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Genius Mechanic

Genius Mechanic: Chapter 216

Slared Contaminated Zone(Star Alliance Mission)

216. A Doubtful Point Plus Interception

Proofread by Cloud Chip Cake and An Zheee

In the depths of the ice cave, WHG’s coordinates remained within Dawn’s control, while the targets at the rear maintained their distance from WHG. Both sides were quickly pulling back and forth. On Slared’s ice layer, after their surprise over Dawn’s spatial displacement tactics, several teams shifted their focus to E.M, who were being intercepted by Aegis.

In terms of overall strength, Aegis couldn’t hold off E.M, but Aegis had many mecha pilots assisting them.

The First Star Domain’s Aegis was renowned for being the best at defense within the Star Alliance. With their captain, Wu Qingshuang, standing before them, even E.M, the number one team in the Star Alliance, found it difficult to quickly break free from Aegis’s encirclement.

Alex’s gaze shifted from Sink to Wu Qingshuang, now colder. “Wu Qingshuang, step aside.”

Wu Qingshuang’s attitude was resolute “No.”

The surrounding top teams didn’t want to wade in these muddy waters. With someone blocking E.M, other teams were secretly cheering them on.

Alex continued, “Wu Qingshuang, you can block E.M, but can you block SLY and GBK too?”

Wu Qingshuang glanced at the environs, where reinforcements from those two teams had already arrived. She indeed couldn’t block all three teams.

On the other side, the four mechas from Dawn that had emerged from the ice cave were now awkwardly standing in the crowd, watching as the strong teams confronted each other. Aegis stepping in to help them intercept the others was completely unexpected for Huo Yan and Ke Lin. The Dawn Galaxy and the Aries Galaxy didn’t have much interaction; Dawn was ranked last in the First Star Domain, while Aries was its top-ranked galaxy. There was a significant gap between them.

Huo Yan asked, “Captain Ke, do your connections reach Aries?”

Lu Xi gave Ke Lin a look of admiration, surprised that YDS had ties with Aegis from the Aries Galaxy.

“…You’ve misunderstood. YDS has no connections in the Aries Galaxy,” Ke Lin replied, thinking of the two top teams from his own galaxy. “It’s probably Captain Qi and Captain Wen. They’ve competed in Star Domain Tournaments a lot, so they might have crossed paths.”

With the Star Alliance’s number one team being held back, the other teams were eager to move. But just at that moment, several mechas suddenly descended from above. As the golden mecha representing PJT flew onto the ice, everyone’s attention involuntarily focused on the lead mecha.

When Alex saw Norbert joining the fray, the coldness on his face peaked. “PJT’s getting involved too?”

Norbert didn’t respond to Alex but boldly positioned his mecha above the hole Alice had dug, standing like a gatekeeper, clearly intending to join the blockade. The other mechas, which had been ready to make a move, paused upon seeing PJT’s actions. PJT only had three mechas, but Norbert wasn’t someone easily dealt with.

As Norbert passed by Dawn’s mechas, he greeted them in a friendly manner, leaving Dawn’s team bewildered.

Ke Lin looked at Huo Yan. “Your connection?”

Huo Yan scratched his head. “We’ve only met him once, and we barely even exchanged greetings.”

Hu Luobu: “He’s greeted your base twice already—once when he came in, and again just now. How are you still not familiar with him?”

Lu Xi looked at Norbert, unsure of what his intentions were.

Aegis stepping in could be due to the relationship between their galaxies, but why was PJT getting involved? Dawn Galaxy had no prior interactions with PJT’s mecha base.

Ke Lin, on the other hand, was cautiously observing these two teams. While other bases were extremely interested in the underground pollutants, these two bases were instead standing on their side. This situation was something he couldn’t quite figure out.

Dawn had nothing worth scheming over, except perhaps the pollutant that Ying Chenlin had been leading away.

Were these two bases after that?

Their conversation was relayed to Dawn’s spaceship via the communicators. The leaders of several teams all turned to look at Zhang Ge, who quickly shook his head, vigorously denying. “If I had such a good relationship with Aegis, would we have been so confused when we first arrived at Slared?”

Just when Shen Xingtang was deep in thought, Dawn’s spaceship suddenly received an urgent communication from the Dawn Galaxy’s end. This urgent message, coming through an expedited communication channel, interrupted everyone’s thoughts. When the staff clicked to accept the transmission, the image of Alliance Chairman Li Jingyan appeared on screen. Alongside him was the Frontier Army’s pollutant research expert, Lao Qiu.

Besides these two, there were also a few other familiar leaders, including Director Liu of the Banute Contaminated Zone’s Management Bureau in the background, wiping sweat from his forehead.

