Ke Lei wanted to reply to Luo Wenchuan’s message, but his fingers were trembling. It took him a long time to type one sentence: “Was the modification really that bad?”
This time, Luo Wenchuan replied almost instantly with just two words: “Not bad.”
These two words made Ke Lei freeze on the spot. It took him a full ten seconds to react.
Luo Wenchuan had always been very picky about mechas. To him, a mecha was like a personal weapon to a warrior—he always wanted his mecha to be in the best condition. That’s why, even when he had to leave school, he still handed his mecha to Ke Lei for repairs.
Ke Lei let out a sigh of relief and replied, “Then try it out when you’re back at school.”
After a while, Luo Wenchuan replied with just “Mm,” and then added, “Thank you,” polite but distant.
Ke Lei never could understand what his roommate was thinking, but he figured Luo Wenchuan must have been somewhat satisfied with the modifications. It seemed that Omega really had some skills.
[Ke Lei]: “By the way, Da Chuan, when are you coming back to school?”
[Luo Wenchuan]: “This week.”
[Ke Lei]: “Was your mission smooth this time?”
[Luo Wenchuan]: “Not bad.”
[Ke Lei]: “You probably earned a lot of bounty, right?”
[Luo Wenchuan]: “A lot.”
Ke Lei sighed in his heart. As expected, kids from poor families become independent early.
Both he and Luo Wenchuan were second-year students in the Imperial Star Military Command Department. They had been roommates for a year. No one knew Luo Wenchuan’s background, but rumors said he came from a remote, barren star. When he first arrived at school, many people mocked him. But with his terrifying SS-level mental power and SS-level physical strength, he quickly became a legend and even stood out in the national mecha competition.
Children from barren stars were usually poor, yet Luo Wenchuan could afford the most expensive mecha in school. This was not just because of the scholarships he earned from getting almost perfect scores in every subject—it was also thanks to the bounty missions he often took outside of school.
Bounty missions were a popular way to make money in the Empire. They had strict requirements, and only top elites could accept them. Luo Wenchuan, someone who could live off bounty missions, was definitely among the best.
However, Ke Lei always felt that Luo Wenchuan didn’t seem like someone from a poor background. The grace and nobility he often showed couldn’t be faked with money.
And the sword techniques he used when piloting his lightsaber mecha weren’t something ordinary teachers could teach. Add to that his handsome, well-defined features, beautiful handwriting, occasional artistic talent, clean and stylish fashion sense—these were all traits that drove countless Betas and Omegas crazy.
Ke Lei often felt like a total nobody compared to him.
Luo Wenchuan hadn’t returned to school yet, so Yun Xingze couldn’t get paid until the mecha test.
Looking at his unmoving account—he even had 1,000 credits less—Yun Xingze sighed and kept looking for repair orders online.
Unfortunately, no one else offered such a high price for repairs like Luo Wenchuan did. Most offers were under 500 credits.
Because of his living situation, Yun Xingze had no choice. No matter how little the pay, he had to keep taking jobs.
Very few Omegas worked as mecha repair technicians. That was one reason Ke Lei doubted Yun Xingze.
Over the next two days, Yun Xingze kept running into people who thought he was a scammer—most of them proud Alphas. Betas were easier to talk to, but even they looked down on him a bit.
Luckily, Yun Xingze was highly skilled and very fast at repairs. In the end, everyone who doubted him was surprised and impressed by his flawless work.
Yun Xingze’s early mornings and late nights caught Lu Ranxu’s attention.
After finding out what was going on, Lu Ranxu asked in surprise, “You know how to fix mechas?”
Yun Xingze said he learned a bit from working at his father’s company.
“Speaking of which, I heard someone took Luo Wenchuan’s repair order a few days ago,” Lu Ranxu said mysteriously. “I wonder who was bold enough to take his order.”
Yun Xingze was puzzled. “What about Luo Wenchuan?”
“You didn’t know? He’s like an ice-cold demon king. He has really high standards for mechas,” Lu Ranxu explained. “No one at our school can modify his mecha properly. Even if they do, he probably won’t be satisfied.”
Ice-cold demon king? Was he really that scary?
Yun Xingze thought of the brown-haired Alpha and felt a bit confused. He had done his best to modify that mecha. Would Luo Wenchuan really refuse to pay?
