"The queue for Niu Lang"s Supa Robot Wars has lessened, do you guys wish to give it a try?" Bu Dong asked, but they could see the girls" reluctance when he mentioned that ride. They were not that interested in that ride compared to the guys.
Yue Wen and Jing Ru had fewer qualms about it as they were only playing it and trying it out for the experience. They also want to try to get that cosmetic inscription which would only be unlocked if they played all of the rides. Yue Wen believed it was just some robots fighting together and managed to convince Jia Ying and s.h.i.+ Hui after a bit of discussion to try it out together.
"Alright. I guess you are right. We have to try out all the rides and games at least once to get that one cosmetic inscription. Might as well get it over with as a group." s.h.i.+ Hui shrugged her shoulders as they decided to compromise and go as a group for the ride. (Jin would be so happy if he heard that the lure of a bonus cosmetic inscription worked for them.)
"Still I am a little ticked off that Boss Jin is doing something more for the guys than for the ladies." She added as they chatted and strolled leisurely to the Super Robot Wars" Station. (Compared to the past few times of rus.h.i.+ng, they already had their fill of excitement.)
"I guess it"s because it"s a theme park, there will definitely be more action based rides to cater for the guys. Plus Boss Jin a guy himself." Jia Ying remarked as they saw a glimpse of a gigantic robot statue in a crouching pose with its beam rifle pointing outwards.
Occasionally, the robot statue would move its arms and head while dry ice vented out like a series of explosions happening behind the robot statue. For the guys, they were laughing at the robot because they knew that what Jin was showing should be pretty close to copyright infringement if not for the large Panda Head and a slightly different design on the blue and red chest plate of the robot.
However, as they approached the ride station, they noticed that there was no visible queue outside as compared to other rides, but the queue waiting time was still active. They were wondering whether it was a glitch or something as they entered the game facility.
Unlike other game stations, this particular game facility looked more like a company reception desk. The interior was entirely coated with a modern porcelain white walls. The "company"s" name was in black and yellow as a contrasting feature of the interior decor.
The reception desk was curved with no edges around it and had a very futuristic feel to it. Even the Wunder Pandits that were manning the front desk were dressed similar to those s.p.a.ce military clerks seen in Star Trek or other science fiction movies. They were decked in navy blue outer coats with insignias on the side of their shoulders as well as a cool looking mic for receiving calls.
"Hi there! As one of the representatives of Star Cross Heavy Industries, which will be providing the robots for your battles, let me officially welcome you to Niu Lang"s Supa Robot Wars Game Station!" The Wunder Pandit greeted the Pandawans as if they had entered a legitimate office of a company that supplied the robots for their play. The guys believed it was some kind of mini storyline that Jin had created to facilitate this particular game ride.
"If you wish to join our trial runs and partic.i.p.ate as test pilots, please step forward and fill in a straightforward registration form. After which, we will require you to pay a minimum sum of one Silver Panda Medal if you agree with what"s written in the registration form for a formal testing pilot license." The Wunder Pandit acting as the receptionist explained as she laid out the forms and pens in front of the reception desk.
Bu Dong took a look at the form and realised what they needed to fill in was somewhat akin to a disclaimer form that the ride might cost more than a silver panda medal and by agreeing to play this ride, they would create an account to hold details about the robots that they were playing.
As it could be a continuous ride that could be played over and over again, the Pandamonium App would keep and maintain the necessary data for reference. Separately, they could pay an additional one silver panda medal to get a physical license printed out as a souvenir. Should they increase in rank, the cultivators could always come back and have their physical license updated with no additional charges.
The guys were instantly amazed by the disclaimer form as it hinted that they might keep their progress for playing this particular game station. "Just wondering, will I always have to pay the entry ticket into Wunder Panda? What if I just want to play solely this game in the future?" Bu Dong asked as he knew that it could potentially be something that he would like despite the high cost.
"Should you wish only to play Supa Robot Wars and some other game stations that have your progress saved, you will need to show the license from your Pandamonium App at the side counter of WunderPanda"s entrance. But do take note, playing this particular game station will always require you to pay one silver panda medal first or at least 70 Yuan (10USD)." The Wunder Pandits answered, and suddenly the Pandawans were curious about what other games that have saved progress.
"The Pet Card Arena Instance has been revamped and placed under the WunderPanda Theme Park team"s care, so that is one of them. The other would be the Orc"s Spinning Blade Tops." The Wunder Pandits stated. Yue Han took out his brochure map and checked where the other two game stations were.
"Ehhh! So expensive! 70 Yuan for just a robot game? I would rather spend that money refining my card deck for my pet." Yue Han exclaimed, and the Wunder Pandit giggled as if the very same reaction had already happened from other cultivators.
"Perhaps you should give it a try first before you make up your mind." Wunder Pandit said as she collected all the disclaimer forms. However, for now, Deng Long and Bu Dong were the only ones who had decided to pay an additional silver panda medal for the physical license. The Wunder Pandit told them that they would be able to collect those licenses after the game.
"Everything seems to be in order. Please follow me." The Wunder Pandit got off her seat and walked to a corner of the porcelain white wall beside the reception desk. The Pandit placed her paw on the wall, and a virtual interface appeared as if to verify her ident.i.ty. After which, it opened up a portal which she directed the Pandawans into it.
