Choosing

"Just by touching it, I'll feel something and be able to tell whether it matches me?"

Red Gourd Fairy AI's explanation sounded far too mystical, so Li Yi could not help being skeptical.

"That's right. Feel carefully with your soul. As long as you sense something, you should basically be able to start it successfully."

"Every sealed Divine Mech will automatically identify nearby souls and determine whether they are compatible with it."

"If the identification succeeds, your soul will naturally resonate with it. You'll know once you touch it."

Red Gourd Fairy AI said with a grin,

"Of course, if none of them match you, then you can only hope to meet other requirements next time and come back to choose again. After all, Divine Mechs whose mech pilots die in battle may be returned to storage later."

"Don't worry. The fact that you were selected for Jade Pool No. 7 means your average mech compatibility rate passed the standard. At worst, at least one or two Divine Mechs will have some compatibility with you."

Li Yi knew his own situation well. What had ultimately gotten him into the Deep Space Fleet was not his average compatibility rate, but his fighting skills.

But there was no point dwelling on it now. He would simply follow Red Gourd Fairy AI's guidance and touch them one by one.

At that moment,

under Red Gourd Fairy's guidance, Li Yi first walked over to the Gaia God Series Divine Mech.

It was a gigantic mech thirty-five meters tall, with a streamlined body wrapped in alternating blue-and-white patterns.

A layer of extremely fine fuzz covered its outer shell. Touching it gave him the contradictory sensation of smoothness combined with immense friction.

And unfortunately,

that was the only sensation he felt.

...Li Yi sensed that something was wrong and immediately calmed his mind, entering a half-meditative state.

But nothing changed.

Red Gourd Fairy AI spread her hands indifferently.

"The fleet's average compatibility rate with Gaia God Series Divine Mechs is less than 0.1%. In other words, one out of a thousand mech pilots might not even match one. This is perfectly normal."

Fine. Li Yi gave up.

Next was Yinghuo Mech of the Celestial God Series.

This was a huge mech entirely crimson-red. Its limbs were more slender than Gaia God's, while its waist twisted like a coiling python.

It felt more granular to the touch. Upon closer inspection, its outer shell turned out to be composed of dense, scale-like structures.

Yet after touching it, he still felt nothing unusual.

Red Gourd Fairy AI shrugged.

"Theoretically, even non-evolvers can use Celestial God, but it usually takes evolvers to handle it with relative ease. There's no real loss if you don't match it. After all, the burden of piloting it is too great."

Seeing Li Yi about to head toward Pluto Mech,

Red Gourd Fairy AI said,

"Time is limited. Why don't you try those E-grade ones first? Secure a fallback option, then come back and try the D-grade ones afterward."

Li Yi thought that made sense, so he followed Red Gourd Fairy's guidance to the Wind God Series section.

Wind God Series Divine Mechs all had folded structures on their backs. According to Red Gourd Fairy AI, those were slots for folding wings.

Their designs were ferocious, with thick limbs and extraordinarily broad waists. They felt somewhat contrary to the implications of their name.

Five minutes passed.

Red Gourd Fairy AI scratched her head and said,

"How strange. Why haven't you felt anything from any of them?"

Li Yi's expression had also turned grim.

He had touched most of the E-grade Divine Mechs, yet none had produced any special sensation.

Could it be that he was truly fated to have no connection with Divine Mechs?

What was the key to this compatibility?

Red Gourd Fairy AI said weakly,

"Um, the extra time I gave you is already up. You need to start choosing a mech and trying to activate it now."

Li Yi was helpless. It was truly frustrating when things could not proceed normally.

"Can I save my three chances to choose for now, take a break, and activate the mech afterward? Maybe the points battle over the past few days exhausted me. I might feel better after resting."

"This..."

"I can let the others choose first."

"Fine. Since you're so handsome, I'll agree."

Li Yi let out a breath of relief.

He only had one final method left now.

That was to enter a dream and see whether he could obtain a relevant solution.

Because the Divine Mechs were right beside him,

based on experience, if there were unfamiliar objects or people around him when he entered a dream,

he could easily obtain memory fragments related to them.

If he gained memories of piloting one, perhaps that could in turn make it easier for his soul to resonate with a Divine Mech.

At that moment, Li Yi casually made his way to Pluto Mech and lay down beside it.

He had basically touched all the E-grade ones. Of the ones he had yet to touch, only the Gravity God Series and this Celestial God Series Pluto Mech remained.

Since the Gravity God Series was located farther away, going there would be too conspicuous.

In the end, Pluto Mech was his only choice.

I hope the dream brings some good news.

Before long, Li Yi fell deeply asleep.

Li Yi's actions drew the attention of quite a few people.

Those from the Power Clan had generally been told the specifics by their families.

Thus, many people guessed that Li Yi might not have found a suitable Divine Mech.

Some revealed meaningful smiles.

If the top-ranked fighter could not pilot a Divine Mech, his situation afterward would not be pleasant.

But when Li Yi walked over to Pluto Mech and lay down beside it,

they became uncertain of their own guesses.

"Did Li Yi choose this Pluto Mech?"

Liang Shaocong wore a smile as he pointed at the list on the light screen and casually asked Red Gourd Fairy AI.

Red Gourd Fairy AI's eyes shifted as she glanced at the distant Li Yi, then at Liang Shaocong.

"Well, you can just ask him yourself."

"Then can I touch every Divine Mech like Li Yi did?"

"Hehe, no."

Liang Shaocong's tone caught. "Why?"

"He's the all-time points record holder. He triggered a hidden reward."

"Fine, so I can only choose directly?"

"That's right. But your family has always chosen the Thunder God Series, so there's no need to touch them all. Hurry up, the people behind you are still waiting."

Red Gourd Fairy AI spread her hands and shook her head, looking as though she was telling him not to waste her time.

Liang Shaocong had no choice but to directly select Magnetic Abyss from the Thunder God Series.

One hour later,

Li Yi opened his eyes, and a sharp gleam flashed through them before vanishing.

"How wonderful. I actually captured memories of piloting Pluto Mech."

Though the memory was brief,

it carried immense weight.

It felt real.

Every detail of piloting it, the overwhelming information he received, the physical burden, even the Divinity Radiation—it all felt as though he had personally experienced it. The amount of detail was staggering.

Even after waking, he felt that his soul had faintly grown a little stronger.

"Now, I should be able to resonate with Pluto Mech, right?"

At that moment, Zhong Xiufa, ranked sixth, had just finished choosing and was preparing to board her Divine Mech to attempt activation.

Li Yi walked up to Red Gourd Fairy AI and said,

"I choose Pluto Mech. Sister Gourd, please arrange the activation for me."

"Are you sure?"

"I'm sure."

"Fine. You still have two chances left anyway, so go ahead and try."

Red Gourd Fairy AI beckoned, and the huge gourd circling low in the air flew over.

Then she leaped up and landed lightly on the front end of the huge gourd.

"Li Yi, Zhong Xiufa, come up together. I'll send you into the cockpits."

Li Yi understood at once. He immediately jumped onto the huge gourd and waited for takeoff.