The Federal Mecha Academy's buildings hovered mid-air, supported by anti-gravity generators. Lin Ye stood below Building B, gazing up at the star trails reflected in the glass curtain walls—this was the Federation's top mecha sanctuary, and Chen Mo's father, Chen Zhengxiong, sat on its board of directors.
"Miss Lin, please follow me," a receptionist in an emerald-green uniform smiled. Her ear bore no implant—a rarity in the aristocratic-dominated mecha world. "The professor is waiting for you."
Door 307 was transparent. Inside sat an elderly man with silver hair, hunched over a holographic screen. At the sound of footsteps, he swiveled in his chair—revealing a face surprisingly young, no older than thirty, with a mechanical prosthetic eye glowing pale blue.
"Lin Ye, I'm Alan Carter, the practical combat professor at the Federal Mecha Academy." He gestured to the chair across from him. "Sit. We need to talk."
Lin Ye sat, placing the Twin Watches on the table. Carter's eyes lit up. "The Twin Watches… you finally found them."
"You know these watches?"
"Of course." Carter summoned a hologram. The screen flickered to life with footage of a starship from two decades ago. "This is the *Galaxy*'s maiden voyage log. Your father, Lin Yuan, was captain. I was first officer. We discovered a 'source energy vein' in the Andromeda Galaxy—a power source capable of driving Xingqiong-class mechas. But the Chens and six other families framed us as traitors, accusing us of 'illegal alien resource extraction.'"
"So my father…"
"He faked his death, taking a core sample of the source energy and vanishing into space." Carter's mechanical eye flared red. "We lost contact—until three months ago, when my monitoring station picked up a signal from Andromeda. Three words: 'Find Lin Ye.'"
Lin Ye's pulse quickened. He thought of the fragmented visions from last night's sync—the starship wreckage etched with *Galaxy*'s nameplate.
"So you canceled my admission to protect me?"
"No." Carter shook his head. "The Chens interfered. They monitored the Twin Watches' resonance, fearing the Xingqiong's revival. They wanted to trap you in the Old District. But your performance tonight proved you've awakened part of its power."
He pulled a file from his drawer and slid it across the table. "This is the Academy's special student admission letter. No academic record, no credits—but you'll have access to all training facilities, including the Star Abyss simulation pod—the only place that can replicate Xingqiong combat."
Lin Ye flipped through the file. The last page bore Carter's signature and the Academy's official seal.
"Why help me?"
"I owe your father my life." Carter removed his mechanical eye, revealing a jagged scar beneath. "After the treason case, the Chens threatened to kill my daughter unless I testified against him. Xiao Ai… she's still in their medical pod, held as a hostage."
Lin Ye clenched his fists. His mother's words echoed: *True strength isn't defeating enemies—it's protecting those you love.*
"What do you need from me?"
"Get the Xingqiong's synchronization rate to 50% within three months." Carter nodded toward the window, where the floating city spread beneath them. "The Chens are secretly developing the 'Dark Scion' mecha. If they hit 40% sync first…"
He trailed off, but Lin Ye understood the stakes—the Chens would monopolize cosmic energy, leaving other families at their mercy. His mother's medical pod? Just a toy to them.
"I'll do it," Lin Ye said. "But I have a condition: I need to uncover the truth about my father's disappearance."
Carter nodded. "That's our shared goal. Starting tomorrow, train here every afternoon. Remember—don't trust anyone… except this." He tapped his mechanical eye. "It's a fragment of the Xingqiong's core, modified to track source energy fluctuations."
As he left the office, night had fallen. Lin Ye stood at the edge of the floating platform, gazing at the city lights below. Suddenly, he felt something stir within him. He raised his wrist—the Xingqiong's hologram materialized, its eyes reflecting his own. No longer the bullied high schooler, but a guardian ready to take flight.
His phone buzzed then—Old Man Zhou's message: *Tomorrow, I'll take you somewhere to meet someone. Clues about your father.*
Lin Ye smiled. He knew the real challenges were just beginning. The Chens' conspiracies, the Xingqiong's secrets, his father's disappearance… All clues pointed to one direction—the depths of the cosmos, where truths awaited discovery and responsibilities demanded fulfillment.