Neural Echoes

That sounded almost exactly like self-destruction.

Quite a few people present frowned. In their eyes, Xingtian had become a bomb that could explode at any moment.

"All my judgments and actions are based on the neural impulse signals of my first pilot, Yan Fei. The signals come from the neural resonance processing zone in the 'Lianshan' system." Yu Xiao finished his explanation.

Yuan Zhen narrowed his eyes and let his easygoing smile fade.

Yuan Zhen's reaction confirmed Yu Xiao's suspicion: Omega really was developing technology similar to a machine soul.

As a machine soul, when Yu Xiao had first crossed over into Xingtian's body, he had inherited all the memories in its data storage. That was when he discovered something unusual about the first-generation mech.

All first-generation mechs had two pilots!

Single-pilot technology wasn't used in a handful of mechs until the third generation came along. Before that, only Tieyu with exceptionally powerful mental strength could operate a mech alone, and only under special circumstances!

Yet ever since Yu Xiao had crossed over, there had only been one control station in Xingtian's cockpit!

But in both Xingtian's memories and the officially released records, Xingtian's first pilots had always been listed as two people: Chen Weimin and Yan Fei.

In the last battle before Xingtian was retired, its pilot Yan Fei had died. In the end, Chen Weimin was the only one to pilot the mech back to base alive.

After that, Xingtian was sent to the War Factory for repairs and officially retired.

Yu Xiao had reason to suspect that during those final repairs, Omega had conducted secret experiments and modifications on Xingtian.

On top of that, he had encountered the Demon Scorpion mech, which only needed one pilot, in the Silent Graveyard. He had also found a damaged machine soul in the depths of its system. Yu Xiao was almost certain that Omega's research into machine soul technology was inextricably linked to human consciousness!

So Yu Xiao had taken a gamble. He used the deceased pilot Yan Fei as a smokescreen, leading Yuan Zhen to think of Xingtian as a machine soul!

Although that sounded even less plausible than "system evolution," Omega was at least researching machine souls, so it fell within the bounds of human understanding.

As long as Xingtian remained within what people could accept, he wouldn't seem too threatening to them.

"...Your explanation needs to be verified." Yuan Zhen realized that there was no way to confirm Yu Xiao's claim right now. Besides, research into machine souls was an Omega secret, and he couldn't discuss it in front of so many people.

As for everyone else present, only the War Factory's chief technical officer looked grave. Most of the rest seemed confused and astonished.

"I don't know much about the technical side of things, but I believe I have a say when it comes to Xingtian." General Chen slowly rose from his seat, breaking the tense silence. "As one of Xingtian's first pilots, many people think I was able to pilot the mech back to base alone because my mental strength was above average."

"But that wasn't the case. After my partner—and my closest friend—Yan Fei died, I could still feel his presence through the neural synchronization. That feeling only gradually faded after I brought Xingtian back to base and climbed out of the control station.

"For that reason, I stopped piloting mechs and didn't want to see Xingtian return to the battlefield."

General Chen spoke as calmly as a still lake, as if centuries had passed since those events.

"But things don't always go as I'd like. Through a twist of fate, Xingtian became a mech that didn't need a pilot to operate him." General Chen continued. "I don't know why that happened, but he protected everyone when Xuanse Cangqiong was at its most desperate, and played a crucial role in the joint operation in the Silent Graveyard. I think that much is beyond dispute."

"No matter how everyone else sees Xingtian, to me, he is a comrade-in-arms, a fearless warrior, and an indispensable member of Xuanse Cangqiong."

After saying this, General Chen gave Xingtian a slight nod, then sat back down.

"I agree with General Chen." Vitali was the first to speak up. He was one of the few commanders who piloted a mech himself. "I was right behind Xingtian when he charged the behemoth. I could feel his fearlessness in the face of death. He's as brave as we Shalisians!"

"I agree too." The commander of Canghai Longyin followed close behind. "Based on his performance in joint operations, Xingtian deserves General Chen's praise. And I trust General Chen's judgment."

"I don't entirely believe what you said, but I have no objection to gaining another powerful ally." The commander of Golden Gate glanced warily at Xingtian and raised his hand.

"Our legion's Tieyu think highly of Xingtian. That alone is enough for me." The commander of Golden Rainforest raised his hand above his head.

"I agree..." Most of the other commanders raised their hands as well.

With General Chen leading the way, the entire conference hall's attitude toward Xingtian had shifted.

"It seems the commanders have made their decision." Yuan Zhen shrugged with a smile, giving up on pressing Xingtian for answers. "Since you all feel that way, we can put off confirming Xingtian's identity for now. Let's first decide his place in the alliance."

"My suggestion is to assign Xingtian to a special operations unit under unified command, reporting directly to headquarters." The deputy secretary-general spoke up first. "Xingtian's strength is obvious to all. Under unified command, headquarters can deploy him wherever he's needed and make the best use of his abilities."

"Mr. Deputy Secretary-General, according to the alliance's structure, our legions are all under your jurisdiction. As the governing body, you should leave the fighting to us." The commander of Golden Gate folded his arms and spoke in a half-joking tone. "At the end of the day, Xingtian is a mech, and mechs belong under the jurisdiction of the Mobile Armored Corps."

"Then, according to General Bruno, which legion should Xingtian belong to?" the deputy secretary-general asked, leaning forward.

"Whichever needs him most," Bruno replied, his tone growing firmer.

"So General Bruno is volunteering to give up control of Xingtian. After all, the Golden Gate Legion has the strongest combat force in the alliance." The deputy secretary-general wasn't about to back down.

"Then how do we decide? By seeing which legion is in worse shape?" The commander of Golden Rainforest looked on with amusement. "If we're talking about who's in the worst shape, the defeated United Front is definitely the worst off—and needs Xingtian most."

While they argued back and forth, Xingtian finally spoke from the end of the long table.

"Everyone, I'm not a weapon or an object. I think I have a say in this matter too."

The moment he spoke, everyone fell silent in unspoken agreement and turned their eyes to the center of their discussion.

"I want to stay with Xuanse Cangqiong."