In the boundless, despairing vastness of the desert, amid the swirling yellow sand,
Wang Shangmeng, with his arms hanging limply, his eyes unfocused, resisted the wind and sand with all his might as he stumbled forward.
With every step, his bare feet sank into the fine sand,
The clamorous, strong wind howled in his ears, whipping up fine sand that drilled into his nostrils.
His skin was dark, his cracked lips like dried bark. The tattered, filthy tank top he wore was speckled with black dots, it was impossible to tell if they were bloodstains or oil stains. His pant legs were torn into strips, swaying in the wind, exposing his dark, slender legs.
Even his thin shadow was baked a dry yellow by the scorching sun.
But compared to this harsh environment, he dared not recall the past, for it was an abyss of despair and regret, more terrifying than hunger, thirst, and the blazing sun.
After walking for an unknown duration, Wang Shangmeng’s body stiffened, and he collapsed into the sandstorm.
Accompanied by the raging wind, the roar of engines grew louder and closer.
...
When Wang Shangmeng awoke again, the wind had stopped.
He strained to prop himself up, looking around. He was lying in a dilapidated small wooden hut.
Misty moonlight filtered through the cracks in the wooden boards. The air was incredibly clean, without a speck of dust.
The faint light of a bonfire cast a glow from outside the open wooden door, illuminating two figures, one large and one small.
He leaned on the wooden wall and slowly walked out, sitting down between the two.
“Water, food,” the large figure said. It was clearly an elder.
The elder wore thick, sand-proof clothing, his hood placed by his feet, his eyes calm.
Wang Shangmeng took the water and food offered by the elder and guzzled them down.
At this moment, he was so starved and thirsty that he didn't care if they intended to harm him.
The smaller figure picked up his tank top, sniffed it, and said, “102# lubricant, specifically for control stick lubrication. Hmm… and hydraulic oil, is it for a dual-star drive axle?”
This person was not old, and their voice gave no clue whether it was a boy or a girl.
“Yes, Panda is correct,” the elder said, smoking his pipe and asking, “Are you a mecha pilot, or a mechanic?”
Wang Shangmeng swallowed the food in his mouth and replied weakly, “Mecha pilot.”
The elder took a puff from his pipe, stared into the man’s eyes, and calmly asked, “From your appearance, you must be from Xianxia in the East, right? What is your name, and where are you going? Are you a mercenary or regular army? Where are your teammates?”
When Wang Shangmeng heard the word “teammates,” a chill rapidly climbed from his toes to his brain, followed by a wave of weakness and painful convulsions.
Screams of agony echoed in his mind.
After a long moment of composure, he emerged from the pain, and said in a low, angry voice, “I’m going north to find Mega Gong, to get revenge!”
The elder became wary, and asked in a low voice, “Is the Mega Gong you’re looking for an organization or a place name?”
“The Mega Gong extremist terrorist organization…” Wang Shangmeng said sinisterly, the flames of vengeance reflected in his eyes.
The elder smiled and pointed behind Wang Shangmeng, saying, “Ha, it seems you need help. And we need you.”
Following the elder’s gaze, Wang Shangmeng turned to look.
Behind the dilapidated wooden hut, a rust-covered mecha stood quietly, draped in a large, tattered, dirty canvas.
It was like a warhorse that had stood for a thousand years, waiting for its master, its empty, dark eyes gazing north.
The pure moonlight bathed its entire body. The tattered canvas was like Wang Shangmeng’s tank top, its black spots, whether oil or bloodstains, appearing silver-gray in the moonlight.
...
A few days later, Wang Shangmeng piloted this dilapidated mecha to the outskirts of a desert town. He was here to find a defector mechanic from Mega Gong named Hatu and bring him back.
On a small mound at the edge of the town, there stood a towering ancient tree. Its trunk was so thick that two adults couldn't embrace it. Half of it was struck dead by lightning, its bare branches devoid of leaves, while the other half was still growing vigorously, covered in lush foliage.
Hatu’s home was beneath this great tree, a collection of dilapidated bungalows connected together, along with a warehouse taller than the bungalows.
Wang Shangmeng leaned against the trunk of the great tree, not entering.
This was because he had just seen a little girl, about seven or eight years old, happily rush into the warehouse.
“A mechanic who ran away with his daughter…”
Wang Shangmeng couldn’t possibly take the mechanic away in front of his daughter. He raised his wristband and murmured,
“He has a daughter. Send another mecha, quickly. Mega Gong is coming.”
