Wow! The item-dropping rate is really high!

Leaping over the decrepit city walls was just the first barrier to cross after acceleration.

If the speed was to be increased, it would certainly be maintained to the end.

The difficulty of the subsequent levels had increased compared to the previous ones, yet Bai E's advancing speed accelerated even more. The rapidly approaching simulation screen seemed to blow onto his face with the gale, and it was only then that Bai E felt a bit of the thrill.

[It's like a parkour game...]

The guy could play Temple Run until his phone's battery exploded.

"Stop, stop, stop!"

Just as Bai E increased his speed to fifth gear, reveling in the joy of getting through the levels, the instructor suddenly interrupted him urgently in his ear.

He had to admit that this synthetically engineered warrior truly had exceptional talent. Not only could he remember every module that a main mech pilot could use clearly, but he could also quickly choose the most suitable solution for the challenges he encountered.

It had been said before that his ability to adapt on battlefield was strong, and now it seemed indeed true.

There were many warriors with strong adaptive physical abilities, but few had the imagination and execution to transfer that dexterity from their bodies to the operation of a mecha.

Bai E was clearly one of those minorities.

But... it was still early days!

The basic actions were not very difficult. A warrior who remembered the operation of each mecha module and had practiced for a while might easily accomplish them—he was just at a higher starting point than the average warrior, but that didn't define his limit.

Moreover, as a combat mech pilot, he had almost perfectly coordinated with him through the levels.

While he strategized as the main pilot, his own piloting actions that followed were the core reason why all those moves were executed flawlessly.

If it had been another newbie pilot in Bai E's place as soon as he started accelerating at the first level—the dilapidated city walls, they would have crashed straight into them.

So now...

"Come, let's switch places."

The main pilot strategizes, the combat mech pilot supplements the details and coordinates.

You say you remember all the modules needed by the main and combat mech pilots, right? Let's see what level you can reach.

The instructor, with lengthy teaching experience, did not believe that a warrior on his first day with a mecha could get the hang of it without any hindrance.

"Good."

Bai E had no objections.

Being a main pilot wasn't very interesting; even at fifth gear, there wasn't much to operate. Once the combination and division of basic movements were ingrained in his mind and body like instinct, the choices he needed to make at any level came naturally, without any conscious thought.n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om

On the other hand, the operations of the combat mech pilot, controlling many more parts of the mecha, were more intense. Bai E, who occasionally got distracted watching the instructor's operations, had long wanted to try it out himself.

The instructor buckled his seat belt, and the simulator's driving position also mimicked reality. The mecha's cockpit was a form of semi-mounted, semi-reclining style.

While having a certain carrying capacity, the limbs were suspended in the air to provide more operating space, with the main pressure points on the hips and waist.

"Are you ready?" he looked at Bai E, who was also fastening his seat belt.

"Click!"

After a crisp click of the buckle, Bai E's calm voice responded, "Ready."

"Do we need to start from the beginning?"

The training mode's difficulty increased the further you progressed, so not resetting the progress meant that Bai E would face a serious challenge as soon as he took the position of a combat mech pilot.

"No need," Bai E replied, his expression calm.

It was this thrill that he sought.

Displaying his talent was also undoubtedly a way to allow himself quicker access to a real mecha, and to kick off advanced combat training.

"Good," Brandon nodded in satisfaction.

He liked this overconfident attitude. Confidence is an essential quality for every fighter.

Brandon slowly shifted gears, understanding that before any action, he needed to determine the power output gear—three.

If he were the main pilot, he would not start at one like all the trainees who began training, but considering it was Bai E's first time, he did not recklessly switch to too high a gear.

The roles of the main mech pilot and combat mech pilot were sharply different. Being able to handle the main pilot role did not mean one could play the part of a combat pilot as well.

Moreover, despite Bai E's remarkable display of talent in the recent basic training, it was still within the realm of "basic."

The simulation pod's screen timely simulated the scenery outside of the mecha, showing the vast yellow wasteland reduced to insignificance before the towering mecha.

"Here it comes." Before nearing the obstacle, the instructor considerately gave an advance warning.

"Hmm~" Bai E answered, fully focused.

Cliffs... Broken bridges...

The mecha leaped high into the air.

Bai E, who was constantly focused on the independent screen in front of the combat mech pilot, instantly grasped Brandon's intention—

He wanted to fly directly over, instead of jumping down to the relatively low base of the cliff for the mecha.

The simulator provided more than one way to pass each level. The main pilot could make more than one choice, while the combat mech pilot needed to adapt quickly and follow suit.

