Li Yi

2198.

Star Imperium Federation.

Mars, Base 11.

"Applicant Li Yi, tell me why you want to become a mech pilot."

"Because it pays a lot, and I can become an Evolver."

Lin Guotao tapped the desk as he reviewed the detailed résumé provided by the AI and scrutinized the tall, handsome youth before him.

His scores in the first five rounds of assessments were excellent, his physique met the standards, and he had no negative record.

Moreover, he came from The Humble Clan and had a low income, which meant he had greater motivation to improve.

All in all, he was a promising candidate.

Only...

His mech compatibility was very low.

That meant he could not handle most mechs and could only match with niche or rare models.

In other words, there was a high chance that any training resources invested in him would go to waste.

Still, rejecting someone solely for that was not Lin Guotao's style. After some thought, he said:

"Your overall results are fairly good even in Base 31, but they are nowhere near top-tier. Moreover, your low compatibility has diminished your value."

"We are not running a charity, but we are not entirely without compassion either."

"Now I'll give you a chance to state your case. If you can persuade me, I'll reserve you a place aboard the ship."

The several interviewers beside Lin Guotao were surprised that he had not simply rejected Li Yi outright, but none of them said anything. Lin Guotao's status spoke for itself.

Li Yi said:

"My combat skills are very strong. As long as I'm given a mech to pilot, I can give it a onefold boost."

"A onefold boost?"

One interviewer laughed. "A combat skill bonus that can double a mech's performance is already first-rate. Are you sure you have that level of ability?"

"I can demonstrate it."

Li Yi spoke calmly.

Another interviewer flipped through the detailed résumé on the desk for a while, then frowned.

"You have no record of spending money at any fighting arena or martial arts gym. Where did you learn combat skills? Do you realize that defrauding an interviewer, if the circumstances are serious, means you will never be hired for life?"

By the final few words, his voice had become increasingly thunderous.

Even the water in the cup on the desk began to ripple violently.

It was some kind of intimidation technique.

Yet the others were shocked to find that it had no effect on Li Yi.

Li Yi merely smiled.

"Virtual reality is so advanced these days. Isn't it perfectly reasonable for me to teach myself using online resources? Besides, whether I'm telling the truth can wait until after I demonstrate it. Then you teachers can make your judgment, can't you?"

The interviewer who had used the intimidation technique gave Li Yi a long look and offered faint praise.

"Your mental resistance is quite good. Your assessed value has risen in my eyes, but it is still not enough. How do you intend to demonstrate your combat skills?"

Lin Guotao smiled faintly at that moment.

"Lou Cheng, since you have raised your assessment of this candidate, how about you exchange a few moves with him?"

Sensing the nearly unquestionable tone in Lin Guotao's voice, Lou Cheng hesitated for a moment before immediately agreeing.

"Fine. There's still some time before the interview deadline."

He rose from the seat on the far left, casually shrugged off his pure black leather jacket, and strode toward Li Yi like a bear, looking down at the six-foot Li Yi.

He was a burly man standing six feet six inches tall, with a solid, unsmiling face and sharp eyes.

The aura he gave off carried the scent of iron and blood, making people afraid to meet his gaze casually.

As he slowly approached, Li Yi began to feel a trace of pressure.

Lou Cheng removed his gloves, rolled up his sleeves, exposing two rough palms that looked as if they had been polished by iron sheets, then stopped five meters in front of Li Yi.

Then Lou Cheng smiled slightly and declared proudly:

"I am Lou Cheng, a fourth-dan fighter of the Iron Crane Style. In consideration of your courage, I can give you a chance to take back your words and leave."

"Otherwise, fists and kicks have no eyes. I cannot guarantee I won't accidentally beat you to death."

Li Yi said nothing and stepped forward toward Lou Cheng.

The two interviewers on the right sipped their tea with interest, exchanged glances, and began chatting in low voices.

"Boss Lin actually picked Lou Cheng, a genuinely first-rate fighter, to make a move. Is he planning to teach this arrogant brat, who doesn't know his limits, a proper lesson?"

"Boss Lin was already being generous by not rejecting someone with such a low compatibility rate outright. And this kid actually dared to claim he could double a mech's performance?"

"Exactly. So many mech pilots cannot achieve a onefold boost. How could a member of The Humble Clan from an ordinary background, with no chance to come into contact with mechs, casually be capable of doubling one?"

While they were talking, Lin Guotao tapped the desk. His emotionless gaze swept over them, and the two interviewers immediately fell silent.

At the same time.

In the instant when the interviewers' attention was slightly divided.

Li Yi suddenly accelerated and lunged close to Lou Cheng.

His opening punch was so fast it was nearly impossible to catch with the naked eye.

Then.

Bang!!!

Under the stunned gazes of the interviewers.

