This was the third time Gu Ya felt the person in front of him had a problem with his brain.
The first time was Liu Feng, the second was Wei Ping,
This time it was Zeng Lang.
"How about we go to the hospital and get it checked out?" Gu Ya said, worried.
Zeng Lang glared at Gu Ya and said, "I'm not actually going to die! I've thought it over. Instead of digging for information bit by bit, it's better to confront Xuan Heyi directly."
Gu Ya pondered for a moment and asked, "What are you planning to do?"
"Use my life and the clone issue as bait to test Xuan Heyi's bottom line."
"If he gets angry, he'll definitely send more assassins."
"I'll fake my death. The Proletariat Alliance will seize onto this matter and not let go until the Tianxuan Group is disgraced."
"Then I'll revive and blow this whole thing wide open!"
Gu Ya sneered and said, "How can a cunning old man with a large number of elites under him be fooled by your petty tricks?"
"The Tianxuan Group can find any excuse to retaliate against you and the Proletariat Alliance."
"They can defeat us without staining their hands with blood!"
Gu Ya stood up and said, "Zeng Lang, I know you're eager for revenge, but this matter needs careful planning."
"I'll make a trip to Liehuang Company another day and see if I can dig up more in-depth information."
Zeng Lang called out stubbornly, "Gu Ya!"
Gu Ya lowered his head, paused for a moment, then raised his head again, staring at Zeng Lang and saying, "Zeng Lang, hatred is not everything in life."
"Make a few true friends, find someone to fall in love with. You're so handsome, don't waste it."
"I think your mother would definitely not want to see you sad and in pain; she would definitely want you to be happy."
With that, Gu Ya turned and walked away, leaving Zeng Lang staring at Gu Ya with his vengeful eyes, disbelief etched on his face.
How did he know his mother wanted him to be happy?
...
Late at night, Zeng Lang opened his eyes and let out a soft sigh.
He sat up, pondered for a long time, and finally raised his wristband, dialing a number.
After a long pause, the other party answered.
"Who?" the hateful voice from the wristband said.
Zeng Lang's lips trembled with hatred, his eyes fierce. He suppressed his anger with great effort and said coldly, "It's me."
"Ah~! Xiao Lang, you finally remember your father." Xuan Heyi said with a very natural smile.
Zeng Lang took a few deep breaths, made up his mind, and said, "I just want to know one thing: is your mother's death related to you?"
Xuan Heyi was silent for a moment, then said softly, "Xiao Lang, as long as you let go of your mother's death, I welcome you back anytime."
"I will restore your identity as an Upper City resident, and you will once again control the Hecheng Society."
"What are money and women? As long as you want them, you can get anything in this world."
Zeng Lang did not lose his composure. Suppressing the rage of revenge, he calmly said, "I already know all the information about the clones."
"Let's make a deal. You tell me the truth about my mother's death, and I promise not to disclose the clones to the outside world."
Xuan Heyi let out a burst of laughter and said, "I thought you would become smarter after escaping death once, but I didn't expect you to become more and more foolish!"
Zeng Lang chuckled and said, "Then wait and see tomorrow's news."
He decisively hung up the communication and let out a long breath.
Tomorrow's news would surely be calm. Zeng Lang was just giving himself a way out.
Xuan Heyi was too cunning. He was confident that Zeng Lang would not act rashly and that he had many ways to suppress the clone issue, which was why he was so nonchalant.
Zeng Lang angrily got up. This attempt at probing had failed again.
The consecutive failures of the past two days, coupled with the constant torment of thoughts of revenge,
left Zeng Lang physically and mentally exhausted.
Was I really wrong?
Zeng Lang walked to his desk and took out a cigarette from the drawer.
He had never smoked before, but at this moment, he desperately wanted a puff to relieve his fatigue.
As the hazy smoke filled his lungs, a feeling of powerlessness surged from his toes to his brain.
It felt as if his whole body was floating.
Zeng Lang closed his eyes, experiencing an immense sense of defeat and emptiness.
It wasn't until the cigarette butt burned his finger that he slowly opened his eyes and crushed the cigarette butt.
Gu Ya, I did my best. Now I can only rely on you.
...
