Gu Ya's heart still felt like a heavy stone, a mix of unwillingness and defeat gradually creeping in.
Staring at the screen ahead, Gu Ya quietly asked Ye Ying,
"Do you think I'm running away..."
"The enemy is behind us, and I didn't kill them. Instead, I led you away from the battlefield."
Ye Ying lightly released her arms and asked, "What do you think?"
"My mecha is damaged, and your mecha is also scrapped. We need a quiet place to repair the mechas."
"Now I have more resources, and I can buy more powerful mecha spare parts."
"When we're rested, we'll fight back."
Ye Ying smiled gently and said, "Then it's not considered running away, at most it's... retreating to advance."
"Heroes need rest too."
Hearing her words, the heavy stone in Gu Ya's heart fell, and his expression relaxed slightly.
Ye Ying continued, "You know, don't always force yourself to do things that seem impossible."
"Relax a bit when it's time to relax."
"Actually, you're already very capable. Your skills surpass most mecha masters. At least you're better than me."
Gu Ya's face calmed down again. After thinking for a moment, he said gloomily, "Still not strong enough."
"There are still strong individuals among the Black Star Walkers, like that woman named Hong Lian Zhi Wu."
"Through this war, I increasingly feel that my skills have reached a bottleneck."
"Also, there's one more thing to confirm..."
Gu Ya said softly, his mind already replaying the scene from a few hours ago.
When he used [Code Tampering] on the black mecha, he had entered Xu Jie's consciousness.
This matter was extremely strange.
How could a system skill, which was essentially cheating, enter another person's consciousness?
Moreover, when he summoned the exoskeleton armor in Xu Jie's consciousness, he actually put on the exoskeleton in reality.
Could this be related to his special ability?
Ye Ying adjusted her posture, seeming to snap out of the panic of the retreat, and realized she was still sitting on Gu Ya's lap. Her face gradually turned flushed.
"Um, should I, I, I get down first..." Ye Ying lowered her head and said softly.
Gu Ya suddenly chuckled wickedly, wrapped his arm around Ye Ying's slender waist, and said, "Sit a while longer~"
"I, I, I haven't agreed to you yet, don't do this..." Ye Ying shouted nervously, then abruptly stood up.
Her body was suddenly tightened by the safety belt, and her delicate hips landed heavily between Gu Ya's legs!
"O!!!" Gu Ya's mouth formed a tight 'O' shape, his expression one of extreme pain: "You're sitting on my... place!"
"Ah!" Ye Ying frantically covered her face and slapped Gu Ya.
After a brief commotion, the two finally separated.
Gu Ya's left cheek bore a red palm print, and his left eye was swollen, but his face was beaming with joy.
Especially when Ye Ying's delicate little backside sat on his lap, even though his bones ached, his heart felt blissful.
Even if he got slapped again, Gu Ya would be willing to let her continue sitting on his lap, even for a lifetime.
Ye Ying buried her flushed face in her arms and leaned back against the driver's seat.
The two were separated by the driver's seat, yet their hearts seemed connected.
Ye Ying said softly, "I'm afraid Ana Yi or Susan Lei will come out and hurt you."
Gu Ya let out a "puff" of laughter and said, "When you mention them, an idea pops into my head."
Ye Ying raised her head, her eyes hazy, staring at the ground, and said softly, "You want to help me get revenge..."
Gu Ya smiled with relief. It was Ye Ying who understood his thoughts best.
"A lot of time has passed, and I've forgotten what those beasts looked like, nor do I know if they're dead."
"And the 'Saint Cocoa' organization, I don't know if it still exists."
Gu Ya's expression calmed down. He thought, perhaps he could indeed help Ye Ying remember.
...
(The following plot is to fill in the previously left gaps, clarifying some logical points that might cause confusion. It is not related to the main plot and can be read at your discretion. Thank you, esteemed readers.)
Above Wu He City, the sky was clear for miles, as blue as a giant blueberry cake flipped upside down.
Zeng Lang slowly walked into Cai Yi's hospital room, sat silently by the bedside, took out a paper book from his embrace, and began to read quietly.
Cai Yi calmly glanced at Zeng Lang, knowing very well why he was here, and silently lowered her head.
The two sat opposite each other in silence, with unspoken understanding, neither speaking first.
After a long while, Zeng Lang put down the book, looked up at Cai Yi, and said, "You knew from the beginning that I was a clone, didn't you?"
"When I asked you that day, you lied to me."
His expression was very calm, without blame or hatred.
Cai Yi looked into his clear eyes and nodded gently.
Zeng Lang also nodded gently and said, "So, you were indeed sent by Xuan He Yi."
Cai Yi's eyes did not flinch, and she nodded calmly.
"Why?" Zeng Lang stared into Cai Yi's eyes, "You had many opportunities to kill me."
Cai Yi slightly lowered her head and smiled gently with a sense of release, "Young Master, I understood human nature when I was very young."
"I have no memories of my parents."
"When you secretly took out that cake and gave it to me. When you took me to the lower city behind your family's back..." Cai Yi's voice began to tremble slightly, "I knew you were sincere with me. I decided to follow you for life."