It wasn't until noon that the little girl ran out of the warehouse. Her face and hands were smeared with black oil. Upon seeing Wang Shangmeng, she stood frozen, staring at him blankly.
A lean, slightly hunched man followed her out. His face and hands were also smeared with black oil.
Father and daughter looked at Wang Shangmeng as if he were a strange person.
Finally, the man spoke, “Hello?”
Wang Shangmeng said, “I heard you are a mechanic.” His voice was not loud, but clear.
“Yes, Dad is the only mechanic here, and he’s also a brewer. Everyone in town loves Dad’s wine!” the little girl said proudly.
The man smiled and gently stroked his daughter’s head.
“Could I trouble you to take a look at my mecha,” Wang Shangmeng said.
“I don’t help people of unknown origin,” the old man politely declined. /
After being refused, Wang Shangmeng said nothing more. He walked down the small mound alone and disappeared around the bend in the road.
...
As night fell, the sky was so dark that no stars or moon were visible. The wind howled, blowing from the southwest.
Wang Shangmeng sensed a vague unease. He climbed out of the cockpit, facing the wind, and sniffed the air.
“Mega Gong has arrived.”
Suddenly, over a dozen massive light sources illuminated the sky southwest of the town. These were the afterburner flames of mechas, and they were flying towards the town at high speed.
The warning towers in the town immediately sounded the alarm. The melodious and stirring alarm echoed throughout the entire town.
“It’s the Mega Gong organization! Everyone prepare for battle!!!”
The once peaceful town instantly became agitated.
Men rushed out of their homes and into their warehouses.
Soon, searchlight beams shot out from the scattered warehouses, followed by plumes of black smoke. The sound of mecha engines starting echoed across the town.
Fully armed mechas took to the sky one after another, flying towards the dozen light sources outside the town.
A fierce battle erupted outside the town.
Through the light of the mecha afterburners, Wang Shangmeng could distinguish which were the defenders and which were the attackers.
The battle lasted for five minutes. The sounds of combat gradually weakened. The defenders could not withstand the attackers, and many mechas fell from the sky.
Wang Shangmeng quickly scrambled back into the cockpit and started the mecha at full speed.
A dull roar of mecha engines came, like a horn in the dark night.
The dilapidated mecha swiftly passed the towering tree outside Hatu’s home and charged towards the battlefield.
Mid-flight, Wang Shangmeng suddenly cut off all the mecha’s flight power, rushing into the enemy formation solely by inertia.
His mecha was like a ghostly shadow, suddenly emerging from a direction the enemy couldn't see. The cold, rusty sword swiftly cleaved through enemy machines.
Then, using the enemy machines as stepping stones, he leaped to another.
Such combat was as simple as cutting vegetables for him. The battle lasted only three minutes, and the remaining enemy machines retreated.
The onlookers in the town cheered. People who had been hiding in their homes emerged, lights were lit on the main street, and the town regained its vitality.
Wang Shangmeng flew back above the town, hovered for a few seconds, and then flew into the distance.
The next day, Wang Shangmeng arrived at Hatu’s doorstep again.
This time, the man warmly invited him in, brewed a pot of tea, and they sat down at the table.
“You were piloting that mecha yesterday, weren’t you?” the old father asked warmly.
Wang Shangmeng nodded calmly, reached for a pistol from his waist, hid it in his sleeve, and pointed the muzzle at the man, saying in a low voice, “I’m looking for a defector mechanic from the Mega Gong organization named Hatu.”
The man’s body trembled. He lowered his head, his hands on his legs clenched into fists.
The little girl peeked her head from the doorway. The man smiled at her, walked over, and whispered a few words. The little girl then ran off happily.
The man closed the door and turned, saying in a low voice, “I am Hatu. Are you with Mega Gong?”
Wang Shangmeng stood up and walked to Hatu’s side, “Come with me.”
A distant mecha roar suddenly sounded outside the door, accompanied by a deafening alarm!
Hatu raised his hands and knelt before Wang Shangmeng, trembling, “Please spare Yajia, okay? You can do whatever you want with me!”
Wang Shangmeng kicked open the wooden door with force and, dragging Hatu along, walked outside.
At this moment, over twenty mechas were encircling the town from all directions.
The few mechas capable of combat in the town took to the sky, engaging in a desperate battle with the attackers.
With the good daytime visibility, one could even see the insignia painted on the enemy mechas' armor.
The townsfolk fled in disarray, abandoning their belongings.
The lone heroes in the sky fought valiantly.
The enemy ruthlessly executed every defender who offered resistance.
