Chapter 112: Dragon Rider

Early Monday morning, the area outside the Longyin Research Institute gate was rarely filled with military buses.

One hundred "Dragon Rider" reserve members wearing training uniforms of various military branches stood in neat rows, their sharp eyes curiously examining this legendary holy land of scientific research.

"Tsk tsk, look at this lineup." Wang Hao lay on the office windowsill, biting into a steamed bun and clicking his tongue in wonder.

"Is that group on the left the Air Force? Wearing sunglasses like celebrities."

"Those few in the middle, they walk with killing intent; they must be special forces."

"On the right... holy crap, there are even Marines?"

"Our mechs aren't submarines!"

Li Yang silently pulled up the personnel files: "Thirty pilots, twenty tank soldiers, fifteen special operations elites, fifteen carrier-based aircraft pilots, twenty air defense force elites."

"Good heavens, sea, land, air, space, electricity, and network are all gathered; we could fight a small war." Wang Hao rubbed his hands excitedly.

"Let's go, let's go meet these proud sons of heaven!"

The welcome ceremony was held in the newly built Comprehensive Training Hall.

When Feng Yan led the core team into the hall, they could clearly feel the air filled with the taste of scrutiny and assessment.

These elite soldiers, hand-picked from millions, were examining this group of "tech otakus" with critical eyes.

"Future Dragon Riders, welcome to Longyin." Feng Yan's opening remarks were very brief.

"From today on, you will come into contact with the nation's most cutting-edge individual soldier equipment."

"But before you can truly master these steel giants, you need to pass the simulator test first."

As soon as he finished speaking, a few suppressed chuckles sounded from the audience.

A pilot with the rank of Air Force First Lieutenant raised his hand: "Chief, I fly the J-20; we play with simulators every day."

Wang Hao grinned, revealing two rows of white teeth: "Lieutenant, our simulators might be a bit different from what you imagine."

In the Simulation Training Center, thirty holographic cockpits were arranged neatly.

When the members walked into the cockpits, they couldn't help but gasp in amazement.

This was not a traditional control stick + dashboard layout at all, but a wrap-around panoramic screen and a force feedback suit covered in sensors.

"Holy crap, this thing is even more exciting than a real plane!" The J-20 pilot from just now touched the control interface excitedly.

However, after the test started, the style gradually went off track.

"Pull up! Pull up! Why are you pulling the control stick!" Wang Hao shouted at the No. 1 simulation pod while holding a megaphone.

On the screen, the "Jing-An" mech was performing a strange ballet move.

The trainee, who was a pilot, subconsciously performed a pull-up maneuver upon hearing "pull up," and as a result, the mech performed a backflip and slammed heavily into the ground.

"Report!" The trainee's aggrieved voice came through the communicator.

"Pulling the stick in my plane means climbing!"

It was even more outrageous in the No. 2 simulation pod.

The elite soldier from the tank unit stared fixedly at the sight, muttering to himself:

"Target distance 1500, crosswind correction... wait, why is the field of view moving?"

He habitually wanted to use the tank's stabilization system to lock onto the target.

As a result, the "Jing-An's" sensors switched perspectives wildly as he turned his head, directly making the old tank soldier vomit.

"The field of view is too narrow! It's even more suffocating than the observation window of my 99A!" He held onto the pod door, his face pale.

The most spectacular were the special forces soldiers.

A major from a famous special operations brigade immediately displayed amazing tactical literacy after entering complex terrain.

Side rolls, emergency stops, snake-like movements—the actions were smooth and flowing.

Then, just as he tried to perform a tactical roll that exceeded the mech's limits, the simulator issued a shrill alarm: "Joint overload! Structural damage 70%!"

The major jumped out of the cockpit with a dark face: "What kind of junk is this? It's not even as nimble as us climbing walls with our bare hands!"

The once arrogant elite soldiers were now making fools of themselves in the simulators:

Some had mechs walking with their legs crossed, some were tripped by their own mechanical arms, and others were frantically "firing" at imaginary enemies only to find that the weapon system hadn't been unlocked at all.

"Hahaha, look at that one!" Wang Hao laughed so hard he slapped his thigh.

"That major who flies helicopters wants the mech to hover, but ends up hopping in place like a frog!"

Li Yang, however, didn't laugh; he carefully observed each trainee's performance and recorded it quickly on his tablet:

"The pilot group generally has 'high-altitude thinking,' accustomed to using pitch and roll to control attitude, ignoring ground support."

"Tank soldiers rely too much on stabilization and aiming systems and are not adapted to whole-body coordinated control."

"Special forces have excellent tactical awareness but lack understanding of equipment performance boundaries."

Chen Guang silently added: "All trainees show resistance to the AI assisted system, trusting their own intuition more."

After an afternoon of simulation training, the once high-spirited elite soldiers were all dejected.

The J-20 lieutenant slumped in his seat, doubting his life: "I can lock onto a target at supersonic speeds, yet I struggle to make this iron lump walk in a straight line..."

Feng Yan appeared at the right time and clapped his hands: "How does it feel?"

There was silence in the ranks.

"Do you know why?" Feng Yan walked to a simulator.

"Each of you is a king in your own field, but mech combat is a brand-new field."

"It requires you to forget past experience and relearn how to run and how to fight."

He pulled up the training data: "The best result for completing the basic movement course is 47 minutes."

"And the record set by Director Li Yang is—3 minutes and 28 seconds."

The whole room was in an uproar.

Wang Hao added with a grin: "By the way, when Director Li first got on the simulator, he made the mech trip 21 times."

Li Yang, who had been silent, had slightly red ears and awkwardly kicked Wang Hao.

This small interaction made the atmosphere on site much more relaxed.

The special forces major scratched his head and asked: "Chief, how do we train next?"

Feng Yan looked at Li Yang, who stepped forward, his tone calm but carrying unquestionable power:

"Starting tomorrow, everyone will begin with the most basic walking."

"Forget your military ranks, forget your past. Here, you only have one identity—"

He scanned the room, his voice echoing in the training hall:

"Rookies."

As the sun set, the trainees were marching to the dormitories when they could still hear Wang Hao shouting from behind:

"There's braised pork in the cafeteria tonight! Consider it a welcome for you all—after all, you need to be full to have the strength to get beaten up!"

At the end of the line, two pilots whispered:

"Why do I feel like I've fallen into a trap?"

"Same... but that braised pork smells really good."

At this time, Li Yang was in his office, worrying about the day's data.

Chen Guang pushed the door open and handed him a cup of coffee:

"Found the problem?"

"Worse than expected." Li Yang rubbed his temples.

"They are too excellent, which makes it even harder to get rid of inherent thinking. At this rate..."

Outside the window, the last batch of trainees was walking along Linyindao.

The J-20 lieutenant suddenly stopped, stood at attention toward the direction of the Simulation Training Center, and gave a standard military salute. ===== CHAPTER 113 =====