After Winning The Esports Championship I’m Going To Pilot A Mecha: Chapter 153

153. “It’s time to end this.”

“Boom—”

The chaotic debris struck the energy shield, causing ripples that spread outward.

The civilians who had closed their eyes, awaiting death, felt no pain and hesitantly opened their eyes, only to be greeted by a massive red mecha.

【Dawn】.

“That is…”

In the virtual meeting, many people stood up, their expressions showing astonishment.

“That looks like… an L-class mecha?”

“Impossible… Isn’t the L-class mecha still in the theoretical stage?”

“Who is inside that mecha?!”

Few people were aware of the secret development of the L-class mecha, but those in the virtual meeting room were all well-informed and had heard some rumors. They knew of the existence of the L-class mecha but never expected it to be built for real.

Is the pilot inside none other than Zuo Quanzong himself?!

“Shen Hong!!”

A voice from the L-class mecha quickly spread through the mecha’s communication channel.

Shen Hong above was stunned.

This voice…

“It’s not Zuo Quanzong.”

The voice coming from the mecha was too young; it did not sound like the voice of Red Guard Commander Zuo Quanzong. The people in the virtual meeting exchanged glances until someone quickly realized.

“That voice… It seems to be Ji Mingzhu’s?”

“Ji Mingzhu, the former Titan pilot from Shangjing?”

“Why is he in the cockpit?”

Shen Hong’s expression changed slightly. He lowered his head, looking at the red 【Dawn】 below, with a hint of nostalgia in his eyes.

Ji Mingzhu…

They had once been close friends who grew up together, and Ji Mingzhu was one of the first humans Shen Hong and Cang Lan encountered when their artificial intelligence consciousnesses were first awakened.

Although a century had passed, Shen Hong still remembered every detail of their past interactions. Hearing Ji Mingzhu’s voice again brought a rare feeling of melancholy to Shen Hong, a sensation quite unfamiliar to an artificial intelligence.

“Why are you showing that expression?”

Ji Mingzhu smiled slightly and said through the communication channel of 【Dawn】: “Haven’t you been looking for me all this time?”

Both Qi Ling and Zhang Bifang’s expressions changed simultaneously.

They already knew that Ji Mingzhu was not Tian Shu but the real Ji Mingzhu. Before this, Ji Mingzhu had been operating under the noses of the Netherworld Organization and the Feibo Organization for a long time, and they had failed to notice this…

Dr. Ji Qiming had kept Ji Mingzhu’s cryogenic pod within Sky City, allowing Ji Mingzhu to escape the initial assault of the Aberration War, the 【Noah Plan】. This made Ji Mingzhu the only purebred old human still existing. Meanwhile, Cang Lan and Shen Hong had never aligned their positions. Sky City had repeatedly pressured Cang Lan to surrender Dr. Ji Qiming’s Sky City 【Spark】, but Cang Lan had never compromised. Eventually, the two ancient artificial intelligences, Shen Hong and Cang Lan, split, and Shen Hong became the true ruler of Sky City.

In this situation, Shen Hong was naturally eager to find Ji Mingzhu himself, as only the purebred old human Ji Mingzhu could touch the lower-level restrictions on the Immortal Clan. Qi Ling and Zhang Bifang had considered many possibilities but never imagined that Ji Mingzhu would reveal himself at this moment.

Wasn’t this just walking into a trap?

Zhang Bifang and Qi Ling exchanged glances and saw the same thought in each other’s eyes.

Shen Hong must not obtain Ji Mingzhu…

The strength of Sky City was undeniable. The countless warships in the sky, like an overcast of dark clouds, proved its power. With technology far surpassing today’s New Humans, even though the Netherworld Organization had Titans, they were no match for Sky City. As long as Sky City operated, it could produce countless advanced warships, while the energy resources of the New Humans were limited.

With the restrictions imposed by the Immortal Clan, the Netherworld Organization could temporarily resist using Aberrations, making the Immortal Clan wary. However, if Sky City obtained Ji Mingzhu and lifted the lower-level code restrictions… then they would be truly doomed.

