Genius Mechanic: Chapter 144

Keze Floating Island Contaminated Zone(Galactic Knockout Competition)

144. Asura Field 

Proofread by Cloud Chip Cake 

If the previous team’s strength was uneven, then Fire Beacon can definitely be said to be one of the top three strongest teams in the Keze Floating Island Contaminated Zone. Such a strong team would be a dominating boss on any island. Those watching from the sidelines initially thought that the attrition between Fire Beacon and KID would last longer. However, they didn’t expect Fire Beacon to only last so long in the Old Commercial Center before being solo killed…?

The expressions of the mecha base coaching staff in the audience were complex as they watched KID’s Tank and Medical mechas. Yan’s performance today was a departure from the norm. Each strike was more precise than the last, and Sink’s strength as the strongest individual soldier, given enough space to maneuver, was fully demonstrated.

With a defensive combination like a Medical and Tank, KID’s team could forcibly eliminate Stealth mechas of the same level. This was a stark contrast to the information many mecha bases initially held about KID’s mechas.

“We underestimated Huo Yan’s strength. I heard earlier that Gale tried to recruit from KID’s frontline. At that time, I still thought that since Gale had so many Tank mechas, even if they wanted to form a second team, there was no need to recruit from KID,” said the head of YDS’ team. “But based on Huo Yan’s precise control ability today, I can only say that his strength was definitely underestimated. His defensive front-line skills are recognized, and he is competent in controlling the front line for functional purposes.”

“Sink’s combination of a Binding Lock and Energy Cannon is really impressive. I’ve seen footage of his Individual Soldier battles, and he seems to be very skilled in using close combat and ranged weapons together,” said a member of the YDS coaching staff, unable to help but comment. “And his overall combat rhythm is faster than when he was solo. His cooperation with KID is better than we imagined.”

“My biggest concern isn’t about this issue… Remember, KID also has Yuan, a weapon designer,” said the head of YDS. “I’m sure now that Sink is definitely the Medical mecha that individually eliminated the Stealth on the virtual battlefield. But have you ever thought about it? In the recent trend of Assault Medical mechas, various weapon combinations have emerged.”

With that said, the people from YDS paused for a moment.

Simply having a Binding Lock and Energy Cannon wasn’t scary; what was scary was that they had no idea about Sink’s details. Sink was only active for one season in the Individual Soldier League, during which he made it from the playoffs all the way to the Star Alliance matches. He was hailed by many Dawn Individual Soldier mecha pilots as a genius who could dominate individual mecha battles for a decade. However, during that season, all Sink showed to the outside world was one S-class mecha, Yuan, along with Yuan’s Flowing Fire Sword and Hellfire Cannon.

Past individual performances could confirm Sink’s achievements, but they couldn’t fully penetrate Sink’s identity as a mecha pilot.

To what extent was Sink’s strength?

Inside Live Room 4122, when Huo Yan and Ying Chenlin cooperated to take down the Stealth mecha, there was a burst of enthusiastic cheers from everyone.

But it wasn’t over yet. As Fire Beacon’s Stealth fell behind, Fire Beacon’s Guardian mecha was about to face the encirclement of two mechas.

These two mechas weren’t your ordinary Tank and Medical. The Tank carries an Anti-Damage Shield while the other wields a Binding Lock and an Energy Cannon. This illustrates the versatility of both the offense and defense of the two mechas, making them formidable at any range. Fire Beacon’s Guardian had no way out.

【Too strong… Can he really solo a Stealth?】

【If he can take down a Stealth, what else can’t he kill?】

【2v1, Fire Beacon is going to lose this round!】

【What’s Fire Beacon doing? If they don’t send reinforcements soon, their Guardian will fall too!】

In the audience, Jiang Yu, seeing this, focused intently on Sink: “The Guardian mecha over there won’t get support in time.”

Inside the arena, Fire Beacon’s Guardian found himself in a disadvantageous situation, facing an attack from two of KID’s mechas alone.

With one person down in a 2v2, even if Fire Beacon’s Guardian was individually strong, he couldn’t break out of such a siege. But could Fire Beacon spare anyone to support him?

Fire Beacon’s livestream fans were also anxious, but when they looked at the situation on the other side, they realized the dilemma Fire Beacon was in. On the other side was a 4v4 battle, with Stealth mecha Ji Qingfeng harassing Fire Beacon’s Medical, while Guardian Lin Yao was facing off against Fire Beacon’s Tank head-on.

