The Real Daughter Just Wants to Pilot Mechas - Chapter 17 Part 2

“Alright, it’s fine now.” Jiang Momo released her grip, stepped back, and stood next to Peng Ji. “Won’t they provide food and water for the next exam?”

Peng Ji still felt like someone had grabbed his collar roughly. He blinked and replied, “They’ll provide some but you have to fight for it. I thought you were a traditional mecha manufacturer but didn’t expect…”

Peng Ji glanced at the muscles on Jiang Momo’s arm, his gaze drifting.

“Traditional mecha manufacturer?” Jiang Momo asked, a bit puzzled.

“Yeah, like those who can’t even lift a chicken.” Peng Ji rolled up his sleeve to show his skinny arm. “Like me.”

Jiang Momo understood. “You don’t work out much?”

Peng Ji shook his head, a faint blush on his tanned face. “I came to take the exam last year but failed the theory part. So I spent the whole year at home studying.”

Peng Ji had always admired strength but didn’t realize how much. Now, when he looked at Jiang Momo, she seemed to radiate a golden glow, mighty and mysterious. Earlier, he was too excited to notice but now, standing beside her, he realized he was so nervous he was nearly trembling.

So embarrassing.

Jiang Momo: “…”

Why is this guy blushing?

Then again, when she thought she wouldn’t pass, she also felt embarrassed.

“It’s okay. You’ll definitely pass this year,” Jiang Momo comforted.

“I think so too. They’re accepting more people than last year,” Peng Ji said.

Last year they took just one person. This year, they’re taking two!

One spot must definitely be Jiang Momo’s. The other, he had to fight for!

Jiang Momo nodded, “Oh~ they increased enrollment this year? Then we’ve got an advantage. We’ll definitely pass.”

Last year they took nearly a thousand people, so this year maybe it’s over a thousand? That means she should be able to get in no matter what.

She remembered Little Eight once said mecha piloting wasn’t that hard to get into.

As she finished speaking, the lift doors opened.

E Mingjun and Yan Chang were indeed waiting downstairs.

Jiang Momo excitedly waved at them. “You won’t believe the amazing thing I just did! Oh right, let me introduce someone. This is Peng Ji.” Jiang Momo happily gestured beside her to introduce her new friend, only to turn and realize Peng Ji was gone.

“Huh? Where’d he go?” she asked, confused.

“He went out the other side of the lift,” E Mingjun replied.

“Then he probably had something urgent. I’ll introduce you guys later. He’s a good guy. He was even going to sacrifice himself to save me just now…” Jiang Momo naturally walked to E Mingjun’s side, chatting away.

“Save you? Was there danger just now?” E Mingjun picked up on the key point.

Jiang Momo replied casually, “Just a misunderstanding, no big deal. Oh right, bro, can I borrow some money? I need to prepare some nutrient solutions for the next exam. My light brain was taken.”

Watching the friendly vibes between them, Yan Chang felt left out. Hearing the talk about nutrient solutions, he finally butted in. “Nutrient solution? How long is the next test?”

“Three days! I’ll finish early and make it to your match!” Jiang Momo said cheerfully, feeling everything was working out just right lately.

“You won’t make it. Based on past years, there’s another round after that,” Yan Chang said.

“What?” Jiang Momo instantly deflated. In a daze, she imagined 200,000 star coins growing wings and flying away in a line.

“Then you’ll have to find someone else,” she said, weakly pressing a hand to her forehead.

“That’s the only option,” Yan Chang nodded solemnly. “Don’t worry about the nutrient solution. I’ll bring you a whole box later. I’ve got plenty.”

“Really?” Jiang Momo perked up. “I’ll pay you back as soon as I get my light brain back!”

“Of course. Nutrient solutions are efficient. It means more time to train in mechas. I find them really useful, so I stocked up.” Yan Chang checked the time. “Are you hungry? Want to eat?”

“Starving! Let’s go, let’s go! Food, food!” Jiang Momo replied immediately.

