Genius Mechanic: Chapter 199

Slared Contaminated Zone(Star Alliance Mission)

199. Pollutant Ambush

Proofread by Cloud Chip Cake and An Zheee 

Hu Luobu, after flying up high, suddenly remembered something, “Wait! Is Lao Zhao still down there?”

Everyone looked down and noticed a small blue figure, moving in the midst of the white fog.

“You only realize you left me behind after hearing that? Do you even have a conscience?” Zhao Lejie shouted as he started to fly upwards in his mecha. But just as he activated his thrusters, the swarm of red-eyed pollutants suddenly rushed toward him. He didn’t even have time to clearly see what the pollutants looked like, before he crashed into the barrier Lin Yao had sealed off.

“I forgot to retract my barrier,” Lin Yao said. “Don’t worry, it can help block them for a bit.”

Zhao Lejie’s voice crackled with static, “Thanks, really appreciate it.”

But there wasn’t time for chit-chat. Ying Chenlin’s attention had just shifted from Zhao Lejie to the red-eyed creatures that were barely visible in the white fog. He quickly switched to his mecha’s built-in pollutant detection system, only to find that the usually sensitive system had completely failed, and even their close-range communication systems were being affected.

Wen Yi zoomed in with his scope to the highest magnification, and finally got a clear view of the pollutants amid the snow-covered mountain’s white fog.

They were pollutants covered in almost transparent white fur and sharp claws, and only a pair of blood-red eyes. From their vague silhouettes, they resembled foxes.

“Snow Foxes?” Wen Yi questioned.

At that moment, You Su had already fired a shot at the group of Snow Foxes. The powerful Energy Cannon shot pierced through layers of ice fog, but just as it was about to hit the Snow Foxes, it passed right through them, slamming heavily into the snow below.

“It passed through them!?” Chi Lizi said in astonishment.

Several mecha pilots in the distance witnessed this scene simultaneously.

They knew You Su’s accuracy was impeccable, so it wasn’t a matter of him missing or misjudging. There was only one possibility left.

Wen Yi: “An illusion?”

You Su frowned, “No, more like a shadow.”

The severity of the situation exceeded their expectations. Huo Yan, alarmed, watched the swarm of pollutants and shouted urgently, “Lao Zhao, get up here—!”

Hu Luobu blasted a hole in Lin Yao’s barrier to open a path for Zhao Lejie, “What are these pollutants? Are they in the database?”

No, they weren’t. The moment Ke Lin saw these pollutants, he immediately searched the database, but there was no description of such pollutants in the records provided by Slared. The Snowy Mountains region did have Snow Foxes, but their eyes weren’t purely crimson, and they certainly didn’t have near transparent claws. “They look like Snow Foxes, but they’re not.”

Snow Foxes were classified as A-Level mutated pollutants, and they were rare. The database noted that they were once rare A-Level pollutants in Slared’s Snowy Mountainss.

Yet now, there was a large number of pollutants that resembled Snow Foxes.

The transparent Snow Foxes on the ground didn’t hesitate after You Su’s shot. It seemed like, after his cannon shot, they locked onto the mechas flying above. Originally lying on Lin Yao’s barrier, these pollutants suddenly leapt upwards with incredible jumping power, lunging directly at the mechas. Seeing this, the gathered mechas quickly dispersed, each taking up their weapons to fend off the unknown pollutants.

Hu Luobu’s Tracking Cannon passed right through the body of a Snow Fox, prompting him to curse, “These things aren’t real, are they?”

But that notion was quickly dispelled as the Snow Foxes broke through the barrier that Lin Yao had previously set over the pit. If they were fake, they wouldn’t have such destructive power.

Ying Chenlin’s gaze fell below, “Zhao Lejie, hurry up!”

Zhao Lejie was almost out of Lin Yao’s barrier when the Snow Foxes rapidly swarmed in, quickly surrounding the opening Hu Luobu had made, sealing it off. “Damn it, the exit’s blocked.”

The Snow Foxes that jumped into the large pit not only lunged at Zhao Lejie but also attacked the corpses of the pollutants inside, tearing into them ferociously.

