Chapter Ninety-Four

Chapter Ninety-Four

Bai Sha followed the instructor to the Mecha Engineer Department’s training building.

Compared to the straightforward and rugged arrangement of the individual combatant area, the Mecha Engineer Department building was much more sophisticated. The four-story building had an ancient yet majestic appearance, with external columns and arched domes between floors. More importantly, these external lines subtly formed the outline of an upright humanoid mecha, perfectly blending a sense of steel technology with an epic sense of age.

Bai Sha paused in front of the towering building, admiringly remarking, "This design is truly impressive."

Her mentor, equally delighted, added, "Right? The designer mentioned his inspiration came from the legendary mech 'Yang Sha', created by Master Jiang Gui a few years ago."

Bai Sha: "..." She thought it looked familiar.

She raised an eyebrow slightly and continued inside with her mentor.

Approaching the entrance, the door, with its dark metallic sheen, opened automatically. The first floor boasted a high dome, while the second floor was semi-open. Light strips along the second-floor corridor cast a soft blue and warm white glow. Students in crisp uniforms bustled about like busy bees in a hive, accompanied by small flying robots trailing behind them.

Anyone entering would be instantly immersed in the intense academic atmosphere.

Mech pilots, distinct from ordinary mechanics, are top-tier technological talents of the empire, enjoying a prestigious and respected status. Regardless of their grumbling and hair loss in labs or workshops, in public, they exude wisdom and composure – a certain air of elegance.

A stark contrast to the noisy environment of the single-soldier mechs.

As Bai Sha walked, she felt relieved she hadn't worn her training vest and casual pants today.

Following her mentor, she boarded the elevator to the third floor. She thought she was being inconspicuous, but many students still recognized her.

"It's Bai Sha Luo Ning..."

"I've heard of her, from Tianquan Military Academy, right? The fierce one who beat up an instructor!"

"But she's studying in two departments and is the top mech pilot student at Tianquan Military Academy – could she be here to claim the lead position among the first-year mech pilots?"

"Really? Isn't she quite strong?"

"Guessing doesn't help, let's just go and see for ourselves..."

Someone with a keen eye noticed Bai Sha heading towards the indoor mecha modification and testing facility. The news quickly spread among a few curious mecha pilots who exchanged glances and decided to observe the proceedings at the site.

Upon entering the third-floor indoor facility, the overhead lights brightened, creating a daylight-like ambiance without being harsh. The area was equipped with several control stations and holographic projectors suspended above, capable of displaying real-time holographic images.

The holographic images here could enlarge a whole mecha several times its size or magnify a component as small as a centimeter to a hundred times its volume.

Essentially, once you're in the arena, all your actions are clearly visible under these holographic monitoring devices, leaving nowhere to hide.

"During the joint military exercises, similar monitoring devices will be installed here," the mentor turned to Bai Sha and explained, "Some students are skilled but used to working in quiet environments. Exposed to such high-pressure situations, their thought processes and manual skills can be affected. This setup is designed to ensure fair ranking and also serves as a preliminary selection considering environmental factors."

"Are there really students who aren't comfortable with such settings?" Bai Sha asked curiously.

The mentor paused briefly, then sighed, "Of course, there are."

"Alright, go over to that check-in machine and swipe your student card. That'll register you for this test. Just listen to the instructions along with the others."

Bai Sha obligingly went to the machine, swiped her card, and after a brief humming sound, it dispensed a metallic badge. The badge was adhesive and easily stuck to her clothing for convenience. It bore her name, military academy, age, and the number "81."

Eighty students from the first-year mecha pilot program were selected for the military exercise team, and Bai Sha's number, "81," signified she was an additional member.

Realizing this, Bai Sha looked up and asked her mentor, "If I switch roles, wouldn't that mean our team has one extra mecha pilot and the single-soldier mechs one less?"

The joint military exercises had strict requirements on the number of participants – not one more or less.

"It doesn't matter," the mentor replied with utmost calmness, "We are currently selecting the main team for the 5v5 group competition. Even if you participate in the military exercise as a single-soldier mecha, what's stopping you from competing as a mecha pilot in the team event? No rule says a mecha soldier can't know how to repair mechas, right?"

The mentor continued, "When I asked you to consider this, it wasn't about changing your role entirely. It's about securing a spot in the main team. Alas, you must win the mecha modification contest in the mecha pilot department. Without securing first place, you won't get the main spot – and there's no place for you in the single-soldier mecha category now."

"No problem," Bai Sha said with a smile, "This was something we agreed upon a long time ago."

