As long as Tang Wen was safe, and with Stas involved, things wouldn't descend into utter tragedy. She could finally get a decent night's sleep.

She’d skip the afternoon classes to sleep, and then attend the mech competition team gathering in the evening.

Meeting again felt like ages had passed.

Axelbent knew what had happened, but seeing her expression calm and her complexion fine, he tacitly chose not to say anything. As for Li Chunyu, he was currently caught up in the power struggles within his legion and naturally knew nothing of the recent events, so there was nothing to discuss.

To accommodate Ziye’s emotional state, the evening's task wasn't heavy; it was mostly about chatting.

The team competition required a team name.

One of the main tasks tonight was deciding on one!

The four of them arranged fruits, drinks, and pastries on the lab’s testing bench, chatting while they ate.

Benth intentionally tried to redirect Ziye’s focus away from the Tang Wen incident, smiling, “Little Yezi, what do you think would be a good team name?”

Ziye lowered her head and licked the chocolate powder off a star-cake, unable to stop thinking about Tang Wen. She remembered that night… Tang Wen had disassembled her mech with a laser cannon.

“I’ve got it—Three-Thirty AM!”

Li Chunyu looked confused. “Three-Thirty AM, and you’re only telling us now?”

Ziye stuck out her index finger and shook it playfully. “No, it’s not that. The team name is Three-Thirty AM, how about that?”

The moment she finished speaking, she was met with three matching looks of disdain.

Ziye pouted. “Fine, you guys think of something.”

Li Chunyu pondered for a moment. “How about ‘The Sword’? What do you think?” Ziye shook her head vigorously. “Ten years to sharpen a single sword, hiding ambition until the time is right. Now that the tip is revealed, only victory will suffice, right? Isn't that so profound, Chun’er, you’re so talented!”

Li Chunyu’s face turned dark. “Stop calling me Chun’er.”

Ziye immediately complied. “Yes, Senior Brother Chun’er.”

Axelbent almost burst out laughing.

Axelbent repeated the line Ziye had quoted. He repeated it a few times, saying, “I think ‘Drawn Sword’ is better. If it’s not drawn, how can the tip be revealed?”

Benth, on the same wavelength as him, immediately nodded. “A drawn sword must taste blood before returning. Our team must return with the championship trophy.”

Li Chunyu asked, “Little Yezi, which one do you like better?”

Ziye licked her star-cake. “You guys are too brilliant! Hehe, I agree with Senior Brother Chun’er’s name.”

The twins shrugged simultaneously. It was two votes versus two.

There was no choice but to settle it with Rock-Paper-Scissors—one round to decide the winner.

Li Chunyu faced Axelbent. Axelbent narrowly won, and the team name was set: Drawn Sword.

There was another issue. The four of them had largely completed their individual tasks. But the three boys looked over the documents again and again, testing and retesting, yet they simply couldn't consolidate everything into one complete proposal document.

The twins’ linguistic skills were genuinely lacking. The only reason they were in charge of finance was because their father was the CFO of the Angel Legion; when their parents were busy dating, they had been stuck doing reports for him at home.

They couldn't understand the vast majority of Li Chunyu’s design concepts and blueprints, and Li Chunyu, in turn, was completely bewildered by their piles of financial data, having no idea how it was calculated.

Likewise, the three of them were completely clueless when looking at Ziye’s system requirements, metal analysis, and specific component designs.

There was no all-around teammate. Nor was there a teammate with strong writing skills. The four of them couldn't merge their separate contributions. They also couldn't verify if what they had done was correct.

In short, it was a massive tragedy.

Therefore, the priority this time was finding a teammate who was familiar with all aspects, especially one with strong literary talent.

After the four finalized their plan, they tidied up and went their separate ways to search.

Since the start of the semester, Ziye had met many new classmates and friends, but for this specific talent, she thought for a long time and couldn’t come up with anyone suitable.

Finally, she helplessly turned to Lingyin for help.

Lingyin didn't understand the technical details, but she had been enrolled for less than a semester, yet she knew everyone, from seniors in their fourth year down to freshmen—anyone whose name she could call out. She even knew quite a few students from other schools.

Asking her to introduce someone was an absolute piece of cake.

Back at the apartment, Ziye explained the situation via UltraCom. Lingyin immediately laughed. “Yes, definitely! But let me ask him first; I’ll get back to you tomorrow.”

Ziye asked, “Who is it? Can you reveal one name?”

Lingyin chuckled slyly. “Not telling you!”

The next day at noon, just as Ziye finished class, Lingyin rushed over. “Ziye, Ziye, I asked him, and he agreed! Impressive, right?”

Ziye was grateful. “That’s wonderful. Tonight, I’ll bring him to the lab to meet the teammates. By the way, which school and major is he in?”

Lingyin beamed. “Ta-da—**.Amanit!”

Ziye was surprised. “He hasn’t formed a team yet?”

Lingyin laughed so hard she nearly fell over. “You don’t know how dense that guy is! His team was filled with rich brats. You know those types only care about eating, drinking, playing, and sucking up to him; they don’t know how to do actual work. Before the competition even started, they already hired ghostwriters for him. He nearly coughed up blood a few days ago.”

