I'm Reading the Manual

The martial arts hall was in an uproar.

A crowd stared eagerly at Wei Wei. Only after Christine reminded her did Wei Wei realize what was going on.

The latest Light Mech Simulation Battle Pods required personal authorization to activate.

She had originally wanted to stop all this, because she simply did not believe Ronan could beat Xiang Feihu in a mech battle. But Ronan had actually agreed to it without hesitation.

Wasn't that a little too straightforward?

Now she had no choice but to go along with everyone and lead them deeper into the martial arts hall.

Throughout it all, Ronan remained calm.

Su Xiao, meanwhile, kept her head lowered and silently followed the crowd. Su Jie trailed behind Xiang Feihu, his previous dejection gone as he looked rather pleased with himself.

The betting's open, the betting's open! Damn it, don't all bet on Xiang Feihu to win!

No shit... Xiang Feihu came from the Mech Combat Brigade. If this were a one-on-one martial arts fight, maybe Ronan's kick earlier would make some people believe he could win. But a mech battle... come on, your book is going to lose a fortune.

Not necessarily. Ronan dared to steal Li Nanbei's wife, so he must have something to back it up. I'm backing him.

Hey, if you're backing him, why did you bet on Xiang Feihu to win?

Hahahaha... You saw through my little trick.

Undercurrents surged through the martial arts hall, while the news had already spread like wildfire across social media.

Ronan, who had only entered the sight of Bo Ning District's nobility two weeks ago, had once again become the center of the storm.

He had publicly declared his affection for Su Xiao and openly challenged Xiang Feihu, an elite mech-combat special forces soldier!

The online odds were overwhelmingly one-sided. No one believed Ronan could win!

They had even begun discussing whether Xiang Feihu could shut Ronan out—the standard rules for virtual mech duels were best three out of five. If Xiang Feihu won three to zero, Ronan and Yi Lin Manor would truly have nowhere to put their faces.

Inside the martial arts hall, under everyone's watchful gaze, the two men each entered a simulation battle pod.

Led by the staff, the spectators were brought up to the fourth floor.

The large open space below was the simulated battlefield, where they could watch every moment of the fight directly.

Wei Wei lightly gripped the railing, biting her lip as her heart pounded.

She did not know why she was so nervous.

Was she worried that Ronan would get beaten black and blue and lose all face? Or was she worried about the negative impact his loss would have on Yi Lin Manor? Or perhaps both?

"That boy is being far too reckless. Xiang Feihu has a military background and is highly skilled in mech combat. Even with light mechs meant for close-quarters fighting, he handles them with ease. How could he be so rash?"

A deep voice sounded behind Wei Wei.

"Uncle Chi Feng?" Wei Wei asked in surprise.

She had not expected tonight's commotion to grow so large that it would draw out one of Yi Lin Manor's two strongest warriors.

Chi Feng and Xiao Long had always been the guardians of Yi Lin Manor and rarely showed themselves.

The last time Wei Wei and Ronan had been ambushed, they had mobilized immediately and quickly found Wei Wei, ensuring her safety. Under normal circumstances, however, neither of them could be seen.

She had not expected him to appear at a time like this.

"Just what is Ronan's background? He acts as though he does not understand rules at all."

Chi Feng frowned. "The Earl has always been vague about him, only saying that he can be trusted. I really don't understand. Could he really be that man's illegitimate son? If not, why does the Earl trust him so much? A man like this wants to marry our Wei Wei? Your Uncle Chi Feng certainly isn't happy about that."

Wei Wei's cheeks immediately flushed red. "Uncle Chi Feng, don't talk nonsense. The one he likes is Su Xiao. For her sake, he was even willing to go to war with Li Nanbei and Xiang Feihu!"

Chi Feng said with a cold laugh, "That's exactly the part I can't understand. If he truly liked Su Xiao, he wouldn't have used this method."

Wei Wei's eyes widened, and she did not quite understand what Chi Feng meant.

Christine, standing nearby, rolled her eyes and seemed to think of something. Wang Xiaoman, however, said to Wei Wei with some distress, "I still have a bit of private savings. Should I bet on Ronan to win?"

Wei Wei looked at her in surprise. "What are you thinking? You don't even want your private savings anymore?"

Wang Xiaoman said seriously, "But look at the online sentiment. It's completely one-sided, and no one believes Ronan can win. He's your cousin, and he's from Yi Lin Manor too. Shouldn't we support him?"