With both sides using Control-Artillery combinations, Fire Beacon’s two mechas were suppressed down, while KID’s two mechas hovered above.

Fire Beacon’s team captain was very strong, but his Control mecha partner was average. Under pressure from the same combination, KID’s Control mecha’s support speed was much faster than Fire Beacon’s, especially since Trace was ruthless, firing regardless of friend or foe.

While Fire Beacon’s captain was still considering his teammates’ positions, Trace’s cannon was already firing in front of him.

Under such strong suppression, Fire Beacon’s four-person team was almost completely pinned down, sealed from above, blocked in front, and left behind by their teammates.

In such a situation, let alone providing support, even one person falling behind would lead to a collapse.

Seeing the situation, Fire Beacon’s captain knew that if his team continued to fight head-on with KID, they would only suffer heavy losses. “Abandon the Guardian, we need to find a way to break through. Control the path, everyone move to the left.”

But just as Fire Beacon’s people wanted to leave, KID didn’t give them a chance to escape.

“You’ve all come, so where’s the justification for leaving?” Ji Qingfeng’s Binding Lock Scythe immediately tied up Fire Beacon’s Medical, pulling him over. “Come to me.”

Fire Beacon’s captain had only taken a few steps forward when the Tank was forced back by Lin Yao’s Long Blade. Just as they hesitated, the Sniper Cannon from above boomed down once again. Fire Beacon’s Control mecha was blocked by Lu Xi’s consecutive Water Flow Cannon shots, unable to get a hold of Trace at all. In fact, they were even delayed by Lu Xi, leading to Fire Beacon’s Artillery mecha having to face Trace 1v1.

One on the ground, one in the air.

Fire Beacon’s captain lagged behind Trace in charging speed. Although the Heavy Impact Cannon had a faster charging speed than the Sniper Cannon, in this direct confrontation, he couldn’t get any innate advantage. He watched as the aerial Artillery mecha skillfully operated its Sniper Cannon, evading his attacks while increasing the pace of the Sniper Cannon. Each shot hit him accurately.

Trace’s Sniper Cannon seemed ordinary, but such a seemingly normal weapon could still dominate.

Inside the live room, everyone watched the standoff, observing the aerial mecha firing consecutive shots, resembling a mobile cannon in the sky. All they heard was a booming sound as they witnessed Fire Beacon’s proud Artillery mecha unable to lift its Heavy Impact Cannon under such suppression, gradually losing ground in the exchange.

【Is Trace even stronger than last year?】

【F*ck, how do we fight this?】

Fire Beacon simply couldn’t fight back. With the Stealth mecha still in play, they still had a chance to fight as a team against KID. But now, not only did they lose the opportunity to fight as a team, but they also found themselves at a disadvantage in the 4v4 situation, unable to retreat.

The situation on the field became increasingly one-sided, with Fire Beacon’s Medical controlled and KID completely seizing the advantage.

Under Trace’s continuous bombardment, Fire Beacon’s Artillery mecha’s damage level soared. Positioned dozens of meters away from the Medical, Trace hit him at 60% damage! When the news of this 60% damage level popped up, the hearts of Fire Beacon’s mecha pilots hung high. In the circle of fire, KID’s Artillery mecha, Trace, charged up his Sniper Cannon, solid energy gathering at the muzzle. In front of everyone, a shot hit the mecha below.

【KID-Trace has eliminated Fire Beacon-Fui】

At the same time, the battle on the other side also reached a conclusion.

【KID-Sink has eliminated Fire Beacon-Knn2】

After the two elimination announcements, one following the other, Fire Beacon’s three main output mechas were all eliminated, directly sealing Fire Beacon’s defeat.

It seemed after the skyscraper collapsed, Fire Beacon never gained the upper hand again.

【KID-Yao has eliminated Fire Beacon-Vb12】

【KID-QingF has eliminated Fire Beacon-F14】

【KID-Trace has eliminated Fire Beacon-KＳ·Μ】

The commentator: “Fire Beacon has been completely eliminated, KID currently ranks first on Keze Floating Island!”

Outside the arena, the head of Gale’s mecha base became even more certain of their initial judgment.

The YDS representative said, “KID has become stronger than last year.”

