My Partner was Assigned to me by the Country

The exam for the Level 2 Mecha Engineering will start at 8:00 am on August 12th in the capital star. It happens to be 3:00 am at Gamma Military Base. There are a total of 2,326 people participating in the exam in the entire military base. Compared with the one that Ryan took on the Xingtian ship, it was like a child’s play.

As the number of mechas owned by the Golden Crusade increases, the demand for mecha engineers and mecha warriors has also increased. It is better to cultivate talent from within than to recruit externally, so the Crusade encourages capable young people to take the initiative to participate in the exam. As long as one is capable, the schools recommended by the military can handle the Level 1 exam. In addition, Auston obtained the design drawings for small mechas from Ryan and also needs a large number of talents to be invested in the production of small mechas.

The latter is currently being conducted in secrecy.

The exam time is set in the early morning so that all candidates can have sufficient sleep and concentrate during the exam. The logistics department specially allocated a warehouse building and installed lying holographic devices inside, which were open to candidates for use one day in advance. Ryan set off from the dormitory at 9:00 pm on August 11th, walked slowly for an hour, and arrived at the exam site at 10:25 pm. He saw Auston holding Da fu standing at the entrance of the warehouse building, smiling at every soldier entering the exam room.

The curvature of his smile was just right, pulling up his eyebrows and eyes, perfectly displaying a friendly, approachable, and caring emotion, which made everyone who saw him feel uplifted and a sense of satisfaction from being valued.

“General!”

Soldiers came alone or in pairs, and upon seeing Auston, they stomped their feet and saluted.

Auston nodded with a smile, “Good luck with the exam.”

Though it was a simple reminder, it inspired those who heard it, making them immediately motivated and eager to study. They wanted to live up to the general’s high expectations.

“The mecha engineer exam is held every year, but it’s the first time that the general has shown such attention.”

“I’m guessing the policies will be tilted in our favor in the future. It was the right decision for us to take the exam.” 

“I’m glad I worked so hard to get the Master level qualification in mecha engineering. Let’s go say hello to the general. I’m excited!”

Some were excited that their decision was correct, while others noticed the white creature in Auston’s arms. The little white thing’s wings had not yet grown, and its fur had not fallen off. It lay lazily in the general’s arms as if its bones had been removed. If someone looked at it, it would open its eyes and give a haughty attitude.

“What is the general holding?”

“Been following the general for several days now, seems like a griffin beast.”

“Isn’t a griffon supposed to have the head of an eagle and eagle’s claws?”

“Maybe it’s a mutated one.”

Someone beside Ryan said enviously, “”General, throw away that little thing and let me take its place!”

Ryan: “…”

If he had known Auston was here, he would have come earlier.

The little beast’s keen intuition made Da fu look forward. Its lazy eyes suddenly closed tightly and it moved in Auston’s arms. Soon, its head was facing inward and its round and plump butt was facing outward. Its tail no longer swayed happily, but was tense and stiff!

Ryan didn’t appear too eager, but he increased his pace slightly and walked to the door, saying, “General.”

A smile floated in Auston’s eyes, and he replied with the same content, “Good luck with the exam.” However, his tone was noticeably gentler.

Ryan wanted to ask Auston how long he had been here and wanted to stand by his side. However, within the million-strong legion, with its diverse and bustling population, the environment was not as simple as the Xingtian battleship. He could only suppress his inner desire. After taking a deep glance at Auston, he entered the warehouse building. He would prove himself with the best results… If only the mecha engineer qualification exam could be taken in succession, he would aim to achieve the level of a master in one go!

It is a pity that not everyone had the luck of Sierra to be favored by Master McAryan and qualify for the exceptional exam.

The arranged exam room occupied a space of 12 floors in the warehouse building, with nearly 200 devices placed on each floor. Following the information sent in advance to his personal terminal, Ryan found his own machine located on the 6th floor, number 666. As someone with Chinese heritage, Ryan expressed his fondness for the number, as it represents smooth progress and good luck in Chinese culture.

All the newly purchased latest models of the reclining holographic capsules were fixed to the ground. These semi-enclosed egg-shaped machines had a velvety texture on their white metal surface, and a circle of black diamond-shaped glass was inlaid on the edges, adding a contrasting and aesthetically pleasing touch of color.

