By 2:30 AM, the barbecue stall was finally packed up.
Bai Hao and Wu Jin carefully loaded each item into the rickety tricycle. Then, as Wu Jin slowly pedaled the tricycle, Bai Hao jogged closely alongside. The two shadows, one man and one vehicle, stretched longer and longer on the cold, deserted streets in the early hours.
Back in the basement, after a quick wash, Bai Hao returned to the small storage room. To his great surprise, the room no longer resembled a storage space at all; it had been completely transformed. The clutter was now neatly arranged, a sight pleasing to the eyes. A sweet warmth touched Bai Hao's heart; it must have been tidied by the girl-next-door, Ye Xiangyi.
Bai Hao had come to know Ye Xiangyi a little. Though she seemed reserved and somewhat timid at first, once familiar, her lively, cheerful nature shone through, underpinned by an innate grace.
The days at the barbecue stall seemed to pass particularly quickly—uneventful yet fulfilling.
On the third day, Ye Xiangyi returned to school. She was currently studying at a university called Qin Yuan Academy, usually living on campus. She had only been back with her father Wu Jin because of the holidays. What surprised Bai Hao was that Ye Xiangyi was majoring in the Mecha Department, aiming to become a mech pilot in the future.
Bai Hao felt the world truly had its serendipities.
Without Ye Xiangyi around, life for Bai Hao and Wu Jin seemed to grow especially monotonous. Yet, the days still flew by, one after another. Bai Hao had largely mastered the barbecue work, though his final grilling skills still needed some polish.
In the early morning hours, the stall had quieted down, leaving only the two somewhat lonely figures of Bai Hao and Wu Jin.
Bai Hao was concentrating intently on grilling skewers, carefully brushing oil over and over, and occasionally sprinkling seasoning. The aroma of the grill wantonly permeated the surrounding air.
Soon, Bai Hao brought the freshly grilled skewers to the table where Wu Jin sat. "Uncle, try these. See if the flavor's right this time."
Wu Jin didn't rush to taste. Instead, he leaned in and sniffed first, then said unhurriedly, "Not bad. You can barely be considered to have graduated. Shouldn't be a problem setting up your own skewer stall in the future."
Hearing this, Bai Hao secretly rejoiced. He had finally passed, more or less.
"Go get a few beers. Just eating skewers isn't much fun. You're going to the company tomorrow; we should celebrate somehow." Wu Jin grabbed a meat skewer and started eating.
Bai Hao, however, shook his head. "Uncle, you promised Xiangyi you wouldn't drink anymore. You have to keep your word."
"Alright, forget it. Let's just have the skewers." Wu Jin's face was full of resignation.
That night, Bai Hao and Wu Jin sat for a long time, not packing up and heading home until after 3 AM.
The next morning, Bai Hao bid farewell to Wu Jin and set off for the long-anticipated Baoli Corporation. The massive front gate was heavily guarded. After showing his identity card, Bai Hao followed a security guard clad in a black uniform inside.
The Baoli Corporation headquarters spanned over forty hectares; its interior could rival a small town. However, the registration office wasn't far from the gate. After about a ten-minute walk, Bai Hao arrived at a small five-story building. Led by a staff member, he entered a modest room resembling a classroom.
On the podium stood a middle-aged man who inquired in detail about Bai Hao's specific information. After confirming everything was correct, he had Bai Hao take a seat below the podium. Several others were already seated in the room, men and women, around his age, seemingly also there for registration.
Half an hour later, it seemed all registrants had arrived: eight in total, five men and three women. The middle-aged man on the podium glanced over the group, a hint of a smile on his face. "Good, everyone is here. First, on behalf of the Baoli Corporation, I welcome you all..."
The man first offered a warm welcome, then began a meticulous and detailed lecture about Baoli Corporation—from corporate history to culture, from its scale to its achievements and honors. He explained almost everything about Baoli, point by point. Though somewhat dry, Bai Hao listened with rapt attention.
The morning passed quickly.
The middle-aged man had only addressed one question: What is Baoli? Indeed, after the explanation, Bai Hao had a clearer, deeper understanding of the corporation: a super military-industrial enterprise with a military-financial consortium as its solid backing.
