Chapter 40: Livestream (II)

Chapter 40: Livestream (II)

"The Safe Star Domain is too well-protected," Rong Mi commented.

Those sheltered within the protective barriers, if suddenly forced to confront an enemy attack, would lack the means to retaliate and easily be overwhelmed by the sudden assault...

Indeed, it was challenging for a positive outcome to unfold.

Rong Mi's first squad fleet was docked at a starport above an energy resource planet, replenishing their energy and supplies.

Through the cabin window and the port's panoramic view, he could see the planet outside.

The surface of the resource planet was a patchwork of brown-yellow and light blue hues, speckled with scattered silver-gray spots. These spots represented massive energy mine storage facilities. Adjacent to them were platforms for starships to land and load up.

Each year, resource ships bound for different routes would dock at these platforms to load up on energy before transporting it to various regions of the human star domain.

Orbiting just outside the planet, three minuscule unmanned space stations circled the resource planet, monitoring the energy fluctuation index around the area. If they detected intense spatial disturbances, suspecting the formation of a spatial wormhole nearby, the stations would promptly issue an alert to the resource planet, nearby space stations, and the military headquarters on the capital star, simultaneously deploying energy shields for defense.

This was Rong Mi's first encounter with a resource planet that was entirely under human control.

Everything here was organized and orderly, with massive and sturdy mining installations sprawled across the planet. The human presence was evident from the spaceport, with grand structures stretching across the terrain.

This atmosphere was vastly different from the nomadic mining fleets of the interstellar era.

Rong Mi's familiar mining fleets would hastily descend onto planets without proper reconnaissance, wary of potential attacks from the Ice Butterfly insectoids while also guarding against environmental hazards native to the planet.

Even if some resource planets were unsuitable for landing, they dared the risks to replenish their fleet's supplies, for the sake of ensuring humanity's survival. Sacrifices had to be made.

A shadow fell over Rong Mi's gaze.

The human resource planet before him was evidently safe and suitable for human habitation. It was off the busy shipping lanes, with a simple population structure, not solely consisting of military mecha pilots.

There were federal mining corporations, private civilian fleets engaged in resource extraction, and a sparse few merchants operating supermarkets and restaurants. Naturally, there was also a planetary guard stationed here.

In the past few days, Rong Mi had delved into the archives of the old human federation, acquainting himself with the security systems of such planets. He knew that their primary alarm system relied on the space station, followed by joint public patrol teams organized by neighboring planets and stations.

Rong Mi turned to Lu Yi, "But what if the star network is compromised, severing all communication between this resource planet and its neighbors?"

His tone was not forceful, posing the question to Lu Yi in a speculative manner.

With an incredibly natural demeanor, he unfolded a narrative of events yet to come.

According to his knowledge, the Capital Star was initially caught off guard by the sudden assault of the Ice Butterflies, followed by the destruction of its communication network. When the icy assailants began their attacks on major resource planets, although the security forces received alarm signals, communication with nearby planets and the Capital Star was completely severed.

For a planet to avoid being devoured by the Ice Butterflies, it had to hold out until the nearby public patrol teams detected the anomaly and dispatched reinforcements.

But relying solely on the security forces to fend off the Ice Butterflies and buy time... that was insufficient.

"If the inhabitants of Resource Planet had known how to protect themselves, or even how to harness the surrounding resources to resist the Ice Butterflies, the planet could have held out for much longer."

"While I understand that the military aims to safeguard the majority of citizens from threats and dangers, allowing them to live in peace and prosperity."

For centuries, this mindset seemed to serve us well. It allowed people to live without worries, focusing on their own lives, and as a result, everything within the Safe Sector flourished.

"Yet, just like the incident on the desolate planet, a Safe Zone can never be absolutely secure."

"When the sudden assault arrived, the illusionary surroundings hastened their demise."

Lu Yi remained silent, sensing an unconscious certainty in Rong Mi's tone.

"People need the courage to face Ice Butterflies," Rong Mi thought back to the Ice and Fire Tournament, where most contestants had reacted fearfully to the virtual creatures. "Not to be terrified simply because they've never seen one, or to flee in panic even while piloting weapon-equipped mechas."

When ordinary citizens were forced to confront Ice Butterflies, it was a clear sign that the human star domain was on the brink of crisis.

