Genius Mechanic: Chapter 247

Asta Contaminated Zone(Star Domain Tournament: Start)

247: No Blind Spots

Proofread by Cloud Chip Cake

【A double trap!?】

【That fast?】

【The traps on the upper layer were set during their infiltration, while the lower-layer ones were placed not long ago.】

“The two types of trap weapons carried by YOU’s Medical include green traps that immobilize and yellow traps designed for special energy extraction,” the livestream commentator quickly explained upon receiving the latest data. “The Tank’s defensive weapons can prevent immobilization, but once they encounter the yellow traps, a significant amount of energy from their weapons will be drained. YOU’s commander had already planned the next step while attacking Trace.”

【I remember that energy-draining weapons work based on output frequency—the greater the energy output, the more that gets drained.】

【Doesn’t that make it the hardest for the Tank?】

【Exactly… Tanks have the highest energy outputs.】

YOU’s commander took advantage of the gap where KID’s other two mechas couldn’t provide support, filling blind spots with a seamless network of traps. The two types of traps were strategically distributed: one restricted KID’s support speed, and the other, the special yellow traps, drained energy.

This wood-attribute control strategy prioritized eliminating the enemy’s core mecha through continuous restrictions. Beyond the control, another possible tactic was energy depletion. In Star Domain Tournaments, the number of energy modules each mecha could carry was limited. During the 12-day operations, mecha pilots had to consider energy consumption. This control-depletion strategy was most terrifying because it simultaneously restricted the opponent and drained their resources.

Once a mecha’s energy was completely drained, it would become unable to resist YOU’s attacks.

KID faced two choices: activate their shield to avoid immobilization but rapidly consume Yan’s energy, or forgo the shield and face the immobilizing traps scattered everywhere. This design cleverly planned two steps ahead.

【Damn, what if Trace had actually been immobilized earlier?】

【Then KID would’ve been completely led by the nose. YOU would keep draining energy from the other mechas until Trace was taken down.】

In the arena, after Trace and Sink broke through YOU’s circle of control together, YOU’s Control, under their captain’s orders, redirected their focus to the two KID mechas at the bottom. Both were close-combat mechas, now hindered by the two types of traps, and they faced control projectiles or even artillery fire from the upper levels. Any attempts to surface resulted in immediate attacks.

“We’re surrounded by landmines,” Lin Yao muttered as he was forced back after attempting to emerge. “Da Feng, I can’t get through.”

“Don’t let the mechas higher up go down,” Ying Chenlin said as he retreated a few steps, using a Deep Water Sphere to block YOU’s control attacks targeting You Su up ahead. “If their Medical’s set traps below, there’ll also be traps on the upper layers.”

Ji Qingfeng couldn’t see the situation down below, and hearing about traps everywhere made his scalp tingle. “Damn it, if I keep going down, won’t I just step into a trap too?”

They were too passive; their mechas were spread too thin, and they didn’t notice YOU infiltrating the mid-levels until it was too late.

This rare playstyle, combined with the no-flight and complex terrain, was a perfect scenario for trap-style strategies.

You Su asked, “Get through by force? Ji Qingfeng and Lu Xi can’t come down. If they get controlled, they won’t be able to recover.”

Ji Qingfeng lacked the abilities for a counterattack, and if Lu Xi were immobilized, she would be continuously attacked by long-range artillery.

The mechas on the upper layers couldn’t provide support, and those on the lower levels couldn’t come up any time soon… Ying Chenlin contemplated the solution. “We can only temporarily abandon mid-level defense and focus on—”

Huo Yan suddenly asked, “Do trap-based strategies have trigger time limitations?”

Hearing this, Ying Chenlin’s thoughts raced. “The Alliance does have restrictions on trap-based weapons, including trigger time, control duration, control intensity, and the number of traps. Generally, the more traps deployed simultaneously, the stricter the other limitations.”

“Got it,” Huo Yan said. “We don’t need support. You guys stay on the mid-level.”

