494-500
Chapter 494: Fallen into a Trap!
Translator: Henyee Translations Editor: Henyee Translations
Inside the forest of Area S, a 12-man mecha team was carefully moving through the forest in order to make sure they were not caught out, while simultaneously investigating the surrounding area.
"Stop, hide!" The front line member suddenly gave a signal. Everyone rapidly operated their mecha and darted into the rock formations within the forest that could hide the mechas.
A few seconds later they sighted two smoke-emitting, wrecked advanced mechas. They were flying through the air unsteadily; it was likely that they had reached their limit. These two mecha were falling towards them.
Although the operators of those two mecha were trying their best to make an emergency landing, the damage to their mecha was likely too severe and thus they unable to control the direction; they were unable to avoid breaking a few branches from the towering trees of the forest as they landed. They took a hard fall into the thick snow mounds and slid out many meters away.
One of the mechas abruptly smashed into one of the towering trees and stopped sliding, while the other had lost control even more and was spinning around in the snow before it was stopped by the large and thick snow mounds.
The two mecha that fell lay in the snow silently. Smoke rose out from the mecha and shot towards the sky.
The captain of the battle team hesitated a bit and then decided to help them. In a battlefield, even if it was the enemy, it would be morally justified for them to help them. Especially now, the opposition wasn't really an enemy.
He carefully operated his mecha to walk towards them, slowly moving closer to the mecha nearest to him that was stopped by the tree.
When he had approached to around 10 meters away from the mecha, its external communication channel was switched on. A morbid coughing sound came out from the mecha.
The captain was worried and quickly asked, "Do you need any help?"
The operator inside was finally able to stop coughing and gave a word of warning instead of requesting aid, "Run. They're coming." At the end of those words, there was another bout of loud coughing…
The captain heard this and was surprised. Was it that group of assassins? He quickly asked, "Who are they?"
"The First Men's Military Academy!" the voice of the mecha operator inside the advanced mecha angrily screamed out.
"It's them!" This answer did not surprise the captain. He had communicated with the other military academies and deduced that the assassins were either from the First Co-ed Military Academy, First Men's Military Academy or Third Men's Military Academy. The First Men's Military Academy was the most suspicious, but they didn't have any hard evidence. Everyone couldn't make a decision to attack the First Men's Military Academy together.
"How are you right now? Can you still provide support? If you can, then I'll take you back to our headquarters. As long as you can prove the attackers are from the First Men's Military Academy, we will help you take revenge," asked the captain with care while telling the person his thoughts at the same time.
"No problem, I can still support!" the advanced mecha operator quickly replied. "I won't let them go that easily. Only Little Wu and I are left from our battle team… Ah, is Little Wu alright?"
The captain quickly said, "Wait here, I'll send someone to check."
"Hurry. When we were running away, the people from the First Men's Military Academy were right behind us. It'll be bad for us if they catch up," the advanced mecha operator said hurriedly. He wanted to leave right this instant.
The captain became nervous after hearing this and asked, "How many people do they have?"
"24 people," replied the advanced mecha operator.
They actually had two battle teams. The 12 people that they had would definitely not be able to go against two teams. The captain made a decision right then that they would leave right after they checked up on that mecha operator called Little Wu.
While they were waiting, the captain didn't forget to ask about the situation of that advanced mecha operator. "Can you still operate your mecha?"
The advanced mecha operator slammed down hard on his control panel and said, "My mecha's beyond repair. It's really annoying!"
Upon hearing that, the captain hesitated a bit; however, the situation did not allow him to think for too long. He needed to take this operator back to prove the identity of the assailants, and thus he ordered one of his team members to give a co-pilot seat to that operator.
"Captain, the advanced mecha operator hit his head and is unconscious and bleeding, but it's not fatal," reported the member who had gone to check on the other mecha.
"Okay. When you move him into the cockpit, we'll head back," ordered the captain quickly.
"Yes, Captain!"
The other members took the unconscious mecha operator and put him into a co-pilot seat. The captain turned around and asked the mecha operator who was in better shape, "Which academy are you guys from?"
This was because both of them were wounded everywhere; their protective suits were already drenched in blood, which made the logo that represented their military academy become unclear and hard to make out. It made it difficult for them to know who they were at the time.
"We're from the Third Men's Military Academy," the advanced mecha operator said embarrassedly.
The captain was horrified. The Third Men's Military Academy was also one of their suspects…
"Ah!" One of their small team's members was heard suddenly screaming on the team's communication channel. The captain knew something was wrong. He heard another member scream into the channel, "They are…"
A bang sounded on the channel and the member's screams came to an abrupt stop. Right then, the captain did not know anything. He furiously screamed out, "Despicable!"
"Captain, be careful!" screamed the members who were terrified all of a sudden.
Their surrounding area was suddenly engulfed by multiple beams of light. Seven beams of light came shooting towards them. This sudden attack caught them with their pants down—all seven of their mecha were hit. The A.I. of their mecha decided that the mecha operators had been immediately killed in action and turned off all of the mecha's functions, engaging lockdown mode.
After losing all of their functions, the mecha fell down towards the ground. Although the operators were not harmed, they were unable to contact each other. They were also unable to open their cockpit and go outside. They could only wait for the staff members of the tournament to unlock their mecha in order to reacquire their freedom.
The opponent's attacks did not stop. The second round of beam attacks poured towards them. Although they were hit by the first round of fire, the 3 mecha that remained had some time to dodge the incoming attack. Other than the captain, the other two were not so lucky after dodging; they were simultaneously hit by multiple shots. They met the same fate as their teammates from before. The A.I. declared that they were killed in action and thus they fell into the snow like the rest.
The captain knew that he would definitely 'die' if he stayed there. After dodging the second round of beam shots, he operated his mecha to dart towards one direction. As long as he got into the deep forest area, it would be very difficult for beamfire to hit him because the trees would provide natural cover. This was his only chance to escape. He had to bet on this move.
Perhaps his thoughts of escaping were too intense, as the speed of the captain's fingers had surpassed his usual limit, increasing by one level. He was full of focus and somehow made his piloting meld with his mecha, allowing him to dodge the next round of fire.
He was close to escaping the ambush area. The captain thought to himself, "Faster! Faster!"
He made an irregular move and instantly flashed behind a towering tree. Right when he had escaped the ambush area—before he could celebrate—his mecha was struck by a huge force, pushing his mecha back into the ambush area.
Following a "bang", his mecha smashed onto a towering tree and bounced onto the ground. The captain felt blood gushing out from his chest, and he uncontrollably spat out a mouthful of blood.
He looked up in front of him. A special-class mecha was standing there with a large cold weapon in its hands, pointing slightly downwards. It was this weapon that had pushed him back and cut off the only chance he had to escape.
The mecha turned towards him. Its two dark eye sockets seemed to be mocking him, pitying him and not caring about him all at the same time. The captain looked at the chest area of the mecha with his bloodshot eyes and saw the emblem of the Third Men's Military Academy shining clearly on the mecha.
The captain quickly pushed down the public communication button and screamed using all of his strength, "The culprits are the Third Men's Military Academy!"
That sound soared through the sky. The opposing forces were surprised and quickly yelled out, "Advance!"
Six beams of light hit the mecha without a hint of mercy. The A.I. instantly declared the mecha operator had 'died'. The captain looked on as the light inside his mecha instantly disappeared and his cockpit was plunged into pitch darkness. His eyes were red with anger and his thoughts full of hate. "I will never forget how the Third Men's Military Academy humiliated us today." Because of his carelessness, his team members had "died" here frustratingly. He could not help but blame himself.
After defeating this 12-man battle team, the advanced mecha operators who took over the opposing mecha opened the cockpit. They hit the "concede" button on their way out and saw that the opposing mecha were locked up. They then confidently returned to their own advanced mecha.
The mecha that had been smoking suddenly had no more smoke coming out. The two mecha that had looked like they were wrecked beyond repair somehow easily stood up from the snow.
"They're almost here. Let's go!" quickly ordered the special-class mecha operator who had destroyed the captain's mecha, looking towards the sky on his left.
A few seconds later, a battle team of mecha arrived at this location. They saw the mecha slumped around, making their expressions change immediately.
"Little Cao, go take a look. Which military academy are these guys from?" ordered the team captain, raising a brow.
"Yes, captain!" Little Cao quickly operated his mecha to land on the ground. He put his head down and carefully looked at the logo on the chest of the mecha and answered, "Captain, it's a 12-man battle team of Changkong Military Academy."
"There are signs of a battle here. Looks like it was a sneak attack. Is it the same rumor that was spread earlier about those attacks?" analyzed the captain after careful observation.
"Just now, I think I heard someone scream out "Third Men's Military Academy", which is why we came looking…" The captain thought back to the possible voice he heard earlier. He felt that there was something wrong.
"Captain someone's coming towards us!" the member in charge of surveillance warned.
The captain looked at the radar and saw that there many mecha quickly advancing towards them. "Looks like they know that something has happened here." Suddenly, he seemed to have realized something and his expression immediately changed. "Shit, we've fallen into a trap!"
Chapter 494: Fallen into a Trap!
Translator: Henyee Translations Editor: Henyee Translations
Inside the forest of Area S, a 12-man mecha team was carefully moving through the forest in order to make sure they were not caught out, while simultaneously investigating the surrounding area.
"Stop, hide!" The front line member suddenly gave a signal. Everyone rapidly operated their mecha and darted into the rock formations within the forest that could hide the mechas.