Yun Xingze looked at his account—40,000 credits still hadn’t arrived. Disappointment flashed in his eyes.
Was Luo Wenchuan really unhappy with the modification? But why?
On the Xinghai Mecha Support Network, Yun Xingze had received nothing but good reviews. Someone even came to him today just for repairs.
Worried that Luo Wenchuan wouldn’t pay, Yun Xingze took even more repair orders.
Besides that, he also worked out every day and went to the mental strength training room.
The first time he tried to refine his mental strength, the moment his brain connected to the refining machine’s cable, it felt like a thousand-pound stone crushed his nerves. The headache almost made him faint.
He had no choice but to lower the intensity to the minimum and slowly get used to the pain.
Because the nerve-linking technology here was behind, refining mental strength was even more painful than it had been in his previous world.
That day, Yun Xingze returned to the training room.
He turned on the test machine first to check if his mental strength had improved.
It had been five or six days, but the letter on the screen was still a big “C.”
Of course, even within C level, there were different grades. Yun Xingze’s progress bar had reached 95.7%, a big improvement from the previous 88.1%.
He still needed more time to reach B level.
Yun Xingze turned on the refining machine and put on the helmet. Not long after, his head started to ache badly.
He brought a bottle of water and almost crushed it in his hand.
Gritting his teeth, Yun Xingze kept going. Within ten minutes, sweat covered his back.
Every second felt like his neurons were being eaten by ants. He couldn’t even tell if the drops on his face were sweat or tears.
In the room, many students were like Yun Xingze most of them were Betas.
Alphas naturally had stronger mental strength. Omegas were rare in school. Betas were stuck in the middle and tried hard to catch up.
Every day, a Beta would pass out in that room.
Yun Xingze sweating and crying was considered lucky. He once saw a Beta with a huge nosebleed faint on the spot, which scared him badly.
After thirty minutes, Yun Xingze had reached his limit. He disconnected and gasped for breath.
His hands had gone numb from gripping too long, and his fingers couldn’t straighten.
A Beta girl nearby looked at him with admiration and said, “You’re amazing… you lasted so long!”
Yun Xingze collapsed to the floor, panting. “Still not enough…”
“You’re… an Omega, right?” she asked carefully. “Is improving your mental strength that important? I don’t mean anything bad… It just looks so painful.”
She was being honest.
Omegas were physically weaker, which had one big consequence they were naturally more sensitive, including to pain.
Their pain sensitivity could be two to three times higher than an Alpha’s.
So refining mental strength was like hell for Omegas.
Yun Xingze often thought, if the original host had trained more, maybe he’d already be at B level.
But then he thought, even he was barely hanging on by sheer willpower he couldn’t really blame the original host.
After resting, Yun Xingze sat up and drank half a bottle of water. His tone calmed down. “It’s really important. I want to pilot a mecha.”
The girl froze, thinking she’d heard wrong.
After speaking, Yun Xingze stood up and walked toward the simulated pulse device in the corner of the room.
Compared to the test machine, the pulse simulator was specially designed for mecha students. It directly tested if someone could pilot a mecha.
Once connected, it linked neurons with micro-electronic pulses. If the person could handle the load, they could pilot a mecha.
Yun Xingze sat down, connected the cables, took a deep breath, and pressed the B-level button he wanted to see how far he was from handling a B-level load.
The moment it connected, pain rushed in.
He stayed calm and used all the experience he had from his past life, pouring all his mental strength into the machine.
To reduce the burden, he carefully spread his mental strength evenly across each cable, keeping every one at a precise value.
Even Alphas found this hard to do. But Yun Xingze did it.
About thirty seconds passed. The machine hadn’t started running.
Yun Xingze began to sweat again. He felt he was getting close to enduring the B-level load.
Just as he was about to disconnect, a clear electronic voice sounded:
[B-level pulse device started successfully.]
Yun Xingze froze for a second, then his eyes flashed with disbelief.
He tried to suppress his excitement and joy, quickly disconnected from the machine, and ran to the testing device to check his mental strength again.
But the result was still: C level.
Yun Xingze was suddenly confused his mental strength was C level, so how did the B-level pulse device start up?
“Excuse me, can I ask you something?” Yun Xingze turned to the Beta girl who had talked to him earlier and asked seriously, “If someone has C-level mental strength, is it possible to activate a B-level pulse device?”