Wei Wei frowned, then waved her hand. "You have a point. Place the bet. I'll transfer you my share too."

"Even if we lose, Yi Lin Manor can't lose its spirit!"

And so, within the nobles' circles online, the first person to bet on Ronan winning appeared.

It was an enormous sum, and the buyer's name was: Wang Xiaoman.

"Has Wang Xiaoman gone mad? Or did she place the wrong bet?"

"I didn't expect that pretty boy to be so popular with women. First the little devil Wei Wei, then Su Xiao, and now Wang Xiaoman has appeared to support him without thinking. The Wang Family really is rich and powerful."

"I don't get it... I thought this betting pool was about to close down, but someone actually bet on Ronan to win."

On the fourth floor of the martial arts hall, everyone whispered among themselves, occasionally glancing toward Wei Wei.

Several girls watched the empty arena intently.

Suddenly, the lights on the left came on.

Under the 3D holographic projection, a White General Light Mech abruptly appeared before everyone!

This was the latest standard Simulation Battle Pod. The White General had no heavy weapons, only a Laser Sword. It was basically used by pilots to train in close-quarters combat.

Everyone knew that Xiang Feihu was sitting in Battle Pod No. 1 on the left.

He had already drawn his sword, so what was Ronan doing?

Could it be that, at a moment like this, he had gotten cold feet? Was he backing down?

Such thoughts lingered in everyone's minds. The spectators could not help complaining: they had been in the pods for so long already, so why had they not started fighting?

If they kept dragging this out, how long would it take?

This Ronan had not run off while entering the battle pod, had he?

Yet no matter how much they complained, the empty arena held only a single White General standing there dumbly. It could not have been more awkward or frustrating.

Wei Wei's face was burning red.

That Ronan could not really be this unreliable, could he?

Running away at the last minute at a time like this—people would laugh at him for the rest of his life!

Wang Xiaoman was very nervous. "So many people were talking about me just now. I'm the only one who bet on Ronan winning. I should've used your account, Wei Wei."

Christine comforted her. "Xiaoman, you're too shy. The Wang Family has such great influence, so what are you afraid of? Besides, sooner or later you'll have to step into the spotlight. Stay calm and ignore them."

Wang Xiaoman said anxiously, "But why hasn't Ronan drawn his sword yet? If he runs away at the last minute..."

"He won't!"

Two female voices spoke in unison, both equally resolute, cutting Wang Xiaoman off mid-sentence.

The girls were all stunned.

Wei Wei looked at Su Xiao, and Su Xiao looked at Wei Wei.

With a complicated expression, the former said, "Ronan isn't that kind of person."

She remembered the figure from that rainy night, clutching the Primal Stone and charging resolutely into the canyon. She believed Ronan was not that sort of person.

Su Xiao merely murmured, "Mm."

The two girls, who had once been on good terms, suddenly found things a little awkward as they faced each other.

Fortunately, Christine was there.

She gently took Su Xiao's hand and cracked a few jokes, easing the awkward atmosphere.

Only the adorably blank-faced Wang Xiaoman still had no idea what this strange atmosphere was about.

Chi Feng watched coldly from the side, nearly laughing out loud.

These little girls—young as they were, they sure had plenty on their minds...

But this only stirred Chi Feng's curiosity. What had this young master Ronan done to earn the approval of these two outstanding girls?

He looked thoughtfully at the empty arena on the right.

Another ten minutes passed.

The audience had completely run out of patience. Some had already begun cursing under their breath.

Finally, a loud voice came from the battle pod on the left:

"Mr. Ronan! If you are ready, please draw your sword."

"I don't think there is any point in dragging this out."

Xiang Feihu's tone remained calm.

But in the very next second, a look of astonishment appeared on his face.

Because a leisurely reply came from Battle Pod No. 2 on the right:

"Ah, sorry!"

"I'm reading the instruction manual... Just wait a little longer. I'll be ready soon."

The moment those words came out, silence fell all around.

Good morning! A quick note: compared to Dark Night, Star River has more characters and a slightly slower pace. Coupled with the word count and chapter restrictions during the public release period, it may feel a little like it's keeping everyone in suspense. But after it goes premium, both the word count and update frequency will increase, so it won't be a problem. I hope everyone can understand and support this. As always, please toss in a recommendation vote while you're at it.