What Are You Going to Do Next?

"Your name's Dolly, right? I heard your... teammates call you that." For some reason, Yuqing felt an immediate affinity for the girl.

"Yeah." She nodded, her voice a little hoarse but steady. "Dolly."

Yuqing smiled and pointed to the mining mecha beside her, which stood half as tall as a person. "Were you just repairing this mecha? You're amazing. It's so badly damaged, but you can still fix it."

Dolly's eyes flickered.

She nodded instinctively, but stopped abruptly halfway through. As if remembering something, she quickly shook her head, her fingers unconsciously tightening around the screwdriver until her knuckles turned white.

"No... no, I'm not much use." Her voice grew quieter, tinged with a familiar self-deprecation. "I've just liked tinkering with this stuff since I was little... The core still works, actually. The third layer of wiring has aged, so its transmission efficiency has dropped by sixty percent. It just needs a new silver-based conductor plate."

As she spoke, she pointed the screwdriver into the energy compartment.

"Are you a mecha major?" Shen Que walked over and adjusted his glasses, looking from the mecha to Dolly. He had already noticed how skillfully the girl dismantled its parts; she was no amateur.

"No." Dolly shook her head. Mecha studies was famously an "elite class" major, with exorbitant tuition fees that made it the near-exclusive preserve of upper-middle-class and wealthy families. "I'm a first-year in the individual combat department at the Federation Sixth Military Academy."

"Then do you know what model this is?" He pointed to the mining mecha in the corner. It was an old model from fifty years ago, long since discontinued and barely mentioned in textbooks. Many mecha students couldn't even recognize it.

Dolly looked up at the mecha and answered almost without thinking. "MX-7 Mining Mecha, Hematite Town custom edition. Eight-ton load capacity, standard operating depth of three hundred meters. Its hydraulic system uses an old single-pipeline design, so the pipes are prone to bursting, but it's rugged. Its energy core uses a second-generation crystal energy reactor, which has a low conversion rate but is stable. The mine used it for thirty years without replacing it."

"The mechanical arm on its right shoulder was replaced later. It's not an original part; it was probably taken from an MX-9 and modified. But the counterweight wasn't adjusted properly, so it'll pull to one side after prolonged use..."

She paused and tapped a fingertip against the mecha's joint. Noticing how quiet everyone was, she thought she was about to be mocked again, and her voice gradually sank. "The gasket here has worn thin. It has to be replaced, or the whole arm will fall off..."

Shen Que's expression changed.

This old mecha was an obscure model the Shen Group had released many years ago. Apart from the group's mecha designers and family members who had grown up around the family business, few people still remembered the long-obsolete machine.

Dolly knew even this obscure model in such depth that she probably had more knowledge than many top mecha students.

"Dolly, what are you planning to do next? Your teammates seem to have 'left' already..." Shen Que adjusted the gold-rimmed glasses on his nose, a keen glint flashing in his eyes. "They should have run into town to hide by now. You can go look for them there..."

At the mention of her teammates, Dolly's gaze dimmed.

She pressed her lips together without speaking, only gripping the screwdriver tighter. When there was no danger, they relied on her to collect mecha parts. When danger came, they never cared whether she lived or died, and today they had even pushed her straight out!

After a few seconds of silence, she raised her head, her eyes turning stubborn. "I'm not looking for them. I know where the mining town's exit is. I can get out on my own."

"Would you like to come with us for now?" Yuqing was a little worried about Dolly. Her spiritual power was low, and if she ran into a level-two exotic beast, she would probably be in danger. "We're heading out anyway, so it's on the way. Besides, our team needs to collect parts and energy, and none of us knows much about them. We were hoping you could teach us. Would that be okay?"

"Mm, Aili's right. None of us knows much about mechas. If you're willing to stay and help, that would be great." Shen Que knew Yuqing was being considerate of Dolly's feelings, so he followed her lead. "Our team divides resources according to each person's contribution. We won't pocket your share."

"Can I... really?" Dolly pointed at herself, somewhat doubtful. Her spiritual power was too low, and she had never received systematic military training. "I might hold you back."

"You won't. We'll protect you," Yuqing said with a smile.

If Dolly had known that they had already killed two level-four exotic beasts and one level-five exotic beast, she wouldn't have doubted their strength.

"Mm, we each have our own role. You don't need to worry." Ajiasi, who had been silent in the corner, spoke up as well.

Only then did Dolly notice the boy in the corner, wearing a face covering and a hood. His level was... so high.

"Don't worry. We guys can really fight, and Aili's a rare guide! You think we can't keep you safe?" Xilaier grew angry whenever he thought of that group of sentinels who feared death. If all military academy students were like that, the Federation's future really was in trouble.

"A guide... a guide?!!" Dolly froze. She really was a guide! This was Dolly's first time seeing a guide in her life, even if she was an NPC.

"Yeah, we've already killed three high-level exotic beasts, but it was worth it." Although Xilaier had taken a terrible beating, a guide was involved, so it was only natural for the game to send a few extra bosses.

But she didn't hesitate for long.

The opportunity was right in front of her, and she wouldn't turn it down out of misplaced pride. After being suppressed for so many years, she knew better than anyone how important it was to seize an opportunity.

"Okay, I'll join you. If you think I'm holding you back, just tell me. I won't cling to you." Dolly nodded. Three high-level sentinels and a precious guide really were a strong team.

"Our team doesn't have a habit of abandoning teammates," Yuqing blurted out. Teammates were family; no matter what happened, they were all one.

Dolly froze.

She stared at Yuqing, her lips moving, but for a long time she couldn't say a word.

"Mm, welcome to the team, Dolly." Shen Que held out his hand to her.

"Welcome." Ajiasi nodded.

"Great! We've got a full team now, right?" Xilaier was the most excited. They now had five people in total, enough to qualify for ranked matches. "Should we pick a team name?"

"How about the Super Invincible Awesome Team?"

"That sounds awful. I think we should call it: Say 'Dear Princess, Please Join Our Team.'" Yuqing had used that team name when she was in school, and she loved it.

"No, it's not imposing enough. How about: Who Do You Think You Are to Be on My Team!"

"Are you saying your teammates aren't worthy? I say we call it: Send Me 50 and I'll Share My Wings With You Team!" Yuqing refused to concede. She didn't believe that none of the team names she'd saved before could be used.

"We might as well call it: Whatever You Say Is Right Team!"

"Yours is no good..."

"Yours is worse..."

Ajiasi silently tugged his hood down, hiding his face more thoroughly, while Shen Que crouched by the fire, silently tending it...

Dolly stood there, watching the two argue furiously, then looked at Ajiasi playing dead and Shen Que calmly tending the fire. The corner of her mouth twitched violently.

But for some reason, watching this lively group, the place in her heart that had always been cold seemed to... slowly warm.

She lowered her head and looked at her hands, covered in machine oil. The corners of her mouth turned up almost imperceptibly.

It was faint and fleeting, like an illusion.

But they really had turned up.