Chapter 266: The Next Level

"I'm more concerned about how much of his true strength Lear used," Milo said. The Moon crowd was not used to being relegated to onlookers.

"I hear Wang Zheng has no Ability X. No matter how flawless his basics are, he's still but an excellent grunt soldier - useless. Lear looks indomitable, though."

Achilles waved it off. "Forget all that useless chatter. Focus on ourselves. Since Lear has started to get serious, then it's about time we do too."

No matter how collected Achilles appeared, a trickle of anger simmered within him at the current situation as well. To what extent this rage would manifest remained to be seen.

Taros narrowed his eyes. He had yet to meet someone more dangerous than Lear. His thinking was a full leap ahead of the average person, layered with complexities.

But human calculations always bowed down before fate. Despite his machinations, he had not foreseen the unknown factor, Wang Zheng.

In Lear's original calculations, Wang Zheng was a decent opponent to demonstrate his own abilities, and he would make himself look good in comparison. Yet now he had been the one to make Wang Zheng look good.

This was the first clash of power since the beginning of the second phase. Wang Zheng's uncanny win had left Zhang Shan and the rest overjoyed, as though the leadership had been secured. However, the others soon passed it over in their considerations, and their focus was still on Achilles, Lear, and Lie Xin.

"Wang Zheng, that was great! From now on, we also have to work harder and take the win. The first leader from Earth is about to be decided," Zhang Shan declared with confidence. Although his score was not the best, his revealing of Ability X had shaken the field as well and was even more impressive than Wang Zheng's win.

"Now I also feel that we have a chance as well!" Yuan Ye could not resist exclaiming. He had always thought Wang Zheng's chances of victory were zero, but today's performance had opened his eyes.

Most importantly, the victorious Wang Zheng was still calm and was not acting any different than usual, as though nothing out of the ordinary had happened.

Of course, some might think it was just him acting cool, but who cared?

To Wang Zheng, beating just about anybody at a test of basic proficiency was to be expected. If he did not even have the confidence for this, how could he think of going to Aslan?

The appearance of Wang Zheng's faction had heightened the atmosphere of competition subtly. Qiu Si was not too bothered. The test was simply an evaluation of the results. The training would again begin anew.

Mecha Pole- Circling.

In the uneven sand stood two huge, wooden pillars. The trainees had to pilot their mecha through the pillars, circling them as fast as possible. However, they could not touch the pillars.

The battle-obsessed students felt a little let down. Clearly, this type of training was the most dry and dreary thing to them. However, Wang Zheng was interested. His body, adjusted to the Plum Blossom Pillar, could easily execute the circling movement needed, but he still needed to get used to doing it in a mech.

This could dramatically increase a mech's operational agility, especially in a pinch. The pilot's understanding of a mech was an often understated skill which saved lives in critical moments.

A majority of the students were still resentful. More boring training. Wang Zheng was explaining the training objectives to his Ares College friends. They brightened up considerably after hearing his words.

They key was that the training had to be useful.

A guy like Qiu Si only cared about getting it done, but did not bother with explanations.

In the military market, OMG's Wind God mech was making astonishing progress, accompanied by stories that seemed overblown. The prototype was being subjected to a few military tests, and it performed spectacularly. Things had turned from lukewarm to serious, and the difference was clear.

The performance standards were definitely there. OMG had provided a demonstration video which showed the skeletal structure, to explain the mecha's capabilities and unique strengths to the military testers. It had tremendous strength and speedy displacement, satisfying the needs of battle needs and strategies. In controlled conditions, the military testers unanimously gave its battle capabilities an AA rating.

As for the protective shields, the three testers were in agreement. Although the chances of accidents were low, they were nevertheless present, and they remained logically necessary. If the mech could be refined to become more armored, the Wind God mecha could be used in a huge variety of situations and strategies. At present, they could already envision more than 10 types... confined environment group battles, dual-mecha operations, specialised missions...

When the military testers demanded changes the defence system, Ye Zisu was speechless...

Although the mech was her design, the excess shield function was completely excluded from her plan...

This was an ingenious advancement. Every mech had energy shields and naturally possessed the equipment to replenish and sustain these shields. However, this resulted in a curious reaction with the magnetic source, which had not occurred to her previously.

Yet controlling this was very difficult. It would only absorb the remaining energy from recharging the source, and the heat control had a refractory period. Ye Zisu knew that the military testers only cared about their own pride, but the suggestion was not useful. It was difficult to pull off in experiments, let alone actual battle. As for the situation in CT, they simply saw it as a matter of difficulty. However, if this mech could stabilize its performance, it would be very well received among mecha users.