Next, please prepare for a scene transition ヾ(=ﾟ･ﾟ=)ﾉ meow ♪
...
In the vast, bright hangar, the air was filled with the clamor of voices, everyone bustling about and exceptionally busy.
Through the noisy crowd, the continuous bombing sounds from outside the hangar could still be heard.
The shockwaves brought gusts of wind, battering the hangar and stirring up billowing dust.
A lean young soldier, head bowed, clutching his cap, rushed out of the dust.
He shouted at a mecha, "Xu Lian! Xu Lian! Our reinforcements have arrived!"
A burly man emerged from the mecha's armor, covered in black oil stains, his face smudged black with grease.
When he opened his mouth, his white teeth contrasted sharply with his dark face, and he shouted hoarsely with excitement, "Quick, let this old man take a look!"
Xu Lian laughed and jumped down from the two-meter-high repair platform. As his feet touched the ground, they kicked up clumps of dust up to his waist.
"Where!" Xu Lian asked with a laugh, looking towards the hangar entrance.
Gradually, a slender figure appeared in the dust.
A moment later, a slender female soldier emerged from the massive plume of dust.
The messenger soldier exclaimed excitedly, "Here she comes!"
Xu Lian looked at the approaching female soldier, his expression slowly changing from excitement to suspicion.
When the female soldier reached him, Xu Lian asked doubtfully, "You are the reinforcements? You're alone?"
The female soldier nodded calmly.
Xu Lian suddenly became enraged, kicking an empty oil barrel at his feet. He shouted angrily as he walked outside, "Damn it! I've been waiting for a week, and my troops are almost wiped out, and they send me a little girl!"
The messenger soldier gave the female soldier an apologetic smile and chased after him, saying, "Xu Lian, don't rush. Go and take a look at the hangar entrance!"
"Look at what! I'm going to argue with the brigade commander!"
As they reached the hangar entrance, Xu Lian was suddenly captivated by a brand-new gray-blue mecha, staring at it intently and exclaiming, "Xiao Shen, what is this! Our company doesn't have this type of mecha!"
"This is the reinforcement!" the messenger soldier said with a smile.
Xu Lian suddenly burst into laughter, "Hahaha! What a beautiful mecha! Come on, let's go meet that little girl!"
The female soldier was calmly looking around, paying no attention to others. Seeing Xu Lian return, she immediately stood at attention.
"Is that mecha at the entrance yours?" Xu Lian shouted from a distance.
The female soldier nodded silently.
When Xu Lian reached her side, he looked her over again and asked, "What's your name?"
"Reporting, my name is Ye Ying," the female soldier replied calmly.
Xu Lian extended his large hand and said, "Good, good! I am Xu Xingguo, the company commander of the Tenth Company!"
Ye Ying shook hands with Xu Xingguo.
"Great, that's your exclusive mecha, right? You must have a designation! What is it?" Xu Xingguo asked excitedly.
Ye Ying hesitated for a moment and said, "That is indeed my exclusive 'Nightingale' type mecha, but I don't have a designation yet."
Xu Xingguo nodded with a hint of disappointment.
At this moment, alarms blared throughout the hangar,
everyone's movements became more swift as if a switch had been flipped.
Mecha technicians quickly ran towards their mechas.
The mechanics also began packing up their repair equipment, clearing a path for the mechas.
Xu Xingguo became serious and shouted, "New combat mission, everyone! Get into your mechas!"
Ten minutes later,
all fifteen mechas of the company were assembled on the sortie channel in the center of the hangar.
Ye Ying stood at the very back.
In the entire hangar, only the faint hum of the mechas' rear thrusters could be heard.
Fifteen warriors, like fifteen beasts ready to enter the arena,
their eyes sharp, filled with cold killing intent.
Ye Ying's fingers trembled slightly, her gaze steady.
Despite the bumpy journey, she was mentally prepared, yet she was still affected by this somber atmosphere.
Suddenly, a system voice echoed through the hangar: "Twelfth Mobile Brigade, Twenty-fifth Light Mecha Regiment, Tenth Company, permission to sortie for combat."
"Repeat..."
"Engage the enemy freely, repeat, engage the enemy freely!"
As the order was given, Xu Lian shouted through the communicator, his tone impassioned, filled with the desire for slaughter.