A few seconds later they sighted two smoke-emitting, wrecked advanced mechas. They were flying through the air unsteadily; it was likely that they had reached their limit. These two mecha were falling towards them.
Although the operators of those two mecha were trying their best to make an emergency landing, the damage to their mecha was likely too severe and thus they unable to control the direction; they were unable to avoid breaking a few branches from the towering trees of the forest as they landed. They took a hard fall into the thick snow mounds and slid out many meters away.
One of the mechas abruptly smashed into one of the towering trees and stopped sliding, while the other had lost control even more and was spinning around in the snow before it was stopped by the large and thick snow mounds.
The two mecha that fell lay in the snow silently. Smoke rose out from the mecha and shot towards the sky.
The captain of the battle team hesitated a bit and then decided to help them. In a battlefield, even if it was the enemy, it would be morally justified for them to help them. Especially now, the opposition wasn't really an enemy.
He carefully operated his mecha to walk towards them, slowly moving closer to the mecha nearest to him that was stopped by the tree.
When he had approached to around 10 meters away from the mecha, its external communication channel was switched on. A morbid coughing sound came out from the mecha.
The captain was worried and quickly asked, "Do you need any help?"
The operator inside was finally able to stop coughing and gave a word of warning instead of requesting aid, "Run. They're coming." At the end of those words, there was another bout of loud coughing…
The captain heard this and was surprised. Was it that group of assassins? He quickly asked, "Who are they?"
"The First Men's Military Academy!" the voice of the mecha operator inside the advanced mecha angrily screamed out.
"It's them!" This answer did not surprise the captain. He had communicated with the other military academies and deduced that the assassins were either from the First Co-ed Military Academy, First Men's Military Academy or Third Men's Military Academy. The First Men's Military Academy was the most suspicious, but they didn't have any hard evidence. Everyone couldn't make a decision to attack the First Men's Military Academy together.
"How are you right now? Can you still provide support? If you can, then I'll take you back to our headquarters. As long as you can prove the attackers are from the First Men's Military Academy, we will help you take revenge," asked the captain with care while telling the person his thoughts at the same time.
"No problem, I can still support!" the advanced mecha operator quickly replied. "I won't let them go that easily. Only Little Wu and I are left from our battle team… Ah, is Little Wu alright?"
The captain quickly said, "Wait here, I'll send someone to check."
"Hurry. When we were running away, the people from the First Men's Military Academy were right behind us. It'll be bad for us if they catch up," the advanced mecha operator said hurriedly. He wanted to leave right this instant.
The captain became nervous after hearing this and asked, "How many people do they have?"
"24 people," replied the advanced mecha operator.
They actually had two battle teams. The 12 people that they had would definitely not be able to go against two teams. The captain made a decision right then that they would leave right after they checked up on that mecha operator called Little Wu.
While they were waiting, the captain didn't forget to ask about the situation of that advanced mecha operator. "Can you still operate your mecha?"
The advanced mecha operator slammed down hard on his control panel and said, "My mecha's beyond repair. It's really annoying!"
Upon hearing that, the captain hesitated a bit; however, the situation did not allow him to think for too long. He needed to take this operator back to prove the identity of the assailants, and thus he ordered one of his team members to give a co-pilot seat to that operator.
"Captain, the advanced mecha operator hit his head and is unconscious and bleeding, but it's not fatal," reported the member who had gone to check on the other mecha.
"Okay. When you move him into the cockpit, we'll head back," ordered the captain quickly.
"Yes, Captain!"
The other members took the unconscious mecha operator and put him into a co-pilot seat. The captain turned around and asked the mecha operator who was in better shape, "Which academy are you guys from?"
This was because both of them were wounded everywhere; their protective suits were already drenched in blood, which made the logo that represented their military academy become unclear and hard to make out. It made it difficult for them to know who they were at the time.
"We're from the Third Men's Military Academy," the advanced mecha operator said embarrassedly.
The captain was horrified. The Third Men's Military Academy was also one of their suspects…
"Ah!" One of their small team's members was heard suddenly screaming on the team's communication channel. The captain knew something was wrong. He heard another member scream into the channel, "They are…"
A bang sounded on the channel and the member's screams came to an abrupt stop. Right then, the captain did not know anything. He furiously screamed out, "Despicable!"
"Captain, be careful!" screamed the members who were terrified all of a sudden.
Their surrounding area was suddenly engulfed by multiple beams of light. Seven beams of light came shooting towards them. This sudden attack caught them with their pants down—all seven of their mecha were hit. The A.I. of their mecha decided that the mecha operators had been immediately killed in action and turned off all of the mecha's functions, engaging lockdown mode.
After losing all of their functions, the mecha fell down towards the ground. Although the operators were not harmed, they were unable to contact each other. They were also unable to open their cockpit and go outside. They could only wait for the staff members of the tournament to unlock their mecha in order to reacquire their freedom.
The opponent's attacks did not stop. The second round of beam attacks poured towards them. Although they were hit by the first round of fire, the 3 mecha that remained had some time to dodge the incoming attack. Other than the captain, the other two were not so lucky after dodging; they were simultaneously hit by multiple shots. They met the same fate as their teammates from before. The A.I. declared that they were killed in action and thus they fell into the snow like the rest.
The captain knew that he would definitely 'die' if he stayed there. After dodging the second round of beam shots, he operated his mecha to dart towards one direction. As long as he got into the deep forest area, it would be very difficult for beamfire to hit him because the trees would provide natural cover. This was his only chance to escape. He had to bet on this move.
Perhaps his thoughts of escaping were too intense, as the speed of the captain's fingers had surpassed his usual limit, increasing by one level. He was full of focus and somehow made his piloting meld with his mecha, allowing him to dodge the next round of fire.
He was close to escaping the ambush area. The captain thought to himself, "Faster! Faster!"
He made an irregular move and instantly flashed behind a towering tree. Right when he had escaped the ambush area—before he could celebrate—his mecha was struck by a huge force, pushing his mecha back into the ambush area.
Following a "bang", his mecha smashed onto a towering tree and bounced onto the ground. The captain felt blood gushing out from his chest, and he uncontrollably spat out a mouthful of blood.
He looked up in front of him. A special-class mecha was standing there with a large cold weapon in its hands, pointing slightly downwards. It was this weapon that had pushed him back and cut off the only chance he had to escape.
The mecha turned towards him. Its two dark eye sockets seemed to be mocking him, pitying him and not caring about him all at the same time. The captain looked at the chest area of the mecha with his bloodshot eyes and saw the emblem of the Third Men's Military Academy shining clearly on the mecha.
The captain quickly pushed down the public communication button and screamed using all of his strength, "The culprits are the Third Men's Military Academy!"
That sound soared through the sky. The opposing forces were surprised and quickly yelled out, "Advance!"
Six beams of light hit the mecha without a hint of mercy. The A.I. instantly declared the mecha operator had 'died'. The captain looked on as the light inside his mecha instantly disappeared and his cockpit was plunged into pitch darkness. His eyes were red with anger and his thoughts full of hate. "I will never forget how the Third Men's Military Academy humiliated us today." Because of his carelessness, his team members had "died" here frustratingly. He could not help but blame himself.
After defeating this 12-man battle team, the advanced mecha operators who took over the opposing mecha opened the cockpit. They hit the "concede" button on their way out and saw that the opposing mecha were locked up. They then confidently returned to their own advanced mecha.
The mecha that had been smoking suddenly had no more smoke coming out. The two mecha that had looked like they were wrecked beyond repair somehow easily stood up from the snow.
"They're almost here. Let's go!" quickly ordered the special-class mecha operator who had destroyed the captain's mecha, looking towards the sky on his left.
A few seconds later, a battle team of mecha arrived at this location. They saw the mecha slumped around, making their expressions change immediately.
"Little Cao, go take a look. Which military academy are these guys from?" ordered the team captain, raising a brow.
"Yes, captain!" Little Cao quickly operated his mecha to land on the ground. He put his head down and carefully looked at the logo on the chest of the mecha and answered, "Captain, it's a 12-man battle team of Changkong Military Academy."
"There are signs of a battle here. Looks like it was a sneak attack. Is it the same rumor that was spread earlier about those attacks?" analyzed the captain after careful observation.
"Just now, I think I heard someone scream out "Third Men's Military Academy", which is why we came looking…" The captain thought back to the possible voice he heard earlier. He felt that there was something wrong.
"Captain someone's coming towards us!" the member in charge of surveillance warned.
The captain looked at the radar and saw that there many mecha quickly advancing towards them. "Looks like they know that something has happened here." Suddenly, he seemed to have realized something and his expression immediately changed. "Shit, we've fallen into a trap!"
Chapter 495: Closely Linked!
Translator: Henyee Translations Editor: Henyee Translations
He quickly ordered his team members, "We're retreating!"
"You're not getting away that easily!" A cold roar rang from the air, and an ace mecha instantly appeared before them.
"Qiao Ting!" exclaimed the captain with a gloomy expression.
"I didn't think that the battle team attacking other assault teams was from the Third Men's Military Academy. You guys really had a good idea and even believed that you could put the blame on us, the First Men's Military Academy!" Qiao Ting laughed coldly and said.
"If I said that we stumbled on this situation, would you believe us?" interrupted the Third Men's Military Academy's captain as he bit his lip. When he had taken his battle team to where the battle had taken place, they were already made the primary suspects… However, he still wanted to try his best to clarify because this really had nothing to do with them. The blame was too unjust and frustrating.
Of course, Qiao Ting believed him. He clearly knew who the real culprits were, but right then he needed to throw the blame onto the opponent; thus, he smiled coldly and said, "Then do you think I should believe you or not?"
