"She and I..." Zhong Yun paused, seeing how tense they all looked, and after building the suspense, he said, "We're just partners."

"Partners?" The six men exchanged glances, none of them expecting such an answer.

"Rest is over, let's continue practicing." Zhong Yun stood up, walked over to his practice mech, and climbed in. He had mostly mastered the basic commands now, capable of piloting the practice unit independently.

Seeing him deftly evade the question, the six felt helpless. "Partners" was such an elastic term—it could imply intimacy or complete distance.

They weren't fools; the young mistress's attitude toward him hardly suggested a mere working relationship. But since Zhong Yun refused to elaborate, they couldn't exactly force the words out of him.

On the field, the ten-meter-tall mech executed a few motions of lifting its arms and raising its legs, then the hulking, dark machine began to run, thump-thump-thump, kicking up vast clouds of dirt.

The six men sitting on the ground were showered from head to toe, earning curses from them all.

Then, the mech executed a light leap, turning its entire body upside down, bracing with its hands on the ground, its massive form carving a perfect semicircle through the air before landing upright, completing a cartwheel. A mech weighing a hundred tons moved with unbelievable lightness.

Bai Yuwan, who was brushing dirt off himself, was frozen, staring fixedly as the mech Zhong Yun piloted followed up with a back handspring, seemingly unable to believe what he was seeing. "What's wrong?" Wang Xiao'er, beside him, noticed his strange reaction and followed his gaze. The mech was certainly agile, but did it warrant such shock?

"I..." Bai Yuwan stammered, "I haven't... taught him... combination commands yet."

The five others watched the machine move with the flexibility of a gymnast, as if looking at a monster.

At that moment, the mech was executing a backflip. It lost its footing upon landing. With a boom, it sprawled flat on the ground, kicking up clouds of gray dust.

After practice, Zhong Yun walked toward his quarters feeling refreshed. Although the mech cockpit had an air circulation system, preventing stuffiness, after so much exertion, he craved a hot shower.

Nearing his room, he saw someone approaching and offered a greeting. "Hello, Deputy Captain."

"Mr. Zhong, just finished practice?" The Deputy Captain was a man around forty, with a square face and an unyielding demeanor, looking like a former soldier.

Though the Deputy Captain was outwardly polite, Zhong Yun sensed a subtle undercurrent of hostility. This was normal; most people in the base felt some degree of antagonism toward him, and the reason, naturally, stemmed from Yu Daoqing.

"Yes, just coming back for a shower," Zhong Yun replied.

"By the way, the entire base is off this afternoon. There will be many events happening in the recreation area. You can go take a look," the Deputy Captain said as he prepared to leave. Zhong Yun had heard Chu Tiange and the others mention that the base held a half-day holiday every ten days, allowing all members to move freely.

In his view, base life was monotonous; sightseeing for a few days was interesting, but staying longer would be stifling. The half-day break was intended to let the members unwind.

After showering, Zhong Yun went to knock on Yu Daoqing’s door.

"What are you doing?" The door opened, and Zhong Yun stepped in to find Yu Daoqing reclining on a chaise lounge, her view filled with holographic images combining both pictures and text.

"Reviewing some data," Yu Daoqing replied without looking up.

Seeing she was busy, Zhong Yun found a place to sit and took in her room. It was his first time inside; judging by the layout, it shared the same minimalist style as the penthouse suite on the 901st floor of the Pearl Tower.

Finishing the material on her device, Yu Daoqing set the computer aside and looked up. "Why didn't you pilot a mech today?"

"You must be preoccupied. It’s nearly time for lunch."

"So soon?" Yu Daoqing glanced at the time; indeed, it was almost noon. "The worst thing about being here is never being able to keep track of time."

"I heard the whole base is resting this afternoon, and the recreation area is supposed to be lively. Want to check it out together this afternoon?" Zhong Yun suggested.

Yu Daoqing frowned slightly, a look of distaste crossing her face. "It’s a den of vice; what's there to see?" She shot Zhong Yun a look. "And you shouldn't go either."

Zhong Yun grew curious. What kind of scene would she describe as a den of vice? Recalling the strange smiles when Chu Tiange and the others invited him, he began to understand.

"Why shouldn't I go?"

Yu Daoqing was momentarily speechless. "Just... don't go."

"If you won't tell me why, and then tell me not to go, do you take me for a child?" Zhong Yun found it somewhat amusing.

"You're underage; you shouldn't go to places like that?" Yu Daoqing tried to persuade him earnestly.

Zhong Yun realized. Considering that besides Yu Daoqing and a few secretaries, there were no other women on the base, the most they might show would be romantic 'action' films. This was perfectly normal in an all-male environment.

"You're too innocent," Zhong Yun teased, looking at her. "Don't tell me you've never seen one."