"Soldiers of the Tenth Company!"
"The time has come to protect our homeland!"
"Our rivers and mountains are behind us!"
"For Xianxia!"
As soon as he finished speaking, Xu Xingguo's mecha instantly ignited its engines, spewing explosive flames, and was the first to charge out of the hangar.
The soldiers behind him immediately started their engines, exiting like flying swords and drawing brilliant exhaust trails across the night sky.
Ye Ying followed the soldiers ahead and flew out of the hangar.
In the distant night sky, countless explosion flashes illuminated the scene.
Hundreds of stark white beam cannons traversed the battlefield,
and countless missiles, trailing flames, whistled towards their targets.
This is war! Ye Ying mused.
As they approached the main battlefield, the mechas began to shake slightly.
This was caused by the shockwaves of explosions.
The firelight flickered, reflecting on Ye Ying's beautiful and charming face.
She stared intently ahead, occasionally glancing at the mecha's various data readings.
Xu Xingguo shouted, "Three-four tactic! Free combination! Newcomers follow me."
Ye Ying accelerated, following to the left and rear of Xu Xingguo.
The fifteen mechas charged into the battlefield without hesitation. As soon as they made contact, they were surrounded by ten Black Star mechas.
Xu Xingguo, like a beast released from its cage, unleashed a barrage of fire at the enemy without regard for ammunition, his gun barrels instantly turning red-hot.
The comrades beside him followed suit, blocking the enemy head-on.
Ye Ying, like a nimble swallow, continuously weaved through the hail of bullets and enemies, using her beam sword to deliver fatal blows.
Maintaining calm, decisiveness, and swift elimination of enemies in fierce combat was the first skill she learned in her growth.
Facing enemies, one must show no mercy.
Gradually, her comrades around her were destroyed one by one.
Ye Ying was pinned down by three enemy mechas, dodging their artillery fire and cold blades at high speed.
"Xu Lian, where are you?" Ye Ying asked calmly, but there was no response from the communicator.
At this moment, Xu Xingguo, with his remaining teammate, was forced out of the battlefield by four enemy mechas and was flying rapidly towards the sea horizon.
Something bizarre happened: the four enemy mechas slowed down and turned back towards the battlefield.
Suddenly, a black mecha appeared in the night sky, scorched by battle.
Xu Xingguo focused his gaze and was instantly startled, shouting, "Report, detected Black Star high-combat mecha! Repeat..."
Before Xu Xingguo could finish, the black mecha flew forward and, in a flash, eliminated his teammate.
Immediately, it turned its body and flew towards Xu Xingguo.
Xu Xingguo dropped his communicator, let out a roar, and charged forward courageously.
But the opponent was too fast. It instantly appeared before Xu Xingguo, and its cold blade pierced his waist.
Xu Xingguo's mecha instantly lost power.
Too fast...
Xu Xingguo was shocked for only 0.5 seconds. The next moment, he activated the backup engine and charged forward bravely again.
But the opponent gave him no further opportunity. A cold slash directly penetrated the quasi-body energy battery.
"Warning, battery damage detected."
Xu Xingguo's eyes turned blood red. Using his remaining energy, he controlled his mecha to embrace the enemy mecha.
"Activate self-destruct program! I'll take it down with me!" Xu Xingguo roared with determination.
"Attention, mecha self-destruct program activated. Countdown ten, nine, eight, seven..."
The enemy mecha seemed to realize his intention, rapidly retracted its body, and broke free from the restraint.
Simultaneously, the enemy mecha swung its blade and completely destroyed the battery.
"Warning, battery unable to provide power, self-destruct system stopped. Mecha will lose all power in five seconds," the system voice stated mercilessly.
Xu Xingguo was completely desperate, looking at the enemy mecha with hopelessness and saying, "It's over..."
"All my soldiers are gone..."
The black mecha raised its beam sword, preparing to deliver the final blow to Xu Xingguo.
Suddenly, a clear and pleasant engine sound was heard, like the cry of a nightingale.
"There's still me," a girl's beautiful voice came from the communicator.
Xu Xingguo looked up.
He saw the Nightingale mecha in the night sky, spewing pale pink flames of fury, charging towards the enemy mecha.