Ying Chenlin: “Huo Ge?”

At the edge of a transport opening, the Tank mecha, leaning slightly against the edge, adjusted its perspective to look diagonally upward. Huo Yan judged the distance and said seriously, “I’ll break through with Xiao Yao. Give us half an hour.”

…………………..

In the livestream, as YOU used a double-layer of traps to set up an impenetrable net, KID’s six mechas were forced into three separate zones. The Stealth mecha was being chased and pressured on the upper layers of the third mining pit. The Medical and Artillery were stuck on the mid-levels, while the two frontline mechas—the Guardian and Tank—couldn’t reach the mid-levels for coordinated support.

【It’s all traps!】

【It’s over. Is KID’s Stealth going to head down? If he gets immobilized, it’s game over!】

On the upper level, KID’s Stealth was still being relentlessly pursued by YOU’s Guardian. An illusionary weapon was totally useless at this stage, and its last remaining weapon was a Hook Claw that could only be used for repositioning. The livestream audience watched as KID’s Stealth was about to reach the space directly above Lucy’s location, but he suddenly changed directions, maneuvering back to a conveyor belt and narrowly avoiding YOU’s Guardian. This change in direction avoided him being caught by YOU’s traps, but completely severed his opportunity to regroup with his teammate.

【Why isn’t Qingf going to find his teammate?】

【If he tries to regroup, he’ll likely be taken out by YOU’s Guardian along the way.】

The livestream’s analysis showed all the locations YOU’s Medical had passed, marked by the technical team. On the 3D map, YOU’s Medical had sealed off all of KID’s paths with an impenetrable net of traps, effectively dividing KID into three zones. The situation was looking grim for KID.

“KID discovered that traps had also been set in some areas of the upper levels, so KID’s Stealth chose not to head down,” the livestream commentator explained. “However, this decision by KID’s Stealth is highly risky. It’s only a matter of time before YOU’s Guardian catches up. If that happens, he’ll have no way to resist—and that’s just one point of concern—KID’s Control mecha, Lucy, is also in a dangerous position. She’s facing YOU’s Artillery directly, and now there are traps set by YOU’s Medical as well. Even if she finds a chance to leave the Artillery’s line of sight, she won’t be able to provide quick support.”

“YOU’s commander is very clever. First, they focused everyone’s attention on You Su, splitting our forces to restrain the other mechas, which bought them time to set up the traps,” Jiang Simiao said, looking at the dense network of traps on the field. “Once these traps are set, YOU doesn’t need to apply as much pressure on specific targets. The potential threat of the traps means Da Feng can’t escape to the lower levels, and Lu Xi can’t make blind jumps or reposition. The dual traps restrict Lin Yao and Huo Yan, while You Su and Chenlin on the mid-levels will face interception from three mechas. This puts us at a severe disadvantage.”

With more freedom, YOU’s Artillery could pin down Lu Xi while also launching long-range attacks on Lin Yao. Their Control mecha, supported by two teammates, wouldn’t fear You Su and Chenlin’s intercepting artillery fire. Simply put, KID needed at least four mechas to regroup; otherwise, their original control tactics couldn’t be executed effectively.

Gu Xiaotian remarked, “This Su Jingming is really strong.”

Jiang Simiao was deep in thought. “Of course they’re strong. Their wood-attribute control flow is quite famous on the Star Alliance stage.”

【Can’t they just break right through?】

【Or use some other method to disarm the traps?】

【Have you never seen trap playstyles before? These kinds of weapons are very hard to defuse.】

“Trap flow traps can’t be manually disarmed,” a weapons expert in the livestream explained. “These traps are designed to trigger based on mental energy, and since mechas rely on mental energy for operation, they can’t avoid triggering them. Simply put, neither attacks nor physical methods will work, as the only way for the traps to activate is if a mecha comes into contact with them.”

Since manual disarming wasn’t an option, the only options were to force through or proceed very cautiously.