"Okay. Now I understand why it cost 70 Yuan for just a game." Yue Han took his words back as he was in awe by the scale of the Mecha hangar that they were teleported into. Eight of the Humanoid looking Mechas were facing each other in that enormous Mecha Hanger, and the details in the background were very realistic.
The group saw pandas in maintenance outfits were doing some final checks to ensure the Mechas were operational. Some were moving parts like an entire robotic arm from one end to another while others were checking stocks.
What seems like the boss of the engineering and maintenance crew came towards the Wunder Pandit and looked at the Pandawans. "These few are our new recruits? I"m Man Man, the Head for EMC (Engineering and Maintenance Crew)." The rugged looking Panda said as he folded his arms.
"You will not be using any customised stuff until you prove to me that you can at least pilot these pieces of beauty." Man Man announced with pride. However, Deng Long thought otherwise and whispered to Se Lang that they looked like the most basic of mechas.
"HUHHHHH? Do I hear some complaints from a newbie before he could even take his first step?." Man Man looked at the two, and Deng Long quickly went into attention alongside Se Lang. "Do you think it"s that easy to pilot that thing?" Man Man stared long and hard at Deng Long.
"Sir No Sir!" Deng Long shouted in return and the EMC Boss laughed.
"WRONG! Yes, you heard right, it is easy to pilot that f.u.c.king beautiful piece of metal!" Man Man replied as he beckoned the group to follow him. "But to master it… hehe, that is another issue entirely." The group had a closer look at the Humanoid Mechas which were currently very plain looking. It was as if they were made with the lowest amount of budget.
Man Man did not care what they thought and started a.s.signing the Mechas #1-#8 to the Pandawans. But before they could even drive these Mechas, the Wunder Pandit brought them to an office where they would receive their pilot suits. (To their surprise, it was actually a cosmetic inscription!)
"I understand that all of you have attempted the Escape City Dungeon Instance and achieved the Cosmetic Inscription Amulet?" The Wunder Pandit asked which everyone acknowledged and took them out as proof.
"Brilliant, this amulet is somewhat special because it can contain up to 100 outfit based cosmetic inscriptions. In order to change the current one, use your Pandamonium App and select the cosmetic inscription you wish to wear." The Wunder Pandit informed them and everyone took out their phones.
"By now, you should have received the notification that a cosmetic inscription has been gifted to you. Select that particular cosmetic inscription and the pandemonium app will tell you what inscription sign to draw in mid air with your chi." The Receptionist Pandit demonstrated and everyone followed. Their amulets glowed momentarily as if to acknowledge the change in cosmetic inscriptions and with a bit of chi activation, the Pandawans managed to activate their new cosmetic inscriptions in an instance.
"That was simple enough." Bu Dong exclaimed as he checked out his new outfit as well as the others. They looked like safety G suits which fighter pilots wore for intense combats.
"Huh? They even have oxygen masks. Oh my gosh, are we going to fight in the skies too?" Yue Han suddenly became very excited and the Wunder Pandit left it to the incoming Panda in a full formal black military suit.
"Name"s Furi." The Military Panda bellowed through the office and everyone stood in attention even though they were not military trained at all. They all noticed his black patch on his right eye as he paced himself around the group.
"Smells too fresh. You sure this batch of recruits can even make it? Mari?" Furi snorted while he slammed the office table right in front of them and suddenly a map appeared right in front of them. The Receptionist Pandit, Mari knew what the military commander wanted and went out of the office for a while.
"Your objectives, Smellies. It is to ride the Mechas and destroy 40 stationary wooden targets and two moving targets. That is all. Nothing else. Do not do anything extra. Go. NOW." Furi commanded and the entire group ran out of the office with Mari standing around a bunch of numbered suitcases.
"Take them. They are your keys to pilot the Humanoid Mechas." Mari clarified and everyone quickly grabbed one and ran to their a.s.signed Mecha. As the c.o.c.kpit was at the chest area, the Pandawans jumped from the ground floor and to the c.o.c.kpits instead of taking the stairs that were provided for them.
But for the EMC crew, they did not care as long as the pilot could enter the c.o.c.kpit. Man Man started to sound the alarm, indicating that the Mechas were beginning to sortie. The EMC crew members commenced unplug electrical cables from the Mechas and gave a very brief introduction of the c.o.c.kpit to each of the trainee pilots. Some of the crew began moving certain items away to ensure there was no obstruction to the robots" sortie.
The scene was a major mess with the EMC crew shouting at each other in the background, but the cultivators managed to stay focused and learn the essential things such as booting the Mecha up with the key that was packed within the suitcase that Mari gave them.
"Starting up." A female voice was heard for the male"s c.o.c.kpit while vice versa for the females. Somehow, they felt this was more than just a game as everything looked too real to them — even the controls.
"LET"S GO PEOPLE!" Bu Dong was the most excited out of the whole group as he tried moving the controls. However, the Mechas immediately went into auto pilot mode the moment they booted up and it made sense to Bu Dong even though he became instantly disappointed he did not get to pilot the robot on the go.
"I do not need you Smellies destroy my hanger because of your incompetence. Auto Pilot Mode will be activated until all of you are out of my Hangar Bay." Furi snorted as he sat beside Mari in a jeep before driving forth to the allocated training ground.