Ziye recalled **’s status and immediately understood.

But would it be the same if he joined their team?

Lingyin waved her hand. “Anyway, that team is impossible to continue. ** is depressed and considering dissolving it. When I told him last night, he agreed immediately. If you’re worried he’s not good enough, give him a test? Hire him only if he passes.”

Ziye laughed heartily. “He’s a top talent among the first-years! We have no business testing him. I’ll talk to my teammates later and set up a meeting for tonight.”

Lingyin smiled. “Great. It’s settled then.”

Ziye patted her shoulder. “Hey girl, why don’t you join us?”

Lingyin shook her head decisively. “The Mech Competition is definitely not a place for a half-baked person like me. I’ll stick to fooling young kids.”

Ziye shrugged, suddenly thinking of something. “You seem quite close to **?” Lingyin paused, then shyly lowered her head. “He’s my soon-to-be boyfriend.”

When she got back, Ziye immediately announced in the competition group chat that ** would be joining.

** was the school’s top student and most handsome guy. Setting aside his status as the Grand Duke’s eldest son in the Interstellar Federation, he also had genuine capabilities.

So, in the chat, she strongly recommended **.

She had thought ** was a great person ever since military training; she hadn't forgotten how he jumped in front of her to let Stas beat him up just to keep her from getting punished.

And he was Lingyin’s almost-boyfriend.

The other three agreed it sounded viable, and they arranged to meet ** that evening.

To show his sincerity, ** decisively disbanded his previous idiotic team and successfully joined the Drawn Sword squad.

With ** onboard, the lab immediately became livelier. Lingyin dropped by frequently, bringing various snacks, eating while working, everyone totally happy.

After the gathering ended, ** suddenly asked Ziye, “Can I borrow a few minutes of your time?” Ziye was a little surprised, and even Lingyin looked somewhat puzzled. She asked teasingly, “Can I come too?”

** glanced sideways at Lingyin. “I’ll take you home first.”

Lingyin rolled her eyes and snorted, “No thanks, I have my own two feet and can drive myself.” Then she turned to Li Chunyu. “Let’s go the same way, together.”

Li Chunyu nodded. “We’ll head out now.” He left with Lingyin.

The twins bid them farewell, telling them to go home early, and then they too departed.

The lab fell quiet. Ziye seemed to realize something and asked, “Is this something they shouldn’t hear?”

** nodded. “It’s better if they don't know.” He let out a breath, sat down across from Ziye, and said, “It’s about Tang Wen.”

The nerves Ziye had managed to relax suddenly tightened again.

Since the Interstellar Federation had broadcast that one incident about Tang Wen driving without a license, he hadn't appeared in public again. Instead, all sorts of rumors were flying around.

Wherever she went, she could hear jokes about him.

“Does a big shot like Professor Tang Wen really need to pilot a shuttle himself?”

“Is Fia’s brain rusted? How dare they detain our handsome professor!”

“Maybe our professor committed a rape case, and that unlicensed driving thing was just a cover story, right!”

“Being detained for unlicensed driving—that’s definitely a huge stain on Professor Tang Wen’s life. Hahaha…”

...

Many people had approached Ziye asking what happened, including Lingyin. Ziye hadn't uttered a single word, just saying she didn't know.

Now that ** brought it up, she suspected it wasn't just a simple inquiry about this current incident with Tang Wen.

She turned to look at **. His expression was very composed; he looked four or five years older than his actual age. The youthful look had faded significantly, replaced by a much more rugged air.

** organized his thoughts before speaking. “Do you know why Tang Wen went to Fia?”

Ziye shook her head. “He wasn’t going to Fia.” But she didn't tell him that Tang Wen was heading to the Unification Command.

** sighed. “Before he was kidnapped, Tang Wen had a conflict with Bai Lanxue. You know the Federation conducts routine annual security investigations for all personnel on active duty. I’m not on active duty, but as a relative of an important person, I also have to undergo this security check every year. Bai Lanxue volunteered to investigate Tang Wen.”

There was this layer of inside information?

Ziye found the name Bai Lanxue very familiar; she felt like someone had mentioned her before?

** continued, “It seems she had an unpleasant argument with Tang Wen after arriving at the Research Institute. The moment she left the Institute, Tang Wen returned to the Federal Capital and submitted a two-month leave request to the Secretary of Political Affairs.”

Ziye felt a faint shock in her heart. Does this mean Tang Wen wasn't going to the Unification Command because of her?

She thought carefully: Tang Wen and Stas were friends for many years; surely Tang Wen knew that route was unsafe, so why did he fly the shuttle that way?

She had always thought Tang Wen was a victim in this whole affair, but now it seemed Tang Wen was the biggest variable in this incident!

Ziye asked, “So, he’s on vacation in Fia now?”

** propped his chin in his hand, his gaze locked onto Ziye. “Did Tang Wen ever tell you he wanted to leave the Interstellar Federation?”