With Alphonse’s assistance, Jiang Yuan conducted a brief analysis. In truth, the internal AR-18 structure designed by Liu Zheng could significantly increase a mecha’s load-bearing capacity. However, this structure seemed ill-suited for the lightweight, assault-type Thunder 7.
To fully utilize the AR-18 structure’s potential, the mecha chosen for modification shouldn’t be Thunder 7. Instead, heavy-duty mechas like “Apocalypse Ripper” would be more appropriate.
Nonetheless, applying this structure to Thunder 7 wasn’t entirely futile. It would, however, necessitate corresponding alterations to the internal design of the mecha’s lower body.
Jiang Yuan perused the information for a while but didn’t delve into a thorough study. Soon enough, he dozed off in a drowsy haze.
The first morning class was mecha practical operation. Being the first lesson, the school instructors forbade them from piloting the mechas into the sky. They were limited to adaptive ground activation, taking just a few steps.
That day, the teacher also announced that their personal information had been fully registered. Star Wars used real-name authentication, and the second mode had been automatically activated for everyone. Apart from the school’s practice rooms, they had to complete the required training hours in Star Wars’ second mode for additional practice.
During the practical class, unable to take to the sky, Jiang Yuan lost interest after walking a few steps and descended from the mecha.
Surprisingly, quite a few students in Jiang Yuan’s class had previously piloted mechas. After all, those who qualified for the First Military Academy’s Mecha Department weren’t just hardworking; many were influenced by relatives serving in the military.
Arlo dismounted his mecha and chatted with some classmates, overhearing conversations about mechas.
“Hehe, my family actually owns a mecha. I’ve flown it into the sky before! The feeling is incomparable!” a male classmate boasted proudly.
His words immediately drew envious glances, with many sighing in admiration.
In the Federation, some people did purchase mechas. Of course, these weren’t the military’s current models but mostly outdated versions from previous generations. Even so, their prices were exorbitant, beyond the reach of ordinary people, and acquiring one involved extensive paperwork.
Arlo glanced at the boy, unimpressed. His family owned several mechas, and living on Earth, he could easily fly home whenever he wished.
His gaze then swept across the room, landing on Jiang Yuan’s face. Noticing Jiang Yuan wasn’t looking his way, Arlo felt relieved. Since that incident, Jiang Yuan hadn’t made any inappropriate advances and spoke to him just like any other classmate.
After all, if such an attractive Beta were to pursue him, he’d surrender immediately!
While Arlo felt a tinge of disappointment, he quickly dismissed it, recalling Ji Rong’s mention of Jiang Yuan having an Alpha boyfriend. Arlo swiftly adjusted his mindset.
He was a proper Alpha, not interested in Betas!
With his attitude readjusted, Arlo found it easier to converse with Jiang Yuan.
The classmates chatted animatedly, with Jiang Yuan and Ji Rong both engaging in lively conversations with their peers.
“Now that our information is registered and the second mode is activated, it’ll be just like piloting a real mecha. I can’t wait to try it out!”
“Hey, why don’t we play Star Wars together tonight? It’s been days since I last logged in, what with the start of the semester and all.”
“Sounds good!”
One student’s suggestion sparked enthusiasm among the group. They decided to add each other as friends and play together that evening. Since it was a class-wide activity, Jiang Yuan naturally had no reason to decline.
So, after dinner, the class group chat buzzed with excitement.
Mecha Department 75901 Class
“Has everyone finished dinner? Let’s play the game together!”
“Just finished, I’m coming. Who’s organizing? Let’s form a team first, then add friends!”
“Group up with me, I’m already online. ID: [Neighbor Lao Li].”
Jiang Yuan noticed the bustling messages in the class group chat and walked to his room. These days, gaming equipment generally came in two types. The first was completely virtual, requiring only a virtual device worn on the head.
The second was the gaming pod installed in military academies.
Each room in the military academy was equipped with a gaming pod. Compared to the widespread virtual devices, these pods were rarely used by ordinary people. Though the installation cost was high, most families could afford it if they tightened their belts. However, most households wouldn’t purchase such pods due to the poor user experience for civilians.
While the experience was subpar for ordinary people, for military cadets like them, it was an excellent training tool.
These gaming pods connected through bioelectric sensors. A person’s movements inside the pod perfectly mirrored the mecha’s operations in the game, simulating real mecha piloting on a 1:1 scale. It placed a significant physical burden on the user, almost indistinguishable from piloting an actual mecha. An hour of mecha operation in the gaming pod could be exhausting!
The First Military Academy naturally preferred the most realistic simulation possible for students. These pods could also enhance students’ combat awareness and experience. Therefore, the school didn’t install ordinary virtual devices but allocated space in each student’s room for a gaming pod.
When these gaming pods were first released, quite a few people purchased them. However, most buyers eventually found them gathering dust or being used for storage.
Jiang Yuan entered the gaming pod, experiencing something vastly different from a virtual device. As soon as he entered, a light screen appeared before his eyes, prompting him to choose a guide.
There were six guides, divided by ABO gender and male/female. Jiang Yuan thought for a moment before selecting an alpha male, simply because the appearance matched his preferences.
