Why did the mecha designed by Tang Wen bear such a striking resemblance to the warships designed by TG?

Plagiarism?

Impossible!

After a semester spent in his company, Ziye was absolutely certain of Tang Wen’s capability.

Though she had never laid eyes on Tang Wen’s blueprints, his philosophy, his creativity, his style, and his genius had permeated every facet of their daily interactions. She believed, with profound conviction, that Tang Wen was TG!

Ziye’s heart hammered against her ribs.

She felt as though she were about to peel back the veil of Tang Wen’s mystery—a sensation that was part thrill, part unease, but mostly anticipation.

Little Sprout whispered quietly, “Ziye, I’m breaking into the Interstellar Federation’s designer archives…”

It spoke directly into her consciousness, yet she still glanced around furtively, as if caught red-handed. The quick look made her snap upright, forcing a strained laugh: “Bran, you’re here!”

Bran arrived at the doorway. Seeing the mecha modification room resembling a junkyard—piles of metal here and there, robots standing stock-still in the middle of the path, and Ziye hunched over the workbench with Little Sprout, wearing an intensely secretive expression—he paused, about to speak, when Ziye turned and greeted him.

Alertness level: high, Bran mused, stepping inside. “What mischief are you up to?”

Ziye scratched her head sheepishly. “I took apart the Disaster-class. I was afraid I wouldn’t be able to reassemble it, and you’d chew me out later.”

Bran chuckled. “No worries. I have faith in your ability to restore the Disaster-class, and this entire modification room, to its original state.”

Ziye stuck out her tongue. “Please help me, then.”

Bran shook his head. “Can’t help.”

Ziye puffed out her cheeks in dissatisfaction.

Bran spread his hands. “I was worried you’d be scolded by Tang Wen and hide in here crying, but it seems I worried for nothing. Research away. Don’t call me if you need anything.”

Ziye rolled her eyes. “Isn't that stating the obvious?”

Bran gently ruffled her hair. “Good girl, get back to work.” With that, he turned and left. Ziye was left standing there, brooding over why everyone kept patting her head and calling her a good girl. She was sixteen, for goodness sake! Hmph!

The only relief was that Bran hadn't detected her and Little Sprout’s clandestine operation.

She sat back down, gave Little Sprout a quick kiss. “Good boy.”

—It didn’t need to display anything on the screen for mischief; at most, people would just see it hovering foolishly in mid-air, unaware of what its systems were doing.

If Bran knew she was digging up Tang Wen’s files, would he be angry? Tang Wen was famous, but his main domain was mecha, not warships. If Tang Wen was TG, he would undoubtedly be a terrifying existence!

Little Sprout hadn’t responded yet, presumably still deep in the infiltration process. Ziye pondered for a moment, then opened the net, searching for the Interstellar Federation’s Predator-class cruisers.

The Predator-class was a new type of warship that had only appeared in the last few years, currently manufactured exclusively by the Interstellar Federation.

Predator-class ships were primarily used in formal military engagements, for standard offense and defense. Regardless of the ship type, encountering a Predator-class in a straight-up fight would result in absolutely devastating blows.

It could be said that the Predator-class dominated the conventional battlefield. They could compete in energy output, electronic countermeasures, and speed, maximizing these auxiliary capabilities while maintaining overwhelming firepower!

Of course, this led to the Predator-class having one terribly tragic flaw: fragile armor. They were perfectly suited for wealthy and powerful factions like the Interstellar Federation to crush weaker forces.

Ziye had initially assumed the Predator-class was similar to a Battleship, but now she saw they could follow entirely different design trajectories during operation. Battleships were not inferior in direct combat, but in ensuring immense firepower and heavy armor, they sacrificed auxiliary functions.

Consequently, if a Battleship ever engaged a Predator-class, it would likely suffer immensely.

Ziye found that the Interstellar Federation possessed three classic Predator-class designs: the 'Retrospect,' the 'Delusion,' and the 'Dominator.' While distinct, each ship intensely reflected TG’s unique personal style.

TG, after all, was the founding designer of the Predator-class.

Should she go ask Tang Wen about it?

Ziye propped her chin, musing, when Little Sprout suddenly emitted a small cry of alarm: “Found it!”

She hastily urged, “Tell me, tell me, what is it?”

Little Sprout squinted at her, “Come on, beg me, and I’ll tell you.”

Smack—

Ziye slapped its head. If its hat hadn’t been thick, it would have been flattened. “Hurry up and tell me, and I’ll spare you.”

Little Sprout got angry. It extended a tiny sprout, flew to the top of the Disaster-class, and declared from its superior height, “This master can turn that thing into scrap metal in three seconds!”

This was absolutely not an exaggeration. A sufficiently strong electrical surge from the sprout could instantly melt the alloys.

Ziye threw up her hands in surrender. “I was wrong, master. Please, tell me.”

Little Sprout was finally satisfied. It flew down from the ten-meter-high head of the Disaster-class and leaped into Ziye’s embrace, the force of the dive nearly shattering her sternum.

Ziye caught it. “Quickly now.”

