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Mu Fan sped away, feeling more at ease in the dense forest than in the city. It was only upon returning to his hideout, surrounded by industrial debris, that he felt a sense of peace settle within him.
There was no one here but himself.
He needed to explain everything to Black, to maximize his abilities in the shortest time possible!
A star thief attack! The major exam was coming!
These two major events shared a common point, both required immense strength!
Mu Fan now felt an urgent need to enhance his power; he needed to find Black quickly.
Igniting a bonfire in the corner and leaning against the wall, Mu Fan donned his helmet and directly entered the Battle Net at Base 341.
"Mecha piloting training."
He was well-versed in this, and upon entering, he shouted in the base, "Black, come out quickly!"
A wobbling metal sphere appeared before Mu Fan, its electronic eye glinting with a smile, "What happened, Mu Fan, did you miss me?"
"Black, is there a fastest way to enhance strength?" Mu Fan asked seriously, looking at Black in front of him.
"Can you explain why? The training plan tailored for you has already been set." Black curiously hovered around Mu Fan.
Mu Fan spoke solemnly, "The star thieves are about to attack; they killed my adoptive parents those years ago. I must have enough strength to survive and then take revenge on my enemies! Who knows when the next opportunity will come."
Black suddenly stopped, its eye retracting to normal as it gazed at Mu Fan, "Request accepted, retrieving options."
In a range invisible to the human eye, a formless ripple spread out from Black's location in the Battle Net, gradually covering all civilian interfaces open on Loga Star's Battle Net.
"Which star thief group is it?" Black's voice became mechanical.
"Broken Axe!" Mu Fan gritted his teeth and uttered the words.
"After searching, the government documents on the Broken Axe Star Thief Group list the following data:
A-level threat, with 120 to 150 members, possessing two small destroyers and one transport ship;
Their leader Poison Scorpion is documented as having a level-nineteen physique, mastering one A-level fighting skill and over three B-level fighting skills.
The government army evaluation report indicates that the Broken Axe Star Thief Group became renowned due to having two non-mass-produced Warrior-level mechas within the group—Wind Thief for air combat and Thunder Slash for ground combat, equipped with fifth-and-a-half generation and sixth-generation engines. The Federation military's disregard for peripheral zones leaves Loga Star with only heavily guarded level-five engine Adventure-grade mechas, unable to effectively suppress the star thieves' ground firepower."
Black continued explaining, "Completely different from the Battle Net settings, the Federation divides reality based on mecha capabilities into Travel grade (C and below), Adventure grade (B), Warrior level (A), Super Series (S), Ultimate Series (SS), and Emperor Level (SSS). A mecha enters a grade once two of its highest attributes surpass the threshold of that grade. Wind Thief and Thunder Slash have two parameters exceeding A-level, suggesting that their parameters far exceed those of the Adventure-grade military mechas."
"And then?" Mu Fan asked directly.
"Therefore, the host's training goal is to pilot a fifth-generation engine Adventure-grade military mecha to defeat the Warrior-level Wind Thief and Thunder Slash. Based on the open data search, Loga Star has 37 military mecha stations. In the event of a conflict, please choose the nearest station."
"What should I do at the nearest station?" Mu Fan had a bad premonition.
"Seize a military mecha to face off with the star thief group; calculations show a 15% overall victory probability after a mecha battle failure, and an 85% overall victory probability after a mecha battle success; with a 30% chance of winning an Adventure-grade mecha against a Warrior-level one." Black directly provided Mu Fan with an answer that left him speechless.
First, seize a military mecha amidst heavy precautions, then fight a battle with just a one-tenth chance of victory, leading to an 85% chance of defeating the star thief group. This route sounded unreliable.
But Mu Fan did not think further and agreed directly, "Okay!"
As soon as Mu Fan said okay, a green light flashed over Black's form, and the tone he spoke with returned, reverting back to that of the emotional intelligent lifeform Mu Fan knew—Black.
"Mu Fan, don't worry too much; earlier, I didn't account for the success rate when I assist with the mech. Rest assured that I'll help you operate it."
"Also, I've just informed you of all the data; additionally, you need to break through 40 levels of gravity training in reality soon, achieving a strength level of at least 18. This might be much easier for you to master than the mech. After querying, Loga Star's existing mecha models are from the RX universal series: RX-16 for land combat, RX-25 for canon battle, and RX-33 as a small aircraft."
Black's eyes projected a massive holographic screen, displaying the exteriors of three mechas: the RX-16 holding a sword and shield, the long-barreled cannon-transformable-to-automated-cannon RX-25, and the aircraft-shaped RX-33.
"Mu Fan, these are the strongest combat mechas the Federation possesses on this planet. The piloting modes for all three differ, and time is tight. I recommend you choose the first one. Additionally, tomorrow, buy a mini wireless earpiece, and I will fully take the authority of all cameras within twenty kilometers around you. If a conflict breaks out, I'll provide you with the route to the nearest military post."
Mu Fan nodded without hesitation and pointed at the first option, "I'll choose this one, RX-16."
"Copy." The light screen from Black dimmed the other two options until only the RX-16 remained in Mu Fan's gaze, gradually materializing before him.
A red rhomboid heavy shield was erected in front of its left arm; the right arm gripped a broad silver-white metallic heavy sword, gleaming coldly. Its stout rectangular torso in blue and white had reinforced vital areas, and its twin energy furnace jet nozzles on its back angled downward and tucked inside reactive armor. The overall style of the mecha presented a majestic and steady appearance, the octagonal lateral grippers on its feet firmly supporting the hefty body, with a single rapid-fire gun on its back for team battle fire network construction.
A standard army combat mecha, with basic configurations and no excessive modifications, its rugged and grand style leaving Mu Fan quite satisfied, far superior to the EH01 model he had encountered. But this was only an Adventure-grade mecha; he wondered what a Warrior-level mecha might be like. Mu Fan grew curious about the Warrior-level mechas he hadn't seen yet, not to mention the far more distant Super Series, Ultimate Series, and Emperor Level—what kinds of existences were they?
Black quickly interrupted his thoughts, "Mu Fan, within this base, I can create anything visible within Battle Net. From now on, familiarize yourself with this mecha."
"I have also calculated and found four mecha operation techniques in Fantasy War Zone that you can master through training." Black stated in the same monotonous tone as before, not revealing that the Fantasy skills were merely conceptualized within people's imagination. The plump fellow didn't elaborate, and Mu Fan was indifferent to these matters.
Thus, when Black seriously articulated this, Mu Fan even replied with gratitude, "Thank you, Black."
"You're welcome, Mu Fan. As the host, your personal safety is paramount in any situation. Now, please enter the cockpit; the internal operation is a 208-key console." Black's increasingly human-like tone left Mu Fan slightly moved, perhaps an illusion.
"Now, proceed with the first training—Step Skill, Virtual Flash!"
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PS: Thanks to the readers "Dust Sea and Sands of Time" and "Yesterday's Beauty" for the 10-coin reward!
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