Mei, I Absolutely Won't Let Go (Continued)

But that didn't necessarily apply to chuuni teenagers!

Kosma made an OK hand sign.

The girl's eyes lit up. She first checked that no one was paying attention to her, then continued signing: I've been watching you for a long time. You've been observing your surroundings this whole time, right?

Kosma nodded.

"I have an idea. It might save everyone on this train."

Kosma hesitated. He had thought of the same thing, but since the girl had approached him, she clearly intended to take action.

But... for a high school student of fifteen or sixteen, all of this was still far too difficult.

"Don't you want to try? To become a hero in someone else's eyes, and bring a tiny ray of dawn into this endless despair."

Kosma:!

He took a deep breath and replied with a hand signal.

"Tell me. What do we do?"

40. Lieutenant Himeko's Blind Date Was Probably Ruined

Inside the Golden Courtyard.

Griseo was quietly resting in Aponia's arms, while Kalpas was in the first-floor kitchen, puffing away as he watched the livestream on his phone.

That idiot... he actually went to use an exoskeleton armor to stop a train again...

It was obvious how hard he was struggling, and how much pain he was in. The immense thrust of the train was something no exoskeleton armor could possibly stop.

Don't die, kid...

Suddenly, Kalpas's smoking hand paused. He stubbed out the cigarette, put away his phone, and found a black-and-gold mask inside a storage cabinet in the kitchen.

"Can you feel it, Kalpas?"

A baffling voice burrowed into Kalpas's mind. He knew at once that it had to be the work of that woman, Aponia.

"Yeah..." Kalpas threw on a white coat and walked out of the Golden Courtyard.

"Leave the rats above to you."

After carefully placing Griseo on the bed, Aponia slowly walked onto the balcony on the fourth floor of the Golden Courtyard.

She was unusually dressed in a nun's habit today. With her hands clasped together, she knelt on the roof of the balcony.

At that moment, the instant Kalpas stepped outside the Golden Courtyard, more than a dozen exoskeleton armors appeared around it.

Seeing Kalpas walk out wearing nothing but a mask, they were all confused and bewildered.

What was this guy trying to do?

Kalpas raised his head and looked toward the sky. A massive passenger plane happened to be flying overhead, followed closely by one mushroom-shaped parachute after another opening in the air.

You came well prepared, Anti-Entropy.

"I hope you're equally well prepared for death."

······

In the chairman's office on the top floor of E.T. Studio's headquarters, Mr. Walter Yang was agonizing over the future development of Alahato.

"Knock knock!"

"Come in."

"Bang!"

The door was rudely flung open. It was certainly impolite, but when Walter saw that it was the silver-haired woman with a single ponytail, dressed in office attire, he could only give a helpless smile.

"So, what is it this time, Bronya?"

"The development plan for the next Alahato is finished."

"Huh?"

Walter froze. To be honest, he hadn't seen Bronya working overtime for quite some time. He had assumed she had finally come to her senses and decided to get more rest.

He hadn't expected the development plan to be finished just like that!?

"What's the title?"

Bronya shook her head.

"It hasn't been decided yet."

And that still counted as finished?

Mr. Welt looked confused.

"The title has to be decided by the chief creator."

"Oh... Hmm?!" Walter's voice rose. "You're not the chief creator!?"

"I count as half."

Walter grimaced. He knew who she meant.

"The Xu Qi you mentioned that day? The one you insisted we recruit no matter what?"

"That's right! I have a feeling... this Alahato will let us make a beautiful comeback!"

"All right..." Walter took a deep breath. "So where is he now? Since you've recommended this talent to me again and again, I should at least meet him in person."

This time, it was Bronya's turn to take a deep breath.

Under Walter's puzzled gaze, she pulled out her phone and opened a livestream.

On the screen, an exoskeleton armor was pushing against a train.

"Um... are you showing me a movie? Bronya, this is very realistic... The special effects are pretty good."

"This is a livestream from the Mode Capital Metro. This morning, Line 9 was evacuated and suspended along its entire route because a train's brakes failed to release, and now..."

"The Xu Qi I mentioned before is inside that exoskeleton armor. He's trying to... stop the train."

"Can he do it?"

Bronya slowly shook her head. "In theory—basically, no."

"Then why is he still pushing?"