YOU weren’t worried about the traps—they must have an internal map of the trap placements. Their commander only needed to wait for a KID mecha to reveal a weakness and exploit it for a targeted attack.

While KID’s two melee mechas were being stalled, YOU’s Stealth had already leapt from the lower levels to the mid-levels of the third mining pit, joining their Tank mecha to flank Sink and Trace from opposite sides. YOU clearly understood Sink and Trace’s capabilities, and by using their Tank and Stealth mechas, even if they couldn’t overpower their opponents, they could at least exhaust or delay them.

The Tank mecha unleashed a barrage of Combination Lock Cannon shots against Trace, while the Stealth mecha closed in, attempting to pressure Trace or Sink. The Tank’s Combination Lock Cannon restricted movement, and the Stealth mecha’s immobilizing magnetic field ignored all laws to enforce absolute immobilization within a 20-meter radius. Combined with the occasional wooden net traps being launched from the conveyor belt, three layers of control targeted Sink and Trace from three directions.

“KID breaking through this predicament has significantly increased in difficulty,” the commentator remarked, focusing on the match. “Sink has to use his control ability to assist Trace in escaping while fending off YOU’s Control mecha. This leaves almost no room to help his teammates on the lower levels.”

【In simple terms, there’s just too much control. In addition to the control weapons carried by the mechas, they also need to guard against YOU’s traps.】

【There’s no room for movement. KID’s only anti-control option is with Yan.】

【The energy drain is really troublesome. The higher up Artillery’s suppression fire forces Yan to use high defense, and the more energy he outputs, the more energy is siphoned away.】

In the third mining pit, the Artillery suppressed Lucy while timing its attacks to stagger with YOU’s Control, delivering relentless strikes to KID’s Guardian. YOU’s tactical commander, Su Jingming, didn’t pause. Standing on a high platform in the mid-levels, he observed the arrangement of KID’s remaining mechas on the field. His gaze fixed on the two mechas on the mid-levels as he weighed the next tactical move.

“Trace and Sink are hard to deal with. Keep them controlled on the mid-levels,” YOU’s captain quickly decided. “For now, prioritize eliminating the Guardian and Stealth mechas.”

Since dismantling KID’s core setup couldn’t be done quickly, they chose to first deal with the more manageable mechas.

The battle continued at a rapid pace. Dawn’s fans nervously watched KID’s mechas, the worsening situation on the field leaving them unable to think of a solution. As YOU’s Artillery tightened its suppressive rhythm against KID’s Guardian, the two red-and-white mechas that had been blocked at a transport entrance suddenly moved.

【KID’s Tank and Guardian moved!】

The red-and-white Tank mecha charged out of the transport entrance ahead of the Guardian. Without activating its shield, it sprinted quickly onto a conveyor belt, a route they had previously damaged, covering over ten meters in no time. The Guardian followed closely behind. Despite their speed, YOU’s Medical, positioned above, immediately locked onto their coordinates the moment they appeared.

“KID’s Tank is charging without activating its shield?!” the commentator exclaimed, momentarily stunned. “Not using the shield avoids heavy energy depletion, but it leaves them completely exposed—fully within range of YOU’s two long-range mechas.”

【WTF?! So reckless?】

【Without a shield, they’ll take on both control and damage!】

【Doesn’t KID’s Guardian have a space-stabilizing ability?】

【What space? Yao’s ability takes time, consumes a lot of energy, and can’t withstand artillery fire for long.】

By foregoing the shield, KID’s Tank and Guardian forfeited any chance of preemptive evasion or prediction. In a Star Domain Tournament, no team was weak; every mecha pilot was top-tier. If they got caught by a control ability, it would be a guaranteed hit for YOU’s long-range mechas.

With the Artillery being the highest source of long-range damage, even YOU’s control-focused tactics could grind KID’s Guardian down to 60% durability before it reached the end of the conveyor belt.

