Arc 8: Interstellar Programmer Officer 4
Using the new identity forged by Mai Wei, Tao Yuan followed him to the Nanmeng Empire’s main star. He then went directly to join the Imperial Army’s Third Military District, where the highest commander was Marshal Fred1, Mai Wei’s father.
As one of the five major military districts of the Imperial Star, the Third Military District covered a large area. There were several departments solely dedicated to mecha maintenance, each with several hundred personnel. Different departments naturally had different responsibilities and tasks. Some were responsible for safeguarding data and small components, and the people in these departments might not have even touched a mecha from the beginning of their careers to retirement.
Because of different responsibilities, the importance of each department naturally varied. The programming department was undoubtedly one of the most important departments. Although mecha maintenance personnel were collectively referred to as such, after Tao Yuan joined the department, his official title was mecha Maintenance Programmer.
Mai Wei assigned Tao Yuan to the Programming Team, with the team leader being Mai Wei’s trusted subordinate. So, placing Tao Yuan in this team was the most appropriate choice.
As the programming department was one of the most crucial, the requirements for programmers were quite high. All aspects were strictly reviewed. Mai Wei could arrange for Tao Yuan to join, indicating that he had discussed and received approval from his father. Otherwise, passing through layer after layer of review would be impossible.
The treatment in important departments was much better than in others. Tao Yuan, as a newly hired programmer without any military rank or level, the lowest-ranking programmer, was assigned a quite cozy suite. It had a well-equipped kitchen, bathroom, dining room, and living room. But there was also a reason for Mai Wei’s special consideration. Otherwise, he would have been assigned to a relatively spacious single room.
On the first day of formal work, the team leader of the Programming Team guided Tao Yuan to become familiar with the working environment.
The team leader guided Tao Yuan through the department, explaining the purpose of each area and specifying which places could be freely accessed and which required approval. Typically, when new personnel arrived, they were accompanied by assistants familiar with the environment, especially since the rank of the programming team leader was not low. Although the team leader didn’t know Tao Yuan’s background, Mai Wei personally instructed him to take good care of Tao Yuan, making him to personally guide Tao Yuan through the environment.
After looking at the first and second floors, Tao Yuan followed the team leader to the third floor, which was really spacious. All the offices were arranged in a circular fashion. In the center, a relaxation area resembled a European-style garden, with beautiful flowers and plants. It also has sofas, chairs, and a long table with various fruits and snacks. Some people were sitting on the sofas, sipping coffee and chatting.
The team leader escorted Tao Yuan towards his future office. As they approached, they passed by an office with glass walls. The second team leader sitting inside noticed Tao Yuan’s arrival with the team leader. Pretending to have business outside, the second team leader deliberately walked past them.
“First Team Leader, do you have a new member in your team?” The second team leader feigned casualness, attempting to ask about Tao Yuan’s background. The fact that the first team leader personally guided him must be because he is someone noteworthy.
“Yes, his name is Yi Yu. He just started today, and I’m taking him to his office,” First Team Leader introduced Tao Yuan. “Yi Yu, this is Second Team Leader Bowen2.”
“Hello, Team Leader Bowen,” Tao Yuan greeted with a slight bow.
“Hello,” Second Team Leader nodded in return, then turned to First Team Leader and asked, “It’s not the usual time for new recruits. Who is he?”
“He’s brought in by General Mai Wei with special approval from higher-ups. As for the rest, it’s not convenient to disclose,” First Team Leader explained. In reality, First Team Leader only knew that Tao Yuan was brought in by Mai Wei. Tao Yuan’s true identity, or even his fake identity, and the reasons behind his recruitment were unknown to him.
Second Team Leader nodded knowingly and then said, “You guys go about your business. I have something to do.”
After hearing that Tao Yuan was brought in by Mai Wei, the people enjoying their coffee immediately turned their attention toward him. While some displayed curiosity in their expressions, one person’s gaze held something more.
Although the Second Team Leader wanted to ask about Tao Yuan’s background, it wasn’t with any ill intentions. He simply wished to be mentally prepared, recognizing that even within the same department, there existed a competitive dynamic among different teams. After learning that Tao Yuan was brought in by Mai Wei under special approval, Second Team Leader quickly understood the significance, because individuals with special approvals were typically highly valuable talents.
The Nanmeng Empire highly values talent and encourages a spirit of competition. As long as individuals are capable, they receive excellent treatment. The top leaders firmly believe that significant rewards attract exceptional individuals. However, the military discipline within the Nanmeng Empire is exceptionally strict. Although everyone is deliberately allowed to compete, they can only compete fairly and fairly. Anyone who uses tricks will be severely punished.
The thinking of the top leaders of this country is that national interests should come first and improving national strength is the most important thing. So, the emphasis placed on talent is unparalleled to that of any other nation in the universe. As long as you have upright and true abilities, you can climb to a very high position even if you have no backstage or background.
Meanwhile, the authorities in the Nandi Kingdom prioritize family interests over national concerns. They focus on arranging marriages and forming alliances to consolidate their familial power. This stark contrast in priorities is a significant factor behind the Nanmeng Empire’s ascent to strength and the Nandi Kingdom’s gradual decline.
The team leader led Tao Yuan into an office and provided him with some instructions before busying themselves with other matters.
The chip that Tao Yuan had given to Ma Wei earlier was something Ma Wei wished to deploy as quickly as possible. Having already coordinated with the teamleader, Tao Yuan found himself temporarily assigned to tasks that maintained confidentiality for the program he was assisting Ma Wei with.
In just five days, Tao Yuan completed the entire program content. Because of Ma Wei’s urgent need for deployment, Tao Yuan’s program was crafted with a high level of completion, minimizing the subsequent modification time.
