"Fifty! Fifty! Fift—ah, still forty-seven..." The crowd erupted in noise as someone patted the man's shoulder. "Buddy, that's your third try and you still haven't hit fifty. Looks like being a pilot's not in the cards. But hey, you can always do something else—I only scored thirty-something back in the day. As long as you stick around, you can retest anytime. Who knows, maybe one day you'll break fifty."
Hearing this, the man could only nod regretfully and take off his helmet.
Becoming a pilot is really tough—he was already the third to take the test, and so far, no one had broken fifty. Even if you did, it didn't guarantee you'd make the cut; after all, there's always someone better, and pilot spots are strictly for the best. If you can't break fifty, unless you find another person with a high Spiritual Load Capacity and great sync with you, you'll be warming the bench for life.
"Next! Who's up for the test?" someone shouted. "One of the most important qualities for a pilot is Spiritual Load Capacity—come on and see if you can make it!"
"Let me try." Someone stepped out from the crowd—it was the young guy who'd come with the "Captain." He put on the helmet, fired up the machine, and the numbers climbed fast, breaking forty in no time. "Hey, looking good!" someone nodded. Sure enough, it settled at sixty-two. "Sixty-two? Not bad, kid! You've got a real shot at being a pilot!"
The young man breathed a sigh of relief and flashed a victorious grin. A Mecha Hunter pilot slot was the hottest ticket in the whole program—he had to fight for it.
Someone nearby seemed annoyed by the young man's smug smile and tried to knock him down a peg: "Don't get too cocky, sixty-two isn't a sure thing. There was a guy who scored sixty-nine once, but no one could sync with him, so he's still stuck as a backup. Know who that is?" He thumped his chest and pulled a face. "That's me."
"Hahaha!" The whole crowd burst out laughing. Clearly, this poor guy was a legend at the base. Someone else waved a helmet in the air: "Keep it rolling! Who's next? This is the real first hurdle of destiny!"
"Me, me, it's my turn!" Li Yuncong waved his hand and bounced over, grabbing a helmet and jamming it on his head. The bar chart on the screen flickered, then settled at twenty-eight.
"Twenty-eight?!" Everyone gasped, then exploded into loud laughter—the whole hall was cracking up. Li Yuncong scratched his head, clueless: "What? What's so funny?"
"That's a record-breaker," someone said, trying not to laugh. "Twenty-eight! You're definitely going down in Mecha Hunter pilot history—the lowest score ever!"
"Lo—lowest ever?" Li Yuncong's jaw dropped, his face twisted in misery. "How could it be that low? Wait, are you guys seriously keeping track of this record?"
"Dude, you're something else. This score reflects your mental strength and willpower. Before you, the lowest was thirty-three, and that was a guy who'd been smoking weed for years. But you actually scored lower than a stoner!"
"M-maybe it's a glitch..." Li Yuncong said awkwardly. But deep down, he knew he really might not cut it. In this world, people lived under constant threat—if you weren't crazy, you had tough nerves. Compared to them, he was just a purebred super otaku, and scoring twenty-eight was probably fair.
"Alright, enough laughing—this thing can change. If your will gets stronger, your score will go up. As long as your nerves can connect, there's hope." Someone with a bit of authority spoke up: "Let me repeat: Mecha Hunters need two pilots. The spiritual load of both pilots can be synced, and their scores are added together and multiplied by a compatibility coefficient. If you hit one hundred, you're qualified. Now, next tester—who's up?"
Next up was the giant from the young man's crew, registered as King Kong. King Kong scored seventy-seven and strutted off amid a chorus of praise. Interestingly, he made a point of showing off in front of the young man, hinting at a complicated dynamic between them.
Then came the beautiful short-haired woman, registered as Swallow. She was petite but curvy, looking every bit the sheltered rich girl. No one expected much, but her actual score came in at eighty-two—higher than King Kong.
"Eighty-two? That's a guaranteed pilot!" Eyes lit up all around. "Even among active pilots, not many hit eighty-two!" Swallow, meanwhile, acted shy, blushing as she quietly stepped down.