Hatu suddenly turned and lunged for Wang Shangmeng’s pistol!
But Wang Shangmeng gave him no chance. He sidestepped Hatu’s grab and struck Hatu’s neck heavily with the butt of the gun.
Hatu’s eyes rolled back, and he fainted.
Wang Shangmeng looked up at the sky. A dilapidated mecha flew from the town and hovered above him.
An old man’s voice came from the mecha’s loudspeaker: “The little girl has been found. Let’s go!”
...
After flying for about two hours, Wang Shangmeng piloted the mecha to descend and finally landed smoothly.
As the cockpit door opened, dazzling sunlight pierced into the cabin.
Wang Shangmeng grabbed the dazed-like Hatu and dragged him out of the mecha.
This was a camp. The tarmac was barren, and the ground was compacted yellow mud and sand. The wind blew, kicking up dust.
A few rows of bungalows surrounded the tarmac, and behind the bungalows rose rugged, steep mountains.
An old man walked over. “The town is destroyed.”
Wang Shangmeng nodded, drew a dagger, and walked towards Hatu.
Hatu’s face twitched a few times, then quickly became calm.
His eyes were vacant. Looking at the dagger in Wang Shangmeng’s hand reflecting the sunlight, he said with grief, “Kill me. The town is destroyed, and Yajia falling into the hands of Mega Gong means she won’t even have a whole body. Kill me.” He was ready to have his throat slit, imagining the sweet taste of blood as cold, hard steel cut through his throat.
But Wang Shangmeng cut Hatu’s bindings.
Immediately, two small figures came running from a distance.
“Daddy! Daddy!!!” a little girl’s voice called out, growing closer.
“Yajia?”
Yajia rushed into Hatu’s arms. Hatu looked at his daughter with disbelief and joy, thinking he had arrived in the world of the dead. He had been reunited with Yajia.
The old man smiled and said, “Mechanic, intelligence, killing two birds with one stone.”
Hatu released Yajia and crawled to Wang Shangmeng and the elder, kowtowing repeatedly in thanks.
The old man grabbed Hatu and said, “Kneeling here is a grave taboo.”
Hatu quickly asked, “You aren’t Mega Gong? Who are you?”
“Us?” The old man smiled and said, “We are the living dead, survivors, wanderers, avengers, liberators. We are guided by the Old Gods. We are the Asurse Door Alliance.”
“It’s you!?” Hatu exclaimed in surprise.
Wang Shangmeng said indifferently, “Come, we have much to discuss.”
The few of them sat down in a hut at the camp. The adults sat around the table, while the two children sat on a bed to the side.
Wang Shangmeng began, “Mega Gong wants to kill you, but we need you, and the intelligence in your head.”
Hatu nodded, “I will tell you everything, but I’ve been on the run for two months, many things will have changed.”
Wang Shangmeng’s gaze at Hatu suddenly turned cold, and he said in a low voice, “One thing will not change.”
Saying this, he removed his sunglasses.
Wang Shangmeng had a long scar across his left eye, and his left eyeball was clouded over.
Then, he lifted his windbreaker and tank top, revealing his chest.
In the center of his chest was a very large, ugly scar, occupying almost his entire upper torso.
Hatu looked at Wang Shangmeng’s scar, as if he had been hit by some weapon and healed.
“You were present when I was tortured.”
Hatu’s eyes widened, and he looked at Wang Shangmeng in horror, stammering for a long time before saying, “It… it was you!”
The old man said in a calm tone, “Hatu Bud, former No. 21 figure of Mega Gong, nicknamed ‘The Brewer,’ a highly experienced mechanic, who defected from the Mega Gong organization for unknown reasons.”
Wang Shangmeng put on his clothes and said in a low voice, “I didn’t capture you for revenge, but for cooperation. I remember you begged them to spare me when I was being tortured.”
Hatu shook his head and laughed, saying weakly, “It was because of you that I escaped from there…”
The old man said calmly, “Panda, take Yajia outside.”
The two children left the room obediently.
After his daughter left, Hatu dared to speak the truth: “I married into my late wife’s family. They were all members of the Mega Gong organization. Two years ago, my wife died of illness. At the funeral banquet, my father-in-law said that Mega Gong was the god connecting all members, and even in death, their souls and bodies belonged to Mega Gong. Then, he brought out a plate of dried meat for me to eat. I knew it was my late wife’s flesh. From that moment on, I felt a disconnect from the Mega Gong organization.”
