Chapter 614: Chapter 388: Opening Thunderstrike (Two in One)
(Congratulations to the new helmsman “Climbing Chaplin”! Today, two chapters are combined into one, and it’s just a few minutes before New Year’s Day, so I wish all dear book friends a happy life in 2017 and may all things go well!)
Inside the cockpit of the Sky-splitting Bird Mecha.
“Xia Zuo, even a 90% surety for this battle is unacceptable to me; I can only tell you that it has to be 100%! The Lan Du Military Group must advance to the top 36!”
“Understood, young master. You should be more confident in the performance of the Sky-splitting Bird’s Mecha Body than I am, and shouldn’t you be even more confident in me?” A young man with a playful and disdainful look in his eyes smiled indifferently.
“I’m confident in the Sky-splitting Bird’s Mecha Body and in you as well, but it’s your personality that I can’t be completely confident about. I just want to tell you that right now, we are in the same boat; the victory is of inestimable importance to you and to me.”
The young man smiled and waved his hand at the light screen, “Alright, I get it, my dearest young master. The Sky-splitting Bird will definitely advance this time. I’m not some low-level Patrol Mechanical Master like Si Erqi.”
Donald’s face in the light screen darkened but he felt helpless and eventually just nodded his head, “I hope so. Also, to ensure advancement, I do not wish for you to clash with that Mecha from Loki Heavy Industry during this battle.”
Xia Zuo’s playful demeanor gradually turned cold, “Are you asking me to avoid him?”
“The true goal is the top 36; I don’t want any accidents before this goal is achieved,” Donald looked at the defiant young Mechanical Master with the utmost patience.
Only he knew how much funding and military support the Lan Du Military Group had secretly provided to the Interstellar Mecha Association.
Otherwise, how could the Dark Department’s Patrol Mechanical Masters, almost capable of confronting Solomon, be taking orders from him?
“Alright, I know…”
Xia Zuo’s voice was cut off midway, which made Donald, who was waiting for him to speak, frown.
“What’s the matter?”
Xia Zuo took a deep breath, his playful expression fading away, speaking lightly, “Nothing much. I want to say that I’ll do my best to follow your orders, but if he is blind enough to court death by coming at me, then all previous discussions… they’re null and void.”
“What exactly do you want!?”
Gaoling Ze looked at Donald beside him, who was nearly in a rage; the pilot of the Lan Du Military Group’s last Mecha was not a pushover, managing to provoke Donald to lose his composure repeatedly.
Of course, this also had a lot to do with the power that the opponent’s capability represented.
Backed by a behemoth like the Interstellar Mecha Association, trying to mess with a High Tier Patrol Mechanical Master from within was akin to seeking one’s own death.
“Nothing.” Xia Zuo certainly couldn’t ignore the opinions of such a major sponsor; he still wore that indifferent expression, yet the killing intent permeating his words almost pierced through the screen.
“That boy, he actually made a throat-cutting gesture to me… Heh, does he not know the meaning of death?”
In the light screen of the Sky-splitting Bird, there was clearly that Black Mecha, which had lightly swiped its palm across its throat in a silent but vivid provocation, unfiltered in Xia Zuo’s sight.
Someone dared to make that motion towards a Patrol Mechanical Master?
It had been many years since he had seen such a naïve opponent.
“Xia Zuo, I trust your strength, but I still emphasize that in this match, winning is the only option. Everything, everything must be in service of victory. Once we join the top 36, you can do whatever you want!”
Suppressing the raging emotions within, Donald issued his final ultimatum, his right hand wrapped in a thick bandage, trembling violently as he struggled to control his anger.
“Alright, young master.”
The communication signal was cut instantaneously, and the screen went pitch black.
Xia Zuo had actually taken the initiative to cut off the communication with Donald!
His fingertips left the red button, and Xia Zuo’s eyelids drooped, his gaze coldly fixed on his own hands.
