As soon as those words dropped, the students erupted in shock.
Only half the weight of a normal mech! That was a staggering piece of data. Everyone knew that “weight reduction” for mechs was a bottleneck scientists had struggled to break through for nearly two centuries, driving countless mech engineers to despair.
It was precisely these unique properties that earned this model the name “Nightwalker.” The non-reflective finish combined with halved weight made this mech exceptionally suited for deep-night military operations.
“I will now demonstrate for everyone.” Yan Xun activated a remote control in his hand, and the leftmost mech lowered its boarding ramp.
Everyone noticed that the ramp’s deployment speed was roughly three to four times faster than a standard training mech.
“Step back, everyone. Just leave a few people here,” the Class 1 instructor waved, dispersing the crowd.
The students retreated to a safe zone, leaving only a handful of Research Institute students and the three instructors on the floor.
Shi Yuanyang stepped up next to Fu Siheng, his eyes shining. “Too cool. Honestly, way too cool.”
Fu Siheng looked at him. “You mean the mech?”
“What else?” Shi Yuanyang said, rare emotion bleeding into his tone as he yearned, “If I ever get the chance to own my own mech one day, the Eternity series would be my absolute first choice.”
A hint of regret laced his words. Eager to patch things up with Fu Siheng, Yi Fengbei slipped over to them during the commotion. Overhearing the remark, he immediately blurted out, “Buy it! Just buy it! President Nan’s mechs never go out of style.”
“An Eternity starts at ten million minimum. It’s way too damn expensive,” Shi Yuanyang sighed.
“We can chip in for you! I…well, I don’t have a ton of cash, but I can scrape some together! I’ve saved up a lot of my allowance!” Yi Fengbei blurted out without thinking.
Directly under the jurisdiction of the Warner Military Department, Imperial Military Academy didn’t charge tuition; instead, it issued stipends amounting to several thousand credits to students every year.
Shi Yuanyang glanced at him and let out a sudden snort of laughter. “What do I want your allowance for? With Xiao Heng around, do I need to look anywhere else?”
Fu Siheng curved his lips upward as well, though the smile didn’t reach his eyes.
Seeing Yi Fengbei look utterly clueless, Fu Siheng explained, “Omegas aren’t allowed on the battlefield, nor can they own their own mechs. Interstellar Law dictates that.”
Centuries ago, omegas were treated merely as tools for reproduction, holding rock-bottom social status. After the drastic upheavals of the slave era, their numbers plummeted drastically. To protect vulnerable omegas, Interstellar Law prohibited them from participating in any hazardous operations the very first rule being a ban on setting foot on a battlefield.
Fu Siheng said flatly, “If I ever get a chance to rewrite Interstellar Law myself, that’s the first clause I’m scrapping.”
Shi Yuanyang’s expression shifted. Catching a glimpse of Yi Fengbei, he hurriedly changed the subject. “We’re about to watch an amazing mech demonstration, why are we ruining the mood talking about boring old Interstellar Law?”
Mentioning Yan Xun immediately brought Yi Fengbei’s energy back up. “My boy is an SSS-rank pilot. This is gonna be epic!”
“His mental capacity is that strong?” Shi Yuanyang raised an eyebrow, though he wasn’t entirely surprised. He’d heard rumors of Yan Xun’s prowess. Yet normally, whenever an SSS-rank popped up in the academy, the school would broadcast it everywhere, and they’d be snapped up in advance by the Ministry of Defense or the Marines.
Yet he had never heard a word about Yan Xun’s rank at least, not within the school walls.
Fu Siheng looked over as well. Yi Fengbei muttered, “Oh, right. Apparently, his testing machine broke down right when it was his turn during the entrance exams. But I went with him to the hospital once and watched him test it there…it’s SSS.”
Shi Yuanyang dryly remarked, “Those hospital tests don’t count. Aside from the military academy’s official system tests, the rest are pretty unreliable.”
Dropping the subject, Yi Fengbei pointed awkwardly toward the center of the hall. “It’s starting, it’s starting.”
Fu Siheng watched the indicator lights on the distant mech flicker to life, recalling that the machine had indeed broken down during the entrance exams of his own year. But judging by the combat pheromones he’d sensed, Yan Xun’s mental rank definitely wasn’t any lower than S.
A green light flashed. In a split second, the hall’s public address speakers linked up with the mech.
Yan Xun’s deep voice echoed across the training grounds. “Demonstration commencing.”
When the mech started moving, its joints made zero noise, lifting smoothly and effortlessly.
First, it raised its arms and legs…movements that didn’t look like a rehearsal, but rather like someone getting a feel for the machine.
Everyone exchanged glances, looking somewhat puzzled.
A minute later, he began standard cadence drills: stepping through obstacles, shooting targets, basic maneuvers.
Even the Class 2 instructor muttered in admiration on the sidelines, calling it a textbook execution.
Judging whether a person’s mental capacity matched a mech wasn’t about how aggressively they fought. Just like Fu Siheng’s performance during morning training, laymen looked at how he smashed his opponents into the dirt, while experts watched his fundamental operations.
