Chosen Evolution: I can load the protagonist template

Chapter 330 The Happy Moment of a Mecha Collector
"Ha ha--"

Azrael's once flamboyant and explosive golden hair, reminiscent of a lion king, has been completely distorted by sweat and bodily fluids, losing its original appearance.

But at this moment, his mind was clearer than ever before, and his eyes were exceptionally bright.

It was as if a huge rock that had always been weighing on Azrael's head had been removed, which greatly boosted the efficiency of Azrael's brain. Things that were previously hidden by the rock were now clearly visible.

This also made him realize just how foolish he had been all along, and how terrifying the "brain" that controlled and guided him to do all of this was...

Oh no!
Azrael urgently retrieved the footage that remained before the connection with the brain was completely severed, which showed one of the "brains" bursting into a dazzling brain flower!
After repeatedly admiring the brain-exploding scene, Azrael couldn't help but turn his gaze to the Orange.

"Thank you, Orange. You freed me from the shackles of my mind."

Azrael struggled to his feet, visibly weak but in a state of high spirits, and bowed deeply to Cheng Tian.

"...It seems the connection has been completely lost?"

The cockpit doors of the Orange opened, revealing Cheng's blazing sun mask peeking out.

"Yeah, your computing power caused the other party's brain to explode."

Azrael, who had always maintained a serious expression since becoming the leader of the Reform Army, surprisingly revealed a barely perceptible smile.

What does it feel like to be controlled?

After checking the panel and confirming that his reputation had been completely restored to the green stage, Cheng Tian jumped out of the vehicle and asked Azrael.

“I could feel that my emotions about ‘overthrowing the corrupt government’ and ‘hatred of humanity’ were amplified to such an extent that nothing else could be retained in my memory, and I ignored all the potentially disastrous consequences.”

After a moment's hesitation, Azrael quickly replied to Cheng Tian.

"However, the root of all this lies with myself. If I hadn't voluntarily accepted deep mechanical modification, I wouldn't have had the opportunity to have a higher-level program implanted in my brain."

Furthermore, the foolish thing has already been done. I have become the one who broke the treaty on behalf of the Principality of Leia. A mere year is not enough to erase the fifty-year-old hatred between the two countries. This invasion of New York, which was easily accomplished with the help of the Earth Federation's military-industrial conglomerates, will inevitably reignite national hatred.

...Moreover, having reached this point, there's absolutely no way to stop. We can only continue according to the pre-established plan, making only minor adjustments to our strategic objectives to minimize civilian casualties while ensuring those profiteering bastards truly suffer.

Without mind control, Azrael's tactical and strategic direction began to become clearer.

"So you're saying they're going to blow up the Twin Towers?"

"Yes, it must be bombed, and the statue of Goddess and military facilities must be destroyed! Only in this way will they feel pain, and only in this way will the brain determine that I am still in a state of being blinded by extreme emotions, and will not make it immediately choose to overturn the table."

Upon hearing Azrael's words, Cheng Tian suddenly had a guess as to what Azrael was planning to do.

"You want to fish with yourself?"

"The Revolutionary Army cannot be disbanded. It is a group of soldiers, more than half of whom have been mechanically modified and only know how to carry out orders. If they were all turned into brain puppets, the destructive power to both Earth and the home planet would be immeasurable."

At this point, Azriel, who seemed to be giving a somewhat irrelevant answer, paused and looked at Cheng Tian seriously. "But relatively speaking, as someone whose brain has exploded, you may have to bear a different kind of pressure... From the perspective of racial war, you don't actually need to bear these burdens. If you choose to leave the army now, I can use my authority to erase as much of your existence as possible."

"no need."

Cheng Tian's resolute answer surprised Azrael. Just when he thought Cheng Tian was hoping for national peace and rejecting colonies, Cheng Tian gave this answer.

"I love collecting mechs; I love all kinds of mechs."

"Just get me one of every standard-issue mech in the Revolutionary Army right now, the more complete the better, the stronger the better. If possible, get me some mechs from the Earth Federation too. Ideally, you could transfer ownership of all these mechs to me in a reasonable way within the rules. I don't need them all at once; you can divide them into stages according to military merit. That way, I'll continue to help you fight against the Earth Federation, the Principality of Leia, and Brain."

"……It's that simple?"

"It's that simple."

Azrael's expression suddenly became subtle, while Cheng Tian's expression after removing the Sun Mask was one of utmost seriousness, without a trace of falsehood.

If Azrael had to describe Cheng Tian in one word, it would probably be "pure".

He simply wanted the mecha!
Regardless of faction or race, even if the other party is in the Earth Federation faction and their original goal was to attack the Leia Revolutionary Army, it will not change their fundamental and pure desire: to collect mechs...

No wonder this kid looted an Earth-made mecha during the counterattack; he's a mecha collector after all.

But for some reason, Azrael felt that Cheng Tian, ​​who so purely put profit first, was not a like-minded person, yet in some ways more trustworthy.

So Azrael extended his hand to Cheng Tian again and said.

"Then, happy working together."

"Happy cooperation!"

Cheng Tian grasped Azrael's hand.

Your main questline has undergone significant changes.

[You have successfully freed Azrael, the leader of the Leia Revolutionary Army, from mind control, making him a complete and independent NPC (BOSS unit). Simultaneously, you have activated and added him to the hidden third faction within the Armored Warriors universe—the Azrael Resistance.]

The “Azrael Resistance” will exist as a hidden force within the “Leia Reform Army.” Although Azrael has broken free from mind control, he still chooses to disguise himself and continue to control the Reform Army. In order to achieve his true goal, he will make strategic shifts and changes in tactics, and patiently wait and prepare to deal with the counterattack from the mind.

You have now re-established a private employment contract with Azrael, and your main quests will be directly assigned by Azrael.

The completion rate of the main quest at each stage of the current instance will be converted into corresponding "military merits", which can be exchanged for a permanent "mech".

The current second-phase main quest is "Twin Screams, Goddess Roars," which involves destroying the Twin Towers and the Goddess Statue, which are currently under reconstruction.

The basic rewards remain unchanged; a new mech, "AVA-13H Agomis," has been added; the list of redeemable mechs has been expanded to include "Gates Series," "AEX-100SR Reptile," "SVA-30J Toad Series," and "MLW-20H Jag."

(End of this chapter)