Chapter 258

Chapter 258

The Holographic World.

A blue light flashed, and Lakeley popped up above Machinery Street.

Machinery Street stretched on forever—way too long to see the end—but it was pretty empty, barely anyone around.

"The coordinates for Suonan and Orolia are both heading toward the center. They're probably going to check out the Shark Eater—the main attraction on Machinery Street, a must-see."

Lakeley flew higher, scanning from above for the perfect angle to see both sides.

"Wow, at this distance, they can probably see each other. The people who were near them earlier turned back as soon as they saw both factions were here. I'm dying of laughter—I can almost hear them thinking, 'Great, we ran into these two mad dogs.'"

"Who's that in the middle? Never seen that uniform before—it looks awesome, I'd definitely remember if I'd seen it."

Lakeley also noticed. "Three on the east side are Orolia, and on the west side it's Suonan. They've definitely spotted each other—both slowed down, but neither's gonna back off first."

"If either one backs out first, in ten minutes the net's gonna be flooded with news about Orolia and Suonan crossing paths and one side running with its tail between its legs."

"Honestly, everyone here's got a hand in how Suonan and Orolia ended up like this."

"Orolia and Suonan's PR departments: Yeah, it was me. Come at me!"

After observing for a bit, Lakeley continued.

"Those two in the middle? Based on their chest badges, they're from Grath. Most people probably haven't heard of them. Grath is a newcomer this year—the only one that skipped the protection period to join. They've got some history with us in the Kaileer Alliance."

"Lakeley's impressive—he even remembers the newcomers. I can only recall the most popular top countries from each year."

"Those two in the middle look pitiful. They're good-looking, and one's pretty young. Wonder if they're any good—but they're brave to skip the protection period."

"There's always teams like that—no chance of ranking or low on resources, just here to make a quick buck without risking anything. They bank on pushing popular players or hot topics to get a cut. I follow those 'Pretty Boy Noob Team' and 'Military Academy Rookie Survival Team' channels—they're actually pretty entertaining. I feel like Grath could do the same by playing up their looks."

"These side tricks won't get far in the resource competition. The star players all earned their fame through strength, and even without these stunts, they still get plenty of attention. Strength matters more than anything else."

"They're not strong, but if this works, good for them. Even the top countries are out there promoting themselves. Nothing shameful about making a name for your country."

As Orolia and Suonan drew closer, Lakeley dropped lower, closing in.

He recognized the new arrivals too.

"It's Abigail and Soda. This is going to be interesting. Abigail performed well in Orolia's command battle last year, and Soda is a standout in Suonan's squad battles. Neither has a good temper. The others are rookies—probably just tagging along to watch. They've all got their Mech Buttons out. Nice."

As he spoke, Lakeley descended to the ground.

He picked a spot about equal distance from both, but closest to Arnold and Ye Mo.

"Those two Grath guys are really good-looking, but aren't their weapons kind of unusual?"

"They're probably just for show. The only time I see cold weapons is during ceremonies—aside from mech-mounted ones."

"The kid over there even brought a robot. That's an old model—practically an antique."

Abigail and Soda had already locked eyes from a distance. Both are decent players on their teams—not top-tier, but they've held their own.

Ye Mo crossed to the other side of the street, studying the massive, lifeless-looking mechanical fish in the window. It was probably designed to work with gravity devices or in zero-gravity environments in space.

Arnold followed Ye Mo at a distance, completely ignoring everyone, like he and Ye Mo were the only two people on the street.

Ye Mo glanced up at the newcomers a couple times and immediately picked up on the tension. He turned to look at Arnold.

Arnold blinked. "You want that?"

Ye Mo shook his head. "Just want to look."

Arnold didn't care, and neither did Ye Mo. He turned back, pressing his hand against the glass to study the fish.

"Jesus—why haven't those two in the middle run yet? Abigail's already got his hand on his Mech Button."

"The older one looks smart, but he's an idiot! Get your rookie out of here!"

"The younger one seems more alert, but he gave up halfway. Does he really trust that unreliable big guy that much?"

"Calling it now: they've studied the resource competition carefully and are betting on a risky move for some exposure."

Abigail stood still, locking eyes with Soda. One of his teammates—younger, bookish-looking—seemed hesitant. "Abi, there are other people here. This place makes it hard to avoid hitting bystanders."

Another teammate frowned. "Don't be a chicken. Abi knows what he's doing."

"We might piss someone off."

The teammate stared at Suonan. "Looks like a minor country. So what if we do?"

Soda on the other side grinned and made a taunting gesture. Abigail clicked his tongue and started cracking his wrists.

His teammates started backing away, pulling the hesitant one with them.

They hit their Mech Buttons almost at the same time and charged. As they ran, their mechs materialized from their legs, wrapping around their bodies.

Lakeley quickly commented. "Those mechs are exclusive—not for sale. Both are top mech fighters. We're in for a show."

"And good luck to the Grath folks."

With that, Lakeley stepped onto a hoverboard and lifted to a good viewing height for the mech battle.

The chat was blowing up.

"Did they skip the trash-talking phase?"

"I'm dead—they charged at exactly the same time."

"The rookies seem a bit stiff. Hope the bystanders get out of the way—plenty of unlucky souls have gotten caught in the crossfire."

Ye Mo was still checking out the Shark Eater. He considered probing it with his mental power, hesitated, then decided against it. He took two steps back to get a better view of the mechanical fish, then turned to look for Theodore. "Theodore, look—"

The little robot was still across the street. As he turned, Abigail's mech finished assembling, its huge frame stomping the ground with a heavy thud.

