"Girl, you're 29 and still not finding a partner. Are you planning to grow old alone?""Mom, I'm only 18 plus 132 months old.""Nonsense! Let me tell you, if you don't bring a boyfriend home by Chinese New Year this year, I'll arrange blind dates for you.""Fine, arrange blind dates. Find me an old man with a house, savings, and retirement benefits, preferably.""Alright, I'll arrange it. I knew you had your eyes on Old Ji. Tell me, have you secretly agreed to spend your life with him? That Old Ji, in his sixties or seventies, still dares to flirt with my daughter. I'll go find him now."The daughter sighed, "Go ahead, Mom. But let me tell you, Old Ji's son is in the Space Fleet, a mech warrior. If you mess around in front of him, I won't bail you out if you get arrested."Federal civilians have always respected federal soldiers because the Federation is currently at war. Citizens can go to the zoo to see gorillas and monkeys, rather than being locked in a zoo and stared at by gorilla
"The old man's gone?" Inside the largest automobile repair factory in New Phoenix City, the mechanics gathered around the television set, their faces filled with disbelief. Some of them had watched Jike Chenxing grow up, while others had grown up alongside him. Over the years, Jike Xinghe had often visited the repair factory with his father, Jike Xinghe, who not only worked there but also imparted knowledge to his son. However, Jike Chenxing had never been keen on learning automobile repair. It wasn't because he couldn't learn; the older folks at the repair factory knew that Jike Chenxing was only interested in learning to drive and repair mechas. Unfortunately, none of the workers at the repair factory were knowledgeable about mechas; they only knew how to fix cars. To address this, Jike Xinghe had begun self-studying how to drive and repair mechas. However, having only theoretical knowledge didn't convince Jike Chenxing to learn from his father or the other workers at the repair fac
Inside the New Phoenix City Stadium, one young person after another verified their identity and collected their numbered tags, then lined up in orderly queues, ready to begin today's physical fitness test. The test involved running, but the location was not within the stadium itself. The stadium served merely as a gathering point; the finish line was located ten kilometers away from the New Phoenix City Gymnasium, along a road that had been cleared for the event. Four batches of young people had already run out of the stadium, and now it was the turn of the fifth batch, who slowly made their way out.No one would sprint or dash madly right from the start of the ten-kilometer run; doing so would result in elimination. The young people who had registered online a week ago and had now arrived at the test site were determined not to be eliminated. As the five hundred young people ran out, several drones closely followed them overhead. After leaving the stadium, they saw the spectators on
One by one, young runners were overtaken by Ji Xinghe. Initially, their gazes toward him were filled with resentment. And their resentment was not unfounded. If it weren't for Ji Xinghe chasing them from behind, they wouldn't have exhausted themselves in a frantic run, only to lose their stamina before completing the full course.As the resentful looks gradually faded, Ji Xinghe caught up with the leading pack. These young individuals, who usually engaged in rigorous physical training, adjusted their pace and conserved energy on the more forgiving stretch of the track after initially sprinting ahead and distancing themselves from others. They needed to complete the test within the designated time frame.One kilometer, two kilometers...When they reached the five-kilometer mark, exhaustion set in. Everyone was drenched in sweat, even the athletic students among them. This wasn't just a five-kilometer jog; they could easily do ten kilometers under normal circumstances. But jogging ten k
"Dad, I can't run anymore.""Hold on a little longer.""But I really can't run anymore, can I take a break and then continue?""When you're on the battlefield, do those imperial gorillas let you take a break?""I wouldn't run if I were on the battlefield. I'd smash those imperial gorillas' heads.""You have to run. When it's necessary to run, you must run.""No, I won't run. I'll kill them.""But if you die, then there won't be anyone left to kill them.""But if I run, then no one can stop them."...If time could return to those years, every morning when Ji Xinghe would have tried harder to persuade his son Ji Chenxing during their run together, but time cannot be turned back, and his persuasion would surely have been futile, because Ji Chenxing's temperament was stubborn and full of heroism."You should run, son."Ji Xinghe's heart kept repeating this sentence. He didn't care about holding onto any specific position, nor did he care about who would win or lose between the Federation
"Little girl, my knife."Initially, Pei Jing thought she misheard due to the surrounding cheers being too noisy, assuming that Ji Xinghe was too tired to speak clearly. But when she handed him the bag, and Ji Xinghe opened it in front of her, she knew she hadn't misheard.Inside the bag she always carried were two knives, Ji Xinghe's knives.This sixty-five-year-old man, intending to join the army to avenge his son, carried two knives with him. After running ten kilometers in thirty-five minutes, he didn't collapse from exhaustion, but stood tall like a pine tree, demanding his knife.Yet, what use did knives have on the frontlines of an alien war? The Imperial gorillas piloted mechs, towering at an average height of 4.5 meters. So, what was the difference between these easily pocketable knives and toothpicks?Perhaps, it was merely a spiritual anchor.Just as everyone knew that Ji Xinghe's journey to the alien frontlines was meaningless, but he still insisted on going.Pei Jing had a
