The Real Daughter Just Wants to Pilot Mechas - Chapter 52

“Yes.” Jiang Momo nodded and then asked a little cautiously, “So… shall we go in now?”

The manager immediately snapped back to attention, a beaming smile on his face. He quickly pushed open the doors and even held the sensor door open himself, completely forgetting it could open on its own. “Of course, of course! Please, go in!”

“Thank you.”

Jiang Momo turned and glanced at the class monitor at the front of the line, signaling him to lead the students inside, and then walked in herself.

The arena still looked about the same as last time. The decorations put up for the Mecha Competition hadn’t all been taken down yet and the atmosphere was still vibrant.

“It’s a weekday, so there aren’t many people.”

The manager’s nerves peaked as he led Jiang Momo through a hallway with only a few sparring stages in use. His voice got quieter and quieter. “You said you didn’t need assistant robots, so we haven’t purchased any for now. Our hardware and software might not be as advanced as other facilities.”

“It’s fine, we won’t need them.” Jiang Momo waved it off.

The students, neatly walking two by two behind her, started whispering among themselves when they heard her.

Jiang Momo glanced back. They immediately fell silent.

“I know you’re an excellent mecha manufacturer but without real-time assistant robots, if they assemble it only to find it can’t start, they’ll have to take the whole thing apart. Isn’t that a huge waste of time?” the manager asked. “I’m no expert but other manufacturers say this could really eat into your schedule.”

“If any materials are wasted, I’ll compensate at market price,” Jiang Momo said, without directly answering the question.

It was part of her lesson plan.

Of course she knew that having to disassemble and redo a part was inefficient but it was also how you built the most solid foundation.

Seeing how firm her attitude was, the manager stopped trying to convince her and led the group to the material warehouse.

“Once you find the materials here, just have a robot or staff member move them to the manufacturing area. It’s more spacious over there. If anything’s missing, ask the robot at the entrance to restock.” The manager stood at the door, looking hopefully at Jiang Momo. “Do you need me to stay and help?”

“No, thank you,” Jiang Momo replied.

“Alright then. Best of luck!”

The manager exchanged a few more pleasantries before leaving, glancing back every few steps.

By then, the students had been staring at the material warehouse’s door for ages, practically boring holes into it with their eyes.

Once the manager disappeared from sight, Jiang Momo pushed open the door to the material warehouse.

The students let out a collective gasp.

“What a huge material warehouse!”

“Can we really use all these freely?!”

“This is amazing.”

Jiang Momo glanced at the overly excited students and walked in first.

They quickly followed.

Jiang Momo stopped at an open space near the entrance, turned around, and saw that the students were already lined up neatly along the wall under the class monitor’s command.

“Today is our first on-site practical class. What you’re seeing here is the material warehouse of the Mecha Arena. It contains all the components needed for different parts of a mecha. Your task for this class is to use these materials to manufacture one fully functional mecha component. It could be an arm, leg, cockpit, or any part.

“Unlike at the academy, where I prepared the materials for you in advance, here you’ll need to choose them yourselves. There are a few rules. First, do not damage the material panels. This includes but is not limited to marking them, carving energy pathways but not using them within three months, or ruining them by attempting energy pathways without proper skill.

“Second, you must all work on the same mecha. Third, everyone must participate. Each person must be responsible for at least one part’s carving and assembly. Fourth, once you start carving the energy pathways, everything must be completed in the manufacturing area. You are not allowed to use robots or ask staff for help during the process.”

Jiang Momo finished speaking, glanced around to make sure everyone had taken in what she said, and continued, “You all should have learned during your theory lessons that if a material’s energy pathway is carved but it’s not used to manufacture a complete mecha within three months, it will be scrapped.”

The students nodded in unison. “We know!”

“Then you should also know what the first stage goal is?” Jiang Momo asked.

“To manufacture a mecha within three months!” everyone responded in unison.

“Right. Also, I’ve made a deal with the Mecha Arena. Once the mecha is completed, they’ll pay us a manufacturing fee. I’ll distribute the full amount to all of you based on your contribution value to the build. Of course, the cost of scrapped materials will be deducted from the total fee,” Jiang Momo said, watching their expressions. “I know you might think deducting the scrapped materials from the total is unfair but that’s the rule. If you don’t want the total to go down, help each other out.

“All the foundations of mecha manufacturing begin with finding suitable materials. You can move now.” Jiang Momo clapped her hands. “Dismissed!”

The students didn’t move, instinctively shifting their gaze toward the class monitor.

Jiang Momo walked to a corner, pulled out a chair on her own, sat down, and began to observe them in secret.

The class monitor Shi Qin saw everyone looking at him while the real teacher, Jiang Momo, sat off to the side like she was just there for the show. He took a deep breath. “Don’t look at me. Let’s start with the closest shelves. Everyone takes a piece of material and tries to identify its energy pathway. Afterward, we’ll compare them. Keep the ones that connect and eliminate the rest.”

