ABFMV Chapter 32 Part 1

Xu Linlang stayed quiet for a moment, thinking about how to explain this to Rong Chen.

Trying to describe a modern term like this without it sounding out of place was no easy task.

“Let’s put it this way—996 means working from nine in the morning to nine at night, six days a week.”

Katherine gave her a proud sideways glance. “I thought 996 was something serious, but it turns out to be nothing more than that. Could it be that the Marshal’s soldiers are all this lazy?”

Xu Linlang: “…”

Seriously? 996 counts as lazy here?

Katherine lifted her brows slightly. “In the military, everything we do is for His Majesty, for the glory of the Empire. We train for at least ten hours a day. The only reason I can’t leave my post is because of my sense of honor and duty. I’m willing to dedicate myself fully to the Empire’s cause.”

Xu Linlang smoothly countered, “If the mecha manufacturing division were to grind to a halt without you, doesn’t that just prove there aren’t many people there with that same honor and duty? They can’t even find one more person willing to dedicate themselves to the Empire’s cause?”

Then she turned to Rong Chen and pressed on, “Seems like His Majesty should hold a few more patriotic speeches in the military. Maybe that’ll boost their sense of honor and duty.”

Rong Chen’s expression didn’t change at all. “You’ve thought of everything, Linlang.”

Unlike Rong Chen, Katherine couldn’t keep calm listening to Xu Linlang’s sharp tongue. She straightened her brows and said, “Miss Xu, the reason I sought you out today is because I want to test your abilities in mecha manufacturing. That way, I can better understand Old Master Jiang’s standards in choosing people—and how far I am from them.”

Xu Linlang couldn’t help laughing. “I thought challenges like a college student going up against a grade-schooler only existed in jokes. Turns out reality is even wilder. You’re a lieutenant general, which means you’ve been working in mecha manufacturing for at least twenty years. I just barely entered the mecha manufacturing program—I’m a chick that just hatched. Have you ever seen an eagle challenge a chick to see who can fly higher?”

Katherine’s face flushed red, then pale, then red again. “If Old Master Jiang recognizes your skills, then you must have something exceptional.”

Xu Linlang smiled. “And if Old Master Jiang already acknowledged my skills, do you trust his judgment or not? If you do, then what’s the point of testing me?”

Katherine was speechless. She had known the Xu family’s young lady was difficult, but she hadn’t expected her to twist logic this way.

Even worse—she couldn’t find a single argument to fight back with.

Xu Linlang shifted her gaze to Rong Chen. “Uncle, I think you’re being a bit two-faced here. You can help Cousin turn down Chu Luochi’s request to meet, but you can’t help me refuse this challenge from Lieutenant General Katherine? People can’t just demand an audience or a match with members of the royal family whenever they feel like it, right?”

That one “uncle” softened her words from defiance into a spoiled junior’s plea.

Rong Chen narrowed his eyes. “But as royalty, we have to set the example and leave no room for criticism.”

Perhaps sensing his tone was too heavy, Rong Chen added, “How about this—the winner of this match will be rewarded with one of the military’s newest A+ grade mechas.”

Katherine’s eyes lit with even more determination. As someone in charge of mecha manufacturing, she knew exactly how valuable these were.

The Empire’s peak mecha model was the single S-grade made by Old Master Jiang. There was only one.

Everything else from the military was A-grade—until now. They had finally managed to create nearly ten A+ grade mechas after years of effort. His Majesty had intended to distribute them among the generals.

She hadn’t expected one to be promised as a prize here.

Since she had worked on these machines herself, of course, she wanted to own one.

Xu Linlang, however, wasn’t moved at all. She couldn’t even pilot a mecha. Winning one would just mean getting a new toy.

Her eyes flicked sideways—and landed on Qiye, standing quietly nearby.

She herself didn’t care about a mecha, but Qiye probably cared a lot.

After all, he was in the mecha piloting department.

Most of the students there either came from rich families or had noble sponsors. Qiye was the lone exception. As far as she knew, he still didn’t even have his own mecha.

How could a mecha pilot not have a mecha?

Xu Linlang thought quickly. Rong Chen had said this was an A+ grade machine. In the game’s storyline, the A+ mechas were the product of years of painstaking effort by the military.

They were in a class of their own.

Giving one to Qiye wouldn’t hold him back at all.

With that thought, she made up her mind—no reason to let this opportunity slip by.

“Alright then, let’s compete.”

Katherine looked her straight in the eye. “I know you’ve only just entered the academy. I won’t challenge you with anything too advanced. Let’s keep it simple—just a basic parts assembly.”

Parts assembly again.

Xu Linlang winced, remembering all those fifty years’ worth of exam papers and thirty years of practice problems she’d slogged through.

Almost as if they had prepared ahead of time, the staff quickly distributed the necessary materials.

Xu Linlang glanced over the pile and immediately noticed that all the parts were damaged.

Katherine’s pile was in the same condition.

From his seat, Rong Chen’s expression didn’t waver. “Assembling intact parts doesn’t reveal much about skill level. How one handles damaged parts—that’s where a mecha manufacturer’s true ability shows.”

Xu Linlang didn’t believe a word of it.

Saying it’s easier to see skill level was just an excuse. The real goal was to put her at a disadvantage.

New students like her are usually trained only with intact parts. It was only veterans who had the experience of working with damaged ones.

The key was knowing how to pick out the pieces that wouldn’t compromise the whole and use them to create an undamaged component.

That kind of insight came from years of hands-on practice.

She had no such experience.

But Xu Linlang didn’t back down.