MPWATMBC Chapter 89

Once the data was published, those who still harbored doubts tucked away their hidden contempt, and their gazes toward Ryan were filled with nothing but admiration and anticipation. Their eyes burned with fervor, resembling a group of bloated old men catching sight of a veiled, enchanting lady—ravenous and impatient. It was as if they wished they could pry open Ryan’s skull, stir his thoughts, and extract every ounce of inspiration and ideas about mechas, hoping these concepts could instantly materialize.

It was unclear who started it, but scattered applause gradually grew into a thunderous ovation. Amid the clapping, people’s gazes toward Ryan underwent a complete transformation. He was so young yet stood atop the pinnacle of the technological tree. His achievements had transcended jealousy because the gap between Ryan and others was too vast—a chasm that could not be bridged by mere effort.

They could only look up to him, unable to match his strides even on horseback.

Amid the resounding applause, McAryan clapped and said to Ryan, “Congratulations!” From this day forward, the empire would have a young mecha master. If beast-type mechas were to shine in some future battle, Ryan’s name would resonate even louder. McAryan had a feeling that day wasn’t far off.

Ryan nodded and smiled, replying, “Congratulations to you as well.” With McAryan bearing the title of his mentor, the honor McAryan would receive wouldn’t be any less. After all, if a teacher could “produce” such an outstanding “student,” surely the teacher must have extraordinary abilities—this was how the world would see it.

McAryan shook his head helplessly. “All just empty titles. But truly, thank you. It’s because of you that I’ve earned this ‘empty title.’” He really had basked in Ryan’s glory! While he was deeply passionate about his research, it wasn’t true that he was completely indifferent to achievements or his family’s standing. The better he did, the better it would be for his descendants. He was old and could no longer bring them more honor or security, but now, with Ryan’s help, the prestige his reputation brought could ripple far and wide. He hoped his children and grandchildren would understand his intentions and seize this opportunity to go even further.

Looking at Ryan, whose calm demeanor carried an innate authority, McAryan’s mind turned over some thoughts. Leveraging their nominal teacher-student relationship, perhaps the two families could interact more closely. His gaze fell on the little one perched on Ryan’s arm. Despite being the center of attention among so many people, the small child sat upright, neither crying nor showing fear. His eyes were bright and resolute, just like his father’s. With such excellent resources at his disposal, as long as the child had a decent temperament and a willingness to learn, he would undoubtedly go far.

McAryan thought of his own descendants—one grandson with an X gene sequence and two great-granddaughters—who weren’t much older than Tuantuan. They could probably get along and play together.

The empire’s national treasure-level mecha master let out a quiet sigh. To think that one day, he’d entertain such ideas.

But such thoughts were common enough. There were many like him, seeking connections and relationships, starting as early as childhood. Countless intricate networks of relationships had been successfully forged through marriage.

Ryan maintained a gentle smile, casually squeezing Tuantuan’s chubby little hand. His thoughts were simple—protect his family, protect his child. That was all.

On the training field, the white winged lion-shaped beast mecha paced slowly, its head held high, its emotionless eyes sweeping around with an air of disdain. The aura of a king was unmistakably evident. The beast mecha adjusted its direction and unexpectedly began moving straight toward the control room. Under its inorganic gaze, some individuals couldn’t help but tremble, cold sweat breaking out on their backs. Suppressed screams of fear were stifled behind tightly shut lips. Though no sound escaped, their faces turned pale, and their bodies, defying reason, instinctively prepared to flee.

While the adults managed to maintain some composure, the children in the neighboring observation room reacted far more vividly. Some screamed out loud, whether out of fear or excitement, their responses unfiltered and genuine. A few children, terrified, turned and bolted toward the exit—which was still relatively mild compared to those who froze in place out of sheer fright. Among them, one or two even wet their pants in fear.

The massive beast, cold and unyielding machinery, and the emotionless eyes of the beast mech combined into an image that evoked thoughts of death—a primal fear buried deep in human instincts, a terror of wild beasts and an innate dread of the abyss.

Among those present, the calmest were Ryan and his son. Tuantuan clapped his little hands and shouted loudly and clearly, “Papa! Papa!”