The girl was stunned for a moment, then quickly replied, “Theoretically, yes.”
Joy surged in Yun Xingze’s heart.
But before he could say anything, the girl added something that surprised him:
“But… only mecha geniuses can do that. There are barely a few in the whole Empire.”
Yun Xingze stared at her in a daze.
Seeing his shocked expression, the girl thought he had been discouraged. She quickly comforted him, “For us normal people, slowly refining our mental strength and leveling up is also a good path.”
After a moment, Yun Xingze nodded. “Yeah. Thank you.”
Just then, Lu Ranxu called.
Yun Xingze picked up and heard Lu Ranxu’s anxious voice:
“Xingze, where are you?! Mecha practical class is starting! Get to class five minutes early don’t forget!”
Hearing that, Yun Xingze rushed out of the training room and ran toward the practice building.
The girl watched his back with a bit of sympathy—
He must’ve been discouraged by his mental strength rating. That’s why he’s dreaming of operating a mecha above his level. So pitiful.
When Yun Xingze arrived at the training room, panting, Zhuo Feiyue said teasingly,
“Cutting it close this time. Not bad an improvement.”
Yun Xingze was exhausted. Sweat dripped from his nose as he walked into the classroom. He had planned to slack off during this class, but then he heard Zhuo Feiyue say:
“In today’s class, you’ll get to try piloting a mecha.”
Yun Xingze looked at the teacher in surprise. The surrounding Alphas were even more excited.
“No way?!”
“Teacher, bring out the mecha!”
“Hurry, hurry! Let me try!”
Yun Xingze never thought the chance to pilot a mecha would come before he could even save up enough to buy one.
This time, he was determined to pilot it!
Zhuo Feiyue took out a camouflage-colored cube from his bag, asked the students to step back, then tossed the cube into an open space.
The mecha cube quickly unfolded into a five- to six-meter-tall camouflage-painted training mecha.
This training mecha was a small model with only basic functions—no weapons, just braking and jet engines to help students practice simple movements.
The Alphas were eager to try, pushing toward the mecha.
Yun Xingze, though exhausted, suddenly felt a burst of energy.
He pushed through the crowd and skillfully moved through gaps, finally making it to the front row.
Zhuo Feiyue opened a holographic screen, enlarged the image, and began explaining safety precautions after entering the cockpit.
Yun Xingze listened carefully, though to him, this knowledge was like child’s play.
After the explanation, Zhuo Feiyue was ready to let students try the mecha.
“This mecha is rated B in difficulty,” he said. “That means students with B-level or higher mental strength can try—”
Before he finished speaking, dozens of hands shot up.
Yun Xingze raised his hand too, standing on tiptoe and shouting, “Mr. Zhuo! I want to try!”
Aurel saw Yun Xingze raise his hand and sneered, “Why are you making a fuss? Do you even know how hard it is to pilot a mecha?”
Yun Xingze ignored him and kept waving at Zhuo Feiyue.
Zhuo Feiyue ignored Yun Xingze and pointed at Aurel. “You go try.”
Aurel had lost to Yun Xingze in combat before and wanted to regain face. Smirking, he walked up proudly, basking in the crowd’s admiration.
He quickly climbed into the mecha and entered the cockpit.
With his A-level mental strength, piloting a B-level mecha was easy.
Within ten seconds not counting the time to put on the pilot suit and helmet Aurel started the pulse system.
Once the mecha detected the pilot’s mental strength, the braking engine activated, and the energy light came on.
“Wow, that was fast!”
“I heard Aurel could pilot mechas even before he enrolled. We can’t compare with him.”
“Look! The mecha’s moving!”
Aurel made the mecha walk and perform a few simple moves, all smooth and steady.
While this might not be impressive in the Mecha Combat Department, it was top-level in Class E.
Yun Xingze’s eyes were glued to the mecha as it moved, the ground shaking beneath it.
After Aurel got down and everyone applauded, Yun Xingze walked up to Zhuo Feiyue and said seriously,
“Sir, I want to try.”
Zhuo Feiyue had thought Yun Xingze was joking. Seeing he was serious, he froze for two seconds and said,
“But the mecha is B-level. You won’t be able to start it.”
