Chapter 11: He Used to Be a Rifleman

"Why am I the one doing all the work when you're the mechanic?"

The next morning, in front of the storeroom in the exercise yard, Curly Hair, who had been busy with the mecha for an hour, couldn't help but complain to Eddie, who was tapping away at his computer not far away.

The temperature outside the Death Star was even higher, and repairing a mecha was physically demanding. Despite Curly Hair's better-than-average physical condition, his arms were starting to ache.

"Do you understand the algorithms of the smart core?" Eddie looked at Curly Hair.

"No, I don't."

"Oh." Eddie nodded, then asked, "Do you understand the energy replacement of energy weapons?"

"I don't understand that either."

"So, you don't know anything. What else could you do besides physical work?"

"..."

Curly Hair gave Eddie a speechless look and climbed back up the ladder to continue working in the mecha's cockpit.

Eddie saw all this and secretly smiled, then lowered his head and continued his work. Adam was efficient; the computer Eddie needed was delivered before dawn. Since Eddie had to repair the smart core and modify the firearms, both tasks requiring considerable effort, he had told Curly Hair, a seasoned Iron Rider, to handle the maintenance and replacements while he started on the smart core. After all, this was the fundamental component for the operation of the mecha; without it, everything else was moot.

With the blue sun hanging in the sky and the high metal walls enclosing the yard, the two of them worked hard, heads down. Adam, clueless about mechanics and mechas, couldn't help much except to keep bringing food and drinks.

However, as someone who liked to talk, Curly Hair wasn't silenced by the food and drinks. At noon, when it was hottest and the other prisoners had returned to their cells for a break, Curly Hair approached Eddie and asked, "Eddie, how much help can this smart core be in the capture-the-flag battle? Compared to other mechas, what advantages does it bring?"

"Aren't you a Colonel-class Iron Rider?" Eddie looked at Curly Hair skeptically. "Most vanguard-class mechas are equipped with a smart core. As a veteran Iron Rider, don't you know the advantages of a smart core?"

"You said it yourself, 'most,' not 'all.'" Curly Hair scratched his head and explained, "It's too expensive. My own mecha isn't equipped with one. I've only occasionally piloted other vanguard-class mechas with smart cores, but I hardly used the intelligent assistance, so I don't understand it well."

"I did forget that detail..." Eddie glanced at Curly Hair and nodded slightly.

Curly Hair's situation was typical of most Iron Riders. Although the profession was rare and lucrative, the value of a mecha far exceeded their earnings. Most Iron Riders, especially those of lower rank, didn't own mechas. The mechas they operated in combat were usually provided by their organizations. In essence, most low-ranking Iron Riders were just highly paid workers.

Without buying their mechas, their earnings could ensure a comfortable life, but owning one would involve expenses they couldn't easily afford. This made their seemingly generous salaries seem quite meager in comparison.

"The smart core has three main advantages," Eddie continued. "First, it constantly monitors the mecha's status and feeds back to the Iron Riders, allowing them to focus entirely on combat. Second..."

Eddie paused, took a sip of the cold drink Adam had brought, and then refocused on the computer, working and speaking simultaneously, "The second is computational power. While vanguard-class intelligence is somewhat wooden in on-the-spot combat, intelligence is still intelligence. Its computational power is definitely stronger than a human brain... at least stronger than yours."

Curly Hair looked at Eddie as if to say, 'Are you mocking me?'

Eddie, not even glancing at him, continued, "If the mecha is properly equipped, it can calculate wind force, air humidity, planetary gravity, and so on. At the very least, it can assist the Iron Riders in aiming. And the third, and most important, point is that the smart core enables the mecha to operate autonomously, i.e., to fight without a Iron Riders. Although there are limitations, it definitely adds tactical versatility.

"Take this Mammoth, for instance. Based on your data, it ranks in the lower middle among the twenty mechas. Adam's luck isn't great..."

"You dare to say that about the boss?"

"He's your boss, not mine. I'd say the same even if he were here," Eddie shrugged nonchalantly.

There are differences even among soldier-class mechas. Some are military, some are racing, and some are domestic. Domestic mechas are mostly simple versions created by mechanical companies to satisfy ordinary people's fascination with mechas, and they differ significantly from military and racing mechas in all aspects.