Jill Young narrowed her eyes—faker. Odds are, this chick is just pretending to be innocent.
Not many people were left. After two forgettable candidates, Jasper Xiao took the stage. He moved with confidence, put on the helmet, and in a blink, the numbers shot past sixty, then seventy, then eighty—no hesitation. "No way!" Everyone held their breath, whispering, "Ninety! Ninety! Nin—it's over! He broke ninety! And it's still... ninety-four! Incredible, it's been years since anyone hit that—he's a High-Level Compatible Candidate!"
The whole hall went wild, everyone cheering. Jill Young took off her helmet, exhaling as people crowded around to slap her shoulder. Swallow gazed at him in awe, like a middle schooler watching a basketball star dunk. Even Jill Young was smiling and clapping, and Jasper Xiao waved back, grinning from ear to ear.
Just then, Mark Long and Dr. Jacob entered the hall. Seeing that score of ninety-four, both were stunned, and looked at Jasper Xiao with newfound respect. Anyone scoring above ninety is called a High-Level Compatible Candidate, which means unless you get paired with a totally incompatible partner, you're guaranteed to become a pilot.
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Of course, there's something even more important: High-Level Compatible Candidates might be able to pilot a Mecha solo. In the early days, solo pilots couldn't handle the mental strain, so the system was scrapped. But high-level candidates might just break that rule.
Next moment, nobody had to say a word—it was obvious. When everyone else stood up, only Jill Young and her companion were still seated. One was bold and imposing, the other... well, after seeing him up close, Dr. Jacob's 'sleepwalking' theory might be legit.
Mark Long nodded and walked up to Jasper Xiao. Up close, he couldn't help but be impressed. You know what they say—real class comes from within. Jasper Xiao's vibe was warm, steady, and genuine, and Mark Long found himself nodding in approval. Plus, a score of ninety-four meant the guy had ironclad willpower.
"You two, which of you wants to go first?" Mark Long asked, but his eyes were already on Jill Young. The sleepwalking guy looked spaced out, like a college student zoning out in the back row of a philosophy class, so all hopes were on the platinum-haired woman to react.
"I'll give it a shot." Sure enough, Jill Young knew what was up. She uncrossed her leg and rose to her feet—not exactly graceful, but she had a commanding presence. The crowd parted automatically, making way. Mark Long raised his eyebrows—seeing her in person, he finally understood Dr. Jacob's comments.
"You two, which of you wants to go first?" Mark Long asked, but his eyes were already on Yang Qi. The sleepwalking guy looked spaced out, like a college student zoning out in the back row of a philosophy class, so all hopes were on the platinum-haired woman to react.
"I'll give it a shot." Sure enough, Yang Qi knew what was up. She uncrossed her leg and rose to her feet—not exactly graceful, but she had a commanding presence. The crowd parted automatically, making way. Mark Long raised his eyebrows—seeing her in person, he finally understood Dr. Jacob's comments.
Her evaluation was just two words, same as her registration name: The Queen.
In a flash, Jill Young was standing in front of Mark Long. But instead of rushing to test, she looked him up and down and asked, "You were the one fighting monsters yesterday, right?" The room fell eerily silent, like when the big boss walks in and the small fry automatically shut up.
Strong enough to take charge. Tough enough to fight the hardest battles!
In a flash, Yang Qi was standing in front of Mark Long. But instead of rushing to test, she looked him up and down and asked, "You were the one fighting monsters yesterday, right?" The room fell eerily silent, like when the big boss walks in and the small fry automatically shut up.
Mark Long was intrigued. "Oh? You don't know me?"
"Just a guess." Jill Young's appraising gaze swept over Mark Long. "You've got the same vibe as the Mecha Hunter I saw yesterday. Enough chit-chat—just tell me, was it you or not?"
"Then why do you think I'm that pilot?"
"Just a guess." Yang Qi's appraising gaze swept over Mark Long. "You've got the same vibe as the Mecha Hunter I saw yesterday. Enough chit-chat—just tell me, was it you or not?"
