When Zhou Luo returned home, he saw Zhou Hong and Wang Qiong standing on the balcony, watching.
"Xiao Luo, you're finally back! Do you have any idea how worried we've been these past two weeks?"
First, Zhou Luo had left a message and gone straight to the wilderness, staying there for half a month. Then, today, a Level 2 Beast Tide had occurred. How could they not be worried?
"Mom, you should be more worried about those Exotic Beasts than me. The moment I, Zhou Luo, step into the wilderness, every Exotic Beast within a twenty-mile radius immediately migrates!" Zhou Luo said seriously.
"Pfft—"
"What kind of combat power could a kid like you, who just awakened, possibly have? Be honest—did the Mecha you bought get torn apart by Exotic Beasts? And here you are, still bragging to us?"
Hearing Zhou Luo's words, Zhou Hong couldn't help but laugh.
"What bought Mecha?"
"Still playing dumb? When you left, we saw you driving off in a Mecha. Now you're back alone, and your Mecha sports car is nowhere to be seen. Don't tell me it wasn't shredded by Exotic Beasts?"
"Old man, are you talking about him?"
Zhou Luo casually pointed out the window. The two turned to look.
A massive mechanical head appeared outside the floor-to-ceiling window, its deep blue eyes exuding human-like emotions.
"Hello there. I am Fire Thunder, the City Garrison General of the City of Time."
Fire Thunder's metallic voice resonated in their minds.
"This... this is a Mecha?!"
"A talking Mecha? City of Time? Fire Thunder?!"
The two were startled by Fire Thunder. They hadn't even noticed when Fire Thunder had appeared in the yard, and now it was speaking to them.
Faced with Fire Thunder, both of them were a little flustered.
After all, neither had ever heard of a Mecha that could speak on its own.
"Xiao Luo, is this your Destined Mecha?" Wang Qiong looked at the majestic Fire Thunder in awe before turning her gentle gaze to Zhou Luo.
Zhou Luo didn't deny it and simply nodded in confirmation.
"Kid, didn't you say you didn't have a Destined Mecha? What's going on here?" Zhou Hong was so excited his hands trembled.
"I only said it seemed like I didn't have one. And I never said I only had one Mecha, okay?" Zhou Luo sighed helplessly.
"What do you mean?!" The two had giant question marks floating above their heads, thoroughly confused by Zhou Luo's words.
"Hehe, hello there! I am Swift Blade, the City Garrison General of Moon God Temple!"
Suddenly, another blue-and-white mechanical head appeared outside the window. Swift Blade chuckled awkwardly and scratched his metal head.
"Two Mechas?!"
"Xiao Luo, you have Innate Dual Mecha?! My poor heart can't take this—let me calm down for a second."
Zhou Hong plopped onto the sofa, pulled out a cigarette from his pocket, and lit it with trembling hands.
He kept muttering under his breath, "Innate Dual Mecha..."
Innate Dual Mecha referred to those who awakened with two Destined Mechas from the start. Such individuals couldn't simply be called geniuses—they were outright freaks of nature.
Not only did they level up at an astonishing speed, but their combat prowess was also exceptionally formidable.
As long as nothing went wrong, they would grow into pillars of the nation.
Who would have thought that Zhou Luo was also one of them?
This was beyond incredible.
"I must share this news with your sister—she'll be overjoyed! Our Zhou family is about to rise to greatness!"
"Tomorrow, you'll have your pick of any mecha university or martial arts academy!"
"Darling, don't be foolish. If word gets out that Xiao Luo possesses the Innate Dual Mecha, he'll be targeted by those with ill intentions."
"Right, right. We must wait until Xiao Luo grows stronger or enters a top-tier mecha university before revealing it."
For now, the couple decided not to tell Zhou Yun.
Zhou Luo sighed helplessly at his parents' excitement. Well, let them indulge in their fantasies.
His priority now was boosting the strength of Fire Thunder and Swift Blade. Tomorrow was the national mecha college entrance exam, and super-powered guardians would oversee the base city.
The Beast Tide posed no real threat, and the Dark Hall wouldn't dare cause trouble.
Just as Zhou Luo had predicted, barely ten minutes after he left, a supreme powerhouse descended upon Canglan Base City.
With a single hand, the expert suppressed an eighth-tier monster, while Commander Duan Jianguo led the charge to eliminate the remaining seventh-tier beasts.
Without their high-tier leaders, the Beast Tide quickly collapsed. Within an hour, the alarms in Canglan Base City were silenced, and peace was restored.
Meanwhile, Zhou Luo had already brought Fire Thunder and Swift Blade into the Battle King's Hall.
"Fire Thunder, Swift Blade—these are Thunder Crystals. Absorbing them gives you a slim chance of awakening the power of thunder. If you succeed, your strength will double!"
With a flick of his wrist, Zhou Luo summoned ten Thunder Crystals, suspended midair, pulsing rhythmically.
The deep-blue crystals crackled with arcs of lightning, their interiors brimming with astonishing energy.
Fire Thunder already possessed a trace of thunder energy—enough to absorb electrical currents but not true lightning, nor could he convert it into usable power.
Swift Blade, on the other hand, wielded a sliver of electric energy, though it barely enhanced his combat capabilities.
Zhou Luo believed both had a high chance of awakening true thunder power.
The moment the Thunder Crystals appeared, Fire Thunder and Swift Blade were immediately drawn to them.
Each crystal was about the size of a goose egg—fairly large to Zhou Luo, but no bigger than a pebble to the two mechas.
"Hard to believe such a small crystal holds such immense energy," Swift Blade remarked in awe as he lifted one.
"Indeed," Fire Thunder agreed.
"Absorb them quickly. No one will disturb you here in the Battle King's Hall."
The two mechas exchanged a glance before each inserted five crystals directly into their chests—as simple and brutal as absorbing Combat Energy.
Instantly, arcs of lightning erupted, forcing both to shudder violently. Thunder energy was as wild and untamable as expected.
After a few violent surges, the crackling light subsided into a steady hum.
Zhou Luo analyzed their current states:
[Mecha: Fire Thunder!]
[Level: 18!]
[Ultimate Moves: Thunder Crescent Slash, Blazing Sun Slash!]
[Status: Absorbing thunder energy—elemental attributes evolving!]
Swift Blade's readings were similar.
Zhou Luo's eyes gleamed with excitement. Initially, it had only been a theory, but now, with just five Thunder Crystals each, they had truly awakened their latent thunder energy.
Other elite disciples from powerful families spent hundreds of billions—or even more—just to grant their mechas a fraction of this power.
Zhou Luo succeeded with just ten billion.
Before long, both of them released their Combat Energy, which Zhou Luo could sense clearly. Fire Thunder's fire-attribute energy was mixed with lightning, while Swift Blade's water-attribute energy also carried a violent thunderous force.
"My strength has improved again!" Swift Blade clenched his fist, and a bolt of lightning instantly surfaced along his arm. The arc was as thick as a child's wrist, resembling a serpent of thunder.
(End of Chapter)