The little body even leaned forward with considerable force. If Ryan hadn’t held him securely, the child would have eagerly launched himself forward. Despite reaching out for a long time, Tuantuan couldn’t control his movements and pouted, calling out in protest, “Daddy.”

Ryan pretended not to know what Tuantuan was thinking and asked knowingly, “What does Tuantuan want to do?”

“Touch… touch Big Da Fu,” Tuantuan said, clearly distinguishing between Da Fu and the mecha, adding a descriptive word on purpose. Even at such a young age, the child already demonstrated a clear ability to think and make judgments.

Ryan: “Tuantuan, you’re not scared?”

“Scared?” Tuantuan tilted his head innocently, as if asking his daddy in return, What does being scared even mean?

Ryan smiled. “Daddy will take you to touch the mecha. Papa will be here soon.”

For top-tier, skilled warriors, piloting mechs is a matter of adaptability—once you master the fundamental techniques, you can handle any mech with ease. For Auston, this was certainly the case. Although beast-type mechas differ entirely from humanoid mechas in terms of movement and operating modes, this posed no challenge for him. With practice, mastery came naturally.

He maneuvered the mecha closer to the wall. In his field of vision, the control room’s window—five to six meters above ground—was steadily approaching. Through the glass, he saw Ryan holding Tuantuan, whose little face was pressed tightly against the window, as if trying to pass through it and get into the training ground for a closer encounter with the mecha.

Several military personnel were also at the window, and their reactions weren’t much calmer than Tuantuan’s. Their eager expressions made it seem as if they too wanted to break through the glass and get closer to the mecha.

Auston chuckled softly. As the beast-type mecha neared the control room window, he lowered its head, aligning its face with the glass to let the kid have a feel through the glass.

Inside the control room, countless people gasped audibly—a sharp intake of breath that betrayed their shock. It was undeniable that the scene before them resembled a classic horror movie moment: a massive beast lowering its head, its enormous eyes peering through the window glass. At that instant, everyone could feel the sheer insignificance of humanity in the face of such a colossal presence.

This psychological disparity was exactly what Ryan had intended when designing the beast-type mecha. From the beginning, he had insisted that the mecha’s eyes must be lifelike. Now, it was clear his design choice was a resounding success. The mecha’s pupils could even adjust their shape according to changes in light—an innovative feature absent in Master McAryan’s designs, which made those mechs appear noticeably less imposing in comparison.

At one point, Ryan had even toyed with the idea of covering the mecha in a layer of artificial fur to make it look even more lifelike. However, after further thought, he dismissed the idea. It would have made the mecha appear awkward and out of place, robbing it of the metallic mystique and majesty that defined its essence. Instead, it would have degraded its impact, leaving it feeling kitschy.

“Tuantuan, stop hitting the glass,” Ryan said, as the child’s small hands created a rapid pa-pa sound against the window.

Tuantuan pointed outside with a pout, his dissatisfaction plain—he didn’t want to stay inside; he wanted to go out there!

Ryan, “Not right now.”

Tuantuan, having been refused by his daddy, felt even more aggrieved. He clutched his small hands together, looking pitifully out the window, as if he could see his papa through the mecha’s beastly face. He was ready to complain to his dad, letting out a little whimper.

Outside, the massive “beast” nodded slightly toward the control room. Tuantuan felt comforted by the gesture, and his little face, scrunched up like a steamed bun, relaxed a little. However, he was still visibly upset. He really wanted to touch Big Da Fu and then go home to tell Daifu that he’d touched one of its kind—hee hee. Lowering his head, Tuantuan sighed. For now, he couldn’t share the experience with Da Fu.

Ryan: “…” Why was it that his son, at such a young age, already had thoughts he couldn’t quite figure out?

Tuantuan looked up at his daddy, shook his little head, and sighed again. “Sigh.“

Ryan: “…”

Ryan: “No sighing. Papa and I have told you this before, haven’t we?”

Tuantuan listlessly replied, “Oh.”

Auston had no idea about the interaction between Ryan and Tuantuan. After moving away from the main control room window, he glanced toward the side observation room and discovered that it had turned into complete chaos. Many of the children couldn’t handle the stress, bursting into tears or throwing tantrums. (The parents who brought their children to the observation room had all signed agreements beforehand, as a precaution against any later complaints to the research institute. Staff had also given detailed briefings prior to the visit, but it was clear that these parents, eager for their children to succeed, had overestimated their kids’ ability to cope.)

