NOVEL WEB Chapter 12: Chapter 12
Since the establishment of this military laboratory, he was the only mechanical repairman who had been staying in this laboratory, which worked day and night without receiving an order for transfer. Coincidentally, he was also very easy to work with. This fact made everyone feel fortunate.
Occasionally, they would wonder what mistakes this fat guy had made outside to be confined here for so long.
This laboratory belonged to the Galiparan Military Academy. Around the academy, there were military bases specifically responsible for the military training of students and the strict protection of the academy. All activities in the academy were related to the military. All the teaching staff and researchers were military personnel, each with a military rank.
The most feared person in the academy was not the dean with the rank of general, but the person in charge of the 7th Laboratory of the academy, the old man who had brought the fat guy in—Boswell. This eccentric old man was not a military member and had no military rank, yet he led the largest military laboratory in the academy and was the top tutor in the mecha and weapon design major. Before the war broke out, due to the academy's system, students majoring in mechanics could be arranged to work in maintenance and other aspects. After the war broke out, all the students in the academy were transferred to become grassroots commanders, and the academy implemented a wartime system. As a result, no more students came to help with the menial tasks. This really irritated Boswell! In the old man's eyes, apart from research, everything else was not worthy of his attention.
The severe war situation had already left the front-line command post set up in the academy in a state of utter chaos. Who had the time to deal with an eccentric old man? Moreover, the old man's irresistible temper had offended quite a few middle-level officers in charge of specific work assignments. Thus, this place had become a place to punish delinquent soldiers in a roundabout way. When a soldier made a mistake, he would be sent to the laboratory to do odd jobs.
After all, the number of soldiers who made mistakes was small, and among them, those proficient in mechanical repair were even fewer. The mechas and weapons damaged during experiments and research had piled up like a mountain. The situation had really reached a point where it couldn't be ignored any longer. Finally, the old man Boswell put aside his work, rushed to the front-line command post, and gave them a good shout-down. Only then did the military agree to send someone. Unexpectedly, the fat guy wearing the automatic mechanical repair arm was also pulled into the laboratory by the old man by accident.
Seeing the fat guy acting as if it were perfectly normal for him to be here, these researchers were very curious. Could it be that this fat guy had committed a really serious mistake? Or was he simply dispatched here by the command post to be specifically in charge of the laboratory's maintenance?
When chatting with Tian Kaiwen, they would ask out of curiosity. But there was no way the fat guy would talk about such embarrassing things as deserting twenty-one times! Especially since there were several beautiful women among these curious people. The fat guy's firm refusal to confess only made these people more certain of their speculations.
Milan was one of the beautiful women among these curious ones. This twenty-year-old girl was incredibly talented in science. However, she had a very obvious shortcoming: her practical ability was extremely weak! Just watching her fumbling, being disorganized, and making mistakes when doing experiments made everyone in the laboratory feel headaches. After several avoidable minor accidents, the laboratory simply assigned two operators to her, who were responsible for proving her theoretical findings through experiments and making her designs into reality.
Now, two people were no longer enough for Milan. She soon set her sights on the fat guy who was idle and wandering around after finishing repairing the broken items.
"Fat guy, come here!" Milan shouted in the hall.
The fat guy, who had been currying favor with her with his glib tongue, was already very familiar with her.
The fat guy immediately put down the work in his hands and ran over as fast as he could. He knew that in this "prison," apart from Boswell, this woman was the last person he could afford to offend!
This beauty with a cute and innocent face was the youngest researcher in this laboratory. She was almost unconditionally doted on by those science fanatics. As long as she put on a pitiful look, even the most difficult requests would be granted. This highly talented science beauty was the apple of the eye of all those eccentric old men and middle-aged uncles.
"Coming, coming. What can I do for you? Please tell me, hehe." A silly smile spread across the fat guy's face.
"I'm swamped! Come and help me!" Milan didn't stand on the ceremony at all. She grabbed the fat guy and dragged him into her exclusive research room.
As soon as he entered the research room, the fat guy was stunned. Although he usually entered the workrooms of other researchers, he had never seen one like Milan's.
This room, which was almost half the size of the outside hall, was more like an ancient military museum than a workroom. Whether it was the furnishings, the displays, or even the mechas and weapons being assembled, all were designed in an antique style.
In the huge display cabinet by the wall of the room, there were some classic firearms from ancient Earth, such as the Maxim machine gun, MP38 submachine gun, Mauser 1896 Broomhandle Mauser, Browning, Mauser 98, M1 Garand rifle, M16, AK47, etc.
In the middle of the room, on the ground, there were more than a dozen land combat mechas parked. The shapes of these mechas mostly showed traces of ancient armored vehicles. There was even a short mecha whose top mounted energy cannon was exactly the same as the turret of an M1A1 tank.
At the far end of the room, a stunning human-shaped mecha left the fat guy dumbfounded. This was no ordinary mecha; it was a work of art. The mecha was made of an unknown alloy, and the outer, hanging armor left the fat guy completely unable to tell what material it was. The whole mecha exuded a light—a blue flowing light. The streamlined body combined with the sturdy local shapes made it impossible to look away. The folded wings on the back of the mecha were rather strange. What kind of mechanism was this? A land combat mecha? An air combat mecha? A space mecha?
"This is a transforming mecha," Milan introduced as she watched the fat guy walking around the mecha non-stop.
"Transforming mecha?" The fat guy was a bit disappointed.
This kind of mecha, which was prevalent 2000 years ago in the new era of the space age, was basically a synonym for uselessness. The current high-end private mechas and combat mechas had completely abandoned the design concepts of that time. Because nowadays, machines have a strong professional division of labor. Apart from local deformation during movement, there is no need for full-body deformation at all.
The biggest shortcoming of a full-body transforming mecha is its lack of practical use! For example, a heavy land-based combat mecha that requires thick armor and weighs dozens or even hundreds of tons, even if it transforms into a land-based air-based combat fighter, would still be an easy target. The redundant parts, the excessive weight, the wasteful super-powerful engine, and the strange fuselage that doesn't fully conform to aerodynamic theory would all be insurmountable problems.
Since land-based combat mechas can't meet the needs of air-based combat in the atmosphere, what about air-based combat mechas?
Space-based combat mechas based on space carriers have even less need for transformation. In a zero-gravity vacuum environment, what's the point of transforming? Different from space-combat aircraft whose purpose is to destroy, the task of space-combat mechas is to land and capture enemy warships. They are usually dispatched at the end of a battle. Either the victory of the battle has been basically secured, or the losses of fighter aircraft are too great, and mechas are needed as a supplement to combat power. Space - combat mechas with a human - shaped basic form can also adapt to ground combat needs. This adaptability is based on the shape of the space mecha itself, and there is no need for transformation at all.