I’m Addicted to your Pheromones from the First Moment We Met - Chapter 22

Yu Zhouyao spent the next three days in a productive, whirlwind blur. After enduring the gauntlet of core requirements during the first half of the week, the freshmen could finally enjoy the beauty of elective courses.

A Full Moon: Zhouyao, so we won’t be together today? Welcome Wealth: Yeah. A Full Moon: What elective did you pick? I’m headed to “Military Etiquette” today. Welcome Wealth: I didn’t even know that was a class. It sounds perfect for you. Welcome Wealth: For you, an etiquette class isn’t a challenge; it’s a specialty. Miss Mu shouldn’t be the student; she should be the professor. A Full Moon: Hahaha! A Full Moon: And what about you, Zhouyao? What class are you taking?

Yu Zhouyao’s breath hitched. According to her schedule, she was due for the Dean’s high-end “boutique” class.

Welcome Wealth: …Mhm, going to Teacher Zhai’s class. A Full Moon: Eh? What? Zhouyao, you actually picked “Mechanical Manufacturing: Theory and Practice”? A Full Moon: The forums are in an uproar about it. Everyone dropped it until you’re the only one left! Welcome Wealth: …^_^ A Full Moon: Well then, I wish our Zhouyao the best of luck~

Yu Zhouyao switched off her device and stood before the classroom door. Taking a deep breath, she knocked.

“Come in,” Teacher Zhai’s gentle voice called out.

Yu Zhouyao pushed open the door. She was immediately met by rows of mechas, lined up with surgical precision. It was a magnificent sight.

“Whoa…” she whispered in surprise.

“What? Stunned already?” Zhai Shiming stood behind a console, smiling.

Yu Zhouyao hurried over to him with a sheepish grin. “Teacher Zhai, so many mechas… our school is really loaded.”

“It’s alright,” Zhai Shiming replied. “Dawn is one of the top five military academies in the Empire. We have some foundation. I’m impressed you arrived on time today; you didn’t run away like the others.”

Yu Zhouyao felt a slight chill down her spine. “Teacher Zhai, what kind of person do you take me for? For such a hardcore class and such an excellent teacher, of course I’m going to be serious.”

Zhai Shiming nodded. “Good. Then let’s begin.”

He signaled for her to stand opposite him at the workstation. The Dean shifted into instructor mode, his tone becoming professional and sharp.

“This course covers mecha components from the ground up—learning their construction, debugging their functions, and performing modifications. Given our military nature, this also includes timed repairs and part replacements during combat simulations.”

He picked up a component from the table. “I recall you scored nearly a perfect mark on the entrance exam, so we’ll skip the basic engineering theory.”

“Mhm, mhm.”

“Generally, circular parts form the structural core, while irregular parts serve as auxiliary components. Take a mecha arm, for example: an engineer must first ensure the structural stability and functional availability of the core parts.”

Zhai Shiming pulled several components from the pile. He slowly released his mental power, using it to couple and join the pieces. A small, exquisite mechanical arm materialized in his hands.

Yu Zhouyao’s eyes widened. “Whoa…”

“In the field of mecha engineering, mental power is indispensable,” Zhai Shiming continued. “You should have felt this during your piloting lessons. Driving requires mental power to link with the machine; repairing requires it to detect the connection between parts and the whole. Mental power can assemble, but it can also dismantle.”

Under his guidance, the parts separated layer by layer, falling away until only the innermost bearing remained.

“A skilled engineer can probe the internal structure using only mental power without damaging it. Now, Yu Zhouyao, it’s your turn. Replicate the mechanical arm I just made.”

Yu Zhouyao rubbed her hands together, eager for some hands-on contact. She adjusted her breathing, searching for the sensation she felt while piloting, and released her mental power.

The “fish” entered a new, vast body of water.

She focused entirely, scanning the components with her mind. Unlike the sentient Grandma Mecha, these individual parts had no spark of life. Her mental power brushed over them, tracing every contour and groove.

It was as if she were blessed by the God of Mechanics. Just by touching them with her mind, she could see where each part belonged and what its function was. Following her instinct, she “threaded” the parts together like beads, fitting them into the familiar shape of the arm.

She didn’t blink as she increased her mental output to lock the pieces into place.

Click. The last component snapped into position. The metal mechanical arm rested in her palm. She exhaled, holding her “homework” carefully. It wasn’t as hard as she expected certainly not as difficult as the forum posts made it out to be.

“Teacher Zhai?”

Zhai Shiming took the arm and inspected it meticulously. After thirty seconds, he looked up with a look of surprise. “Excellent. The completion rate is high; you’ve perfectly replicated my model. Now, try to dismantle it.”

Yu Zhouyao used her mental power to suspend the arm in the air. Since she had just assembled it, the process was fresh in her mind. She effortlessly peeled back the layers, separating every single screw and bearing until they were spread flat on the console.

“Done, Teacher.”

Zhai Shiming pushed up his glasses, a smile finally reaching his eyes. “Now I understand why Instructor Colin was so shocked. When she told me yesterday that you flew a mecha in five minutes, I was skeptical. Your first trial was a success. Do you know how long that took?”

He checked his watch. “Four hundred and ninety-one seconds. I have never seen someone so fast in my life.”

Yu Zhouyao scratched her head. “Is that good or bad?”

Zhai Shiming looked at her deeply. “It’s on par with the apprentices of the Great Mechanics on Capital Planet.”

“Oh,” Yu Zhouyao replied, not really understanding the gravity of that comparison. She rolled her eyes playfully. “Then… Teacher Zhai, since my performance is okay, can you teach me how to repair mechanical vehicles?”

Zhai Shiming laughed. “Yu Zhouyao, are you still thinking about those starships?”

She blinked innocently.

“Starships and mechas are both mechanical constructs. The principles are similar. Once you learn one, you learn the others. Don’t worry, we’ll get to flight and cockpit modules soon. But for now, let’s dismantle something bigger.”

He used his mental power to bring a full mecha to the front.

“Dismantling can happen in two scenarios: emergency repairs during combat, where the machine is still running, and routine maintenance, which is done while the machine is powered down. We’ll start with the latter. Watch closely.”

Teacher Zhai’s mental power surged out, wrapping around the mecha’s left upper arm. He precisely disconnected the limb from the torso and pulled it away. Then, like peeling an onion, he stripped the outer casing to reveal the complex internal clockwork.

Yu Zhouyao held her breath. It was a beautiful, mesmerizing scene. The engineer was like a creator, holding the life and death of the machine in their hands. Her throat felt dry, and she unconsciously licked her lips. The urge to dominate these components herself was growing.

“Did you see that clearly?” Zhai Shiming asked once he finished.

Yu Zhouyao snapped out of her trance. “Ah! Yes… mostly? Maybe? Probably clear?”

Zhai Shiming chuckled. “It’s fine if you didn’t. You have plenty of time. Your homework for this week is to dismantle the rest of this mecha. Leave the cockpit and the power core alone. I’ve registered your fingerprints for the door; come and go as you please. Just finish before next week’s class. If you have questions, check the library or ask me.”

Yu Zhouyao sat down on the floor, staring at the one-armed mecha with a heart full of excitement. “Understood, Teacher! Mission accepted!”

Her voice echoed through the empty, cavernous classroom.

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