"Aren't you the mechanic? Why am I the one doing all the work?"The next morning, in front of the warehouse on the exercise square.Curly Hair, who had been repairing the mech for an hour, couldn't help complaining as he looked at Lin Jie, who was typing on a computer not far away.The temperature outside on Death Star was even higher, and repairing a mech was back-breaking physical labor. Even though Curly Hair was physically stronger than the average person, his arms were already aching by now."Do you understand intelligent core algorithms?" Lin Jie glanced at him."No, I don't.""Oh." Lin Jie nodded, then asked again, "Do you understand energy conversion for energy weapons?""Nope, don't get that either.""So, you don't know anything. If you don't do the physical work, what else are you gonna do?"I… I have no comeback for that… Curly Hair shot Lin Jie a speechless look, climbed up the ladder, and stuck his upper body back into the mech's cockpit to keep working.Lin Jie watched this from the corner of his eye, hid a small smile, and bowed his head to continue his own task.Simon had been efficient— the computer Lin Jie needed had been delivered before dawn. Since Lin Jie had two big jobs on his hands (repairing the intelligent core and modifying the gun), he could only tell Curly Hair all the parts that needed replacing or maintenance, letting the pilot fix them himself while he focused on repairing the intelligent core first. After all, that core was the foundation of the mech's operation; without it, everything else was meaningless.A blue star hung in the sky. Inside the courtyard enclosed by alloy walls, the two of them buried themselves in their work. Simon knew nothing about machinery or mechs, so he couldn't help with the repairs— he could only keep bringing over food and drinks.But as someone who loved to talk, Curly Hair wasn't about to let food and drinks shut him up.During the hottest part of the noon, when the prisoners out for exercise had all returned to their cells, Curly Hair— taking a short break— wandered over to Lin Jie again. "Lin Jie, how big of a help do you think this intelligent core will be for me in the Flag Capture Battle? What advantages can it give me compared to the other mechs?""Aren't you a Brigadier-level Pilot?" Lin Jie gave Curly Hair a confused look. "Most Vanguard-class mechs are equipped with intelligent cores. You're a veteran Pilot— you don't know the advantages of an intelligent core?""You said 'most,' not 'all,'" Curly Hair scratched his head. "These things are too expensive. My own mech never had one. I've only gotten to pilot other Vanguard-class mechs with intelligence a few times, but I never really used the AI assistance. I don't know much about it.""I actually forgot about that…" Lin Jie glanced at Curly Hair and nodded slightly.Curly Hair's situation was actually the reality for most Pilots. This profession was rare and paid well, but the value of a mech still exceeded the salary they could earn. The vast majority of Pilots— especially low-ranked ones— didn't own a mech of their own. The mechs they piloted in battles were usually provided by the organizations they served.To put it bluntly, most low-ranked Pilots were just high-paid workers. If they didn't buy a mech, their income could keep them living comfortably without worries. But if they got a mech of their own, they'd have to pay for maintenance, equip weapons, and rent a storage warehouse— their originally generous salaries would suddenly seem tiny."The intelligent core has three main advantages. First, it monitors the mech's status in real time and feeds that info back to the Pilot, letting you focus entirely on fighting. Second…" Lin Jie paused, picked up the cold drink Simon had brought, took a sip, then turned his attention back to the computer. He kept working as he spoke: "Second is computing power. Vanguard-class AI is a bit rigid when it comes to on-the-spot combat, but AI is still AI— its computing power is definitely stronger than a human brain… at least stronger than yours."Why do I feel like you're insulting me… Curly Hair gave Lin Jie a deadpan stare.Lin Jie didn't even look at him. He kept operating the computer and continued: "If the mech has the right configuration, it can calculate wind force, air humidity, planetary gravity, and so on. At the very least, it can help you with aiming assistance."The third point— and the most important one— is that the intelligent core lets the mech fight independently. That means it can operate without a Pilot. It has limitations, but it does free up the Pilot and adds more flexibility to your tactics."Take this Mammoth, for example. Based on the data you gave me, the Mammoth is at best mid-to-low tier among the twenty mechs. Simon's luck is pretty bad, huh…""You dare talk about the boss like that?""He's your boss, not mine. Even if he were here, I'd