“Chapter 114”

"Chapter 114"

"Xi Nuo, dragging Zhou Xiao, accelerated towards Baisha's location, spotting Yu Yan and Cen Yuehuai standing atop a pile of rubble from afar."

"Xi Nuo raised his eyebrows slightly and shouted at them, 'What are you looking at!'"

"Yu Yan and Cen Yuehuai's mechs instantly turned their heads. Both were armed but seemed to have no opportunity to engage in combat."

"Cen Yuehuai: 'Why did you come over here?'"

"'Zhou Xiao’s mech has a problem, and my sword is still in his hand,' Xi Nuo briefly explained the situation and with a clang, dumped Zhou Xiao’s mech on the ground."

"The silver mech lay in a fetal position, limbs slightly bent, one hand tightly gripping Xi Nuo’s long sword."

"Cen Yuehuai took a closer look. Zhou Xiao's mech, though battered, had its limbs and main parts intact, so movement shouldn’t be impaired—the only explanation was a system freeze. It seemed Zhou Xiao had also lost consciousness."

"'It’s simple,' Cen Yuehuai brandished her shuangyu axes, pointing the sharp edge at Zhou Xiao's mech arm, 'Just disassemble his mech arm.'"

"'But his mech hasn’t completely shut down,' Xi Nuo said somewhat helplessly, 'Use your scanner and take a closer look.'"

"Cen Yuehuai paused, then said in surprise, 'What’s going on with him? Why is his mental energy chaotically moving within the mech?'"

"The Empire and the Federation have slightly different focuses in mech research."

"Though both require a mental link, the Empire leans more towards manual control, while the Federation emphasizes intuitive mech operation—Federation mechs are designed with some level of intelligence, simplifying many operations. The trade-off is a higher requirement for synchronization between the pilot and the mech."

"This synchronization rate can only be optimized after numerous adjustments. The higher the grade of the mech, the more stringent the requirements."

"The current Federation sensory technology primarily amplifies the pilot's mental sensitivity through instruments or drugs to maximize the mental synchronization rate—including pain synchronization. When the mech is damaged, pain is also transmitted to the pilot, directly impacting the brain in an extreme manner."

"Of course, for the pain issue, typical mechs are equipped with sensory filters to block out most of the pain signals, reducing them to a bearable level for humans."

"But, that’s just for 'typical mechs.'"

"Zhou Xiao's current condition is what's known as 'hyper-sensory'—the sensory filter lost its effectiveness due to his excessive resonance with the mech, and now his mech hasn’t completely powered down. Damaging one of his mech arms would be almost like physically severing his own arm."

"Moreover, his senses are currently chaotic. Another bout of pain could have unpredictable consequences."

"'If it were a battlefield, I wouldn’t hesitate, but he's also considered a friend of His Highness,' Xi Nuo communicated with Cen Yuehuai and others through the channel, 'I don’t want to cripple him in such a situation.'"

"Cen Yuehuai silently put away her weapon."

"Anyway, with two of the Federation's mechs already disabled, the winners were surely from their Empire."

"'What about Her Highness? She should know how to handle this,' Xi Nuo said, 'She's most familiar with the construction of Federation mechs and should know how to safely shut this one down.'"

"Once the mech is shut down, Zhou Xiao's 'hyper-sensory' connection would cease, making it easy for Xi Nuo to retrieve his sword."

"Cen Yuehuai raised her hand and pointed towards the slope behind them: 'There, Her Highness is over there, in a duel with Yan Jingyi.'"

"Xi Nuo walked over to take a look."

"Below his feet was a deep crater, the surface riddled with cracks and bullet holes."

"Inside the crater, two mechs were locked in combat, their engines roaring like continuous thunder, the action was dizzyingly fast!"

"Xi Nuo only glanced once but was deeply captivated. The reason was simple: he had never seen such an exhilarating melee in a mech duel!"

"Yan Jingyi’s mech was tall and slender, its shell pale and bright like a streak of moonlight piercing through dark clouds. Its metallic body possessed an unusual vivacity and explosive power, with movements reflecting the finesse of human combat—short sliding steps to close the distance, several high-speed direction changes at close quarters, a feint of a downward stab, then suddenly raising the wrist and striking hard at the enemy’s neck. These actions flowed seamlessly, all within a mere two seconds!"

"Based on Yan Jingyi's previous experience fighting against Baisha, Baisha was not adept at close-quarters combat."

"Thus, she kept pressing forward aggressively, her swordplay tight and unyielding, aiming to nullify Baisha's counterattacks with her own speed of attack."

