Hurry Up and Take Me as Your Master!

Xilin recalled the scene at the Train Station when Mo Heng had assembled the components, the force he'd used with each finger, the angles at which he'd joined the pieces, the precision...

After glancing at the pile of parts he'd chosen, Xilin barely looked away from them again. His gaze stayed fixed on the pieces in his hands, yet he always reached for exactly the right part for the next step.

At first, Xilin's movements were slow. But once he grew familiar with controlling his fingers and estimating the required assembly precision, his hands began to move faster.

In his office, Mo Heng watched Xilin assemble the parts, trembling with excitement. He shakily rose from his chair, zoomed in on the screen, and watched the almost artistic assembly.

The farther Xilin got, the faster his hands moved. Yet his precision didn't drop; if anything, it seemed to be increasing. Mo Heng stared at the screen and said to the computer, "Analyze the overall precision."

"Scanning... Overall precision has reached 97% of the theoretical value."

"Overall precision has reached 98% of the theoretical value."

"Overall precision has reached 99% of the theoretical value."

"Overall precision has reached 99.2% of the theoretical value."

"Overall precision has reached 99.3% of the theoretical value."

"Overall precision has reached 99.5% of the theoretical value."

At last, the overall precision reached 99.95% of the theoretical value. Every step after that hit 99.95%. Whether Xilin assembled one part or several at once, the precision was always 99.95%!

Overall precision was calculated by plugging the many parameters obtained from a scan into a technical formula. The higher the overall precision, the closer the person assembling the parts came to that legendary point.

In the workshop, Xilin assembled the pile of parts into components and subassemblies, then fitted them together. Mo Heng didn't even need to test whether the circuitry was correct to know the assembly wouldn't fail. It was unquestionably a top-grade piece of work!

In the ninth minute, Xilin finished the assembly and pressed a button on the machine.

The machine stood half an arm's length tall. Apart from its stabilizing base, most of it began to unfold like petals, blooming like a flower bud. Crystal-clear notes rang out, making it feel as if, after a long wait, someone had slowly stumbled out of the darkness and welcomed the first ray of light.

At last, Xilin understood why so many engineers were obsessed with these things. Looking at the completed machine, he felt a clumsy joy that moved him deeply.

Xilin sat cross-legged on the floor, gazing at the machine before him as the music flowed. He watched it open and close, then bloom again, close again... like an endless cycle.

Xilin didn't come back to himself until Mo Heng opened the workshop door.

Mo Heng sat down in front of Xilin. "Xilin, do you know about the Golden Point?"

Xilin shook his head. The first-year curriculum hadn't covered many subjects in depth, and he hadn't come across it in any of the related books he'd read before.

"Most books don't mention the Golden Point, because it only exists in the conversations of people in our circle. The point at which you use the right parts in the right places and achieve the most perfect assembly precision in the shortest time—that's called the Golden Point."

As he spoke, Mo Heng showed him the computer's calculations from when Xilin had been assembling the parts.

Xilin frowned at the final figure of 99.95%. It hadn't gone up at all in those last stages.

Mo Heng pointed at the final 99.95%. "When this number becomes 100%, you'll have reached the Golden Point. Xilin, you're impressive. It's clear you haven't had much experience with this, but reaching 99.95% puts you far ahead of some of Seven Luminaries' teachers."

"Have you reached the Golden Point, Old Mo?" Xilin looked at Mo Heng.

At that, Mo Heng's voice turned melancholy.

"No. No one in the entire Galactic Alliance has reached it. We've been getting closer to the Golden Point, but no one has attained it. Some people say it's only a theoretical limit, impossible to reach. But I've always believed it can be done!"

Xilin bowed his head, watching the machine before him continue to open and close as he listened quietly to Mo Heng. There were many things books couldn't teach him.

After telling Xilin a little about the Golden Point, Mo Heng sighed again. "I'm old now. I may still have the will, but I don't have the strength. Even though I know what to watch out for during assembly and what can be improved, my hands can't move fast enough, and my control isn't what I'd need it to be."

Mo Heng slapped his knee with one hand and sighed, as if trying to vent all the regret in his heart. He glanced at Xilin, who still had his head bowed. This little rascal wasn't reacting at all!...

Give him another push!

Mo Heng sighed again, his voice tinged with even more sorrow at his fading years. "I'll never be able to reach a higher point in my life. The most heartbreaking thing is having no one to carry on after me. My son chose to join the military, and none of the students I taught when I was younger particularly impressed me. Unlike some old fellows in the Alliance who were lucky enough to find good apprentices... Ah, that's just how life goes! If only I'd met a talented kid like you sooner."

Mo Heng sighed, his eyes darting toward Xilin. The latter still had his head bowed and said nothing; Mo Heng couldn't even see his expression. He cursed inwardly.

You little brat, I've made myself perfectly clear. Can't you show some enthusiasm? Aren't you supposed to be excited and recommend yourself?! How can you not treasure such a good opportunity? How can you be so stupid? You're hopeless! A blockhead!

It seemed Old Mo had forgotten that he'd just praised the blockhead he was talking about.

When Xilin remained as unresponsive as a log, Mo Heng lost his temper.

"Can't you react at all?!"

Xilin found it amusing. With Mo Heng's "Hurry up and take me as your master" expression and the intense looks he kept sending his way, it was hard not to figure out what he wanted. But as a Hunter, Xilin wouldn't be staying at Seven Luminaries for long. He'd leave as soon as his mission was over, and Daongs Xilin would disappear from everyone's sight. What would happen then?

"Well, there are so many Special Recruits..."

"Don't bring up the Special Recruits! They don't meet my standards. They're all listed under other tutors, and I'm not their direct tutor."

Under Mo Heng's intense gaze, Xilin rubbed his forehead. "I don't know much of the specialized material, and since I've signed up for so many courses, I need to earn the Credits. I won't have much extra time..."

Before Xilin could finish, Mo Heng waved a hand. "Those courses are all just formalities. They're not very useful, and attending them is a waste of time! I'll just give you the Credits myself. Those Grand Tutors wouldn't dare say a thing!"

Xilin felt a bead of sweat run down his back. Vice Principal Mo, please don't say that where anyone can hear you. Otherwise, Seven Luminaries' teachers and students will resent you.

"So, what do you say? Are you going to agree to be my apprentice or not?!"

Seeing Mo Heng's eyebrows rise higher and higher, Xilin thought it over before answering, "How about this? I'll work under you as an intern for now. If you're satisfied with my work, we can talk about it then. How does that sound?"

"Don't call it an internship. It sounds awful. You'll be my Research Assistant."

"Fine. If you say Research Assistant, then Research Assistant it is."

Xilin didn't know that for people like Mo Heng, a Research Assistant was an apprentice. So without Xilin knowing it, Mo Heng had already equated the two.

Mo Heng was delighted. He pinched Xilin's cheek and said, "With the head of the Research Department teaching you personally, what more could you want?! You're getting a bargain and still acting like you're doing me a favor!"

"Yes, yes, I'm acting like I'm doing you a favor." Xilin let Mo Heng pinch and shake his cheeks from side to side. Why does this old man like pinching people's cheeks? He's nearly swollen them.

Xilin didn't know that Mo Heng's son, a general in the Galactic Alliance military, had always had "baby fat" until he entered an advanced military academy at fifteen.