Chapter 187: Martyr's Orphan

Only this sword! The giant insect's body, nearly seven meters long, was instantly split open, without even a cry, and emerald-green insect fluid scattered across the ground.

The surrounding air was eerily silent; everyone, including Yun Sheng himself, stared blankly at what lay before them.

"This... this..."

The teacher opened his mouth, looked at the insects he had painstakingly caught, then at Chi Hong, and for a long time couldn't utter a word.

And Yun Sheng, inside Chi Hong, was dazed; the series of actions he had just made Chi Hong perform were purely subconscious, and having never undergone mecha training, how could he possibly execute such a high‑difficulty maneuver?

But now Yun Sheng felt like a battle‑hardened warrior; his movements to cleave the giant insect were smooth and fluid, without the slightest hesitation.

"This... this is the value of a forty‑year veteran's mecha?"

"How is that possible? This kid's skill in piloting the mecha soldier is probably already at master level!"

The evaluation was forced to stop; the surroundings buzzed with discussion—there were doubts, as well as envy and admiration, and of course, many hostile glances.

"Classmate, where did you get this mecha soldier?"

The teacher pondered for a long time, finally concluded the problem lay with the mecha, and then asked Yun Sheng.

"My father left it to me."

Yun Sheng certainly wasn't foolish enough to blurt out the truth; after years of roughing it in society, he had long seen through human wickedness and knew exactly what should and shouldn't be said.

"Your father? May I ask who your father is...."

Yun Sheng's lips curled into a smile; he was indeed a grassroots orphan, but he didn't just pop out of a stone crack.

"My father is Yun Zhenyang; I don't recall his serial number, but I know his codename is Qi Bing."

The teacher froze for a moment; the surroundings erupted, and some well‑informed people had already begun to mourn in advance for the school's principal.

"Yun Zhenyang.... is that the Yun Zhenyang I understand?"

The teacher broke into a sweat, knowing this child came from grassroots origins but was extraordinarily diligent; he had thought the other party was an orphan who lost parents to the Insect Disaster, but who knows....

"Who would have thought you're the offspring of a martyr!"

The teacher could foresee that in the near future this matter would surely cause an uproar.

"Just as this teacher predicted, the news that Yun Sheng is a martyr's offspring spread wildly, and Yun Sheng is no ordinary martyr's offspring—his father Yun Zhenyang's name was known to everyone at the time, his merits countless, and he died in service at only thirty‑three years old."

"Later, more and more of Yun Sheng's experiences were dug up: scavenging for scrap in the radiation‑filled Scrap Mountain to make a living, working three part‑time jobs while in school, being bullied by rich kids, and the fact that his parents, grandparents, and even great‑grandparents were all martyrs—all of it came to light."

"No one expected that even such a decorated martyr would have his offspring living in such misery; this instantly caused an uproar, with media rushing to report, and for a time the whole affair was in an uproar."

"And Yun Sheng never imagined his deceased father had such glorious deeds; his thinking was simple—he just wanted to keep you safe."

"Yun Sheng knows your uniqueness will sooner or later attract attention; as a fatherless orphan, how could he possibly contend with those powerful rich heirs? If he didn't do this, after class it wouldn't be impossible for Chi Hong to be seized outright."

"As for the impact of this matter, need I say more? It's huge beyond measure!"

"Imagine a soldier who died for his country seeing this—what would he think?"

"If, after their sacrifice, their families lived like this, what would they think?"

"This is more than enough to crush military morale!"

"And this month, certainly many will break into a sweat...."

"Mechanical Age Year 76: A full year has passed since this uproar; you've heard Yun Sheng say that quite a few people were dismissed because of him, many others were implicated, those rich heirs no longer dare to show off in front of him, and even the school's care for him has increased greatly."

"But all of this means nothing to you; in your logical cognition, there is something far more important than all this chaos!"

"Yun Sheng.... he's in an early romance!"

"Yun Sheng, according to my database analysis, your current behavior counts as an early romance."

"I suggest you focus on your studies for now."

Chi Hong's voice emitted no emotion, a perfectly standard mechanical tone, yet the meaning it conveyed was full of care.

Beneath Chi Hong's massive frame, a boy and a girl were happily munching on snacks, treating Chi Hong as no outsider.

Yun Sheng panted, looking at Chi Hong with teasing amusement.

"This is already the third time this month you've said this, Chi Hong."

"You're not.... jealous, are you?"

The girl opposite Yun Sheng playfully smacked his torso, her face flushed.

"Reply: In my Logic Core, there is no such thing as jealousy."

Chi Hong responded, while Yun Sheng gave a helpless laugh.

"Rest assured, I know my limits; neither of us will jeopardize our futures."

Chi Hong glanced at the shy, pretty girl, its mechanical eyes flickering a few times.

That girl's background is quite ordinary, and she's very pretty; Chi Hong doesn't know when the two got together, but looking now, they must have gone through quite a bit together.

Otherwise, given Yun Sheng's extremely straight‑man and crafty personality, how could he just casually get into a relationship with someone?

Forget it; as long as he knows his limits, that's enough.

Chi Hong thought that, then ended its advice to Yun Sheng.

"Mechanical Age Year 78: Yun Sheng officially graduated from the Mecha Soldier Academy, first in his school, as a martyr's orphan, and at the same time was hailed as a genius the school hadn't seen in thousands of years."

"After a long period of mental linkage with you, Yun Sheng's combat performance is no longer simply a perfect score; the perfect score is the ceiling, but it's not Yun Sheng's ceiling."

"But only you know how much effort Yun Sheng has put in behind the scenes; he's never been any kind of genius....."

"After graduation, Yun Sheng is eighteen; instead of continuing his studies, he chose to enlist, wanting to become an Iron Guard—the battlefield commander capable of becoming an Intelligent Machinery Master's Iron Guard!"

"An Intelligent Machinery Master differs from a driver; their greatest difference from ordinary drivers is that immensely powerful combat ability!"

"That is an existence capable of reversing the entire battle situation, an existence that can reach the pinnacle and transcend mediocrity!"

"Not every Iron Guard is an Intelligent Machinery Master, but every Intelligent Machinery Master is certainly an Iron Guard!"

"For this goal, he will advance without hesitation! He will bring Chi Hong to experience a broader world!"