At Gale’s base, the coaching staff watched the footage of the battle they had just recorded. “When Captain Qi sees this footage after coming out of the Contaminated Zone, they will probably practice more. This year, our opponents are not just Black Crow and YDS. With KID’s momentum, they are fiercer than last year.”

When Fire Beacon was completely eliminated, the audience in the live room had not yet reacted. Even though they knew Fire Beacon was at a disadvantage, they didn’t expect KID’s mechas to eliminate all of Fire Beacon’s members in just two hours of battle. Remember, Fire Beacon was on par with KID in the rankings, yet they were easily eliminated by KID.

And this was only the first day!

Did the powerful Fire Beacon team really vanish like this?

【Previously, they were indeed considered weak. 】

【[So fierce! If the Black Hole incident in Qiu Jin last year didn’t happen, they could have competed with YDS. 】

【Who told me before that KID was a weak team? Is this what you call weak?】

The excitement in Room 4122 soared as everyone discussed KID.

It was after they finished discussing for a while that they noticed KID’s mechas still remained in place in the live room.

【Wait, what are they doing? 】

【They’re not leaving.】

In front of the collapsed skyscraper, several red and white mechas stood in a row, while the KID channel buzzed with discussions.

Ji Qingfeng began his post-battle analysis: “In my opinion, we could have handled that wave head-on.”

“We could have clashed directly, but our energy consumption might have been greater,” Ying Chenlin explained. “Sanshui mentioned that Fire Beacon is stronger in team battles. Once their Artillery mecha is given a cozy output environment, the continuous barrage from their Heavy Impact Cannon puts too much pressure on our frontline. We can fight, but in a protracted battle, our energy consumption would be much greater.”

KID was fine in everything else, but they were too aggressive with their energy consumption.

Huo Yan smiled, “Next time, Chenlin, bring an Energy Gun. If you want to fight as a team, we’ll fight as a team.”

Ying Chenlin glanced at the radar around him, found no anomalies, and disconnected the sympathetic nerves connected to his right arm after confirming that no one else should be coming in the short term. The mecha’s right arm naturally hung down.

You Su happened to stop at an elevated point in the ruins and saw the condition of the Medical mecha below. He asked, “How’s your hand?”

Ying Chenlin paused at his words, and as he raised his eyes, the view inside the cockpit also moved accordingly. With just one glance, he saw the Artillery mecha high above, “Not fatigued yet.”

The situation with an S-class mecha and an A-class mecha was different. When piloting Yuan, his mental power consumption was faster. When piloting an A-class mecha, as long as he exerted some control, he could manage the battle time as he wanted. However, his battle time couldn’t compare to that of the other members of KID. There were still uncontrollable factors in his physique, and there was no completely free rest time in the League; he had to manage his rest time well.

The only good thing was that the fatigue resistance of the new mechanical arm was better than he expected. The doctors in the Frontier Army had said that fatigue would be alleviated, but in reality, this alleviation was much better than expected. Previously, after a few hours of battle, Ying Chenlin’s right arm would feel sore, but today, despite continuously fighting until now, apart from physical exhaustion, his right arm hadn’t shown any obvious signs of fatigue.

“Necessary rest is still needed,” Huo Yan said, “We’re leading by a lot over the other teams now. How about taking a break for a while?”

Ying Chenlin was about to suggest continuing the battle, but Huo Yan’s suggestion for rest received approval from the other team members.

Huo Yan said, “Let’s listen to me about resting.”

Lu Xi asked, “If we’re resting, should we shut down?”

Upon hearing this, the other members of KID unanimously chose to shut down.

Piloting the mechas did indeed waste energy, and since there was no one around, they might as well shut down.

The Old Commercial Center was now a mess of ruins, and members of the Mecha Alliance’s rescue team drove military vehicles and mechas over to rescue others. Looking at the collapsed buildings and the damaged mechas emitting blue protective shields underground, the rescue team members looked at their team leader and hurriedly went down to rescue them.

“Why are KID’s mechas still here?”

“Shouldn’t they be looking for other mecha teams to fight under normal circumstances?”

The team members of the rescued team glanced in KID’s direction and saw several mechas all shutting down, finding a safe spot to sit nearby. A row of six mechas just watched the rescue team members conducting their rescue operations, as if they were inspecting their work.

One of the rescue team members couldn’t help but ask through the external speaker.

Ji Qingfeng replied, “Oh, it’s nothing. You guys do your thing, we’re just watching.”