Every single point at which Yan Xun cleared an obstacle was precisely identical. Achieving that level of consistency took only two possibilities: either day-in, day-out training forming hardwired muscle memory, or innate, flawless mental control.
“Attention. If your safety harness isn’t properly secured, things get dangerous during gunfire. Not just the mech the cockpit itself will experience immense compression…” Yan Xun narrated while firing.
Fu Siheng had never seen him pilot the Eternity series, though he had test-driven one himself once.
When he saw the mech stand completely steady without losing its footing after firing, a hint of surprise crossed his face.
The greatest danger of the Eternity lay in the recoil generated when firing. Because its weight had been drastically reduced, the original momentum formulas were disrupted. Consequently, when firing shells of equivalent power, the mech itself generated two to three times the recoil of a standard mech.
In severe cases, the entire mech could even be thrown backward into the air.
During his very first pilot run, Fu Siheng had nearly tumbled over because he couldn’t keep his balance though, granted, he hadn’t linked his mental capacity to the machine at the time and hadn’t expected the kickback to be that violent.
For Yan Xun to pull it off without budging an inch meant he must have practiced this countless times before.
When Yan Xun hopped down from the mech, a wave of eager murmurs rippled through the crowd.
Landing lightly on his feet, Yan Xun jogged over to them, sweat glistening on his tense, toned arms.
“Looking sharp, bro,” Yi Fengbei gave him a light punch.
Yan Xun let out a breath. “First time driving this piece of tech, feels a little unfamiliar. But the cockpit is definitely way more precise than standard mechs.”
The two men beside him stared. Shi Yuanyang gasped, “That was your first time piloting it?”
Yan Xun spread his hands with an innocent shrug. “What else could I do? The old director didn’t ship the mechs to the school until six this morning. I glanced at the manual once and gave up the instructions were dragged out across three or four meters of tiny print.”
“You son of a… you really are a freak of nature.” Shi Yuanyang stood dumbfounded, finding it hard to believe someone could pilot an Eternity for the first time and look that effortlessly skilled.
“Safety first during mech operations! Remember what Yan Xun just emphasized!” the Class 1 instructor yelled through his megaphone once more.
Excitedly rubbing their hands together, the students scrambled for a turn.
Fu Siheng told the other instructors, “Let’s spread out to prevent any sudden emergencies.”
Back in the Marines, he’d heard old platoon leaders talk about an accident from a few years back. A soldier piloting a crusher mech hadn’t paid attention and accidentally knocked over a teammate standing nearby.
The consequences were imaginable, and word had it the victim’s mother had lost her mind, calling the main switchboard every night at three in the morning to ask if her son could come home for the weekend.
The other two instructors took Shi Yuanyang to the opposite side to keep watch. With twenty mechs available, letting the students cycle through took quite a bit of time.
The first batch of students were extremely cautious, checking everything over thoroughly before activating their indicator lights. Yet when firing came around, they still wobbled left and right, and one person even got blown backward straight into the foam padding wall.
Watching the chaotic scene unfold on the field, Fu Siheng couldn’t help asking Yan Xun, “Is it really your first time operating this?”
Yan Xun looked at him in confusion. “Why are you questioning my ‘first time’ like that?”
Fu Siheng: “…”
Unable to listen any longer, Yi Fengbei interjected, “Why are you two suddenly talking dirty out of nowhere? Zero warning.”
If he hadn’t spoken up, it might have been fine, but his words immediately brought back Fu Siheng’s awkward memories of last night’s room check. Fu Siheng whipped his head away, adopting a look that clearly screamed, I don’t know these people.
After stepping down, the first batch of students exaggeratedly complained about how difficult the mech was to pilot. One guy wailed, “I didn’t strap my safety harness tight enough, and my right hand went numb from the shock. Senior Yan was just way too insane earlier.”
Standing nearby, Zhao Zhifan had been watching for a while. Hearing this, he scoffed derisively, “Look at the bunch of pathetic cowards you are. What’s the big deal? It’s not like you’ve never been inside a mech.”
“You think you’re so great, why don’t you try? All bark and no bite didn’t you just lose to Instructor Fu earlier?” One student, who had been holding a grudge against him for a while, seized the opportunity to snap back.
“Say that to my face one more time, you little shit!” Zhao Zhifan flared up instantly. The people beside him quickly tried to calm him down. “It’s your turn, hurry up and go. Ignore him.”
Too far away to notice the small scuffle breaking out in the middle of the hall, Fu Siheng avoided Yan Xun’s meaningful gaze and scanned his eyes across the training hall.
When his gaze landed on a mech whose indicator light was glowing a harsh red, his expression instantly locked.
A red light meant the cockpit’s safety coefficient had dropped below minimum standards. The moment he wanted to rush forward and stop it, that particular mech suddenly raised its weapon and opened fire on the target.
Yi Fengbei: You guys always manage to leave me utterly bewildered.