Lou Cheng, a first-rate fighter, flew backward like a rag doll and slammed directly into the support pillar of the mechanical desk. The pillar shook violently like a tuning fork.

They stared wide-eyed at Li Yi, whom they had just dismissed with contempt.

What had happened?

That fierce?

The lean, slight young man tilted his head, seemingly puzzled as well by how poorly such a macho man as Lou Cheng could take a hit.

"Sorry. I thought Teacher Lou would be able to dodge that punch easily. I really didn't use that much force."

Li Yi also realized that he had severely embarrassed the others and hurriedly apologized.

Hearing that, the corners of the other interviewers' mouths twitched. They felt as though they had been caught in the crossfire.

Then they all looked at Lou Cheng in unison.

Could Lou Cheng be a fraud?

Noticing their looks, Lou Cheng wanted to explain something, but it felt as if something was lodged in his lungs. He immediately coughed several times.

Lin Guotao studied Li Yi thoughtfully for several moments.

"Li Yi, right? Your combat skills truly are impressive. What you just displayed proves your claim. Not bad."

"Then, have I been accepted?"

Li Yi asked.

"Yes, you have been accepted. Report aboard the ship in three days. Detailed instructions and requirements will be sent to your personal communication terminal, so remember to check it."

Lin Guotao smiled.

"Oh, right. After boarding, all mech pilot cadets will also have a martial competition. You can prepare more over the next few days and try to achieve a good ranking. If your ranking is high enough, you may have the chance to choose a Divine Mech. It is a rare opportunity. Work hard."

A Divine Mech?

Li Yi held his breath.

He had not expected to have a chance to come into contact with a Divine Mech so soon.

Sure enough, his careful preparations for the Deep Space Fleet's multiple rounds of tests had been the right choice!

Only by piloting a Divine Mech could humans break through their limits under its Divinity Radiation and step onto the path of evolution.

After Li Yi left, Lou Cheng also recovered from playing dead and got back to his feet.

Although Lin Guotao had already settled the matter by concluding that Li Yi's combat skills were formidable.

The other interviewers were still curious and began teasing him.

"Lou Cheng, you didn't get your Iron Crane Style fourth-dan certification by bribing the examiner, did you?"

"Bullshit! If you've got the guts, fight me one-on-one!"

"Enough. Li Yi's ability is the real deal. There is no need for you to doubt it."

Lin Guotao said blandly.

"Then, Boss Lin, how should Li Yi's position be arranged after he boards the ship? What should we write in the recommendation?"

The interviewer who spoke was implicitly trying to seize the right to recommend Li Yi for his own department.

After all, Li Yi was a mech pilot candidate with combat skills that were solidly first-rate, perhaps even higher. A low compatibility rate did not matter much.

If he had the potential to become an ace mech pilot, then even if he could only match with a few types of mech, he was worth trying.

On the other hand, what was the use of a high compatibility rate for those mediocre trash mech pilots with no potential?

"Positions will only be assigned after several rounds of training once they board the ship. As for whether the recommendation can influence the higher-ups' decision, don't dwell on it."

"Leave everything to the people above to judge."

Even so, the interviewers muttered inwardly.

Weren't you, Lin Guotao, one of the people sent down by the higher-ups?

Li Yi left the interview office, departed the Deep Space Fleet's compound, and stopped beside a rail line on the outskirts of Base 11.

He did not have legal residency rights in Base 11. His next destination was home.

But how he would get back was also a problem.

The total distance from Base 31 to here was two hundred kilometers.

The ecosystem between bases had always been fragile, and the oxygen content was extremely thin.

Therefore, it was basically impossible for an ordinary person to walk here.

Most people traveled between different bases by railcar or small airship.

But Li Yi was different from others.

He had a superpower.

In his dreams, he could capture fragments of memories from parallel worlds.

By sorting through and absorbing those memory fragments, he could gain different kinds of knowledge, skills, experience, and insights.

Of course, some memory fragments were merely life experiences and could not all be turned into useful things.

Through parallel memories, the knowledge and skills he currently possessed were:

Unrestricted Combat, Mastery

Unrestricted Parkour, Proficient

Flame Breathing Technique, Skilled

Primary Meditation, Skilled

Standard Marksmanship, Proficient

Weapon Combat, Proficient

Standard Throwing, Proficient

Tracking, Skilled

Standard Cooking, Skilled

Knowledge system, qualified master's level in science

His relevant experience was:

Life-and-death combat experience, 23 battles

Major examination experience, 12 exams

Romantic relationship experience, 35 relationships

Major project organization and planning experience, 17 projects

It was precisely with these skills and experiences that he had fought his way through every stage and reached the final round of interviews for the Deep Space Fleet.

Of course, although this knowledge and these skills looked abundant.

In reality, he had filtered out most of the boring memory fragments and spent considerable effort integrating the remainder to form them.

