Book Three: Mecha Tournament

Chapter 70: Mecha

Translated by Addis of Exiled Rebels Scanlations

Editor: Lhachril

 

A bright light surrounded 125 in the middle of the warehouse, and Luo XiaoLou couldn’t help but close his eyes and take a step backward.

Then, there was no then. Confused, Luo XiaoLou lowered the arm that covered his face, and looked up to see the figure in the middle of the room. Luo XiaoLou was stunned.

It was a sea-blue humanoid mecha, over nine meters tall, slimmer and smaller than an ordinary mecha. Its entire body was aquamarine, like flowing seawater. And even though Luo XiaoLou had learned a lot about materials over the years, he still couldn’t tell what it was made of.

The mecha stood there silently, proud, profound and extraordinary.

It was about the same height as a woman’s mecha, but didn’t have the flamboyant style of one, and the colors were on the dull side. Regarding the mecha’s frame, Luo XiaoLou couldn’t even find a hint of embellishment or excess parts. It was slim and not too tall, and it just stood there quietly, giving the impression of strength and beauty, a feeling of exaggerated thickness that Luo XiaoLou couldn’t take his eyes off of.

He had never seen a mecha that shocked him so much, even Cloudy Sky seemed like something was missing in comparison.

Luo XiaoLou dumbly stared at the mech, not returning to his senses for a long while.

For some reason, while looking at the mecha, he was filled with emotion and felt like he had to say something. That’s when he heard a voice, “Hey! What did you mean by that? How dare you dislike me? You – you’re not even half exotic beast gene! Besides, I’m the most noble and elegant and graceful mecha in all of the Federation-“

Luo XiaoLou reigned in his heart’s emotion with difficulty, and then interrupted 125’s exasperated questioning, feebly reassuring, “I didn’t mean to dislike you. In fact, I think that your appearance – I think you value it more – your three adjectives are boastful. The exterior – it’s great.”

Luo XiaoLou didn’t know if it was appropriate to praise 125 so much. Now he just hoped that it would calm down and not die of surprise and excitement.

125 was silent again, and Luo XiaoLou took the opportunity to take a closer look at the incredibly beautiful and alluring mecha. The difference between it opening its mouth, and not opening it, was unacceptably large. Luo XiaoLou praised his own ability to endure it in passing.

Whether it was an illusion or not, the mecha in front of him seemed to raise its head slightly in pride, while keeping its body straight and perfect. It took a few steps in Luo XiaoLou’s direction, and then, maintaining such a proud appearance, said, “Even if you praise me that much, I don’t mean to be too happy. Don’t imagine that I’ll obey you without any demands of my word!”

Luo XiaoLou smiled as he looked at the mecha in front of him, whose tail was about to rise to the sky after being complimented, and said, “No, I really think your appearance is beautiful. No other meaning.”

125 immediately said in surprise, “Really, really?” Afterwards, with a thud, the mecha disappeared from its original place and turned into a little green fatty with a suspiciously -difficult to observe- red face. He rushed into Luo XiaoLou’s arms and rubbed its big head against Luo XiaoLou’s cotton coat. “I had another model, but my owner just wouldn’t use it. The style I designed was an enlarged version of what this looks like now…a bullying Tyrannosaurus Rex… not bad, either! Hehehehe!”

While shyly expressing his excitement at being praised, he kept wagging his big tail. And at the same time, 125 made a strange laughing sound out of its mouth.

Speechless, Luo XiaoLou looked at the animal-type mecha in his arms. He was secretly celebrating in his heart, Thanks to your owner’s vision. Otherwise it would be a question of whether I dare to drive you out.

Luo XiaoLou stroked the big head in his arms and said patiently, “Well then, let’s fix you first before anything else.”

125 lifted its head and looked at Luo XiaoLou sideways for a moment, not wanting to stop talking. But finally, it obediently climbed off Luo XiaoLou and changed back into its mecha form.

