Book 10: Chapter 7: Synchronization

A metal sphere about three meters in diameter was carried by a giant mechanical arm onto the corridor bridge where Qin Lun and the others stood. The metal sphere opened a strip-shaped hatch under remote control, revealing the cockpit inside.

Qin Lun’s eyes lit up, and he walked forward eagerly, holding onto the edge of the hatch to peer inside. The high-tech cockpit filled with buttons and wide-angle screens confused the young man a bit. He did not think he could master such advanced technology in such a short time.

“Sir, please sit inside. You will understand soon!” Seeing Qin Lun turn his head doubtfully, Vera pointed at the cockpit with a sweet smile.

“Alright!” Qin Lun helplessly spread his hands. These two youngsters in front of him were quite secretive and refused to explain things more clearly.

However, Qin Lun believed that the Gith would not harm them, the Apostles. They were facing a crisis of racial extinction, and every bit of combat strength was precious. Moreover, since Shattered Starry Sky was willing to send so many excellent Apostles into this world, they must have calculated the risks involved.

Seeing the spherical cockpit close its hatch, Sherlock covered the communicator on his right ear again. “Everyone, attention. The external cockpit is locked. Sending in the Bingren Mecha codenamed ‘Seventeenth Fallen Angel’…”

The huge mechanical arm slowly lowered the metal sphere. At that moment, the APB armor plate at the connection between the neck and torso of the over-sixty-meter-tall Bingren Mecha lifted upward, exposing the reddish-brown muscle tissue inside. In the center was a slanted circular hole leading into the mecha’s chest, perfectly allowing the spherical cockpit to slide in.

“External cockpit insertion complete. Detecting pilot’s life signals…”

After being installed into the Bingren Mecha, the originally transparent cockpit screen darkened, and Qin Lun’s vision turned completely black. At the same time, a gentle female Gith voice sounded in the cockpit, likely the synthesized voice of the onboard optical computer.

Fortunately, this did not last long. Soft orange-yellow lights soon lit up inside the cockpit. Among them, a bright beam scanned his body from top to bottom.

“Pilot’s life signals stable. Please select the driving mode…”

“Sir, are you okay? Can you hear me?” Sherlock’s voice came through the helmet Qin Lun had put on before entering the cockpit.

“Yes, I can hear you. What should I do now? This thing is asking me to choose a driving mode!” Qin Lun pursed his lips and did not recklessly touch the many buttons in the cockpit.

“Hehe, the cockpit you entered is just the external cockpit. This cockpit was not designed for Descendant Apostles but for Gith pilots,” Sherlock explained lightly. “Your cockpit is deeper inside the mecha. Now, please use voice command to tell the mecha’s optical computer, ‘Enter the internal cockpit.'”

“Enter the internal cockpit!” Qin Lun said without hesitation.

“Checking pilot’s authorization… Pilot is a Descendant Apostle. Genetic code matches the ‘Seventeenth Fallen Angel’ gene sequence. Permission granted to enter the internal cockpit.”

As soon as Qin Lun finished speaking, the floor of the spherical cockpit silently slid open. His seat sank downward, sliding into a dark, slippery biological passage.

In the darkness, Qin Lun felt strange sensations in his limbs, torso, and head, as if several cold pythons were coiling around him. At the same time, a slightly pungent liquid rushed into his mouth and nose…

Outside the mecha, everyone in the No. 032 Bingren chamber, including Vera and Sherlock, had retreated to the observation room. The entire Bingren chamber was isolated as an independent testing ground.

“Ordnance Officer Sherlock, the Descendant Apostle has entered the internal cockpit. Life signals stable. Mental signals stable. No abnormal brainwave fluctuations detected. Should we proceed with power activation…”

“No abnormal brainwave fluctuations at all? Tsk tsk, little Vera, look at Officer Qin Lun’s performance. This is what a real warrior is like, understand? Think about your first time entering the internal cockpit…” Sherlock turned to Vera with a teasing look in his eyes.

“Stop talking nonsense and activate the power already!” Vera stamped her foot in embarrassment and annoyance. Remembering her own awkward first experience inside the internal cockpit, the beautiful Gith girl’s face turned slightly red.

Actually, it was not entirely her fault. The internal cockpit inside a Bingren was almost like an organ of a living creature. For a fifteen-year-old girl, it was not a pleasant experience to begin with.

“Activating power!” After teasing Vera, Sherlock regained his serious expression and watched the scene in the chamber with some tension.

After years of development, Gith Bingren Mecha generally fell into three types. The first was pure mineral mecha, made of non-biological composite materials, piloted by Gith pilots without special talents.