Ryan’s eyes moved slightly, guessing that this place would replace the old online training room and become the new training center. The consumables for mechas and machinery are precious, and during the training phase, it is generally recommended to use the Star Net’s holographic classroom, where if parts break, there will be no heartache. This can greatly reduce waste and expenses, allowing the military budget to be used on more important things. Moreover, soldiers can engage in combat training with AI on the Star Net and participate in competitions, where there are specialized programs developed for the army, with scenarios not limited by terrain and other factors.

Ryan lay inside the holographic device, the wine-red synthetic leather cushion was quite comfortable, soft like being nestled in a lover’s embrace, which makes one couldn’t help but moan in pleasure.

Next to him, someone exclaimed, “Damn, this is too comfortable. After returning from the damn wilderness training, lying in the holographic device, who has the mood to take the exam? Just sleep!”

A voice came from further away, teasingly saying, “If you don’t want to take the test, then don’t secretly set a reminder, do you have the guts?”

The person who spoke first snorted, “I’m just going to take a look at the exam, to broaden my horizons.”

“Yeah, I’m just going to take a look at the exam and get a qualification certificate while I’m at it.”

“That qualification certificate is so difficult to obtain.” The person closest to Ryan shouted, as if cheering themselves on. “The General just told me that the exam would go smoothly, so I’m sure I can pass it!”

“The Golden Crusade fears nothing, we will definitely pass!”

“Fearless!”

“Fearless!”

The soldiers on both sides shouted together, their powerful and resounding voices boosting morale and inspiring people. Those who were nervous and anxious were transformed into the will to strive and charge in the repeated cry of “fearless”.

Ryan smiled, finding these people quite interesting, and he joined in the shout, “Fearless!”

Someone shouted, “Keep quiet, rest and sleep, and don’t forget to set your alarm. The exam is at 3 am. If you make a rookie mistake, get ready to run 20 laps around the playground!”

Everyone quieted down and docked their personal terminals with the holographic equipment. Ryan lay down and pressed the touch screen next to his right arm. After a slight hum, a glass cover appeared and closed, creating a closed space. A faint warmth emerged, carrying the hypnotic charm of inducing sleep.

A synthesized electronic female voice sounded sweetly, “Relax your body and don’t resist. Sir, Are you entering sleep mode or entering the Star Net now?”

“Sleep.” Entering the Star Net could save time for review, but losing sleep would cost even more.

“Okay, sir.” The sweet voice asked, “Sir, please confirm the time for entering the Star Net during sleep. You set it for August 12th at 2:30 a.m. Gamma Time, correct?”

“Time confirmed.”

“Okay, sir. Xiaobai will wake you up and bring you into the Star Net at 2:30 a.m. Gamma Time on August 12th. Sweet dreams, sir.”

Ryan closed his eyes and placed his hands naturally on his belly. He had undergone sleep training and was able to enter deep sleep in a short period of time. When he smelled the fresh and cool scent of mint, he heard the voice of Xiaobai in his ear, “Sir, it’s time. Xiaobai will take you into the Star Net.” Ryan suddenly woke up. He felt his consciousness being dragged, and after a brief dizziness, his eyes suddenly became bright. The environment around him appeared clearly before his eyes. It was very wise to have a predetermined location. As soon as he went online, he was in front of the exam center’s square. The half-spherical building, inverted on the ground, had smooth lines and was filled with honeycomb-like holes on the surface. Ryan looked around expressionlessly. Everyone around him had a pale face, and no matter how many times he looked at the exam center, it was still eye-catching.

 Including Ryan, everyone was in a hurry, as if one more glance at the densely packed holes would suffocate them.

The exam center is an absolute disaster for people with agoraphobia, and even ordinary people will feel shudders if they look at it for too long. Presumably, the designer’s sadistic taste has been greatly satisfied.

It was not yet eight o’clock in the morning on the Capital Star, and they had to wait under the winding corridor of the exam center. Standing in the crowded crowd is still better than facing one hole after another from a distance.

Time flies when you have something on your mind, and it doesn’t take long to wait. When the bell rings, the door of the exam center opens, and upon entering, one can be assigned to the exam center. Just like last time, a screen appears after entering, asking Ryan to verify his information.

“Confirmed.”

After verifying that the information was correct, Ryan said “confirmed.”