“Nonsense! I, Xia Zuo, joined the special training camp at the age of thirteen, surviving sixteen years in the darkness, taking the lives of so many that I can’t even count them all. Who are you to lecture me?… Daring to make a throat-cutting gesture to me in front of my peers, really… courting death!”
His words clearly showed disdain for what Donald had said.
After staring once more at the Black Mecha, which in his view was seeking death, he clenched his fist with a creaking sound, eventually placing it on the control console.
“Please have all contestants enter their respective transport ships.”
The voice of Jin Ruisi came again. The transport ships had already opened their cargo bays.
The Sky-splitting Bird’s Mecha tucked its three pairs of wings behind it and headed toward the transport ship.
Xia Zuo had already made up his mind; once the Sky-splitting Bird accumulated enough points to ensure a chance for advancement, he would definitely go out in search of that Mecha.
He would let his opponents know that some people are not to be trifled with.
The rhythmic footsteps of the mecha echoed on the deck, gradually forming an ocean of mechanical sounds.
After completing that action, the Extreme Special Soldier also entered the transportation ship.
When all 71 transportation ships took to the skies at once, the hearts of millions of viewers were finally stirred.
Countless people began cheering for their favorite mecha.
Atop the special observation deck on the Sky Mother Ship, a young girl pressed her hands together at her nose tip, her breath as fragrant as orchids, and in a low voice, she offered the most sincere prayer.
“Praying for His Lordship’s safe return.”
…
Inside the dark mech cabin, Mu Fan watched the representative dot on his combat screen moving swiftly.
Speed 725km/h.
Speed 843km/h.
Speed 962km/h…
Seventy-one ships dispersed in the sky, flying rapidly at various angles.
The next massive battleground, the competition’s organizers didn’t reveal a hint of it.
The Throne Battle – such large-scale melees are sometimes even more exciting than the one-on-one fights of the top 36.
This also serves to best demonstrate the individual abilities of the Mechanical Masters.
When the ship’s speed broke through 2,200 kilometers per hour and thirty minutes had passed, Mu Fan finally felt a sudden sense of descent.
“Starting to decelerate now,” Black’s voice said.
“The destination will be reached in 1 minute, please prepare for battle,” an electronic voice from within the transport vessel’s cargo hold announced.
This vast continent, seen from high above, featured interlaced basins of varying sizes – half revealing a desolate brown hue, the other half vibrant with green and blue.
There were desolate stony flat valleys, immense river gorges, awe-inspiring waterfalls, and lakes scattered everywhere.
Tall mountain peaks, gloomy and low-lying swamps, dense jungles…
And then, in this vast territory of varied landscapes, there were thirty-six huge valleys clearly marked by human intervention.
Within the valleys, the majestic and desolate Iron Thrones awaited their rightful occupants.
Seventy-one mecha would be randomly deployed, and then the melee would officially begin.
“Countdown 3, 2, 1… Deploy!”
The cargo hold doors of the low-hovering transport ships opened, and fierce winds surged inside instantly.
A black hand rested on the edge of the hatch, followed by the silhouette of the entire mecha.
The Extreme Special Soldier looked down, beneath its feet was a riverbed with shallow flowing water.
The engines on its back lit up with a buzz, and the whole mecha body leaped from midair.
The black figure began to plummet swiftly.
The engines at the back started to spew energy exhaust, the counterforce rapidly offsetting the falling speed brought on by the mecha’s own weight.
Boom!
The feet slammed onto the pebble-filled riverbed, kicking up a huge splash of water.
The Extreme Special Soldier, with its legs spread and body slightly crouched, saw the light from its back engines start to dim as it slowly stood upright.
Two weapons, parallel and mounted on its back, remained in place, while the hand lifted the weapon box carrying the Flame Rain Frost Blue. The Extreme Special Soldier’s gaze swept over the surroundings.
“36 thrones arranged in a ring, and this time the map’s diameter exceeds 600 kilometers. Right now, Mu Fan, your location is quite peculiar, close to the center of this circular area. It means that from here, the distance to any throne is about the same.”