“Welcome back to Star Wars, [Two Trees Do Not Make A Forest].” Hearing the prompt, Jiang Yuan glanced at his ID, realizing it was actually a couple name.
“Two Trees Do Not Make A Forest” and “Beneath the Field is a Heart” combined to form the characters for “mutual longing”1I’m so lazy to explain this huhu.
⦁ “双木非林” (Two trees do not make a forest) symbolically represents the character “相” by highlighting that while two “木” (trees) are involved, they do not form a forest (林), pointing to a more abstract or complex character.
⦁ “田下有心” (Beneath the field is a heart) represents “思” by visually describing how the character is constructed from a field with a heart element.
Together, these parts combine to form the characters “相思” (xiāngsī), meaning “longing” or “missing.” This wordplay comes from a poem by the modern Chinese poet Gu Cheng (顾城), which accompanies his painting titled 《天然凤鸟如愿图》 (“Natural Phoenix and Bird Painting”). . This ID was changed at Song Yirui’s insistence, with Song Yirui’s game name being [Beneath the Field is a Heart].
“Please select your mecha.” A deep, husky, yet magnetic male voice sounded in his ear. Admittedly, it was quite pleasant to listen to.
As the system prompt ended, a list appeared before Jiang Yuan, allowing him to choose the mecha model for this login.
True to his mecha enthusiast nature, the original owner had a dazzling array of mechas. Jiang Yuan found it overwhelming. However, looking at this ID, he felt disinterested. He’d been pondering how to break up with Song Yirui; using such a couple name in the game would only give him a headache thinking about Song Yirui.
After some thought, Jiang Yuan created a new sub-account.
“Please enter your ID.”
For the name, Jiang Yuan hesitated before inputting an ID. Apparently, this ID was already registered. He changed it to a string of numbers, finally succeeding in registration.
Being a sub-account, it only had five basic mechas. Jiang Yuan merely glanced at them without paying much attention before directly entering the game.
Jiang Yuan immediately grouped up with [Neighbor Lao Li].
[Neighbor Lao Li] let Jiang Yuan in, expressing exasperation: “Jiang Yuan, I’m truly impressed by your ID!”
[7592101]: “It’s simple and convenient this way.”
[Neighbor Lao Li]: “That’s true. One look at the ID and you know who it is. Maybe our whole class should change names like this.”
As soon as Lao Li finished speaking, classmates immediately objected: “No way! Don’t I need to save face with my 32nd rank? Besides, I might not be 32nd next time, and then I’d have to change names again! What a hassle!”
“Exactly, exactly!”
“Only the big shot Jiang Yuan dares to use such a name! Always first in class.”
Jiang Yuan chuckled, “That wasn’t my intention. I just couldn’t think of a name on the spot.”
After joining, Jiang Yuan scanned the names on the screen, noting their diversity. After a while, one classmate said, “Wait a sec, Class 2 heard we’re all online. They want to have a practice match with us. Shall we play with them?”
“It’s up to everyone. I don’t mind either way.”
“Let’s do it. Are we afraid of them?”
“Whether we team up with others or them, it’s all the same. Besides, playing against people is always better than playing against AI.”
The inquiring male student grinned, “Alright then, it’s a good chance for our two classes to get acquainted!”
Jiang Yuan stood amidst the crowd. The mecha behind him, surprisingly human-like, poked his back with a finger and said oddly, “Isn’t your name a bit too casual?”
[7592101]: “Hmm… I’ll change it in a few days.”
Hearing the voice, Jiang Yuan immediately knew it was Ji Rong’s mecha. He replied in a deep voice, “Your ID is quite casual too.”
Ji Rong glanced at his own ID [Passerby A123], feeling a twinge in his heart. He had just registered this account… After all, his main account was somewhat famous, easily drawing attention and ruining the gaming experience.
His main account’s name was much nicer! Not casual at all!
As they chatted, Class 2 students arrived, and everyone started recognizing each other’s IDs.
“Damn, Blood Demon is actually you, you rascal? You’re the one who beat me last time?!”
“Ah, Arlo is actually Black Earl? Damn! You’ve been hiding it so well!”
Arlo scratched his head sheepishly. He wasn’t really famous, just occasionally streamed, so he had some fans. People on the Star Network knew him a bit more, but even in class rankings, some classmates were higher than him.
As everyone unmasked each other, they discovered that these people were actually notable figures on their respective planetary leaderboards. During the chat, due to the joy of revealing identities, Jiang Yuan and Ji Rong, who were using sub-accounts, were suddenly looked down upon.
“Jiang Yuan, Ji Rong, what are your main account names?”
[7592101]: “I’m not on the rankings.”
[Passerby A123]: “I’m not on the rankings either.”
“You’re lying. You two are so skilled, how could you not be on the leaderboards? Are you trying to fool us?”
Jiang Yuan smiled. He wasn’t lying; [Two Trees Do Not Make A Forest] really wasn’t on the leaderboards. The original owner spent most of his time training and had no time for ladder matches.
Ji Rong, on the other hand, was indeed being dishonest. Not only was he on the ladder rankings, but he was on the interstellar ladder rankings. Because he was on the interstellar rankings, his ID [Yuan Rong] was somewhat famous. If he didn’t immediately enter a game upon logging in, he would be surrounded by onlookers.
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