Genius Mechanic: Chapter 238

Asta Contaminated Zone(Star Domain Tournament: Start)

238. Abandoned Mining Area

Proofread by Cloud Chip Cake and An Zheee 

As the AI announcement echoed, all livestream rooms synchronized to display the blind selection interface. This special interface presented only four options. Detailed background descriptions were absent, and even terrain details were blurred. The only available information included basic data, like pollution value fluctuations, magnetic interference, and the terrain’s complexity.

This data-driven approach disrupted many teams’ original plans. The expressions of the gathered coaches varied to different degrees.

On Dawn Galaxy’s side, to help local viewers follow all eight teams, streamers had created eight-angle livestream interfaces. Many viewers flocked to the channels with comprehensive views, and even seasoned Star Domain Tournament fans were baffled by this year’s blind selection phase.

“The difficulty has been turned up. Typically, a blind selection at the start isn’t much different from the usual random teleportations into the Contaminated Zone.”

The commentator continued, “But dividing into four zones for the blind selection increases the risk of landing in a slaughter zone. Plus, the team density in each zone will rise.”

【This is tough—four options mean collisions are inevitable.】

【No way, right? With eight teams from Dawn, the best case is two per zone?】

【You’re clueless—there’s no such thing as an even distribution. What’s worse is if they all pile into one zone.】

The map displayed only four selectable zones. With 52 teams in total, a full distribution would mean 13 teams per zone.

The coaching teams from various Dawn bases had anticipated the tournament might use zone divisions to quickly eliminate teams in the first half. During strategy meetings, they had emphasized minimizing intra-region clashes for Dawn teams. However, the new data-driven four-zone selection left them unable to identify the terrain represented by each option.

“This is tricky.” Jiang Simiao remarked. “We don’t just have to guess what we should choose, but also what the strong teams might pick.”

The optimal strategy was to avoid strong teams at the start, understand the rules, formulate a strategy, and then fight for rankings.

This  tournament’s blind selection move disrupted every team’s initial arrangements. It wasn’t just Dawn Galaxy, even other galaxies with multiple participating teams couldn’t predict whether their own teams would clash in the same zones.

As everyone focused on the blind selection phase, the official AI began the countdown for selection.

Mecha pilots in the Jump Zone couldn’t communicate with the outside world. They could only rely on the provided data to analyze the zones and make their choices quickly.

“How should we pick?” Huo Yan, as captain, had the final say.

Ying Chenlin locked onto the zones with the highest pollution values and terrain complexities, ultimately identifying the one with the highest combined index. “Choose C.”

The rest of KID had no objections. Following Ying Chenlin’s recommendation, Huo Yan quickly selected Zone C.

Other teams also made their choices one after another. Within ten seconds, the division of the 52 teams into the four zones was displayed for everyone to see.

Spectators analyzing the choices hadn’t yet figured out much, but the teams had already finalized their decisions. The distribution across zones was revealed alongside the rankings of each group. Notably, the top four teams from past Star Domain Tournaments were listed prominently in their respective zones: A: Aegis, B: JIAZI, C: ZUOY, and C: YOU.

【Whoa! The top four teams managed to avoid clashing together—impressive. It’s clear they’re seasoned rivals and have done their homework.】

【Of course! They’ve competed in both the Star Domain and Star Alliance Tournaments. No one studies their opponents as thoroughly as they do. Still, completely avoiding each other is incredible.】

【Group D has no top-four team, making it the least challenging.】

Group C, however, was deemed the toughest, with two top-four teams stacked together. In the resting area allocated to Group C, the teams all wore grim expressions.

Over in the Aegis team’s resting area, their head coach, after reviewing the group distribution chart of all four regions, remarked, “Dawn’s top four teams avoided being grouped together.”

Meanwhile, in Dawn Galaxy’s main live broadcast room, the prayers and hopes of fans seemed to have worked.

Among the eight teams, Gale landed in Group A, YDS in Group B, KID in Group C, and Black Crow in Group D. Two other top-eight teams were grouped with Black Crow in Group D, but overall, the top four were evenly distributed.

