Lin Guang raised his eyebrows in slight surprise.

——The contract they signed wasn't for asset transfer; on the surface, the ownership of Senran Studio hadn't changed.

How could they see through this?

[Let me just say, are you guys aiming to win this time? Am I betting on you to make it to the top ranks?]

[Tower of Babel: So many Six-Star Peak opponents, years of foundation, and an unstable battle royale setup—I don't have much confidence myself; do you really have faith in me?]

[I don't know about others, but Brother Lin Guang… I don't believe you would do something fruitless.]

Lin Guang's lips curled slightly; he didn't reply further, simply put down the phone, and turned his attention to the current scene in Senran Studio.

At this moment.

The studio was bustling with repair work, the clang of metal ringing incessantly.

It was the sound of Liko hammering a metal ingot in the adjacent workshop.

Vishdair was wordlessly dragged to work as a boiler man to heat the furnace, while Chelina and Lisa helped around.

On the platform, a red-haired girl hugged a special Spiritual Artifact with several Ether data lines connected to it, attaching wires to the core at the center of the Angry Iron Plate, watching data cascade down like a waterfall, her eyes lighting up with a golden glow.

Zumama sat atop the Angry Iron Plate in the cockpit, assisting her in the final tests.

And at this moment.

The steel giant at the center of the factory had transformed once more, nearing the moment it would be fully fleshed out,

although the outer shell was yet to be installed, nearly half of the modules had been remolded and reinstalled, resembling organs, with thick Ether flowing through its steel Spirit Gold body like blood coursing through veins.

Thus, its wild, rugged momentum grew increasingly captivating.

"Fifth core load test, start!"

As the core grew brighter, Remyu began reporting the numbers.

"Core load at 70%…"

"80%…"

"90%…"

"95%! Synchronization rate maintained at above 99%!"

The steel giant emitted a dark golden glow all over again, the humming sound echoing throughout the entire factory.

Remyu raised her head, looking at Zumama in the cockpit: "How's it going?!"

"Feels great!"

"I can sense… it's happy as well!"

For a moment, both Remyu and Zumama instinctively glanced at Lin Guang, showing expressions of joy.

"Yeah!!!"

The red-haired girl nearly uncontrollably cheered and leaped: "I told you, I'm a top student!"

Her voice was loud, and with its eruption, everyone's attention was drawn.

Vishdair, donning a gray pot lid-like Ether conduit, ran out: "Done?"

——With the joint effort of Lin Guang, Remyu, and Senran, the final hurdle had been crossed.

The issue of True Activation had been well contained.

As long as the core load wasn't pushed to the extreme, it shouldn't affect much.

Moreover… it might even serve as a sort of trump card.

So for the next month, as long as they follow the plan, Angry Iron Plate can be entirely repaired, without any more obstacles.

By then, it will surely astonish the world.

Just as Lin Guang was about to speak, he suddenly saw Zumama leap from the cockpit onto the platform, landing right in front of him.

Her wild indigo eyes now stared at him unwaveringly, as if flames were burning inside them.

She suddenly extended her right hand toward him.

"Boss."

Her voice wasn't loud, yet it echoed throughout the factory.

"Pilot it together with me."

Lin Guang was slightly taken aback.

"…Me?"

Indeed.

Lin Guang was familiar with the internal structure and operating system of Angry Iron Plate, and its current Source Stone components far exceeded those of the past.

As Master of Origin Stone, joining the piloting was certainly feasible.

However, actually no matter what... as a pilot, he couldn't match Zumama, since the design and concepts of Angry Iron Plate largely depended on Zumama's Special Ability for direct piloting.

This ability, Lin Guang could only barely grasp the concept.

Moreover, under the rules of the Mechanical Spirit Cup, multicrew piloting would be suppressed; if coordination wasn't optimal, it could potentially weaken the mech's combat power.

And…

This was solely Zumama's dream, betting everything—honor and vengeance.

Therefore, he had never considered this matter before.

Yet, at this moment, Zumama proactively made the request, then blocked all his words with eyes blazing like flames.

Zumama spoke softly: "You are also its creator."

"And…"

Zumama looked at the boy in front, speaking with utmost sincerity, "I believe, with you, both I and it will definitely become stronger."

Remyu instantly started cheering: "Wow!"

Liko exclaimed in surprise: "Huh?!"

Immediately, Vishdair's face showed a very subtle expression, while Chelina and Lisa exchanged glances, a hint of unsurprised helplessness in their eyes.

——The significance of that statement, how couldn't they understand?

For someone like Zumama, who had a heart full of machinery—a steel introvert and super otaku—what does it mean to share her machine with others?

It was already self-evident.

Lin Guang looked into her eyes, which brooked no doubt, and nodded.

He slowly raised his hand, grasping Zumama's warm and strong hand.

"Okay."

He looked around and smiled: "Let's take tomorrow off and celebrate New Year at my place."

Remyu was the first to cheer: "Alright!!!"

Liko blinked: "Huh? Is Boss good at cooking?"

"Of course, you wouldn't know…"