Luo XiaoLou circled around it twice. The need for repair was obvious. A shell had been badly damaged on 125’s shoulder, and was replaced with a new one, but it was just a virtual cover and not fully assembled.

“It’s here. I’ve made the outer shell myself as the materials have been gathered, but I can’t put it together myself and I need your help.” 125 said, while using one arm to lift Luo XiaoLou up to sit on his shoulder.

Luo XiaoLou observed the outer skin. He could barely make out Floating Stone and some other materials, but the main material was definitely something he hadn’t seen before. Also, he scanned the construction of 125, which couldn’t be seen from the outside, except when looking in through the damage, and he could see that it was a completely different design concept than the Federation’s mecha.

“How do I help?” Luo XiaoLou asked as he stroked the fractured area. Looking at the huge wound, the damage 125 had suffered at the time must have been very severe, and Luo XiaoLou found himself very uncomfortable at the thought of it.

“It would have required at least an advanced Source of Consciousness power to repair me, but your Source of Consciousness power is different from the other exotic beasts. Perhaps because you didn’t get the traditional training methods. Now try the Source of Consciousness Force fusion you often do to fuse this coat to me,” said 125.

“I’ll try.” Luo XiaoLou said as he placed his hand on the damaged area and closed his eyes.

This was the first time Luo XiaoLou’s Source of Consciousness power had been used for practical purposes since he’d raised it in the cave, and it was smoother than the exercise. The material flowed meekly along with his consciousness wherever his Source of Consciousness power reached, then slowly fused together. Other than the exotic beast mecha, it would be rare indeed to ever see a material so well adapted to using the Source of Consciousness.

An hour later, Luo XiaoLou opened his eyes, sweating profusely. He immediately looked underneath him.

The blue glow of 125’s shoulder was no longer visible, as if the outer skin had actually grown and merged into its body. And there was an emotion coming from the mecha: excitement and joy.

A thought crossed Luo XiaoLou’s mind. Now that technology was so advanced and AI’s were a necessary control system for mecha, did the warriors’ mecha have emotions too? But on second thought, an AI like 125 couldn’t be deduced by common sense, and the other mecha  may not be the same either.

125 put Luo XiaoLou down, then took a step back, pretending to be serious, and said, “I’m grateful that you were able to fix me. With Blue Origin Star gone, if I couldn’t encounter an exotic beast, I may never have been able to stand in front of people again in my entire life as a full body!” 125 said quietly, “I promised I’d let you drive me. But before I do, can I ask a favor?” 

Such a serious 125 made Luo XiaoLou a little uncomfortable, he hesitated, “You tell me first.”

“I would like to ask you to save my master.”

Luo XiaoLou was stunned, “Your master? Where is he? Didn’t you say he left you behind himself?”

125 bowed his head, and the whole mecha seemed to be shrouded in bleakness, “Yes, many years ago, my master left me behind to protect my companions trapped in the hands of Federation humans. I was left on my own, when it was my brother who guarded my master’s side.”

“Wait, your brother?” Luo XiaoLou asked with a twitch of his mouth, “Does Blue Origin Star’s mecha also have big, harmonious and loving families?”

“Of course. My brother was the first exotic beast mecha created by my master, and I was the second. The last time I was in contact, my brother told me that our owner was trapped and couldn’t get out without the rescue of the other exotic beast mecha. Then my brother flew back to Blue Origin Star on his own to look for help. I was always watching and waiting to hear from my master and my brother, and while I waited – Blue Origin Star exploded. No one knows what happened to our homeworld.”

At this point, 125 looked to Luo XiaoLou, “I have been watching over you all these years. Will you do me this favor and save my master?”

Luo XiaoLou took a slow step back. He couldn’t tell what he felt, but mostly, he was touched. A mecha waiting for news from his master, alone in a strange place, keeping company with a bloodline that might not have a chance to awaken.

Even as unreliable and haunted as it was, 125’s simple heart held feelings that were much purer than their human counterparts.

