Entering the mech, Reno found himself surrounded by darkness.
Then he felt something cool falling on him—his forehead, temples, chin, neck, arms, thighs, calves, and every part was filled with this cool sensation.
When even the soles of his feet felt the coolness, Reno suddenly felt a thunderous shock in his brain.
It was as if something had entered his body, and Reno felt completely different.
He saw himself standing on the ground, with Claire and Nora in front of him.
But hadn't he already entered the mech? How did he suddenly find himself outside?
As he puzzled over it, he suddenly felt something was wrong.
Why did Claire and Nora look so much shorter?
No, they hadn't gotten shorter; he had gotten taller.
He lowered his head to look at himself, and his neck felt stiff, difficult to bend, then he saw the steel-like shell.
This is...
Reno was shocked, suddenly understanding.
He was still in the mech; his vision had just been replaced by the mech's.
The knowledge about the mech obtained through rapid reading finally came into play. Reno knew that it was the neuron system of the mech that connected him to it, making him feel as though his entire being had merged with the mech. The mech was now Reno's new body.
He exclaimed, "This is amazing!"
Then he took a step forward.
But as soon as he took that step, Reno realized he couldn't fully control his body. His legs felt heavy as if filled with lead, lifting them was extremely difficult. Not only that, even his center of gravity was shaky and hard to control. As a result, as soon as he took the step, Reno lost his balance.
The next moment, he had fallen to the ground.
Thud!
Dust scattered everywhere as the Thunderbolt standard patrol mech lay on the ground like a big dog.
"Hahaha!" Claire and Nora burst into laughter.
"Damn it." Reno struggled to get up, but his body felt heavy, like a five-hundred-pound obese person, making even sitting up a breathless task.
He finally managed to prop himself up with his arms to sit up, but standing up again was difficult.
Nora walked over, looking up at Reno and said, "Heavy, isn't it? That's not surprising. Mech pilots are connected to the mech through the neuron system. They're like the driver's extended nerves, controlling this massive external shell of the mech. But no matter what, controlling several tons of body all at once is exhausting. Did you forget what the book said?"
"I haven't forgotten, I just didn't expect it to be this tiring." Reno replied, breathless.
Initially, when he completed the connection, he hadn't felt it, but as time passed, Reno felt his body getting heavier and heavier. The steel shell felt like a heavy mountain, almost crushing him, even sitting was a burden.
"Don't give up, Reno!" Claire comforted him, "Try to adjust your breathing, focus your mind. Remember what the book said? Controlling a mech not only requires a strong body but also a powerful mind. It can help you share the pressure. Come, follow my rhythm, inhale... exhale... eyes forward... inhale... exhale... focus on the parts of your body that feel tired... inhale... exhale... hold on Reno, controlling the mech requires physical and mental strength first, then technique... inhale... exhale... you have to challenge your limits every time to improve..."
Reno's lungs heaved like bellows, and he struggled to focus his mind, breathing rhythmically as Claire instructed.
It was indeed effective; the mech didn't feel as heavy, but his thoughts gradually became hazy.
Claire's voice sounded distant, almost inaudible, until finally fading away.
Reno's eyes rolled back, and he fainted.
...
When he woke up again, Reno found himself lying in the escape pod.
He was about to get up when he felt a sudden headache.
"Ah!" He cried out, clutching his head.
His brain felt like it had been stabbed with needles, the pain nearly causing him to faint again.
His cry drew Claire and Nora over.
Nora held a report in her hand, came to Reno's side, and said, "Unconscious for fourteen minutes, nitrogen content in the blood decreased, blood pressure normal, heart rate too fast, brief emergency stop in the right ventricle, muscle content thirty-two percent, water... cell activity 6, mental intensity 7, overall, body quality passable, mental intensity average."
Cell activity and mental intensity were the most comprehensive summaries of the human body, represented by the simplest numerical values. These two were the key to controlling the mech, without which it wouldn't be possible. The standard was 5. From Nora's test data, Reno was doing decently.
"Since you're still okay, why can I only control it for such a short time?" Reno asked.
"I didn't say you were okay," Nora scoffed, disdain evident, "Average is above passable, passable is above normal, normal is above okay, okay is above decent, decent is above can, can is above good, good is above elite, elite is above genius, genius is above super genius."
