Good thing Yin Xun wasn't chewed up by it. Poor Chao Xun had to retire early.

Come to think of it, Xing Rui had accompanied her when she bought Chao Xun. Wonder how he’s doing now.

Ziye exported the data from Chao Xun and casually asked, "Xiao Dou, do you still remember Xing Rui?" There was no response from Xiao Dou Ya for a long time. She turned her head to look and saw Xiao Dou Ya flapping its wings furiously at Dou Zai.

It wasn't fanning air; it was striking Dou Zai with its wings. "Dou Zai, I told you not to chew indiscriminately, did you hear me?

You idiot, if you chew anything again, I'll throw you away!" Ziye let out a soft chuckle, and all her annoyance vanished. Thinking about how long it had been since she contacted Xing Rui, Ziye finished exporting the data and took the opportunity to dial his number.

"Ziye, long time no see, how are you doing?" Xing Rui's cheerful voice came through. On the virtual screen, she saw that his slightly boyish face had matured considerably, his shoulders were broader, making him look much steadier.

Ziye felt a pang of emotion. This was the first person she had met after coming out here, and she was genuinely happy to see how much he had grown.

She smiled and said, "I'm in Kaga, and you?" Xing Rui was equally delighted and asked, "Did Tang Wen take you on as a student?" Ziye nodded. "Yes." Xing Rui's eyes filled with admiration.

"That's incredible!" He had watched Ling Si's promotional video multiple times, unable to confirm if it really was Ziye. In his memory, Ziye was just a beginner, someone he surpassed, and certainly not someone who could get into Ling Si.

He was utterly shocked when he finally saw the promotional video. A semester had passed, and while the initial shock had faded, he felt more sentimental for his friend.

Ziye becoming Tang Wen's student brought him a sense of reflected glory. He was testing for Ling Si this year too.

If he got in, he could latch onto Ziye's coattails and perhaps have Tang Wen take him as a student as well—a double win! "I'm studying right now.

I'm testing for Ling Si again this year; I absolutely have to get in this time! Next time, you’ll mentor me, okay?" Ziye laughed.

"Sure. Are you still at the Kira Space Station?" Xing Rui shook his head.

"No, I'm at home. But I still log into the Mecha Forum." He added, "By the way, did you ever register an account?" Ziye froze for a moment.

She suddenly remembered promising him she would register, and her account, "Meng Ya Ya," hadn't been logged into for half a year. After chatting with Xing Rui for a while, she disconnected Chao Xun and logged into the Mecha Forum.

The moment she entered, she instantly realized how long she had been disconnected from the world. The forum’s overall layout had been completely revamped—it looked so high-end and grand that she almost thought she logged into the wrong place.

The sections were much richer, with a newly added Mecha Competition section, which was further divided into several sub-sections: Previous Event Analysis Area, Competition Exchange Area, and Team Formation Information Area. Ziye clicked into the Previous Event Analysis and immediately spotted the competition’s promotional video, featuring the previous champion team looking heroic and dynamic.

Ziye had already seen the promo, so she skipped it and went straight to the event analyses. The analysis section focused on the thirty-two teams that made it to the finals, complete with videos and commentary detailing the strengths and weaknesses of each team member.

After reading through them, she felt enlightened. The requirements for the Mecha Competition, much like a contract, were incredibly tedious.

She had skimmed through them once, feeling rather bewildered by many things, but after reading the event analyses, everything became crystal clear. The more she read, the more she liked it, decisively copying and saving all the analyses for future review whenever she encountered an issue.

She didn't recognize the IDs of the posters, but most seemed to be veterans. Ziye clicked her tongue in surprise.

A single competition managed to draw out so many forum legends; it was remarkably powerful. However, she was curious: where did they find so much detailed information?

Many veteran figures also manned the Competition Exchange Area, dedicated to answering all the questions students had about participating in the competition. Ziye gasped internally and messaged Li Chunyu, "What exactly is the Mecha Forum?

It seems incredibly formidable." The staff were professional, the information reliable, and the resources comprehensive—it was even three points better than the Mecha Competition's official website. Li Chunyu laughed.

"The Mecha Forum is backed by the Kaga Higher Education Center. You know." Ziye exclaimed, "No wonder." The Mecha Forum was a great place; she decided she needed to come up often to learn, and she was quite happy as she copied materials.

She hadn't been online long before Cang Yun Lang spotted her and immediately pulled her into the Casual Chat group. Ziye looked at the IDs inside—some familiar, some not.

Before she could muse on how things had changed, a message boomed: "Our girl is finally back!" The entire Casual Chat group erupted in excitement, bordering on tearful reunion. "Our girl is finally back!" "We finally have a girl here!" "Girl, which school are you with?

Looking for a team!" ... After such a long absence, Ziye felt nostalgic too, greeting them all with a smile.

Cang Yun Lang messaged her privately: "Meng Ya Ya girl, you aren't planning on suddenly disappearing again now that you're back, are you?" Ziye looked surprised. "What's wrong?