Deciding against moving the mecha’s head closer to the observation room windows, Auston simply lifted one massive paw and playfully interacted with the few children standing by the window. The children’s eyes immediately lit up with excitement.

At the moment, a close-up interaction with the mech was impossible, but Ryan, without violating the institute’s regulations, could bring Tuantuan into the training grounds. Other children could also enter as part of a special interactive segment—a surprise highlight of the tour. This wasn’t something available at all times, and just being able to touch the latest mecha was enough to boast about for a lifetime.

For now, however, Ryan had his assistant escort the invited guests out of the facility. Whatever these visitors wanted to say could be addressed later. After sending off the group—most of whom were reluctant to leave, especially those desperate to touch the mecha—Ryan exchanged a few words with his deputy, instructing him to compile and summarize all the data into a 30,000-word report. The deputy nodded in understanding, knowing that such comprehensive summaries provided leaders with a more direct grasp of the mecha’s performance.

The deputy immediately gathered a few team members to start processing the data. Those chosen for the task were thrilled—this was a rare honor. They dived into the work with zeal, knowing full well the privilege of being able to access and analyze the full dataset. They vowed to make the most of this opportunity to learn as much as they could!

Ryan carried the sulking Tuantuan outside, the little one slumped listlessly on his shoulder. Even as new sounds and movements reached his ears, Tuantuan barely reacted. It wasn’t until Ryan said, “Tuantuan, lift your head and see what’s beside you,” that the child stirred.

Tuantuan raised his head and looked around. Instantly, his eyes went wide as saucers, and he let out an excited, “Wow! Big Da Fu!”

Ryan crouched down, placing Tuantuan gently on the ground, holding him steady before guiding his tiny hand to touch the mecha’s frame. “Tuantuan, this is a mecha.”

“Ji-ji?” 

“Mecha.”

“Jia-jia?” 

Ryan: “…” For a moment, he was convinced Tuantuan was doing this on purpose.

“It’s a mecha,” Ryan reiterated firmly. “Daddy designed and built this mecha. Papa is inside, driving it. Mecha.”

Tuantuan mimicked him with a pleased chirp, “Mecha!”

Ryan let out a long sigh of relief—it was finally correct. He had never taught other children before, and when their adopted son Antonio came into their lives, he had already been obedient and sensible. Ryan truly didn’t know how advanced Tuantuan’s learning ability was compared to others.

“How does it feel?” Ryan asked.

Tuantuan squinted his eyes into happy crescents. “Big Da Fu, cold.”

“Yes, it’s metal, so of course, it feels cold.” 

“Papa?” Tuantuan tilted his head.

“Papa will come down in a moment.”

Tuantuan: “Oh, oh!”

He slipped free of Ryan’s hand and, with his little legs, circled the white mechanical paw over and over. Occasionally, he would reach out and touch it, each time discovering something new and delightful. Finally, with a determined “hup-hup,” Tuantuan climbed onto the front paw and settled himself snugly against it. He sat there, beaming a silly grin at Ryan, who couldn’t help but chuckle. Ryan lightly nudged Tuantuan’s little bottom with his foot, drawing an even broader smile from the child.

The cockpit of the beast-shaped mecha was located in its chest. As the hatch opened, Auston leaped down gracefully, landing steadily on the ground. Meeting Ryan’s gaze, Auston walked over and said, “It’s incredible! This is the best mecha I’ve ever piloted. Thank you—you always find ways to surprise me.”

“This kind of surprise is just the beginning. There will be more,” Ryan replied, his tone calm but firm. “I have plenty of ideas, and as the years go by, and my experience grows, they’ll only get better. Each new mecha will bring fresh sensations and surprises. Auston, you will always be the first to test the mechas I create.”

Auston smiled. He knew what he was about to do went against his usual demeanor. It might even make others think he was not serious or proper and would undoubtedly draw the attention of many present. But he was going to do it anyway! He stepped forward, leaned in, and left a light kiss on Ryan’s lips. “I still want to say thank you—for now and for the future.”

The kiss was too brief, a mere touch, like a dragonfly’s kiss on the water. However, Ryan was very satisfied as he licked his lips, as if Auston’s taste still lingered there. “For the days and months we’ve spent together.” They were old, after all, and sometimes, it was okay to be a little cheesy.