The captain was silent for a few seconds. In the end, he helplessly sighed and said, "No!" He laughed bitterly and continued, "But even if you don't believe me, I will still say that the Third Men's Military Academy has no connection to this."
"Do you think that just saying you guys have no connection to all this can erase the fact that you guys may have done this?" A voice sounded from behind him. The captain looked back and saw that during the conversation between him and Qiao Ting, many battle teams of other military academies had already surrounded them.
The captain saw this situation and was extremely frustrated. He shouldn't have used his time to talk to Qiao Ting and try to explain the truth; he should have covered for his teammates as they left this area when Qiao Ting had come to them. Now, his fatal mistake had landed him and his team in a dangerous situation. If would not be easy for them to leave now.
"Then what do you guys want?" the captain asked, biting his lips.
"You guys trapped and harmed our team members. You want us to just let you go? No way!" said a member of one of the military academies that were attacked.
Hearing that, the expression of the Third Men's Military Academy's captain changed instantly. "This wasn't done by us. I hope you guys can give us some time to prove our innocence."
These words instead made everyone who was present laugh coldly. Their attitude clearly showed their firm belief in them being the culprits. The captain of the Third Men's Military Academy felt his heart drop into his stomach. He knew that this time it was impossible to escape.
Right then, these military academy's battle teams were no longer interested in hearing the Third Men's Military Academy's empty and weak explanation. One of the military academies' battle team leader apologetically said to Qiao Ting, "Captain Qiao, we made a mistake before and thought it was you guys. Please forgive us."
Qiao Ting coldly replied, "Our headquarters still need me to defend. Since I've been cleared of my innocence, please allow me to bid farewell." Before other party could say anything, he turned towards his team members and ordered, "Let's go!"
Qiao Ting led his 24-man battle team and instantly left the area, appearing like he was deeply angry with the fact that these military academies thought he was the main culprit.
One military academy's captain saw this and could not suppress a sigh, saying, "We were too impulsive. We interrogated Captain Qiao before finding out the truth about the situation… It's no wonder Captain Qiao is angry!"
"I hope Captain Qiao won't have any opinions about us because of this issue," one battle team member said worriedly. In the end, if Captain Qiao intended on teaching them a lesson and let the First Men's Military Academy's battle team attack their headquarters…
Everyone shuddered in fear at this thought. They all decided to resolve the issue of the Third Men's Military Academy and afterward find Qiao Ting to explain their thoughts. Even if they couldn't form an alliance, they didn't want Qiao Ting to think of taking revenge against them and in the end, become the target of their attack.
Qiao Ting's departure caused these military academies' alliances to have reservations. This, however, made the Third Men's Military Academy's captain surprised and happy. If Qiao Ting was present, they would have had no chance of escaping, but now there was a slim chance.
At the moment Qiao Ting left, along with how the battle teams that surrounded them relaxed, the captain quickly yelled, "Run!"
He was the first to operate his mecha towards the escape route that he had already found. All the members of the Third Men's Military Academy were very experienced mecha operators. After the captain gave the order, they all operated their mecha and followed in the direction the captain had charged towards.
With two hundred or so mechas around them, if they were to scatter, they would be taken down in one hit. Instead, it would be better if they followed their captain in becoming a sharp, pointed knife and cutting open an opening, allowing them to escape successfully.
The Third Men's Military Academy was without a doubt the best. The captain of the Third Men's Military Academy was a top tier special-class operator. He lifted up the large sword in his hand. One backward spin caused the two mecha in front of him to dodge to the side. In the instant that they dodged, he operated his mecha and broke through the encirclement.
Following him were the three mecha that had reacted the fastest and broke through the encirclement with their captain. However, their good luck was only for the four of them. The others were cut off by the military academy alliance battle teams who had reacted.
The area instantly had beams of light flying around, mechas dancing about and cold weapons clashing hard against one another. Some were trying their best to find a chance to escape, while others were trying to mercilessly destroy that hope and keep those who were trying to escape in this area. They fought admirably for their beliefs. They couldn't back down and also couldn't give up anything. In this situation, the battle became more and more brutal.
Very quickly, mecha dropped down onto the ground one after another. These were the mecha operators who lost their battles and were eliminated from the battle royale. In the end, not one of the 20 mecha escaped. And on the side of the military academy alliance, 5 mechas were shot down and were eliminated. 13 other mecha also paid a price in suffering damage.
Three kilometers away from the battle, Qiao Ting operated his mecha to hover in mid-air, carefully watching the intense battle that was going on over on the other side. The corner of his mouth perked up a bit with a smile. The battle between the Third Men's Military Academy and the military academy alliance made them all suffer losses. This announced that Area S and P officially entered into the battle royale period. It was a good time for them to profit from all the chaos.
"Boss Qiao, do we want to keep the few that escaped alive?" reminded Qiao Ting's vice captain. The direction in which they had escaped was towards them. If they wanted to block them off, they would definitely be able to take down the fish that slipped through the net.
"Let's take a look for now." Qiao Ting stopped his team members from acting rashly.
The captain of the Third Men's Military Academy led the three team members who were lucky enough to escape and ran as fast they could. They were about to breathe a sigh of relief after seeing that there weren't anyone chasing them down when they saw countless mecha appear in front of them. The one leading them was Qiao Ting, who had just left the scene moments before.
The captain's expression changed instantly. "You're going to add insult to injury?"
Qiao Ting looked at him indifferently. "Do you and I have any conflict or interests?"
The captain's eyes lit up. "Of course we don't. If Captain Qiao is willing to show mercy, I will report this to our commander and maybe we could have a chance to cooperate."
"Cooperate?" Qiao Ting laughed coldly. "Can those who are proficient in evil schemes and plans be trusted?"
The captain's expression turned serious and he said without hesitation, "I will give Captain Qiao an answer for this." If he found out who f***ed them in the back, he would tear them to shreds.
Qiao Ting immediately waved his hand. The members who were originally blocking their way moved aside and created an opening.
The captain gratefully cupped his hands towards Qiao Ting and rapidly led his team to go through that opening.
"We're letting them go just like that?" After getting a taste of sweetness from sneak attacks, the vice captain felt reluctance as he watched the four mecha that were almost out of sight. It was a shame they couldn't take them down.
"Keeping them alive and letting them return could perhaps have an effect that we didn't foresee… Maybe we can still use the Third Men's Military Academy once more." Qiao Ting had a plan in his mind. The curve at the corner of his mouth became more pronounced.
He originally thought that Ling Lan had given him this mission to make it difficult for him. When he took on the mission, he almost had a fallout with Ling Lan. However, this mission was definitely unable to be completed by the small 24-man team. Even as an ace operator, he would not be able to do it.
However, Qiao Ting had his own pride. He didn't want to give Ling Lan a chance to look down on him. That was why he put up with it and took the mission, and prepared to put all of his efforts through. Even if he didn't finish the mission, he would try his best to draw out the time and support the others until the end of the battle royale.
However, after today's scene, the whole situation had completely turned around. Originally being in a precarious situation, they instantly had the chance to grab hold of the entire situation. No matter if it was the military academy alliance or the Third Men's Military Academy, they would try their best to get close to them both. This gave Qiao Ting leeway to strategize. He created an even better condition for their own battle team to finish their mission.
He really had underestimated Ling Lan. Ling Lan wasn't someone who would be jealous of those who had skills and give them a mission that was seemingly impossible. In reality, he had it planned all along. Who knew that he was able to make the Third Men's Military Academy become their scapegoat. This move of his was f***ing amazing.
After being amazed, Qiao Ting's fear of Ling Lan became even deeper. The more he came to know about Ling Lan, the more he felt that Ling Lan's ability was unfathomable… It was a good thing that his mecha operating abilities were already set in stone without a chance to progress further, or else he would definitely not eat and sleep well knowing that there was such a strong rival close to him. It would give him a feeling of why god made him so excellent, but then made someone who was perfect… After thinking about this point, Qiao Ting could not help but be a bit happy.
"Let's go!" Since everything was now resolved, he only needed to patiently wait. He was going to wait to see which one out of the military academy alliance or the Third Men's Military Academy would give him the most benefits. Then it would be the time he moved out.
Just like that, Qiao Ting led his team members and returned to Area S9. Area S9 had now been confirmed because of Qiao Ting. The two military academies in the adjacent areas now believed Area S9 was the First Men's Military Academy's headquarters.
The referees and military officers in the monitoring were stupefied after seeing the First Men's Military Academy's move. Were these guys really military academy students? They were just like experienced army soldiers who had gone into battle hundreds of times.
"Finding a scapegoat, sh*t. This move made by the First Men's Military Academy is pretty nasty. This way the Third Men's Military Academy has become an insignificant rat on the streets." One of the officers who seemed to have connections with the Third Men's Military Academy shook his head and laughed bitterly. The Third Men's Military Academy was exiled by all the other military academies. In the times to follow, they would not have a good time.
"Ah, all their moves are inter-connected." He Xuyang was silently praising this move. As onlookers, they saw everything more clearly than the students who were participating in the battle royale.
Chapter 496: Everyone guessing?
Translator: Henyee Translations Editor: Henyee Translations
While the military academy alliance had gone to Area S9 to look for an answer from Qiao Ting, a battle team from Changkong Military Academy had been attacked 4 to 5 kilometers away from them; this instantly got rid of any suspicion everyone had towards Qiao Ting. It was instead the Third Men's Military Academy, who had just arrived at Area S9, that was pulled to the scene upon hearing a scream of frustration. They were then caught red-handed by Qiao Ting…
Every step was calculated very cleverly and didn't allow for the Third Men's Military Academy a chance to explain themselves, making them take on the blame.