still say it." Lin Jie shrugged indifferently.Not all Private-class mechs were the same. Some were military-grade, some were racing-grade, and some were entertainment-grade. Entertainment-grade mechs were mostly simplified models made by mechanical companies to satisfy ordinary people's fascination with mechs— they were clearly inferior to military or racing mechs in every aspect.The Mammoth was, in a way, an entertainment-grade mech. Among the over twenty mechs Jenna had prepared, the Mammoth was at the very bottom. In Lin Jie's opinion, if Curly Hair wasn't a higher-ranked Pilot with a better mech synchronization rate, the Mammoth wouldn't have won even two Flag Capture Battles. Saying Simon had bad luck wasn't wrong at all."Back to this mech," Lin Jie nodded at the Mammoth without looking up. "Its weight class, armor thickness, and firepower are all worse than military mechs. Its output energy and maximum torque can't compare to racing mechs. If it weren't for being flexible enough, it'd be basically useless— fighting other mechs of the same rank would put you in a really passive spot… You must know that well yourself.""I really don't want to agree with you, but you're right." Curly Hair's face fell, as if recalling some unpleasant memories."But with the intelligent core installed, it'll be different. The core gives the mech autonomous combat ability— you'll be free for a while, and you can coordinate with the mech to do more things, which can turn the tide of the battle.""Like what?""Like having the mech hold off the enemy mech head-on while you jump out of the cockpit and yank out the opponent's battery.""Isn't that just asking me to die?"Curly Hair looked at Lin Jie, his face clearly saying I don't get it.Lin Jie's proposed tactic was technically feasible. As a Pilot, Curly Hair had seen other Pilots hand over control to the AI, jump out of their field mechs, and take down the enemy. But all that had one prerequisite: auxiliary personal mechs. Only with a personal mech's armor could a Pilot's strength, speed, and defense be greatly enhanced, giving them abilities comparable to martial artists.But in Death Island's Flag Capture Battle, only field mechs were allowed. Pilots had no right to equip additional personal mechs. In this case, without the cockpit's protection, a Pilot was just an ordinary person with quick reflexes and good physical fitness. Given that field mechs weighed dozens of tons, even a light bump would basically cripple a person."It's definitely risky, but not impossible." Lin Jie didn't look up. "I know a Pilot who's done exactly what I said more than once— and he only had simple gear to help him.""Really? What's his name?""Jack Cooper. Before he became a Pilot, he was just an infantryman with a rifle."Cooper… used to be an infantryman… I should look him up sometime… Curly Hair, obviously not realizing Lin Jie was joking, quietly memorized the name.But soon, his attention shifted back to Lin Jie. Watching Lin Jie type at lightning speed, Curly Hair suddenly smiled, leaned over, and lowered his voice: "Lin Jie, you're definitely more than just an ordinary mechanic, right?""Oh?" For the first time, Lin Jie stopped working. He looked up at Curly Hair. "How'd you figure that out?""I don't understand mechanical programming, but I know this must be super complicated work. No ordinary person could do this while talking to me so smoothly at the same time."…Lin Jie didn't reply. He gave Curly Hair a deep look, then quickly bowed his head and typed even faster."Lin Jie?" Curly Hair was stunned. "What's wrong? Did something happen?""Yeah," Lin Jie nodded. "I just realized— while chatting with you, I made a ton of typos in the code."Curly Hair: …Lin Jie was a bit of a perfectionist. Unless something unusual happened, he never left work unfinished for the next day. To make the intelligent core compatible with the mech, he spent over ten hours working— from day till late night— and finished the job the same day.Right in front of Simon and Curly Hair, he installed the intelligent core into the mech.Hum—After a short initialization wait, the steel body let out a low hum. The visual lights on the Mammoth's head lit up, and the thirty-ton-odd dark blue mech lifted its head.[(Program activated. Self-diagnosis in progress. Current energy: 84%. Energy supply normal. Neural link device normal. Sensory simulator normal. Body structure intact. Operational weight: 32.5 tons)[Intelligence Rule 1: Obey the Pilot's orders without hesitation.][Intelligence Rule 2: Assist the Pilot in combat.][Intelligence Rule 3: Prioritize the Pilot's safety above all else; protect the Pilot.][7th-Generation Vanguard-class Intelligent Core "Kane" — standing by…)]"Done!"Hearing the AI's response coming from inside the mech, Lin Jie let out a long sigh of relief and stretched. Now, he could focus entirely on his second task.
