The following days of manufacturing were nothing like the first. The special workshop reserved for the Mecha Combat Class had descended into absolute chaos — "utter pandemonium" would be a polite way to put it.
Building even a single handheld weapon for a mecha required over a hundred different components. Even a Night‑tier weapon needed that many parts. With such a huge demand for materials and the students' disastrously low success rate, the stockpile of supplies dwindled at a terrifying pace. If not for the Astral Academy's overwhelming wealth, they would never have been able to support such consumption. Ye Cheng finally understood why the tuition fee was so astronomically high.
To catch up with progress, everyone brought their slaves to help. The overcrowded workshop now looked like a train station during a festival rush. The school had to increase material supply and issue a new restriction — each Combat Class student could bring no more than two accompanying slaves into the workshop. Only then did it stop feeling like one might step on someone's foot with every move.
Ye Cheng was building a semi‑cold weapon — a large mechanical greatsword. Because some adjustments had to match the test‑unit mecha, her design was somewhat simpler than others. Her main focus was thus on forging the components themselves.
She had her pride, and once she decided to do something, she had to do it well. Knowing her high‑grade component ratio was poor, she practiced with absolute precision, determined to raise that rate above 35%. Only then could she assemble enough top‑grade parts to build a Night‑tier masterpiece.
This was the benefit of having "unlimited" materials. To hit her goal, Ye Cheng burned through five times as many resources as anyone else.
It wasn't until the ninth day that she finally carried a pile of parts into the assembly bay.
Ye Cheng had thought that once the components were done, putting together the sword would be easy. She quickly discovered otherwise. Assembling a large mechanical sword — one meant for a mecha — was no easier than reassembling an entire car from scratch.
The technical drawings alone made her dizzy. Luckily, Yang Yu was a seasoned craftsman. Even though he wasn't great at teaching, he could still walk her through the schematics. After digesting the plan, Ye Cheng took a deep breath and braced herself at the machine table.
She wasn't used to heavy machinery. During the early attempts, her hands trembled, and she frequently broke delicate components. The waste was painful.
Running low on parts, she dared not continue blindly. She spent a while practicing hand precision with the machine's controls before resuming work. Even so, by the time the sword was only a third complete, she had already used up all of her standard components. She refused to waste the high‑grade ones on practice. Fortunately, she was getting familiar with the process and planned to craft another batch of components for further assembly.
Frustrated, Ye Cheng left the table to return to the smelter—but Yang Yu stopped her, wordlessly activating his dimension ring. A mountain of shining top‑grade components spilled out before her eyes — the batch made earlier by Suo‑Luo.
Yang Yu stretched his joints, arranged the parts neatly, and began assembling. His pace was slow but steady. Some movements looked awkward, even hesitant—like those of a slave operator just learning the craft. But Ye Cheng could tell he was deliberately slowing down for her to memorize each step.
Once the long sword came together, Yang Yu immediately began dismantling it again—down to a third of the progress—then stepped aside for Suo‑Luo. The latter started clumsily but quickly gained speed. Within an hour, hundreds of components fused seamlessly into a towering six‑meter mechanical greatsword.
When he, too, stepped aside, Yang Yu pointed at the sword.
"Master," he said evenly, "now, please disassemble it yourself."
Ye Cheng nodded, inhaled deeply, and focused.
The changes in her body were undeniable now — all that high‑grade Astral juice had paid off. Her strength, endurance, and fine motor control had improved dramatically. She could now guide the mecha‑arms down to millimeter precision.
Having already practiced the controls and studied both Yang Yu's and Suo‑Luo's styles—one veteran, one novice—she was gaining confidence. The reverse process of building — disassembly — became progressively easier.
After about two hours, she had the weapon neatly reduced to a pile of components, only breaking two pieces along the way. Yang Yu replaced those quietly before blocking her again as she prepared to reassemble.
Whenever he did that now, Ye Cheng automatically assumed she had made a mistake. Seeing her expression, Yang Yu sighed lightly.
"Master," he said, "don't you feel something's… different?"
She blinked. "Huh?"
"It's eleven‑thirty p.m. You haven't even had dinner. Everyone else is gone. Are you sure you want to finish this thing tonight?"
Ye Cheng touched her stomach and instantly shook her head.
"Nope. Food first. Then sleep!"
Back home, the two little ones had already raided the fridge and gone to sleep, bellies round. Ye Cheng showered while Yang Yu and Suo‑Luo prepared supper.
Just as she was drying her hair, her dimension ring flashed — an incoming call. Walking downstairs, she tapped to answer—and nearly fell down the stairs when she saw the name flashing on the holo‑screen.
