Valerie instinctively moved her fingers.
The power armor's massive metal hand immediately responded in perfect synchronization, without the slightest delay, as if the colossal mechanical structure was an inherent part of her body.
When she lifted her right arm, she could even clearly "feel" the faint tremor of energy flowing within the power gauntlet, much like sensing her own muscle contractions.
"This…" Valerie was momentarily speechless.
This feeling of effortless control, as if her arm was directly operating it, was starkly different from the previous experience of having to deliberately overcome operational sluggishness.
She felt as though she had truly merged with this several-meter-tall steel giant, every command transmitted as naturally as a neural signal.
"Neural synchronization rate 92%, status stable." The auxiliary AI's voice resonated directly in her consciousness, its tone steady, yet seemingly imbued with an indescribable sense of coordination than before: "Commencing basic mobility test, please follow the guidance."
Valerie responded to the system's guidance almost instinctively.
Driven by her will, the power armor fluidly executed a series of complex maneuvers such as walking, running, sudden stops, turns, and jumps, with transitions as natural as controlling her own body.
The persistent feeling of heaviness had vanished, replaced by a sense of powerful yet completely controlled strength.
"How does it feel?" Osiris' voice came through the encrypted channel.
"Unbelievable…" Valerie's voice carried an irrepressible shock, "It's like… it has become an extension of my body. Operational delay is almost imperceptible."
"Data logs show a 47% increase in reaction speed and a 31% increase in action precision." Osiris calmly reported the analysis results, "Now commencing weapon system test.
Prioritize evaluating the combined effectiveness of the Storm Bolter and shoulder-mounted laser cannon. Target: preset targets one kilometer away."
Valerie's thoughts stirred, and she maneuvered the power armor out of the workshop; the Storm Bolter mounted on her left arm quickly rose, aiming data instantly appearing in her field of vision, requiring almost no conscious adjustment.
She could even "perceive" the internal mechanical workings of the weapon, as if hearing the subtle metallic friction of shells sliding into the chamber.
"Bang! Bang! Bang!"
Three precise single shots; the immense recoil was clearly transmitted through the neural link, yet she instantly adapted and completely nullified it.
In the distance, targets marked as heavy armor fell one by one, indicating hits.
"Switch to shoulder-mounted laser cannon, maintain continuous illumination on the moving target marked B."
As soon as the command was given, Valerie didn't even need to consciously search for the target; the shoulder-mounted laser cannon had automatically locked onto the target maneuvering at high speed within the test area.
A crimson beam shot out precisely, continuously searing the surface of the moving target, leaving deep red scorch marks on the metal plate.
While the laser cannon was continuously firing, Valerie had already sensed the energy converging in her right arm's power gauntlet.
This multi-tasking became effortless in neural direct-link mode; she could simultaneously process status information from multiple weapon systems, as naturally as breathing.
"Melee mode ready. Simulated enemy oni power armor unit approaching."
No sooner had the system's prompt sounded than Valerie spotted the discarded oni frame placed in the center of the test area.
This semi-combat test area was scattered with actual war debris, lending a sense of real-world urgency to every test.
She controlled the power armor in a swift forward charge; the four-meter-tall steel body displayed astonishing agility under neural direct-link control.
The moment she approached the target, her right fist, charged with accumulated energy, swung out.
The power gauntlet's disintegration field instantly activated; this time, the sensation of material disintegration was clearer than ever before—it felt not like a weapon destroying, but as if her own fist was directly crushing the target.
The discarded oni frame disintegrated in the disintegration field as if gnawed by an invisible beast, its metal components turning into fine dust scattering in the air.
Valerie could even feel every subtle vibration of the target's structural collapse through the neural link; this experience, almost an extension of her senses, brought her mastery of the power gauntlet to a new level.
Subsequently, she also tested removing the Storm Bolter and equipping a combination of a physical shield and a chainsword, experiencing the differences between pure melee defense and attack.
The entire testing process lasted several hours, with Valerie trying various weapon module combinations.
In neural direct-link mode, she could not only switch and use weapons faster but also intuitively feel each weapon's energy consumption, recoil, armor-piercing effect, and effectiveness at different ranges.
After the test, Valerie stepped out of the cockpit.
Although the continuous high-intensity testing had left her mentally fatigued, her eyes gleamed with an unusually bright light.
This feeling of being able to control it as easily as her own arm reawakened something that had been suppressed within her since her betrayal and pursuit—the desire to control her own destiny.
"Data collection complete." Osiris said to the hovering servo-skull, its crimson optical lens scanning the newly compiled analysis report. "Neural direct-link mode's enhancement of combat effectiveness meets expectations, especially in multi-weapon system coordination and melee reaction."
He pulled up detailed weapon evaluation data, his tone filled with technical assessment: "The Storm Bolter performs best in overall cost-effectiveness, with convenient ammunition resupply and good suppression against various armored targets.
While the Plasma Blaster has the greatest power, its energy consumption is too high and its rate of fire is limited, making it more suitable as a solution for special circumstances.
The shoulder-mounted laser cannon is quite reliable as auxiliary firepower, with low energy consumption and strong sustainability.
The physical shield is valuable when dealing with concentrated firepower but does sacrifice some mobility.
The power gauntlet remains irreplaceable in close combat, while the chainsword is more efficient when dealing with non-heavy armored targets."
"Overall," Osiris concluded, "a balanced configuration, such as a Storm Bolter combined with a power gauntlet, supplemented by a shoulder-mounted laser cannon or physical shield depending on the situation, should be able to meet most battlefield needs. Special missions will require specialized customization."
He turned to Valerie: "How was your actual combat experience?"
Valerie pondered for a moment and replied earnestly: "Neural direct-link indeed significantly improves weapon usage efficiency. I personally prefer the combination of the Storm Bolter and power gauntlet; it covers both long and short range and has sufficient burst power.
While the shield is useful, it does affect mobility."
Osiris' optical lens flickered slightly: "Very good. Next, you will need to undergo higher intensity combat training to fully adapt to combat in neural direct-link mode.
Any thoughts or suggestions you have can be put forward, and reasonable parts will be taken as reference and integrated into subsequent mass production considerations."
As the experimental machine was continuously refined and Valerie made rapid progress, Osiris' technical reserves gained another reliable option.
Meanwhile, on the front lines, the war of attrition between Arasaka and Militech continued, with new steel wreckage piling up in the Badlands every day, and new combat data emerging from the smoke of battle.
Behind this seemingly stalemated conflict, undercurrents still surged—Yorinobu Arasaka's schemes and the probing of various factions all indicated that this corporate war was far from over.
Osiris, on the other hand, continued to focus on his technological research and iteration, calmly observing, analyzing, and improving, preparing for potential technological breakthroughs.