【Group C might be crowded, but did you notice… the top four teams didn’t overlap.】 

【Whoa, really? Did they plan this out?】 

【How could they? Grouping is determined by data algorithms; pre-planning would be almost impossible.】

In the resting area, Zhang Ge skimmed the analysis prepared by his coaching team. As expected, KID had chosen the region with the highest combination of terrain complexity and pollution levels. 

Wasn’t that obvious? Everyone knew KID would head for the priciest and most chaotic zone. YDS wouldn’t opt for zones with complicated terrain, while Black Crow would prioritize zones favorable for long-range combat. After so many collaborations, their tendencies were well known.

Gale’s head coach frowned after reviewing the groupings. “Group C, where KID is, is going to be tough.”

Zhang Ge commented, “What kind of luck is this for KID? Two top-four teams landed in C.”

While it was good news that Dawn’s top four teams didn’t clash, KID still couldn’t relax.

Gu Xiaotian glanced nervously at their position in Group C. “Jiang Ge, is our group manageable?”

“Don’t stress.” Jiang Simiao, eyes fixed on the grouping results, replied, “It’s just Group C. The competition format hasn’t been announced yet. If it turns out to be something like a capture-the-point system, we can just stick to the terrain, stay stealthy, and avoid the strong teams—”

Before he could finish, the Asta Contaminated Zone’s warp system activated.

In plain sight, everyone watched the Asta Contaminated Zone from an aerial perspective. Using a dozen base stations as connection points, faint red barriers appeared across the Contaminated Zone, quickly dividing Asta into four regions.

On the virtual display, markers for A, B, C, and D appeared over the four zones.

The vast, intricate terrain of this unique region came into view. As the barriers formed, mechas assigned to different zones were evenly warped to the edges of their respective zones.

When KID’s coordinates refreshed, six red-and-white mechas materialized in a special zone of wild yellow sands. The zone was a harsh desert, with a swirling sandstorm and an undulating sandstone landscape. Mechanized structures were faintly visible, eerily blending into the sandstone formations. In the deep, shadowy recesses of the mechanical sand pits, the grinding sound of machinery echoed ominously.

In one such pit, a malfunctioning mining device hovered unsteadily. Conveyor belts extended from the sandstone surface deep into the ground. The scene was chaotic, with malfunctioning mining devices scattered everywhere, filling the viewfield with obstacles. Amidst these obstacles, pollutants could be glimpsed darting through the sandstone and mines. Noticing the movements of the mechas above, countless pairs of eyes simultaneously turned to watch from below.

The several pilots were still reeling from the shock of the zone’s terrain when the thrusters on their mechas issued destabilization warnings. The several mechas abruptly descended from the high altitude. Just as they were about to crash into the bottomless sand pits, the pilots quickly adjusted, landing on the sandstone. Huo Yan paused, “What is this place?”

You Su quickly identified the location. “Zone C, the Abandoned Fortress’ mining area.”

The Asta Contaminated Zone was a mechanical planet that once served as a frontier fortress.

Zone C they’d selected was a special mining area of the Abandoned Fortress, located within Asta’s sandstone region. It was the only destabilized zone in the entire Asta Contaminated Zone.

While Ying Chenlin was still analyzing the radar positions, the Star Domain Tournament rulebook popped up.

“Damn, it’s a point system!” Ji Qingfeng immediately spotted the keyword in the rules.

Lin Yao : “Points? Doesn’t that just mean fighting?”

[Welcome to the Asta Contaminated Zone, First Star Domain – Star Domain Tournament [Initial Round] Group C. Mecha teams: 13/13; Mechas: 78/78.] [This competition’s mode is [Special Point Battle]. The initial round begins with a [Mecha Point Battle – 12 Days].] [Special Point Battle (30 days): All mechas enter one of four zones (A/B/C/D) in the Asta Contaminated Zone. A 12-day (288-hour) mecha elimination match will be held within each zone. Teams may eliminate one another, and eliminated mechas will be deemed out of the competition. The victorious side gains 1 mecha point. At the end of the 12-day round, the top two ranked teams in each zone advance, while all other teams are eliminated.]