"Yeah, it was me." Mark Long grinned. "Why, is there something you need?"
"Nah, nothing." Jill Young suddenly smiled and patted Mark Long's shoulder. "Nice job, buddy. You really gave those monsters a run for their money."
"Uh..." Mark Long glanced at his shoulder—a young woman was patting him like a big brother pats a little brother, leaving him stunned. He could only laugh and nod. "You're too kind."
People started whispering, amazed by the scene. But Jill Young ignored them, slipped on the helmet, and a technician flipped the switch. Instantly, a strange sensation flooded her mind—kind of like logging into the Quantum Network in Steelbull City, but not as intense. The Quantum Network yanked you in hard, but this helmet needed you to push yourself.
If you gotta push, then push hard. Jill Young gathered her mental strength, aimed at the interface, and charged!
Bzzzz, the testing machine started trembling and humming. Before anyone could react, the score bar shot straight up. If you compared it to the hammer game at an amusement park, previous testers were like skinny bean sprouts barely making the bell ring. But this time, it was like a berserker swinging a ton of steel—the bar soared and smashed the top.
One hundred! Maxed out! And it wasn't some shaky, barely-there climb—she hit the top in a flash! If the cap wasn't set at one hundred, she probably would've gone even higher!
Whoa—the whole hall erupted in disbelief, even Dr. Jacob couldn't help rubbing his eyes. He looked again, and yep, it was still one hundred.
"No way! How is this possible? She's a super candidate!" "She broke a hundred so easily—does that mean she can pilot a Mecha solo?" "How tough do your nerves and spirit have to be for that? She's a legend!" "What's her name?" "No clue, but with someone like her, who needs to fear monsters?"
"Miss, what's your name?" someone called out, and soon everyone joined in. But Jill Young was busy fiddling with her helmet, so they turned to Mark Long: "Sir, you must know—what's her name?"
"Uh..." Faced with all those stares, Mark Long looked a little awkward, rubbed his nose, and mumbled, "I don't know her real name, but her registration name is 'The Queen.'"
Amid all the cheers, Jill Young burst out laughing. That was enough to impress them? What a bunch of rookies. When it comes to mental strength, she wasn't even close to that blockhead. If they were blown away by just a fraction of his power, what would happen if he showed his full strength? Their eyes would pop out!
Amid all the cheers, Yang Qi burst out laughing. That was enough to impress them? What a bunch of rookies. When it comes to mental strength, she wasn't even close to that blockhead. If they were blown away by just a fraction of his power, what would happen if he showed his full strength? Their eyes would pop out!
"Uh, Teacher, you should take the test too." Mark Long suddenly realized that both 'The Queen' and 'Teacher' sounded like they were taking advantage of him.
The crowd got even more excited—two legends had already appeared today, and the guy who came with The Queen, even if he looked wooden, must be a force to be reckoned with. Dragons don't hang out with snakes, after all. (Jack Young, aka 'The Teacher')
Jill Young waved him over, and the blockhead got up and walked over. He put on the helmet, hit the switch, and under everyone's expectant gaze, the test began.
But.
One second, two seconds, three seconds—why wasn't there any reaction?
Four seconds, five seconds, six seconds—still nothing!
"What's going on?" Mark Long frowned and looked at the technician. "Is it a malfunction?"
"No, I don't know—the equipment's working fine." The technician was sweating buckets. The score on the screen didn't budge, totally stable, like it wasn't even hooked up to a human.
That's right—everyone was stunned, because Jack Young's test score was zero.
"Zero?" Mark Long was shocked too. "Check again—he can connect to the system, right? If he's human, how can it be zero?"
The technician was nearly in tears. "Sir, I've checked several times—there's no malfunction. His mental strength really is zero!"
Zero? Just a moment ago, Li Yuncong had the lowest score, but that record was just broken. Zero—a mind-boggling number, an unbeatable record. The highest and lowest scores, both in one day.