The rescue team: “…”

What the hell are these people doing!

“Is rescue always this troublesome?” Lin Yao observed from the side, watching as the rescue team pulled the damaged mechas onto the military vessel, and then transported them back to the maintenance zone of the Contaminated Zone’s Management Bureau through the military vessel.

“It’s indeed a bit troublesome,” Ji Qingfeng said. “But it’s safe. As long as it’s within the competition area’s Contaminated Zone, after activating the competition-level system, once damage reaches 60%, a protective shield will be activated.”

The protective shield is the blue ring emitted by a mecha after being damaged. The protective shield can last for a long time, protecting the damaged mecha from further damage in battles and enabling it to resist pollution in the Contaminated Zone.

When the rescue team receives information on the damaged mecha, they can arrive at the rescue site within a few minutes and help the eliminated mechas evacuate from the Contaminated Zone.

Ji Qingfeng said, “Brother, after you finish moving things here, do you need to go to other places to move mechas?”

The rescue team member: “The League has many workgroups; we’re only responsible for this area.”

Ji Qingfeng turned to Lin Yao and said, “You see, they have a lot of people, and their work efficiency is good.”

The rescue team: “…”

Why is this guy still talking without turning off the speaker?

The mechas from Fire Beacon’s team that were still on the ground nearby: “…”

Can’t these KID people leave already? After eliminating them, they’re still hanging around to watch the fun?

The people in the livestream: “…”

【No, aren’t they going to fight?】

【It seems like they won’t.】

KID decided to rest when they said so, shutting down their mechas and sitting down without caring about anything.

With nothing else to do, Ji Qingfeng struck up a conversation with the rescue team members who were moving the mechas.

“Why are you asking so many questions?” one of the rescue team members said.

“Just curious,” Ji Qingfeng replied. “In case I retire in the future, I might consider this line of work. It seems pretty good.”

It was also the first time Ying Chenlin had seen people moving mechas in a Contaminated Zone. There was no safe place within the Individual Soldier battlefields, and the high-intensity combat environment was filled with danger. Often, as soon as he eliminated one mecha, another mecha with a different purpose would come to surround him, dragging him into a new battle. Rest times like this were impossible. Sitting and watching the busy League personnel nearby, he gradually relaxed.

From high above, You Su glanced at the radar situation, and when he looked away, he noticed that the Medical mecha below had completely shut down.

The cockpit felt different without Theo’s chatter. The conversations among the other KID members became clearer. You Su didn’t join their discussion; instead, he casually observed the Medical mecha below.

From his high vantage point, he had a clearer view than others.

For example, the recent solo kill of the Stealth mecha by Ying Chenlin. The mecha pilot’s movements were smoother than in the virtual battlefield, as if being more adapted to the League battlefield than the virtual one. The smooth operation was like a precision machine, different from his piloting style two years ago in the individual competitions.

You Su’s youth was in the Frontier Army’s Special Forces, and he had been to both the League and more dangerous Contaminated Zones as he grew up. He had encountered many mecha pilots, but it was his first time seeing one like Ying Chenlin.

To study Ying Chenlin’s combat style, Jiang Simiao often watched the footage of his Individual Soldier period in the training room, and You Su also took a few glances. Two years ago, Ying Chenlin’s operating style was even more daring and reckless than it is now. As a budding mecha pilot, he boldly attempted various high-difficulty maneuvers, displaying unparalleled courage and vigor, with a youthful spirit that seemed unstoppable.

But now, while Ying Chenlin still displayed reckless behavior, it was within more precise maneuvers, showing a meticulousness that strongly contradicted his age, not resembling a young mecha pilot at all.

Even though there was only a two-year hiatus, it showed two completely different styles of combat.

Ying Chenlin watched as the League rescue team moved the Fire Beacon team’s mechas away. When he lifted his head, he noticed the Artillery mecha stationed high above. Its weapons were not retracted; they were simply resting against the rubble, with the barrel pointing directly in his direction.

Suddenly, You Su spoke up, “What are you looking at?”

Ying Chenlin snapped out of his thoughts, feeling a sense of guilt as if he’d been caught peeking. “How did you know I was looking at you?”

His mecha was shut down.

You Su didn’t answer his question directly.

Ying Chenlin shifted his gaze away. The Artillery mecha’s Sniper Cannon remained unmoved, casually resting without any intention of retracting into its holster.

