Genius Mechanic: Chapter 243.2

Asta Contaminated Zone(Star Domain Tournament: Start)

243.2: Forced Retreat

As time passed second by second, several strong teams began to feel troubled by the disruptive and chaotic attacks. The sudden change in the attack rhythm of KID’s Artillery mecha pilot brought a terrifying sense of suppression, making them realize the situation’s challenge during engagements. The top-tier Artillery mecha pilot quickly controlled the battlefield, creating an overwhelming pressure, like an army charging through with rapid repositioning.

Under normal circumstances, strong firepower and encirclement could impose suppressive countermeasures against Trace. But no, Trace was too agile. He used the flash-in function of his Steel Wind Energy Cannon to switch seamlessly between attacking and evading, combined with the chaotic vision Lucy created for him. Their long-range mechas’ rhythms were a step behind Trace.

In less than half a second of reaction time, shells repeatedly passed near Trace but failed to cause him any damage.

“KID’s Artillery strength is definitely top-tier,” DAJ’s captain frowned. “If he didn’t have that displacement cannon, it wouldn’t be so bad. Right now, it’s too troublesome.”

The goal of the chaotic battle was to take down enemies. If Trace couldn’t be eliminated and Lucy couldn’t be captured, there was no way to break the situation, and they could only keep enduring this relentless harassment.

Suddenly, a new elimination message popped up on the screen—

[KID-yao has eliminated YGY-one]

“YGY’s Guardian was taken down by KID!” The commentator exclaimed, “A chaotic battle in Zone C’s third mining pit, and the first day isn’t even over yet. Four teams in the chaotic battle have already lost five mechas!”

DAJ lost their Stealth, eliminated by KID.

YGY’s Stealth was killed by Sink, and their Guardian was eliminated by Yao.

CTR’s Control was taken out by DAJ, and their Guardian was forcibly eliminated by KID.

The losses of mechas kept increasing. Lu Xi’s movements didn’t stop. Her gaze scanned back and forth across the radar map, quickly changing positions upon spotting a signal point, continuously searching for sniping positions under the strong firepower of the other teams.

Five mecha points, four of which were snatched by KID. The three strong teams all experienced personnel reductions, but only KID, who was fishing in troubled waters, did not report any mecha eliminations. Their energy consumption and their mechas’ wear levels remained in exceptionally healthy states.

“Retreat!” CTR’s commander made a wise decision. “KID lured us in with the sole intention of exhausting us and stealing points. Staying longer is pointless and labor-intensive. Let’s go.”

The match hadn’t even lasted a full day yet, but CTR dared not remain at the mining pit. When their Guardian was eliminated, CTR’s captain immediately chose to retreat. Occupying the highest position in the pit, their retreat was the easiest. While retreating, they directed suppressive firepower at KID, their target unmistakably being KID’s elusive Artillery.

They attacked KID’s Artillery, but instead of retreating, KID’s Artillery brazenly engaged in a direct confrontation.

The red-and-white mecha drew everyone’s attention amid the firestorm, focusing the Compressed Windstorm’s firepower exclusively on the retreating CTR at the upper ground. CTR’s Artillery had only managed to land one shot on Trace before facing a relentless barrage. “Fuck, is KID’s Artillery a rabid dog? I hit him once, and now he’s ignoring every other mecha to bombard me nonstop.”

“The chaotic battle is escalating rapidly! KID’s Artillery hasn’t retreated, while Lucy has withdrawn to the safety of a transport port,” the commentator reported with growing excitement. Who would have thought that on the very first day, such intricate tactics would unfold in a chaotic battle? His animated commentary was suddenly interrupted when he spotted Sink, who had just assisted a teammate in killing YGY’s Guardian, quickly moving upward. Entering the transport port, Sink joined Qingf, and they began flanking from above. “KID is advancing upward; they’re regrouping!”

Sink, equipped with a long-range Energy Cannon, maintained a significant distance from the pit’s bottom and moved to the mid-upper levels at remarkable speed. Not only that, but KID’s Stealth, Qingf, had also transformed into the appearance of Sink’s mecha, confusing the visions of other teams from another direction.