Probably because carving the energy pathways took so much effort, even though it had only been a couple of hours, she was already starving again.

Soon, the three of them finished off an entire table of dishes, with Jiang Momo doing most of the work.

“Why aren’t you guys eating?” Jiang Momo asked, a bit embarrassed, as she put down a picked-clean pork trotter and wiped her mouth.

“We’re pretty full. We have to pilot mechas later, so we can’t eat too much,” E Mingjun explained.

Jiang Momo’s eyes lit up. “Mecha piloting?!”

“Yes, didn’t I say I’d let you test-drive one?” E Mingjun said.

“I haven’t even seen your mecha yet! I’m going too!” Yan Chang raised his hand.

E Mingjun glanced at him. “Alright.”

***

Jiang Momo followed E Mingjun and Yan Chang to the mecha training ground.

The training ground was massive. It was so large it seemed endless. It was also completely empty, as if reserved just for them.

Yan Chang looked at the scene and cracked his knuckles. “How is our school’s Mecha Piloting Department ranked number one in the entire Federation? I come here every day and there’s barely anyone. No one to spar with.”

E Mingjun gave him a sidelong glance but said nothing.

Jiang Momo noticed his look and quietly leaned in next to him, signaling with her eyes. ‘You look like you know why?’

E Mingjun calmly pulled up his light brain and set it so only the two of them could see.

Lines of text appeared.

[This guy’s a battle maniac. Every time he sees a mecha, he challenges it. He had defeated every mecha here.]

[The training ground encourages sparring but each person can only borrow one mecha per day.]

[Whenever this guy shows up, within two hours, all the mechas are beaten and sent back for repairs.]

“So cool~ So, between you two, who’s stronger?” Jiang Momo asked curiously, looking up at E Mingjun.

“I’m his tutor,” E Mingjun replied.

Yan Chang happened to hear that and didn’t argue. He just smiled and patted E Mingjun’s arm. “Tutor E, I’ve never seen your mecha either! Show it to me!”

E Mingjun removed a thin chain from around his neck. On the chain hung a tiny black cube.

Yan Chang leaned in closer. “Tutor E, you lied to me again. Aren’t you a poor student? This space button is super expensive.”

E Mingjun turned around and released his mecha onto the open space in front of them.

A towering figure in dark green appeared before the three of them. It was several stories tall, its exterior faintly glowed with a smooth sheen, and it gave off a sense of high quality and an inexplicable oppressive presence.

“An S-grade mecha? Isn’t that a military mecha?!” Yan Chang exclaimed. “Tutor E! No wonder you never took it out! This is so cool!”

“It’s not a military mecha. I brought it from my hometown and registered it with the Federation,” E Mingjun said as he opened the cockpit and called to Jiang Momo, “Go up and try it.”

“Wait, you’re a girl, it’s hard for you to climb up by yourself. I bought a lift…” Yan Chang hurriedly rummaged through his space button for the lift but in the blink of an eye, Jiang Momo and E Mingjun who had been standing beside him disappeared.

He looked up and saw Jiang Momo agilely climbing up.

Jiang Momo quickly entered the cockpit and stood at the entrance, looking around.

The interior of the mecha’s cockpit was similar to Jiang Yuan’s B-grade mecha. It was mostly empty with just a set of sensors and a moving treadmill in the center.

E Mingjun took a sensor helmet from the side of the cockpit wall and waved at her. “Come here, Momo.”

Jiang Momo walked over.

E Mingjun placed the helmet on her head, then crouched down to fasten the limb sensors, and pressed the start button.

Jiang Momo stood still and let him help.

She was a bit nervous. E Mingjun’s earlier comment about her possibly not having mental power kept replaying in her mind.

Yan Chang had also climbed up by then and closed the cockpit door behind him.

The next second, the engine roared to life.

The mecha activated.

Jiang Momo found that the mecha’s vision had replaced her own, meaning that whatever the mecha could see, she could see too.

She raised her hand and the mecha raised its hand.