Li Jingyan had received the message very late. Information from the Dawn Galaxy didn’t flow as freely as in other galaxies. It was a leader from the First Star Domain who personally informed him, explaining the situation regarding the special energy source. Only then did Li Jingyan learn that Dawn Galaxy had made a huge splash during the Star Alliance’s Special Mission. Under the noses of the top teams, they had stolen the core of a special pollutant and were now being pursued by several major mecha bases.

Director Liu was sweating profusely, his typically cold expression barely holding. “I only placed a small order. I didn’t expect them to go so far as to mess with that thing…”

Li Jingyan: “You did a great job. Before even making a name for themselves, they’ve already stolen the spotlight.”

Director Liu: “…”

This unknown special energy source was too important. When the news first leaked from the Star Alliance’s Research Institute, high-ranking leaders from all Star Domains had already been informed. The First Star Domain had received the news as well. Since they hadn’t sent many teams to participate in the Star Alliance’s mission, it was hard for them to compete with the top teams. The First Star Domain’s leaders had only intended for Aegis to give it a try. But when they notified Aegis about the leak, they found out that the fiercest ones in stealing the pollutant were none other than their own First Star Domain, who had taken it right from under everyone’s noses.

Dawn? The weakest of the five galaxies? And they managed to steal the pollutant?

Now the leaders couldn’t sit still anymore. Originally, they thought they were just there to watch the excitement, but who would’ve thought that the center of the commotion were their own people. There was no time for spectating now—they quickly dispatched an escort team to rush to the Third Star Domain’s Dongnuo Galaxy as fast as possible to back up the Dawn Galaxy!

The bewildered crew aboard Dawn’s spaceship only now realized just how important the pollutant they had seized was—it turned out to be the lifeblood of a new energy source. 

No wonder Aegis’ mechas were covering them. If it landed in Dawn’s hands, it was as good as landing in the First Star Domain, making it a top priority for the entire First Star Domain.

“Why is Norbert providing cover then? Isn’t he from the Second Star Domain?” Zhang Ge asked.

Black Crow’s team leader responded, “Why worry about his motives for providing cover? The pressing matter is figuring out how to keep this thing in our own hands. It seems the other strong teams haven’t fully received the news yet, probably due to interference from E.M or some other team.”

The First Star Domain had sent fewer teams to participate, and their Star Alliance results were average. However, the other Star Domains that excelled in Mecha competitions had a pre-established unspoken rule in place—resources were distributed based on rank. It was likely that when the other Star Domains received the leaked information, they only informed the top teams like E.M, possibly making some internal deals.

“Right now, the lack of unity among the other Star Domains works in our favor,” Li Jingyan continued. “We’re already en route to the Third Star Domain. The latest update is that the mission commander has submitted an application to terminate the Star Alliance Special Mission, but this request is facing a lot of opposition and may not pass easily.”

Shen Xingtang asked in a low voice, “What are you suggesting?”

“Before the mission termination process is finalized, whoever has the item in their hands, holds its ownership,” Li Jingyan replied. “The First Star Domain leaders are already heading to the Star Alliance headquarters. Safety is our priority. If we can secure it, we will; if not, we’ll let it go.”

Hearing this, Shen Xingtang glanced at the radar coordinates underground. Even though PJT and Aegis were holding the line on Slared’s ice surface, there were still several mecha pilots underground, and some had already reached the lowest of the ice caverns. Could they hold onto this special energy core until the mission’s termination was confirmed?

“Simiao, share all the intel the chairman just sent with the mecha pilots on the ground,” Shen Xingtang instructed, setting aside her concerns. “The mission’s termination process might be blocked by other Star Domains. Until the termination order is issued, any team could pose a threat to us.”

Slared was one of the few places under radar surveillance, but the underground was swarming with pollutants. Even if the strong teams decided to attack directly, there was no way to stop them in such an environment.

Huo Yan and the others were right to run to the ice layer. Under the watchful eyes of the crowd, no strong team would dare attack Huo Yan’s four isolated mechas, but the ones left below the ice were not as safe.

As Jiang Simiao shared the mission data, Huo Yan and Ke Lin had already locked onto the coordinates underground.

SLY’s Alice, WHG’s team, and GBK’s Claude—there were quite a few mechas down there, and they wouldn’t be easy to deal with.

Just then, they suddenly received a communication request from Aegis. Ke Lin hesitated for a moment before answering, and Wu Qingshuang’s calm voice came through the channel: “Aegis will cover Dawn’s retreat. The best plan is for them to retrieve the special energy crystal and return to the surface.”

