The Real Daughter Just Wants to Pilot Mechas - Chapter 65

After muttering to herself, Jiang Momo put the metal neural fibers down and found herself locking eyes with a Siamese cat lying on the display, only its eyes showing.

She twitched her finger and typed, [Little Eight, what’s the principle behind this confidentiality detection system? Is it eavesdropping through the light brain?]

The Siamese cat shook its head.

[Close but not exactly. As long as the network is connected, the Federation can know everything that happens.]

[What you just did was right. Otherwise, once you create an S-grade mecha, the related books might get confiscated by the Federation.]

“Related books? There’s a third volume of Ye Fei’s Diary?” Jiang Momo asked.

The Siamese cat nodded.

[There is but we don’t know where it is. The last time it appeared was thirty years ago.]

Jiang Momo lowered her head in thought.

She had a bold idea.

Ye Fei couldn’t possibly have been just an ordinary person. Simply inventing the S-grade mecha might not have been enough for a publisher to release his messy diary into the world.

“Little Eight, is there any info online about the inventor of the legendary mecha?”

Little Eight shook its head. [Nope.]

“Were the publishers back then the type that would print anything if you paid them?” Jiang Momo thought of another possibility and asked.

Little Eight more or less understood what Jiang Momo was getting at. It shook its head again.

[Publishing required an official license and getting one was very difficult. Illegal publishing for profit was a serious crime, so self-printing wasn’t really an option either.]

“Got it.” Jiang Momo was now almost sure of her theory. She bumped the task of finding Ye Fei’s Diary up on her priority list. Then she remembered the long-neglected issue of the Jiang family and scratched her head, pulling up the trending searches on her light brain.

“The Jiang family wouldn’t have hired internet trolls to smear me online, right?” Jiang Momo muttered casually.

Then she saw one of the trending headlines and froze.

Earlier that day, the Jiang family had looked so confident that she thought they’d be able to control public opinion. But looking at the headline, it didn’t seem like they’d paid for it at all.

The top trending search was [Why Is the Whole World Apologizing to Jiang Momo?]

Jiang Momo clicked in. The comments were all people speaking up for her.

[Our Momo’s life is just too tragic. Seriously tragic.]

[Teacher Momo actually came from a desolate planet. Just looking at those photos, you can tell how rough her life was. And the Jiang family still treated her badly?]

[What do you mean you ‘treated her poorly in terms of money’? That’s not poor treatment, that’s outright abuse! My friend once saw Jiang Momo in the commercial district. She wasn’t famous yet back then and couldn’t even afford a 5-star coins meat bun!]

[I heard she lived in the maid’s room at the Jiang family’s villa and even her light brain was something she bought herself after working part-time!]

[…]

Jiang Momo stared at the screen and immediately opened her chat with Ling Yelin.

Clearly, only Ling Yelin would know some of that information.

[Jiang Momo]: Did you hire internet trolls to help me online? Thanks.

Ling Yelin replied instantly.

[010]: I just paid a few. I also used some of my burner accounts to steer the conversation a bit. But I still suggest that now that your household registry has been moved out, you should try to keep your distance. Don’t let the Federation media or the public associate you with the Jiang family.

[010]: Their wealth came from some shady dealings. If that gets exposed later, it could affect your reputation.

[Jiang Momo]: Thanks, I’ll be careful.

As she was chatting with Ling Yelin, a message popped up from Yan Chang.

[Mecha Pilot God of Gods]: Master!!! I just saw that you got promoted to nobility!!! Congrats!!! I used up all my recommendation slots and was even thinking of getting you to swindle one from Ling Yelin. Who knew you’d beat me to it?!

[Mecha Pilot God of Gods]: With a status like that, why didn’t you flex this morning?! If it were me, I’d slap that announcement in their faces on the spot!

[Jiang Momo]: It was a full-Federation broadcast.

[Mecha Pilot God of Gods]: So what?! I got your back, what are you afraid of? Trust me, go show off a little! The Xie family is hosting a banquet tomorrow night and the Jiang family will be there too. Just storm in and make a grand entrance.

[Mecha Pilot God of Gods]: The Xie family people are super snobby and love to suck up to the powerful. It’s the perfect place for your new status.

[Mecha Pilot God of Gods]: I’ll get you a battle outfit too. Wear it tomorrow!

Jiang Momo scratched her forehead.

Did Yan Chang drink? Why did he seem so hyped?

[Jiang Momo]: Thanks for the suggestion.

But she didn’t really have a reason to attend the banquet.

At least, Jiang Momo thought so.

While she was considering, a mechanical voice chimed. [Ding. Delivery arrived. Do you accept?]

“Accept.” Jiang Momo nodded.

A second later, a red gift box was carried in by a robotic arm and placed on the floor.

Jiang Momo opened it. Inside was an invitation and a black formal dress.

[The Jiang family really went all out,]Little Eight commented in a cryptic tone.

Jiang Momo was reading the invitation, confirmed it was indeed for the Xie family’s banquet the next day, then put it back, and closed the lid. She tossed the entire box into the corner.

Then she clapped her hands, stood up, and asked Little Eight, “What now? What did they do this time?”

[According to records, the Xie family is superstitious about blacks,] Little Eight replied.

