Genius Mechanic: Chapter 248.1

Asta Contaminated Zone(Star Domain Tournament: Start)

248.1: Assault Medical

Proofread by Cloud Chip Cake

The move to seal the transport port was extremely swift. YOU’s captain quickly retreated a step, watching as the transport port in front of him turned into solid ice. His gaze shifted to another angle, looking at the position opposite him. “Stealth? What’s going on!?”

“He fired through the transport port above us. There’s a window-like transport port there,” YOU’s Stealth shouted.

In the arena, the two teams with their twelve mechas were positioned very spread out. YOU’s Medical and captain was located directly behind YOU’s Control mecha, inside a transport port. The area led to the mining factory on the left of the third pit and its conveyor belt hub. Meanwhile, KID’s two mechas, Sink and Trace, were positioned on the right-side’s mining factory. Inside, YOU’s Tank and Stealth engaged in a skirmish with the two KID mechas, holding them off in the somewhat narrow mid-level mining factory.

Inside the mining factory, only a few channel openings connected the conveyor belts, but there were numerous visible small windows used for ventilation and other purposes. These small windows were too narrow for mechas to pass through but were just large enough to allow cannon shells to fire through.

“Have you pinpointed their position?” You Su took a half-step back to dodge an attack from behind and prepared to fire again.

“Yes.” Ying Chenlin’s gaze fixed on a position outside his blurry line of sight. He quickly judged the opponent’s possible movement directions, constructing a mental model bit by bit. Reversing his grip, he fired a shot at YOU’s Stealth. The latter reacted swiftly, leaping behind YOU’s Tank to evade the attack. In the next instant, he dashed upward, attempting to close the distance with Ying Chenlin once more.

At this moment, the red-and-white Artillery’s fire pressed down again, and a Steel Wind Cannon shot blasted past Ying Chenlin’s flank.

Ying Chenlin retreated a few steps to create distance. The synchronized rhythm of the two mechas disrupted the YOU Stealth’s offensive tempo, clearing the mining factory’s exit.

“Then I’m leaving now…?” Ying Chenlin said, glancing downward.

You Su’s Steel Wind Cannon blasted toward YOU’s Tank again, forcing the opponent back. “The sooner, the better.”

Ying Chenlin quickly moved along the conveyor belt from above, closing the distance under You Su’s cover. “Alright.”

“A battle has broken out in the mid-levels!” The commentator’s sharp eyes noticed the sudden appearance of ice sealing the transport port to the left of YOU’s Control. The forcibly sealed port caused the running conveyor belt to jam. “This is… an ability of KID’s Medical! Sink’s control weapon! It looks like he’s targeting YOU’s Medical!”

The audience in the livestream had initially focused on the long-range suppression by YOU’s mechas against KID’s Tank and Guardian. KID’s Tank moved effortlessly through the traps laid by YOU’s Medical along the conveyor belt. The next moment, the camera followed the action to a higher position, revealing an abrupt patch of icy wall radiating cold vapor from the mine’s surface.

【What the fuck?! What’s going on?】

【How did that freezing cannon fire there?】

【It’s Sink! Sink fired a shot from the other side!】

At that moment, two consecutive cannon shots came rushing in from the front. The water splashing from the Deep Water Sphere combined with a Freeze Round and once again sealed off the YOU Medical’s exit and entry point as they swiftly moved to switch transport ports. This time, the livestream audience finally got a clear view—the red-and-white Medical mecha on the opposite side had long locked onto the YOU Medical’s path forward, as if it had been premeditated.

【From this distance!?】

【Holy shit, was YOU’s Medical’s position exposed?】

YOU’s Medical and KID’s Medical weren’t in the same area. YOU’s Medical was located in a blind spot behind YOU’s Control, separated from Sink by a 500-meter-long conveyor belt, and situated at the end of the conveyor belt, embedded within a space in the mining wall. Between the two was floating debris and mining equipment. Yet Sink had managed to fire a shot at YOU’s Medical from such a long distance, evading interception from other mechas.

“YOU’s Captain Su Jingming is trying to reconfigure the traps,” one commentator noted. “A trap-reliant containment strategy can’t rely on a one-time trap layout. Captain Su is likely attempting to use the time difference to set up a denser trap network to completely block KID’s Tank. Sink noticed his movements and is intercepting him.”

