Bab 17: Chapter 017 Ji Wants to Build a Mecha_1
"Ji, what are you looking at?"
A young man floated over to Ji Xinghe, his tone frivolous in the air. Ji Xinghe didn't get angry though, he insisted on being called Ji.
Some of the youngsters called him Uncle Ji, some called him Grandpa Ji, the names getting mixed up after a while. Soon, some would be calling Ji Xinghe Brother Ji. Ji Xinghe couldn't handle it and corrected them.
Everyone now called him Ji.
Ji Xinghe didn't have any authority, even being old and somewhat famous. Despite his examination, interview, and stories being broadcasted across main cities and platforms in the federation on Azure Star, all of this fame didn't actually give him any power. Ji Xinghe was just a private right now.
Above him, there were corporals, warrant officers, senior officers, generals, and marshals.
But Major Han Li did have power. Though he wasn't the highest ranking in the spacecraft, he was a Special Level Mecha warrior, a rising hero in the federation, and his future was boundless.
So when Ji Xinghe had insisted, Han Li also lent a hand, and as a result, everyone started calling him Ji.
"Ji, say something. It's not fun when you're always so cold."
"Exactly, the most important thing in life is to be happy. Come on, lighten up a little."
Another person floated over, chiming in, aware of Ji Xinghe's story and understanding his silence or indifference. To these youngsters, they felt it was necessary to make Ji Xinghe more cheerful.
Even if it made Ji Xinghe angry and he lashed out at them, if it could release the negative emotions building up inside him, it could be beneficial for his health.
With his life experience, Ji Xinghe could understand these young people's concern for him, so he didn't blame them. He just sighed with a sense of helplessness.
"I'm looking at the specifications of different Mecha models, trying to understand what they can do in the real world."
Ji Xinghe had read many professional books on the subject before but certain information was kept classified from the public. But now, as a private, he had access to this information. Given his role as a mechanic, he had access to a lot more information than a regular private.
"I get it, Ji, you can't accept that you lost to Colonel Han Li."
"Colonel Han Li mentioned that when you poked him with a gun without a spearhead, it wouldn't have been so easy for him to appear behind you in the real world. So, Ji, do you want to fight Colonel Han Li again in the real world?"
"Give it up, Ji, you can't do it. No offense, I don't mean it like that. Colonel Han Li's Mecha has 73 stars, he'll soon become an Ace Mecha warrior when we return to the Alien Planet frontline. Even if we all join forces, we wouldn't necessarily be a match for him. Why compete with him?"
"By the way, Ji, how did you manage to locate Colonel Han Li and predict his charging path in that dusty environment?"
The two youngsters floating around Ji Xinghe started to agitate him with their exchange. However, considering their good intentions, Ji Xinghe couldn't dismiss them rudely.
"I am not resentful, I just want to understand. As for how I located him...it's gaming experience."
There was no way to elaborate further on "gaming experience", and the two young men didn't ask anymore. They changed the topic according to Ji Xinghe's response.
"What use do you have understanding the Mecha? Even though you are a mechanic, aren't you just repairing vehicles in the base, not repairing Mechas?"
The mechanic is a branch in the federation army, and so is Mecha warrior. Just like there are different levels among the Mecha warriors such as third class, second class, first class, Special Level, Ace, the mechanics also have similar divisions, but it's not officially recognized.
Normally, general mechanics like Ji Xinghe are only responsible for fixing vehicles. Professional mechanics repair conventional weapons like tanks and armored cars. Expert mechanics usually specialize in fixing high-tech weapons like missile systems, flying devices such as fighter jets, Single Soldier Starships or Mechas.
An expert mechanic with all-around skills does not exist, as the knowledge scope is far too wide.
"It doesn't hurt to understand."
Ji Xinghe responded calmly and started closing many application windows on his phone. With these two youngsters by his side, he could hardly concentrate on his reading.
During the continuous process of closing windows, an interface flashed by fleetingly, and two young men with good eyesight both saw the draft on the interface.
