Chapter 107.2 System Upgrade
Yan Hao had been listening quietly up until this point, however when he heard this, his brows furrowed, a somewhat disagreeing expression showing on his face.
“Do you have any doubts?” Old Zhong asked.
“Master, if there’s a huge difference between mimetic mechs and traditional mechs, then why do I need to master traditional mechs first?” Yan Hao asked.
“You have to first understand traditional mechs in order to be able to see the differences so you know how to modify them.” Old Zhong explained.
“But why do we need to modify them? Can’t we just treat it as a brand-new thing and research it from scratch?” Yan Hao asked, confused. “Since the differences become more prominent as we go further, there seems to be no need to use them for referencing.”
Stunned, Old Zhong thought over what Yan Hao had just said and the more he thought about it, the brighter his eyes became.
Yes, why was he so insistent on Yan Hao first mastering traditional mechs? Old Zhong found that he seemed to have been stuck in a cognitive blind spot. Because he was a level 10 Master Mech Builder who was overly familiar with traditional mechs, he always subconsciously started from traditional mechs whenever developing them, trying to find ways to modify traditional mechs into mimetic mechs.
However after many years of research, he had clearly discovered that the further he got into the research, the greater the difference in form between the mimetic mech and the traditional mech. And this was precisely why his research on the mimetic system had remained stagnant at level six.
But what if he took a different approach, jumped out of this thought process and stopped thinking about modifying existing traditional mechs, but rather treated it as a completely new thing to study? Would there be new breakthroughs?
He suddenly looked up, his eyes shining with excitement as he looked at Yan Hao: “You’re right, why can’t it be a completely new thing?”
But this new thing was easier said than done. For mature mech builders, the knowledge of traditional mechs was something that was ingrained in them. And this didn’t just go for mature mech builders, but also for students who hadn’t even entered University that had a solid foundation in mech during their middle school years. And all these foundations were based on traditional mechs. The more one understood, the stronger ones foundation became, hence the harder it was to break free from it.
But Yan Hao was different— he had been introduced to the mimetic system just after he had been introduced to mechs in general. What’s more the first mech he had modified was a mimetic mech. He was like a baby that was just beginning to learn language, having been born in a bilingual environment. Therefore, he didn’t have such a deep-rooted attachment to traditional mechs.
“Xiao Hao, I’m going to change my teaching plan for you. You don’t need to master the traditional mech system anymore. I want you to start learning from the mimetic system. I will now explain the level six mimetic system in detail.” Old Zhong hadn’t originally planned to teach the level six system upgrade in detail, but at this moment, he changed his mind.
So Black Soul, which already had a ready made system and only needed a few changes to its wiring to be upgraded to a level six mimetic system, was modified for five days. During these five days, aside from spending half an hour each day monitoring the update status of the third generation system, Old Zhong spent the rest of his time modifying Black Soul, and to avoid disturbing their modification, Sheng Zhuo specifically prepared a separate lab for Old Zhong.
And in this lab, aside from Old Zhong, Yan Hao and Baby Bug, even Sheng Zhuo himself wasn’t allowed to enter.
Five days later, the modification of Black Soul was completed.
The three, Master and disciples stood in front of the modified Black Soul, their expressions varied. Baby Bug was amazed, Yan Hao was satisfied, and Old Zhong looked melancholic: “This is the first level six mimetic mech I’ve assembled.”
Hearing this, Yan Hao looked at Old Zhong in shock, “Master, you haven’t assembled one before?”
“No.” Old Zhong shook his head, “When I researched the level six mimetic system, I also calculated the value of building such a mimetic mech. The core of a mimetic mech has to be made from the Tempest Stone, whereas with traditional mechs, the Tempest Stone can become the core of both level 9 and 10 mechs. Just this point alone makes its much more expensive than when one is building a traditional mech. On top of that, there are wires buried inside the mech as well as parts at several joints that require much more advanced and precise mech parts.”
“The most important thing is that after the level six mimetic system was researched, I had no idea about the level seven mimetic system. So what was the use of a system that was destined to not be upgraded?” Old Zhong sighed.
“Actually, the level six mimetic system can already help some people who have a mech dream but can’t pilot one.” Yan Hao said.
Looking at him, Old Zhong chuckled, “You mean Sheng Heng?”
Yan Hao’s face turned red, but he still nodded.
“It’s true that there are people like Sheng Heng who have hand injuries and so are unable to pilot mechs, but what can one, two, or even ten ten mimetic mechs change? Mimetic mechs can’t be mass produced, what’s more they aren’t top combat forces like level 10 mechs. They are just toys for the rich.” And with Old Zhong’s status, how could he allow his hard won research results turn into toys for the rich? “So I set a rule for myself: If the mimetic mech can’t break through to level nine, I won’t let it go public.”
“When General Admiral Sheng and his wife came to me back then, this is what I said when I turned them down.” After saying this, he glanced at Yan Hao.
“Then with you breaking that rule today, will it bring you trouble?” Yan Hao said with some trepidation.
“Yes, Master. This rule has kept people from bothering you in the past, but that might not be the case in the future.” Baby Bug also added.
After all, many people in the base had heard Old Zhong promise to upgrade Sheng Heng’s mech, so this matter was bound to leak out. The mimetic mech, although currently only at level six, was a technology that any force in the Federation would want to research and master, so now that Old Zhong had made an exception and upgraded Sheng Heng’s system to level six, other forces were bound to catch wind of it and come rushing.
“Who said I made an exception?” Old Zhong countered.
Yan Hao and Baby Bug looked at Black Soul standing in front of them.
“I’m just teaching my disciples knowledge. This mech is nothing more than a teaching tool.” Old Zhong continued.
“……” Yan Hao.
“……” Baby Bug.
What could they say? It was still old ginger that was spicier.
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Thanks for the chapter! That old goat, lol
Thanks for the update
Thank you for translating this story. It has become one of my favorites and not just because the story is great, but also because I love your translation style. Keep up the good work, I am always looking forward to the next update
Thank you so very much and God bless you😘