DAJ’s strategy to corner Lucy was effective, forcing her into a transport port. Just as they concentrated their pressure on Trace, they suddenly caught sight of a red-and-white Medical mecha entering their field of vision. DAJ’s Artillery, not underestimating Sink this time, hurriedly opened fire in his direction upon seeing him. “Sink is coming up!”

DAJ’s captain, aware that Sink carried a control weapon, immediately became wary of attacks from that direction upon spotting the mecha armed with them. But in the next moment, a Deepwater Sphere launched from the side, cutting through the conveyor belt and hitting their Artillery mecha.

“No, that’s their Stealth pretending to be him!” DAJ’s captain quickly rescued their Artillery. “The real Sink is on the left!”

DAJ’s Control switched over to lock onto Sink, but at that moment, KID’s Artillery and Control broke free from DAJ’s long-range suppression. Emerging from transport ports from opposite sides, the two targeted DAJ’s Medical with a sudden, concentrated assault, knocking DAJ’s Medical off the conveyor belt.

“Their Artillery is coming!” the DAJ Medical shouted.

The DAJ Control had no choice but to switch views to focus on covering their teammates against Trace. But as soon as they switched, two Traces appeared in their view. “…There are two Traces on my end!?”

In the livestream, the audience saw KID’s Stealth, Qingf, emerge from a transport port and quickly transform into Trace’s appearance. Boldly impersonating KID’s Artillery, he began to confuse the strong teams’ sights. His movements were swift, and like Trace, he refrained from using any weapons, immediately drawing the attention of others.

“It’s a smokescreen!” the commentator explained. “KID is using their Stealth to constantly disrupt their opponents’ vision—the remote perspectives are limited!”

CTR had already retreated, YGY had only a long-range Artillery left, and DAJ still had both their Artillery and Control, but Qingf’s two transformations had thrown them completely off track. While the DAJ Control’s attention was focused on Trace, in another direction, KID’s Control, Lucy, fired off a Flying Flower Cannon shot, launching an attack toward the high ground.

Rapidly growing plant roots bound DAJ’s Artillery, and at the same time, a Deepwater Sphere followed, slamming into them. When DAJ’s captain assisted their Artillery to break free from the bind, they were hit with consecutive control.

Ying Chenlin moved decisively—after firing the Deepwater Sphere—a Zero Degrees freeze! The DAJ Artillery was entirely sealed in ice.

The commentator initially thought KID was preparing for an aggressive assault on the high ground, but in the blink of an eye, Sink and Lucy executed a combined chain control instead. “KID isn’t going for an aggressive attack—they’ve switched to dual control!”

You Su had been waiting for this moment. He tanked a shot from DAJ’s Control and fired a Steel Wind Cannon shot at the high ground, knocking the frozen DAJ Artillery off the conveyor belt. The ice-encased mecha tumbled down the belt with a thud, rolling like a bowling ball of ice. KID’s Stealth flashed to its vicinity and, with one swift kick, sent the ball flying.

【???】

【Who could even react to that!?】

【That’s insane! The speed of their tactical adjustments and using decoys to mislead sights? Unbelievable!】

The earlier awkward situation YGY faced was now unfolding for DAJ. Should they jump down to rescue their teammate? If they did, would they risk being surrounded by KID and YGY? DAJ’s captain knew KID’s tricks well and understood how to respond, but the difficulty lay in discerning KID’s intent—were they going for an aggressive assault or control tactics? If it was an assault, they needed to defend; if it was control, they had to break free. Adding Qingf’s presence into the mix made the situation even more complex.

Seeing this, DAJ’s captain made the decisive call to cut their losses: “We’re retreating immediately. Staying here will only drain us further!”

In terms of tactics and adaptability, their flexibility was no match for KID. Remaining any longer would only increase their losses due to both numerical and tactical suppression.

YGY noticed DAJ preparing to retreat and found themselves in a dilemma. After a brief consideration, their captain gritted his teeth and said, “Retreat. There’s only one team left, and that puts us at a disadvantage.”