“But the time may differ, because this terrain is overly complex. The Extreme Special Soldier is better suited for plains or desert terrains. Lacking some dynamic ejection devices, this mecha is less adaptable to undulating terrain. So now—please assign combat tasks!”
Mu Fan’s gaze swiftly scanned over the map.
Apart from the thirty-six purple dots representing the Iron Throne lighting up on the map, only the green dot representing himself remained.
There was no display for the other mechas.
“The diameter is about 600 kilometers, which is a radius of 300 kilometers, meaning that once the speed reaches Mach 3, the speed is nearly 3700 kilometers per hour, at which the mecha only needs five minutes to reach any throne.”
The seemingly vast map provided no sense of space when traveling at supersonic speeds, and of course, one still needed to guard against sudden attacks that might arise while speeding along.
Mu Fan’s thoughts raced as he considered the three-hour duration of this battle, with each minute of capturing a throne adding one point to his score.
Even if he had been at the Iron Throne from the moment of landing, capturing all would only amass 180 points.
He had to make sure not to roam around the periphery of the Iron Throne for more than one hour.
During this hour, Mu Fan did not plan to rush to contest any throne.
There was a towering mountain peak in the center of the map. He intended to use the terrain to maximize radar effectiveness.
So, his current goal was to break through to the mountain peak on the other side of the jungle.
Then he would find the track of the Sky-splitting Bird!
“Black…”
Mu Fan had barely uttered a word when a red dot suddenly sped across the radar dial.
Extreme Special Soldier sharply looked up, and a blue streak of light twinkled in the sky.
That unabashed blue streak passed directly over Mu Fan’s head, speeding off towards the southeast.
“The speed is still increasing, currently at Mach 6.7! Near-Earth Flying Wings, detached mecha body.”
Black’s warning, accompanied by the image captured by the mecha, transmitted synchronously onto the screen.
It was a human-shaped mecha, completely drenched in blue, with a super long katana exceeding the length of its body slung on its back, standing in the air with arms crossed in disdain.
The mecha’s flat, triangular Flying Wings spat out long flames from their rear, and the edges of the wings were already showing signs of air ionization.
This mecha flew through the midair with a bold and unhidden high-profile stance.
With nothing to obstruct it in midair and surpassing the speed of sound while standing upright, the noise from the air bursting was incredibly loud.
Even without any sensors, Mu Fan, enveloped in the G-frame buffering device inside the cockpit, could clearly hear the massive roar!
“Why does this mecha not care about exposing its traces? Isn’t this just providing other mechas with a target?”
Mu Fan said incredulously. Under conditions where no intelligence was clear, to appear in such a manner right after air drop was practically offering oneself as a target for other mechas’ firepower.
“This is Wangming Heavy Industries’ Chief Mechanical Master Xu Cangqi and his exclusive mount, Blue Dragon Blade Machine! The number three seed contestant of the mecha martial arts competition, this mecha is a true super series, although only S- grade, he has been the third-place holder for three consecutive mecha martial arts competition. If anyone actually launches an attack on him, I’m afraid that would be the biggest tragedy.”
Black quietly revealed the information, and Mu Fan fell into silence.
The rating standards for S-grade mechas were multifaceted, but one thing was universally acknowledged, which was that one must pass the assessment of a majority of the 127 recognized large research institutes in the interstellar community.
Even the lowest S- grade was more than enough to crush an AAA-grade Warrior mecha body.
The number three seed contestant, no wonder he dared to make such an appearance.
“That triangular Flying Wing in terms of functionality is about the same as the Gale Gladiator, just technologically two generations ahead…” Black added another comment.
As Black spoke, Mu Fan could even see through the optical lens that the Blue Dragon Blade Machine glanced at him.
Was it disdain for an attack?
