Legends of Mechs: Across the Stars

Wen He awoke in a pitch-black, confined space. Straining her eyes in an attempt to discern her surroundings, she realized her head was immobilized, adorned with some strange contraption. Everything exceeded Wen He's comprehension. She clearly remembered being chased by the town bully's dogs, sprinting through three streets and tumbling into the moat. How did she end up in this bizarre situation?

Before she could fathom an answer, a tingling sensation enveloped her scalp, and abruptly, the darkness receded, revealing a world of clarity.

"Wen Xiao Dai, do you really have to be this inept? With an S-grade mental power, you can't even command a mech in battle? The old man pulled strings to pair me with you – an S-grade physical prowess super-soldier, the rising star of the Great Alliance Military Academy. And now, my fate is entwined with a simpleton like you?"

The voice was loud and clear, tinged with a frustration akin to iron not turning into steel.

The environment before her eyes was unfamiliar, nothing like her usual setting. The young man, who was berating her so familiarly, was definitely not one of the clients she had duped during her fortune-telling days. This youth, with his noble visage and radiant aura, was destined for greatness, a born leader of men.

"Wen Xiao Dai, are you scared witless? Don't drag me down with you," the young man remarked, his breath short with annoyance. "How did I, a genius, end up with a foolish sister like you?"

Wen He, berated to this extent, would have been oblivious not to sense something amiss. She was a cultivator from the Kunlun Sect, a disciple of the revered Ziji Zhenren, on the verge of breaking through to the Lingxu realm. Closing her eyes, she let her consciousness wander through her body, noting her cultivation was intact but her physical strength diminished.

A thunderous roar filled Wen He's mind as memories foreign to her began to emerge.

The year 4015... Planet Eirens... The Wen family... She finally realized who the young man was, only to discover the tragic truth of her own demise in the moat, followed by her soul's transmigration three thousand years into the future.

The original owner of this body, also named Wen He, came from a prestigious background, the granddaughter of Wen Heping, one of the top ten generals of the Great Alliance. The young man, Wen Tan, was her twin brother. The Wen siblings were the talk of the Great Alliance – the brother, an S-grade physically gifted warrior, and the sister, an S-grade mental powerhouse, albeit one who couldn't utilize her immense potential.

In the Great Alliance's military, a standard mech unit required a mech warrior and a mech commander. Only through their perfect synergy could they control the mech as if it were their own limbs. Despite Wen He's timidity and Wen Tan's impetuousness, their twin bond ensured an inherent understanding. Wen Heping personally requested the Military Academy's dean to pair his grandchildren together – Wen Tan from the Warrior Department and Wen He from the Commander Department.

The first task for freshmen at the Military Academy was to choose a partner. Once decided, their training and life would be intertwined. Mech warriors focused on precise control, while commanders studied star warfare strategies and tactics.

Stars, mechs, the Great Alliance.

These concepts were foreign to Wen He. She struggled to assimilate the information lingering in her consciousness, barely grasping her current predicament. She then turned to look at the young man beside her.

"Wen Tan."

"What is it?" Wen Tan, engrossed in the mech's display readings and data, responded irritably. He always knew Wen He was unreliable, but she was still his twin sister. Wen Tan was fiercely protective of her – he could criticize her, but if others showed contempt or disdain, he'd be instantly enraged.

Wen He turned to look at Wen Tan, her peach-blossom eyes wide with earnestness. "What's happening? Where are we?"

Moved by her sudden interest, Wen Tan's heart lightened. It was just a freshman test, after all. Could it be more important than his sister? Distracting a fraction of his attention, he began explaining the data displayed on the monitor to Wen He.

Wen Tan's explanation was a jumble, and Wen He, a relic from three thousand years past, struggled to comprehend. She had inherited some memories from the body's original owner, but adapting would take time, especially to something as advanced as a mech. One detail stood out to her:

The regional map – green dots signified their location, blue dots allies, and red dots enemies.

Perhaps due to his distraction, they were soon pursued. Unable to provide combat instructions, Wen Tan could only defend and seek an escape route. The rules of the simulated star war were simple: survival. The last one standing was the victor.

At the first encounter, despair gripped Wen Tan's heart. The Chevkov Jump-Shot Cross-Cut, a maneuver of extreme difficulty, was only achievable by three people among all the new recruits that year. One was him, another was their ally Xiaoruixing, and the only enemy capable of it was...

Zhuang Peiwen.

If it were only Zhuang Peiwen, it wouldn't be too fearsome. But his partner was the commander prodigy, Yan Nie. To put it in perspective, Yan Nie and Wen He were like two poles of a planet. Both were freshmen in the Commander Department – Yan Nie, the top genius of Class A; Wen He, the last rank of Class F, the dregs of the dregs.

