"As a special defective product, you were not supposed to be eliminated. Some believed that your ability to consume your own life force was the ultimate trump card in battle. Others believed that leaving you on a battlefield where you have lost your sense of self is a fate worse than death."
After gaining this knowledge, Ye Ming finally understood. The city before them—a city that had been besieged by the Swarm for many years, where the citizens stubbornly resisted—was the stage prepared for them by Titania. The citizens here were not meant to be rescued; they were there to witness the arrival of Firefly and the Iron Cavalry.
[Main Quest: Follow Firefly on patrol.]
[With a long creak, the worn-out gears of the city finally grind to a halt. You see the silent city before you. That is AR-26710521. All is well.]
A transport aircraft brought them to the city streets. Ye Ming followed Firefly, the drone hovering by her side. They walked past silent mechs and under the watchful eyes of defensive cannons, attempting to break the suffocating silence.
"Chirp chirp."
Ye Ming tapped the silver drone hovering beside Firefly in response.
"Huh?"
Hearing his strange reply, Firefly fell silent.
"My designation is AR-26710. What about you? What's your designation?"
"I have a name," she replied, her voice tinged with a slight sense of pride.
"A name?"
"That's right. A designation is just a temporary codename. Unlike my AR-26710, you are a mass-produced model. But eventually, you'll see AR-1368, the designation for the Royal Guard. My original designation was AR-1368, but did you know that I exchanged it for AR-26710521...?"
"Or perhaps you doubt my love for our designations?" Faced with Ye Ming's silence, Firefly asked with a slight smile.
"No, that's not it. I just wasn't very good at combat," he said, feigning guilt.
"[Note: Do not reveal the contents of the simulation to the character. If you do, you will be penalized every ten minutes until you go bankrupt.]"
"It's not that, AR-26170. I just don't care about such things," Ye Ming lied. "Besides, calling you by your designation all the time is too much trouble. From now on, I'll just call you by your name."
Ye Ming suggested this with a grin.
"If you think the designation is too cumbersome, you can give me a name. A name... what should I call you?"
"Firefly."
Firefly thought for a moment and then murmured the name, feeling it sounded quite pleasant.
"This is a great name. I really like it."
"If you like it, you can call me Firefly from now on," she said.
The first time he called her "Firefly," she didn't react much. When he called her a second time, a drone flew out from behind her, nudged him gently, and then flew back to her side, beeping happily.
"Alright then, Ye Ming."
It was only after being prompted by the drone that Firefly finally reacted. She looked back at him, seemingly unaware, and nodded with a serious expression.
"Don't worry," Ye Ming said with a gentle smile. "From now on, I'll protect you."
"[The first rule of the Glamoth military: A knight's duty is to feel pride in their designation.]"
"[The second rule of the Glamoth military...]"
The setting sun cast long shadows as Ye Ming and Firefly walked along the vehicle tracks on the road. Their silhouettes merged with the sound of their footsteps, growing fainter and fainter until they disappeared into the distance.
[System Analysis: The Empire and the last remaining embers of humanity. A story of a young warrior born for battle. Under the watchful eye of the Empress, he marches toward a glorious and tragic end... A very creative and poignant setup.]
[Simulation Complete: The male and female protagonists have now met. Because they were fated to fall in love but were unable to due to war and duty, their first encounter was tinged with the bitterness of a love that could never be. With the last glimmer of their emotions (love) extinguished, the power of hope is rebuilt. They will save the nation, cure the disease, succeed in their mission, and help the protagonist forge a new life.]
Live-Stream Chat Commentary
[Qingque]: Even though the plot is very predictable, for some reason it's still very moving. I really want to stop them from getting any closer!
[March 7th]: Qingque is right! What's with this bittersweet atmosphere? I feel like I'm watching a really angsty romance story!
[Kafka]: So that's how it is. You little brat, you've been lying to me all this time. Let me just say, I'm looking forward to seeing how this unfolds.
[Firefly]: This is a completely fabricated memory... but why does it feel so real? I'm a little worried about what's going to happen next (anxious).
[March 7th]: This feels like a plot from a classic novel, right? So, is this what they call a fated but tragic love?
[Sparkle]: How pathetic.
[Herta]: Can you tell me what the current situation is? @March 7th
[March 7th]: To put it simply, the black-haired boy and the silver-haired girl are not in the same mech. And we haven't detected any signs of life (or hope) from the black-haired boy's mech.
Main Narrative
Life in the besieged base was grim. Firefly and Ye Ming patrolled the city during the day and rested at night. Their lives were starkly different.
Firefly was a weapon born for battle. From birth, she knew only how to fight. Life on the base was incredibly unfamiliar to her. It was only with Ye Ming's help and companionship that she slowly began to adapt.
The base's allowance wasn't much. The food provided each month was only enough for one person. To supplement their income, Ye Ming found a part-time job as a server at a nearby coffee shop.
To make her feel more at ease, Ye Ming would often take Firefly out to meet his neighbors. Because of his cheerful personality, Ye Ming got along well with the local kids. After patrolling, he would often see the orange-haired girl from the coffee shop playing with a group of young children. This became one of the fondest memories of his youth, and for the young Firefly, it was a beautiful memory from her teenage years.
The girl from the coffee shop became your most loyal fan. She seemed to want to hear about your every move, and whenever you had time, she would follow you around, asking you questions.
For Firefly, this was a life she had never experienced before. She loved this peaceful existence. She loved listening to you talk about the trivial, novel things in your life. She loved going to the beach with you. She loved playing with the neighborhood kids. She loved that you would tell her stories she didn't understand. She loved the dazed expression on your face when you looked up at the stars.
Sometimes, you would quietly gaze at her, thinking about the distant battlefield. She felt a little uneasy, but when she thought about the promise she made to the Empress, she would quickly suppress her feelings.
This peaceful life, which she couldn't bring herself to shatter, was, after all, a transient dream. Sooner or later, it would end.
One day, as you were on patrol, the alarms in the city suddenly blared. The ground trembled. People screamed in terror as they fled, and the sky was filled with the sounds of explosions and the shrieks of the Swarm.
You looked up at the sky and saw the frail figure of a person. It was the daughter of the coffee shop owner. You watched as the sweet and lovely girl who used to follow you around was swallowed by a monstrous insect, her body frozen in shock, motionless.
You wanted to go save her. You looked at the coffee shop, which was now engulfed in flames. You knew the Swarm was fast, but you weren't sure if you could reach the girl before it did.
At this moment, you choose to:
[A]: Ignore Firefly and dash towards the Swarm.
[B]: Watch helplessly, unable to do anything.
[C]: Use your power. Consume your memories and protect everything.
[D]: Freedom of choice.
There was no need to think about such a choice.
Ye Ming looked at the terrifying Swarm closing in. Without hesitation, he pulled the Zeronos card, inscribed with his own memories, from his belt.
"Henshin!" (Transform!)
-------
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