Ultraman grunts? Call me Space Policeman outside!

The time is 5:45.

Mako Mori, wearing black overalls and a black oversized shirt, walked over, carrying a tablet terminal in her hands.

“Mr. Beckett, it’s almost time for the selection. Please come with me,” she said politely to Raleigh at the long table.

“Time flies.” Raleigh glanced at the time and saw that it was almost six o’clock, so he stood up from his stool.

“Let’s go, Xia, come with me,” he said.

Mako Mori nodded, not surprised by this.

Besides Natsuki, many other people will be watching this selection, including the pilots of other mechas.

After all, this concerns their teammates who will be carrying out the mission later, and they will only feel at ease if they see the situation with their own eyes.

“That kid just said you’ve been a construction worker for five years. How about it, is your body still rusty?” Xia Shu stood up and walked behind, teasing Luo Li.

"Hey, just you wait and see how I do in a bit."

“I’ll show you the power of the workers,” Raleigh said with a confident smile as he turned around.

Hearing him say that, Mori Mako, who was next to him, covered her mouth and chuckled.

Natsuki watched the two walking side by side with remarkably synchronized steps, and suddenly seemed to understand something.

Regardless of the outcome of this test, these two are highly likely to become partners in the end.

A deep connection of souls is easy to see.

Chapter 22: Let's exchange a couple of moves?

Good morning, Mr. Natsuki.

In the central room with a flat arena, Marshal Strucker, dressed in a black suit and overcoat, stood on one side of the room and greeted Natsuki as she walked through the passageway into the room.

All the rooms in the Shattered Dome base had some rusted steel, and the overall tone of the rooms was dark.

"Good morning, Marshal." Natsuki, wearing a floral shirt, nodded to him, then crossed the ring and came to his side with Mako Mori.

Opposite them were five mech pilots who were about to participate in the selection, as well as other mech pilots who came to observe.

For example, the drivers of the Cherno Alpha, Sasha Kadenovsky and Alexis Kadenovsky, are a Russian couple, one strong and the other dashing.

Alexis Kadenovsky (left) Sasha Kadenovsky (right)

There are also the drivers of the Storm Crimson: Tang Weihu, Tang Weilong, and Tang Weixiang, the three Tang brothers with neatly trimmed buzz cuts.

The selection process hadn't officially started yet, and Raleigh stood among them, greeting them.

"I heard about what happened at the restaurant."

"Please allow me to convey Chuck's apologies to you." Marshal Stark looked at Natsuki and said in a complicated tone, "That child is not inherently bad, but he is somewhat lacking in interpersonal skills."

He knew most of what was happening at the base, and he also understood his soldiers very well.

“I understand,” Xia Shu nodded.

"He's just a rebellious kid; I didn't take it to heart."

Hearing Xia Shu say this, Marshal Steker's worries were relieved.

He was worried that Chuck's behavior would affect his cooperation with Natsuki, but fortunately, just as he had learned, Mr. Natsuki was not such a capricious person, and could even be described as kind.

While the two were talking, the selection process for Raleigh's partner had already begun.

The selection method involved having five candidates take turns sparring with Raleigh using sticks.

This testing method can clearly show the level of understanding between the two parties. The more understanding the two parties have, the less likely they are to break each other's moves when they spar.

In addition, only people of similar strength can become partners. If the difference in strength between the two is too great, the driver will subconsciously place the other in an unequal position, which will lead to a significant decrease in the synchronization rate.

"Both sides, please prepare," Mako Mori said as the referee, seeing that Raleigh and his opponent had already picked up their sticks.

With a command given.

Raleigh's muscles bulged instantly beneath his T-shirt, his gaze sharpened, and he shifted his stance, charging towards the crew-cut youth opposite him who was also wielding a stick.

Its offensive is fierce, and its moves are unpredictable.

The crackling sounds of clubs clashing against each other immediately rang out on the ring.

While they were fighting, Natsuki was also observing their movements.

He could tell that Raleigh had a solid foundation.

“But isn’t his fighting style a bit too casual?” Natsuki said to Marshal Stark.

Raleigh does have a background in fighting, but he doesn't quite understand the moves he's making, though he certainly has a lot of presence.

If I had to sum it up in one word, it would be—reckless.