Wen Tan's battle prowess was comparable to Zhuang Peiwen's, but now they were in this dire situation, all thanks to his incompetent sister.

TUT, speechless at the heavens above.

Seeking alliance support was too late. Wen Tan scurried away, eyes scanning the terrain for a place to evade attacks. They were in the east-southeast, on a flat wasteland, an ideal battlefield but disadvantageous for those in retreat.

To the south was a dense forest.

Just as Wen Tan was about to move, Wen He's urgent voice reached him: "Go to the center." This was the first time Wen He had offered advice in combat, although it seemed typical of her – foolish, right?

The center of the map, packed with red dots. Did she not realize that was the enemy's gathering point? Wen Tan narrowly avoided another Wolz spin, glancing at Wen He in haste. His sister, sensing the imminent danger, frowned deeply, her left hand continuously moving, muttering to herself.

"The autumn is the season of golden harvest, dominated by Metal. The generator of Metal is Earth, and its conqueror is Fire. Fire lies to the south, Earth at the center... To the center, Wen Tan." This was the first time Wen He had spoken to Wen Tan with such seriousness. She was not speaking nonsense; Wen He had calculated using her fingers. Both twins were of the Metal element; the southeast was part wood, part fire. Fire conquers Metal, but Metal overcomes Wood. They weren't in an inescapable situation yet. Entering the direct south

 would mean no return. Wen He was a Daoist cultivator, skilled in divination and fortune-telling, though her profession before her transmigration involved deceiving many.

As General Feng Zou once said, "Only when placed in a deathtrap can one truly come back to life." Seeing Wen He take an interest in the simulated star war, as her brother, Wen Tan felt encouraged. Gritting his teeth, he steered the mech towards the center.

The mech's damage level reached 38%. The center of the large map was the enemy's rally point, devoid of any allies. The closer they got to the center, the more Wen Tan's heart pounded uncontrollably – they were marching towards their doom. Even Zhuang Peiwen had ceased pursuit, coming to challenge Wen Tan, only to find his opponent willingly walking into a trap.

Such a fool, unworthy to be named alongside him.

Wen Tan retreated to the center of the large map, where he witnessed the most astonishing scene of his sixteen years.

Mechanical dogs, spawned randomly on the map in teams of ten, belonged to no faction and possessed formidable combat strength. These creatures, not indicated on the regional map, attacked their first target with unwavering loyalty. No matter how powerful your Mech Tank (MT) is, it can't divert their aggression. As Wen Tan maneuvered his mech to retreat, the mechanical dogs had just freshly spawned, heading straight for their first target.

Ten mechanical dogs versus ten military standard mechs.

Even if the gathered enemy forces could escape, it would be a narrow victory at best.

Wen Tan's eyes widened in shock at the fierce battle not far away. His face, identical to Wen He's delicate features, was filled with disbelief, disbelief so profound it rendered him momentarily rigid. He turned stiffly to Wen He. Was this just dumb luck? He refused to believe this was truly his sister's capability.

Indeed, it was so. Even the developers of the simulated star war platform didn't know when or where the mechanical dogs would spawn. How could Wen He possibly know? TUT, the heavens were watching over them, their fate not yet sealed. Tears of gratitude almost spilled from Wen Tan's eyes. He had been maneuvering mechs on the virtual platform for five years, experiencing countless battles, some even more difficult and brutal.

But none had touched him quite like this.

Wen Tan was still dazed when Wen He reached out and pinched his tender cheek harshly. Despite being in a virtual platform, it still hurt. The pain was real and unmitigated, causing Wen Tan to cry out. "Wen Xiao Dai, you've grown bold," Wen He said, her pretty face set in a fierce expression, but she was not at all intimidated by him. Based on past experiences, Wen Tan was known to be easily irritable, especially in front of his sister Wen He, who appeared to him as a mere paper tiger.

"Don't daydream, do as I say." For once, Wen He exhibited the demeanor of a mech commander, her orders carrying an air of authority. Wen Tan found himself obeying and began operating the mech. As a legitimate Daoist cultivator from Kunlun, Wen He, despite the basic conditions, was able to set up a simple Four Symbols Protective Formation.

The Four Symbols Formation, a basic array learned by Daoist cultivators, required four disciples or spiritual beasts to form. The ancient master of Kunlun, Yuan Shang, had modified this into the Four Symbols Protective Formation. The former was used for trapping – those inside couldn't escape, while attackers could strike repeatedly from outside; the latter, in contrast, focused on protection.