Su Tie.
Her commanding officer.
Before she could even speak, Su Tie's face appeared.
"Ye Cheng, open the door. I'll be there in thirty seconds."
Then the transmission ended.
Panicking, Ye Cheng remotely unlocked the front gate. There was no time to change clothes; she barely managed to straighten her pajamas before running downstairs to wait.
Su Tie arrived exactly on time. She stepped through the door even as Ye Cheng snapped to attention and saluted.
"Good evening, Instructor!"
Su Tie returned the gesture and strode into the living room. Her sharp gaze swept the area, then paused on Ye Cheng—still damp from her shower. She raised a hand to her ring and said coolly,
"Eliminate suspicion. Continue the search."
"...Uh?" Ye Cheng froze. Eliminate what suspicion?
Su Tie looked tense, sweat sliding down her temple as she loosened her uniform collar—and that was when Ye Cheng saw it.
A collar.
The exact same model as Yang Yu's and Suo‑Luo's, but crimson, bright as flame against her dark green uniform.
Until now, Ye Cheng had never noticed it — Su Tie always wore high‑collared military gear, and recently, she'd been nowhere near the class. Only now did Ye Cheng realize—her instructor was a hybrid.
A hybrid. A female hybrid, and one of the enslaved Senluo race—occupying the top position as chief instructor of the Mecha Combat Special Class. That could only mean one thing: she was unbelievably strong.
Su Tie's blue eyes flicked to her.
"Surprised?"
Ye Cheng didn't know whether to nod or shake her head.
"Instructor, you're… amazing."
"Flattery won't earn you extra points," Su Tie said flatly, activating her ring again. A holographic image appeared—
The Combat Class workshop engulfed in flames.
"As you can see, the workshop caught fire just earlier. It's been extinguished. Initial assessment points to arson."
Her voice was calm, but each word struck Ye Cheng like thunder.
"You were the last one to leave the site, so I had to verify first."
More than being accused, Ye Cheng was instantly worried about something else.
"What about my parts?! The materials!"
Su Tie had expected that question.
"Most students were completing their final assemblies tonight, so nearly everyone left their components there. Almost all materials, partial builds, and finished works were damaged. Given the precision standards required—most are unsalvageable."
Ye Cheng staggered slightly, glancing at the time.
"…Less than a day left."
Su Tie gave her a measured look, then opened an all‑class transmission.
"Attention, all Special Class trainees. The workshop fire has destroyed numerous materials. Any resulting loss will not be considered for your final evaluation. Effective immediately, I am granting temporary permission to use the Mecha Engineering Department's facilities. However—no slaves are allowed inside."
Ye Cheng looked up sharply. Su Tie closed the channel and met her gaze.
"Instructor," Ye Cheng said firmly, snapping a salute, "I request immediate access to the Engineering Workshop!"
"Approved," Su Tie replied.
Ye Cheng rushed upstairs, changed into her uniform in under a minute, and dashed back down. With another sharp salute, she bolted out the door.
Moments later, Yang Yu followed, carrying two cans of energy drink and a bag of steaming snacks. He nodded politely to Su Tie before chasing after Ye Cheng.
Suo‑Luo came out next — and froze when he saw Su Tie standing there.
Their eyes met. Silence thickened between them.
Su Tie studied him quietly, then withdrew her gaze and started up the stairs. Suo‑Luo remained motionless.
In Ye Cheng's bedroom, little Ginkgo and Water Cypress were sound asleep on the twin beds—tiny faces soft and rosy, proof of many good meals.
Su Tie's icy blue eyes melted with tenderness. She crouched down, reaching to touch Water Cypress's cheek… but froze mid‑movement, pulling her hand back to tuck the blankets instead. She did the same for Ginkgo, tucking her small arm beneath the quilt.
When she finally turned to leave, her gaze lingered on the children for one long moment before she walked out. Pausing at the bottom of the stairs, she looked at Suo‑Luo again.
"I've seen the parts you made," she said quietly. "I hate to admit it, but that kind of talent being wasted on someone like you… is a shame. You really are a genius."
Suo‑Luo's odd‑colored eyes remained blank, staring toward the door as though she hadn't spoken at all.
Su Tie frowned faintly, turned away, and left.
Her voice trailed behind her, carried by the night.
"Your current master treats you decently, I'll give her that. But she's no match for Kyle Ald. Once he sets his eyes on her, things will get… messy.
Take care of the kids — before they end up slaves too."
And with that, she was gone.