Afterwards, the Third Men's Military Academy made another mistake. It had to be said that Qiao Ting's timing for leaving the scene was very clever. If Qiao Ting had remained there, the Third Men's Military Academy would not have tried to fight when they had no chance to escape. If they were willing to take the blame, the situation would have probably been unsolvable. However, Qiao Ting's decisive timing to take his leave let the Third Men's Military Academy see a silver lining of escape. Since they had the chance, the Third Men's Military Academy would not let themselves be taken that easily; they also had their own pride. This was what caused the battle that happened afterward.
Just like that, one side wanted to escape and one side wanted to keep them there. Both sides began a cruel and terrible battle. Even now, the truth was no longer the most important thing. Now that both sides had taken losses, they would never have the chance to shake hands and talk about peace. The Third Men's Military Academy would now be unable to clear their wrongful guilt. They would fight until one of them was eliminated.
What was more amazing was that the quartet from the Third Men's Military Academy who was able to somehow escape had bumped into the First Men's Military Academy, and just when they were feeling despair, the First Men's Military Academy let them go. This would definitely make the Third Men's Military Academy feel deep gratitude towards the First Men's Military Academy…
He Xuyang couldn't control himself and laughed softly, saying, "Qiao Ting intentionally played nice in order to make the First Men's Military Academy become a superpower between the other two sides. No matter which side wants to draw in the First Men's Military Academy, they will have to put out enough benefits for the First Men's Military Academy. Who knew that the real benefactors of this situation would be the ones who were the culprits. It's simply amazing."
Hearing this, Ling Xiao smiled softly and said, "Qiao Ting's timing of advancement and retreat were well controlled. He is an exceptional team leader!"
He Xuyang lifted his brow and interjected, "I wonder who formed this plan? We can't look down on military academy students now."
Ling Xiao calmly replied, "Yeah, who knows. However, it is definitely someone from the First Men's Military Academy." Ling Xiao said this very indifferently, but his expression of happiness on the corner of his lips was becoming more pronounced.
"However, General, there's something I can't get my head around. Why did the members from Changkong Military Academy, at the last second, say without hesitation that the 'killers' were from the Third Men's Military Academy?" He Xuyang tossed out a question that he couldn't figure out.
Upon hearing He Xuyang's question, the officers who had been focused on Ling Xiao and He Xuyang this whole time seemed to have been woken up. They all began to discuss this question. It had to be said that Ling Lan's group had thought about the details very well. The logo that could show their true identity had been hidden through their methods. It was like painting some dark colors on the chest plate area of the mecha where the logo was to hide 70%-80% of it, making it difficult to see what it really was. This way, it would be impossible for others to acquire their real identity.
Ling Xiao didn't answer and only glanced at He Xuyang with a half-smile. He Xuyang instantly stopped trying to get an answer from Ling Xiao. Knowing Ling Xiao, it meant that the question he had asked was prohibited and he didn't have the authority to know.
He Xuyang thought to himself, "Looks like this definitely has something to do with Young Master Lan!" It was only when it came to issues concerning Young Master Lan that the General would be this careful.
During the discussion, one officer brought up this line of thought, "Was it because that when they first talked to each other, the First Men's Military Academy had introduced themselves as the Third Men's Military Academy? Thus when they were attacked, because of their angry emotions, the victims subconsciously decided that they were the Third Men's Military Academy?"
Most people did not really agree with this opinion. They rebutted, "Those who can participate in the battle royale are people who have strong wills. They wouldn't be misled by words. They were so sure of themselves was probably because they had something that proved the opponent's identity."
"But what was it exactly? Only the person who saw it would know." Everyone wanted to find the reason, but they all failed. This made them want to know the truth even more.
While everyone was thinking their tops off, looking for the answer, Ling Xiao who was sitting on the side took a light sip of the hot tea he held in his hand. He seemed to not really care about what everyone else was caring about.
In reality, the only person in the monitoring room who knew the answer was Ling Xiao.
"Little Lan probably used her spiritual power when they took out Changkong's team leader. She probably gave the opponent a subconscious thought, misleading them from the real truth…" He didn't expect that Ling Lan had coordinated her spiritual power and mecha operating skills seamlessly. This made Ling Xiao surprisingly happy. There was another mistake that was clearly on purpose. This mistake was giving the opponent time to speak out the so-called 'real culprits'.
"Strategy and skills are both really good. They were used all in the right place. Compared to before, Little Lan has learned to be both hard and soft at the same time and is no longer stubborn. She has become even more powerful!" Ling Xiao was very proud. He wanted to tell the whole world that Ling Lan was his daughter…
Daughter… Ling Xiao's smugness was instantly cleared away as he calmed down, feeling a touch of bitterness in his heart. In order to receive his daughter's consolement and to not be discovered by others, he couldn't publicize his relationship with Ling Lan right now. He needed to wait patiently. Three more years. After three more years, his precious daughter would be able to stand beside him in front of the whole world.
At that moment, Ling Lan's 7-man team had already gone deep into Area S. Luo Lang had a mind full of questions that were unanswered. Finally, during their resting time, he asked Ling Lan, "Boss, we're just going to leave like that?" Didn't they say that they were going to resolve the issue of Qiao Ting being exposed? They were done after only taking down one team from Changkong Military Academy?
Hearing this, Ling Lan coldly glared towards him. "What else do you think we should do?"
Luo Lang scratched his head. He couldn't think of any reasons to do more, but just doing this still seemed like it wasn't enough.
Seeing how Luo Lang's expression was still full of confusion, Li Lanfeng laughingly said, "In reality, we didn't really have to do much. Qiao Ting just needed a chance, and we took out Changkong Military Academy and gave him that chance. Qiao Ting wouldn't miss out on using it." Although he was fearful and on guard against Qiao Ting, Li Lanfeng had to acknowledge that Qiao Ting was greatly capable in regards to both power and strategy.
Luo Lang was still unclear about some points. Ling Lan stopped Li Lanfeng from explaining in further detail and tossed out a few words, "Qiao Ting knows how to utilize this situation to his advantage. For someone who can become the captain of Leiting, he's not a simpleton."
"We didn't tell Qiao Ting, so how would he know how to utilize it?" Luo Lang was still worried. Was this kind of guessing game really going to be successful?
Chapter 497: Attack!
Translator: Henyee Translations Editor: Henyee Translations
"You think Qiao Ting is the same as you?" Ling Lan glared coldly at him. Luo Lang instantly became sad, saying, "Wu wu wu, Boss thinks I am stupid."
After Ling Lan saw that everyone had filled up their stomachs, she said, "Let's continue!"
"Yes, Boss!" Everyone quickly responded. They were afraid that if their movements were too slow, they would be the next ones to be looked down upon by Boss after Luo Lang…
The seven of them continued to move very fast. Xie Yi accelerated his mecha, surreptitiously drew near Luo Lang and whispered, "Luo Lang, regarding the things you were worried about earlier, Boss and Qiao Ting definitely have a mutual understanding on this kind of stuff."
Luo Lang felt petulant and thought to himself, "Everyone is doing their own thing and doesn't communicate. I was only afraid that the other side would miss something and miss the good chance that we had created."
After a while, Xie Yi thought to himself, "You should just focus on being the battle team's vice-general!" As expected, this Luo Lang was only suitable for hard manual labor and not good in using his brain.
"You also think I'm stupid?" Luo Lang became angry and began to sharpen a sword in his mind to use on this punk. This shameless punk who had come into their team uninvited actually dared to look down on him?
"No!" Xie Yi answered crisply. In his mind, however, he felt a bit vain and so added, "I want to say that no matter who you compete with, you shouldn't compete with Boss. You will feel that there is no hope in life… which is why, you should be the vice-general."
Xie Yi words made Luo Lang become silent. Only a few seconds later, Luo Lang proudly snorted, then accelerated and flashed to the front, creating distance between him and Xie Yi. This action that made it seem as if he was strangers with Xie Yi confused him. Why had Luo Lang become angry again? He didn't offend him right?
The small sparks flying over on this side were not noticed by the others who were moving forward at top speed. Everyone flew for another 10 or so minutes. When they had come close to Area M, Ling Lan stopped abruptly and waved her hand. Everyone immediately stopped flying and went to their respective positions. With Ling Lan as the center, they assumed a formation that was safe for both offensive and defensive battle.
Not long after, there was another commotion on the other side of the forest. Many mecha were darting through the forest skillfully, coming closer and closer towards Ling Lan's position.
Everyone's expression became serious. It seemed like they were coming for them.
The radar on a mecha could discover flying objects up to a three kilometer radius. Normally, it if wasn't included in their mission goal, assault battle teams would find a way to avoid other battle teams when they saw them on the radar. If the opposition didn't see them as an enemy, they would change their direction mutually after stopping briefly. Right now, however, the other party was coming straight towards them, which clearly meant they were going be trouble.
"Little Four, zoom and enhance!" At Ling Lan's orders, the screen on the mecha instantly pulled up the image of the map within a 2 to 3 kilometer radius. A 24-man mecha battle team was approaching their position at alarming speeds.
Little Four was very thoughtful; he put up screenshots of the logos on the chest plate of those mecha on the two sides of the screen.
"The Federal Defence Military Academy and the Second Men's Military Academy…" Ling Lan frowned slightly.
