Three hundred years ago, before the arrival of the world-ending comet,
Human civilization on this azure planet was exceptionally prosperous. Advanced ruling systems and high-level technology meant that the world's over five hundred countries experienced no wars or oppression, and all nations shared the fruits of trade and technological achievements.
The average human lifespan reached 180 years, and population growth and decline stabilized.
Technological advancement was on the cusp of breaking through the "Second Technological Barrier," showing early signs of interstellar colonization.
Humanity could freely control light particles, upload consciousness to private virtual clouds for a higher quality of virtual life after death, and transform all matter into energy. Seawater, in particular, was an inexhaustible resource. Ten thousand tons of seawater could generate enough energy for a round trip to a neighboring star.
Humans had even begun modifying their homeworld and its two natural satellites, intending to turn them into energy depots for future interstellar voyages.
Everything changed with the arrival of a colossal rogue comet, too massive for humanity's technology to destroy.
Twenty years before humanity confirmed the comet's impending impact, countries worldwide began preparations to destroy it. Countless plans were rejected, and countless attempts ended in failure.
Just as humanity faced extinction with despair, accelerating the construction of interstellar migration ships, a mysterious youth from the ancient Xia Kingdom appeared. With the full support of the world's nations, he ultimately used a divinely bestowed power to propel a natural satellite to collide with the comet, altering its orbit and tearing it into fragments by the planet's gravity.
Legend had it that in the cold, distant reaches of space, between the satellite and the comet's remnants, drifted countless incredible creations of that youth, far surpassing the technology of the time.
However, countless comet fragments rained down upon the world.
The day the comet fragments arrived was historically known as "The Night of Descent."
The youth perished, but the world's disaster had only just begun.
The planet lost a natural satellite, causing severe climatic changes. Droughts, floods, seawater intrusion, and boundless fires struck in succession.
Vast numbers of comet and satellite debris formed planetary barriers, destroying all man-made satellites and creating a sea of near-Earth space junk that drifted in the upper atmosphere.
Even with humanity's mastery of large-scale weaponry, mechs, they could not break through these two obstacles.
The space junk sea, orbiting Earth at extremely high speeds, was enough to pierce and destroy any man-made aircraft.
Humanity was confined to its homeworld.
From then on, humans ceased to gaze at the stars, instead focusing on their homeworld, right up to the present day.
Most students opted for transport mech pilots or functional mech pilots, preparing for a comfortable life in the rear after another year of effort.
A very small number of students chose military mechs, and Chen Xingke was among them.
Gu Ya guessed it might be related to Tao Na, as he saw Tao Na and Chen Xingke getting along very well. What single young boy would refuse a beautiful and gentle older sister who actively approached him? It was only natural.
Only Gu Ya chose the profession of mech mechanic, considered the most difficult by the public, and specifically in the military category.
The midterm assessment was very simple for Gu Ya; it didn't even reach the level of the Wuhe City Mech Mechanic Competition.
There were only two parts: mech operation and mech repair assessment.
Gu Ya was the first to complete the assessment, and the only student in the school's history to finish within ten minutes with a perfect score.
In the words of his homeroom teacher, Xie Fangbin, Gu Ya's performance and skill were enough for Xie Fangbin to win the Outstanding Teacher award for three consecutive years.
The time spent together was brief.
After staying home for half a month and having wild fun with Liu Feng and Zeng Lang for another half month, it was finally time to part ways again.
Zeng Lang and his two girlfriends were successfully admitted to higher cultural schools.
Liu Feng chose military mechs and continued his studies at the academy, aiming to join the Wuhe City Mech Guard after graduation and further his education at the Xianzhong National Defense Academy in three years.
Gu Ya, on the other hand, would travel to Zhuoyuan City to begin a new journey of learning.
Compared to when he left Xianzhong Academy, where only Fang Fei came to see him off.
This farewell ceremony was quite grand!
Gu Ya's three sisters were a given, all students from the A-grade classes came, and even classmates from the old Wastewater Treatment Zone attended. Of course, there were also several fans who had heard of him, such as Ling Lanfeng.
Dozens of people gathered around Gu Ya's assembled mech, bidding him farewell one by one.
Gu Ya felt a little embarrassed, smiling and saying, "It's not like I'm not coming back."
