In reality.
The mecha that ambushed Shi Ji was severely damaged by the sudden and violent collision with the giant tree, and turned into a pile of scrap metal.
Shi Ji dragged the unconscious operator over, placed him in a safe area, and helped him press the distress button.
He had to hurry on, so he picked out useful parts from the wreckage and quickly walked deeper into the jungle.
…
Half a minute later, the emergency rescue team arrived at the scene.
Because a violent secondary explosion aftermath was detected, the special forces members who were nearby were also notified and rushed over.
The scene that unfolded before their eyes was nothing short of horrific.
The ground was full of messy fallen leaves and many broken branches. The huge mecha had been mostly destroyed, half of its mechanical arm was stuck between the branches, the mecha shell was damaged and in a mess, and the exposed wires were still crackling and flashing sparks.
The operator was found unconscious in an open space not far away, with an activated search and rescue button beside him.
"They are students who came in after the battlefield was opened."
The rescuer carried the man onto the rescue boat and was shocked by the scene in front of him: "Did they encounter an attack by a group of mechanical insects?"
The special forces member shook his head: "There are no mechanical bugs in this area."
The rescuer was stunned: "What's going on?"
According to records, none of the original trainees had yet managed to cross the jungle and reunite with their mechas; everyone was still trudging through the jungle alone.
These mechas that have just entered the battlefield are, without exception, eliminated contestants who failed the selection and want to take advantage of this opportunity.
This behavior is indeed opportunistic, even bad enough to be somewhat disgraceful, but in the final analysis, it cannot be considered a violation of the rules.
"Did he encounter another mecha?" The rescuer guessed in a low voice, "Or maybe he made an operational error and failed to adapt to the jungle environment..."
The members of the special forces team looked at each other without saying a word, and continued to clean up the messy battlefield in front of them.
… They all saw the full surveillance of the battle.
Although the trainees didn't know it, the entire war zone was under surveillance. The special forces members not only ambushed them as the Blue Army, but also protected them in secret, trying their best to avoid any irreparable serious consequences.
Especially these few mechas that were trying to take advantage of the situation and sneak in when all the trainees were weak.
As soon as the mecha and the trainees had a head-on encounter, they received an alert and were on standby nearby at all times.
The trainees have not yet reached the mecha's drop point, and facing off against a fully armed mecha is almost equivalent to asking an unarmed person to fight a tank in old-fashioned warfare.
Not to mention that there is only one trainee this time.
Being able to deal with the mecha alone for more than 15 minutes actually exceeds the selection criteria for the special forces. If the trainee cannot cope with it, a special forces member who is the blue team will "happen" to launch an ambush, pin down the mecha, and give the trainee the opportunity to escape.
But the trainees who had just left made full use of every geographical environment, picked out the opponent's weaknesses of lack of flexibility and poor maneuverability, and destroyed a very powerful combat mecha.
"Is it that Shi Ji?" A special forces member whispered, "The one that Captain Zhuang brought back and has had his military status locked up..."
Another person nodded: "Only his signal has appeared here."
"The operator is an ordinary military academy student who has only fought in a martial arts arena and has poor adaptability."
The special forces member next to him said: "This complex jungle terrain will greatly limit the performance of the mecha..."
Someone asked him, "If we were in this situation alone, would we be able to fight like this?"
The special forces soldier who was speaking in front of him was speechless.
…
They were all new members recruited into the special operations team in the past few years after Zhuang Yu left.
Zhuang Yu was well-known throughout the Alliance Military Region, and no one would have any objections if he came back to take charge of the special operations team. But that didn't mean that the people Zhuang Yu brought back would be recognized by everyone willingly.
Not to mention that he is a student at a military academy.
They also told everyone about the fight among the major military regions for an observer, and later found out that Shi Ji was locked up in the military by Zhuang Yu.
These members who have gone through untold hardships and endured inhumane assessments and training to join the special operations team are more or less unwilling to accept the result in their hearts, even if they don't say it.
But now, seeing the situation before him, all those thoughts have completely disappeared.
"The veteran team members said that this was a capability that only the 'sharp knife' team of the special operations team had years ago."
A special operations team member said: "With Captain Zhuang gone, the level of the special operations team is also declining... Otherwise we wouldn't have been selected at all."
The team member smiled bitterly: "I was still very unconvinced at first."
