Zi Ye had long harbored the notion of constructing biomechanical mechs, having amassed materials over the years, many of which were preserved in vacuum storage within Warehouse Two.

However, due to her underdeveloped concept, Zi Ye feared wasting the materials and thus had held back from taking action.

Little Sprout’s eyes darted around as it projected data onto the light screen, stating in a serious tone, "Your proficiency in building biomechs is not yet mature. Furthermore, traversing a wormhole demands an exceedingly tough substance; biological materials may prove inadequate."

Recalling the analysis of wormhole matter provided by Legs-Go-Weak, much of which consisted of pilot remains, she herself understood the weaknesses inherent in biological materials. Perhaps they could serve in routine combat, but against the forces of nature, biological entities were pitifully small, possessing almost no capacity for resistance.

Zi Ye puffed out her cheeks; well, another blow to her ambition. She exhaled in deflation, "Then let’s build a standard mech."

Ultimately, the biological nail had to remain a lingering regret. To this day, she remembered An Junlie’s words: "Those who can build biomechs are either unborn or already dead. Even if theoretically sound, it doesn’t mean it can withstand the test of practice."

She shook her head mournfully, forcing herself to stop dwelling on that person’s fate, and said to Little Sprout, "Help me check the mineral reserves."

Little Sprout instantly shifted into work mode, scanning and reporting the data: "Tri-Titanium Alloy, Crystalline Quartz Core Rock, ..., Super-Devour Ore, Supernova Noc Stone are sufficient. Molite, Pseudo-Crystal Gel Ore, and other materials are insufficient. A110 is now tasked with ordering them, and we also require Photon Microprocessors and Isotope Polymers."

Zi Ye nodded.

Materials were easily solvable. Every material Little Sprout listed was common on Silver Rune Star; extracting the metals and refining them would suffice for construction.

She had verified their suitability in the construction of robots and mechs over the past two years, the only hurdle being the planet’s lack of specialized alchemists, necessitating her reliance on robots for the refinement process.

What needed solving now was the primary configuration of the mech. Since the mech was intended for her personal use, it had to be lightweight, capable of long-range sprints and extended combat.

Most mechs in Tang Shan were close-combat types: heavily shielded and powerfully armed, but incapable of long-distance travel without reliance on a mothership for resupply. Thus, she couldn't replicate the designs of Tang Shan’s mechs.

She even felt the impulse to construct a starship, but that endeavor demanded an immense expenditure of materials, time, energy, and genius. Independently building a starship was a hundred times more difficult than a mech, so, pragmatically, she discarded the thought.

Regarding long-range mechs, Zi Ye felt a touch of helplessness, as she had only encountered design concepts in books, never having personally executed one. Her previous builds, the Raven and the Crow, were minimalist, entry-level mechs. To specialize now meant starting the conceptualization from scratch.

The engine, needless to say, had to be a Quantum Engine.

In the realm of Quantum Engines, Tang Shan was an unparalleled expert. She intended to borrow his concepts for the engine and simplify, lighten, and increase the energy efficiency of her design, incorporating a Quantum Engine Warp Processing System uncommon in standard mechs. Given its specialized nature, Zi Ye instructed Little Sprout to generate the initial blueprint first, allowing her to modify it according to her desires, making minute, precise adjustments, and running countless simulations on the optical computer until the optimal result was achieved before proceeding to physical construction.

The two most critical components of any mech are the engine and the optical computer. Zi Ye had no issues with the engine, but habitually relied on Little Sprout for the optical computer, lacking any personal research in that area. She simply dumped the difficult task onto Little Sprout, tasking it with sourcing materials, power boards, and the central processing unit, directing robots for construction, and independently inputting the requisite programming and commands.

Aside from the engine and the optical computer, systems like scanning, target lock, and light balance were largely standardized across mechs. Zi Ye only needed to order components from other specialists and install them.

With the blueprint finalized, the selection and processing of metallic materials began.

The metals were highly specific; most could not be used directly and required fusion or alloying before fabrication.

Donning her gloves, just as she was about to begin, a silver message pinged from Red Hair, causing Zi Ye to frown. She pulled off her gloves once more and said expressionlessly, "You had better have something critically important to say to me, or I swear I will detonate every single robot in your compound!"

Red Hair whistled. "Oho, without alien pampering, Little Stinker is throwing a tantrum, tsk tsk."

Zi Ye eyed her sideways in silence.

Red Hair rubbed her nose and chuckled, "Just kidding. Say, Little Stinker, have you looked at the shared, latest data? The schematics for the battleship we need to build to escape Silver Rune Star."

Zi Ye replied without emotion, "What does that have to do with me?"

Red Hair fawned, "Don't be so cold. Looking across Silver Rune, you’re the best technician. Without your skill, who would dare pilot a battleship built by anyone else!"

"..."

Red Hair continued, "Besides, you’ve ordered so many metal materials recently—isn't that preparation for the battleship?"

Zi Ye shot her a sidelong glare. "Wrong. I ordered all those materials to blow up your place!" With that, she cut the communication, shut down all communication devices, told 120 to affix a 'Do Not Disturb' sign to the door, donned her gloves again, and returned to work.

She did not want anyone interrupting her.

The preliminary work was tedious; the blending and processing of metals severely tested one's patience. Fortunately, she had over a dozen robots to assist, and having been rigorously trained by Little Sprout, she possessed ample physical stamina as a foundation.

Zi Ye ensured every step was executed flawlessly, as damaging a single program or a piece of metal would necessitate starting over, costing far more time.

Aside from eating and sleeping, Zi Ye poured all her time into mech construction, with only Little Sprout for company. Her demeanor appeared both intensely focused and utterly manic.

Even Little Sprout was astonished by her intensity.

After a full two months of this relentless effort, a new mech emerged!

Zi Ye gazed at the towering machine with burning excitement, the memory of her day-and-night labor igniting a profound sense of achievement within her heart.

This represented the zenith of her current mech-building capabilities, and during the entire process, she had not redone a single component or system; everything passed on the first attempt.

The mech stood nine meters tall, a hybrid of humanoid form and fighter jet. During routine flight, it would adopt the fighter mode to minimize drag and reduce the mech’s energy load; only when combat was necessary would it shift to its humanoid configuration. Furthermore, the fighter mode was adopted to reduce the probability of being targeted during flight—

—Because the humanoid mech was the most perfect target!