Chapter 113

Chapter 113

Blue and green data streams flickered across the screen.

Janice's fingers danced over the virtual keyboard, her silver-gray mechanical eyes flickering rhythmically like breathing.

She pressed the confirmation key with trembling fingers.

A hum—

A strange buzzing sound flashed through her mind. Then, she finally stopped the inexplicable convulsions, but fine beads of sweat continued to emerge on her forehead.

"Repair... is not yet complete," Janice said, frowning as if enduring some pain, "Logical fallacies caused by database changes have been corrected. However, the operating condition of the internal system has not returned to normal..."

Yaning was somewhat speechless. Her tone made it sound like she was fixing a broken machine.

Zhou Ying, on the other hand, was packing up her tools and mecha, and said with a slightly indifferent expression, "You can't fix the system yourself, let alone us. You better report the error to your superiors. Lingering here could lead to unknown 'malfunctions' in your body."

Janice took a deep breath, her demeanor now reverting to her usual extreme coldness and rationality, "I can't leave. The team competition isn't over yet."

"Your mecha has already been sabotaged," Zhou Ying said with a faint sneer, "What can you do? I certainly don't have the power to conjure a mecha out of thin air for you."

"It was Cen Yuehuai of the Empire," Janice closed her eyes, "Somehow, her psychic power surged in a very short period, affecting me with its residual waves..."

"A single psychic outburst short-circuited you?" Zhou Ying asked, "Didn’t the system designers consider the possibility of facing opponents with psychic outbursts?"

Janice looked up, her voice still somewhat weak, "These issues were anticipated by the system designers. However, the military only collected data on psychic outbursts from Federation people, and there’s no data from the Empire. Additionally, I must admit, the system in me does have flaws..."

"At the moment of Cen Yuehuai's psychic outburst, my system suffered a severe impact—I can no longer use psychic power in the upcoming battle. But my system's computing power remains, so I can assist by providing strategic advice."

"Your tone is much more polite now," Zhou Ying said with a smile, "Not rushing to take command anymore?"

Janice remained silent.

Now, she was the one asking Zhou Ying to continue in the competition.

"...I've lost my mecha, and our combat strength is less than the opponent's. This is destined to be a tough battle, but we still have hope," Janice declared decisively.

Zhou Ying raised her eyebrows slightly, knelt on one knee, and looked earnestly at Janice, "Why don't you use your powerful computing ability to calculate our chances of winning this team competition?"

Janice's silver eyes flickered with light: "0.7 percent."

Yaning: "...Isn't this probability so low as to be negligible?"

Zhou Ying spoke in a neutral tone: "Hmm, 0.7 percent. Knowing this, you still insist on continuing the competition?"

"This data isn't the final result," Janice articulated each word clearly, "Based on the system's analysis of the map, the buildings within the map will undergo some degree of transformation. If we utilize this correctly, our chances of winning will continue to rise..."

Janice leaned against the wall to stand up.

Her eyes shimmered like a storm, and she was still connected to several wires, with electronic patterns on the back of her neck glowing. The interfaces on her body – also her wounds – oozed a few drops of crimson blood as she moved.

"The word 'surrender' doesn’t exist in a warrior's rulebook."

"Well said," Zhou Ying clapped twice for her, then added sarcastically, "But I hope you relay a message to the military—can they fix the error-ridden system in you? Otherwise, our struggle is nothing but humiliation."

Janice frowned and warned Zhou Ying, "I'll pretend I didn’t hear that. Remember, you are a student of the Federal Central Military Academy and now a part of the military."

Zhou Ying ignored her and instead glanced towards the building's exterior.

"There are two tails out there," Zhou Ying asked, "How do you plan to deal with them?"

Janice’s silver pupils shifted, "Lure them to a suitable location."

Saying this, Janice shared several coordinates.

"According to the system's analysis, there should be hidden mechanisms within these buildings."

Before the competition started, a line of small text in a corner of the map had indicated that the buildings might randomly shift or invert.

There was actually some trick to it.

In fact, they had seen similar transforming terrains in the military academy – some buildings transformed through mechanisms at their base, waiting to be triggered.

