With the dungeon successfully cleared by Luo Luo's spectacular performance, Ye Xiu reclaimed his position to handle the aftermath. He distributed the dropped materials among Sleeping Moon and the other teammates with practiced efficiency before logging Lord Grim out of the system.
"Luo Luo, your talent is absolutely terrifying," Chen Guo declared, studying the boy as if he were some kind of mythical creature. "If you were old enough, you could go professional right now. Even my idol Ye Qiu might not have displayed this level of natural ability."
"Really? I guess it's okay," Luo Luo replied with characteristic modesty, scratching his head with an embarrassed smile that somehow made his achievements seem even more remarkable.
"Boss, the night shift is over—can I clock out?" Ye Xiu asked, stifling another yawn as exhaustion finally caught up with him.
Chen Guo glanced at the wall clock and confirmed the time. "Right on schedule. Go get some rest, and we'll handle the employment contract once you've recovered."
"Thank you, boss."
"Don't thank me yet—just make sure you and Luo Luo take good care of me in the future!" Chen Guo suddenly leaned forward with an exaggerated eyebrow waggle that made Ye Xiu take an involuntary step backward.
"Of course!" Ye Xiu replied quickly, practically fleeing toward the stairs with Luo Luo in tow.
Whatever Chen Guo had intended with that gesture, it was far too intense for someone operating on zero sleep.
Back in their converted storage room, Luo Luo wasted no time explaining his immediate concerns.
"Brother Ye Xiu, I need to return to the Bamboo Staff and ask Brother Gustave to help me obtain legal identity documents for this world. That way, I can visit regularly without causing problems."
"Gustave can arrange something like that?" Ye Xiu asked with genuine curiosity.
"You have no idea what Brother Gustave is capable of," Luo Luo replied with the confidence of someone who'd witnessed miracles firsthand. "He can transform into living lightning—any electronic system is basically defenseless against his abilities."
"Really? In that case, mind if I tag along? I'd like to see this Bamboo Staff for myself."
"Let's go right now."
Without further ceremony, they activated the Gate of All Worlds.
Their emergence into the Bamboo Staff's third-floor corridor coincided perfectly with Hot Wheels stumbling out of his guest quarters, mechanical joints creaking as he yawned with surprising authenticity for a robot.
The sight of his supposed partner triggered immediate memory of the previous evening's abandonment.
"Hot Wheels!" Luo Luo's voice carried the kind of righteous indignation that only betrayed friends could muster.
The drowsy robot's optical sensors snapped into focus, processing Luo Luo's presence with growing horror as recent events came flooding back.
"Luo Luo! I was wrong! I shouldn't have run away last night and left you to handle everything alone!" Hot Wheels immediately collapsed into a full prostration, his mechanical form striking the floor with metallic clangs that echoed through the corridor.
His surrender was so immediate and complete that Luo Luo found his prepared anger deflating like a punctured balloon.
"You coward," he muttered with fond exasperation. "If you'd actually tried to defend yourself, I would have been worried someone had reprogrammed your personality matrix."
"I'm too tired to stay mad at you. Right now I need to find Brother Gustave about something important."
"Luo Luo, who is this person?" Hot Wheels asked suspiciously, his protective subroutines finally noticing Ye Xiu's presence.
"Brother Ye Xiu, meet Hot Wheels—he's from the Robo-Trooper's universe I told you about. We came through the Gate together after running into the Blue Iron Beast..."
Luo Luo launched into a comprehensive explanation of their adventure, covering everything from the pursuit through the mecha wasteland to their accidental discovery of the interdimensional portal. He also provided context about the mechanical beast world's harsh realities and technological society.
"So with that suit and the Robo-King token, you can merge with motorcycle warriors and control their abilities?" Ye Xiu asked, his competitive gamer instincts immediately recognizing the strategic implications.
"Exactly."
"Then I have to ask—what if someone else wore your equipment? Could they also achieve fusion with motorcycle warriors?"
Luo Luo's eyes widened as the possibility struck him like lightning. "I... I never considered that! The Robo-King suit is size-adjustable! Brother Ye Xiu, wait here a moment."
He sprinted toward his guest quarters to retrieve the specialized equipment.
Hot Wheels immediately positioned himself between Ye Xiu and Luo Luo's departing form, optical sensors blazing with protective determination.
"I don't know who you are, but Luo Luo is still just a kid—don't try to deceive him!" the robot declared with surprising authority. "If you dare manipulate him, you'll answer to me! I'm the second-in-command of the entire Time City, and my reputation makes even the three Beast Tribe War Kings flee in terror!"
Despite Hot Wheels' obvious cowardice and tendency toward exaggeration, his loyalty to Luo Luo was absolutely genuine. When he perceived threats to his young partner, the mechanical warrior's protective protocols overrode his self-preservation instincts.
Ye Xiu could only smile at the display, unsure whether to be amused or touched by such fierce dedication.
"Brother Ye Xiu! The Robo-King suit is here!" Luo Luo called out as he returned at full sprint, the gleaming blue-and-white armor clutched in his arms.
"Come here—let me measure your proportions and adjust the suit accordingly."
"Wait a minute, Luo Luo!" Hot Wheels interjected, mechanical arms spread wide in a blocking gesture. "Do you know anything about this guy's background? Look at that shifty expression and greasy appearance—he's obviously up to no good!"
"I..." Ye Xiu began helplessly. After an all-night gaming session, his appearance was admittedly somewhat disheveled, but 'shifty and greasy' seemed unnecessarily harsh.
"Hot Wheels, get out of the way," Luo Luo said firmly, pushing his mechanical partner aside with the confident authority of someone who'd made up his mind.
He began adjusting the Robo-King suit's dimensional parameters, the armor flowing like liquid metal as it expanded from child-sized proportions to adult measurements. The technology was clearly beyond anything conventional science could produce.
"Brother Ye Xiu, try it on," Luo Luo said, offering the resized equipment with eager anticipation.
"Are you certain about this?" Ye Xiu asked, glancing at Hot Wheels' increasingly agitated protests.
"Don't worry about him. Besides, we're aboard the Bamboo Staff—if you were truly dangerous, could you outrun Brother Gustave and the others?"
The logic was unassailable, if somewhat concerning from a security standpoint.
The moment Ye Xiu's fingers made contact with the Robo-King suit, the armor flowed across his body like sentient quicksilver, sealing itself with perfect precision. The transformation was both instantaneous and oddly natural, as if the equipment had been waiting for this exact moment.
"The Robo-King suit..." Ye Xiu breathed, feeling an immediate connection to systems beyond his understanding.
Following instinctive prompts that appeared in his consciousness, he pressed a control surface near his temple. A translucent data interface materialized before his eyes, displaying information that shouldn't have been possible to perceive.
His gaze fell on Hot Wheels, and immediately detailed statistics appeared in his field of view:
"Hot Wheels, Vehicle Tribe, Level 12..."
"Brother Ye Xiu, the Robo-Troopers World's power scale runs from Level 0 to Level 20," Luo Luo explained with scholarly precision. "Only the three Beast Tribe War Kings have achieved Level 20 classification—true S-rank status."
"Try merging with Hot Wheels," Luo Luo suggested, his excitement barely contained.
"I'll attempt it," Ye Xiu agreed, following the suit's integrated guidance systems.
Hot Wheels protested desperately, but escape proved impossible.
Ye Xiu's form dissolved into pure energy, merging seamlessly with the mechanical warrior. In that instant, Hot Wheels' motor functions came under Ye Xiu's direct control—a fusion of human consciousness with robotic capability.
Luo Luo celebrated with uninhibited joy, his theory validated beyond all expectation.
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