Arena God Mode 7

Xu Youwen got off work early today. His business trip was over, and he was back only to report on his work. As he walked out of the Military Department's main gate, he overheard a colleague muttering something about "Mighty King Rabbit Owo."

He wasn't in the mood to figure out what that was about, so he just hopped in his flier and headed home. The moment he entered the Xu Residence, he saw Xu Xiqin waiting for him in the hall.

"Brother, where's Mother?" Xu Xiqin's lake-green eyes were full of confusion. Coming home and not seeing Lady Catherine had made her vaguely uneasy.

Xu Youwen let out a sigh. Rumors about Xu Lingqu's background had already started circulating within the Military Department, and the moment he'd heard them, he'd informed his mother. The internal sentiment at the department was already leaning toward "Admiral Xu is benevolent, but his wife is a tyrant." Lady Catherine had finally realized she'd been played by her husband.

She hadn't hesitated for a second. She'd packed her things and left the Xu Residence. She was the daughter of a baron, pampered from birth, and her marriage to Xu Chengbi had been nothing but a political arrangement. She might not have been the sharpest tool in the shed, and she wasn't exactly magnanimous, but once she sensed her husband's malice, she had more than enough spine and courage to walk away.

"Qinqin, your brother wishes you could just grow up carefree forever..." Xu Youwen had always prided himself on having a brave, kind-hearted sister. He wasn't a good man himself, but he'd always hoped his sister could stay innocent and carefree forever. But now, his parents were heading for a battle, and nothing could stop it.

"Brother." Xu Xiqin didn't know what had happened, but she had a rough idea, and she spoke with conviction, "I've grown up. I'm going to become a full-fledged mecha soldier and be someone my family can rely on."

Looking at his sister, Xu Youwen suddenly realized it wasn't that Xu Xiqin had grown up overnight—it was that he and the others had stubbornly treated her like a child for far too long.

Xu Youwen's colleague was in a complete panic right about now.

His main job every day was to monitor the Sky Network mecha arena, scouting for promising talents and keeping an eye out for any Military Department mecha soldiers breaking regulations by fighting in the ring. Honestly, it was basically a cushy post—anyone who'd made it into the official mecha corps wouldn't be dumb enough to wreck their own career like that. The only lead he'd ever followed up on was that kid named Ming, and after learning the boy's psychic power level was only C, he'd dropped it.

But today, this "Mighty King Rabbit Owo" suddenly popping up had scared him half to death. He'd contacted the Sky Network admin to pull up the info, and it turned out the person behind the account was a kid!

He stared at Logan Bill's photo for a long time, then steeled himself and reported it up the chain.

The next day, his immediate superior brought him to the doorstep of this mecha prodigy.

When Logan Bill opened the door and saw a bunch of Military Department officers and local star system officials standing there, his brain went blank. His first thought was that his parents had gone bankrupt and the house was being seized to pay off debts.

After they explained why they'd come, Logan Bill instinctively blurted out the truth about the account's pilot—but then he suddenly remembered how the scrambled-ID user on Sky Network had been hiding her identity all along.

She didn't want to be recognized.

Logan Bill decided he would protect his awesome stand-in player friend and keep her secret! But these people were unlikely to believe he'd earned that top ranking himself, so he put on his most innocent face and said, "Uncles, what are you talking about? I don't understand."

He'd decided to play the part of someone whose account had been hacked!

Xu Lingqu had no idea her little boss was fiercely guarding her secret. She'd slept unusually deeply that night—so deeply that she didn't wake up on her own that morning, but was roused by Liu Ming's fluffy head nuzzling against her.

Liu Ming truly admired his owner's execution skills. After she'd finished her match last night, he'd wanted to talk to her about something, but she'd just gone straight to bed!

Just went to sleep like that!

The whole Sky Network had exploded. The forums had burned through the entire night, with people desperately trying to figure out who Mighty King Rabbit Owo was. The view count for that duel between Ming and Mighty King Rabbit Owo had skyrocketed into the top twenty most-watched videos on Sky Network. Netizens had analyzed every single arena match the mysterious player had, frame by frame, even pulling up standout performers from the military academy league singles arena to compare, all trying to dig up her identity.

But no matter how hard they dug, they found nothing.

Liu Ming watched those threads with immense pride, but then he remembered that his owner—the one who'd casually stirred up such a storm—was still snoozing, and he felt a bit exasperated.

So he mustered up his doggy courage and woke her up.

Xu Lingqu grabbed the dog by the scruff, lifted him, and set him on the floor. She yawned and went to wash up. After a moment's thought, she decided she'd train today.

The reason she'd felt so drained after yesterday's match was ultimately her physical conditioning. She couldn't rush that kind of thing, but there was no harm in improving.

"Owner, do you know the whole Sky Network is digging into you right now?" Liu Ming trotted after her to the sink.

"Didn't we delete all the info?" Xu Lingqu turned her head to look at him.

"So they've spent all night digging and found nothing! Don't you think that's exciting?"

Xu Lingqu: ...

She often couldn't figure out what was going on in Liu Ming's little doggy brain. How had the Galaxy Admiral raised him into this?

Before Liu Ming could continue spouting his bizarre little thoughts, the doorbell rang.

Xu Lingqu went to answer it, and there stood Natata, clutching a breakfast meal and looking nervous on the doorstep.

The moment the door opened, she bowed deeply. When she straightened up, there were tears glistening in her eyes.

After receiving the transfer from Xu Lingqu last night, she'd been so overwhelmed she hadn't slept a wink. The 150,000 credits for materials were finally accounted for—she could go compete in that crucial competition now. All thanks to Xu Lingqu.

Xu Lingqu took the breakfast from her hands and stepped aside to let her in. "When do you leave? If you need any more help, just tell me."

Natata waved her hands frantically. "No, no, I couldn't possibly trouble you again. I came here mainly to express my gratitude..."

"It's nothing," Xu Lingqu said. "Just become a master mecha engineer as soon as possible." After the whole virtual mech experience, her feelings toward mechs had completely changed.

Before, she'd only been mildly interested. Instructor Chen's words had stuck with her like a curse. But even just getting a taste of virtual mechs had been breathtaking—so how awe-inspiring would piloting a real one be?

Natata's face flushed. Xu Lingqu seemed to believe in her even more than she believed in herself. She hesitated, then finally spoke up to Xu Lingqu, "Actually... actually, my main research focus is mechs without psychic power restrictions. That was my father's dying wish, and it's the cause I'll dedicate my life to."

Mechs without psychic power restrictions? Xu Lingqu looked up, somewhat surprised, at Natata.

Natata misread her expression and quickly explained, "I'll definitely also research how to build S-class mechs! Though I don't think I have much talent, I promise to do what I said—"

"What you're researching is good," Xu Lingqu cut in.

She was glad that Ming hadn't given up, she thought. Because someone like him—someone who carried the dreams of himself and countless ordinary people as their life's goal—was out there, and she'd found her.