“They’ve come out,” YOU’s Medical announced. “Fire immediately.”

The conveyor belt was riddled with traps laid in advance by YOU’s Medical. As KID’s two mechas left the familiar damaged section and ventured into unexplored territory, they triggered green binding traps. Two traps activated simultaneously, immobilizing both mechas by their legs.

YOU’s Artillery and Control had been waiting for this moment. Their attack timings staggered perfectly. In an instant, a torrent of long-range artillery fire descended from above, ferociously bombarding the KID Guardian’s position.

At that moment, the Tank, Yan, positioned in front of KID’s Guardian, took a step back with one foot.

One of his legs was bound in place by a wood-attribute trap, while the other bore the pressure of his backward stance. Just as the YOU’s Artillery’s Sniper Cannon shot was about to land, the shield on his arm abruptly activated. The oval-shaped defensive barrier didn’t fully deploy; instead, it was raised above the two mechas, intercepting the incoming sniper shot head-on. The blast forced Yan’s body downward under the impact, but his split-legged stance absorbed the force like an immovable mountain. Leveraging the Counter-Damage Shield, the Sniper Cannon shot was deflected back to its origin.

【!? The shield’s up!】

 【What a fast shield deployment!】

The livestream commentator froze for a moment. “Yan activated his shield! But there are energy draining traps under his feet!”

The instant the shield activated, it deflected the sniper shot, but the energy leakage from the Counter-Damage Shield triggered two or three energy drain traps. Several small yellow flowers bloomed at his feet. At this critical moment, KID’s Tank, Huo Yan, suddenly deactivated the Counter-Damage Shield, so quickly that even the viewers couldn’t visually process the action.

Huo Yan shouted, “Xiao Yao, run!” 

Lin Yao swept the wood-element traps at their feet away with his staff. The two seized this moment to sprint a short distance forward again.

Off the field, in Gale’s rest area, Coach Zhang saw Huo Yan’s shield activation and deactivation maneuver and was hit by a wave of familiarity. “Wait a second!? Isn’t that the fucking—”

Gale’s head coach cut him off. “It is. Shield flickering. Lejie once did this too.”

To Dawn coaching staff, this maneuver was unmistakable. The flickering shield tactic—rapidly activating and deactivating the shield—maximized its ability to draw pollutants. On the Qiu Jin battlefield against the Black Hole, countless Dawn Tank pilots had tried this technique. Among them, the two most exceptional were Huo Yan and Zhao Lejie, whose shield flickering speeds were over three times faster than the other Tank pilots, a mastery nearly unparalleled.

The livestream audience was captivated by the KID Tank’s actions, but YOU’s countermeasures were already underway.

On the battlefield, YOU’s Artillery hadn’t expected KID’s Tank to activate the shield at that moment. After his first shot failed, he couldn’t immediately follow up with another and had to refocus his aim on Lucy. “Control, follow up!”

The wood-element crowd control tactics shone in situations like this. Once a control chain was formed, the speed of successive control maneuvers far outpaced single-control attacks. As YOU’s Artillery recalibrated, YOU’s Control redirected a massive wood-attribute net originally intended for Trace toward the two red-and-white mechas immobilized on the conveyor belt.

When the net descended, the two mechas trapped in the middle of the conveyor belt couldn’t evade. The audience held their breaths as the massive net, composed of countless leaf needles, loomed over KID’s Guardian. Suddenly, KID’s Tank moved again.

He halted momentarily, raised his shield toward the higher ground, and reactivated the Counter-Damage Shield. A flash of blue light erupted as the shield expanded, directly clashing with the descending net and forcefully blocking the control attempt.

The Counter-Damage Shield was swiftly retracted after blocking the attack, leaving no opportunity for the triggered energy drain traps to absorb its energy. KID’s Guardian promptly swept away the immobilization traps at their feet, and the two mechas advanced once more.