In the afternoon, still in that classroom, Bai Hao and the others diligently studied Baoli's numerous and complex rules and regulations. They also learned the specific arrangements for the coming days. They were about to enter a ten-day new employee training period. Only after the training would they be assigned to specific positions.
During the training, the eight newcomers were not allowed to leave the premises without special permission. Baoli had arranged temporary dormitory rooms for each of them. Bai Hao was more than happy with this; food and lodging were no longer a concern.
The ten days flashed by. Bai Hao found it fulfilling. Besides the daily training sessions, he toured over half of Baoli's premises. Of course, some restricted, high-security areas were off-limits to newcomers like them.
After the training period, Bai Hao was assigned to the Second Research Institute. He didn't know much about it, though he had learned some basic information during training: its main task was mecha research and design. This came as a great relief. His stated area of interest had been precisely mecha. What slightly surprised him was being placed directly into a mecha research and design department.
Within Baoli Corporation, the Second Research Institute was an independent design department, boasting its own building and multiple research laboratories. It was an important restricted area, accessible only to individuals or vehicles with special clearance passes.
Bai Hao entered the Second Research Institute following a personnel staff member. After completing the relevant registration procedures, an internal staff member of the institute led him to a research laboratory. The interior of the lab was circular in design, with a large gray-white mecha standing in the center of the hall. Bai Hao recognized it at a glance—it was no model, but a genuine, bona fide mecha. Excitement stirred within him.
Soon, Bai Hao was taken to an office on the third floor.
The staff member knocked gently on the door twice.
"Come in."
A somewhat aged voice came from within the room.
"Professor Huang, the new recruit you requested has arrived," the staff member said, pushing the door open with a smile.
"Let him in."
"You can go in now. Be careful not to offend Professor Huang."
Bai Hao nodded, stepped inside quietly, and carefully closed the door behind him.
"Have a seat anywhere. I have something to finish up; it'll take a moment."
"Yes," Bai Hao promptly replied, taking a seat on a nearby chair. However, when he got a clear look at the old man, who seemed to be writing code, he froze momentarily. The man had graying hair, slightly balding in the middle, with many wrinkles on his face. It was the chief examiner from his initial video interview.
Half an hour later, the old man let out a soft sigh of relief, a trace of delight on his face. "Finally done."
"You're Bai Hao, correct?" The old man stretched his hands and sat down opposite Bai Hao.
"Yes," Bai Hao quickly nodded.
The old man smiled. "Welcome to the Second Research Group. I'm Huang Shujian, the current head of the Second Group."
"Group Leader Huang," Bai Hao said politely.
Huang Shujian nodded. "We met during the interview. Although you haven't attended a formal institution, your practical repair knowledge is quite solid. Have you worked in mechanical maintenance before?"
"I ran a repair shop on B5 Mining Planet," Bai Hao answered truthfully.
"A repair shop?" Huang Shujian looked slightly surprised.
"Yes, for three years," Bai Hao replied.
"I see." Huang Shujian continued, "A home appliance repair shop?"
"Mainly home appliances, but also cars, comm units, and such."
"That's quite a range. However, from the written test and interview, I saw you have some good insights into mecha design, and your knowledge in some areas is quite thorough. Have you had contact with actual mechas before?"
Bai Hao shook his head. "I've never touched a real mecha, only assembled models. As for the mecha knowledge, I learned it from the network."
"Oh? Then I underestimated you a bit. I recall during the interview you were even quite familiar with the JX system. That's a core technology of the third-generation mechas, classified by the Empire. It wouldn't be circulating on the public networks." Huang Shujian said with a half-smile.
"That... I obtained that by accidentally cracking the encrypted files of a tech company," Bai Hao admitted, breaking into a cold sweat.
"I see. Do you like mechas?" Huang Shujian asked further.
Bai Hao nodded. "Very much."
"Good. However, wanting to become a true mecha professional requires more than just passion. To outsiders, it can seem an extremely dry and tedious line of work..."
...
An hour later, their conversation finally concluded.
