After Winning The Esports Championship I’m Going To Pilot A Mecha: Chapter 120

120. L-Level Mecha

What kind of person is Ji Mingzhu?

Even though Bai Sha doesn’t particularly follow the circle of Titan pilots, she has heard of this name.

Rumors say that Ji Mingzhu is a genius pilot not inferior to Red Guard Commander Zuo Quanzong, having become a Titan pilot before reaching twenty years old.

Since appearing in the public eye, every battle he participates in has drawn worldwide attention and is difficult to replicate.

In the battle of the Aberration tide in Shangjing City, he piloted a General Tang Frederick, cooperating with Wen Kang to kill a Disaster-class Aberration, then boarded the Titan Jiuyin, single-handedly facing and killing three Disaster-class Aberrations, becoming a heroic figure who saved Shangjing City.

Later, when wanted by the Calamity Control Bureau, he fought against three counterparts in the Titan pilots, breaking through the encirclement of the Bureau’s net and successfully escaping. This battle also became widely discussed, with many considering Ji Mingzhu’s piloting prowess unique even among Titan pilots. At this point, many outside already referred to him as the “Strongest Titan Pilot,” a title that, throughout human history, only Zuo Quanzong achieved in his youth.

After leaving Shangjing City, just when the outside world lamented such a stunning talent, fearing he might never reappear, he appeared in a different manner during the Titan runaway incident in Yangyuan City. On satellite broadcasts, people from all satellite cities could see his calm demeanor and high fighting spirit when facing the Titan, a feat considered a historic act of bravery.

From then on, no one dared to doubt Ji Mingzhu’s piloting skills again. As for Bai Sha herself, coming from a wealthy family in Yangyuan City, although she had taken refuge in an underground shelter after the Titan incident, she also saw Ji Mingzhu’s solo confrontation with the Titan on satellite footage.

That night, the fiery red Phoenix-like mech left a profound and indelible impression on Bai Sha’s heart, marking the first time she understood the limits of human mech piloting. The name Ji Mingzhu, to Bai Sha, was like a legendary figure, distant and unattainable. After all, when it came to Titan pilots, there was already a barrier separating them from ordinary life. Even though the Melmara family had a decent position in Yangyuan City, they rarely interacted with pilots of this caliber.

As for why Ji Mingzhu defected from the Calamity Control Bureau and was wanted by Shangjing City, the Bureau did not explain when issuing the pursuit order, leading to various speculations. Some say Ji Mingzhu offended a powerful tycoon and was framed, others say he knew a secret of the Bureau and was hunted down, while still others claim he is the illegitimate son of Red Guard Commander Zuo Quanzong, and was wanted to cover up a scandal…

All sorts of outlandish speculations exist, but there is one point on which everyone agrees: if it weren’t for the defection, and if Ji Mingzhu had stayed in the Calamity Control Bureau, given time, the human world would surely have seen another guardian like Zuo Quanzong in his youth.

Bai Sha looked at the young man beside her with an expression of utter disbelief. The smooth and handsome jawline visible under his cap suggested he wasn’t over twenty. He looked far different from the legendary Titan pilot she had imagined.

This gave Bai Sha an almost surreal sense of unreality.

Bai Sha’s shocked and curious gaze was hard to ignore. Ji Mingzhu, feeling somewhat uncomfortable, pressed down his cap and made a “we’ll talk later” gesture to her, then turned to Wild Wolf and asked, “What kind of deal?”

“I admit I was careless today,” Wild Wolf said. “I originally thought this group of refugees from Yangyuan City were just ordinary people. I’ve been observing this group for a while and thought today would be an easy score. I didn’t expect there would be a hidden master among them…”

Ji Mingzhu asked, “How did you recognize me?”

“Don’t underestimate the intelligence capabilities of the wilderness bandits,” Wild Wolf replied. “We have a certain level of basic insight. Someone who can pilot a B-Class mech and face so many Calamity-level Aberrations without a scratch is rare. Coupled with your age, it wasn’t hard to guess… My deal is simple: you let me go, and I can give you the information you want.”

Ji Mingzhu looked at the man in front of him with some surprise, “What kind of information do you think we want? And what makes you think the information you have can move us?”

“It’s simple. Your destination, like everyone else’s, should be Jiusheng City, right?” Wild Wolf continued, seeing that Ji Mingzhu did not refute, he felt more certain. “And you don’t have a mech. As far as I know, during the out of control Titan incident in Yangyuan City, your mech should have been destroyed by the power of the Celestial Empress Orbital Penetrator.”

During the out of control Titan, all the satellite cities could see some of what happened through satellite footage, and many recognized Ji Mingzhu’s Phoenix Redeemer mech.

Wild Wolf continued, “I have information about a mech that I think you will be very interested in.”