To leap, one would need to grab onto both the cut-off steel bridge and a large chunk of protruding rock by the cliff's edge to leverage.

A simple prediction of the movement flashed through the mind and instantly disintegrated into several separate steps, each passing through the mind in succession.

As for how to go about it, Bai E had a plan in his heart in an instant.

As the powerful steel body leaped from the cliff's edge, Bai E employed his hands and feet, sending a series of control commands in quick succession. The Mecha, with its logical sequence of front and back, would naturally perform these movements in their proper order…

The mechanical palm stretched out vainly twice, attempting to grasp the last chance, but failed to accurately seize the protruding rock. The steel bridge held by a single hand was corroded and could not provide enough support for such a heavy body.

Without a reliable fulcrum to provide power, even a Mecha with built-in power sources could not forcibly defy the laws of physics.

The huge body fell powerlessly and crashed to the ground.

The earth quaked and the mountain trembled.

The simulated image raised a large cloud of dust, like a mushroom cloud, with striking realism.

'That's more like it...'

Brandon, who failed to coordinate, felt this was only to be expected, "Don't be disheartened, this is normal. This level is not easy. Many Mech Pilots who have trained for ten days to a fortnight make frequent mistakes here. Plus, if it were a real Mecha, there would be a jet propulsion unit on the back, and this height would easily be surmounted."

"…" Bai E frowned slightly but said nothing.

He stared at his palm, slightly distracted, feeling something was not right...

Yes, the tactile feedback was off.

Too late...

The Mecha was responding to his commands too quickly.

In other words, the process of issuing commands was done too rapidly.

The commands should be delayed a bit more so that the Mecha's keen response could be executed at the right moment.

However… this was entirely different from the sensation he felt in the main pilot's position.

The response speed of the function modules operated from the main pilot's position was much slower than this.

Initially, he had felt somewhat uncomfortable with this, but after crossing several levels, he became accustomed to it.

Now...

Was it his misconception?

Or was it the original setting?

Having clarified the key point, Bai E looked toward the instructor, his eyes filled with evident doubt, "Instructor, why did I just feel like the Mecha's response got faster?"

Brandon was slightly surprised to hear this and muttered softly to himself, "Such sharp insight..."

He then nodded in agreement, "You're not wrong. The control module response speed of a combat pilot is always a bit faster than that of the main pilot. As for the reason... it's to follow."

Combat pilots need to take the initiative to cooperate. After sensing the intentions of the main pilot, they need to act promptly, ensuring their commands are executed quickly.

A main pilot combined with a combat pilot constitutes a complete Mecha pilot team. Their commands always need to be integrated together to achieve the desired effect.

It's like the timing of a command from the brain reaching the extremities… This is not solely dependent on the brain's decision or the speed of nerve conduction; it requires both to work together effectively.

Additionally, the combination of the Mecha's built-in action trajectory prediction and the response speed disparity between the two pilot's control modules forms the basic condition for the coordinated combat of the two pilots. Read latest chapters at empire

"Of course, this response time difference can be freely adjusted depending on the Mech Pilots' driving habits and the level of coordination between them. Our current simulation cabins are set to the default maximum time difference of 2 seconds."

A 2-second delay might easily decide life or death in human combat, but in battles involving reliable Mechas, it is not such a fatal issue.

This is also why the movements of Mechas in previous frontal battles appeared somewhat slower compared to those of humans.

Of course, the shorter the time difference that both pilots can control, the more agile the Mecha's movements will be—this is beyond doubt.

Even the most outstanding technical pair in the military struggled to reduce this time difference below 0.5 seconds, except for the monsters from the Mechanical Court...

[You are learning "Knowledge - Special Vehicle (Armed Mecha) Piloting," progress 70%.]

The instructor explained everything with a chuckle.

Suddenly, the smile on his face froze.

Recalling the scene that just happened—he thought of something.

The left hand of the Mecha that should have grasped the rock… swung too early.

The Mecha's feedback and ability to improvise was clearly not on par with a human body, even if it wanted to correct a failed action, it would depend on whether the Mecha's internal system could respond fast enough to allow it.

So... it fell.

In other words, it was not an issue with Bai E's personal operation.

It was because he had not informed him of the different response time delays between the two pilot seat control modules, leading to Bai E's misjudgment of the timing to act.

"..."

An unspeakable shock rose from his heart.

Brandon swallowed hard, his gaze returning to the present.

"Let's try again!"