The key lay in the fact that the Four Symbols Protective Formation only required a drawn array and sufficient energy infused at its center to activate.

Wen He's eyes were closed, her left hand forming an odd gesture as she issued commands in a flat tone. If Wen Tan hesitated, she would glance at him with a look that was neither harsh nor gentle. "Wen Xiao Dai, you..." Wen Tan started to speak, but Wen He opened her eyes and looked at him with those beautiful, peach-blossom eyes. The words he was about to say were swallowed back.

In the past, Wen Tan's greatest fear was seeing Wen He bullied, hiding away to cry secretly. Now, sitting beside her, Wen Tan couldn't believe this cold, occasionally awe-inspiring girl was his useless sister.

Incredible, simply unbelievable.

The two occupants of the military standard mech, a mech warrior and a commander, were required to unconditionally obey any command issued by the commander. It was this military ordinance that compelled Wen Tan to execute even the most absurd instructions from Wen He. His mind was in turmoil: "Sister, you're my own sister. We've just lucked out big time. Can you not mess things up?"

Wen He was unaware of her brother's tumultuous thoughts, and even if she knew, she would choose to ignore them.

"Hurry up," Wen He urged as the battle between the enemy forces and the mechanical dogs neared its end. She couldn't operate the mech, and the one who could didn't understand formations. Drawing the entire Four Symbols Protective Formation took three times longer than usual.

"Do you realize we don't have much time? Why aren't we running? We can practice geometry back at the computer with the light frequency," Wen Tan thought anxiously. The mechanical dogs' unexpected spawn was already a stroke of unbelievable luck; one couldn't expect fortune to strike twice in one day.

Wen He, listening to Wen Tan's complaints, smacked him hard on the head. "Don't speak such disheartening words. We'll survive until the end." The worst-ranked commander of the Commander Department on the entire Eirens planet, known to all as a wastrel of a military family, spoke with such conviction that Wen Tan, despite his inner turmoil, found unexpected reassurance. His racing heart calmed.

When all ten mechanical dogs were defeated, Wen Tan had just finished drawing the formation. Rapidly maneuvering the mech back to the center of the formation, he saw Wen He pressing the smallest red button on the control panel - Energy Release. This button, designed to prevent mech explosions when damage exceeded 90%, was now being pressed deliberately.

"Wen Xiao Dai, have you lost your mind? Do you even know what pressing this button means?"

This was... the mech severely damaged beyond repair... abandoning the fight...

Placing oneself in a deathtrap to find life.

Wen He once again orchestrated a miraculous turnaround. Climbing out of the virtual combat chamber, Wen Tan was still in a daze.

This freshmen simulated battle was broadcast live to the entire school through the academy square's light frequency. Not just Wen Tan, but all students and teachers of the Great Alliance Military Academy were stunned. From Zhuang Peiwen's standard mech chasing the Wen siblings, all broadcast images had focused on this miraculous brother-sister duo.

Inside the mech, which was not allowed to be bugged, they only saw the doomed mech perform a series of inconceivable actions, then twice miraculously escape death. If the mechanical dogs' spawn was sheer luck, what then of the subsequent chain explosions?

Wen Tan turned to look at Wen He, who sat up from the virtual combat chamber with a blank expression. Clearly his useless sister, unchanged, yet something was different.

In fact, not only Wen Tan but even Wen He, who commanded the operation, didn't quite understand. It was supposed to be a simple defensive formation – how did it become a weapon of such devastating lethality? Could it be that the Feng Shui of 3000 years later had changed, altering the nature of the Four Symbols Defensive Formation?

In the first round of the freshmen competition, the Wen siblings triumphed by annihilating ten enemy mechs, proudly topping the leaderboard.

The video of this simulated battle was rapidly uploaded to the official forum of the Great Alliance Military Academy.

On the first day of her soul's transmigration, Wen He became a sensation.

"The Masterpiece of the Gods"

"The dazzling explosion in the freshmen competition"

"The rise of an incredible new star, the Wen siblings' formidable display"

...

Following the

 first round of the freshmen competition, the official forum of the Great Alliance Military Academy was flooded with discussions about the Wen siblings' miraculous comeback, highlighted on the homepage by the moderators with the explosive video. That day, the forum experienced its first-ever login frenzy in history.

"Dear, please don't go away; the system is diligently working to log you in." Wen He stared blankly at the message on the light frequency screen, accompanied by an image of a little snail slowly crawling. Her gaze was lost, her mind in a muddle. She assured herself that even when Master Ziji Zhenren had first brought her into the Kunlun Immortal Sect, she hadn't been this bewildered. Bridging the 3000-ye