To ensure the effectiveness of the terrain changes, these mechanisms often require precise design. Mastering the transformation patterns of these buildings, they could use these patterns to counteract the enemy.

For Janice, deciphering the patterns of these building changes was almost too easy—

"As long as it gets them moving!"

"We lack the strength for a direct confrontation with the enemy. If we resort to surprise tactics, they can easily support each other, making it hard for us to gain the upper hand. Therefore, we need a plan to separate them... Given the current situation, we can't use firepower to divide them; we must lure the enemy."

"I'll give it a try."

Suddenly, Zhou Xiao's voice came through the communication channel.

Zhou Xiao had been on guard in hiding, but he never turned off the communication. He didn't speak, but he heard everything happening on Zhou Ying's side loud and clear.

"I'll go with you," Yan Ning returned to his cockpit, "Since it's about luring the enemy, how can we do it without bait?"

……

While Zhou Xiao racked his brains to lure the enemy, Ji Ya and Xi Nuo were not in a rush to pursue them at this moment.

They were very sober.

All four players of the Federation team were gathered here. As long as they kept a close watch, they could ambush and eliminate their targets the moment they showed up, ending the match right there.

"Cen Yuehuai and Yu Yan have spent so much time and still haven't captured Yan Jingyi," Ji Ya said curiously, "Is that Yan Jingyi really that strong?"

"She must be the top solo combatant among this year's Federation newcomers," Xi Nuo adjusted his gun without shifting his gaze - his sniping skills were average, so he had to stay still to ensure his target didn't escape.

Ji Ya: "Even His Highness rushed over there. And it's still not resolved?"

After a moment of silence, Xi Nuo recounted their previous encounter in the Boundless City to Ji Ya, "Anyway, His Highness started to go easy on Yan Jingyi as soon as he saw her, and she did the same. Last time they fought, it was like a dance. This time, it might just be a repeat of that scene - hey, they're coming out!"

Ji Ya raised an eyebrow slightly, looking in the direction Xi Nuo indicated.

The silver mech, like a shooting star, slid down from a high place. It didn't land on the exposed platforms, but moved forward rapidly in a tricky and unpredictable trajectory, heedless of everything else. The mech's thrusters vibrated at a high frequency behind him, emitting black smoke.

Xi Nuo tried to aim but gave up after just a second.

"Has the other side gone crazy? Can his mech's thrusters withstand such strain?"

"Better if they can't," Ji Ya chuckled, her right hand transforming into a metal electromagnetic cannon that whirled into place. She activated the automatic tracking mode of the electromagnetic cannon and firmly pulled the heavy trigger.

The black muzzle of the electromagnetic cannon immediately gathered countless flowing blue lights.

Bang, bang, bang! Accompanied by a sharp whistling of the air, three bright blue beams shot towards Zhou Xiao's mech.

The beams chased after Zhou Xiao's mech, trailing behind like long tails.

Zhou Xiao's silver mech, like an acrobat, leaped into the air, tumbling several times. The three shells, initially a few meters apart, became entangled due to his intricate maneuvers.

Zzzap! A dazzling blade of light unsheathed!

Zhou Xiao accelerated instantly, leaving a continuous afterimage in the air.

A loud boom followed, and the three shells exploded upon his blade.

His sweeping blade left a trail of thick smoke in the air.

"Quite interesting," Xi Nuo smiled, his tone filled with a hint of eagerness for battle, "Last time on the barren planet, our encounter was brief and I couldn’t gauge his depth..."

"If you want to fight, go ahead," Ji Ya said somewhat helplessly, "Your sniping skills aren’t great anyway, and staying here is useless. I’ll keep watch here."

Xi Nuo: "Thanks!"

Xi Nuo's golden wings unfurled, reflecting a luxurious and dazzling light under the illumination. Like an unbridled wild horse, he charged towards Zhou Xiao, and soon they were locked in intense combat.

Ji Ya spared some attention for Zhou Xiao's mech thrusters.

"His thrusters don’t seem to be damaged."

"What if I take a shot now...?"