"You have a grandfather."Inside the Federation's Base 6 on a foreign planet, a woman lying in a hospital bed looked at the little girl before her, her face full of reluctance."Grandfather?""Yes, you have a grandfather.""What is a grandfather?""A grandfather is your father's father.""Can he help me see my daddy?"The woman on the bed was speechless. She didn't know how to explain it to her daughter. Not only was this kind of thing hard to explain to a six-year-old, but the clearer the explanation, the more painful it would be.The most challenging thing for her was that she was about to do something even more cruel. Although it wasn't her intention, it was indeed very cruel."You should ask him this question.""Who is he?""He is your grandfather.""Will he answer me?""He will. He will answer any question you ask, as long as you are obedient.""I'm always obedient."This is a somewhat clichéd story.The front lines on the foreign planet were not just battlefields. The vast dista
For the first time, Ji Xinghe saw a Federation spaceship in person. Previously, he had only seen them on TV, in games, and on his phone. Unlike the spaceships in sci-fi movies, this one looked more like a somewhat bloated airplane. In reality, most Federation spaceships were upgraded space shuttles that needed the help of reusable rockets to reach space.There were indeed cars that could fly directly into space and single-soldier starships that could travel from Azure Planet to the alien front line, but both had limited payloads. Like climbing a mountain, an ordinary person carrying a thousand-pound load couldn't reach the summit, but those who traveled light could reach the world's highest peaks. Sending a two-ton object into space was vastly different from sending a twenty-thousand-ton object.Essentially, the Federation's engine technology hadn't made a leap forward, but none of this mattered to Ji Xinghe. As long as it could get him to the alien front line, that was enough.After
Having decided to participate in the orbital drop mech warrior test, Ji Xinghe did not leave Base Five immediately. It wasn’t that he had hesitated again; the “education” from Ji Rongxinyue had been very effective. The delay was simply because the necessary equipment required time to manufacture.“Lieutenant Ji Xinghe, we have reviewed your relevant physical data and estimate that it will take ten days to customize your orbital drop mech suite. Please confirm once again if you want to continue using the Federal standard 16th generation mech?”“Yes, I want to use the Federal standard 16th generation mech.”Ji Xinghe confirmed his choice. If possible, he would have preferred to pilot the Federal 1st generation standard mech, the one he first encountered and used the most. However, the initial models, still usable in the game Starry Glory, had long been phased out on alien battlefields. Therefore, he chose the 16th generation standard mech, which he was second most familiar with.In term
Ji Xinghe and his Xinghe Squad finally returned to Base No. 6, but they didn’t have much time to reunite with Master Liu and the others. As soon as they arrived, the transfer convoy between Base No. 3 and Base No. 6 was already prepared, and they received orders to depart immediately.“Thank you, and take care.”Ji Xinghe accepted the gift they had prepared for Ji Rong Xinyue, waving goodbye without saying "see you again," because he knew that "goodbye" might mean "forever."The journey was uneventful, and the transfer convoy took three days to finally reach the relatively safe Base No. 5. Despite the sudden influx of people, Base No. 5 did not face any resource shortages as the Federation had already made preparations.Ji Rong Xinyue was very happy to receive the gift, but even happier to see that Ji Xinghe had returned unharmed.“Grandpa, what does orbital drop mean?”For many, this information was still classified, but Ji Xinghe revealed it to Ji Rong Xinyue without reservation, ev
At the start of a video conference, all the elite mecha warriors participating watched footage from a battle recorder. The footage showed Ji Xinghe’s fight in the canyon.In this battle, he single-handedly destroyed fourteen Empire mechas, bringing his total number of gold stars to thirty-six, placing him at the middle rank among the Federation’s three hundred and twenty-seven active elite mecha warriors.The first scene depicted a pale blue energy shockwave bursting from a diamond-shaped metal object, sending Federation Level Two mecha warrior Zuo Qiyu flying. He then got up and chose to charge forward.The combat recorder’s audio had not been removed, so all 116 elite mecha warriors participating in the video conference could hear Left Hand’s voice: “Go, Old Ji, don’t look back, run, run fast, I can hold them off.”Through Ji Xinghe’s mecha’s perspective, the elite mecha warriors watched the Federation mecha charging at the Empire mechas and heard the pilot’s shout. Even though all