[Note: A special rule has been added to this match. Every 12 hours, the system will reveal the coordinates of one randomly selected mecha type within each team (excluding Stealth types). Match points will not reset.]

“This isn’t just a simple point system.” Ying Chenlin’s gaze lingered on the rulebook.

Below the rules, a leaderboard for the zone appeared. All teams in the competition could now see their competitors within the same zone. Ji Qingfeng scanned the list of team names. “The simpler it looks, the more ruthless it gets!”

In the livestream of KID’s perspective, fans froze momentarily upon seeing the match rules. A seemingly simple mecha point system was made challenging by the system’s random position reveal, forcing confrontations. This setup essentially pushed all mecha pilots into constant combat—the higher their mecha points, the better their rank.

【Was the difficulty of Dawn’s Galactic Competition too high this year? I suddenly feel like its system is still somewhat acceptable.】

【Dawn’s Galactic Tournament was aligning its rules with the Star Domain and Star Alliance Tournaments, raising the difficulty. Chairman Li was definitely serious about it.】

【What’s good about this system? You can’t compare it to Dawn Galaxy’s Contaminated Zones. This is Asta! Plus, the opponents are tougher too.】

“The rules are brutal. The zone selection already determines the environmental challenge, and the opponents aren’t evenly distributed by skill level. This causes uneven competition across the four zones. The Star Domain Tournament is a single-round competition—it doesn’t allow teams to muddle through. If you want to win, you have to keep winning from the initial round onward, with rankings determined by points.”

The commentator on Dawn’s livestream explained, “Blind selection. Simple and brutal elimination. This format is fine for strong teams but merciless for weaker ones. If you don’t make the top two, you won’t progress to the second half. And if your ranking isn’t in the top 10, you won’t get a spot in the Star Alliance Tournament.”

【That’s horrifying! The other three zones might have fighting chances, but Group C is a death group.】

【Group C is the hardest. Two of the top four teams are there. What kind of luck does KID have to land in the death group?】

Usually, zones with high terrain difficulty and high pollution levels weren’t the first choice for most teams.

This led to many teams deliberately avoiding Zone C. However, due to limited slots in each zone, teams that couldn’t secure a spot elsewhere were forcibly placed into Zone C.

【KID wasn’t thrown into Zone C—they chose it.】

【Choosing it makes sense. Who would’ve thought two top-four teams would pick a high-difficulty zone!】

【…Our best hope for a high rank ended up in the death group. What rotten luck.】

【Their luck is always so bizarre. I can’t figure it out either.】

The pollution levels and terrain complexity of Group C were higher compared to the other regions, with the difficulty compounded by the lack of weak teams gathered here. Among the eight teams from Dawn, only KID was unlucky enough to enter this bloodbath group.

【Wait? Why did KID make an emergency landing?】

【They can’t fly anymore.】

 【Didn’t you check the Asta map data? This place is a destabilized zone!】

In the Star Domain Tournament’s official livestream, everyone was focused on the abandoned mining area.

Among the four regions, all the terrains were challenging, but the zone with the highest overall difficulty was the abandoned sandstone mining area.

“Many people are unfamiliar with the abandoned sandstone mining area. Let me explain.” In the livestream, the First Star Domain’s official commentator was tasked with explaining the map before the match. “Looking at the four regions from this perspective, the zone with the most challenging map is the abandoned mining area. The reason it’s considered the most challenging is that most areas in Group C are destabilised zones.”

The Asta Contaminated Zone had a 200-year long history, and this place still retained a lot of modern technology.

To resist the invasion of airborne pollutants, the mining area had a special gravity system activated in the sandstone area. All flying objects entering the region, including mechas, were affected by the artificial magnetic field, immediately entering an unstable state.

While normal sandstone areas allow flying, all mining sites with sandstone mechanical structures are destabilized zones. Group C contained five mining sites, and out of the 13 teams, five had warped near the mining sites and were immediately constrained by the destabilized zones.

“In the unstable conditions, most areas in this region are no-fly zones,” explained the official commentator. “This is essentially because mecha thrusters cannot achieve high-altitude flight here. Additionally, the destabilizing system resists certain abilities, and the power of flight- and speed-enhancement weapons is reduced.”

