Chapter 253

Chapter 253

Seeing Bai Xingshu unhappy put his classmates in a good mood.

The scene grew lively for a moment, and the two sides entered their respective zones with a surprisingly amicable atmosphere.

This was a match where there was no need to guess what tactics either side would employ.

Without a doubt, Shoujun’s strategy was to immediately crack open the enemy's mech defenses and punch through their formation to disrupt Anhua’s defensive setup.

As for Anhua, their goal was to withstand the assault led by Bai Xingshu and focus on development.

Thus, unsurprisingly, Bai Xingshu was once again put on point position.

Moreover, since breaking through the enemy’s mech defenses was crucial, they needed a blade wickedly sharp—to slice through their defenses. Lin Lie was once again paired with Bai Xingshu in the same squad.

“Squad Leader, let’s crack that turtle shell open together!!” Bai Xingshu laughed as he piloted his mech, boosting out of the maintenance bay and charging toward the designated target.

Before long, Bai Xingshu spotted Anhua’s defensive squad.

Or rather, a squad that wasn’t moving at all.

Their mechs were loaded with defensive loadouts, silently guarding the key chokepoints of their own base.

And unlike their usual five-man squad formation, this was a unique seven-man arrangement.

—This was a tactical overhaul Anhua had made after hearing about Shoujun’s battle against Changying.

Simply put, while standard combat formations were usually divided into three equal groups, Anhua had now adopted a 5:3:2 split, throwing more bodies at the problem to the frontlines.

They were well aware that with Bai Xingshu on Shoujun’s side, their offensive capabilities were unmatched by any other academy.

Only by fielding more combatants could they hope to bridge that gap through sheer numbers.

As for concerns like fatigue… If Shoujun and Changying could sustain all-out combat for seven days straight until the battle’s conclusion, surely Anhua could hold out with this strategy—not for seven days, but just until their fortifications were complete. Couldn’t they?

In this final match of the tournament, no one would admit defeat!

Upon spotting Shoujun’s approaching forces, Anhua’s seven-man squad raised their cannons and opened fire on Bai Xingshu without missing a beat.

As the core of Shoujun’s strongest spearhead squad, aside from Bai Xingshu and Lin Lie, the other pilots could hold their own. With impressive reflexes, everyone dodged the incoming attacks.

“I’ll handle mechs three and four. Lin Lie, take six and seven. The rest of you, take whatever targets line up for you,” Bai Xingshu swiftly delegated as squad leader, adding a warning, “Keep your heads down.”

“If any of you get hit by a stray bullet, I’ll ride you about it forever!” Bai Xingshu had already switched to his Loading Blade, dashing toward the enemy while needling his squad over the channel.

“Deputy Squad Leader, who you calling weak?!” The other squad members jeered in unison over the channel, bringing their own close-combat gear online.

None of them had opted for energy weapons or laser beams.

Those were pretty much useless against defensive mechs, let alone Anhua’s models, which had practically turned their armor into a walking fortress.

The shields mounted on these mechs could no-sell energy and laser fire, and even melee attacks dealt minimal damage. Once they entered full defensive mode, they truly became a mobile bunker.

Of course, they weren’t without weaknesses.

For one, the sheer weight of these heavy shields crippled the mechs’ mobility and reaction speed.

For instance, the Lin family’s signature evasion technique, Lin's Three Changes, was impossible for these mechs to execute. Even basic serpentine maneuvers were difficult for average pilots to pull off smoothly in such cumbersome machines.

Here’s the refined translation incorporating the expert suggestions:

However, this is a major drawback in mecha combat platforms, but in team battles like this, it’s not a big deal.

They only need to hold the line firmly, and the rest can be covered by teammates, combat engineers, or support mechs.

For now, this weakness can be ignored.

What Bai Xingshu needs to target is another flaw in defensive mechas—the weapon ports.

Defensive mechas are mechas, after all; they have to fight. Without firepower, they’d just be glorified human-shaped shields rather than real mechas.

These mechas’ shields are rock-solid, but their exposed weapon ports are weak points. Take out these ports and plant explosives inside to seal the win.

Ranged weapons are mostly energy or laser types, and when firing at weapon ports, they neutralize each other, making damage impossible.

So against these mechas, the best approach is no question: go melee.

Not a single member of Bai Xingshu’s squad wasted energy, zipping like lightning through enemy attack beams.

Seeing Shoujun’s squad moving with such ease, the Anhua team got tense and radioed command: "Possible sighting of the 'Xing Ze Jiang Zhi' squad!"

Since defensive mechas are slow, most pilots who specialize in them train for pinpoint accuracy.

Their attacks aren’t the kind you just dodge—let alone have five mechas avoid simultaneously with such precision.

No doubt about it: they’d run into the enemy’s A-team.

"Received. Ready here. Execute the plan," Anhua command responded. The next instant, the reporting squad leader saw the enemy mecha already in his face.

The leader wrenched his mecha into a sidestep. A bone-jarring crash echoed through the cockpit—the sound of the enemy’s Loading Blade slamming his shield.

[Warning: Armor damage at 1%.] The mecha system reported.

The squad leader froze.

He’d clearly blocked the attack with his shield. Normally, one hit shouldn’t trigger damage warnings.

He checked the display—the shield’s rear bearing had snapped, taking an internal actuator with it.

The shield still hung on his mecha, but it was locked in place.

From just one strike!

His hairs stood on end as he yelled, "Positive ID—it's 'Xing Ze Jiang Zhi'!"

In all his years of battles, online or off, only one fighter could pull off this kind of damage.

Bai Xingshu’s blade had missed the weapon port. He gave a small "huh?" before laughing. "Ah, it’s 'Xuanwu the Great Turtle'!" He shouted the guy’s gamer tag.

This opponent had a weird fighting style, different from standard pilots. Last time they fought, Bai Xingshu’s first strike had missed too.

He checked the spot he’d hit—the shield was already dented.

His Loading Blade carried hidden force—blocking alone wouldn’t cut it.

Lin's Triple Shift!

Bai Xingshu darted from his original position, evading attacks from other mechas, and blinked toward his next target—

Mecha No.4!

Seeing Bai Xingshu's mecha materialize before him, the pilot of Mecha No.4 froze. His hands flew into motion, jerking his mecha sideways to wrench its weapon mounts clear of the strike.

Yet...

Useless!

Having misjudged once, Bai Xingshu now twisted his grip on the Loading Blade, whirling into a horizontal slash. The cold steel carved a crescent moon, its sweeping arc cutting off every escape route for the weapon mounts.

KABOOM!

Mecha No.4's weapon mounts detonated.

While others might switch weapons, Bai Xingshu spun on his heel, driving the Loading Blade deep into the wrecked slot. Following the breach from his slash, the blade speared straight through the mecha's control nexus.

The cockpit lost all command.

Lights in Mecha No.4's cockpit DIED.

FIRST BLOOD!

Bai Xingshu snapped his focus to Mecha No.3—the one that had dodged his first strike.