She lifted her leg and the mecha lifted its leg.

Then she took three steps forward.

The mecha crashed to the ground with a loud thud.

“Sorry.” Jiang Momo made the mecha get back up and then removed the helmet, turning to E Mingjun.

“It’s fine. Piloting mechas is hard, especially higher-grade ones,” Yan Chang comforted. “When I first trained, I fell too.”

“Keep going?” E Mingjun checked the mecha to make sure there was no issue, then asked.

Jiang Momo shook her head. “No, thank you.”

She had just realized an issue. The mecha was too slow and couldn’t keep up with her reaction speed. Maybe she needed one with higher precision.

“High-grade mechas are hard to pilot. You can start with a C-grade mecha,” Yan Chang offered.

“I can’t activate a C-grade mecha,” Jiang Momo said.

Yan Chang paused. “Oh, I forgot. People who can become mecha manufacturers usually have high mental power. It’s normal if low-grade mechas can’t be activated. Everyone has their specialty.”

“S-grade and above mechas are all military-use now?” Jiang Momo suddenly asked.

“Of course! With how rampant alien beasts are, all high-grade mechas were confiscated years ago. Even the manufacturers were all drafted,” Yan Chang said, his thoughts jumping ahead quickly. “But things haven’t been that strict in the past couple of years. A-grade mechas are now dual-use for civilians and military.”

Jiang Momo caught a key point in his response.

“All mecha manufacturers are forced to join the military?” she asked.

“Not exactly but the military offers Level A and above manufacturers such good benefits it makes me jealous. Plus, only the military knows how to make S-grade mechas,” Yan Chang said, stroking his chin in thought. “So almost all manufacturers of Level A or higher are in the military now. Only a few lucky ones slip through.”

“So to access S-grade mechas, you have to join the army?” Jiang Momo asked.

“Yup. If you want to make S-grade mechas, you can only do it at the Military Research Institute. Making S-grade mechas privately is illegal,” Yan Chang replied.

He didn’t suspect that Jiang Momo wanted to pilot one herself. According to Federation law, mecha manufacturers were federal property and it was a crime for them to fight in mechas. But since Jiang Momo wasn’t certified yet, playing around with one was fine.

Seeing she didn’t ask any more questions, he pointed to the helmet in her hands. “Master, are you still going to pilot this mecha? If not, can I try?”

E Mingjun refused. “Next time. It fell earlier, so it needs maintenance.”

“Aww, come on! Just a little bit! Tutor E~~” Yan Chang clung to his arm, his voice twisting like a hundred curves in one word.

E Mingjun pulled his arm away in disgust. “Ten minutes.”

“Got it!” Yan Chang immediately snatched the helmet from Jiang Momo’s hands, strapped it on, then took the sensors from her and fastened them onto his limbs. He walked onto the treadmill in the middle.

Jiang Momo had just tried it. The entire cockpit was gravity-sensitive, meaning the person would always stay upright relative to the ground. The treadmill would match the user’s movement speed, keeping them stationary in place.

The mecha began to move and the cockpit screens moved too.

Inside the screen was a third-person view, showing the full mecha’s movements and the surrounding environment.

In the footage, the mecha quickly clashed with a simulated enemy mecha that had just been deployed in the training area.

Their movements were fast and several exchanges occurred in the blink of an eye, sparks flying. The action was smooth and fluid, dazzling to watch.

While observing, Jiang Momo noticed something. “Yan Chang doesn’t seem very used to using his right hand,” she said.

“He’s left-handed,” E Mingjun confirmed. “But it doesn’t affect him much. No need to correct it.”

“Really?” Jiang Momo looked doubtful.

“Yes,” E Mingjun said firmly. He lowered his head slightly, his tone a bit ambiguous, “Are you questioning my teaching?”

“Of course not! I don’t know much about piloting mechas. I’ve only used mecha exoskeletons before.” Jiang Momo felt a little embarrassed.

