"How much Perception Power is required?" Lin Xinghai asked sincerely.
He wasnât worried his Perception Power was too low. On the contrary, he was worried that his performance would be too shocking.
Perception Power was one of Lin Xinghaiâs few remaining secrets.
It was best to keep it hidden if he could.
Otherwise, if he came off as too much of a demon in every respect, he was genuinely worried something bad might happen.
"Generally speaking, after breaking the first Genetic Lock, the Perception Power you have can only barely be used with this Control Helmet. The âBrain Nerve Transmitterâ inside also has to run at its lowest power setting, or it will damage your brain."
"But this low-power operation only allows you to control the Mecha to make some simple movements. Only by breaking the second Genetic Lock can you support the normal operation of the âBrain Nerve Transmitterâ and bring out most of the Mechaâs functions."
"To perfectly utilize all of the Mechaâs functions, only someone like the Commander, who has broken the third Genetic Lock, can do it," Roger explained patiently.
Lin Xinghai couldnât help but nod repeatedly as he listened. This gave him a good idea of how not to seem too outrageous during the upcoming test drive.
After all, it was no exaggeration to say that his current Perception Power was already the highest in the entire Heaven-Sundering Mercenary Corps.
He had already discovered when he woke up this morning that the range of his Perception Power had increased to 140 meters.
"Besides determining how much of the Mechaâs combat power you can unleash, Perception Power has another very important function: combat support," Roger continued.
"Combat support?" Now Lin Xinghai was genuinely a little confused.
"Thatâs right. After you start the Mecha, you rely on the helmetâs 360-degree projection to see the outside world."
"Under normal circumstances, this projection is perfectly adequate. But fighting a Mutated Zombie is not a normal circumstance."
"Youâve seen the terrifying Speed of a Mutated Zombie. Even though weâve become the Optimized and our retinal motion tracking has been greatly enhanced, itâs still extremely difficult to clearly see a Mutated Zombieâs every move."
"In that kind of situation, adding a projection into the mix is just making things harder for yourself. You can easily suffer a major loss, especially in close-quarters combat."
"So thatâs when you need to use your Perception Power for assistance. Itâs like having a second pair of eyes."
"Well, all this talk from me is no substitute for you experiencing it firsthand," Roger said, trailing off.
In his opinion, it was still too early to tell Lin Xinghai these things. At the very least, heâd have to wait until Lin Xinghai broke the second Genetic Lock to understand what he was talking about.
"Alright, Iâll give it a try," Lin Xinghai said eagerly.
Then, under Rogerâs guidance, he entered the cockpit and pressed the buttons to start the Mecha. Roger gave a few final instructions, then jumped down as the cockpit door closed.
The Mecha was highly automated. After startup, the seat deployed a safety harness, securing Lin Xinghai. The helmet suspended above also descended automatically and fitted onto his head.
After putting on the helmet, Lin Xinghaiâs vision instantly changed.
It felt as if he were standing high in the air, looking down.
Moreover, as he turned his head, his field of vision rotated in sync. At that moment, aside from its weight, Lin Xinghai couldnât even tell he was wearing a helmet.
In addition, in the lower right of his vision, there was a semi-transparent system panel that displayed the Mechaâs operational status and some data.
Right now, it displayed: "New user detected. Matching brainwaves."
Below that was a progress bar for the matching process.
Rogerâs final instruction was that the match percentage had to exceed 10% to meet the minimum power requirement for the Brain Nerve Transmitter.
With Lin Xinghaiâs Perception Power, the match percentage quickly surpassed 10%.
The moment it exceeded 10%, he felt a mental jolt and simultaneously became aware of the Mechaâs torso and limbs.
Thatâs right, he *felt* them, he didnât *see* them.
âThis is a very strange feeling. I feel like I can control the Mecha directly, just like my own body.â
He acted on the thought, and sure enough, the Mecha raised its arm.
However, the movement was a bit slow and stiff.
But as the match percentage continued to increase, Lin Xinghaiâs perception of the Mechaâs body grew clearer and clearer.
At first, he could only get a rough sense of it. For example, with the Mechaâs arm, he could only perceive its existence and nothing more.
But gradually, Lin Xinghai could perceive its internal structureâthings like the engines in the arm joints, the transmission systems, and the power units inside.
And when the match percentage reached 50%, this perception rose to a new level.
He could now individually control the engine in a specific joint, increasing or decreasing its power output.
This level of fine control could undoubtedly unlock more of the Mechaâs performance.
âThis must be the level Roger can reach. Only by controlling a Mecha to this degree can you be of any help in a fight against a Mutated Zombie.â
But Lin Xinghaiâs Perception Power was far greater than that, so his match percentage didnât stop there. It soared all the way to 100%.
Perfect Match!
This was something only a person who had broken the third Genetic Lock could achieve.
With a perfect match, Lin Xinghai felt as if he had two bodies. He could freely control every single one of the Mechaâs fingers.
Of course, it wasnât without a cost. During this process, the Brain Nerve Transmitter would cram the data from hundreds of sensors inside the Mecha into his mind all at once.
This was why he could clearly feel and control every single component within the Mecha.
By Lin Xinghaiâs estimation, not even Fang Tianhe could control the Mecha like this for long. The burden on the brain was just too great.
Of course, the match percentage could be manually lowered. In a non-combat state, it could easily be turned down to a more comfortable level.
However, Lin Xinghaiâs Perception Power couldnât be compared to Fang Tianheâs. Even at a 100% match, he only felt a little strained.
Lowering the match percentage to 80% made it feel effortless.
Then, Lin Xinghai began to walk around the hall, controlling the Mecha.
"Itâs hard to control at first, so be careful not to fall," Roger kindly reminded him.
Then, he watched as the Mecha before him started to jog, jump, throw punches, and kick. It even finished with a backflip.
Rogerâs mouth gradually fell open, wide enough to stuff a couple of eggs inside.