Chapter 90: Mecha Maker Rookie Competition?
After trying several different ingredients, Su Li sighed and groaned at the materials in front of her.
Undeterred, he continued to examine several key materials of the mecha and the energy stones that provided it, trying to find the problem.
She felt it was so close, so very close.
But there was something missing; she still had no clue.
Neither Teacher Jiu nor her grandmother have spoken to her recently. When asked about her questions, Teacher Jiu told her to think about it herself.
A flash of inspiration crossed Su Li's mind, but it vanished suddenly.
She practically turned her hair into a bird's nest.
Where, what exactly is wrong?
"If there are no problems, could it be something else?" Su Li muttered to herself, resting her chin on her hand as she looked at her materials.
Just as Su Li was holding the materials box, ready to try it out, a classmate carrying a bunch of materials walked by and accidentally bumped into her, causing Su Li to drop the materials from her hands.
"I'm so sorry, classmate, are you alright?"
Seeing her classmate carrying so many materials that she couldn't see where she was going, Su Li offered a helping hand, saying, "I'm fine, take it easy."
"Okay." Seeing that Su Li was alright, the classmate then returned to his seat with the pile of materials in his hands.
When Su Li turned to look at her materials again, she was stunned. Several materials had fallen out of the material box she had been holding and had actually fused with the metal in the refining pool.
Su Li frantically tried to scoop things out, but only ended up making the ingredients blend together even more.
Some materials need to be forged before they can be used; if they come into contact with each other without being forged, some reactions will occur.
It's like falling into those materials. Two of them were mentioned by the teacher in a theory class. When they come into contact with each other, those materials will dissolve into each other.
There are two other materials that become very fragile when they come into contact with each other; they can be crushed into powder with a gentle pinch.
This also applies to several energy stones that provide power to mechs; they cannot be used on the same mech. Forcibly installing them will only make the mech uncontrollable by a single mech pilot.
These materials are the basic materials for making mechs, and they are packaged in special material boxes before use.
Su Li looked at the two metals fusing in the refining pool and her brows slowly furrowed.
She wanted to ask her grandmother and Teacher Jiu, but the words caught in her throat. Knowing her grandmother was watching, she decided to do it herself first. She knew thinking was pointless; she had to prove her idea was correct.
Thinking this, Su Li threw another piece of metal into the refining pool.
After Su Li poured out the refined metal and let it cool, she discovered that the various metals seemed to have undergone some kind of change after being fused together in the refining pool.
However, this change wasn't significant; it wasn't enough to get her what she wanted before.
As the metal cooled down in front of her, Su Li used a tool to pick up the metal sheet. The dark gray metal sheet was no longer visible, as it was impossible to tell which metals it was made of.
With the other hand, it gently tapped the tool, and the piece shattered instantly, falling into the plate below with a clatter.
Su Li was not discouraged. If she could really make it in one go, she would shamelessly admit that she was a genius.
She recorded the experiment in her notebook, constantly adjusting the proportion and order of the materials added to the refining pool. When the materials ran out, she purchased a large quantity of mecha materials. After repeated experiments, she finally obtained what she wanted.
Looking at the gleaming metal in front of me, I struck it hard with something in my hand, and I could hear a crisp, pleasant sound.
Su Li finally smiled; it was done.
The data obtained during the experiment was also a valuable experience for her.
Seeing Su Li still staring at the things and grinning foolishly, the class monitor couldn't help but remind her, "Su Li, the homework is due soon, hurry up!"
The bottom-ranking elimination system doesn't mean that failing the last exam will result in elimination; rather, it's based on the overall grades for the semester.
This performance will also be included in the final score.
Su Li then realized that she really didn't have much time left. These past few days, she had been focused on adjusting the proportion of materials she was using and hadn't even noticed that the deadline for the assignment was approaching.
Looking at the metal in her hand, Su Li was still happy about her discovery.
All those experiments she bought with all the mecha materials were worthwhile.