Wen Yi and Ke Lin, both experienced commanders, quickly realized that the Snow Foxes were attracted by the scent of the dead pollutants. They were about to warn everyone to stay away from the pit when Ying Chenlin’s voice came faster.

Ying Chenlin: “The pit!”

Huo Yan deactivated his thrusters and jumped down.

Seeing this, Lin Yao couldn’t afford to hesitate. He charged into the mass of Snow Foxes, sweeping them away from the barrier with his staff. As he jumped into the pit, he once again raised a barrier to block the approaching pollutants.

Zhao Lejie watched as Lin Yao sealed the space tightly again: “?”

Bro, aren’t we escaping? Why are you sealing the door?

Lin Yao stood protectively in front of the pollutant corpses. “How dare they steal our pollutants!”

Hu Luobu: “…”

Is that really the priority? Shouldn’t we be escaping, instead of squatting in the pit for an ambush?

With two more mechas in the pit, Zhao Lejie, who hadn’t yet managed to escape, was forced to join his teammates in defending the pollutant corpses.

The Snow Foxes didn’t stop due to this sudden change. On the contrary, their predatory behavior became even more frenzied as KID’s intervened. They moved with greater agility, attacking the mechas and the pit of pollutants with increased intensity. The mecha pilots hovering above could do nothing but use their cannons to push back the Snow Fox pollutants.

The shells hit the Snow Foxes, but more often than not, they passed right through them and crashed into the snow. After several minutes, not only had the defensive line failed to hold, but the number of foxes also kept increasing, and their attacks on the Dawn mechas grew more precise.

Ke Lin realized things were going south. According to Slared’s database, these rare Snow Foxes evolved primarily into speed-type mutants, characterized by fast movement and powerful jumps. But that was just on the surface. The most important thing the database mentioned was that these Snow Foxes had high intelligence and were particularly cunning. Their population was small, but their survival skills were exceptional.

A-Level pollutants weren’t particularly difficult for them to handle. The challenge was that previously, the pollutants they had attracted to the pit were drawn in by Zhao Lejie’s influence, making them easier to eliminate in one fell swoop. However, the behavior of these Snow Foxes suggested they weren’t just cunning and cautious as the data indicated—they were displaying coordinated tactics, as if one of the foxes had leadership abilities, guiding the group in a systematic attack.

Ke Lin instinctively looked toward where Ying Chenlin was positioned.

The snow pit was filled with piles of pollutant corpses, and three mechas were doing their best to maintain the barrier. Above the pit, everything was white, with the red-eyed Snow Foxes moving erratically. Mechas hovered in the air, and as the Snow Foxes lunged forward, it seemed as if the snow curtain was advancing, carrying with it a faint wind.

While everyone’s attention was focused on the Snow Foxes around the pit, Chi Lizi, who had been hovering at a higher altitude to scout the area, noticed a subtle change. “Is the wind picking up?” 

Chi Lizi piloted a Stealth mecha, typically used by Black Crow for reconnaissance.

Ji Qingfeng wasn’t here, so all scouting missions fell on Chi Lizi.

“Since just now, our visibility has been steadily decreasing.”

Chi Lizi’s voice crackled with static: “The wind speed is changing now as well.”

Low visibility due to a snowstorm, shifting wind speeds…

Ying Chenlin’s gaze was fixed in the distance. With so many changes, it seemed like there was more at play than just a group of snow foxes.

Everyone’s concerns about the strange environment grew heavier. While evading the Snow Foxes, they kept an eye on their surroundings, but the environment was changing faster than they could react.

Huo Yan, hiding in the pit, hadn’t noticed the changes. Hearing the voices, he looked up at the sky, seeing only a vast expanse of white. He couldn’t even see his teammates’ mechas. “Be careful, it seems like there’s more than—”

Before he could finish, a fierce howling wind reached everyone’s ears, coming from afar and approaching fast like a sudden thunderstorm.

A violent storm suddenly surged from the distance, attacking the flying mechas in the open area. With no mountains for cover and the unique gravitational environment of this region, the swirling snowstorm immediately impacted all airborne mechas.

Ying Chenlin urgently shouted, “Descend!”

The fierce blizzard struck without warning, strong and furious, sweeping over the pit in the blink of an eye.