The little robot's short, chubby frame was completely swallowed by the mech's towering height and crushing weight.

Only some scattered parts lay on the street.

Ye Mo's eyes went wide.

In an instant, he reacted like a furious lion—spun around and charged, drawing his sword. He leaped like a cat, driving the blade into the mech cockpit, landing with his feet on the mech's chest.

Ye Mo used all his strength.

The mech was forced to tilt sideways by the powerful hit, its movements interrupted, and it crashed heavily to the ground with a loud crash.

Inside the cockpit, Abigail didn't even have time to register what was happening outside before his body instantly hunched over, letting out an agonized roar from his throat, sweat beading on his forehead.

He had been deeply connected to the mech through his mental power; Ye Mo's thrust was like a direct stab to his heart. Although there was no real injury, the sensation was the same.

Soda, who had charged over from the other side, didn't have time to react. By the time he realized he needed to stop, it was too late. He kept going by inertia, and he saw Ye Mo, standing on the fallen mech's body, drawing his sword and raising his head.

It was the dangerous look of a predator on the hunt.

Soda met his gaze; he didn't even have time to feel surprise, instinctively and desperately summoning his mental power.

If he didn't change direction, he would hit him. A mech ramming into an unprotected human body—the result was obvious.

Ye Mo barely paused, smoothly twisting his body, taking a step forward with his right leg, slightly bending his knee, and gripping the sword hilt tight.

The mechanical shark in the opposite shop window smashed through the window, scattering shards across the street.

It sank its teeth into the mech and held on, and the two smashed into the building across the street and went still.

At the same time, Ye Mo quickly pulled back his attack, took a step back, and his sharp demeanor softened.

All of this happened in an instant.

Theodore spoke in his ear, "Cyril, that's enough."

Just then, Theodore had told Ye Mo via the earpiece to step back. They worked together seamlessly, both able to quickly grasp each other's intentions and act on them.

Ye Mo jumped off the mech, landing softly, and looked down sadly at the little robot.

"Yeah, I'm sorry, Theodore."

"No need to be sorry. Theodore is Cyril's star."

The robot's intact form was gone; Ye Mo could only see a heap of wreckage at his feet.

This was his responsibility; Norton had warned him about this before they set out.

The scene was deathly quiet, with only the two fallen mechs and the chaotic ground.

Arnold stood behind Ye Mo. Not far away were Orolia and Suonan's people, standing in place. One of them, who had his arms crossed, uncrossed them and looked over.

Lakeley was stunned by the sight, frozen in place. He still hadn't reacted, and the room's comm channel remained quiet.

At the same time, inside the Grath base, Norton opened his eyes.

His mental power had been locked onto Ye Mo, and he'd sensed something off from the start.

Norton kept a tight leash on Ye Mo, so tight that his mental power was constantly locked onto him, but he wasn't a father who pampered his child.

A lion brings live prey to its cubs, teaching them the art of hunting with blood still warm.

Baide, from the moment they could run, wouldn't step in unless there was life-threatening danger. When he was sure it was safe, he also wouldn't meddle rashly in Ye Mo's matters.

This was also the consensus they had reached before coming: this place would be the ground for Ye Mo to grow, the live, fresh prey that the lion brought for its cub.

So Arnold didn't move either; he hadn't moved from the start, but stood at a moderate distance away, watching.

But after seeing the scene, Arnold still tsked in annoyance.

They had touched Cyril's things, same as touching his own stuff. This was a provocation to Grath, who had a strong territorial instinct, making him very annoyed.

Arnold walked over, stood beside Ye Mo, and patted the nape of his neck reassuringly.

Ye Mo didn't move, nor did he acknowledge Arnold, still staring at the scattered parts at his feet.

Arnold complained in the channel, "Cyril is angry."

Ye Mo rarely got angry; he was the most easygoing one in Grath. Even if someone took his toys or snacks, he wouldn't get angry and would happily give you even more.

Arnold now sort of regretted not stepping in earlier.

Lakeley was still in place, murmuring, "Unbelievable."

A single message floated across the channel.

"Damn, so that's how the sword is used."

Then various messages quickly filled the front page.

"What was that just now! This can't be a prank, right? Who can single-handedly resist a mech with just human strength? Is this human physical ability? Can anyone in the top rankings do this? How old is he? Has he passed the mental power development period?"

"What kind of person could invite players from two countries to prank you? Not to mention causing trouble in the Central Star instance, where even a little beyond-reality operation costs money. This is a genius!"

"Who is that kid? He's definitely going to be the predetermined star player of this session! I'm ready to follow him this session."

"I'm in too! I've already subscribed to him. Grath, right? I'm now a ten-year hardcore fan of Grath."

"Wait! What about the Tyrant Shark? Aren't all unsold items supposed to be locked?"

"If your mental power is strong, you can force unlock it, but it's designed for AI. It's hard for humans to control."

"Am I the only one feeling sorry for Abigail? A stab right in the chest—under mental power driving state, it's like being stabbed for real. It must hurt like hell."

"Did any of you notice that for a moment, the eyes of those bionic weapons on Machinery Street lit up?"

The eyes turning red was their activation signal; it was intentionally designed.

"An illusion. There's no replay. I trust technology more than memory."

"Too weird. I'm sure I saw it, and I even took a screenshot, but now when I look for it, it's gone."

This controversy was quickly drowned out. They continued to enthusiastically discuss Ye Mo. This was the emergence of another star player, and the popularity a star player can attract is unimaginable to ordinary people.

After deleting the data, Theodore silently moved through the digital world.