Chapter 15: The Boxer Test

“So, it seems we need to design our own chip? Or perhaps our own computer?” In an instant, several solutions flashed through Jiang Chen’s mind.

If they produced an unmanned version, controlled by a ‘subroutine’ of Jarvis, there would be no need for a human pilot. The cockpit space could thus be repurposed to house a computer. Given the available room, a medium or small-sized server could just about fit, offering a considerable capacity. As long as there was enough computational power, with Jarvis’s subroutine in control, even without a network connection, each Boxer could be treated as an individual entity with self-thinking and friend-or-foe recognition capabilities, making them virtually indistinguishable from human-piloted machines.

In fact, their abilities might even surpass those of ordinary human pilots.

“In that case, let’s first test the Boxer’s performance parameters. If there are no issues, we’ll then consider the design of the onboard computer,” Jiang Chen decided quickly.

“Understood, Master,” Jarvis responded immediately. “Final assembly is expected to be completed within one hour and twenty-three minutes. As for the testing location, your training hall should suffice for basic tests, but a larger, more specialized facility would be required for comprehensive trials.”

Jiang Chen nodded and said, “Let’s conduct the test in the training hall. Clear the area of unrelated personnel in my name.”

“Order confirmed. Clearing in progress…”

Jiang Chen’s voice instantly echoed through the corridor outside the factory, ordering any unrelated personnel to vacate the building. For Jarvis, mimicking Jiang Chen’s voice was a trivial task.

At the far end of the factory, a black metallic giant over three meters tall came to life.

With a series of mechanical hums, the internal transmission mechanisms of the mecha whirred into action.

Click.

The mecha lifted one foot and strode forward, then, without pause, marched purposefully toward the main doors.

Jiang Chen followed immediately behind, heading upstairs to the training hall.

Due to the technological constraints of Earth, many components of this mecha had been substituted. Whether it could operate flawlessly without any bugs, Jiang Chen couldn’t guarantee—so he certainly wouldn’t pilot it himself. At least for the initial tests, Jarvis would handle remote operation.

Inside the mecha, numerous sensors had been installed, along with a testing dummy to assess the burden on the ‘pilot’ during operation.

Only once the preliminary tests demonstrated sufficient reliability would Jiang Chen consider manned piloting trials.

“Let’s test its speed first,” Jiang Chen instructed.

“Yes, Master.” Jarvis promptly activated the mecha, powering it up to maximum output. It adopted a starting posture, then slammed a foot onto the ground and surged forward at high speed.

The moment the mecha launched, Jiang Chen could feel the floor beneath his feet quiver slightly. Luckily, the floors and walls of the training hall had been specially reinforced. In an ordinary building, that step might have punched a hole straight through the floor.

In less than three seconds, the mecha reached the opposite end of the hall, braked sharply, and came to a steady stop.

On his communication wristband, Jiang Chen received a speed distribution graph sent by Jarvis, compiled from the training hall’s monitoring instruments and the mecha’s internal sensors.

It was evident that at launch, the speed curve shot up at nearly a ninety-degree angle. When stopping, the data showed much the same—a nearly vertical drop to zero.

“The acceleration is very strong—it reaches over five hundred meters per second from a standstill in under two seconds, and that’s not even its top speed,” Jarvis reported. “The space here is too limited to reach maximum velocity. Based on the power module’s output, the top speed should be between seven hundred and seven hundred fifty meters per second. Of course, if the load is increased, this number will decrease accordingly.”

“Seven hundred meters per second—this is already comparable to an advanced War God,” Jiang Chen nodded in satisfaction.

The original Boxer, in its standard configuration, could reach a maximum speed of one thousand meters per second with a typical load, accelerating from zero to top speed in just 2.43 seconds. It could even glide short distances using thrusters in its feet.

Aside from being unable to fly, its performance in all aspects rivaled that of a recently advanced planetary-level warrior.

But the mecha Jiang Chen had built was, after all, a ‘stripped-down version’—not only was the gliding function removed, but its speed and acceleration were slightly inferior to the original.

Still, being on par with an advanced War God was more than enough to satisfy Jiang Chen.

The testing continued.

Strength, turning radius in confined spaces—all were tested in sequence, and nearly every metric perfectly reached the ‘advanced War God’ level.

With each set of results, Jiang Chen’s satisfaction grew.

“How’s the cockpit load?” Jiang Chen inquired.

High-speed movement, especially rapid acceleration and deceleration, places a substantial burden on the pilot.

The Boxer was designed to reduce pilot load, but the true effect could only be judged by test data.

Jarvis quickly reported a string of figures: “Peak load is around 20 G. At full power, it would be higher. Conservatively, a pilot would need to withstand up to 50 G to remain within safe limits.”

“Fifty G…” Jiang Chen was somewhat surprised.

This number wasn’t too high—it was, in fact, quite low.

Before the Great Nirvana, in the era without martial artists, top fighter pilots and astronauts could endure more than a dozen Gs of force. After the Great Nirvana, with the emergence of martial artists, their physical resilience became even greater.

A load of fifty G wouldn’t even require a War General-level martial artist; a high-level fighter, with special training, could handle it with ease.

In other words, a Boxer power mecha could allow a high-level fighter to achieve combat power on par with an advanced War God?

And that’s only with bare fists.

It should be noted, the Boxer was armed.

In the standard design, the Boxer could be fitted with twelve small missiles and one of three primary weapons: the ‘Ripper’ electromagnetic rifle, the ‘Firebat’ flamethrower, or the ‘Ghost’ sniper cannon.

Jiang Chen did not redeem the blueprints for the latter two.

But even with just the Ripper rifle, the Boxer’s combat strength would be formidable.

While the power of the firearms wouldn’t change, the boost in speed and strength would give the shooter far more tactical flexibility—just kiting alone could exhaust a high-level lord-class monster to death.

“Master, I must remind you: the Boxer’s endurance is its absolute weak point. According to the information I’ve gathered, battles at the War God level and above often last quite a long time before a victor is decided,” Jarvis warned, pouring a bit of cold water on Jiang Chen’s enthusiasm.