Chapter 196: Bypassed

Words : 1285 Updated : Sep 23rd, 2025

Chapter 196: Bypassed Now, obviously, there were barely any secrets between good brothers when it came to mechas. And when Ollie proudly mentioned the upgrades he had installed, one pseudo mechanic decided that Xavier also needed them. Not to mention the fact that Sid might feel left out once all of the mechas had such upgrades on them! But Sid had been too groggy to notice what was happening. He would’ve screamed that he was totally fine and wouldn’t have felt left out had he been lucid. But he wasn’t. The guardian mecha had such an unforgettable night that it nearly discharged itself in what it could only think of as stress. See, it sounded bad like that, but Sid’s issue actually came from the onset of internal energy. The mecha couldn’t figure out how to deal with the circulating energy as it normally expended whatever it got from the Master to maintain its functions. But when the New Master added an Energy Crystal and even one backup inside a different node, Sid could’ve sworn that he looked like a salted worm but with deadly weapons. It took everything in its power to control the energy surge that threatened to explode as artillery showers—that bad. Thankfully, they figured out a way to stop it after he was asked to use only his thrusters to fly around to exhaust the excess energy faster. But it was easier said than done when Sid felt like a baby bird who had to learn how to control its own body and what to do with it now that there was no pilot. And D-29 was noting all of this down as it prepared for its own birth or maybe a second integration. Now, that did not escape the guardian mecha, who only just realized that he was actually the test subject for all this! The guardian mecha really wanted to protest! But only stopped when he finally managed to move around, finally able to run away in case something questionable was happening again! Maybe it wasn’t so bad? Even if he was the test subject, at least he had the opportunity to be like this, something that none of his immediate brethren even got to experience. But maybe it was too early to hope. Because by the time Sid managed to sort out the major changes in its frame, it had already been installed with Ollie’s ’upgrades.’ And Sid was going to be the first guardian mecha with an extendable footrest, a snack tray, a recliner, and a heated blanket option. Which was clearly not made an ’option’ in his case. But at least he didn’t have a third leg. Right? At first, he was going to try to rope that blasted mastermind into this, but there was apparently no need to as the little system volunteered for it. Well, that was a given because it heard all the findings, and as a system meant to serve its Host, these upgrades were a must. And D-29 even looked for the best cockpit chairs for the best driving experience. Because useful systems don’t get sacked, and employed systems don’t explode. So, the aspiring mecha was more than happy and even considered weighted blankets as it would not allow the other mechas to top it in terms of quality-of-life upgrades. Which were apparently a hit. Yes, really. And Luca was only so sad about the fact that his manual mecha couldn’t have the same things that were routinely checked in class and must be standardized. But these wishful thinking and praises were for the upcoming corruption run. For now, they were all gathered to be reintroduced to Sid, the Guardian Mecha, who was now able to move on his own. Only for Luca to belatedly realize that he forgot to ask Xavier for permission for the Synapse Reactor! "!!!" And the little chipmunk panicked, alarming the others who noticed how their leader suddenly shook. "What’s wrong?" Asked the Prince, who hadn’t expected Luca to react like this. "Xavier! I—I’m so sorry! I got so caught up in wanting to do something for Sid that I forgot to ask for permission!" An absolute disaster. And serious disrespect. He was seriously in the wrong. Luca looked so flustered that his head looked like it was ready to roll. But Xavier couldn’t focus on anything as he eyed the guardian mecha that had long been the heirloom of the Imperial Family. This was a version of Sid that he couldn’t have seen, even after all the best mechanics worked on him over the last decades. Because he barely recognized the mecha, who looked like he had just come out of the manufacturing division for its first test run. And his little chipmunk was saying he did the maintenance and the upgrades? Xavier finally had the willpower to look at the embarrassed pseudo-mechanic and realized he should say something before Luca began overthinking. "Luca. You did all this?" He asked, wanting to confirm what would likely sound like a hallucination to everyone else. "Yeah, about that... I’m really sorry, I got carried away..." the little dragon could only look down as he trailed off. And Luca couldn’t help his imagination as he suddenly thought of the worst possibilities. He was embarrassed and distressed because he wondered what he would do if Xavier wanted to remove the changes he didn’t get to inform him about. Wouldn’t that be too bad for Sid? But at the same time, he really didn’t think it through earlier and totally failed to realize just how careless he had been. First, what if he was convinced by an evil sentient mecha to give it autonomy? Second, what if the mecha’s owner didn’t want to clash with a mecha that could now decide how to move? Third, what if the mecha ran away because it was now capable of doing just that?! The possibilities he had imagined distressed him. But his racing thoughts had to stop when he felt a hand on his head. And for a moment, Luca thought he was going to get hit like before, which unconsciously forced him to shut his eyes to prepare. But then the hand stopped. And just rested on his head. It was huge but not heavy and— Certainly non-violent. Then came a soft ruffling of his hair and a gentle pat. Oh. ’?!’ The built-up tension was suddenly released, and Luca’s body visibly relaxed when Xavier patted his head. This surprised the little chipmunk, who looked up to see Xavier staring at him with those azure eyes. "Thank you, Luca. I think Sid likes the upgrade, too." Said the Prince, who sported a small but genuine smile. And he was easily comforted. It seemed like Xavier wasn’t mad. Because how could he be? And with the envious stares he was getting, he would’ve likely been pummelled if he even said something remotely unbecoming—Crown Prince or not. Luca surprised even Ollie, who knew about the plan to use Nanite Ore to trigger a self-healing ability—but not the part where Sid was now autonomous! This wasn’t just groundbreaking?! It was galaxy-shaking! And the scandalized mop was just told earlier that Luca, the great sage, was going to teach him a new way to build mecha?! Was he talking about a biomecha?! Forget about being ransomed! The kidnappers would likely not agree to receive payment for retrieval! While the mop unlocked a new nightmare, two mecha pilots watched in awe and trepidation for what was to come. Kyle just knew. From the way Xavier looked at the mecha, he fucking knew. It was unlikely for him to step on land for a long while.

Chapter 196: Bypassed

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