao. Seeing the Chief Engineer subsist on nutrient solutions day after day, no matter how tempted they were, they hadn’t dared indulge in hearty meals in front of his austere, self-disciplined demeanor.

“I ordered takeout from Sanjiu Restaurant for you all. Consider it a temporary celebration. Finish eating, then spend the afternoon sorting the data, and afterwards you can go rest.”

The fact that Lu Yao would actually let them go home after one lunch had them practically bowing in gratitude. “An alpha should be like this!” they cheered.

In the following days, Lu Yao and Zhou Yunchen had no time to meet. Yet every noon and evening, Lu Yao unfailingly received meals personally cooked by General Zhou. At first, he still supplemented with nutrient solutions to cover energy gaps. But as the portions gradually increased, he almost didn’t need extra nutrient aid at all.

Mo Feng and Chang Jian, who came to inspect, were astonished. They had spent so much effort trying to get Lu Yao to eat properly before, but General Zhou managed to achieve it simply by sending lunch every day.

A week later, the Silver Halberd Fleet set sail again, returning to the New Pluto and New Neptune sectors for the second round of exercises. Zhou Yunchen delegated the lunch delivery task to Lu Yao’s AI, D. Since the exercise area was within the Rose System, communications were smooth, and Zhou Yunchen personally sent the menu to D every day.

Once, a delivery from Sanjiu Restaurant brought takeout for the accompanying technicians. Seeing Lu Yao eating alone what the AI had prepared, they suggested having Sanjiu send his meals. But Lu Yao shook his head—no matter how precise AI cooking was, it could never match a five-star chef’s hand. Sanjiu left disappointed.

Soon, the Hephaestus Tournament reached the second round, the quarterfinals. Lu Yao’s opponent was the Mecha Research Institute’s Second R&D Base team. Verrièr had also narrowly advanced to the quarterfinals, facing Jiang Wei.

When the groupings were announced, Shen Zishen drew in a sharp breath. Among the quarterfinals, besides major R&D bases and leading mecha companies, there were also two teams from the Military Academy. If Verrièr faced a Military Academy team or another dwarf star industry team, they might have a chance. But if they drew Jaeger Industries or Jiang Wei…

“Chief Engineer Lu, do you think Verrièr has a chance of narrowly winning this time?” a technician asked.

Lu Yao didn’t immediately answer. He first asked, “What’s the simulated battlefield scenario for their group?”

“Let me see… binary star system, asteroid belt.” Shen Zishen murmured, and slowly the answer began to sink in. His expression shifted.

“Verrièr has almost no chance,” Lu Yao said quietly.

Looking at the broadcast screens, the difference between the two sides was clear. Verrièr was alone, managing six A101 units, while Jiang Wei, after seeing the draw results, calmly leaned back in his chair, sipping tea.

The organizers offered multiple battlefield scenarios for the simulation: low-gravity planets, ocean planets, the vacuum of space, and more. Teams were assigned scenarios by draw. But this draw wasn’t as fair as the general audience might think.

Different environments required different computational demands from the mechas. Verrièr happened to draw the most difficult one.

Binary star system, asteroid belt—he had to calculate dual-star gravities and orbits, asteroid fragment trajectories and speeds, and countless external interferences. Meanwhile, mega-corporations like Jaeger Industries had complete databases of space environment models, allowing far more precise environmental predictions. Verrièr had only his own brain.

“Did we send the special invitation?” Lu Yao asked.

“Yes, but no reply yet,” Shen Zishen replied. “I’m a little worried the match outcome might hurt Verrièr’s confidence.”

“And if we lose, would that hurt your confidence?” Lu Yao asked.

“Huh?” Shen Zishen blinked, unsure whether Lu Yao was joking. “Well… our opponent is Senior Engineer Qin Lanshan from the Second Base. No matter which side wins, it feels like siblings quarreling. If we lose, though a bit disappointing, I’d also breathe a sigh of relief.”

Nearby, a technician couldn’t resist chiming in: “Engineer Shen, don’t let someone else’s ambition crush your morale. As the old saying goes, even brothers must calculate clearly.”

Lu Yao didn’t offer a final answer. He simply instructed everyone to prepare—the match was about to begin.

Half an hour later, the control room dimmed, and the virtual projection of the simulated battlefield lit up. Lu Yao and Qin Lanshan’s match was set on a solid-surface planet: thin air, no water vapor, 0.8G gravity, low temperature, and strong winds.

