Chapter 421

Private mechs of certified mech pilots are usually modified models.

Because these mechs require only minor adjustments to standard-issue components and can be used immediately, both manufacturing difficulty and cost are far more acceptable.

But another type—the independent mech—is entirely different.

Such mechs demand a brand-new design blueprint, and their manufacturing cost is shockingly high, often several times—or more—that of a comparable modified mech.

The reason independent mechs cannot be mass-produced is that their materials are scarce; certain special components cannot be sourced by a single base, forcing mech pilots to expend extra merit points to exchange for them at other bases, or find alternative channels themselves.

Even if such a mech is finally built, it must undergo battlefield testing, requiring multiple factory returns for adjustments, and certain components often need to be remade repeatedly—the cost is unimaginable.

The mech called "Archangel" that Wang Yu once saw on the Star River billboard was a special independent mech; reportedly, because it was a star-class mech, its construction cost nearly equaled that of a small base.

That's why Prince Isa, leveraging his special status and pouring vast sums of real-world money, could convince so many players to willingly exchange and collect the rare materials needed for it—otherwise, it would never have been built so easily.

Wang Yu had only just become a certified mech pilot and had no merit points to speak of, so he could not possibly purchase a personal mech right away.

If he were an ordinary person, or treated Star River as just a regular game, he wouldn't care—after all, it was only a game.

But he already knew Star River was connected to Dr. Chen and these future people, and that everything in the game was likely set against the backdrop of future Blue Star; the mechs in Star River were almost certainly real mechs capable of being built on future Blue Star.

Even the nebula beasts in the game might be the massive disaster Blue Star was about to face.

Dr. Chen had told him outright that the "Ten-Year Conscription" was not fake—it was a real event that would occur in the future, causing massive casualties.

Although Dr. Chen had not revealed the details of the "Ten-Year Conscription," there was no doubt it was deeply tied to Star River's content, and likely involved the future Blue Star Alliance.

After all, the projections appearing in the game's special training scenarios were all personnel from the future Blue Star Alliance.

Under these circumstances, even though he didn't know whether any nation had yet built real mechs, it was unquestionably correct to master mech technology in Star River first, learn the weaknesses of all nebula beasts, and determine in advance what type of mech suited him best.

This would be his vital self-preservation method when the future conscription or the great disaster arrived, so he had been logging into Star River frequently these days.

Now, he had reached the lobby counter, where behind it stood a silver robot with a round, bulbous head.

The robot's face was a cylindrical scanner; as Wang Yu and Fang Yi stopped before the counter, the scanner immediately locked onto Wang Yu, emitting a faint beam that swept him from head to toe.

The beam retracted, and a semi-transparent holographic screen instantly materialized on the counter.

Wang Yu tapped a few times on the screen, and from within the silver robot came a beautiful young woman's voice:

"Respected Certified Mech Pilot, you have accepted the bounty mission 'Lunar Canyon Ambush.' Kill the designated number of nebula beasts in the mission to earn corresponding military merit."

No sooner had the voice ended than white light flared on Wang Yu's chest—the hidden mech pilot badge emerged, as if receiving new data.

Wang Yu waited until the badge dimmed again, then turned and left the counter, heading for the mech hangar outside the lobby.

"Brother, Chinese? From which city? Interested in a government job? Municipal or provincial—clean background, and we can place you directly, starting at the section chief level?"

"You look unfamiliar—you just became a certified mech pilot, right? Need funding? Our company is among the top three state-owned enterprises in Jiangxi Province."

"Sir, state-owned enterprises have too many rules and cumbersome funding approvals—have you considered partnering with a real corporation? We're a top-100 global multinational; signing fees start at a million, and payment is wired immediately upon signature."

"Hey, buddy, need a team? We're one of the top three teams in the base—our captain is a certified mech pilot, ranked within the global top 3, 00."

…

Around him, seven or eight players had been waiting near the counter for a long time; the moment they spotted Wang Yu's certified mech pilot badge, they surged forward with overwhelming enthusiasm, each trying to recruit him—some even opened system screens to photograph or record him.

Remember, although there were hundreds of bases under Star River's setting, the total number of certified mech pilots worldwide was under one hundred thousand, averaging just over a hundred per base.

Compared to the millions of players at each base, they were unquestionably the elite.

Although Wang Yu had heard from Li Xiaodao that certified mech pilots were highly sought after, seeing this scene left him speechless.

Without hesitation, he pressed a button on his clothing; a silver-white helmet instantly rose over his head, fully concealing his face, while he rapidly refused all advances and pushed through the crowd away from the counter.

Seeing this, none of them truly chased after him, but Wang Yu's ears kept filling with system prompts for friend requests.

Clearly, they were using the system's proximity communication feature to add him.

Wang Yu ignored the prompts and left the lobby.

…

In the "Lunar Grand Canyon Ambush" mission.

In a canyon nearly a li wide, hundreds of various mechs, under cover of countless drones, were locked in fierce combat with thousands of nebula beasts—covered in five-colored feathers, with long slender legs, moving like wind, resembling giant ostriches.

Most of these mechs were standard-issue, yet each appeared well-trained and fully armed.

These ostrich-like nebula beasts, in battle, flailed their long five-colored tail feathers wildly, crackling with electric sparks like multiple long whips; any mech struck by them suffered either immediate component short-circuiting and smoke, or complete paralysis and collapse.

Moreover, their slender hind legs could leap over several zhang high, then slam down with crushing force—claws like blades piercing through mech bodies, crushing them into shattered fragments.

Clearly, these nebula beasts were close-combat specialists; even one-on-one, human mechs might not prevail.

On the human side, mechs operated in squads of four or five—either unleashing ranged fire in all directions, or wielding shield and great blade to shield comrades from charging nebula beasts, constantly trying to maintain distance.

Although dense swarms of drones filled the sky aiding the human mechs, their laser rounds, limited by firepower, could only harass and distract—unable to inflict real damage on these nebula beasts.

Worse, any drone flying too low was instantly leapt upon and struck by the beasts' tails, exploding on impact.

The mech line that had been desperately blocking the nebula beast horde soon collapsed, one mech after another swallowed by the dense swarm.

At that moment, a roar echoed from the sky—a massive black vessel, a kilometer long, descended from high altitude, landing directly before the beast horde, casting a vast shadow across the canyon floor.

A thunderous blast.

The vessel's colossal main cannon, towering like a pillar, fired a searing beam that pierced through the horde—every nebula beast struck by the beam vanished instantly, leaving behind a deep, massive trench on the ground.

Just that single shot reduced the horde by one-tenth to one-fifth.

But the vessel's massive cannon glowed red-hot, clearly unable to fire a second shot anytime soon.

As the nebula beasts stirred in confusion, a piercing shriek erupted from within the horde—immediately, the remaining beasts, as if receiving a command, charged furiously toward the vessel.

"Boom!"

Several hatches beneath the vessel opened simultaneously, releasing a swarm of colorful mechs—each design unique, yet all bearing the glaringly bright characters "PLAYER" on their heads.

Wang Yu piloted a conspicuous, crude "Tulong Type I" mech, unmistakably among them.