Chapter 13: The Ice and Fire Tournament (Part Eight)

Chapter 13: The Ice and Fire Tournament (Part Eight)

"The battle commences!" the commentator announced energetically. "After so many ambushes, we've more or less predicted how Rong Mi will make her move!"

"At an astonishing speed, she'll breach the safe distance between mechas, seizing the initiative and declaring to her opponent that she's not one to be trifled with!"

The purple spirit energy flames were intimidating. The opposing mecha hadn't anticipated Rong Mi's incredible speed.

Reacting swiftly, it leaped backward to evade. Realizing Rong Mi was no pushover, it promptly aimed its gun, deciding not to engage further but instead dash for the rendezvous point on the slope.

"Well played! The opponent chooses to fight back while advancing, believing that if he can hold off Rong Mi, reaching the gathering spot will ensure safety. This makes things even easier for Rong Mi...! One must admit, this contestant under attack has made a terrible decision!"

Rong Mi's black mecha surged forward amidst the blossoming purple flames.

The opposing mecha slowed down due to the tree spiders in the woods. Yet, the pilot didn't think there was anything wrong with his choice.

Taking advantage of the cover provided by the trees, he could force Rong Mi to change course by aiming his laser gun. Despite Rong Mi's swift pursuit from behind, she was unfamiliar with the distribution of tree spiders ahead. He intended to lure her into crashing into their webs.

Just as he had this thought, a purple spirit energy ray appeared among the trees, sending out vibrations that caused the surrounding tree spiders and webs to collapse.

Rong Mi: "Ah, much better!"

Unhampered by webs, he pursued his target with relentless tenacity.

Inside the combat pet sphere, which hovered within the mech to maintain balance, the Silver Wolf lifted its head, its gaze fixed intently on Rong Mi.

Rong Mi's mastery over his mech allowed for an unparalleled speed that no ordinary mech pilot could replicate.

Lu Yi knew that Rong Mi would once again swiftly dismantle his opponent.

Rong Mi's mech moved like a ghost through the forest.

"Number twenty-one!" Rong Mi's attack caved in the opponent's chest armor, distorting even the inner cockpit defenses, causing the terrified pilot to immediately abandon the match and trigger the rescue signal.

The black mech waved dismissively. Rong Mi checked his own score and then the remaining time on the clock.

As the end of the competition drew closer, more contestants gathered in the woods. The situation within the forest grew intricate, making ambushes less viable.

"I should check the rankings... Second place. With the match almost over, this position should be secure," Rong Mi muttered to himself, turning to the Silver Wolf. "Why haven't we come across your unreliable owner yet?"

Observing the wolf's indifferent expression, it was clear that its owner was not among those who had ambushed them.

Silver Wolves: "..."

Inside the hovering sphere, the wolf, resembling a plush toy, turned its head away and swished its tail.

Rong Mi changed course, heading towards the mountaintop. "Don't like me calling your owner unreliable? Then let's meet him at the gathering point!"

The black mech also altered its direction and headed for the summit.

At the treetops, harmless laser beams marked the finish line. Behind it was the boarding ramp of a massive competition starship.

On this desolate planet, without any structures, all contestants had arrived via this starship. It housed the broadcast studio, rescue pods, a hangar for small rescue ships, and a harbor, among other facilities.

According to protocol, after the race, competitors would pilot their mechs into the starship's isolation chambers, stow their mechs, return their mech space buttons to the production team, and then wait in their designated rest cabins for the final results.

As Rong Mi approached the finish line and was about to board the starship, he suddenly detected a faint humming sound.

The noise was subtle, emanating from beneath the competition starship in front of him. Presumably, some sort of special frequency transmitter had been attached to the bottom of the ship and was currently active.

In the very instant the sound echoed, holographic fireworks burst from above the competition warship, enveloping the entire sky.

The pyrotechnic display completely drowned out the noise.

If Rong Mi's mental acuity hadn't been sharp enough, and if he hadn't been particularly sensitive to such sounds, he would have undoubtedly overlooked that brief, subtle disturbance.

"Congratulations to Contestant Three Hundred and Seventy-Three, Rong Mi!"

Several circular cameras emerged from platforms on the side of the warship, encircling Rong Mi's mecha. They aimed to capture his exit from the machine.

"Congratulations to contestant Rong Mi!" the commentator announced dutifully, "Thank you for the breathtaking match he has delivered! His maneuvers were astounding!"