NTL and WQ mechas descended on opposite sides of a massive impact crater. Dust rose five meters as the ground trembled. A deep ravine on the north side funneled strong winds, scattering the smoke.

“Hello, Chief Engineer Lu.”

“Hello, Engineer Qin.”

After greeting each other as required, they immediately began operations. The process was so fluid that many spectators barely had time to register the bright flashes of the energy cannons on the simulated field. Even the commentator paused mid-phrase.

Taking a deep breath, the commentator returned to professional composure. “It’s clear that mecha battles led by engineers differ greatly from standard mecha duels. Both sides waste no time. Most combat is managed by the mecha’s intelligent systems. Psychological warfare is minimal. Now, let’s enjoy this thrilling and exciting mecha battle.”

Virtual battlefield explosions sent shockwaves flattening crater edges. Dust hadn’t settled before the mechas leapt again, reading terrain through their sensors. WQ swung its energy sword; NTL dodged, securing the aerial advantage to fire back.

Inside the control room, high-intensity data streams scrolled across the screens. Technicians monitored the mechas but could hardly intervene in the AI-controlled combat.

Both WQ and NTL adopted heavy fire tactics early, aiming to suppress the opponent’s mobility. Yet the two bases shared military combat data, allowing both sides to avoid each other’s heavy attacks perfectly.

With smoke billowing, they switched to close combat mode, energy swords in hand. In low gravity, as both mechas advanced with slowed, deliberate strides, the audience felt a visceral thrill. Dust shot fifty meters high, a gray haze pierced by two bright blue sword trails.

Ssss—

The energy swords clashed, roaring with force. NTL’s strike landed on WQ’s right shoulder. Before finishing the severing move, NTL lost a fingertip of its sword to WQ’s counter.

The mechas separated instantly, leaping through the air without thrusters. Untouched by paint, they hovered midair like silver eagles—or like warriors in classic Earth literature, stepping on dust, swords in hand, fighting with unstoppable momentum. In moments, energy swords had carved both mechas with visible damage.

NTL’s integrity had dropped to 48%. WQ was scarcely better. This was a battle of endurance and sustainability. The two mechas charged at each other again. But in the next instant, Lu Yao’s pupils constricted sharply. He lunged toward the remote control console, yanking aside the strategic researcher seated there.

The researcher, dazed, was steadied by a colleague and looked up to see Lu Yao’s fingers flying across the keyboard, unlocking NTL’s manual control window.

Lu Yao’s hands moved across the holographic 3D control sticks that floated in midair. With a swift maneuver, WQ, already ablaze, lunged forward—but NTL narrowly avoided a direct collision.

“Chief Engineer Lu…”

“The opponent activated the mecha’s suicide attack system,” Lu Yao said quickly.

“Should we activate our suicide attack system as well?” the researcher asked, alarmed.

“No,” Lu Yao frowned, eyes glued to the screen.

The match was decided by destroying the opposing mecha. Activating the suicide attack system meant that a mecha would launch a full-power assault without regard for its own survival. It might barely survive—or both could be destroyed. Lu Yao didn’t want to gamble with Qin Lanshan on such odds.

The researchers and technicians could only watch as the lean, composed Chief Engineer, whose mind was usually filled with formulas and algorithms, typed rapidly, fingers flying over the keys and manipulating the virtual control sticks.

WQ slammed into NTL, its energy sword piercing NTL’s chest. Lu Yao’s eyes sharpened. He cut NTL’s thrusters, letting the immense inertia fling both mechas away.

The danger was immediate. WQ was pushing NTL toward a chasm. Radar terrain data indicated the gorge was over a kilometer deep. If they fell, both mechas would shatter into scrap metal. WQ had only a tiny bit of fuel left. Gritting his teeth, Qin Lanshan reignited the engine, hoping the last bit of thrust could carry them across the chasm.

The engine burned for ten seconds before going dark again. Only the jet nozzle glowed red-hot, radiating warped heat into the air. The world went silent. Everyone watched as the two mechas traced crescent-shaped arcs in midair. They were directly above the chasm. At that exact moment, NTL’s engine roared back to life!

A pale blue brilliance blazed like the sun. The powerful thrust flipped NTL over WQ, dislodging the energy sword from NTL’s chest. Flames from NTL’s engine surged upward, forcing WQ into the bottomless abyss. NTL, trailing its fiery tail, shot into the dark sky, carving a dazzling arc of light like a radiant bridge. Cheers erupted in the control room!

 

 

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