9: choose

A moment later.

With a gentle breeze brushing past, an heroic and graceful figure reappeared in the reception hall.

"How was it?"

"Dark Lord" glanced at his daughter.

"Better than I imagined."

Although An Yu's expression remained unchanged, the scrutiny in her eyes when she looked at Zhang Huaiyuan had diminished significantly.

Being the Commander of one of the legions of "Dark Annihilation" at such a young age, while partly due to her father, was also a testament to her undeniable ability.

The importance of military equipment to a warrior goes without saying.

Especially in interstellar combat, where various operational environments are complex, requiring timely adjustments to the adaptability of various weapons, combat suits, and even mechs and starships.

The importance of a Star Mechanic is self-evident.

But likewise, if a Star Mechanic's skill level is insufficient, omissions in equipment modification can easily lead to the loss of combat personnel.

Therefore, for An Yu, even if the legion she commanded was in urgent need of a Star Mechanic, if the person's ability was too poor, she would rather pay a high price to seek official maintenance than settle for less.

This was being responsible for herself and her subordinates.

"The standard modification plan for the XQ-12 combat rifle basically tops out at 1.25 crystals while balancing endurance and stability. The modified power of this rifle reached 1.32 crystals, and both endurance and stability are slightly improved compared to standard modifications; the handling is excellent. Just speaking of this rifle, even Master Yak personally doing it would only be about this level."

An Yu calmly recounted her experience, then turned her head to look at Zhang Huaiyuan:

"Your potential is higher than I imagined, but the Dark Destruction Legion legion I command undertakes over 70% of dangerous mission duties and needs Star Mechanics who can adapt to conditions to modify combat suits, mechs, and other advanced equipment. If you want to join Dark Destruction Legion, I will give you at most two months to adapt. If you fail to meet the requirements by then and delay the plan, it will be handled according to the regulations of Dark Annihilation."

"At the same time, I must tell you in advance that during a dangerous mission, you may face changes in different environments at any time, so you, as a Star Mechanic, must accompany us. We will try our best to take protective measures, but the danger is equally significant."

After saying this, An Yu did not speak again, just quietly watching him.

The "Dark Lord" on the side also looked over with interest, wanting to see what choice this newcomer would make.

"Two months is enough."

Zhang Huaiyuan raised his head, meeting her gaze without flinching, and said: "However, I hope the Eldest Miss can provide me with enough combat equipment."

After awakening his ability, his brain's thinking had been greatly enhanced, and in an instant, he had already judged the pros and cons.

Joining Dark Destruction Legion, as long as he was given enough equipment to modify, he was confident he could reach at least the level of a senior Star Mechanic within two months, and his ability could also be improved to close to D-rank.

If he remained in the camp as an apprentice, not to mention the significantly slower growth rate, if that so-called Master Yak had a small capacity and feared his growth speed, secretly suppressing him would also be a troublesome matter.

"Are you sure?"

Hearing the unhesitating answer, An Yu's beautiful eyes flashed slightly, feeling somewhat surprised.

She couldn't help but look at him again, only to see his eyes were clear and confident, and she thought of the information about him she had reviewed earlier.

Relying on half-baked modification skills, he could not only live well on his own but also earn money from those third-rate mercenary squads that were not easy to deal with; he was clearly not an ignorant person.

And after joining Dark Annihilation, he had spent almost all ten days soaking in the information center learning knowledge, which indeed matched the qualities she believed a qualified Star Mechanic needed to possess.

Thinking of this, she nodded slowly, waved her hand, and suddenly, a badge engraved with a black broken blade floated in front of Zhang Huaiyuan with the help of Wind Spirit Power.

"Since that's the case, from now on, you are a temporary member of 'Dark Destruction Legion,' one of the most elite units of Dark Annihilation. You can call me Commander from now on."

"Understood, Commander."

Zhang Huaiyuan took the badge and pinned it to his chest, quickly adapting to his role.

"Mm, Father, I'm taking him with me. The legion still has missions, so I'll be going first."

This Eldest Miss of Dark Annihilation was clearly a decisive person; after finishing the matter, she immediately planned to leave.

"Be careful when executing missions. Your younger brother has awakened a superior Transcendent ability; in a few years, he will be able to share quite a bit of the burden for you."

"Dark Lord" clearly understood his daughter's personality and did not try to keep her, only giving two words of caution.

"Got it. Is there anything that needs to be packed?"

The latter half of the sentence was clearly spoken to Zhang Huaiyuan.

"No, it's all on me, Commander."

An Yu nodded, pointed her finger, and a wave of Wind Spirit Power wrapped around the side.

Zhang Huaiyuan only felt his body lighten, and a gentle breeze wrapped around him, lifting him up as he floated.

Clearly, the B-rank "Wind Spirit" ability could already briefly allow others to possess the ability to fly as well.

However... flying any higher would hit the ceiling.

Bang!

Just as Zhang Huaiyuan was wondering if there was any mechanism to open it, a low-power electromagnetic cannon fired from behind, instantly punching a large hole through the ceiling.

"In a rush. Old rules: find someone to fix it."

An Yu dropped a sentence indifferently, then controlled the Wind Spirit Power to accelerate sharply, flying toward the dark red horizon.

Truly simple and crude.

Zhang Huaiyuan silently sighed in his heart and asked:

"Commander, are we flying there?"

"Don't ask what you shouldn't."

An Yu glanced at him expressionlessly, maintaining the power to keep both of them suspended in the air.

For a moment, the surrounding air seemed to have cooled by three degrees.

Zhang Huaiyuan was slightly stunned, only then realizing he seemed to have asked a stupid question.

The base of "Dark Destruction Legion" was at least over 3 million kilometers away, and she was only a B-rank Transcendent. Flying was just an effect attached to "Wind Spirit," and without relying on equipment to carry someone that far, she would likely exhaust herself to death.

Presumably, there would be a starship coming to meet them.

Sure enough, a moment later, a loud roar approached from afar, and a silver-white stream of light cut through the firmament.

It was a starship, about 350 meters long in total, with irregular semicircular shapes on both the bow and stern, hovering steadily above the two of them.

"A voyager generation iii series command ship."

Zhang Huaiyuan recognized this classic starship at a glance.

Equipped with six nuclear reactors, eight railguns, and fifty-four automatic turrets, its standard maximum speed could reach half the speed of light.

Although it was a model phased out by the Empire 150 years ago, for an ordinary mercenary legion, it was already an invaluable treasure.

"This is much cooler than the supercars of my former world."

Zhang Huaiyuan watched with envy. If he could participate in modifying such a starship, he imagined the progress of his ability improvement would absolutely skyrocket.

"Board the ship."