Cosmic Demon

Chapter 224 A real man should be in a mecha, Qin Shi, who delighted the mecha spirit!
Is this guy planning to pass the exam quickly and get his military-grade pilot qualification certificate in one night?
Zhou Yuanchen put down his chopsticks and threw the unfinished boxed lunch into the trash can.

For some reason, I suddenly lost my appetite.

He silently logged into [Entropy Bank], checked the backend, and asked customer service what benefits and privileges were available for loan programs that could help him increase his holdings through mechanical means.

In the end, I only received a negative answer.

"He's an absolute monster! He's a perfect blend of body and spirit, straddling both the martial arts and spiritual energy paths."

"There's no reason why even a mechanical approach could demonstrate exceptional capabilities, is there?"

Zhou Yuanchen once again significantly increased Qin Shi's overall combat strength, estimating it to around 5 billion.

If the other party can truly obtain a military-grade certificate, the total cost could approach eight billion.

Even aiming for the 10 billion mark!

Such astronomical figures are something that even if Zhou Yuanchen tried his best and sold himself to Entropy Sea Bank, he could not defeat.

"A gap that leaves you feeling hopeless."

Zhou Yuanchen's pride as a genius supernova, wanting to catch up with Qin Shi's shadow, crumbled like a sandcastle built on the beach, battered by the waves.

"My anxiety has finally died down. Time to focus on making money through projects."

Compared to Zhou Yuanchen's relief, Zhang Hai reacted more strongly, and he began to question the background of Qin Shi's family of workers in the old factory street.

"Zhou Yuanchen, do you think it's possible that Qin Shi has an extraordinary background? Look, Qin Shi's surname is Qin, and so is Commander Qin's!"

Zhang Hai mentally prepared himself many times before proposing this hypothesis.

"My surname is Zhou, and there is also a Zhou among the most outstanding meritorious officials. Am I his long-lost descendant?"

Zhou Yuanchen sneered.

Seeing Zhang Hai's pitiful state, with his understanding shattered, he felt much better.

Sure enough, only after getting caught in the rain myself do I enjoy watching others get caught in the same rain!
"Besides, Marshal Qin has no children! History textbooks clearly state that he never married. Old Zhang, you should read more books."

Zhou Yuanchen continued to deliver the final blow, inflicting even deeper wounds on Zhang Hai.

"Doesn't Commander Qin have a younger brother?"

Zhang Hai lowered his voice.

His father is the Deputy Chief Secretary for Administration, and when they eat and chat, they often mix in some "establishment of government" topics.

"You've got some nerve, Lao Zhang, saying that like that! There are security officers here, be careful you don't get invited in for tea!"

Zhou Yuanchen's face twitched; clearly, he knew a little about the shrouded history of Qin Shuai and his deputy.

But everyone knows that this is a taboo topic that cannot be mentioned.

Unless someone is using an alias to surf the dark web, who would dare to speak recklessly?

Zhou Yuanchen said this aloud, but unable to suppress his impulse, he quietly asked:

"Qin Shuai's brother committed treason, but I haven't heard of him leaving any descendants?"

Upon entering his area of ​​expertise, Zhang Hai immediately puffed out his chest and said proudly:
"Yes, I heard the old man mention it once. He said that he lives in the capital and is well taken care of. However, his health is not very good, and he rarely goes out, let alone shows his face."

Zhou Yuanchen opened his eyes wide. People are always very interested in discussing all sorts of gossip related to the upper echelons.

"Old Zhang, I occasionally go online and I see those Jianzheng brothers mentioning something about a 'princeling' in the capital."

They said that most of the nine surnames originated from the highest meritorious officials of the New Eastern Xia, but only Marshal Qin did not form a powerful "clan," yet a "crown prince" suddenly appeared.

Zhang Hai shrank his neck and pulled Zhou Yuanchen to a corner.

The two whispered to each other like thieves, regretting that they didn't have a few bottles of beer and a large portion of barbecue skewers to chat more freely.

"Let me tell you, most people don't really know this. Many people think that the bloodline left by the deputy commander is the same as that of the crown prince of the capital, but that's not the case."

The Crown Prince of the Imperial Capital is said to be from the Fourth Battle Group and is the successor personally chosen by Commander Qin upon his awakening.

He is very young, handsome, and has great appeal among the younger generation.

As for the deputy commander's bloodline, it is rumored that he is a daughter who suffers from a serious illness and has been in a deep sleep with the Ninth Commander for many years, only occasionally waking up.

My father said that both of them are of noble birth, and if they were to marry, it would be like the "Crown Prince" marrying the "Princess."

Upon hearing this, Zhou Yuanchen muttered to himself:

"The generational order is wrong!"