Regardless, even if the excess shields were not stable, in the end, a AA-rank evaluation result sat on Ye Zisu's office table. This was the final report written by three different S-rank testers. This was definitely of interest to OMG. Furthermore, it was unclear why the military had assigned three S-rank testers to OMG. It was a form of recognition for OMG's entry into the military market, and the final result had been excellent. The army's order request was also in the process of deliberation. Although the quantity was modest, it was nevertheless a good start.

The research team led by Ye Zisu looked at the evaluation report displayed on the large electronic board in the laboratory. The room was silent. A few had tears in their eyes. CT had just been a trial run, but the military's recognition had been a necessary step. In the days when the Wind God had faced suspicions and doubts and the researchers had been on the verge of being disbanded, sentiments had been varied. Some were young, some had more than a decade of work experience, and to take up work in a different laboratory was no big deal. With their professional standards, if they lowered their expectations a little, they would not lack work. Their only regret was that the Wind God was indeed something special, and everyone had invested blood and sweat into it...

But finally, the moment of recognition had arrived for them...

Recalling their prior hardships, there were a few runny noses and constricted throats in the room.

"CHEEERS!"

After a short emotional moment, it was time for reckless celebration!

Documents and papers flew in the air, and they danced as if possessed. Both young researchers and old veterans expressed their joy through wild dance.

Ye Zisu smiled tolerantly as she walked out of her office. She waited until the hubbub had died down, then said, "Listen to me, everyone. It's too early to celebrate. Was our goal just to get an AA-rank?"

What?

AA-rank was not enough?

Military certifications were strict. In the last decade, various large manufacturers had sent their products for grading. Only 64 models had achieved the A rank. As for the AA rank, only six had made the mark.

These were the accumulated numbers of a decade. Now OMG had joined the AA-rank club. Was she still not satisfied?

"Set your sights higher. What's stopping us from joining the S-rank club? Is my ambition too large, or your confidence too small?"

In the laboratory, Ye Zisu seldom made these stirring speeches. Everybody was a professional and would give their utmost in their jobs even without such rhetoric.

But now, she needed more from them, for them to push past their limits and give her their very best efforts. More importantly, her mind was filled with that profile that moved like the wind. She had designed the perfect mecha for him.

"Leader Ye, tell us what you want. We are yours to command."

An elderly researcher spoke up. His gaze was bright. He lived for this work, and if they could create an S-rank mecha... it would be the crowning moment of his life.

The younger researchers' eyes were lit up as well. Why not give it a go while they were young and able?

Wasn't it a matter of just trying?

Ye Zisu smiled gratefully. She waved the pointer in her hand and the projector screen in the lab changed. Data on the Wind God mech's usage during the CT period began to show.

"This is the weekly data report from when the Wind God was in CT. Win rate... 41 percent. This isn't too exceptional. However, the platinum and diamond players' win rates reached 50.6 percent. This proves that our mech isn't just pilotable by those with skills like Skeleton. Any ordinary person, with enough familiarization, can achieve displacement. The rest depends on the ability to seize opportunities and one's grasp of battle strategy. These are the qualities that pilots have to develop, and they do not concern us that much."

The room chuckled. Skeleton had become somewhat of a hero to the laboratory, although they did not come into contact with CT frequently.

Ye Zisu continued, "The numbers match up to our predictions. However, the additional excess shields succeeded not more than 100 times in total. This is very, very low. Whereas in the military report..."

Another chunk of data appeared on the screen.

A three-line graph appeared, displaying the three S-rank testers' usage of the magnetic power source to power the shields. The average success rate was 11 percent, and actual battle rates would be even lower. It was virtually useless.

"It is exactly because the excess shields were not stable that our Wind God mech was unable to qualify for the S-rank," a young researcher pointed out regretfully.

"We control our destinies. We shall not give up here." Ye Zisu's eyes were shining. "Therefore, I have decided that the research group's next task is to deal with the problem of the energy shields!"

All the researchers were stunned, staring blankly at Ye Zisu.

An old and sensible researcher frowned. "Logically, funneling the excess power off magnetic-type power sources is the unique point, but to trigger the shield requires agile control from the pilot. Someone like Skeleton could do it easily, and it would have an advantage in CT. But for the common person to use it this way... would be impossible, wouldn't it? Moreover, this was an accidental discovery and not what we initially planned."