"Looks like they formed an alliance before the battle. It wasn't just us and the First Co-ed Military Academy who formed one. The Second Men's Military Academy has also found their ally military academy. We just don't know who else they have allied with." Ling Lan was surprised. As expected, those who could be the commanders of the top tier military academies were real pieces of work.
"Also, for them to have been able to enter Area S9 so quickly, it looks like the Second Men's Military Academy split their army up right before entering the map area. As for the Federal Defence Military Academy, if I remember correctly, their headquarters is in Area M67, not too far from Area S. The people from the Second Men's Military Academy probably rested at the headquarters of the Federal Defence Military Academy and moved out together." Ling Lan thought in detail and predicted the opposition's arrangements to a certain extent.
"And now, them brazenly coming towards us means that they've found out that we're just a small battle team of seven. They could definitely take us out easily… Looks like those who come don't have good intentions and those who don't come have good intentions!" Ling Lan's lip perked and showed a hint of a cold smile. She hadn't expected that she would be viewed as a soft bone for others to chew on.
"Get ready for long-range attacks!" Ling Lan immediately ordered.
The formation that had Zhao Jun as the vanguard instantly changed. Zhao Jun sidestepped, changing from the vanguard to the left wing. Xie Yi and Li Lanfeng, who was in the back, immediately went forward and stood at the front of the team to become the two vanguards. Li Shiyu, who was in the middle-rear, darted to the right and became the right wing. And Qi Long and Luo Lang, who held the line, split to the two sides, becoming Zhao Jun and Li Shiyu's secondary wing.
Ling Lan's position didn't change. She was the center point in the last formation and was still the center point now. It was just that this point was considered to be closer to the back, becoming the formation's only person to hold the line. The whole formation was in the shape of a fan. Qi Long and the other five formed a semi-circle, all of them looking in the direction they were responsible for. Ling Lan was the center point of the this semi-circle.
They used this formation because the radar showed that the opposing formation was also the fan formation. They needed to use the same formation to defend against attacks from all possible directions.
"Haha, did we scare those seven small fry?" One of the mecha operators from the Second Men's Military Academy said with uncontrollable excitement upon seeing their target halting at their position.
"Maybe they think we're friendlies." The mecha operators from the Federal Defence Military Academy didn't think too badly of their opponent.
"From the rumors that we heard, some of the military academy in Area S and P have formed an alliance. We need to get into the action quick, or else we won't have a chance to meddle with those two areas when the commander arrives," said another mecha operator from the Second Men���s Military Academy, frowning.
The situation was beyond what they had thought in the first place. In this battle royal, compared to ones from before, alliances were being formed more quickly between all the military academies. If Area S and Area P succeeded in combining into one group, they would end up creating a terrifyingly strong army. If people like them that were from other areas wanted a piece of the pie, they wouldn't have the chance.
However, everyone knew that Area P was the most valuable area; it housed almost half of the military academies' headquarters. This was an endless treasury for obtaining a large amount of points. Even if the the Second Men's Military Academy had a large amount of time to fully take over Area Q and Area M, the points that they gained in the end would only equal the amount of points for a small corner of Area P.
This was also why they were hurriedly moving into Area S. The Second Men's Military Academy needed to set foot into Area S and P while all other military academies were allying with each other, in order to create a good condition for them to march into Area P fair and square.
"We're really going to go against those seven? Maybe we should find them ask them for some information about the situation." One of the mecha operators from the Federal Defence Military Academy was not inclined to blindly start a battle without any information.
"You see, what alliance would want a battle team that couldn't even manage to muster up 12 people? They will definitely become our spoils of victory." The Second Men's Military Academy's battle team team leader laughed coldly after hearing all that.
These words made the others agree. They were able to agree so quickly on attacking this seven man team was because of this reason.
This allied battle team composed of the Second Men's Military Academy and Federal Defence Military Academy had perhaps let their guard down because they had the advantage in numbers. Although the opposing formation was both offensive and defensive shown on the radar, no one would think that the seven man battle team would not fear death and actively attack in such a precarious situation.
The 24-man team had entered the range of long-range attacks. Ling Lan didn't order her group to shoot. She knew very clearly that before the two sides become actual enemies, the first attack was the most important. Ling Lan's goal was to bring down seven mechas from the opposing side in the first attack—this would further their cut down the opponent's number of mecha and bring them closer in range with their own.
Thus, she had to wait for the most suitable time to attack…
As the two sides got closer and closer to each other, Ling Lan heartbeat became faster and faster. This time, if she miscalculated by even a little bit, their small team of seven would be met with disaster. Not only would they be eliminated from the battle royale, but this outcome would also affect the entire First Men's Military Academy.
Ling Lan rummaged through her pockets and again squeezed the thing that could decide their entire team's fate. She bit her lip. Since there was going to be battle no matter what, then she didn't have the luxury to be irresolute and hesitant.
Ling Lan's expression suddenly turned ice cold, and her whole body emitted cold air. If it wasn't for the cockpit's temperature control setting, it was possible that the entire cockpit would have been frozen up. However, activating the ice affinity also made Ling Lan as calm as ever, no longer having any fluctuations in her heart.
Waiting was tough. Only a few seconds had passed yet Ling Lan forehead had already formed rivulets of sweat. The sweat trickled down Ling Lan's forehead, going between her brows, around her nostrils and into the collar of her shirt; Ling Lan's protective vest quickly became drenched. Fortunately, the protective vest had a drying function and quickly dried up the sweat…
Ling Lan, who was fully focused, went into the fantasy-like world once again. Three of the mecha that were originally flying extremely fast suddenly slowed down their pace. All their movements were clear as day. The operating speed of the opponents automatically appeared in Ling Lan's mind. She could even see the rhythm and points of how they were operating.
"Weakness! Weakness! Weakness!" Ling Lan's eyes clearly looked at the three mecha that gave her three chances to take shots. Her talent Profound Insight had worked its magic once again, and this time, its usefulness was shown through these three mechas…
"A3, A4, A5 are mine!" After Ling Lan gave the order, the three mecha, piloted by Li Lanfeng, Xie Yi and Li Shiyu, that were originally responsible for these three mechas, moved their guns slightly.
"A6."
"A7."
"A8."
The three of them all indicated out loud the mechas that they were going to attack. This was to remind others to not overlap their attacks.
"I'll take B8." Zhao Jun saw that he didn't get a piece from the first row of the enemies, thus decisively choose a target from the back.
"Attack!" Finally, Ling Lan gave the order to attack.
The seven of them fired the beam guns in their hands at the same time. Ling Lan's muzzle shifted in an instant and a beam of light poured out. After leaving the muzzle, it somehow split in mid-air and became three beams of light and flew towards the opponent three mecha.
Actually, this was just an illusion. In reality, Ling Lan had instantly shot out three shots. It was only because the speed of firing was so fast that it gave off the sense of one beam splitting into three…
This odd scene made the three mechas that were being attacked unable to respond. No, actually, it was more like that the attack by Ling Lan's seven man team was not in their expectations. A sudden attack like this didn't give them a single chance to dodge.
Chapter 498: Close Range Combat!
Translator: Henyee Translations Editor: Henyee Translations
Boom, boom, boom… the beams all made their mark on the respective mecha they had targeted. Due to Ling Lan decision in attacking from a distance where the power of the beam gun was at its strongest, in addition to the analysis of power of the mecha in accordance to the cockpit's endurance, this round of simultaneous shots made the A.I. of the opposing 9 mecha instantly consider the mecha as "destroyed". The A.I. of the mecha forcibly shut off and the 9 mecha all dropped towards the ground.
"Assholes!" The two captains who were in the rear were so angry their eyes were red upon seeing this scene. They didn't think that the 7-man team that they were facing didn't give a shit about dying. Facing their 24-man battle team, they didn't even think about retreating and even proactively attacked first.
The vision of their members were blocked by the members in front and in addition to the sudden development, they didn't see that they had already lost 9 members in this round of attack. Upon finding out they had been attacked, they could only give out an order in anger and frustration, "Return fire!"
Like that, the remaining 15 mecha all took out their beam guns and shot at the opposition. Perhaps because the return fire was rushed, many shots ended up missing. They weren't like Ling Lan's small team who had already locked on to the target that they were going to shoot at.
However, many beams of light had hit the opposing mecha. Right when they were hit, the left arm of their mecha erupted out a light screen that guarded their front side. When the beams hit these force fields, the force fields only fluctuated a bit, then the beams disappeared without a trace. The beams that they had shot out didn't do any damage to the opposition.
"It's modified mecha!" One member said with surprise upon seeing this situation.
This discovery made the Second Men's Military Academy and the Federal Defence Military Academy's allied battle team become flustered. Modified mechas were considered luxurious items in the Federation. It would strengthen and toughen a part of of common mechas. Some mecha modification masters could even increase the performance levels exponentially. The force field that the opposing side had was without a doubt made for beam gun attacks.
None among military academy students would use modified mechas. This wasn't because they didn't have the money, but because the military academies didn't allow modified mecha from outside the academy. However, creations by those taking the modification major within the academy were allowed to be used. However, the modification ideas that students brought up as research topics usually existed only in the virtual world. Perhaps it was also that some theories and data were not applicable onto real mecha. After all, the students were still young, their theories and research would have inadequacies here and there, and would be unable to be transferred to the real thing.