She carefully marked the new metal she had made, wrote her name on it, and rushed to hand it to her teacher before the end.
It's a pity that they still can't build mechs; they're currently only at the stage of making mech parts.
Teacher Mei was looking at the students' assignments when she noticed Su Li's work and said with surprise, "The part you submitted seems to be made of a new type of metal."
“Yes, teacher, I’ve already finished it,” Su Li said, looking at Teacher Mei.
Teacher Mei examined the metal carefully. Of course, nothing could be seen with the naked eye. Only after formal testing would she know how good the materials the students had made were.
As a mecha engineer, it would be truly laughable if you couldn't even forge the most basic mecha.
Teacher Mei nodded to Su Li, "It's good to have your own ideas, but don't forget the most important thing about mecha."
Mechs are for fighting, and whether this new metal can withstand heavy impacts remains to be seen.
Teacher Mei had all the materials made by the students tested, and only those with a pass rate of over 90% could be considered suitable for use on metals.
After becoming trainee mecha engineers, Dianyu would also teach them some courses, and often the two classes would attend classes together.
Su Li quickly wrote down the key points the teacher explained, and went directly to ask the teacher questions if she had any.
There are still a few questions I'll ask Teacher Jiu when I get home tonight.
Dianyu and Teacher Mei would patiently answer her questions.
Teacher Mei also noticed that Su Li's talent was truly extraordinary; she heard that the metal materials Su Li submitted last time were sent for re-examination.
There are generally only two situations where a re-examination is required: either the data is too poor and a mistake is suspected.
Either the data is too high, causing concern about potential errors.
Based on her experience, Ms. Mei felt that the re-examination should be the latter.
The reason they knew about the re-inspection was, of course, because it was a business owned by the Mei family. The materials produced by the students would be sent to the military factory for testing.
Teacher Mei didn't specifically inquire about it, but she also wanted to know what Su Li had done that would allow people to re-examine it.
On her way back to the dormitory after school, Su Li was stopped by Ning Ruoxi again.
Having been traumatized by Ning Ruoxi and Bian Shize, Su Li glanced at the Sky Eye floating in the sky and breathed a sigh of relief.
Having a third eye is great! Having a third eye is wonderful!
Su Li looked at Ning Ruoxi, took a few steps back warily, and put her hands behind her back. "Don't come any closer. There are eyes here. Don't try to frame me again."
I said these words to remind Ning Ruoxi not to make the same mistake again.
Ning Ruoxi had no intention of causing trouble for Su Li, although she had indeed had such thoughts before.
That's not an option now. If her family finds out, her grandfather would probably rather have her drop out of school and lock her up at home than let her out again.
Ning Ruoxi still couldn't understand. What was wrong with liking Bian Shize? Why did they have to call off their engagement? Couldn't she like someone?
She knew that Bian Shize treated Su Li differently, perhaps because Su Li had pursued him passionately in the past, leaving a deep impression on Bian Shize.
Sometimes, you can see that Bian Shize pays special attention to Su Li. Even when he is talking to her, his gaze always seems to drift over Su Li's cheek.
When Su Li was mentioned, Bian Shize would verbally express his disdain for her, but Ning Ruoxi keenly sensed the difference in Bian Shize's attitude towards Su Li.
That's why she was jealous of Su Li, because Su Li always held a place in Bian Shize's heart.
Ning Ruoxi felt deep regret. She liked Bian Shize and enjoyed his kindness towards her. She only wanted to force Su Li to drop out of school, which is why she acted impulsively and tried to fall down the stairs to frame Su Li.
She naively thought that as long as Su Li left the Federal Military Academy, Bian Shize would stop paying attention to her and she could continue to stay at the school as a teacher.
But why was Bian Shize dismissed?
Facing Su Li's wary gaze, Ning Ruoxi said with a complicated expression, "I just have something I want to tell you."
