Genius Mechanic: Chapter 153

Kemu Cave Contaminated Zone(Galactic Promotion Competition)

153. Promotion Competition Lots Drawing

Proofread by Cloud Chip Cake

After the knockout matches, all mechas needed repairs for the upcoming promotion matches.

Although there were changes in the new season’s format, overall, it still followed the old format’s schedule. After the knockout matches came the Round of 32 promotion matches, followed by the Round of 8 ranking matches. The time between each match wouldn’t exceed half a month, leaving only 10 days for mecha repairs at the base.

Currently, in the maintenance room, Grandpa Gu and Shen Xingtang were helping with the main repairs. While Ying Chenlin spent more time training with the KID members in the training room, whenever he had free time, he would visit the maintenance room.

Since Theo didn’t participate in the last match, the S-class mecha needed new weapon data imported. During this time, the mecha Theo had been kept in the maintenance room.

Upon entering the maintenance room, Ying Chenlin could see Grandpa Gu busy with the mecha’s maintenance. He didn’t disturb Grandpa Gu’s work but instead looked at the mecha Theo.

The weapons prepared for Dawn’s new season had already been tested and installed, but not all tactical considerations had been implemented. Among them, Theo’s weapons had a relatively high difficulty. While everyone else’s mechas were A-class, Theo was an S-class, and the weapons needed constant adjustments to adapt to it.

Ying Chenlin climbed into the cockpit. As soon as he entered, the entire cockpit lit up, and all functions inside the cockpit were activated.

He paused slightly. “Theo?”

The cockpit lit up, seemingly giving him a friendly greeting.

Ying Chenlin sat in the cockpit and began the inspection after adjusting the console.

For him, entering an S-class mecha’s cockpit was a bit uncomfortable. It was filled with traces of Trace’s presence, making him feel as if Trace was standing around him every time he entered the cockpit. He quickly adjusted the data inside the mecha and installed the two new weapons on Theo. The values of the weapon cases changed accordingly.

“Chenlin, you’re always so meticulous when checking me!” Theo looked at the repairman at work and then warmly greeted another AI.

Yuan, staying in the necklace, listened to Theo’s voice and occasionally responded.

Theo asked, “I’ve noticed that he’s been dealing with S-class data a lot lately. Has he already started repairing your damaged parts?”

“Repairs take time, and I’m not in a hurry.” Yuan was severely damaged during the incident in the Coria Contaminated Zone, and to date, not all of its functions had been repaired.

As Theo spent more time in the maintenance room, he often heard discussions between Grandpa Gu and Shen Xingtang, knowing that Ying Chenlin had his own plans for repairing Yuan, and even that the anomalous crystal obtained from the mutant pollutant had been used as a weapon core, entering its design process.

That mutant’s unique ability to regenerate at a high speed was quite special; He wondered what kind of weapon Ying Chenlin had made out of it.

During Ying Chenlin’s inspection of Theo, it kept chatting with Yuan.

It wasn’t until Ying Chenlin left the cockpit that Theo reluctantly bid farewell.

Exiting the cockpit, Ying Chenlin noticed the warmth of the key around his neck. He glanced sideways at the towering mecha beside him, noticing that its original white armor even had a few new red paint marks.

The relationship between Theo and Yuan seemed quite good.

Since the mental strain had eased, Yuan would occasionally exchange a few words with Ying Chenlin. Ying Chenlin had always been extremely cautious about Yuan’s modifications. This plan had been designed since his previous life and was now entering its final stages of modification. Naturally, there should be no slack in his efforts.

Ying Chenlin walked around the maintenance room, inspecting everyone’s mechas before returning to the elevated procedure platform.

He retrieved the weapon data of the various mechas from the control platform, cross-referenced them all, and then interfaced with the computer, exporting the half-designed drafts.

Over the past two years, KID had harvested many anomalous crystals, but there were very few that could actually be used by Yuan.

S-class mechas would react differently to various types of anomalous crystals based on the attributes of their initial weapons, similar to Theo’s preference for wind attribute anomalous crystals. The selection of weapons for S-class mechas would be more stringent, and mecha pilots would focus on choosing anomalous crystals with attributes they favored or excelled in.

When Ying Chenlin piloted Individual Soldier mechas in the past, he particularly liked using fire attribute anomalous crystals.

