Bang! Bang!...
Before Bai Hao could even react, the blue mecha unleashed another torrent of attacks, raining down on the silver mecha like a storm of steel petals.
"Warning: System under attack. Structural integrity remaining: forty percent."
"Warning: System under attack. Structural integrity remaining: twenty-eight percent."
...
A rapid series of system alerts flashed across the screen before Bai Hao. The blue mecha's assaults were precise and relentless. His silver mecha was utterly overwhelmed, trapped in a purely defensive stance with no opportunity to mount a counteroffensive.
"A single misstep leads to total defeat!"
Observing the silver mecha on the screen, now incapable of effective defense, a wry smile touched Bai Hao's lips. Clearly, no chance remained to turn this defeat into victory; he could only watch as his mecha was destroyed.
Crash!
With one final,凌厉 kick, the blue mecha shattered the silver mecha, bringing the session to a decisive close.
"Your mecha has been destroyed."
The dialog box announcing the expected result popped onto the screen.
Yan Yifei let out a soft sigh, a captivating and excited smile gracing her features. "You've certainly improved, junior brother," she said lightly. "You actually made your senior sister spend a full three minutes this time."
Three minutes. Compared to their previous matches, this was indeed a better outcome, representing Bai Hao's personal best so far.
"Thank you for the praise, Senior Sister," Bai Hao replied with a bitter chuckle. Inwardly, however, a flicker of frustration remained. He had believed he might hold his own in close-quarters combat, but he had miscalculated. Yan Yifei's skills in melee were formidably robust, far beyond what a novice like himself, who had only recently begun training, could hope to challenge.
"Shall we continue, junior brother?" Yan Yifei asked.
Bai Hao nodded quickly, his voice firm. "Continue!"
...
They engaged in several more rounds consecutively, each ending, unsurprisingly, in Bai Hao's decisive defeat. By now, he had grown accustomed to such outcomes, whatever sliver of pride remaining in his bones having long been thoroughly tempered by these repeated losses.
Exiting the simulation pods and changing back into their regular clothes, Bai Hao followed Yan Yifei as they walked out at a leisurely pace.
"Your combat awareness and judgment are quite good now, junior brother," Yan Yifei said, walking briskly. "Your current training should focus on two primary areas: control precision and hand-speed training. What is your current effective APM?"
APM, or Actions Per Minute, refers to the number of commands input per minute and serves as a fundamental metric for assessing combat control proficiency. Higher hand speed yields a higher APM, which in turn allows for more commands to be issued, creating a significant advantage in battle. For instance, if one pilot can only execute two cannon-fired commands per second while another can manage three, the latter inherently holds the upper hand when they engage, all other factors being equal.
"My peak effective APM reaches about 150," Bai Hao replied, scratching his head slightly awkwardly.
Yan Yifei offered a faint smile. "To be honest, that number is rather low. Do you know the minimum APM standard for an Imperial One-Star Pilot?"
Bai Hao shook his head.
"Three hundred and fifty," Yan Yifei stated calmly. "Only by reaching that level can one barely meet the evaluation standard for an Imperial One-Star Pilot."
Bai Hao was taken aback. An APM of 350 meant he hadn't even reached half the required proficiency. What would such hand speed even feel like?
"It seems I still have a long way to go," he said, a hint of discouragement in his voice. Improving APM was no easy task, and the higher the value, the more challenging it became to increase.
"Don't be discouraged, junior brother," Yan Yifei said, glancing at him. "Improving APM is difficult, yet not impossible. Given your current potential, provided you maintain persistent and diligent daily training, I believe you have considerable room for growth."
"Oh, thank you, Senior Sister," Bai Hao nodded in response.
"No need for thanks between us," Yan Yifei chuckled. "However, you shouldn't focus solely on chasing a high APM number. Otherwise, you might develop flashy but impractical operations that offer no real benefit in combat. True mecha combat involves numerous factors; APM is just one small, foundational reference point among them..."
Bai Hao listened intently to Yan Yifei's guidance as he kept pace. Her instruction was as valuable as Nana's data analysis. Since he began simulated combat training, advancing from Segment 1D to 2B in just over three months was an achievement that would likely leave even students from professional mecha academies feeling left in the dust—a progress owed largely to Yan Yifei's meticulous coaching.
After leaving the Second Research Institute, they went to the cafeteria and shared a meal.
Following dinner, Bai Hao returned to his staff dormitory at the institute. After a quick wash, he sat at his desk and began diligently studying the seemingly profound theoretical texts. Life at the Baoli Corporation was highly satisfying. While it lacked the ease and freedom of his days at the B5 repair shop, the daily learning and steady progress filled him with an unprecedented sense of purpose. His life resembled a flower bud waiting to bloom, brimming with potential and hope.
It wasn't until 1:00 AM that Bai Hao, still somewhat reluctant to end his studies, finally went to bed, awaiting the dawn of a new day.
Over the next two months, Bai Hao spent several hours training in the simulation room almost every day after work. Under Yan Yifei's guidance, he concentrated on enhancing his hand speed and accuracy. Admittedly, increasing his APM proved challenging; despite intense, repetitive practice over these months, his hand speed showed only marginal improvement, barely sustaining a level around 200.
Although his APM increased by only about fifty points, Bai Hao's overall mecha control saw significant advancement, credit for which undeniably belonged to Nana's assistance. Within the powerful data analysis system, he could rapidly identify shortcomings and deficiencies in his control and promptly correct them through simulated exercises.
Furthermore, he had successfully challenged and passed the 3B segment and was now striving for the 4B segment. The process of improving his APM undoubtedly contributed to his more adept control of the simulated mecha. Previously, the 3B segment challenge had consumed considerable time, not due to flawed strategy but because of insufficient control speed. Once his APM reached approximately 180, he cleared the 3B challenge smoothly. As for the 4B segment, he now had a clearer self-assessment: with Nana's robust data analysis and guidance, strategy wasn't the primary issue; the main obstacle was that his APM still fell short of the required standard.