Furthermore, if he came into contact with certain supernatural items, there was also a high probability that he would obtain parallel-world memories related to those supernatural items in his dreams.

The Flame Breathing Technique, the only skill related to supernatural abilities that he currently possessed, had been acquired that way.

Therefore, if Li Yi wanted to come into contact with the supernatural, the Divine Mech was currently his only possible opportunity.

Back to the point.

At this moment.

Li Yi waited quietly.

After a while, a slight tremor came from the ground.

Li Yi turned his head and saw a pale red railcar shooting toward him like a bullet at nearly five hundred kilometers per hour.

Boom!!!

The thin air carried a violent roar.

In an instant, the train brushed past Li Yi.

Li Yi began accelerating, growing faster and faster. Just as he neared the tail end of the train, he suddenly leaped.

The fingers of his right hand clamped tightly onto the nearly sealed doorframe of the rear carriage like a vise. Like a kite swaying in the wind, he followed after it.

This was how he caught a ride: an astonishing maneuver completed on Mars, where gravity was 0.372 of Earth's, using the powerful physique and perfect technique granted by Mastery-level combat.

Free of charge, no ticket required. Efficient, no lines or security checks. An exclusive one-person ride. Ordinary people should not attempt it.

More than half an hour later.

As the railcar was about to enter the outer ecosystem of Base 31.

Li Yi took a deep breath in the high-speed airflow, drawing as much oxygen as possible into his lungs, then released his grip.

His seemingly slight body spun through the air, then landed lightly.

All that remained was a five-minute walk to reach the Tree Shed District.

So-called tree sheds were trees genetically modified through new breeding technology into habitable shelters.

Around the major Martian bases, many unemployed people had to rely on such things to survive.

Of course, tree sheds were still new and had not been fully perfected, leaving behind quite a few hidden dangers.

If humans lived in them for long periods, their health and lifespan would definitely be greatly reduced.

"Stop! Where are you from?!"

Unexpectedly, the moment Li Yi returned home, several gaunt white punks with smoky makeup and sunken eye sockets sprang out from the bushes.

Every one of them looked vicious, their gazes sharp.

But the moment they saw it was Li Yi—

"Yo, Brother Yi, you're back?"

The leader's expression changed at once. He hurriedly put away the Particle Gun in his hand and greeted him warmly.

"Mm."

Li Yi answered indifferently. He had long since made a name for himself around here, enough that he had the confidence not to associate with people like them.

After Li Yi walked past, one of the punks spat on the ground and said resentfully,

"Boss, we've got Particle Guns. Why are we still afraid of him?"

"Yeah, shoot the bastard!"

Another joined in.

"These are just crippled Particle Guns. They're useless against combat experts. Remember this: if you really want to die, don't follow me anymore. Understand?"

"Fine."

Li Yi paid no attention to the punks' conversation.

There were certainly people in the Tree Shed District outside Base 31 whom he needed to be wary of.

But those few definitely were not among them.

Night fell. Beneath a fairly large tree shed, the glow cast by solar lamps faded into the darkness.

Several people sat in the center of the light, cooling off with their shirts open and bellies exposed.

"Brother Yi, did the Deep Space Fleet really recruit you?"

"Yeah. This time, I came back first to say goodbye to you all, and to thank you for taking care of me, my younger brother, and my younger sister these past few years."

Li Yi raised a cup of berry juice and toasted the others.

"Do you remember six years ago, when our family ended up at Base 31? If Xiao Yu's family hadn't been willing to help us gain residency, I might not have been recruited by an official fleet even now, and my younger brother and sister wouldn't have been able to return to the family so smoothly."

Xiao Yu laughed and punched Li Yi. "Why are you saying all that?"

"And A-Xing..."

"Come on, Brother Yi. Let's skip the thanks and get to the important part."

The friends burst into laughter.

Amid the laughter, the eyes of some of the more sensitive ones also began to redden.

Even through the powerful virtual reality network, it was impossible to stay in contact across several light-years.

Li Yi gave a soft cough.

"Mm, then let's make it ten years. I hope I can make something of myself as soon as possible and become a true evolver! Then I'll take you all out of the Tree Shed District and into the central base! When that time comes, I'll be counting on you to help me manage my business."

"Once you head into the stars, it could take far more than a few decades. Brother Yi, don't put so much pressure on yourself."

Xiao Yu said with a smile, "Even if we really can't make it to the central base, it doesn't matter. This is probably all life has in store for us anyway. Being able to meet Brother Yi has already been the thing I'm most proud of and cherish most in my life."

"So, Brother Yi, go boldly into deep space! Then prove to everyone what those people who didn't take you back missed out on!"

Li Yi turned away from everyone and went to pour himself more berry juice.

Seeing Li Yi's back frozen there, everyone fell silent for quite a while.

Then Li Yi answered calmly,

"Mm. Then let's set off into deep space!"