During Yuan’s initial stages, it used the Flowing Fire Sword and the Hell Fire Cannon. Perhaps due to the mutual influence between them, when Ying Chenlin screened materials, he preferred to choose materials with fire attributes.

In the Coria Contaminated Zone, the Hell Fire Cannon experienced an abnormal heat reaction due to the influence of the mutated pollutant. Ying Chenlin initially thought it had been damaged, but in reality, the Hell Fire Cannon’s weapon core had not been completely damaged. The fact that Yuan’s two weapons were undamaged was good news, as it meant that with proper modification, these two weapons could continue to be used by Yuan.

However, the arsenal of such weapons was insufficient.

Ying Chenlin hesitated for a moment before pouring out an anomalous crystal from the storage device. The slightly dim-colored anomalous crystal was influenced by Ying Chenlin’s mental power and floated slightly, with faint flashes of lightning inside the red anomalous crystal.

“Its energy is very abundant.”

As Ying Chenlin manipulated the anomalous crystal, he suddenly heard Yuan’s voice.

After a brief pause, he replied, “But we don’t know its abilities.”

This anomalous crystal was an S-class one that Ying Chenlin had accidentally picked up when he first arrived at Sirius. After taking it to the relevant institutions for testing, they only determined that it was a dual-attribute attack-type anomalous crystal, but no further information was available.

Ying Chenlin knew that Yuan could passively absorb energy from this anomalous crystal. Judging by the energy absorption rate of an S-class mecha, this crystal’s energy should’ve been nearly exhausted by now. However, despite the passage of time, apart from dimming, its S-class reaction had not weakened at all.

This was the only fire-attribute attack-type anomalous crystal left in Ying Chenlin’s possession, but unfortunately, its abilities were unknown, making it impossible to turn it into a weapon.

Fire and lightning dual attributes—such a combination was rare even among attack-type anomalous crystals.

Moreover, there were also two special S-class anomalous crystals inherited from his father’s estate, their abilities were also unknown.

He had inquired about these with the pollutant expert Old Qiu, who was helping investigate the origins of these crystals from the estate. However, there had been no news so far.

Retracting his mental power, Ying Chenlin let the anomalous crystal settle back into his hand.

Just as he was about to put it away, he caught sight of a special letter placed alongside it.

Ying Chenlin read the name aloud, “Shi Xuejun.”

“Something from your mother?”

A voice suddenly sounded from behind him. Ying Chenlin paused and turned to find that You Su had quietly come up behind him.

Noticing Ying Chenlin’s surprised look, You Su shrugged slightly. “I’ve been here for a while. You didn’t respond to my message.”

Ying Chenlin swiped open his light brain and found that You Su had messaged him 20 minutes ago, asking him to attend a meeting in the conference room. “I was busy and didn’t notice.”

He placed his device on the table and hurriedly tidied up the items on the control platform, putting the anomalous crystals back into the storage device.

You Su watched from the side, recognizing the storage device that was often attached to Yuan’s mecha key. His gaze lingered on the fire and lightning attribute anomalous crystal for a moment before he looked away and glanced at Ying Chenlin’s light brain on the platform.

The light brain’s screen was still on, with several unread messages.

His gaze rested on the pinned message for a moment, until Ying Chenlin finished tidying up and he finally looked away.

“Finished with everything in the maintenance room?” You Su asked.

Ying Chenlin nodded. “The remaining tasks can be left to Grandpa Gu.”

---

By the time the two arrived at the meeting room, it was already full.

Instead of documents, the table was covered with nutritional supplements that Ji Qingfeng had recently bought from the store.

“What’s wrong with the original flavor?” Jiang Simiao recalled how he used to be criticized for buying nutritional supplements. “I even picked the best and most expensive ones, making sure they met all your nutritional needs.”

In contrast, the ones Ji Qingfeng bought looked like they were meant to appeal to kids, like candy supplements.

Ji Qingfeng retorted, “Nutritional supplements aren’t just about nutrition! They’re about taste!”

The supplements they had during their time on Keze Floating Island were also bought by Jiang Simiao. The six of them had subsisted on the supplements’ original flavor in the Contaminated Zone for nearly 30 days. Now, the mere sight of the original flavor made them feel physically nauseous. With the promotion matches coming up soon, they couldn’t let Jiang Simiao handle the procurement of supplies any longer.

