Assessment 162 in progress

Inside the mecha training ground, a relatively small, silver-purple mecha executed a series of highly proficient maneuvers to dodge the various obstacles scattered across the arena.

Although Galor maintained a calm expression on the surface, he was inwardly shocked as he watched the silver-purple mecha move with extreme agility and thread its way through the obstacles at a blistering speed.

Had he not witnessed it with his own eyes, he truly would not have believed that anyone could master mecha operation to such a degree in less than two months.

Just how had she been training?

When the silver-purple mecha cleared every single obstacle, Galor checked the time and discovered that she had actually met the qualification standards for external members of the Royal Guard. Alongside his astonishment, he was left somewhat speechless.

Was his little sister simply too monstrously talented?

While it was certainly a good thing for her to possess sufficient self-preservation capabilities, he felt an immense amount of pressure as an elder brother.

Seeing her like this gave him a sense of crisis, making him feel as though he wasn't needed at all.

No, he had resolved to be a good brother who pampered and protected his sister, which meant he had to work even harder!

"Big Brother, how was that? Did I pass?"

Just as he was deep in thought, Mei had already exited the mecha, walked up to him, and asked.

"Mei'er is amazing! You passed every single test!" Galor patted Mei's head and praised her warmly.

"Then can I go into space in a few days?" Mei eagerly asked upon hearing this.

"Of course! Your brother keeps his word. In a few days, when the spacecraft reaches the space station, I will take you into space to experience it."

"Yay, that's fantastic! I can finally go out and play!"

Mei jumped up in excitement.

Being cooped up on the spacecraft for this long had truly been driving her crazy!

"Next, it's up to you guys! You better give it your all, or else you'll be stuck inside the ship watching everyone else have fun!" Mei turned to Mochen and the others, making a few encouraging gestures.

"Relax! When have I ever let you down?" Mochen raised an eyebrow with a wicked smirk, revealing a confident smile before stepping forward with his chosen mecha.

The mecha Mochen selected was also from the Knight PN643 series, leaning toward agility as well, but tailored for close-combat engagements. On the field, his mecha functioned more like a vanguard raider. Painted in a striking blue and white, its standard configuration featured a pair of slender energy blades, which suited his fighting style perfectly.

Barely a moment after he stepped inside, the mecha sprang to life.

Although Mochen's mecha operation lacked Mei's effortless fluidity, it was far from poor. At the very least, he navigated the various obstacles effortlessly without losing any speed.

"Brother, does this count as him passing?" Seeing that Mochen's speed appeared slightly slower than her own, and his operational flexibility and reaction times seemed a notch inferior, Mei asked with a trace of worry.

Galor glanced at his sister's worried expression, and a familiar sour pang of jealousy rose in his heart once again.

However, having communicated openly before, he had no intention of deceiving her. He nodded and said, "Although his speed is slightly slower, it still meets the passing standard. However, if his speed were any lower than this, he would fail! After all, outer space is not as peaceful as it looks on the surface. Inadequate piloting skills not only bring danger to oneself but also threaten one's teammates. Understand?"

Though it sounded like he was speaking to Mei, his concluding words were actually a stern reminder to the others.

Since Mei's safety was at stake, if anyone's performance fell below Mochen's speed, they needn't expect any leniency from him!

With Mochen setting the benchmark, Ye Jingxuan, An Ziyou, and Lin Shaojie all had a clearer idea of their own chances of passing. Ye Jingxuan maintained his usual expressionless demeanor, whereas An Ziyou and Lin Shaojie wore distinctly worried expressions.

The moment Mochen stepped down, Ye Jingxuan strode forward without hesitation.

The mecha he chose was red and black, with a frame significantly bulkier and heavier than those chosen by Mei and Mochen. Its left arm was equipped with a circular shield, both shoulders mounted energy cannons, and its right arm carried a particle gun. It was clearly a mecha balanced for both heavy firepower and robust defense.

In terms of mecha operation, Ye Jingxuan was indeed superior to Mochen. Even though his mecha looked quite ponderous, he completed the obstacle course in even less time than Mochen had.

"Ah-Xuan is amazing!" Seeing the other's crisp, clean movements without a shred of hesitation, Mei couldn't help praising him.

"He's certainly capable!" Even though Mochen still viewed Ye Jingxuan as his primary rival, he had to admit that the other's skill in mecha handling surpassed his own.

However, this was only the beginning. He refused to believe that once he modified his mecha, he wouldn't be able to outperform him!

Following Ye Jingxuan was An Ziyou. To Mei's surprise, An Ziyou chose a defense-oriented mecha. The silver frame, just standing there, looked like a gigantic shield, exuding an aura of absolute reliability.

Naturally, this mecha was not known for its speed, so his evaluation criteria were correspondingly more lenient than the others. Piloting this silver giant, An Ziyou proceeded step-by-step with steady determination. Despite a few minor missteps, he managed to navigate all the obstacles smoothly.

