The Real Daughter Just Wants to Pilot Mechas - Chapter 92

Even though Yan Yunkui had rattled off a bunch of things, all Jiang Momo really heard was ‘no serious issues.’

She was pretty in tune with her own condition. Having long gotten used to an irregular sleep schedule, she was actually feeling better in the Capital Star than she had back on the desolate planets, with less gravity and all.

At least now she didn’t need to rely on a mecha exoskeleton for everyday activities and that was good enough for her. Besides, there was still all that convenient high-tech for instant maintenance.

“Shall we go? I’ve got some stuff to do.” Jiang Momo looked at Yan Chang.

Yan Chang snapped out of his thoughts, patted Yan Yunkui who was still staring blankly at the ruined machine, and looked at her. “Sure. Where are you going? I’ll take you.”

“The Mecha Arena. I want to see how the students’ projects are coming along,” Jiang Momo answered.

“At this hour? They’ve probably gone home. It’s pretty late.” Yan Chang checked the time.

Jiang Momo checked it too. “It’s not even midnight yet. They should still be there.”

“Alright, fine.” Yan Chang quietly grumbled about the entire lineage’s chaotic sleep patterns as he casually threw one arm around her shoulders and guided her toward the lift.

The moment his arm wrapped around her, Jiang Momo sharply noticed a distinct warmth coming from his palm. She tilted her head slightly and saw faint dampness there.

He’s sweating? Why?

Jiang Momo was puzzled.

“What’s wrong?” Yan Chang noticed her looking.

“Nothing.” Jiang Momo shook her head and then suddenly recalled something. “What did Dr. Yan mean earlier about needing to use up my mental power?”

They’d only taken a few steps when she asked that. Yan Yunkui jerked his head up. “I forgot to tell you. Make sure you consciously use your mental power often. The best case scenario is keeping yourself at a near-depleted state without crossing into exhaustion.”

“Oh, okay.” Jiang Momo nodded.

“Why didn’t you ask earlier?” Yan Chang asked curiously.

“I just remembered,” Jiang Momo said, scratching her head.

She wasn’t sure why but the moment Dr. Yan had said that earlier, it had immediately slipped her mind.

Yan Chang looked at Yan Yunkui.

Yan Yunkui had clearly heard what Jiang Momo just said. He shook his head subtly, mouthing silently to Yan Chang from where she couldn’t see, “Don’t worry, I’ll figure it out soon.”

Yan Chang nodded and led Jiang Momo downstairs.

Soon, his spaceship pulled up in front of the Mecha Arena.

Jiang Momo didn’t get out immediately. She turned to Yan Chang instead. “You can head back. I might be here for a while.”

“No problem. I’ll just take you home later,” Yan Chang said.

“I’m not going back to the academy,” Jiang Momo replied.

Yan Chang smiled. “Is there anywhere you want to go that I can’t take you?”

“Well… I guess not,” Jiang Momo admitted.

Her plan was to get the materials the students had gathered, toss them into the time-manipulation equipment, head to the research institute to analyze team battle data with Qin Chu, and finally use the degraded materials to repair the mecha at the base.

“But I’ll probably take a long time. I don’t want to trouble you,” Jiang Momo declined again.

She wasn’t confident the students had found everything yet. If not, she’d have to help them look. And while Yan Chang always acted like he had nothing to do, she didn’t want to make him wait around. Besides, public transit was pretty convenient these days.

Yan Chang refused to leave. He was determined to make sure Jiang Momo went to bed early tonight. “I’m not busy lately. I’ll be your personal driver.”

Jiang Momo looked at his serious face and was baffled. “You might lose sleep over this.”

Yan Chang: “Then you still need to sleep, right?”

That’s not necessarily true.

Jiang Momo guiltily rubbed her nose, the doctor’s orders from Yan Yunkui replaying over and over in her mind.

“Right, I need to sleep,” Jiang Momo said.

“There you go then.” Yan Chang could tell just from Jiang Momo’s expression that she hadn’t taken Yan Yunkui’s instructions to heart. He didn’t call her out and just patted her back. “Let’s go.”

Jiang Momo walked inside and Yan Chang followed.

“You don’t need to stay with me the whole time.” Jiang Momo turned her head.

Yan Chang shrugged. “It’s not like it’s class time.”

Besides, even if it were class time, would it really be against the rules for him to tag along?

The two of them headed first to the manufacturing area. In the corner, a pile of materials was neatly stacked against the wall.

Jiang Momo scanned them briefly and knew right away that some were still missing. She mentally noted the position the found materials would go to and listed out the remaining ones in her mind. She waved to the students working nearby and turned to head toward the material warehouse.

On the way, Jiang Momo remembered Yan Yunkui’s medical advice. She released her mental power early and began adjusting its intensity. By the time she reached the material warehouse, she had already fine-tuned her mental power to a level that let her see long distances, consuming a lot of power but not to the point of being overdrawn in the short term.

