Chapter 12: Ice and Fire Mecha Combat (7)
Rong Mi was crouching on a high cliff above the snowfield.
The psychic observation range of most mecha pilots was limited. Standing at such a high position, many pilots would be unable to detect anomalies beneath the snow.
But Rong Mi was an exception.
His sharp psychic power helped him become the attacker from above, rather than a clueless prey stepping into a trap.
“Did you notice? Rong Mi is now crouching on the high cliff, just like when Young Master Guo ambushed him earlier! Only now, it’s Rong Mi ambushing someone else.”
“Indeed! We have to see how Rong Mi’s ambush is different from Young Master Guo’s!”
The black mecha crouching on the high cliff moved. Like a shadow formed from dizziness, it leaped straight down from the cliff.
Rong Mi’s movements weren’t very different from Guo Ming’s, the only difference being the use of thrusters.
When Guo Ming leaped, the thrusters on the back of his mecha were only activated for a brief moment when he jumped. After accelerating downward, to control speed and prevent a crash, Guo Ming quickly shut off the thrusters. When the mecha was about to touch the ground, the thrusters on the feet would activate in reverse, further slowing the mecha’s descent to ensure a controlled landing and balance.
This was the standard approach for a mecha pilot.
In Guo Ming’s mind, even the most skilled pilots would always turn off the back thrusters in advance and reverse the thrusters before landing.
Rong Mi, of course, did not do this.
He kept the thrusters on his back at full power, and after the mecha jumped out, he didn’t reduce the thrust. In fact, he increased the power even further.
The loud roar of the thrusters immediately exposed Rong Mi’s presence to the ambushers beneath the snow, but Rong Mi didn’t care.
Because by the time the mechas underground raised their heads to counterattack, he was already in front of his opponents.
The speed was terrifying!
“He didn’t slow down!” The commentator, diligently speaking under the threat of a laser gun, explained carefully from years of professional habit, “Even in the final moments of the descent, contestant Rong Mi didn’t slow down! He didn’t activate the reverse thrusters on the mecha feet! He didn’t even turn off the thrusters on the back of the mecha!”
“His speed… is so fast that the cameras can’t capture it! Even the mecha’s detection devices… and even the opponent’s psychic power… couldn’t precisely catch it!”
The footage from the camera seemed to have a momentary glitch.
In the previous frame, the two mechas had just made contact, and the next second, a loud sound was heard.
Rong Mi’s mecha fell at an unimaginable speed.
Fast.
The speed reached its extreme.
The opponent had just raised their head when Rong Mi’s mecha, like a meteor falling from the sky, was already right in front of them.
Purple psychic power spread around the mecha’s exterior, serving as an additional buffer beyond the mecha’s armor. At the same time, the laser gun in the mecha’s hand lit up, pointing directly downward.
“Puff!””
Rong Mi’s laser gun fired. The ambushers below, unable to think quickly enough, immediately mobilized their psychic powers.
The psychic threads, disguised as white snow, rose up and formed a shield, meeting the laser gun’s attack, resulting in a violent clash that sent debris flying.
Through the gap that appeared, the purple flames under the black mecha’s feet flared as it descended.
Rong Mi’s feet landed on the opponent’s mecha shoulder, and the high-speed descent caused a massive shock. With a series of explosive metallic sounds, the opponent’s shoulder shattered, fissures radiating outward in a starburst pattern.
The reverse impact the mecha withstood exceeded the maximum adjustment range of the cockpit dampeners.
As alarms rang, the cockpit shook violently, and Rong Mi was barely held in place by the restraints, preventing him from being thrown out of the pilot seat. The strong sense of gravity was quickly followed by intense weightlessness, and Rong Mi’s heart rate quickened, his smile widening as he reveled in the exhilarating speed change that would have been too much for most mecha pilots.
Rong Mi: “Yo! I’m here!”
His left hand, not holding a gun, pressed gently on the mecha’s head.
Rong Mi: “Boom!”
The young man mimicked the sound of a gunshot, and at the same time, the psychic energy slot in the mecha’s hand glowed brightly as the psychic power erupted.
He feigned a shot with the laser gun to distract the opponent, tricking them into unconsciously focusing all their defense on the sudden attack.
Yet, with a simple burst of psychic power, he dealt the fatal blow.
The purple psychic power exploded in his hand, and at the same time, the opponent’s mecha head shattered.
The black metal head exploded into pieces, with tangled wires falling to the ground. Sparks flew from inside the mecha’s metallic shell as it lost all ability to move.
Rong Mi leapt from the headless mecha’s shattered shoulder to the ground and politely knocked on the front of the cockpit.