Even so, despite Galor lowering the standards, An Ziyou still failed the test.

"Xiao You, it's fine! It just means you can't go this time! You'll definitely make it the next time! After all, you were just a tiny, tiny bit away from passing!" Mei comforted An Ziyou, seeing his somewhat dejected expression.

An Ziyou simply shook his head without a word, standing quietly as he watched Lin Shaojie take his turn at the evaluation.

Unable to guess what was going on in his mind and not knowing how else to comfort him, Mei decided to drop the matter temporarily.

Lin Shaojie had chosen the exact same model as Mochen, yet his operational style was entirely different.

Watching his mecha leap and bounce around the arena made one suspect a monkey was piloting the machine rather than a human!

His speed was by no means slow, giving him a very high probability of passing.

However, just as he was nearing the finish line, he jumped a fraction too high and smacked headfirst into an aerial obstacle, resulting in failure!

"Ah-Jie, you really need to temper your impulsive streak! There's still a chance—better luck next time!" Mei said helplessly as she looked at the dejected Lin Shaojie.

"I know!" Lin Shaojie nodded listlessly. He had indeed gotten too carried away this time.

Yet he simply couldn't control himself; the moment he stepped inside a mecha, his blood would boil with excitement. He had been exactly like this in the virtual mecha simulators, and in reality, he still hadn't learned to master his emotions.

"Alright, evaluation concluded! In three days, the three of you may enter space to experience it. As for the two of you, we'll talk when the opportunity arises again. During this time, if needed, you can train alongside the Royal Guard," Galor announced once all the results were out.

Mei looked at An Ziyou and Lin Shaojie, tempted to ask Galor to show some leniency. However, she knew very little about space, Galor's previous reasoning made complete sense, and the two boys weren't completely out of options, so she ultimately swallowed the words at the tip of her tongue.

"Mei'er, was there anything uncomfortable or awkward about operating the mecha? You can have the ship's mecha maintenance technicians make adjustments for you."

"There is! I've recorded everything in the mecha's internal data logger. Let them take a look and see to what extent they can fine-tune it!" Imperfections were inevitable with standardized custom mechas, so Mei nodded, looking toward the maintenance technicians with a trace of anticipation.

After all, her current skill level had not yet reached the point where she could ignore such discrepancies.

"I'm coming too! Let's see if I can help out!" Mochen lifted his foot and walked toward the technicians.

He hadn't forgotten Mei's expectations of him.

If he wanted to become a mecha smith, modification was the first step!

Furthermore, both his own mecha and Ye Jingxuan's required adjustments, and he needed to put his recent studies to the test. Naturally, he couldn't miss this opportunity.

Three days passed quickly. On the day before reaching the space supply station, Galor brought a box to find Mei.

"Brother, what is this?"

"Clothes, for you to wear tomorrow."

"Uh, the clothes you've prepared for me are already too many to wear through; why bother sending another set?" Mei unzipped the box in confusion, revealing a complete outfit including a pair of shoes.

"In space, the internal pressure inside a mecha undergoes certain changes. While the impact isn't severe, it can easily interfere with operation. The material of this garment can resist pressure changes, helping to prevent errors caused by that," Galor explained.

So that was how it was!

"Thank you, Brother!" Understanding dawned on Mei, and she flashed a broad smile.

"You're welcome! Since the ship didn't have your size on hand, I had this specially rushed for you. Try it on and see if anything needs altering so we can have it adjusted." Seeing her smile, Galor couldn't help smiling back as he reminded her.

"Oh, okay!" Mei took the clothing into the inner room.

Expecting something akin to a tight bodysuit, she discovered upon pulling them out that there was more than one piece.

A lightweight, form-fitting bodysuit designed to be worn next to the skin, paired with a white long coat featuring a cinched waist, a skirt-like hem, and golden embroidery, giving it a very stylish appearance.

Donning the black knee-high boots along with a pair of gloves made of the same material as the jumpsuit, Mei checked herself in the mirror and felt that this outfit had a slightly different style from her usual wardrobe.

The clothes Galor had prepared for her previously were predominantly cute and extravagant. While this outfit also possessed a restrained luxury, its overall style appeared much steadier.

"The design isn't bad. Is it comfortable to wear?" Galor nodded in general satisfaction as he looked at Mei in her new attire.

"Very comfortable! It feels form-fitting, almost like a second layer of skin!" Mei evaluated.

"Good. I hadn't expected you to take an interest in mechas earlier, so your previous clothes were made of ordinary fabrics. From now on, I'll have all your clothes made from this material so you can wear them daily and pilot mechas more conveniently!"

Listening to his meticulous and thoughtful arrangements, Mei stepped forward and hugged him.

"Thank you, Brother!"

"Why are you being so formal? You're my sister; of course I should take care of you! You just need to accept it as a matter of course!" Galor gently patted Mei's back and said.

As a matter of course?

Yet how could she simply accept it as natural, especially since she still harbored a massive secret that she could never speak of!