Youyou grabbed Gu Ya's hand and said sweetly, "Brother, our birthdays are in a little over two months, and then it's You Ran and Ling Ling jie's birthdays. You have to come back!"
"Okay, I'll remember all of them."
Ling Ling jie said coldly, "You're not allowed to go months without contacting family this time. We'll have weekly communications, and each of us three gets one communication per week."
"Alright, alright~"
You Ran thoughtfully packed some daily necessities for Gu Ya, reminding him, "Be mindful of your meals and rest when you get there."
"Mhmm~"
After more well wishes and farewells from everyone, Gu Ya prepared to depart. He casually glanced at Ling Baifeng standing beside him, who was smiling at Gu Ya.
Gu Ya asked in a low voice, "I heard you chose a very rare mech pilot profession? Called... Tour Guide Mech?"
Ling Baifeng smiled naturally and said, "Yes, I long to travel the beautiful landscapes of our country and see the untouched scenery."
Looking at Ling Baifeng's serene and handsome face, Gu Ya nodded and said nothing more.
The assembled mech's engines slowly ignited. After making a farewell gesture to everyone, Gu Ya no longer lingered. He shot into the sky and flew towards the outskirts of Wuhe City.
Zeng Lang and Liu Feng followed in their mechs.
Outside Wuhe City, after the three brothers shared a farewell drink, Gu Ya embarked on his own journey.
...
Three days later,
Gu Ya finally arrived at the Mech Mechanic Academy in Zhuoyuan City, a place he had longed for half a year.
His new single dormitory was clean, tidy, and fully equipped. The only strange thing was that the room was genuinely too large for Gu Ya, more than enough space for six people.
Even stranger was the large, very comfortable double bed, which was more than enough for one person.
Since he was here, he would make the best of it. Gu Ya didn't think too much about it.
Zhuoyuan City was also one of the major northern coastal cities in the Xianxia Kingdom, belonging to the Kuanghai Zhifeng combat zone.
The Zhuoyuan City Mech Mechanic Academy was located in the southeastern suburbs of Zhuoyuan City. From here, it would take five hours to reach the coast to the east.
The area surrounding the academy was not particularly bustling. The academy's main teaching building, experimental teaching building, and mech testing hall were the three tallest structures in the area. From the rooftop, one could overlook the entire southeastern region of Zhuoyuan City.
The only advantage here was the quiet. Outside the academy, there were no particularly enticing attractions. Furthermore, it took two hours to drive to the city center, even by mech motorcycle, which would be too much of a waste of time for students with heavy academic loads.
Walking through the academy, no matter where you were in an open area, if you looked south, you could always see those immensely massive transparent domes. They were the mech production and testing bases of Zhuoyuan City.
When Gu Ya first arrived in Zhuoyuan City, he was awestruck by the transparent domes when viewed from a great distance in the sky. Now, standing within the academy, he truly experienced their indescribable vastness. Just one of those transparent domes could house the entire academy.
And this academy had too many functional buildings, even more than the Xianzhong National Defense Academy. Gu Ya walked for two days and still hadn't finished exploring, even getting lost and stumbling into the private dormitories of two students, simply because the alloy gates of the dormitories resembled laboratory doors.
As mentioned before, mech mechanics were like wizards in the world of magic. They were like apprentices exploring the truths of the world, so the learning atmosphere here was exceptionally intense.
Even while walking, students didn't forget to study in front of holographic screens. Students discussing with each other could be seen in every corner of the academy. Every few hundred meters, there were open-air testing benches with one or two students tinkering with small parts.
No wonder this was the most advanced mech mechanic academy in all of Xianxia, the dream of all mech mechanics.
The academy also offered a dizzying array of specialized branches. Gu Ya had passed by the main academic affairs building and found information on all departments, majors, research institutes, and research teams in the academy's holographic system in the first-floor lobby.
There were hundreds of departments alone, hundreds of research institutes, and thousands of private research teams.
Mech mechanic students here, before being selected for research institutes, would join private research teams, as the collective strength in academic and technological research often surpassed individual efforts.
The names of private research teams were also varied. Some were signed with individual names, some had names that appeared to be very serious, and some were humorous. There were even hundreds that were too lazy to come up with names and were simply called "Private Research Teams."
After exploring for two days, Gu Ya also discovered something quite interesting.