The Real Daughter Just Wants to Pilot Mechas - Chapter 87

Yan Chang had always looked down on people like Ling Yelin who used emotions to manipulate others for profit. He didn’t bother being polite and turned directly to Jiang Momo. “Are you okay?”

“I’m fine.” Jiang Momo shook her head.

After confirming she hadn’t been duped, Yan Chang immediately turned back around and firmly shielded her behind him.

Seeing them, Ling Yelin placed the bouquet at Jiang Momo’s feet, casually adjusted his tie, then reached into the heart-shaped light display and took out a key before turning to leave.

As he passed by Jiang Momo, he said softly, “It’s not a good time today. I’ll find you another day.”

Jiang Momo: ???

“You better not,” she refused immediately.

Ling Yelin paused, looked at the flowers on the ground, then at the lights, then at the key in his hand, and finally at the wary Yan Chang and Jiang Momo who was slightly avoidant.

Jiang Momo hadn’t talked to him in such a guarded tone in a long time.

“Did you guys… misunderstand something?” Ling Yelin hesitated.

They didn’t seriously think he was confessing, right?! But she had reacted fine to his previous actions, so what went wrong now?

“What do you mean?” Yan Chang blocked Ling Yelin from approaching again.

Ling Yelin opened his right hand, revealing a red string with a round key on it.

“This is a key to one of my warehouses on the Capital Star. Inside is the time manipulation equipment recently discarded by the research institute. It’s near the military training base.”

He paused. “Aren’t you fixing S-grade mechas for the military recently? I figured it might come in handy.”

“It’s obvious we didn’t misunderstand,” Yan Chang said coldly, not giving an inch.

Anything Ling Yelin could dig up, Yan Chang could too. The moment he saw those flowers, he knew Ling Yelin was up to something.

“Momo.” Ling Yelin looked at Jiang Momo, whose legs were tensed and ready to bolt. Before she could run, he quickly added, “The metal neural fibers made with the Golden Crow ore you sold me were used to build a super S-grade mecha. If you have any left, the research institute is willing to buy it at a high price.”

From Jiang Momo’s expression, he could tell that if he let her run, she’d block his contact everywhere.

“You want to trade the time manipulation equipment for Golden Crow ore?”

“No, this is a deposit,” Ling Yelin said. “I only have usage rights for the equipment, so I can’t gift it to you.”

Jiang Momo didn’t take it. “So what was all this today?”

She felt like she may have misunderstood. On second thought, the way Ling Yelin looked at her just now was exactly the same as how she looked at her account balance.

Ling Yelin laughed. “Just trying to set the mood.”

But unexpectedly, not everyone bought into it. It seemed that dealing with Jiang Momo would be more effective if he went straight to talking money.

Yan Chang snorted. “Shouldn’t you have already realized that trick doesn’t work?”

Ling Yelin ignored Yan Chang and spoke directly to Jiang Momo, “If there’s any more Golden Crow ore, I want all of it, however much you have.”

Jiang Momo nodded. “I’ll consider it.”

“Then I’m off. Get in touch when you can.” Ling Yelin turned and left.

Not far away, a cleaning robot swept a strip of lights into a trash bin.

Jiang Momo walked straight past the robot to the academy’s material warehouse, ready to scavenge supplies. Yan Chang followed, only now realizing the weight of what Ling Yelin had said.

“You actually used your materials to build a super S-grade mecha?! Is Golden Crow ore really that powerful?!” Yan Chang swayed from side to side behind her like an excited little puppy.

“I’m not really sure. Maybe it’s some kind of new technology.” Jiang Momo was also puzzled.

Why was it that when she used the metal neural fibers made with the Golden Crow ore, the mecha produced problematic data, but the research institute could make a super S-grade one? What was the real difference?

“New technology?! Wow, if they’ve made a super S-grade mecha, then maybe S-grade mechas will start being downgraded to civilian use. That might mean A-grade mechas won’t be so hard to buy anymore!” Yan Chang chirped enthusiastically beside her.

“If you really like A-grade mechas that much, I can build one for you to borrow,” Jiang Momo said. “Borrowed mechas aren’t bound by licensing restrictions, right?”

