The Real Daughter Just Wants to Pilot Mechas - Chapter 46

“What? Fifty?!” The manager froze.

Where did the god-tier manufacturer come from? Just their assistants come in fifty?!

“Maybe it’s a bit too many. I can have them come in batches,” Jiang Momo tried to bargain.

Before she could finish, the manager’s eyes were already shining. He grabbed her hand, trembling with excitement. “No, Master! Bring as many as you like! We’ve got plenty of space! I’ll even have the procurement team buy more assistant robots. Everyone will have room to work!”

“No robots needed,” Jiang Momo refused.

“Please don’t feel burdened,” the manager insisted. “We’ll provide you with all the resources we can, as long as we get those B-grade mechas.”

“There’s really no need for robots. Hand-made ones are a bit higher quality.” Jiang Momo racked her brain for a reason that didn’t sound too absurd.

The manager suddenly understood and gave her a big thumbs-up. “Master, you’re truly a master! That’s the spirit of a true craftsman!”

Jiang Momo let out an awkward laugh and reluctantly accepted the compliment.

“So, when can you start work?” the manager asked, hands clasped together, eyes full of anticipation.

“Monday afternoon at three,” Jiang Momo blurted out.

“Great! We’ll have people waiting here to welcome you then. I see the organizers have arrived, I’ll excuse myself now.” The manager nodded and left with a smile.

After he left, Yan Chang turned to Jiang Momo, eyes wide in sudden realization. “No wonder you said you had fifty assistants.”

That time slot was when Jiang Momo had class!

“But are they already capable of producing B-grade mechas?”

“Almost,” Jiang Momo said.

“You’re such a good teacher. I want to be your student too,” Yan Chang said with a slightly envious look.

“Once they make a B-grade mecha, they can graduate early,” Jiang Momo said while rubbing her nose.

Then she’d have one less class per week and her salary would stay the same. Win-win.

“That’s why I said you’re a good teacher. Graduating early and joining the Military Research Institute, it all speeds up promotions and regularization,” Yan Chang said.

Jiang Momo was silent for a moment and then nodded vigorously. “Exactly. I’m just that thoughtful!”

Yan Chang watched her nod like a pecking chicken and couldn’t help but smile. But then his gaze landed on someone and his expression suddenly froze.

“What’s wrong?” Jiang Momo noticed the change in his face and looked in the same direction. She caught a glimpse of a familiar back disappearing into the crowd.

Yan Chang clenched his teeth. “Why is that damn green tea coming to the competition too?”

“He’s also a manufacturer.” Jiang Momo didn’t find Peng Ji’s presence odd. But it did remind her of something. “Any progress on that money transfer investigation from earlier?”

“Not yet. We still haven’t found the account owner. I’ve sent someone to the Chaos Star System to investigate on-site. We should have results by the end of next week at the latest,” Yan Chang said.

***

Ten minutes before the official start of the Mecha Competition, Jiang Momo followed Yan Chang into the waiting area.

It was a central space surrounded by 36 arenas, about the size of four standard ones, with over a thousand neatly arranged chairs. Most of them were already occupied.

“Looks like there are six to seven hundred participants this time.” Yan Chang stood at the back and roughly made the estimate for Jiang Momo.

“That many?” Jiang Momo frowned.

“There are 36 arenas, which means each arena, including the current champion and those waiting, has fewer than 20 participants. Once someone loses, they re-enter the queue at a different arena,” Yan Chang explained.

“How long does each match last?” Jiang Momo asked.

“Usually around 20 minutes. If someone’s really skilled, it can be much shorter. Back when Tutor E participated, his average match was just five or six minutes. No one’s broken that record yet,” Yan Chang said.

“No wonder they need mecha repairers.” Jiang Momo started rolling her wrists. “To earn more points, the pilots need to speed up their matches, so they’ll fight more aggressively, which means the mechas will break more often.”

It looked like she was in for a tough battle later.

“More or less? Yeah, that’s about it.” Yan Chang nodded and gave an embarrassed smile. “My mecha tends to break down easily, so I’ll be troubling you later.”

“It’s the right side of your mecha that gets damaged more often, right?” Jiang Momo asked.

Yan Chang froze. “You noticed that when you repaired it before?”

“No, I noticed when you were piloting E Mingjun’s mecha. You don’t seem used to using your right hand,” Jiang Momo said.

“Yeah, I injured it when I was a kid. My whole right arm isn’t very flexible. They always target that side because they see it as a weakness. I’ve been trying to adjust,” Yan Chang said. “But Tutor E told me not to.”

“No need to adjust. Just leave it as is.” Jiang Momo patted his shoulder. “If your right arm breaks, it’s easier to fix. If your left one breaks, I can’t promise I’ll have it repaired within 24 hours.”

That left arm had three energy pathways. Just finding suitable materials for it was already harder than other parts.

“Got it.” Yan Chang immediately perked up, confidence restored. “The match is about to start. Let’s sit down.”

They sat in the last row and a light screen floated before their eyes.

It displayed 37 small windows of 36 arenas and the judges’ panel. Jiang Momo focused on the judges’ panel, which quickly expanded to fill the screen.

“Scared me,” she muttered.