“E.M hasn’t taken any action yet, but their behavior is quite strange,” Wu Qingshuang voiced her doubts openly. “I suspect that E.M has some kind of setup in Slared’s underground. We can’t interfere beneath the ice layer, but as long as we’re above it, with so many eyes watching, no other team would dare make a move.”

Suddenly, PJT’s Norbert, who was standing near the entrance of the ice cave, spoke up, “Alex, where are your other two mechas?”

Norbert’s tone was casual, almost like small talk. “Your Stealth and Artillery mechas aren’t here, are they? The coordinates on the map are fake, right?”

Alex didn’t respond, but he also didn’t deny it.

Huo Yan’s expression paused—Norbert was giving them a warning.

There were still E.M mechas underground, they just couldn’t see them.

Deep within Slared, the main Dawn team’s four mechas were dealing with the Blue Heart, all while keeping WHG distracted with two moving targets. The heart was enormous. Even after severing all its main roots and the plant roots throughout Slared’s underground gradually losing their vitality, the Blue Heart remained strong. Parts of the severed main roots were even growing new tendrils, attempting to reconnect with the other detached roots.

Zhao Lejie cut off a newly grown tendril and said, “This thing is creepy. Good thing we moved it; if it had stayed where it was and touched the ground again, it would’ve just regrown using the nearby roots.”

Qi Sicheng and Wen Yi, after reading the message sent from Dawn’s spaceship, learned about the importance of this pollutant’s core. They had blindly fought alongside KID to seize it, but never imagined it would turn out to be this critical.

Lin Yao asked, “But once we have the core in our hands, they can’t just forcefully take it from us, right? After all, once it’s in a storage compartment, it’s hard to remove.”

After reviewing the data, Ying Chenlin said, “There are ways outside of the rules. For example, if your mecha’s damage reaches 80%, they could break through the damaged protective layer, and directly dismantle the storage compartment.”

Lin Yao: “So ruthless ah!”

“As long as no one gets killed, with no surveillance in Slared’s underground, they could totally destroy our mechas and take our storage compartments. There are plenty of excuses they could use, like claiming the compartment was broken off by the pollutants and that they found it on the way out,” Wen Yi added. “From the moment this thing was identified as a new energy source, this interstellar competition began.”

Upon hearing this, they realized that not only did they need to remove the energy crystal core from this pollutant, but they also had to escape safely from the underground with it.

Zhao Lejie’s scalp tingled. “Hurry up! Can we dismantle this thing quickly and run?”

The data mentioned that the core of this pollutant was an energy converter, which differed slightly from Ying Chenlin’s initial assumption that it was a control system. His attention shifted to the pollutant beneath his feet, which, despite being severely damaged, was still full of vitality. He turned to look at You Su. “You Ge, is this really an evolving Super S pollutant?”

Noticing the hesitation in Ying Chenlin’s voice, You Su explained, “It is indeed evolving into a Super S-Level, but for now, it’s at most just an S-Level pollutant with high pollution levels. From its appearance, it seems like it evolved from some mutated plant on this planet, relying entirely on its special ability to grow to this extent. However, one thing is clear—this pollutant itself isn’t very strong.”

“It’s not strong?” Ying Chenlin asked.

“With so much energy flow, even if there were an energy leak, 10 years would be enough to nurture this pollutant into a Super S-Level,” You Su lightly kicked the pollutant. The data from the Star Alliance was quite detailed and largely confirmed some of their suspicions. “This one shows the characteristics of a Super S-Level domain, but it’s a false domain… The only explanation for its failed evolution is that its genetic ceiling is low—it can only grow this far at best.”

Just as mecha pilots have inherent genetic factors, there are also possibilities for growth later on.

But how far a species can grow is inherently limited by its genetic makeup. True Super S-Level pollutants are extremely rare; many pollutants try to evolve into the legendary Super S-Levels, but over the years, only a handful have been recorded by the Star Alliance.

“Is that so?” Ying Chenlin asked.

You Su raised his eyes slightly. “Don’t believe me?”

“I just feel something’s strange. If the growth limit of this pollutant is low, how did it manage to grow so fast?” Ying Chenlin pondered. “It seems contradictory.”

“It’s not impossible. It can convert energy, transforming the energy it acquires into a form more suitable for its growth, creating a positive growth cycle.”

Wen Yi followed their line of thinking. “During the riots in Slared 10 years ago, it was probably during that time that this thing grew. The energy available from the pollutants’ competition and death would have been abundant. Don’t forget, we saw those pollutant ice tombs in the underground layer, where some of the pollutants had been dead for a long time, completely drained of energy by this thing.”

