The opponent's speed was outrageously fast!
In an instant, he appeared before Gu Ya.
Gu Ya's muscle memory, honed by countless hours of piloting a mecha, saved him. He flicked a switch, and Qilong raised its spear, blocking the incoming sword.
"It's not over yet!" Gu Ya's expression turned sinister as he rapidly controlled his mecha.
He thrust his spear forward fiercely!
The spearhead moved like a torrential downpour, even creating afterimages.
Before the shadow of this thrust could vanish, the next one was already aimed directly at his opponent.
"Oh? That's fast!" the man said with ease.
But he was no pushover. Under Gu Ya's fierce assault, he slowly raised his sword and blocked, precisely deflecting the tip of Gu Ya's spear.
"Huh?" Gu Ya exclaimed in surprise again. This opponent was too strong!
"A pity," the man said casually.
He hadn't even revealed his true killing intent!
Merely blocking was already superior to Gu Ya's efforts.
And he was doing it with extreme ease.
Gu Ya was enraged by the man's relaxed attitude.
"Aargh—!" Gu Ya roared in anger, "I'm not happy! Not happy!"
Simultaneously, his fingers flew across the control panel buttons. His body was pulled tight by the safety harness as he stood up from the pilot's seat, rapidly pushing the control stick.
More white steam erupted around Qilong, accompanied by the crisp, melodious sound of mechanical joints engaging.
Qilong's rear propulsion outer armor suddenly unfurled, forming wings.
At the tips of the wings, a row of minuscule spray nozzles lit up along the edges, forming a white band of light.
Gu Ya slammed the thrust lever forward, and Qilong surged in his hands, trailing faint blue exhaust. Its wings sliced through the air, leaving white light trails behind.
Like a blue dragon with white wings, it charged directly at the opponent's mecha.
The man let out a contemptuous "Haha!" laugh. Facing Gu Ya's charging mecha, he showed no panic. He simply bent his body, simultaneously shutting down his engines. Gu Ya's mecha flew past him.
"Take me seriously!" Gu Ya roared, turning his mecha back around.
The man replied with ease, "Want me to get serious? Ha, you're not there yet."
Gu Ya was about to explode with frustration. What was this man's deal? Who exactly was he?
"I don't intend to humiliate you, kid. You're an academy student, aren't you? From what you're saying, you must be a freshman." the man said in a lighthearted tone.
"At your age, having this kind of piloting skill is already outstanding. In my eyes, your skill surpasses all current students, even reaching the level of an elite pilot. However, your path is still very long."
Gu Ya asked indignantly, "Who exactly are you?"
The man playfully provoked, "Want to know who I am? Block this sword first!"
Suddenly, the blue mecha vanished from the night sky as if it had disappeared.
It hadn't vanished; it was simply flying at an incredible speed!
Gu Ya could clearly hear its steady engine sound.
The speed was so fast that the human eye couldn't track it, yet the engine sound remained stable!
What kind of skill was this?
Not only that, but his mecha's performance was also unparalleled in the world!
At that moment, Gu Ya felt an immense pressure from behind him. A sense of dread surged to the top of his head.
The blue mecha appeared behind him, closing in at an unbelievable speed.
Skills! Three more seconds until cooldown!
There was no time.
Gu Ya, acting on instinct, thrust his giant spear backward to block, simultaneously reaching his left arm behind him to grip the spearhead.
A thunderous roar ensued!
The beam sword was solidly blocked by Gu Ya's giant spear!
"Hmm!" the man exclaimed in admiration, "Progress!"
The blue mecha retracted its beam sword. The man said, "To block my sword in such a short time, you still have room to improve! I'm starting to get interested in you."
"Let's go down and talk."
...
Gu Ya piloted his mecha into the jungle and recalled Qilong.
At this moment, the blue mecha descended from the sky and landed steadily beside Gu Ya.
Its external cockpit armor opened outwards in four directions, and the cockpit door slid open. A man jumped out.
The man wasn't particularly bulky but was lean, giving off an aura of immense strength.
From a distance, he appeared to be about ten centimeters taller than Gu Ya, with short hair. He looked to be around 30 years old.
He wore a black leather combat suit that resembled an overcoat, with the buttons undone, revealing a black t-shirt underneath.
The collar of his combat suit stood high, with lightning-shaped pleats along the edges.
He wore black military boots on his slender, long legs.
The man walked towards Gu Ya with a smile, extending his right hand and saying amiably, "Young man, let's get acquainted."
This man's smile seemed to possess a magical quality.
If Liu Feng's smile was hearty and sunny, this man's smile was like a stimulant, capable of invigorating Gu Ya's spirit.
Gu Ya politely shook his hand.
The large hand was warm, much like the man himself, full of passion.
"I'm Gu Ya!" Gu Ya said calmly.
"Mhm!" the man's smile widened, "Hello there, Gu Ya!"
"My name is Wang Shangmeng."
Gu Ya's body trembled, and the hand holding his began to shake slightly.
Up until this point, no one had ever made him feel such excitement.