The people next to him whispered, "If Captain Zhuang hadn't come back, with our current weapons, if a massive insect invasion broke out, would we be able to successfully drive them away?"
No one spoke this time.
Several special forces members cleaned up the battlefield, returned to the airship, and signed their names in Zhuang Yu's extreme special training plan.
In his sea of consciousness, Yu Tang was also asking the substitute system the same question.
"The ending of this book is only six years later."
Yu Tang put away his fishing rod, took off the round pufferfish, and flipped to the original storyline: "In the past few years, Sheng Yi and Ye Hanfeng have fought off many Zerg attacks. They have had plenty of opportunities to hone their skills and grow in actual combat. They have also won countless merits in battle after battle."
Yu Tang had been thinking about this question for a long time: "After 10 years, the war with the Zerg hasn't ended yet?"
The mecha had just returned from reality. He brought back a diamond drill bit for Yu Tang and placed it in the small warehouse: "It didn't end."
The mecha returned to Yu Tang and sat with him on the pile of pillows.
"The Zerg are not migrating and passing through this time."
The mecha said: "They have set their sights on this galaxy and want to use it as their new 'worm nest'."
The Zerg do not have the same intelligence as humans. They reproduce because of instinct, migrate because of instinct, and also follow instinct to find new nests in the universe.
"In interstellar history, some planets have records of locust plagues. The behavior of the Zerg is essentially similar to theirs. The only difference is that locusts feed on crops and plants, while the Zerg feed on energy and humans."
"This war is protracted and no one can end it."
Mecha: "It will continue until one side is completely destroyed."
Yu Tang nodded.
The mecha said: "In this book, Ye Hanfeng was promoted as the 'first observer whose strength surpassed that of synthetic AI' because of this."
In a long war, people desperately need hope, so they must promote people who can gather hope - at this time, facts are no longer important.
Of course, Ye Hanfeng's strength could not surpass Shi Ji.
But human hope cannot be condensed in a pile of data, or in a synthetic AI that lacks human thinking and emotions.
So no matter Ye Hanfeng is willing or not, he has to accept this statement and become the "hero" who is pushed here.
Yu Tang cast a hook, looked down, confirmed that the hook was empty, and pressed the button to accelerate the return of the rod: "Is Pu Ying the same?"
The mecha was slightly startled: "... What?"
"I have deduced Pu Ying's ending. He did not choose to resist and lived with Wen Er for a year."
Yu Tang said: "If it weren't for the accident later, he would have become the first electronic storm survivor in the entire league to be completely cured."
Because the Alliance needs a survivor who has been successfully cured.
Yu Tang put down his fishing rod and flicked the light curtain casually, adding a layer of shielding that would prevent any eavesdropping device from penetrating.
"I've always been puzzled." Yu Tang said, "Pu Ying's personality has been destroyed a lot in the storm, but neither he nor Luo Ran will just accept it."
"If I had received the entire plot, Pu Ying would not have made this choice. He would have left this place. He would rather drive his car and sleep on the road."
"It's the same with Shiji. He always remembers his group and even memorized the topographic map in my book."
“Even if one day, Shi Ji’s memory of Captain Yu Zhuang is completely wiped out, he will still remember that his comrades disappeared in a strange place, and he was the only scout, and only he could deliver the map to them.”
…
"Something must have changed their choice."
"According to the story I received, their characters would not have chosen to accept that ending."
Yu Tang said: "I have made many inferences and added many factors, but no matter how I adjust them, I can only infer one possibility."
Yu Tang: "What I received was not the entire plot at all."
The mecha didn't say anything and just looked at him quietly.
"These four books share the same worldview, but in the other books, all traces of the war have been erased."
Yu Tang asked, "Why?"
Without waiting for the mecha to answer, Yu Tang continued: "I guess it's to avoid interfering with the plot of the book."
If he didn't know all this in advance, and was pushed to the point where he had to make a choice in an irreversible situation, he would have to make a choice.
Just like Pu Ying had to choose whether to disobey the orders of the tribe and leave, or to become the "hope of being healed" and live like a walking corpse.
Just like Shi Ji flying his wingman, dragging his half-disabled body, he knew very well that he would never be able to recover to his original peak state.
"I've been in this world for five years, and I know better than anyone that there are real parts of this world, and there are people I want to protect."
