Weapon Systems 32: Team (2)

Zhang Mingjing arrived at the city sports arena and saw Catherine and Jamie. Catherine, full of excitement, rushed up and hooked her arm through Zhang Mingjing’s, her expression brimming with admiration as she said sweetly, “My dear master, you’re incredible!”

Standing so close, Zhang Mingjing noticed for the first time that Catherine was half a head taller than him... and with Jamie, he quickly read his height—thank goodness, Jamie was three centimeters shorter. Only then did he feel a little psychological balance.

Jamie, too, exclaimed with adoration, “Master, you’re amazing! When will you teach us?”

“Do you two really want to learn?”

“Of course!” Catherine and Jamie replied, their voices filled with excitement.

“Alright! Let’s find somewhere to sit and talk.”

“Yes!”

Jamie, the little chubby one, immediately ran to a corner, waving them over, while Catherine still clung tightly to Zhang Mingjing, making him feel a bit shy—his heart was racing faster and faster.

“You’re so nervous—is it because you can’t resist temptation?” the Five-Dimensional Space Thinking Model teased in his consciousness.

“You talk too much!” Zhang Mingjing retorted.

Jamie had already set up three temporary chairs in the corner, carefully wiped clean, and placed a few bottles of drinks nearby. Apparently, he and Catherine had planned this meeting in advance, determined to learn a few extraordinary skills from Zhang Mingjing, though they hadn’t expected it to be so easy.

Zhang Mingjing called Catherine and Jamie to sit, then said seriously, “The monster I defeated today was thanks to a new artifact I created. But I hope you two can help me control it.”

“Why?” Catherine asked.

“Oh, Catherine, if Master wants us to control the artifact, why ask why? Master, we’re very willing, haha!” Jamie interrupted.

Catherine seemed to realize and laughed sweetly.

“This artifact is a hammer.” Zhang Mingjing extended his right hand, focusing his energy, and a small, ten-centimeter hammer appeared, shining with golden light.

Catherine and Jamie stared, dumbfounded.

“Isn’t it a bit too small?” Catherine asked.

“Small or big, it’s still an artifact!” Jamie’s eyes glistened with desire. Catherine teased, “It’s not a drumstick, why are you drooling?”

“This is a billion times better than a drumstick...” Jamie seemed to be pondering the hammer’s composition.

Zhang Mingjing explained, “This drumstick—oh, no...this hammer...”

Laughter erupted.

Zhang Mingjing laughed awkwardly and continued, “This hammer can be big or small. At its largest, it reaches six meters in length and weighs three tons.”

“Wow! No wonder a few swings were enough to take out the monster,” Jamie exclaimed.

Catherine asked curiously, “Those swings weren’t ordinary—you must have sent it flying over a thousand meters, right? Master, how do you control it?”

“With my mind. I brought you here today so we could control it together.”

Catherine and Jamie’s expressions lit up with almost childish delight.

“Really, Master?”

“Of course!”

“Wow! That’s wonderful!” Jamie jumped with joy, but his plump figure clad in a mechanical exoskeleton looked a bit clumsy. When he sat down, he broke his chair and simply plopped down on the ground.

“For you two to control it, I’ll pass on a set of techniques.”

“Alright, please teach us, Master!”

Jamie urged.

“Jamie, don’t be so impatient. Let me finish,” Zhang Mingjing said.

“Yes, yes!”

“This technique doesn’t require you to practice. I’ll impart it directly to you. Do you know what it means to be ‘imparted’?”

Catherine and Jamie nodded obediently.

“Once you receive this technique, we’ll need to practice together often, until we can coordinate perfectly.”

“No problem!” Jamie said enthusiastically.

“I’m ready, too!”

“Good! Since you’re so eager, I’ll impart it now. Sit back-to-back.”

Catherine and Jamie quickly complied.

At this moment, Zhang Mingjing spoke with the Five-Dimensional Space Thinking Model in his mind, “I can implant the hammer combat system into them now.”

“You chose ‘impart’ as a term—very grand, very mysterious.”

“Well, I had no choice. I promised the aliens I wouldn’t reveal secrets, so I have to play along!”

“But the term fits perfectly.”