Jiang Simiao was exasperated with them. He had even consulted with Dr. Erick about the nutritional supplements. Mecha pilots couldn’t eat junk food all the time, and there were those in the base who were still growing. “You can eat whatever you want, but I’m not going to bother with you. There are still some original flavored ones in the warehouse. I’ll give those to Chenlin and Yao Bao.”

Ying Chenlin, who was about to check out the supplements, stopped in his tracks when he heard this.

Lin Yao, who had his head buried in the pile of supplements looking for flavors, immediately protested, “I don’t want the original flavor!”

Shen Xingtang had just walked in and said, “Do you still want to grow taller?”

Lin Yao replied, “You said that last time. Chenlin’s grown 2 cm, but I haven’t.”

Ying Chenlin glanced through the pile of supplements and asked, “I’ve grown taller. Can I have something else?”

Jiang Simiao was just about to lecture the short ones in the team about the importance of physical growth. The next moment, he saw You Su pick a few tubes from the pile and casually place them in front of Ying Chenlin.

“Honey flavor,” You Su said.

Ying Chenlin was taken aback. “Thanks, You Ge.”

Jiang Simiao: “?”

He choked on his words, turning to see Lin Yao reaching for the supplements. “Do you know what the Star Alliance citizen body data survey says? After 23, it’s very hard to grow taller! That’s about you, Lin Yao. You’re almost 22, and if you wait another year, you won’t grow anymore!”

Upon hearing this, Lin Yao said, “Isn’t there still one more year?”

“Don’t listen to Sanshui’s nonsense,” Ji Qingfeng said. “Anyway, there’s no rule saying shorties can’t pilot mechas.”

Huo Yan smiled and said, “That’s how it is when you’re young. Let them eat whatever they want.”

Ying Chenlin received the honey-flavored nutritional supplements and put them away first. It wasn’t until he set them aside that he noticed Shen Xingtang sitting opposite him, her gaze fixed on him. Ying Chenlin hesitated, thinking that Shen Xingtang had something else to say, but then Shen Xingtang’s gaze shifted to You Su beside him.

Jiang Simiao didn’t argue with these mecha pilots who clung to their twisted theories. Instead, he brought up the virtual screen and got to the point of the meeting: “I called you all here today to discuss the schedule for the upcoming competitions. After the knockout matches come the promotion matches, and our opponents are proving to be quite challenging.”

If in the knockout matches, the mecha teams had more or less the same degree of preparation, once they reached the top 32, they would face teams with fully equipped mechas. These formidable opponents had very little combat data available, and as Jiang Simiao had predicted, they hadn’t unveiled any new weapons during the knockout matches; everyone was sticking to their usual strategies.

“No need to say much about Gale,” Jiang Simiao brought out the data on all the teams. “Zhao Lejie’s new weapons didn’t make an appearance in the knockout matches. Given this, they’ve most likely upgraded all their weapons.”

Gale had been the top-ranking base in the Dawn Galaxy for several years, and the weapons arsenal they possessed was beyond estimation.

Below Gale were Black Crow and YDS, and then there were the top 8 teams. The strength of the teams in the top 16 could be estimated, but the most difficult to predict were the top 8 teams, with the toughest being the top 4.

“We faced BZZL1 last year, didn’t we?” Ji Qingfeng said. “Wasn’t their level just the semifinals?”

Jiang Simiao immediately poured cold water on that idea. “BZZL1 has gotten stronger this year too. If you try to use last year’s tactics against them again, it won’t work. Last year, a canyon blew up in your face, but this year, if there’s no canyon to blow up, let’s see how you deal with their stealth tactics.”

The promotion matches were drawn by lots, and given the current situation, it was impossible to predict who their opponents would be.

However, unlike the knockout matches, where only one team advanced per match, after the top 32 came the top 16, and after that, the top 8 ranking matches.

The ranking matches weren’t something they needed to consider at the moment; what KID needed to focus on was how to secure a stable spot in the top 8.

Displayed on the virtual screen was the data on various bases. Jiang Simiao cleared his throat and said, “After Chenlin’s exposure in the knockout match, the other bases in Dawn will definitely study our arsenal in detail. Both Chenlin’s Assault Medical and Old Huo’s control Tank will be targeted.”

This was also a challenge; Assault Medicals were too easy to target.

Ying Chenlin suggested, “We can switch weapon combinations based on our opponents.”

