23. Emergency
Ying Chenlin nodded slightly, his expression unchanged, "Hello, Mr. You."
Upon hearing such a polite address, Shen Xingtang smiled, "He's not much older than you, you can just call him You Su directly."
You Su observed the mechanic in front of him. Indeed, his youthful face could be mistaken for that of a child. He had a tender appearance, a slender figure, and was only of average height. Placed elsewhere, he would be seen as an underage KID. Perhaps due to just waking up, there was a small red mark on the side of his face, making his fair complexion look even paler.
Aside from these, his right hand was a mechanical limb that extended up to his elbow joint, perfectly blending with his skin.
Although his slender arm revealed a thin layer of muscles, it was evident that his physical condition was not as poor as his appearance suggested.
While You Su was sizing up the other person, Ying Chenlin was also observing him.
Artillery mecha pilot, mad dog.
Ying Chenlin didn't know the meaning behind that annotation, but he could confirm that the person before him was the artillery mecha pilot from KID in his previous life. He also had an accident during the black hole incident, but why was there an additional line of words in his file?
Ying Chenlin brushed away his doubts and noticed that others were holding things in their hands. He asked, "Do you need any help?"
"No need, we'll prepare the things tomorrow," Shen Xingtang patted the KID's shoulder, "Go to bed. You need enough rest for a good recovery."
After saying that, she glanced at You Su, "Pack up and get some rest. We'll sign the contract when you wake up."
You Su withdrew his gaze and entered the room with the bedding in his arms.
Ying Chenlin didn't linger and only noticed the mecha necklace around You Su's neck when he closed the door.
As the door closed, the room returned to silence, with only a faint sound lingering.
Ying Chenlin took a sip of water, opened his light brain, and searched the Star Web for 'Trace' following his memory.
Soon, a page popped up with some information about the mecha pilot You Su.
During the daytime, outside the KID base conference room, Ji Qingfeng and Lin Yao stood together, one of them staring at the data list and repeatedly confirming a certain ID. Going back to yesterday, they were excited about the arrival of the new artillery mecha pilot in the team, but now they wished they had a chance to stop Shen Xingtang's reckless behavior.
Ji Qingfeng asked for the fifth time, "Are we not mistaken?"
Lin Yao widened his eyes, carefully comparing the data on the light brain, "No mistake, it's him. He seems even more difficult to deal with than a few years ago."
Jiang Simiao held the data and said, "Since the new mecha pilot has come to the base, let's maintain a friendly attitude. You know that we are in a difficult situation. Now that we finally have a new mecha pilot coming in, let's give it some time for adaptation."
Ji Qingfeng pointed at the light brain and asked, "Sanshui, can you say that it's friendly looking at this data?"
"Wasn't the last cooperation with him not very pleasant?" Jiang Simiao raised his glasses and patiently persuaded, "Moreover, the information written on the data is from five years ago. Who didn't have a rebellious period in their youth?"
You Su, ID: Trace.
Registered former mecha pilot of the Dawn Alliance, proficient in artillery mecha, served for half a year before applying for retirement, with dual S physique, possessing an S-class mecha named [Theo].
In the star calendar year 1239, he registered as a mecha pilot in the mecha Alliance, with a background in artillery mecha. He was active in various Contaminated Zones all year round, standing out as a lone wolf and known as the number one in the First Star Domain for single-handedly clearing half a Contaminated Zone.
In 1240, due to his exceptional talent, he was hired by the Fei Base as an artillery mecha pilot. He had a solitary playstyle and a peculiar personality. In the same year, he received a six-month suspension from the mecha Alliance due to three consecutive penalties. Finally, he retired from Fei and never participated in the mecha Alliance again.
Newcomers in the mecha Alliance may not be familiar with the name You Su, but they must have heard of the ID "Trace" because of his aggressive and crazy playstyle. He modified extreme artillery mechas and, on the field, he would shoot through both teammates and enemies, forcing the Alliance to modify the mecha elimination mechanism from 90% damage to 80%, making him the first mecha pilot to force the mecha Alliance to change its rules.
Ji Qingfeng's back turned cold, "The teammate he shot through last time seems to be a Stealth mecha."
Lin Yao politely asked, "Will our base be fined? We only started implementing fines for violations two years ago. Wasn't it a few thousand for breaking the league rules?"
Ji Qingfeng replied, "Currently, the highest fine imposed is 20."
Although I haven't heard much about You Su in recent years, someone who would play with an S-class mecha core weapon until it's scrapped... doesn't seem like a good person to mess with. Jiang Simiao remembered this and suddenly felt a bit uneasy, glancing nervously towards the conference room door.
Inside the conference room, with the door slightly ajar, people crowded outside as Shen Xingtang looked expressionlessly at You Su and pointed to the clearly written contract, saying, "Let's get this clear first. If you violate the rules, you'll pay the fines yourself. This base won't reimburse you because we're broke."
You Su signed his name and asked, "Will mecha repairs be reimbursed?"
Shen Xingtang asked, "The mechas are handed over to the base for management. What's wrong with Theo?"