【All three teams have retreated…】

【YGY and DAJ could have taken down KID if they teamed up.】

“We can’t do it. KID’s dual control, combined with their cover, especially Qingf, who can transform into any mecha at any time, makes it easy for them to trigger repeated conflict points between the two teams. They might even cause infighting,” the commentator said, scanning KID’s position. “Furthermore, KID is split across multiple positions. DAJ and YGY aren’t aligned in their interests, so the likelihood of betrayal is high. On top of that, they have no real confidence in fully suppressing KID, and they’re more likely to be picked off one by one, with KID using the terrain to their advantage.”

【DAJ’s Artillery has lost 45% durability.】

【There are two melee fighters below. If DAJ goes down there, they’ll just be meat for the slaughter!】

The difficulty lay in the fact that both teams had lost their Stealth mechas that were suited for pushing forward.

The remaining long-range suppression was just YGY’s Artillery and Control, as well as DAJ’s Control… but KID had three long-range mechas, and even Qingf, who was pretending to be a long-range mecha. If they lost one more long-range mecha, they’d have no long-range firepower  left against KID.

If CTR were still here, they could have forced KID back.

But now there were only two teams, and their chances of a successful counterattack were only fifty-fifty. Who knows, KID might have more tricks up their sleeves.

Cooperating didn’t guarantee a win. Staying here would just hand KID victory, and the rational choice was to retreat and come back with a better plan.

The livestream audience too, now clearly saw that KID was far from a weak team. They had been playing the role of the underdog all along, constantly switching tactics to steal mecha points.

The host from the Dawn Galaxy was stunned as he commented, “KID… actually pushed back the three teams.”

【Incredible…】

【What has KID been up to these past two months? I feel like they’re completely different from their performances in the Galactic Competition.】

【Back in the Galactic Competition, they didn’t have these tactics or dual-control strategies!】

In the  Galactic Competition, KID had fought against many strong teams. Back then, KID had been cautious in their encounters with Dawn’s teams, and their tactical use wasn’t as smooth and seamless as it was now…

【Did they attend some sort of crash course?】

【If there’s a devilish crash course like that, Chairman Li should send all the Dawn mecha teams to attend.】

When DAJ’s Artillery was eliminated, the two teams retreated one after the other.

Fans from the several teams watched the whole ordeal, hoping to gang up on the weak team, but instead, the weaker team pushed them back. They didn’t even leave the mine and forced the attacking teams to retreat one by one. Watching YGY and DAJ retreat in succession, the Dawn Galaxy began to look at KID in a new light, but they could only admit that they were outplayed.

In the Star Domain Tournament’s livestream, a massive influx of fans were drawn to KID’s performance, and KID, with their melee of 5 points, soared to the top of Zone C’s leaderboard.

【So strong…】

【Chaotic warfare to grab 5 points?? Has there ever been such an impressive team in Dawn before?】

As the melee ended, more and more viewers flooded into KID’s live stream, their curiosity about KID reaching new heights.

From the perspective in KID’s livestream, the two strong teams had already retreated. Four KID mechas emerged from transport entrances. New viewers assumed KID would continue to pursue their advantage, but they saw that, aside from KID’s Stealth moving upward, the remaining three KID mechas quickly changed directions, entering transport entrances while swiftly moving downward.

As the perspective followed KID moving downward, they suddenly saw KID’s Medical mecha, Sink, stop halfway. It took a few steps back and shifted a pollutant corpse stuck on the conveyor belt to a different position, watching as the corpse was carried down the conveyor belt.

【?】

【I have a strange feeling of déjà vu.】

【Wait, wasn’t the gunfire really intense just now? Could those pollutants be…】

At this point, the perspective of KID’s livestream shifted downward.

At the bottom of the third mine, at the end of the trash disposal conveyor belt, a large pile of pollutant corpses had stopped, forming a small mound. KID’s Guardian mecha, Lin Yao, was standing beside the mound, expertly picking through the corpses and tossing one in front of the Tank, Huo Yan. In the next moment, Huo Yan opened the corpse, extracting an anomalous crystal.

New viewers: “?”

Long-time viewers of Dawn Galaxy: “…”

【I knew it!!】

TN:

KID’s slogan: REDUCE! REUSE! RECYCLE!

The mine is the perfect base of operations. An assembly line for both mechas and pollutants~

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