Capítulo 11: Chapter 11: Getting on the Machine
For Mr. Tang, these students were his responsibility. If nothing unexpected happened, most of them would inevitably head to the battlefield someday. Any improvement in their performance might give them a chance to enroll in better schools and secure a brighter future.
With that thought, Mr. Tang clenched his jaw and shouted, "Steady yourselves! Don't rush to get up; familiarize yourselves with the controls first."
Mingke, who had stabilized his mech, turned to the others and echoed, "Don't panic. Avoid making large movements right away. Get a feel for the controls first—it'll come to you soon enough."
"We don't need your advice," Chen Tong retorted through gritted teeth as he struggled to control his mech and steady its hulking frame.
The other three students slowly regained control, maneuvering their mechs to stand upright.
Gradually, Mingke and the others entered the flow of operation, managing to keep their mechs steady. Seeing this progress, Mr. Tang issued the next directive.
"Walk your mechs in a straight line. No sprinting yet—get fully comfortable with walking first, then move on to faster maneuvers."
Following his instructions, the students piloted their mechs forward, their steps awkward and wobbly but improving with each step.
Su Ming watched intently, his full focus on the students' training. He carefully noted every tip and directive Mr. Tang provided, eager to absorb as much as he could.
---
An hour and a half flew by. The five training mechs had cycled through three rounds of pilots, and the results were disastrous—no one escaped the repeated cycle of falling down and struggling to recover.
Finally, Mr. Tang called out another group.
"Su Ming, Cheng Ran, Wang Chi, Qin Lei, Zhao Ran."
Hearing his name, Su Ming felt a rush of excitement. His heart raced, and he took a deep breath to steady himself before striding toward the training mechs.
On the observation deck, Lin Chuyu's gaze followed Su Ming's movements, watching him quietly.
Li Fubai, standing beside her, noticed her attention on Su Ming. A shadow flickered in his eyes, though he said nothing.
Meanwhile, Zhang Tai locked his eyes on Su Ming, sneering inwardly. He wanted to see just how capable this so-called competitor was.
---
Su Ming stepped onto the marked metal platform and stood before the hulking Ironhead training mech.
Though the mech was merely a training model, stripped of any combat modules or weaponry, its imposing metallic frame still exuded an aura of raw power.
This steel behemoth, once in motion, could unleash a force comparable to a rampaging beast. For a conventional soldier, facing such a mech would be like standing before a giant—utterly insignificant and powerless.
The metal platform beneath Su Ming clicked and began to rise, lifting him to the cockpit entrance.
He reached out to open the hatch, climbing inside with some effort.
The cockpit was surprisingly spacious. Even with Su Ming's larger frame, it didn't feel cramped.
Suppressing his excitement, Su Ming glanced around the cockpit, taking in its features.
The space was divided into two main areas: the pilot's seat and the fully metal control console.
He eased himself into the seat, his hands deftly finding the safety harness button on the left armrest.
Click.
The fixed harness extended and secured him snugly into place.
Next, Su Ming adjusted the seat's position manually, ensuring the distance between himself and the console was optimal.
Once he was ready, Su Ming turned his attention to the control console. It was covered with 32 buttons, each with distinct functions, and featured three primary control levers.
"Alright," Su Ming muttered to himself, exhaling deeply. His eyes sharpened with focus as he reached for the activation button.
Just as his finger hovered over the button, a series of loud crashes echoed through the training room. The repeated sound of mechs falling startled him, briefly heightening his nerves.
Nevertheless, he pressed the button.
The training mech roared to life. The cockpit vibrated slightly as the power core hummed, and the console screens lit up with system diagnostics.
"System Message: Power core activated. Energy output stable."
"System Message: Running circuit diagnostics."
Su Ming's eyes sharpened further, scanning the incoming messages on the screen.
---
Meanwhile, Mr. Tang stood at the edge of the training field, watching student after student struggle. He was beyond frustrated—his heart wasn't merely aching; it felt entirely drained.
On the observation deck, Zhou Wei laughed uncontrollably. "Oh man, this is hilarious! I swear, the way they fall—it's priceless!"
"Do you think Mr. Tang isn't worried about the constant crashes? These training mechs are expensive! When we first trained on real mechs, it wasn't nearly this chaotic," Zhou Wei said between bouts of laughter.
"But if they keep falling like this, won't the mechs get damaged? What if they break? Then we won't have anything to train with," Sun Yue commented with concern.
Zhou Wei's laughter faltered. Though he enjoyed the spectacle, the idea of losing access to the mechs wiped the grin off his face.
---
At this moment, Su Ming's mech was fully operational. As expected, his first attempt to move caused the mech to lose balance, its massive frame lurching awkwardly.
However, instead of panicking, Su Ming made a deliberate effort to stabilize it. After some fumbling, the mech stilled and took its first, shaky step forward.
"Whoa! He stabilized it!"
The students erupted in surprised murmurs. Even Mr. Tang, who had resigned himself to another disappointment, was caught off guard. He looked at Su Ming with a mixture of shock and disbelief.
So far, only Mingke had managed to keep his mech upright during the initial trials. Everyone else had failed, their mechs crashing repeatedly.
This seemingly small achievement spoke volumes—it highlighted Su Ming's latent talent and skill, particularly for someone handling a real mech for the first time.
On the observation deck, Li Fubai sneered as he watched Su Ming's progress. "So what if he stabilized it? He's still mediocre. Thinking he's good enough to pursue Lin Chuyu? What a joke."
If Su Ming had operated the mech with flawless proficiency, Li Fubai might have taken him seriously as a competitor. But based on what he saw, Su Ming was nothing more than a clown in his eyes.
Back on the training field, Su Ming controlled his mech step by step. The machine's heavy movements became increasingly stable and precise.
"When did Su Ming get so good?"
"Wait—he's actually walking the mech? I couldn't even stand up straight!"
Yellow Hair and the others couldn't believe their eyes.
Chen Tong, watching from the sidelines, scowled. The idea of Su Ming outperforming him on the real mech was unbearable. "Hmph. He probably practiced on real mechs somewhere else. Must be rich enough to afford private sessions."
"Yeah, that makes sense. Some clubs do have real mechs available for training."
"That's gotta be it. No way he got that good on his own."
The murmurs of doubt and jealousy spread among the students until Mingke, the class monitor, stepped in.
"Chen Tong, that's enough. You're letting your bias show. Su Ming has clearly been working hard, and instead of criticizing him, we should be happy for his progress and enc
ourage him. He's our classmate, after all."
Chastened by Mingke's words, the others fell silent, their murmurs dying out.
Status de energia semanal
-- Ranking de
Poder 
-- Pedra de
Poder