Ning Ruoxi walked towards Su Li, but Su Li quickly retreated, her hands still behind her back, and her gaze glanced towards the Heavenly Eye.
"Wait, if you want to talk, just say it like this. Don't come near me, everyone is safe."
Ning Ruoxi also glanced at the Heavenly Eye, her expression pausing for a moment. "Everything that happened before was my fault."
Su Li looked at Ning Ruoxi warily.
Ning Ruoxi continued, "If you're not satisfied, you can do whatever you want to me, even... even kneel down and kowtow to apologize to you, Su Li, it's all my fault. If you want to blame someone, blame me. I'm the one who framed you. Can you explain to the school leaders that Bian Shize should come back and not be expelled?"
[Did Bian Shize's mental instability infect Ning Ruoxi?]
Xiang Bei was stunned, and grabbed Tongzi from the side to ask.
"I don't know? The male lead's halo has dropped to around ten percent."
Outside the big screen, Ning Ruoxi looked pleadingly at Su Li.
Now it was Su Li's turn to look at Ning Ruoxi with complicated emotions. Seeing Ning Ruoxi now, she suddenly remembered her past self.
Su Li hesitated before asking, "Do you like him that much?"
“In my heart, there is no one more important than him. I am the one who framed you. He was only trying to help me. The wronged should be held accountable. If you have any grievances, come at me. Su Li, please, let him come back. The mecha academy at the Federal Military Academy is very important to him. Only here can he unleash his talents.”
Su Li looked at her and shook her head. "I'm sorry, I can't do it."
"How could you do this? Didn't you love him so much before? I can give him back to you. Anyway... anyway, we've already broken off our engagement. I'll give him back to you. Just let him go."
Seeing Ning Ruoxi crying and collapsing to the ground, Su Li's brows furrowed even more.
"You think I still like him? I slapped him and reported him for targeting me, just to get his attention?" Su Li asked Ning Ruoxi.
Ning Ruoxi opened her mouth, as if to ask, "Isn't that right?"
But the words stuck in his throat and he didn't ask them.
“Ning Ruoxi, I admit that I did like him for some reasons in the past, but now I just feel that he is not good enough for me.”
Su Li took a step forward and looked at Ning Ruoxi. "I don't agree with what you said about him having a place for me in his heart. Does 'having me in his heart' mean constantly targeting me and making me look bad in front of my classmates? Even going so far as to seek me out for you, just to make me kneel down and apologize. Do you think that's love?"
Ning Ruoxi opened her mouth but didn't say anything.
"I don't know what you mean by 'love,' but Ning Ruoxi, if he truly cares about you, he would at least consider your feelings when doing things, instead of acting solely on his own whims. Do you think his public displays of affection mean he likes you? Don't forget, Bian Shize, as a teacher, disregarded the grades of other students for your sake. You think that's showing you exclusive favor? Is that love or harm?"
Ning Ruoxi bit her lip, lowered her head, and remained silent.
"In my opinion, you are just a tool for him to show his affection. Even without you, there would be someone else. He enjoys your admiration as his fiancée, and he also enjoys the hurt look in my eyes when I, his ex-suitor, look at him. He only loves himself and is essentially a selfish man. Whether it's me or you, we are both tools he uses to express himself. Even without the two of us, he will continue to find the next victim as long as he has the opportunity."
"Stop talking!" Ning Ruoxi finally couldn't hold back anymore and covered her ears with her hands.
"Don't you want to hear it? Is it because you also realize that the person you like is essentially so despicable?"
"Shut up, shut up! He likes me, he definitely likes me, he treats me very specially."
"I think he loves every woman who admires him equally, but at crucial moments, he loves himself more. You say he's outstanding, then let him prove his abilities there. Outstanding people are not limited by their environment; they can prove their abilities anywhere."
After Su Li finished speaking, she ignored Ning Ruoxi, who was kneeling on the ground and crying bitterly, and went straight back to her dormitory.
