Silicon Invasion

Luo Rui had been preparing for this day for a long time, even specifically practicing rock climbing. Perhaps it would still be difficult for him to climb a mech barehanded, but climbing a ladder was definitely no problem.

It only took a few seconds to climb to the top, and then he needed to enter the cockpit without any protection. Most of those who hung on the ladder before were stuck at this step.

There were some damp marks on the cotton pad under the ladder. As a Virgo, Luo Rui didn't want to fall.

With one step out, he stepped on the pedal outside the cockpit. While his body was leaning, he grabbed the handle on the opening hatch, and then used his arm strength to pull his entire body over.

"Whew, perfect~"

Finally entering the place he had dreamed of, Luo Rui took a deep breath to calm his somewhat excited mood.

The cockpit was slightly cramped for Luo Rui, who was 1.8 meters tall. The seat was very narrow and uncomfortable to sit in. As he fastened the two seat belts and a fixed strap, the opened hatch slowly descended and closed, blocking all external light.

The sealed space of less than two cubic meters was the second test for the mech pilots. A minute of silence allowed the students to fully understand whether they could overcome claustrophobia.

Fortunately, these procedures were not confidential, and Luo Rui had prepared for them. He had locked himself in the closet to simulate this scene. The small space made his body want to stretch, and the uncomfortable feeling rising from his spine once made him want to give up, but he was a ruthless person and locked himself up for a full 12 hours.

Compared to that experience, this closed assessment was nothing at all.

Light reappeared, originating from the illuminated panoramic screen in front of him. It provided real-time feedback on the external situation and had a super-large viewing angle of 270 degrees.

Below the center of the screen were various instrument panels, radars, and data displays, allowing the mech pilot to understand the mech's condition in real time.

Further down was the control panel, which had left and right joysticks with many integrated buttons, including operation rollers, main control mode selection, priority target switching, weapon selection, launch mode selection, weapon launch trigger, external loudspeaker, target acquisition mode switching, communication mode switching/selection, external camera switching, and of course, a safety lock.

In the middle of the two joysticks was a 156-key instruction set keyboard, allowing the mech pilot to make more delicate movements with the mech according to the actual situation.

In addition, there were two pedals under his feet, controlling the mech's output level. On the left and right side panels, there were also many less frequently used function buttons integrated.

Luo Rui tried pressing a few times, pushed the joystick, and stepped on the pedals, but the mech's permissions were locked, and his operation did not receive any feedback, but this kind of satisfaction could only be understood by those who had actually experienced it.

Time was accelerating, and before Luo Rui had time to connect with the mech, the hatch opened again.

"Time's up." The safety officer waved below, the noisy environment forcing him to shout loudly.

Luo Rui reluctantly unfastened his seat belt and quickly climbed down the mech under the guidance of the safety officer. As soon as he returned to the queue, his best friend Fatty came over: "Not bad, Luo Rui. You're much better than those cowards in front. I think even our class beauty took a few more glances. If you get her now, there might be a chance. Remember to treat your brother to a good meal later."

The class beauty's name was Luan Hui, and she was also an old acquaintance of Luo Rui, because enrollment was based on the neighborhood, so they were in the same school in elementary school.

This girl didn't used to be that pretty, just plain and ordinary, even a little dark. Luo Rui remembered very clearly that during a physical education class in the first grade of elementary school, the teacher taught calisthenics and called out two female students to demonstrate, giving them the nicknames Little White and Little Black.

The girl called Little White had particularly white skin, and Little Black was Luan Hui.

But from some point in time, this girl seemed to have taken medicine, and now she actually earned the nickname of class beauty. You must know that when everyone is wearing school uniforms and doesn't use makeup or beauty filters, the gold content of a class beauty is still very high.

But Luo Rui wasn't bad either. When he created his account, he chose all of his parents' advantages to grow on himself. From a young age, he was fair and tender, loved by everyone, and often harassed by strange young ladies. He didn't grow up ugly later, and has been handsome until now.

Although his family was just an ordinary family, the proportion of looks during student days was still higher, so he often received small notes from young ladies, including Luan Hui's.

Therefore, he scoffed at Fatty's statement that "there might be a chance."

However, Luo Rui believed that students should focus on their studies, and he also had to strive for his dream of becoming a mech pilot, and women would only affect his hand speed.

And hand speed is a very important indicator in the mech pilot assessment.

But even without the interference of women, Luo Rui's hand speed was still a little short of meeting the standard.

Alas, in the remaining year, he hoped to rely on hard training to eliminate this gap, but now his body hardware was basically set, and his fingering had already been practiced to perfection, making it difficult to improve further.

Thinking of this, the excitement of touching the mech just now faded a lot.

Next, the exhibition hall completely lost its attraction to Luo Rui. Using the excuse of going to the bathroom, he squatted in a corner, ignoring the caring gazes of the young ladies passing by, and fell into a daze.

"Hey? Luo Rui, where did you run off to? Gather up, bus number seven, hurry!"

Luo Rui, who was in a daze, was awakened by the phone ringing. As soon as he answered, he heard Fatty's roar on the other end.

"Okay, okay!"

Luo Rui twisted his ear and responded.

The atmosphere in the exhibition hall was much higher than before. The students who were originally listless were now full of energy. Luo Rui skillfully walked through the crowd and found the green bus with the number seven on it.

The young homeroom teacher was standing at the door of the bus, holding a list in one hand and making a phone call in the other, calling out to the students who were frolicking somewhere. Luo Rui quickly took two steps: "Report, Luo Rui is back!"

"Okay, get on the bus quickly!"

The homeroom teacher nodded, then tilted his head to hold the phone and put a check mark next to Luo Rui's name on the list.

"Fatty, how do you feel?"

The seats on the bus were already mostly occupied, but fortunately his best friend had saved a window seat.

"Not bad, just a little better than you. You didn't see the way those young ladies were looking at me." Fatty laughed and said smugly.

"Keep bragging."

Students were still relatively easy to manage, and those who had left the group had not gone far. Under the summoning skills of the homeroom teacher, they quickly gathered back.

The mighty bus convoy began to return, the students chattering, and Fatty boasting to the female students in the front seat about how nice his performance was just now.

While they laughed and swayed, their eyes always unconsciously glanced at Luo Rui, who was staring out the window in a daze.

Suddenly, Luo Rui's blank eyes suddenly widened. The female classmate who was paying attention to him curiously followed his gaze, and her eyes widened as well. Finally, Fatty, who was paying attention to the female classmate, belatedly turned his head.

"Holy crap! What is that! !"