Mecha Battle: Why Do You Use Body to Destroy Stars?

Lyle was not a physical-type mecha pilot; having gone through six layers of Nightmare difficulty level consecutively, he had expended a lot of energy.

He imparted the Mechanical Soul trait and left a few instructions before he went off to rest.

Jiang Chen couldn’t wait to return to the island base and use the trait gem.

When the silver gem shattered with a crash, it seemed to turn into a cloud of metallic vapor that enveloped Jiang Chen and quickly merged into his skin.

As the mist completely disappeared, a metallic glint flashed across Jiang Chen’s pupils, and he noticed slight changes in the way he saw the world.

Standing by his side, Bai Ying appeared to the naked eye as a Lolita-style young girl.

But through Jiang Chen’s eyes, she seemed to have been deconstructed into a complex set of machinery.

At the same time, although Bai Ying did not speak, he could faintly sense the presence of some “emotions.”

“Now, I too am a man with the soul of machinery,” he mused.

“Who dares call me a brute now!” he declared.

Jiang Chen touched the Abyss Rune and released the primeval mecha.

The connection between a mecha pilot and their own mecha had to become more intimate, and without the need for physical touch, the Mechanical Soul trait exhibited its full effects.

He heard the voice of the mecha soul.

[Master! You can finally hear Zero’s voice!]

Hearing the mecha soul’s excited voice and feeling its strong emotions, Jiang Chen suddenly realized something.

The current primeval mecha, being composed of vine-like structures, had completely abandoned metallic construction.

And yet, it could still activate the Mechanical Soul trait…

Indeed, who said that only metal could be machinery?

Bio-organic mecha, Magic Energy Puppets, even elemental puppets are all machinery!

Would the soul of machinery be such an inconvenient thing?

Casting these messy thoughts out of his mind,

this time Jiang Chen did not have to speak aloud.

He lifted his head to gaze at the towering purple-and-white giant and earnestly tried to convey his emotions and thoughts successfully.

“It’s not ‘finally’.”

“Even though I lacked the trait before, with Laila’s help, I could feel your presence, hear your voice…”

“Now our connection has simply become tighter.”

[Master!!]

Zero felt Jiang Chen’s voice of the soul and was profoundly touched.

He was so gentle!

“Moreover, it is not just about communication,” Jiang Chen continued.

“With this trait, I can finally share Life Force Energy with you…” he revealed.

Jiang Chen explained the effects of the Mechanical Soul trait to Zero.

Zero was even more delightfully overjoyed.

More than sharing Life Force Energy, to grow stronger together with his master…

It preferred the unique effect of human-machine synergy, allowing it to feel closer to its master, to be filled by him…

He really does care about me!

“Shall we give it a try?” Jiang Chen offered.

[I want to!]

In their first communication through the Mecha Soul Fusion, Jiang Chen did not discuss much about growth and strength.

After all, he could feel Zero’s intense desire to become stronger, which didn’t need further reinforcement.

As for the evolution pathway, no matter how much they discussed, for now, they could not pass the Abyss difficulty level of the Star of Mutation to obtain the core module.

Building their emotional bond and providing psychological support was far more important.

During this process, Jiang Chen also experienced [Mecha Soul Fusion] with Zero and reaped substantial rewards.

It wasn’t just the continuous improvement of his rapport and bond.

With the help of Bai Ying, Jiang Chen also tested out the ratio of Life Force Energy enhancements to the mecha—

The base attributes of the current state primeval mecha were:

[Strength 180, Agility 130, Defense 220]

After Mecha Soul Fusion, the attributes were boosted to:

[Strength 486, Agility 360, Defense 590]

Based on Jiang Chen’s attributes, the primeval mecha seemed to have received a 50% boost to all its attributes from him.

Additionally, although the mecha didn’t gain any modules out of thin air,

the effects of the installed modules were also enhanced.

As for duration…

Theoretically, when a mecha pilot enters the Near Mecha Soul State, they would sustain a tremendous burden from the mech.

They could at best maintain it for a few dozen seconds before becoming exhausted and ending the fusion.

Perhaps because of Jiang Chen’s own formidable strength, he lasted a full ten minutes with little sign of fatigue.