Hearing Wen Yi’s explanation, Ying Chenlin temporarily accepted it as the most reasonable explanation so far.

You Su glanced sideways at Ying Chenlin, the young man briefly falling silent. From what You Su knew of him, when Ying Chenlin was quiet, it usually meant he was thinking things over. “If you can’t figure it out, you can ask someone when we get out. That Frontier Army officer named Qiu knows a lot about pollutants, doesn’t he?”

Ying Chenlin paused and replied, “It’s not that I don’t get it, it’s just that this pollutant’s growth seems like it’s been fast-forwarded.”

So many years had passed, and many Contaminated Zones had become chaotic, yet why had Slared spiraled so far out of control?

Moreover, two tunnels had appeared in Slared’s underground, capable of spreading to even deeper parts. If the first layer with pollutant ice tombs provided energy and a habitat for other pollutants, then what was the purpose of the second layer, which only contained the Blue Heart and volcanic rock tunnels?

The Blue Heart was so weak that, without its roots, it had no attack capabilities. Leaving such a large tunnel seemed illogical.

In the cockpit, when the young man mentioned “fast-forwarding,” You Su, usually so laid-back, suddenly showed a hint of suspicion in his eyes. His hand hovered over the weapon control lever for a moment, as if something had dawned on him.

The usually talkative Theo fell silent for two seconds, then spoke up again, “You Su? If it’s fast-forwarded, could it be that thing?”

You Su’s expression turned terrifyingly cold as his gaze swept over the remaining energy inside Theo’s cockpit. “It better not be.”

“Ah! Stop thinking about random stuff! Even if you all aren’t worried, I’m about to lose my mind,” Zhao Lejie pointed at the pollutant on the ground. “Everyone up top is fighting over this thing. Aren’t you KID guys supposed to be good at dismantling pollutants? Can’t you figure out a way to kill this thing first? As long as it’s alive, I can’t relax.”

Ying Chenlin hadn’t noticed You Su’s silence, his focus was entirely on the radar system and the Blue Heart. It was only when Zhao Lejie spoke that he snapped back to reality.

Qi Sicheng frowned, “This defense is tough to crack. We’ve been dismantling it for so long, and it’s only taken a little damage.”

Zhao Lejie: “??? Wait, I thought we had a plan for when we had to run with this thing.”

Lin Yao: “Huh? What plan? If we can run with it, then we just take it and run first, of course!”

“Exactly. Take the thing and deal with the rest later,” Ji Qingfeng added, “You Gale guys overthink everything. Just take things one step at a time, and you’ll go further.”

Zhao Lejie: “…”

Qi Sicheng: “Thanks, that actually makes some sense.”

Ji Qingfeng: “You’re welcome. Let’s discuss more in the future and improve together.”

Zhao Lejie looked at the two mechas running ahead side by side. “Boss, if he’s threatening you, just blink.”

During this exchange, Ying Chenlin had already driven his Flowing Fire Sword into the Blue Heart once again. His gaze fixed on the blue liquid seeping from the heart. “We didn’t have a plan before, but we do now.”

“The data says this pollutant transmits energy through its roots, not through control-based abilities.” Ying Chenlin’s Flowing Fire Sword locked onto a root severed from the Blue Heart. Previously, he hadn’t known that its interior was refined energy, but now he did. “It’s no longer connected to its external roots, so its internal root system should be full of refined energy, right?”

As soon as Ying Chenlin said this, the others immediately caught on.

“We were attacking the wrong spot earlier.” Ying Chenlin locked onto the Blue Heart’s main roots. “Since we can’t cut through from the outside, let’s blow it up along its main roots.”

With his sword charged at 100%, Ying Chenlin slashed down fiercely. After two strikes, he managed to open a small crack. Blue liquid surged from the cut, and Ying Chenlin found two internal roots. He slightly adjusted the Flowing Fire Sword’s path and stabbed into one of the smaller roots.

At that moment, he manipulated the fire source along the blade, igniting it within the root system. The fire quickly spread through the root’s veins, producing a sharp crackling explosion. A small, deep crater burst open on the surface of the Blue Heart, spraying a large amount of blue liquid.

Zhao Lejie: “!”

Ying Chenlin: “Looks like it works.”

“In three minutes, we’ll enter the next phase of displacement. If it’s not working by then, we can wait until after—” Wen Yi reminded them.

Just then, You Su suddenly asked, “Ignite the internal roots, right?”

Ying Chenlin had just blasted a small crater and was about to dig deeper. “Yeah, we need a bit more space.”