Suddenly, a voice hesitantly asked from behind them, "...Bai Sha?"

Bai Sha turned around and recognized the speaker as a friend from the mecha pilot department.

"You're also here for the mecha modification test? I knew it, with your skills, being a single-soldier mecha is just a waste." The friend spoke enthusiastically, "You're definitely going to clinch the top spot!"

Bai Sha had once helped this friend overcome a difficulty, which led the student to develop an almost superstitious belief in her.

Bai Sha chuckled lightly, "Don't you want to give it a try yourself?"

"Oh no, with so many talents in the four military academies, someone like me who struggles over a design for three days is just making an appearance." The friend waved their hand dismissively, "Others might be fine, but I heard about a guy named Ying Chen from Dongluo Military Academy. He's young but already has a senior mecha pilot certificate. Of course, he's not the only one with the certificate, but his work is famous. They say he designed an exceptional-class mecha himself!"

"Exceptional-class?" Bai Sha was somewhat surprised, "That's impressive."

The friend suddenly chuckled, "But I don't think he's up to the mark."

Bai Sha asked, "Why do you say that?"

The student explained, "Our competition is about speed, but Ying Chen's spirit animal is a sloth."

Bai Sha: "..." When will you guys stop stereotyping people based on their spirit animals?

"I heard Ying Chen keeps to himself, never interacts with others, and no one has seen him publicly drawing mecha designs or modifying parts," the friend said, shaking their head, "For classes that require public demonstration of the manufacturing process, he just skips and prefers to take make-up exams alone with the instructor rather than collaborate with others – probably because he's too slow and fears being mocked."

Bai Sha hesitated to share a harsh truth with her companion.

Her mentor, Jiang Gui, used to attend classes in the same manner. Collective demonstrations took up entire afternoons due to the need for sequential presentations, which Jiang Gui found to be a waste of his time. He preferred to demonstrate his work directly to the teacher after class for efficiency.

Bai Sha did the same, but her dual enrollment in two majors, rushing to attend classes in the combat department, made it less noticeable.

"There, that's Ying Chen," the student conversing with Bai Sha leaned in and pointed to a young man positioned at a control station.

He wasn't particularly tall, with shoulder-length black hair, and a somewhat gloomy demeanor.

A transparent sloth was perched on his shoulder, squinting its eyes, one hand clinging to his shoulder, the other slowly reaching into the void, seemingly engaged in something. Ying Chen, undisturbed by his spirit animal, focused intently on the holographic computer at his station, his eyes not moving an inch.

...He appeared to be daydreaming.

"Is it starting already?" chuckled the student beside Bai Sha, "See, I told you he's not up to it. With such bright lights and all those holographic cameras around, he's probably panicking inside."

"Let's not worry about others for now," Bai Sha distanced herself from the student and glanced briefly at Ying Chen before turning back, "The test seems to be starting soon... Shouldn't you be getting to your station?"

The other student ceased their chatter, glanced at the time displayed on the large screen, and hurried to their assigned station.

Bai Sha proceeded to her station and found it fully equipped for modification, with a holographic computer displaying an extensive list of parts – almost every component available on the market. It was evident that they would soon be using these parts for specific mecha designs.

On closer inspection, the files in the holographic computer included a detailed set of competition rules, encompassing various scoring criteria and bonus mechanisms.

Beep, beep—

A mechanical countdown echoed through the air.

"Time is up. All eighty-one first-year mecha pilots, please take your positions. The mecha modification test will commence in three minutes."

A subdued buzz filled the space, quickly giving way to silence as everyone focused on the mechanical announcement.

"This competition consists of two parts: a design scoring phase and a timed modification phase."

"Once all mecha pilots are in position, you will receive the theme of this test on your holographic computers. You will have forty minutes to draw the design, which will be submitted to the mentors for scoring..."

Forty minutes!

Many students in the room visibly paled at this announcement.

They had come prepared for a lengthy ordeal, knowing well that modifying a mecha is no simple task. Starting from the design phase, it wouldn't be surprising if it took days. They were ready for shortened design times, maybe starting from two hours, but to be cut down to forty minutes was unexpected!

What could one achieve in just forty minutes? It's barely the length of a short class.

The mechanical voice continued to announce the rules calmly and relentlessly, unfazed by the students' reactions:

"After submitting the design, in the implementation phase, mentors will comprehensively score students based on the submitted design concept, operation time, and the final product's performance."

"Everything will be recorded from a holographic perspective. Please give your best effort and uphold the glory of the empire."