Bai Hao stared directly at the screen before him, took a light breath, nodded, and said, "Continue. 1S segment."
Nana replied, "Okay."
The screen flickered, displaying the interface for the 1S segment challenge.
"Challenge countdown: ten, nine, eight…"
Soon, the white mecha was once again plunged into battle. There were five enemy mechas. From the very start, they launched a near-frenzied assault on the white mecha, their attacks clearly prioritized and well-coordinated.
Bai Hao stared fixedly at the dazzling, fierce combat on the screen, watching each high-difficulty evasive flying maneuver. It was as if a flame had been ignited in his heart. If he possessed such superb piloting skills, he could probably become an Imperial star-ranked pilot.
As the battle rhythm unfolded, the combat on the screen grew increasingly intense. For the first ten-plus minutes, the white mecha didn't counterattack at all, merely blocking or dodging the enemy mechas' ferocious assaults.
At the fifteen-minute mark, the white mecha began its true counterattack. A laser cannon beam, swift as lightning, struck one of the enemy mechas. However, that mecha wasn't destroyed; only one of its mechanical legs was crippled, which didn't significantly impact its overall combat capability.
Although it was just a minor counterattack, Bai Hao, watching, realized a profoundly shocking fact. Throughout several segment challenges, every single attack from the white mecha had hit its mark; not a single one had missed.
"This is almost perversely accurate. Every shot a hit? Even an Imperial super-pilot with the 'Ten-Star' title probably couldn't guarantee that, could they?" Bai Hao's mind churned. His seemingly calm heart was stirred by waves again.
At the twenty-minute mark, the mecha with only one functional leg was destroyed in the white mecha's second counterattack.
At the thirty-minute mark, the white mecha's third counterattack destroyed another enemy mecha.
At the thirty-eighth minute, the third enemy mecha was destroyed.
At the forty-second minute, the white mecha shot down another enemy mecha.
At the forty-fifth minute, the final enemy mecha was destroyed.
"Congratulations, challenge successful!"
Looking at the dialog box that popped up on the screen, Bai Hao took a deep breath, barely managing to settle the turbulent emotions in his heart.
"Big brother, shall we continue the challenge?" Nana's silvery voice sounded again.
Bai Hao remained silent for a few breaths, then shook his head. "No need."
The screen flashed, and the silver-haired girl Nana reappeared, her face full of pride. "See, big brother? Nana didn't lie to you. I can pilot mechas."
Bai Hao offered a wry smile. This wasn't just "can"; her piloting skill was almost freakishly high, at least at the level of a six-star pilot, which was quite rare even among Imperial star pilots. Judging from her performance in the just-completed 1S segment challenge, Nana had handled those five enemy mechas with ease. Challenging the 2S segment probably wouldn't be a problem either. However, it was already late at night, and the simulation room would likely close soon. Higher segment challenges took progressively longer. There definitely wasn't enough time to attempt the 2S segment now. That's why he had stopped.
"Nana's piloting skills are indeed excellent. By the way, how did you acquire this ability to pilot mechas?" Bai Hao was very curious. How could a mere intelligent key card possess such formidable piloting capabilities? If so, the Empire might not need human pilots at all; they could simply be replaced by intelligent key cards. This would not only reduce personnel casualties but also grant combat capabilities rivaling powerful star pilots.
Of course, Bai Hao didn't know the special case of the intelligent key card in his possession. When machinery develops thought patterns similar to humans, can it still be called mere machinery? Perhaps "mechanical lifeform" is a more fitting description. Can humans truly control machinery that is also a form of life?
Nana paused, seeming thoughtful. "I was created with the ability to pilot mechas. But I heard Sister An Jie say it was achieved by integrating the piloting data of a vast number of the most outstanding human pilots."
"Integrating the data of the most outstanding pilots!" Bai Hao felt a slight sense of awe. The only entity capable of such a feat was likely the Imperial military.
Half an hour later, Bai Hao left the combat simulation room. Before leaving, he attempted the 1B segment challenge three times himself, but unfortunately, he failed each time. However, under Nana's guidance from the sidelines, he made significant progress. Nana's guidance wasn't simple. After each failed challenge, she would provide a comprehensive analysis for Bai Hao—what could have been done better, where mistakes were made, how to respond in certain situations—and she presented it all on the screen using concrete data. Bai Hao understood immediately and knew how to specifically address his shortcomings. For a time, he benefited immensely. It was just a shame the simulation room was about to close; otherwise, given four or five hours, he might very well have broken through the 1B segment challenge.
Exiting the main building of the Second Research Institute, Bai Hao first went to the internal supermarket within the Baoli Corporation to buy some daily necessities and food. Then, he leisurely returned to his dormitory and cooked a bowl of vegetable and egg noodles for dinner. Living alone, he was quite casual, not fussy about meals. If he had time, he'd make a proper meal; if not, a nutrient bar would suffice.
After dinner, he sat at his desk and began earnestly reading those thick theoretical books. For over three months, he hadn't left the Baoli Corporation premises. Outside of work, his primary task was absorbing the theoretical knowledge he lacked. In this era of knowledge and technology, he understood that humanity's most powerful weapon wasn't physical strength, but the mind.
In the following days, besides diligently completing his daily work, another important task for Bai Hao was visiting the combat simulation room. When Nana successfully challenged the 2S segment in one hour and twenty minutes, and the 3S segment in one hour and fifty-five minutes, he was once again astounded by her formidable piloting prowess. This indicated that Nana's piloting skill was at least at the eight-star pilot level. As for the 4S segment and the pinnacle 5S segment, Bai Hao didn't have her attempt them. Challenges at those levels involved multiple waves of mecha combat, which would take several times longer than the 3S segment. He couldn't be bothered to waste that time.
Testing Nana's piloting abilities was only a minor reason for his visits to the simulation room. The main reason was to improve his own piloting skills. With Nana's data-driven comprehensive analysis and guidance, his piloting proficiency advanced by leaps and bounds—so rapidly that even he found it somewhat unbelievable.