Although they couldn't use modified mechas, the students still clearly knew the strength and power of modified mecha. In mecha history, there once was a special-level modified mecha that had shot down five ace mecha in battle. Although there were many reasons the ace mecha were shot down, and there might have even been the factor of luck, the ability of the special-level modified mecha was pretty much similar to ace mecha; otherwise, it wouldn't have been able to continuously take down and destroy five ace mecha.
This was also the reason which made the alliance members of the Second Men's Military Academy and the Federal Defence Military Academy become flustered. The seven mecha in front of them were three special-class mecha and four advanced mecha. After taking into account modifications, they were equivalent to a battle team consisting of four ace mecha and 3 special-class mecha. What were ace mecha like? One ace mecha could exhaust a full 12-man team of special-class mecha, not to mention three. Could they really take them down?
This was also the reason why Ling Lan had been confident in starting a battle with the opposition. With this card that they had up their sleeve which could guard against long-range attacks, Ling Lan was confident in bringing down the enemy numbers to the same as their own before getting into close-range combat.
"Calm down! Attack! Attack!" The two team leaders from the alliance were both yelling into their commlink channels. Right at that moment, if there were to be even the slightest of flustered movements among their side, then that would spell catastrophe for them. They were regretting their decision right then. Why were they so careless? Why didn't they think about why a 7-man team that couldn't even form a full team dared to come towards them. They had definitely had something up their sleeve, and they even neglected this point.
However, it was like they were riding a tiger and unable to climb down. Both sides would only be able to rest once one side was eliminated. The only choice was to tough it out and take out the opposition, or else the result they faced in the end would be defeat and elimination. This wasn't what they wanted and was not something they were willing to accept.
After the orders were screamed out by the alliance team leaders, their team members instantly woke up. They shot beams out wildly in an attempt to get the enemy side's force fields to reach their maximum absorption capacity. They knew very clearly that if they didn't break the force field, they would have no way of dealing with them.
After turning on their force fields, Ling Lan's small team also pulled on the triggers of their beam guns to retaliate. Compared to the opponent's random shooting, Ling Lan's small team paid more attention to accuracy. They were so confident only because of the beam absorption shield that Chang Xinyuan had made specifically for them. It could definitely protect their mecha.
Both sides were fighting viciously. Ling Lan's side still remained unscathed, while on the other hand, the Second Men's Military Academy and the Federal Defence Military Academy alliance lost four more mecha. One of the two mecha were taken down by Ling Lan alone.
Talent in profound insight once again showed its strong power when random shots were bouncing around. Whichever mecha Ling Lan's eyes laid upon, then that mecha's weakness would appear before her eyes. Thus, Ling Lan only shot out two shots and was able to acquire success.
"F**k. Give up on long-range and get ready for close combat!" The two team leaders of the allied battle team were both smart people. Failing to get any results even after having shot so many beam attacks towards the other side, they quickly realized that the beam guns had probably been rendered useless. If they wanted to turn the situation around, then they could only bet on their close combat abilities to stand their ground.
Seeing that the opposition had switched to close combat weapons, Ling Lan calmly ordered, "Get ready for close combat!"
With that said, Ling Lan's little team instantly equipped the cold weapons from their backs. Because Ling Lan liked using large cold weapons as close combat weapons, the other members of the little team all had a cold weapon in their hands. Even long-range mecha were the same.
"I'll be responsible for C3, C4, and C5; Zhao Jun is responsible for B5, and C6; Lanfeng is responsible for B7 and C7; the rest are free-for-all!" The opponent had 11 mecha left. In the two rounds of beam gun attacks, Ling Lan saw through each mecha's overall strength from their launch timing and movements. Thus, she arranged a formation that was suitable for the rest of the mecha.
C4 and C5. One was from the Second Men's Military Academy and one from the Federal Defence Military Academy. They were also the strongest in their battle team. It didn't even need to be said that both of them were definitely the team leaders of these two teams. In order to make sure none of her own team members would be eliminated, she had to first take down these two strongest individuals. However, this wasn't enough. So that most of her own team members could engage in one-on-one battles, she had to intercept one more person. Thus, at the same time, Ling Lan took on the member that was beside these two.
Zhao Jun was now an ace operator, but his mecha was disadvantaging him. Ling Lan didn't dare to assign three people to him. Instead, she assigned the two special-class operators, B5 and C6, to him.
However, even if she and Zhao Jun took on 5 people, the opponents would still number one more than them. Ling Lan had no choice but to let the last special-class operator, Li Lanfeng, take him on. However, Li Lanfeng physical constitution was on the weak side and had problems with endurance. The opponents that were allocated to him was one special-class operator and one advanced mecha operator. However, even if it was like this, Ling Lan still couldn't help but worry whether Li Lanfeng could actually take on the arduous task…
The 4 mecha leftover was comprised of two special-class operators and two advanced mecha operators. If Qi Long and the others couldn't think of something to take them down, or even ended up eliminated, Ling Lan would definitely find them afterwards to sit down and have a "talk".
Ling Lan's allocation was very clear. Qi Long and the other three all found the opponents they were responsible for.
"I'll be responsible for B2!" Qi Long was eyeing a special-class operator with strong abilities. Having reached special-class operator level himself, he really wanted to do battle with another special-class operator once in order to confirm his real potential.
Because Qi Long only had successfully advanced to special-class before the beginning of the tournament when the military academies had set out, there wasn't enough time for him to become familiar with the new special-class mecha. Thus, he couldn't help but operate his own advanced mecha and participate in the tournament. This was something that Qi Long regretted, hating himself for not advancing earlier.
"I'll be responsible for C1!" Li Shiyu said quickly. He had his eyes fixed on the last special-class operator. He had already reached the peak of advanced mecha operators. Having touched upon special-class operator level, in comparison to Luo Lang and Xie Yi, he was more suitable in taking on a special-class operator.
Luo Lang also had his eyes on C1, but after seeing that Li Shiyu had already taken that one, he chose an advanced mecha operator at random. Xie Yi had some wisdom. He knew that among the seven of them, his capabilities were the weakest. Even the opponent that his teammate had chosen was of similar strength to himself. It was even possible that age and experience made them more of a seasoned veteran. They needed to use their maximum effort to fight them off.
Hearing Li Shiyu proactively go head to head with that special-class operator, Ling Lan raised her brows a bit. Her ideal match-up was that Luo Lang was more suitable to face that special-class operator. It wasn't because Luo Lang's operating skills were better than Li Shiyu, but because of Luo Lang's innate talent. Once he activated his innate talent talent, it would increase the ability of Luo Lang's mecha operating skills…
However, Ling Lan's thought only flashed through her mind. Since the members had already made their own choices, as the team leader, the only thing she should do was to put 100% trust in her team members. She should trust that they would definitely be able to do the job right.
Finally they arrived in the range for close combat. Ling Lan roared, "Move in!"
Already with targets in mind, Ling Lan's group morphed into fierce beasts after hearing the orders and viciously jumped towards their opponents.
Ling Lan was originally in very back of the battle team, but her speed was the fastest out of the seven of them. After one stomp, Ling Lan's entire mecha suddenly flew up into the sky and went past Xie Yi and Li Lanfeng who was in front. It was like a tiger coming down a mountain, flying towards C3, C4 and C5, the three people who were in the rear line of the opponent's side.
C4 was the team leader of the Second Men's Military Academy. When he saw that it was a special-class operator that came towards them, his desire to do battle instantly was set aflame. He roared, "He's mine!"
C3 and C5 heard this and moved their mecha, preparing to pass by Ling Lan's sides. The large sword in Ling Lan's hand suddenly shook and a horizontal slash followed, sending a strong shockwave that quickly spread towards both the left and right sides.
"Bang! Bang!" C3 and C5 hurriedly put up the weapon in their hands and blocked that sudden wave of light, making two loud noises.
They were originally going to fly past Ling Lan's mecha, but instead they were sent flying back a few steps from Ling Lan's strong sword strike. They looked at the special-class mecha in front of them with surprise. They hadn't expected that this insignificant special-class mecha was going to intercept all three of them. Two of the three were team leaders. Was this guy crazy? Or was he planning on sacrificing himself to give the other members a chance to escape?
Chapter 499: Crisis!
Translator: Henyee Translations Editor: Henyee Translations
On the other side, Zhao Jun had intercepted B5 and C6. Li Lanfeng intercepted B7 and C7. Qi Long and the other three each faced the opponents they had chosen.
The team captain of the Second Men's Military Academy instantly became angry after seeing that his opponent had intercepted both C3 and C5. Was he looking down on him? He angrily said, "You guys go. I'll take care of him." After saying that, he operated his mecha and darted towards Ling Lan. He was ready to teach a lesson this person who seemed to look down on everyone.
C4 was full of pride and didn't want to cooperate with someone else to take down one opponent. As the second strongest mecha operator in the Second Men's Military Academy, he thought that no one was on his level except for the three ace operators, including some others who were at the peak of advancement from special-class operator, such as the strongest special-class operator from the Third Men's Military Academy, or Zhao Jun who had already reached ace operator level but had no choice but to use a special-class mecha.
The special-class operator in front of him who was not even known was the same as the others.
C3 and C5 knew of C4's character and knew that he didn't want them to have a hand in this; thus, when they saw C4 move in and was about to get in range with the opponent, they decisively operated their mecha and flew towards Ling Lan's sides. They were about to go around her once again. They weren't ready the first time and were knocked back because they looked down on the opponent. This time, they were fully focused and used all their strength. They believed that they would definitely be able to move past the opponent and join the battlefield.
