Axelbent stepped off the airship and said to Ziye, "We can't make it to the interview room. You'll have to go down yourself; we need a good chat with Student Li Chunyu." A friend-forgetting fellow.

Ziye gave them a look and took the elevator down 99 floors to the candidate waiting room in the main building. The Practical Building’s floor height exceeded twenty meters to accommodate mechas, making people feel incredibly small upon entering.

Everywhere one looked, the staff consisted entirely of uniform intelligent robots. However, the candidate waiting room was only as small as a normal residence, and each candidate was in a separate room to prevent whispered conversations.

Yet, the waiting room was separated from the interview room only by a new type of glass wall, allowing one to observe the situation inside the interview room from the waiting room. The layout of the interview room was simple: a frosted large table where three interviewers sat, nameplates displayed before them, with the candidate seated opposite.

Because the distance was too great, Ziye couldn't clearly make out the writing on the nameplates, but she did spot a familiar face—Alpha. Hile.

He was actually here! The fact that he was willing to be her interviewer meant she still had a chance to be accepted under his tutelage?

Ziye suppressed the excitement in her heart and pressed against the glass to eavesdrop on the proceedings. Besides Alpha.

Hile, the interviewer on the right also looked somewhat familiar; he appeared to be the Dean of the Mecha Academy. He had the typical look of a government official: portly, balding despite his relatively young age.

In terms of achievements, he was considered average at Lings University. Chun Niu had recommended him to her, saying he had good connections and pathways to access official personnel from many major powers.

If she ever wanted to join a government department later, being under his wing would certainly make things much smoother. Ziye wasn't interested in that kind of maneuvering, so she hadn't paid him a visit beforehand.

As for the interviewer on the left, she hadn't met him nor had Chun Niu mentioned him; he must be a standard instructor. Chun Niu had specifically told her that there would be three interviewers: the first representing the school, the second representing the academy, and the third representing the future mentor.

This meant the third one was the most critical. Ziye never expected things to turn out this way; her heart thumped like a drum.

All she could do was internally pray for protection, hoping desperately not to be taken in by the third interviewer. "Student Ziye, please follow me." The female-appearing intelligent robot spoke gently.

Ziye clenched her fists and followed behind the robot. To prevent candidates from communicating, the path in and the path out did not intersect, instead constantly winding.

It took about four or five minutes to reach the interview room. Upon entering, all signals for communication devices were blocked; neither Superlink nor the optical computer could be used.

Ziye had been quite confident before entering, but once inside, she paused. The interviewer seated on the far left had been replaced!

Compared to Alpha. Hile and the Dean of the Mecha Academy, the new interviewer was excessively young, perhaps only in his early thirties—strong, formidable.

He gave the impression not of a professor, but of a battle-hardened special forces operative! Even though his expression was gentle, Ziye felt immense pressure.

Was this going to be her future mentor? She secretly glanced at the nameplate before him: Bradley Carter.

That name wasn't in Chun Niu’s briefing either... Ziye stole a look at him, and unfortunately, he was watching her too.

Their eyes met, and Bradley Carter offered a slight smile, his facial contours instantly softening into an amiable look. This man changed his demeanor too quickly, didn't he?

Even more dramatically than Lan Li. Ziye inwardly urged herself to calm down while offering a small smile and nodding to the interviewers: "Greetings, esteemed sirs." Alpha.

Hile chuckled warmly, "Student Ziye, no need to be nervous. Please have a seat." Ziye complied, letting out a soft breath.

She had felt incredibly tense watching from the waiting room, but strangely, as she settled into her seat, her heart rate began to slow down. Ziye returned the smile with a nod of thanks and took a seat in the chair positioned before them.

Seeing her slight restraint, Brand said, "Don't worry, we'll just have a brief chat." So he spoke quite gently after all. Ziye instantly relaxed and nodded.

Alva. Hile spoke first: "Which model of mecha do you usually prefer?

Tell us about it." The question seemed simple, but Ziye dared not be careless. Naturally, she couldn't discuss her own customized mechas.

As for publicly known models... Ziye thought of the beaten-up wreck she used to tinker with on Silverfist Star.

She nodded and said, "I favor the Sentry-type mecha produced by Professor Tangshan. This model has enhanced silencing equipment in its engine system, and its frame is like a drawn sword, suitable for ambushes and sentry duty...

I must admit, it is exquisitely crafted from design to production." That mecha was released before Tangshan went to Silverfist, and Tangshan built another one after arriving there, which Ziye had used as a test subject. Alva.

Hile nodded repeatedly, praising, "The Sentry-type is not considered outstanding among Professor Tangshan’s works; many people don't even know about this mecha. It's truly rare that you have taken the initiative to study it so thoroughly." Ziye's smile hadn't quite reached her lips when the balding Dean of the Mecha Academy chimed in, "Then, in your opinion, what commonalities exist between Professor Tangshan’s Sentry-type and the Lookout-type used by the Huaxia Legion?

