Jing Mingqiu, too lazy to waste words with such an idiot, continued along the railing. He walked to the giant sunshade, stepped onto the central support, and walked around the canopy in an inverted position.
Then, Jing Mingqiu swept a contemptuous glance at the reporter from Pengpai News. With a swallow’s flip, he landed beautifully, saying, “The United States of America boasts of its technological prowess, yet their reporters don't even know what an electromagnet is. It truly makes one laugh.”
The reporter from Pengpai News, furious, was about to retort when Mo Ruixue suddenly trotted over, hugged Jing Mingqiu’s arm, and exclaimed playfully, “A Qiu, the exercise is starting! Let’s hurry and go watch!”
“Alright, Principal. I’ll take Xue’er to watch the mecha exercise first. You can stay here and entertain these fellows who are worse than elementary school students…”
Jing Mingqiu completely ignored the furious reporter from Pengpai News beside him and left without looking back.
The reporter from Pengpai News felt like he had punched cotton, nearly suffering internal injuries from anger. Turning to Feng Weiguo, intending to make a scene, Feng Weiguo spoke first.
“My apologies! Mingqiu is still a child, with a rather straightforward personality. If there were any improper words used, please excuse him.”
Anyone could tell that Feng Weiguo’s apology lacked sincerity. However, since he had apologized, and Jing Mingqiu was not an official, dwelling on a few words would only lead to further embarrassment for themselves.
With no other recourse, the foreign reporters with ulterior motives could only grudgingly accept. They pulled their cameramen, preparing to film some mecha combat footage to take back. Just then, Feng Weiguo suddenly spoke again.
“Oh, right. Classmate Mingqiu misspoke. Magnets can attract steel; this is taught in kindergarten, not elementary school!”
Feng Weiguo’s jab landed with precision. Everyone felt choked, especially the reporter from Pengpai News, whose face was even more grim than a dead man’s. Elementary school was one thing, but in Feng Weiguo’s words, he was now worse than a kindergarten toddler in pull-up pants.
Fortunately, the reporter from Kimchi Country’s public display of incontinence was there to take the initial heat, otherwise, he would have already tucked his tail and fled.
The live combat test of the combat mechas was divided into three stages.
These were small-scale infiltration, small-position defense, and large-scale joint operations.
What was currently underway was small-scale infiltration.
A five-person squad, clad in specialized combat mechas, was concealed within a small grove, discussing tactics.
The mechas they used were not the giant mechas, often hundreds of meters tall, found in traditional anime. The overall design was closer to the smaller mechas similar to Iron Man.
Of course, real-world mechas had to adhere to scientific principles and couldn’t be arbitrarily set by directors like in superhero movies.
Therefore, their mechas were noticeably heavier, with an overall height of about two meters and thirty centimeters, and a weight exceeding one hundred kilograms.
“Captain,” the squad’s scout habitually spoke first to report, “According to infrared scans, there are twenty-six enemies ahead. Two at the entrance, two behind the door, seven on the wall, and the rest are inside the room.”
The captain glanced at the highlighted prompts on his mecha’s visor: “I see them. The ones on the wall are yours. The rest of you stay close to me. We’ll move first and take out the two at the entrance.”
“Received!”
After the team’s orderly reply, they moved quickly.
Despite appearing bulky and heavy, the mechas moved with remarkable agility.
Having discarded traditional fuel generators, the noise produced by the engines during operation was practically negligible.
All the bearings within the mechas had been thoroughly lubricated before participating in the exercise, ensuring no extraneous sounds were made during movement.
Beneath the cold metal plates of the mecha’s feet was a layer of specialized sound-dampening rubber, which not only eliminated footstep sounds but also acted as a buffer, reducing the impact between the mecha and the ground.
Rolling, dodging, and utilizing the shadows of the walls and the sentries’ blind spots, the captain quickly led his team forward. In coordination with the sniper positioned in the woods, they effortlessly eliminated the guards outside.
Before the captain and his team could relax.
“Screech! Screech!”
Piercing alarm sounds suddenly blared. More than a dozen dark gun barrels extended from the windows, aiming at the captain and his group, and began to unleash a torrent of bullets.
Seeing this, Jing Mingqiu couldn’t help but shake his head.
“What era are we in? They didn’t consider cameras during infiltration. Was it that difficult to equip the mechas with an electromagnetic interference function?”
While Jing Mingqiu was lamenting, the sniper hidden in the woods was also discovered. A rocket launched in a graceful arc, flying towards them.
Accompanied by the fiery explosion, the entire grove erupted into flames.
The foreign reporters, not expecting the exercise weapons to possess such terrifying power, were stunned for a moment before descending into a frenzy.
Without exception, they set up high-precision cameras, focusing intently on the burning forest, preparing to capture images of mechas being shattered and pilots meeting gruesome ends.
They had even planned the news headlines: China’s self-deception, using fantasy equipment, resulting in the tragic deaths of numerous innocent soldiers.
However, after the smoke cleared and the event staff extinguished the flames, they looked at the mechas, blackened by soot but completely intact. The onlookers were first disappointed, then filled with awe.
“Oh, my God! Is this real? It withstood a direct hit from a rocket, and it’s completely undamaged!”
“I must be hallucinating. This rocket was enough to destroy a heavy tank. Such a small mecha certainly couldn’t withstand it!”
“This must be fake! It’s a magic trick they’re performing. The explosion just now was a magic effect, like a magician cutting a person in half…”
Unlike the reactions of reporters from other countries, Jing Mingqiu, with the aid of the system’s scan, saw through the essence of the matter at a glance.
“Using aviation-grade super-quality alloys can indeed withstand a Viper-II rocket. However, the cost is too high. With China’s current technological capabilities, mass production is impossible.”
“Moreover, for the mecha worn by snipers, camouflage is the most important. Optical camouflage, radar jamming – these are what snipers need most. Why build them so heavy? Do you want snipers to engage in close-quarters combat?”
While Jing Mingqiu was furiously complaining, the captain and his team had already charged through the hail of bullets. Relying on the absolute advantage of being impervious to bullets and blades, they subdued all the enemies effortlessly.
Thus, the first stage concluded. The captain and his team raised their right hands, saluted, and retreated from the field. Logistics personnel entered to clear the battlefield.
Feng Weiguo finally managed to escape the cluster of reporters and pushed open the door to the private room, finding Jing Mingqiu.
“Mingqiu, what do you think? Our developed combat mechas are pretty good, aren’t they!”
Jing Mingqiu wagged a single finger gently. “My evaluation of these mechas is just one word: a waste of good material!”
Feng Weiguo was taken aback by Jing Mingqiu’s poor assessment and stuttered, “What do you mean by that!”
“Sigh,” Jing Mingqiu sighed. “You misunderstood the positioning of mechas from the very beginning. They are not replacements for aircraft and tanks, they are…”