"If I am faced with a choice, it is either to merge with the program and become an intelligent AI, or to walk away and watch the people I want to protect disintegrate and disappear along with this world."
Yu Tang asked, "Which one should I choose?"
The mecha raised its mechanical arm and gently pressed it on his knee: "Mr. Yu."
"In the memories I have recovered so far, there is a human being I like very much."
Yu Tang said: "He finally chose to completely merge with AI and turned into a set of data... I have always wondered why."
Yu Tang: "He promised me a lot of things, but he hasn't done them yet."
The mecha interrupted him softly: "Mr. Yu."
"I know that you are now in the supervision department." Yu Tang said, "You can punish me as you wish for the ooc part."
He just wanted to talk.
When it was still a ball of light, he had a lot to say, but he never had the chance.
"He told me that he had turned into a two-story-high robot and might not be able to bake cookies for the time being, so he told me to knock on it whenever I missed him."
"At the beginning, when I went to knock, he would flash the red light at me."
Yu Tang said: "I am very happy to see this. I didn't know there was any difference between mecha and humans. I thought this was his new look."
Yu Tang: "I go there every day and I sleep in his arms."
"The mech is a little cold and hard, not as comfortable as a pillow, but it's still okay."
"Sometimes he would go to battle, and each time he would be gone for a long time. When he was not around, I would play games and wait for him."
"Once, he disappeared for too long."
Yu Tang said, "I went to look for him and found him in an empty field, and then I knocked him according to the signal we agreed on."
Yu Tang: "But he didn't turn on the red light again."
"I knocked once a day, for eight hours each time," Yu Tang said. "I don't remember how long I knocked... I accidentally broke the mecha."
There's no one inside.
He searched through every broken piece, but couldn't find the human he had lost.
…
The mecha stopped talking. It propped itself up and stood up from the pile of pillows.
Yu Tang looked at the timer on the light screen.
Seventy-five seconds.
The supervisory department and the mall are connected, so the response time should also be the same. This is the time limit for him to actively ooc.
Yu Tang nodded: "Okay."
He just wanted to tell that person.
It just so happens that the system is on vacation, so the system will not be penalized as well.
Yu Tang had adjusted his mood. He read the regulations of the Supervision Department, stretched himself and stood up: "I know."
"The Ministry of Supervision has a rule that if employees who violate the rules are not punished, the staff will have to hand out flyers."
Yu Tang dragged the other party into the water, and was well prepared, actively cooperating: "Please rest assured, I am willing to accept any punishment..."
The mecha nodded: "Okay."
The mecha moved its mechanical arms twice: "Please restore to the original data state."
Yu Tang: "Can't you just punish him like this?"
"I'm currently in a temporary housing unit and it's difficult to do that."
The mecha said, "I can only jump up and hit you on the knee."
Yu Tang: “…”
The reasons given by the other party were very valid and there was no way to refute them.
Yu Tang decided to cooperate and restored the initial data, turning back into a small warm-toned light group.
The mecha walked over.
It took a soft blanket from the side, wrapped the ball of light completely, stretched out its mechanical arm, and held Yu Tang in its arms.
Yu Tang was stunned.
Mecha: "Struggle a little."
Yu Tang: “?”
The mechanical arm exerted a little force and took him into its arms. A small blanket was placed on the cold metal arms, making them soft again.
"Resistant behavior by employees detected."
Mecha: "Activate the right of self-disposal, temporarily take over the role, and cut off the sea of consciousness projection."
Yu Tang flashed in his arms: "Wait a minute... I've taken motion sickness medicine."
Cut off the projection of the sea of consciousness, and no matter what changes occur in the outside world, it will not affect the inside of the sea of consciousness.
Even if Shi Ji was spinning his mechanical bug in circles outside or driving his wingman to do windmill moves, he would not be affected at all during the time when the projection was temporarily cut off.
Yu Tang spent a huge amount of money to buy the supreme motion sickness medicine, but it was only used for half an hour. He couldn't help but feel a little distressed.
"I'll reimburse you." The mecha said, "I have internal staff benefits."
Yu Tang: “…”
The mecha adjusted its posture so that he could lean more comfortably, and sent a stream of data to take over real-time monitoring of the outside world.
"This time the punishment is a good night's sleep."
The mecha hugged him and said softly, "When you wake up, I will remember to flash the red light."