Yet, neither the military nor the federal upper echelons considered the situation that dire.

They believed that maintaining a sense of security and emotional stability among the general public was more conducive to human progress.

Despite the recent string of unsettling incidents, revealing multiple vulnerabilities within the safe zones and the military, they still held this view.

Lu Yi didn't share his insights with Rong Mi.

Since his encounter with the young man, the general had formed a vague speculation about his character evolution and background.

To handle low-level Ice Butterflies with ease and display an unflappable demeanor, even towards high-level and Sub-Butterflies, was not something someone who had never left the safe zones could pull off.

No amount of simulated training could prepare for this.

Rong Mi hailed from an environment where battling Ice Butterflies was an everyday affair, a place where their presence in what was considered safe zones was deemed natural, or perhaps... a time when the concept of safety itself was foreign.

Human history had never known such a period.

Thus, Rong Mi likely came from the future.

A not-so-idyllic future.

Lu Yi's brows knitted slightly.

"Very well," he said. "Let's proceed."

*

By the second night, though Lu Yi's fever hadn't completely subsided, it had significantly decreased. Most medical robots were withdrawn, and according to the 'fishing' plan, news was disseminated that Lu Yi's high fever persisted, causing him to lurch between consciousness and unconsciousness, leaving his condition worrisome and forcing him to relinquish military affairs.

The upside of this ruse was that he couldn't just pretend to be unwell. After handing over his duties to Ellen and other military officials, Lu Yi found himself with nothing to do but rest.

Rong Mi spent the entire day by Lu Yi's side, ensuring his condition was stable before he could finally relax. With the special permission granted solely by the General, he utilized his MI-encrypted star network account to create a live streaming channel.

He titled the channel "Thirteen Clever Ways to Deal with Pests," inserting the seemingly contradictory keywords "Life" and "Mechs" into the category section. He scheduled it to go live every evening at a fixed time.

Capitalizing on his recent popularity from the Icefire Tournament, Rong Mi decided to make his live debut on the first day of the stream.

As soon as the channel went live, a viewer named "L" entered.

This viewer promptly sent a virtual Electromagnetic Pulse Cannon as a gift.

Amidst a dazzling display of explosive light, a deluge of red envelopes rained down.

Viewers in the StarWeb live streaming zone flooded into the channel to grab random red packets, uniformly sending "Thank you, Boss" messages.

After snagging their red packet rewards, they intended to promptly exit the live stream. However, before they could even tap the close button, the anchor's face appeared on screen.

And so, his fingers stilled.

"…The host. Such an impressive face." Quite a few people, captivated by their admiration, momentarily set aside their intention to leave the live stream.

Some viewers also had a vague sense of familiarity with the face they were seeing.

As more people joined the live stream, amidst the sea of "Thank you, Boss" messages, new comments began to appear.

"A little longer here to admire the handsome guy. So, is the host here to share pest control tips? I've got a swarm of flying ants at home lately. It's driving me crazy! They just fly in from some pipe in the apartment building. I've sprayed insecticide several times, but they're back the next day."

The live stream quickly became lively. Rong Mi didn't turn on the Anti-Ice Butterfly Training Simulator; instead, he swiftly switched screens to send Lu Yi a red packet.

There was no need to guess – he had only informed Lu Yi about the live stream link for now.

"Thanks, Boss L," the young man said with a laugh, echoing one of the comments and injecting a subtle tone of teasing and casualness. He then glanced through the chat and answered a question, "Ah, yes. Today, I do want to share with everyone how to get rid of pests."

Rong Mi activated the helmet's sharing function and logged into the First Legion's simulation combat module.

Before the eyes of all the viewers in the live stream, the screen transformed, displaying an ordinary street scene on a typical inhabited planet.

"Let's start with the most common one: the Ice Butterfly," Rong Mi said solemnly.

The chat flooded with responses: "..."

In the live stream chat, a sea of ellipses replaced the usual "Thanks, boss!" messages.

"…Are you nuts?!" someone blurted out. "Is that kind of Zerg the same as ordinary household pests?! Why should I care about Ice Butterflies? I don't need to fight them in my local war zone!"

"Indeed. What's going on? Does the host just randomly fill in keywords? I clicked on 'Lifestyle'!"

