Chapter 573: Chapter 348: The First Opponent
Mu Fan, as one of the first Mechanical Masters to arrive here, could now see the so-called seventh base of the Land of Bright Star—a large strategic fortress.
Metal filled the interior; Mu Fan had not yet had the chance to step out of the fortress to take in the scenery outside.
Everything within the fortress’s internal space was prepared for wartime, such as the metal-reinforced walls, specialized anti-aircraft shelters, and even now, he was unable to guess where tomorrow’s battles would take place.
“Please have each participating team enter their designated areas.”
All other competitors entered into separate hangars as complete teams.
Only Mu Fan drove a heavy truck in by himself.
Watching the heavy metal door slowly open in front of him, Mu Fan turned his head and said, “Nuonuo, you go handle the paperwork. I’ll take care of things here.”
After Wang Nuonuo obediently left, Mu Fan tapped the side of his ear, “Black, is it possible to infiltrate the system here?”
“Infiltration to a mid-level stealth has been completed. This is a military fortress with access privileges divided into four levels: highest, 1, 2, and 3. Attempting to take control of level 1 or higher privileges risks exposure. The highest level privilege belongs to the Interstellar Mecha Association and is suspected to be a physical authorization model. Currently, no hacking has commenced, only invisible monitoring is possible.”
“Understood, help me confirm the selection method for the battle matchups in this Mecha combat tournament.”
“At present, the Light Computer is performing random matchups. Thirty seeded players are not part of the matching pool and are operated separately by the organizers.” With Black, Mu Fan had access to advanced information.
The perverse advantage of a God’s-eye perspective was the ability to control the entire situation.
“How many competitors are there in total?”
“568 participants. It’s a single elimination format, the winner advances to the next round, the loser is eliminated, until the number of participants falls below one hundred.”
That meant he needed to win three consecutive matches to make it into the final group of 71!
After pondering for a moment, Mu Fan spoke up, “Can you interfere with the Light Computer’s matchmaking system?”
This was what he truly wanted to ask after sending Wang Nuonuo away.
To kill a snake, one must strike its head, so his intent was—
To target the Lan Du Military Group from the start of the competition!
Having come here, not to deliver a significant blow wouldn’t be in Mu Fan’s nature.
“I can. The first round of the competition must be selected by the Light Computer. Only then can I grasp the special encryption methods of the Interstellar Mecha Association. I need just one opportunity!” Black emphasized once more.
Just one chance, huh…
“Okay. Are there any surveillance cameras here?”
Mu Fan looked up at the work space’s smooth metal walls.
“There’s no surveillance.”
Upon Black’s response, Mu Fan leaned back into his chair, removed his sleeve, and took a metal reagent tube from his travel bag. He twisted it open and bit down hard, pouring the contents directly onto the wound that was barely held together by sutures.
Cold sweat broke out from both sides of his forehead; the special medicine given by Bai Guyue was exceptionally potent.
Feeling the enormous drain of energy during the healing of his wound, he took out a Molten Magma Fruit from his backpack and bit into the hot, sweet juice, swallowing it.
A fiery energy surged from within him.
Mu Fan looked at the travel bag in front of him; this was all he had for the competition.
His logistical support consisted of these Molten Magma Fruits, a gift from Lu Qingxue, and his maintenance crew relied on several autonomous robots controlled by Black.
He would peel the cost of his injuries off the opponent, piece by piece!
“Black, remove the Extreme Special Soldier, lay out all the components. The maintenance that follows… it’s up to you.”
“Serving the host is my honor.”
As his words settled, the central part of the heavy truck in the field came to life, and twelve mechanical arms stretched and sprang into action. The final small cargo compartment opened, revealing four maintenance robots and one multipurpose robot.
At the same time, the indoor hoist within the hangar instantly activated, accurately securing the Mecha—the Extreme Special Soldier!
The black Mecha shed numerous cords while standing majestically and silently in the hangar, amid the creaking sounds of the steel hoist.
Its robust body, thick metal shell, with an Alloy Heavy Sword strapped to its back.
Nothing else!
This was Mu Fan’s Mecha that was about to enter the battle, the Extreme Special Soldier prototype, codename Zero.
Ge-Z!
Four identical weapons still hung from the hoist—four Acabert Alloy Heavy Swords, ready to be exchanged when one got damaged.
Knowing that the battle would end only when he had completely fallen.
In the spacious hangar, a lone mecha stood with a single person.
And this was all Mu Fan had for the competition!
“Black, proceed with the mecha adjustment.”
“Understood.”
Twenty minutes later, when Wang Nuonuo returned to the hangar and saw the Extreme Special Soldier standing tall in its full mechanical glory, she suddenly covered her mouth and cried in despair.
Back then, at Loki Heavy Industry, when they faced setbacks at their first exhibition, it was Mu Fan who had come forward driving this very mecha, salvaging the heart and soul of Loki Heavy Industry with an impeccable performance.
And now, when she felt utterly alone, it was Mu Fan, piloting the same mecha, appearing before her again!
That focused young man, studying the data beneath the mecha, had been the shining sun in her life ever since he appeared.
…
Time ticked away, and as the hands pointed to 4 PM, the notification from the Mecha Association finally sounded in the hangar.
“Contestants, please proceed to the operations center to confirm your opponents for the first round of the preliminaries.”
Mu Fan looked up from his work. Was his first battle approaching?
Seeing Wang Nuonuo in the corner, looking pitiful as if afraid to disturb him, Mu Fan nodded and stopped what he was doing to walk outside.
During the mechanical hoisting, a soft voice sounded—one the young girl had just failed to hear.
“Prepare to hack.”
Mu Fan’s wristwatch vibrated lightly as he and Wang Nuonuo walked out of the hangar together.
Feeling the fresh air and the bubbling excitement in the air!
The contestants were evenly distributed across four strongholds, and the seventh stronghold where Mu Fan was located had 140 people.
When Mu Fan arrived at the central, imposingly grand platform of the fortress, it was already surrounded by a crowd!
Each Mechanical Master had a team of about fifty members behind them, some to participate, but most were there to cheer on their mechas.
“Please check the information of each Mechanical Master on the light screen. We will now begin the pairing for the battles.”
“Contestant 317 versus Contestant 409, time…”
“Contestant 202 versus Contestant 206, time…”
…
“Contestant 446 versus Contestant 517, time: tomorrow at 10 AM, venue: Area 37!”
This battle was to be broadcast live to the whole interstellar audience, so during this segment, using an extremely old and traditional verbal broadcasting mode proved especially appealing; viewers’ emotions were easily stirred by the tense and vigorous atmosphere.
Standing among the crowd, Mu Fan heard number 517, the exact number on his electronic tag.
“Sir, for the first battle, the opponent is number 446,” Wang Nuonuo exchanged a glance with Mu Fan.
Together, they began to search on the giant light screen behind the host from the Mecha Association.
Mu Fan stood quietly in front of the platform, hugging his left arm.
443, 444…
Found it!
Nuonuo seemed even more tense than Mu Fan.
[Contestant 446:
Name: Gabriel,
Mecha: Gale Gladiator,
Engine: Ninth Generation
Overall Rating: AAA (provisional)]
When the mecha’s rating appeared, Wang Nuonuo’s heart sank.
The first opponent turned out to be a AAA-rated Warrior Mecha.
“Affiliated company…”
Wang Nuonuo’s eyes suddenly narrowed.