"..." Reno was speechless.
He asked Nora, "What are you?"
Claire whispered, "Sister is a super genius, her initial intensity has been 15."
Reno's head spun, then he looked at Claire, who shyly said, "I'm a bit lower than my sister, initial intensity is 14."
"...Alright." Reno nodded in understanding.
Two super geniuses.
At least he hadn't been categorized as useless.
Be content.
Claire, always understanding, comforted him, "Actually, that's not the key. Mental intensity can be increased with training, and it's not the only indicator. With the same mental intensity, as long as you train enough, you can significantly increase the control time. You're still not used to the neuron system; it's a process, take it slow, Reno."
Claire placed her hand on Reno's shoulder.
Mech control isn't actually complicated; after thousands of years of development, mech control had evolved from the primitive control system to the neuron system.
The so-called control system was the technology used when mechs first appeared.
Initially, mech control was achieved through control systems.
It used three-dimensional screens and a large number of keyboard-style operations to control large mechs.
To be honest, it was a very complicated technology.
The range of human movements could be broken down into thousands of sets of actions. It was too difficult to rely solely on keyboard commands to achieve them all.
As a result, mech pilots in the earliest days were very difficult to train, and mechs were truly the darlings of a few elites.
Soon after, humans invented the simulation system. The simulation system was like a miniature version of the mech, with countless neuron lines connected to the mech, and the pilot controlled the mech through the simulation system.
This was the first revolution in human mech history, and it allowed mechs to escape the game of a few elites and become mainstream in warfare.
But although the simulation system made it convenient for people to control mechs, it also created an invisible barrier between humans and mechs. There was a slight delay in the control process, making it impossible for people to feel as if they were controlling the mech directly, no matter how the simulation system was improved, it could only weaken but not solve this problem.
Until the advent of the neuron system.
The neuron system could be said to be the second revolution in mech operating systems, breaking away from the primitive complex control system and the delayed-effect simulation system. Through a series of neuron lines connected to the pilot, the pilot could truly control the massive mech like an extension of their body.
The ones giving Reno the cool sensation all over his body were the neuron patches. They connected the pilot to the mech, making the pilot truly one with the mech.
The role of the mech was truly magnified; its flexible and versatile combat style replaced all previous medium and small-sized vehicles, becoming the mainstream of heavy soldiers, and since then, mechs have become prevalent.
If the control system made mechs adaptable, and the simulation system made mechs mass-produced, then the neuron system established its position as the "king of heavy armor."
However, this also brought about some new problems.
Neuron control consumed a lot of the pilot's mental energy. In the early experimental products, the death rate of pilots even exceeded ninety-nine percent. Scientists tried everything to solve the problem, such as arranging two pilots at the same time, and for this purpose, they vigorously sought out twin siblings to achieve synchronization. But mechs couldn't be popularized because of this, and couldn't replace the simulation system.
With the development of hundreds of years, the neuron system gradually improved, with less and less consumption on the pilot, and it eventually replaced the simulation system as the mainstream system.
But that didn't mean mechs didn't have control platforms.
The mech was an extension of the human body but not only part of the human body.
The weapons and equipment loaded on the mech were the true meaning of the mech's existence, and these couldn't be controlled through the neuron system; the pilot needed to control them separately.
This made mech operation even more complex and diversified; mech pilots not only had to train their physical and mental strength to enhance their control over the mech, but also had to master the use of the operating platform.
Nowadays, the neuron system has developed to the seventh generation, and the pilot's control time has increased from the initial few minutes to one to four hours, depending on factors such as the pilot's physical fitness, mental intensity, mech size, and combat intensity.
But even so, there were still many adaptation problems for the first time of operation. It wasn't strange for Reno to faint during his first control. With diligent practice and gradual adaptation, the control time would naturally be significantly extended.
By then, he could truly start operating the mech.
At this moment, Claire's gentle expression caused ripples in Reno's heart, but unfortunately, her tenderness was soon interrupted by Nora's roughness.
She pushed Claire's hand away and grabbed Reno, "Get up and continue practicing! If you can't even last for ten minutes, then the rest of the practice doesn't matter. If you want to achieve results, be prepared to endure hardship."
Reno looked at Claire, who gave him a nod of encouragement and trust. Reno sighed, "Another Dandy Bag."