Rong Mi glanced at the chat and casually said, "Eradicating Ice Butterflies is also closely related to our daily lives."

As he spoke, an eerie buzzing sound could be heard from afar down the street.

That was a low-level Ice Butterfly being deployed at the end of the street by the First Legion's simulator.

"Everyone, remember this sound," Rong Mi stood on the street, calm and focused with a serious expression. "This isn't wind, nor is it some strange musical instrument or the roar of a flying vehicle's engine… This is the sound of an Ice Butterfly in flight."

"If you hear it, immediately call the emergency hotline! Flee in the opposite direction as fast as possible! Use any means available, like a flying vehicle, a mecha, or a simple hoverboard… Don't worry too much about traffic rules or speed limits at this point… Just run!"

"And if things get even worse, when you realize it, the Ice Butterfly will already be right next to you."

In the simulator, a low-level Ice Butterfly appeared within sight.

Towering three stories tall, the ice butterfly's outstretched wings filled the entire street.

The First Legion's simulator was incredibly lifelike. When the bright red venom glands of the ice butterfly were flung outward, the viewers in the live stream who had been cursing Rong Mi for switching channels fell silent in shock.

"Firstly, if you don't have an A-class or higher mecha at hand, you need to suppress your mental energy leakage as much as possible, making the ice butterfly ignore your presence."

Standing calmly in the middle of the street, facing the ice butterfly, the young man maintained his steady pace of speech. "Ice butterflies have poor vision and hearing; they rely on energy detection to locate their targets. If you can suppress your mental energy leakage by a hundred percent, there's a high chance you'll survive."

"If you have a mecha storage badge on you and your mental strength is quite high, it might be difficult to fully suppress it. In that case, I'll share with you some tips for battling ice butterflies."

Rong Mi hooked his finger around the mecha storage badge on his neck.

"Of course, unless it's an emergency, you shouldn't casually activate your mecha in public safety zones, whether it's a combat or non-combat mecha," Rong Mi added.

"But if you encounter an ice butterfly, I believe everyone would choose to temporarily disregard the safety zone's mecha usage restrictions."

"When you decide to use your mecha, you should know how to enter it quickly." Rong Mi pressed the mecha release button.

A gray mecha materialized out of thin air, adopting a crouched position with its knees drawn up, its cockpit open at the back.

Even in a crouched position, the cockpit of the mecha stood higher than an average person.

The young man moved with practiced ease, bypassing the need to lower the boarding ramp by using the left leg of the mecha for leverage, effortlessly vaulting into the cockpit.

"Jump from the knee of the mecha to unlock the cockpit. Simultaneously, channel your mental energy to maximize the activation of the mecha's shield," Rong Mi explained. "If you have to open the spatial button mid-air due to special circumstances, activate the downward thrusters immediately upon entering the cockpit to ensure a stable landing."

"Through ample practice, everyone should be able to complete this action within half a second. That's the average time it takes for a low-level Ice Butterfly to execute an attack."

On the screen, the bright red venom sac of the Ice Butterfly lunged towards the gray standard mecha. Rong Mi didn't dodge or evade, simulating a rookie's unskilled response to an Ice Butterfly's assault.

Energy collided and scattered across the shield, creating a dazzling display.

Rong Mi displayed the mecha's data panel for the audience. "At this point, the shield of a C-class or above mecha, combined with full output of C-class or higher mental energy, is usually sufficient to withstand the first strike."

The audience: "..."

"…He seems to be genuinely teaching us how to handle an encounter with an Ice Butterfly."

"…What he's saying sounds logical, but I can't shake off the feeling that something's off."

"Theoretically, the ownership rate of standard mechas is quite high nowadays." Someone couldn't resist chiming in, "Indeed, more and more people are getting into mechas. Even schools have mecha clubs, and my desk mate brought a mecha space button today. The host isn't too far off with this statement."

"Not too far off? What are you talking about... Can ordinary people really get into a mecha in half a second?! That's impossible, right?!"

"I usually follow the amateur mecha club competitions. In those matches, contestants bring their space buttons and the speed at which they get into their mechas is a crucial aspect of the competition. Though most of them don't use boarding ladders... Only a few, maybe, can get into their mechas in half a second!"

