Chapter 020: The Unknown About Old Man Le_1

Why should my mecha cockpit be in the front?

Because when there comes a time that I need to pilot the mecha, it must be because my granddaughter's life is in danger. I don't want anything to happen to her, so I will run away with her. When all my enemies are behind me, my mecha's rear armor needs to have stronger defensive power.

Ji Xinghe silently answered a question about Ji in his mind. He will not tell anyone about this thinking. For now, he is a member of the Federal Army, and the people who ask him these questions are also federal soldiers.

Feeling fearful before the fight is taboo for the army in any era. Moreover, Ji Xinghe has not really set foot on the battlefield yet. Even if he arrives at the Alien Planet frontline, he will only stay in the base, which can be regarded as the safest place on that front.

If Ji Xinghe, under such circumstances, is contemplating how to escape, Major General Tu Yuan, who leveraged his power to enlist Ji Xinghe, would likely come personally in a mecha to hunt him down.

Click click!

In the virtual world, noises mimicking physical mechanical bearing movements rang from the body of Ji made of data. The metal body began to shift, and the colossal figure 6.3 meters tall suddenly stooped down.

A thud was heard, not because the metallic body crashed to the ground, but due to the wheels that were suddenly squeezed out from the armor of Ji and hit the ground.

There were four tires in total, a design that Shen Mu found hard to watch.

"Transformation successful."

An electronic prompt sounded in Ji Xinghe's ear, and the view he saw through his eyes also changed. It went from the dual-screen perspective of the mecha to a four-screen one, similar to a car: the windshield view, the left and right side mirrors view, and the rearview mirror view.

Ji Xinghe was very familiar with this view, for he was an experienced driver. As the best mechanic in New Phoenix City, how could he possibly not know how to drive?

The external changes were more significant. A bulky humanoid mecha had suddenly turned into a four-wheel off-road vehicle. The vehicle, 5.5 meters long and 2 meters high, looked very different from regular off-road vehicles.

No part of this off-road vehicle was made of glass; it was all metal. All views from inside to the outside were captured by cameras installed on it.

Speaking of cameras, it's impossible not to mention Han Li. Ji Xinghe's Ji had a total of 19 cameras on it, all added because, during his previous battle with Han Li, Han Li repeatedly attempted to destroy his cameras, which gave him a sort of trauma, leading him to add many spare cameras.

Of course, the trauma was something said by Shen Mu and others. Ji Xinghe himself didn't consider that battle traumatic; he just considered it experience.

There was only one car lamp, located at the front of Ji. Originally, it was a searchlight mounted on top of Ji in its mecha form. After transforming into a car, it became Ji's headlamp.

There was no turning signal, taillight, fog light, etc. It wasn't designed for road use, so those lamps were unnecessary. All of the 19 cameras integrated into Ji had night vision. Anyway, they were testing in the virtual world, there was no need to consider cost.

With such a form, Ji looked incredibly defensively strong. Thus, when the transformation was complete, Shen Mu shouted out loud.

"I'm willing to call it, the strongest Ji in history."

Ji originally referred to a type of compact electric car popular several decades ago. Elderly men could drive these cars with convenience, weaving through traffic and crowds, causing all kinds of accidents along the way. While we won't discuss those issues, these elderly men did indeed have a good time driving these electric cars.

Now the original Ji has long been obsolete. Ji Xinghe, drawing on his decades of accumulated knowledge, experience as a mechanic, along with the help of hundreds of people, especially the help from geniuses like Shen Mu who became an expert mechanic in their twenties, has built a Ji in the virtual world without considering cost. It truly lives up to Shen Mu's description- the strongest in history.

Indeed, it was enough to make Ji Xinghe, the old man, happy. After learning the news of Ji Chenxing's sacrifice, he hadn't smiled for a long time. Yet, when his Mech managed to transform, the corners of his mouth rose ever so slightly.

He was not really happy, but the idea that the Mech was designed to protect his granddaughter gave his bewildered heart a sense of direction and purpose.

Hum...

The engine roared on the Mech. The term 'engine', under normal circumstances, was just a part of the power system. But in this era, it was exclusive to Mechs, combining the energy provided by nuclear fuel cells to unleash tremendous speed and power.

Ji Xinghe slammed his foot down on the pedal and controlled the direction with a lever. With a whoosh, the Mech sprung forward.

Since it transformed into a car, it could naturally perform like one. The 4.6 tonnes car-body was driven by the Mech's engine, and within 2.3 seconds, it was soaring with a speed of 100 kilometers per hour, effortlessly increasing its velocity. In an instant, it had disappeared from the sight of Han Li and others.

"What's with old Ji, driving so fast?" Shen Mu stomped where he stood, "It was designed with two seats in the cockpit, wasn't it? I was waiting for him to take me for a spin after his successful transformation, but he took off on his own."

Almost all Mechs had only one cockpit. Even those rare ones that could transform were only made to accommodate one person after transformation. However, Ji Xinghe's Mech had two seats, which was really against the norm. More space meant a bulkier Mech, which wasn't suitable for the close-combat fights Mechs are usually designed for, and it was not necessary for Mechs to have two pilots.

Ji Xinghe didn't explain this, but just insisted on his design. The others, clueless about his decision, didn't push him too hard. On the whole spacecraft, only Colonel Han Li guessed the reason for Ji Xinghe's decision. He knew that Ji Xinghe had a granddaughter, that Ji Chenxing had a daughter, but none of the others knew.

Even now, the Federation had not publicly acknowledged that Ji Xinghe had a granddaughter. There were many reasons for this, the most important being that this child was not meant to be born, especially not on an Alien Planet.

The harsh environment of Alien Planets caused extremely high infant mortality rates, hence the Federation had rules against Federal Citizens getting pregnant on them. If accidental pregnancy occurred due to a safety breach, it required immediate reporting, followed by leaving the Alien Planet to return to Azure Star to ensure the safe birth of the newborn.

But the problem was, why would a woman that Ji Chenxing, a soldier full of heroism, greatly valued leave the front line of an Alien Planet just because of an unexpected pregnancy? If she returned to Azure Star because of it, she would never be able to return to the Alien Planet battlefield again. Not only would she be unable to participate directly in the war, but she might also never see Ji Chenxing again, thus leading to a violation of the regulations.

This violation was unfair to everyone. It was a waste of resources and a trampling of rules for others, unfair to Ji Chenxing who died unaware of having a daughter, and unfair to the girl whose life was like a tender green sprout in the storm.

It was unfair for Ji Xinghe too. He did go from being solitary to having a granddaughter, but he originally just intended to die on the Alien Planet. Now, he could not simply die, he had to use all he had to ensure his granddaughter's safety.

Han Li watched as Ji Xinghe, driving the Mech, made a round and rushed back. He stopped Shen Mu who intended to rush forward.

"Don't go, that seat is not for you."

"Is it for you, Colonel Han Li? If it's for you, I won't dare snatch it."

"Not for me."

"Then who's it for?"

"Angel."

"???"