Bang bang, pow pow, hoom ha hey.Ji Xinghe stood in place, not out of breath and with his face unchanged, while the six groups of eighteen mecha warriors who had challenged him this afternoon all wanted to retreat in shame. However, they couldn't leave yet, as Su He was still filming and interviewing them up close."Reporter Su, it's almost lunchtime. Can we eat first and then do the interview?""Ah? Oh, sorry, I forgot about lunch. Let's go eat together, and I can interview you during the meal.""Uh, suddenly I don't feel so hungry. You guys go ahead and eat. Otherwise, you'll miss lunch, and it's expensive to buy your own food."The mecha warriors looked at Su He as if he were a monstrous beast. They weren't really afraid of Su He or Ji Xinghe, who had defeated them, but of the camera in Su He's hand because behind that camera were three billion people.In one morning, they had confirmed that Ji Xinghe and Su He weren't lying. There really was a documentary called "The Old Man and t
Eager to take the exam, Ji Xinghe didn't rush into it because he knew he wasn't ready yet. Just like getting a driver's license, knowing how to drive doesn't guarantee passing the test, as there are theoretical questions to answer. These questions are confidential and not openly accessible to someone like Ji Xinghe."It's okay, Old Ji, I'll coach you," Instructor Li reassured him. "These guys are still not convinced. Once you pass the exam, you can pilot a mecha and challenge them. If you win, your stipend can increase.""Thank you."Ji Xinghe could only express his gratitude but didn't promise victory because he knew Instructor Li didn't truly believe he could win. Piloting a mecha is vastly different from hand-to-hand combat. Even the best martial artists might not be able to fully utilize a mecha's capabilities, mainly due to age-related issues affecting endurance and reaction times—both critical for mecha piloting.Life at the training ground settled into a routine. Ji Xinghe spen
Finally, the blind man saw Jixinghe, thanks to his newly installed mechanical eye, a form of prosthetic. However, what the blind man didn't expect was to see the Jixinghe he had imagined in the training area. Instead, what he saw was not the indomitable sixty-five-year-old Jixinghe he had heard about from Wang Gui and others.This was an old man devoid of vitality, with a thin face marked by wrinkles. Despite his tall stature, he seemed somewhat stooped. Contrary to the stories of Jixinghe's full head of black hair, his temples now bore the silvery hue of age.Did Wang Gui deceive me?It shouldn't be, right? Not only Wang Gui but also the other mech warriors in the remnants battalion had described Jixinghe as having a full head of black hair, not resembling a sixty-five-year-old. Initially, everyone thought perhaps Jixinghe had dyed his hair before coming to the alien planet. However, after a month without hair dye services in Base Six, Jixinghe's roots should have turned silver, as e
"Instructor, I want to pilot a mech."This was the second time Instructor Li had heard this sentence today, but the first time he hadn't heard it; he had seen it, as it came through as a text message from Blind.Now, he was equally shocked, as the person saying it this time was a sixty-five-year-old man."Old Jī, are you serious?"Instructor Li knew that Jī Xīng Hé wanted to obtain a mech pilot qualification, but he didn't expect Jī Xīng Hé to take the exam so soon, especially under these circumstances."Yes, I'm serious."Jī Xīng Hé's reply was firm, a stark contrast to his gloomy demeanor in the medical area just an hour ago. It was as though he had transformed into a different person.Instructor Li furrowed his brow. He didn't really have a reason to stop Jī Xīng Hé, and he had previously promised to help and look out for him. Plus, with the intense situation of the war, there were hardly any mech warriors left in the training area. Those who had completed adaptation or rehabilitat
Wang Gui blocked Ji Xinghe."Old Ji, just watch. The blind man is going to set an example for you. If he can pass the exam and you can't, don't blame us for laughing at you. Though you're old, he's blind, haha..."When Wang Gui referred to Li Lin as "the blind man," his expression didn't change at all, just as the blind man would directly call him "the lame man." Since they were all assigned to the Wounded Soldiers Unit, their relationship was actually very good. Such nicknames carried no insult or ridicule, just facts, just code names.And if they couldn't even bear that, how could they return to the battlefield? Others called them these names not because they wanted to, but because they themselves demanded it.Ji Xinghe looked at Wang Gui and asked seriously, "Why?"Wang Gui didn't look at Ji Xinghe but at the blind man preparing to take the exam."Do you remember what you said to us the first time you came to the training zone? At that time, I was saying that the gorillas on Azure
The Blind Man left, and it would take at least eight days for him to return. Jixinghe's life seemed to return to normal: repairing mechs when needed, conducting live tests when necessary, and heading to the training area when required.Although there were significantly fewer mech warriors in the training area, some still remained. The members of the Crippled Soldiers' Squad were also there, and Jixinghe had to provide special guidance to the mech warriors and soldiers of the squad, such as Wang Gui, the Cripple."This isn't the most suitable mechanical leg for you, but it's the best one available right now. You shouldn't just adapt to it; you should control it as if it were... like controlling a mech."Once again, Jixinghe made slight modifications to Wang Gui's mechanical leg based on his training progress and effectiveness. There were no performance upgrades or additions of extraordinary components. He simply made the leg more suitable for Wang Gui based on his understanding of the