The Mammoth is somewhat a domestic mecha. Among the more than twenty mechas prepared by Jesse, the Mammoth is at the bottom. In Eddie's view, if it weren't for Curly Hair's higher rank and high synchronization rate with the mecha, the Mammoth wouldn't have won even two capture-the-flag battles. Saying Adam is unlucky is not wrong.

"Keep talking about this mecha." Eddie, without looking up, pointed at the Mammoth and said, "Its tonnage, armor thickness, and firepower configuration are inferior to military mechas, and its output level and maximum torque are inferior to racing mechas. If it weren't agile enough, it would be virtually useless, and fighting other mechas of the same class would certainly be passive... You must have experienced this."

"Although I hate to agree with you, you're right," Curly Hair said bitterly, as if recalling some unpleasant memories.

"Adding a smart core changes everything. With a smart core, the mecha gains the ability to fight independently. You can be freed up for a while, and you can do more by coordinating with the mecha, changing the course of battle."

"For example?"

"For instance, let the mecha engage the enemy mecha head-on while you jump out of the cockpit to pull out the opponent's battery."

"Isn't that basically sending me to my death?"

Curly Hair looked at Eddie with an expression that read 'I don't understand.'

Eddie's suggested tactic was indeed feasible. As a Iron Rider, Curly Hair had seen other Iron Riders hand over control to the smart core and leave their field mechas to deal with the enemy. But all this was based on one condition—having a personal mecha for assistance. Only with a personal mecha could a Iron Rider's strength, speed, and protection be significantly enhanced, achieving capabilities comparable to a warrior.

However, in the capture-the-flag battles on Death Island, only field mechas were allowed, and Iron Riders had no right to use additional personal mecha armor. In such a case, without the protection of the cockpit, a Iron Rider would be just an agile, physically strong ordinary person. With field mechas weighing tens of tons, even a slight brush could be fatal.

"It's indeed risky, but not impossible," Eddie said without looking up. "I know a Iron Rider who, with only simple equipment, has done what I said more than once."

"Really? What's his name?"

"His name is Jake Cooper. He was just a rifleman before becoming a Iron Rider."

Jake Cooper, once a rifleman, hmm, I'll have to look him up... Curly Hair, not realizing Eddie was joking, secretly noted the name.

However, his attention soon returned to Eddie. Watching Eddie's rapid hand movements, Curly Hair suddenly smiled, leaned in, and whispered, "Eddie, you're not just an ordinary mechanic, right?"

"Oh?" Eddie stopped for the first time, looking up at Curly Hair. "Why do you say that?"

"Although I don't understand mechanical programming, I know it must be an extremely complex task. Ordinary people can't work and talk as smoothly as you do."

...Eddie didn't reply.

He looked deeply at Curly Hair, then quickly lowered his head, his hands moving even faster.

"Eddie?" Curly Hair was puzzled. "What's wrong, is there a problem?"

"Yes!"

Eddie nodded, "I just realized, during the time I've been talking to you, I've made many mistakes in my code."

Curly Hair: ...

...

Eddie was a bit of a perfectionist. Unless there were special circumstances, he would not leave work that could be completed today for tomorrow.

To adapt the smart core to the mecha, he spent more than ten hours, working from day to night, and finished the task that day.

In front of Adam and Curly Hair, he installed the smart core into the mecha.

Buzz—

After a brief waiting period, the steel body hummed, and the visual lights on the Mammoth's head lit up. The thirty-plus-ton deep blue mecha lifted its head.

[Program activated, self-check in progress, current energy 84%, energy supply normal, neural connection device normal, sensory simulator normal, structure intact, preparation weight 32.5 tons...]

[Smart Rule One: Absolute obedience to the Iron Rider's commands.]

[Smart Rule Two: Assist the Iron Rider in combat.]

[Smart Rule Three: Safety of the Iron Rider is the priority, protect the Iron Rider.]

[Seventh Generation Vanguard-Class Smart Core 'Kane,' standing by...]

"Done!"

Hearing the intelligent response from the mecha, Eddie also sighed in relief and stretched.

Now, he could fully devote himself to the second task.