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After Winning The Esports Championship I’m Going To Pilot A Mecha: Chapter 125
125. Void Rift
In the black market, there are many people like Scarface, jokingly called “fishing rods.” They mingle in the black market, buying and selling, introducing business, and acting as intermediaries, basically doing any job. These people have a keen eye for spotting potential clients, are good at making connections, and have wide networks, so they often do quite well.
With the recent boom in the black market, the “fishing rods” have also been active, searching for their targets in the market. People like Ji Mingzhu, wealthy newcomers, are often their first targets.
The bartender looked in the direction Scarface indicated, his gaze lingering on Ji Mingzhu and Sun Yi for two seconds. “A fat sheep? How fat?”
“He wants to buy this.” Scarface made a subtle hand gesture.
The bartender’s eyes widened. “A mecha?… What grade?”
“A-class.”
“… I’ll go call Boss Bei.”
The bartender immediately perked up and hurried off.
Someone who can afford an A-class mecha is definitely a big client, usually representing a conglomerate or some powerful organization. They couldn’t afford to ignore such a big client. If the deal went through smoothly, they would also benefit greatly.
Before leaving, the bartender carefully sized up Ji Mingzhu again.
He didn’t look very old, but his demeanor was extraordinary. He stood behind Scarface, looking around curiously but without any fear or unease, clearly someone who had seen the world, definitely not of common birth.
Probably a young master from some conglomerate…
The bartender left to inform Boss Bei. Scarface turned back with a smile and said to Ji Mingzhu, “Xiao Ge, please have a seat. They’ll be here soon. By the way, would you like something to drink? It’s on me.”
Ji Mingzhu shrugged, his attitude indifferent. “Anything is fine.”
Scarface led them to a slightly quieter lounge area, surrounded by men and women in various attire, chatting and laughing under the flickering laser lights. The air was thick with the smell of alcohol, and rhythmic music pounded in their ears.
“Who owns this place?” Ji Mingzhu asked casually. “It’s quite large… Your black market is really different compared to other satellite cities.”
Scarface waved for a few drinks, sat down, and said, “Of course. Actually, ‘black market’ is just a common term. Here in Jiusheng City, we usually call it ‘Nightless City.’ While it conducts black market business in secret, on the surface, it’s the largest entertainment venue in Jiusheng City, supported by over a dozen conglomerates. It’s also a frequent haunt for the elite from various satellite cities…”
Ji Mingzhu chatted casually with Scarface, gathering a lot of information about this ‘Nightless City.’
A moment later, the bartender returned, accompanied by a chubby man and several bodyguard-like strongmen.
This must be the “Boss Bei” they mentioned.
Boss Bei looked to be in his thirties, with a round body and a businessman’s characteristic smile on his face. His finely tailored suit stretched somewhat comically over his plump frame.
Seeing Ji Mingzhu, Boss Bei stepped forward and extended his hand. “Hello, hello, young master. I am the person in charge here, Bei Muke. You can call me Bei Ge.”
Scarface stood up and tactfully stepped aside. “Hello, Boss Bei.”
Ji Mingzhu remained seated, arrogantly raising his chin as a greeting.
He had no intention of introducing himself, and his attitude was extremely haughty. Boss Bei’s eyes flickered, but his expression remained calm. He didn’t inquire about Ji Mingzhu’s identity; instead, he sat down kindly and poured Ji Mingzhu a drink.
“I heard you’re looking to buy a mecha, young master?”
“Of course, why else would I be here?”
Ji Mingzhu crossed his legs, his slender legs swinging in the air. “I hope you have a mecha that satisfies me.”
“Of course, if we don’t have a mecha that satisfies you, you probably won’t find one elsewhere in the black market.”
Boss Bei smiled, waved his hand, and a bodyguard stepped forward with a stack of documents.
“These are the mechas we currently have available.”
Boss Bei said, “Please take a look.”
Ji Mingzhu casually took the documents and started flipping through them.
The first few pages were some D-class to C-class mechas. He didn’t linger on them and flipped directly to the back.
The information on B-class mechas was much more detailed. B-class mechas are the most numerous among all mechas. In the field of mechas, C-class and below are mostly standardized mechas. Due to the limitations of armor materials and power core classes, it’s hard to modify them, and even if modified, the effects are generally not great and not cost-effective.
B-class mechas, however, have the most modifications, with a wide variety of types. B-class mecha components are also widely adaptable. A-class mechas are rare and strictly controlled, so there are almost no modified mechas on the market.
As for S-class mechas, they are near-perfect in all aspects, representing the pinnacle of wisdom in the mecha field, and don’t need any modifications at all.
Ji Mingzhu flipped a few more pages and finally saw the A-class mechas.
There were very few A-class mechas, just a handful of pages, but each page had very detailed information, with almost all parameters listed.
“This is the A-class [Dragon Arc].”
Seeing Ji Mingzhu’s attention, Boss Bei introduced, “In the A-class mecha field, this is a very good all-purpose mecha, with a body length of 25 meters and a firepower system that has been additionally modified.”
