Chapter 35: The Dawn of the Mech Squadron

“Attention!”

With a commanding shout from Si Shu, sixty pilots snapped to attention in four neat rows. No matter how you looked, up close or at a slant, they were perfectly in sync, moving as one.

Si Shu then jogged over to Lin Yu and saluted smartly.

“Captain, reporting in! Human Federation 77th Carrier-Based Flight Squadron, total members: 61, all present and accounted for! Awaiting orders!”

“Return to ranks!”

“Yes, sir!”

Si Shu spun around and jogged back to the front row, standing at the far left.

Lin Yu stepped up in front of the formation.

“At ease!”

“I have an announcement to make.”

“Effective immediately, the Human Federation 077 Carrier-Based Flight Squadron is disbanded—designation revoked!”

A gasp rippled through the crowd.

It was like a thunderclap right at the opening.

Even Si Shu looked rattled, and the rest could barely keep calm.

Disbanded?

They’re even stripping our designation?

Why?

It was impossible for them to accept.

“I know you’re all anxious, but hold on—let me finish.”

“According to orders from Moon Headquarters, the Fifth Fleet will be forming the Human Federation’s first-ever mech unit, named the 101st Mech Regiment. It’ll have two subordinate battalions, which will be made up of the old 77th and 78th Carrier-Based Flight Squadrons, now re-designated as the 77th and 78th Mech Battalions.”

“You probably noticed during previous launches that Zhulong’s launch pathways aren’t rectangular like the other warships, but are instead equilateral hexagons, each with two launching rails inside.”

“The reason’s simple: Zhulong, as a next-gen heavy cruiser, was designed from the ground up for mechs. These launch channels, while awkward for fighter jets, are perfect for deploying mechs.”

“So, today marks your last day piloting fighter jets. Starting tomorrow, you’ll be learning how to operate mechs.”

“Of course, the first batch of production models will take another six months to arrive. For the first three months, all your training will be through holographic simulations—no real mechs yet.”

“Only those who earn outstanding marks in every sim will be cleared to pilot the prototypes!”

“That’s the general plan. Any questions?”

Lin Yu swept his gaze over everyone and called out loudly.

“No, sir!”

“Excellent. You’re dismissed!”

The moment dismissal was announced, the entire squad erupted.

Everyone rushed up to cluster around the three gleaming mechs, examining them from every angle.

“So these are our future wives, huh?”

“Future wives, my foot. Wasn’t it you just the other day roasting mechs in those movies, saying they’d never work in a real war and you wouldn’t even take one for free?”

“You misheard me! I’d never say that!”

“Man, I can only look but not touch. This is killing me…”

“C’mon, Captain said we can’t drive them, not that we can’t touch them. What’s the harm in poking around a little?”

One pilot, talking big, stepped forward to reach out to one.

But before his hand could even get close, a squad of ground crew started shouting him down.

“Back off! Everyone, move it! What do you think you’re doing?”

“Captain gave us strict orders—unless you meet the requirement, you’re not even allowed to touch them.”

The maintenance crew lined up in front of the mechs, forming a barrier between pilots and their new machines.

“Who do you think you are, getting all high and mighty just because you’re ground crew?”

“What’s wrong with being ground crew? Mess with us, and maybe I’ll leave a couple extra screws in your next check.”

“Chill, man. I was just joking—no need to take it so seriously.”

The pilot backed down, instantly deflated.

The other pilots just gave him a look—what was he thinking, mouthing off to the maintenance crew?

They might be ground crew, but they’re with the maintenance team. Picking a fight with those guys, you’re just asking for trouble.

——

The next day.

The entire 77th Mech Battalion kicked off their mech training.

Meanwhile, Lin Yu took Zhulong into the asteroid belt for intensive drills, pushing the whole crew to adapt fast.

After half a month of hard work,

The first training cycle finished, Zhulong began the journey home.

Seven days later, they made it back to Mars orbit.

Counting every single day, it had been exactly a month since Zhulong left Mars.

At the same time, the final piece of the puzzle for Zhulong arrived at the Fifth Fleet’s main harbor.

No, to be exact, it had arrived eight days earlier—back when Zhulong was still away.

“George!”

“Andrei!”

In the corridor, the two locked eyes just a meter apart, each staring the other down.

Their glares were like blazing beams, crackling and sparking in the air.

A moment later, both lunged and gripped each other’s hands, wrestling fiercely—just like old times at the academy.

Lin Yu, passing by, raised a hand to his forehead.

These two really were born to clash—they couldn’t cross paths without butting heads.

This was actually an improvement. At least now they were on active service in the fleet, so things were a bit more restrained.

Back in academy days…

They would’ve ended up in an all-out brawl, faces bruised and battered, before getting dumped in the med bay.

Lin Yu shook his head, then glanced at someone nearby.

That person got the hint, immediately stepped up, and opened their mouth…

“Attention!”

Just like a switch had been flipped.

Both men froze in place, quickly letting go and snapping to attention.

After all, that voice, that command…

They’d heard it nonstop for three days—now it was pure muscle memory.

It came from none other than the infamous demon, Qin, from the abyss.

“You two punks, getting bold now, huh?”

“You think just because you’re in the fleet, I can’t handle you like I did back at the academy?”

“Stay right here for three hours. I’ll watch you myself. Move a muscle, and I tack on another hour!”

A bead of sweat rolled down George’s face.

Inside, his mind was in full panic mode. The same thought kept swirling.

How… how did this guy end up here?

Beside him, Andrei looked just as shell-shocked.

Why did I forget that Demon Qin was stationed here too?

For the next few hours, Qin Qiong stood sentry as everyone else passed by—some whispering among themselves, others barely stifling laughter, trying not to lose it.

As for Lin Yu…

He headed off to make his report to Mu Qingxue.

——

“What do you think of your new toys?”

“They’re fantastic!”

“Oh? Let’s hear some details!”

Mu Qingxue laced her fingers, chin propped up, listening with great interest.

She watched Lin Yu intently, clearly enjoying his answer.

Lin Yu gave her a thorough rundown—how training had gone, Zhulong’s exceptional performance, his ideas for tactical upgrades, and all the ways they’d adapted the ship’s strategy.

He also reported on the Bai Ze Mech in detail.

“Hold on—you’re saying that in certain areas, like the asteroid belt, the Bai Ze Mech’s combat effectiveness is a staggering eight times higher than a standard carrier-based fighter?”

“That’s right!”

Lin Yu confirmed with a nod.

After all, inside the asteroid belt, fighter speed and maneuverability took a heavy hit.

Nothing could be done—conditions out there were brutal.

But the Bai Ze Mech? It was completely unfazed.

That’s the difference.

And that only refers to mobility.

On the weapons front, the gap was even bigger.

The fighter’s main weapon—an electromagnetic rapid-fire cannon—was just the baseline for mechs.

Not to mention missiles; even ion beam rifles were standard loadouts for mechs.

It all boiled down to this: every mech was outfitted with a cold fusion reactor, blasting out more than enough power.

But because of that, Bai Ze Mech production was still sluggish.

According to the plan, only 48 units would be ready in six months. To fully equip the 101st Mech Regiment on Zhulong with all 128 machines—it would take a full year.

Which meant… by the time the Klein reached Jupiter,

The 101st Mech Battalion still wouldn’t be fully kitted out.

But was it slowdown in mech production?

Not at all—if the Federation wanted to, they could crank out hundreds a day.

The real problem was…

The supply of compact cold fusion reactors was incredibly low. Almost nonexistent.

Without those reactors…

The Bai Ze Mech would be just another fancy shell!