"And now! Our very own Rong Mi contestant will disembark from his mech! – I'm sure everyone is eagerly awaiting this moment! – We'll get to witness it… Hmm?"

The commentator's voice faltered, "Contestant Rong Mi's mech… Why has it suddenly stopped?"

"Bam! Bam! Bam –"

Amidst the continuous fireworks display on the tournament planet, Rong Mi could no longer discern the faint buzzing amidst the spectacle.

Yet he knew the sound persisted, unceasing.

It mimicked the distinctive humming of an Ice Butterfly's wings, replicating their unique communication signal.

"Prey..."

Rong Mi furrowed his brows, attempting to recall the pitch of the sound he had just heard and comparing it to the meanings of known Ice Butterfly frequency patterns. "...food."

Rong Mi: "..."

Perched atop the slope, he overlooked the forest below with an elevated perspective. With fifteen minutes left until the end of the competition, all participants were converging in the designated area. Though his view was partially obstructed by the trees, Rong Mi could envision the number of mechas navigating the slope.

To the Ice Butterflies, they were indeed prey.

As far as Rong Mi knew, this kind of message was typically sent by lower-ranking Ice Butterflies when they encountered an uncatchable prey, signaling the higher-ups in their hierarchy, the more advanced Ice Butterflies.

They hoped that the senior Ice Butterflies would come to this location and personally hunt these powerful, energy-rich creatures, which could aid in their own evolution.

Rong Mi had some misconceptions about the current mecha competition, but he wasn't oblivious.

As all the contestants were gathering on the competition warship, this signal transmitted from the warship prepared by the production team... was rather ominous.

Such a signal would undoubtedly stimulate the appetite of high-ranking Ice Butterflies to the maximum.

And broadcasting it was like the competition organizers were deliberately attracting high-ranking Ice Butterflies to feast on nearly five hundred contestants in one fell swoop.

"Misfortune might befall us," Rong Mi muttered. "Could the organizers of this show be remnants of the old era, members of the infamous Ice Butterfly Symbiosis Association? This could get interesting."

Intercontestant communication was impossible, so they could only converse within short distances through their mecha's external speakers. He couldn't warn the approaching mecha pilots.

Even if he did, they might not believe him.

In the live-stream chat, viewers were perplexed. "Why is Rong Mi stopping right before the finish line? Oh, wait, is there something wrong with the stream again? I'm getting static on my screen."

"I've got it too! What's going on with the production team? There shouldn't be any energy interference now, right? Is this show even going to continue? The commentator's voice keeps cutting out."

"The contestant Rong Mi—sha—in—sha—what—sha—is he—sha—" The commentator's voice fluctuated between clarity and distortion. Multiple cameras revolved around Rong Mi's mecha, revealing that he hadn't leaped over the finish line; instead, he took a step back.

"A tough battle is probably awaiting us," Rong Mi said to the Silver Wolves from inside the cockpit, urging the creature. "Stay put in there, don't misuse your mental energy, and definitely don't come out."

As he spoke, the battle pet ball made a light clicking sound as Rong Mi engaged its safety lock. The purple collar around the wolf's neck glowed softly, restricting the Silver Wolves' abilities.

The wolf, who had been lying down, now stood up. Its two front paws rested on the inner surface of the battle pet ball, leaving scratches with its sharp claws, clearly eager to escape. The wolf's tail thumped energetically against the interior of the ball, while its gaze fixed on the space beneath it, growling threateningly from its throat.

"I got it. You're telling me it's down there, right? I can sense it too," Rong Mi adjusted his pilot helmet.

The Silver Wolves turned its gaze towards the young man, tempering its impatience a little and issuing a prompt.

Wolf: "Awooo!"

Remove the collar! Let me out!

Rong Mi pretended not to understand the wolf's plea.

A faint vibration could be heard emanating from deep within the ground, seemingly in response to the sonar waves emitted by the starship.

"Roar! Howl!"

The Silver Wolves' howls grew more frantic. Rong Mi smiled.

"Relax," the young man said. "Judging from the energy disturbance, it should be a high-level Ice Butterfly around level three. Not impossible to fight. It's just that this mecha is quite dilapidated..."

"As for the other participating mech pilots... Although I can't warn them now, once that high-level Ice Butterfly appears, they'll figure out what to do."