Chapter 318: Cheng Tian Prefers Red Lightsabers
From the perspective of the Earth Federation and the Laia Principality, Azrael was undoubtedly a rebel. However, in Azrael's own view, everything he did was to replace a weak government and was a heroic act that would make Laia Star great again.
Having grown up in a war-torn environment and survived countless battles, Azrael harbored an indelible hatred for the human race from Earth. Therefore, when allocating faction players, he would prioritize players with non-human bloodlines.
Cheng Tian, however, was the only human incorporated into the Laia Reformist Army due to his astonishing feat of destroying the Twin Goddess statues.
Emotionally, Azrael naturally could not accept an Earthling like Cheng Tian. Yet, rationally, he knew that Cheng Tian's hatred for the Earth Federation might not be any less than his own, making the possibility of betrayal extremely low. (Legendary Reputation +2 points)
The enemy of my enemy is my friend; this was also the main reason Cheng Tian was accepted.
Of course, no matter what Azrael thought internally, he would not show it outwardly. At least in front of all the mercenaries, Azrael would not give Cheng Tian any special treatment, whether positive or negative.
"First, select the mechs you want. Currently, only these are available. If you want more powerful mechs in the future, you can only exchange them with military merits.
If you don't understand, you can ask the mechanic directly. Once you've chosen your mech, head to the training grounds."
Azrael pointed at a row of mechs in front of them and then walked away.
While the other three players were still observing the completely unfamiliar mechs, Cheng Tian had already begun his selection.
After a quick scan, he indeed didn't see any elite or BOSS-tier mechs like "Blind Eye," "Sprinter," "Radar," or "Helium Core." The only options were six basic and derivative models of the first-generation grunt mech, the Gatz.
Cheng Tian hardly hesitated, heading straight for the "Gatz LB," completely discarding his previous idea of choosing a mech suitable for spellcasting.
No other reason than that the LB model of the Gatz had a close-combat enhanced "Laser Blade" module, commonly known as a lightsaber!
Who could resist the allure of a lightsaber!?
No one! Definitely no one!
"Do you need an introduction…?"
"No need! This is it!"
Facing the mechanic's inquiry, Cheng Tian unhesitatingly refused and, with the mechanic's help, directly entered the cockpit.
Since the Gatz LB was only an average height of 5 meters, similar to mechs like the Scopedog from "Armored Trooper VOTOMS," Ryujinmaru from "Mashin Hero Wataru," and Lancelot from "Code Geass," it was actually closer to a larger, reinforced exoskeleton than the Mobile Suits of Gundam.
As the Gatz LB was a medium-sized mech, and Cheng Tian wasn't particularly large, it wasn't as cramped inside as he had imagined.
After the mechanic completed the data matching, this Gatz LB model became Cheng Tian's exclusive mech in the current instance.
[MSW-16M Gatz LB Type: Blue Excellent / Lv-, Humanoid Mobile Weapon, Medium Combat Vehicle, Single-person Vehicle. Driving Requirements — Strength + Agility combined exceeds 45 points, possesses E-rank Lv4+ / D-rank Lv4+ / C-rank Lv1+ Vehicle Driving ability; Due to the 'Mech Combat' instance modifier, players without relevant driving ability can also pilot it, but the mech's related abilities will decrease.
A first-generation mass-produced mech that appeared in the war between the Earth Federation and the Laia Principality. Although its performance is outdated, due to its low cost, abundant stock, high parts replacement compatibility, and cheap maintenance, it is still widely deployed in the Laia Principality's army. This mech is a close-combat enhanced model and can actively replace other modular components later.
All "Gatz" mechs are equipped with basic equipment such as bulletproof shields, back thrusters, eye viewfinders, gliding mechanical feet, and fixed mounts. In addition, each mech is equipped with a "Quick Swap" function that allows for rapid modular component replacement on the arms and shoulders in two locations on the battlefield.
The Gatz LB's fuselage durability is 120/120. Under the influence of the "Mech Combat" modifier, it will convert to HP at a 1:10 ratio, meaning HP = 1200/1200. Under the influence of the "Mech Combat" instance modifier, all mech vehicles in the current instance have unlimited conventional energy. Items like gasoline, screwdrivers, and energy packs will be converted into mech HP recovery items.
The Gatz has a total of 3 accessory replacement slots —
Left arm = Laser Blade, Right arm = Ironclad Steel Fist, Shoulder = None.
Among them, the Gatz's arm components have independent HP, can be destroyed, and can be actively replaced. Currently equipped with "Laser Blade" and "Ironclad Steel Fist" modules —
Laser Blade, HP = 220/220, Base Attack 110~135, equipped with a high-power laser blade head, can easily tear through mech outer armor, can release long-range arc-shaped sword light.
Ironclad Steel Fist, HP = 300/300, Base Attack 40~50, equipped with an extendable pile, can cause armor-piercing penetration damage to target armor.
Movement Speed 2☆, Attack Range 2☆, Destructive Power 3☆, Ammo Capacity 2☆. This data will affect the performance of modular components.
The pilot's abilities and attributes will also affect the mech's final data to varying degrees.]
[Additional Comment: If you slice open an enemy mech with a laser sword, you will have a chance to see a perfect cross-section of its interior.]
The moment the mechanic completed the login, Cheng Tian felt his five senses extend throughout the entire mech, giving him the sensation of controlling it as if it were his own limbs. At the same time, his vision was no longer confined to the narrow viewfinder in front of him but gained a wide-angle view like a biological being.
Clearly, Tank Master had activated.
In Tank Master's judgment, the Gatz LB also belonged to a branch of tank vehicles.
It seemed that Rebanan, as a Tank Master, wasn't unwilling to drive other vehicles; it was just that the vehicles in the World of Heavy Metal were primarily tracked and wheeled tanks, so he had no other options to drive.
Knowing about the Mech Combat modifier in advance, Cheng Tian had brought all his vehicles this time: the Batmobile, Iron Ox Tank, Drill Tank, Personal Submarine... and even the Elephant!
He wondered if there would be an opportunity to leverage the technology of this world to modify and upgrade his own tanks.
After all, besides bipedal humanoid mobile weapons, this world also had pure tank systems with track components and civil engineering modifications.
As a first-generation mech, the Gatz lacked the ability to replace leg parts, which Cheng Tian found quite concerning. However, since he was with Azrael, there would definitely be no shortage of replaceable arm and shoulder parts. Cheng Tian planned to take this opportunity to complete the Holy Grail Mission first to increase the mech's fault tolerance.
After setting the Gatz LB as the lead vehicle in his Tank Matrix, Cheng Tian controlled it as it strode purposefully towards the training grounds.
Cheng Tian's swift selection and actions made the other three players look on with some surprise.
This stable and fluid movement clearly indicated that Cheng Tian had impressive piloting skills, possibly even a driving specialist. Whether such a person appearing among their teammates was good or bad, they couldn't tell.