The Last Mech Warrior Standing

Ten years ago Lin Lan killed an abyss beast flying fully manual, then left the service and was not heard from again. Since then AI piloting has taken over the front entirely, and Lin Lan has been working there as a mechanic. He Zheng, the new star, breaks his old record and says publicly that manual control is finished. Jiang Xiao, who captains Zero Squadron, does not accept that and pulls Lin Lan back into a cockpit over everyone's objections. He turns her down at first and changes his mind because she keeps insisting. The squadron is not pleased to have him. On one deployment the AI systems are wrecked by the beasts mid-engagement, Lin Lan switches to manual and flies everyone out, and after that the crews stop talking about him behind his back. He Chuan, who has staked his position on the AI programme, sees what this does to his standing and arranges for Zero Squadron to be sent into a zone with no resupply and no way out. Surrounded, Lin Lan walks to the Mech Zero that has been sealed up for ten years.