Chapter 67 The True Strength Assessment (Please add to your favorites and vote!)
"It's probably closely related to your maternal grandmother."
After Xu Wenfeng finished speaking, he looked much older, and his usually serious face softened a bit.
He couldn't resist picking up the old-fashioned pocket watch hanging around his neck and opening the cover.
Then a 3D projected image emerged from the surface, showing a very young and loving couple.
One of them was Xu Wenfeng, who was at least thirty years younger.
The other person looked about 70% like Xu Hui, and it was obvious at a glance that she was Xu Hui's mother and Qiao Mei's maternal grandmother.
"In that final battle that could have promoted me to marshal, I wouldn't have survived. It was your grandmother who chose to use her mech to shield me from the attack of the interstellar monsters. As a result, she was poisoned and almost stopped breathing after being brought off the battlefield."
When the past was mentioned, the heaviness in Xu Wenfeng's old eyes was very obvious, which made Qiao Mei, who was listening in, feel depressed as well.
He activated the forward mode of his electric wheelchair, stopping in front of the dilapidated A+ grade Phantom Cat mech. He reached out to touch its body, but then withdrew his hand and sighed softly.
"After that, she was in so much pain that she couldn't endure it for long. So after reading the message she sent through her consciousness, I helped her end her suffering. So ever since then, whenever I encounter a mecha, I think of the scene where your grandmother shielded me from the attack of the interstellar monster, and I think of her lying on the hospital bed, covered in tubes, in excruciating pain."
Qiao Mei only knew that the original owner's maternal grandmother died of illness, but Xu Hui never said how she died, and the original owner never investigated it, so she didn't know that there was such a story behind it.
After the mecha space station door behind her closed automatically, she comforted Xu Wenfeng for a few words, and then asked him how he knew that the federal army would use a detector on her yesterday.
"Also, I'm very curious, how exactly did you recognize me from the competition?"
She not only changed her gender, but also disguised her voice. To be honest, the only thing that might be a flaw is the Ghost Assassin mech she uses.
Could it be that you guessed it from this?
Xu Wenfeng nodded, confirming Qiao Mei's guess: "You and Huihui both chose this Ghost Assassin mech. In addition, some of your techniques when using the mech overlap with some of Huihui's techniques, which is why I was able to confirm your identity."
Among the videos of past mecha competitions stored on X-site, there was one featuring Xu Hui as a contestant. Since she also used the Ghost Assassin mecha, Qiao Mei watched a lot of them carefully and even learned some techniques.
She was surprised that Old Master Xu had noticed all this. After her initial astonishment, she remembered a more serious problem: if Old Master Xu could see it, could the Federal Army have also...?
Grandpa Xu seemed to sense Qiao Mei's worries and then went on to answer her earlier question:
"The Federation military usually selects promising talents at the annual mecha competition. They probably want to send you an invitation in advance. But don't worry, what your grandfather can find out, the Federation can't, since they don't know much about you."
Qiao Mei had a feeling that Old Master Xu was hiding something. Her red eyes lingered on his slightly flickering gaze for a moment, but she didn't expose him. Then she listened to him continue.
"The reason your grandfather wants to help you is mainly because your current situation is not suitable for the Federal Army. Your mother and the Crown Prince just finished the divorce procedures not long ago. If you show your true strength so publicly, the Royal Family might try to get you back. Do you understand?"
"I know that's why I've always hidden my true strength."
Having arrived here, Qiao Mei no longer intended to hide anything from Xu Wenfeng, and also wanted to see what her true strength was.
So I asked him if he had any machines that could test one's mental strength level and physical strength level.
"Since you are going to teach me about mecha, I certainly cannot continue to hide my true strength."
Xu Wenfeng had been waiting for Qiao Mei to say this. After hearing what she said, the smile on his old face became even more genuine. He patted her on the shoulder and asked her to follow him to the room inside the mecha space station, where the machine she wanted to test her strength was located.
Although the Xu family could not compare to the Shang family, they were not poor. In addition, Xu Wenfeng had received a lot of military merits and rewards from the Federal Army when he was young. The machine for testing strength levels was even more advanced than those of the Shang family.
Qiao Mei's final mental strength level was SSS, which made Grandpa Xu's red eyes light up, and he nodded and praised her repeatedly with satisfaction.
"Not bad, as expected of my granddaughter Xu Wenfeng. Her mental strength level is the same as mine, no wonder she can pilot two mechs. Come on, try something else. If your familiar's psychic talent is even better, you can consider choosing the psychic ability department after the Federation Academy starts. However, if your mech skills become even more outstanding, you can also choose the mech department. You..."
Seeing that Grandpa Xu had already started planning her future, Qiao Mei remained silent for a while before revealing her intention to choose the Beast Taming category.
"My mother and I are both short of money right now, and we also have the same reason for choosing the Beast Taming class so that I can better understand Cangcang and help heal his injuries."
The girl lowered her red eyes to look at the small black dragon coiled around her neck. Although her voice was soft, it contained a great deal of determination.
Xu Wenfeng had heard Xu Hui mention that Qiao Mei cared a lot about her familiar beast. After a moment of surprise, he patted her shoulder again.
"Alright, it's up to you. You got into this academy through your own merit, so it's most important to follow your wishes. As for your question about you and Huihui needing money, your grandfather can..."
“No need, Grandpa. I can earn money myself. I’m already eighteen years old and an adult. Cangcang is my own familiar beast, and I want to support him with my own abilities.”
While relying on her parents is an option, she would always feel guilty. Having been used to independence in her previous life, she couldn't accept that.
After agreeing on this matter, Qiao Mei followed Xu Wenfeng to test the attack, speed, and defense ratings of the familiar's superpowers one by one.
Aside from its relatively weak defense (only a B grade), it achieved A grades in attack and speed, just one tier away from the best S grade, which is still quite good.
Xu Wenfeng then instructed Qiao Mei to release the Ghost Assassin mech, while he opened his personal terminal and sent a message to the old butler.
Before long, the old butler came over pushing a small cart full of various repair parts.
Qiao Mei looked at the wrenches and pliers in the cart, her head filled with question marks.
What's going on here? ...
Ao Cang: When will this life of being supported by my wife ever end? (Looking sadly at the sky at a 45-degree angle)
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