Upon returning to his vehicle, Bai Hao promptly ignited the engine of the ebony specter, which soon vanished from the intercontinental highway.
A scant ten minutes later, four disc-shaped aircraft descended upon the rim of the newly formed crater, disembarking nearly a hundred soldiers clad in impeccably pressed uniforms, each armed to the teeth. The troops swiftly established a perimeter around the cavity. Under the command of a middle-aged officer, four soldiers descended into the pit, carefully securing the injured An Jie onto a stretcher before lifting her out.
Simultaneously, five figures draped in white military cloaks emerged from one of the vessels—four men and one woman, led by an elder whose hair was streaked with silver. Approaching the crater's edge, the elder's brow furrowed slightly as he murmured softly, "Proceed with the examination of the mecha." "At once, Professor," the others acknowledged with nods before descending towards the machine at the pit's bottom.
Shaking his head wearily, the professor made his way to where An Jie was being assessed by military medics. "An Jie, to what end this recklessness?" he uttered, a trace of unmistakable bitterness coloring his tone. An Jie, however, remained silent.
Moments later, the quartet returned from their inspection, one reporting with palpable urgency, "Professor, the Neural Interface Core is missing." Upon hearing this, the professor's frown deepened, his gaze sharpening like a blade as it fell upon An Jie. "Do you possess the Core?" he demanded sternly. An Jie persisted in her silence, though the medic attending her shook his head in negation.
Within half an hour, the disc-shaped aircraft ascended, swiftly disappearing into B5's pallid, haze-shrouded sky, the shattered mecha within the crater likewise gone without a trace.
...
With the exhaustion of its deep crystal veins, B5's once-scattered cities had undergone successive consolidations, eventually coalescing into a single metropolis: Jiangyan City. Now the planet's sole urban center, Jiangyan housed over twenty-five million souls, divided into the two major districts of East River and West River.
No. 44 on the East River Agricultural Trade Street was a modest repair shop. Its proprietor appeared rather indolent, having not even bothered with a proper name; a simple placard bearing the characters for "Repairs" hung unceremoniously by the entrance, utterly lacking in distinction. Today, a "Closed" sign further suggested the shop was not open for business.
Abruptly, a somewhat sleek V-shaped black car pulled up outside. Bai Hao alighted with hurried steps, approached the door, retrieved a key from his pocket, and let himself in.
"Lezi's not back yet," he noted upon entering the dim interior. "Lezi," otherwise known as Yin Ya, was the shop's co-owner, his comrade and brother-in-arms. Though their temperaments diverged, they shared fervent passions—both were avid mecha enthusiasts and aficionados of certain adult films. This repair shop, their joint venture of three years, embodied their eclectic interests, accepting everything from automobiles and major appliances down to personal communicators and toys; they would attempt to fix nearly anything.
Flipping the power switch, Bai Hao cast a cursory glance around the shop before heading straight for the rear door. The space behind served as their private quarters, a residence vastly more spacious than the shopfront. On the nearly derelict B5, land held little value, often discarded like refuse. They had acquired No. 44 for a pittance; it was rumored to have once belonged to a wealthy family long since departed from the forsaken mining planet.
Their living area featured a two-story, hollow-core design. The ground floor was a near-circular hall dominated by a small, four-to-five-meter mecha model at its center. While not a genuine machine, this model was a special project, jointly designed and built by Bai Hao and Yin Ya. Many of its components mirrored actual mecha engineering, thanks to their inadvertent hacking of a tech company's confidential files two years prior. Hamstrung by limited funds, their creation could barely manage rudimentary limb movements, relegating it firmly to the realm of models. The second floor housed their bedrooms.
As Bai Hao approached a sofa in the corner, shed his jacket, and was about to sit, a silvery-white card slipped from the discarded garment. "Hmm?" Picking it up, he was baffled; he owned no such card. Its material and intricate patterning were unfamiliar, hinting at something beyond the ordinary. "How did this get here? This isn't mine. Wait, could it be...?" His expression froze as the image of a delicate face flashed in his mind, recalling the forced kiss. He became convinced the card must have come from the fair-skinned, long-legged An Jie.
"Xiao Bai, what weighs so heavily on your mind? Share it with your little lord!" A voice, slightly rough, interrupted his reverie.
Entering the hall was a bald man around twenty, sporting sunglasses and a sleeveless black shirt. Carrying two bags, he ambled in with a roguish smirk, exuding a distinct air of rascally charm. This was Yin Ya, the other master of No. 44.
Bai Hao collected himself, glanced at Yin Ya, and smiled. "That's classified." "Tch, you secretive fox. This little lord isn't that interested anyway," Yin Ya retorted with a dismissive snort.
Yin Ya promptly unpacked the food from his bags onto a table, then bustled to fetch over a dozen cans of beer from the refrigerator. "Lezi, all this beer? Can we finish it?" Bai Hao eyed the haul skeptically; neither of them held their liquor well, typically flushing red after just a few cans. "Nonsense! Of course we finish it! Do you even know what day it is? Here, the first one must be drained dry! To you making something of yourself in the Central Star Sector—don't you dare shame your little lord!" Grabbing a can, Yin Ya clinked it against Bai Hao's and began gulping it down. Bai Hao smiled wryly and followed suit. Tomorrow, he would bid farewell to B5, his home for twenty years, and depart for the empire's most prosperous core region, having secured a position as a junior employee at Pao Li Corporation after passing three rigorous online exams and two video interviews—a hard-fought opportunity.
"Refreshing!" Yin Ya slammed his empty can onto the table, seized another, and boomed with laughter, "Xiao Bai, the second one, down the hatch! May your journey be smooth!" Barely having set his own can down, Bai Hao watched as Yin Ya started chugging the second. Shaking his head, he picked up another can himself. "Come on! Third one! May you soon find a woman and start the cozy 'little man' life you've always dreamed of!" Yin Ya grinned mischievously, already raising the third can. "Lezi, how about a bite to eat first?" Bai Hao interjected, seeing Yin Ya's determination. His expression turned earnest. "There's only one woman in this world for whom I'd play the 'little man'." "Hey, that's supposed to be my line! But who knows, you might actually run into her in the Central Star Sector. If you do, don't forget to give your little lord's regards. And ask her if she'd deign to marry me!" Yin Ya quipped, handing Bai Hao a cylindrical piece of seasoned meat. "I will," Bai Hao promised, taking a hearty bite and chewing with relish. "What is this? Tastes pretty good." "Haha! Bull penis! Excellent for virility!"
...
By the time the dozen-plus cans were emptied, Bai Hao and Yin Ya were slumped inelegantly, muttering drunken slurs. Much of their incoherent babble revolved around her—the shared goddess in their hearts: Su Shi'er, the Empire's premier female mecha pilot.