“He blocked it!?” The commentator was stunned. “KID’s Tank blocked twice in a row with its shield!”

【I didn’t even see YOU’s Control fire, and Yan had already raised the shield!】

【Can all this be blocked!?】

“Control, proceed,” YOU’s captain said with a slight frown, locking onto the two mechas below. “Change firing position.”

【How is this even possible? YOU’s Control is concealed!】

【That’s a visual blind spot, reacting in time to raise the shield like he did takes too long.】

Even YOU’s Control hadn’t expected their attack to be blocked. Switching weapons, they cloaked and repositioned to a different angle, setting up another strike from a blind spot where KID’s Tank couldn’t see them. Timing it with when KID’s two mechas were immobilized again, YOU’s Control deactivated their cloaking field, locked onto their targets, and fired another shot.

As the shot was fired, KID’s Tank down below raised their shield simultaneously. The shield collided with the attack head-on, once again neutralizing the danger. The moment the damage was blocked, KID’s Tank swiftly retracted the shield and resumed its coordination with KID’s Guardian to push forward.

In just five minutes, all of YOU’s artillery attacks had been blocked by the Tank. Despite facing continuous control tactics, the two mechas had made it a third of the way across the conveyor belt.

YOU’s Control found the situation increasingly challenging. “Captain.”

YOU’s captain frowned deeply. “They’ve figured out the trap timings. That Tank is timing everything perfectly… His reactions are too fast.”

The audience in the livestream was astonished by the KID Tank’s precise and instantaneous shield activation, marveling at his skill.

“That Tank isn’t choosing to keep the shield up while advancing, enabling him to tank controls without having a great amount of energy absorbed,” the commentator quickly deduced amidst the exchange of attacks. “What they’re doing instead is racing against YOU’s ranged mechas for time!”

【What does it mean to race for time?】

Typically, a Tank would raise their shield and push forward during an aerial assault, rendering them impervious to both control and damage.

But the critical issue here was the presence of energy draining traps on the field. The YOU Medical’s traps were designed to absorb energy based on the frequency of the attacks. Against heavy firepower, a Tank would normally raise a high-output shield. However, maintaining the shield for an extended duration would allow the traps to deplete the energy reserves of the Tank’s weapons by the time they finished crossing this section.

YOU’s Medical had calculated this precisely, but no one anticipated that KID’s Tank wouldn’t avoid using its shield. Instead, they were timing its activation perfectly to intercept YOU’s ranged mecha attacks, blocking high-altitude damage with pinpoint accuracy.

【Holy crap. Can this really work?】

【But wouldn’t raising the shield lead to energy absorption?】

【KID’s Tank has excellent energy management. They haven’t lost any significant energy to the traps.】

A weapons expert in the livestream couldn’t help but praise the maneuver. “KID’s Tank has incredible operational skill.”

They then explained to the viewers, “YOU’s Medical is employing a trap-flow weapon strategy. These weapons can deploy multiple traps, but due to their varying power, there are detailed regulations for their usage in the Alliance.”

Trap-flow weapons commonly seen in arenas, like the green immobilization traps, trigger almost instantaneously. They activate quickly, last a long time, but comparatively have lower power, making them easy for Lin Yao to clear using the Spatial Staff. However, the yellow energy-draining traps had significantly higher power. To achieve such energy absorption capabilities while deploying numerous traps, the activation time for these traps would be slower.

“Energy-draining traps don’t trigger instantaneously. They must sense energy output, lock onto the target, and then begin draining energy. This process takes about two seconds,” the weapons expert explained. “KID’s Tank must have known about the slower trigger time of this weapon, which is why they deactivated their shield immediately after blocking the damage.”

The audience was taken aback upon hearing this. Wait—if that’s true, doesn’t it mean KID’s Tank managed to raise the shield, block the damage, and deactivate it all within two seconds?