"A mecha? Ji, which mecha model did you sketch?"
"This doesn't look like a sketch of an existing mecha, Ji. Don't tell me this is a mecha you designed."
Ji Xinghe sighed, indeed he was getting old, his hand speed was not as fast as it used to be.
"No, no, you saw it wrong, it was just a random drawing."
"Hey, Ji, we still have a long journey ahead, bring it out and show us, we can also give you some suggestions."
"I definitely didn't see it wrong, after all, I am an expert level mechanic. Ji, the capable ones are teachers, I won't shorten my life being your teacher, but I have no problem giving you some advice."
"Yes, yes, yes, I am a mecha warrior, although only level two, but that's because I have never been on a battlefield, as soon as I go, I will definitely be promoted to special level. Ji, bring it out and show us."
The journey from Azure Star to Mars was really too boring, and the weightless environment in space made it difficult to train, so aside from entering the virtual world to kill time, there really was nothing else to do.
These few didn't like to go into the virtual world much, so they gathered around Ji Xinghe every day and chatted.
Ji Xinghe sighed again, he knew these youngsters were kindly worrying that this old man would be too bored, so he had no choice but to reluctantly reopen an app on his cell phone and call up that sketch again.
It truly was a mecha design, but it was completely different from the style of the latest tenth generation mecha designs. The current federal mechas all follow a 'slender' style, because the surface environment of alien planets is complex, some places being full of dust and sand, which could easily make a heavy mecha fall into a trap.
Yet the mecha sketch Ji Xinghe drew was more like the first generation federal mecha he had used in the fight with Han Li before, it was big and bulky, it seemed a bit clumsy and ridiculous, it could barely keep a human shape, and looked like a stack of tires piled up together to resemble a fat man.
"This..."
The enthusiastic expert-level mechanic and the second-level mecha warrior, after taking a closer look at the sketch, looked at each other, not knowing what to say. To tell the truth, they were afraid to hurt Ji Xinghe's feelings; to tell a lie, it was too deceitful for them to say.
"Ahem, this mecha's defense must be really strong."
The expert-level mechanic who was especially knowing in mecha found a silver lining in Ji Xinghe's mecha design - its only strong point.
Inspired by this sentence, the mecha warrior agreed, "That's for sure, it can probably withstand several attacks from an imperial mecha without suffering any damage. Plus, with such a large size, its endurance must be pretty good too, I guess it could travel thousands of miles away like a car."
Hearing these two sentences, Ji Xinghe laughed happily and nodded, "Yes, the design of this mecha has only two objectives. The first is strong defense to limit damage, and the second is its excellent endurance. According to my design, it can run at least a thousand kilometers..."
Once he started talking, he went on like a stream. Ji Xinghe's self-designed mecha did need some professional guidance.
Both the expert-level mechanic and the second-level mecha warrior looked at each other, their eyes reflecting regret. However, out of respect for Ji Xinghe and not wanting to offend him, they went ahead and reluctantly started discussing with Ji Xinghe.
They wracked their brains to provide suggestions on the mecha design sketch they saw as outdated, bulky, and unremarkable. Ji Xinghe improved it willingly and receptively.
An hour later, Ji Xinghe was still in a talkative mood, but the two youngsters couldn't bear it any longer. The second-level mecha warrior noticed someone coming out of the virtual world and, like a soldier seeing reinforcements, suddenly shouted out.
"Someone there, yes, you, Ji is building a mecha, come over and help take a look."
Soon, all one thousand people on the spaceship knew that Ji Xinghe was building a mecha and they all gathered around. Then, with faces full of contempt, they started to give suggestions, taking it as a way to amuse the old man during a boring journey.
Under these circumstances, although Ji Xinghe's mecha was just a sketch, it already got a formal name.
"Old Man's Joy, yes, it's called Old Man's Joy. Anyone who dares to name it something else, I'll have a piece of them."
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