As soon as the words were spoken, a white table and chair appeared in front of him, and on the table lay a pen and paper as expected. Ryan sat down on the chair and picked up the pen, beginning to write without any hesitation on the thick stack of A3-sized papers. The time allotted for the second-level exam was the same as that for the first-level exam, but the number of questions was greater, with an additional eight pages and more than five hundred questions added to the forty-two pages and more than two thousand three hundred questions in the first-level exam. The types of questions included multiple choice, true or false, short answer, fill-in-the-blank, and application questions, among others, and even in the interstellar age, the forms of human question-making are still lacklustre.

The passing rate for the theoretical exam was the same as that for the first-level exam, with a passing rate of over 90% required to advance to the practical exam in the afternoon.

Ryan focused intently on answering the questions, and the stack of papers left untouched on his desk grew thinner and thinner under his hand. He wrote at his own pace, without any hesitation, and when he put down his pen, there were only five minutes left until the end of the exam.

With such a large amount of questions in the exam, even Ryan felt relieved after finishing it.

After putting down the pen, the score came out.

“Overall correctness rate of 98.7%, congratulations to candidate 2000******80456 for obtaining the qualification for the practical operation exam in the afternoon.” A sweet electronic sound rang out. Ryan raised an eyebrow. The accuracy was almost the same as the first-level exam. He definitely didn’t calculate it on purpose. Who shows off their exam scores?

After being ejected from the exam center, Ryan learned his lesson and immediately looked down at the ground, not facing the dense patterns. He raised his arm and pressed a button on his personal terminal. He logged out of the star net and opened his eyes just in time to see someone shaking their head and walking away from the holographic cabin. Those who failed the exam left the test center gloomily, and he didn’t know if they would persevere and appear in the exam room a few years later.

Ryan didn’t deliberately look at how many people left on the sixth floor. After coming out of the holographic cabin, he simply did some stretching exercises and walked around for a while to enjoy the nutrient solution and compressed biscuits piled up at the door. The mixed flavor fruit puree and high-calorie salty small biscuits with onion flavor were normal nutrient solutions and compressed dry food, but compared to those on the ship, they could definitely be described as gourmets.

The lunch break was not long. It seemed that after coming out to stretch his body and fill his stomach, an hour and a half had passed. Immediately afterwards was the practical exam in the afternoon, and his brain had to face another dual test of the body and mind before it had fully recovered from the morning’s sea of questions.

Ryan had done a lot of preparation. The exam was just a means for him to obtain the qualification certificate and prove himself. The practical exam was similar to the first-level exam, assembling parts, repairing mechas, and using the parts assembled in question one in question three. After completing all three, it was the blueprint design, which could be done with a few simple strokes and some of his own ideas.

Looking at his own design, Ryan smiled lightly and clicked submit.

Submitted, the paper disappeared, and a light screen appeared out of thin air, showing Ryan’s practical exam score-97.9 points.

The best score for the second-level practical exam was born, and the previous record holder was Sierra Bromfield, with a score of 95.4. Ryan saw his score and smiled. He liked this feeling of stepping on others. I wonder how Sierra felt when his record of several decades was broken by someone else? His expression must have been wonderful.

Ryan: “…”

He was stunned to find that he still cared about this little enemy, and he didn’t need to care at all… but he still cared. He actually had feelings for Auston, who had confessed to him so many times before he appeared and boasted that he was the most outstanding person… Fortunately, Auston didn’t pay attention to him!

“Congratulations to candidate 2000******80456 for passing the mecha engineer qualification exam and obtaining the second-level mecha engineer qualification certificate.”

Ryan waited, but he never received the prompt to ask if he wanted to participate in the third-level mecha engineer qualification exam three years later. TWithout this procedure, he couldn’t exit the exam.

Was there a malfunction in the exam system?

It was obvious that it was not a system failure, as the fault tolerance of the star net’s main brain was almost zero.

Soon, his answer for staying in the exam room appeared. In the matte white space in front of him, a blurry figure manifested about three meters away, which he could faintly recognize as an old man.

“Young man, you always leave room for improvement in the blueprint design stage,” the old man’s voice was gentle and cultured, which would befit someone wise, intelligent, and humble.

Ryan was not surprised to see someone appear, and he replied, “Isn’t that what everyone does?”

The figure shook his head slightly and let out a sigh, “People are no longer honest, and nowadays sharing is no longer considered a virtue.”

“You should understand the reason for this phenomenon, elder. Patent protection existed in the ancient era of Earth, so it’s not surprising. But now, even tiny ideas and fleeting inspirations are hidden away, all due to the social environment. The upper class monopolizes the design blueprints, while the lower class, in order to advance, does not trust friends, guards against colleagues, and steals other people’s ideas. It has become the mainstream.”

