A string of armored soldiers stormed out from the entrance of the stadium. The crowd could not contain their excitement
The model used for the day was the military college standard Lingyun series WE training mecha.
The competition segment for today involved piloting through obstacle courses, shooting, and the most popular, mecha battles.
To lighten the atmosphere as well as to save a little face for Gu Te, Apollo College led the battle.
This phase of the competition tested the mech warrior's reaction speed as well as agility. After completing the obstacle course, the warrior would have to hit the target within three seconds of entering the region of assault.
After yesterday's mistakes, Campbell was deeply affected. He wanted to perform to his fullest potential in this segment, as it was his forte. Thus, he volunteered to be the first representative.
He was extremely familiar with the Lingyun series WE training mecha. He was also highly ranked in this competitive segment.
The students of Apollo college stood up and cheered upon Campbell's entrance. Upon the command, the WE mech rushed out. The feet of the mech pounded the ground with astounding impacts. Campbell's speedy advance, dodging, leaping, and transitions clearly showed the competence in his technique. This was not a game. Every action resulted in substantial pressure on the human body and would distort the actions of the mech if not controlled well. It was a balance of two different concepts.
At both sides of the stadium, soldiers controlled the laser attacks, which would cause the mech to halt upon contact. Campbell leapt into the sky in an aggressive somersault, successfully dodging the attacks. The crowd roared, and even the students of Ares College were impressed by his stunts.
Campbell successfully landed and slid forward on the mech's knees. Immediately, he took out the laser gun. Bang bang bang.
Bullseye.
The target was destroyed
In a single breath, a perfect run was executed.
Campbell emerged from the pilot seat and then waved to the audience. Beads of perspiration had formed on his forehead, but he was still in full spirits.
Mission complete, 2 minutes 10 seconds.
The other participants of Apollo College that followed all managed to complete their missions in about 3 minutes each, a far cry from Campbell's score.
The total score achieved by Apollo College was 14 minutes 23 seconds.
The two colleges with the best scores would advance into the final round of battle, while the last college would be eliminated from the competition.
As though it was a battle of the fittest, Zeus College too rolled out their best warrior first - Lear.
All eyes had been on this all-around genius, yet little was known about his mecha piloting skills.
"How I
wish for him to mess up. A freshman like him should be weaker in this segment," Ma Xiao said.
Mecha control required both time and experience and thus, the freshmen tended to be weaker in this area.
"It is his strongest segment," Meng Tian said. The group stared at him speechlessly
"Cronos Group, PJ, is the largest military weapon supplier on Earth."
Everyone was in a daze. It was no wonder the middle name Cronos sounded familiar. Lear was of a different league altogether.
Lear had already entered the WE Mech. It was a relatively old model that he had stopped playing with when he was a kid.
Upon the gunshot, Lear's mech sprung into action. For an instant, the entire audience was dumbstruck.
This…
Everyone could only see a mech advancing in a straight, undisturbed line at the speed of lighting. The attacks were dodged with high frequency motion as though it was child's play.
No one had even noticed when the laser was fired. The blows were superimposed onto the target in three accurate fires.
1 minute and 45 seconds.
The pilot cabin's door bounced upon. Lear jumped out from the cabin and landed effortlessly on the ground. One could barely tell that he just completed the battle competition, as he looked totally fine.
Ma Xiao and everyone gulped. He was incredible; he definitely exceeded the ability of a normal human.
At this point in time, everyone seemed slightly disheartened. It was no longer an equal playing field.
Campbell maintained a composed face but was feeling worried and fearful deep down. Lear's experience with the mech exceeded his expectations. He could not imagine how one could complete a series of difficult maneuvers so effortlessly.
Masasi, on the other hand, was not dumbfounded. He knew that entering the list meant that one was a legendary existence, and he had set it as his goal.
Lear Cronos was truly using an ox's knife for this simple matter[1].
Lear Cronos' performance hyped up the morale of the Zeus College students. However, it could have been too early to start celebrating. The flying fatty followed behind Lear. He started off very well but messed up towards the end of the obstacle course, as he was trying too hard to show off his skills and did not complete his final attack within the three seconds limit. The punishment was another two minutes added to the score, bringing Zeus College's total score to fifteen minutes.
This was a huge set back, and it sent fists flying into the air for Apollo College. Although they had a lower individual rank, Apollo College's combined score defeated that of Zeus College.
The final battle was to follow. Campbell versus Lear. It was a match between a newcomer and an experienced player.
Campbell glanced at Lear, but Lear appeared disinterested in him as an opponent.
As they passed by Ares College's position, Lear looked at Masasi. "Tell Victor that Earth is my territory and that he should watch himself"
Masasi smiled faintly. "Senior, I hope you can make a trip to the Moon."
"Defeating him is only a matter of time," Lear said, in a calm and natural tone.
Masasi did not contest this statement, as it was not something that was worth arguing over.
Lear turned towards Meng Tian. "You should return if you are done exploring. Do not cause unnecessary trouble."