She pushed open the door to the material warehouse. Shi Qin and the other students didn’t even look up.

Jiang Momo glanced at the material panels in their hands, confirmed the energy pathway placements, and then mentally crossed a few off her list. Without stopping, she walked straight past the front and went deeper inside.

From an observer’s perspective, Jiang Momo didn’t pause at all upon entering. She walked in leisurely as if on a stroll, her eyes sweeping across the rows of materials like an inspection, then casually stopped in front of a shelf and picked up a panel.

Yan Chang had been following her the whole time, eyes focused on her expression.

He had never seen Jiang Momo at work before and it was vastly different from what he had imagined. Unlike the serious and intense expressions of other mecha manufacturers he’d seen, Jiang Momo looked calm and at ease, even casual.

Yan Chang had always appreciated Jiang Momo’s skills but as an outsider to the field, he had no idea what her actions meant. As he studied her face carefully, he noticed her features were more refined than he remembered.

Yan Chang didn’t understand the nuances of her work but the students did.

They had noticed Jiang Momo the moment she walked in. At first, they thought she was there to supervise and check their progress, so they kept their heads down and focused, eager to show off. But Jiang Momo barely spared them a glance before shifting all her attention to the materials.

Naturally, the students were curious and several of them quietly stopped working.

Shi Qin exchanged a glance with the others, then used the corner of his eye to watch Jiang Momo as she continued deeper inside. She stopped in front of a material shelf.

Shi Qin immediately probed it with his mental power. The moment he sensed the energy pathways in the material, half his body went numb.

The other students noticed too and they exchanged bewildered looks.

The material Jiang Momo picked was one they had previously predicted might be needed to build the mecha and it perfectly avoided the ones they already found.

But what shocked them the most was her speed. They had seen her speed during the live broadcast of the Mecha Competition but they never imagined she could be so fast. It was like she could see the pathways with her eyes!

“Staying by Teacher Momo’s side was the right decision,” Shi Qin murmured.

No one else in the world could have Jiang Momo’s ability! Shi Qin was certain.

Soon, they watched as Jiang Momo gathered more and more material panels. Then they looked at the pile of half-checked materials in front of them and silently gave up. They quietly moved behind her to observe without interfering, learning by watching.

Before long, Jiang Momo had collected all the needed panels.

At that point, she had scanned nearly the entire warehouse. In the past, due to the trauma from her first mental power overload, Jiang Momo had always kept her range restrained. But now, using such a wide and intensive sweep, she vaguely felt a hint of mental power fatigue.

She shook her head, reduced her scanning range, and after feeling the strain ease, carried the materials back to the manufacturing area.

The students were very enthusiastic. While they couldn’t help much with carrying due to their smaller builds, they were more than capable of etching the energy pathways.

Yan Chang watched the busy students, rubbing his hands excitedly.

This had to be Jiang Momo preparing for his A-grade mecha. It had to be!

Yan Chang’s excitement continued until Jiang Momo carried the materials into the warehouse that Ling Yelin had prepared for her.

“This… isn’t for my mecha?” Yan Chang was shocked.

Even though he wasn’t an expert, from his basic understanding of mechas, he knew that building an A-grade mecha didn’t require any kind of high-end setup.

“Your mecha will be ready soon, no rush.” Jiang Momo adjusted the flow rate and duration, then pulled Yan Chang back to the spaceship.

***

Yan Chang didn’t go inside the research institute.

He told Jiang Momo he’d wait for her at the gate and then promptly sat down right there, making it clear no one could persuade him otherwise.

Jiang Momo glanced at the time.

Well then, to keep Yan Chang from pulling an all-nighter with her, the task of repairing the S-grade mecha would have to wait until tomorrow.

When Jiang Momo reached the operating room, Qin Chu was checking data adjustments, looking very pleased with herself.

“Did something good happen recently? You’re grinning even while working,” Jiang Momo joked.

Upon hearing her voice, Qin Chu turned immediately, wiped her hands on her clothes, and ran over to shake Jiang Momo’s hand, eyes sparkling. “I got officially hired early! All thanks to you, Teacher Momo! The simulation battle we made is blowing up even outside the military!”

Qin Chu gripped Jiang Momo’s hand, shaking it excitedly. “Are you here to inspect our work? Everything’s going great on my end!”

“No, I’m here to discuss the team battle data with you,” Jiang Momo replied. “Let’s also add in the other types of alien beast data we discussed before.”

“Team battle!” Qin Chu perked up instantly.

“Right.” Jiang Momo glanced at the time. “I’m short on time, I only have forty minutes. Start recording and I’ll explain everything. You just follow the data afterward.”

Qin Chu started the recording right away and casually asked, “So we’ll talk about the rest next time?”

“Feel free to use your own judgment. I saw some of your earlier designs and they were pretty interesting,” Jiang Momo said.

“No problem! Leave it to me, you can count on it!” Qin Chu promised.