Even Lu Ranxu was startled by Yun Xingze’s request. He quickly ran over to stop him.
“Xingze, wait until your mental strength improves first.”
“Yun Xingze, don’t try to act tough,” Aurel scoffed, still surrounded by admirers. “With your mental strength, what are you going to do take a tour of the cockpit?”
Laughter broke out around them.
Everyone knew there was no way Yun Xingze could pilot the mecha.
Zhuo Feiyue looked at him helplessly. “I’m glad you’ve finally taken an interest in mecha class, but you’re just not ready. Work on your mental strength first.”
“Mr. Zhuo, then… could you allow me…” Yun Xingze said seriously, “…to go up and take a look?”
Everyone was stunned.
Even after being mocked by Aurel, Yun Xingze didn’t care and insisted on getting in the mecha.
Zhuo Feiyue hadn’t expected him to be so determined.
Training mechas had safety systems. If the pilot’s mental strength wasn’t strong enough, the energy light wouldn’t turn on.
“I don’t know why you’re so eager to look inside. Doesn’t your family already own lots of mechas?” Zhuo Feiyue sighed, then finally gave in to Yun Xingze’s sincere eyes. “Fine. Go ahead.”
Yun Xingze finally smiled, like a child getting a long-awaited gift. His joy was pure and bright.
He nodded hard and ran to the back of the mecha.
Aurel sneered, “Yun Xingze, can you even climb up?”
Right after he said that, everyone saw Yun Xingze grab the most stable spot on the back of the mecha and nimbly climb into the cockpit.
Aurel looked awkward and quickly changed his tone. “Yun Xingze, get down! Don’t waste our time!”
“Why are you so noisy?” Lu Ranxu shot Aurel a cold look. “Is the mecha voice-controlled or something?”
“You—!” Aurel was furious, but then sneered and looked at the mecha with contempt.
“No matter what you say, even if the emperor himself came, Yun Xingze is still just trash who can’t start a training mecha!”
Yun Xingze could hear the noisy voices below. Some doubted him, some encouraged him. But all he could hear was his own racing heartbeat.
His fingers trembled slightly as he put on the nano suit—he almost couldn’t fasten the buttons.
This excitement only calmed down when he put on the helmet and connected the neural cables.
If he could activate this B-level pulse system, just like in the training room…
Then his dream of piloting a mecha his dream from his past life would finally come true.
Yun Xingze closed his eyes and began repeating the process of using his mental strength.
But this time wasn’t as smooth.
A real pulse system was much more complex than a simulated one, and it required more from the pilot.
Besides, Yun Xingze was trying to operate beyond his level!
Minutes passed. Yun Xingze adjusted his breathing, trying to find the right balance.
Outside the mecha, Zhuo Feiyue frowned—
Didn’t he say he just wanted to look around? Why hasn’t he come out yet?
Finally, after about five minutes, Yun Xingze successfully filled every cable with mental strength.
His mental energy flowed through the cables, spreading into every corner of the mecha.
Like blood from the heart, it flowed to every limb.
Just as Yun Xingze felt success within reach—
A wave of exhaustion hit him.
A week of physical training, constant mecha repair work, and intense mental practice…
His body was already close to breaking.
But his mental strength still managed to activate the pulse device.
The energy light suddenly flickered.
Everyone looked at the chest of the mecha in shock.
“Holy what? How did he do that?!”
“The energy light blinked! Am I seeing things?!”
“No, it really blinked!”
Aurel suddenly became nervous and stared at the light.
More seconds passed. It looked like Yun Xingze had failed.
Aurel sighed in relief. “I told you how could he possibly start a mecha?”
Inside, the nano suit held Yun Xingze in place, his body suspended upright.
His eyes were closed, brows furrowed, sweat sliding down his cheeks.
Just a little more…
He was so close…
So close to the dream he’d held in his past life…
Fighting off the exhaustion, Yun Xingze clenched his teeth and used the last of his mental strength to attack the pulse system one more time.
Zhuo Feiyue picked up the loudspeaker and called toward the mecha,
“You can come down now, Yun—”
Halfway through his words, he suddenly froze.
The entire room went silent.
Because they all saw…
The energy light on the training mecha lit up.
Bright orange light, radiant and dazzling, reflected in everyone’s eyes—
Like a sleeping giant beast… suddenly opening its eyes.