"In the past, this would indeed have been a formidable challenge for Baisha. But Baisha had undergone extensive training with her uncle and Uriel, learning the necessity of mastering multiple weapons."

"Baisha wielded her gunstaff, deflecting each attack. The weapons of both sides collided continuously, sparking bright electric flashes with 'zzap, zzap' sounds."

"Yan Jingyi pivoted on her right foot, shifting her weight forward while turning, and brought her sword down towards Baisha's shoulder, aiming for her head in a fluid motion."

"Baisha raised her gun vertically, exerting force to deflect the strike, pushing Yan Jingyi's lightsaber outward."

"The two mechs collided rapidly, then separated just as quickly, leaving only afterimages behind. In that fleeting moment of passing by each other, Baisha’s palm pressed against the gun handle, her right hand rotating inward to position the gunstaff behind her. The mechs collided again, and Baisha's long gun, sweeping from behind, slashed perilously close to Yan Jingyi's ear!"

"The pale blue mech hurriedly dodged, narrowly avoiding a shot through the head."

"At the same time, Baisha's now-free left hand transformed, firing several laser shots at Yan Jingyi’s feet."

"Yan Jingyi immediately lifted her feet to dodge. But Baisha didn’t intend to give her time to think, firing a barrage of shells like sudden rain, leaving no room for pause."

"While continuing her assault, Baisha rushed forward, delivering a piercing thrust enveloped in a burst of silver light, targeting precisely where Yan Jingyi had moved to avoid the barrage."

"Boom!"

"A tumultuous wave surged."

"Xi Nuo observed intently, seeing Baisha’s trembling gun tip halted mid-air, as if forcefully obstructed by something."

"It was a stance!"

"Yan Jingyi was enveloped in floating, hexagonal blue barriers. These were her stance protection shields."

"Zzap, zzap—"

"Baisha's gun tip ignited with bright flames."

"Recharging again!"

"She gripped the gunstaff with both hands, thrusting it down forcefully."

"The stance protection shield shattered upon impact!"

"In the next instant, Yan Jingyi, piloting her mech, somersaulted, narrowly avoiding the thrust. She then leaped up on the spot and dived towards Baisha."

"The two engaged once more, fighting with a do-or-die ferocity, as if determined to settle it in a life-or-death struggle."

"Xi Nuo felt the ground beneath him trembling continuously."

"Xi Nuo: '...'"

"He had thought they would seize the opportunity to catch up, but instead, they were fighting fiercely!"

"After several exchanges, both were visibly damaged. However, Baisha’s injuries were evidently fewer, and she fought with increasing vigor."

"Suddenly, Zhou Xiao at Xi Nuo's feet twitched again, his body emitting a burst of fine blue electrical currents."

"Though Xi Nuo was inclined to let Baisha and Yan Jingyi continue their battle, Zhou Xiao seemed on the verge of collapse."

"Cen Yuehuai was also in a dilemma: 'Should we interrupt them?'"

"Xi Nuo: 'Logically, this being a team match, we should gang up on Yan Jingyi to eliminate her quickly.'"

"Cen Yuehuai: 'You think we haven’t tried?'"

"Cen Yuehuai and Yu Yan both raised their guns, firing a few shells at Yan Jingyi. The next second, Baisha and Yan Jingyi effortlessly neutralized those shells with a wave of their hands."

"'In a battle of their caliber, a few long-range shots won’t affect the outcome,' Cen Yuehuai shrugged, 'What if we accidentally injure Her Highness with a more lethal railgun?'"

"Xi Nuo was speechless."

"Then, making a snap decision, he picked up Zhou Xiao at his feet and yelled towards Yan Jingyi, 'Yan Jingyi, we have a hostage! Surrender now, or I’ll take action!'"

"Yan Jingyi, piloting the pale blue mech, merely lifted her head, followed by a cold female voice, 'Then go ahead.'"

"Xi Nuo: '...'"

"Don’t Federation people have any sense of camaraderie? They’re actually letting him go through with it?"

"Baisha, however, glanced in Xi Nuo’s direction and immediately sensed something was wrong with Zhou Xiao."

"Hesitating for a moment, she frowned slightly, then struck hard with her gun, breaking Yan Jingyi’s already damaged lightsaber."

"'That’s enough,' Baisha pressed her down, raising her gun, the cold tip slowly hovering in front of the pale blue mech’s chest, 'You can’t win today.'"

"'We’ll continue even if we can’t win,' Yan Jingyi’s voice came through the mech, 'We have no reason to stop.'"

"Baisha fell silent."