"Bang!" Ling Lan lifted her large sword and intercepted C4's attack. However, it was as though she judged her opponent's strength incorrectly causing her mecha to tilt backwards uncontrollably…
Seeing this, C4 was greatly happy. Right when he wanted to continue attacking and finish his opponent off, he felt a force coming from the mecha's abdomen area. The mecha could not be controlled and was flying backwards.
The severe shaking made C4 feel that blood was coming up from his chest. If it wasn't for the cockpit's defensive function, even though his physical constitution was also monstrous, a strike like that would have been enough to harm him. But even so, this strike made the A.I. determine that the mecha was damaged severely. The power level dropped by 30%.
Self created mecha skill—Rabbit Sky Leap! This was Ling Lan taking the area of effect physical skill Rabbit Sky Leap and making it into the mecha skill Rabbit Sky Leap. This was three times stronger than a normal stomp. However, it was this kind of power that could do damage to mecha. This move was probably a mecha skill that was named after her…
Ling Lan hadn't really fallen down. While she was flying backwards, she forcefully stabbed the large sword in her right hand into the ground. The 10 to 15 meter long sword blade was instantly stabbed half its length into the ground. Finding balance by using the sword, the body of the mecha stood up once again. Right after, she sidestepped and held the hilt of the large sword with both hands. Using the sword as a pivot point, her two legs flew upwards and forcefully swept towards her right.
"Bam!" Another loud sound followed. C5, the Federal Defence Military Academy's battle team team leader who was going around from the right, was sent flying back forcefully by this sudden kick from Ling Lan. Ling Lan's stance didn't change, moving swiftly using the sword as the center and went 180 degrees. The entire mecha looked as though it was out of control, tossing itself rapidly towards her left. In an instant, her mecha reached C3 who had been trying to find a path around her.
"Bam!" There was another sound. The outcome met by C3 and C4 was not so different from C5. They were all sent flying back from the side kick. The three of them pretty much fell to the ground simultaneous and on the same spot.
At the same time, Ling Lan used the forced she kicked C3 with and performed a backflip. Her mecha once again landed on the ground. She slowly walked towards where she had left her large sword. She grabbed the hilt, pulling it out with great force. The large sword was instantly taken out from the ground.
The three allied battle team members, who quickly stood up, were now maintaining a defensive stance. They cautiously watched this plain-looking special-class mecha that was in front of them. The outer appearance of this mecha was the same as theirs. They were all real life models specifically used for military academies. In this mecha tournament that had more than of it including special-class mechas, it was common enough for people to simply disregard.
But it was this ordinary special-class mecha that had defeated them in one move. Although the three of them hadn't combined their attacks and were defeated one by one, the feeling of being defeated in a single move them didn't sit well with them. Especially C4 and C5. As the battle team's team leader for their military academies, they felt disgrace for being defeated by someone who wasn't even well known.
They subconsciously looked at the logo on the chest of their opponent. It seemed as though there was something painted on it. The image was there one second and gone the other, unable to be seen clearly by others. This was possibly an accident, or it could also be on purpose. Nevertheless, they could not determine at this moment which military academy this 7-man battle team was from.
However, this didn't hinder them from determining the strength of the opponent. The opponent's close combat ability was very strong. They were pushed back in two consecutive hits and one was the same result when they were fully focused. This proved that in terms of close combat, the strength of the opponent had already surpassed them. If they wanted to defeat the opponent, they wouldn't be able to do it with just one person…
C4 surreptitiously signaled to C3 and C5. It meant that they would attack together. C3 and C5 nodded, showing that they understood. The opponent's attitude was very clear. If they wanted to go past him, then they had to defeat him.
C4 became the temporary captain. He looked towards the opponent and, holding in the shame in his heart, yelled, "Attack!"
The three of them suddenly split up; they went up, left and right. They pounced towards Ling Lan from three different directions.
Ling Lan's lip showed a hint of a cold smirk. The thing she feared the least was being attacked from all sides. It would have been a headache for her if they had one person keep on her heels, while the other two circled around her from two different directions and ran. Their decision was just what she wanted.
"Boom! Boom! Boom!" The three's weapons made contact. Ling Lan retreated as she blocked, blocking their attacks one by one. The three saw that and became happy, which lead to them attacking Ling Lan more ferociously.
In that second, Ling Lan was being pushed back by the three of them. She could only block passively, unable to proactively attack. However at the same time, the three of them were kept busy by her, and not given a chance to leave Ling Lan's side.
At this moment, there were 6 pairs of mecha fighting to the death in the battlefield behind Ling Lan.
Luo Lang's situation was the best out of the six of them. Having operating capabilities that was slightly better than his opponent , he was at a slight advantage and pushed his opponent to their limit. However, it wasn't easy to change the advantage to a victory in such a short time. The opponent's endurance was strong. Knowing that his capabilities were not as good as his opponent, he used all of his strength to defend. The opponent knew well that they outnumbered them. They just needed to drag it on until the opposition was defeated, then they would be able to join forces and attack together and victory would still be theirs.
Facing an opponent that had a clear objective, and one who wasn't fighting blindly and impulsively, Luo Lang would either have to drag it out until the opponent could no longer endure the pressure from his attacks and become defeated, or he could choose to find a chance for a one hit-kill, striking down the opponent.
Luo Lang chose the latter because there was someone in the team whose situation was dire… Luo Lang could wait, but his teammate could not.
Luo Lang instantly wore a cold expression. The extremely calm personality was the most suitable for operating mechas. This personality appeared in an instant.
Xie Yi's situation was pretty good as well. The opponent was an advanced mecha operator. Their operating skills were on par. The only thing Xie Yi lacked compared to his opponent was experience. This also showed in the beginning of the battle. When the battle began, Xie Yi was at a disadvantage. However, Xie Yi got used to it and brought the fight to a stalemate.
Ling Lan's hellish training finally brought about its power. How could someone break from high pressure attacks from their opponent when they got back up after being beat down by Ling Lan's shower of attacks that felt like a thunderstorm?
Xie Yi endured the time he couldn't adapt at the beginning and began to show his capabilities. As time passed, his battle was becoming easier and easier, and the situation was becoming more advantageous for him. At this moment, Xie Yi was at a slight advantage. He was the second team member in Ling Lan battle team who got an advantage.
Other than Luo Lang and Xie Yi, the situations of the other four people in the team weren't so perfect. Because of his mecha holding him back, Qi Long was being pressured by his opponent. However, Qi Long's operating capabilities and vision range was already at special-class level. Additionally, he was used to being pinned down by Ling Lan's attacks. Even if at the moment he looked like a small boat traveling in a stormy sea that would be destroyed, Qi Long was in reality the one in the least danger out of all of them. It wouldn't be easy for the opponent if the opponent wanted to take him down.
In Ling Lan's mind, Qi Long was the one person that she was the least concerned about in the battle team. To use Ling Lan's words to describe the situation, even if they were to toss Qi Long into mountains, tundras, and deserts, this guy would still endure it and live on.
Zhao Jun seemed to be having a hard time because he had to go against two operators who were at the peak of the special-class level. Having his focus split between two made him get hit many times, and his mecha had taken some damage. However, Zhao Jun was still at the level of ace operator; while he was hit a few times accidentally, he dodged the ones that went for vital points. Most of the attacks had just scratched him. This kind of exterior damage wasn't going to damage the mecha too much. The power of the mecha didn't decrease.
After a bit of fighting, Zhao Jun had gotten used to the combined attacks of the two people. Although the situation wasn't the best, as he was pressured by the joint attacks of the opponents making him unable to counterattack in such a short amount of time, it was still impossible for the opponent to defeat him.
Even though the situation seemed dire, Zhao Jun had completed the task Ling Lan gave him. The two special-class operators were being stalled by him.
The person that was in the most trouble was the 'Li' family's brothers. Whether it be Li Shiyu or Li Lanfeng, they were both in a crisis at this moment.
Of the two mecha that Li Lanfeng faced, one was a special-class operator and the other a advanced mecha operator. Looking at it, it seemed that it wasn't too bad. However, because the two opponents attacked him together, it was the same as Zhao Jun's situation. Li Lanfeng was being pressured by the two opponents. However, Li Lanfeng's mecha operating skills were opposite of his teammates. The others leaned on offensive power while Li Lanfeng was really strong in terms of defensive power.
This was because of Li Lanfeng's spiritual power. He could always find best point to intercept an opponent's attack. Thus, every time the opponents attacked, Li Lanfeng could parry them. His mecha wasn't damaged like Zhao Jun, but knowing Li Lanfeng's weakness, his teammates knew that Li Lanfeng could not endure a battle that was dragged on for too long…
In reality, in the commlink channel of the team, the sound of heavy breathing could be repeatedly heard. This proved that Li Lanfeng's stamina was running out. It was possible that Li Lanfeng would not be able to endure for much longer.
Chapter 500: Mutual Understanding!
Translator: Henyee Translations Editor: Henyee Translations
Compared to Li Lanfeng's silent crisis, Li Shiyu's crisis was more obvious. Although Li Shiyu had already touched upon the area of special-class operators, he still wasn't a special-class operator in the end. At the same time, he was operating an advanced mecha that was weaker by one level. Not long after pairing off with a special-class operator, Li Shiyu was in a crisis.
Advanced mecha operators and special-class operators—although the difference between them wasn't as large as ace operators and special-class operators, there was still some difference. This difference was magnified in battle. Li Shiyu couldn't dodge once again and the opponent's beam saber hit his mecha's right arm with great force.