When You Su pulled off the mecha necklace from his neck and placed it on the table, the S-class mecha Theo lit up friendlily. However, although it lit up, Theo didn't make any sound, and You Su simply explained, "Ambushed by a super S-class mutated pollutant in the Frontier Contaminated Zone."
Hearing "Frontier Contaminated Zone," Shen Xingtang took a sharp breath.
As of now, the Star Alliance has developed and its territory includes five-star domains, each managed jointly by the highest executive officer of the respective star domain and its affiliated alliances, all of which maintain a friendly relationship to uphold the interstellar alliance.
With the current peaceful development of society and the prevalence of mecha era, the only unstable factor is the Contaminated Zone.
The initial responsibility of the mecha Alliance was to ensure the safety of the Contaminated Zones within the Star Alliance territory. Besides the well-known mecha Alliance League, the main task of active professional mecha pilots was to assist the managers of each star system in maintaining the living environment.
That is the regular clearance of the Contaminated Zones.
Through clearance, part of the resources is used for the development of the Star Alliance, while also stabilizing the rapid mutation of the Contaminated Zones.
Mecha pilots can enter the ordinary Contaminated Zones, which are managed by a bureau for regular inspections and maintenance to ensure that the Contaminated Zones do not interfere with the normal life of citizens, and mecha pilots can freely enter and collect resources.
There are two types of Contaminated Zones that mecha pilots cannot enter freely: high-risk Contaminated Zones and Frontier Contaminated Zones.
High-risk Contaminated Zones are high-risk areas with unpredictable risks, with a pollution value of over 6000. The opening time requires multiple evaluations by the Star Alliance, and in most cases, non-active-duty mecha pilots are not allowed to enter.
The Frontier Contaminated Zone, on the other hand, is an unknown area currently not under the management of the Star Alliance. It is located outside the five major star domains of the Star Alliance, an illegal area, and contains pollution sources with unpredictable strengths, full of dangers, usually guarded by the Star Alliance military's mecha troops.
Shen Xingtang never expected that You Su would dare to enter such a place alone. Going to that kind of place, even a slight mistake could cost him his life, let alone a single mecha.
"You are truly crazy," Shen Xingtang pinched her brow, "I will keep an eye out for S-class materials for you, but they may not be available, I will try my best."
You Su didn't seem too concerned about it and asked, "Have you managed the mechas for the league?"
"In the base, there are spare A-grade mechas. We can modify them into league-level ones in time." Shen Xingtang thought about it, feeling a headache coming on again. There were too many messes to deal with. Seeing that You Su had finished signing the documents, she packed up her things and said, "Let's go to the repair room and take a look."
In the repair room, Ying Chenlin had just come out of the mecha cockpit.
Last night, a new member joined KID, so the repair room was unusually quiet, even Ji Qingfeng, who occasionally liked to visit, hadn't come.
Ying Chenlin finished checking several league-level mechas, and the most severely damaged ones had already been repaired. The important core components had also been replaced. As he was about to manually initiate the self-checking program, he suddenly noticed several drafts piled beside the program station.
The drafts were messy, with some data recorded on top, written in Shen Xingtang's handwriting.
In addition to the data, there were detailed three-dimensional diagrams of weapons, with annotations and circles around each part. It was evident that the owner of the drafts had been busy with this matter.
While the basic mecha parts and repair issues were solved, there was a bigger problem at hand—the leaked mecha confidential data from the former base mechanic.
Each mecha had precise system core data, including vast amounts of information from the mecha's basics to its core. Once leaked, it meant exposing the mecha's weaknesses to others for calculation. These weaknesses were not visible to the naked eye but could be accurately determined through data calculations, such as the vulnerable armor plates and weapon attack intervals.
Without being able to determine how much data the former mechanic had leaked, KID's only option was to redo the mecha's weak points. This was a colossal workload, and it was unclear if they could complete it before the season started. Furthermore, the coordination between the redone mechas and the mecha pilots was also crucial.
During this period, Ying Chenlin noticed that Shen Xingtang had been frequently communicating with the two mecha pilots in the base, knowing that she was worried about the weapons. She had even consulted the mecha weapon designer with the blueprints a while ago.
Ying Chenlin picked up the blueprints and scanned the details on the draft. As he flipped through a few pages, he reached the last one, which contained data on the two A+ mutated energy crystals that KID had obtained recently.
Through testing, it was revealed that the two energy crystals had abilities of Devour and Regeneration. However, compared to the S-grade Devour, the bud's Devour effect was weaker. As for the Nine Dragons Rattan's Regeneration ability, it was stronger than the plant-type pollutants registered by the Star Alliance.
Looking at the blueprints, Shen Xingtang intended to keep the Devour energy for the weapon, but she had no idea how to use the Regeneration energy.
Currently, the core of mecha weapons was the energy crystal, which could bring outstanding effects to the weapons. For example, using Devour energy crystals for shield-type weapons could effectively absorb frontal damage, making it a top configuration for tank mechas.
