Must Surpass the Limit of Hand Speed

The human body's extreme reaction time is 0.1 seconds. Normal people cannot reach this figure at all, while trained individuals can approach this value. However, the closer one gets, the more geometrically the difficulty increases.

This is content from a textbook, which Mu Fan naturally didn't know.

He only heard Black explaining, "Based on my calculations, when your effective operations on the console's mechanical buttons reach over 400 times per minute, with continuous fine-tuning of system command signals, you can make the mecha perform unimaginable movements."

"This is where mecha operation differs from human body operation, and this is the charm of mecha operation! Don't look at me like that, I'm just quoting the Dingchuan Academy's tutorial."

Mu Fan looked at Black speechlessly, listening to Black continue to ramble on.

"Footwork technique - Phantom Flash, is a skill developed in the fantasy combat system of the PO Battle Network. It can be used after the simulation degree is reduced to 60%. Skilled users in the battle network can use it in the 65%-70% simulation range, with the highest reaching 80%. Therefore, it is considered a skill that does not exist in reality. However, based on my calculations, this skill is feasible in reality."

Black's eyes once again projected a light screen of the console. The cockpit of the rx-16 Type was much more spacious than the eh01. Mu Fan focused on the projection next to the combat screen.

"Look closely, this is the console in front of you. The console dimensions are 667mm long and 374mm wide, meaning you must perform semi-circular operations with your elbow as the center. According to calculations, the APM for the action - Phantom Flash needs to reach 500 to achieve preliminary control through continuous command. The PO Battle Network has simulation limitations, so I require you to pass the 40-level gravity training as soon as possible in reality, so that your hand speed can be used in real operation, Phantom Flash!"

"Due to the mecha's self-weight limitation, the huge inertia makes it easy for opponents to judge your attack route. The Phantom Flash footwork came into being by issuing, interrupting, and re-issuing commands, allowing the system to constantly refresh data commands within the extreme value without creating a dead loop, achieving the goal of the mecha forcibly changing course at the start of the action. This is Phantom Flash! Take a look at the video."

The screen switched, and Mu Fan saw two mechas engaged in plain combat. A white mecha was half-crouching in the distance, holding a Gauss Rifle, continuously firing. Each shot created a large pit about two meters in diameter on the ground. The two obviously mismatched wings behind the mecha indicated that it was a fantasy mecha.

About 1 kilometer away, a dark red mecha was rapidly advancing, holding a Magnetic Oscillation Blade. At first glance, it seemed to be moving in a straight line, but upon closer inspection, it was found that the mecha's movements were indescribably strange. It would lightly dodge with a bizarre and disordered change of direction just as the metal projectile was about to hit it.

"Look closely, this is the Disordered Folding Step, a high-level advanced technique for mechas in reality. The basic threshold for operation difficulty is a stable APM of over 350," Black explained attentively from the side.

"Attention, after the next disordered change of direction, it will be the skill you are going to learn - Phantom Flash," Black suddenly raised his voice to remind Mu Fan.

Hmm? Mu Fan's eyes widened. He saw that after the red mecha in the picture changed direction, the white mecha opposite it fired two shots in succession, and the later bullet actually followed up simultaneously, hitting the target point exactly at the red mecha's foot landing point.

Unavoidable? It seemed the red mecha could only be hit by this bullet. Once hit in the foot by a Gauss Rifle, its movement would inevitably be damaged, and then it would become a one-sided fixed target.

At this moment, the red mecha, to Mu Fan's surprise, suddenly turned into an afterimage appearing behind its forward path while advancing!

It completely defied the laws of physics and completely ignored the inertia of this heavy mecha during its charge! It suddenly appeared on the path it had just traversed while moving forward, as if rewinding!

"What's going on!?" Mu Fan was truly startled.

"Beyond the limit hand speed! Completely defying the human body's tolerance range, operating on a console spanning over 65cm, continuous operation of over 8 keys per second with a single hand! For ordinary people to reach this value would definitely mean muscle tearing, but your muscle density is precisely capable of bearing it."

"This is the first skill I'm going to teach you - Phantom Flash!" Black closed the light screen and blinked at Mu Fan.

