EROS [Zerg]

As the competition approached, Eros locked himself in the training room, repeatedly watching recordings of previous Imperial Zergling Military Machinery Competitions.

After a few days, Eros had a better understanding of his own position. He knew that it was unlikely he would get first place, but he could try to get into the top five.

The annual competition consists of three fixed events and one random event.

The three fixed events are a theoretical knowledge quiz, mecha operation, and military loading and unloading.

Random competition events are designed to test participants' ability to adapt to changing circumstances. Eros never fantasizes about making a comeback in such highly unpredictable competitions.

However, an unexpected incident occurred this time.

Holding his entry pass, Eros stood outside the arena of the Imperial Insect Star Military Machinery Competition, surrounded by a dense crowd of various aircraft and insects.

After much effort, Eros finally managed to stumble and squeeze into the arena through the gaps between the aircraft.

Upon entering the arena, Eros looked up and noticed many insects he had seen on the StarNet. To his surprise, he discovered that there were even male insects among the participants.

The males were placed in the most comfortable waiting area, a total of five! Eros stood among a group of females who had emerged from the initial screening, making his already unremarkable size appear even smaller.

Eros gripped his competition pass tightly, and upon hearing his name called, he stepped forward to collect his toolbox.

To ensure fairness in the competition, all supplies, including paper and pens, were provided by the examination center.

The first round of theoretical knowledge quiz will eliminate 70% of the participants.

The second round of mech operation will eliminate the remaining 50% of the participants.

In the third round of military equipment competition, only five finalists will be selected to enter the final round of random competition.

All scores will be tallied and ranked by the Imperial Overlord after the competition concludes, and the names of the top ten candidates will be displayed on the screen in Imperial Square.

In the first two rounds of the competition, Eros achieved excellent results and advanced smoothly. Especially in the mech piloting competition, female insects from military academies have an extraordinary advantage, since students from ordinary colleges and even mechanical repairmen rarely have the opportunity to pilot mechs.

Although they knew the internal structure of the mechs perfectly, they couldn't pilot them in combat as skillfully as the mech pilots.

Eros had a smooth run in the second round, especially after his successful training with the Number One team. As a result, he remained in the top position in this round.

By the third round of the competition, only thirty military machinery engineers remained on the field.

Of these thirty outstanding military mechanics, only five can advance to the final round of the competition.

Eros could already feel the pressure from the immense competition around him.

Among these thirty military mechanics, the most attention is undoubtedly focused on the male insect, Po Mi, who is the only one who has been promoted all the way to the present.

Contrary to all the insects' expectations, Pomi's advancement to the present level was not due to preferential treatment as a male insect, but rather because he possessed a talent that was difficult for ordinary insects to match.

Its short stature made it stand out among the female insects, and being a D-grade male insect, which was so low in the male insects, it attracted the attention of the entire audience.

On the big screen, his performance was consistently among the best, always ranking first.

The questions for the third round of the competition appeared on the largest electronic screen at the top of the competition.

Eros's tense claws suddenly loosened, his expression as if he had been struck by some incredible stroke of luck.

The third round of the competition, the military equipment and unloading task, was to install a space jump thruster on an aircraft.

This is an unusual operation.

Because military aircraft capable of space jumps are equipped with space jump thrusters from the moment they are manufactured, and this technology is regulated, very few insects would seek out military mechanics to install space jump thrusters on their aircraft.

This is a rather difficult question.

But just recently, Eros received a job from Fran. The aircraft contained a space jump thruster. Because the machinery was old, he had to read many professional books in order to disassemble and repair the space jump thruster.

I never thought I'd actually be able to use it now.

Eros felt like he'd struck gold.

He took a deep breath to calm himself down, picked up his toolbox, and walked to his own aircraft.

After carefully inspecting the aircraft, Eros discovered that it was a defective machine from the factory. If the space jump booster were installed in it rashly, there was no guarantee that the final result would be successful.

However, if the spacecraft needs to be repaired before the space jump booster can be installed, then there won't be enough time for the competition.

As Eros pondered this, he felt a bit troubled. He saw that the male aircraft named Pomi had also begun to open the engine cover of the aircraft and disassemble the internal parts one by one, replanning their positions to leave room for the installation of the space jump thruster.

It seems no problem has been found with this aircraft.

Eros suddenly thought of something and opened the reactor's engine cover, beginning to plan the installation of the space jump thruster.

He tried to speed up his claws, because the third round of the competition left them with very little time, only 30 star points, which was not enough at all. There was no time for him to waste or think.

As the electronic announcement signaling the end of the competition sounded, Eros put down his tools and noticed that many of the other participants had not yet finished.

Upon seeing this result, Eros's heart immediately jumped, and his gaze involuntarily turned to the male insect on the field.

He was surprised to find that the male insect was only one step away from completing the task: tightening the screws on the hood. However, due to the innate and insurmountable difference in physical strength between the female and male insects, Pomi was unfortunately just a little short of success.

The big screen at the arena has begun displaying the results of the insects participating in this competition.

Eros saw his name listed first, and he realized that his guess was correct.

The goal of this competition is not to have a perfectly repaired aircraft, but as the question states, simply to install the space jump thruster.

Eros wasn't the only insect present to discover this, but they all discovered it much later than Eros. Three quick-acting female insects completed the operation together with Eros.

As for fifth place... Eros looked up at the name that appeared on the screen—Perm.