Mecha Examination

Entering the interstellar space, Mei was filled with excitement.

Whether it was the boundless starry sky or the advanced technology, everything felt wonderfully novel to her. Just researching optical brains and mechas took up the majority of her time every day. Aside from eating, she seemed to be constantly busy.

Moreover, she was not the only one busy; everyone else was equally occupied. Although all six of them were on the very same spaceship, they could only communicate with one another through their optical brains simply because everyone had their hands full.

Gradually, however, Mei began to feel bored.

Repeating the exact same task every day—especially when the novelty and attraction of that task began to wane—made the days instantly monotonous and dull.

"You look rather bored! What's the matter? Have you lost interest in mechas?" Seeing Mei sitting there and yawning repeatedly from boredom, Gallaudet put down his work and asked with concern.

"I'm still interested! It's just that I'm completely over virtual mechas! No matter how much a fake thing looks like the real thing, it's still fake. There's only so much it can help me with. No matter how much time I waste inside the simulation, my improvement will be very limited. Rather than going online just to be harassed by someone, I might as well practice my spiritual power!" Mei curled up in a single sofa, hugging a fluffy plush pillow, and said listlessly.

"Harassed? Is that person still bothering you?" Hearing this, Gallaudet could not help frowning, a flash of displeasure crossing his eyes.

As an older brother, how could he possibly be happy knowing that his younger sister was constantly being harassed by someone?

However, Mei did not notice his displeasure. She yawned once more and said, "Yeah! That guy locked onto my virtual network port. I blocked him many times, but he cracked it every single time. As soon as I go online, that fellow immediately pops up. No matter what I do, he has to stick his nose into it. I've never seen such a troublesome guy."

"Do you want me to help you deal with him?" Gallaudet's brows locked even tighter.

Hearing his suggestion, Mei tilted her head and thought for a moment before shaking her head. "No need, I can still handle him for now! Annoying as he is, that guy hasn't crossed any lines. I can tell he's actually just too bored, which is why he keeps tossing and turning with me endlessly. Once he finds a new target, he'll stop pestering me. Anyway, I don't have much to do right now, so occasionally playing along with him isn't bad either!"

"Since you are already extremely familiar with operating virtual mechas, why don't you start practicing with real mechas from today onward?" After thinking about it, Gallaudet still felt it best to reduce the contact between that strange person and Mei, so he suggested.

"Operate real mechas? Where do I operate them? Is there enough space on the spaceship? Or can you let me go out into space to experience it?" At the mention of this, Mei's eyes lit up instantly.

Meeting Mei's expectant gaze, Gallaudet shook his head. He soothingly stroked her long hair and said, "Going into space is out of the question for now. After all, we are currently in transit, and doing that would delay our journey. Besides, you have never touched a real mecha before and still need time to adapt. There is a dedicated mecha training ground on the spaceship where you can try them out. The standard specifications of the new mechas can be readjusted according to your needs. Although they can't compare to custom-built ones, they should feel a bit more comfortable."

Although Mei was not entirely satisfied, she was not the type to throw unreasonable tantrums. Therefore, she only hesitated for a moment before nodding.

"If your mecha operation reaches the standard, when we arrive at the space station for resupplying in a few days, I will let you pilot a mecha into space to experience it firsthand." After pondering for a moment, Gallaudet made a promise.

"Really? Brother, you aren't tricking me, are you?" Hearing this, Mei opened her eyes wide in pleasant surprise, her body instinctively leaning closer to Gallaudet as she looked up at his face.

Her sweet and eager little expression, mixed with a hint of disbelief, melted Gallaudet's heart completely. Unable to help himself, he pulled her into his embrace and nodded very affirmatively. "Of course! As long as you meet the requirements, your brother will never break his promise!"

"Thank you, Brother!" Mei happily wrapped her arms around Gallaudet's neck and planted a hearty kiss on his cheek.

As for the conditions he had mentioned, she chose to ignore them entirely.

This sudden and intimate gesture left the unprepared Gallaudet looking somewhat flustered, and his handsome face blushed instantly.

By sheer coincidence, this exact scene happened to be witnessed by Ye Jingxuan, who had rarely ventured out of his room.

Watching Mei act so spoiled and affectionate toward Gallaudet, Ye Jingxuan knew very well that the two were biological siblings, yet his expression still stiffened for a split second.

Meanwhile, Gallaudet originally intended to have Mei sit back down on her own chair, but upon seeing Ye Jingxuan arrive, he abruptly changed his mind. He tightened his arm around her waist, holding her firmly in his embrace.

"Ah-Xuan, you're out! Come sit down. What have you been busy with lately? I haven't seen you in ages!" Feeling someone approach, Mei turned her head, and upon seeing Ye Jingxuan, she immediately raised a hand to greet him.

Ye Jingxuan's gaze lingered on Gallaudet's arm for a few seconds before he sat down on the sofa opposite them.

"Nothing much! Just getting familiar with the situation in the Interstellar Alliance! What are you two talking about?" When facing Mei, Ye Jingxuan always softened the lines of his facial muscles instinctively, and his voice grew gentle as well.

"We were talking about mechas! Brother promised that in a few days, he'll let me pilot a mecha into space!" Mei's voice sounded exceptionally excited.