The two Tank mechas crouched in the pit quickly raised their shields, and Huo Yan grabbed Lin Yao, maximizing their shield’s protection.

Zhao Lejie exclaimed in shock, “What’s going on!?”

The chaotic voices of his teammates were abruptly cut off, and the whole communication channel was filled with a buzzing static. After a moment, the static was replaced by a continuous beeping sound.

The blizzard covered all visible colors, and after the long beep, everyone’s vision was stripped away.

Ying Chenlin couldn’t tell if his ears were ringing or if the communication system was malfunctioning. As he was blown away, he instinctively looked for a landing point, but a mecha beside him reacted faster, grabbing his hand and pulling him down. Amidst the blizzard, he heard the sound of a mecha sliding across the snow, and his scattered thoughts instantly aligned. He shouted, “You Su, is that you?”

You Su didn’t respond. Ying Chenlin caught a glimpse of the shape of the mecha next to him through the blinding snow. He quickly switched to the radar to locate his teammates, only to find a blank radar screen.

Even for You Su who was next to him… there were no signals on the radar.

Their communication and radar systems had both failed.

—

At Slared’s Defense Line, everyone from the Dawn Galaxy was also monitoring their team’s situation. The moment the radar signals disappeared, they noticed the issue immediately.

“The signal’s gone.”

Since they had recently figured out that KID was using displacement to gather monsters, they no longer felt confident in guessing KID’s next moves. Zhang Ge looked directly at Jiang Simiao, who was adjusting the system. “This stealth tactic is impressive. If the radar system can’t detect them, it means the other teams won’t know what we’re doing, right?”

Black Crow’s team leader remarked, “Indeed. Coupled with their displacement strategy, they might even swipe some pollutants from the stronger teams.”

KID’s head coach, Jiang Simiao: “…”

He was quickly checking for system errors, and he regretfully shattered the other teams’ illusions: “…I wish it were a tactic, but our current technical level isn’t advanced enough to evade the Alliance’s positioning system.”

Zhang Ge: “?”

“It’s not a tactic?”

Jiang Simiao replied, “If we had such an impressive tactic, would our performance in the galactic tournament have been so miserable?”

The people around him fell silent.

Zhang Ge’s proud smile collapsed.

The positioning system built into the Star Alliance system represents the most advanced technology of the Star Alliance. If even such technology cannot capture the signal, it indicates that something must have gone wrong within the Slared Contaminated Zone.

“Why did the signals suddenly disappear?”

“Is something wrong?”

“What’s going on!? Can we immediately assess their safety?”

“The signals from Qi Sicheng and Ji Qingfeng are still there, and their coordinates haven’t changed significantly.”

Zhang Ge urged, “Hurry! Find out the cause!”

All staff worked diligently, assisting Jiang Simiao in troubleshooting the issue.

But halfway through their investigation, they suddenly noticed that several teams’ mechas were moving towards the Snowy Mountains region.

“Zhang Ge, this is bad…” On the other side, a staff member tracking the strong teams’ signals turned around stiffly. “The fourth strongest team in the Alliance, SLY, seems to be heading in the direction where our mechas disappeared—”

Outside the Slared Defense Line, the logistics and coaching teams on various starships were all focused on the Alliance system. Information from all areas of Slared converged at the information processing centers of the strong teams. When the radar signals of KID’s ten mechas disappeared from a fixed location, several teams that had been tracking KID began discussing it.

“The signal from that low-scoring small galaxy disappeared.”

“They must have used some kind of trick, right?”

“What’s happening over there in the Snowy Mountainss?”

The coach of Gaia’s team didn’t look too happy. After their Snow Wolf mission was snatched away, they had been keeping an eye on KID. They originally planned to report KID’s situation to their team via the base station, but they didn’t expect that this small team would disappear from the Snowy Mountains region, leaving only two mecha signals on the radar.

They were here to complete a point-scoring mission and didn’t need to delay their original goal for a small galaxy.

“There’s no need to—” Gaia’s coach was about to dismiss it when he suddenly noticed something.

The mechas that had been in other areas were now changing direction, all heading towards the Snowy Mountainss.

“PJT has changed course; they’re now heading towards the Forest and Snowy Mountains junction.”

