Chapter 024 Wow_1

Li Yuanba, a man as fierce as his name suggests, an unparalleled warrior.

In Base No. 6, there were those who didn't know about Major Han Li, but there was no one who didn't know about Li Yuanba. Not just in Base No. 6, but throughout the entire Alien Planet, Azure Star, nobody was ignorant of Li Yuanba. Even on Imperial Star, of unknown location, Li Yuanba was a famous figure, causing the Ape Emperor of the Empire to rage, venting his anger by wreakously driving his mecha around the palace.

Of the 532 golden stars on Li Yuanba's mecha, three were remarkably large. These stars represented an Imperial Prince, an Imperial General, and an Imperial Crown Prince, along with their three most powerful mechas, each piloted by a mighty Ape.

So, when Han Li declared before thousands of people that he had only lost to Li Yuanba after disarming his mecha, nobody viewed Han Li as weak. On the contrary, everyone instantly reevaluated his martial strength.

As a Major of the Alliance, one of only a few hundred Special Level mecha warriors, a hero who had just sworn to stay and fight on the Alien Planet, he wouldn't lie about such a matter, nor did he need to.

So, was Ji Xinghe truly a peerless master?

The audience's gaze towards the stage finally revealed the anticipation and excitement characteristic of a fighting match. From a situation where everyone believed it was a case of the strong bullying the weak, the young oppressing the old, it evolved into a match where Colonel Han Li, known for his top-tier fighting skills in the federation, was pitted against a hidden grandmaster. The match had finally become worth watching.

Having said his piece, Han Li handed the microphone to a staff member beside him. Only a few noticed that his gaze deliberately avoided a girl sitting in the front row. His evasion was tinged with confusion and an apology, he had just revealed a reality, a cruel reality that adults would not wish to tell their children.

Yet, no one blamed Han Li. Those who didn't know didn't see a reason to blame him, and those who knew more or less guessed what Han Li was planning to do, and why he needed to do it.

Ji Xinghe looked at Han Li, who once again faced him, and once again said softly, "Actually, you don't have to do this."

This time, Han Li didn't deny it. He had made his intentions all too clear, at least to Ji Xinghe, he had.

"Uncle Ji, you must build the Old Man Joyful. Otherwise, wouldn't the collective efforts of these hundreds of people go to waste?"

With that, Han Li smiled, and felt at peace.

This was what he could do for Ji Xinghe, help an ordinary mechanic to gain the fame needed to garner the valuable resources required to build Old Man Joyful.

Seeing Ji Xinghe's complex expression, Han Li worried that Ji Xinghe might forfeit intentionally, even if he held back, Ji Xinghe might not want to win. So, he assured him quietly, "Uncle Ji, don't worry, I don't need this kind of fame, my golden stars are enough. Next time you see me, there will definitely be a three-digit number of golden stars on my mecha."

If a mecha has a three-digit number of golden stars, it means it's an Ace Mech of the Federation. Currently, there are only nine Ace Mechs in the Federation. Han Li, who is confident about being the tenth or at least the ninth Ace Mecha, is he not worried about having this stain on his record?

Defeated by a 65-year-old man, in front of thousands of people, and an even larger audience witnessing his loss.

Han Li minded it, but he was willing because he knew very well that Ji Xinghe is highly unlikely to take up armor piercing combat, unlikely to obtain the golden star awards. Dependent only on relatively simple tasks like vehicle repairs and simple weapon maintenance within the base, Ji Xinghe would never be able to build his Old Man Joyful.

In this war, every person's contribution is indispensable, but resources are limited. As such, the distribution of resources cannot be absolutely fair, only a relative fairness and rational allocation can be achieved.

"Uncle Ji, I'm serious, I really don't care for the false fame, it's really tiring. Before I challenged Li Yuanba and lost, people were always trying to pick fights with me and Chenxing every day, we were utterly annoyed..."

Han Li continued to persuade. The volume of their speech was very low, close enough for the referee and the on-site reporter, Su He, to record, but Han Li was confident he could get Su He to edit this part out.

Actually, among everyone in the world, aside from Han Li and Ji Xinghe, the one who understood the most about what Han Li wanted to do was Su He. He had heard everything loud and clear. The referee standing next to them only had some clues and was still at a loss.

At this moment, Ji Xinghe suddenly sighed. After interrupting Han Li's persuasion, his tone changed.

"No, I don't mean what you think."

"Eh? Uncle Ji, what do you mean, then? Are you worried that I'd lose so blatantly that it would make the match meaningless? Don't worry, I'll make it realistic. I've watched the video of you fighting that 'Thirteen Young' in the prison, there's definitely no problem."

"No, what I mean is..."