"You forgot the precondition! I said you could only go if you meet the standards!" Seeing that she seemed a bit overly excited, Gallaudet could not help reminding her.

Mei wanted to say it would be no problem, but she felt that might be boasting a bit too much, especially since she did not yet know where her current skills stood in the hierarchy of mecha operators. Thus, she asked somewhat hesitantly, "What kind of requirements do I need to meet?"

"Well! You'll only know after taking an evaluation!"

"An evaluation it is, then! Are you coming along, Ah-Xuan?" Mei hopped down from Gallaudet's lap, looking rather impatient as she turned to invite Ye Jingxuan.

"Mn!" Ye Jingxuan stood up without the slightest hesitation.

If she was truly going into space, he would definitely follow her there.

As for the mecha piloting evaluation, he had not just been idling away his time during all those days on the spaceship.

"I wonder if Ah-Chen and the others would be interested. I'll send a message to ask! As for Cyril, I guess I'll skip him. His time is probably not even enough for his magic potion experiments, let alone having the spare time to play with mechas!" Mei muttered to herself while tapping on her optical brain to send messages.

Before long, Mo Chen, An Ziyou, and Lin Shaojie arrived at the public lounge one after another.

"You guys finally came out! I thought the few of you were planning to take root and sprout in your rooms!" Seeing them arrive, Mei could not help complaining.

"What kind of talk is that!" Hearing this, Mo Chen was left torn between laughter and tears. He raised a hand to flick her forehead lightly before asking, "Didn't you say there's going to be a mecha evaluation? What's that about?"

"It's just a physical mecha operation evaluation! Brother promised me that if I can reach the standards he sets, he'll let me pilot a mecha into space. I didn't know if you guys would be interested, so I sent a message to ask."

"Into space? Oh yeah, I'm in! I definitely have to participate!" Hearing her explanation, Lin Shaojie was even more excited than Mei had been earlier, raising his hand high as if afraid nobody else knew his intentions.

"You ask the obvious! How could an event like going into space possibly exclude me? When does it start?" Mo Chen put his hands in his pockets, his tone taking it completely for granted.

Although An Ziyou did not speak, he nodded in agreement with Mo Chen's words.

"Right now, of course! Why else would I have called you all here? Brother, where is the testing ground? Let's hurry up and go!" Seeing that everyone had gathered, Mei urged Gallaudet.

"Understood! Follow me!" Gallaudet stood up, his tone carrying a trace of indulgence.

Led by him, Mei realized for the first time just how massive this spaceship truly was.

Usually, they only roamed around three areas: their own rooms, the public lounge, and the training room. She had foolishly assumed that these three places accounted for at least a third of the spaceship's space, but in reality, they did not even make up a tenth.

Taking the elevator, the group descended to the lower level of the spaceship.

The vast and enormous environment left Mei staring in astonishment.

This was clearly the area designated for mecha operators to conduct their training. Several mechas were currently engaged in sparring combat.

Without using energy weapons, relying purely on the mechas' own physical combat capabilities to decide victory and defeat, the sight made Mei widen her eyes in amazement.

"Greetings, Your Royal Highness the Prince, Your Royal Highness the Princess!" Seeing their arrival, everyone present immediately stopped what they were doing and stepped forward to salute.

"Bring out the backup mechas from the ship for the Princess to choose from!" Gallaudet ordered.

"Yes, Your Highness!"

Following the command, someone immediately walked up to Mei holding a long, slender box.

Mei opened the box and saw thirty similarly shaped badges placed inside. Puzzled, she looked toward Gallaudet.

"These are mecha badges, the keys to activating mechas. At the same time, each badge contains a spatial dimension specifically used to store the mecha and the backup energy required for its startup."

Gallaudet's slender fingers glided over the badges before pausing on one of them, which he picked up and handed to Mei.

"Here, this model is the Knight PN643-2. It leans toward ranged attacks, possesses high mobility and flexibility, and has a relatively compact mecha form. Take a look and see if you like it."

Mei took the badge as instructed and gently pressed the protruding button in the center. A silver-purple mecha materialized before the crowd. Its exterior looked like a warrior clad in light armor, with an external sniper energy gun mounted on its right arm. A golden leaf pattern on the chest was exceptionally eye-catching.

"The color and shape are quite pleasing to the eye! I'll give it a try. If it handles well, I'll choose this one!" With that, Mei stepped forward and used the badge to activate the mecha.

The armor on the mecha's face opened, followed by a beam of white light shooting toward Mei. The next second, Mei vanished inside the mecha.

Mei glanced at the control panel before her, placing the badge she held into the sole slot on the console. The interior of the mecha instantly lit up.

"Knight PN643-2 activated. Would you like to bind the operator?" An electronic synthetic voice echoed inside the mecha.

"Do not bind!"

"Would you like to activate the neural link?"

"Activate!"

"Would you like to activate keyboard controls?"

"Activate!"

"Would you like to activate intelligent mode?"

"No!"

"First-time use. Would you like to launch tutorial mode?"

"No!"

"Tutorial mode disabled. Energy reserves at 100%, system diagnostics normal, ready for standard startup!"

Listening to the electronic voice fade away, Mei placed her hands on the control panel, skillfully reviewing all the data and equipment of the mecha, a look of satisfaction appearing on her face.