I’m participating in the competition too, so I should be here often to gather tips." Cang Yun Lang laughed heartily. "That's wonderful!

Meng Ya Ya, I’ve applied for Level One Administrator status for you; could you fill out the information?" He then sent her a link. Ziye was confused.

"Why?" Cang Yun Lang giggled. "This way, you can’t just decide to disappear whenever you feel like it.

Later, we can tell members that we have a girl, and she's official staff, liable to appear at any time. If they want to see the girl, they'll have to log in often." Ziye was speechless.

This was clearly a trap. Of course, she also worried about not doing a good job.

However, Cang Yun Lang clearly didn't think that way, puffing out his chest and guaranteeing, "Don't worry, I've got your back!" The Mecha Forum handled administrative changes quickly. Not long after Ziye filled out the forms, her ID changed from a Level Five Member to a Level One Administrator.

Simultaneously, an announcement flashed across the forum homepage and all sub-sections: Congratulations to Meng Ya Ya for becoming the 16th Level One Administrator of the Mecha Forum! The bright red font nearly blinded Ziye.

Forum management was tiered: Forum Overseer, Level One Admin, Level Two Admin, Level Three Admin, with corresponding tiers for sub-sections. Level One Admin was responsible for the management of the entire forum, second only to the forum Boss in authority.

Cang Yun Lang rushed to the chat section, where the Forum Boss was already present and had initiated a group-wide broadcast: "Congratulations to Meng Ya Ya girl for becoming the 16th Level One Administrator of the Mecha Forum!" Cang Yun Lang immediately chimed in, "Meng Ya Ya is a great girl; everyone should treat her well from now on." Ziye had been slightly nervous, but hearing that instantly relaxed her. The Boss then added, "Come on now, Meng Ya Ya girl, come out and greet everyone." Ziye smiled.

"I'm Meng Ya Ya. I'll work hard to boost the presence of Brother Lang and the Boss around here." The chat group dissolved into laughter, and Ziye vaguely heard a male voice saying, "The girl is savvy; no pressure for teasing later..." Afterward, Cang Yun Lang briefed her on the basic structure of the forum, introduced her to the other Level One Admins, taught her about the forum veterans, and then dumped a pile of documents on her: "Read this slowly when you get back.

Being an admin requires a lot of homework. Of course, you can start with reviewing assignments.

Meng Ya Ya, you can't slack off; there are minimum weekly login times too." Ziye felt like she had accidentally stumbled into a deep pit. She opened the Administrator's Handbook Cang Yun Lang had sent—it was dense with text.

Too lazy to read it, she tossed it aside and began wandering through the various sections. This was her first time being an administrator, and she was eager to try.

Although she suspected this was a lure Cang Yun Lang used to keep her around, it didn't dampen her spirits. She accessed the administrator backend and looked at the flowing queue of assignments; a peculiar sense of accomplishment washed over her.

She remembered how hard she used to work on assignments; now, she just needed to click her fingers to review them. The feeling of leveling up was intense.

She grew happier thinking about it, grinning foolishly at her light-brain display alone. Dou Zai and Xiao Dou Ya looked at her with utterly bewildered expressions.

Xiao Dou Ya mumbled, "Silly Little Ye Zi, you look so foolish when you smile." Dou Zai (⊙o⊙): "Jee yee" Ziye shot them a look. "Hehe, I'm just happy." Sporting the administrator tag, she was incredibly popular wherever she went.

No matter which section she entered, someone would greet her, "Look, it's the new Administrator Da Da, and she's a girl!" Or they would directly ask questions, such as, "Meng Ya Ya girl, why is the mecha's recharge system sometimes working and sometimes not?" Cang Yun Lang had been monitoring Ziye’s activity. Seeing the mischievous looks on their faces, he chided them, "Hey, give her some respect!

Meng Ya Ya girl just got here; don't scare her off!" Ziye, however, didn't mind. She addressed a user named Xue Yu who asked a question: "Tell me the details." Xue Yu, seeing how approachable she was, explained, "My recharge system feels off these past few days when I pilot my mecha.

Sometimes the recharge rate is 8, and other times it’s only 4." Ziye asked, "Have you run a self-diagnostic?" Xue Yu replied, "Yes, the self-diagnostic shows no problems." Ziye paused for a moment, then answered, "Although the recharge system is independent of the mecha's main operation, the mecha still requires energy while running, especially during warp jumps or firing sequences. The more systems you activate, the less energy your recharge system receives, and the slower its rate becomes.

As long as the recharge rate stays above 2 when all mecha systems are active, it’s within the normal range." Cang Yun Lang was right there, so Xue Yu could have asked him, but he wanted to test Ziye’s capabilities. He hadn't expected her to state the reason without hesitation.

Besides surprise, there was delight: "Meng Ya Ya girl is amazing!" This was the first time someone had praised her so directly and sincerely. Ziye scratched her head, feeling a little embarrassed.

—She absolutely wouldn't admit that helping others solve problems felt incredibly good. It was a feeling called "being needed," a tangible confirmation that her existence held value.

Affection, after all, begins with necessity. -RS