Chapter Three: The Mecha Warrior

"Nangong Yuchen, do you want to become stronger?"

Startled by the sudden voice, Nangong Yuchen quickly turned around, searching for its source. In the dimness of night, he saw a young girl quietly approaching. As she drew closer, her graceful and shapely figure became clearer. She had long, jet-black hair tied in a high ponytail, which swung energetically with her light steps. Her delicate face was adorned with jewel-like eyes, deep and luminous. Yet all this beauty was marred by the blemishes scattered across her skin.

“Angel!” Nangong Yuchen was baffled by her intentions and could only ask, “What do you mean?”

The girl did not answer his question. Instead, with a grave expression, she walked up to him and stopped, then pressed further, “Nangong Yuchen, do you want to become strong? Do you want to go out into the world and live?”

“To become strong?”

“Yes! Strong enough to break through these crystal walls and venture into the world beyond—together!”

For a moment, Nangong Yuchen was speechless. How could he not long to grow stronger? Yet he remembered clearly that he barely had any connection with the girl before him, even though she was not only the class president but also the top in physical training. Why would she suddenly say such things to him? Was it pity? Or something else?

While he stood there in a daze, Angel frowned slightly, her tone curious. “Don’t you want to see the world outside? Don’t you want to visit other human cities?”

“Of course I do!” Nangong Yuchen blurted out without thinking—after all, it was his dream.

Upon hearing his answer, Angel’s face lit up with a bright smile, her beautiful eyes curving like crescent moons. She continued, “As long as you promise me…”

But before she could finish, Nangong Yuchen, his gaze fixed on the beautiful night sky, shook his head and refused, “I’m sorry! Compared to that unreachable dream, I…”

“Hm?” Angel’s smile faded, and she looked at him in confusion, as if waiting for him to finish.

But she was disappointed, for the rest of Nangong Yuchen’s sentence remained unspoken: “What I want most is to have a complete family again.”

He brushed past her, heading back into the city, leaving Angel standing alone, staring blankly as his figure vanished into the darkness.

After a while, another silhouette emerged from the shadows—a woman who appeared to be about twenty-seven or twenty-eight, tall and graceful, her features sweet and gentle, with dimples that lent her the warmth of a kindly elder sister.

She approached Angel respectfully. “Miss!”

“Mulin! Was I too abrupt?” Angel’s gaze was still fixed on the direction where Nangong Yuchen had disappeared. Her usually clear and crisp voice now sounded unbearably heavy.

Mulin considered for a moment before replying, “Since he won’t accept, let’s push him—trigger his awakening directly!”

“Awakening?” Angel was puzzled.

Mulin explained, “Yes. Even if he agreed to leave with us, he’d still need to awaken. So why not stimulate his awakening first, then figure out how to bring him along? We’re just switching the order, that’s all.”

The moment she finished, Angel’s spirit was reignited. Her jewel-like eyes began to glow with an eerie violet light, while Mulin’s eyes shone as well, though hers carried a pale blue hue.

An hour later, inside the maglev train, Nangong Yuchen leaned against the window, gazing at the city’s nightscape, lost in thought.

He was still ruminating on what Angel had said to him earlier. Having failed three consecutive physical evaluations, how could he not yearn to be stronger? Yet he knew little about the always-mysterious Angel. Though they’d been classmates for three months, they had scarcely spoken in private, which was why he had refused her outright. Besides, he could tell that any help offered for free would surely come at a price. Though he did not yet know what that price might be, he was already afraid of losing anything more.

At this thought, a wave of pain swept through his heart.

He thought of his parents, imprisoned; his sister, who still refused to forgive him; the family shattered because of him.

In this era where humans and monstrous beasts coexisted, only by becoming a mecha warrior—nothing less—could he hope to rescue his parents, reunite his family, and win his sister’s forgiveness.

Yet the path was cruel.

It had been three months since he entered Star Academy, yet his physical training was the worst in the entire class—a failure who couldn’t even meet the basic standards.

And this Friday would be the fourth evaluation. He could already imagine the ridicule, the sneers, even the teachers’ disdainful glances.

Recalling scenes from the past, Nangong Yuchen’s whole body trembled, and a suffocating heaviness pressed on his chest.

He didn’t understand what was wrong with his body. Strength, speed, neural reflexes—the three pillars of physical training had to be raised in balance, or else the highest attribute would automatically decrease to compensate the other two. Because of this, he had failed three times since the start of the term, earning the label of “loser,” always finishing last.

After all, the academy valued excellence in any one attribute, not an even balance of all three.

At this moment, the maglev train sped along the elevated ring track. In Summer City’s five major districts—A, B, C, D, and E—the terrain was far from flat. Districts A and B made up the city center, while Nangong Yuchen had entered from the crystal-walled gates of the suburban E District, heading to B District. This section of the journey had to be made in the air, for the sake of speed and convenience.

Watching the city shrink below the window, a thought surfaced in his mind: “Am I really destined to be just an ordinary person?”

He felt exhausted. Physical training was hard, and the lack of resources made it even harder. Among the vast sea of humanity, only a handful could become true mecha warriors. Most of them were the children of the wealthy, with resources and support, able to stand above the masses and truly experience the splendor of earth and sky.

The standard for a first-tier physical trainee: 450 kilograms of strength, 40 meters per second speed, and a neural reflex score of 20.

Meeting any one of these criteria would make you a first-tier trainee. It sounded simple, but in practice, it was a fantasy. Who could punch with 450 kilograms of force? Run forty meters in a second? Dodge twenty laser shots—what kind of reflexes would that require?

Worse still, all this had to be achieved before turning eighteen. After that, the body would mature and progress would slow drastically.

He was already over sixteen, with barely more than a year left before adulthood. And his current stats? Strength: 130 kg, speed: 13 meters per second, neural reflexes: 6.

These numbers didn’t even meet the standards for a first-year student at Star Academy. Could he truly become a mecha warrior? Could he really piece together his shattered family?

Just then, the train’s announcement came over the speakers.

“Now arriving at District B. Passengers, please take your belongings and prepare to disembark.”

Lost in thought, Nangong Yuchen followed the crowd off the train. Checking his phone, he saw the time—7:47 PM.

His face turned pale. He dashed out of the station in a panic.

“Damn! Only thirteen minutes left—I’m going to be late!”