“Still want to fly?”

Rattlesnake believed it had made a terrible mistake.

Knowing its Master was short on funds, it thought it could pull in some sponsors. Together with Ptolemy, it salvaged discarded display boards, found a printing robot to etch some characters with laser, and went to the exhibitors to pitch itself.

Rattlesnake held up a small sign: [My Master is “Ad Space for Rent,” I am “Rattlesnake,” seeking sponsors~]

The exhibitors, large and small, were all machine lovers. Seeing a mecha holding a sign was adorable to them; from time to time, someone would call the pair over and stuff them with free samples: cleaning cloths, shell wax, floor mats for the cockpit…

They were all worthless trinkets.

Yet Rattlesnake politely thanked them, tucked the gifts into its luggage rack, and pulled Ptolemy along to help the exhibitors move boxes and pack up their booths.

People couldn’t help but praise them: “What a cute, sensible mecha. Who took such good care of it?”

“Even though it’s a factory-standard model without modifications, that lacquered shell is beautiful.”

Rattlesnake replied cautiously: “Thank you. That’s because Master gave me three coats of wax.”

Everyone nodded in approval. To hand-apply three layers of wax meant the mecha was clearly the pilot’s darling. A pilot who maintained their machine so meticulously deserved to fly such a good mecha.

However, this scene fell into a pair of eyes crimson filled with envy.

As soon as Rattlesnake left after moving the boxes, it was silently struck by another mecha.

The opposing pilot jumped down and shouted accusations: “I saw it clearly from inside! You hit me on purpose! You’re trying to kill me!”

Then, he kicked his own mecha. It was unresponsive. He cried out in shock: “My mecha is broken!”

Rattlesnake coldly maintained its innocence and prepared to call the insurance company.

The other party scoffed: “Call them. Instructing a mecha to harm other contestants before a race, I’m reporting this to the committee to have your Master’s qualification revoked.”

A crowd began to gather, and discordant voices rose:

“Whose mecha is this? Acting on its own and causing an accident. Isn’t this just making trouble for the pilot?”

“It’s over now. The pilot’s going to be suspended. I knew AI is never up to any good.”

“Whoever owns this mecha is in for some rotten luck.”

Amidst the cynicism, there was also disbelief and indignation from the exhibitors: “Impossible. There must be a mistake. We have to check the surveillance.”

However, that particular turn was a blind spot for the cameras. Ptolemy wasn’t nearby, and Rattlesnake hadn’t turned on its flight recorder. With only the other party’s word, there was no way to prove anything.

Ji Le then casually dropped a bombshell: “What you people don’t know is that this is an experimental unit. It likely has severe cognitive defects, which is why it attacks unprovoked.”

“No wonder! That was definitely a malicious attack.” Many people had been hurt by rogue mechas and once a similar incident appeared, public indignation was easily ignited.

Rattlesnake endured the fierce accusations until Anna arrived from the association.

The lower its head hung, the more satisfied Ji Le became.

Eventually, Rattlesnake was berated into rebooting.

Anna dragged it back to the association and told it to recharge and rest. It refused to do anything; it just stood wordlessly in the center of the empty lot, braving the sub-zero wind blowing. Its engine shuddered, and it peered toward the wall from time to time.

It seemed to be reflecting, or perhaps waiting for someone to arrive.

---

 

Having understood the sequence of events, Bai Ling’s eyes gradually became cold.

Staging accidents, slandering, extortion… he was all too familiar with this playbook. The mecha circle always guarded against gentlemen but not scoundrels. Since someone dared to play dirty with him and ruin his little girl’s mindset—

Then don’t blame him for being ruthless.

With a plan formed in his heart, Bai Ling took Rattlesnake to find Ji Le and coldly asked:

“You claim your mecha can no longer move, but words are cheap. Do you have any other evidence?”

Ji Le was waiting for this. He raised an eyebrow provocatively and tossed a thick stack of appraisal reports: “Is this enough? The result: Category 1 damage.”

Ji Le expected Bai Ling to fly into a rage and kick the papers, but the man was surprisingly resilient. He leaned down and picked them up one by one, examining them closely.

Moreover, that cold face didn’t show a single hint of humiliation.

Ji Le gritted his teeth in secret.

He was here to see the other man make a fool of himself; he hadn’t expected such a flat reaction, which left his own frustration bottled up in his chest.

I’ll see how long you can stay calm!

Ji Le casually said: “Since you’re a rookie, I won’t ask for too much in compensation. Let’s go with this number.”

To strike a snake, you hit the vitals. Since the opponent was poor, he naturally wanted to bleed him dry. Ji Le smiled and held up two fingers.

Bai Ling glanced at them. “Two hundred?”