Mu Fan’s eagerness to shoot was immediately extinguished, and just as he sighed and prepared to turn towards the central mountain, suddenly a meteor-like flame red trajectory carved through the sky from below.
Mu Fan’s figure suddenly stopped; that was… had someone launched an attack!?
At a distance of more than thirty kilometers from himself, another mecha had raised its gun and attacked the “arrogant” mecha in the sky.
The diameter of the flame-red trajectory even exceeded one meter.
On the captured image, Mu Fan could even see the supersized tip of the flame-red projectile rapidly spinning.
“Shock Wave Light Bomb, that’s the Mad Hunter Mecha from Seal Weapon Company, an AAA-grade pinnacle Warrior mecha body.” Clearly, Black had already entered all the characteristics of the mechas into the database.
“According to the data compiled by the Mecha Association, the weaponry strength of that Wave Light Bomb has already reached half the power of the Extreme Special Soldier R Augustine Cannon. Under normal circumstances, once it hits a Mecha Body, there will never be a need for a second shot.”
Was the competition just beginning, and it had already entered such a tense phase?
For the first time, the heavy killing intent of these Mechanical Masters allowed Mu Fan to realize that everyone’s previous combat had been too restrained.
Just when the Flame Rain Frost Blue Meteor was about to hit its target, that azure Mecha suddenly reached out to grab the handle of the sword behind it and then, with one foot, stomped on the triangle Flying Wings to soar into the sky.
Just when Mu Fan thought Xu Cangqi would control the Mecha to separate from the wings and avoid the attack, he saw the Blue Dragon Blade Machine’s figure suddenly spin violently, enveloping itself in numerous azure sword lights. In less than 0.1 seconds, the entire Mecha turned into a small azure tornado and plunged sharply from mid-air.
The tornado formed by sword lights collided unobstructed with the Flame Rain Frost Blue Meteor.
Mu Fan had thought that this would result in a cancelling effect, but the Flame Rain Frost Blue Meteor instantly split into eight pieces and burst apart, whereas the azure whirlwind of sword shadows turned into a streak of blue light and plunged to the Earth.
Boom!
Shockwaves scattered in all directions, and Mu Fan could even see a huge water wave rising hundreds of meters high in the distance, mixed with countless sparks.
Was there a lake over there?
However, what was over there no longer mattered.
Just one second had passed; the triangle Flying Wings swiftly dove, and when they rose again, the Blue Dragon Blade Machine was still maintaining that arrogantly domineering posture as it flew towards the southeast.
Mu Fan heard an announcement from the tournament in his ear:
[Seal Weapon Company—Mad Hunter Mecha destroyed, eliminated from the competition.]
The audience also saw one of the 71 names on the giant screen go dark instantaneously.
Was it… over just like that?
Mu Fan felt his cheeks twitching. Was this the strength of a seed contestant in the Mecha Combat Tournament?
It was a good thing he hadn’t foolishly removed that “Flame” just now. Mu Fan was determined to keep himself alive until he had taken down the Sky-splitting bird from Lan Du Military Group.
“Black, once we reach the central mountain peak, mark those seed Mechas you consider dangerous and then confirm the Sky-splitting bird’s location.”
“Roger that.”
The engine of Black’s Extreme Special Soldier roared behind him, its right hand carrying the weapon case as it lunged forward at high speed.
Trees on either side toppled down, the black Armor violently smashing everything in its path.
Gorges emerged behind him while rocks turned into dust.
When the Extreme Special Soldier burst through the jungle after one minute, the view suddenly opened up revealing towering mountains that covered the entire horizon.
Mu Fan directly targeted the nearest peak on the screen.
“Good.”
The Mecha Body’s legs bent, then leaped—engines roaring from the back.
The black Mecha landed heavily on the mountain path and then prepared to step forward and jump ahead.
At that moment, a piercing alarm suddenly echoed inside the cockpit.
Mecha mines?
Mu Fan’s eyes bulged.
Beep beep beep beep, boom!
A red light