Huang Shujian stood up, walked to his desk, made a call, then smiled at Bai Hao. "I've asked someone to show you around, to familiarize you with the Second Research Group's work environment and the specific tasks."
"Yes, sir."
A moment later, a woman walked directly into the room. She glanced at Bai Hao and laughed. "So, old man, this is the junior brother you took on?"
The woman was around thirty, wearing full-rimmed black-framed glasses. Her figure was curvaceous, especially the striking scenery at her front, exuding an aura of maturity and intellectuality—enough to make any man drool.
Standing to the side, Bai Hao only glanced at her with mild curiosity.
Huang Shujian, however, remained expressionless. He nodded. "Zhiqiu, let me introduce you. This is Bai Hao, newly joining the Second Research Group. Show him around, familiarize him with the work environment and some of the specific tasks."
"Alright, no problem." The woman nodded, then turned to Bai Hao with a smile. "Junior Brother Bai Hao, I'm Yan Yifei, your second senior sister. If you don't mind, just call me 'Shijie' (senior sister)."
"Shi... Shijie." Bai Hao felt a twinge of awkwardness; the unusual form of address felt somewhat awkward.
"Good boy, junior brother." Yan Yifei gave a charming smile, then said to Huang Shujian, "Teacher, I'll take junior brother for a tour then."
Huang Shujian nodded.
"Let's go, junior brother." Yan Yifei called lightly.
Bai Hao acknowledged and followed Yan Yifei out of the room.
"The teacher hasn't taken on a disciple for several years. Junior brother, tell me, how did you manage to impress him?" Yan Yifei asked curiously.
Bai Hao, however, was utterly baffled.
Seeing this, Yan Yifei smiled helplessly. "Alright, first, let me introduce you to our Second Group. Currently, there are five of us in total. You're the fifth. There's also a third senior brother and a fourth senior sister ahead of you, but they're not at headquarters. One's at the Eastern Sector front, the other at a branch. That means, right now at the Baoli headquarters, the Second Research Group only has three people: you, me, and the teacher..."
Yan Yifei introduced everything at a leisurely pace. The Second R&D Group was one of the ten research groups under the Second Research Institute. Currently, only six groups were at headquarters; the others were at branches. Each research group had its own dedicated R&D lab. The place he was in now was precisely the Second Group's R&D lab, which would also be his main workplace henceforth. Additionally, to Bai Hao's slight surprise, Huang Shujian was not simply the head of the Second R&D Group. He was also one of the three deputy directors of the Second Research Institute, one of the principal R&D designers of the sixth-generation mecha, and a recipient of the Science and Technology Nebula Award. The Science and Technology Nebula Award was the highest recognition for scientific and technological workers. Invisibly, Huang Shujian's stature in Bai Hao's mind had climbed to an unimaginable height.
After introducing the Second R&D Group, Yan Yifei first took Bai Hao on a tour of the research lab, floor by floor, explaining in detail the specific uses of various equipment and some professional operational methods. This left Bai Hao feeling a bit lost in a fog. Although Yan Yifei's explanations were detailed, he had never seen many of these professional instruments before, and Yan Yifei used numerous technical terms he didn't fully understand.
Yan Yifei noticed Bai Hao's discomfiture and offered a few words of comfort. "Don't worry, junior brother. You'll gradually get familiar with these professional tools. When I first arrived at the Second Group, I was in worse shape than you. You have to trust the old man's judgment. He wouldn't have taken you into the Second Group without reason. It means he sees a promising spark in you. So, junior brother, believe in yourself. Believe in yourself with your passion for mechas, understand?"
Hearing this, Bai Hao offered a wry smile.
"Finally, let me introduce you to this mecha. It's currently only a semi-finished product. It's the active R&D project of the Second Group. If successful, it has the potential to become the Empire's seventh-generation mecha." Yan Yifei led Bai Hao to the base of the mecha in the center of the circular hall, introducing it with a touch of excitement in her voice.
"The seventh-generation mecha?"
Bai Hao was slightly startled. The Empire's latest generation was the sixth, the very generation Su Shi'er's 'Silver Valkyrie' belonged to. He never imagined that R&D for the seventh generation was already underway in this lab, and from the looks of it, mostly completed.