“Two months ago, you were brought back to the organization. They said you were a Xianxia warrior and had killed many of them. They wanted me to use a newly developed weapon to experiment on you. I refused. I really didn’t want to work for them anymore.”
“It was my assistant who took the weapon and experimented on you. When I saw you again, your chest was almost burned through. I begged them to spare you, but they wouldn’t listen.”
Wang Shangmeng asked coldly, “And then? What else did they do to me?”
Hatu said, “Feeling isolated, I knew they wouldn’t let me go, so I fled Mega Gong with Yajia. Before leaving, I accidentally overheard a pharmacologist saying they had experimented with a new hallucinogenic drug on you.”
The old man looked at Wang Shangmeng with worry in his eyes and asked, “What did you do afterward? How did you escape?”
Wang Shangmeng stood up and silently left the room.
...
The night was silent, so silent it was deafening. A buzzing sound, like electromagnetic waves, bombarded his eardrums.
Wang Shangmeng woke from a nightmare, touching the hard bed boards. This hazy feeling was as if he had returned to the bed in that laboratory.
He lit a cigarette with difficulty and walked out of the room.
Tonight, a gentle breeze blew, the new moon hung in the west, and the sky was filled with starlight.
The echoes of despairing screams from his dream still swirled in his mind.
Wang Shangmeng trembled as he crushed the cigarette butt. His mind felt like it was tearing apart. His finger burned from the cigarette, but it couldn't compare to the pain in his heart.
As long as he closed his eyes, he saw his comrades falling one by one at his feet, and a mecha reaching for the sky stood before a burning camp.
The echoes in his mind tormented him relentlessly. The pain made Wang Shangmeng unbearable. He slowly reached for the pistol at his waist.
“Wake up, Captain!”
“I’m awake…” Wang Shangmeng muttered.
“Captain Wang, what’s wrong? Why? Why did you kill us!”
“I’m sorry… I’m sorry…” Wang Shangmeng murmured painfully, slowly raising the gun to his temple.
“Hey, practicing shooting so late at night, it’s not good to wake people up,” the old man’s voice came from behind him.
He came to Wang Shangmeng’s side, gently took the gun from his hand, handed him a cigarette, and said, “What exactly did you go through? It’s not the first time I’ve seen you try to commit suicide.”
Wang Shangmeng sighed and said, “I have reasons to execute myself, and reasons to temporarily spare myself.”
A faint breeze blew, and Wang Shangmeng caught a hint of engine oil in the air. He looked up alertly in the direction of the wind.
Suddenly, the sky behind the great mountain was illuminated. Something glowing was approaching.
The roar of mecha engines grew louder and closer, coming from behind the mountain.
The old man exclaimed in surprise and quickly ran towards the camp control tower.
Panda rushed out of the barracks, looking excitedly at the sky.
Soon, the guidance lights on the camp’s tarmac lit up, all the camp’s barracks lit up, as if welcoming the arrival.
Three mechas crossed the mountain peaks and flew towards the camp, the roar of their engines growing louder.
Soon, the three mechas landed steadily on the tarmac.
“Daddy!” Panda shouted excitedly and ran towards one of the mechas.
A man of exceptionally robust build leaped out of the cockpit, grabbed Panda, and placed him on his shoulders. His rough, hearty laughter echoed throughout the entire camp.
From the other two mechas, one tall and one short person emerged.
The tall one was slender. She took off her helmet, her long, elegant hair cascading down. She was a female mecha pilot.
Panda shouted excitedly, “Sister Yoda!”
The three pilots were surrounded by everyone and ushered into the camp’s small bar.
The burly man scanned the crowd and exclaimed in surprise, “Hatu!?”
Hatu replied calmly, “Hello, Provence.”
The old man emerged from behind. “It’s a long story. Let’s hear yours first.”
Provence, carrying Panda, grabbed a large mug of beer and chugged it down. He said, “They’ve established three new strongholds to the north. Several villages have been ravaged. Ricklus Town is destroyed, with no population or supplies left.”
The female mecha pilot named Yoda said, “We discovered several refugee corpses shot to death to the southwest.”
The old man said worriedly, “Hmm, this indicates their scouts have already infiltrated this area.”
“Let’s transfer the elderly and children to the rear camp before making any further plans,” Provence refilled his drink, raised his mug, and shouted, “For Mega Gong!”
Everyone shouted along with Provence, “For Mega Gong!”
“What!?” a stranger’s voice came from behind the crowd.
Wang Shangmeng looked at everyone in shock, his hand on his gun grip, poised to draw.