125 saw Luo XiaoLou’s hesitation and continued anxiously, “You won’t? Hey, you can’t do that! I wouldn’t have asked for this one thing if you hadn’t praised me so much to please me! I’ll read you the terms I’ve already prepared!”

Luo XiaoLou smiled slightly and said, “No, I’m not rejecting you. I’m just wondering if I have the power to rescue your master. You know, I’m weak. If I casually promised you something and didn’t do it, that would just disappoint you even more.”

125 seemed to look at him in confusion, and after a while, said in surprise, “Don’t worry about that at all. I’m here, and I’ll help you become the greatest mecha warrior ever! So, you’re agreeing to this?”

Looking at the cautious 125, Luo XiaoLou considered for a few seconds and said, “I can promise you, but at the same time you have to promise me one thing. If I rescue your master, you have to make sure he didn’t do anything to harm the Federation. It’s not that I love the Federation, but I don’t want to be hunted by the entire galaxy for being an accomplice.”

125 immediately said, “I can guarantee this. My master, if it was not necessary, would have never come to the Federation. Moreover, Blue Origin Star has disappeared. Even if he is rescued, he will move far away from the Federation that has been hunting him.”

“Alright then, I promise to do my best. Don’t get your hopes up for me until I’ve rescued him.” Luo XiaoLou said. He wasn’t actually averse to saving an exotic beast. If he was the only one with such a strange bloodline, it would be too lonely to be alone when one day he was hunted down and had to survive in a place where there were no humans.

With Luo XiaoLou’s words, the aquamarine mecha suddenly knelt down on one knee, bowed his head to Luo XiaoLou, and solemnly swore, “From now on, I am willing to serve you as my master, never leaving you, and I’ll always be loyal.”

The corner of Luo XiaoLou’s mouth twitched. Never leave? This – was this accepting a mecha or a puppy, ah? However, Luo XiaoLou still smiled narrowly, personality issues aside, it was such a cool mecha, and as its owner, he was really too happy.

Luo XiaoLou wanted to go in and try driving it, but this wasn’t the mecha’s practice area, and he couldn’t turn around at all.

After transforming back into a green Tyrannosaurus Rex and heading back with him, Luo XiaoLou asked in confusion, “How come the transformation is a blue mecha when it’s obviously a green space button?”

125 proudly gave Luo XiaoLou a glance, his big mouth constantly opening and closing, “If it’s in mecha form inside, the space knob will appear blue, if it’s my current form, it will appear green.”

Luo XiaoLou laughed, This guy actually had chameleon genes, right?

Out of curiosity, Luo XiaoLou asked casually, “By the way, you just said that if I want to pilot you, you’ve prepared quite a few conditions, what are they?” 

125 big eyes lit up, felt around his belly, and a piece of paper appeared on his paws. He swiped himself twice, something suspiciously like saliva almost flowing out through his large mater teeth. “Well, here. Are you going to satisfy me?”

Luo XiaoLou held the paper in his hands, his eyes dancing with joy.

There were dozens of things and Luo XiaoLou read them out, “Don’t tell it what to do; buy it a kilogram of beans or other seeds every day; give it presents every weekend; don’t leave it alone; give it a special room, with a soft bed and a TV, etc.”

125’s big eyes were shining brightly at Luo XiaoLou, “Are you willing to do all this for me and be the best master in the world?”

Luo XiaoLou’s mouth was trembling. How is this different from raising a child?

He said firmly, “No, I don’t have any plans. I’m sorry, but I’m not going to compete for the award for the best master in the world.”

125’s big mouth dropped open and he was about to cry, when suddenly the elevator stopped and a fat lady, well-dressed, with a white dog at her feet walked in.

So 125’s big cry was held back, and all he could utter was “Gah!” Such a strange barking sound.

The lady and her dog seemed shocked. She looked at 125 by Luo XiaoLou’s feet in disgust, and looked up to suggest, “Your pet is so tasteless and ugly. I sincerely recommend you to adopt another one. In our neighborhood, there is a veterinary hospital in building 2. There are many types of pets, including artificial intelligence pets and natural pets!”

