Counterfeit Hero

Chapter 353: Volume Five, Chapter Five: The Tactics of Brawling

The hidden flaws in the modified [Vajra] were, of course, left by that despicable Fatty, and there wasn’t just one.

Given the chance, this sly fox would definitely sneak into the henhouse. His personality ensured that if he didn’t leave several backdoors, his entire life would be dull and even his dreams would be haunted by his conscience.

After the Abnosk incident, following the investigation of the prisoners, surviving guards, and nobles, the Mythical Army deduced from various sources that the person who kidnapped James was Zhang Yuan, the mechanic imprisoned in Abnosk by Bruce, who was none other than the Federation Hero Tian Xingjian from the Leray Federation’s propaganda film.

Despite the huge difference in appearance, making it uncertain if they were the same person, it was undeniably certain that Zhang Yuan was an agent sent by the Leray Federation. There was no room for doubt!

As a result, all members of Zhang Yuan’s research group were suspended and underwent individual scrutiny. All designs Zhang Yuan had participated in were also re-evaluated.

Under Reinhardt’s personal supervision, the primary focus of the re-evaluation was placed on the modified [Vajra], the flagship Mecha designed by Zhang Yuan for the Mythical Army.

If it were in the past, the [Vajra] would no longer serve as the main Mecha. However, Reinhardt had no other choice than to use the modified [Vajra] as the main combat unit for the army due to the social and economic collapse in Gazalin after the coup. The entire country had nothing but war and killing, with civilians suffering in poverty, and even the military was struggling to maintain basic supplies. To speak of new Mecha development and mass production to equip the army was pure fantasy.

After re-examination by over ten senior mechanical experts from the army’s Mecha research lab, several hidden flaws such as instability of the balance gyroscope during turns and a millisecond visual blind spot when attacked from the flanks at 0 and 180 degrees were identified and fixed. Subsequent engagements by the Mythical Army revealed no major flaws. Considering their main opponent now was not the Leray Federation, enclosed within two star domains, but domestic political forces, Reinhardt, unable to replace the Mechas, continued using the modified [Vajra] as the core combat unit.

Reinhardt was unaware that this decision made Fatty nearly roll on the floor laughing when he saw the Mythical Army still using the modified [Vajra].

To this despicable Fatty, unless the Mythical Army completely replaced their Mechas, as long as they used the modified [Vajra], he was confident of victory in battles!

Knowing that his identity would likely be exposed after completing the rescue mission, Fatty was particularly deliberate when designing the flaws.

If he were to design flaws, they had to be malicious enough.

The flaws must ensure benefits in future battles from the operation of regular Mecha warriors while being undetectable by the Gazalin people. Even if the flaws were found, they should be impossible to amend!

Through painstaking effort, Fatty eventually decided to place the most critical flaw in the energy converter located in the abdomen in the original design. Any damage to this component during battle would render the Mecha powerless and at the mercy of its opponent!

During the modification, as the [Vajra] transformed from a humanoid to a beast form, its structure underwent significant changes. The transmission systems located in the chest, shoulders, abdomen, and thighs adopted a new operational form, necessitating the relocation of components originally situated in these areas.

Fatty carefully orchestrated every stage of the Mecha redesign, eventually settling on a modification scheme that minimized changes while delivering optimal results, discreetly moving the energy converter twenty centimeters towards the lower back!

Moving it twenty centimeters wouldn’t typically pose any safety risks during the [Vajra]’s static testing! However, in Fatty’s design, this was a cunning trap.

Since the energy converter is the closest component to the engine, during high-load operations, the engine’s violent vibrations would cause it to collide with nearby components. Generally, a larger space is left near the engine to avoid such collisions, but in Fatty’s design, the energy converter was positioned too close to the engine!

This placement had no significant impact on regular Mecha movement, but once the Mecha engaged in running or combat, collisions were inevitable! The Holy Knight Company had previously discussed the Mecha’s structure but couldn’t find an ideal location to position the energy converter in such a compact and logical design! Ultimately, it was Fatty who pretended to have an epiphany and came up with a so-called great idea!

He designed a so-called safety mechanism. Typically, this mechanism would not activate when the engine operated at low power. However, when the Mecha assumed a combat stance, with its body upright and limbs extended through the hydraulic system, a space would open. When the engine vibrated under full load, the safety system would pull the energy converter down forty centimeters, avoiding collisions with the engine without affecting its liquefaction and transmission functionalities.