Chapter 3

Chapter 3

The few people quietly lying in wait outside the initial point were already growing impatient.

They were waiting for the weakest batch of freshmen to come out so they could pick off the weakest.

"It's already been fifteen minutes since the safe time ended. Why hasn't anyone come out yet?" one of them muttered softly.

This group was a temporary alliance, and upon hearing the mutter, someone chuckled coldly, almost self-mockingly, "What else? It's the big fish eating the small fish, and the small fish eating the shrimp."

"Just like how we don't dare to go out and fight those who left earlier, but instead stay here to take out the weaker ones."

"Those inside are probably doing the same. Rather than coming out to fight us, they'd rather eliminate those who, like them, couldn't leave the initial point by the safe time, ensuring they aren't the last ones."

After this self-deprecating remark, the team communication channel within the mechs fell silent.

Who among the students at Capital Military University wasn't a top talent in their own school? Yet, on the second day of enrollment, they were faced with the harsh reality that there's always someone better.

Although they had made the best choice under the circumstances, no one felt truly satisfied.

But having a point of comparison could still make one feel a bit better.

For example...

"When I left the initial point, there was one mech that hadn't even budged..."

"He must have been eliminated already."

"At least now, no matter what happens, we won't be in last place."

In the channel, they chatted, trying to lighten the mood, when suddenly someone excitedly raised their voice, "Someone's coming out now!"

Instantly, they all quickly got into fighting stance.

After eliminating a batch of less skilled freshmen, the remaining ones would naturally band together and advance.

The Freshman Tournament was essentially about who could last the longest.

Everyone understood the principle that there's safety in numbers.

They might not be much stronger than those who had survived the initial point's bloodbath.

However...

"Only one person?" The ambush team was stunned, looking at the clearly battle-worn, solitary mech in front of them. "Is it a scout?"

"No sign of any mechs following behind. Should we take him down?"

"Take him down!" More than one person quickly made the decision.

No one was fully familiar with this outdated mech's controls, and its movements were completely restricted. This 'vanguard' was so far ahead of the following personnel that there was no chance for backup to arrive in time, making it an easy target.

They couldn't pass up such a golden opportunity.

As soon as the word "take" was uttered, the first to act wasn't the ambush team, but the solitary... Bai Xingshu's mech.

With the hatch open and engine roaring, the C16's emblem shone like a flame, leaving a ghostly trail of light in its wake.

The nearest mech to Bai Xingshu had just peeked out when it saw its target charging towards it at the mech's maximum speed.

If the two mechs collide at this speed, it's guaranteed mutual destruction.

The ambusher immediately felt a cold sweat break out and tried to avoid the collision by pushing his mech's operating skills to the limit.

But it was too late!

He barely managed to turn his mech sideways before the giant mechanical hand of the other mech appeared right in front of him.

His pupils contracted sharply, and everything went black.

The sound of urgent system alerts filled his ears, followed by the deafening noise of metal crashing against metal a few seconds later. But what he felt most intensely was the chaotic, disorienting ride, as if he were on a wild, out-of-control carnival ride.

Am I going to die? He struggled to control his mech, trying to save himself, but it was no use.

It felt like both a blink and forever had passed.

His cockpit finally rolled to the ground, and his vision cleared.

In his hazy confusion, he finally saw what had just happened to him.

The mech that had charged at him at high speed was still maintaining its extreme velocity, seemingly heading for a suicidal collision with another mech. But in reality, it barely grazed the opposing mech by a hair's breadth.

And then, taking advantage of the other mech's panic, it reached out and, using the momentum from its speed, swiftly yanked the cockpit from the target mech.

With a kick, it sent the empty mech frame flying, using it as a shield to block the attacks from other mechs.

The first poor sap who was taken out like this: "..."

This is completely insane!!!

Mech battles aren't supposed to go like this!!!

Their entire ambush team consisted of only six people, and under such a high-speed assault, they were utterly decimated in less than five minutes.

The mech farthest from Bai Xingshu reacted quickly. Seeing how the others couldn't withstand Bai Xingshu's relentless assault, it immediately abandoned its temporary teammates and fled at full speed.

However, Bai Xingshu wasn't about to let that happen.

[Tsk, I hate deserters the most.] Bai Xingshu snapped, quickly picking up the standard-issue weapon from the mech he had just taken down and hurling it at the fleeing mech.