Ji Le nearly choked. “What? I want twenty million! Does a third-rate pilot like you have no concept of a mecha’s value? Don’t tell me you’re too poor to even open the manufacturer’s price list.”

Bai Ling organized the appraisal reports, his long, pale fingers sliding across the edges. When he looked up, his eyes held a sharp perceptiveness: “I think you’re only worth two hundred. At most, fifty more.”

Seeing the other party’s look of disdain, Ji Le lost his temper and hurled insults: “You crippled piece of bird shit, you’re the 250 nobody wants!”

He doesn’t even have a sponsor to his name and dares to act up like this?

At that moment, Anna heard the commotion and walked out. She paused, eyebrows raised, and secretly summoned a micro-camera.

The little flying orb flapped its wings toward the hall, capturing the exact moment Ji Le spat out the word “cripple.”

Though “cripple” and “disabled” were similar, the former was a hundred times more insulting. Many birds in the mecha circle had undergone amputations due to injury and such term was a taboo. Even during the heat of a match, a pilot calling an opponent a “cripple” would earn a heavy penalty or a red card from the referee.

But Ji Le didn’t care.

He was used to being arrogant in private. Aside from his rich daddy, he rarely showed anyone a good face, and he would berate or hit his assistants at the drop of a hat.

Even if negative news leaked, his sponsor would immediately hire PR to white-wash him into a “pitiful but straightforward little lotus,” attracting a wave of “personality fans” anyway.

He was arrogant because he had a background.

You’re unhappy?

Tomorrow I’ll have the PR department smear you so badly your reputation will be ruined. You’ll be resigning in tears from your position as the Test Pilot 0 and will shamefully apologize to me in public.

Ji Le was secretly looking forward to “Bai Ling” trending the next morning for the mecha attack incident, but he didn’t expect the other man to say:

“What if I can fix your mecha?”

Ji Le sneered. An overconfident fool. Having no money to pay has made him lose his mind.

“Look clearly. That is Category 1 damage; it’s no different from being completely scrapped. Do you really think you’re a master-level mechanic?”

Anna was also startled.

The mechanic trade relied entirely on accumulated experience; the older, the better. For a nineteen-year-old to join a five-star association was already a freakish talent, but how could he also know how to repair things?

Bai Ling calmly replied: “How will we know if we don’t try?”

Contempt flickered in Ji Le’s eyes. He wouldn’t believe this cripple could fix a mecha even if he was beaten to death. Since the white-haired kid was bluffing, he didn’t mind giving him a chance just to see him fall into utter despair.

“Fine. Follow me.”

They went outside to the transport trailer, which looked like a black coffin. Inside of it was the mecha with the damaged core.

Yes, core damage.

Bai Ling reviewed the appraisal. Aside from the three claw bones lost in the collision with Rattlesnake, the main reason for the “Category 1” rating was an unknown failure in the core, causing the system to fail to boot.

The interior of the transport trailer was narrow. Bai Ling struggled through the gaps and reached the cockpit door, letting out a sigh of relief.

The problem now was how to pry the door open.

He came in a hurry and didn’t have the right tools. Just as he was considering going back for some, his elbow hit the hard object at his waist.

Right, the Lake Askid Dagger!

The gemstone’s hardness on the hilt far surpassed the mecha’s materials’. Bai Ling easily pried open the window, reached in, and skillfully pressed the door release.

This didn’t affect the mecha’s appearance or damage the lock.

— It was just a small trick from an experienced craftsman.

As he entered the cockpit; it was pitch black inside.

Bai Ling habitually walked toward the pilot’s seat, but halfway there, he stepped on something. A sharp, ear-piercing “crunch” rang out.

He clicked on his terminal light, bending down to take a closer look.

It was just a potato chip bag stained with a footprint.

The terminal’s light slowly swept forward. More chaotic debris was scattered across the floor, and a layer of greasy dust coated the area under the seat, appearing as if it hadn’t been cleaned in ages. The back row was stuffed with stinking clothes and cosmetics; it didn’t look like a cockpit—it looked more like a dressing room or a makeup studio.

Bai Ling’s lips curled into a cold smirk, confirming his suspicions.

A mecha in active use would never be filled with such junk. Otherwise, during a high-impact inversion, every single item would come crashing down onto the back of the pilot’s head.

He’d be concussed in a matter of seconds.

The fact that it was piled high with these trifles could only mean one thing: this mecha hasn’t touched the skies in a long time. It was likely being used as nothing more than a temporary lounge for the competition.

“An old dog at the end of its rope, squeezed dry of all utility, finally dragged out by its owner to extort me…”

Bai Ling lowered his gaze, his palm brushing a thin layer of dust off the control console.

Then, he uttered just three words, and the screen of the “severely damaged” mecha suddenly flickered to life.

He asked—

“Still want to fly?”