At that moment, Wang Yixue also pulled the Holographic Helmet over her head.
The scene before her eyes changed instantly; she could now see everything outside the Mecha, and every obstacle looked almost transparent.
Transparent operating prompts appeared line by line.
A feeling of "I am the Mecha" welled up inside her.
Her heart thumped with nerves; all of this had gone far beyond her understanding.
A welder really welded this thing together?
Unthinkable!!
The external sensors captured the sounds outside and streamed them in real time to Wang Yixue's ears.
"Fly one!"
"Fly one!"
"Fly one!!"
Caught up in the heated atmosphere, Wang Yixue grew excited too.
Matters had reached a point where she couldn't refuse.
Her quivering little hand slowly reached for the control stick.
At the same time, Old Wang picked up the phone Wang Yixue had dropped.
Only then did he discover that the phone's feed was linked to the cockpit's internal camera.
It could even switch to the external camera.
In the lower right corner of the screen, the Mecha's real-time data were displayed—currently all zeros.
They could also open the voice button to speak with Wang Yixue.
Old Wang, Old Man Hua, Wang Tianhao, and the other guests all turned their eyes to the phone screen.
By the time Old Wang figured out what was on the screen, Wang Yixue had already gripped the control stick.
Under everyone's gaze,
Her thumb slammed the climb button at the top of the stick.
"Click!"
"Mission complete!"
Wang Yixue gave a faint smile and flashed a sweet grin at the cockpit camera.
She already knew people outside could see inside through the phone.
As for whether this Mecha could really fly—of course she didn't believe it.
Achieving this level was already astonishing enough.
Being able to experience such ultra-realistic Mecha piloting—she was satisfied.
The voices coming from outside phones heard Wang Yixue announce the end of the mission.
They felt a bit unsatisfied and envied her for getting to sit inside and experience it firsthand.
Everyone hoped the Mecha would actually take off, but reason told them it was impossible.
Only Wang Ning stood in place, gave a cold laugh, and spat,
"I knew it wouldn't work. If even the Yankees haven't developed something like this, how could Xia Country get there first?"
As if to avenge the Mecha for making her lose composure earlier, she added, "Iron box with speakers—garbage!"
People around turned their heads to look at Wang Ning.
Even Old Wang furrowed his brows.
Some guests started heading back to the villa.
Wang Tianhao stepped forward and called to those still lingering,
"Distinguished guests, the Mecha demo is over; the birthday banquet will—"
However—
Before he could finish,
A sharp alarm suddenly exploded in everyone's ears.
"Alert!"
"Alert!"
"Mecha entering take-off stance—everyone nearby, evacuate immediately!"
A primal uneasiness surged in everyone's heart.
The piercing siren rang across the entire manor.
Old Wang clenched his fists; reason told him this Mecha was only a highly realistic model,
nothing more than a showpiece in the end!
It couldn't possibly fly!!
"Boom—"
A blast of air swept outward from the Mecha's center.
Visible to the naked eye, tiny Vector Nozzles opened across the frame.
Together with the four larger vector thrusters on the back, they all spat out a pink flame.
The ground rumbled,
trembling slightly.
"Something's wrong!"
Realizing the situation, Old Wang hurriedly tapped the microphone permission on the phone.
He shouted at Wang Yixue on the screen,
"Yixue, what's happening?"
"Grandpa, it… it's about to fly!"
Wang Yixue's voice quivered like a frightened fawn, lost and helpless.
She didn't know what to do.
Old Wang's heart jolted; his aged frame swayed, his eyes filled with gravity.
Their institute's current flagship project—powered exosuits—could only help soldiers lift heavy loads.
Running was impossible, let alone flight.
Even the cutting-edge tech the Yankees just unveiled couldn't do it.
So how could a mere welder accomplish it?
Take off? Impossible!
People all around were shouting as they ran,
"Holy crap, the Mecha's spitting fire!"
The thruster flames grew fiercer, shifting from pink toward blue.
Seeing this, Old Wang and Old Man Hua could no longer stay calm.
Years of experience told them this Mecha really was about to lift off.
They had to get clear—fast!
Old Wang barked at the guard soldiers,
"Organize everyone and evacuate Yunding Manor—now!"
"Seal off the entire Yunlai Mountain."
"No time—move!"
Cars ignited everywhere; the quick-eyed jumped into any vehicle they could find and sped away.
Under the guards' direction, the panicked crowd became more orderly.
Old Wang clutched the phone, his expression grave.
He stared worriedly at Wang Yixue on the screen.
"Yixue, is there any way to stop it?"
"Grandpa, I don't know—it… it's started the take-off countdown!"
Inside the cockpit,
Wang Yixue was now in complete shock and terror.
The shrill alerts in her ears stretched her nerves even tighter.
[Hydrogen Engine check complete]
[Micro-vector ports connected]
[Shoulder Railgun nominal]
[High-Frequency Particle Blade mounted]
[Beam Weapon not mounted!]
[dragoon system not mounted!]
[Final inspection done!]
[3-2-1]
[jiangtian no. 1—launch!!]
"Boom—"
The entire Yunding Manor shook violently.
Those who hadn't evacuated heard a thunderous blast in their ears.
The thruster flames shifted from pink to deep blue.
A violent surge slammed into Wang Yixue's back.
If the Holographic Helmet didn't have assisted breathing, that single jolt might have knocked her out cold.
Under countless stares, jiangtian no. 1 erupted in a fierce blaze,
leapt skyward, and shot straight into the heavens