Chapter 2: Seventh war zone ??
Although Chen Meng's tone was stern, there was no contempt in his eyes; rather, it was more of a consideration from a mentor.
"I'll give you one day to think it over. Give me your answer tomorrow morning."
With that, Chen Meng said no more, patted Lin Ye's shoulder, and turned to leave the training room.
In the vast training room, only Lin Ye remained.
Mecha Martial Arts sequence… It wasn't that he hadn't considered it, but it was ultimately a secondary option… When he returned home, his mother, Li Wan, was busy in the kitchen, the aroma of food filling the entire house.
"Xiao Ye's back! Hurry and wash your hands, dinner will be ready soon."
Li Wan turned around, a gentle smile on her face as usual.
Lin Ye, however, keenly noticed that his mother's eyes were slightly red, as if she had just cried.
He put down his schoolbag, walked to the kitchen door, and softly asked, "Mom, what's wrong? Did you and Dad argue?"
"No, nothing like that," Li Wan quickly turned away, wiping the corners of her eyes with her sleeve. "I was just cutting onions, and they made my eyes sting."
The excuse was too clumsy, and Lin Ye's heart sank. He pressed on, "Where's Dad? I didn't see him today."
At the mention of her husband, Li Wan's body visibly stiffened. After a moment of silence, she spoke in as calm a voice as possible: "Your Dad… he got a work transfer. He left this afternoon; the order came down suddenly."
"Transfer? To where?"
Li Wan took a deep breath, seemingly steeling herself, then turned around and forced a smile.
"He was transferred to the Seventh War Zone. Don't worry, he's not going to the front lines to kill enemies. He'll still be doing his old job, repairing mechas."
"Your Dad… he volunteered for it. The salary there is higher, and there are more subsidies. You'll be taking the Martial Arts university entrance exam soon, and expenses will be high, so the family needs to save up for you in advance."
Seventh War Zone.
These four words were like heavy lead blocks, weighing on Lin Ye's heart.
Although he was only a high school senior, he knew what the Seventh War Zone meant.
It was one of the areas in the entire Human Race Alliance defense line with the most frequent battles against the Tianyuan Alien Race and the most brutal fighting, where casualty rates remained consistently high.
His mother said his father volunteered, but Lin Ye only believed half of it.
He was more convinced that behind this, someone from above had specifically requested him to be sent to the front lines, and his father ultimately went reluctantly.
What Li Wan didn't say was that in the Seventh War Zone, the compensation provided by the Alliance in case of death was also the highest among all war zones.
In this world, the status of a Martial Artist was lofty, but there were also different grades.
True prodigies, from affluent families with exceptional Aptitude, followed a pure Dao of Martial Arts.
They immersed themselves in Martial Skill, honed their bodies, and did not need external assistance; every punch and kick possessed immense power.
But many more, like Lin Ye, with average Aptitude, who barely met the threshold of a Martial Artist, needed external assistance—exoskeleton mechas—to fight against the Alien Race on the battlefield.
This style, politely called "Mecha Martial Arts," was a combination of technology and the Dao of Martial Arts.
To put it less politely, it was the "Turtle Style."
They relied on the extra propulsion and defensive power provided by powered armor to barely survive on the brutal battlefield.
Martial Artists following the pure Martial Arts path were, after all, a minority.
Therefore, logistics personnel like Lin Ye's father, Lin Tao, who graduated from the Mecha Martial Arts Academy and were specifically responsible for maintaining and repairing mechas for front-line Martial Artists, became an indispensable part of the war System.
They were also Martial Artists, but they played more of the role of engineers and technical troops.
While he was deep in thought, the front door opened.
Lin Ye's older sister, Lin Wei, returned home.
"I'm home."
"Sis."
Lin Ye called out.
"Wei Wei's back, perfect, dinner's almost ready." Li Wan also poked her head out from the kitchen.
But when Lin Wei took off her coat, revealing her arm in a short-sleeved shirt, Li Wan's expression instantly darkened.
On Lin Wei's fair right wrist, a clear bruise was particularly glaring.
"Wei Wei, your hand!" Li Wan quickly walked over, grabbed her daughter's wrist, her voice filled with suppressed anger, "Did some customer at the store misbehave again today?"
Lin Wei was a student at Dongjiang City's best liberal arts university, and to lighten her family's burden, she had been working part-time at a high-end restaurant outside of school.
The customers there were either rich or powerful, and many were strong Martial Artists.
And the beautiful Lin Wei had clearly encountered this kind of trouble more than once.
"Mom, no," Lin Wei quickly pulled her hand back, hiding it behind her back, and forced a smile onto her face. "I just accidentally fell down the stairs, it's nothing."
The more she said this, the more distressed Li Wan and Lin Ye felt.
Lin Wei didn't continue the topic. Instead, she took out a small box from her bag like a treasure and handed it to Lin Ye.
"Look, I got paid today, so I bought you a nutrient solution. Xiao Ye, I heard the admission scores are getting higher every year, so you need to supplement your nutrition more."
It was a C-grade nutrient solution, quite expensive on the market, and very helpful for boosting Qi and blood.
Lin Ye looked at the nutrient solution in his sister's hand, then at her wrist hidden behind her back, and her eyes that tried to appear relaxed. An indescribable emotion surged in his chest.
He was indeed a Transmigrator.
But he had lived in this world, in this home, for nearly eighteen years.
Eighteen years of living together, his parents' love, his sister's protection, had long made him consider this his true home.
To support him, a future "Martial Artist," the entire family was giving their all.
His father, Lin Tao, a diligent and experienced repairman, was "voluntarily" transferred to the most dangerous Seventh War Zone for a higher salary.
His sister, Lin Wei, a talented student at a medical university, should have been a proud prodigy, but had to smile at rude Martial Artist customers in a restaurant, and even after being touched inappropriately, she could only swallow her grievances.
And what about himself?
His initial goal was merely to get into a decent Martial Arts university, find a security guard job after graduation, and live a stable life.
Now, that idea seemed incredibly naive and ridiculous.
In this world, without strength, there was no stability to speak of.
Even if he wanted to live in seclusion, this family could not escape harm.
Since the System had arrived.
Since he had the possibility of becoming stronger.
Then why waste time?
He would strive!
Not to cross galaxies, not to shatter the sky with a single punch, but to seek inner peace!
Just so his father could return safely from the war zone, so his mother would no longer have to live in fear, and so when his sister walked down the street, no one would dare disrespect her again!
Lin Ye reached out, took the nutrient solution, and clutched it tightly in his hand.
He wanted to be a Martial Artist.
And, he wanted to be a Martial Artist who reached the pinnacle, one that no one could ever look down upon!
From now on, such humiliating things would no longer happen to his family!