A force field instantly appeared and deflected the beam saber. Li Shiyu wiped away the cold sweat he had shed just now. He was rejoiced that he had asked Chang Xinyuan for some contraband before coming into the battlefield, especially the force field that was from the original team. It was also because the two of them had a very good relationship that Chang Xinyuan installed another one for him. On Li Shiyu's mecha, both the left and right arms had one installed. It was the extra force field that saved him this time.
However, with Li Shiyu tricks on used up, his situations was becoming more and more dangerous.
Li Shiyu once again exhaustedly blocked three attacks from the opponent. The nervousness and using up all of his strength made his fingers shake uncontrollably. He felt the numbness and soreness coming from his fingers. Li Shiyu knew well that this was the result of overusing his fingers. He didn't know how long he would be able to endure. It was possible that he would lose the ability to operate the mecha in the next second.
"I see. This is the capability of a special-class operator. Even though I'm close to advancing, the difference between me and my opponent is still huge. I probably can't even block 50 hits. I'm not sure how many hits I've blocked up until now. Was it 30?"
Li Shiyu's mind was now in chaos. The shadow of defeat made Li Shiyu anxious. In reality, Li Shiyu hadn't hoped to win against the opponent, but he had thought that he would be able to endure for certain amount of time. He didn't think that he had miscalculated the strength of special-class operators… this miscalculation would not only have be faced with the crisis of failure, but at the same time it would bring catastrophe to the others in the team.
Reality was very harsh. The captain went against three special-class operators, two of whom were captain-level mecha experts. Zhao Jun intercepting two top level special-class operators was already his limit. Li Lanfeng was also dragging his weak body and fighting the death against his two opponents. The others in the team were all using all their strength to fight with their opponents… If another enemy appeared, they would definitely break the team and destroy their last hope.
"I will take my teammates into the future and create countless moments of success and glory. I will not allow failure to appear. Senior Li, do you know what it means to fail in the battlefield? It means death! That is a result that we cannot accept!"
Li Shiyu suddenly remembered a time when Ling Lan was beating on the team members and almost took half their life spans. He had gone to find Ling Lan to find out why after he was given first aid and this was what Ling Lan had told him:
"If I'm harsh to them now, they'll live longer in the future!" Ling Lan's expression at the time was deeply serious. Even if she was blamed by them, she would not back down. Li Shiyu still remembers how they had parted on bad terms afterwards!
Li Shiyu always thought Ling Lan was too ruthless, training the team members as if they were enemies, his methods so brutal to the point of being unbearable to write them all down. Li Shiyu was against this, defied it even. This was also why he was the one who drank Ling Lan's poisonous tea the least.
Now, however, Li Shiyu realized that his mistake was beyond wrong. Qi Long's operating skills had been weaker than his own back then, but not only did he successfully advance to special-class operator as of present, he could also operate an advanced mecha and be on par with the opponent using a special-class mecha. Furthermore, Li Lanfeng, who could only endure 10 minutes of intense fighting before, had managed hang in there to this moment while being sandwiched by two people. Even though he was breathing heavily, he didn't lose any ground against the opponents.
While everyone was successfully holding their opponents at bay, he was the only one losing. Other than being attacked without the chance to fight back, he was backed up into a corner. He could lose and be eliminated from the battle in the next second. It was even possible that because of his failure, the entire team would face extermination…
Li Shiyu was regretting it all in this moment. He didn't regret that he went to battle as a special-class operator—he only regretted not joining Qi Long and the others in the beginning to accept Ling Lan's brutal training regiment. Maybe then, the situation now would have turned out differently.
"Dodge!" Suddenly a scream went through the commlink channel of the team. Li Shiyu immediately woke up from his thoughts and saw the large sword of his opponent special-class operator almost about to strike his chest area. If he was hit by this, just with the opponent's positioning, it would be either the mecha becoming half broken or being determined to be eliminated. No matter which outcome it was, it would be a nightmare for Ling Lan's team either way.
A loud boom! This was the sound of cold weapons striking each other and not the sound of them hitting mechas. Everyone's attack seemed to slow down in an unplanned unison where all their focus was on Li Shiyu.
They saw a special-class mecha appear bside Li Shiyu, and the large sword in its hand blocked the sword strike that was about to hit Li Shiyu.
"Lanfeng!" Li Shiyu looked at the person who saved him from trouble with surprise. His face was full of disbelief. The Li Lanfeng who couldn't even protect himself actually came to his aid…
"Shiyu, don't forget the promise you made to that certain someone!" Li Lanfeng said angrily. In order to save Li Shiyu, the angry Li Lanfeng had operated to his limit in an instant, causing damage to his body greatly. Blood dripped out of the corner of his mouth uncontrollably.
Those words of his were like thunder that struck Li Shiyu's heart.
"Brother, what's your dream?" A young Li Shiyu was looking at Li Mulan in front of him, teeming with respect. That unparalleled face that made him want to see but did not dare to look at made Li Shiyu's little heart always beat intensely for a few beats.
Li Mulan smiled faintly making Li Shiyu smile as well. His face uncontrollably blushed and his heart beat faster uncontrollably once again. It was as though it would jump out of his chest the next second.
"Dreams, huh?" Li Mulan's expression was a bit blank. He looked at the endless ocean outside of the window. "I really want to go out and see the world. What else could be out there other than this endless sea? I want to become an exceptional mecha operator even more. To be able to operate the mecha and fly freely in the stars… freedom… free…" Li Mulan's expression was sad because this was a dream that he could never make into reality.
Li Shiyu felt a pain in his heart. He suddenly screamed out, "Brother, you can definitely do it. I will travel the world and help you find medicine that can cure your condition. Then you will be able to operate a mecha and become a mecha warrior." The young Li Shiyu still didn't know back then that a medicine that could cure his cousin did not exist in this world. He was merely thinking innocently that since they world was so big, he would eventually find medicine that would be effective.
Li Shiyu's words made Li Mulan turn around, his eyes filled with tenderness. He took out his pale white hand, softly flicked Li Shiyu's forehead and laughed, saying, "Alright, but if you want to travel the world, you have to become a strong mecha operator."
Li Shiyu instantly thumped his own chest and said confidently, "Don't worry, brother, I will definitely become the strongest mecha operator!"
"The strongest? That goal is pretty amazing. You'll be going through a lot of hardships then. Are you not afraid?" Li Mulan smiled as he asked.
"I'm not afraid! I will definitely become the strongest mecha operator! Definitely!" Li Shiyu was worked up. Why did his eldest cousin brother not believe him? Was he someone that people couldn't trust?
"Okay, I will wait until you become the strongest mecha operator. My future is in your hands," Li Mulan responded while smiling. The strongest? Not everyone was Ling Xiao.
Li Shiyu felt his eldest cousin brother's perfunctory attitude. He suddenly took out his tiny hand and said seriously, "Brother, let's make a promise. When I become the strongest mecha operator, I will travel the world and find the medicine that can cure you.��
Li Mulan saw Li Shiyu's serious expression and the casual smile he was wearing gradually vanished. A few seconds later he asked, "You really want to make a promise?"
Li Shiyu nodded forcefully. "We definitely have to make a promise. I, Li Shiyu, will do what I promise."
Li Mulan stared at Li Shiyu earnestly. Li Shiyu met his eldest cousin brother's eyes without hesitation, showing his seriousness.
Li Mulan finally smiled once again. He took out his right hand and said, "Okay, then let's promise."
Li Shiyu carefully formed an oath with Li Mulan and set their promise in motion… After many years, when he understood that there was no medicine in this world that could cure his eldest cousin brother, his thoughts changed. He entered the military medicine major in order to do self-research and create that medicine.
Yes, the promise from then was five years ago. It had been tossed aside into a corner and completely forgotten by him.
"The strongest mecha operator?" Li Shiyu clenched his fists, his eyes reddening. He had actually forgotten the promise he had made with his eldest cousin brother. He actually forgot!
"How can I lose here? How would I become the strongest mecha operator if I can't even defeat the special-class mecha operator in front of me? How would I complete the promise I made with my eldest cousin brother…" Li Shiyu's eyes instantly became clear. "Forget the mistakes of the past. If I lose, then it would be adding oil to fire. I will not allow it."
Li Shiyu's fingers suddenly danced around. With the emotion of regret, frustration and agitation, Li Shiyu's fingers moved faster and faster. In the end, he broke through the limit of advanced mecha operators and his fingers seemed to be leaving behind afterimages. It was indeed the speed of special-class operators where the fingers reach shadow level.
"Bang!"
Li Shiyu blocked the sneak attack from the advanced mecha operator who was trying to hit Li Lanfeng. While Li Lanfeng was busy helping, intercepting and splitting his focus to face special-class operators' attacks, from a undetected position, a sword was silently stabbed towards Li Lanfeng.
Li Shiyu, who woke up in a timely manner, blocked the almost effective hit in a timely manner.
"Bang!"
Another block. This time it was Li Lanfeng. He once again helped block Li Shiyu's opponent's attack. While Li Shiyu intercepted the advanced mecha and unable to take into account of other things around him, a sword attack came towards him from the opponent.
Li Shiyu and Li Lanfeng helped each other intercept attacks. The original one-on-one fights had now became a two-man cooperation. The two of them had never collaborated before, but at this time, as if it they had a surprising mutual understanding of each other. This made their three opponents helpless to do anything to them in that moment.
Li Shiyu went through dangers and more dangers, making it out of his biggest crisis. The situation was once again stable. However everyone knew that the stalemate would only last for a moment. It would definitely be broken eventually, but it was merely unknown as to whether Ling Lan's team or the allied battle team was going to break the stalemate.