It seemed like You Su had always been like this, always keeping his weapons close at hand no matter the situation. He appeared relaxed, yet his combat style, evident in every inch of his being, showed no signs of relaxation. Like a lazy lion that never sheathed its claws.

His combat awareness was indeed high, but it seemed like he was wasting energy.

With this thought in mind, Ying Chenlin opened the information interface connected to the other mechas, paying attention to the energy consumption of each one. However, when he checked You Su’s mecha information, he was suddenly taken aback by the energy reserves displayed.

The Artillery mecha’s energy was abundant, much better than he had anticipated.

Ying Chenlin habitually glanced up, but instinctively lowered his head again, deciding not to look.

From above, You Su’s eyes, half-lowered, reflected the Medical mecha in his field of vision. He noticed some subtle movements and quickly averted his gaze.

The League rescue team quickly rescued the other mechas, and the KID mecha pilots also showed no intention of moving. When they said rest, they meant rest, without any movement. Ying Chenlin, after confirming everyone’s energy was sufficient, didn’t slack off but carefully observed the situation on Keze Floating Island’s Fourth Island.

[The area where Team KID [6/6] is located (Fourth Island), current number of surviving mechas in the area ( 275/485) and mecha pilots (1559/2910)] [Current team ranking (001), number of eliminated mechas (195)]

Their record was still leading the pack. After Fire Beacon’s team was eliminated, the pace of mecha eliminations in the Fourth Island area slowed down. The entire arena was still in continuous combat, and personnel within the Fourth Island were being reduced, but the mecha points generated from combat were being occupied by multiple mecha teams, none of which were producing high-ranking teams.

“Shall we wait here?” asked Lu Xi.

Ying Chenlin has been analyzing the situation within the archipelago. After excluding a few possible displacement paths of the teams and conducting convergent analysis, he quickly locked onto the next target. “Let’s go to the Signal Tower.”

KID rested for a full 7 hours, including clearing out some passing teams.

When they finished their rest, they finally chose their next target.

In the live broadcast room and even on StarNet, more people were analyzing the situation in the Keze Floating Island arena.

The other floating islands had eliminated at most one-third of the mechas, but on the first day on the Fourth Island, nearly half of the mecha teams were eliminated. Such an elimination rate almost led the entire Keze Floating Island arena by a landslide. Moreover, not only that, compared to the situations in the other 32 tracks of the elimination race, KID’s impressive record was close to leading all the teams.

Eliminating nearly 200 mechas in a day…? Which edition of the elimination race could be this intense?

Even if this year had a new race format, there shouldn’t be such a high elimination rate!

This is a race system with Medical mechas. How come the elimination speed is even fiercer than before!?

【This is too intense, isn’t it?】

【First is KID, which live broadcast room is theirs!】

The audience who was originally focused on other tracks also noticed the situation on Keze Floating Island, and more and more people flocked to this side to see the situation.

The Keze Floating Island arena had no night; it was bright daylight throughout the entire race. As more and more people flooded into Live Room 4122, what they saw was a slightly different live room compared to the others. There were no lively discussions like in other live rooms; instead, the barrage was full of messages like “Run fast”, “Full throttle”, “Quick escape” and “Don’t hesitate”.

【It’s over, GTT can’t escape.】

【The Little Bear Team lost a mecha.】

【Damn, this team is done for.】

The newcomers looked bewildered and immediately focused on the live situation of the battle in the room.

What they saw was a deserted city center with numerous teams gathered near a crumbling Signal Tower. Several mechas were fleeing, and some even abruptly braked in mid-air, turning back as if facing an inevitable doom.

Before they could fully grasp the situation, they witnessed a projectile sweeping in from behind, with several red mechas following closely, shooting and chasing. The leading mecha held up a megaphone and shouted, “Brother, don’t run! Why are you running as soon as you enter!”

The mecha at the front didn’t look back, pushing its thrusters to the max.

And the situation in Live Room 4122—

[Team KID [6/6], Location (Fourth Island), current number of surviving mechas in the area (178/485), mecha pilots (991/2910)] [Current team ranking 001, number of eliminated mechas 532]

The netizens: “???”

The author has something to say:

KID’s goal: *Guard a tree stump, waiting for the rabbits and not letting any passing mechas escape.

*wait idly for opportunities.

TN:

Ji Qingfeng is KID’s official spokesman☠️.

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