Chapter 477: Aiming High
Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation
Based on the detailed rules of payment determined by the consortium, both Shang and Ye Chong discovered that they would need at least 15 trainees to pass the examination or 7 of them with superior performance in order to attain the target income. That spelled a total challenge as it meant either the group became the top group in the entire course or both Shang and Ye Chong would have nothing. Well, if they managed to attain the target they would need not to worry of having an empty wallet for a long time, given that they did not have to pay like a king. There was also a specialized war machines given as one of the rewards by the consortium. Such model was a hard find in the market so Ye Chong could probably make a fortune out of it even if he did not intend to pilot it.
It came to a realization that Ye Chong's job required commitment. The consortium would pay one handsomely assuming one managed to produce what the consortium wanted. And clearly within short term Ye Chong would not find any job with higher pay than this. Both of them agreed to this. Shang could not generate figurative funds from hacking the virtual world of Gray Valley, so it was not like those days where Ye Chong could get money from nowhere before.
15 trainees who passed the test .. or 7 of them who performed really well... Ye Chong took a glance at his students. His face was grim.
Most of these students had been trained to do battles from afar since childhood. A lot of issues would surely arise if Ye Chong conducted a melee training. It boiled down to habits eventually. They had been wired with techniques of being a pilot, they had been taught to fight with ranged weaponry.
It would not be simple to alter any habit.
Fortunately, these pilots did have a good foundation. They were capable of piloting mech skillfully, which was a relief to Ye Chong.
The trainees stood obediently in front of the grim instructor, as silence magnified their heartbeats.
"Now, I want you all to deploy your own mech and complete the obstacle course," said Ye Chong, pointing at the obstacles far ahead. "One by one," he continued.
So these trainees deployed their mechs. In no time the training field became a giant parking lot of mechs. Ye Chong could see mechs in all sorts of color and shapes. His eyes did catch a few to his favor. He used to pilot the aged rusty Winnie back on Trash Planet-12 everyday, bearing with the worn out seat and the glitchy interface. These youngsters were lucky to be born with a silver spoon, or... at least not born among the trash.
Ye Chong walked till the very end of the line, only to find out that all of these mechs were ranged units. It did not sound feasible to run a melee training class when they were running with firearms and launchers. He eventually prompted the training plan provided by the consortium and discovered that all melee units had been sent to the frontline recently. There was no close-combat model left and for the trainees Ye Chong had to order a new batch of mechs, probably borrowed from somewhere else owned by the consortium.
And it would take 5 days for the mechs to arrive.
"You," Ye Chong pointed his finger at Xi Qing and said, "You would be the monitor from now on, watch the trainees on my behalf."
Ye Chong had noticed Xi Qing from the beginning since he was the only student who was calm and silent the whole time. The dramatic nature of a child in puberty was nowhere to be found on him.
"Yes, sir," Xi Qing accepted the assigned position which stirred envy among the other trainees.
"Start the obstacle course."
The mechs booted and zoomed towards the starting point one after another. They accelerated over the open pathway and decelerated to make perfect dodge through the obstacles. Ye Chong was impressed. These trainees were exceptional in piloting, much greater than the average pilots in the 5 major galaxies.
Nevertheless, Ye Chong frowned, realizing that these trainees needed no close-combat models but a better physique. Their vitality could last fine in ranged battles. But when it came the clashes of iron fists, they were fragile. Constant collision and thrust were typical in mech-brawling. A pilot could still be worn down quickly under the protection of hydraulic system.
These trainees would not be able to handle it. Well, naturally it was because their physique had yet undergone a complete puberty. So Ye Chong checked out the facilities in the field. Within the next few minutes, he got an idea.
"Okay, off your mechs now."
"Go there."
"Grip the handle."
"Yes. Now do as I count."
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"Hah...," Xi Qing rubbed his sore arms, he could feel his limbs falling off after the few days of training that felt like a walk down the hellish path. They were given heavy trainings, nonchalantly by the inhumane instructor. The list of training just increased uncontrollably while his face remained as expressionless. No one dared to speak up.
They did power training the first session, then reflexibility training the second and reaction training the third...