"To protect you, I trained day and night, got injured, bled, but never shed a tear. I took on many missions and did a lot of dirty work for Xuan Wei."
"All just to be able to stay by your side one more day."
"When Xuan He Yi sent me to kill you, I had already planned my countermeasures."
"He saw through my feelings, so he went along with the plan, using a feigned injury.
"But I never intended to harm you."
Zeng Lang looked out the window, and after a long time, said faintly, "We are even now."
"Follow me properly from now on."
"Be like Elder Xun."
Cai Yi pursed her lips and smiled, "Young Master, I only want one life, don't experiment on me."
Zeng Lang smiled and stood up, saying, "Come, let's go meet someone."
The luxurious sky car slowly started and flew quietly into the air.
Cai Yi sat in the driver's seat. She glanced at the two beautiful girls in the back seat in the rearview mirror and asked softly, "Young Master, are they all yours..."
Wei Ping in the back seat chuckled, "You've got it backward, Cai Ge. He's for both of us, hee hee hee..."
Jiang Ting Yue also giggled along.
Cai Yi secretly gave Zeng Lang a thumbs-up and whispered, "Just as I guessed, Young Master, you want them all."
Under the clear sky, on a vast expanse of lush green grass, stood a few small thatched huts in isolation.
Outside the thatched huts was a low fence wall.
Two luxurious sky cars landed there, breaking the tranquility of the place.
Zeng Lang slowly alighted from the sky car, followed by Wei Ping and Jiang Ting Yue. From the second car, several bodyguards in black emerged.
Cai Yi quickly walked to the front and gently pushed open the fence gate.
At this moment, Xuan He Yi, with a scruffy beard and wearing a grey coarse cloth robe, emerged with a hunched back, smiling and saying, "Little Lang, you're here."
"Ah, Cai Yi? You're here too. And two beautiful ladies."
"Are you here to humiliate me?"
His appearance was much older, his hair disheveled, his clean face lacked vigor, and his wrinkles were deeper, revealing his aged state.
Zeng Lang waved his hand, signaling Cai Yi, Wei Ping, and Jiang Ting Yue to stay back, and walked into the thatched hut himself.
The room inside was very simple. Apart from some daily necessities and a few essential pieces of furniture, there was nothing else. There wasn't even the cheapest holographic electronic clock.
It was incomparable to the opulent palaces in the upper city.
Zeng Lang placed the only chair opposite him, then leaned against the dining table, pointed at the chair, and said, "Dad, sit down and let's talk."
Xuan He Yi, hunched over, slowly sat down on the chair.
The father and son, who could not even be called "father and son" biologically, sat in silence for a long time.
Zeng Lang spoke, "In your heart, have you never, not even once, treated me as your son?"
Xuan He Yi slowly raised his head, his deep eyes gazing at Zeng Lang, and said, "Yes. It was the first time you called me 'Dad'."
Zeng Lang nodded and asked, "Did you truly love my mother?"
Xuan He Yi's lips curved upwards, "Love. When Zeng Mei pulled me out of the ruins, she was like a savior, holy and beautiful, as if all the beautiful words in the world were not enough to describe her!"
"When we had the crystallization of our love, I firmly believed, I swore, that I would protect them, mother and son."
When Xuan He Yi said "them, mother and son," Zeng Lang's heart ached.
"I tried every method, I did my best. Still, I couldn't keep them."
"They were like the most brilliant shooting stars that flashed through my life."
Xuan He Yi continued, "But, love is for the living."
Zeng Lang closed his eyes and pondered for a long time. He opened them and asked, "What about me?"
Xuan He Yi still wore his characteristic smile, his lips curved upwards, a half-smile on his face, "Even though you inherited his memories, you are completely unlike him. He was innocent, lively, and intelligent, while you are sinister, cold, and cunning."
"The first time you escaped my control, I knew it. I had planted a root of disaster for myself."
"But I couldn't bear to harm you. You look so much like him! You share the same genes, the same blood!"
Zeng Lang sighed through his nose, "I won't kill you because you created me."
Saying that, Zeng Lang stood up and walked towards the door, saying as he walked, "Reflect properly on the mistakes you've made. Watch closely how I will completely wash away the sins of the Xuan clan."
"And also!"
Zeng Lang turned back gloomily and said, "She is also my mother!"
"Hahahaha..." Xuan He Yi let out two hoarse and triumphant laughs, saying, "After you die, whether you go to heaven or hell! Zeng Mei will not see you again! She hated your arrival the most in her life! Hahahaha..."
Zeng Lang turned back, returning a disdainful smile, and said softly, "You are wrong. My mother was so gentle and strong, I believe she will recognize me."
"As for you, you will descend into eternal hell."
"In this world, besides me, no one wishes to see you again."
"I will come back again. I want to watch you, time and again, change your thoughts until they meet my standards."
With that, Zeng Lang kicked open the door and left, not looking back.
The sky car silently ascended and flew towards the grand and vast Wu He City.