Zhao Lejie suddenly saw KID’s Artillery walking over to him, and in shock, he instinctively stepped aside. Just as he moved, the Energy Cannon of the red-and-white mecha aimed at the recently blasted crater, pressing its muzzle directly against the Blue Heart. In the next second, a muffled boom echoed as the cannon blasted one inch deeper into it.

The barrage didn’t stop there. You Su’s Energy Cannon charged up again, and with a close-range shot at 100% power, it pounded another inch into the heart. You Su’s multifunctional Energy Cannon was designed using the Steel Wing Bird’s Steel Cannon ability, which had a unique feature: it could serve two purposes, and its close-range attacks had a noticeably strong recoil.

However, the Artillery mecha standing over the Blue Heart showed no concern about the potential rebound damage from such close-range blasts. 

He expertly controlled the power of each shot, firing again and again, driving the cannon deeper, inch by inch, into the heart.

The pulsating Blue Heart was completely suppressed beneath his feet, unable to budge even a little.

Standing nearby, Zhao Lejie was splattered with blue blood, his skin crawling as he listened to the booming blasts right next to him, goosebumps raising all over.

Doesn’t this guy’s hand hurt?! How strong does his arm have to be to control such close-range cannon fire?! And firing point-blank—shouldn’t the recoil have numbed him by now?!

Wen Yi shot a deep look at You Su—this person’s attitude had changed.

At this moment, standing above the Blue Heart, You Su said, “Ying Chenlin, come over and light it up.”

As Ying Chenlin approached, he saw that a section of the heart’s surface was completely exposed, revealing the prominent roots buried deep within the pollutant’s flesh. Without hesitation, he plunged his Flowing Fire Sword into one of the thicker roots. As soon as it pierced its interior, the pollutant began to struggle violently.

Nearby, Wen Yi fired an ice round to freeze the pollutant in place. “Zhao Lejie, block it!”

Zhao Lejie quickly understood, snapping out of his shock and stepping in front of You Su and Ying Chenlin. He activated his shield, leaving enough room for Ying Chenlin to maneuver.

The moment the Flowing Fire Sword fully penetrated through, a powerful source of fire spread rapidly along the root system. Ying Chenlin heard a series of sizzling and booming sounds as large amounts of blood sprayed onto the shield. By the time the explosions subsided, the blue pollutant had already shed several layers of its outer shell. The ice around them was splattered with flesh and blood, which was swiftly absorbed by the volcanic rock below.

This time, the target was a relatively thicker root system, likely one of the primary veins crucial to the Blue Heart’s core. The explosion immediately obliterated a third of its body. When Ying Chenlin peeled back the flesh, there was no longer a strong defense hindering him. With the flesh stripped away, a strange blue energy crystal connected to various root tendrils became visible inside.

The crystal was linked to the roots and flesh. Before Ying Chenlin could act, You Su fired another shot, blasting apart the veins surrounding the crystal. Blue blood splattered all over Ying Chenlin’s mecha. The Steel Wing Cannon’s muzzle pressed against the energy crystal, pushing it towards Ying Chenlin.

You Su said, “Pick it up, we’re leaving.”

Ying Chenlin glanced at the nearby mecha with slight surprise. “Oh, okay.”

Was it just his imagination, or did You Su seem a little different?

Just as Ying Chenlin dug out the energy crystal, Wen Yi suddenly spoke up. “Damn, SLY caught up.”

On the radar system, a mecha signal representing SLY appeared near the coordinates of Yao and Lizi—it was Alice, SLY’s captain.

Ying Chenlin shouted sharply, “Lin Yao!”

On the other side of the ice cavern, at Slared’s lowest level, a massive hammer smashed the ground, and a light-red mecha descended swiftly before two other mechas, sparking an imminent battle.

Chi Lizi’s Grappling Hook latched onto the top of the ice cavern, and Lin Yao quickly retreated a few steps, both of them dodging the light-red mecha’s attack just in time.

After the hammer struck the ground, the light-red mecha stood on it, completely blocking Lin Yao and Chi Lizi’s path forward.

Chi Lizi paused briefly, raising his Sniper Cannon to aim at Alice.

At that moment, Lin Yao was a step faster, landing ahead. He switched his standard attack blade to the Spatial Staff, sweeping the long staff horizontally toward Alice, clearing away the decayed roots on the ground.

The light-red mecha retreated two steps, dodging the fierce wind generated by the staff.

The combat between the two mechas was about to begin, and Alice, holding her hammer, spoke with a hint of amusement in her voice, “So, you like playing with long weapons, huh?”

Author’s Note:

I’ve changed to a limited-edition battle-damaged cover! It’s the cool Xiao Ying!

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~ 
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