Even if they had to kill Ji Mingzhu, they wouldn’t allow Sky City to get him!

Almost simultaneously, the Aberrations and the Netherworld Organization’s mecha units, which had been engaged in battle, stopped their actions. The next moment, they received orders from Qi Ling and Zhang Bifang to target Ji Mingzhu!

“Boom——!!”

The Titan 【Zhu Rong】 fixed its gaze on the distant L-class mecha, letting out a low roar. Its shoulder-mounted cannon opened, and a thick laser cannon fired towards Ji Mingzhu!

Although it wasn’t the same mecha, 【Zhu Rong】 recognized the aura of the pilot inside. Not long ago, it had suffered a significant loss at the hands of this human. Now, uncontrolled by its restrainer, 【Zhu Rong】 lived up to its fiery name, exhibiting an extremely volatile temper. The moment it received Qi Ling’s order, it acted before anyone else.

The satellite footage captured this scene, causing the hearts of people in the satellite cities to tighten.

“Ji Mingzhu, watch out!!”

“Why are they attacking Ji Mingzhu? How can the Netherworld Organization do this?!”

In the hearts of the people in the satellite cities, Ji Mingzhu’s name undoubtedly held immense prestige, even serving as a spiritual symbol. Just as Ji Mingzhu had piloted the mecha to save the civilians from the collapsing wall, he always chose to stand with the vulnerable populace. The Netherworld Organization’s actions were incomprehensible and infuriating to those who witnessed this.

Attacking without any warning…

Inside the cockpit, Ji Mingzhu narrowed his eyes.

A bit too rude, isn’t it?

“Buzz——!!”

The sound of the power core resonated instantly. The colossal figure of the L-class mecha 【Dawn】 transformed into a blazing flash, moving at a speed nearly impossible to track with the naked eye.

The Titan’s laser cannon struck a building behind 【Dawn】, raising a massive cloud of dust. 【Dawn】’s movements were unbelievably fast, even dodging the Titan-level targeting, which seemed almost inconceivable!

Having previously faced Titan 【Zhu Rong】 head-on with the S-class Phoenix Redeemer, Ji Mingzhu now piloted the L-class mecha with performance far surpassing the S-class, making him even more adept.

“You…”

Shen Hong’s gaze turned cold as he looked at Qi Ling and Zhang Bifang. “How dare you?”

How dare they lay a hand on Ji Mingzhu?

“Buzz buzz——”

“Rumble——”

Simultaneously, the floating warships above moved. Countless silver warships gathered, turning their cannons towards the Titans below.

The three Titans of the Netherworld Organization sensed this, their beast-like instinct for danger making them quickly wary as they raised their heads to look upwards.

In the next second.

“Boom!!”

A devastating volley, countless particle cannons transformed into a curtain of light, a meteor shower that seemed destined to obliterate everything, crashing down upon the Titans!

Even the invincible Titans struggled to withstand the torrent of particle cannon fire. The three Titans let out mournful cries, curling their bodies defensively as the blood-and-flesh armor covering them continually disintegrated and regenerated. The shattered flesh stained the surrounding buildings red.

The scene was intensely impactful, striking fear into the hearts of onlookers.

Sky City finally made a move, and what a thunderous strike it was!

The delicate balance among the three factions was shattered by Ji Mingzhu’s appearance, unleashing a tempestuous storm of chaos!

“Forget about the Immortal Clan!”

Yao Xiangrong, equally anxious, commanded the ground mecha troops: “Ji Mingzhu! Kill Ji Mingzhu first!!”

From an overhead view, the ground mecha troops surged towards Ji Mingzhu like a tidal wave, countless laser cannons firing in unison, overwhelming the crimson mecha.

“If you have the skill to do it.”

Ji Mingzhu’s eyes narrowed slightly. “Then bring it on.”

Swish—

With a flick, a crimson long-handled Miao Dao appeared in 【Dawn】’s hand!

“What the—”

The pilot of the A-class mecha closest to 【Dawn】 saw a blur before their cockpit went dark, unable to react in time.