The place where the mechas were parked belonged to a level-one restricted area, making it impossible for Tao Yuan to enter on his own. Even the team leader couldn’t bring him in. Only Ma Wei himself could escort Tao Yuan into the restricted area.
Following Ma Wei into his mecha, Tao Yuan inserted the crystal card into the auxiliary card slot and began the debugging process. The auxiliary card slot served as a trial for the program. If any issues arose during the trial, an immediate switch to the main card slot program was necessary. Opening the main card slot required formal approval from Ma Wei’s father. Even Ma Wei needed the presence of both his father and the other supervisor to unlock the main card slot.
So, later on, Tao Yuan could only insert the various crystal cards he created and programmed into the auxiliary card slot, which had a complete prohibition function. This was also why Ma Wei dared to immediately give Tao Yuan the opportunity to showcase his talents.
Sitting in the control chair, Tao Yuan meticulously debugged the mecha program, while Ma Wei sat beside him, attentively observing Tao Yuan’s adjustments. Despite his young age, Ma Wei’s rise to the rank of general was not only because of his strong A-rank psychic combat skills but also because he had a good understanding of various aspects.
Ma Wei was initially quite focused, but as he caught a whiff of the fragrance emanating from Tao Yuan, he found it not only pleasant but also exceptionally soothing. Unable to resist, Ma Wei’s gaze shifted, and he became captivated by Tao Yuan’s profile. Staring at Tao Yuan’s fair complexion and the gracefully curved neck, combined with the alluring scent, an unexpected surge of emotions welled up within him.
Tao Yuan, who had been concentrated on debugging the program, suddenly felt a strange sensation as the dozens of flower buds on the peach blossom tree in the space simultaneously bloomed, causing his heart to skip a beat, leaving him momentarily stunned.
He turned his head slowly to look at Ma Wei, realizing that Ma Wei not only was very close but also seemed lost in thought. With a gentle cough, Tao Yuan subtly reminded him. It was understandable if Ma Wei hadn’t noticed before, but now that he was so close, how could Tao Yuan concentrate? Moreover, the simultaneous blooming of over a dozen flower buds was more exaggerated than the continuous opening of one by one earlier. Did this person suddenly fall in love with him?
Ma Wei snapped back to attention abruptly, seeing Tao Yuan’s slightly flushed cheek and serious expression. He felt remorseful for his rudeness but also stared at Tao Yuan’s cheek for a moment, then quickly snapped out of it, feeling inexplicably bewildered.
He took a step back, and Tao Yuan resumed his work. The cockpit was not overly spacious, and with only the two of them, each harboring their own thoughts, the atmosphere gradually became different.
After completing the adjustments, Tao Yuan stood up and said to Ma Wei, “The adjustments are done. You can proceed with the testing now, and I’ll take care of the records.”
Ma Wei got up, exchanging positions with Tao Yuan. He then gave orders to the guards below to open the protective chamber doors. He controlled the mecha to slide into the mecha passage and ascend into the sky.
Tao Yuan fastened the straps, securing himself in the seat, and held a tablet, ready to make records.
Because, in a little over a month, there would be a public mecha competition among the five military districts. Ma Wei would represent the Third Military District in this crucial competition, and each military district was determined to win.
Therefore, after having someone inspect the crystal card provided by Tao Yuan, Ma Wei immediately ordered an investigation into the original host’s experiences. Without much hesitation, he had Tao Yuan rescued.
During the initial test, Ma Wei distinctly felt that the program had been upgraded, and the enhanced functions excited him.
Every mecha soldier aspired to pilot a more powerful combat mecha, and reinforcing mechas was a top priority for every military. However, many times, manufacturing a powerful mecha wasn’t particularly difficult, but advancing the control programs proved challenging, especially the energy programs, which posed an even greater challenge. For the past ten days, what Ma Wei looked forward to the most each day was testing energy and control programs with Tao Yuan, piloting noticeably more powerful mechas. It truly brought an exciting experience to people.
However, Ma Wei had many other responsibilities every day because it was a crucial training period. He had to lead his subordinate mecha soldiers in intense training sessions.
After ending the training, Ma Wei returned to his room, quickly freshened up, and laid down on the bed. Exhausted, he soon fell asleep.
As he drifted off, he suddenly caught a whiff of a pleasant fragrance, the familiar scent he had been smelling these past few days. The comforting sensation made him relax all over, and slowly, he began to feel something.
He felt a fragrant and soft body approaching him, and he tightly embraced it, rolling over to press it beneath him. The person in his arms was both fragrant and soft, their voice so pleasant. As he satisfied his desires, he felt an infinite sense of fulfillment. It was so comfortable that he even thought, if only he could stay in this embrace forever.
Ma Wei let out a content sigh, tightening his embrace even more. Just as he wanted to kiss the person, they suddenly disappeared from his arms. Ma Wei sat up abruptly, breathing heavily. Sweat trickled down his forehead, nearly reaching his eyes and waking him up.
Fully awake now, Ma Wei lay back down, recalling the dream he had just experienced. He couldn’t believe he had dreamed such a thing, and going through the whole set of actions in the dream left him feeling thoroughly satisfied both physically and mentally. The person in his arms panting softly, moaning with their head thrown back… Everything felt so real, as if it had truly happened.
Ma Wei felt like he might be going crazy because he couldn’t stop recalling the events of the dream, and his body reacted once again. He had to get up and take a cold shower to cool down. It was quite a disturbance in the middle of the night.
Every time Ma Wei closed his eyes, he would see the image of Tao Yuan lying naked in his arms, making him take multiple cold showers throughout the night.
Finally back after a long hiatus!! Chapters will be uploaded until we’re following the normal chapter release days (ㅅ´ ˘ `)
Anywaays how is everyone?
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