ABFMV Chapter 25 Part 1

The professors’ expressions grew serious.

The assembly steps for mech parts were all based on the order originally laid out by the master engineer who designed them—the sequence was considered to be the optimal solution.

Some had tried assembling parts in different ways, but the results were always the same: either the finished product had flaws, or it cost too much time and effort.

None of them had ever turned out better than the standard assembly method.

And yet here was Professor He Tan, saying that a student’s self-assembled part was superior to one built according to the manual.

It was unthinkable.

He Tan set the part on a testing device for nondestructive inspection.

After all, surface dimensions and finish quality weren’t enough to prove anything. Parts used in mechs had an extraordinarily high rejection rate.

Only those that passed nondestructive testing—confirming no hidden defects that might cause catastrophic accidents—could actually be used.

The high price of a mech wasn’t just due to cutting-edge technology, but also the sheer number of parts consumed in the process.

Each mech’s components varied by model and had unique specifications. To prevent defective parts from being resold for profit, the Empire required that all rejected components be destroyed.

That meant mech production costs always included the price of vast numbers of scrapped parts—one of the main reasons for mechs’ sky-high price.

And the tool that decided whether a part would be used or destroyed was nondestructive testing.

Nondestructive testing examines components without altering them, detecting flaws by measuring performance changes caused by potential defects.

Through a series of methods, testers could determine whether a part had defects, identify the nature, size, and location of the flaw, and analyze its impact on a machine.

Using ultrasonic pulse-echo and penetration methods, the screen showed only the initial wave and the back wave—no defect reflection signals.

Magnetic particle testing also revealed no leakage fields caused by defects.

This candidate’s part had passed nondestructive inspection. It could be mounted directly onto a mech.

This was the first case in the department’s history.

Every prior admissions exam had yielded parts with at least minor flaws—never one that passed nondestructive inspection.

Since the exam only gave enough material for a single part, there was no chance to retry.

For a student to assemble a flawless part on the first attempt meant a 100% success rate.

Even though it was one of the simplest components, achieving perfection in one go was anything but easy.

Shock flashed across He Tan’s eyes. For once, he doubted both his own judgment and the accuracy of the tester, so he ran a second inspection.

The results were identical.

Every reading confirmed the part was flawless.

“H-how…how is this possible!” one professor exclaimed, eyes locked on the numbers on the display.

A female professor quickly produced another student’s part. “Try this one. Maybe the tester really is malfunctioning.”

But when He Tan ran the scan, the other part’s many defects showed up clearly.

The woman’s face froze in disbelief. “So the tester isn’t broken? That means a candidate really did produce a flawless part?”

Jiang Yan fixed his gaze on the part. He beckoned He Tan over. “Let me see it.”

Immediately, He Tan lifted the component with both hands and offered it with the utmost respect.

Jiang Yan held it, channeling his spiritual power. “It was assembled recently. No tampering.”

The professors all drew sharp breaths. Coming from Master Jiang, this was final.

The Empire had only one person with SS-level spiritual power: Jiang Yan himself.

That was why only he could craft an S-class mech.

If he said it was genuine, then it was.

The female professor blinked in disbelief. “So after all these years, our department has finally found a genius?”

He Tan nodded gravely. “Yes. With proper training and opportunities, his future is limitless. He could redefine the very field of mech engineering.”

He Tan was not a man given to exaggeration. His words came from the heart.

The woman urged, “Then hurry and admit this student! Otherwise, those vultures in the Repair Department will try to steal the talent from us.”

He Tan retrieved the part. To keep admissions fair, the system used anonymous evaluation. Only after scanning a part for confirmation would the student’s name appear on screen.

He quickly scanned the item—then froze as the name appeared.

Slowly, he stepped aside, revealing the screen. The candidate’s name was displayed clearly:

Xu Linlang.

The professors: “…”

The office fell into a deathly silence. Then the female professor forced a laugh. “Maybe it’s just someone with the same name? There are plenty of duplicates these days.”

He Tan clicked to open the student photo. A beautiful, striking face appeared.

The woman rubbed her nose and fell silent.

One professor scowled. “Maybe the Repair Department leaked the questions to the Marshal’s wife just to set us up. With Xu Linlang’s talent, how could she possibly produce this?”

He Tan raised his eyes. “What are you suggesting?”

The man answered confidently, “Obviously, the Xu family got the test in advance. They probably had someone else assemble the part and smuggled it in. Cancel her admission. A spoiled noble like her doesn’t belong in our department.”

The female professor frowned. “Anyone skilled enough to do this wouldn’t stoop to being a ghostwriter.”

Jiang Yan closed his eyes and said slowly, “Pull up the full holographic exam recording.”

Efficient as always, He Tan quickly accessed the footage.

At first glance, the professors were stunned all over again.