“There are exoskeletons in the Border Star System too? I thought those were only found in the Chaos Star System,” E Mingjun suddenly sounded agitated. His eyes locked on Jiang Momo’s face, searching for something.

Jiang Momo truly didn’t know much about the Federation’s three star systems, so her expression remained calm.

“I don’t know. I just had one,” she said.

They looked at each other for a moment.

“What was the name of the planet you were on before?” E Mingjun asked, his gaze containing a hope even he didn’t realize.

“It didn’t have a name. It’s just a desolate planet,” Jiang Momo said.

Hearing the definite answer, E Mingjun looked a bit disappointed but quickly composed himself.

“I guess I overthought it. The desolate planets in the Chaos Star System are full of alien beasts. Humans couldn’t survive there. The Border Star System is better, stable, and free of interstellar pirates. I wish I had grown up there.”

No interstellar pirates in the Border Star System?!

Jiang Momo lowered her eyes and thought for a moment, deciding to ask Little Eight about it later.

“Don’t worry. The Central Star System doesn’t have interstellar pirates either,” E Mingjun reassured.

“I’m not worried about interstellar pirates,” Jiang Momo replied.

“True. Interstellar pirates haven’t been active in the past decade. There’s been an interstellar pirate hunter keeping them in check in the Chaos Star System for years,” E Mingjun said.

“Interstellar pirate hunter?” Jiang Momo blinked. “I’ve never heard that name. Did the interstellar pirates come up with it?”

Since returning, she had caught up on ten years of Capital Star’s news and didn’t recall ever seeing that title.

“No, the media came up with it,” E Mingjun said.

“So they specifically hunt interstellar pirates and turn them to the Federation?” Jiang Momo grew interested. “Are they with the Federation?”

Then why hadn’t the Federation news reported on them?

“I used to think so too,” E Mingjun said. “But… they’re not.”

In fact, the interstellar pirate hunter didn’t really hunt the pirates. They hunted the goods stolen by the pirates. Along the way, they happened to save a few merchant ships.

The Chaos Star System lay between the Border Star System and the Central Star System, a necessary route for trade. So in the Border Star System, the interstellar pirate hunter had a great reputation.

“Are you looking for them? Are they your idol?” Jiang Momo asked.

Her thoughts were simple. She already knew that interstellar pirates were bad and E Mingjun was a good person. Interstellar pirate hunter, as the name suggested, should also be good people. They must be on the same side.

“Yes, I’m looking for them,” E Mingjun replied.

But that person wasn’t his idol.

“Alright, I’ll help keep an eye out for them,” Jiang Momo promised seriously, hands behind her back.

“I’ll keep an eye out too, Tutor E. If we find them, can I borrow your mecha for two days?” Yan Chang jumped in when he heard E Mingjun’s words.

“Of course.” E Mingjun agreed to Yan Chang’s request.

The agreed ten minutes of piloting time quickly passed.

Yan Chang removed the sensor helmet and casually swept his sweat-dampened bangs back behind his head. “An S-grade mecha really is different. It’s such a thrill to pilot.”

“Right, that interstellar pirate hunter you two were just talking about… I was curious about them before and looked up some info. According to some of the interstellar pirates who’ve been robbed by them, they were elusive like a phantom. Not a single pirate has seen their face. No matter what lighting methods they use, they can cut off all light sources in an instant and move in the dark, like they are a natural-born night stalker with a different physiology from normal humans.

“I was such a fan of them for a while. They’re like one of those silent, behind-the-scenes superheroes!” Yan Chang enthusiastically shared what he’d found.

“Wow, that’s amazing~” Jiang Momo exclaimed in awe.

E Mingjun stood off to the side, showing no reaction to what Yan Chang said. Instead, he immediately stored the mecha back into his spatial button.

“Tutor E, you already knew all that?” Yan Chang asked curiously. “This is insider info, you know.”

He had pulled some strings and spent days in prison to get that information.

“Yeah, I’d heard about it before,” E Mingjun replied simply as he stored the spatial button away.