“Quick, store your mecha in the space button and call for rescue back to the gathering site.” Rong Mi smiled, making a friendly request. “Otherwise, when others come and see a damaged mecha, they might become suspicious. I won’t be able to ambush them anymore!”
“All competing mecha pilots have arrived within one star unit of the competition gathering site, and the competition starship is under our control. There are no issues with the staff. All pilots who called for rescue have been brought back to the work starship on the competition field. We have restricted their movements, and no abnormalities will occur.”
In the space city, a one-day journey from the barren star, the live broadcast director sat by the hotel window, glancing at the artificial sky outside.
Three light screens were open beside him. One displayed the live footage of the mecha combat competition, another showed the live studio situation, and the third was a communication screen, on the other side of which was a young man with blue hair and red eyes.
The young man, holding a cup of hot cocoa, wore a slightly content expression as he took a sip.
“The Human Federation’s military department has received the news.” The voice from the communicator was ethereal, accompanied by a strange buzzing hum.
The director’s fingers trembled slightly, seemingly fearful of this voice.
But he quickly relaxed his body.
“Yes, the Human Federation military has received reports from the audience, but you need not worry.” His tone was polite. “Our pre-competition procedures and safety check reports are fully compliant with standards.”
“I’ve already shown the military investigation team our new interactive holographic projection technology and submitted the experimental data for the new technology that we had fabricated earlier.”
“Before the competition began, we reported to the entertainment department. They reviewed our report materials, and though they had some suspicions, they likely won’t launch an investigation immediately or send a large fleet to the barren star.”
“The awakener is about to be activated. They have yet to fully assess Lord Cecil’s strength. Several investigation teams and patrol squads will just become food for the Lord.”
“We’ve prepared enough food for Lord Cecil.”
“The contestant who shot the low-level Ice Butterfly… Though he killed a member of the Lord’s species, his psychic power should be beneficial to the Lord. Lord Cecil will forgive us.”
“The sacrifice is about to begin. Everyone will be fortunate enough to see Lord Cecil’s appearance and experience his power! Humanity’s plight was caused by humanity itself.” The director’s voice became uncontrollably excited. “By joining with you, my Lords, and entering your tribes, we will open a new chapter!”
The one-way glass reflected the director’s excited expression. On the light screen to his left, the camera from the barren star competition site displayed the situation below the mountain slope in the forest.
Mechas were quickly converging on the gathering site.
These mechas were mostly from contestants unaware of the Ice Butterfly ambush.
One mecha, in particular, was already very close to the mountaintop gathering site, passing through an open snowy field after leaving a dense forest.
To avoid spider webs, the contestant’s speed wasn’t fast. Holding a gun in one hand, the other hand’s laser blade was activated, and psychic power was extended outward as they carefully observed the surroundings.
As the mecha moved upward, the contestant had already encountered an ambush in a narrow canyon forest. But because they had been extra vigilant, they had detected the ambusher early and defeated them, taking their chip.
When the mecha finally left the area prone to ambushes, the contestant couldn’t help but relax.
Ahead was a wide, snow-covered field with no cover. The mecha pilot remained cautious, carefully scanning the snow ahead with psychic power just as before.
The scan distance was long, well beyond the typical mecha pilot’s attack range. In their mind, even if there was an ambush ahead, it couldn’t launch an attack from such a far distance.
Their psychic power was also very sharp, and they noticed a shadow beneath the snow.
Instinctively, the mecha pilot paused their steps but continued forward as if nothing had happened.
They gripped their dagger tightly, fully focused, preparing to mimic their earlier tactic of walking into the trap while pretending not to notice.
If the opponent was weak, they could quickly retaliate and turn the tide.
If the opponent was strong, they would try to stall for time and head towards the gathering site.
They were very close to the gathering site now.
“According to the competition introduction, this mecha pilot’s psychic sensitivity is A+. They should have noticed Rong Mi.”
“Finally, someone who can detect Rong Mi. I think Rong Mi’s ‘killing’ spree is about to go wild.”
“Too naive upstairs! I think even if he noticed, he won’t escape Rong Mi’s grasp.”
The mecha pilot, now aware of the trap, continued forward.
In their mind, they played out possible battle scenarios.
They were still too far from the opponent’s mecha to reach the laser gun’s range or close combat distance. The gap was too large for a psychic attack to work either.
By calculation, there were still about fifteen seconds before the opponent could launch a surprise attack. They needed to stay calm and attack the opponent’s mecha head when the time was right.
However, things didn’t unfold as expected.
While the mecha pilot was still mentally rehearsing the battle, the shadow below the snow suddenly expanded.
The white snow scattered, and the black shadow flickered. The black mecha, which had been lying in wait in the snow, was now right in front of them, its mechanical hand surrounded by purple flames as it threw a punch!