Chapter 40: Sheng Qingquan Piloting a Gundam

Chapter 40: Sheng Qingquan Piloting a Mecha

Previously, his attention had been completely focused on the coordinates. Now, as Sheng Qingquan calmed down and looked again at the small robot in his hand, he vaguely felt a connection between himself and it.

"Has it been bound to me as its master?"

Sheng Qingquan felt a bit more at ease.

"A regular toy wouldn’t have a binding feature. Moreover, there's a feeling that I can control it like it’s part of my own body."

"It’s kind of like a puppet. I can make it do whatever I want."

Thinking about the robot's appearance, Sheng Qingquan suddenly had an idea.

With a flick of his finger, he pressed a small, barely noticeable bump on the robot's forehead.

In the next moment, he instinctively threw the robot.

The robot flipped through the air and landed on the ground in a half-kneeling position, growing from palm-sized to the height of a person.

"The cockpit hatch has been opened," a robotic voice stated.

Sheng Qingquan looked at the robot, which was now kneeling on one knee, towering over him. As a door opened on its chest, a set of stairs extended out.

At this moment, Sheng Qingquan felt like he was unwrapping a gift, and what he saw was a treasure he’d always wanted, never imagining it could actually be his.

This sense of surprise made it feel like fireworks were bursting before his eyes.

"Ask anyone—who doesn’t like mechs?"

"Gundam, Gundam—who wouldn’t want to pilot one? It’s the dream of young men and women everywhere!"

If you stopped someone on the street and asked whether they’d rather marry their idol or ride in a Gundam, most people would choose the latter, right?

Sheng Qingquan eagerly climbed up and entered the cockpit. The mech retracted the stairs and sealed the hatch.

The mech, which had knelt down to let the pilot in, now stood up.

Sitting in the cockpit located in the chest of the mech, Sheng Qingquan looked through the screen in front of him. Only after the mech stood up did he realize that the room, which was taller than usual by a third of a floor, now felt cramped with the mech inside.

He had never felt so close to the ceiling before, and he didn’t dare to make the mech look up, afraid it might accidentally punch through the ceiling.

Imagining the scene where the upstairs neighbor suddenly sees a mechanical head breaking through the floor and appearing in front of him, Sheng Qingquan’s first reaction wasn’t fear of exposing the mech, nor concern over the high compensation costs, but rather, he couldn’t help but laugh.

He thought the scene was just too funny.

However, staying inside the house was far too inconvenient.

Restricted and restrained, he didn’t dare to make any large movements. Otherwise, even if the walls weren’t damaged, he would worry about the furniture in the room.

"It’s a shame we can’t go out for a flight."

"Just sitting here like this is too unsatisfying."

As if sensing Sheng Qingquan's thoughts, the mech's built-in AI suddenly asked, "Detecting that the pilot is not from Duoluo Star. Translation and adaptive functions activated. Activate stealth mode?"

"Activate, activate!" The mech is from Duoluo Star, so that studio is likely also on Duoluo Star? Though he answered quickly, Sheng Qingquan couldn't help but think subconsciously upon hearing this.

After noting down the name, Sheng Qingquan heard the mechanical voice inquire again, "Activate intelligent assistance mode?"

Hearing the mechanical voice ask this, although the mech was already bound to him and he vaguely knew some basic operations, like how to make it raise its hand or move its leg, Sheng Qingquan truly didn't understand much more.

So if he really wanted to try it out, intelligent assistance was absolutely necessary.

Moreover, as the AI asked, text began to play on the screen, detailing the intelligent assistance mode.

"I see, it's like autopilot. I just need to give verbal commands, say what I want to do, and it will do as I say."

"If I don't give specific commands, it will automatically drive safely until it reaches the destination."

"If combat is required, it will engage automatically. But the power of automatic combat is far less than that of a professional mech warrior controlling the mech."

"Automatic combat is repetitive and rigid. It's easy for others to find gaps and defeat it effortlessly. A mech like this wouldn't even make good cannon fodder."

"The mech has this feature mainly to facilitate the transfer of the wounded. If the pilot is injured and can't control the mech, it still retains mobility."

"For beginners learning to pilot mechs, the mech's automatic combat function can also help them practice."

"Though a beginner could defeat it in a few days, it saves a lot of trouble for instructors and sparring partners. So even if this feature seems redundant, it has been retained."

Automatic combat isn't highly valued in the interstellar world, but Sheng Qingquan is different.

Sheng Qingquan's eyes sparkled; this feature seemed tailor-made for someone like him who knew nothing about mechs.

"Exit the house without damaging anything," Sheng Qingquan commanded.

"Received."

"Wow, it can even open the door on its own—so smart!"

Sheng Qingquan originally thought he would have to get down and open the door himself.

After all, the mech clearly looked like a high-powered weapon; rather than opening doors, it seemed more likely to display weapons, blast the door open with a cannon, or simply blow a hole in the wall and fly out.

So when he gave the command, he made sure to specify no damage.

But Sheng Qingquan didn't really hold much hope that the mech would open the door and had already thought about issuing more specific commands next.

To his surprise, it worked perfectly.

"It's nothing like those robots that fall and can't get back up. It actually adapts and thinks—it's real intelligence, not just programming."

The mech reached out with its mechanical hand, grasped the door handle, which looked tiny compared to its hand, and pressed down.

After opening and closing the door, the mech didn't walk downstairs.

"Engage flight mode." The mech's feet slightly lifted off the ground as it flew downstairs.

