Ziye returned from her bath, completely unaware of the uproar brewing on the forum. Noticing the late hour and that Little Sprout was still helping her with Level One assignments, she nudged it. "Time for bed. We can finish tomorrow."

Little Sprout let out a soft meow, its whole body deflating as if losing air, flopping limply onto the desk. Ziye powered down the optical computer and carried it toward the bedroom.

It was wonderful that it was willing to help; she could earn enough money for a Warrior model soon!

Little Sprout had a peculiar way of thinking: it believed Ziye had to fully understand the problems from Level One all the way to Level Five. That’s why it had been reluctant to help before. But now that Ziye had passed Level One, proving comprehension, it was fine to do as much busywork as necessary.

The Level One homework that had just been submitted was entirely Little Sprout’s work; Ziye had only tackled a few Level Two problems. In reality, Chun Niu shouldn't have been depressed, because she wasn't dealing with one person, but two.

Ziye had only one immediate goal: acquire a Warrior model.

In her view, the Warrior possessed immense potential for modification. Once she thoroughly understood its workings, she could distill the essence and create a far stronger, more potent mech.

However, achieving that wouldn't take less than several months.

Ziye wasn't rushed. She worked on her homework while diligently researching mecha design. That person from XingBao, seeing she offered no response, never contacted her again. Conversely, the forum administrators discovered that "Mengya Ya" was indeed as miraculous as Chun Niu had claimed. Every day, several admins would privately message each other, checking in on Mengya Ya’s status. They unanimously agreed: once Mengya Ya was capable of tackling Level Five assignments, they would invite her to become a forum administrator.

For a group of men who had been "starved" for so long, the arrival of a female member was like a splash of color in a vast green field; just seeing her online lifted their spirits daily.

The Mobile Mecha Forum had a girl on it, too!

But no one mentioned it to her.

Partly, they feared appearing too forward; partly, while she excelled at homework, she was unfamiliar with the forum’s various sections and rarely interacted in the chat rooms, requiring more time.

Coincidentally, Sugar Frost had made an appearance a few days prior and posted a bounty question. The administrators, especially Cang Yun Lang, were overjoyed. They finally found a way to engage Mengya Ya and eagerly emailed her: "Sugar Frost posted a bounty. Go tackle it, or just observe the discussion."

Sugar Frost?

Ziye didn't need to search her memory to know she didn't know anyone by that name. However, the administrators wouldn't email her without reason. She navigated to the bounty section and glanced at the question, immediately concluding that Sugar Frost was a sharp thinker.

A few days earlier, while searching for news in the mecha world, she had read a lecture by Tang Wen, the Chief Mecha Designer of the Interstellar Federation, titled "The Impact of Micro-Warp Engine Thrusters on Frame Integrity." It contained many constructive theories.

This current question was a direct continuation of Tang Wen's spirit, merely applied to a specific mecha. The problem read: "Why does the main engine of the Scimitar-class distort after six months of using the micro-warp engine thrusters?"

The bounty was set at 5,000 credits.

The Scimitar-class was a product of the Sonai Group under the Interstellar Federation, having been on the market for exactly half a year.

Below the question, the replies spanned five pages. Most followed Tang Wen’s line of reasoning, suggesting an irreconcilable, fundamental incompatibility between the Scimitar’s micro-warp thrusters and its main engine. A small minority suspected a flaw in the main engine itself. Since Ziye had never seen a Scimitar-class, she had no way to judge which was correct.

She hurried to the chat room; everyone was discussing it animatedly.

Even Chun Niu, who had been absent for two weeks, was there. Seeing Ziye enter, Chun Niu asked, "Ya Ya, what's your take on Sugar Frost's question?"

Before Ziye could answer, Cang Yun Lang jumped in, "There must be something fishy here." Everyone laughed. He quickly added, "I mean, Niu Niu and Ya Ya have some kind of affair going on!"

Fearing they would dwell too long on that, Ziye interjected, "I haven't seen the Scimitar-class, so I have no standing to comment."

Chun Niu let out a surprised "Ehh?" All the administrators were slightly bewildered. The Scimitar-class was openly sold, and it hadn't been on the market briefly. Any serious enthusiast on the Mobile Mecha Forum would have studied it in detail. How could she not have?

Chun Niu pressed, "Which model have you been researching lately?"

Ziye answered truthfully, "The Warrior."

Chun Niu was about to say more when Cang Yun Lang chuckled, "Ya Ya, would you like a Scimitar-class?"

Ziye replied very plainly, "Yes."

Cang Yun Lang gave a hidden smirk but maintained the demeanor of a perfect gentleman, "Send me your shipping coordinates later; I’ll send you one." His tone was calm and natural, as if saying, "I'll treat you to a meal."

Huh?

That generous? Ziye looked at Cang Yun Lang’s ID, suspicious that he was serious. You don't get free lunch, and certainly not free mecha—mecha weren't like bread you could buy for a dollar a loaf.

Even if Cang Yun Lang were sincere, she couldn't accept it. "I appreciate the kind offer, but I can't accept gifts without earning them."

The channel fell silent for a few seconds before Chun Niu broke the tension. "Sugar Frost usually allows ten days to answer. You can start researching the Scimitar-class. I have quite a few materials; I’ll email them to you shortly so you can look them over."

