Genius Mechanic: Chapter 151

Keze Floating Island Contaminated Zone(Galactic Knockout Competition)

151. Post-Competition Interview

Proofread by Cloud Chip Cake

Not only were Ghost’s fans baffled, but so were the viewers who had been glued to Live Broadcast 4122 for a long time, who thought they were accustomed to KID’s unpredictable behavior. Yet, it turned out they had no idea where KID’s limits lay. Just days ago, they were amazed by KID’s swift elimination of mechas, and now they watched this same group, having eliminated the opposition, lying in wait for victory.

【Ghost even searched underwater! Why didn’t they bomb the forest when they passed by?!】

【You think everyone’s like KID? Randomly bombing and wasting energy! Look at how big this forest is!】

 【KID isn’t planning to hide until the competition ends, are they?】

Ghost’s team fans wished their team would open their eyes wider, while the audience, eager for a fight, anticipated that KID would make a mistake any second.

But KID’s maneuvers—opening their shields and controlling the anti-stealth field—were too practiced. So practiced that the live stream viewers thought the six KID members were sleeping at the bottom of the pit when suddenly their Tank switched the shield in their left hand to the right in front of everyone and continued holding it up.

【They’re not sleeping…】

【These people are terrifying.】

For the final two days, the live stream audience watched as KID and Ghost played a game of hide and seek. By the end of the 30-day knockout matches, everyone could feel the Ghost team’s frustration through the screen.

As soon as the elimination round ended, KID secured first place on the Keze Floating Island Contaminated Zone track with a 60-mecha-point lead over Ghost.

The virtual host announced the end of the competition, and all remaining mecha pilots were teleported out of the Contaminated Zone. When the six KID pilots emerged from their cockpits, they were met with attention from all sides, especially from Ghost’s team, whose gazes carried a mix of resentment, anger, and exasperation.

Ji Qingfeng saw Ghost’s mecha pilots and waved enthusiastically.

Ghost: “…”

“Why are they leaving already?” Ji Qingfeng remarked as Ghost’s team hurried away in frustration. “It can’t be helped; if they had eliminated more teams, we would have been the ones looking for them in the end.”

Lu Xi whispered, “They just looked at us like they wanted to challenge us to a real-life PK.”

Upon hearing “PK”, Lin Yao perked up, “What? Where’s the PK happening?!”

Huo Yan laughed heartily.

Ying Chenlin emerged from the cockpit, still a bit unaccustomed to it. It had been a long time since he had stayed in a cockpit for such an extended period. Even when executing missions in the Contaminated Zones, the missions never lasted this long, and back in the day, the longest Individual Soldier knock-out round only lasted up to 15 days.

Staying in the cockpit didn’t feel too bad, but as soon as he stepped out, Ying Chenlin felt the exhaustion in his body.

He stood aside, waiting for the staff to complete the registration. Out of the corner of his eye, he noticed various glances coming his way. He lowered his eyes slightly, intending to avoid those gazes, when he felt a warmth on the back of his neck. As he turned his head, a jacket was draped over his head, dimming the surrounding brightness.

Ying Chenlin glanced sideways from under the jacket and saw the combat boots of the man standing next to him.

You Su said nothing. He stood calmly beside Ying Chenlin, his gaze lazily drifting over the onlookers. Those who had been covertly observing Ying Chenlin felt uneasy under You Su’s scrutiny, some even quickening their pace to leave the transition area.

“No other issues,” the staff said after completing the registration. “Once your maintenance personnel sign off, you can leave. Oh, and there’s a post-match interview with the official media. They’d like the whole team to attend.”

His gaze fell on Ying Chenlin amid the crowd.

The official media needed the buzz, and everyone on-site knew who had brought such high attention to the Keze Floating Island Contaminated Zone since the start. Moreover, the discussions about KID and Sink on StarNet had reached a peak.

Huo Yan, having signed off, handed the data pad back to the staff. “An interview, huh? We’ll inform the boss first before heading over.”

Ying Chenlin had just removed You Su’s jacket when he noticed You Su’s gaze.

Ying Chenlin looked at him in confusion.

You Su said, “Put the jacket on.”

Ying Chenlin didn’t move, thinking he had his own clothes.

Seeing no movement, You Su kept his gaze fixed on him.

Reluctantly, Ying Chenlin put the jacket on. “Won’t you be wearing anything for the interview?”

As soon as he said it, he noticed the several other mecha operators around him, also only wearing their combat suits, except for Lu Xi, who had obediently put on a jacket.

Lin Yao said, “Huh? No need to wear one, right?”

Ji Qingfeng added, “No worries, I’ve seen others in interviews. It’s all about showing off muscles in combat suits. Zhao Lejie didn’t wear one last time.”

