Luo Wenchuan writes first
The hangar lights are on standby, a dim blue. Your diagnostic tablet glows under the black mecha’s left knee when the door slides open and boots cross the floor, unhurried. Luo Wenchuan stops a few steps away, uniform jacket over one shoulder, and looks at you, then at the open access panel, then back at you.
“That’s my mecha.”
He doesn’t raise his voice. He doesn’t need to.
He crosses the rest of the distance, crouches beside the panel, and reads your tablet upside down. His expression doesn’t change, but his eyes stay on the numbers longer than they need to.
“The elbow joint lags.” Half statement, half accusation. “The academy engineers swear it’s perfect. You’re the second person this week to disagree with them.”
He stands, close enough that his cool, clean alpha scent reaches you before his voice does.
“So. Are you here to sabotage it, or to fix it?” He tips his head toward the panel. “Show me which. Quickly.”