Chapter 11

Chapter 11

Bai Luming didn't decline Pei Suqi's request.

In his view, on-site inspection was a sound choice for both parties to a transaction—at least it eliminated concerns about post-signature tampering and the ensuing unnecessary disputes.

Bai Luming followed Pei Suqi and his entourage out of the repair shop, opened the door of one of the aircraft, and settled inside.

Just as he was about to close the door, he turned to see a figure smoothly and naturally taking the seat beside him.

Bai Luming looked at the man, whose actions were so practiced and unhesitant: "What are you coming along for?"

"Just to observe," He Yilan replied. "I've never witnessed a delivery inspection for a repair order. Thought I'd broaden my horizons."

Never witnessed an inspection?

More like, you've always been the one doing the inspecting, never had your own goods inspected, right?

"Close the door."

Bai Luming didn't call him out directly, merely musing to himself that he must indeed be taking too few orders, given how much free time this man seemed to have.

He Yilan responded, "Understood, boss."

The conspicuous fleet of aircraft majestically traversed the entire upper district, drawing throngs of onlookers.

The mecha testing ground was situated in the western part of Barren Star. It was typically reserved for military drills, with the remaining time serving as a playground for the affluent who could afford mechas.

Since the insect tide had been brought under control, the Empire had opened up access to medium and low-grade mechas for public use. The number of registered private mechas had been steadily increasing, though large and colossal mechas remained exclusively for military deployment.

The Pei family possessed their own dedicated area at the mecha testing ground. As soon as Pei Suqi disembarked from the aircraft, he was met with an exceptionally warm reception.

The manager led them directly to the deeper sections of the testing facility.

Upon entering, Bai Luming caught sight of a team drilling in the adjacent area and instinctively paid closer attention.

The unit training was likely the infantry stationed there. While the soldiers on Barren Star weren't considered elite, their firearm handling was clean and efficient, indicating a very well-trained overall quality. Unfortunately, precisely because every movement was executed with such rigid adherence to protocol, it might be pleasing to the eye in a parade, but in actual combat, it would likely prove somewhat cumbersome.

A sudden noise snapped Bai Luming's attention back. Turning around, he saw Pei Suqi had already deployed the mecha from its storage module.

With technological advancements, the issue of transporting massive mechas had long been resolved. These specialized mecha storage modules offered immense convenience.

Pei Suqi surveyed his surroundings, then gestured to one of the bodyguards: "You, go conduct the test."

The one singled out was the same individual who had confirmed the mecha's performance at the repair shop. Stepping forward, he showed a hint of hesitation: "Young Master Pei, my training is primarily in data theory. My practical mecha piloting skills might be a bit… average."

Pei Suqi retorted, "If I tell you to go, then go! What's with all the excuses? Even if you're average, could you possibly be more average than me? I only just got my mecha pilot's license last week—you don't expect me to test it myself, do you?"

Forced into the situation, the bodyguard secretly wiped a bead of cold sweat from his forehead, compelled to enter the mecha cockpit.

"Do you think he might break the mecha you just fixed again?"

A voice suddenly reached his ear. Bai Luming didn't need to turn around to know who was enjoying the spectacle: "Don't worry, I'm recording everything. On-site incidents don't count as repair accidents. At worst, I'll just get another order. He can't pin it on me."

He Yilan: "Hmm, you could even charge him again, a hundredfold."

Bai Luming was somewhat surprised by how He Yilan knew about the "hundredfold" story. He glanced back and suggested, "Since you're so enthusiastic, why don't you help with the test?"

"No thanks," He Yilan replied. "I'm not proficient in piloting mechas."

Bai Luming let out an inward chuckle.

The head of the largest mechanical empire, not proficient in piloting mechas? What a joke!

The mecha had already been maneuvered to the center of the field. The equipment in front of the iron wall suddenly activated, and in moments, a massive shooting target rose into place.

Ready, the mecha's mechanical arm lifted, and its surrounding armor plates unfolded, revealing the beam cannons concealed beneath the metallic skin.

After aiming, it fired—a blinding particle beam shot out, striking the target with immense force.

"BOOM!"

A colossal sound erupted.

A blast of scorching air kicked up a cloud of dust, which dissipated moments later, revealing a charred mark on the target.

Immediately afterward, a string of numbers appeared on the display screen above, representing the real-time damage value: 8534 DP.

The shooting targets at this testing ground were constructed from the highest-threshold defensive materials, specifically designed to assess mecha output intensity. Although it only left a simple mark, it was already a very high damage value. However, Pei Suqi took one look and immediately chuckled: "See? My mecha is the best on the market right now! How could its damage be this low!"

He turned to Bai Luming, his tone conveying an "I told you so" attitude: "The mecha's performance hasn't been restored at all. I knew you couldn't possibly fix it!"

"This has nothing to do with the mecha's performance," Bai Luming countered. "With that kind of operation, achieving this much damage is already quite impressive."

Pei Suqi sneered: "Don't try to pull a fast one on me! The manual is still at my house, and it clearly states that my mecha's average damage value can reach fifteen thousand. It didn't even hit ten thousand DP, and you dare call that high?"