It was hard for Ji Xinghe to say it, but at this point, he had no other way to phrase it. He lowered his head slightly, speaking in an even softer voice.

"What I mean is, you don't have to lose on purpose."

"What?"

Su He, referee: "???"

Lifting his eyelids, Ji Xinghe gazed down at the 181cm tall Han Li, raising his volume slightly: "Han Li, use your full strength."

Han Li was taken aback. What did Uncle Ji mean?

Accompanied by a drone camera, Su He couldn't help but whisper a reminder, "Old Ji, stop kidding around. Major Han Li is a really good fighter. You don't really think that your casually practised Wing Chun can defeat the best mech warrior in the whole federation, do you? Or do you think because of the low gravity on this alien planet, and you feel as light as a swallow, giving you some illusion? But Major Han Li also feels light as a swallow."

The referee finally caught the plot: Han Li intended to intentionally lose to Ji Xinghe to boost Ji's reputation, but Ji Xinghe really believed he could defeat Han Li.

He hurriedly whispered, "Old Mr. Ji, folk kung fu really won't cut it. Military combat skills are no joke, and your physical condition..."

With a sigh of helplessness, Ji Xinghe slowly backed away, "Let's begin directly. If you can't hit me within one minute, use all your strength, otherwise I will walk away."

Wow, this old man has quite a stubborn temper.

The referee stood between Han Li and Ji Xinghe, raising his hands, ready to drop it at any moment.

Han Li finally confirmed that Ji Xinghe was not joking, but he still didn't think Ji could defeat him. He knew about Wing Chun, Ji Chenxing was also familiar with it, but still couldn't beat him.

"Alright."

Han Li responded, stepping back three steps to signal the referee. Without any further hesitation, the referee blew his whistle and swung down his raised hands. He was not a professional referee; he had a whistle because his main task was to direct vehicles, planes, single soldier starships, spacecraft, etc. into the warehouse. And because he had a whistle, he became a temporary referee.

No one paid attention to these details. If it hadn't been for Han Li betting his reputation, if Ji Xinghe hadn't gained some pitiful fame, there wouldn't have been so many spectators, nor would this venue have been requisitioned at the last minute.

As the match officially began, the audience watched intently. The little girl got up from her seat, not worrying about blocking the view of the spectators behind her, as she was only six years old, the shortest in the venue.

But on the stage, or the making platform, the tallest man, even the biggest in the entire venue, was her grandfather.

Her grandfather was here to take care of her. He had traversed millions of kilometers, across the star sea.

Her grandfather was going to defeat the seemingly formidable man, because her grandfather was a peerless expert.

A scream suddenly resounded from the audience, the little girl also instinctively wanted to scream, but immediately covered her mouth with her small hand. She didn't dare scream because adults didn't like noisy children. Noisy children were disobedient and if she was disobedient, her grandfather might not want her anymore.

If her dad didn't want her, and her mom didn't want her either, and if her grandfather didn't care for her, she would have no one left. She didn't want to be alone.

But she was really worried because the formidable-looking man started running, then jumped up, very high, and kicked towards her grandfather's head.

Would grandfather be alright? Would he end up lying in a hospital bed like mom? Would he sacrifice himself like dad?

The little girl didn't understand that in a fight like this, even death is not described as a sacrifice. The little girl didn't know that her grandfather was really formidable, a peerless expert.

Even less did she know that her grandfather would never abandon her, regardless of how disobedient she might be.

Thump! The exclamations of the audience suddenly ceased as if everyone's throat had been throttled.

As a matter of fact, someone's throat had been throttled.

Taking advantage of his physical fitness, and the low gravity on the alien planet, Han Li burst out a speed far exceeding the champions of 100-metre sprints, and a height surpassing high jump champions on Azure Star.

It was a swift and fierce flying kick. The audience confessed that they wouldn't be able to dodge such an attack. Those who believed that Han would hold back were convinced they were wrong when Han executed his flying kick.

So they all gasped, and then their gasps all abruptly ended as if their throats were being choked, because Han Li's neck was grasped.

Ji Xinghe, who stood frozen as if he was scared, shrunk his body as swift as lightning when Han's foot was swinging at him, his towering 1.91-meter stature was compressed like a spring, then instantly released, exploding with unprecedented power.

Tall and with long arms, after arriving on the alien planet, Ji Xinghe who grew from 1.9 metres to 1.91 metres, effortlessly caught Han Li's neck in mid-air, then slightly exerted strength.

Then there was the thump; the sound of Han Li being thrown to the ground, while Ji Xinghe stood still as if he had never moved.

At that moment, he was a peerless master.

The little girl removed her hand covering her mouth, her eyes twinkling, her voice as soft as a mosquito's.

"Wow!"