Ying Chenlin looked at You Su. “Oh.”

You Su: “…”

“I have another one.”

KID’s official social media rarely engaged with fans, but the official interview was different. Many puzzling questions can be addressed in these official interviews.

When Shen Xingtang received the interview notification, she understood the official intent behind the knockout matches. However, rejecting the interview wasn’t an option. For KID, the League was the best platform to gain visibility. Their previous management had brought too much negative publicity. Higher rankings could bring more attention and support to KID.

Jiang Simiao asked, “Is it really okay for Chenlin to go? He’s never experienced this kind of interview before, especially since he was underage during his solo combat days.”

“Don’t worry, Huo Yan and You Su are with him,” Shen Xingtang said, watching KID’s team members head to the live interview room, arms around each other’s shoulders. “And this is just the elimination round. Some things can’t be avoided forever. Strength can indeed prove a lot, but he’ll have to face these challenges eventually.”

On StarNet, as the 30-day mark was reached, all the elimination race tracks announced their qualifiers.

From the 32 race tracks, 32 teams advanced to the next round. The Dawn Galaxy Mecha League promptly posted the results on their official StarNet account. It was no surprise to fans that strong teams like Gale, YDS, and Black Crow qualified. However, many were surprised that the Keze Floating Island track, which had three top 16 teams, saw KID emerge as the qualifier.

Fans who were unaware of the situation flocked to the elimination match live stream to watch the replay, leaving everyone in stunned silence.

The live chat: “…”

Ghost didn’t f*cking lose unfairly!

The Keze Floating Island summary showed that KID scored the highest mecha points. However, among KID’s six mechas, the highest damage output was from Trace, while the most kills were surprisingly from the Medical mecha, Sink.

The concept of an Assault Medical mecha in team battles had always been controversial. Sink’s debut in a team competition showcased this system’s potential, demonstrating near-perfect coordination with KID’s other mecha operators.

Post-match interviews are always a highlight for fans of various teams. Although KID’s fan base wasn’t as large as their online store’s followers, the post-match interview live stream saw an immediate influx of viewers.

The live stream’s popularity surged, forcing the officials to add several additional virtual lines.

【Forget waiting for KID, I’ll rely on myself!】

【That forest chase was incredible. Will Lucy be there?】

【I want to ask Trace why he’s so decisive in blasting his teammates?】

【Yan is amazing, and QingF and Yao are so good at capturing details. How did I never notice before?】

【Where’s Sink!!! I’ve waited so many years and never seen him in an interview.】

When the sweet-voiced host began the introduction, the screen cut to the live stream from the Keze Floating Island. The six members of KID were seated on the interview room’s sofa. Their varying heights brought a lot of humor to the scene. Among them, a relatively quiet young man sat on the left. He wore a KID team jacket that was slightly too big for him, with his right mechanical arm completely covered by the jacket sleeve, leaving only a few mechanical fingers exposed.

The mechanical arm wasn’t covered with artificial skin, indicating that the condition of Sink’s arm wasn’t just that of a minor injury.

【Damn, seeing Sink made me realize he just recently became an adult…】

【Almost 20. In the live stream, he looks even younger than in KID’s official photo.】

The post-match interview was brief. The host interviewed the other mecha pilots in order, finally turning to Sink. She looked at the well-behaved young man, “Sink, transitioning from an Individual Soldier to team competition, you introduced the rare Assault Medical style. Did you make any special preparations before the match?”

Ying Chenlin noticed the camera in the interview room turn towards him slightly. “Assault Medical isn’t a rare style; it just hasn’t been very prominent in the new format. We trained for it before the match, and since it fit our lineup, we went with it.”

His voice was steady, and he didn’t say much more.

The host paused briefly at his response, then asked a few more questions related to Assault Medical tactics. Sink answered all simply and did not elaborate or offer any evaluations.

【So steady, he doesn’t reveal anything about their tactics.】

【Of course, revealing tactics in team competitions is a big no-no. Didn’t you notice how many staff from other teams are lurking in the live stream?】

After the questions about the competition, the host shifted to another topic: “Fans and viewers are concerned about your retirement two years ago when you were at your peak. Why did you suddenly decide to retire?”

When this question was asked, the interview room seemed to quiet down.

The barrage of comments in the live stream also slowed, as many were interested in this long-unanswered question.

“I was sick and needed to recover.” Ying Chenlin didn’t mind the question and answered simply, “I’m very grateful to KID for giving me the chance to switch roles and to everyone who has supported me.”

Ying Chenlin spoke sincerely. Since his rebirth, apart from recovering from his illness, he had received a lot of support from others.

