Xiao breathed a sigh of relief as she finished her tenth match in a week. With her growing popularity with her 6-0-0 record, she had apparently caught the attention of some academy students. As opposed to needing Pihu to book matches, she was getting challenges from top 300 students in the academy. As the young woman learned quickly, her bit of fame apparently was worth something in the academy. Even if the top 300 students didn’t get much change in their ranking by defeating her, their victory would look good on their record.

  I’m glad I’m done with the matches this week. It certainly wasn’t easy!

  The challenge with so many matches in a week was the shorter preparation time. Normally, she had time to study footage of her opponent’s past matches and come up with strategies. For this week, she had much less time to prepare and had to learn how to use her time more wisely. Puhi offered to help but Xiao was determined to do everything on her own and let her squadmate do her own thing. She couldn’t rely on Puhi for the rest of her career. The young woman was well aware of the fact that their paths might diverge at some point once they joined the tournament scene. It wasn’t unnatural for pilots to go their separate ways in their pursuit of the best path for one’s career. They worked together at the moment because the cooperation benefited them both.

  Knowing the type of connections her family has, Puhi can get much better squadmates as soon as she gets through the relegation matches.

  As Xiao walked out of the simulation wing, she wondered about how she should tackle future matches. She had two mechs available to her but the hornet was just better in every possible way compared to the ant mech when it came to combat. The ant mech was cheaper to maintain and repair which, given Zavaso’s resources, wasn’t even much of an advantage. Deep in thought, Xiao eventually found herself outside the library. With so much available online, she had never once considered the library as a place to find answers. She poked her head through the doorway to take a look.

  It’s pretty empty around here. I’m surprised they still keep the library open when it’s hardly used.

  As Xiao was about to leave, someone called out.

  “How can I help you?” asked the person Xiao assumed was the librarian. “Maybe I can find something you cannot obtain online.”

  Despite having doubts, Xiao still entered the library and asked about resources on ant mech. She specifically asked if there was anything that could make an ant mech competitive with better mechs like hornet mechs. She watched as the librarian paused to think.

  “I think I have exactly what you’re looking for,” said the librarian as she led the way deeper into the library.

  Xiao looked at the labels on the shelves as she walked past them, noting the mech names on each of them. There were several mechs she only saw in tournament settings so she was amazed by how many books were dedicated to those mechs. The two of them eventually reached the end of the aisle where a small shelf was dedicated to the ant mech.

  “It’s true that ant mechs are seen as extremely weak by the North Star Military Pilot Academy when the academy can easily afford stronger and better mechs.” The librarian then brushed a hand across all the books on the shelf. “A few individuals took that as a challenge so they dedicated their lives to making the ant mech a competitive option. Despite their efforts and the completion of all these books, their work has remained unknown. Are you ready to take on the challenge of making the ant mech known as something greater than a bargain mech?”

  At the mention of the nickname for the ant mech, Xiao realized the irony in this situation. She, as an outcast, was no different from an ant mech. They were both ordinary in the eyes of everyone else. If not given a chance, they would both be nobodies. With the help of Zavaso, Xiao managed to do what no other outcasts had achieved in the past. If the ant mech was given a chance, then maybe it too could chart a different future from the one it was originally set upon. However, it was easier said than done to make an ant mech as strong as a hornet mech. She didn't even know where to start.

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  “Won’t drastic changes turn the ant mech into something else entirely?”

  “Have you heard of mech specific subcomponents?”

  Xiao had indeed heard of such a thing but she didn’t know how they would apply to an ant mech. The Armor (Cicadas) was an example of a mech specific subcomponent that could only be used for that mech. These subcomponents allowed the mech to achieve certain specialization that would make it competitive even at a higher level. The problem was usually the funding needed for the R&D. Generally, investors were only willing to make such subcomponents for strong base mechs like hornets or promising ones like the spider. The idea of making the ant mech strong enough to rival an existing mech would be an absurd goal so backing remained the biggest obstacle.

  “I know what you are thinking. The individuals who took on the challenge spent their own money and time to make mech specific subcomponents. If you are ready to be their successor, then you too will have access to them!”

  “Why me?”

  “I’ve seen a stream on your latest match! With your rising popularity, there isn’t a better option than you to showcase what ant mechs are capable of. And didn’t you switch to the hornet because you feared an ant mech wouldn’t suffice?”

  If she’s just a normal librarian, she wouldn’t be so invested in this. Could she…

  “Are you one of the individuals who has dedicated her life to making ant mechs better?”

  “Close! My father was and I’ve been fascinated by ant mechs ever since. I also like to root for the underdog too! You happened to fill all the boxes.”

  With everything cleared up and her mind made up, Xiao nodded her head and said that she was willing to take up the challenge.

  “Wonderful! My name is Vivian! Here are the two books I suggest you finish as soon as possible. I will handle the rest in the meantime.”

  Vivian then shoved two books into Xiao’s hands before rushing back to her desk. Seeing the librarian glued to her screen, Xiao did the self-checkout for the books which was pretty easy to do with her academy ID card. With no matches for either the academy or for her pilot career coming up anytime soon, the young woman dedicated all of her free time to reading the two books. The first halves of the two books were fairly simple because they mentioned all of the well known facts of the ant mechs. These were the types of knowledge pilots were tested on during their entrance exam. The rest of the books were far more interesting as they contained the thoughts, observations and theories of the two authors. In the appendixes, there were designs of ant mech specific subcomponents.

  That’s…incredible! Not only are these on par with mech specific subcomponents for stronger mechs but they are also cheaper? I get why Vivian wanted me to read this but what exactly is she handling right now?

  As soon as she finished reading the two books, Xiao returned to the library where Vivian was on a call. Upon seeing her Vivian excitedly hugged her and told her to talk to the person on the other side before handing over the phone.

  “Hello?” asked Xiao who was still trying to make sense of the situation.

  “Missus! It is you! I thought I was talking to a scammer who claimed to know you! You have no idea how common those types of phone call are."

  “Well, I have met her once so we don’t know each other very well. What business did she want with you?”

  “She claimed to have subcomponents she wanted to send us. I didn’t trust her but, hearing you on the line, I’d say it’s safe to receive the shipment.”

  “Shipment? Subcomponents?”

  Xiao quickly flipped to the appendix of the books and pointed at them. Seeing the goofy smile on Vivian’s face, the pieces came together.

  “I just got clarification from Vivian about the shipment. Can you please inspect them when they arrive? They are ... .unconventional.”

  “Sounds like a good time!” said Wattan with a big laugh. “I don’t know what you’ve done at that academy but it seems like you’re creating more pleasant surprises for the rest of us! You will get a complete inspection report within three days of their arrival.”

  “Thanks, Wattan! You will need to work with Twan too. Our ant mech is about to go through quite an overhaul!”