Chapter 29

Although Ajax was young, his attention to detail was remarkable, prompting Bomen to take a second look. He had initially thought Ajax was a reckless individual who only knew how to fight...

"Your words may have some truth to them. So, can you assist? You'll be paid afterward," Bomen's voice dropped a bit.

"Yessir, I'm fine to fight right away. But you have to provide me with the mech's energy first; otherwise, I won't be able to fight for long," Ajax said, rubbing his hands excitedly.

It seems that arming the Reaper last night was a wise decision since it came in handy today.

"I can arrange that. It's just some energy blocks, I did promise to provide you with as many as you need. So, what type do you need?" Bomen waved his hand generously, sporting a smile.

"Nothing much, just a set of purple energy blocks," Ajax remained expressionless.

However, Bomen's smile froze, and he waited a few seconds before speaking, "Hold the fuck up, purple? Isn't that a bit extravagant? Wouldn't blue be enough?"

He is well aware of the price difference between energy blocks. Purple ones cost ten times more than blue ones, with a set exceeding 30,000. Is Ajax trying to rob him?

"Blue is ineffective. I used blue when I rescued you last night, and my energy was depleted in less than half an hour," Ajax said frankly, shaking his head.

"Blue only barely lasts for half an hour? What level mech do you even have?" Bomen suddenly realized that something was amiss.

"A Warlock-level mech," Ajax casually mentioned.

"A FUCKING WHAT?! You are using a Warlock-level mech?! How can you even handle a Warlock-level mech?!" Bomen's cowboy hat was about to fall off as he moved abruptly and bombarded Ajax with questions, hands firmly on the table.

As a pilot, Bomen knows the value of Warlock-level mechs. They can't be mass-produced and require meticulous study by designers and manufacturing teams. Their market supply was limited, and eddies alone weren't enough to secure one. More importantly, these mechs continually consume the pilot's brainpower once connected.

The more advanced the mech, the higher the requirements for the pilot's brainpower. Using a mech beyond one's capacity may lead to unstable connections, an inability to unleash the mech's full power, or even being disconnected in the middle of a battle.

For instance, micro-control pilots can fully adapt to Knight-level mechs and withstand Parallax-level mechs at most. Strong control-level pilots can handle Parallax-level mechs but can only withstand up to Rakshasa-level mechs, and few can handle Warlock-level mechs. Pilots at the control level can adapt to Rakshasa-level mechs and, at most, barely even withstand Warlock-level ones.

Driving a mech without meeting the required strength can lead to consequences ranging from brain damage to sudden death, and Ajax claimed that his mech was a Warlock-level mech. What did this mean? Not just for their Lazoole Society, but for the entire triangle border!

"Yeah. Didn't you see it in action yesterday?" Ajax innocently nodded.

"My God..." Bomen covered his head, trying to collect himself.

Ajax fought continuously for over half an hour last night with no apparent side effects. Could it be that Ajax was a higher-level control pilot than him?

That's impossible. Advancing to a higher level is an extremely difficult process, involving countless operational and mental training. Bomen, at thirty-seven years old, has only been a pilot for seven years and is still only at the strong control level. It'll likely take him another year or two to reach a higher control level.

Ajax didn't even look twenty. Even if he started training at the minimum age of fifteen, it was simply unbelievable to become a master in just a few years. But that didn't matter right now, Bomen had stumbled upon a treasure...

"Do you have any purple energy blocks? If not, I'll be going back to sleep. Can't fight without energy now, can we?" Ajax yawned, as if ready to leave.

"Alright! Alright!" Bomen stopped smoking and turned around to search in the safe.

Ten seconds later, he took out an exquisite box, opened it, and inside was a group of purple energy blocks.

Ajax's eyes lit up when he saw the purple-glowing energy cubes. These dozen or so blocks represent a substantial amount of eddies.

"Please take it easy on the energy consumption..." Bomen wore a resigned expression.

Although their Lazoole Society has a vast enterprise, purple energy blocks were still a luxury.

"Thank you, sir. This set is enough for me to fight for a day. Hurry up and buy a hundred and eighty sets; I'll need a new set by tomorrow." Ajax took the energy blocks unceremoniously, teasing Bomen.

But Bomen's legs turned to jelly in an instant. Ajax has just claimed that the 30,000-eddy item can only last him for one day. Didn't the moonlight energy block cost over a million eddies? Wasn't this financial suicide?

However, he has already vowed to supply Ajax with energy blocks. Additionally, both he and the Lazoole Society needed a skilled pilot like Ajax. Bomen can only force a smile through his cold sweat. "It's easier said than done... easier said than done..."

After obtaining the energy blocks, Ajax didn't waste any time and was about to set off. However, Bomen stopped him again, saying, "Boy, do you know what to do out there?"

"Didn't you say to help the rescue team and bring the transport team back?" Ajax turned his head, not quite understanding Bomen's point.

"I know you've killed people, but the people here are different from those you've killed. When you encounter enemies on the battlefield, you must not hesitate. No matter what your enemies are doing or saying, even if they kneel and surrender, you must show them no mercy. Otherwise, you may be the one to die." (TN: Geneva Conventions? Rules of Engagement? Never heard of 'em.)

"This is the frontier, a lawless place devoid of right or wrong, morality, or law. The only thing you can do is survive, and survive longer than others, it is kill or be killed," Bomen earnestly advised. Ajax was being sent to the battlefield within a day of arrival, he was genuinely concerned for him. Knowing how to fight with mechs and participating in wars are two different things.

Last night, Ajax seemed to instinctively avoid foot soldiers and only attacked mechs. While it was effective, it can be a deadly move on the battlefield. If Ajax does that again today, there's a high probability of something going wrong, and Bomen felt he needed to bring it up.

"I'll keep that in mind." Ajax nodded heavily, turned, and left. He went back to the tool room, replaced the energy source, and got into the Reaper.

With the purple energy block, Ajax felt the Reaper start up much faster.

"Your pilot certificate has not-"

"Confirm."

"Connecting... 1%... 2%... 100%."

"CONNECTION SUCCESSFUL"

As his field of vision changed, Ajax ran a quick check and everything seemed good to go. However, he vowed to replace the current CI system of the Reaper when he had time. It was pretty much an antique and sounded weird...

As he walked out the door, he noticed that Bomen had already sent a transport vehicle and it was waiting for him. He also saw that Monkey was the one at the wheel.

Since Ajax didn't know the way, finding the battlefield on his own would be a futile endeavor.