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Chapter 52 Combat Assessment
Mech Piloting Department.
A student wearing a Mech Building Department uniform was standing in front of Sheng Heng with a disgruntled expression on his face as he said loudly, “Sheng Heng, what do you mean?”
“I just want to add a name, my mech doesn’t need your maintenance.” Sheng Heng said in response.
After the start of the school year, the mech combat department had a combat assessment. This assessment was a joint assessment between the Mech Piloting Department and the Mech Building Department. While the Mech Piloting students would be tested on their combat ability, the students of the Mech Building Department would also be tested on their maintenance ability. As it was common in the battlefield for mechs to break down, the Mech Building Master had to check the mechs before and after the battle.
“No, this assessment will count towards my credit. If your mech breaks down and I don’t repair it, the professor will deduct my points as well.” The Mech Building Department student said.
“My mech won’t break down.” Sheng Heng said in reply.
“How do you know it won’t break down?”
“Black Soul is a level 6 mech and the mission for this field assessment is only level 4. It won’t destroy the mech.” Sheng Heng replied.
“Then why don’t you go and talk to the professor and ask him to allow you to take the assessment independently.”
Sheng Heng frowned. It wasn’t as if he hadn’t gone to the professor, but after hearing his proposal, he had rejected it on the spot and then criticized and educated him. The professor had told Sheng Heng that being a mech warrior wasn’t just about knowing how to fight, but also about maintaining a good relationship with one’s Mech Building Master who was his only support in battle. A warrior who couldn’t get along with his Mech Building Master couldn’t trust his own mech, and if he couldn’t even trust his own mech, then how could he fight?
It wasn’t that Sheng Heng didn’t understand this, but the only Mech Building Master he trusted was Yan Hao who was only a freshman and who wasn’t yet qualified to fight in a real battle. If it had been before, Sheng Heng would have allowed other Mech Building Masters to have a look at Black Soul, but now that Black Soul had been completely modified by Yan Hao, Sheng Heng didn’t want anyone else to touch it. But to take part in the test, one had to have a Mech Building Master and if one didn’t have one, one couldn’t take part, that was why Sheng Heng had approached the Mech Building Master in Cheng Wenkang’s team, but he had obviously not agreed.
“I can give you a piece of rare metal as payment.” Sheng Heng offered.
“Sheng Heng, you are a pilot with a hand injury, so you are not destined to get high marks in such a long combat assessment. The reason why I agreed to let you join my team is to have the chance to repair Black Soul. Now that you won’t even let me touch Black Soul, is there any reason for me to let you join my team when you would deliberately hold us back?” The student sneered.
Black Soul was a level 6 mech and for a student of the Federation University, a level 6 mech was a luxury, what’s more in Sheng Heng’s year, only his Black Soul was a level 6 mech, so even though everyone knew he had a hand injury, they were still willing to partner with him in order to have access to it.
“Xiang Jun, how can you talk like that?” Cheng Wenkang couldn’t stand it anymore.
“I’m telling the truth. I don’t understand why a cripple who isn’t destined to be a mech warrior wants to take the Mech Piloting exam as well as hog a level 6 mech.” Xiang Jun had long been displeased with Sheng Heng.
Previously, he had wanted to borrow Sheng Heng’s Black Soul to look at it because he had been studying the wiring diagram of a level 6 mech and had promised him that he would be his partner during school if he lent him Black Soul to look at it, but Sheng Heng had turned him down without even thinking about it. Xiang Jun had never been rejected so coldly since he was admitted to the Mech Building Department, and now that Sheng Heng was begging him, he still wouldn’t allow him to touch Black Soul. How could he agree?
“You…” Cheng Wenkang’s face turned blue.
“Forget it.” Sheng Heng stopped Cheng Wenkang then said to Xiang Jun, “I’m not joining.”
“What a waste of time. You almost delayed my going to Professor Zhong’s open class.” Xiang Jun gave Sheng Heng a disgusted glance then turned around to walk out, sweeping a glance at Cheng Wenkang as he passed by, saying in a sinister manner, “If you’re not willing, you can also leave my team, I won’t force you to stay.”
“I’ll leave, what?” Cheng Wenkang replied angrily.
“Fine, remember to talk to the professor yourself.” After saying this, Xiang Jun walked away without looking back.
“If it wasn’t for the fact that he’s a Mech Building Master, I’d really like to beat him up.” Cheng Wenkang waved his fist in anger in the direction Xiang Jun had left.
“A mech warrior beating a mech building master, do you want to be expelled?” Sheng Heng looked at him in askance.
“But that kid’s words are too infuriating.”
“It’s nothing. Think about it, if a Mech Building Master told me that he wouldn’t help me with my mech but then asks me to take him along to the assessment, I would also refuse.” Sheng Heng’s expression was much more calm than Cheng Wenkang’s was, “Trust is a mutual thing and I have indeed not developed trust with this class of Mech Building Masters.”
“Isn’t that because….. forget it, let’s not bring that up.” Cheng Wenkang wondered, “What about this assessment? Are we still going?”
“I’m the one who has to think about whether to go or not. Just go join a different team.” Cheng Wenkang wasn’t as annoying to fellow Mech Building Masters as he was, hence it wouldn’t be difficult for him to change teams.
“It would be nice if our little junior could take the assessment so I wouldn’t have to find another team and so you would also be able to take the test.” Cheng Wenkang suggested, “Why don’t you ask him?”
“Xiao Hao is only a freshman, how can he take part in the combat assessment?” Sheng Heng asked.
“He can’t take part in this combat assessment because they haven’t learnt about mech repairing in their first year, but our little junior is strong enough and he is the only one who can repair Black Soul. And besides, even if it’s just a name, the main thing is that you can participate.” Cheng Wenkang continued, “Anyways a mech building master only needs to wait at the base and doesn’t have to participate in the battle with us, so he won’t be in danger.”