"Help, this host is so casual getting into the mecha! What's the host's name? Rong Mi? Any mecha experts here to enlighten us, is this person a famous pilot or something?"

"Well, your comments are distracting me from admiring the visuals. The host's move to get into the mecha was so cool! Anyway, let's talk about Ice Butterfly! I'm happy just watching the host being awesome!"

Rong Mi glanced at the live chat and confidently said, "With enough practice, most people can accomplish this move."

"It's not as difficult as you think," he smiled. "There are a few techniques for gripping and applying force. I'll do it in slow motion again."

The Ice Butterfly was right before him, and the First Legion's simulation program required that it be killed by a pilot before pausing the program.

Thus, Rong Mi took care of the Ice Butterfly at hand.

The laser blade on the right arm of the mecha extended.

Violet energy enveloped the laser blade as the mecha instantly accelerated forward, gently slicing through the lower-level Ice Butterfly's abdomen.

He shifted his steps forward to avoid the splatter of blood from the disintegrating butterfly.

At the same time, he pressed the pause button on the program, halting the release of the next Ice Butterfly.

Rong Mi hopped out of the mecha. "I'll redo the action of opening the spatial portal and boarding the mecha."

Chat: "…"

The audience was momentarily unable to pay attention to his upcoming demonstration.

The chat was already abuzz with excitement over his previous actions.

"…These Ice Butterflies look incredibly real. It must be some advanced holographic simulation program. The butterfly's movements are so swift! The data showed that its venom gland swing was powerful too! But how did the streamer take it down with just one move? As easy as cutting melons and vegetables? Was that just a casual swipe?!"

"Wow, I'm used to watching live streams in full-holographic viewing mode! The first-person perspective is so immersive! This streaming experience is way more thrilling than watching recordings of the Ice and Fire Tournaments!"

"…Speaking of the Ice and Fire Tournaments, now I remember why the streamer seems familiar to me."

"Isn't that Rong Mi?! The incredibly talented contestant?! My brother is a huge fan! I'll call him over right away!"

"Ahhhh, it's Rong Mi—!!! It's really Rong Mi—!!"

Simultaneously, on the capital planet, Seiko, the leader of the renowned boy band Phantom Chord in the Star Network's music zone, activated his communication bracelet.

"Wow, our former teammate Rong Mi is live on the Star Network talking about how to deal with Ice Butterflies!" Robin, the guitarist of the trio, commented in a gossiping tone. "So that retirement announcement was for real? He's really switching from singing to mech streaming?"

"But why would he give a lecture on fighting Ice Butterflies? I won't need it anyway..."

Seiko swallowed the fruit candy in his mouth, closed the piano before him, and clicked on the live stream link shared by his teammate.

The light screen flickered open.

In the live stream, Rong Mi was seen dispatching the low-level Ice Butterfly in front of him with a single slash of his blade.

The blade shimmered with the dazzling purple spirit energy of the young man. Through the screen, Seiko could almost sense the sharp energy vibrations, as if feeling a chill from their intensity.

He instinctively leaned back. Fine, vein-like protrusions appeared beneath his fair skin.

It was not the bluish hue of veins but an unusual bright red.

That was an unconscious defensive mechanism he had triggered.

The anomaly appeared only for an instant before vanishing without a trace.

Seiko: "…."

Realizing his reaction, Seiko rubbed his arm and muttered, "My former teammate... How come I never knew you were so terrifying, a human who wouldn't bat an eye at slaughtering butterflies?"

"Though you probably still couldn't kill me yet..." he mumbled. Glancing at the live stream, he tapped out a few notes on the piano keys, contemplating Rong Mi's actions.

"A simulator of such lifelike ice butterflies... Are you heading to the military department?" Seiko pondered aloud, "Not bad. I finally know someone with close ties to the military!"

He pulled up Rong Mi's private chat window, considering his words carefully.

"I'm watching your live stream," Seiko ultimately chose to send an audio message, speaking in a familiar tone, "Are you really quitting the industry and not singing or writing songs anymore? When did you get so good at piloting mecha?!"

"I finished recording the demo you asked me to do for you last month."

"When will you be back? Would you like to join in?" Seiko inquired, searching for an appropriate manner in which humans typically invited one another to private gatherings. "It's been so long. On your birthday last month, I didn't get the chance to give you your present yet."