“Dads!”

Tuantuan’s little voice rang out, firm and resolute, as he clung tightly to the mecha’s leg. Despite his determination, his small arms and legs couldn’t withstand the rough pulling of two much older kids, both around six or seven years old, who were determined to drag him away. Without proper protection, a fall from the mecha’s leg could easily result in injury.

Ryan and Auston immediately turned toward the commotion, their expressions darkening. Auston instinctively took a step forward, his protective instincts flaring. Both men were clear on one thing: they weren’t overindulging their child but safeguarding him. If Tuantuan were older—three or four years, perhaps—they would have given him the space to handle the situation on his own. But at just over a year old, barely past the dozen month mark, he was no match for the older children’s roughness.

The sight of the kids yanking on Tuantuan’s legs with little regard for his safety made Auston’s jaw tighten. Ryan’s gaze sharpened, a subtle but palpable shift in the atmosphere signaling their displeasure.

Tuantuan, for his part, refused to cry. He clung fiercely to the mecha’s paw, his voice strong as he repeated, “Dads!”

“What are you doing?”

The two older kids, seeing someone intervening, angrily said, “We just wanted to draw, this little brat won’t allow it.”

“You’re wrong…” The seven-year-old child, who had come to uphold justice, didn’t manage to finish his sentence because the nanny robot, stationed at the wall edge and not allowed to approach the mecha, saw that Tuantuan was being hurt and immediately activated its primary program. Like an arrow leaving the bow, it quickly rushed over, first pushing the two kids aside with incredible speed but without harming them, then holding Tuantuan’s buttocks to steady him, making sure he was firmly perched on the mecha’s large paw, even faster than Auston.

The nanny robot raised its hand, subtly revealing a weapon, and repeated, “Warning! Do not approach, or I will begin the attack. Warning! Do not approach, or I will begin the attack.”

The two kids pulling at Tuantuan were so frightened that their faces turned pale. Subconsciously, they looked toward the seven-year-old boy who had acted as their rescuer. Then, together with the boy, they fearfully turned their gaze toward Auston. Children are not good at hiding their emotions, and it was obvious they knew who Tuantuan’s parents were.

Auston didn’t look at the children. He bent down, picked up Tuantuan, and after confirming that Tuantuan wasn’t hurt, his stern expression eased a little. “Tuantuan, does anything hurt?”

Tuantuan didn’t feel any pain at all. He waved his little arms and legs excitedly at his dad, feeling immensely proud of successfully protecting his papa’s mecha. “No, no, mecha is Papa’s!” After saying this, he even nodded seriously.

At the mecha’s foot, Ryan spotted a few colored markers—the standard drawing tools provided by the research institute. Then he glanced at the three children. After all, they were still young, and when faced with a stern adult, they immediately wilted, squeezing together nervously. From their body language, it was clear they knew each other.

Ryan shook his head and then raised his eyes to look at the two approaching adults, one of whom was the furious-looking Master McAryan.

Walking beside the master was a man who bore a two-to-three-point resemblance to him, making it clear they were related by blood. Having reviewed the personnel files of the entire research institute, Ryan knew this man’s surname was also McAryan. He was Master McAryan’s second son, someone burdened with tradition and lacking in innovative talent, capable only of being a steady mecha designer, but never able to reach the pinnacle of the field.

Looking again at the three children, the seven-year-old boy’s eyebrows and eyes faintly resembled the man’s.

Although Ryan didn’t want to think the worst of people, piecing things together made it easy to deduce the general situation. Master McAryan’s son had likely concocted a “hero saving the victim” scenario. He probably intended to take advantage of the rule that no robots could approach the mecha, first arranging for two kids to bully Tuantuan, then having another “rescue” Tuantuan, thereby fostering a bond between the children.

Ryan’s face broke into a smile as he approached the three boys standing together. He looked at them, and even his eyes carried a trace of gentle amusement. But on closer inspection, one could see the icy coldness lurking in their depths. He asked the seven-year-old boy, “Hello, how old are you?”

“Seven.” Ryan’s smile had a way of lowering people’s defenses, and the three kids visibly relaxed. The boy in the middle even mustered the courage to answer the question.

