"I'm speechless." After completing a run of the E-level simulated assessment training, to think all he encountered was a single electric eel, which only yielded Electric Energy Control +1!
This frustrated Yang Bo immensely. If he only got +1 per attempt, it would take dozens of runs to reach Advanced. At four thousand points per attempt, it would take almost a year just to gather enough points.
"Forget it. I'll check out the Mecha game first," Yang Bo decided, wanting to relax.
The original owner of his body had played the Mecha game before. However, he had failed the initial simulated assessment and never obtained a driver's license. That was right—playing this game required a test of hand speed first.
This Mecha game was called Mecha World. It was rumored to be the most pay-to-win game out there, though some also argued it was the most lucrative. If a Mecha was damaged and the player lacked sufficient in-game currency, they would have to top up with real money. But for those with great skills, the abundant loot meant they could earn a substantial profit.
The most crucial point was that this game didn't require identity verification, meaning no real names were needed. Anyone could play, unlike piloting a Mecha in reality, which strictly required a Genetic Evolver.
Real-world piloting necessitated a Genetic Evolver for two reasons. The first was physical constitution. Mechas were designed for ground combat, and their maximum acceleration could instantly break through 15Gs. Even with an anti-gravity suit, anyone lacking the requisite physical fortitude would explode into bloody mist in an instant. The second reason was the sheer volume of commands required to operate a Mecha.
Some might ask, were there no automatically controlled Mechas?
Mecha combat was close-quarters warfare, fraught with severe mutual interference and electronic suppression. Moreover, computers operated on predictable programming. In the earliest days, Mechas were fully intelligent, but once the underlying algorithms were cracked by the enemy... all the Mechas would be compromised.
Since that disaster, human Mechas were primarily piloted by humans.
Upon entering the game and creating an account, Yang Bo randomly typed out a nickname: Chatty Eighth Master.
Looking at the strange moniker, Yang Bo didn't mind. If he failed the assessment, he wouldn't be able to enter the game anyway.
The assessment began. It was purely a test of hand speed, requiring a minimum of 120 actions per second across ten fingers. Yang Bo unleashed a flurry of furious inputs, only to end up with a measly 65 actions per second. He failed the assessment.
Fortunately, the game provided simulated training, which Yang Bo entered without hesitation. As a former Earth resident now living in this interstellar era, it would be a complete waste of a new life not to experience Mechas, even if only in a game.
Wearing the virtual sensory gloves, Yang Bo's hands danced across the console. With each successive training session, he grew increasingly familiar with the controls.
The required hand speed for the assessment was also tied to the assigned Mecha model. From their inception to the present, Mechas had evolved through over a dozen generations and were classified into numerous types.
Once he met the requirements in the simulated training, Yang Bo entered the game again.
"Congratulations, Chatty Eighth Master. You have obtained an E-level driver's license. Please select your Mecha type." A message flashed across the virtual screen.
Yang Bo looked at the available Mechas, which came in three forms. The first resembled a giant spider with twelve legs. Different legs were equipped with different Weapons, such as laser emitters and plasma cutters.
The second was a beast form designed to simulate animalistic combat. Its tail was a built-in Laser Cannon.
Yang Bo didn't spare the first two a second glance and immediately looked at the third option. It was a Humanoid Mecha that looked somewhat like the Transformers.
Codenamed Blade, it was the most classic assault-type Mecha produced 300 years ago. It came equipped with a Laser Sword, an Energy Shield, and a Rocket Backpack. It was powered by nuclear batteries, but a single burst time lasted only 20 minutes, followed by a cooldown period of half an hour. This meant full power output could only be sustained for 20 minutes before it had to be drastically reduced.
Before he could select and enter the game, the system presented him with detailed warnings. The gist was to cherish his Mecha. Once damaged, it would incur exorbitant Mecha Maintenance fees. The prompt also emphasized that this was no Ordinary game, and each IP address could only register one account. If a player wanted to delete their account, they first had to repair the Mecha to its initial state.
He thought, "No wonder the internet is full of complaints." Yang Bo realized the severity of it. Good heavens, if he went in, accidentally wrecked his Mecha, and had no money to fix it, re-registering would be impossible. His IP address would be effectively blacklisted until he topped up with real money for repairs.
Next came the simulated combat training: Mecha versus Mecha, and Mecha versus monsters.
The Mecha cockpit resembled a C-shaped office desk enclosed by a 270-degree dome screen displaying the exterior view. It featured voice-assisted controls. The left hand controlled the Mecha's posture—walking, running, jumping, instant acceleration, and so on—while the right hand managed various functional modules.
Looking at the virtual game, Yang Bo was amazed. It was incredibly realistic. If he hadn't turned his head and seen the sofa behind him, he would have thought he was actually sitting inside a Mecha cockpit. Of course, the virtual image projector provided by his dormitory was also of excellent quality.
"I'll continue tomorrow." Unfortunately, in the following hour, Yang Bo repeatedly failed to pass the combat training.
The official system bluntly advised him against entering the actual game. In plain terms: You're a noob, stop playing.
That night, Yang Bo even dreamed he was piloting a Mecha. As a native of a backward civilization, experiencing this kind of game for the first time felt incredibly addictive.
When Yang Bo woke up the next morning, he realized it was Saturday. He had originally planned to rest, but then the thought of double pay crossed his mind.
"Damn it, let alone double pay in my past life, I would've been burning incense in gratitude just to avoid having my boss find excuses to dock my wages." He hurriedly and happily trotted off to work.
"A garden task." Upon arriving at the company, he found that there was actually a gardening job available for Saturday. He quickly accepted it. The payout was a whopping 1,600 Credit Points. Added to the company's 500 perfect attendance bonus, and factoring in the double weekend pay, his earnings would total 3,700.
The garden area that needed clearing was 1,200 square meters. He didn't know what the rest of the job entailed, nor were there any photos or blueprints. Working in this industry was like that; until you arrived on-site, you had no idea what was actually inside the garden.
After collecting his gear, the client's representative came to pick him up. Upon arriving at the destination, he underwent a security check and was forced to remove his smartwatch.
Looking at the garden situated near a lake, Yang Bo could immediately tell that there were at least several types of red-level endangered plants inside. If Ordinary people so much as brushed against these plants, they might end up in prison for the rest of their lives. Yet, to these powerful and wealthy elites, they were nothing but garbage they had grown tired of looking at.
The garden spanned 1,200 square meters and featured a long pool filled with various aquatic plants. Aside from the flower beds and other fixtures, the garden itself covered an area of about 800 square meters.
Of course, this was only a small portion of the massive estate. The entire property spanned at least a hundred acres, surrounding a quaint building that somewhat resembled an ancient temple. It boasted vermilion walls, glazed tiles, intricately sculpted figures on the roof ridges, and hollowed-out wooden windows.
Yang Bo first tackled the plants, uprooting them entirely. The vegetation in the garden wasn't very tall, making it easy to pull out and stuff into trash bags. He then used specialized equipment to till the flower beds. As for whether there were weed seeds or pests left behind in the soil, sorry, that was the planters' problem.
"Let's see if there are any surprises in this fish pond." Saving the fish pond for last, Yang Bo changed into a different Protective Suit and began clearing the aquatic plants from it.