“GBK is moving too; they’re no longer following their planned route.”

…

Meanwhile, in a narrow mountain crevice between the snowy peaks.

For the 35th time, Ji Qingfeng failed to connect to the team’s communication system. They had lost contact with the team about ten minutes ago, the last thing they heard being Zhao Lejie shouting to run, and after that, there had been no communication signals at all. If all their external systems hadn’t been functioning normally, they might have thought the problem was on their end. “Lao Zhao’s last words were to run. How could they run so fast that they vanished from the radar?”

Qi Sicheng looked at the radar where their teammates’ signals had disappeared, his expression becoming serious. “They’ve encountered a problem.”

Earlier, it was just that communication couldn’t connect, but now even their radar signals were gone.

Ji Qingfeng’s expression shifted slightly. “What do you mean? Should we head back right now?”

The scattered information suggested they were suddenly attacked, and the mecha signals disappearing could be due to damage. However, with so many signals lost at once, it wasn’t just a simple damage issue—likely their signals were being blocked.

In a Contaminated Zone, except for special reasons, there was only one possible cause for signal blockages—

They had encountered pollutants.

Qi Sicheng was about to change direction and retreat when Ji Qingfeng suddenly stopped him.

Ji Qingfeng’s gaze was fixed in the distance. He quickly activated a stealth field, covering both himself and Qi Sicheng. “There are mechas over there, and these people seem to have a clear purpose. Several mechas are moving together, and they’re heading in our direction—”

Following Ji Qingfeng’s line of sight, Qi Sicheng spotted the signals of SLY, the team fourth in the Alliance. His expression changed slightly as he realized something. He quickly said to Ji Qingfeng, “Something’s wrong; we’re lagging behind in information.”

“We can’t go back to find them.” Qi Sicheng quickly pulled up a map of Slared’s Snowy Mountainss, searching for the nearest base station. “We need to find a base station. We must head there.”

—

Amidst the wind and snow, the vast whiteness obscured everyone’s sense of direction, throwing everything into chaos.

The communication and radar systems had completely collapsed, leaving Ying Chenlin with only the sensation of the mecha gripping his left hand tightly. The two mechas rapidly retreated in the blizzard until they collided with a large rock and finally came to a stop. The ground was covered in scratches, marks left by You Su’s weapon as it scraped through the snow.

Ying Chenlin quickly activated the weapon in his hand, but the spatial displacement weapon relied on the mecha’s radar. Without the coordinates of his teammates, he couldn’t lock onto a target to move with You Su—the displacement weapon was useless.

“Ying Chenlin.”

Amid of his thoughts, Ying Chenlin heard a voice. He hesitated for a moment, realizing that You Su was using the external loudspeaker to communicate with him, the sound interspersed with the howling wind and snow.

With the communication system down, they could only use the most basic means of transmitting sound.

You Su’s voice was slightly cold: “We’ve been ambushed by pollutants.”

Ying Chenlin switched to the external loudspeaker. “Not just those.”

Organized Snow Fox attacks, the snow curtain reducing visibility, a sudden blizzard.

No matter how unlucky they were, it was too coincidental for them to encounter pollutants and be hit by a blizzard simultaneously. Moreover, the weather in this area had been relatively stable not long ago. A pollutant attack beyond their expectations would not be less than an A-Level threat; the only possibility was an S-Level pollutant.

You Su pulled the mecha closer in his direction. Their visibility was reduced to just five meters, making it almost impossible to move in the snowstorm. He confirmed, “An S-Level.”

“Qi Sicheng hasn’t contacted us since you noticed the environmental anomalies,” Ying Chenlin said, trying to move closer to You Su. With his help, they concealed themselves behind a large rock. “It’s possible that our external communications were already cut off at that time, and without us realizing, that pollutants surrounded us.”

Moreover, the pollutants surrounding them were extremely smart, clever enough to use Snow Foxes as cover, and aware of how to exploit vulnerabilities.

Once Ying Chenlin stabilized his mecha, You Su released his grip and explained, “It’s an S-Level pollutant from the Frontier.”

