Jaeger

The Pilot General Affairs Department is where the PPDC manages the files of Jaeger pilots. It's located on the second floor. The Shatterdome didn't have this department before, but as more and more teenagers volunteered to become Jaeger pilots, the PPDC had to establish a new major department to manage these unruly kids.

Rosen was actually a frequent visitor there. This year alone, he had been there three times.

As for why... it was simply because every time he was demoted, he had to go there to update his records. Today would be no exception.

Rosen walked forward silently, his face devoid of emotion. Before long, the doors of the General Affairs Department appeared before him.

The room wasn't large. The people inside let out a burst of laughter upon seeing Rosen.

"Look, what did I tell you guys? Our distinguished guest is here again." The speaker was Zhang Delin, the head of the General Affairs Department, who spoke with a standard Sichuan accent.

He sat with his legs crossed, pointing at Rosen with a strange grin. However, the laughter held more helplessness than amusement. "Why don't you just come work at the General Affairs Department? That way, you won't have to keep running back and forth."

Rosen was amused by him, managing to force a slight smile.

But laughter aside, the procedures still had to be completed. Rosen received his new ID card, which bore several brand-new characters: Reserve Cadet ID Card, Holder: Rosen.

"I say..." Zhang Delin said hesitantly as he handed the card to Rosen, "The new cadet selection is less than half a month away."

"I know," Rosen replied, his expression stern. "By then, the previous batch of unqualified reserve cadets will be sent home."

"Don't you feel nervous? Or a sense of urgency? But then again, even if you don't become a pilot, you can still stay here as a researcher, right?" Zhang Delin pressed.

Rosen merely smiled noncommittally at his words and retorted, "It's not that I don't feel a sense of urgency. It's just that things like Sync Rate aren't something you can improve solely through effort, are they?"

This retort left Zhang Delin speechless. Although he wasn't a pilot, he knew a little about this.

In his opinion, Sync Rate was a very mysterious thing. It represented the degree of mental synchronization between two individuals at a certain moment or in a certain state. Take the Rollie couple from back in the day, for instance. Their Synaptic Link sync rate could reach 100% at its peak, but as time went by, their sync rate could no longer reach previous levels.

Moreover, with the advent of 6th Generation Jaegers, Human-Kaiju Synaptic Link had become a relic of the past. In the history of Human-Kaiju Synaptic Link, Rosen's achievement of 92% was already a terrifying figure. This was because Human-Kaiju Synaptic Link was essentially Self-Synaptic Link, and under normal circumstances, the entity humans understood the least was themselves.

To return to his peak, Rosen had naturally put in tremendous effort. Hypnosis, meditation, relaxation trips, memory playback, even divination – anything related to the mind, Rosen had tried it all, both the appropriate and inappropriate methods.

But in the end, he discovered that his mental state was completely normal, with no signs of any mental deficiency. Yet, his sync rate had decreased instead of increasing. Those repeated simulated failures led Rosen to believe that God was playing a cruel joke on him.

"Well... there's nothing that can be done then. I can only wish you good luck."

After a moment of thought, Zhang Delin could only offer Rosen a salute.

Rosen returned the salute and then turned, leaving the General Affairs Department decisively.

Only after Rosen's back disappeared did Zhang Delin sigh with some regret, "He's truly a man of many misfortunes. In just one year, he's already been demoted four times, hasn't he?"

Zhang Delin couldn't help but recall past events...

The first time Rosen came, his face was like a frostbitten eggplant, and he himself had become a walking time bomb. Anyone who dared to talk to him was bound to be berated all night.

The second time Rosen came, he was smiling. His face was filled with a foolish grin that made people's hearts ache. He chuckled "hehehe" for a full week.

The third time he came, it was much like now. He was basically expressionless, as if his heart was as calm as still water, making it impossible for anyone to guess what he was thinking.

"...Huh?"

Lost in thought, Zhang Delin suddenly froze.

Then, he pulled at the corner of his mouth and smiled with some relief.

"But that kid seems to have matured a lot because of it. The Rosen from two years ago was an annoying arrogant brat... Perhaps this year's experiences haven't been entirely bad for him... I hope so."

After leaving the General Affairs Department, Rosen headed straight for the dormitory. Today, he was supposed to move from the regular cadet living quarters to the reserve cadet living quarters. Although the two areas were not far apart on the map, within the Shatterdome, with its first floor at 100 meters high and subsequent floors nearly 30 meters each, even a small corner on the map would be incredibly vast in reality.

Fortunately, Rosen didn't have many things to move. Besides a diary, a few research documents, and some spare clothes, he had nothing else to bring.

He left empty-handed, as if he had never been there before.

The two living areas were separated by an aerial walkway. Outside the transparent glass on both sides of the walkway was the Jaeger maintenance area, connecting the first, second, and third floors. Those steel behemoths, often reaching 140 meters tall, stood rigidly outside the glass like rows of soldiers undergoing inspection. Countless Jaeger maintenance workers were suspended by cables on the Jaegers, conducting regular checks on these colossal machines. The scene was bustling with activity.

As Rosen walked through the corridor, he couldn't help but turn his head to watch. He immediately recognized the 7th Generation Jaeger in the first position on the left. It was a heavy Jaeger – "Huangshan." Currently, more than 20 staff members were gathered on the work platform to the left of Huangshan, cleaning its Particle Cannon. The scene resembled a group of oversized ants swarming around a human's hand.

Huangshan and Kunlun were of the same class and were commissioned in the same batch. Their names originated from the "Chinese Jaeger Naming Convention" which stipulated that "7th Generation Heavy Jaegers shall be uniformly named after mountain ranges."

As for the 7th Generation Light Jaegers, they used the names of medium to large cities – such as "Anshan," "Luoyang," "Changchun," and so on.

There were not many 6th Generation Jaegers still in active service, with only "Poyang" and "Dongting" remaining.

All three of China's 8th Generation Jaegers were named after provinces – namely "Shandong," "Shanghai," and "BJ."

Huangshan and Kunlun looked very similar. They shared the same power core, and their weapon systems were basically the same. However, Kunlun was equipped with the "Achilles" shock absorber at its ankle, which greatly improved its maneuverability. Huangshan, on the other hand, had powerful gripping rivets installed at its ankles to enhance its defensive capabilities in frontal combat. Each had its own merits.

"Standing next to Huangshan is the 7th Generation Heavy Jaeger – Taihang, followed by the 7th Generation Heavy Jaeger – Changbai."

Rosen couldn't help but stop. He stood before the glass partition, extending his hand, pointing out these colossal machines one by one...

But before Rosen could point out more than a few, his hand froze in mid-air.

"How can this be..."

Following his gaze, he saw the figure that had haunted his dreams for nearly a year appear at the end of his vision.

"No... Impossible, wasn't it sealed away?"

The brand-new, massive Jaeger stood there quietly. Although the Jaeger's head was covered by a canvas, its silver paint job and the bright red characters on its chest were constantly revealing its identity to the world.

J35IX—

"Kunlun?"

Even before he could clearly make out the red text, Rosen blurted it out instinctively.

Rosen squinted, leaning forward slightly, trying to make it out—yes, it was indeed Kunlun.

Just as Rosen's mind, uncharacteristically, started to get fuzzy, a sudden voice rang out from behind him.

"What? Do you like her?"

The voice jolted him out of his momentarily confused thoughts, and Rosen snapped back to reality.