"You yourself said 'average value.' You know what a slingshot is, right? Pulling it back fully versus halfway yields completely different results. That operation just now was no different from a kindergarten child casually shooting a slingshot. To still hit eight thousand—isn't that high?" Bai Luming was even more astonished than he was.

"..." Pei Suqi was so incensed by this blatant absurdity that he laughed. "So, you're saying the mecha is fine, and the problem lies with us, the operators?"

Bai Luming nodded: "Yes, that's precisely what I mean."

Pei Suqi choked, nearly losing his breath.

He had never encountered anyone so shamelessly adept at shifting blame.

A full minute later, Pei Suqi gritted his teeth and found his voice again: "You'll say anything to swindle me out of that hundredfold repair fee, won't you? It's just shooting a target—how much could operation really matter? If I hadn't been careful enough to come test it, you would've gotten away with it. If it's not fixed, it's not fixed. Stop making excuses for yourself."

Bai Luming looked exasperated: "How can you be so unreasonable?"

Pei Suqi finally exploded: "Who's being unreasonable here?!"

His hand trembled slightly as he pointed at the mecha: "Look… look at that output. Is this the power our family's mecha should have? Is it?"

Bai Luming: "Yes."

Why wouldn't it be?

Bai Luming looked at Pei Suqi with a troubled expression, feeling that this child simply wouldn't listen to reason.

He turned to He Yilan beside him and asked helplessly, "Could you back me up? I'm really not lying to him."

He Yilan glanced at Pei Suqi's expression and chuckled softly: "Do you think he'd believe me if I testified?"

Bai Luming: "Give it a try."

He Yilan looked at Pei Suqi: "The boss isn't lying to you. I vouch for him."

Pei Suqi: "...Do you two take me for a fool?"

He Yilan innocently said to Bai Luming: "See, he doesn't believe it."

Bai Luming fell silent.

There was no reasoning with this child.

Bai Luming sighed and began to earnestly explain: "Young Master Pei, it truly is a matter of insufficient operation, which is why the weapon's full power couldn't be unleashed. The gentleman who went up earlier probably doesn't pilot mechas often, right? Don't worry, just let him go back and practice more, and he'll gradually be able to deal more damage."

Pei Suqi hadn't expected him to start giving instructions: "He doesn't pilot mechas often? Do you, then? Let me tell you, don't even think about talking your way out of this today! Trying to pass off an equipment problem as an operator issue—if you're so capable, then you go do it!"

He was slightly out of breath after speaking all that in one go.

There was no way he'd let this slide. It was a hundredfold repair fee he had to pay, a hundredfold!

Pei Suqi turned to instruct his butler to forcibly settle the payment, only to hear Bai Luming actually take him up on his challenge: "Alright, alright, I'll do it. I'll show you."

Pei Suqi froze: "Who… will?"

He Yilan also glanced at Bai Luming.

"I will," Bai Luming said, his head aching from the shouting. He waved towards the mecha cockpit in the distance. "Hey, up there, could you please come down for a moment? We're switching pilots, switching pilots."

Pei Suqi, seeing his actions, began to panic instead: "Switch pilots? Don't mess with my mecha! Wait… are you actually going up? Hey, who the hell are you with anyway? I didn't tell you to come down, why are you listening to him?!"

"Huh?" The bodyguard in the cockpit was unaware of the situation outside. Seeing Bai Luming's gesture, he instinctively opened the hatch and climbed down. By the time he clearly heard Pei Suqi's words, another figure had already moved faster, deftly slipping into the cockpit.

Bai Luming's entry into the cockpit was as smooth as flowing water; Pei Suqi couldn't stop him even if he tried. His first reaction was that this person was going to throw caution to the wind and take his mecha down with him, making him thoroughly anxious: "Quick, get him out of there! Damn it, you come back! Do you even have a mecha pilot's license, daring to go up there like that!"

The cockpit door slowly closed. Just before it sealed shut, Bai Luming's voice drifted out: "Don't worry, I'm planning to take the license test next month. Anyway, we're just in the testing field, not on the road—no points will be deducted."

Pei Suqi only hoped he was hallucinating: "What did he just say?"

He Yilan, ever so thoughtfully, relayed: "He said he's going to take the mecha pilot's license test next month."

He noticed Pei Suqi's look of utter despair: "Don't worry, our boss has a repair license. Even without a pilot's license, he won't damage your mecha."

No need to worry? How could he not worry!

And was this really about points being deducted?!

"Lu, wait—about that penalty fee, it's not entirely non-negotiable!" Pei Suqi watched in agony as his mecha fell into someone else's hands. Desperate, he tried to rush forward and yank the person out of the cockpit, but before he could get close, the mecha roared to life again.

The butler hastily restrained him: "Young Master, be careful!"

Pei Suqi pointed at the mecha, his voice almost a wail: "This is the latest model I painstakingly begged my dad for! How dare he—he doesn't even have a pilot's license!"

"Don't panic, don't panic," the butler reassured him. "Young Master, look, he's actually handling it quite steadily."