The special and complex environment of the alien planet greatly affects human communication technology, similar to how there are no conventional aircraft on this planet. Therefore, instances of losing contact are not uncommon. It's not just single mech actions that can go missing; sometimes entire squads can lose contact.It might be due to the magnetic field movements on the alien planet, the various ores that can emit electromagnetic waves, or the thin atmosphere unable to block the electromagnetic radiation from solar flares. But this time, Blind Man's disappearance was unusual."The high-altitude reconnaissance satellites haven't detected any traces of the Imperial Army. So far, there's no sign of Imperial mechs appearing in the 36 Canyon area. The frontline units have sent intelligent drones into 36 Canyon for reconnaissance, but they too have gone missing..."In the training area of Base 6, Lieutenant Colonel Chen Xun, who rarely appears here, brought more detailed mission intel
Jixinghe finally has his own mecha, although it is only temporarily his. This is a Federation sixteenth-generation standard mecha, the same model he piloted during his first practical test, and like that one, this one has just been repaired.At 4.2 meters tall, the mecha is not considered very high, especially since Jixinghe's height has recovered from 1.9 meters to 1.92 meters. However, when he stands beside the mecha, he still looks like a child standing next to a robust adult. This is because the mecha possesses not only height but also width and thickness, much like a 4.2-meter-long car that can accommodate five adults, with room to spare in the trunk.Initially, the Federation's mechas were only a little over two meters tall, more like exoskeleton suits than true mechas, essentially upgraded versions of standard spacesuits. Spacesuits capable of protecting humans in alien environments and space weigh an average of 60 kilograms. In the zero-gravity environment of space, this weigh
Having decided to participate in the orbital drop mech warrior test, Ji Xinghe did not leave Base Five immediately. It wasn’t that he had hesitated again; the “education” from Ji Rongxinyue had been very effective. The delay was simply because the necessary equipment required time to manufacture.“Lieutenant Ji Xinghe, we have reviewed your relevant physical data and estimate that it will take ten days to customize your orbital drop mech suite. Please confirm once again if you want to continue using the Federal standard 16th generation mech?”“Yes, I want to use the Federal standard 16th generation mech.”Ji Xinghe confirmed his choice. If possible, he would have preferred to pilot the Federal 1st generation standard mech, the one he first encountered and used the most. However, the initial models, still usable in the game Starry Glory, had long been phased out on alien battlefields. Therefore, he chose the 16th generation standard mech, which he was second most familiar with.In term
Ji Xinghe and his Xinghe Squad finally returned to Base No. 6, but they didn’t have much time to reunite with Master Liu and the others. As soon as they arrived, the transfer convoy between Base No. 3 and Base No. 6 was already prepared, and they received orders to depart immediately.“Thank you, and take care.”Ji Xinghe accepted the gift they had prepared for Ji Rong Xinyue, waving goodbye without saying "see you again," because he knew that "goodbye" might mean "forever."The journey was uneventful, and the transfer convoy took three days to finally reach the relatively safe Base No. 5. Despite the sudden influx of people, Base No. 5 did not face any resource shortages as the Federation had already made preparations.Ji Rong Xinyue was very happy to receive the gift, but even happier to see that Ji Xinghe had returned unharmed.“Grandpa, what does orbital drop mean?”For many, this information was still classified, but Ji Xinghe revealed it to Ji Rong Xinyue without reservation, ev
At the start of a video conference, all the elite mecha warriors participating watched footage from a battle recorder. The footage showed Ji Xinghe’s fight in the canyon.In this battle, he single-handedly destroyed fourteen Empire mechas, bringing his total number of gold stars to thirty-six, placing him at the middle rank among the Federation’s three hundred and twenty-seven active elite mecha warriors.The first scene depicted a pale blue energy shockwave bursting from a diamond-shaped metal object, sending Federation Level Two mecha warrior Zuo Qiyu flying. He then got up and chose to charge forward.The combat recorder’s audio had not been removed, so all 116 elite mecha warriors participating in the video conference could hear Left Hand’s voice: “Go, Old Ji, don’t look back, run, run fast, I can hold them off.”Through Ji Xinghe’s mecha’s perspective, the elite mecha warriors watched the Federation mecha charging at the Empire mechas and heard the pilot’s shout. Even though all