"In truth, she didn’t think Yan Jingyi was much inferior to herself. But Baisha Ronin's mech was a legendary piece forged with the might of the Empire. Yan Jingyi, strong as she was, was still a military academy student, and the Federation wouldn’t invest heavily in her for just a student exercise. The gap in their mechs was insurmountable."

"This made her feel like she was cheating."

"'How is the Federation Central Military Academy?' Baisha suddenly asked."

"'Not much different from what we imagined,' Yan Jingyi replied, 'Everything's fine, except for your absence.'"

"'Let's meet outside the arena.'"

"'Okay. Goodbye.'"

"Baisha's weapon 'Liuting' pierced through Yan Jingyi's mech’s energy components with a swift yet gentle attack."

"Then, Yan Jingyi lay motionless."

"She was now in 'corpse mode'—unlike Janice, who preferred a last-ditch struggle. Most pilots chose to lie still as 'corpses' after their mechs were disabled, waiting for the match to end."

"Baisha turned and began to climb up the crater wall."

"'Your Highness!' Cen Yuehuai rushed over immediately, 'You won!'"

"'Yes, won,' she glanced down at her heavily damaged mech, sighed, and pulled out her toolkit, 'Bring Zhou Xiao over.'"

"As she spoke, she suddenly exclaimed in surprise, 'Why are all of you here? Where's Ji Ya?'"

"Xi Nuo: 'Ji Ya is trapped in the inverted ruins.'"

"'I’ll need a bit more time here,' Baisha said, 'Yu Yan, Yuehuai, go check the situation. Don’t hold back, even if you have to blow up the entire ruin.'"

"Although blowing up the ruins would deplete their ammunition reserves... with Zhou Xiao, Yan Jingyi, and even Janice in a semi-eliminated state, and Zhou Ying and Yan Ning Kelley posing no threat, they no longer needed to restrain themselves."

"'Okay,' Cen Yuehuai nodded and, along with Yu Yan, leaped down from the rubble."

"Then, Baisha gave the on-site audience another demonstration of casually dismantling a mech."

"However, this time her dismantling was more careful and meticulous. The parts she removed from the mech were neatly arranged, pleasing even to the most obsessive-compulsive viewers—though they couldn't actually see it."

"Because, frustratingly, the broadcast screen had again placed a mosaic over the mech and its parts!"

"'Seriously, when will the Empire stop?' complained an angry Federation viewer, 'Addicted to dismantling mechs, aren’t they? Can’t they just finish it off quickly?'"

"Federation Viewer #2: 'This scene is just insane... mosaics everywhere, a mech ripped open, you'd think it was a dismemberment scene if you didn't know any better...'"

"An Empire Viewer: 'It's only at times like this that I remember our Commander-in-Chief is a mech pilot. But her way of dismantling mechs is quite unique—go for it, Your Highness! You're the most extreme!'"

"Empire Viewer #2: 'I really regret bringing my kid to watch this match.'"

"Baisha spent about seven to eight minutes locating Zhou Xiao's mech's power source and then yanked it out with one hand."

"Buzz..."

"Zhou Xiao's mech finally became completely silent."

"Baisha extracted the person from the cockpit, gently laid them on the ground, then hopped out of her own cockpit and patted his face: 'Hey, wake up!'"

"Zhou Xiao’s face turned red after just a couple of pats, his eyes closed, he looked refined and handsome with a fragile beauty reminiscent of a delicate figure."

"A Viewer: 'I'm crying, she's so gentle, even jumping out of her mech to pat his face! We misunderstood her; she was trying to save someone!'"

"Another Viewer: 'What else could she do, pat his face with her mech? That would be murder.'"

"A Viewer: 'I don't care! I ship this couple, woohoo. They're clearly so well-matched!'"

"Another Viewer: '...'"

"A Viewer: 'But why hasn’t the rescue team arrived yet? With things like this, shouldn’t they take him off the field for a check-up?'"

"Perhaps the scene of the Empire's Commander-in-Chief helping a Federation team member was indeed heartwarming and friendly, changing the atmosphere in the stands somewhat."

"—After all, the Federation was already set to lose."

"Watching everything unfold as if it were a blockbuster movie wasn't too bad either."

……

"Meanwhile, on another side of the arena."

"Zhou Ying, piloting his mech, hid in the ever-changing ruins, while Janice beside him suddenly started sweating on her forehead again."

"'What's wrong?' Zhou Ying asked her cautiously, 'Did you encounter another bug?'"

"'No, it's not that,' Janice abruptly opened her eyes, and the holographic image in front of her flickered before a stream of red started seeping from the bottom, spreading like sinuous vines, 'There's something else in these ruins, its evolving form no longer conforms to any calculated pattern...'"

"Crack."