However, the position of the Regeneration energy crystal was somewhat awkward. Its main application on weapons was for the mecha to regenerate reserve energy, but using it on offensive weapons would be a waste of core energy.
It was now late September, and the team mecha competition's off-season would end in November. Redesigning the weapons for each mecha was unlikely, and even if they asked Ying Chenlin to do it, he felt there wasn't enough time.
Thinking of this, Ying Chenlin casually picked up an electronic pen beside the program station. He swiped open the three-dimensional weapon system and quickly sketched the initial shape of the weapon, which was the combat blade Shen Xingtang prepared for Ji Qingfeng's mecha based on the drafts.
After pondering for a moment, he made a quick stroke downward from the tip of the blade, turning the original straight blade into a curved one.
Completely redoing it was impossible, but by modifying some core data based on the weapon's style, they could render the exposed data useless.
This part was relatively simple.
Outside the corridor, Shen Xingtang led You Su towards the repair room. "Four of the league-level mechas are already fixed. What's left is the core data. During this time, I'll pay attention to the materials and see if I can replicate the weapon style of Theo for you, making it more comfortable for you to use."
Of course, the best solution would be for You Su to pilot his own mecha, but Shen Xingtang wasn't confident in fixing an S-grade mecha, and the materials were currently insufficient.
After a while, Shen Xingtang's pocket communicator buzzed, and she hesitated slightly, saying, "You go in first, I'll take a call."
You Su pushed open the door and as soon as he entered, he saw a figure with their back turned not far away.
A young man was sitting in front of the program station, seemingly sketching something.
You Su didn't walk in but stopped at the doorway. His gaze swept from head to toe, observing the person for a few seconds. The young man at the program station noticed the movement, turned his head, and looked over.
Ying Chenlin also noticed the footsteps behind him, thinking it might be Shen Xingtang coming over until he saw the man at the door. The man was dressed in simple gray casual clothes today, a far cry from his appearance earlier covered in dust in the early morning. He now appeared to be neat and clean.
The man had a cold and stern expression, standing nearly 1.9 meters tall, exuding an indescribable aura. He seemed like a mercenary mecha pilot who frequently operated in the contaminated zones, lacking the formal demeanor of a mecha pilot from a legitimate league.
Though somewhat laid-back, his behavior seemed relatively normal for now, without any signs of "madness."
Ying Chenlin stood up, "Mr. You."
You Su looked at him, and his thin lips slightly parted, "JD1456."
Upon hearing the mecha number, Ying Chenlin's eyes flickered, and his eyebrows subtly furrowed.
Suddenly, hurried footsteps came from outside the door, followed by the emergency mission alarm inside the base.
Both of them turned their gaze towards the warning lights. Shen Xingtang pushed open the partially closed door of the repair room, her expression serious, "There's an urgent mission. We have to go to the Contaminated Zone on Tianyu Star."
The Tianyu Star Contaminated Zone Management Bureau reported an anomaly within the Contaminated Zone. Numerous detection devices malfunctioned, and communication was lost with personnel. They requested assistance from KID Base's mecha pilots.
As the alarm sounded, the other three members of the team quickly arrived.
Lin Yao, "Ah? The Tianyu Star Contaminated Zone?"
Ji Qingfeng, "Isn't that place far from us? How come we are qualified to go in! I remember the nearby mecha bases are Gale and YDS, right? Aren't we going there to compete for resources?"
The Tianyu Star Contaminated Zone was located on the edge of the Shuguang Galaxy, within a Level 4 Contaminated Zone, with an average pollution value of over 5000. It was filled with A-Grade pollutants. Due to its constantly unstable pollution levels, it had always been under the management of the Central Contaminated Zone Management Bureau in the First Star Domain and remained closed all year round.
Such controlled contaminated zones were only opened when pollution levels exceeded expected values, allowing professional mecha pilots from the mecha League to enter for extermination. The last time Tianyu Star Contaminated Zone was opened was during the team competition as a designated zone.
Because it was closed year-round, the resources inside were exceptionally abundant, attracting the attention of various mecha bases.
In his previous life, Ying Chenlin often heard about the Tianyu Star Contaminated Zone since it was frequently opened as a designated zone during the league's top-eight matches. However, why would they be chosen for an emergency mission?
Jiang Simiao asked the question that was on his mind, "How did it become an emergency mission? Even if it's open, they shouldn't inform us. There are so many mecha bases ahead of us, and they should prioritize sending missions to the top-eight bases."
"The Tianyu Star Contaminated Zone experienced unexpected fluctuations in its pollution levels. Most of the detection systems malfunctioned, and the mecha pilots and repairers who entered for maintenance lost contact with the Management Bureau. Since the Bureau can't handle it, they sought assistance from the mecha League." Shen Xingtang checked the information on her light brain and sighed, "As for why the mission was given to us, it's because of Huo Yan and Lu Xi."
TN:
Dear readers,
Due to some unavoidable circumstances, I won't be able to post updates for the coming week. I'll try to deal with the issue as fast as possible and resume updates next week, the 21st that is. Sorry for the inconvenience.
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