"But didn't Qiancheng Xue also pilot a mech for reconnaissance?"

Su Mo replied, puzzled.

"Sir Su Mo, please listen to me. Miss Qiancheng Xue's unit is a long-range model. Her mech's main body is an insect with wings, and its flight relies mainly on biological wings, which consumes very little energy. Yours is different; it is a pure combat type, and a heavy one at that. All flight relies on the back thrusters, and the energy consumption is very severe. To put it plainly, Qiancheng Xue's unit can fly for a year without major issues. Most importantly, she is carrying out a task designated by the GT department. You, sir, are not currently performing any special missions."

Obiek braced himself to explain to Su Mo.

"Then my unit's endurance is too short. I only used it for one escort mission and one battle, then roughly a month of reconnaissance, and it ran out of energy. The internal energy source isn't good enough!"

Su Mo frowned slightly as he replied.

"Sir Su Mo, you can't think like that. How big is your mech? How many tons does it weigh? How much energy does it take to move? It's already pretty good that it allowed you to be active for more than a month. Take a closer look at Shulis and the others; who is running around everywhere with a IV-generation mech? Under normal circumstances, they would never use a IV-generation mech unless absolutely necessary, let alone use it for reconnaissance."

Obiek patiently explained to Su Mo.

"Okay, I understand, but since it's out of energy now, it still needs to be replaced."

Su Mo replied helplessly.

Obiek said to Su Mo with a bitter face, "Sir Su Mo, let me put it this way: the GT department only allocates one set of spare nuclear fuel rods for each IV-generation mech, and that's it. Moreover, even replacing the spare fuel rods normally requires a written application. There must be a valid reason to replace them; it's not like you can just replace them whenever you want."

"You're kidding, replacing an energy source requires an application? Isn't that making a mountain out of a molehill?"

"Sir Su Mo, you're wrong. Replacing the nuclear fuel rods of a IV-generation bio-mech is no small matter. It's just that you're special, the mech is your own, and Master Sperd specifically instructed us to turn a blind eye to your affairs, approving everything that could be approved, so you didn't have to write those tedious application forms. Otherwise, normally, even someone like Master Wenlose has to apply to use a IV-generation mech. It's not like you, who can just drive it out whenever you want. If someone else wanted to replace a spare set of fuel rods, they wouldn't even think about it without a written explanation unless it was for official business."

Obiek explained the intricacies of the situation, bit by bit.

"Okay, I understand. Then please replace it with the spare set for me, but can you replace it with a better set of fuel rods, at least one that lasts longer?"

Su Mo said with a bit of a headache.

"Sir Su Mo, you don't have to doubt me, I definitely haven't used inferior products for you. Currently, everyone is using nuclear fuel rods in sets of ten, all produced by the Gakaryo Company of Country O, the HGS-01 model, and the quality is up to standard. However, it's not like there aren't better nuclear fuel rods."

Obiek suddenly said with a glint in his eyes.

"Oh, what other types of nuclear fuel rods are there?"

Su Mo asked curiously.

"There are two other models: one is the nuclear fuel rods obtained from the Batak Planet and the Zhi Gu Planet fortress, whose nuclear fuel quality is also very good, and the endurance is twice that of the HGS-01 model produced by the Gakaryo Company. The other is the IV-generation nuclear fuel rods purchased from the Star Ring City, whose endurance is three times that of the basic model. And there is another advantage of using the latter two nuclear fuel rods, that is, the IV-generation mech will get power boost, and the performance will be improved."

Obiek changed from his previous bitter face and introduced them to Su Mo with anticipation.

"Then replace it with the best one."

Su Mo's eyes lit up and he said.

"Sir Su Mo, this requires you to pay out of your own pocket. Will you swipe your card or use star coin vouchers?"

Obiek said excitedly.

"Ah, isn't this supposed to be the responsibility of the GT department?"

Su Mo was a little dazed when he heard Obiek's words.

"Sir Su Mo, didn't the GT department give you a rulebook? Then let me explain it to you. If you suffer losses due to official combat, not to mention replacing spare energy sources, even if the mech is severely damaged or something, we will give you everything for free. This cost is borne by the federal government. But this is for your private use, and the nature is different. Let me put it this way, you have to pay for any non-essential mech project modifications and part replacements, no matter who it is."

"Then how much is it?"

Su Mo asked with a headache.

"A set of nuclear fuel rods produced by Gakaryo itself costs 1 million star coins, 3 million star coins for those scavenged from the ruins, and 5 million star coins for those purchased from Star Ring City."

Obiek explained with a smile on his face.

Su Mo was stunned when he heard the price, like a bolt from the blue. Only then did he realize the seriousness of the matter.

"So expensive! Are you ripping me off?"

"How dare I rip you off? These are the standard prices, look."

Obiek tapped a few times on the tablet in his hand, pulled up the inventory and price list, and handed it to Su Mo.

Su Mo looked at the rows of zeros displayed on it, and was speechless.

He immediately felt a pain in his heart. It turned out that flying around in a IV-generation mech was no different from burning money. The money he had earned so far from working desperately was probably not as expensive as the fuel costs he had consumed.

"This is too expensive, who can afford it? The earnings are not enough to cover the losses."

"Sir Su Mo, I told you, no one takes a IV-generation mech for reconnaissance and wanders around. The maintenance cost of a IV-generation mech is extremely expensive."

Obiek said earnestly.

Su Mo took a deep breath. He finally understood why the Federation only supported these few IV-generation mechs in total.

Who can afford such high costs?

It's true that you don't feel bad when you're not paying for it yourself, but when it's your turn to pay, you know how uncomfortable it is.

"Obiek, I'll ask you something. If this set of spare energy is used up, will I have to pay for it myself in the future?"

Su Mo asked.

"Yes, and Sir Su Mo, you'd better not mess around. If there is an emergency that requires you to dispatch and your mech has no energy, we will install a fuel rod for you in an emergency. But afterwards, you will face heavy fines and will be punished, which will be even more of a loss."

Obiek quickly made it clear to Su Mo, so as not to let this guy's head get hot for a while and find a loophole.

"So expensive, who can afford it?"

Su Mo was also a little dumbfounded.

"Sir Su Mo, you are wrong to say that. Master Shulis and the others have spent a lot on paid projects. But they are not paying out of their own pockets, but are being paid for by the wealthy and capitalists who support them. Of course, this is not free, which is why Master Shulis and the others have to do something to repay them."

Obiek said with a smile. Of course, there was also a bit of a reminder in what he said.