Jiang Momo froze. “And they still sent me black? No matter what they think, I’m going there as someone brought by the Jiang family. Won’t the Xie family hate them even more?”

[Maybe they’ve realized how difficult the Xie family is to deal with and decided to give up on them.]

Jiang Momo understood. “So they’re planning to squeeze the last bit of value out of the Xie family, have the Xie family make things difficult for me, and then they’ll pretend to stand up for me and cut ties with the Xie family, so I’ll start to feel grateful under pressure and become dependent on them?”

[Pretty much.] Little Eight nodded.

***

The next day, after class, Jiang Momo received the battle outfit Yan Chang sent her. It was a long, light purple evening dress. The fabric of the dress was some unknown material that shimmered with silver flecks under the light, flowing like a galaxy.

She tried it on and it fit well.

“This dress is really beautiful but why does it look kind of… off?” Jiang Momo stared blankly at her reflection in the mirror.

In the mirror, the girl with carefree short hair radiated vibrant health. Her exposed arms and shoulders clearly showed signs of athleticism. Her skin had a glossy bronze tone and the light purple dress only made her complexion seem darker. The contrast was stark and a little jarring.

[It really doesn’t suit you,] Little Eight said in its emotionless mechanical voice. [But that’s not important for this outing. What matters is this battle outfit is very expensive.]

[Though I don’t fully get it, humans seem to have emotional reactions to these external things and it makes them view you more favorably.]

Jiang Momo didn’t quite get it either.

She touched the unfamiliar fabric carefully, then took off the dress, and hung it back on the rack. Throwing on a random outfit, she headed out to the materials warehouse to continue building her mecha.

There were still nearly three months before her mecha materials degraded. She planned to piece together an A-grade mecha in the meantime so she wouldn’t be stuck waiting for materials again when she was ready to build the S-grade one.

She spent the afternoon in the Mecha Arena’s manufacturing area.

Near evening, Jiang Momo checked the time and got up to return to her dorm to change for the Xie family’s banquet.

Just as she stepped out the main gate and waited for the shared aircraft to land, a warship suddenly descended in front of her. A group of soldiers in familiar uniforms quickly shoved her onboard.

“What’s going on?” Jiang Momo glanced at the heavy doors closing and the fully armed officers around her, then turned her gaze to Lu Feng sitting in the seat across from her. “Didn’t you say the alien beasts would appear in a month?”

There was only one reason for Lu Feng to come get her without warning. The alien beasts had appeared.

“That was just an estimate,” Lu Feng said grimly, his face dark as the bottom of a pot. “And we suspect they’ll become more active later on.”

Jiang Momo leaned back. “Where are we going now?”

“Central Star System, third-tier planet No. 809.” Lu Feng closed his eyes, a deep crease between his brows. “The warship will perform an ultra-long-range spatial jump shortly. You might feel uncomfortable, so try to endure it.”

“How long will it take?” Jiang Momo asked.

No. 809 was pretty far. She hoped the alien beasts didn’t finish feasting before they got there.

“About five minutes after we find the right jump point,” Lu Feng said. “Total travel time is around two hours. The military there reports the alien beast is currently in an uninhabited zone but moving toward the city.”

“Wait.” Jiang Momo raised her hand. “So there’s a military force over there?”

“It’s not the Federation army, just the local defense force of No. 809. Their planet’s authorities rejected the stationing of federal troops,” Lu Feng explained. “Actually, most planets in the Central Star System refuse Federation garrisons, so we can only go when we receive a distress call.”

The surrounding officers exchanged looks.

They’d never seen their major general speak so gently to someone before. It was rare.

“Their own troops can’t take down the alien beast?” Jiang Momo asked.

Lu Feng raised a brow. “You can think of them as ceremonial mascots.”

“Oh,” Jiang Momo said, getting the picture.

***

After the jump, Jiang Momo leaned on the window, watching planet No. 809 draw closer, and turned to Lu Feng with an outstretched hand. “You haven’t given my mecha to me yet!”

“Forget the mecha. It’s dangerous if it overloads in battle. Take this instead.” Lu Feng gestured and someone brought out a metal frame.

It was mecha exoskeleton!

Jiang Momo immediately perked up.

“This is a mecha exoskeleton. It can multiply a person’s strength and speed. It should suit you well,” Lu Feng said as he helped her put it on.

What should’ve taken a few seconds ended up taking two minutes under Lu Feng’s guidance.

Jiang Momo: …

“Alright, it’s on. Let’s go!”

As the warship landed at the edge of the city, Jiang Momo got ready to jump out but Lu Feng grabbed her.

“Fighting alien beasts is extremely dangerous. This is your first mission, so don’t rush in. Just observe from the back,” Lu Feng ordered.

“Just watch?” Jiang Momo blinked. “Then why’d you come all that way to get me?”

“Alien beasts are far more dangerous than they’re portrayed in media. Strength and talent alone aren’t enough. You need experience. Watch first and you’ll get your chance later.”

Seeing Jiang Momo about to protest, Lu Feng added, “It’s not the same as fighting people. Listen, don’t make us waste effort protecting you in the middle of battle.”

Jiang Momo: ???

E/N:

Jiang Momo: stares alien beasts down.
Lu Feng: Don’t play around.