Volume 1, Chapter 26: Zhang Wei, come back, I still have something to say to you.

Lin Qianying had originally intended to stay hidden a while longer to watch the show. However, the moment Zhang Wei announced he had obtained an Excellent-grade freeze gun, she could no longer restrain herself.

"Why did you come out so soon?" Zhang Wei asked, sounding slightly surprised. By all accounts, it wasn't time for her entrance yet; there were still lines to be delivered.

Lin Qianying stuck her tongue out sheepishly. "I couldn't help it. Integration!"

Having already revealed her face to Han Xiao, she saw no point in hiding and chose to integrate with her mecha immediately. As her elegant, silver-white mecha materialized, Lin Qianying stared at the nearly one-meter-long cluster freeze gun, growing more enamored by the second. She reached out to Zhang Wei without hesitation, her voice filled with longing. "I want it."

What man could resist when a beautiful woman told him she wanted something? Zhang Wei’s resolve was not exactly ironclad; he froze for a moment, and before he knew it, the cluster freeze gun had been handed over to her. Yet, once the weapon was in her hands, he couldn't help but lean in and whisper in her ear, "Are you not going to pay for it?"

Lin Qianying’s eyes sparkled with mischief. She curved her lips into a bright, beaming smile. "What are you talking about? I’m your girlfriend, after all!"

With that, she cheerily equipped the cluster freeze gun and linked her arm through Zhang Wei’s. The two moved in perfect harmony. Despite the discrepancy in their mecha sizes, the sight was seamless and natural, as if they were always meant to be this way.

Watching this, Zhang Tao felt a pang of resentment. He felt he had ended up with the short end of the stick, despite being the one who had put the most effort into the performance.

Zhang Wei was taken aback by the sudden embrace. They hadn't discussed any physical contact, had they? Although they were in their mecha forms, their nervous systems were fully integrated with the machines, making their sense of touch quite acute. The mecha armor felt a bit rigid and abrasive—though if they were in their human forms, perhaps... Zhang Wei shook his head, telling himself not to get carried away. After all, this was just Lin Qianying playing along with his act.

"You... you people..." Han Xiao finally snapped out of her trance. She raised a trembling hand, her fingertips hovering in the air as she pointed from Zhang Wei to the others. She was so infuriated that she could barely speak.

Once she managed to compose herself, she spoke again. "Zhang Tao, you’re the young master of Chuan City Mining. Why would you acknowledge a loser like Zhang Wei as your boss? Your mecha is clearly far superior to his."

Han Xiao now understood that the three were playing her, so she stopped feigning weakness. Continuing to do so would only make her look more pathetic and ridiculous. Still, she needed to know why.

"Who told you your mecha is stronger than my boss's?" Zhang Tao retorted. Just because mine is taller and bigger? That only means you haven't seen what my boss is truly capable of.

"But..." Han Xiao’s mind stalled. Wasn't it true that the larger the mecha, the greater the power? Her past experience told her that bigger and thicker always meant more durable and powerful. "Compact and deadly" sounded nice, but it felt far inferior.

"Zhang Wei, what is the meaning of this?" Han Xu took over from his sister, his brow furrowed as he stared fixedly at Zhang Wei.

"What is the meaning of this? Do you really want me to spell it out? Hand over your mecha core." Zhang Wei’s tone was icy; he had no interest in further conversation.

Like a cat whose tail had been stepped on, Han Xu scrambled back two steps. "Why do you want my mecha core?" The mecha was their only guarantee of survival in this apocalypse. He couldn't imagine what life would be like without it. Would he have to spend his days playing house with Han Xiao? Children couldn't turn into mechas, and besides, he was already bored of her.

Zhang Wei didn't explain. He simply glanced at Zhang Tao. Seeing the look, Zhang Tao immediately understood and stepped toward Han Xu, brandishing his war scythe. The shadow of his seventeen-meter-tall mecha loomed over Han Xu, the sheer pressure nearly suffocating him.

"Fine. I'll hand it over." Better to live and suffer later than to die right now. Han Xu knew how to read the room.

Zhang Wei felt cold inside. He believed he had been merciful enough. In his previous life, Han Xiao had taken his mecha core, and Han Xu had driven a knife into his gut. Taking Han Xu's core without drawing steel on them was, in his view, the height of benevolence.

Han Xu promptly surrendered the core. Upon receiving it, Zhang Tao immediately identified the quality of the tech. He looked at Zhang Wei in bewilderment. "Boss, why do we even want this piece of junk?"

"Throw it on the ground and crush it," Zhang Wei replied casually.

To his surprise, Zhang Tao took him seriously. He dropped the core and crushed it underfoot without hesitation. To Zhang Tao, it was indeed junk; his family owned plenty of ten-meter mid-sized mechas, and while Zhang Wei had destroyed many of their fifteen-meter heavy mechas, they still had a stockpile.

"You..." Han Xu felt as if his heart were bleeding. The mecha he had treasured above all else had been destroyed just like that.

"The two of you, take care of yourselves. What happened between us is settled." Zhang Wei let out a sigh of relief. He had long decided not to kill them. Rather than letting them die peacefully, it was better to let them experience the cruelty of this apocalypse. It was only the second day; there were many "fun" things they had yet to endure. If he didn't let them fully experience this world, how could he settle the score for the pain they had caused him in his past life?

"Boss, is that it? Why not just kill them?" Zhang Tao was serious about cutting the weeds and digging up the roots.

"You don't know a damn thing. Let's go." Zhang Wei snapped, turning away.

Lin Qianying hadn't let go of his arm. As Zhang Wei led her to turn, the freeze gun in her hand seemed to come to life. A deep blue light silently gathered at the muzzle. After about two seconds of growing brightness, a massive freezing shell roared out. It was more than three times the size of a standard one.

It struck the ground floor of Han Xu’s building, shattering the second story. The walls that hadn't collapsed were instantly encased in ice, causing the temperature to drop by several degrees. Yet, the chill in the air was nothing compared to the cold in Han Xiao and Han Xu’s hearts.

The building had been cracked by Zhang Wei upstairs and frozen downstairs; it was now teetering, on the verge of total collapse.

"Hurting my man—this is your punishment," Lin Qianying’s cold voice reached them.

Zhang Wei was baffled. He hadn't offered her a bonus, so why was she adding her own dramatic flair?

Just then, Han Xiao shrieked, "Zhang Wei, come back! I have more to say to you!"