Ryan asked again, “What’s your name?”

“Snow McAryan.”

“Ryan…” This was Master McAryan’s voice, who had already walked over. There was a hint of pleading in his tone.

Ryan sighed and continued asking, “Snow, can you tell me your genetic sequence?”

“Hmm, I’m X.”

Ryan raised his head to look at Master McAryan. “Master, I respect you greatly, but my family is my bottom line.”

Master McAryan instantly seemed to age several years. He held back his son, who was about to speak, and lowered his head, saying, “I’m sorry.”

Ryan shook his head, said nothing, and turned to leave.

Behind him, Master McAryan glanced at his son with disappointment, feeling ashamed as he turned and walked away. He didn’t know whether he was ashamed of his son’s behavior or ashamed that the thoughts he had never spoken were hastily put into action by his son…

Ryan walked over to Tuantuan, seeing that the little one was full of energy, showing no signs of being scared. He finally relaxed a bit. “Tuantuan will have to work harder from now on.” What happened today was the first time, but it definitely wouldn’t be the last. In the future, Tuantuan would surely face more challenges and tests of human nature.

Auston tightly hugged his son, holding him so tightly that Tuantuan winced in pain. Only after hearing the child’s little cry did he realize something was wrong and quickly loosened his grip. “He’s still small. He can’t face these things yet.”

“Mm, we need to provide more protection and raise an umbrella to ensure he grows up safely.”

“Soon it will be a joint operation. Don’t wait any longer, let’s send the child to the planting star in advance.”

Ryan nodded. “The work here will be done soon.”

• ··

In the following days, Ryan remained busy, but the results were promising. Through his mediation, the ownership of two winged lion beast-shaped mechas was handed over to the Golden Crusade Legion. The bat-shaped mecha had already been applied for Glory Legion and was just waiting for final approval. Not only that, but Ryan received a rehire appointment. From the day he received the appointment letter, he was no longer the acting CEO of the Imperial Mecha Research Institute, but a specially appointed mecha designer with an extraordinary status. Currently, it seemed that he had no practical power, but his salary remained perfect.

By the time everyone realized, that gentle and reserved young man was no longer working at the Imperial Research Institute. The institute had a new CEO, the assistant to Ryan who had been under evaluation. The assistant’s promotion to CEO was greatly influenced by Ryan’s evaluation.

No matter the storms and struggles within Capital Star, amidst the reluctant farewells of the people back home, Ryan and Auston, with little Tuantuan, embarked on Tuantuan’s first interstellar journey. Tuantuan was lying on the window, gazing at the various celestial bodies, feeling as though his eyes weren’t enough to take it all in. He kept shouting excitedly, “Wow, wow,” and beside him was Da Fu, both with similar psychological ages, having a lot of fun together. Da Fu echoed Tuantuan’s “wow” sounds, its tail wagging continuously behind it out of joy. As a griffin beast, it naturally had a yearning for adventure, and Da Fu was no exception.

“We’re taking the fastest route, and we’ll be home in twenty days.” Ryan, with a holographic star map in front of him, pointed out a path. They were aboard a military-type transport ship, which would enable them to travel twice as fast as before.

Auston, holding a teapot, poured more red tea for Ryan. On the table, there were lightning puff pastries filled with cranberry-flavored cream, topped with crushed pistachios and whole fresh raspberries. The cute and beautiful appearance of the pastries was something that Tuantuan greatly loved.

“Mom and Dad must be really looking forward to our return.”

“They probably started preparing the moment they knew we were coming back.” Ryan looked toward Tuantuan, who was still lying on the window, “Look, with Tuantuan here, we’ll be the extra ones when we get back.”

Auston followed Ryan’s gaze to little Tuantuan, who had been lying on the window for more than half an hour, and still wasn’t tired of the view. He called out, “Tuantuan, come, it’s time for dessert.”

“Oh.” Tuantuan continued to stare out the window for a moment, but in the end, his strong love for desserts overcame him. He slid down from the sofa and ran to his Papa’s side with little footsteps, “Ah~” opening his mouth, asking to be fed.

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Hello everyone!! Thanks for reading. May this Christmas be a season of joy, warmth, and stories—both shared and lived. Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays! Be safe and stay happy and healthy!! Love you all❤