“Sink broke through the interception of the two YOU mechas! Trace is assisting him!”

【An Artillery supporting a Medical!? Is this a joke? Aren’t Artillery supposed to protect Medicals?】

【What is Sink trying to do? Is he planning to go straight for Captain Su?】

After firing, the red-and-white Medical mecha jumped onto a higher up conveyor belt, maintaining some distance from the pursuing Stealth and Tank mechas below. Just as Sink leaped upward, Trace’s Steel Wind Cannon finished recharging. Aiming directly at YOU’s Tank, Trace fired a powerful shot. The immense propulsion force generated by the Steel Wind Cannon pushed the Tank, who was about to pursue Sink, back a considerable distance.

While Tanks were immune to crowd control and damage, the Steel Wind Cannon’s design didn’t rely on control. It used the explosive force of its firepower to create a shockwave in the air, pushing mechas back. In simple terms, it was brute force—straight up using overwhelming firepower to shove the opposing Tank away.

Seizing this opportunity, Sink turned and fired a Deep Water Sphere in the direction of YOU’s Stealth. Using the moment, he leaped onto the conveyor belt inside the mining factory and dashed out through the transport port, reaching the external conveyor belt.

YOU’s Control saw Trace vanish on the conveyor belt directly opposite, retreating into the mining factory to avoid his attacks. He couldn’t switch positions—if he did, it would be difficult to control both the KID Tank at the bottom and Trace in front simultaneously. Cursing under his breath, he was forced to keep a distance from Trace, running a stretch to the middle of the conveyor belt.

Suddenly, YOU’s Control caught sight of a mecha leaping out from the higher level’s conveyor belt. Without hesitation, the YOU Control’s wood-attribute net attacked Sink at the upper transport port. The net collided with the Deep Water Sphere, and they canceled each other out. YOU’s Control gritted his teeth and took half a step back, continuing to use the wood-attribute nets to intercept Sink and protect their captain. However, while he was busy intercepting Sink, the intense pressure on the KID Tank below eased slightly, allowing KID’s Tank and Guardian to move a bit faster.

YOU’s Control could simultaneously control Trace and suppress KID’s Tank, but he couldn’t hold off Sink for long. The charging speeds of the Medical mecha’s artillery weapons were quite fast—slower than a Control mecha’s but much faster than an Artillery mecha—disrupting the rhythm of his dual controls significantly.

As soon as he focused on intercepting Sink, dealing with KID’s Tank fell to YOU’s Artillery. “Sink’s too fast! I can’t stop him alone. Stealth, what are you doing!?”

The layout of the battle on the middle levels quickly shifted. Originally, YOU’s carefully crafted setup could accurately intercept KID’s Sink and Trace while simultaneously pressuring KID’s Tank. But the moment KID’s Tank defended against the attacks from above with precision, the tempo of the battle on the mid-levels changed.

To everyone’s surprise, Sink, piloting a Medical mecha, abandoned his role as support for KID’s core, Trace, leaving two YOU close-combat mechas to Trace, and instead chose to break out alone via a conveyor belt.

It was common to see a Medical fighting tooth and nail to save an Artillery, but unheard of for a Medical to leave an Artillery to go fight elsewhere.

This unconventional move left many teams struggling to react immediately. However, Aegis’ head coach, watching KID’s match, frowned tightly. “KID is racing against YOU for time.”

“Racing against time?” An Aegis staff member asked in confusion.

“Do you know why Su Jingming initially used a Tank to block Sink? Tank mechas are immune to crowd control and damage, and Su Jingming predicted that the Tank could neutralize Sink’s threat level as much as possible as both of Sink’s weapons are ineffective against Tanks.”

Aegis’ head coach continued, “But now it’s different. Sink has joined forces with Trace. Sink’s weapons may not affect Tanks, but Trace’s can. His Energy Cannon is unique—its forward fire creates a strong knockback effect, while its reverse fire allows him to execute rapid bursts of movement.”

On the battlefield, determining the capabilities of the opponents’ weapons largely depended on the pilots’ situational awareness.