And what is the greatest difference?" Ziye immediately froze for a moment. The Huaxia Legion's Lookout-type?

She had never even heard of it! A cold sweat instantly broke out on Ziye’s brow!

She didn't know that the interviewers' questions were based on the candidates' preceding answers. She had just mentioned an old model from over a decade ago, and the Dean had casually tossed out another outdated model, causing her to shoot herself in the foot.

Fortunately, her "poker face" training was excellent. On the surface, she maintained perfect composure, unmoved, ignoring the sweat dripping down her back.

What should she do? Ziye looked at the three interviewers; all three were waiting for her response.

Should she try to bluff her way through? These three were clearly not people she could fool!

"Ziye, the Lookout-type was a Huaxia Legion model from 13 years ago. Its exterior was intentionally designed for stealth effects..." A faint voice drilled into Ziye's mind.

Ziye's spirit lifted; Little Sprout was helping her. She let out a huge sigh of relief, maintained her posture, and said, "Thank you for the question, sirs.

I have seen this mecha before, but it has been a long time, and I cannot recall all the details clearly. Please allow me one minute to gather my thoughts." The Dean nodded in agreement.

Ziye slightly lowered her head, focusing intently on Little Sprout’s guidance while summarizing internally. Little Sprout’s data was very detailed; she barely needed to organize it, simply articulating the model's features, comparing them to the Sentry-type, and listing their similarities and differences point by point.

Her delivery was clear, without a single stutter. Brand raised an eyebrow slightly, and even the Dean and Alpha.

Hile were quite surprised. Generally, they would not pose overly difficult questions.

When the Dean first asked it, all three felt the difficulty was quite high. If Ziye couldn't answer, it could be overlooked.

They hadn't expected Ziye to answer so brilliantly! Ziye was only a teenager, yet she had already grasped the details of a mecha model from over a decade ago—what kind of effort that required!

Genius, perhaps, was 99% perspiration plus 1% talent. With that 99% perspiration, she had succeeded in a sense; as for the 1% talent, that could be seen in her practical submission.

Professor Alpha. Hile was itching to see her work immediately, because if Ziye succeeded in enrolling, she would break Li Chunyu's record for the youngest student ever admitted to the university!

Therefore, Professor Alpha. Hile and the Dean ceased their questioning.

If Brand also remained silent, they could proceed directly to the next stage. However, Brand ignored the thoughts of his two colleagues who admired talent and asked his own question, "Student Ziye, what areas of study are you hoping to pursue at Lings?" Ziye thought for a moment.

"I wish to study Mecha Maintenance as my major. If possible, I want to gain a complete understanding of the entire process and craftsmanship of a mecha, from exterior to interior, from concept to production." Brand nodded.

"If your mentor turns out to be very young, would you worry that he lacks the capacity to guide you?" This question was quite direct, causing the corners of the eyes of the Professor and the Dean to twitch uncontrollably. However, Ziye preferred straightforward talk.

She shook her head. "I wouldn't worry.

Youth does not equate to lack of capability, and besides, one relies on a mentor for entry, but self-cultivation depends on the individual. Ultimately, it depends on oneself." The interviewers present unanimously agreed with these words.

The Dean checked the time. "Did you bring your practical submission?" Ziye nodded and followed the three interviewers to the mecha display platform, activating the Warrior-type she had modified from her spatial buckle.

The three interviewers stared at the Warrior-type, their immediate reaction being silence, each thoughtfully observing the intelligent robot's diagnostics. Ziye secretly watched their expressions, feeling a pang of anxiety.

Could her little efforts hold up under the scrutiny of experts? Since they remained silent, she decided to speak first, to explain the modifications she had made to her unit.

Having prepared no script, she began immediately: "I used the classic Warrior-type. After upgrading the engine system, the output power increased by 5%.

The CUP computation speed can reach 176tf..." Alpha. Hile nodded repeatedly.

"Well done." With behemoths like mechas, visual inspection couldn't reveal the effects of modifications; one could only rely on the robot's test data or piloting it personally. Many students didn't understand this and blindly pursued bizarre external appearances, painting their mechas garishly.

Unlike them, Ziye was completely focused on practical substance. Modifications that aren't visible externally are the most advantageous in combat!

Brand, who had been silent until now, suddenly spoke up. "Do you mind if I take it for a short drive?" Ziye smiled brightly.

"Of course not." The Academy Dean intervened. "Personal piloting is certainly good, but this is just an interview; looking at the test data should suffice." Generally, mentors do not personally pilot the work of students, especially those applying for admission.

The safety risk is too high! During the modification process, students might forcibly alter certain components, compromising the mecha's safety.

However, since Brand had proposed it, the Dean found it awkward to state his objections clearly, so he used this method to signal his concern. After all, if anything went wrong, it would cause trouble for everyone.