Sky Network Mechs?

At age seven, Natata had first processed mech materials. It had been a piece of phosphorite; her father had held her hand as they ground it into fine golden powder, murmuring softly by her ear, "This is the most important material for coloring mechs."

That was the day she resolved to become a mech engineer, her heart brimming with joy and boundless dreams for the future. She fantasized that upon reaching adulthood, she'd design a mech that would astonish the entire galaxy and make her father proud.

Back then, she hadn't foreseen the darker side of what lay ahead—her father's death a few years later, or the heavy loan she'd shouldered to enter Moye Military Academy's trial period.

Natata looked at the materials Xu Lingqu and the others had brought out before her, let out a long breath, and picked up the rare metal with resolve. This would be the true first day of a new chapter in her life.

"Commander, is your mech-engineer friend reliable?" Jin teased, watching Natata, who had started a beat too slow, inside the transparent booth. This assessment for the mech-engineering track would affect their bonus points.

She wasn't actually that close to Natata—they'd only interacted during the jump on the Infiltrator. Hardly friends, right? Though there wasn't much need to clarify that.

Xu Lingqu watched Natata's now-fluent movements after she "booted up." "She should be fine."

Xu Xiqin was so drowsy her thoughts took a scenic route before reaching her brain; only now did she react to Xu Lingqu and Jin's earlier exchange about whether they were interested in mechs.

"Sis! When you get back, go on the Sky Network—B-rank psychic power can pilot an A-class mech there. You'd be amazing in the mech competition!" Xu Xiqin still vividly remembered the grappling moves Xu Lingqu had used in that one-versus-seven match. Those supremely practical, unprecedented techniques would be absolutely stunning on a giant mech.

Jin couldn't help walking over and giving her a shake. "Wake up, you're still half-asleep. The Sky Network only simulates thirty percent of a real mech, and even the top fifty in the mech competition are the only ones who can pull off a coherent combo there. Our commander's only B-rank—you'd be sending her to her death."

In reality, the psychic-power threshold for piloting mechs was utterly insurmountable, but the Sky Network greatly reduced the mental pressure and physical demands of mech operation. From eighty-year-old grandmothers to eight-year-old girls, anyone could pilot the entry-level virtual mechs.

Yet the Sky Network didn't want mechs to become "dime a dozen." Besides the no-threshold simulated mechs, they'd also released replicas of real-world mechs. These replicas were one-to-one recreations in every aspect, so their psychic requirements couldn't differ much from reality. The lowest-tier replica A-class mech could be piloted by B-rank individuals on the Sky Network—just a small downward concession.

In Jin's eyes, Xu Lingqu just barely qualified for the A-class replica, and even then, executing maneuvers required strong psychic power and physical stamina. Asking Xu Lingqu to replicate her grappling moves in a mech—wasn't that just setting her up for failure?

After that shake, Xu Xiqin was now fully awake. She promptly punched Jin in the gut. "What do you know? Can my sister be compared to ordinary people?"

Xu Lingqu was still at the top of the trial period's leaderboard, and Xu Xiqin still hoped to earn a mech soldier slot alongside her. As for the psychic power level restriction? In Xu Xiqin's eyes, that wasn't an issue at all. Xu Lingqu's strength crushed everyone else's—what was hers was hers, and whether she could pilot a real mech was a problem for another day.

Xu Lingqu's stone tapping was gentle, but Xu Xiqin's punch was real. This time, Jin clutched her stomach and collapsed for real. General Xu truly had raised two tiger daughters who took after him.

Oh, right—Xu Xiqin had a brother too, didn't she? Rumor had it he was in the Military Department, though he wasn't very notable. A real dog of a son. Jin climbed to her feet, rubbing her stomach. Once the trial period ended, she'd pick a couple of people from Ares to go scare that brother. If she couldn't mess with two tiger daughters, she could at least handle one dog.

This time, their bickering had some substance to it. Xu Lingqu, listening from the side, picked up a piece of information. "Sky Network mechs?"

At her question, the three around her froze for a moment, then quickly recovered. It made sense—Xu Lingqu had grown up on the Zhuyun Frontier, so being unfamiliar with the Sky Network was normal. In the century since the Empire split from the Federation, the Sky Network had only been connected to the Empire's interstellar network fifty years ago.

Xu Lingqu hadn't been on the Capital Star long; she'd spent most of her time at the Xu residence, where most people paid her little mind. The only one who was somewhat friendly, Xu Xiqin, had been dragged off by her brother for training, and Lady Gina had other tasks assigned by Admiral Xu Chengbi.

It was only natural she didn't know about the Sky Network.

Still, Jin, who secretly had identities across three star systems and needed to avoid exposure, wisely put on a surprised expression.

Shen Shouli kept his usual expressionless face, which suited him fine.

"Your smart brain probably doesn't have it loaded yet. I'll help you load it when we get back. The Sky Network's got all sorts of fun stuff—communities, shops, online tournaments. The virtual mech matches get super lively at night." Xu Xiqin thought about how her sister had lived a rough life all these years on the Zhuyun Frontier, and a pang of sorrow hit her. "I'll set it up for you when we go back."

Xu Xiqin had wrestled with this before. Clinging so tightly to this adopted sister who'd suddenly appeared in their home—an adopted sister seen as an eyesore by her mother and brother—felt like a kind of "betrayal" toward her own family. But after all this time together, she'd been consistently drawn to the personal magnetism Xu Lingqu exuded. Xu Xiqin was certain that even without that tie of kinship, she'd still cling to Xu Lingqu. And whatever grudges or complications existed between their parents' generation shouldn't be repeated in theirs.

She quietly sidled up next to Xu Lingqu, like a puppy begging for attention from its master. Xu Lingqu glanced at her and suddenly thought of Liu Ming.

She wondered if the dog was doing all right alone in the dorm at Moye Military Academy.

"Do the Sky Network mechs include... famous ones?" Thinking of Liu Ming, who loved to boast about being the coolest mech in the galaxy, Xu Lingqu asked directly. The Liu Ming that appeared in a smart-brain search didn't resemble the white mech in her mind; a replica on the Sky Network might be more accurate. "Like the Galaxy Admiral's mech."

Jin and Shen Shouli exchanged a look: See, she really does admire the Galaxy Admiral.

Xu Xiqin, as the Galaxy Admiral's genuinely devoted fan, got excited for a second before deflating. "No, they don't. The Sky Network's S-class replicas are only Chi Ren and Chen Dao. The Galaxy Admiral's Liu Ming isn't there... The Galaxy Admiral and it... disappeared far too early, no one knows where."