The freshmen who had just witnessed Bai Xingshu's lightning-fast destruction: "..."

The teacher observing the chaos from the monitoring room: "..."

"That's a gun! A Loader Gun!!! That's not how you use it!!!" The asset management teacher clutched his chest, crying out in despair. "Who taught him to throw the Loader Gun like that!!!"

From the starting point, Bai Xingshu had destroyed countless mechs along the way, treating them all like trash, which was already enough to make this teacher's heart ache.

But he could console himself by thinking that this was just expected damage in the Freshman Tournament, albeit with Bai Xingshu being particularly ruthless in dismantling mechs.

This Loader Gun, however, was the last straw, finally making the teacher unable to hold back his outcry.

That's cash down the drain! Do you know how hard it is to get funding for the Combat Department?!

But to Bai Xingshu, this move that left countless people speechless was no big deal.

Just tell me, did I take out the deserter or not?

As for why I threw the Loader Gun...

Mecha-mounted weapons are top-notch gear, and Bai Xingshu hadn't picked up how to use them on Mecha BattleNet, so he didn't know how to operate them.

When it comes to weapons he can't use, of course, he chooses the method he's most comfortable with.

Bai Xingshu didn't care about the freshmen and teachers watching all this. He just hauled the runaway mecha back.

After dismantling the cockpit of this mecha and lining it up with the others, Bai Xingshu started scavenging the mechas he had "taken down."

Specifically, he swapped out the damaged parts of his mecha with the good ones from his loot.

—The high-speed combat, full of grabs and kicks, had also taken a toll on Bai Xingshu's mecha.

Bai Xingshu was pretty handy when it came to swapping out parts.

With his metal-manipulating abilities, he was great at helping engineers get a grip on mechanical parts.

Since all mechas were the same model this time, simple repairs were no sweat for him.

Just that sometimes, parts would fall off while driving.

No sweat.

The ambushers, lined up and watching, were speechless: "..."

It finally clicked why they'd been waiting ages for the starters to show up.

This hotshot was probably doing the same thing back at the start.

[All clear now, time to chill!] The system's tone was full of [You've earned it, boss, take a break.]

[No worries, this workout's a breeze.] Not only was Bai Xingshu not tired, he even felt it wasn't satisfying enough. [Got a new battle strategy I wanna try out.]

The system was immediately shocked and hurriedly advised: [...Your mecha's beat up. What if you blow your shot at first place?]

[If it busts, I'll just grab another.] Bai Xingshu said, pushing his mecha's speed to the maximum again. [No sweat!]

Over on the other side of the arena, Lin Lie and Zhao Gao were going at it hammer and tongs.

Both seasoned pilots, they quickly got the hang of the old mechas, pulling off flashy moves.

But there was a clear skill gap.

After a tussle, Lin Lie's mecha pinned Zhao Gao's, the Loader Gun trained on the cockpit.

A blue beam zapped out, swallowing the cockpit whole.

The 'Enemy Eliminated' alert popped up. Lin Lie coolly watched Zhao Gao slam the controls in frustration.

The fight with Zhao Gao dragged on, but Lin Lie, used to winning, didn't bat an eye.

Only the asset management teacher in the booth was so touched he nearly cried.

"This is what normal mecha combat looks like!" The Loader Gun was a specialized competition weapon. Hitting a mecha simulated damage without causing actual harm.

Who the heck tears apart mechas for kicks!!!

Unaware of the scene in the monitoring room, Lin Lie glanced at the resentful Zhao Gao before looking down at the numbers displayed on his screen.

Remaining participants: 52.

Lin Lie was momentarily stunned and began to feel puzzled.

Had he and Zhao Gao been battling for that long?

It should have been just over an hour, right?

The Combat Department of the Capital Military University had over 400 freshmen this year. Normally, most students would play it safe to secure their rankings, so theoretically, many would scatter and hide, avoiding large-scale battles that would eliminate a bunch of people.

So, his initial thought was to eliminate a group of students before they could hide, to save time during the Freshman Tournament.

But now...

Lin Lie watched as the number of remaining participants on the screen flickered and changed to 51.

Right after, the number dropped to 50.

Lin Lie's eyebrow arched in surprise.

He suddenly found this otherwise dull Freshman Tournament, which everyone was eager to finish quickly, quite intriguing.