Instead, it was Zero who couldn’t bear the strain and automatically separated.

[Whine, whine, whine, I couldn’t give the big guy a good time again…]

Jiang Chen felt a slight regret.

It seemed that Mecha Soul Fusion couldn’t be used without limits.

Especially when his own attribute values were far beyond the mecha’s, it was possible that under the assault of the vast Life Force Energy, the mecha soul would not be able to withstand it even before strengthening.

It could only be used as a trump card.

“When exploring the abyss in the future, I can start by fighting in the mecha, and if I can’t win, then initiate the fusion for a burst. After the burst ends, the mecha is damaged, and I make my entrance…”

Jiang Chen couldn’t help but laugh.

Master Luo, with his Nightmare difficulty level, only had two phases.

How come I ended up with an extra phase?

Who really is the boss here!

After he finished communicating with Zero, Jiang Chen did not forget about his second mecha.

He summoned the steam mecha and sensed that its mecha soul’s consciousness had detached from chaos and was gradually taking shape.

But the newly-formed mecha soul was still somewhat naive, like a blank slate.

Far from Zero’s maturity, it couldn’t even convey complete emotions.

Jiang Chen found it somewhat troublesome.

After all, the personality of the mecha soul could affect the mecha’s evolution and the type of modules it would awaken.

Just like Zero, who got hit so much that it actually managed to rack up a counter-damage module.

Thus, as long as a mecha pilot patiently cultivates a mecha soul, it’s equivalent to having the ability to direct its evolution and even awaken certain modules.

It’s not purely random.

Jiang Chen hoped the second mecha would be combat-oriented, with a focus on offensive capabilities and bursting power.

He also wanted to cultivate the mecha soul with such a personality, such an inclination.

The problem was…

How to cultivate it?

What if I did it wrong?

Not long ago, Jiang Chen was still a college student with no experience in caring for children.

Even with Zero, many unexpected factors were involved in its growth, and Jiang Chen simply guided it along with the flow.

Now faced with a blank slate, he didn’t even know how to start.

After some hesitation, Jiang Chen turned his gaze to Bai Ying.

She’s a mecha, she should know more about mecha, right?

“Bai Ying, when you were first born, how did Senior Ruan cultivate you and communicate with you?”

“Low-ranked mecha probably can’t participate in abyss explorations, can they?”

Bai Ying spoke up in response.

“Information instillation and simulation guidance.”

“Mecha souls naturally possess some inclinations, and as long as they are provided with corresponding information, they can improve themselves and grow quickly.”

“Once the mecha soul has grown, a cultivation chamber can be used for various simulation trainings, such as combat, lifestyle, exploration, assistance, and healing.”

“Thus growing into a healthy, complete mecha soul.”

Simulation training?

Jiang Chen thoughtfully considered.

A cultivation chamber didn’t sound like a basic facility; it would cost money to rent.

However, that’s for advanced cultivation; at the beginning, all that’s needed is to instill the appropriate information.

That’s simple.

Jiang Chen said aloud.

“Bai Ying, I need a favor.”

“Your wish is my command,” she replied.

“I haven’t paid the trait bonus for Mechanical Soul yet, and I’m about to explore the [Eternal Frost Magic Realm]…”

“So, the cultivation of the second mecha will, for now, be in your hands.”

“While I’m entering the abyss, could you please loop some videos for it?”

“Films and TV shows about mecha, classic and thrilling animations, dramas…”

“Just take the most grandiose and engaging battle scenes from them.”

“Like in Journey to the West, just get some scenes of causing havoc in the heavenly palace. Skip the ones trapped under Five Finger Mountain.”

“If it’s convenient, you could also make a montage.”

“Include plenty of scenes of slaughtering monsters.”

“Oh, and add more scenes where the character is injured but not disheartened, where they make a miraculous comeback or a fiery resurgence.”

After laying out his thoughts, Jiang Chen gently patted the brass mecha before him.

Boiling Steam naturally pairs with a spirited soul!

After binge-watching a hundred blood-pumping montages, when I come out of the abyss, I should be able to meet a fiery young mecha soul, right?