Yu Daoqing's face flushed slightly. "What's good about that? It's disgusting." From the persistent furrow of her brow, it was clear her revulsion was genuine. Zhong Yun looked at her in surprise. "Sister, how old are you? You're incredibly pure."

"Impudent child," Yu Daoqing said, slightly embarrassed.

"Don't tell me you've never been in love," Zhong Yun joked.

"I'm not talking to you anymore," Yu Daoqing huffed, holding the computer up to her face.

Zhong Yun had only been joking, but judging by her reaction, he seemed to have hit the mark. Never dated by age thirty? That was unbelievable.

"Could it really be true?"

"You're still going on about it!" Yu Daoqing, enraged by shame, tossed the computer at him.

Zhong Yun caught it easily. "Hey, this thing holds a lot of data. What if it breaks?"

"I hope it smashes you," Yu Daoqing spat out through gritted teeth.

Just then, the chime sounded—it was time for lunch.

After eating, Zhong Yun returned to his room. He hadn't planned on joining the crowds in the recreation area anyway. Besides the five he'd become familiar with—Bai Yuwan and the Chu Tiange group—most people there weren't exactly friendly. Going would just be asking for trouble. He might as well stay in his room and play some games. While the virtual games here weren't as realistic as the 'Combat Simulations,' they were good enough for passing the time and were quite engaging.

As for Yu Daoqing, he'd wait until she cooled down. She seemed genuinely upset today; she hadn't even acknowledged him on the way to lunch, treating his conversation as if she hadn't heard a word.

In a dimly lit room, two indistinct figures stood talking with their backs turned.

"Are you really going through with this?" said the taller figure, his voice somewhat hoarse.

"I've planned this for over ten years. Now that this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity is here, I will not let it slip away under any circumstance." The other figure gestured with his hands, his voice resonating in the room.

The taller figure sighed softly. "You saved my life. Although I regret it... I will do as you ask."

"You don't need to do the heavy lifting. Just isolate the recreation area for two hours."

"Are you truly confident you can handle her? Does she have any hidden measures you haven't uncovered?" the taller figure voiced his apprehension.

"Relax. I have already mapped out her capabilities thoroughly. I wouldn't make a move without a seventy or eighty percent chance of success," the other replied with supreme confidence.

"The only concern is that old man. I've been around him for seven or eight years, and I still can't gauge his depth. However, I have a way to deal with him. He will never expect that his most trusted second-in-command would ambush him."

Hearing this, the taller figure fell silent, deeply wary of the 'old man' the speaker referred to. After a moment, he asked, "What about Zhong Yun? How should he be handled?"

A cold glint flashed in the eyes of the other figure, clearly visible even in the dim light. "He’s just some Level Seven brat. What waves can he stir up? We are short-handed; we'll ignore him for now. Once the grand plan is set, dealing with him won't be too late."

The two discussed further details. "Action begins precisely at 3 PM this afternoon." With that, they quietly departed one after the other.

With only half a day off every ten days, the base members were ecstatic. Aside from the Captain and a few instructors, everyone else was a vigorous young adult between twenty and thirty. Daily monotonous and tedious training had built up extreme suppression; they were eager to let loose now.

The base's recreation area was specifically designed for members' leisure during their downtime. It contained numerous entertainment facilities, both general and restricted.

There were no real women on the base, but there were virtual ones. To alleviate the stress of the younger members, there were tens of thousands of adult entertainment machines. Entering one of these machines transported the user into a virtual space filled with countless women to choose from, where they could do anything they desired.

Although the creation of such machines was strictly prohibited by the Constitution of the Davo Republic, there were always exceptions—namely, the military. These machines effectively released the pressure built up in soldiers; otherwise, young men full of unfulfilled needs were difficult to manage and prone to causing trouble. This base was virtually indistinguishable from a military installation, so the presence of such machines was not surprising. In fact, these machines were the most popular among the base members.

At 3 PM, nearly every member had flooded into the recreation area. Those caught up in the revelry failed to notice that all the access points to the entire area had been silently sealed off.

The entire base was constructed to military standards; its structural integrity was beyond question. Without the override switch inside the recreation area, forcing an exit would not be easy, especially without weapons.

The base's primary dormitory building. "Captain, I have something I need to report to you." The Deputy Captain's voice sounded outside the door.

The door opened. The Captain's gaze remained fixed on the chart before him—it was the training schedule. "What is it?"

"It's like this..." The Deputy Captain spoke as he walked behind the Captain. In his hand appeared a black metallic rod, thick as a thumb.

P: A major author released a new book yesterday, gaining hundreds of monthly votes in a single day, but has now dropped to ninth place—it's too dangerous! Requesting monthly votes!