Before Ji Ya could act on her thought, she saw a mech stealthily emerge from the ruins in the distance.

It was Yan Ning from the Federation.

"What's he doing coming out?"

"Where are Zhou Ying and Janice?"

Ji Ya glanced towards the hollow ruins from where Yan Ning had escaped, and saw no one following him.

Yan Ning Kelley, imitating Zhou Xiao, cranked his mech's thrusters to maximum, dashing through the stone slabs and walls of the ruins.

In Ji Ya's sniper view, he resembled a rat scurrying up and down through a pile of trash, about to vanish in the blink of an eye.

Ji Ya frowned subconsciously—

"Should I pursue him, or launch a direct assault?"

"With Zhou Xiao tangled up by Xi Nuo, and Yan Ning Kelley fleeing, it's possible he's going to assist Yan Jingyi."

"Which means, in the ruins opposite, only the mech pilot Zhou Ying and the defenseless Janice are left."

"A diversion, is it?" Ji Ya mused with a faint smile, "I won't fall for that trick."

She leapt from the high building, her hands transforming into rapid-fire mode. Bullets rained down on the ruins, causing continuous explosions and a gradual collapse.

"Wait to be cornered by the barrage with no escape, or come out voluntarily—your choice."

"As for Yan Ning Kelley... whether he abandons his defenseless teammate for a slim chance of survival or turns back to stop me, it doesn't matter."

She was confident in her ability to handle anything.

Unexpectedly, Yan Ning Kelley's figure only paused for a moment before charging directly towards Ji Ya with dual guns.

Ji Ya instinctively fired two tracking shells.

Yan Ning Kelley, without stopping, looked up, somersaulted, and evaded the tracking shells with a crisp and efficient move.

Ji Ya was somewhat startled.

"In terms of hand-to-hand combat, Yan Ning Kelley's skill is not much inferior to Zhou Xiao’s. His moves are impressively graceful!"

After a brief scuffle, Yan Ning turned his head and ran towards the ruins where they had been hiding. Ji Ya, without hesitation, followed closely, delving deeper into the layers of tall ruins.

In the shadow of some ruins.

Zhou Ying stood guard with a gun, while Janice sat on the ground. In front of her, a massive holographic screen displayed a cascade of data, resembling a waterfall. The ruins' scenery spun rapidly, gradually taking shape.

On it, two dots, one blue and one red, flickered like fish, darting through the ruins.

The screen showed that Yan Ning's piloting speed had far exceeded his usual records.

On the holographic screen, the blue and red dots continued their cat-and-mouse chase. Just as they passed a certain coordinate point—

"Boom!"

"The entire building of ruins suddenly began to tremble."

"Zhou Ying's body swayed slightly, and he had to crouch to maintain his balance."

"Within his field of vision, the surrounding walls started to invert, deform, and move, turning the once ordinary ruins into a complex and unpredictable landscape."

"Janice suddenly turned off the holographic screen."

"Let's go," she stood up, extending her hand towards Zhou Ying, "I need to go to these preset coordinates for a scan. Once the scanning is complete, we can fully decode the changing patterns of these ruins!"

"Zhou Ying silently looked at her hand, then, a second later, opened his own mech's cockpit."

"The holographic screen showed Ji Ya almost catching up to Yan Ning several times—due to the shifting space, sometimes the conditions favored Ji Ya, sometimes they hindered her pursuit. The two were engaged in a deadly game of cat and mouse through the ruins."

"After a torturous three minutes, Zhou Ying finally completed the run to all preset coordinates with Janice. The progress bar on Janice's screen was also continuously updating."

"Ninety percent, ninety-six percent, ninety-nine percent... one hundred percent."

"Analysis complete!"

"Janice raised her hand and swiftly drew on the screen, a conspicuous green route suddenly appeared in front of the blue dot representing Yan Ning."

"Janice: 'I’ve synced the best escape route to you—run now! I'll show you how to trap her inside!'"

"The noise from the ruins couldn't escape the notice of Xi Nuo and Zhou Xiao, who were engaged in a nearby scuffle."