Ji Mingzhu glanced at it and asked, “Did you modify it yourselves?”
“No, it was already like this when we received it.”
Boss Bei smiled and said, “As for the source, that’s confidential. However, the person who sold us this mecha didn’t allow us to make secondary modifications. Otherwise, its charge accelerator component could be upgraded again.”
Ji Mingzhu smirked, “I’m afraid that’s not the case.”
“Oh? What do you mean?”
“The original jump engine and strategy processor of this [Dragon Arc] should be damaged, but the person who modified this mecha tried to cover up these flaws by replacing the original pulse laser cannon with an energy oscillator.”
Ji Mingzhu continued, “Also, from the parameters, its gravity pump and charge accelerator component are incompatible, so the ionic sensing capacitor’s parameters are much lower than those of a normal A-class mecha, exceeding the usual range of fluctuation. Although the firepower system’s modification makes it seem like it has higher attack power, it actually lowers the overall balance level.”
Ji Mingzhu’s talent wasn’t just in piloting mechas; as a Titan pilot, he was also very sensitive to mecha parameters. He could see the problems at a glance.
“Oh?”
Boss Bei’s eyes flashed, and he looked at the young man in front of him with new respect. “I was about to mention this point. I didn’t expect you to have such expertise in mechas, young master.”
As if you would say that.
Ji Mingzhu thought. This was clearly intended to swindle someone who didn’t understand mechas. If he were a novice who didn’t understand mecha parameters and bought this [Dragon Arc], he would suffer a great loss. Although these flaws were not critical, they meant that its price was nowhere near that of a normal A-class mecha. And Boss Bei was trying to sell it as an A+ class modified mecha, which was pure fraud.
Any doubts Boss Bei had vanished. Other things could be faked, but expertise in a specialized field like mechas couldn’t be. A-class mechas weren’t something an average person could come into contact with. The fact that Ji Mingzhu could spot the issues from the parameters alone showed that this young man was indeed someone significant.
“Sorry, my family is in this business.”
Ji Mingzhu wore a ‘caught you trying to scam me’ smug expression. “Bei Ge, let’s not beat around the bush. Don’t show me defective products like this.”
“Of course, of course.”
Boss Bei laughed awkwardly and turned a few pages in the list. “That was my oversight. Take a look at this one.”
Ji Mingzhu looked over and paused.
“[Void Rift].”
This is an A-class mecha designed for stealth and assassination, and Ji Mingzhu recognized it.
In [Warfall] it is a ghostly assassin, a presence that terrifies enemies in team battles. In reality, the [Void Rift] is the most destructive single-unit force among A-class mechas.
This mecha stands at only nine meters tall, smaller than most C-class mechas, with a dark gray coating that makes it extremely difficult to spot in the dark. Its coating also uses rare anti-scan reconnaissance material, making it harder for detectors to pick up.
The [Void Rift] has a slender build, with a small head design, making it easy to lurk or hide in narrow spaces. Besides its power core, it is equipped with a high-performance energy group and an independent drive, allowing it to operate silently for extended periods. The legs of the mecha are designed based on feline anatomy, enabling it to move and leap quickly in complex terrains.
This was exactly the mecha Ji Mingzhu needed.
Although it didn’t have the instantaneous speed system of the Phoenix Redeemer, the unique anti-reconnaissance and stealth system of the [Void Rift] made it extremely suitable for infiltration missions. If he needed to investigate the research institute mentioned by Wild Wolf, this mecha was perfect.
Ji Mingzhu’s eyes narrowed slightly, but his expression remained calm.
“This mecha isn’t bad… How much does it cost?”
Boss Bei smiled, “You indeed have a good eye… Although this mecha doesn’t possess the powerful frontal combat abilities of other A-class mechas, its performance in other areas is outstanding. It is a special operations mecha. Due to the scarcity of materials, the [Void Rift] has been discontinued in the Calamity Control Bureau. Even within Calamity Control, there are very few of these mechas left. We went through great effort to acquire this one.”
Ji Mingzhu frowned, “Just get to the point and tell me the price, no need to lay so much groundwork.”
Boss Bei made a gesture, “Approximately… this much.”
Sun Yi and Scarface almost simultaneously took a cold breath.
What the f*ck.
Ji Mingzhu squinted, not agreeing immediately, “I need to report to my family first.”
“Of course,” Boss Bei nodded, “If you decide to purchase it, just contact me anytime. Here is my contact information.”
Ji Mingzhu took the business card from him and put it in his pocket. Then, he feigned great interest and asked, “I heard you have a mecha challenge here?”
“Indeed, we do.” Boss Bei smiled, “Are you interested in our mecha challenge, young master? I feel a connection with you. If you want to participate, I’ll waive the membership fee and take you directly to place some bets.”
Scarface’s eyes lit up. Boss Bei was the bookmaker for the underground mecha challenge bets. If he could leak some insider information, Scarface could make a fortune.
Ji Mingzhu raised his eyebrows and agreed readily, “Good ah, that sounds great, Boss Bei.”
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