【A no-fly zone??】

【This group is too brutal. The teams are strong, and the chosen location is the hardest???】

Dawn Galaxy’s viewers were just celebrating their four teams avoiding internal battles when they saw this frustrating tournament setup. At first glance, the difficulties of the four regions seemed comparable: Regions with low terrain difficulty had smaller areas and a higher chance of battles, while larger maps with higher difficulty had complex terrains.

“This setup is tricky.” Li Jingyan, seated at the official platform designated for the 15 galaxies’ chairpersons, frowned deeply upon seeing the region and terrain distribution. While the overall difficulties seemed balanced, Group C was the most challenging in terms of opponents.

With only two slots to advance, KID would need to outperform the Star Domain Tournament’s top four teams, YOU and ZUOY, to win.

【It’s okay. KID’s luck is practically metaphysical. Things might not be the worst…】

【Exactly. The map is big; they can hide and gather some intel.】

【Relax, remember Keze Floating Island? KID managed to lie low for days!】

Before the Dawn livestream’s discussion finished, they discovered that after all the teams received the rulebook, the radar map displayed the first-round’s coordinates. In Group C’s abandoned mining area, the locations of the Artillery mechas in the 13 teams were marked, and the coordinates blatantly revealed the mecha pilot IDs. Forget hiding—this opening move head on exposed the main firepowers! The Artillery mechas!

【Guys, I take back what I said.】

【Isn’t it supposed to be every 12 hours? Why are they exposed now???】

【(whispering) I just checked Group C’s ranking. Since we didn’t participate last season, KID is automatically ranked last.】

What is a mecha points competition format? It’s a mode where the more kills you get, the better your performance.

How do you get the most kills in the same region? Naturally, by targeting the weakest team.

In the resting area, Jiang Simiao and Gu Xiaotian were drenched in sweat.

Gu Xiaotian: “Jiang Ge, are we the cannon fodder from the start?”

Jiang Simiao: “…”

Does it have to be this cruel? A mecha points competition, and they expose the locations right at the start? Isn’t this just telling everyone where KID is and inviting them to come kill them?

The location exposure lasts for 10 seconds. During these 10 seconds, nearly five of the 13 teams closest to KID changed their directions before the coordinates disappeared, quickly heading toward KID’s location.

The six KID mechas acted immediately upon seeing the coordinate information. Just as everyone thought they would quickly leave the destabilized zone to regain flight capability, they did the opposite: They leapt straight into the mining site, heading to the center of the destabilized zone and abandoning flight entirely.

The mechas, without flight capabilities, relied entirely on running and jumping for movement. KID’s six mechas jumped into a mine pit, landing directly on a conveyor belt in operation. They quickly moved along the belt, heading deeper into the center of the mining site.

As a modern mining site, the mechanical structures in this zone maintained heights that were fully compatible with mecha operations.

Once KID’s team entered the zone, they discovered that despite the inability of flight, their tall mechas could move freely within the space.

The moment they entered the mine, Ying Chenlin quickly surveyed the surroundings and compared them to the data he had previously reviewed. He immediately identified their location as the third mine pit.

The continuously running conveyor belts and the destabilizing-suspended mining equipment obstructed long-range visibility. The massive pit walls of the mine were dotted with numerous mechanical passages leading further into the interior of the mining site. This place retained highly advanced automated operational procedures. A large amount of ore was transported from deep underground, with some sent into large processing plants inside the pit walls via conveyor belts, while others, due to the malfunctioning gravity system, were suspended in a state of destabilization within the pit.

The entire system functioned as a large-scale mechanical operation, making it easy for mechas to navigate in and out.

Ying Chenlin followed a conveyor belt into the interior of the pit walls and arrived at a spacious mechanical factory. Part of the internal operating system had ceased functioning, and unprocessed mining equipment was being transported back out on the conveyor belts, becoming obstacles for the mechas’ movements.

Ji Qingfeng looked up at the spotlight above: “This level of intelligence—solar-powered? How did this place become a Contaminated Zone in the first place?”