Inside Base Six, many people were eagerly awaiting the arrival of the convoy from Base Three, hoping to reunite with familiar faces.The surface area of this alien planet couldn't compare to the Blue Planet, and the Federation's controlled area wasn't vast. But the extreme difficulty of transportation and the scarcity of resources meant that many people who met and became familiar on this alien planet might never see each other again after parting.They had promised to reunite on the Blue Planet after winning the war, but some would never return. Even their ashes could only remain on this alien planet, buried deeper and deeper under the orange-red dust, until no one would remember where they were buried.Perhaps one day, when humanity fully occupies this planet, technology will advance enough to change the planet's environment, creating a real atmosphere. Seeds will be scattered across the alien land, taking root and sprouting, carried by the wind to spread new life.When countless se
A squad of nine mechas was moving swiftly through the canyon. They were a support unit, initially tasked with escorting a convoy to a designated area before returning. However, unexpected developments forced them to turn back.“Have we established contact yet?”“No, the Xinghe Squad is still out of contact.”“Damn it, what the hell are they doing? I could understand if Ji Xinghe and Left Hand went silent, but why did the support team, Blind Man’s group, also go dark? Couldn't they have left someone outside the blackout zone to maintain communication?”When the Xinyue Fox battleship bombarded the area from space, this mecha squad did not advance at full speed. But when a flare illuminated the alien night sky, they accelerated to maximum speed. The flare, following the bombardment, indicated ongoing enemy presence, necessitating immediate support.But they had no intel.“It's a new team after all, lack of experience is understandable. I heard that Blind Man and his group came from the R
One, two, three.Faced with encirclement by eight Imperial mechas, Ji Xinghe seized every opportunity he could. After single-handedly taking down three Imperial mechas, he finally ran out of chances. There were still five mechas left in pursuit, with enough distance between them for him to take them out one by one, but the canyon held more dangers than just those five. While Ji Xinghe wasn’t sure how long it would take to completely destroy the rhomboid metal construct, the Imperial mechas’ previous caution suggested it wasn't invulnerable to mecha attacks.The six Imperial mechas assigned to destroy the construct could join the pursuit at any moment. If Ji Xinghe waited until they appeared, he would lose his chance to escape.He didn’t want to die, so he chose to run before the opportunity vanished completely.At full speed, the sixteenth-generation Federation standard mecha dashed through the dark canyon, kicking up a trail of dust. Behind him were eleven Imperial mechas that had al
Six Federation mechas gathered together, now in full power mode, advancing quickly in an assault formation toward the depths of the canyon. The previously lively communication channel had fallen silent, with only the faint sound of each other’s breathing audible.They had already increased their speed once when they entered the canyon, shifting from reconnaissance mode to fast-advance mode. But when the signal flare's light pierced through the dark canyon and exploded in the night sky, their speed reached its peak.If they wanted to go faster, they would have to charge, but now was clearly not the time for that."We are about to enter the communication blackout zone. All units, take note: if the enemy's numbers are overwhelming, Niuma, Heavy Cannon, immediately retreat to maintain communication. If necessary, withdraw at full speed."Blind Man’s command was met with no objections, not even from Su Chuanyun, who had just become Niuma. Despite his personality, he didn’t argue. He knew v
As Ji Xinghe once again destroyed three Imperial mechas, the total number of Imperial mechas in the canyon didn't decrease; instead, it increased.Twenty-two, exactly matching the number of golden stars on Ji Xinghe's mecha."The warp gate has disappeared. They're gone. They've stopped."Left Hand exclaimed in surprise. In his sight, the diamond-shaped metal warp gate vanished suddenly, as if it had run out of energy, just as the thirtieth Imperial mecha descended from it. The diamond-shaped metal reverted to being an inert metal ingot.Their reinforcements were gone, and they had stopped moving.After breaking eight Imperial mechas in total, the third batch of four Imperial mechas chasing Ji Xinghe and Left Hand finally halted. They chose not to continue their charge, maintaining a safe pursuit distance from Ji Xinghe and Left Hand's mechas.The eighteen Imperial mechas guarding the diamond-shaped metal also remained motionless, as if their systems had shut down.But Ji Xinghe showed
“Old Ji, you should have run, really.”Left Hand stared at the three Imperial mechas two hundred meters away, which had stopped their charge, and the ten more mechas near the rhombus-shaped metallic structure further back. He still believed Ji Xinghe should have run.The two Imperial mechas he was holding off had been destroyed the moment Ji Xinghe joined the battle. Up to this point, the two of them had already taken down five Imperial mechas, and neither of their mechas had suffered any substantial damage. It was a rare and complete victory, but the number of Imperial mechas remained overwhelming, and they kept increasing.“We still have time to run,” Left Hand continued to persuade. “We’re right near Base No. 3. They’ve got heavy defenses there, and Blind and the others are ready to back us up. If we run together, we might be able to link up with them. By then, with eight mechas fighting together, they might just give up chasing us. Plus, once we get to a zone where communications