As soon as Shi Qin finished speaking, the others got moving. But he himself didn’t go check the materials. Instead, he walked over to Jiang Momo. “Teacher.”

“What is it?” Jiang Momo looked up.

“Why can’t we use assistant robots? Most of us have only just learned how to detect energy pathways and can’t guarantee 100% accuracy. If we keep failing, we’ll never finish the mecha in three months.” Shi Qin looked conflicted, clearly unsure how to say what he wanted to say.

Jiang Momo thought for a moment, then smiled and patted his shoulder. “I won’t let you lose money. I’ll cover your losses.”

She was planning to take the opportunity to attempt an A-grade mecha. If she succeeded, the materials would more than makeup for the others’ failures.

“I have another question,” Shi Qin said.

Jiang Momo responded, “Just say it.”

“I think it’s harder for fifty people to manufacture a single mecha part than for one person to do it alone. Why don’t you let them work individually?”

More people don’t always mean better when it comes to mecha manufacturing. With four or five people, division of labor can speed things up. But with more people, disagreements and differences in habits and techniques can make everything exponentially harder, especially when they don’t have assistant robots.

“You figured it out?” Jiang Momo looked a bit surprised. She thought for a moment and then gave a brief answer. “Because only when it’s hard enough, does it train you well enough.”

Shi Qin went silent.

Meanwhile, the self-proclaimed ‘success guru’ approved by Yan Chang had started another passionate speech, his voice echoing through the material warehouse.

Jiang Momo looked toward Shi Qin. “What’s going on with that?”

“They think it helps them get into the zone faster,” Shi Qin said with a speechless expression. “It’ll be over in three to five minutes.”

Sure enough, five minutes later, nearly all the students had found the pathway on their material panels and immediately started arguing.

“Use mine as the reference! It connects with three others!”

“Why? Mine also connects with three! Use mine!”

“Someone in your set already made a mistake and you still want to use yours? Mine’s pathway is more centered, so it’s much easier to match with others later!”

“…”

Shi Qin looked at the situation and sighed deeply. “Teacher, do you have a solution?”

Jiang Momo spread her hands. “According to federal data, a standard B-grade mecha manufacturer needs about five days to make one complete component and around thirty days for a whole mecha.”

“Teacher, I meant the part where they’re about to start fighting.” Shi Qin lowered his head a bit, humbly asking for help.

Jiang Momo thought for a moment and gave him a hint. “Do you remember the second point I mentioned earlier?”

“Only one mecha can be manufactured at a time,” Shi Qin repeated quickly, his face confused.

Jiang Momo guided him patiently, “If you think there are too many people, then think of a way to reduce that number.”

“You mean… divide them into groups, each working on a different part? But today’s task was to make one component…” Shi Qin trailed off, then suddenly realized.

There was no way they could actually finish even one component that day! It was a trick question!

Watching Shi Qin walk away with a newly enlightened look to restore order, Jiang Momo stood up with satisfaction and activated her mental power to search for parts for the A-grade mecha.

For the next two hours, no one other than Jiang Momo left the material warehouse. When she finally announced the end of class, all the students were stunned.

She looked around at the formerly spirited students, now visibly full of self-doubt, and asked, “What did everyone gain from today’s class?”

Silence.

“Teacher.” The self-proclaimed ‘success guru’ weakly raised his hand. “How exactly are we supposed to choose the material? After dividing into groups, things were a bit clearer but if each group is making a part, how are we supposed to connect everything into one mecha? Should we just leave space around the connection points and find materials that can link them later?”

Jiang Momo looked at him. “That method is doable but it’ll be quite difficult for you.”

“Looks like our skills just aren’t good enough.”

A wave of sighs swept through the students.

“But why not change the way we think? The key to mecha manufacturing is holistic thinking, not technical skills. Don’t let the components I brought in before limit you. Think about how the entire mecha should be made and where to start so that all the pathways can be connected. That’s the key question. You need to figure this out before you even begin.”

Jiang Momo glanced at the time. “Make this your homework. Before class tomorrow, each of you must submit a mecha design sketch. Clearly label the design ideas for the part you’re responsible for. That’s it. Class dismissed.”

She scanned the room. Seeing everyone deep in thought, she turned and walked to the door.

“Teacher!”

Jiang Momo had just reached the exit when Shi Qin called out behind her.

He looked at her seriously, his eyes shining in a way they hadn’t before. “If we change our approach, I think we should start from the connection ports, figure out where the pathways are there first, and then find components that fit. Is that how you do it?”

That was a key question because it wasn’t how she did it at all.

Jiang Momo stayed silent.

Shi Qin read the answer in her silence.

