puppet

Li Hao did not rush to open the message. Instead, he entered the cockpit, sat down, and let the automatic doors close behind him.

"Bleem Mission No. 127: Six months, EMP 3000 points."Li Hao wasn't particularly concerned. He seemed more interested in the email itself, but when he tried to retrieve it, it disappeared just as before—vanished without a trace, not deleted, but simply gone.

He had no idea who or what was behind it. Was it a person, a ghost, or some supernatural existence? All he knew was its code name: "Bleem."

The first time was on Li Hao's fifth birthday. Something invaded his dreams, drawing him into indescribable worlds, subjecting him to bizarre and impossible training. In the most severe case, he fell into a coma for a month, teetering on the brink of death in a hospital bed. The doctors found nothing and had even informed the orphanage to prepare for the worst. Yet, one day, he woke up, miraculously cured and in perfect health, except for a ring-shaped scar near his heart. The hospital had wanted to study him further, but the orphanage director had intervened.

This strange existence had been a part of his life for over a decade. Li Hao had grown accustomed to it. From what he could gather, it seemed to be training him with some purpose in mind, though not out of malice. He speculated that it might be some evil force experimenting on him, as in a TV show, but he dismissed that idea as he grew older. The methods used were beyond any technology he knew, and besides, what would be the point of going to such lengths for an orphan like him?

At twelve, the orphanage director gave him a communicator, and the emails started coming—each one titled "Bleem Mission." The tasks were bizarre, ranging from finding a stray cat or dog to assassination. Fortunately, the targets seemed to be those who deserved multiple deaths in Li Hao's view.

He had reached an uneasy peace with "Bleem," but he decided to test its boundaries. Once, he deliberately failed a mission. His heart stopped. When he woke up, he received a message, his first clue: "Complete Mission No. 200, and you will receive the answer. Fail again, and you will be terminated."

Terminated? Who do they think they're dealing with?

Despite the danger, as his own strength grew, Li Hao continued to test these boundaries, often flirting with failure. Eventually, he gained some insights, and the frequency of Bleem's missions decreased.

Mission No. 126 had been a year ago; it required him to get into the Tianjing Academy. Ironically, his life had been far more thrilling before entering the academy; the past year had been the most leisurely period of his life.

Opening his eyes and taking a deep breath, a slight smile crept onto Li Hao's lips. After a period of dormancy, Bleem had resurfaced, and he was ready.

The EMP system displayed Li Hao's record:

ID: Puppet

Total Score: 853

Win Rate: 100%

Matches: 4,900

Next to the ID was a fully colored five-pointed star, representing his skills in survival, offense, team battles, solo matches, and mecha choices.

At first, Li Hao had only intended to have some fun, but it quickly spiraled out of control. Yet before Bleem issued the next mission, he had to keep a low profile. His previous high-profile actions had almost jeopardized a major mission.

Scoring control is an art, and indeed, he had discovered a loophole. The trick was in the virtual mode: whether it was a solo or team battle, if even one person chose virtual mode, all scores would be calculated accordingly. Thus, nearly all of Li Hao's battles were in virtual mode, while he himself operated in real mode.

So, he was using a virtual mode, without actually using it.

His score was modest, just over 800—not too conspicuous but sufficient.

Li Hao selected battle mode and joined the random team queue. Soon, an opponent appeared. The opponent had hidden their profile as well: ID - Eternal Starshine.

Li Hao didn't care who the opponent was. Both sides entered the mecha selection countdown, and he chose random.

Puppet vs. Eternal Starshine

Kaiju Fighter III (USE)

Configuration: Medium fighter, 80 tons

Nuclear fission-driven laser cannon, titanium blade

Silver Knight V (NUP)

Configuration: Light fighter, 65 tons

Nuclear fission-driven silver laser gun, laser sword

The mechs entered the arena, facing each other, as a three-second countdown appeared.

3…2…1

The battle began.

The Silver Knight attacked first, moving with remarkable agility, indicating that its pilot was under no strain at this level of exertion. Fast and with room to spare.