“Because of magnetic field disruptions and an extreme-pollutant outbreak. The gravity system here is clearly affected,” Ying Chenlin assessed the situation, leading his teammates to take cover in a pit wall cavern while glancing upward toward the top of the mine. “We need to split up.”

“The five mining sites of the mining area are connected underground. Just before the radar coordinates disappeared, I noticed a few mechas heading in our direction,” Lu Xi said, leaning against a pit wall. “They might be coming for us.”

Ji Qingfeng: “If they’re so tough, why not fight us one-on-one? Ganging up on one team doesn’t count for anything.”

As KID’s six mechas entered the pit’s conveyor belt cave, the pollutants active in the pit seemed to take notice of these unwelcome intruders. Greedy eyes focused on the mechas along the pit wall, and pollutants began moving toward KID’s location from various directions.

Lin Yao immediately noticed the approaching pollutants and prepared to draw a weapon. “Oh, they look like Asta’s native Sandstone Rats. They run fast, but seem a bit slow to react.”

Ying Chenlin shifted his gaze from the top of the pit, comparing the earlier radar coordinates with Asta’s localized map. He quickly pieced together a simplified map. As he examined it, his eyes dropped to the growing cluster of pollutants below. “The position of the third mine pit is advantageous… We need to figure out how to stay here.”

To stay in this area, they first had to deal with the group of pollutants at the bottom.

Pollutants had sensitive detection abilities. Staying in one spot for too long would attract large numbers of them.

No matter how well they hid, being exposed by the pollutants would compromise their position.

“We need to split them up. Gathering in one place makes us too large a target,” You Su glanced at the bottom of the pit. “They’re increasing in number.”

“Split up?” Lu Xi said, “The thrusters are affected, but they’re still operational.”

“The mining site is functioning normally, and the interior is powered,” Ying Chenlin quickly marked several positions on the map. “Turn off all energy, approach the operational machinery, and carry some ore. This can help avoid detection by pollutants.”

The pollutants here didn’t react too quickly. Their delayed attack suggested that the mining system’s operations influenced their behavior.

“Do you have a plan?” Huo Yan asked.

Ying Chenlin thought for a moment. “I have an idea we can try.”

Following his instructions, the KID members immediately activated their thrusters and dispersed to the marked positions. As the mechas moved along the conveyor belts, their actions caught the attention of the moving pollutants, causing them to scatter and shift their focus.

In KID’s live broadcast feed, the number of viewers kept increasing as word spread of their challenging start. Seeing multiple teams approaching the third mine pit, the audience’s tension rose. However, the next moment, they watched as KID’s mechas dispersed and hid along the high pit walls.

“KID is smart. By hiding in the pit, the strong teams will have to consider the risk of an ambush before coming down,” the livestream commentator analyzed. “They’re trying to turn the situation to their advantage.”

【The most dangerous place is the safest place?】

【…Why do I feel like KID staying here is purely because there are so many pollutants in the pit?】

【This area has plenty of hiding spots. I’ve seen enough KID matches to understand their tactics.】

【So you’re saying KID picked Zone C because of the high number of pollutants?】

【Knowing KID’s stingy reputation, you’ll see soon enough.】

【A new fan? That B-Level Sandstone Rat near Qingf’s mecha? It won’t live past 15 seconds. If it does, I’ll never beat KID to their loot again.】

The viewers watched as KID’s mechas positioned themselves along various pit walls. When a pollutant passed right by Ji Qingfeng’s concealed red-and-white mecha, everyone expected it to be taken down. Yet, the mecha remained completely still, energy off, not even glancing at the passing pollutant.

KID’s fans watched in disbelief as the pollutant walked away unharmed, flooding the live chat with question marks.

The commentator watching KID’s perspective froze for a moment, joining the audience in stunned silence.

【?????】

【Is this really Qingf?】

【Wait, am I in the wrong livestream?】

【Guys, did I just see that right?】

【That pollutant actually walked past KID and survived…?】

TN:

I hope Da Feng adopts another kid from Asta and that it survives longer than its siblings. All pollutants deserve to experience the overwhelming love of Daddy Feng.

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