Luo XiaoLou glanced at 125 who was grabbing his trouser leg with fire-breathing eyes and calmly said, “No, I’m very fond of my pet.”

After saying that, Luo XiaoLou walked out with 125 as the fat lady frowned.

Immediately, inside the elevator came the fat lady’s scream, she discovered that her always proud dog actually peed…

Back upstairs in his apartment, a physically and mentally traumatized 125 headed to the bathroom next to the guest room alone, while spitting out white hairs from the corner of his mouth.

By the time Yuan Xi returned home, Luo XiaoLou had already filled the fridge – including Miki cake.

Worried that Yuan Xi might drag himself into learning a certain sport, Luo XiaoLou, after finishing his meal, washed and tidied his room, and gave Yuan Xi a massage, then indicated that he needed to get on the virtual net.

Yuan Xi looked at him and said nothing, laying himself down and pulling out a mini-computer.

Luo XiaoLou was relieved and entered the virtual net which he hadn’t been on for a long time.

After entering, Luo XiaoLou saw a message, then clicked on it. It was a message from the assistant of his master, asking him to come to the network lab immediately after he came online.

When Luo XiaoLou arrived, Bless was already there, and when he saw Luo XiaoLou come in, Bless looked up at him and nodded his head in greeting.

Luo XiaoLou had gotten used to his aloofness and went directly to the master himself.

The master’s gaze swept over the two of them for a long while, causing Luo XiaoLou and Bless to glance at each other, wondering what was wrong to make the master pay such attention.

Finally, the master said very reluctantly, “You’re back, so everything is fine, right?”

Luo XiaoLou considered and nodded, and Bless also said he could come over.

The Master was silent for a moment and said, “Monday, Wednesday, Friday, come over at 8:30 pm.”

They both said it was fine, and the Master waved the two men out.

Luo XiaoLou could see that the Master was clearly not in a good mood today and looked around a bit more, while Bless didn’t seem to be feeling it. Rather, the assistant who had been in charge of contacting them before they left the room came over and chatted with the two of them without any important words.

Luo XiaoLou thought about it and asked, “Brother Lu, is Master in a bad mood today?”

The assistant immediately showed a relieved expression and said with a bitter smile, “No, Master’s birthday is coming up and he still hasn’t received an agreeable birthday gift.”

Luo XiaoLou and Bless looked at each other and said with a smile, “So that’s how it is. Today we have to thank Brother Lu for reminding us. We should also prepare for it.”

When the two of them went out, the assistant touched the sweat on his head, hoping that the Master didn’t know that he was ruining his image like this.

Luo XiaoLou saw that it was still early and went for a stroll elsewhere, just in time to see the giant electronic screen that said Cloudy Sky accepted the challenge of Giant Dragon.

Green Dragon was the eighth best player on the virtual network and a tough fighter.

Luo XiaoLou, who had gotten a new mecha, was impressed and followed the crowd to the arena. He had already seen a battle between Cloudy Sky and the others, it was his first time on the Virtual Network, and at that time he was just amazed that there was such a powerful mecha fighter.

Watching it again now, Luo XiaoLou found that he could actually see Green Dragon’s moves in general. And Cloudy Sky – the white mecha was even faster, with a short turn that was very sharp and quick.

The moves that could be called difficult names were seldom shouted out from the mouths of the onlookers, and people were surprised to find that Cloudy Sky’s moves had changed again. They were more complex, faster, and mostly from those difficult moves, but with one or more clever variations.

The last time the top ten mecha fought Cloudy Sky, they could last at least forty minutes before losing, but now, in less than half an hour, Green Dragon had lost.

Cloudy Sky turned away without a second thought, as he did after every win.

With the crowd of onlookers, Luo XiaoLou left the arena grounds in shock.

Luo XiaoLou’s heart kept churning. This man was just too good. That kind of movement without any lag was something rarely seen with other mecha fighters.

And what puzzled Luo XiaoLou was that he felt a strange familiarity with both Bless and Cloudy Sky.