"Perhaps... he doesn't want to watch everyone on the train die while doing nothing himself..."

······

Near the switch by Guilin Road.

The tunnel, which had originally been pitch-black, was now filled with gunfire, flashes of light flickering everywhere.

The special police moved quickly. The moment Chief Engineer Xia reported the situation, they took action.

As a terrorist organization, Anti-Entropy was undoubtedly professional. They had anticipated the special police's intervention as well, and all the exoskeleton armors they wore were military models that could serve as weapons.

But without a doubt... they had also underestimated the special police's firepower.

The battle never turned into the so-called war of attrition. From beginning to end, it lasted no more than five minutes. When the leader of the special police squad found the two railway maintenance workers, they were still somewhat unable to react.

They were saved just like that?

The faceplate was raised and the helmet removed. Hidden inside the heavy exoskeleton armor was a beautiful, sexy red-haired woman.

What? You said you couldn't see her figure?

Those full, substantial lips already said a great deal.

"I'm the captain of the Mode Capital Special Police Brigade. You can call me Lieutenant Himeko. Now, please continue with your work."

"Y-Yes!"

With a dashing motion, Himeko swept back the long hair trapped inside her armor. She felt a little troubled. It seemed she would have to touch up her makeup after returning if she wanted to attend her blind date that evening.

"Lieutenant Himeko!"

"What is it?"

"Look at this video..."

One of her subordinates handed her a phone. On the screen, Xu Qi's V2V was pushing against the train with all its might.

Himeko narrowed her eyes. She immediately connected to the vehicle headquarters at Meilong Base and demanded, "What's going on? The train still can't be stopped?"

Chief Engineer Xia stared nervously at the huge screen. When he heard the call from the special police captain come through, he immediately replied.

"Yes... We... have already lost our last option."

"So you're letting an employee gamble with his life!?"

Chief Engineer Xia's face flushed red as he shouted, "I don't want this to happen either! But Xu Qi... Xu Qi, that kid..."

Tears welled in his eyes. No one could see such a scene without being moved.

"His name is Xu Qi?"

Himeko gazed into the deep tunnel before her, suddenly unable to speak.

······

"How is it, Kevin? Did it work?"

On the helicopter, Vil-V paced back and forth anxiously, while Mobius was no better. She had even started biting her nails.

At this moment, Eden was perhaps the only one who could remain calm.

After Mobius thought of restoring communications, she immediately contacted Kevin and Vil-V.

While the two were at a loss, Mobius proposed a solution.

They would use V2V's built-in communications module and signal amplification module to connect to the train through Xu Qi's V2V, forcibly break through the signal interference, and restore communications with the train.

But this function had not originally existed in V2V. What Kevin had to do now was write the executable code for it on-site—in other words, the driver.

"Come on, programmer... Even if every strand of hair on your head falls out, you have to finish writing the program for me right now..."

41. Mobius! Xu Qi's Savior!

"Heh heh! Hahaha!"

As Xu Qi gritted his teeth and braced himself against the front of the train in the tunnel, he heard Xia Ya laughing from inside Sazabi. He couldn't help asking,

"What are you laughing at?"

"It seems my plan will succeed after all, Xu Qi."

"Being too confident isn't a good thing!"

"Hmph! Is that so? Are you planning to use this V2V to stop the train? Do you think that's possible?"

Indeed, no matter how intensely the Solar Furnace operated, the thrust generated by V2V wasn't even enough to slow the train down!

At most, it could keep the train from accelerating further.

But V2V's energy was limited. Moreover, the Trans-am he had used during his battle with Xia Ya had consumed an utterly astonishing amount of HK Particles.

With V2V's current energy reserves, if he wanted to activate Trans-am again to increase its thrust, he could only maintain it for one minute.

One minute... What could he do in one minute?

"The exoskeleton armor's energy will run out sooner or later. Give up, Xu Qi! I know you still have a girlfriend who loves you, don't you?

Her name is Mei, right... Do you really want to abandon her and leave her to live alone in this world!?"

Mei...

Inside the command center at Meilong Base, Mei clasped her hands tightly before her chest and prayed with her eyes closed.

She didn't dare look at what was happening on the huge screen anymore.

Xu Qi...

"It's enough, Xu Qi. You defeated me, and that alone has already astonished me. Perhaps you were right. What we truly need to create is a world where people can understand one another.