“That’s his fighting style.” Before Marshal Stark could answer, Mako Mori, who was intently watching Raleigh, spoke first: “An unpredictable street fighting style.”

It's clear that Mako Mori did a lot of research on Raleigh.

"You know him very well?" Xia Shu teased with a smirk.

“Of course.” Mako Mori nodded immediately.

"In order to find a partner who could be a perfect match for him, I carefully reviewed his mission records and took notes on all his information."

"Wow." Xia Shu's smile deepened, making him look like a gossipy old man at the village entrance. "If it's just for work, it seems unnecessary to know so much, right?"

Hearing this, Mako Mori was taken aback.

On the field, Raleigh had already defeated her opponent. Coming to her senses, she quickly called the next candidate up to challenge her.

After the start signal.

She turned her head to look at Xia Shu: "It's necessary."

"Selecting a partner is a matter that must be taken very seriously."

"So...you prepared these 'partners' for him that are almost impossible to be selected?" Natsuki looked at the ring and saw that the second contestant was also completely unable to withstand Raleigh's offensive. She glanced at the other candidates and did not believe Mori Mako's words at all.

It's not that Natsuki is talking nonsense; it's obvious who Raleigh has the best chemistry with.

The five candidates simply didn't have enough chemistry with Raleigh.

"I..." Mako Mori wanted to explain, but it seemed she had something she couldn't say.

At this moment, Field Marshal Steker spoke up.

"I was the one who finalized the list of candidates."

“She’s not on the list,” he said in a low voice.

Natsuki glanced at Marshal Steker, then at Mako Mori, and then at Raleigh, who had defeated his opponent once again in the ring.

He asked with a puzzled look, "You should also know who has the best chemistry with Raleigh, right?"

He didn't believe Marshal Steker couldn't see it.

"Is she your daughter?" Xia Shu asked directly.

The most likely reason why Mako Mori wasn't allowed to participate in the selection was that Field Marshal Stark couldn't bear to send her to the battlefield. Considering the age difference between the two, this conclusion is the most probable.

Upon hearing this, Marshal Strick did not speak immediately, but nodded silently.

Then, he sighed and said, "Adopted daughter."

"She is not ready to go to the battlefield."

During their conversation.

Raleigh defeated his third opponent.

Now, he stood on the ring, leaning on his stick, looking this way.

What are you talking about?

"Doesn't anyone think there's something wrong with this selection process?"

Raleigh couldn't hear them talking, but he wasn't blind, and he shouted at Mako Mori, who was acting as the referee.

“How about we skip this part?” He raised the stick and pointed it at Mako Mori. “You try it with me.”

He knew about their tacit understanding from the moment they first met.

He had initially thought there would be experts in this selection, but after several rounds, he became certain that there was only one person in this base who could partner with him.

The higher the synchronization rate between the two mech pilots, the stronger the mech can exert its power. There's no reason for him to leave the pilot who is most suitable for him aside.

You have to understand that piloting a mech to fight monsters is a life-or-death situation.

Upon hearing Raleigh's words, Mako Mori's eyes lit up, and she instantly turned to look at Marshal Stark, her eyes filled with hope.

It seems to be saying: 'Let me go, let me go...'

The decision was made by Marshal Stark. Her name was originally on the shortlist, but Marshal Stark later crossed it off.

Seeing that the atmosphere had reached this point, Mako Mori decided to rebel.

Marshal Strickland also hesitated.

His reason for not letting his daughter enter the mech was that she had psychological trauma, and he worried that it would affect her combat performance, not for any other reason.

"If you don't want to go, then forget it."

"Xia, how about we spar a bit?" Seeing that the other party was hesitant to agree, Luo Li turned his attention to Xia Shu and grinned.

He really wanted to test Natsuki's fighting skills.

Chapter 23 Cosmic Boxing Technique

Are you sure you want to exchange a few moves with me?

After hearing what Luo Li said, Xia Shu also became interested.

“Of course, you’re not allowed to become a giant.” Raleigh picked up a stick from the ground, threw it at Natsuki, and then stood on the other side of the ring.

Upon hearing that Raleigh was going to fight aliens, the onlookers' eyes lit up; they were extremely curious about what would happen next.

Xia Shu reached out and caught the thrown stick, weighed it in her hand, and walked onto the flat fighting platform in her flip-flops.