Processing Power Upgrade

Xiao Bai looked around again and spotted an unusually tall pile of junk. He decided to climb it to get a better look at his surroundings.
As he walked, he opened several nearby 'blind boxes'. The green light revealed patterns representing parts ('gears') and energy ('crystal chunks'), which he stored in his inventory since he couldn't use them immediately.
Then, something different appeared in the green light: an icon resembling a computer CPU.
He received a unique notification:
Evolution Type V Computational Chip acquired.
Finally, something useful!
As a college student with decent grades, Xiao Bai had some knowledge of mecha hardware. He'd heard of the Evolution series of chips, which were typically used in military mecha.
Although Type V was outdated, being from ten years ago, it wasn't a big issue. The 'Abacus' chip in the Training Mecha was at least twenty years old...
Xiao Bai quickly opened the Evolution Panel, using his gaze to control the interface. He installed the newly acquired chip in the first segment of the mecha's spine, replacing the shattered 'Abacus'.
As the chip was inserted, the previously crashed Main Control System completed its reboot.
Main Control System synchronized
Xiao Bai reopened the Evolution Panel and noticed some changes. The Training Mecha's original system had been 'merged' in, and new features such as 'Communication', 'Record', and 'Database' had been added.
Next to the mecha structure diagram, which had reverted to its yellow outline, several new parameters appeared:
Model: Apprentice Type III Training Mecha
Power: 1
Defense: 0
Processing Power: 5
Energy: 30/30
Equipped: Basic Power Engine, Basic Power Armor Structure, Tier 1 Energy Storage Battery, Simulation Question Bank
Moving his gaze upward, the detailed specifications for each parameter automatically appeared.
Power was straightforward, directly affecting the mecha's strength and speed, as well as determining what kind of equipment it could support.
Defense was a composite value calculated from the mecha's shield strength, structural integrity, and armor thickness. For this completely unarmored training mecha, it naturally remained at '0'.
Processing Power refers to the computational capabilities of the main control chip, w hich affects the overall operation of the mecha and its ability to support various software and hardware components. Insufficient processing power means that even advanced modules would be unusable, much like how a flip-phone can't run modern mobile games.
The current processing power is the result of swapping out the chip.
Energy is even more straightforward: it's the foundation for the mecha's operation, essentially its lifeblood.
These 30 points of energy were all drawn from the Evolution Panel, reaching the maximum storage capacity of the Training Mecha. Any excess was stored in the Storage Space.
Finally, Equipped provides a simple overview of the mecha's main configurations. By scrolling up, one can see detailed information about components such as engine efficiency, sensors, and communication devices.
"This must be the main control system that came with the chip, right?" Xiao Bai muttered to himself. "The original Training Mecha was so rudimentary it didn't even have these basic features."
He glanced at the diagram of his physical body, which still had a red outline.
There were no complex parameters here, only a line of red text blinking incessantly, warning him of his critical condition and urging him to seek medical attention immediately.
"I do want to get medical help quickly, but the distress signal keeps failing. Wasn't the communication device fixed?" Xiao Bai muttered to himself, shifting his gaze to the "Record" function.
This should contain the mecha's operation logs and video recordings, which could help him figure out why he was abandoned in this graveyard.
But when he opened it, the operation logs were completely blank, as if they had been wiped clean.
The video recordings only retained the last segment, dated November 3rd—the day of the accident.
Xiao Bai hurriedly opened the recording, but all he saw was static and a hissing noise.
Occasionally, blurry frames flashed by, accompanied by fragmented sounds. He had to pause and slow them down to make anything out.
"This is what a normal class looked like. Over thirty of us from the class came to this rugged canyon, led by Teacher Li, for a training march. We were chatting and laughing the whole way, like we were on a field trip..."
Xiao Bai continued watching, hearing his roommate from the lower bunk intermittently ask him if he'd gotten anything good from the gacha.
"Haha... I got it from the small guaranteed rate... Huh? Look... Is that...?"
After that, there was only a blur of snowflakes. The final image didn't appear until the very end of the recording.
The camera angle suddenly dropped, as if it were filming from the ground. All that could be seen were a pair of large black combat boots right in front of the lens. Then, through a burst of static, a low male voice mumbled indistinctly:
"There... no witnesses... thirty-three students and teachers... all accounted for... no leaks... understood... I'll handle it..."
Xiao Bai quickly paused the video.
"So I was murdered? And not just me—over thirty of my classmates too... Wait, what's this?"
Xiao Bai zoomed in on the video, focusing on the buckle of the combat boots.
A metal plaque hung from it, shaped like a shield and composed of geometric shapes like triangles, trapezoids, and diamonds.
He recognized the emblem immediately: it was the symbol of the Alliance Defense Force.
The Mecha Academy he attended was a military academy established by the Defense Force, and graduates were directly commissioned into service upon graduation.
"These are the standard-issue combat boots of the Defense Force. Damn it, I was actually killed by my own people?"
Xiao Bai cursed inwardly, his fists clenching into iron.
In this world, he had spent over a decade studying diligently, his parents depleting most of their savings to send him to cram schools, all so he could get into Mecha Academy and join the Defense Force, becoming someone useful to society.
Yet, in his first year, he was brutally stabbed in the back...
Beyond righteous indignation, his heart felt utterly extinguished...
"So, I accidentally stumbled upon some illicit activity during class, and the entire class was silenced?"
"No... that doesn't make sense. The academy's training grounds are teeming with people day and night, and surveillance cameras are everywhere. What kind of secret could possibly be hidden there?"
"Besides, even if we did uncover something, why would they silence everyone? The academy may be stingy, but they value the lives of their students and faculty."
"Then the most likely scenario... is that there's a mole within the Defense Force, brewing some terrifying conspiracy, and we just happened to be the first victims?"
"This mole's strength is terrifyi ngly formidable. Even the training mecha, though basic, has at least ten times the strength and speed of an ordinary person. Yet this guy, without even wearing a mecha, wiped out an entire platoon. He must be one of those genetically enhanced individuals."
"The power and influence backing him must be immense. To dare murder so many people at the academy in one go, without fearing exposure..."
The more Xiao Bai thought about it, the more chilling it became, his fists clenching tighter with each passing moment.
"It seems I can't risk seeking help yet. Until I uncover the mole's origins, how can I tell if the response will be a savior or an assassin? And I definitely can't go home; that would endanger my parents and friends..."
"For now, I can only rely on the Evolution Panel to keep getting stronger, until I can crush these vermin underfoot!"

Chapter end