“Who do you want to choose, brother? Let me tell you, you have to pick someone with high skill and reliability, someone like me who always treats you as a brother and will never betray you! Believe me, brother, I won't let you down,” Li Fang said with a grin.
Gu Ya, with a natural aura of authority, declared, “I announce that Li Fang can only speak ten sentences to me per day, and no nonsense. This restriction will last until I lift it. If you can't do it, get out.”
This was Gu Ya's first order as captain.
To everyone's surprise, Tao Na burst into laughter, gloating, “Oh Li Fang, your roguish ways have finally met their match. Let me tell you, from what I know of Gu Ya, he can crush you like a little chick.”
Li Fang lowered his head, glanced at Tao Na, then at Gu Ya, and dejectedly retreated to the side.
Gu Ya left them with a parting remark, “Wait for me in the barracks,” and hurried away.
Without stopping, his feet seeming to carry him on the wind, Gu Ya swiftly arrived at the Dong Yonggu Zhi Lan Academy.
After a long absence, Gu Ya actually felt a pang of nostalgia for the tranquility here.
However, Gu Ya was no longer the same person and could not savor every moment here.
He suddenly understood Ye Ying's reluctant feelings when she left.
“Actually, I can’t fully comprehend Ye Ying’s feelings back then. She wasn’t just leaving the academy; she was leaving me.”
“Ye Ying, you must come back safely.”
With no further distractions, Gu Ya rushed directly to classroom B.
At that moment, over thirty students in class B were in the middle of an mecha theory class. The sudden entrance of a boy in a gray-blue military uniform shocked everyone.
Including the teacher, almost all the students stared blankly at Gu Ya, unable to recognize him at first.
“Liu Feng!” Gu Ya shouted.
Liu Feng recognized Gu Ya immediately. With a hearty laugh, he rushed out and hugged Gu Ya, “Good brother, you’re back!”
“Come with me!”
The two went to the corridor outside the classroom. Gu Ya said solemnly, “I won't force you; I respect your decision. Time is short, you have half a minute to consider. Stay, or come with me.”
Liu Feng, without hesitation, smiled excitedly and said, “Why waste words? The world is vast, Liu Feng will venture with you!”
Gu Ya, with emotion, gripped Liu Feng’s shoulders tightly and nodded heavily, “Let's go.”
On the way to the military camp, Gu Ya spoke to Liu Feng with concern once more, “You must understand, all the mecha masters in my squad are elite ranked. You’ll be the weak link in the squad. But right now, I can’t find anyone else I trust, so you have to work harder than ever. If we go into battle, people will actually die.”
Liu Feng, for the first time, didn't ramble. Instead, he said seriously and solemnly, “I understand.”
Gu Ya continued, “Zeng Lang carries the same heavy burden as us. The Gu Lang Group now represents not only me and him but also the millions of common people behind us who need to work, study, and live. Furthermore, Wu He City, this shallow pond, is filled with dozens of giant crocodiles, always looking to take a bite out of others. You can imagine how difficult his future will be.”
Liu Feng laughed twice and said, “Stop talking, brother. Zeng Lang’s piloting skills are simply not enough. Let him stay in the rear to store wine for us, waiting for us to return and drink, haha! Having that wine is enough!”
“Besides, I promised you I’d be your great conquering general! We may not have been born together, but if it comes to dying, I will definitely accompany you.”
Gu Ya’s heart lightened, and he stopped dwelling on it.
Upon returning to the camp, several squad members surrounded them, all eagerly anticipating the elite mecha master Gu Ya had brought back.
But when they learned Liu Feng was merely a second-year student from Dong Yonggu Zhi Lan Academy with no combat experience, their faces darkened. Disbelief and reluctance were etched on every face.
Gu Ya could understand their feelings. With the great battle imminent, an excellent teammate was equivalent to a strong guarantee for one's own life. However, having a weak link would exponentially increase the mission failure rate and decrease the survival rate of teammates.
Gu Ya said sternly, “I believe Liu Feng can grow quickly and become a qualified team member.”
“Tch!” Qiao Weiwei shot Liu Feng a disdainful glance and turned to leave. Rui Zi jogged after her.
Tao Na knew Liu Feng and his capabilities, so she also couldn't understand Gu Ya's choice and didn't give Liu Feng a good look before turning away.
Li Fang, having just been reprimanded by Gu Ya, didn't dare to act out. He lowered his head and followed Tao Na, going to bother his former teammates.
Gu Ya asked, “How is it, do you feel humiliated?”
“Compared to your experiences, this humiliation is nothing to me,” Liu Feng replied with his signature sunny smile. “I’ll start training now.”
Gu Ya nodded. “I brought you here, don't disappoint me. Tell me your requirements for a mecha, and I'll help you get a custom mecha.”
Liu Feng patted Gu Ya on the shoulder and said, “No need for your kindness, brother. I want to earn my custom mecha myself! I don’t want to live under your protection and be a burden forever. Hahaha!”
Liu Feng waved goodbye to Gu Ya and walked towards his private mecha.
Gu Ya remembered telling Liu Feng to get a private mecha for separate training.
His mecha wasn't exactly good-looking. It stood 12 meters tall, weighed 15 tons, and was a modified giant engineering excavator mecha. Its weapons were two alloy spiral blades, and it lacked beam energy ripples.
