The Strongest Brain in the Interstellar

After the rear hatch closed, the cockpit began to unlock with a heavy sound. As a blue glow flashed by, it signified the activation of the previously dormant mecha. Everything in her sight was bathed in a bluish light.

The sides moved up and down, like a domino effect, and in an instant, the interior lit up. Large sections of the mecha, which appeared to be composed of unidentifiable parts, pushed forward from the rear hatch in layers, activating one after another. At the same time, natural white light illuminated the top of the cockpit, making it feel as though she was standing in broad daylight, with a clear and bright view.

She was led into a brand-new world, one that didn’t belong to humanity but had been crafted by human hands—a mechanical civilization that was inorganic by nature.

In that moment, Jiang Hui didn’t realize how much excitement was radiating from within her, excitement so intense that her whole body trembled.

Every object in her sight flickered with a cold, ghostly light, yet they seemed to possess life, ‘jumping’ and pulsating in rhythm with her heartbeat.

In an instant, her mental energy dispersed completely, like wild horses running freely, jumping, spinning, and swirling through the spacious cockpit. It seemed to mark every inch of space, leaving traces as it passed. Every part of the mecha emitted an irresistible pull, drawing her mental energy to linger endlessly.

Jiang Hui exerted great effort to keep herself from being captivated by those “little temptations.” She hadn’t forgotten the purpose for which she was here. With determination, she walked straight toward the passage ahead.

At the front, there was a circular window. Strangely, although the area wasn’t large, from where she stood, she could see a full 360 degrees of the outside world, from the ground to the top, with no obstructions.

The front row was occupied by a large, heavy workbench, its surface slightly tilted. Various twisted components and light fixtures were arranged on top, but they were of all sizes and colors, with no clear indication of their purpose. It was as if they didn’t know her, and she didn’t know them.

But inexplicably, Jiang Hui felt that the operation of the mecha wasn’t conducted through this workbench. There had to be something else. She couldn’t find the source of the power that supported the operation of this massive machine among these parts.

The cockpit felt vast. Apart from the flat components and workbench displayed around, there seemed to be a lack of something used for operation. Were the mecha pilots supposed to operate it while standing? The model was limited, and without this structural feature, she wasn’t sure how this part worked. It was all guesswork.

Jiang Hui stood in front of the workbench, unsure of where to place her hands, scanning the surroundings to find a solution. Unfortunately, there was no point of reference, leaving her with no ideas. She didn’t dare to casually send out her mental energy to probe, as this was, after all, a weapon-like structure in this world, which naturally required safe handling.

So, she stood there for a while, lost in thought, until suddenly there was a movement inside the mecha.

The blue light inside the cockpit flickered, and the floor beneath her slightly trembled, which startled everyone. Jiang Hui’s heart instinctively jolted as well. She steadied herself, and the next moment, she heard Stark’s voice reverberating throughout the cockpit, almost as if it were coming directly from her ear.

Jiang Hui looked toward the source of the voice, but the cockpit was empty, with no one in sight. So, it was certain that Stark hadn’t entered her cockpit.

Soon, her curiosity was answered.

As the floor beneath her trembled, the lights on the workbench flickered to life, casting a broad beam of light. Some areas, like the places where buttons should be, popped up automatically, requiring no manual operation. It seemed to happen in the blink of an eye. “Click, click,” accompanied by the sound of complex mechanical gears rolling and strange electrical noises, the mecha slowly came to life.

The circular large screen split down the middle, with yellow lights lighting up from left to right and right to left, signaling to everyone that the mecha was gradually waking up.

Blue screens then floated up one by one, filling the entire area before her, bathing the cockpit in blue light. Although the blue screens were empty and vacant, the scene was still quite spectacular.

As the two large blue screens in the center, which occupied most of the space, took shape, one of them came to life. The eerie blue light twisted, as if it were aligning to a unified frequency, shifting into a three-dimensional color screen.

The screen displayed another cockpit interior, and the person standing in that cockpit was none other than their class instructor, Stark.

The only difference was that the screen was facing the front of the cockpit, projecting Stark’s image from the workbench, as if casting a direct projection.

This must be the so-called 3D projection class, Jiang Hui thought, feeling a bit more at ease, no longer as flustered as before.

“Now that everyone has entered the cockpit, I can’t focus on monitoring each individual’s operations. So, please don’t be too clever and touch any of those switches. If you cause any irreversible consequences, you will be responsible for it.”

In truth, Stark was just warning them. After all, even a D-class standard mecha is no toy. If these students, who have never handled such large weapons before, were to operate them carelessly or out of bravado, it could lead to a disaster.

Thus, he had already projected the interior of all the mechas on the right side of the cockpit and activated the safety braking mode, glancing at it from time to time. Stark made that remark because he noticed a few students who were acting out of line.

While these young people were bold and proud, most still knew their limits. Stark had built up enough authority over time that with just one word from him, everyone immediately refrained from doing anything reckless.

Once he confirmed that the students had stopped trying to act on their own, Stark straightened up and addressed the screen, saying, “Now, we will officially begin the mecha operation class.”

“To make it clear in advance, I won’t be guiding you through every single operational detail. However, I will emphasize the necessary steps, demonstrations, and key tips, and I will correct you within reasonable limits. But you need to remember that this is not a kindergarten. By choosing this specialty, you must learn to take responsibility for yourselves.”

“From now on, please listen closely to every word I say, and imprint every movement I make into your minds. I may not repeat the same words or actions a second time. What you are about to do is still the simplest and most basic assisted driving mode for a mecha. If you can’t even pass this basic step, then there’s no point in talking about operating military mechas in the future. Each of you should understand this—don’t ask me ‘why can’t you do this?’ It’s meaningless.”

“Each student’s practical time is limited. You’re not just wasting your own time, but the equal time of everyone else as well.”