The elder remained silent. He looked at the confident young man in front of him and a smile of anticipation appeared on his blurred face. He said persuasively, “Young man, do you want to break this phenomenon?”

“Not interested.” Ryan immediately refused. A random old man claiming to give him an upgrade and asking him to win big in the current game was not believable. He had long passed the age of fantasies, and even in his cousin Connor’s novels, the main character never directly received an old man.

The elder: “……”

The elder almost choked. After living for so long, his inner strength was almost broken by this rejection. It was the first time he had taken the initiative to invite someone and had been refused!

“You left a few scratchy words on the design drawings of the final level, just to lure me out.”

“I only did it that way because I read an online guide. The guide mentioned that there might be manual marking, and if you did well, it could attract the attention of a master-level figure who would take you as a disciple. Then, you could reach the pinnacle of life.” Ryan remembered the heartwarming advice he received during the previous exam—imagine it as a passing thought—and he knew the guide was not in vain. Look, now there’s an old man appearing.

The elder laughed, “It seems that I couldn’t help but lose my composure. Young man, you have great ideas. The few points you made were right on the mark, making people itch with curiosity. I really want to know the specific details.” In recent years, he has been paying attention to qualification exams, to see what kind of interesting ideas young people have nowadays. Unfortunately, there are few outstanding individuals and many mediocre ones. When he saw the ideas that Ryan proposed, his eyes lit up. There was a sense of relief as if the fog in front of his eyes had been blown away. However, after the relief came the disappointment, because Ryan only left behind a few words that were ambiguous and unsatisfying.

After waiting for a year, the second-level exam finally arrived. The elder observed from the system and found that Ryan was a rare talent. He had a heart that longed for talent and decided to make an appearance.

Hearing Ryan’s words, the elder smiled and said, “I can take you as my disciple.”

Ryan refused again, “Thank you, No need.” As mentioned before, he has passed the age of fantasies and does not need an old man to point the way for him.

The elder’s composed demeanor almost faltered as he exclaimed, “Do you know what you’ve missed?” His nose was almost crooked with anger. Did the young man know who was standing before him?! Wouldn’t removing the blurring effect scare him to death?

Retracting his offer to take Ryan as his disciple, the elder was determined to make him regret it in the future. After making up his mind, the elder asked calmly, “Tell me about your ideas and I can fulfill one condition for you!”

When the moment he had been waiting for arrived, Ryan said, “How about taking the exam out of turn? I want to participate in the third-level qualification exam next year.”

The elderly person, hidden in the blur, widened his eyes, “Are you sure? The reason why you need three years of work experience to participate in the third-level exam is because the problems encountered in practice are more important than those in the review materials. Young man, don’t aim too high. Your idea is good, but at your age, you still lack accumulated experience.”

“I insist.” Ryan didn’t want to wait for the qualification exam to arrive after three or six years of working to prove that his certificate was the best, he wanted to put it on display in the family’s showcase as soon as possible!”

The elder reluctantly said, “Alright.” He was a pure person devoted to mecha research. Wonderful ideas were the most tempting bait for him, even if he knew there was a catch, he would still willingly comply.

Upon hearing the word “alright,” a calm expression appeared on Ryan’s face, followed by the excitement and joy fitting for his age. He said with delight, “Thank you. Can you provide paper and pen? I’ll write down my ideas. I can’t stay here for too long, or it will cause trouble.” He was afraid of causing concerns for Auston if things escalated.

The elder remained silent. He had never seen such an anxious young person before, without even a hint of his own excitement and enthusiasm. He lifted his hand lightly, and paper and pen appeared in front of Ryan. Ryan quickly wrote down the ideas he had elaborated on regarding the test, pushing them to the elder in the end. “They are all immature ideas. Elder, take a look.”

The elder nonchalantly took the paper and pen, but his eyes couldn’t wait to look at them. He nodded as he read, unable to contain his excitement and masterly demeanour, “Good, good, this idea is wonderful. Why didn’t I think of solving the mecha’s battery problem in this way! Young man, your idea will bring revolutionary changes to mechas. No, we can’t waste any more time. I need to test its feasibility now.”

“Cough, cough.” Ryan reminded him, “Elder, don’t forget about my test.”

“Young man, aren’t you curious about who I am?”

Ryan replied, “There aren’t many people who have the ability to let someone take a test out of order.”

