78: Me, to protect the blue planet?

He Ming shook his head slightly, a faint smile on his face.

The vehicle sped along, passing through several checkpoints, finally stopping at the entrance of the fifty-meter-tall massive factory building in the core area of the Star Sea industrial park.

The large doors slowly opened, revealing darkness inside, allowing only a rough view.

As the three entered the factory, Zhang Zhifei frowned deeply and scratched his head, feeling strongly that he had seen the scene before.

Bai Xiaofei's ears quickly turned red, and he immediately realized that the scene before him was none other than the suddenly appearing hidden hangar in the personal hangar of [star sea knight: enlightenment].

"Isn't this my personal hangar!"

Zhang Zhifei remembered; every detail of the factory building was almost identical to the hidden hangar in the game.

As he said this, Zhang Zhifei felt something was off. How could a personal hangar from a game appear in reality?

Looking deeper, the factory area was divided into five zones, and in each zone stood a blurry silhouette that looked like a mech.

The unit furthest inside was particularly conspicuous; although only assembled up to the waist, it was already close to touching the ceiling.

If estimated by height ratio, this mech was definitely a behemoth exceeding a hundred meters.

Zhang Zhifei's life index had already surpassed 5,000 points, enhancing his senses, allowing him to see clearly even in the dark. He instantly spotted the mech of his dreams, the [seraph].

Its dark coating, eight-winged thrusters, heavy armor, and captivating appearance were mesmerizing.

"seraph!"

At that moment, the lights in the factory area were gradually turned on.

Zhang Zhifei's pupils contracted into thin slits in that instant, his hairs stood on end, and he broke out in goosebumps.

His hands trembled uncontrollably, and his mind descended into chaos.

How could this be?

Isn't this my dream?

Why did it suddenly come true!

I'm not dreaming, am I?

Zhang Zhifei pinched his face; it hurt a little.

This is not a dream!

Beside him.

Bai Xiaofei's gaze instantly locked onto the first zone on the left, which housed the all-rounder mech he had always desired, the [Azure Dragon].

Deep cyan coating, tough lines, sharp edges.

It had a pair of cicada-wing-thin thrusters on its back, and two dragon heads on the shoulder armor, concealing ferocious muzzles within.

The plate-like light armor resembled dragon scales, and the two lightning-shaped signal receivers on its head looked like dragon horns, exuding an overwhelming dominance.

Compared to Zhang Zhifei, who was standing frozen, contemplating life, Bai Xiaofei, although equally excited internally, had an exceptionally clear thought process.

He quickly figured everything out.

Star Sea had already overcome the limitations of infinite energy and top-tier materials; theoretically speaking, they could absolutely build mechs.

As for why Star Sea would build killing machines that were completely unnecessary in this era, Bai Xiaofei didn't dwell on it.

He was just a streamer; let others worry about these matters.

He Ming's gaze turned toward the unfinished mech deepest inside the factory area; this was the vehicle he would pilot in the future.

[Kunpeng]

Even with only the lower half assembled, this massive object was already significantly taller than the other mechs in the factory.

The completed form of the Kunpeng was far more extensive than this.

Externally, there would be another layer of auxiliary armor.

To fully complete the assembly of this mech, one crucial element was still missing: the various rare elements found in lunar soil, which were the core raw materials for synthesizing the high-end material [Carbon Nanotube T-7].

At this moment, Baize's virtual projection appeared on the console in the center of the factory area.

She had antlers on her head, a graceful figure, and was floating in mid-air, adopting a sideways reclining posture.

"Please choose your prize."

Baize's voice pulled Zhang Zhifei and Bai Xiaofei's thoughts back to the present.

Zhang Zhifei pointed to himself, frowned, and asked tentatively.

"For me?"

"Yes, you have completed all the adaptability tests. This is your reward: a limited edition mech."

Zhang Zhifei swallowed, finally accepting reality.

"You, are you planning to have me pilot a mech to fight the Hai Star fleet?"

He Ming looked sideways at Zhang Zhifei.

This mild chuunibyou patient, whose eyes only held mechs, wasn't completely slow-witted.

The projection devices in the factory area crisscrossed with light, forming a virtual projection in mid-air: a scene of the Hai Star fleet sailing towards the location of the Blue Star at an alarming speed.

"We don't have much time left. The mission to defend the Blue Star is now entrusted to you."

Bai Xiaofei's perennial poker face began to twitch uncontrollably, looking exceptionally fierce.

Defend the Blue Star.

That phrase was still very distant to him just moments ago.

I'm just a game streamer. You want me to protect the Blue Star?

Beside Bai Xiaofei.

Zhang Zhifei wondered if he had misheard!

Defend the Blue Star?

Me?

He raised his hand and pointed to his nose.

"Is it me?"

Baize replied with a smiling face.

"Yes. Whether Blue Star civilization can continue under the bombardment of the Hai Star fleet depends entirely on you."

Zhang Zhifei wiped the cold sweat from his forehead.

Ever since he was young, he had always had that dream—piloting a mech to fight off alien invaders.

But that was just a dream!

He never thought that his dream would truly enter reality one day.

The feeling was like a newly enlisted recruit who couldn't even hold a knife steady, only to have a general point at his nose and say, "Go, slaughter that fellow named Lü Fengxian for me."

It was too ridiculous.

After receiving confirmation, Bai Xiaofei instinctively wanted to back away, just like countless times in the past.

He was just a slacker who wanted to live a comfortable, laid-back life... But two figures suddenly appeared in his mind: his parents.

As well as the scenes where relatives and neighbors would criticize him in front of his parents.

"Xiaofei just stays cooped up in his room playing games all day long. He doesn't even get any sunlight. If this continues, he'll be useless."

"Old Bai, you can't just let the child do as he pleases. You need to make him go out more, see the world, and find a proper job. That's the way forward."

... Bai Xiaofei had heard these kinds of words so often his ears were practically calloused.

But every time, his parents would fiercely defend his dignity.

"My son can earn money and support himself; he's no worse than anyone else!"

"As long as Xiaofei is happy, that's what matters. As parents, we should support our child."

"My son is a big streamer! If you don't understand, don't talk nonsense!"

... Bai Xiaofei's eyes turned red. He recalled the happiest moment of his life.

That was when he had just signed an S-rank contract with Feiyu Platform and received a one million signing bonus in his bank account.

He excitedly told his parents the news, and the sight of them embracing and crying tears of joy was deeply imprinted in the depths of his heart.

The first thing his father did was post two screenshots in the family chat group: Bai Xiaofei's contract salary page and his bank account balance.

That night, he saw the genuine smiles of his parents, who were proud of him.

Only then did he realize that his parents' previous behavior was solely to protect him.

Since then, the voices of doubt disappeared, replaced by envy and flattery.

For his parents to be able to stand tall in front of relatives and neighbors, and to retire early and enjoy their later years—this was Bai Xiaofei's wish.

After realizing all this, Bai Xiaofei's eyes refocused.

If the Hai Star fleet attacked, all of this would turn into smoke.

Protect the Blue Star?

No, I'm not that great.

I just want to protect my parents.

Afraid of trouble?

When trouble threatened Bai Xiaofei's parents, that trouble became a threat that absolutely had to be eliminated.

"I choose the [Azure Dragon]."

He Ming raised his eyebrows slightly.

He had expected Zhang Zhifei to make up his mind first, but he hadn't anticipated it would be Bai Xiaofei.