And Xi Qing once thought he was given harsh trainings since he was born. The term "harsh training" had been given a whole new definition after the past few days. It was tough, that he actually blanked out as he ran the pavement. He thought he was becoming a mech. A fully mechanized athlete. They had a quota, regarding the number of training they had to fulfill and people were training dead.
They were convinced that the instructor would listen to nothing else than performance, judging from his surprising act on the first day of the course. The air-headed instructor was one destructive hulk as convinced by the time he took to complete their training. The instructor took only half of the time they did to complete the training.
He was not the babysitting kind of instructor as he would leave the group at the center and pick one corner to conduct his training. That was when a few of them thought they could take some short breaks themselves.
But little they knew that, the instructor knew it. He was one with the eyes of Odin and managed to identify the slackers to chastise them. Yes, it was severe to an extend that it sent them chills simply from thinking it.
The instructor probably nearly committed several murders on one day, sworn by every trainee who witnessed the scene of "punishment". They almost heard the siren of the ambulance wailing when they perceived the strange cracks coming from those students who turned flappy on the ground afterwards. They had recognized the cruelty of this instructor. There would be no tolerance towards misbehaving students from him.
They spent the next few days in panic, fearing that they would enrage the instructor.
The special training designed by the instructor had been lethargically repetitive. It looked simple, with only a few moves to be conducted... for the rest of the day of course. A gazillion times it felt. None of them actually fell out of the line surprisingly.
Their tenacity shocked Ye Chong as well, especially when he knew he had 3 female trainees in the line. He was expecting the females, whose vitality was genetically lower than the males, to collapse the first yet they managed throughout the entire course. He did not have them in his top 15 potential successful trainees at the beginning but now... perhaps he would need to reconsider.
Hmm...
Ye Chong had been quite busy the last few days too. He did not only carry out his own training but also pieced together the designing concept of the strange mech, particularly its interface, the efficient way to use it. Once he got the heck of it, he improved dramatically on his control. The layout was actually not an utter mess on the triangular interface. There was a sense of logic behind.
So Muscle Man had gotten less graceless, as both strength and dexterity were fully demonstrated under Ye Chong's control. The boys and girls were fascinated by his improvement. They had never imagined a boulder to be able to move with such agility, as if they were watching a ballet performed by an elephant. It did not make sense but it just happened. The instructor was moving like a baby in the mech a few days ago, and now he was moving like an assassin from one corner to another.
They had stopped doubting the instructor's profession. They were fully convinced by it. The air-headed instructor was no longer air-headed to them. He had ascended as an unspoken legend, well-respected by the trainees who felt pumped conducting his training.
The first phase of his training course had ended. Ye Chong was astonished by the commitment of these trainees who had completed everything from A to Z. He acknowledged the difference in terms of standards between pilots of Gray Valley and others from the outside. These pilots from the Gray Valley were far more superior than all those so-called heroic young pilots he faced back in 5 major galaxies.
Well, Ye Chong could not observe much changes on his trainees' physique. It was expected since the physical training would be carried out throughout all phases of the course. But he knew that these trainees had changed, their physique had certainly improved to certain extend, at least ready for a mortal combat.
The mech units Ye Chong ordered had already arrived for quite some time, while the other groups had already initiated their pilot training.
"Very well, we would be conducting mech training today." Ye Chong could hear the squeak of excitement coming from the trainees the moment the keywords were uttered. They were going to make a leap of joy but their feet jerked upon seeing the expressionless instructor.
Kids were still kids... after all.
Sighed Ye Chong, seeing the blatant smiles on the children.
They were good pilots yet they remained as a group of undisciplined children. Compared to the Sangs, Ye Chong could not talk battle spirit or fighting will or the royalty of being a soldier serving their own survival. Back on those days, he would only need to give a word then the Sangs would conduct the training themselves. Well he could not expect much. They were children and they were not meant to be made into soldiers. Also, Ye Chong's training course was too packed to include discipline training.
"Now, in line, take your new mech," said Ye Chong upon leading them to the storage.
The machines were glowing in cold metallic colors, like a line of resting beast awaiting for release. The trainees could feel the whispering growls from the lifeless machinaries.
"Wait! That's D-6!!" screamed one of the trainees.