Elder Wang had originally had three sons.
His eldest and second sons were both businessmen, while his youngest had enlisted at his wish.
He had excelled in his performance and fought bravely.
During a mission to wipe out Somaji pirates, he had unfortunately been shot and killed in action.
Now Li Guozhong was suggesting that his favorite little granddaughter enlist.
What if she met the same fate as his youngest son?
Li Guozhong regretted it a little as soon as he finished speaking. He had long since forgotten about that.
He had simply blurted it out just now.
Elder Wang had already lost a son in the line of duty. If his granddaughter died too, how could this seventy-year-old man, who had devoted himself heart and soul to his country, go on living?
"Haha, Elder Wang, I was only jok-"
"Let her enlist!"
Li Guozhong had just been about to find an excuse to change the subject when Elder Wang cut him off.
"Phew-"
Elder Wang let out a long breath and glanced out the window.
With a popsicle between her lips, Wang Yixue was skipping toward the reception hall.
"The military exercise is almost here. It's too late for you to start training another pilot now."
"We've all seen Yixue's talent for piloting. Besides, she knows the mecha's creator, more or less, which will make it easier to communicate if anything comes up."
"After thinking it over, she's the most suitable choice. But Li Guozhong, let me make this clear first: if you let my precious granddaughter suffer even the slightest mistreatment, I'll beat you with a broom!"
As he spoke, Elder Wang glared at him.
"I wouldn't dare! I wouldn't dare!"
Li Guozhong grinned so broadly that his mouth would not close, looking just like a chrysanthemum.
"Haha, Elder Wang, it's settled, then! No going back on your word!"
"What kind of person do you take me for? Every word I spit out is a nail driven home! But she'll be coming in any moment, so you still need to ask what she thinks. As for her father, I'll speak to him."
"All right!"
Wang Yixue pushed the door open and entered.
Holding a popsicle, she radiated a fresh, lively air.
Her dewy eyes seemed to hold a handful of crushed stars, glittering with tiny flecks of light.
"Hehe..."
Rubbing his hands together, Li Guozhong approached her with a beaming smile.
"Yixue, how did it feel to pilot the mecha?"
"Great! So cool!"
Wang Yixue blurted out her answer.
Then her brows drew together slightly as she looked at Li Guozhong.
"But Uncle Li, your smile looks kind of sleazy."
"Ahem, ahem..."
Li Guozhong coughed twice in quick succession, straightened his back, and said solemnly,
"Yixue, would you like to keep piloting this mecha in the future? The state will even handle all the maintenance, repairs, and so on for you! Once conditions are right, you could even commute to work in it every day!"
"Yes!" Wang Yixue's big, Carslan eyes widened.
"That's easy, then. Just fill out a form and put your fingerprint on it!" Li Guozhong said casually.
Beside them, Elder Wang, Elder Hua, and the assembled officers all stared, dumbfounded.
The same thought rang out in everyone's mind. Li Guozhong has thrown away all shame just to sweet-talk a young girl into enlisting!
Seeing the anticipation brimming in Li Guozhong's eyes,
Wang Yixue actually gave him a sweet smile.
"Uncle Li, you want me to enlist as a mecha pilot, don't you? I'm willing to join the military!"
Li Guozhong froze.
He reflected inwardly that he had only made an unnecessary move and behaved rather underhandedly.
She truly was Elder Wang's descendant!
When it came to serving the country, she did not hesitate.
After their conversation, Wang Yixue's enlistment was settled, with her special recruitment scheduled for that very evening.
There was no other reason. In Li Guozhong's words, the sooner, the better. If it could be done now, then do it now!
He would never let such talent slip away!
Once they finished discussing her enlistment, Wang Yixue found a corner and sat down.
Just then, Li Guozhong suddenly said,
"Elder Wang, on our way back, you said the designer and builder of this mecha was a college student welder Yixue found online. I think there's something more to this!"
Everyone, including Elder Wang and Elder Hua, looked over.
Wang Yixue also looked at Li Guozhong, her face full of puzzlement.
She wondered what more there could possibly be to it.
"Is it possible that when Yixue was browsing online, her phone was actually already under his control? No matter what he clicked, he would ultimately have contacted Xu Fan."
"In other words, Yixue's contact with Xu Fan was both a coincidence and an inevitability!"
At this point, Elder Wang immediately asked Tong Yao beside him,
"Is that possible with hacking?"
"Yes, and... for Xu Fan, it would be extremely easy."
Tong Yao answered with a serious expression.
Recalling what had happened when she investigated Xu Fan's personal information earlier, she could not help mocking herself.
An expert of that caliber had probably noticed the moment she began investigating.
Yet she had thought she had easily uncovered his information.
Brandishing a broadsword before Guan Yu-how laughable, how laughable!
Hearing Tong Yao agree,
Li Guozhong became even more certain of his theory.
He continued, "The reason he did this was to donate the mecha he'd poured his heart and soul into developing to the country, free of charge, in the most low-key way possible!"
"That doesn't sound right. I was the one who commissioned the mecha, and he only took two days!" Wang Yixue suddenly interjected.
Before Li Guozhong could speak, Tong Yao explained,
"There was indeed an element of coincidence, but even if you'd commissioned a plane or a tank, he would still have brought you this mecha. After all, he would only have needed to control your phone, change the chat history, and say you'd made a typo."
With Tong Yao's explanation,
Not only Wang Yixue, but even Elder Wang and Elder Hua felt that many of the pieces fit together.
Li Guozhong was even more deeply moved from the bottom of his heart.
For some reason, his eyes reddened.
"What a fine young comrade! In this age awash with material desires, there really aren't many people left who do good deeds without leaving their names!"
Everyone nodded in agreement.
Developing the Crimson Sky No. 1 mecha was an achievement that would benefit generations to come.
Had he stepped forward and revealed his identity, the honors and status he could receive would have been unimaginable.
Yet Xu Fan attached no importance whatsoever to such empty fame and material pleasures.
Who could quietly hand a mecha over to the country without seeking recognition?
Many officers felt ashamed of themselves and quietly lowered their heads.
"Phew-"
Li Guozhong drew a heavy breath and asked again,
"Yixue, how much did commissioning this mecha cost in total?"
"Three million in total. I paid one and a half million in advance, and I haven't had time to settle the remaining one and a half million yet," Wang Yixue answered earnestly, blinking.
"What a fine, unsung young genius! I really don't know how to describe him anymore!"
Li Guozhong sighed with feeling again.
Everyone looked puzzled.
Wang Yixue did not get his point either and asked directly,
"Uncle Li, does that tell us something?"
Li Guozhong tilted his head back slightly, trying to keep the tears in his eyes from spilling over.
He sighed.
"Even for a genius, building such a powerful mecha would probably cost at least ten million."
"Xu Fan must have scrimped and saved, smashed his pots and sold the iron, and scraped together everything he could to build this mecha. He even ended up owing three million! That's why he quoted you three million. Perhaps he only wanted to pay off his debts!"
Boom-
At those words, everyone's mind reeled.
Their bodies swayed involuntarily.
For a moment, Xu Fan's towering image seemed to stand before them, indomitable and devoted to his country and its people.
Upright, proud, and utterly fearless!