Gu Ya's gaze shifted from composure to a blur. The man before him seemed to grow in stature in Gu Ya's eyes.
"You are Wang Shangmeng, known as the God of War?" Gu Ya asked in a daze.
"Ha! God of War, what nonsense, people just call me that." Wang Shangmeng scratched the back of his head and laughed, seemingly to ease his own embarrassment.
This man, despite being incredibly powerful, had no intimidating presence at all.
He appeared to be an ordinary person.
But his name had been mentioned not only by Brother Wu but also by both of his teachers.
Wang Shangmeng pulled out an asbestos blanket from his coat pocket, spread it on the ground, sprinkled some red powder, and lit it with a lighter.
On this dark, cold night, a small, warm bonfire was lit.
Wang Shangmeng, not minding the ground, sat down by the fire to warm himself.
Gu Ya also sat down.
"Hahaha!" Wang Shangmeng laughed a few times, took out a cigarette, and lit it. He took puff after puff, the tobacco burning and twisting in the embers before disappearing into tiny sparks.
"Senior... Wang, what are you doing in the jungle so late?" Gu Ya asked.
"Finally back, couldn't wait to rush back to school and relive the good old days! Haha!" Wang Shangmeng said, taking large puffs of his cigarette.
This man truly had no airs about him. Was he really the God of War?
"I spent a year and a half here, and because I was too outstanding, I was drafted for war before I even graduated!" Wang Shangmeng said with a smile.
"I didn't even get to attend my graduation ceremony. After graduation, my classmates went their separate ways, some died on the battlefield, and some went to other cities."
"In short, this place holds my regrets."
"Every time I return, I immediately come to the academy to walk around and reminisce!"
Wang Shangmeng sighed as he spoke, saying, "What I miss the most is this jungle. It holds many memories of me and my classmates."
He kept talking, not seeming to tire, nor did he seem to think others would be bored.
He was a somewhat self-centered person, but also a charming one.
Gu Ya smiled and asked, "How long has it been since you graduated?"
"Over ten years!"
"Fought for over ten years, yet the wars only increase! Ha!"
"What good is being called the God of War! What's the point of fighting a hundred against one on the battlefield! Wars still don't stop for a moment!" Wang Shangmeng's tone began to change slightly, as if complaining.
Gu Ya nodded and said, "Isn't peaceful development better? Why war?"
"Peace? That's a distant memory," Wang Shangmeng said, his eyes narrowed as he stared into the bonfire.
"Kid! What are your future aspirations regarding the mecha pilot profession?" Wang Shangmeng asked.
Gu Ya said firmly, "To join the Wuxu City Mecha Guard."
"Oh? Why? Do you have a clear reason and motive?"
Gu Ya replied, "To protect the people I care about. To become stronger for them."
Wang Shangmeng chuckled softly and said, "Hmph, that reason sounds noble, but it's actually quite limiting."
Gu Ya asked, "Why did you join the Wuxu City Mecha Guard?"
"Me? Hehe, because I'm good at it!" Wang Shangmeng said, flexing his arms and clenching his fists in a bodybuilding pose, half-jokingly adding, "Because it has to be me."
Gu Ya felt he had just spoken a somewhat useful piece of nonsense.
He actually wanted to say that with great power comes great responsibility.
"When a person has too much ability, they carry more burdens," Wang Shangmeng continued.
"I see something similar in you. You just haven't realized it yourself yet."
Gu Ya nodded.
Brother Wu and Teacher Shi had both said that he and Wang Shangmeng were very similar. Perhaps, but Gu Ya still didn't understand where they were alike.
Wang Shangmeng patted his knees and said, "The sun is about to rise. I have to leave before dawn."
"But before I go, you can ask me to guide your piloting skills."
"Huh?" Gu Ya looked up at Wang Shangmeng in disbelief.
This was a good opportunity to learn from a senior, and logically, he shouldn't miss it.
In fact, Gu Ya very much wished he would teach him something.
However, there was no free lunch in the world. What he earned himself was always more memorable than what was given.
Gu Ya shook his head and said, "I don't want to owe anyone. We can exchange equally, and I won't feel like I'm in the wrong."
"Ha!" Wang Shangmeng laughed happily and said, "I have a condition, let's see if you agree! Lend me your Qilong to drive!"
Gu Ya thought for a while, then nodded and said, "Okay, I'll go summon it."
"Summon? Good term! Fits your appearance perfectly. Summon... Hmm!"
Gu Ya went into the jungle and, after a short while, emerged piloting Qilong.
"Then I won't be polite!" Wang Shangmeng shouted with a smile and skillfully entered the cockpit.
A few seconds later, Qilong ascended rapidly into the sky.
Watching the mecha grow smaller and smaller, its exhaust trail even disappearing into the night sky,
Gu Ya suddenly realized.
He wasn't going to just drive it away, was he!
Hey!
"Give me back my mecha!" Gu Ya yelled angrily at the sky, clenching his fist.
As he was about to lose his temper, a white flash of light reappeared in the distant night sky.