“I understand. I’ll lead the others in drafting the mecha design sketches.” Shi Qin bowed slightly. “But I still think we should start with the connection ports.”

“Then do it your way.” Jiang Momo patted his shoulder.

Shi Qin looked up.

Jiang Momo smiled at him. “There’s no single right way to build a mecha. Don’t box yourself in. Anything is valid.”

With that, she left.

***

An hour later, Jiang Momo followed the address printed on the bottom right of the card Lu Feng had given her and arrived in front of a dilapidated gate.

It was a very tall gate, surrounded by even taller courtyard walls. But the gate was peeling and the walls were overgrown with plants. If it weren’t for the soldier standing guard at the entrance, she would’ve thought she got the wrong place.

Under the sharp gaze of the soldier, Jiang Momo walked up to the gate, looked around, swiped the card at a scanner near the entrance, and leaned against the door to wait.

Bored, she looked around and then started chatting with the guard.

“Do you all have to stand guard in this blazing sun? There’s not even any shade out here.

“How long do you usually have to stand before switching shifts?

“Do you know how long it usually takes for someone to come out after swiping a card?”

The soldier didn’t move a muscle, his gaze fixed straight ahead.

Seeing he was ignoring her, Jiang Momo pulled a fan from her pocket and began fanning herself. She even fanned the soldier a little while she was at it.

After about ten minutes, the main gate opened from the inside and an older soldier in combat uniform stepped out.

He stood at the entrance and looked around, then locked eyes with Jiang Momo. “You’re the auxiliary member of the Special Forces that Major General Lu recruited? Why do you look so familiar?”

Jiang Momo immediately stepped forward to introduce herself. “I’m Jiang Momo. I was present the last time an alien beast appeared on the Capital Star.”

“Just call me Captain Jiang.” Captain Jiang nodded at her and then turned to walk back inside. “Follow me.”

“Captain Jiang? We have the same surname! What a coincidence!” Jiang Momo quickly followed.

“My surname’s Jiang as in ‘ginger’.” Captain Jiang glanced at her. “Major General Lu assigned me to teach you mecha piloting. What’s your foundation like?” |3|

Jiang Momo gave a cheerful smile. “Absolutely none.”

“Judging from your physical condition, learning to pilot a mecha shouldn’t be too hard.” Captain Jiang kept walking. “If you’ve never piloted one before, let’s start with an A-grade.”

“Can we try S-grade straight away?” Jiang Momo asked.

“You tried an A-grade before and didn’t like it, so you came to the military for help?” Captain Jiang asked.

Jiang Momo thought for a second. “…Something like that.”

“Alright then.” Captain Jiang brought her to an empty mecha training ground and summoned his own mecha.

The massive mecha appeared out of thin air on the field.

From the outside, an S-grade mecha didn’t look much bigger than a B-grade but the difference was obvious.

S-grade mechas had a cold, intimidating aura that others lacked.

“Get in,” Captain Jiang said to Jiang Momo. “I’ve trained all the new recruits in mecha piloting these past few years. Just do what I tell you.”

Jiang Momo nodded and quickly darted into the cockpit.

Watching her agile movements, Captain Jiang muttered to himself, “No piloting experience with that kind of coordination? Yeah, right. It must be another overly humble rookie.”

Muttering to himself, he opened the internal communication channel and began instructing Jiang Momo to start the mecha and run through some warm-up exercises.

Then he realized that Jiang Momo wasn’t lying at all!

He’d never seen anyone butcher the warm-ups so badly!

“Be more serious! Don’t raise your arms that high! Slow down!

“Don’t lift your legs so high either! Put your right leg down before raising the left!

“Stop falling down, for heaven’s sake!”

His furious shouts echoed throughout the training ground and before long, Captain Jiang felt his blood pressure shoot up. He was dizzy with frustration.

Hearing the shouting stop, Jiang Momo poked her head out of the cockpit, looking innocent. “What’s wrong?”

“Are you even trying?” Captain Jiang asked, hand on his forehead in exasperation.

Jiang Momo nodded earnestly. “Of course! But this mecha is so slow, it’s a real struggle to use.”

S-grade mechas were definitely better than super A-grades but not by much.

“Slow?!” Captain Jiang gave a strained smile. “I’ve never heard anyone say an S-grade mecha is sluggish! Practice on your own for a bit.”

He needed to find her a new instructor.

“Alright, thank you.” Jiang Momo shrank back into the cockpit and resumed the warm-up movements Captain Jiang had shown her.

To be fair, the moves were starting to feel less difficult. With consistent practice, she was sure she’d be able to pilot a mecha for combat soon! Jiang Momo thought so with confidence.

But then, just as she reached her seventh repetition, a familiar voice echoed through the cockpit’s internal comms.

“With that method, you won’t get it even by next year.”

