“…You seem a bit preoccupied, not like how you were yesterday.” Did something happen after they went back yesterday? Jiang Hui found it a little strange.
Jiang Hui and Zhou Xiuwen were in charge of picking up the resource kits at the front desk—every spectator received one of these kits, packed full of ceremony and flair. It was essentially a deluxe add-on to the already expensive ticket, containing instant meals, daily-use items, and small tools like a schedule wristband and armband.
As for the other three, each had their own assigned tasks, so they had split up.
Jiang Hui and her team’s job was to quickly retrieve the resource kits and return to their seats before the venue got too crowded, so they could wait for the competition in peace.
Picking up the kits was relatively simple, certainly more efficient than Clarens’s task of booking a spot at the natural cuisine restaurant. Jiang Hui had originally thought of going alone, but noticed that Zhou Xiuwen seemed a bit off today… not exactly upset—he was still as gentle and laid-back as usual—but it felt like he had something weighing on his mind.
This kind of situation was rare—he had always come across as cheerful. While not quite the endlessly upbeat, laughing-out-loud type like Xierman, he was definitely someone who could regulate his own emotions well, always pretty at ease, never seeming to carry any worries.
Compared to the other two team members, who often displayed habitual “unhappiness,” Zhou Xiuwen was a rare example of emotional stability. He wasn’t forceful by nature, but his relaxed demeanor didn’t mean he lacked steadiness. In fact, during crucial moments, he often demonstrated a certain decisiveness.
So while he couldn’t exactly be described as a “big brother” figure, he was like the glue that held the team together.
Which made it all the more puzzling—what could’ve caused such a noticeable emotional shift? Jiang Hui was sure he hadn’t been like this when they saw each other yesterday… his mood must’ve changed after he went home.
Did something happen at home? Something serious enough that he was still carrying it with him all the way to the public competition today?
The four of them had already finished dividing the tasks, leaving Zhou Xiuwen as the only one without a specific role for the moment—he’d likely just go ahead to reserve their seats.
But since he was going to be sitting alone anyway, Jiang Hui figured it would be better to have him come along and walk around a bit, maybe clear his head. So she simply brought him along to collect the kits. What she didn’t expect was just how noticeably distracted he seemed, enough that she couldn’t help but ask about it on the way.
Of course, she asked in a casual tone—after all, the two of them had always been straightforward with each other, no awkwardness or emotional hang-ups, so she just asked directly.
What’s wrong?
Oh, what’s wrong… now that’s a long story, Zhou Xiuwen thought to himself.
Just yesterday, he had been happily joining the event with his friends—maybe not as over-the-top excited as Xierman, who was practically too thrilled to sleep, but still genuinely glad. In his still-short life so far, most of his memories were somber and serious, surrounded by powerful elders and capable figures, and he’d rarely had chances to interact with people his own age.
Compared to Xierman, his childhood hadn’t been all that carefree or easy either.
Who would’ve thought that a rare day out with friends would end up with something like this happening… How was he supposed to tell his friends—was he supposed to say, ‘maybe you guys shouldn’t stay and watch the rest of the competition, because the military’s about to make a move against one of the main participants’?
Not only could saying that risk blowing his cover, but the situation itself was so absurd, wasn’t it?
Even though Zhou Xiuwen had accepted the task from his father last night and had been carrying it out diligently ever since arriving at the venue, he still felt uneasy deep down.
Should he tell his friends or not…? He had finally mustered up the courage to say something when they were gathering—only to find that his contact was also among the assembled group. What a coincidence.
Five of them came, and two were secretly carrying missions. How could they possibly back out now? So Zhou Xiuwen had no choice but to take his friends along into a potentially dangerous situation.
With all these thoughts weighing on him, it was no surprise he didn’t seem as relaxed as he had the day before.
So Jiang Hui had already noticed… she really was as observant as ever. Zhou Xiuwen actually did want to tell her, but unfortunately, this wasn’t a situation where he could afford to be impulsive. He understood very clearly where the line had to be drawn.
Zhou Xiuwen shook his head and changed the topic: “Have you seen this kind of open competition before?” Because today, when he came over, he noticed she seemed excited by everything she saw—much more unfamiliar compared to the other friends who came with them.
Jiang Hui shook her head. Indeed, neither she nor the original owner of her body had ever attended an event like this before. It wasn’t that there hadn’t been opportunities—the original owner’s father had actually mentioned a few rare times that he wanted to take her to watch an open competition—but the original owner had never been interested in this kind of thing and studied a completely unrelated major. As for Jiang Hui herself, it was even more unlikely; in her previous life, she hadn’t even gone to a single concert.
So, attending this kind of mecha open competition for the first time truly felt fresh and exciting—a full immersion into the atmosphere of a national event.
“…Forget open competitions, to be honest, I haven’t even watched many mecha battles,” Jiang Hui admitted honestly.
Of course, she excluded the stylized mecha fights shown in interstellar TV dramas, because those leaned heavily into showmanship and artistic flair. Even as a beginner, she found them awkward to watch, so they didn’t really count.
Zhou Xiuwen raised his brows in slight surprise. That was unexpected. He hadn’t thought that Jiang Hui, as a student from the combat single-soldier department, would have such limited exposure to mecha. He had assumed someone like her would have long since mapped out her future path, actively absorbing all kinds of knowledge and experiences along the way.
And her behavior up to now had certainly fit that assumption—who would’ve thought…
“It’s okay. Starting now isn’t too late,” he said. There was still a long way to go before they truly stepped onto that path, so it was fine to take the time to figure things out before making a choice.
Jiang Hui didn’t seem to mind: “Speaking of which, I noticed you all seem pretty familiar with this stuff. Mind explaining a bit? I heard that the two participants in this competition are both retired officers, and both come from proper high-ranking military corps. Do you know how skilled they are when it comes to mecha combat?”
She really didn’t know much about this field, and the original host’s memories related to it were also quite vague, so after deciding to attend the competition, she specifically looked up information on the two combatants.
The information available on the official website was fairly formal, but it was enough for her to get a general understanding.
The two main competitors in this match held equivalent ranks before retiring—both had ultimately reached the rank of colonel during active duty, and were officially approved as brevet major generals upon retirement. Although neither had been granted a lifelong honorary military title, they were still officially recognized as full-ranking retired officers by the Empire—major figures in their own right.
She wondered, which one of them was actually stronger?