Genius Mechanic: Chapter 242.1

Asta Contaminated Zone(Star Domain Tournament: Start)

242.1: KID Actors Bureau

Proofread by Cloud Chip Cake

“KID counter-controlled YGY’s Stealth!” The commentator recovered from their shock and quickly added commentary.

Viewers of the Star Domain Tournament were watching matches across multiple zones  simultaneously. While the battle in Zone C wasn’t the most intense, it had the most dramatic reversals, drawing the audience’s attention. They watched in disbelief as the KID Stealth’s kick left YGY’s Stealth utterly powerless and was blasted into the pit below, where KID’s Guardian and Tank awaited, ready to pounce. The whole sequence happened so quickly that neither the viewers nor the commentators had time to react.

In the Star Domain Tournament, the Dawn Galaxy’s teams were usually unremarkable, with poor overall standings. They occasionally achieved decent results in previous tournaments but were more often eliminated early on, losing mechas to ambushes from stronger teams. Earlier, viewers of Zone A had seen Dawn’s FQJ team lose a mecha to a coordinated siege. But upon switching to Zone C, they found that not only had KID avoided significant losses during the skirmishes, but they were thriving in the chaos, seizing every opportunity.

First, they targeted DAJ, and now they were going after YGY.

【If I were YGY or DAJ, I’d focus all my efforts on taking down KID right now.】

【This Dawn team… they’ve got some skills.】

【That ambush was so sneaky! Who’s calling the shots for KID?】

In the off-field resting area, Jiang Simiao and Gu Xiaotian suddenly found themselves the subject of stares from the nearby and far off staff members of the other three teams. Jiang Simiao, unfazed, met their gazes confidently with a straight posture.

What? They weren’t causing any trouble in a Contaminated Zone today—they were just playing a tactical match fair and square!

Meanwhile, in KID’s livestream, Dawn’s fans found themselves feeling a mix of thrill and dread.

Thrilled to see KID stealing kills, but dreading that KID might become the next target.

【I knew KID had bold moves, but I didn’t expect them to be this bold even against top teams.】

【I see fans from other galaxies calling them sneaky, but for some reason, I’m totally fine with it and even feel like laughing out loud.】

KID’s sudden intervention, kicking YGY’s Stealth straight into the pit, completely baffled the three teams that had been locked in combat. YGY in particular was stunned. During the prior skirmish, KID’s Artillery and Stealth had been primarily targeting DAJ. Who could’ve predicted such a last-minute move, sending their teammate to the bottom of the pit?

Previously, KID’s actions against DAJ hadn’t drawn much attention from the other two teams. However, now that YGY’s Stealth had been blasted into the pit, the other two teams began focusing on KID. High above, CTR’s Artillery locked onto KID’s Stealth. But just as they prepared to attack, KID’s Stealth escaped using its claw, leaving them no choice but to target KID’s other mechas. It was only then that they realized how cleverly KID’s mechas had positioned themselves.

“KID used the terrain to escape. Sink and Lucy positioned themselves in the blind spots of the conveyor belts. The sniping angles of the other teams are too high up, so once they hide in the intersections of the conveyor belts, it’s impossible to lock onto KID,” the livestream commentator tracked KID’s movements. Lucy and Sink hid in the transport entry points, while their Stealth, Qingf, didn’t even need to hide since no one could pin him down…

Meanwhile, KID’s Artillery, the most exposed mecha, was on the lowermost conveyor belt. Despite carrying two artillery weapons, it used the peculiar propulsion of the Steel Wind Cannon to change directions and evade attacks along the conveyor belt.

KID’s members were too dispersed. Even though they had attracted a lot of aggression, aside from the disruptive KID Stealth, no other melee mechas were within the combat zone. This meant that for the other teams’ mechas to deal with KID, they would either have to focus their ranged firepower on them or send mechas in for a close up infiltration.

However, the most suitable for infiltration, the Stealth mechas, had been neutralized—DAJ’s was eliminated, and YGY’s Stealth was now trapped at the bottom of the pit.

“Can he be rescued?” YGY’s captain asked.

“There’s no way to rescue him; he’s too far,” YGY’s Guardian replied. “The only other option is for me to jump down and counterbalance KID.”