Ji Mingzhu tilted his head slightly, “What mech?”

“Jiusheng City’s Titan is ‘Ju Mang,’ but when it supported Yangyuan City, ‘Ju Mang’ was controlled by the Netherworld Organization, so Jiusheng City is currently without a Titan.”

Ji Mingzhu nodded.

This was common knowledge. The Netherworld Organization not only controlled Yangyuan City’s ‘Zhu Rong,’ but through Zhu Rong, they also controlled ‘Ju Mang’ and ‘Di Jiang’ Titans. They had already issued a declaration of war against Sky City, breaking the original balance and plunging the entire world into a tense and stormy atmosphere.

So far, Sky City has not taken any action, but a confrontation between the two sides is inevitable. Sky City, with its uncompromising style, will not tolerate the existence of an organization like the Netherworld Organization that dares to challenge its authority head-on.

“What does this have to do with the mech you’re talking about?” Ji Mingzhu asked.

“In Jiusheng City, there is a mech research institute, jointly established by the city’s Calamity Control Bureau and the financial consortium,” Wild Wolf continued. “This research institute is primarily responsible for the maintenance and update of Titan components and modules, as well as the energy supply for Titans. For the past ten years since its establishment, it has handled all Titan maintenance and energy supply needs.”

“There is indeed such a research institute,” Yao Guang said, tapping a few times on her light-brain and quickly finding information about this mech research institute.

Ji Mingzhu frowned, unsure why Wild Wolf was suddenly talking about this research institute.

“This year, our wilderness bandit group caught a big fish,” Wild Wolf said leisurely. “A primary researcher from this mech research institute. From him, we learned some very interesting things… This Calamity Control Bureau and consortium-backed mech research institute is officially engaged in these tasks, but in reality, they are secretly researching something else. For instance… the artificial creation of Titan mechs.”

The tent fell into silence at Wild Wolf’s words.

Artificially create Titans? How is that possible?

Ji Mingzhu showed a look of skepticism.

The core of a Titan is a part of the Aberration’s mother body, used as the basis to create these weapons. Since the Aberration’s mother body itself doesn’t belong to this planet, how could it be replicated?

“This mech research institute has been secretly researching Titans for years. According to the researcher, Titans are completely different from other mechs. When they analyzed the Titan core, they discovered unusual biological fluctuations, including the outer armor of the Titan. Although Titans appear to be lifeless from the outside, in reality…”

Wild Wolf lowered his voice, “Titans are alive.”

After he finished, he expected everyone to show shocked expressions.

Only Bai Sha looked surprised, “What?! Titans are alive?!”

But Ji Mingzhu and the others showed no reaction.

Wild Wolf reiterated, “Titans are alive!”

“…” 

Ji Mingzhu thought to himself, ‘I already knew that,’ and then said, “And then?”

Wild Wolf paused awkwardly for a moment, seeing that Ji Mingzhu and the others weren’t the least bit surprised. He couldn’t tell if their calm demeanor was genuine or a façade, which gave him a strange sense of frustration. After a while, he continued, “This conclusion shocked everyone at that research institute. Although they couldn’t replicate the biological fluctuations of the Titans or find substitute materials to recreate a new Titan, their research led to the development of new biological armor and higher precision core components based on the Titan’s analysis.”

Ji Mingzhu was taken aback, “What do you mean?”

“I mean, the mech research institute in Jiusheng City, by analyzing Titan technology and biological fluctuations, has created new mech materials and has already produced two prototype models.”

Wild Wolf said, “Although there aren’t exact parameters yet, according to the researcher, these two prototypes have significantly enhanced performance compared to ordinary mechs. They also possess self-repair capabilities, boasting a 65% improvement in all metrics over conventional S-Class mechs. Internally, they have classified this new type of mech as L-Class.”

An L-Class mech with performance far surpassing S-Class mechs…

Ji Mingzhu’s heart raced. This news was indeed shocking, but he didn’t directly believe Wild Wolf’s words. “Would a researcher know such detailed information?”

“The researcher wasn’t an ordinary one. When I first heard this, I was skeptical too, but after multiple verifications, I found it to be highly credible.”

Wild Wolf continued, “Jiusheng City is known for its expertise in mech research and maintenance. Many of the Calamity Control Bureau’s mech research departments were transferred from Jiusheng City. I also did some digging into that mech research institute, and everything the researcher said checks out.”

“Where is this researcher now?”

“Dead,” Wild Wolf replied. “When we encountered him in the wilderness, he was already severely injured and died shortly after. But he told me many things. Now, apart from the institute’s internal personnel, I’m probably the only one who knows the location of those two L-Class mechs.”

With that, Wild Wolf leaned back. “So, are you satisfied with this deal? You let me go, and I’ll tell you where the L-Class mechs are. It’s that simple.”

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