The force field of the A-class mecha was shredded like paper, and the entire mecha was instantly sliced in half by 【Dawn】, the cut incredibly smooth.

Although the operation felt the same as in the simulator, the real experience of piloting 【Dawn】 was different. The tangible sensation and the adrenaline rush of facing a tide of incoming mechas could only be understood by the pilot in the cockpit.

Not far away, the Titan 【Di Jiang】 roared and started to press towards Ji Mingzhu, but another volley from the fleet overhead forced it to open its golden diamond-shaped energy shield to defend.

“Zhang Bifang!”

Qi Ling’s eyes were cold. “What are you waiting for?”

Zhang Bifang snapped back to reality, glanced at the battlefield, then looked complicatedly towards Ji Mingzhu’s direction. After a moment’s hesitation, he made his decision.

Roar—

A large number of Aberrations surged forward like fearless beasts, using their bodies to shield against the Immortal Clan’s fleet’s artillery fire!

Splatter—

The sight of flesh and blood flying was far more brutal than imagined. In the face of Sky City’s fleet, the flesh and blood of the Aberrations were annihilated in an instant, blue blood spraying like a broken dam. This scene stunned the citizens of the satellite cities watching the battle through the satellite feed.

What were these Aberrations doing? Committing suicide?

In the next second, several dozen warships above suddenly plummeted like kites with broken strings.

The Aberrations used their bodies to block the fleet’s attacks, triggering the Immortal Clan’s deep-seated commands. Any warship that hit an Aberration would see the heads of the Immortal Clan members inside explode instantly!

Due to the Aberrations’ intervention, the fleet’s barrage of firepower finally weakened slightly.

The Sky City warships quickly adjusted, ceasing their random barrage and focusing their particle cannons on the Titans of the Calamity Control Bureau. Explosions blossomed on 【Zhu Rong】, 【Di Jiang】, and 【Ju Mang】, keeping them too busy to deal with Ji Mingzhu’s L-class mecha.

“Boom!”

Several mechas in the front line were destroyed by Ji Mingzhu in an instant. Without waiting to retract his blade, Ji Mingzhu pushed the control stick, activating 【Dawn】’s energy shield. The transparent red shield rose, blocking the incoming laser fire.

To others, his actions seemed suicidal. Although the three Titans of the Calamity Control Bureau were preoccupied with the Sky City fleet’s focused attacks and had no time to trouble Ji Mingzhu, it should not be forgotten that three more Titans were on their way to Jiusheng City.

【Ru Shou】, 【Qiang Liang】, and 【Tian Wu】.

These three Titans, originally belonging to three different satellite cities, had already joined the Netherworld Organization’s side. Their heavy footsteps echoed across the kilometers as they approached Jiusheng City, the ground trembling with their approach.

Ji Mingzhu pushed the control stick, and 【Dawn】 broke through the encirclement with unstoppable force, charging in a different direction.

“Stop him!”

“Stop him!”

Zhang Bifang and Qi Ling shouted almost simultaneously.

The L-class mecha charged into the Netherworld Organization’s mecha units like a tiger among sheep. The overwhelming power of the higher-class mecha’s force field neutralized most attacks, while 【Dawn】’s Miao Dao shattered the outer armor of the mechas it encountered. Steel fragments flew into the sky like splattered ink, painting a grim picture.

“It’s up to you, Yao Guang…”

Ji Mingzhu whispered in his heart.

While Ji Mingzhu drew most of the attention, no one noticed Yao Guang’s slender figure stealthily approaching a downed Sky City warship on the other side of the battlefield.

“Is there really no other choice?”

Yao Guang looked towards 【Dawn】’s location with a complex expression. Even without seeing the full scene, the intensity of the battle was palpable: “Mingzhu, he…”

“Do as he said, Yao Guang,” Tian Shu stood beside Yao Guang, patting his shoulder.

“Just like he said earlier… it’s time to end this.”

If you're enjoying the story don't forget to support the author! You can also support me on KOFI for site maintenance, raws purchase or as an energy boost~ 

Join discord to get notified whenever a new chapter is uploaded since I'm  incapable of keeping up with a schedule~