The people from the Ning family who came to pick up Ning Ruoxi turned off their personal computers. They waited until she was tired from crying before following Old Master Ning's instructions and taking Ning Ruoxi home.
These things don't affect Su Li.
Although she was living at school, Su Li still had to attend Teacher Jiu's classes.
There were other students in the dormitory, so Su Li could only go to bed early. When she closed her eyes, she would dream of Teacher Jiu.
When asked by her classmates, Su Li simply said, "Early to bed and early to rise makes you healthy."
She goes to bed early and gets up early too.
Su Li is always the first one up every day, brushes her teeth and washes her face, and then goes to the school's playground for a run.
There were many people on the playground in the morning, all of them were trainees preparing for mecha combat.
Su Li stood out quite a bit among them.
At first, no one took her seriously, but as Su Li's running speed gradually surpassed theirs, everyone suddenly became restless.
The reserve mech soldiers were left far behind by the reserve mech manufacturers, which was a slap in the face for them.
Although it wasn't explicitly stated, whenever Su Li appeared on the training ground, the mecha soldiers training there would secretly start competing with her.
Every time Su Li runs, she thinks about the design blueprints for her mecha.
The graduation project for a mecha engineer is to submit their own mecha design. She had started brainstorming long ago, and the design drawings had been revised many times on paper.
The more you learn from Teacher Jiu, the more you'll find the parts of her design that she's not satisfied with.
No matter how many times I make changes, I always feel like something's missing.
Teacher Mei also said that this is normal; even a senior mecha engineer may not be able to draw a perfect design in one go.
Let her think about it carefully; who knows, she might suddenly have an inspiration one day.
Su Li wasn't in a hurry; she was thinking about the mecha and naturally didn't notice the mecha soldiers chasing after her.
Since taking the health-strengthening pills given to her by Teacher Jiu, Su Li felt her body was exceptionally light. Walls that she used to think were very high could now be easily jumped over by her.
She is a boarding student and is generally not allowed to leave the school without permission.
This wasn't a pre-arranged meeting with the secondhand shop owner to find materials, so Su Li often climbed over the wall at night to get things, and then quickly climbed back over.
The people in the dormitory knew that Su Li didn't have much money to buy materials, so she would dabble in some second-hand parts. Sometimes they would also help cover for her, since Su Li had helped them a lot with their questions when they had difficulties with their studies.
Everyone got along quite well.
Seeing that the students had made progress, Teacher Mei also made an announcement.
"Mech Builder Rookie Competition?"
“That’s right.” Teacher Mei nodded. “The Rookie Competition is specifically for students like you. Winning a prize will be very helpful for you to become mecha engineers in the future.”
The rookie competition is designed for students currently enrolled in school. It's impossible for students to submit complete mecha design blueprints; instead, they are asked to create high-performance mecha parts for the competition.
Parts play a crucial role in mech battles.
These are all required courses for aspiring mecha engineers, and everyone knows them without Teacher Mei having to explain them in detail.
This award is certainly useful.
Winning a place in this competition means they have already made a name for themselves in the Federation, which will be very helpful for their future development.
"Students who wish to enroll should submit their applications themselves."
Teacher Mei used her personal computer to send everyone the detailed information about the competition.
The students naturally signed up enthusiastically.
Su Li was no exception; she felt that this was a test of her learning achievements.
I don't expect to get first place, but I can at least get that ranking.
No, you must do it the first way, and let Grandma see how your Ninth Teacher is doing lately.
Su Li: "..."
She had originally thought that she would just do her best, but now that her grandmother said so, she had to give it her all.
So after registering, Su Li began preparing for the competition.
The other students also prepared their own design drawings, each busy with their own tasks.
Su Li also went to the secondhand shop owner to find some mecha materials for comparison.
The fact that the design was selected means that the mecha will be feasible. An empty, unrealistic design is definitely not acceptable, so Su Li naturally has to take it seriously.
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