Identified as...

Xiao Bai stared helplessly at the massive mushroom cloud before him, and the dripping blood that spelled out the word "Noob," feeling utterly speechless.
He had set his starting position high in the sky, planning to swoop down with a devastating aerial assault. But as soon as he entered the simulation, he was detected by enemy radar.
Then, three anti-air missiles flew toward him at a fantastical speed of at least 10 Mach.
Boom!
The first simulation ended in failure.
Failure alone would have been tolerable, and even the mocking "Noob" label could have been ignored. What Xiao Bai couldn't stomach was the subsequent score summary:
Objectives Completed: 0
Targets Eliminated: 0
Hostages Rescued: 0
Mission Rating: 0
Identified as: "Stop piloting mecha and go be a little girl instead."
"How dare it mock me like that? I refuse to believe this!"
Xiao Bai, determined to succeed, restarted the simulation mission.
This time, he was wiser. He set his s tarting position extremely high, beyond the radar's search range, and abandoned his overconfidence in using the standard-issue mech. Instead, he switched to his true configuration—the fully armed and equipped Full-Armor Form bristling with heavy firepower.
Ten seconds later...
"I fucking dodged that anti-air missile at the last second, only to be one-shot by a mass-production model? My electromagnetic shield? My Biological Armor? My bulletproof structure? Was the enemy some ultimate elite ace?"
Xiao Bai stared at the bloody "Noob" displayed on the screen, momentarily stunned.
Then came that notoriously mocking Mission Rating, with the usual string of zeros followed by a changed verdict:
Identified as: Suck at this? Practice more. Can't handle losing? Don't play.
"Damn it, I'm gonna take you down!"
Identified as: "Stop wasting your time. You're full."
"Keep going! I can't possibly lose to a simulation program!"

Identified as: "Maybe you should just buy a cheat?"
"I, Xiao Bai, never cheat! Keep going!"

Identified as: "Humans should learn to clearly understand their limitations. It's not bad to lower the difficulty and return to your comfort zone."
Xiao Bai stared at the words on the screen, genuinely feeling defeated. His gaze had already unconsciously drifted toward the option to lower the difficulty.
But he suddenly froze, shaking his head vigorously.
"No! This isn't a game. This is about saving dozens of lives. If I can't even beat a simulation program, how can I possibly save anyone? Real combat is far more complex and dangerous than this simulation!"
"Besides, while the difficulty is high, it's not completely hopeless. Haven't I already progressed from three seconds at th e start to three minutes this time? And I even successfully killed three enemies. That means the enemy's strength lies in their high damage output, long range, and precise aim, along with their swift and unpredictable movement. But they're not invincible."
"Charging straight in like this won't work. I need to think of something..."
Xiao Bai gradually calmed down, reviewed his previous failures, and combined that with the theoretical knowledge he'd gained. In the end, he decided to equip his mech with electronic warfare equipment.
When he respawned, he didn't choose to drop from the sky again. Instead, he landed on the distant snow plain and immediately activated his electronic warfare systems, attempting to jam and deceive the enemy's radar.
The tactic proved effective. The terrifying anti-air missiles, capable of creating mushroom clouds, suddenly went silent, giving Xiao Bai more room to confront the 'Executioner'-type mechs.
Even the enemy's data link suffered significantly. Their accuracy and coordination were no longer as unnervingly perfect as before, allowing Xiao Bai to rely on his mech's superior performance and various black technology gadgets to fight much more easily.
His kill count steadily climbed to '5'.
But the good times didn't last. The enemy quickly countered his electronic interference, reestablishing their data link. The water temperature suddenly surged again, catching Xiao Bai off guard. A chainsaw sword pierced through his engine.
Although the bright red "Death" verdict and the subsequent evaluation remained mocking, Xiao Bai's mindset had calmed considerably. He had already found a way to win.
"No wonder Teacher Zhou insisted on preparing a dedicated electronic warfare team. In actual combat conditions, various forms of interference are truly effective!"
With that, he temporarily shut down the Simulation Program, logged into the Tavern, and began searching for various electronic warfare equipment.
The results were plentiful, but the required Contribution Points were substantial...
He currently had 3,000 Contribution Points, which had been replenished after his previous record-breaking downloads.
"This isn't enough. Even 80% new high-tech equipment is far more expensive than Precision Rifles. The 10-to-1 refurbishment deals aren't even worth considering. I'll have to settle for older models..."
"But will the older models really suffice? And there's no dedicated team to help."
Xiao Bai felt stuck. After a moment of hesitation, he steeled himself and sent a message to Professor Wang:
"Professor Wang, um... I'm a bit short on Contribution Points lately. Do you think you could..."
Several minutes passed with no response, leaving Xiao Bai increasingly embarrassed.
Sigh... Has he already blocked me? I guess I'll have to figure it out myself...
Just as he was thinking this, he heard a notification:
Contribution Points have been credited: 20,000 points.
Then, he finally received Professor Wang's reply:
"Is that enough? If not, I can ask Master Yang for more."
"More than enough!" Xiao Bai replied hastily, adding solemnly, "I'll definitely repay this as soon as possible."
"Repay? Haha, what are you thinking, silly boy? This is yours to begin with. We're just advancing you a portion of your future contributions. After all, you're our Project Core. This is just one-third of what you're owed."
Xiao Bai couldn't believe this unexpected windfall. He quickly thanked Professor Wang and eagerly rushed off to shop.
With this timely influx of funds, he could finally attempt the ten-for-one upgrade!
Xiao Bai found the second-hand dealer again and practically shoved the Contribution Points at him.
The dealer, grinning from ear to ear, exclaimed:
"Ouch, Raven Big Shot... no, Raven Big Shot, this is quite the splurge! I'll get it arranged for you right away—and I'll throw in an 8.8% discount!"
"Just like before—disassemble it all for me, I'll assemble it myself. Ship it out as soon as possible—I can't wait!"
"It's already on its way!"
This was naturally an exaggeration, but the speed was real. A few hours later, a large number of wooden crates had appeared in Xiao Bai's warehouse.
He retrieved them one by one and performed the Absorption. As expected, the rule was the same as with the Precision Rifle: a pile of parts could only produce a single component. The only difference was that the consolation prize part had been replaced with an electronic component.
But it was much more expensive. Even with the 8.8% discount, he was left with only about 2,000 Contribution Points.
After preparing the components, Xiao Bai looked at the two assembly options available.
"Ah, this... why is there spirit energy-related mystical equipment here?"

Chapter end