ABFMV Chapter 40 Part 1

In the game’s storyline, Qiye was gloomy, twisted, and ruthlessly cruel—he never valued human life.

In his eyes, everyone was nothing more than a tool.

How could someone like that ever smile at a tool?

But now, actually seeing Qiye smile, Xu Linlang forgot for a split second that the man before her was the same Qiye who, in the game, had been the cold and merciless final boss who cared for nothing and no one.

Sitting at her side, he looked more like an angel reborn from fire.

That gentle smile was so radiant it dimmed even the sunlight filtering through the leaves.

It was something she wanted to hold onto.

Because Xu Linlang knew the game’s plot, she also knew just how precious this moment was.

She hooked her fingers around the ragdoll cat’s little paw, rubbing its soft pink pads as she said, “I’ll walk back to the dorm with you. I want to see how Snowball reacts to meeting a new friend.”

Qiye’s smile froze.

He and Snowball could never appear in front of Xu Linlang at the same time.

If she didn’t see Snowball, she’d definitely ask where it had gone. And then, she might realize the truth—that Snowball was him.

That was something he absolutely didn’t want her to know. If possible, he wanted to keep it a secret forever.

He shook his head. “I’ll take Mimi back first. I’ve got training later anyway. Maybe some other time.”

Xu Linlang didn’t press the matter. There was always tomorrow, and plenty of time ahead.

Besides, she still needed to head to the institute to complete the task Elder Jiang had assigned her.

After a full day of studying C- and D-grade parts yesterday, Xu Linlang had already mastered how to assemble them.

She could tell there was a huge gap in difficulty between the two—like crossing a wide chasm.

That meant B-grade parts would be even harder.

But instead of discouraging her, that only sparked her curiosity and made her even more eager to find out what lay beyond B-grade.

Once she got her hands on the parts at the workbench, she realized that assembling each piece wasn’t nearly as dull or tedious as she’d imagined.

Every step of assembly felt fresh and new to her.

As she worked, she couldn’t help thinking about the properties of each component—how it should be put together, and which section of a machine it would best fit into.

One piece, two pieces, three…

After putting together several parts, she got more and more comfortable, her speed steadily increasing.

Before long, she was skipping the trial-and-error step of swapping combinations. Instead, she was running through the possibilities in her head first and going straight to the optimal plan.

Her thoughts always outpaced her hands by several steps.

Just as she was fully immersed in the process, there was a soft knock at the door.

“Come in.”

Professor He Tan, dressed in a white lab coat, walked into the room. “Linlang, I heard you spent the whole day yesterday in the digital archives, and now you’ve been here all day without even going out for a meal. You need to take care of your health. This is the first task Elder Jiang assigned you, and yes, it’s challenging, but don’t push yourself too hard. If you really can’t manage it, I’ll explain it to Elder Jiang for you—”

His words cut off when his eyes fell on the workbench.

Spread across it was a neatly arranged line of parts—over a hundred of them.

All of them C-grade.

Yesterday, she hadn’t assembled any parts at all, since she was buried in the archives.

Which meant she had finished assembling more than a hundred C-grade parts today alone.

That efficiency was astonishing. And from a glance, he could tell there weren’t any obvious mistakes—if tested, the pass rate would probably be extremely high.

He Tan stared, first at Xu Linlang flexing her fingers, then at the workbench piled with parts.

Now he finally understood why Elder Jiang had assigned her such a difficult task right from the start.

This child’s talent and tenacity were far beyond ordinary.

It was very possible that she would become someone the entire mecha manufacturing department—and even the institute as a whole—would dedicate all its resources to cultivating.

Clearing his throat, He Tan smiled. “At the pace you’re going, finishing Elder Jiang’s assignment within a week shouldn’t be a problem. Take a break for now. Come on, I’ll take you out for a meal.”

Xu Linlang set down her work and nodded, following him out of the lab.

Once outside, He Tan noticed how reserved she seemed and said kindly, “Don’t be so nervous. Now that you’re Elder Jiang’s disciple, you can treat this institute like your second home. Don’t think of me as your superior or teacher—just as an older relative. You’ve actually adapted very well already. Back when I first joined, I was both excited and terrified. Every task Elder Jiang gave me made my head ache.”

Xu Linlang nodded in full agreement.

He Tan patted her shoulder. “But it was under that pressure that I grew from a nobody’s assistant to a researcher, and eventually a professor in the manufacturing department. I’m grateful for those painful early years. My growth back then was astounding.”

Xu Linlang knew he was trying to reassure her, to ease the pressure weighing on her.

Her heart warmed. “It wasn’t just those experiences that made you who you are, Teacher—it was also your persistence. I’m really grateful for all the guidance you’ve given me. You’ve helped me avoid so many wrong turns.”

She meant it from the bottom of her heart.

In the real world, most people kept their distance from problems that didn’t concern them.

To meet someone willing to help you unconditionally was an incredible stroke of luck.

He Tan glanced at her—she was smiling, and he could feel the sincerity in it.

He had assumed Xu Linlang would be arrogant and defiant, unwilling to listen to anyone.

But since arriving at the institute, she had shown nothing but respect and determination.

Not a trace of the spoiled heiress who, according to rumors, was nothing but useless tantrums.