Little Sprout zipped open a virtual screen with a whoosh, proudly cocking its little foot. “See for yourself.”

Ziye’s gaze locked onto the screen, and she couldn't look away.

It was beyond shocking.

It turned out Tang Wen was only the nominal Chief Mecha Designer; in reality, he was TG, the Chief Director of Warship Design for the Interstellar Federation! The Federation’s Warship Design Academy employed thousands of designers, and Tang Wen sat above them all!

The Predator-class was merely Tang Wen’s personal design portfolio; his primary role was leading the team responsible for the Interstellar Federation’s Flagships.

How magnificent!

Ziye suddenly felt that the man who blushed over his inability to play the piano was terrifying! She was ecstatic to be working under the same roof as Tang Wen. The Flagship Designer—that was the god-tier figure she admired most!

Ziye almost wanted to run to Tang Wen immediately and cling to his leg for support. This teacher she’d picked up along the way was too incredible. She used to wonder what his motives were for taking her as a student, but now she felt that whatever his purpose, she absolutely had to hold onto that leg tightly!

Ziye bolted out of the modification room, intending to find Tang Wen, but stopped abruptly at the door, remembering she couldn't reveal anything. If Tang Wen discovered she had investigated his identity, the consequences would be hers to bear.

She calmed herself, turned, and returned to the modification room.

Her mind was still buzzing with excitement, and her hands worked cheerfully. In a few swift moves, she completely disassembled the Disaster-class, setting the armor plating aside for inspection and simulated firepower testing.

Only formally certified designers were allowed to engage in live-fire testing during mecha trials. For her personal research, which required only a couple of studies, there were no official requirements or necessity to use live ammunition, so the virtual attack system was the best option.

While analyzing the armor, she instructed Little Sprout to set up the virtual attack system, specifically focusing on studying the damage inflicted by artillery fire on the frame. Since she had already disassembled it, there was no rush to reassemble it; she might as well study the mecha from start to finish, recording every bit of inspiration gleaned from the details.

By the time Little Sprout finished setting up the attack system, she placed the mecha inside and bombarded it with virtual cannon fire, observing the extent of the damage. Twenty-four hours in a day proved terribly insufficient. Ziye completed her data analysis, but before she could even finalize her thesis, evening arrived.

She returned to the Sprout Villa and looked at what she had written previously. She found it unbearable and decisively deleted it, starting over. Her admiration for Tang Wen was no longer casual; she certainly couldn't try to fob him off with nonsense again.

Thus, she put everything else aside and spent a full week concentrating solely on finishing the assignment.

When she submitted it, the holiday was already one week over.

Tang Wen reviewed what she turned in. He found no faults this time, stating plainly, “Out of a hundred points, this piece earns 90; 10 points deducted for the first time you tried to mislead me; another 10 points deducted for late submission; and 10 points for dismantling my mecha and not reassembling it. Therefore, your grade for this course is 60.”

After speaking, he turned his head to look at Ziye, wearing an expression that clearly conveyed, You may be dismissed.

Ziye felt tears welling up—she was truly repentant this time. Since the deception and the late submission were irreversible, she quickly said, “Thank you for your instruction this semester, Teacher. I will reassemble the mecha immediately!”

Tang Wen smiled faintly.

After she left, he reviewed the content thoroughly from the beginning. At one section, his eyes flickered slightly, and he began sketching diagrams on the screen. He drew a bit, hesitated, stopped his pen, then continued drawing a moment later. Back and forth, he actually gleaned two points of inspiration from her method of answering the questions.

He closed the assignment, kept one copy for his records, and forwarded the other to Bran, instructing him: “This homework is excellent. It presents new ideas and requirements concerning armor, which will have a beneficial effect on improving the Disaster-class's armor resistance, and can even be applied to the Predator-class armor. Take a look, submit it to the Lings Official Thesis System, grade it 88, and furthermore, publish it in Lings’ official monthly journal, Mecha Research, under Ziye’s name.”

Bran immediately relayed the message to Ziye upon receiving it.

Ziye was in the middle of reassembling the Disaster-class when she heard Bran’s words and froze completely.

Publish?

Students at Lings were top-tier geniuses in the Interstellar sector; publishing a paper was normal. But being published in Mecha Research was unheard of. Although Mecha Research was published by Lings, the papers and theses featured there were authored by Lings’ actual professors—those who truly researched mecha. Many of Lings’ most famous theories originated there.

The magazine intended for students was called Mecha World (Jiaji Tianxia). Students were encouraged to submit articles occasionally, writing about mecha exterior design and showcasing their latest works. Li Chunyu, for example, was the honorary editor-in-chief of Mecha World. Ziye recalled hearing her mention the extensive requirements for reviewing submissions to Mecha World...

Ziye asked in disbelief, “Bran, are you certain it’s Mecha Research and not Mecha World?”

Bran didn’t know much about the two journals, so he nodded. “Yes, it’s Mecha Research. Tang Wen just said it, and he will be the recommender.”

Was this a joke? She had spent a week on an assignment and it was going to be published in Mecha Research?