Sink’s weapons might not work on Tanks, and YOU’s Stealth had the smarts to coordinate their positioning with his teammates’. At best, Sink’s weapons could delay the Tank but couldn’t effectively control or damage the two mechas.

But what Sink couldn’t achieve, Trace could.

The YOU Tank’s shield didn’t deal damage, but its Combination Lock Cannon could force positional shifts. The drawback of the Combination Lock Cannon was that the forced movement direction corresponded to the cannon’s trajectory. A skilled pilot could predict the attack directions through the Tank’s arm movements. As for YOU’s Stealth, it went without saying. If he couldn’t get close, he had no way to immobilize or control the opponent effectively.

“Just now, while KID’s Tank was drawing the attention of YOU’s Control, Sink and Trace likely figured out the combat rhythm of YOU’s two close-combat mechas,” said the Aegis head coach. “Not only did they figure out their rhythm, but KID has probably even predicted Su Jingming’s next move.”

Sink and Trace were among the most skilled mecha pilots in KID’s team. Once mecha pilots like them regained their counterattacking rhythm, everything would become more challenging.

The staff member asked, “How do you race against time?”

Aegis’ head coach fixed his gaze on the livestream. “Watch.”

In the livestream, the battle on the middle levels was still raging. The red-and-white Medical mecha stood deftly on the conveyor belt, moving quickly toward the transport port on the other side. The control cannon in his hand charged once again, and the Deep Water Cannon fired downward precisely, once more intercepting YOU’s Control’s wood-attribute net.

The two mechas on the mid-level conveyor belts were locked in a standoff. YOU’s Control couldn’t allow Sink to escape his control range. Seeing the opponent’s charge complete again, and the attack aimed in his direction, he prepared to evade. But at the very last second, the red-and-white Medical mecha suddenly shifted the control cannon’s aim, lowering its muzzle.

It missed—?!

The YOU Control pilot’s expression lit up with brief joy. Seizing the opportunity, he accelerated his pursuit, quickly casting a Giant Net at Sink.

At that moment, KID’s Medical, who had seemingly fired a stray shot, didn’t stop. As if he had anticipated the YOU Control’s move and attack trajectory, he stepped back just in time, narrowly dodging the Giant Net while firing the control cannon again without hesitation.

The Deep Water Sphere, which had deviated from its attack trajectory, landed in front of YOU’s Control. A Freeze Round followed, and the rapidly solidifying ice ball wedged itself against the edge of the conveyor belt, forming a massive block of ice.

—The Deep Water Cannon’s [Zero Degrees]!

“Freezing on the conveyor belt?!” the livestream commentator exclaimed. “How did it freeze like that? I thought conveyor belts in this sort of mining site were designed to prevent obstructions? Wouldn’t the conveyor belt destroy the ice ball?”

“If the angle is handled correctly, it won’t,” replied the weapons expert seated nearby, straightening his back as he pulled up the details on the third mine’s conveyor system. “The mining conveyor belt in the third pit uses an old program from 200 years ago. Due to the unique properties of energy ore, the transport slots are recessed inward with sealed bottoms, meaning the friction generated by these conveyor belts is relatively low.”

On the battlefield, every shot of KID’s Medical’s Deep Water Spheres landed precisely at the edge of the conveyor belt. The resulting frozen ice ball was only partially lodged onto the belt, with about half of its mass securely frozen to the conveyor belt’s edge and directly underneath.

The conveyor belt continued operating normally, and although the bottom of the ice ball was worn down by the specially designed conveyor surface, it showed no signs of being dislodged.

YOU’s Control pilot’s expression darkened upon seeing this. The next second, Sink’s control cannon fired again, precisely targeting the conveyor belt. Forced to change his direction, YOU’s Control hurried to intercept Sink.

The YOU Control pilot’s face stiffened. “How am I supposed to move forward now?!”

Is this mecha pilot a freak? Dodging his attacks while still having the time to create an ice ball?!

“Sink is blocking the path,” the commentator immediately grasped the purpose of the ice ball. “He’s preventing YOU’s Control from going after Trace. The only cannon-like weapon YOU’s Control has is the wood-element net control weapon. It’s a binding weapon—strong in restraint but weak in offensive power. He can’t destroy the ice.”

