A Quick Lesson on Sky Network Mechs

“They actually made replicas of Chen Dao and Chi Ren?” Xu Lingqu knew those names all too well.

Liu Ming went on about them every day, calling them his vanquished foes—something like “little Chen Dao, how laughable,” and “stupid Chi Ren, hardly worth mentioning.” He’d also stressed many times that, in his aesthetic opinion, those two were hideous.

Seeing Xu Lingqu’s newfound curiosity about mechs, Xu Xiqin pulled her down to sit and prepared to give her a proper rundown. Jin plopped down beside her as well.

“What are you doing?”

Jin was used to Xu Xiqin’s face turning cold toward everyone except Xu Lingqu—especially him—so he just grinned. “I’m here to soak up some mech knowledge too, right? I bet I know way less than the daughter of General Xu. Promise I won’t interrupt—just listen, say nothing, and pay attention.”

He even mimed zipping his lips.

Seeing him in such a rare cooperative mood, Xu Xiqin decided to let it slide. She turned to Shen Shouli on her other side. “And you? You need my lecture too?”

Someone of Shen Shouli’s status and family had probably been cradled in mech parts since infancy—did he really need her explanation?

“No harm in listening.” Shen Shouli glanced at Xu Lingqu beside him. She hadn’t told him to leave, so he’d take the win.

Since she couldn’t get rid of those two, Xu Xiqin was about to marshal the knowledge her brother had drilled into her when another voice drifted down from above.

“Can I listen too?”

This time Xu Xiqin nearly jumped out of her skin. Only Xu Lingqu’s grip kept her in place.

“Liu… Liu Zheng, when did you—?” Xu Xiqin clutched her chest. That girl’s sudden appearances were going to give her a heart attack.

“Did I startle you? Sorry.” Liu Zheng’s face was a frozen mask, her apology stiff.

She’d come to watch Natata’s assessment. Lin Xiao was still snoring away in Natata’s bed, so Liu Zheng had come alone. To be honest, she couldn’t make much sense of the mech engineer exam, but overhearing Xu Lingqu and the others talk had piqued her interest.

So Liu Zheng had been openly eavesdropping.

Xu Lingqu pulled Xu Xiqin back down and made an excuse for her: “Stealth is a sniper’s essential tactical skill.” Then she patted Shen Shouli’s arm, signaling him to shift over.

Shen Shouli grudgingly scooted to give Liu Zheng a spot.

“Alright, is everyone here?” Xu Xiqin glanced around suspiciously. “I assume Tang Muwen’s gone to sleep. No one else is going to pop out and want to listen, right?” After confirming no one else would materialize, she began her lesson.

“The Sky Network’s mech replicas—the first ones they made were Master Duanmeng’s foundational trio that laid the groundwork for interstellar mechs: Ying Feng, Ying Xue, and Ying Meng. Originally rated A-class, now A-minus. My brother once took me to see a real Ying Xue—gorgeous. Master Duanmeng is Master Duanmeng.”

After that sigh of admiration, she continued. “Next came his A-class set: the Trickster, the Magician, and the Judge—a very flashy trio. My favorite on the Sky Network is the Magician. Someday, when I become a top-notch mech soldier, I’m definitely going to—”

Jin coughed softly to cut her off before she veered off track. Xu Xiqin shot him a look. Okay, so he hadn’t interrupted, but she had wandered. She pulled herself back.

“The Sky Network’s replicas are pretty comprehensive and fast these days. Except for the newest Flower series by Master Qin from our Empire, which hasn’t been replicated yet, most everything else is covered. The A-minus Green Crystal Master Type 4, Ron’s Silence Mark 2, the A-class Green Crystal Master’s single piece Obsidian, and Master Qin’s Silver Muse—you can see all of those in the Sky Network mech simulator. Most importantly, there are the three S-class mechs that can’t be replicated anywhere in the entire galaxy.”

Her voice grew a little heavier. “Chen Dao, Chi Ren, and Liu Ming—all three S-class mechs are from Master Duanmeng’s hand. Their materials are special and the craftsmanship is one of a kind; in reality, they can’t be recreated and only one of each exists. To this day, no one has been able to build another S-class mech. Master Duanmeng is old now and has declared he won’t create anymore.”

“Chen Dao and Chi Ren are fine—after Federation Admiral Merlin passed away, Chen Dao’s replication was approved, and Chi Ren’s replication was a deal between the royal family and the Sky Network—” Xu Xiqin’s mouth ran ahead of her brain. Realizing what she’d said, she added, “Wait, is that something I’m allowed to say?”

Jin nodded beside her. The third prince himself was fine with sharing imperial secrets—too bad Xu Xiqin couldn’t pick up on telepathy.

“Anyway, for the S-class mechs, both of their replicas turned out well. You can see them on the Sky Network now, but using them requires S-level psychic power to pilot.” Xu Xiqin pointed at Shen Shouli, then at Liu Zheng, a hint of envy and jealousy in her tone. “You two have definitely taken them out in the Sky Network, haven’t you?”

Liu Zheng nodded. “I prefer Chen Dao. It has a sniper weapon built in—I tried it, and it suits me really well.”

Too bad it was a Federation mech, and piloting the real one required S+ psychic power. Liu Zheng was still a bit short.

Xu Xiqin turned to Shen Shouli. “What about you? Any thoughts?”

Shen Shouli inclined his head. “Chi Ren is better looking than Chen Dao.”

…What kind of useless answer was that? Xu Xiqin was about to tear into such a shallow, looks-based assessment, when Xu Lingqu, who had been silent, spoke up.

“Isn’t Liu Ming the best-looking mech?”

Next time, she’d let Liu Ming come out and argue with Shen Shouli himself, she thought.

“…Right!” The rebuttal died in her throat and turned into wholehearted agreement. Xu Xiqin nodded, feeling more and more that her sister was her kindred spirit—a match made in heaven.

“Liu Ming is the best-looking. I remember plenty of famous people wrote in their memoirs—anyone who had ever seen the Galaxy Admiral and Liu Ming would write a passage about how handsome, powerful, and beautiful Liu Ming was. Even those who’d never seen it would force themselves to write something just to ride on the hype. And because of that, everyone’s impression of Liu Ming has gotten more and more muddled.”

The image of Liu Ming that came up on the smart-brain search was an artificial mix generated from various sources—some Frankenstein’s monster of a design, hard to believe it was the most handsome mech in the galaxy.

“Where did the Galaxy Admiral and Liu Ming go… sigh. Their traces in this world are just too mysterious. I see a lot of people still think the Galaxy Admiral is alive—that he’ll come back with Liu Ming only when the Empire is in crisis again. If only that day would come.” Xu Xiqin propped her chin on her hand and sighed. She did hold the purest admiration and loyalty for the Galaxy Admiral.

But the Galaxy Admiral had already taken his own life. This legend of the interstellar age—someone who might have been her own hometown compatriot—had seemingly vanished into some forgotten corner of the universe.

Xu Lingqu thought quietly: But Liu Ming is still here.

And Xu Xiqin had pinched its ear and called it “not that cute.”