36: Chapter 36: Mech Test Flight - A Complete Success

As the morning light just tore through the fog above the Eastern Wasteland, the high-tier mecha at the end of the test flight runway had already started up.

The engine's low roar was like a Vicious Beast suppressing its throat, and the metal joints emitted faint clicking sounds in the morning breeze.

Chen Xiaodao sat inside the cockpit, his fingers resting on the main control stick, his knuckles turning white.

He did not move, nor did he speak, only staring at the runway stretching straight ahead, his breathing as steady as if he were asleep.

Yet, sweat had already seeped out on his forehead, shimmering under the reflection of his mechanical prosthetic eye.

At the edge of the high platform, Chen Wuwang stood with his left hand resting on the hilt of the dagger at his waist, his right mechanical prosthetic eye scanning through strings of data streams.

He did not look at the mecha, nor at the sky, his gaze locked onto the neural load curve chart transmitted synchronously from the control screen—fluctuations normal, brainwave frequency stable, Sword Intent not agitated.

"System update complete," he said in a low voice, as if talking to himself, and also as if confirming.

The moment his voice fell, a short, sharp electronic prompt sounded inside the control cabin.

"Preload protocol activated, buffer pool ready, direct connection channel opened."

Chen Xiaodao finally moved.

He pushed his right hand forward abruptly, and his left mechanical prosthetic arm simultaneously injected spiritual energy.

The mecha's feet left the ground by three inches, the suspension System responded instantly, the body vibrated slightly, and a ring-shaped Spiritual Pressure ripple spread from the bottom, booming and pushing away the thin mist on the ground.

"Family Head," his voice came through the communication channel, so calm it didn't sound like someone who had just pulled an all-nighter, "New drivers are online, canceling Level 3 verification, preparing for a Breakthrough of the sound barrier."

"Launch," Chen Wuwang replied with only one word.

The next second, the mecha was like an arrow leaving the bowstring.

No running start, no gradual acceleration, directly pulling up vertically.

The moment the mecha's body cut through the air, the sky seemed to be torn open, clouds were pushed to both sides by an invisible force, revealing a straight vacuum channel.

Three minutes, ten thousand meters.

High above, the airflow began to vibrate violently.

A layer of light blue energy membrane appeared on the surface of the mecha, which was the spiritual energy shield automatically adjusting the pressure difference.

On the control screen, the speed reading soared: nine hundred, twelve hundred, fifteen hundred... When it hit the critical point of the Breakthrough, the entire firmament trembled violently.

Boom—!

The sonic boom rang out, like a clap of thunder rolling across the horizon.

"Family Head!" Chen Xiaodao's voice penetrated the communication, "Speed Breakthrough of the sound barrier! Current speed is 1.7 Mach, body structure is stable, energy output is normal!"

Chen Wuwang did not respond.

His mechanical prosthetic eye was performing a full-frequency scan: energy rail load, spiritual energy conversion efficiency, neural synchronization delay, body resonance frequency...

Strings of data flashed across his vision like a waterfall.

He read extremely slowly, every single number nailing itself into his memory.

Suddenly, the corner of his eye twitched.

A slight oscillation appeared in the energy output curve at the peak—a 0.7% fluctuation, lasting less than half a second, then immediately returning to normal.

His pupils constricted, and his fingers tapped lightly on the hilt of the dagger.

It was not a malfunction.

He pulled up the comparison charts of three hundred simulation deductions and compared them frame by frame.

The oscillation appeared at the seventy-eighth second, perfectly coinciding with the time point of the atmospheric ion disturbance.

External environmental interference, not a defect of the mecha.

But this 0.7% was enough to make a mecha lose control and tumble, or even disintegrate, in actual combat.

"Xiao Dao," he spoke, his voice still steady, "Lower the cruising altitude, enter below the stratosphere, and pull the data again."

"Understood," Chen Xiaodao responded immediately, the mecha changed direction and dove down.

The wind howled outside the cockpit, and a string of electric arcs was sparked as the body passed through the clouds.

Second acceleration, third Breakthrough of the sound barrier, fourth extreme turning test.

For every action, the data was transmitted back in real-time.

Chen Wuwang stood in place, his mechanical prosthetic eye constantly switching analysis modes, the rhythm of his fingertips tapping on the dagger becoming faster and faster.

Until the last set of data landed.

"Energy output is stable," he closed his mechanical prosthetic eye and said softly.

Then he opened it, his gaze falling on the returning mecha.

It was gliding down, wings spread, tail flames retracted, landing steadily in the center of the runway.

The engine shut down, and the "click click" sound of metal cooling was especially clear in the early morning.

The cockpit opened, Chen Xiaodao disconnected the neural link interface and took off his helmet.

Sweat flowed from his temples to his chin, dripping onto the console; he didn't wipe it, just looked up at the high platform, waiting for a word.

Chen Wuwang walked down the steps, his pace neither hurried nor slow.

He walked to the side of the mecha and reached out to touch a scorch mark on the side of the body—that was the trace left by friction with the air during the Breakthrough of the sound barrier; the metal still carried residual heat, and a slight numbness came to his fingertips.

"How is it?" Chen Xiaodao asked.

"It works," Chen Wuwang nodded, his voice not loud, but like a hammer striking an anvil, "The structure held up, the System held steady, and the person didn't fall apart."

Chen Xiaodao grinned, wanting to laugh, but coughed up a mouthful of blood foam.

Chen Wuwang glanced at him: "Sword Heart backlash?"

"It's nothing," Chen Xiaodao wiped the corner of his mouth, "It's just that during high-speed maneuvers, the synchronization between Sword Intent and spiritual energy couldn't quite keep up with the rhythm, and it strained my Meridians."

"Don't push yourself next time," Chen Wuwang said, taking a Jade Slip from his bosom and throwing it to him, "Record the data and save a backup."

Chen Xiaodao caught it, looked down, and saw that a standard format template was already pre-stored inside.

"You had it prepared early?"

"When I was waiting for your news last night," Chen Wuwang turned and walked towards the high platform without stopping, "I watched the simulation deductions three times and knew you would succeed."

Chen Xiaodao was stunned for a moment, gripping the Jade Slip tightly.

He knew that the Family Head never spoke empty words.

On the high platform, Chen Wuwang stood still, his mechanical prosthetic eye activated again, pulling up the full record.

He checked them one by one, and only after confirming there were no errors did he slowly close the interface.

The wind blew from the end of the test flight field, rolling up a few pieces of rubble.

He raised his hand, his right hand gently brushing over the dagger at his waist, and then—

"Good," he said in a low voice, the voice not loud, but like an order cutting into the air, "Begin mass production immediately."

As his voice fell, he drew his dagger and stabbed it into the edge of the stone table beside his feet.

The metal entered the stone, emitting a dull "clang" sound.

In the distance, the returning mecha stood quietly, the cockpit not yet closed, Chen Xiaodao still sitting inside, having taken off the neural interface, breathing slightly heavily, sweat seeping on his forehead, but his eyes were bright, revealing a sharp spirit of having completed the mission.

Chen Wuwang did not look back.

He stood in place, his gaze sweeping over the test flight field, over the mecha, and over the dagger inserted into the stone table.

The wind blew his silver hair, the mechanical prosthetic eye in his left eye flickering slightly, reflecting a cold light.

The dagger in his hand was firmly inserted in the stone crevice, the blade motionless.