"Suddenly, a faint sound of crumbling stones came from a corner."

"Out of the shadows, a round, ink-black tentacle silently struck towards Zhou Ying's feet."

"Zhou Ying instinctively leaped back, firing his gun towards the sound. Pfft, pfft, the bullets pierced through the black tentacle, as if penetrating a flesh-like substance—the black tentacle seemed to disperse at that instant but after a brief pause, it engulfed the bullets and continued to spread silently."

"'What is this?' Zhou Ying frowned, keeping his distance from the black substance, his gun still raised, 'Is it part of the arena’s setup, or—'"

"'Run!' Janice urgently warned."

"The ground trembled under his feet, and Zhou Ying, controlling his mech, turned and ran at high speed. He vaulted over several obstacles, squeezing between two broken walls, looking back as he ran."

"He saw more black substance seeping through the wall he had just passed, which crumbled into bricks and stones in just a second or two."

"The thing was seeping out of the walls!"

"Realizing this, Zhou Ying paused, swiftly turned, and notified Yan Ning through the communication channel, 'There’s something strange in these ruins, get out of here fast!'"

"Static filled the channel, first Yan Ning's 'What did you say?' followed by a deafening blast."

"It seemed Yan Ning and Ji Ya were in an intense battle."

"Janice: 'Calculating the fastest route out of these ruins... Calculation complete.' Her eyes flashed with a silver light, 'I’ve inputted the route into Yan Ning’s mech system.'"

"Zhou Ying nodded."

"He silently maneuvered his mech into an open space. As he landed, the entire concrete room suddenly began to invert and rotate, light rapidly shifting across the walls."

"Zhou Ying didn’t stop, leaping forward, he drew a dagger from his waist and plunged it into the concrete wall. Then, he agilely climbed to the window, kicked through the metal frame, and jumped out."

"Zhou Ying, without sheathing his dagger, said, 'It seems not all walls have those strange things in them.'"

"'They will soon,' Janice replied seriously, 'They spread very quickly.'"

"What exactly were those things?"

"If they had enough time, they would have stopped to test every weapon they had. Bullets didn’t harm them, but would they fear fire or ice? Or perhaps try sonic bombs or air bursts—yet the mysterious substance spread too rapidly and aggressively. They might get entangled before even starting to experiment, so Zhou Ying had no choice but to flee desperately."

"'The fact that it's bulletproof already tells us something,' Zhou Ying said as he heightened his mental alertness to its maximum, communicating softly with Janice, 'Can your system analyze the composition of that black material?'"

"Janice: 'Turn left up ahead—I’m not that intelligent.'"

"Zhou Ying joked, 'So in the end, your biggest use is as a human GPS?'"

"As he spoke, a revolving door blocked his path. He ignited his thrusters, seizing the moment to slide smoothly through the gap, moving as fluidly as an acrobat."

"Janice retorted coolly, 'I didn't know a mech pilot could have such high acrobatic skills.'"

"'Why don't you just be quiet? A half-bioengineered person like you constantly bugs out, and you still have the nerve to criticize me.'"

"As Zhou Ying ran, he suddenly paused for a second."

"He suddenly remembered Ji Ya, whom they had deliberately trapped in this ruin."

"If because of them, Ji Ya ended up dying in such a place..."

"Zhou Ying sighed, trying to open the communication channel, only to find that there was no signal from Yan Ning's side."

"He had an ominous premonition."

"What in the world was happening?!"

"Meanwhile."

"The holographic screen hanging outside the arena suddenly went dark."

"The audience inside the arena erupted in confusion:"

"'What's going on?!'"

"'What now? Even though they blurred the feed earlier, at least we could still watch. Are they not letting us see anything now?'"

"The control room for the arena was also in chaos."

"Several uniformed staff members were moving around frantically, their faces anxious as they tried to contact the logistics department to repair the signal."

"'These devices are brand new... such outrageous malfunctions shouldn’t be happening!'"

"'No response from the logistics department’s line!'"

"'What about the live broadcast signal?'"

"'...The live broadcast signal was cut off three minutes ago, but the system gave no warning! Someone has hacked into our signal station—'"

"The staff in charge of broadcasting the live event was so anxious that he was almost blistering at the mouth."

"'Director,' his sleeve was suddenly grabbed by an employee sitting at the control desk. The employee's voice was taut as a string, as if suppressing the urge to shriek, 'You need to see this!'"

"The screen displayed an internal scan of the arena."

"In the center of the scan, a flickering red dot suddenly appeared, which rapidly expanded outward at an astonishing speed, quickly turning the buildings inside the arena a crimson red."

"The director muttered to himself, '...What on earth is this?'"