The distance between them closed rapidly to twenty meters. The Silver Knight accelerated sharply, its shoulders feigning instability to confuse its opponent's judgment.

Clearly, this opponent was cautious.

At ten meters, the Kaiju Fighter remained still while the Silver Knight leaped into the air, laser sword drawn for a full-force strike.

At this point, it was too late for the Kaiju Fighter to dodge. Unlike human combat, mecha battles rely heavily on prediction and anticipation, with the entire Solar System Mecha Tournament emphasizing the importance of seizing the initiative and controlling the tempo, something NUP excelled at.

The Silver Knight's pilot showed no mercy, and its laser sword thrust forward with even greater speed. But at that moment, the Kaiju Fighter emitted a low roar, its frame shuddering as it surged half a step forward, using its left arm to block the opponent's laser sword at close range, cutting inside, and delivering a sudden 45-degree upward elbow strike with its right arm.

Boom…

The Silver Knight reeled back. Despite the pilot's best efforts to maintain control, the mech was knocked to the ground. The engine roared as it prepared to pull away, but in the next second, a figure flashed past.

Boom…

Explosion.

Puppet (Kaiju Fighter III) wins!

The match ended, leaving Li Hao somewhat dissatisfied. In theory, someone using real mode should perform better. Was this opponent so weak? Perhaps it was because his score was still low, just in the 800s. It would improve later, he thought, casually kicking his opponent aside as he initiated a new match.

Meanwhile, at the Tiansheng Academy on the Moon...

Boom…

"D*mn it, he kicked me! Can't handle losing?" Feynman pounded on the door in anger. "I let my guard down. The opponent caught me off guard."

"Ha, haha, Feynman, are you kidding me? There aren't that many experts around. Even if I haven't faced them, I've heard of them. Puppet? Looks like a rookie! Wow, haha, you got taken out by a newbie. They didn't even use a weapon!" Arz, a tall, slim woman with wavy ash-blond hair, laughed so hard she was nearly in tears, collapsing ungracefully to the floor.

"Arz, that match doesn't count! I want a rematch!" Feynman ignored Arz's taunting, immediately sending a challenge.

"Puppet, you coward! Dare for another round? I'll let you have one hand this time!"

System message: The opponent has muted you. Your message could not be delivered.

Feynman hit his thigh in frustration. At some point, Arz had moved to his side, laughing so hard she almost fell over again. "Oh, wow, our great Tiansheng Mecha God, Feynman, has finally met his match. Remember what the captain said: don't let victory blind you. Seems like you've had a great holiday."

"Feynman, Arz, what's so funny? Let me in on it," a crisp, decisive voice called out. Arz immediately stood up from the floor, and Feynman stepped out of the cockpit.

"Captain!"

Both of them stood at attention and saluted, looking at the valiant girl before them with admiration and a hint of affection.

This was the captain of Tiansheng Mecha Academy, one of NUP's top ten military academies, and a recipient of the "Ace Pilot" title in the recent Solar System Championship, Tita Vantis.

Though it seemed like NUP had triumphed, each battle had been incredibly tough, with several near-defeats. But under their captain's leadership, the team had pushed forward, earning its current glory.

"Tidy yourselves up; we have a guest," Tita Vantis commanded, her authority absolute at Tiansheng Mecha Academy, where she was a star—a combination of beauty, wisdom, and strength. She wore a doting smile that left the two young men stunned. What…?

"Arths, come on out. These two might be a bit dense, but they have skills," Tita continued.

A figure in athletic gear, wearing oversized sunglasses, slipped through the door. When the person lifted their head, both Feynman and Arz were stunned, about to leap up in excitement, when Tita's cold snort stopped them. They covered their mouths, but still rushed forward. "Arths, I've been your fan for ten years. Could you sign an autograph for me?"

"Shut up! Arths only debuted seven years, three months, and eighteen days ago! Your Majesty, Arths, I'm Arz, a sniper in the Tianjing Mecha Squad. It's an honor… Ow, Captain