Zhang Hai shook his head and steered the conversation back to Qin Shi:
"This guy is so versatile, he can't be an ordinary person! He might have some connection with Commander Qin! Think about it, Commander Qin is a genius, and the deputy commander has an unparalleled appearance, which means that the Qin family bloodline is destined to be extraordinary!"
"Sigh, losing to a descendant of a founding father, it's not my fault."

Zhou Yuanchen's lips twitched as he listened. Old Zhang's Dao heart had been shattered by the blow, and he could only comfort himself through wishful thinking.

Considering the other party was providing free gossip, Zhou Yuanchen retracted his original, hurtful words and replied perfunctorily:

"Yes, yes, yes, Lao Zhang. It's normal that we can't beat the descendants of meritorious officials."

While the two were whispering to each other, Qin Shi had already completed the exam for his civilian senior pilot qualification certificate.

The staff were extremely shocked by this unbelievable progress.

It's like a driving school instructor watching a ten-year-old child quickly pass all four driving tests on their first time touching the steering wheel.

This is completely contrary to common sense and logic!

"I didn't realize there was such a big difference between military-grade and civilian-grade."

Qin Shi stood on the rising steel escalator, reaching the shoulder level of the divine mech armor.

Generally speaking, the energy core of the Divine Armor is the cockpit entrance.

It is located either on the head, or on the shoulder or chest.

The Divine Machine Armor, which was requisitioned from the Military Academy for the training ground, is a "soldier-level" guard series.

It belongs to the light defense type and is not equipped with Void Shield, Silent Field, Multi-barrel Vulcan Cannon, Giant Kinetic Weapon, etc.

It only has the most basic ion shield, power gauntlets, and twin Storm Thunder machine guns.

Through obtaining the three levels of civilian-grade qualification certificates (junior, intermediate, and senior), Qin Shi gained a preliminary understanding of the process and steps involved in piloting the Divine Machine Armor.

In his opinion, operating such a large machine was not as difficult as he had imagined.

As long as the purity of the life force is high enough, it can completely envelop the energy core and achieve mutual integration.

From here on, it's pretty much the same as a first-person fighting game.

"What machine language, what driving instructions, it's all nonsense."

Qin Shi closed his eyes and activated the achievement trait [Iron People].

His mental energy flowed like pipelines, instantly connecting to the Divine Armor and awakening it.

The feeling was strange; the massive, heavy steel body connected with his own flesh and blood, as if they had become one.

Qin Shi effortlessly raised his arm, breaking free from the "restraints" and the towering, iron-tower-like maintenance structure.

Boom, boom, boom.

The nearly twelve-meter-tall armored soldiers produce a thunderous roar with every step they take on the high-strength alloy ground. The sophisticated and complex shock absorption system diffuses this kinetic energy in all directions, maintaining balance and stability.

"Number One, enter."

The staff member picked up the walkie-talkie and said.

Military-grade certification has very strict requirements. Not only must one complete a series of designated tactical maneuvers, but one must also "personally" participate in a large-scale battle with 100% realism and deliver outstanding performances by utilizing the field resources of an active consciousness entity.

"Activate battle mode."

In the command center, a middle-aged man dressed in a military academy instructor's uniform issued orders. He kept his eyes fixed on the Guardian series of armored machines.

Qin Shi completed the examinations for three civilian-level qualification certificates in just a few hours.

This piqued the interest of middle-aged men.

"His learning speed surpasses that of 90% of the students in our school. He is either naturally suited to the mechanical approach, or... he has a special secret method that pleases the machine spirit."

The middle-aged man's name is Xu Que, and he is a teacher at the Hengzhou First Military Academy.

He witnessed the entire process of Qin Shisu obtaining his civilian-level qualification certificate and developed a strong interest in it.

As a third-level military pilot, Xu Que knew better than anyone else present the most important core of piloting the Divine Mech Armor.

"To make the spirit of the machine rejoice is the first lesson for military pilots!"

Xu Que still remembers his teacher, who delivered a powerful and eloquent speech.

"A real man pilots a mecha, that's true! But to pilot a mecha well, you have to put in 200% effort, just like when you're picking up girls! You have to understand the mecha you're piloting, its preferred posture, and the methods that bring it the most pleasure... The true king of mechas is a master flirt who can handle three thousand women!"

When Xu Que first heard these words, he was only seventeen or eighteen years old, but now he is almost fifty.

He then realized what a talent it was to make the machine spirit so happy!
"Testing complete, site sealed off, commence!"

Xu Que issued a series of instructions, then retrieved his data from that year and generated battle targets.

"Let me see if you can really make the machine spirit happy and ignore the newcomer's accumulation stage..."

……

……

"This military-grade aircraft is really awesome! It feels completely different to fly!"

Qin Shi closed his eyes, and the [Iron People] piloted the Divine Armor of the Guard Series. Then, a dazzling radiance interwoven with life force slowly emanated from his mortal body, filling the energy core.