This high-intelligence pollutant reminded Ying Chenlin of Qiu Jin and Coria. They had encountered many S-level pollutants before, but most of the high-IQ and tricky ones had come from a Frontier Contamination Zone. Slared’s loss of control was due to pollutants breaking in from the Frontier.

Ying Chenlin pulled up the magnetic field sensing system. What had been an unclear detection system was now full of garbled data—clearly, the magnetic field around them had become too chaotic to control. “There’s a pollutant capable of controlling magnetic fields.”

“The Snow Foxes are A-Level mutants, some real, some fake. There might be a large one behind them,” You Su said as he quickly operated the mecha’s internal systems. He infused mental power to activate Theo who was around his neck. “A lot of Snow Foxes appeared just now, but the disturbance they caused was minimal.”

Ying Chenlin paused slightly. “Disturbance?”

“Sound,” You Su observed his surroundings. The sound was faint, influenced by the wind and snow. “What you see isn’t always accurate, especially when the magnetic field is interfering with the mecha’s systems.”

With visibility limited and pollutant detection malfunctioning, all they could see were countless pollutants.

But despite the large number of pollutants, the noise they made while moving was minimal. With so many pollutants, their movement should have been much louder.

“Shadows, decoys.” Ying Chenlin attempted to access the Alliance’s mission system. Aside from the preloaded information, they couldn’t refresh the internal situation in the Alliance’s system. Clearly, the system was also being blocked by this special magnetic field.

The blizzard had scattered them all, and until they left this special magnetic field, there was no way to regroup with their teammates.

He wasn’t worried about Wen Yi and the others. Black Crow and YDS were strong, and they should have also noticed the anomaly… What they needed to worry about was how to quickly deal with these pollutants— decoy shadow pollutants, magnetic fields, blizzards… In the worst-case scenario, there could be three S-Level pollutants in this area.

As Ying Chenlin considered the situation, You Su had already taken action. His Energy Cannon was aimed at the snow-covered ground, leaving a particularly deep scratch ahead.

That was the path You Su had scraped out with the cannon during the blizzard. Although they couldn’t determine the location of the others, Huo Yan, Lin Yao, and Zhao Lejie were likely still in the pit.

Ying Chenlin pulled out his Displacement Staff to use as a probing weapon, planting it in the ground. Just as he stabilized himself, he suddenly thought of something and reached out his hand towards the nearby mecha. “You Ge, your hand.”

You Suo had been adjusting the Energy Cannon when he paused upon hearing the sound.

Ying Chenlin grabbed You Su’s hand firmly. “We shouldn’t split up.”

Without wasting time, the two immediately advanced along the path marked by You Su after the blizzard subsided slightly.

However, as they moved deeper, the howling of the storm diminished, leaving only the sound of their mechas’ footsteps.

The blizzard had lasted only a few seconds upon landing. The tracks created by You Su greatly helped in determining the direction of the large pit.

Soon, they reached the end of the tracks, but after walking a bit further, they couldn’t find the location of the large pit.

Ying Chenlin looked towards a diagonal position. As the storm subsided, he switched to the long-range Energy Cannon, aiming ahead to locate Lin Yao’s position.

Yet, after firing a shot, there was no echo for several seconds.

Ying Chenlin and You Su’s expressions changed instantly—Lin Yao’s spatial field had disappeared.

At that moment, something shot out from the silent snow curtain. You Su quickly raised the cannon to block the attack, the powerful impact sent his entire mecha flying backward.

The two mechas were immediately separated by the shockwave. Ying Chenlin caught a subtle change in his vision—left!

He fired a shot towards the left, but his shot missed.

Through You Su’s sniper scope, he caught a glimpse of a shadow. The shadow materialized into a grotesque, white monster with sharp teeth dripping saliva, its massive body mounted on the Medical mecha. His expression changed slightly. “Ying Chenlin!”

Ying Chenlin felt a weight on his shoulder, and then a pair of enormous, blood-red eyes completely dominated his field of view. His expression changed as he aimed the Energy Cannon at himself.

At that moment, Yuan’s voice echoed in his mind: “Chenlin, directly below.”

Ying Chenlin’s expression stiffened, and he glanced sharply at his feet. Something had broken through the snow and grabbed his foot. The next second, a massive force from below yanked his entire mecha forcefully into the snowy layers.

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