Inside Base Six, many people were eagerly awaiting the arrival of the convoy from Base Three, hoping to reunite with familiar faces.The surface area of this alien planet couldn't compare to the Blue Planet, and the Federation's controlled area wasn't vast. But the extreme difficulty of transportation and the scarcity of resources meant that many people who met and became familiar on this alien planet might never see each other again after parting.They had promised to reunite on the Blue Planet after winning the war, but some would never return. Even their ashes could only remain on this alien planet, buried deeper and deeper under the orange-red dust, until no one would remember where they were buried.Perhaps one day, when humanity fully occupies this planet, technology will advance enough to change the planet's environment, creating a real atmosphere. Seeds will be scattered across the alien land, taking root and sprouting, carried by the wind to spread new life.When countless se
A squad of nine mechas was moving swiftly through the canyon. They were a support unit, initially tasked with escorting a convoy to a designated area before returning. However, unexpected developments forced them to turn back.“Have we established contact yet?”“No, the Xinghe Squad is still out of contact.”“Damn it, what the hell are they doing? I could understand if Ji Xinghe and Left Hand went silent, but why did the support team, Blind Man’s group, also go dark? Couldn't they have left someone outside the blackout zone to maintain communication?”When the Xinyue Fox battleship bombarded the area from space, this mecha squad did not advance at full speed. But when a flare illuminated the alien night sky, they accelerated to maximum speed. The flare, following the bombardment, indicated ongoing enemy presence, necessitating immediate support.But they had no intel.“It's a new team after all, lack of experience is understandable. I heard that Blind Man and his group came from the R
One, two, three.Faced with encirclement by eight Imperial mechas, Ji Xinghe seized every opportunity he could. After single-handedly taking down three Imperial mechas, he finally ran out of chances. There were still five mechas left in pursuit, with enough distance between them for him to take them out one by one, but the canyon held more dangers than just those five. While Ji Xinghe wasn’t sure how long it would take to completely destroy the rhomboid metal construct, the Imperial mechas’ previous caution suggested it wasn't invulnerable to mecha attacks.The six Imperial mechas assigned to destroy the construct could join the pursuit at any moment. If Ji Xinghe waited until they appeared, he would lose his chance to escape.He didn’t want to die, so he chose to run before the opportunity vanished completely.At full speed, the sixteenth-generation Federation standard mecha dashed through the dark canyon, kicking up a trail of dust. Behind him were eleven Imperial mechas that had al
Six Federation mechas gathered together, now in full power mode, advancing quickly in an assault formation toward the depths of the canyon. The previously lively communication channel had fallen silent, with only the faint sound of each other’s breathing audible.They had already increased their speed once when they entered the canyon, shifting from reconnaissance mode to fast-advance mode. But when the signal flare's light pierced through the dark canyon and exploded in the night sky, their speed reached its peak.If they wanted to go faster, they would have to charge, but now was clearly not the time for that."We are about to enter the communication blackout zone. All units, take note: if the enemy's numbers are overwhelming, Niuma, Heavy Cannon, immediately retreat to maintain communication. If necessary, withdraw at full speed."Blind Man’s command was met with no objections, not even from Su Chuanyun, who had just become Niuma. Despite his personality, he didn’t argue. He knew v
As Ji Xinghe once again destroyed three Imperial mechas, the total number of Imperial mechas in the canyon didn't decrease; instead, it increased.Twenty-two, exactly matching the number of golden stars on Ji Xinghe's mecha."The warp gate has disappeared. They're gone. They've stopped."Left Hand exclaimed in surprise. In his sight, the diamond-shaped metal warp gate vanished suddenly, as if it had run out of energy, just as the thirtieth Imperial mecha descended from it. The diamond-shaped metal reverted to being an inert metal ingot.Their reinforcements were gone, and they had stopped moving.After breaking eight Imperial mechas in total, the third batch of four Imperial mechas chasing Ji Xinghe and Left Hand finally halted. They chose not to continue their charge, maintaining a safe pursuit distance from Ji Xinghe and Left Hand's mechas.The eighteen Imperial mechas guarding the diamond-shaped metal also remained motionless, as if their systems had shut down.But Ji Xinghe showed
“Old Ji, you should have run, really.”Left Hand stared at the three Imperial mechas two hundred meters away, which had stopped their charge, and the ten more mechas near the rhombus-shaped metallic structure further back. He still believed Ji Xinghe should have run.The two Imperial mechas he was holding off had been destroyed the moment Ji Xinghe joined the battle. Up to this point, the two of them had already taken down five Imperial mechas, and neither of their mechas had suffered any substantial damage. It was a rare and complete victory, but the number of Imperial mechas remained overwhelming, and they kept increasing.“We still have time to run,” Left Hand continued to persuade. “We’re right near Base No. 3. They’ve got heavy defenses there, and Blind and the others are ready to back us up. If we run together, we might be able to link up with them. By then, with eight mechas fighting together, they might just give up chasing us. Plus, once we get to a zone where communications