Silent Graveyard

Bai Ying's temper is truly the most stubborn Yu Xiao has ever seen.

From Xuanse Cangqiong to the Silent Graveyard, the journey takes a total of six hours; during their last argument, Xingtian had only walked for one hour.

And now, Bai Ying has continuously piloted Xingtian through the remaining five hours!

During this time, Yu Xiao tried several times to persuade Bai Ying to let him take over the driving, but she didn't say a word, didn't even glance at him, and just kept her head down and marched on!

Yu Xiao had no experience in coaxing girls in his past life, let alone dealing with a hot-tempered young woman like Bai Ying.

Before they knew it, the two were nearing their destination.

Warm lights gradually magnified in Xingtian's field of vision, and several massive cargo ships were docked at the nearby wharf.

Inside the towering walls, several high towers rose straight up, and from time to time, helicopters would take off and land on the rooftops like migratory birds temporarily resting on treetops.

Even the stern-faced Bai Ying couldn't help but widen her eyes at this sight; this was her first time visiting the Silent Graveyard, but she never imagined a mech graveyard could be so bustling!

"Is this a marketplace or a scrapyard..."

Yu Xiao was also stunned by the scene before him. He had expected a giant junkyard piled high with steel waste, yet everything in the Silent Graveyard looked orderly, perhaps even prosperous?

Thump! Thump! Thump!

Xingtian approached the Silent Graveyard with a steady gait, but what Bai Ying didn't know was that the people at the port had all run inside the walls the moment they saw Xingtian from afar!

"Halt! Otherwise, we will open fire immediately!"

Before they even entered the coastal zone, every turret along the shore was already aimed at Xingtian!

Bai Ying stopped in her tracks immediately.

She didn't understand why she was being blocked.

"State your serial number and information, and tell us your purpose for coming here!" The tone from the communication device was quite guarded.

"Mech T-001 Xingtian, pilot Bai Ying, affiliated with the Xuanse Cangqiong base of the Gan Kingdom. I am here to have my mech upgraded. Did General Chen not notify you in advance?"

"..." The other side of the communicator fell into a brief silence, appearing to be verifying the authenticity of the information.

"Your mech identification code and pilot information are both problematic. Please wait where you are; we will conduct further verification with Xuanse Cangqiong."

Bai Ying clenched her fists, her eyes fixed intently on the closed gates of the Silent Graveyard.

The mech identification code was likely due to the system change Xingtian had undergone, but the pilot information was her most sensitive issue.

Although she had already participated in the defense of Xuanse Cangqiong piloting Xingtian and had received General Chen's permission to become its pilot, the non-stop operations at Xuanse Cangqiong meant they currently had no time to help Bai Ying complete her Pilot certification.

This also meant that once she left Xuanse Cangqiong, no one would recognize her as a Pilot.

Meng Changqing called her a "half-baked" pilot precisely because she hadn't received systematic training at the Pilot Academy and didn't even have the status of a registered student.

Her piloting skills were entirely derived from the teachings of the two pilots of the Raider and repeated simulation training, but compared to what was taught at the Pilot Academy, what Bai Ying had learned was merely the tip of the iceberg.

During this minute of waiting, Bai Ying felt like a student who had scored perfectly on a test but was suspected of cheating, standing at the classroom door waiting for the teacher's judgment.

"A pilot is not measured by grades, but by their combat record."

Just then, Yu Xiao's voice came from behind Bai Ying.

"As long as you treat the mech you pilot as a partner, you will definitely become an outstanding pilot!"

"Do other mechs have souls too?" Hearing Yu Xiao's words, Bai Ying's mood indeed lightened significantly.

"I don't know." Yu Xiao's eye twitched; he hadn't expected Bai Ying to suddenly ask such a profound question. "But regardless of whether they do or not, a mech is the only existence you can trust on the battlefield."

Bai Ying didn't answer, but she nodded with a movement so slight that others wouldn't notice.

"Information verified. Entry permitted. Please proceed to Hangar Four to dock your mech!"

In the time it took to exchange a few words, the Silent Graveyard had verified their information, and all the gun barrels aimed at Xingtian shifted their direction one by one.

Bai Ying followed the guidance of a drone, parked Xingtian on the mech support rack in Hangar Four, and followed the guide alone to take the elevator.

But in reality, the connection between Yu Xiao and Bai Ying still existed—ever since the forced disconnection of their neural synchronization last time, the two had established a strange but faint "empathic link."

This link required no equipment to maintain; both parties could sense each other's presence, and if one were under a life-threatening situation, the other would know immediately.

However, compared to this faint "empathic link," both chose a more convenient method—the communication link.

Bai Ying's communicator was attached to her fair neck, serving as both a microphone and a receiver, and even included an emergency pulse-shock function.

Yu Xiao didn't intend to shut down to rest either; after installing the new power core, he didn't even need auxiliary charging and could maintain operation at normal power indefinitely.

However, he still decided to set himself to a low-power sleep mode like a normal mech, so others wouldn't think there was something wrong with Xingtian.

"Welcome, welcome! Come over and sit, little Bai!"

As the elevator door opened, a middle-aged man in a suit wearing gold-rimmed glasses immediately greeted them, patting Bai Ying on the shoulder cordially.

Bai Ying hadn't expected the elevator at the top of the tower to open directly into a reception room without even a hallway.

Unlike the steel and alloy outside, the entire reception room was decorated in a slightly retro European style: mahogany display cabinets and furniture, a pure wool carpet large enough to cover half the room, five crystal chandeliers carved into the shape of candlesticks, and polished granite floors.

The entire room was filled with an intoxicating tea fragrance, making even someone like Bai Ying, who didn't drink tea, feel refreshed.

Ever since this planet entered the era of technological explosion, any of these decorations made from natural materials would be worth a fortune on the market!

And for Bai Ying, who had lived in a steel-walled city since childhood, she had only ever seen such scenes in works of art!

"General Chen only mentioned over the phone that he wanted to reserve a set of upgrade components; he didn't tell me which mech they were for!" The middle-aged man smiled as he picked up his purple clay teapot and poured a cup of tea for Bai Ying. "If I had known they were for Xingtian, I would have given him a fifty percent discount no matter what!"

Bai Ying offered a slightly delayed word of thanks, her eyes still curiously scanning everything in the room as if she were truly immersed in a magnificent dream.

"General Chen and I are old acquaintances. Before the war began, I invited him to join my company as a military consultant, but he was dedicated to serving the country and didn't agree. Still, I admire his spirit from the bottom of my heart!"

Bai Ying held her teacup while listening to the middle-aged man reminisce, as if the various scenes of their past experiences were unfolding right before her eyes.

Several times, she almost instinctively mimicked the middle-aged man by taking a sip of tea, but her instinct against drinking tea caused her body to resist.

However, this did not stop her from becoming immersed in the past events the middle-aged man was recounting.

On the other end of the communicator, Yu Xiao could clearly feel the connection between himself and Bai Ying becoming somewhat blurred, as if she had completely forgotten about his existence.

Click!

At that very moment, the lights in the hangar went out completely.