Although these mechas also had APB force field plates and various additional weapons, and the pilots were super pilots among the Gith, the mechas’ mobility had limits. They were only suitable for group combat, relying on numbers and group tactics to fight against Jannamer. They formed the main force of the Faith.

In every battle against Jannamer, their casualties were the heaviest.

The second type of mecha was primarily made of mineral composites, but certain parts, such as the arms, legs, and back muscle groups, used biological tissue.

These mechas had special capabilities, greatly improving mobility and combat power. At the same time, their pilots needed special talents, requiring brainwave and mental resonance with the biological tissue; otherwise, they could not use the biological components.

Vera was one such Gith pilot with special talent. Even the genius ordnance officer Sherlock beside her possessed this talent. Ordinary ordnance officers could not detect damage in the mecha’s biological tissue or eliminate hidden dangers for the pilots.

The biological tissue used in Bingren Mecha was actually composite biological tissue, with the core being the Angel Clone. For example, the core tissues in various body parts of the “Seventeenth Fallen Angel” that Qin Lun was using now were taken from Qin Lun’s clone body, so it would not cause rejection.

Apart from the core, the other tissues belonged to Jannamer. In fact, in biological mechas, the flesh tissue of the Gith Angel Clone only served a core control function, while the Jannamer biological tissue constituted the main body.

During the war, the Gith discovered in later stages that the flesh tissue of Gith Angels was not corrupted by Jannamer. Instead, it could replace the biological core of Jannamer and serve a control function.

However, cultivating Gith Angel Clones was difficult, and their physical defense was inferior to composite metal materials, so they could not be used as the main components of mechas.

It was not until a certain genius Gith scientist proposed that they could use Gith Angel flesh tissue as the core, wrap it with Jannamer active tissue, and cover it with a layer of metal composite armor to create high-strength, self-repairing enhanced components that Bingren Mecha became the Gith’s strongest trump card against Jannamer.

Of course, the higher the biological ratio in such Bingren Mecha, the harder it was to control. Even top geniuses like Vera, with her talent, could only control two biological components at most. For example: two biological arms, or one arm and a back component that enhanced overload capacity.

The last type of Bingren Mecha was similar in structure to the first two but was a full-bio-mechanism with over 75% biological tissue coverage. This type of Bingren Mecha was not for Gith use but specially provided weapons for Descendant Apostles.

Only Descendant Apostles using Angel Clones were completely unaffected by the mecha’s Jannamer tissue. They could rely on their own consciousness to pilot and drive the Bingren, unleashing the super combat power of the full-bio-mechanism.

…

After the unknown liquid rushed into his mouth and nose, Qin Lun found his consciousness slowly separating from his body. All sensations vanished, and his entire consciousness seemed to be in a void of darkness. He could neither sense external things nor move.

However, this state did not panic Qin Lun. During his time in Handan Prison, he had experienced “solitary confinement” numerous times, which was not much different from now, except without the bad smells and hunger of “solitary confinement.”

Of course, this lonely, dark feeling did not last long. Qin Lun soon felt a dazzling white light filling the space before him. He instinctively raised his arm to shield his eyes.

In the observation room, everyone watching the Bingren Mecha saw the mecha in the chamber gently raise its arm. The alloy steel locks several meters thick, fastened to the mecha’s wrist and elbow, shattered from the walls and shot out like missiles.

“Boom, boom!” The two alloy steel locks deeply embedded into the armored wall opposite the mecha, shaking the observation room above and almost making everyone lose their balance. The crystal wall in front of the observation room, capable of withstanding light electromagnetic cannons, cracked like a spiderweb, causing everyone to shudder in fear.

“Sir, Officer Qin Lun, please stop moving around!” Sherlock shouted into the loudspeaker. The young man held onto his military cap, his face pale, his heart racing wildly, and sweat beading densely on his forehead.

“Hah, look at you, making a fool of yourself!” Vera shot a disdainful glance at her companion.

“Oh? Did I cause this…” Qin Lun raised his hand in front of his eyes, turning it over to look. Then he lifted his head, surveying his surroundings until his gaze fell on the ant-like figures in the observation room. Only then did he finally confirm his thoughts.

“This is really interesting. My consciousness can directly control this giant mecha soldier. No, not control—it feels like the Bingren has become my body!”

“Synchronization rate? What is Officer Qin Lun’s synchronization rate with the ‘Seventeenth Fallen Angel’?” Seeing the Bingren stop moving recklessly, Sherlock breathed a sigh of relief and turned to ask the Gith observer beside him.

“It fluctuates between 67% and 69%!” The young observer said excitedly, “The test results are perfect. This is the first time I’ve seen such a high Bingren synchronization rate!”