"Sorry, I do not believe you are that close to me," Meng Tian replied.
"Such a place will just lower your standards." Lear remained nonchalant. His statement must have greatly offended at least half of Ares College's students. However, he still had the skill to back his words up.
After returning to his seat, Lear stared coldly at Luo Fei. That fool had nearly messed everything up. Luo Fei recoiled in fear.
"Lear, you should pay less attention to girls; they do not cherish good guys."
Yue Jing spoke in the gentlest of tones and handed Lear a towel.
Lear ignored her gesture and looked her in the eyes. "I hope your advice works."
"Don't worry, I understand girls."
Yue Jing smiled charmingly. At this moment, she was behaving humbly and switching up the most benevolent side of her.
The last round was for Ares College.
The audience cheered for the home team. Ares College would try to secure the entry to the final round regardless of what might happen.
The first competitor was Ma Xiao with a below average score of 3 minutes 10 seconds.
Masasi followed behind with a close score of two minutes thirty seconds. Frankly speaking, Masasi had not fully adapted to the gravity of Earth. However, given Lear's achievements, it was not a valid excuse. Given that Campbell was the best competitor from Earth, they might have caused others to look down upon the standards of the competitors from Earth.
Meng Tian was up next. Zisu and the other girls formed a line at the railings to cheer for her.
True enough, Meng Tian's performance did not disappoint. She had a total score of 2 minutes 50 seconds. It was score worthy of envy by her fellow comrades. It was obvious that she was very familiar with her mech piloting skills. As an elite female competitor, she was much more flexible in her control compared to her male comrades.
Ares College was starting to see hope in the face of desperation. Zeus College's penalty gave Ares College a chance at entering the finals. Although Ares College may not surpass Apollo's score, it was still possible to defeat Zeus College's score.
All eyes were on Zhang Shan. Zhang Shan was starting to feel the pressure, but it was even worse in the face of hope.
The guys at 007 were anxiously waiting. Yao Ailun drew a cross across his chest. "Dear lord, please bless us till the end, we will win as long as our score is not the lowest. "
Zhang Shan strode forward in his mecha suit. Before he had even traveled ten meters, he was shot down by the first wave of attacks. The impact was heavily felt and his speed immediately declined. It was obvious that Zhang Shan was anxiously fighting against time, but he failed to dodge a second attack. In the end, the mission was successfully completed, but his score was a total of 6 minutes. Sighs traveled across the stadium.
Zhang Shan left the cockpit disappointed, pounding his chest in annoyance.
"It is normal to pay a price for experience, young man. Take it as a lesson learned."
Adonis smiled. To be frank, the results of the first three competitors frightened him. However, once they entered the finals, Lear's competency meant an easy victory. There was no room for mistakes.
Currently, the total score of Ares College was 13 minutes and 13 seconds. This means that the last competitor will have to finish his mission within 1 minute and 30 seconds for Ares to enter the finals.
This in itself was an impossible task!
Zhang Shan's head sunk into his hands. How could he lose his calm at this critical moment, especially after he had been boastful about his abilities?
"Are we still going to compete?" Jamal knew that it did not matter much at this point, as the outcome was almost certain.
"There is still a substitute competitor. To be frank, it doesn't matter now." Adonis felt at ease by the scores.
Even clay people would feel angry, but Gu Te felt extremely disheartened. "Take a look, the substitute competitor is Wang Zheng, whom you guys were extremely curious about."
"Eh, you mean the physics brat?"
"He is also interested in mecha?"
The curiosity of the two principals was stirred.
Zhuo Mu gave Wang Zheng a pat on the back. "You can choose not to compete."
To be embarrassed in front of so many people might lower his self-esteem and affect his future development. Moreover, Wang Zheng had barely gotten any specialized training.
"Sir, I would like to give it a try."
Zhuo Mu nodded. "Go ahead, give it your best shot!"
At the VIP lounge, spectators were exchanging whispers. It was such a pity, but this was fate. No matter how unfortunate, this was life.
At this instant, a clear voice shouted out from the audience. "All the best, Wang Zheng!"
Aina…
The students looked towards the direction of the voice in a daze. A journalist even took a photo with the title "courage in the face of despair" in mind for article.
But this wouldn't change anything.
It was only a substitute player. At this point in time, the audience paid little attention to him.
Another person from the VIP lounge stood up. "Wang Zheng, you rascal, give it your all. If you don't, don't even think about coming to listen at my lectures anymore."
Xiao Fei...
Wang Zheng touched his nose. Who was it that was cheering for him..
He jumped into the mech's cockpit. It felt exactly like his training, but Wang Zheng felt his blood running. He made sure that everything was connected properly and tried to lift an arm and move a foot.
Sigh!
This was too cool. It was actually a real mech. This was what he had been waiting his entire life for.
[1] It's a variation of the saying using an ox's knife to butcher chickens. It means that Lear's actions were just overkill.