Its design was similar to a tortoise when it hid its head and legs in its shell. It looked incredibly life-like with its detailed structures.
"I can't believe you managed to get this mapped out in five minutes. You are an artistic genius." Nathan shrugged in response. "It isn't that great."
"It is. Are you sure it would work though?... I mean, such designs are meant to be mapped out slowly to ensure that it comes out well during the production process." Elena felt obliged to ask. She still couldn't believe just how amazing Nathan's design looked.
Thus, she questioned its working capabilities. "You don't have to worry about that. I can assure you that it will come out great." Nathan confidently responded.
Elena nodded as she took one last look at it. "Alright then. So how do we begin production?... We have to test it out here before we place it on the battlefield."
"We can begin production now. I believe there are enough raw materials to make use of." Nathan turned to the drawing board and punched in a few keys before a screen appeared.
[Input design into the production process?] [Yes] or [No]
Nathan glanced over at Elena before going ahead to press [Yes].
[Inputting design into the system…. All design slots have been occupied. Delete existing slots to make room.]
[Loading…System has been restored to factory settings. The new design will now be inputted into the production process. Please name the new unit.]
"Would you like to name it?" Nathan asked. "It's your creation. You deserve to name it." "Alright then. Don't mind if I do."
[ Humpback unit has been inputted into the production process. It is rated under the Medial armor type. Begin production?]
"Yes." [Based on the Humpback design and requirements, there are only enough materials to produce one unit.]
"That's enough. Begin production." [Production will start now. Please wait…]
[Time until Humpback unit is produced – 4:59]
"It takes five minutes for a unit to be built. That is reasonable." The auto production function of the Crawler was indeed an energy saver. All one had to do was to input the design and provide the raw materials.
Only in the case of new designs would one be required to build something manually. "All we can do now is wait." "Mn, let's head down to the production chamber."
***
/A few hours later/
"Whoa… What is this?" Leah asked as she surveyed the newly produced Humpback. It was truly a beauty to behold. "I called you all here so we could determine the performance of Nathan's design.
"If it turns out to be as effective as he has explained, then I believe we might not need to personally engage the enemy tomorrow. If not, then we can still make use of them as a backup."
"That's fine." Most were quite intrigued by the Humpback and were indeed curious to figure out just how effective it would be on the battlefield. If it worked just as well as it appeared, then their work would be greatly reduced.
"Great. So we will be testing the Humpback in three different aspects. Its defensive and offensive capabilities as well as its movement speed. Those are the three most important aspects, right, Nathan?"
She turned to face Nathan as he was currently comfortably seated on the shell of the Humpback. "That is correct." He nodded in response.
"Good. For the defensive test, Jeremy, you will be the one to helm it. The offensive test will be carried out by King and lastly, its movement speed will be tested by Tanya. If you have any objections, please signify." There was no response.
"Alright then. Since everyone agrees, I believe it is best if we get to it at once. I hope you don't mind, Nathan." "It's fine. But since I will be controlling the Humpback remotely, I might need a break after each test."
"That's fine. So let's head out."
***
They made use of the area a hundred meters away from the Crawler. The Mammoth had been stationed extremely close to the energy node and it had already begun extraction, all thanks to Leah, of course.
"Tanya, are you ready?" Elena asked over the comms. They had ensured that they made enough room for the Humpback to perform. "It's just a hunk of metal, no need for such excessive preparations."
"Hah, I'll take that as a yes." Elena had arranged the test in the order of movement speed test, offensive test, and then, defensive test.
This was because of the possibility of getting the unit wrecked before they had a chance to finish the tests and since they didn't exactly have the materials to waste, they had to be meticulous in their expenditure.
"Nathan, are you ready?" "Yeah of course. Just give the signal." Nathan was currently seated in the control room of the Crawler, before him, was the system interface for the Humpback.
"Go!!" She released a red flare from a flare gun.
***Boom***
Tanya immediately took off, her base speed equaling that of an Olympic gold medalist. The test was to see how much the speed of the Humpback compared to what would be the fastest class in their Squadron.
Nathan activated the Humpback and immediately began motion. Its size was equal to that of a normal-sized tank. In place of its legs, chainmail tires were attached and in place of its head, a cannon was implanted instead.
Its speed maxed out at the top speed of those exotic cars that were once used before the Annihilation war. What was it called??... Of course, A Bugatti.
Everyone watching was stunned. It was incredible to watch as Tanya struggled against this hunk of metal. It was important to note that, the Humpback moved in speed bursts and it wasn't a constant motion.
With each speed burst, it would cover a few meters in a rather fast manner. It was rather intriguing to watch it go. "This is amazing. This guy's speed is comparable to the Scorpion units!!" Doug exclaimed.
"…I guess that's the end of the test." Elena slowly said into the intercom. She was also largely impressed by what she saw. Nathan had succeeded in wowing her once again. He seemed to be good at that.
"Fuck this," Tanya said as she dropped to the ground. She would never have believed that she would struggle so much against the Humpback. She was impressed by its outward appearance but its performance was a different case.
Now she could only sigh and blame herself for underestimating it. In any case, it still worked out to her advantage. Having such a formidable Machine unit on their side would surely lighten the burden on them.
Meanwhile, inside the Crawler, Nathan had a satisfied look on his face. The capability of the system had surpassed his imagination. He had allowed the system to take control and use his body to create such a miracle.
He suddenly felt ashamed to claim the Humpback as his work.
***
The next test was the offensive test. King stood approximately thirty meters away from the Humpback. He prepared himself for what was to come.
"Test two, Humpback offensive capabilities. Go!!" Just as Elena finished announcing into the intercom, King activated [Heavenly tower.]
His tower was quite similar to Gary's own, lacking any design, merely a room with four walls. "Let's do this." Nathan worked from within the safety of the Crawler control room.
The cannon in front of the Humpback began to charge with green light. Most were unimpressed by how long it took to charge up for a single shot.
"That delay was also a drawback for the Scorpion units. The shot fired would be strong but due to delay, it gives enough time for anyone to get out of the way and counterattack." Indra gave his honest opinion as he watched.
Reyes felt obliged to counter. "The Scorpion units were capable of rapid-fire though." "They weren't exactly life-threatening now, were they?" He could not refute that. He was out of line but he had to admit that, he was indeed right with his assessment.
"Let's just watch and see for now." Elena still expected more. She was well aware that Nathan had already deduced the drawbacks of the units they had fought so far.
He had even claimed that he would create a unit that would have all the advantages of those units and none of the disadvantages.
After the performance of the Humpback in the first test, she felt obliged to believe that he has the right to be confident in his abilities. Thus, she could only wait and watch just how much of Nathan's words could be held.
Just then, the Humpback had finished charging. Its cannon was glowing a bright emerald color that looked dazzling the more one gazed upon it. "Fire."
***Boom***
Air seemed to fracture at that moment as the beam was fired.