"Now, let's start training. Press the 45 buttons in the first row from left to right with your left hand, twice consecutively. Then, skip one button and start pressing, twice!"

"Be fast! Fast, faster!"

In the silent factory under the night sky, the bonfire flickered. The young man leaned there quietly, while in the ocean of his mind, the young man's eyes were already red! The nerves in his hands were already sending out overloaded alarms!

APM 160...

APM 195...

APM 226...

Mu Fan's hands were starting to ache slightly, but he was still gritting his teeth and persevering. He had no idea that the mental pressure monitoring chip on the light brain helmet in reality had been secretly tampered with by Black, and the supervision had been directly bypassed in the system. This meant that if Mu Fan continued without exiting, there could be real danger.

Now, whether he opened or closed his eyes, his brain was filled with the console. Mu Fan had been trained by Black to literally memorize the layout of the console buttons.

Initially, the buttons Black called out were regular. When Mu Fan gradually became able to barely complete them, Black immediately increased the difficulty, and the reason was clear: you can't always flash backward, the enemy's attack routes are multi-line, not to mention the geometric increase in difficulty between 1v1 and 1v5.

So, while Black supervised, he also increased the training difficulty, adding one disordered key, adding two disordered keys... until now, adding three disordered keys.

Mu Fan didn't know that the backend was recording his APM as already exceeding 230. He only heard Black say "not qualified," followed by a strong electric current that went from numbing his tongue at the start to making his face paralyzed now. Mu Fan no longer bothered to wipe away the virtual drool that was unconsciously flowing out.

Black was simply from hell now. During training, he completely forgot about their relationship and was even more abnormal than that Fighter Instructor!

Effective APM 235! This was already the standard for a Federation junior pilot... Mu Fan was completely unaware.

Mu Fan only heard "not qualified"! This was because he thought for more than 0.2 seconds during several consecutive disordered key presses, which led to a series of incorrect button presses.

It wasn't even half of what Phantom Flash required!

Mu Fan's eyes turned red. Under the urgent psychological pressure, his brain actually led him back into that blood-colored vision where everything was under control.

The sounds he heard slowed down, slowed down. "h7, l19, z2..." As the command sounds came, his left hand actually clicked on these keys accurately and without error. A blur of hands swept across the control panel.

Black suddenly spoke, reporting the number: "Effective APM 297!"

Mu Fan was overjoyed. In the PO Battle Network, with the support of the blood-colored vision, his APM reached a level he didn't even dare to imagine. He completed this set of operations without the slightest error!

Applied to the mecha, this meant the rx-16 Type that Mu Fan was piloting was advancing in an irregular arc. Although the movements weren't perfectly smooth and natural, the general outline of the movement could already be seen!

Mu Fan didn't know how many days he had left, but he deeply understood that he had to achieve this hand speed that surpassed the limit!

"Detected a decline in mental state, training suspended." As Mu Fan's left hand swept across the keyboard again, the surroundings suddenly changed and disappeared. Black forcibly stopped his training.

"It's now 2:08 AM. Your concentration has exceeded 2 hours, and your mental state is starting to decline. It's not suitable to continue training. I suggest you rest first. You need sufficient physical strength for gravity room training tomorrow. Of course, as the host, you can restart it again," Black looked at Mu Fan.

"I'll listen to you, suspend it. Continue tomorrow."

Ultimately, Mu Fan's APM value was locked at 303. Someone who was unaware of this had already entered deep sleep accompanied by snoring.

In the PO Battle Network, Black appeared before the Fighter, looking into the eerie green eyes under the cloak. "Mu Fan is in trouble."

"..." The eerie green flames in his eyes flickered.

"If you don't teach him your ultimate skills, the host will be gone!!" Black's tone was unusually heavy.

"Don't worry." With a low and hoarse tone, the Fighter's hand once again produced that short staff, spinning and spinning until it turned into a blur. When the two ends drew green arcs that gradually connected into a circle, two green-glowing sickle blades instantly appeared! Then, the entire person disappeared into thin air!

Only a faint echo remained, "He is my disciple."

************

PS: Who is the prototype of the Fighter? Hint one, not a movie character.