To be honest, it looked like a farmer going to battle with farm tools.
But this was Liu Feng. What Gu Ya valued was his bravery, perseverance, and stubbornness.
After all, he had trained day and night with just a fabricated training manual from Gu Ya, transforming from a weakling in class F into an outstanding mecha master at Dong Yonggu Zhi Lan.
If he could grow, he would undoubtedly be the most reliable comrade, not inferior to other team members.
After bidding farewell to Liu Feng, Gu Ya went alone to Sheng Feng's office to understand the current front-line situation, preparing himself for leading the squad in future battles.
It wasn't until evening that Gu Ya emerged from Sheng Feng's office. They had talked for a full six hours. If Sheng Feng hadn't received a notification for an urgent combat meeting, they might have talked all night.
Returning to the barracks accommodation, the room assigned to Liu Feng was still dark; he was likely still training intensely.
That was his business. Having made his choice, Liu Feng wouldn't regret it, so Gu Ya didn't bother him.
As soon as he entered the room, he saw two exquisite pastries placed on the table.
“Hmm? Are the war zones this thoughtful?” Gu Ya took off his jacket, washed his hands, picked up a pastry, and savored it. “Not bad.”
Just then, the room door opened gently. It was Qiao Weiwei.
It was past nine in the evening. Coming to find Gu Ya at this hour was likely about Liu Feng.
The squad members all lived on the sixth floor of this eight-story camp building. Six rooms were allocated, separated from other rooms on the floor by partitions, serving as their exclusive dormitory.
Qiao Weiwei had come alone and wasn't wearing her pilot suit.
As it was late December and nighttime, it was very cold outside.
She wore a soft, slightly thick black dress with a touch of Lolita style. The dress wasn't overly ornate and had a simple, casual feel.
This style was a modification of vintage Lolita, suitable for both dressing up and movement, and was popular among a small number of girls.
On her legs, she wore black thick stockings, and her feet were clad in a pair of small black leather shoes.
Undoubtedly, this outfit perfectly matched Qiao Weiwei's temperament.
“Are you here to persuade me to kick Liu Feng out?” Gu Ya asked, looking at her.
Qiao Weiwei gently closed the door, gave Gu Ya a slightly awkward smile, and asked nervously in a soft voice, “Are the pastries delicious?”
“You made them? Yes, they’re delicious, thank you!”
Qiao Weiwei breathed a sigh of relief, becoming a bit bolder. She walked to the center of the room.
All the dormitories here were identical: one room, one bathroom, one balcony. The furniture was also very simple: a bed, a desk, a chair, and a wardrobe, giving off a strong military vibe.
“Is there anything else?” Gu Ya asked, seeing Qiao Weiwei. She seemed to have something more to say to Gu Ya. Since it wasn't about Liu Feng, what could it be? Gu Ya couldn't figure it out.
What could a young girl be doing coming to his room so late at night?
Suddenly, Gu Ya realized. Could she be attracted by his mysterious ability?
That would be troublesome. He had only met Qiao Weiwei twice, and both encounters ended unpleasantly.
Now they were teammates, and Gu Ya was her leader.
Qiao Weiwei sat on Gu Ya's bed without ceremony, swinging her slender legs. Her eyes held a playful, slightly provocative glint, and she said, “My master said you are someone who can become my haven. I want to see what kind of person you are.”
Saying such things at her age was quite contradictory.
Gu Ya’s lips curved slightly. He closed the pastry box, grabbed Qiao Weiwei by the back of her collar, pulled her off the bed, and ushered her out like chasing a duck. As he did, he threw the pastries back to her.
“Copy the military conduct and discipline ten times. You are not allowed to see me until you finish.”
“Bang!” the alloy gate slammed shut heavily.
“Gu Ya! You’re really something! Copy! Copy your grandma!” Qiao Weiwei yelled outside the door. It seemed her spoiled, princess-like arrogance hadn’t changed.
Gu Ya opened the gate again, looking at Qiao Weiwei with a cold, stern gaze. He grabbed her by the back of her neck, escorted her back to her own dormitory, and forced her to sit by her desk.
Taking out a military conduct and discipline manual, paper, and pen from the system store, he tossed them to Qiao Weiwei. Gu Ya’s eyes were sharp, his tone icy, “I’ll watch you copy. If you dare not to, go back to where you came from.”
Little punk, challenging Gu Ya’s authority right after arriving, and daring to talk back to a superior. Gu Ya certainly wouldn’t let her off easily.
Qiao Weiwei pouted, tears welling in her eyes. After a long moment of contemplation, she finally picked up the pen reluctantly and began to copy quietly.
Watching Qiao Weiwei’s back as she bent over to copy the manual, Gu Ya sighed inwardly. There would be even more things to deal with in the future.
Not to mention leading these "talented" teammates, just formulating enemy-killing tactics based on the group army’s strategy was enough to give him a headache. He also had to train his own piloting skills and continue learning about battlefield mecha repair.
The day after leaving the peaceful academy, Gu Ya felt the immense weight of responsibility and the busyness of his tasks.
As the saying goes, since he didn’t die, he had to get up and keep working hard.
(Finally, we’ve reached this point. The second volume is also nearing its end. The main storyline will be put aside for now. In the final chapters, there will be some side stories about Wang Shangmeng, which I will write as quickly as possible to avoid delaying the main plot. Then, the third volume will begin.)