Jiang Momo turned her head and saw Lu Feng standing behind her in combat gear.

“Major General Lu? What are you doing here?” Jiang Momo jumped down from the cockpit.

“You pissed off the instructor I found for you, so of course I had to come check things out,” Lu Feng said.

Jiang Momo gave a sheepish laugh.

The tables had turned. She never expected to be one of those talentless students herself.

“Why did you go straight to S-grade mecha?” Lu Feng glanced at the mecha in front of them. “Didn’t you tell Captain Jiang you had no experience?”

“I asked for it myself,” Jiang Momo explained. “I test-drove a super A-grade mecha before and thought it was too slow, so I wanted to start with an S-grade.”

Lu Feng paused. “So S-grade is slow too?”

He’d already found her mecha movements odd earlier but hadn’t pinpointed the reason. Now, it suddenly clicked.

It was the delayed reaction caused by the mecha lagging behind the pilot’s movements and the awkwardness from the mecha’s failure to sync when the pilot stopped.

Jiang Momo nodded repeatedly. “Piloting mechas is really hard.”

“It’s only hard because you haven’t grasped the core principle.” Lu Feng placed one hand on the mecha. “Have you ever thought about the underlying logic of mecha operation?”

Jiang Momo’s eyes lit up. “What’s its underlying logic?”

Finally, some real insight!

“Mechas may look like massive weapons but in essence, they function like exoskeletons. They amplify the user’s natural strength.” Lu Feng patted his arm. “Physical strength is the base but it’s mental power that determines the amplification. The mecha only executes. You provide the power; it amplifies accordingly. Clearly, you just exceeded the limit your mecha can handle, so your movements were distorted.”

Jiang Momo frowned. “So does that mean I can’t pilot a mecha?”

S-grade was the highest grade of mecha in the Federation.

Lu Feng didn’t answer directly but continued explaining, “Mental power exists in everyone’s body. Normally, when we say someone ‘uses’ it, we’re just talking about externalizing a part of it. During piloting, the mecha’s internal system automatically extracts mental power to amplify strength. So for most pilots, they think it’s all about physical response but really, it’s mental power at work.

“The most common problem is when someone with low mental power tries to operate a high-grade mecha and assumes it’s unresponsive. But in reality, it’s not that the mecha isn’t working, it’s that their mental power isn’t strong enough to generate meaningful amplification. Imagine trying to throw a punch with that mecha. If your mental power can’t provide the input, the mecha simply can’t give proper output.”

Jiang Momo suddenly understood. “So what I need to do is compress my mental power to match the maximum capacity the S-grade mecha can handle?”

“You’re smart,” Lu Feng praised.

Jiang Momo shook her head. “No, you’re just a great teacher. If my students had someone like you, they’d graduate in no time.”

Lu Feng laughed. “Look at our star teacher being humble for once.”

Jiang Momo shrugged. “I’m not too bad at teaching either.”

Lu Feng chuckled and patted her shoulder. “Try again. I’ll be with you.”

Hearing that, Jiang Momo darted back into the cockpit, this time with Lu Feng climbing in as well.

“Controlling your mental power shouldn’t be too hard for you. Let’s start with the simplest, a basic punch,” Lu Feng instructed.

The mecha moved.

It stepped back with one leg, rotated its waist slightly, and threw a punch, only to stumble from its own force.

It regained balance and punched again, yet the motion was still off.

“Compress it more,” Lu Feng said.

Jiang Momo took a deep breath and threw another punch.

This time, the movement was spot on. Even Lu Feng looked surprised. “You really are a natural talent.”

Jiang Momo took off the sensory helmet and raised her chin slightly, her expression proud like a smug ragdoll cat. “Once you understand the principle, everything becomes easier.”

“Now let’s test your base strength,” Lu Feng said.

A towering wall appeared out of nowhere, standing tall before the mecha.

“Punch it. The numbers will show up.”

Jiang Momo rolled her wrist and joked, “If I break it, I don’t have to pay, right?”

“No need. But if you really manage to break it, that would be something else. Since its invention, only one person has ever managed to damage this wall.” Lu Feng was clearly in a great mood, folding his arms and teasing, “With the force you just used, it might not even bother registering a value. Don’t hold back. Use your full strength.”

“Wouldn’t using too much strength deform the movement?” Jiang Momo asked.

“The key factor that determines the mecha’s movement precision is your mental power. Unless you can punch an alien beast to death with your bare hands, the physical strength you exert won’t really affect the mecha. Just go ahead and punch freely,” Lu Feng said.

“Then I’m reassured.” Jiang Momo put on the sensory helmet, took a deep breath, suppressed her restless mental power, stopped holding back her strength, and threw a full-powered punch toward the wall.

The movement instantly deformed.

Then, under both of their gazes, the wall came crashing down.