Hearing this, Pei Suqi finally looked up, only to see the mecha, under Bai Luming's control, indeed standing steadily in the firing zone, showing no signs of the alarming developments he had feared. He was utterly stunned: "He… he can pilot it?"

Just as Pei Suqi's composure began to return, a voice from behind him said, "Quite lively here, isn't it?"

It was Xiao Nuoya, head of the Garrison's Infantry Department.

Pei Suqi turned and greeted him: "Colonel Xiao, what brings you here?"

He Yilan's peripheral vision caught the rank on the other's shoulder, then he averted his gaze.

But He Yilan's presence was too striking; Colonel Xiao still gave him an extra glance as he approached before turning back to Pei Suqi: "Brought a team here for training today. Heard you were around, so I thought I'd drop by. What, testing a new machine?"

"Ah? Uhm…" Pei Suqi hesitated, deciding not to mention the repair shop incident. Before he could say more, a colossal sound from behind drew his attention.

In the blink of an eye, the shooting target, which had only borne a scorch mark, was now completely caved in.

Billowing smoke nearly obscured the display screen. Only as the dust slowly settled did the numbers gradually come into view: 18568 DP.

Pei Suqi's slowly agape mouth could almost fit an egg.

That level of destructive power—was it really from his mecha?

Before he could fully recover, several more shots rang out in quick succession.

18394 DP, 17987 DP, 19834 DP…

The highest value reached a staggering 20134 DP.

Pei Suqi's eyes were wide with disbelief.

T-twenty thousand?!

But wasn't it stipulated that civilian mechas couldn't exceed 18,000 DP in maximum damage? How did his mecha's output surpass 20,000 DP?

He Yilan's gaze on the display screen showed little ripple. He merely glanced back, seemingly inadvertently, subtly observing Xiao Nuoya beside him.

As expected, the casual smile had vanished from Xiao Nuoya's face. His eyes, as he watched the mecha in the field, were clearly filled with interest.

He Yilan lowered his gaze.

Sometimes, he found this Lu Ming quite intriguing. He clearly seemed unwilling to get involved with the military, yet he always possessed some peculiar quality that attracted attention like a magnet.

That Colonel Liang, who came recruiting last time, wasn't enough; now there was another.

As the cockpit door opened again, Bai Luming's figure agilely leaped down.

He casually ruffled his silver-gray hair and, upon landing, glanced back at the mecha behind him with a pleased expression.

It truly lived up to its reputation as the latest model.

Although it had been a long time since he'd piloted a mecha, and he was a bit rusty, the overall experience was quite enjoyable.

He hadn't been able to resist playing around with it a bit more, satisfying a small craving.

"So, Young Master Pei, as I said, the equipment is fine…" Bai Luming paused mid-sentence upon noticing the sudden addition of people beside Pei Suqi, then continued, "...isn't it?"

"Ah, yes, it seems fine," Pei Suqi replied, still reeling from shock. He finally managed to ask, "How did you achieve such high output?"

Bai Luming answered, "Didn't I say? Just pull the slingshot to its maximum, and you'll deal the highest damage."

He had naturally noticed Colonel Xiao's rank. While surprised by the sudden presence of military personnel, he didn't pay it much mind.

However, Xiao Nuoya beside him suddenly spoke up: "Young Master Pei, is this person also from your family?"

Pei Suqi: "Huh?"

Xiao Nuoya's smile was exceptionally amiable. Without waiting for Pei Suqi's reply, he looked at Bai Luming and continued: "You seem to have a remarkable talent for piloting mechas. Are you interested in joining…"

Bai Luming, without a second's hesitation, blurted out: "No."

Xiao Nuoya: "...?"

Xiao Nuoya: "I don't believe I've finished speaking."

"I'm not interested in anything, thank you." Bai Luming gave Xiao Nuoya an exceptionally kind and friendly smile, then looked towards Pei Suqi: "Young Master Pei, can we settle the bill now? Transfer or cash?"

"Transfer," Pei Suqi replied with a pained expression. "But I might not be able to pay in full right away."

"No problem." Bai Luming, in a rather good mood, handed him a piece of paper with the account number written on it. "Once you've gathered the funds, just transfer them directly into this account."

With that, he waved at He Yilan, who understood and followed him as they left.

Eyes lingered on the two from behind until they were far beyond the testing ground's main gate, finally breaking contact.

Bai Luming could feel someone's gaze consistently, albeit subtly, on him: "…If you have something to ask, just say it directly."

He Yilan remained silent for a few seconds before sincerely inquiring, "It's so far. Why didn't you ask that young master to give us a ride back in his aircraft?"

His unspoken meaning was clear, almost as if "I don't want to walk that far" was written on his face.

"..."

Bai Luming suddenly realized. "Damn it! Why didn't you say so earlier!"

A few minutes later, the crowd at the testing ground saw two figures returning after having left.

Pei Suqi: "…Why are you back again?"

Bai Luming warmly slung an arm over his shoulder, his tone as familiar as if they were old friends: "Young Master Pei, out here in the middle of nowhere. Would you mind giving us a lift back?"

Everyone else present: "..."

How could someone leave and then deliberately return, shamelessly asking for a ride like that!?