After exiting the building unit, since Sheng Qingquan didn't issue new commands or set a destination, the mech hovered outside, motionless, awaiting further instructions.

At this moment, the staff finally reacted.

"That toy robot is actually a mech suit?"

"Is it from the interstellar war game that Yin Xingyi played? Or is it a real mech suit from Qianxing Game Studio?"

"No matter which one it is, in Sheng Qingquan's hands, it's the real deal!"

Hearing that the mech suit had already flown out, everyone rushed to the windows, peeking out cautiously.

When they saw nothing outside, they finally realized, 'It's in stealth mode!'

The staff members were all disappointed.

Even though they were so close and had a rough idea of where the mech suit was, they didn't even get a glimpse of it.

Even though they understood that Sheng Qingquan's choice was correct—otherwise, a sudden appearance of such a giant mech suit in a residential area would definitely cause chaos.

Although the public relations department could later cover it up, it wouldn't be difficult to conceal the incident. They could simply claim that an enthusiast had privately built a large-scale mech suit model.

But Sheng Qingquan had too many secrets, and no matter how much outsiders tried to cover for him, it wouldn't compare to him being cautious himself.

The staff members were disappointed, but they were still glad that Sheng Qingquan was being so careful.

"But it's still such a shame!" someone couldn't help but lament.

He understood the reasoning, but it was a mech suit!

If he hadn't remembered his position, he wouldn't just be clinging to the window, too scared to stick his head out. Instead, he would have leaned most of his body out, waving frantically to get Sheng Qingquan's attention, and shouted: "The mech suit is so cool, can I touch it?"

It would be even better if I could take it for a spin.

If not, let me sit on the mech suit's shoulder or in the palm of its mechanical hand for a photo.

Just thinking about it gets me excited!

"Too bad it's just a dream!"

The only one who could act, Sheng Qingquan, after confirming that the energy was sufficient, issued a new command without hesitation.

"Head to the Chenxu Desert."

If the high-destructive weapons on the mech suit weren't used, and it wasn't flying in space, just ordinary weapons and regular flight, the air energy would be enough to sustain it. If it were to be used at full capacity, it would require higher-grade energy.

The mech suit had reserves of this energy, but once used up, it was gone. Unlike air energy, which would automatically replenish wherever there was air.

No need to worry about wasting it.

"Acknowledged," the mechanical voice responded.

Sheng Qingquan noticed that his field of vision suddenly rose significantly and was still rising.

But throughout the process, he sat steadily in the cockpit, with no sense of turbulence whatsoever.

It was a completely different feeling from being on a plane.

Moreover, the cabin pressure didn't seem to change, so he didn't feel ear pain like on a plane.

At the same time, Sheng Qingquan also noticed that the moment it took off, the mech suit, which had been about as tall as a high-ceilinged floor, seemed like a tiger freed from its cage.

The tiger stretched and stood up, and people were surprised to realize just how big and tall the tiger was.

Sheng Qingquan only then realized that the size of the mecha had been a miniaturized version, compressed to fit the surrounding environment.

Only when the mecha reverted to its true form did he realize it was much taller and larger than he had imagined.

It stood as tall as a small building.

The Chenxu Desert lies far from Yunteng City, over 10,000 kilometers away. Just two minutes after Sheng Qingquan gave the command, he was already above the desert.

Sheng Qingquan hadn’t even had time to fully enjoy the high-altitude view.

After all, viewing the scenery from an airplane isn’t as convenient as from a mecha. Airplane windows are limiting.

But the mecha can switch to a transparent mode. This way, letting him see everything around him without blind spots.

It felt less like flying in a mecha.

And more like riding on the wind.

That feeling of unbridled freedom.

It was exhilarating!

Only when the mecha hovered above the desert did Sheng Qingquan finally snap out of this immersive feeling.

The desert was blazing under the bright sunlight. Just seeing the intense sunlight outside, the endless yellow sand below, and the slightly distorted air due to the extreme heat, you could tell how scorching it was outside.

But Sheng Qingquan, seated inside the mecha, was completely protected from the harsh sun.

From his elevated vantage point, Sheng Qingquan could easily see that there was no trace of human presence around.

After scanning the area with the mecha to confirm no one was there, he picked a patch of barren sand to land on.

After landing, the heavy-looking mecha didn’t sink into the sand. Instead, it stood firmly on the surface.

Its base was large enough, and it had been pre-stealthed.

No matter what he did, it wouldn’t disturb anyone, and he could move freely. Even if there were any movements caught by satellites, it wouldn’t matter. After all, being stealthed, any anomalies in the sand would just be attributed to the wonders of nature.

Thinking this, Sheng Qingquan confidently said, “Begin the beginner’s tutorial!”

Yes, he had flown this far just to learn how to operate it.

He didn’t expect to be as skilled as with a teacher’s guidance, but at least without the intelligent assistance, he could make the mecha walk a short distance on its own—not just barely lift a hand or make a small movement.

“Driver’s mental strength detected as qualified.”

“Driver’s physical fitness detected as qualified.”

“Beginner’s tutorial has been activated.”

Several neural tentacles with patches connected to Sheng Qingquan, and an operation panel appeared in front of him.

A tutorial video appeared on the screen.

Sheng Qingquan followed the actions in the video and began to operate the mecha.

Two minutes later, with a thud, a deep pit appeared in the desert.

After diligent and intense practice, Sheng Qingquan successfully buried himself alive.