Sheng Heng hesitated, but Cheng Wenkang knew he had his heart set on taking part in the assessment this time.
“How about you ask our little junior?” Cheng Wenkang suggested.
After Black Soul was modified, a chance was needed for its strength to be assessed and Sheng Heng was really eager to participate in this assessment.
“Alright, I’ll ask.” Sheng Heng thought about it and was about to call Yan Hao, but considering that he was probably listening to Old Zhong’s open class, he sent him a message instead.
Tenth floor of the laboratory building, the lounge.
Yan Hao didn’t go to listen to Old Zhong’s open class but stayed in the lounge to calm Old Pang down.
“What information did he give you, can you show it to me?” Old Pang asked Yan Hao.
“Yes.” Yan Hao pulled out the information Baby Bug had sent him that day from his light brain and showed it to Old Pang.
Old Pang only took a couple of glances at it and had a rough idea: “You’ve understood most of this information?”
“I understand most of the programming stuff, but I don’t know much about the design and mech stuff. I think it’s because my knowledge base isn’t enough.” Yan Hao answered.
These materials are for the final year students and not even many of them can understand it the way you do. And Zhong Gao Xuan, that old man probably wasn’t lying. If it wasn’t for the purpose of taking him on as his disciple, he wouldn’t give such detailed information to just anyone.
“What was the situation when he gave you the information at that time? Tell me about it.” Old Pang instructed.
“Baby Bug and I are online friends and we used to exchange maths problems online. Baby Bug had helped me a lot.”
Old Pang nodded. Little Eight was very good at maths, which was something he had always known. To be precise, the few disciples that Zhong Gao Xuan, that old man had taken on in his later years were all good at maths. He and Zhong Gao Xuan were both Master Mech Builders, but since a decade or so ago, their research directions had gone different ways. He focused on the mech itself, on strengthening the power of the mech while Zhong Gao Xuan on the other hand, focused on the mech piloting system, trying to simplify the operations of a mech.
“About a month or so ago, Baby Bug and I exchanged a math problem then he sent me this information afterwards. He told me, that knowing that I was working on mimetic piloting systems, this information would be useful to me.” Yan Hao said all that had originally transpired.
As for the difficulty of the math problem, Yan Hao didn’t mention it. For one thing, he didn’t think it was really difficult and for another, he felt that the information Baby Bug had given him was worth much more than the math problem and he also felt in his heart that Baby Bug was deliberately helping him, which was why he had given him this information.
Exchanging math problems? This was very much like Old Zhong’s way of doing things. He would first make his disciple give Yan Hao a maths problem as a test, then give him some information as another form of assessment and then in the end meet him in order to accept him as his disciple. What’s more the Federal University invited Old Zhong every year to give a lecture, which was why he had agreed this year.
“……” After Old Pang went through this in his mind, he felt that he was seriously about to feel that he had stolen someone else’s disciple.
Bullshit, who told him to give a test for over a month instead of coming to grab the disciple himself?
“Di-di.” Just then, Yan Hao’s light brain terminal rang, prompting a message.
Sheng Heng: [In three days time, our class will have an outing for a combat assessment but I need a Mech Building Master to partner with me. Are you willing to participate?]
After Yan Hao read the message, he replied then and there: [I’ll ask my teacher if I can go.]
“What’s wrong? Someone is looking for you?” Old Pang asked upon seeing this.
“No.” Yan Hao thought about it, then took the opportunity to ask, “Teacher, can I take part in the out of school assessment in my freshman year?”
“The assessment is usually conducted in the second semester of sophomore year. You haven’t even chosen your partner yet, so how can you go out for the test?” Old Pang said.
“Then what if I have a partner?” Yan Hao asked.
“You have a partner? Someone already has their eye on you?” Raising an eyebrow, Old Pang said in his heart, ‘my disciple is really a golden egg. He’s only a freshman and he’s already reached the sophomore level.’ “Don’t go this freshman year, just study hard this year and let him find someone else.”
“For an out of school assessment, the mech piloting department probably need us from the mech building department to repair their mechs, right?” Yan Hao asked.
“Of course, but it doesn’t have to be you. None of the sophomore assessments are particularly difficult, what’s more a mech building master can be paired with more than just one mech warrior. Just have him find someone else to partner up with.” Old Pang said carelessly.
“Then….. then I might really have to go.” Yan Hao said in a small voice.
Old Pang looked at him.
“I…… I modified senior’s mech and now that mech can probably only be repaired by me.” Yan Hao continued.
Old Pang raised an eyebrow saying to himself secretly, how come I didn’t see that Yan Hao, this kid is so arrogant? What, what he has modified others couldn’t repair?
“How did you modify it that other than you, no one else can repair it?” Old Pang knew that Yan Hao was highly talented, but he didn’t want him to be too conceited, so he asked this question deliberately in order to give his young disciple a good knock.
“I…. I changed senior’s mech to become one that uses a mimetic piloting system and I reworked all the wiring and operating systems. Without the original wiring diagram, it might… not be very good to fix.” Yan Hao didn’t mean to question the competence of the other mech building masters.
He just felt that if it was the mech parts that broke down, the sophomore seniors would be able to fix it better than he could, but once the system and wiring broke down, they wouldn’t be able to fix it.
“…… “Old Pang.
What did he just hear? A mimetic piloting system? And he had already finished modifying it?
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Thanks for the chapter! Really shocked the old man this time, lol.
Thank you for the update ❤️ Old Zhong is going to come back from the lecture to look at a mimetic Mecha xD
I really like this MC, I’m loving reading this novel. Thank you for translating this work.
👍