It seemed everyone wanted her to attempt Sugar Frost’s question. Ziye thought for a moment, then asked, "Who is Sugar Frost?"

"You don't even know Sugar Frost?" Cang Yun Lang exclaimed dramatically. "Sugar Frost is one of our forum legends. He occasionally surfaces to post a bounty, occasionally solves a Level Five problem. His words are always weighty. Even our Boss admits defeat!"

The Boss happened to be present and chuckled twice at the comment.

Ziye clicked on Sugar Frost’s ID and viewed the profile. It was blank, with no gender specified. The only visible detail was the account registration date: ten years ago.

Regardless of his other quirks, having been on the forum for a decade made him a veteran. Ziye instantly felt a surge of respect. "Thank you, everyone. I’ll go look up the Scimitar-class now." She closed the audio feed and asked Little Sprout, "Scimitar-class, do you know about it?"

Little Sprout glanced at her and projected a 3D optical screen. On the screen stood a three-dimensional rendering of a mech, standing proud. It was very slender; from the side, it resembled a curved blade.

Ziye looked at it closely from top to bottom, then asked, "Does the Mecha Equipment Bay have this model?"

Little Sprout nodded the small leaf on its head. "If it had been on the market for three months, it would be a standard configuration. Now it appears randomly; you might not encounter it."

Ziye pouted. "Why don't you hack into the Sonai Group’s core database and steal the Scimitar’s blueprints?"

Little Sprout shot her a sharp look. "What about your integrity? Who was worried sick about me getting caught a few days ago?"

Ziye awkwardly rubbed her nose and let out a couple of chuckles.

Little Sprout replied loftily, "The Scimitar-class blueprint has long been in my database; look all you want. But the blueprint won't help with this problem. You need to pilot it to truly understand the issue."

So, she had no hope?

Five thousand credits!

Ziye turned toward the balcony and happened to see a Scimitar-class streak across the sky above her. A flash of inspiration struck her: "What if we secretly install a scanner on a frequently used Scimitar-class and steal its data?"

Little Sprout emitted a small electrical pulse, giving her a gentle shock. "And what about your moral limits? Hmm?" Seeing her flustered reaction, it spoke slowly, "The Mecha Equipment Bay is random, but it’s a standby option in the Combat Zone. We just need to go to the Combat Zone, you idiot!"

Ziye was insulted, but overjoyed. "Let's go right now."

As soon as she entered the Combat Zone, Ziye immediately selected the Scimitar-class, preparing to research it, only to see a preparation countdown on the room's optical screen: only three minutes!

Damn it, that’s so unscientific.

Ziye looked at the Scimitar-class, dubbed the "Meat Grinder of the Battlefield," and noted its astonishing electronic warfare capabilities and comprehensive weapon loadout. Coupled with its combat network, it was a superb machine for charging into battle.

She clicked to check, but unfortunately, there was no "used for six months" wear indicator. She resigned herself to it and launched directly into the match.

As a brand-new combat novice, Ziye didn't even have time to formulate a strategy before being teleported onto the battlefield.

When she clearly saw her opponent's mech, Ziye couldn't help but sigh in discouragement.

A Platinum Tycoon! Her opponent was the flamboyantly ostentatious Platinum Tycoon-class. Its dazzling exterior, the graceful lines flowing like a work of art, the elegant, luxurious chassis—it was designed purely to broadcast to the world: "I am wealthy."

Ziye sadly realized she had absolutely no impression of the Tycoon.

Silver-Rune Planet really was too isolated. Forget seeing such a mech; she hadn't even heard of it.

This was a significant problem. Now, all she could do was pray that the pilot was as all show and no substance as the machine.

No time to think further; the starting signal blared.

Ziye instinctively surged forward. Regardless of the opponent, eliminating them at top speed was the ultimate truth.

However, she had miscalculated.

The Tycoon might be flashy, but that didn't mean it lacked substance.

A flash of light sliced through the air. Ziye hastily activated her shield to protect her body and dodged sideways. When she stabilized, she realized she hadn't completely evaded the shot. The opponent had precisely aimed past her shield and pierced in from the oblique side, delivering a hard hit right under her right armpit.

The opponent paused slightly, seemingly surprised that the first shot hadn't eliminated Ziye. Burning with anger, Ziye slammed her shield toward the Tycoon.

The Tycoon hadn't expected her to be so unreasonable, like a screeching woman, and swiftly dodged to prevent its beautiful body from getting scratched. Ziye seized the opportunity and unleashed a chaotic barrage of fire from her own gun!

The opponent showed no panic. Amidst the bombardment, its evasion was unbelievably agile, its movements fluid and graceful, like a waltz, yet entirely without stiffness—it was chaotic, making it impossible to predict where it would appear next.

Ziye watched, her blood boiling with excitement—what an amazing pilot, how magnificent!

In the split second she stared, she was pierced through once more, without question.

Ziye snapped back to reality through the jarring impact. Seeing the opponent preparing to exit the match, she urgently requested a rematch.

She hadn't even discovered the Scimitar’s engine issue; how could she let him leave?