Both resonate and vibrate at a certain frequency, merging with each other to achieve "connection".

hum!
Qin heard a loud bell ringing in his ears, as if a lever had been pushed and a turbine had been ignited.

The divine armor he piloted was like a long-dormant, lifeless steel object that had been awakened.

"The driving guide says it's best to recite hymns, such as 'Circuit, protect us; steel, withstand everything,' and 'There is no unchanging truth, no enduring power, no certainty in flesh and blood.'"

Qin Shi did not follow the instructions. He thought to himself, instead of talking so much nonsense, it would be better to communicate directly with the machine spirit.

As his spiritual power spread out, a graceful figure appeared before his eyes.

The other person resembled a moving, pitch-black holy statue, exuding both solemnity and grace. The power armor clung tightly to their body, its curves accentuated by the waistline.

"Give me your orders, Master."

Her deep, husky voice, combined with her pale yet aloof and beautiful face, made her seem like a living Valkyrie.

We are waiting for Qin Shi to give us instructions!

"Pleasure the machine spirit? Absolutely wrong! A true master makes the machine spirit obey me!"

Qin Shi concentrated his mind and focused his spirit, placing his palm on top of the machine spirit's head.

It looks like awarding medals to knights.

[The machine spirit is overjoyed! Compatibility +10...]

[Currently 98% matching rate!]

The monument panel flashed with text information, and Qin Shi, piloting the Divine Mech Armor of the Guard series, entered the "examination room".

He was facing a blue mech of the same model. If he could defeat it, he would pass the preliminary test.

Qin Shi waited quietly for the countdown to end.

three! two! one!

In the final second before he landed, he gave the command to the machine spirit, who resembled a war nun—

"Defeat it!"

boom!
The power of the entire Divine Armor was instantly boosted to its maximum, and without Qin Shi needing to do much, all parameters were adjusted to their peak state.

Blinding flames erupted from the power furnace, and the enormous gauntlet easily clenched its five fingers together as Qin Shi raised his hand.

The atmosphere seemed to be ripped apart by a meteorite, and the vast training ground roared with tremendous force, with tornado-like gales raging!

"Is this a newbie?"

Zhou Yuanchen and Zhang Hai, who were brought to the observation room, watched this shocking scene unfold.

The visual impact of the military-grade Divine Armor is incomparable to that of the civilian-grade armor we just saw.

A steel giant, several meters tall, thrusts its fist with 100% power.

This acceleration and power are enough to crush a cruiser!

"So smooth! He unleashed the power of the Divine Machine so easily! How did he do that?"

Xu Que held his breath, somewhat incredulous.

The combat mechs, modeled after his training parameters, reacted quickly, swinging their fists in response.

In less than a fraction of a second, various parameters on the control panel were lit up, and a series of tactical actions, including raising the hand, bending the elbow, clenching the fist, and striking, were completed.

Boom!
The two powered boxing gloves collided with a deafening roar!

The terrifying blasts exploded one after another, comparable to the explosion of a million barrels of gunpowder!
Qin Shi suddenly felt a tremendous tremor in his mortal body, as if a rough iron blank had been struck by a sledgehammer and sparks had been generated.

He took a deep breath, activated the Body Cultivation Furnace, and once again lifted the heavy, high-powered power gauntlets, cleaving through the surging waves of air.

He threw another punch!
The blue mech wasn't so quick to recover from the violent shock. Faced with Qin Shi's second wave of attacks, it immediately showed signs of being unable to withstand the onslaught.

"The most difficult part of operating the Divine Armor is the matching and precision between one's own movements and the massive body."

This kid's like he's one with a machine! It's so unreasonable!

Xu Que watched helplessly as the blue mecha was punched in the head by Qin Shi and staggered backward.

Boom!

The massive fuselage crashed into the solid wall, the structural components and linkages groaning, and even the flesh and blood attached to it began to tremble, with terrifying heat evaporating from it and billowing white smoke rising.

"Really cool!"

Qin Shi seemed to merge into this divine mech armor, completely becoming one with that mech spirit.

His spirit resonated deeply, and his mortal body seemed to tightly embrace the graceful figure of the war nun.

Each movement brings an unparalleled sense of exhilaration.

"The energy is surging, it's being released! So this is what it feels like to pilot a super machine! No wonder those mechanical types don't like women..."

Qin Shi's thoughts wandered, and he turned to Old Zhang.

"Thinking about it this way, the big shots who operate the Divine Machine, like Qin Shuai and Lao Zhang, are all unmarried. Could it be that they see the Divine Machine as their life partner?"

hiss!
He seemed to have discovered some incredible truth, and while immersing himself in the pleasure of merging with the machine spirit, he began to try more difficult moves and postures.

In the spacious arena, the jet-black divine mech twisted and turned, delivering an incredibly beautiful spinning kick that struck its opponent!

End the battle!

(End of this chapter)