He was very thankful for the fans’ love and for the silent assistance from the Mecha League when he was in trouble, as well as KID repeatedly helping him withstand external pressures.

The young man’s straightforward answer left many fans in the live stream silent.

Retiring at the peak of his career would undoubtedly spell the end for a professional mecha pilot. However, when Sink retired, he didn’t reveal any details, keeping everything under wraps. He retired quietly, then returned to the profession calmly, following the path a professional mecha pilot should.

Shen Xingtang stood outside the interview room, watching Ying Chenlin being interviewed inside. “He’s so steady. I couldn’t have done half as well at 20.”

“When I first met you, you were even tougher than you are now,” Jiang Simiao remarked. “Honestly, when he first joined us, I didn’t expect it. There are better mecha bases in the League… You’re right, treasures like Chenlin are hard to find!”

Shen Xingtang nodded, “Indeed. Does he seem like a 20-year-old to you?”

Jiang Simiao, now in his thirties, had seen a lot. Having spent so much time with Ying Chenlin, he rarely thought about his age, finding no generation gap when talking with him. When Shen Xingtang mentioned this, Jiang Simiao thought of Lin Yao, who was also young, “Not at all.”

Grandpa Gu happened to walk over and heard the conversation, “Look at our Xiao Tian. He’s around the same age as Chenlin, but their maturity and experience are worlds apart.”

Just retiring at the peak of his career was enough of a shock to overwhelm many mecha pilots.

His skills, demeanor, and experiences seemed more like those of someone who had weathered many storms.

The interview continued.

Grandpa Gu handed Shen Xingtang a data tablet with the extracted mecha data, saying, “Fortunately, they didn’t engage in that last fight with Ghost. Chenlin knows his limits.”

Shen Xingtang took the tablet.

For other strong teams, a match’s end is just that, an end. But for KID, whose budget was tight, advancing from the elimination round meant quickly entering a preparation phase for the next round of competition in just over a week.

In such circumstances, the less damage to their mechas, the better, as it would save valuable preparation time.

Huo Yan’s Counter Damage Shield was severely damaged during the forest counterattack. Even if they had won a head-on clash with Ghost, the shield might not be repaired in time for the next match. Ying Chenlin had considered all this, so he minimized Huo Yan’s direct confrontations in the last few days and avoided strong opponents.

Ying Chenlin was a mecha pilot, but he was also a mechanic.

Shen Xingtang sighed, “Where did we get this Bodhisattva…”

In the interview room, the host didn’t press Ying Chenlin further. Noticing the interview was nearing its end, she said, “In this match, your team displayed some brilliant coordination, and many of your tactical maneuvers stood out, especially the forest pursuit battle. How did you come up with such a strategy? Was Captain Huo the one commanding on-site?”

Huo Yan smiled at the question and replied, “It wasn’t me. I was on an external assignment at the time. We were just familiar with that area, thought we could pull it off, and decided to go for it.”

【What do you mean ‘familiar with that area’!?】

【Even the staff at Keze aren’t that familiar with it!】

【So who was commanding that battle? Isn’t Huo Yan usually KID’s commander?】

【It could have been Lu Xi or You Su! Don’t forget they coordinated a few times back in Qiu Jin and even managed to ambush Hu Luobu.】

The host shifted her attention to You Su and Lu Xi, but before she could ask a question, she noticed KID’s boss, Shen Xingtang, standing outside the door.

The KID team members also seemed to notice their boss, glancing outside.

Shen Xingtang cleared her throat.

The interview had run over time, so the host had to wrap it up, “Thank you, the KID team, for accepting our interview.”

As soon as she finished speaking, all the KID mecha pilots stood up in unison, moving so quickly that even the other staff in the interview room hadn’t reacted.

The camera in the live broadcast hadn’t even cut yet, leaving the host and viewers stunned.

Zhao Lejie, watching the post-match interview, was also taken aback by this and wondered aloud, “What’s happening there? Why do they look so tense?”

Qi Sicheng replied, “The interview ran 20 minutes over time.”

Zhao Lejie responded, “Interviews running over time aren’t unusual, right?”

Qi Sicheng closed the live stream and checked the flight information for Keze Floating Island Contaminated Zone, “A discount night flight from Keze Floating Island to the surrounding spaceports of Sirius departs in an hour.”

Zhang Ge exclaimed, “…Why are they still taking discount flights!?”

Zhao Lejie pointed at the screen showing the interview, where Sink, wearing an oversized team jacket, had just left the frame, “Look at Sink’s team jacket; it’s several sizes too big. They’re so broke they have to wear oversized clothes until next year. What’s wrong with taking a discount flight?”

TN:

The person who said or thought KID wouldn’t need to take discounted flights anymore, here’s a face slap courtesy of Tang Jie~

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