"Xi Nuo turned his head, observing the ruins twist and warp due to mechanisms, and realized Ji Ya was no longer in her original position. His instincts told him: he might have been tricked."

"He looked at Zhou Xiao with a menacing gaze."

"Zhou Xiao's mech's rear thrusters were on the verge of falling off."

"Previously, Xi Nuo hadn’t specifically targeted Zhou Xiao's thrusters. Seeing Zhou Xiao matching him blow for blow on his own strength, Xi Nuo was even quite pleased, feeling he had found a worthy opponent."

"Now, he realized how naive he had been."

"'It seems I need to end this quickly to completely crush any remaining hope you have.'"

"'...You can try,' Zhou Xiao's voice was slightly weary, yet his breath was steady, 'but first, you have to get past me.'"

"The two mechs collided again, resuming their fight in an almost barbaric manner."

"Zhou Xiao's lightsaber pierced into one of Xi Nuo’s arms. Close to Zhou Xiao, Xi Nuo twisted and turned, unhesitatingly continuing to swing his sword. The chilling long blade created a large gash on Zhou Xiao’s waist, the mech’s outer shell instantly shattered, spewing numerous parts like rain."

"'Your mech is in this state, why still resist?' Xi Nuo pressed Zhou Xiao to the ground with his sword, chuckled softly, 'Your mental strength and the mech are mismatched. With such a half-baked level, you think you can beat me?'"

"Pinned to the ground, Zhou Xiao remained silent, forcefully grabbing Xi Nuo’s sword and pulling, while his other hand hooked around Xi Nuo’s neck, kneeing towards his abdomen."

"Xi Nuo broke free from Zhou Xiao’s grasp, leaning back to avoid the blow. Just as he was about to retaliate with a few punches, he heard a clattering noise from the struggling Zhou Xiao – his mech suddenly started vibrating at a high frequency. Already severely damaged, more parts were ejected."

"Zzzap, zzzap..."

"The silver mech bowed its head, twitched forward a couple of steps, then collapsed with a clang."

"Xi Nuo, who hadn’t done anything: ...?"

"He widened his eyes, cautiously took a step forward, and kicked: 'Hey? Hey!'"

"The silver mech in front of him showed no response."

"Xi Nuo’s mouth twitched. He tried to pull his long sword out of Zhou Xiao's mech’s grasp, only to find it utterly stuck!"

"'Dude, what's going on?' Xi Nuo fell into a state of absurd anger, 'The mech randomly falls apart, and yet the grip is still so strong? You’re doing this on purpose, right?'"

"Xi Nuo grew increasingly frustrated, contemplating whether to simply smash Zhou Xiao's mech to pieces. But with Zhou Xiao's mech already incapacitated, further violence could cause actual harm to Zhou Xiao, and it would seem graceless."

"He did want to dismantle Zhou Xiao's mech directly. The problem was he didn’t know how!"

"Xi Nuo rolled his eyes exasperatedly and reported to the channel, also inquiring about Ji Ya's situation."

"'I'm trapped in these ruins,' Ji Ya's voice was remarkably calm, 'But I’m not in any danger right now—just lost track of the target.'"

"Who else is left in the ruins?"

"Zhou Ying, Janice, Yan Ning Kelley."

"Even if these three were bound together, with the ever-changing ruins, they probably couldn’t defeat Ji Ya."

"Ji Ya was now defensively strong but offensively weak. In other words, the situation wasn’t yet critical."

"Xi Nuo felt that losing his weapon made him the more vulnerable one."

"He looked at the silver mech in front of him and took a deep breath."

"He asked for the coordinates of Baisha in the communication channel."

"Then, Xi Nuo bent down, hoisted the battered silver mech onto his back with steel ropes, and ignited his engines, resolutely heading off into the distance."

"The audience at the match: ???"

"They didn’t know that Xi Nuo had asked for Baisha’s coordinates in the channel."

"All they could see was Xi Nuo beating Zhou Xiao's mech into pieces and then carrying him away, mech and all."

"What was this?"

"Was he taking Zhou Xiao as a hostage?!"