Rescuing wasn’t entirely impossible. During the chaotic skirmish, not all mechas were under constant attention. The quickest way to reach the pit bottom was to jump directly from above. YGY’s situation was slightly better than DAJ’s since they hadn’t been fully focused on by all their opponents.

Reluctant to abandon their Stealth mecha, they deliberated briefly before sending their Guardian mecha, which was both defensive and capable of providing cover, to attempt a rescue.

“YGY’s Guardian is going to rescue their Stealth!” The commentator noted as YGY’s Guardian activated a defensive shield, enduring fire from other mechas as it jumped straight down. Avoiding the conveyor belts, it descended from a specific angle. Countless artillery shells hit its shield, but it pressed on, weathering the storm to reach the pit bottom.

【YGY is still trying to save him!】

【Their Guardian is a control-support type; it can retreat after rescuing.】

【Once it’s down there, it’ll be a 2v2 against KID at most. They have a chance to win and might even score mecha points.】

“They can’t go all in. The other teams haven’t left yet. Concentrating all their mechas in the pit for the sake of one mecha would be risky because KID would definitely send reinforcements,” the commentator analyzed. “If the two teams start fighting at the bottom, CTR and DAJ will become the scavengers… That’s also why KID dared to leave two mechas in the pit.”

“The two mechas KID left are close-range types—the Tank and Guardian mechas, with high defense and excellent pressure resistance. If YGY wants to retreat safely, they’ll need to leave some mechas in the upper layers of the pit to counterbalance the other two teams. It’s easy to grab kills in a melee, but exposing obvious flaws could lead to being overwhelmed by other mechas,” another commentator added. “Currently, KID and YGY’s mechas are locked in a 2v2 in the pit. It’s a balanced situation. If YGY doesn’t actively break this stalemate, it’ll all depend on their commander to see how they resolve it.”

In the field, YGY’s other mechas didn’t descend to the pit bottom to provide support, instead remaining above to continue engaging with the other teams.

However, through this battle with KID, the commanders of the three teams had already focused their attention on KID’s dual-control system. Previously, they used their Stealth as a decoy to muddy the waters, and now they were using dual control to capture targets. KID performed many small maneuvers but didn’t dare engage in a direct confrontation with any team. It was evident that the dual-control and  toolman battle formation significantly weakened their frontal assault capabilities.

“The reason they’re so accurate in capturing targets lies in those dual-control mechas,” YGY’s captain said. “The two control weapons support each other, making their captures too fast. To counter KID’s lineup isn’t difficult—just take out KID’s dual-control cores and cut off support for one of their mechas.”

KID’s dispersion made it difficult to focus on them, but targeting KID’s Medical or Control mechas was still possible.

As long as support for one of their mechas was cut off, their chained control, immobilizing and freezing their targets, would be unable to form.

What YGY noticed, the other two teams’ captains noticed as well. DAJ still wanted to score mecha points before leaving. Faced with this situation, DAJ’s captain retreated to a safe transport entry point and directed their Artillery mecha to start searching for KID’s Medical and Control mechas.

【They’ve started targeting KID.】

【Of course they’d target KID—otherwise, wouldn’t they be leaving a hidden threat to ambush them later?】

The sandy magnetic field environment in the third pit continued to affect the visibility of all teams’ operations, but the pace of the three-way battle was gradually converging on the mid-levels of the pit. Amid the crossfire, the three teams’ long-range mechas split their attention to monitor the surrounding situation. When Ying Chenlin and Lu Xi emerged from transport entry points, attacks from different directions immediately shifted toward them, fully cutting off their chance to break through.

“They reacted quickly and broke our chained control,” Lu Xi said. Her position was too exposed, with YGY and CTR’s Artilleries positioned above. Her Green Dandelion ability required predictive hits. “I’m pinned down and can’t get out.”

“Try a different approach,” Ying Chenlin’s gaze locked onto the higher ground. The teams hadn’t withdrawn yet, which meant they still had opportunities to continue dealing damage. “Lu Xi, monitor the field. Qingfeng, assist. Wait a little longer.”

The tactic of dragging mechas to the pit bottom required absolute suppression at the bottom.

With YGY adding two mechas, KID no longer had a dominance there and had to change their offensive strategy to counterattack instead.

“Qingfeng, have Trace move downward.”

Switching to a long-range Energy Cannon, Ying Chenlin said, “Let’s deal with the mechas at the pit bottom first.”