Although he hadn’t fully designed the weapons for the Medical mecha, he still had a fairly extensive arsenal at his disposal. Jianheng had provided them with a weapon arsenal for A-class mechas, so without considering the effects of advanced anomalous crystals, they could still use ordinary weapons.

Worrying about other teams’ luxurious weapon arsenals, the higher the stage of the competition, the greater the impact of anomalous crystal weapons.

Shen Xingtang said, “We have a set of weapons prepared, but that’s not enough. During this time, based on the tactics you trained with before, I’ve been searching for various styles of anomalous crystals in major auctions and market channels, hoping to fill our weapon arsenal within a cycle.”

Jiang Simiao said, “Our weapons can’t be hidden until the end of the Galactic Competition. According to the challenges when facing teams like Gale, all our tricks will have to be revealed after the promotion matches.”

They had to reveal their cards, but how to do it was the question.

Jiang Simiao convened the meeting for this purpose; they had to strategize according to the characteristics of each team.

Ying Chenlin understood Jiang Simiao’s considerations, listening as he talked about the characteristics of each team. He also saw the hundred-page data sheet to the end. Given KID’s current situation, if they wanted to secure a spot in the top 8, the opponents they needed to be most wary of were the top 4 teams.

They had faced BZZL1 last season, so Huo Yan and the others were well aware of the characteristics of the mecha pilots from that team.

They had also worked with Gale and YDS, so they were somewhat familiar with them. Ying Chenlin knew about Qi Sicheng and Ke Lin’s abilities when commanding; their ranks were higher than that of BZZL1. Against opponents like them, who might not necessarily have the upper hand in weapons, winning would require not only deploying a full arsenal but also devising tactics.

The most difficult team to figure out, however, was Black Crow.

KID’s collaboration with Black Crow wasn’t deep. Even though they had cooperated during Coria’s pollutant incident, the two teams were separated by two planets, and they had very little post-mission debriefing data related to Black Crow. In terms of intelligence, they were lagging behind Black Crow.

What made Black Crow particularly unique was their mecha pilots’ combat system. If Ying Chenlin’s Assault Medical system was considered a niche, then the long-range Stealth tactics of Chi Lizi, a member of Black Crow, were also considered one of those niches.

Based on past experiences, Chi Lizi’s long-range Stealth system was one of Black Crow’s core strategies. However, Black Crow wasn’t just about that; they had a similarity to KID in that they also employed a three-core system. If they tried to use the same three long-range mecha core system from the knockout matches to deal with Black Crow, it would be like brandishing an axe at Ban’s ¹ gate ².

Chi Lizi’s high popularity on StarNet wasn’t without reason. Ying Chenlin had once sparred with him in a virtual battlefield, and Chi Lizi’s reaction time was not inferior to that of Ji Qingfeng or Lin Yao. He could quickly detect the situation and make adjustments and changes, displaying extremely high mobility.

Having such a mecha pilot as a teammate was very comforting, but as an opponent, it was extremely tricky.

Thinking up to this point, Ying Chenlin flipped through the other information on Black Crow and found details on their Artillery and Control mechas.

Normally, each team’s combat system revolved around a core. For example, YDS has a system centered around Ke Lin, while Gale has a comprehensive development system. Black Crow’s system, however, has two cores. One was the long-range Stealth mecha Chi Lizi, and the other was the highly-offensive Artillery mecha Wen Yi.

“You’re looking at Black Crow’s data?” Huo Yan noticed Ying Chenlin’s focus.

Lu Xi heard “Black Crow” and said, “This team is a bit tricky to deal with. We’ve been broken by them before.”

“Black Crow is a typical dual-core team. Chi Lizi and Wen Yi. They play with niche systems, so many tactics aren’t very applicable to them.” Jiang Simiao pulled up the data and spoke more clearly when it came to Black Crow. “Chi Lizi and Wen Yi, both long-range, have always been positioned at the back of the team and take advantage of the advantages created by their frontline teammates.”

“When fighting Black Crow, the most frightening thing is not being able to find their Stealth and Artillery.” Huo Yan continued, “Their Tank’s an agile Tank, and their Control mecha pilots also include the Artillery, who brings a dual long-range control. From the knockout matches, their Guardian and Medical also seem to be a mix of tanks and controllers.”

