Reboot: Mechanic

Shi Tian was left perplexed by her cryptic response. 

He couldn't help but wonder what had distracted her from paying close attention to the drone's operation. 

Was there anything else on the computer screen that could distract her? 

Pondering over it, Shi Tian couldn't find a single thing that could distract her attention. And with Vanessa's current attitude, it was clear that she would not help clear his doubt. 

Knowing her intention, he decided not to press the issue and instead turned his attention to the drone's control interface.

"Alright," Shi Tian began, "I'll guide you through the basics of controlling the drone. It's relatively straightforward once you get the hang of it." 

He then proceeded to explain the essential functions and controls to Vanessa.

As Vanessa settled in front of the control panel, Shi Tian provided clear and concise instructions. He explained how to adjust the drone's altitude, navigate its movements, activate its laser weapon systems, and utilize its detection capabilities. 

Vanessa, to her credit, seemed quick to grasp the concepts. With a few practice maneuvers under Shi Tian's guidance, Vanessa began to feel more comfortable controlling the drone. 

She expertly adjusted its altitude, guided it through the air, and even tested its laser weaponry by firing a few practice shots at some nearby monsters, causing them to smolder and smoke.

"Sheesh, this shouldn't be a drone, but a flying turret," Vanessa exclaimed with enthusiasm. Her eyes were lit with excitement as she continued to explore the drone's capabilities.

Shi Tian watched with a sense of amazement as Vanessa quickly adapted to the drone's controls. Her earlier claim of distraction seemed forgotten as she reveled in the drone's potential for destruction and utility.

"Don't overuse the lasers too much, Vanessa." Shi Tian warned her when she was getting too excited. 

"The lasers need to recharge occasionally if you overheat and the recharging process would take longer once you expend the energy reserves." He added, telling her to use the lasers at a minimum.

The lasers on the drone might be powerful and can be spammed multiple times. 

However, everything had a limit, otherwise, it would just be an insanely overpowered weaponry. The drone would start to warn them whenever they are about to overload the energy reserve and need to wait patiently. 

Having been warned by him, Vanessa subsequently stopped firing the lasers at every monster the detection had locked on. 

"My bad, I got too excited about its prowess." Vanessa smiled briefly, acting cute and somewhat innocent. It was just a shame that no one within the Iron Sentinel would believe her innocence or cute act anymore.

They knew better than to be fooled twice.

Fooled them once, shame on Vanessa.

Fooled them twice, then shame on them for falling for it again.

"You can stop the act already, Vanessa." Shi Tian said calmly.

"Huh? But I'm not acting at all?" Vanessa raised an eyebrow and said in a docile tone. 

"I've already achieved my goal earlier, so there's no point in acting anymore." She clarified, defending herself. 

Meanwhile, Shi Tian found it overly weird with such clarification. If she wasn't acting, then why is she acting cute and innocent at the same time? 

Tilting his head slightly, Shi Tian was wondering why he even bothered asking about others' behavior and actions. 

"Whatever then, let's just continue to focus on the drone." Shi Tian shook his head and said, choosing to move on with the topic.

With Vanessa now more aware of the drone's limitations, she resumed her control with a more measured approach. 

She adjusted the drone's settings to conserve energy when necessary, reserving the powerful laser weaponry for strategic moments rather than unleashing it haphazardly.

Shi Tian, despite his initial skepticism, couldn't deny Vanessa's growing proficiency in handling the drone. 

Her earlier playful act, which she claimed was no longer necessary, was still met with a raised eyebrow from him. 

He had learned not to take everything at face value in this unpredictable world, especially when Vanessa had revealed herself to be a shrewd woman earlier.

Who knows when and where was the real Vanessa? 

It could be another one of her "disguise masks" to make them lower their guard. 

"I won't deceive you anymore, Nathan. My goal has already been achieved, so there's no point in acting." Vanessa explained again, trying to tell him that she wasn't such a shrewd woman. 

It was merely the circumstances that had prompted her to behave the way she was earlier. It was never her intention to deceive him. 

"Whatever, just focus on the drone and make sure to check the surrounding area as well. Don't simply focus on the monsters," Shi Tian brushed over the topic, shifting his attention back to their current mission. 

He really couldn't care less about being deceived by Vanessa. What happened was merely a reminder to him to not be careless anymore. 

Not to mention, the dense area filled with strange energy was looming closer, and they needed to be prepared for whatever challenges it might present.

Vanessa also understood now wasn't the ideal time to explain her motive, so she decided to let the matter pass. 

As the time slowly passed by, Vanessa continued to control the drone through the computer screen. Meanwhile, Shi Tian decided to use this time to run a few system checks and monitor the situation in the dense energy area. 

He had learned to be cautious in their travels, and vigilance often proved to be their greatest defense against unexpected dangers. He did not want to be ambushed again without realizing danger was approaching. 

As Shi Tian monitored the data, even expanding the surveillance feature of the Iron Sentinel to the maximum capacity, he was determined to confirm everything was safe.

'Hmm, this red dot is moving quite abnormally.' Shi Tian thought to himself, realizing that there was a red dot that had been constantly moving in an abnormal pathway.

To confirm his suspicion, Shi Tian turned to Mary and asked, "Mary, can you stop the Iron Sentinel for a moment?" 

And sure enough, once Mary stepped on the brake, Shi Tian noticed the red dot had subsequently paused its movement, albeit at a very far distance from their location.

"Looks like we have been traced." Shi Tian muttered softly.