【Crap, he’s setting up obstacles on the conveyor belt!】

【Throwing a net on the ice ball? Damn, wouldn’t that just weld the ice ball to the conveyor belt?】

【The YOU Control’s other weapon is an invisibility one. He’s out of options.】

YOU’s Control had no choice but to call for help from their Artillery teammate on the upper levels, hoping for assistance in destroying the ice ball. However, YOU’s Artillery was already juggling suppressing Lu Xi and pressuring KID’s Tank, Huo Yan. Adding on the task of clearing the obstacle left the Artillery unable to handle all three tasks simultaneously.

【Wait, if YOU’s Control can’t get through…】

【Trace is only up against two mechas. He can handle it.】

That deranged Artillery mecha pilot from KID, who had managed to free himself from the disadvantage of YOU’s initial interception, was now completely unbothered by YOU’s Control. He only had to deal with two close-combat mechas. What’s more, his weapon not only allowed him to reposition but also to blast other mechas away. Now that he had figured out the opponent’s rhythm, evading control would only make him more agile.

The standoff across the two conveyor belts continued. Sink’s control trajectories kept shifting, and he skillfully dodged the YOU Control’s attacks with exceptional maneuvering. In return, he froze Deep Water Spheres behind YOU’s Control, blocking not only the path forward but also starting to ice up the way back.

YOU’s Control turned his head: “Motherfucker—!”

He was doing his best to intercept Sink’s Deep Water Spheres, but those spheres were liquid. When intercepted mid-air by his nets, they scattered and fell onto the conveyor belt. Sink would just freeze them anyway. Even if no full ice balls formed, the edges turned into slippery ice.

Viewers in the livestream fixated on the duel, watching YOU’s Control be left in an awkward position on the conveyor belt. Ice blocks trapped him from the front and behind, unbreakable. Grounded and unable to fly, moving up was impossible, and jumping down would put him on the conveyor belt below, where KID’s Tank and Guardian were stationed. He was completely stuck.

【??? What???】

【If I were YOU’s Control, I’d be cursing right now.】

【This is too fucking foul! Is YOU’s Control going to have to manually scrape and break the ice?】

“KID is buying time,” the commentator analyzed. “Originally, YOU’s Control could manage to contain multiple KID mechas. But now, with Yan and Sink, the control rhythms on the middle and lower levels are totally disrupted, leaving only the upper level relatively stable. YOU’s Control can’t multi-control effectively, Trace is holding off two close-combat mechas alone, and Yan and Yao are advancing faster with the reduced suppression fire.”

Following this rhythm, before YOU could devise their next strategy, the two KID mechas on the lower levels had already broken through.

【What the fuck?!】

【Wait, is YOU now the one being pinned down by KID?】

【You know what? They really are…】

“This strategy requires time. KID needs time to locate the Medical’s position,” another commentator explained. “Starting with KID’s Tank breaking through, Sink has been carefully looking for the right timing. Striking too early isn’t ideal—they need the perfect opportunity—”

Suddenly, the direction of Sink’s continuous Deep Water Sphere control shots shifted.

“You don’t need to control Trace anymore; figure out how to hold off KID’s Tank below,” YOU’s captain issued calm adjustments. “Focus on blocking KID’s Tank and Guardian, stall for time. Artillery, assist in breaking the ice… we have to be faster than KID—”

Before the captain could finish speaking, a loud explosion resounded. As he was about to step out of a transport port, a Deep Water Cannon shot slammed in, freezing the exit shut once again. At the same time, KID’s Medical mecha, moving swiftly, leapt down from its high point on the conveyor belt, grabbing the edge of another belt to evade attacks, and vaulted directly into the space where YOU’s Medical mecha was stationed.

YOU’s Captain Su Jingming’s face changed slightly. How many routes have I switched to, and how does Sink know I’m coming this way?!

The red-and-white Medical mecha moved quickly. Upon entering the space, it immediately deployed Deep Water Spheres to block off all possible escape routes for YOU’s Medical mecha, trapping its opponent in the mining factory.

“KID’s Medical mecha has pinpointed YOU’s Medical mecha’s location! He’s infiltrated the inner mining space!”

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