Ji Qingfeng’s scalp tingled upon hearing this. “So, isn’t this team both tanky and controlling? And they’re agile in the backline too?”

Jiang Simiao said, “Simply put, that’s the case. They’re front-line snatchers and back-line killers. Plus, they’re highly flexible, often catching opponents off guard before eliminating them.”

Shen Xingtang said, “Aren’t you guys familiar with their tactics? With three long-range systems, Chi Lizi’s playstyle is similar to Chenlin’s. And their Medical mecha seems to also carry long-range weapons…”

Lin Yao interjected, “Ah! Isn’t that a four long-range system?”

Black Crow is a team absolutely adept at using long-range mechas, but KID was different. KID’s past strengths lie in front-line mechas.

Ji Qingfeng was a traditional Stealth pilot, Lin Yao was a Guardian who didn’t even know how to use artillery, and Huo Yan was a more well-rounded Tank mecha pilot.

So, facing Black Crow’s team, for KID, would definitely be a formidable obstacle.

Jiang Simiao said, “Ah, it’s fine. There are 16 spots available in the top 32, so even if we encounter the same team, as long as we don’t face Black Crow head-on, it’ll be fine.”

KID didn’t want to encounter Black Crow; they would definitely be at a disadvantage if they did.

Ying Chenlin listened to his teammates’ discussion and drew a rough outline of the four long-range systems on the data board. After finishing the outline, he suddenly looked at Lin Yao.

Lin Yao asked, “What’s wrong, Chenlin?”

Ying Chenlin replied, “Nothing.”

The promotion matches used a lottery system on Star Network. When it was time to draw lots, everyone unanimously had Ying Chenlin do it.

The knockout stage was like a thousand troops crossing a single log bridge, but by the time they reached the top 32 promotion matches, the skill requirements for each team were much higher. They were divided into four groups: A, B, C, and D, each with four promotion slots. When the draw results came out, KID’s luck was exceptionally good—they were placed in Group D, which had fewer strong teams.

When this result was announced, many netizens who expected an Asura field from the start were stunned.

【Has KID always been this lucky?】

【This group draw is like hitting the jackpot.】

Before the draw, Jiang Simiao had already been arranging tactics to deal with the strong teams. But when he saw this grouping, he put back half the weapons they had prepared. Other teams that wanted to study KID’s mecha team were speechless. With such a grouping, wouldn’t KID still have hidden cards to play?

Group D didn’t have the strong teams that KID was most worried about. It mainly consisted of old top 32 teams or dark horses from the knockout stage.

For KID, the competitive pressure wasn’t great. After entering the Contamination Zone, they quickly stabilized their performance in the top four and, in the end, turned the tide to win the Group D matches, securing a spot in the top 16.

The Dawn Galaxy Mecha League grew significantly after the Black Hole event, with generous bonuses awarded after each match starting from the knockout stage. For strong teams, this was just normal prize money, but for KID, it became a considerable amount of liquid assets, quickly filling all the previous gaps in their maintenance room.

Shen Xingtang managed money far better than some of the mecha pilots in KID. With available funds, she immediately organized the base meticulously, providing more support for KID’s mecha pilots. She even replaced the few virtual pods in the training room that had been used for several years.

“Am I drawing again?” Ying Chenlin was once again pushed to the lottery page.

Ji Qingfeng, “If you draw another retirement care group, we’ll smoothly make it to the top 8.”

But this time, the draw results were not favorable. When all the grouping results came out, KID was placed in Group A, facing teams like BZZL1 and Black Crow.

Two of the old top four teams from Dawn’s previous season were in Group A!

And one of them was Black Crow, the team KID least wanted to encounter.

Ying Chenlin was slightly surprised by the result and looked at the others. “Seems manageable?”

You Su, “You really have a knack for drawing.”

The rest of KID: “…”

Jiang Simiao: “That’s it, we’re going to need to dig deep for this one.”

Author’s Note:

Sorry for the delay, but the top 32 is over.

The focus will be on the upcoming top 16 matches, with opponents being BZZL1 and Black Crow!

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Translator Notes

1. A Chinese architect or master carpenter, structural engineer, and inventor, during the Zhou Dynasty. He is revered as the Chinese Deity (Patron) of builders and contractors.[↩]
2. [humble]Show off one’s inferior talent or skill in front of an expert; to give advice to someone about a subject that they already know more about than you[to teach an expert how to do things][↩]