Just as she reached out to return to the original view, a stream of comments began to scroll across the bottom left.

[Ahhhh! The Mecha Competition is finally starting!]

[Who will the judges be this year?! I heard they invited some big names from the Elite Mecha Pilot List!]

[Why hasn’t it started yet? Why hasn’t it started yet?!]

[Wait, where’s the waiting area footage this year?! I want to see the waiting area!]

[The host is out!!!]

In the judge panel window, a male host wearing a silver-purple sequined outfit suddenly appeared in front of the camera. His face was heavily made-up and his eyelashes were so long they looked like they could poke the sky.

“Welcome, everyone, to this year’s Mecha Competition Arena! I’m your old friend, Brother Zi!” the host said, blowing a kiss at the camera.

Jiang Momo quickly glanced at the comments.

They were filled with cheers. No one seemed to find the scene strange. Apparently, they were all used to it.

“The federal-level competition usually picks hosts like this. It’s to balance out the serious atmosphere of the competition,” Yan Chang explained.

Well, they sure balanced it thoroughly.

Jiang Momo nodded and kept watching.

The host now strolled up to the judges’ panel and began explaining the rules.

“This year’s competition rules are the same as always: a battle royale format. Contestants draw lots to decide their initial arena and appearance order. Win and you hold your spot. Lose, you leave to draw again and reenter the lineup. Each win earns one point. Mechas will be repaired by accompanying repair technicians and if a contestant lines up again within 24 hours, they can continue accumulating points. Final rankings are based on total points and the top three gain eligibility for the Elite Mecha Pilot List.

“Now, let’s meet this year’s judges. First up, we have one of the competition’s sponsors, the Federation Energy Association’s board member, Peng Ji!”

Jiang Momo snapped her head up. On-screen, Peng Ji sat in the center of the judges’ panel, smiling.

The comments noticeably slowed.

[What’s going on? Why is he here again?]

[Ugh, after all that drama before, I didn’t want to see him again.]

[Why would the Mecha Competition’s organizers invite someone like him? And seat him in the middle?!]

[Why is he everywhere? I remember even marching for him once. It’s so annoying now!]

The host, oblivious to the comments, continued enthusiastically, “Mr. Peng Ji is the successor to the Federation Energy Association’s president and a new instructor at the Central Mecha Academy, with rich experience in mecha manufacturing and repair…”

Jiang Momo scratched her head.

Didn’t Peng Ji tell her something totally different about himself before?

She looked back at the comments. Sure enough, they were boiling.

[Huh??? When I was defending him online, didn’t he say he was raised by a single mother and had a younger sister still in school? I checked and the association’s president is a man?!]

[Liar! Not a single truth out of his mouth.]

[Can we please kick him out? I’m begging you, organizers—Oh, wait, he is the organizer. Damn.]

[That said… he’s really good-looking.]

[True, I’ve never seen such a perfect dark-skinned beauty, even in showbiz. If he joined the entertainment industry, he’d totally blow up!]

[Get lost, you face-lovers!]

Yan Chang suddenly clapped his hands and exclaimed, “No wonder the competition got postponed earlier. It was because he had exams and couldn’t join at the time!”

Jiang Momo thought for a second and then nodded. “All new teachers have the same class schedule. I even joked a couple of days ago about how lucky I was that the competition happened when I had no classes. Mystery solved.”

“But wait, that doesn’t make sense. All the investigations and what he told us before didn’t seem to conflict,” Yan Chang said and then suddenly looked alarmed, hugging himself. “Given your relationship with him now, he’s not going to mess with me, right?!”

Jiang Momo shook her head. “It’s hard to say.”

The host kept going, “Next up, we’re thrilled to introduce the number one on the Elite Mecha Pilot List, E Mingjun! This is reportedly his first public appearance. Let’s look forward to seeing his true face!”

“Yeah?!” Yan Chang jumped up. “Tutor E is so tight-lipped! I’m with him practically 24/7 and didn’t hear a word. Master, did he tell you?”

“Nope.” Jiang Momo shook her head.

E Mingjun soon appeared on screen, dressed in a sharp, tailored suit that showed off his broad shoulders and narrow waist. His green hair was tied back, with just two strands hanging loose, and a hint of casualness to his otherwise crisp appearance.

He nodded toward the camera in greeting and sat down next to Peng Ji, expressionless.

“I heard you’re still a student?” the host asked, shoving the mic in his face.

“Yes,” E Mingjun replied curtly.

The host waited a second, then seeing no follow-up, asked again, “Where do you study?”

“Central Mecha Academy,” E Mingjun answered.

“As a student, achieving first place on the elite list is incredible,” the host said, trying to liven things up. “We hope you’ll speak more freely when offering commentary later.”

Comments flooded in.

[He’s so cold… and so hot.]

[This is the number one on the elite list!!! That’s some serious prestige!]

[He’s always been a legend in the mecha pilot community. We finally get to see him in person and he’s so young?!]

[I know him! He’s from our school. He came from outside the Central Star System, a poor student. Super impressive! He used to do part-time jobs everywhere.]

[Hey, what’s wrong with being a poor student? You rich or something?]

[I’m broke too. I met him a few times while working part-time. How else would I know this?]

[…Sorry.]