“Thanks. Let’s get started!”

“Since it’s an impartation, perform it earnestly—place your hands above their heads.”

“OK!” Zhang Mingjing stood and did as instructed. The Five-Dimensional Space Thinking Model began encoding the modified hammer combat system and implanted it into their brains, also copying Zhang Mingjing’s meditation protocol.

“You implanted the meditation protocol as well?”

“Yes! I found that when you’re meditating, both I and the weapon system operate much more efficiently.”

“Oh!”

“Besides, I loaded your consciousness code into their hammer weapon systems. This way, what you see, they’ll see, and your perspectives will synchronize.”

“Uh—Isn’t that bad?” Zhang Mingjing protested. “It’ll reveal a lot of my privacy, especially those... thoughts.”

“What thoughts?”

“You really don’t get it?”

“Haha! I thought you were a pure ascetic. Turns out you’re a bit hypocritical! Don’t worry, this information-sharing system activates only when controlling the hammer, and only battlefield data is shared. Everything else will be filtered out.”

“Oh, that’s good.” Zhang Mingjing smiled awkwardly.

Ten minutes later, the impartation was complete. Zhang Mingjing sat back in his chair, deliberately making a slow gesture to finish, then opened his eyes and said, “I’ve finished imparting the hammer control technique to you both.”

Catherine and Jamie opened their eyes, their gazes shining with excitement.

Jamie immediately opened a drink to offer to Zhang Mingjing.

“But why don’t I feel anything?” Catherine asked.

“This is an artifact control technique—you’ll only feel it when you use the hammer. Otherwise, it might activate accidentally and be dangerous,” Zhang Mingjing replied, bluffing as he didn’t really know.

“Let’s try controlling the hammer now!” Jamie began thinking about the hammer. Though it didn’t do much, he did see a small, flickering hammer appear and disappear in front of him.

“What’s happening?” Jamie asked.

“You two are still too weak to control it alone. When night falls and it’s quiet, we’ll practice together.”

“Dark night, strong winds... The three of us cultivating peerless skills!” Jamie was overjoyed. “Great!”

Catherine was equally excited, clasping her hands together, “Shall we come back here tonight?”

“No need! We’ll practice on the consciousness level.”

“Consciousness level?”

“Yes, the highest skills are always on the consciousness level,” Zhang Mingjing said, bluffing again.

“Oh!” Catherine and Jamie, already steeped in mysticism by him, looked utterly captivated.

Zhang Mingjing continued, “Tonight, I’ll contact you both and activate your hammer control techniques.”

“Activate?”

“Yes! I don’t know how else to describe it, so let’s call it ‘activation’ for now.” Zhang Mingjing almost said “hammer control system,” startling himself. If he called it that, who knows how he’d explain it. Catherine and Jamie were both science prodigies and loved to dig into details.

Zhang Mingjing sighed to himself that lies should not be told often, or they become impossible to patch.

“Eastern martial arts are truly magical!” Catherine exclaimed sincerely, gazing at Zhang Mingjing with a hint of affection.

Zhang Mingjing sensed it, and it felt almost three-dimensional, making him uneasy.

“Catherine, don’t flirt with Master. In China, they say the rabbit doesn’t eat the grass near its nest,” Jamie said with a mischievous smile.

“Go away, chubby! Watch out or I’ll eat you!”

“Ha ha ha...”

...

Catherine and Jamie received a notice to return to their squad and left. Zhang Mingjing prepared to go home, to bring them together that night to wield the hammer.

At that moment, the Five-Dimensional Space Thinking Model joked, “Catherine doesn’t just admire you—she’s interested in you!”

“There you go again!”

“She’s a gentle breeze, and an elder sister. She’d take good care of you. Don’t let this good fate slip away!”

“Hey, have some decency! I just reached adulthood and you’re always scheming to ruin my worldview.”

“Come on! Since ancient times, beauties loved heroes. Youth without romance is wasted. I’m reminding you because I care.”

“Sigh, I really can’t argue with you.”

“In such a season, to miss your beloved—such regret would linger forever!”

“Ugh! It’s bad enough you disgust me, don’t ruin Tang poetry too, okay?”

...