“This kind of operation is incredibly difficult. The challenge isn’t raising the shield; any Tank can quickly activate their shield. The difficulty lies in predicting the direction of an attack and raising the shield in that specific direction,” the commentator elaborated. “KID’s Tank has an extraordinary ability to anticipate risks. They must determine the attack angle to time the shield activation perfectly. Deactivating the shield, in contrast, is the easiest part of this sequence.”

While the process might seem simple, it required a wealth of practical experience.

【Is Yan a veteran mecha pilot?】

【Looking at the stats, he’s almost 30. How much combat experience must he have to reach this level?】

In the Star Alliance arena, Tanks on top teams were capable of such maneuvers. However, KID’s Tank, Yan, had no prior presence outside the Dawn Galaxy, and this was his first appearance in a Star Domain Tournament. For them to demonstrate such skill, their combat experience had to be extensive—it was unlikely for someone with such capability to have remained unknown until now.

Zhang Ge glanced at the stream chat flooded with question marks. From most perspectives, such an operation was indeed difficult. However, recalling Qiu Jin, and the later Coria, he couldn’t help but feel complicated about Huo Yan’s impressive shield activation and deactivation under immense pressure. That level of skill was honed through countless pursuits by pollutants.

“Skill comes from practice,” Gale’s head coach remarked. “Most Tank mecha pilots can’t achieve this speed. We should be glad—Lejie’s time with KID wasn’t wasted.”

Zhang Ge: “…”

True. While Zhao Lejie might not achieve Huo Yan’s two-second timing, three seconds should be well within his ability.

“Still, Huo Yan is exceptional. Activating and deactivating a shield is basic mechanics, but the hardest part of this operation is Huo Yan’s acute sense of danger and his ability to predict the opponent’s attack angle,” Gale’s head coach added. “This level, Lejie has yet to reach.”

Zhang Ge suddenly remembered a casual conversation he had with Zhao Lejie after their return from the Coria Contaminated Zone. During Ying Chenlin’s daring confrontation with the hybrid heavy-weapon pollutant, at the most dangerous moment, when no one else had reacted, it was Huo Yan who had charged forward and raised his shield for Ying Chenlin.

His gaze settled on the livestream chat. “Huo Yan is a retired frontier mecha pilot… His acute sense of danger was likely honed not just in combat, but in the perilous environments of the frontier.”

Frontier Contaminated Zones were surrounded by high-level pollutants, a place where even the slightest mistake could result in death.

In the arena, the red and white Tank mecha continued its charge. Its movement speed wasn’t particularly fast, but they were steadily closing the distance between themselves and their teammates under YOU’s control, inching closer to the middle levels of the third mine.

The sense of urgency increased, and YOU’s Control had no choice but to speak up: “Captain, at this rate, we won’t be able to stop him much longer.”

“He’s playing with time. I didn’t set up enough energy traps,” YOU’s captain replied. “With two seconds, he can avoid one or two energy traps, but he can’t avoid more. As long as we set up more traps within his shield’s range, the time difference will catch him in that two-second window, and his operation won’t succeed.”

YOU hadn’t anticipated that their proud trap blockade would be bypassed by KID’s Tank with such precision. YOU’s Medical had to reset the traps and reorganize the next strategy. There was still time, so they could switch up their tactics.

YOU’s captain finished reviewing the radar signals and had already locked onto the next trap placement. He needed to hurry to set it up.

Just as he turned toward the transport entrance, a powerful shell suddenly came flying from the side, heading straight for him. He quickly backed away and glanced over his shoulder.

Boom—

A massive Deep Water Sphere splashed against the transport entrance, sending water flying everywhere. A freeze shell immediately followed, slamming into the entrance with a loud crash.

YOU’s captain froze for a moment. The transport entrance behind him was rapidly freezing, a thick layer of ice forming in front of him.

As the transparent ice layer formed, the intricate ice patterns revealed a mecha standing at an angle at a transport entrance. It raised its Control Cannon, aiming directly at him.

—It was KID’s Medic, Sink.

TN:

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