After Master McAryan nodded in approval of Ryan’s idea, he said, “Young man, you have a clever mind, sharp observation skills, and fearless courage. You’re welcome to come to the capital star and have afternoon tea with me.”

“If I have the chance to come to the capital star, I will definitely look for you,” Ryan half-jokingly replied. “But don’t shut me out then.”

“I would be happy to meet such an outstanding young person like you,” Master McAryan said before disappearing into the shadows. “Ryan, the capital star welcomes you.”

As the blurry figure disappeared, the system prompt tone sounded, “Do you want to register for next year’s Level Three Mecha engineer Qualification Exam?”

“Ryan: “Yes.”

System: “Registration completed.”

Ryan logged out of the Star Net and as soon as he opened his eyes, he saw Auston. He had spent too long in the Star Net and, as expected, Auston was worried. Everyone else in the exam room had left, and the glass cover of the holographic equipment was open, except for number 666, which remained closed. Auston stood with his hands behind his back, occasionally glancing at his personal terminal, not missing the passing of time. Ten minutes had passed, fifteen minutes had passed, and it was now twenty minutes until the end of the exam. If Ryan didn’t come out soon, he would activate the forced logout mode on the holographic pod.

There was a slight vibration in the air, and the glass cover of the exam booth opened. Ryan jumped out of the holographic chamber and hugged Auston. “I passed the exam!”

Auston’s tense body relaxed, and he smiled, saying, “Congratulations!”

“I also registered for the third-level qualification exam next year.”

“Next year?” As far as he knew, the third-level mecha engineering exam required three years of work experience.

Ryan shyly said, “I used some tricks to qualify for the exam.” When he took the first-level exam, he only threw out some bait to test the waters. But during the second-level exam, he deliberately tried to see if there was anyone behind the scoring, and the result was ten thousand times better than he expected. Master McAryan appeared personally and even invited him for tea. This was definitely the best thing that had happened to him aside from the holidays.

Suddenly, Auston grabbed Ryan’s shoulders and said incoherently, “Let’s go to the capital star and meet Master McAryan. He can help you to… “

“Auston, Auston…” Ryan called out a few times, “Don’t get too excited. Meeting Master McAryan is important, but enjoying our vacation is also important.”

“But this is Master McAryan! Not everyone can see him. He can take you to a higher level.”

Ryan said, “But I only want to prove myself, obtain the title of a master, and let everyone know that Austen’s companion is formidable. In higher realms, with my current qualifications, Master McAryan won’t take me along.” He wanted to study biomorphic mecha, but such core research fields would never accept a young man who had just started. He needed to offer more bargaining chips to obtain assistance from Master McAryan. It’s not the right time yet. Life is long, and there’s no need to rush into learning. “You don’t think I’m short-sighted or lacking ambition, do you?”

“No, I don’t.” Auston lowered his head, and a blush appeared on his handsome face at some point. He never imagined that Ryan would care so much about the title of master. “I don’t care about the title of master, you don’t have to work so hard for it.”

Ryan persistently said: “But I want to become your exclusive engineer!”

He had the ability to stand next to Auston, so why not shorten the time and make the result appear earlier?

··

The cruise mission has ended, and all the soldiers on the Xingtian ship have a half-year vacation. They can spend this time with their families, pursuing their crushes. A private small spacecraft is docked inconspicuously in the Gamma Military Base port. Ryan said goodbye to his new three roommates in front of the spacecraft. He had said that there was no need to send him off, but Joliver and the others insisted and escorted him all the way to the spacecraft.

Joliver waved his arm with a circumference of more than ninety centimeters and said, “Safe travels, boss. Let’s have a good fight when you come back.” He had sparred with Ryan for a few days and benefited a lot from it.

“Okay, see you in half a year.” Ryan nodded and bid farewell to everyone, boarding the spacecraft.

The spacecraft smoothly left the port, accelerated, and disappeared in a flash before everyone’s eyes.

The three roommates remain silent for a while until Ryan’s bunk bed breaks the silence. “Um, did you guys see the figure that flashed by in the spacecraft just now?”

“That’s impossible, how could it be General?”

“But General has been carrying a white little beast with him recently, it seems to be Da fu.”

The three roommates: “…”

“Hehe, you’re overthinking it. Everyone on the Xingtian ship said that the General got married, how could he be with Ryan…” Joliver swallowed his saliva, it couldn’t possibly be Ryan.

The three of them looked at each other, their new roommate couldn’t be that magical, right?