“Of course not!” Yan Chang’s eyes lit up instantly. “Master! What an honor to meet you! I’ll trade you my house on the floating island!”

“Wouldn’t that be a huge loss for you?” Jiang Momo joked.

“What’s a loss or not between the two of us?” Yan Chang blinked his sparkling eyes with indifference. “We’re friends!”

“Forget the house. Just come pick up the mecha in a month,” Jiang Momo said.

“Thank you, Master!!!” Yan Chang thanked her joyfully and quickly said goodbye, skipping off happily.

[What are you planning to offer Ling Yelin?] After Yan Chang left, Little Eight poked his cat head out from the screen and asked.

“The keychain he’s been dying for, the one he tried to trade a noble status for,” Jiang Momo replied.

Materials like the Golden Crow ore, which could produce a super S-grade mecha, were of course something she’d keep for herself. Now that the research institute understood the material’s value, they wouldn’t give away any more metal neural fibers they made to her.

***

E Mingjun disappeared for another two weeks. During that time, aside from attending classes, Jiang Momo buried herself in the material warehouse, preparing supplies to repair the S-grade mechas and to build the A-grade one she had promised Yan Chang.

For two straight weeks, it was just the material warehouse and her dorm, nothing else. It was not until she finished preparing the basic materials for the A-grade mecha did she finally felt relaxed enough to stroll out and enjoy the sun around the campus.

Worried about being swarmed by onlookers, she always chose clever paths, ones where she could see everyone but students were unlikely to notice her.

At that moment, a group of students passed by the shrubs nearby, chatting excitedly. Their voices drifted into her ears.

“Did you hear? The latest news is the First Military District is going to send a batch of simulation pods to the academy. They’re planning some kind of combat simulation event with a leaderboard. Any student who ranks each term gets a direct ticket to the military.”

“Direct entry? Even first-years can enter? Is it open to everyone?”

“That’s the rumor but it might not be reliable.”

“God, I thought it was already wild that all the students from the Mecha Manufacturing Department got sent to the Third Military District to pilot mechas.”

Combat simulation?

Jiang Momo’s ears twitched and she immediately changed direction.

An hour later, her ship landed at the entrance to the First Military District’s training base.

This time was very different from before. The moment she scanned her card, the gate flew open and the old soldier who looked like he’d been waiting forever ushered her in.

“What a coincidence. I came and you’re already here!” Jiang Momo followed behind the old soldier.

The old soldier didn’t mention that he had been waiting just for her. He led her directly toward the office building. “Major General Lu is waiting for you.”

“Is something going on?” Jiang Momo suddenly thought of something. “Did the data for the S-grade mecha come out?”

“Yes.” The old soldier nodded. “Major General Lu will explain it to you personally.”

Jiang Momo immediately felt uneasy.

She had spent the past two weeks staying busy just to stop herself from overthinking the fact that she’d wrecked an S-grade mecha. She had long since gathered the materials but had delayed doing any repairs.

After about ten minutes of walking, they saw Lu Feng waiting at the base of the office building.

When Lu Feng saw Jiang Momo, he came straight over. “Finally! Just like Old Chen said, you really care about that battle simulation idea!”

Jiang Momo forced a smile. “I overheard some students at the academy saying it was an event organized by the First Military District. I figured it must be you, Major General, so I came to ask if there’s anything I can help with.”

It was an initiative she’d always wanted to launch but the old soldier had opposed it. Now that it was actually happening, she had every reason, duty even, to check in as the copyright holder. Maybe she could even use the licensing fee to pay off the damages to the mecha.

“There’s no need for that,” Lu Feng said.

The real reason they held the event was because they hadn’t seen her in a while. However, since they didn’t have any tasks to assign, calling her over directly would’ve seemed awkward. So instead, they launched the initiative she had always wanted at her academy to lure her in.

Sure enough, it worked.

Jiang Momo: “Well, if there’s nothing else…”

“There is, of course.” Lu Feng got straight to the point, “The assessment of the S-grade mecha you repaired came out two weeks ago. It’s a super S-grade.”

Jiang Momo’s mind went blank. “Huh? What now?”

“Super S-grade,” Lu Feng repeated.