In the livestream, viewers noticed the three teams’ obvious suppression of KID. Without any communication, the three teams’ mechas instinctively chose to suppress KID’s dual control. They couldn’t chase them down, but preventing KID from entering the combat zone to steal kills was easy.

【They may have stolen a kill once, but succeeding a second time will be much harder.】

【Nonsense, it’s not like the others are idiots.】

The three major teams reversed and suppressed KID’s double control, slowing KID’s engagement.

As KID’s engagement slowed down, the audience in the livestream suddenly noticed that KID’s Artillery was moving downward. He had already passed two transport gates, clearly heading to the pit bottom to assist in attacking YGY’s other mechas.

“KID-Trace changed direction!” A CTR mecha pilot noticed this.

“It’s good news if he’s going down.” CTR’s commander didn’t let the opportunity slip. “Focus on locking down one of KID’s controls and target YGY. They might be planning a rescue!”

In KID’s livestream room, the fans had no time to pay attention to the battle above.

KID had ambushed first twice, stealing a kill. YGY’s team in the Star Domain Tournament wasn’t weak. In a 2v2 situation, YGY’s Stealth and Guardian lineup had a clear advantage over KID’s Guardian and Tank. Now, at the pit bottom, they were still entangled with YGY, and with the addition of Trace for assistance, it was almost certain that the two mechas at the bottom would fall into KID’s hands.

【Honestly, in this round, the least disadvantaged side is actually our KID.】

【If YGY jumps down, there’s still a way, but they don’t dare jump.】

【Nonsense, if they jump, won’t they get targeted by everyone? If they want to jump, they need to send two mechas to take on KID. Once they jump, they can’t retreat. If their Artillery enters the pit, it’s certain death.】

【KID doesn’t seem afraid of attacks from higher positions… Yan’s Counter-Damage Shield is too useful.】

YGY was afraid of being surrounded, but KID on the other hand was relaxed. Trace hadn’t fully entered the bottom and could retreat at any time.

As for YGY, their quickest option was to jump down for a rescue, but once they jumped, the unbalanced environment wouldn’t allow them to choose a suitable landing point. Slowly adjusting their positions leaves them vulnerable to being surrounded by other teams… YGY only had defensive weapons with their Tank and Guardian. If their Guardian jumped down and then the Tank followed, no one would protect the Artillery up top.

【They don’t dare jump either; Lucy and Sink are still there.】

【Barring surprises, this round KID takes three kills.】

“The positions of the strong teams are good for attacking. KID is on the lower levels, so it’s easier for them to target exposed opponents, but now all the mechas are hiding under cover around the mine pit, so their backline’s advantage is gone.” The commentator in Dawn’s livestream expressed concern. “KID’s call for this move is excellent. Winning this round guarantees three points, but after that, we’ll have to figure out how to retreat, or else being at the bottom of the pit will make us the next target for the strong teams.”

They’d split the battlefield at the bottom, but the issue was: How would they escape later…?

The best way was to finish off their opponents while the others were still in a chaotic battle and then make a quick getaway.

By then, they’d have the three points in hand, but how would they retreat afterward?! Retreating upwards would inevitably result in a head-on clash with the strong teams.

【Speaking of which, I suddenly remembered that Sink didn’t bring any mobility weapons!】

【Sink and Lucy have been looking for opportunities, but it seems they haven’t been able to break through.】

【This isn’t our Galactic Competition. With this level of attention, how can they break through?】

【Sink and Lucy almost got close earlier, but YGY interrupted them.】

“DAJ did it on purpose. They deliberately coordinated with us to suppress YGY. Their goal is to restrain both KID and YGY. Without You Su, their threat is reduced. YGY wants to rescue their teammate, giving DAJ an opportunity to strike,” Jiang Simiao anxiously observed the battlefield. “DAJ’s commander is bold. In such a short time, they gave up retreating and turned the situation to their advantage. As expected of the Star Alliance’s sixth place.”

Gu Xiaotian asked, “Then what should we do?”

“Xiaotian, don’t forget, we have a tool man.” Jiang Simiao’s gaze fell on the livestream. “Can you find Ji Qingfeng?”

In KID’s livestream, the audience suddenly saw Trace, who was heading downward, change direction and veer into a transport entrance.

……

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