Update cookies preferences

 

Playmates, kindly whitelist the website to support the site or turn off adblocker!

 

Genius Mechanic

Genius Mechanic: Chapter 252.1

Asta Contaminated Zone(Star Domain Tournament: Start)

252.1: Willingly Take The Bait.

Proofread by Cloud Chip Cake

After slacking off for several days, KID started making moves. Viewers in the livestream room returned one after another, and seeing these operations, some didn’t understand what KID’s purpose was. But upon noticing the direction in which KID’s mechas were moving, even the slowest viewers realized that KID had actually calculated the public coordinate exposure time, and spread all their mechas out.  

The commentators in the Star Domain Tournament’s livestream room were very familiar with this and calmly analyzed KID’s tactics: “The information exposed every 12 hours randomly selects one mecha type. Since KID isn’t sure which mecha will be exposed, they had all their mechas leave the mining pit immediately. This way, when the information is exposed, the system will capture their mechas leaving the mining pit, leaving behind the false visual they’ve created.”  

The public battle performance table was a major source of intelligence. All mecha teams that made it to the Star Domain Tournament were experts, and their tactical commanders would inevitably analyze the energy consumption, combat states, and other data of the opposing teams based on the 12-hour coordinate exposures and changes in the battle performance table. Actions, like with KID’s false visual, would undoubtedly be noticed by the tactical commanders of the other teams.  

After the coordinate exposure information disappeared, KID’s mechas quickly regrouped at another location near the third mining pit, which the core mechas remained inside.  

【But will other teams believe such a false visual?】  

【The other teams can’t be that dumb, right? Isn’t KID just waiting for someone to fall into their trap?】  

“This isn’t certain. KID’s ranking has dropped, so they’ll have to leave the third mining pit to fight other teams to earn points.” The commentators switched to the coordinates of the other teams and saw teams indeed moving near the third mining pit. “Other teams might have guessed that KID would leave the pit, but they won’t fully believe it.”  

“But this location is just too advantageous.” The commentators pulled up the map and had to admit, “Even if KID doesn’t move, other teams are bound to pass through here. Making a move to actively expose themselves is too obvious.”  

The third mining pit was in an excellent geographical location, situated in the middle of Zone C. Teams cruising across the sandstone area would typically pass through the third mining pit if they took the shortest route. KID’s fame from their match against YOU meant that not many teams were willing to challenge them voluntarily. Teams passing by the third mining pit previously had all detoured around it. Even with this great location, other teams might not fall for it and head to the mining pit.  

With the exposure times being every 12 hours, under normal circumstances, KID would have to leave the pit to fight. To avoid alerting the other teams prematurely, the best option would be to wait until after the exposure period to move. But now, their actions coincided with the timing of the coordinate refresh—how could the other teams’ commanders not suspect something?  

【Isn’t KID underestimating the other teams?】  

【If we can figure this out, how could the strong teams not figure it out too?】  

Inside the third mining pit, KID’s mechas each reached their designated positions.  

After Lin Yao got into position, he called out, “I’m ready on my end.”  

“Do you think this plan will actually fool anyone?” Lu Xi sounded a bit uncertain. 

Ji Qingfeng: “This spot of ours is pretty good. They might not take the bait, but there’ll definitely be passing mechas.”

Huo Yan: “Whether they take the bait depends on whether the bait is tempting enough… Isn’t there a saying that those who are willing will take the bait 1?”

Ying Chenlin agreed with Huo Yan: “Mm, this location happens to fit in with our previous tactical arrangement.”

The KID members waited for the team’s tactical commander to make a decision. You Su glanced at the silent Commander Ying beside him: “Have you decided?”

In the slightly dim cockpit, Ying Chenlin had a public coordinate exposure map in front of him, copied from earlier. The map showed six clearly marked blue coordinates. His gaze briefly paused on the distances and positions, before locking onto a coordinate not displayed on the map, “Then let’s go with YGY, okay?”

Ji Qingfeng stretched his muscles: “Understood, my turn to take the field.”

Ying Chenlin’s peripheral vision swept over Lin Yao in the distance. “Lin Yao’s position isn’t very safe.”

Lin Yao tried to curl up even more: “This still isn’t safe enough?”

You Su saw Lin Yao squatting in place, the broom was particularly conspicuous in the wind and sand. Switching to the Sniper Cannon, he said, “Give way.”

In the livestream room, viewers thought KID’s combat tactics were too crude. How could such an obvious hook possibly lure any team in?

However, before the livestream’s comment section could continue their ridicule, the public map from their bird’s-eye view showed a team nearby actually heading in the direction of the third mining pit. They weren’t going slow, their intent clear.

The viewers in the livestream room were stunned.

【Wait, what?! What’s wrong with the Horned Dragon team?】  

【They actually took the bait???】  

At the outskirts of the third mining pit, six mechas from the Horned Dragon team were flying toward the mining pit’s location. By the seventh day of the match, a total of 35 mechas had been eliminated, leaving only 43 mechas remaining across all teams. In such circumstances, fully assembled teams were extremely rare, and the Horned Dragon team happened to be one of them. They were ranked fourth, just one point behind YOU.

As the competition entered its later stages, teams began losing more mechas.

There had already been several chaotic battles earlier, leaving many teams heavily damaged. Some had even been completely eliminated, their mecha scores divided up. A fully assembled six-mecha team like Horned Dragon had a significant advantage. With less than five days left in the competition, if they surpassed YOU, they stood a good chance of breaking into the top ten and securing a spot in the Star Alliance Tournament.

“It’s definitely obvious they’re actively exposing themselves, but the commanders of the other teams might want to test it.” Another commentator in the livestream room analyzed: “The more deliberate KID’s actions appear, the more suspicious strong teams will be of them… If you were the commander of another team, seeing this mix of truth and falsehoods, wouldn’t you at least take a look when passing by the third mining pit?”

No matter how accurate the analyzed intelligence might be, it can’t compare to what one sees with their own eyes.

For the strong teams in the Star Domain Tournament, testing this was simple. They didn’t need to get too close. Even if they did encounter KID, as long as they didn’t enter the mining pit, they had the ability to escape without directly engaging them.

The third mining pit had always been occupied by KID. If KID really had left, this mining pit could be utilized by other teams.

…Under such circumstances, they would most likely choose to investigate its authenticity.

【They’ll check, right? Just take a look when passing by.】  

【Now that you mention it, that makes sense. So KID did this on purpose?】  

【If they didn’t do it intentionally, the other teams might not care, or perhaps wouldn’t even bother to come check this area.】  

【But KID doing this is pointless too. Passing by to investigate is completely different from getting close to the mining pit.】  

The livestream viewers began analyzing how Horned Dragon might probe the third mining pit. They grew increasingly confused by KID’s seemingly inexplicable tactics. As they watched the Horned Dragon team get closer and closer to the third mining pit, KID’s two long-range mechas, which had been stationed inside, suddenly appeared. At the same time, KID’s Stealth also made a move, emerging from the mining pit.

“The Stealth came out!?” The livestream commentator was still analyzing Horned Dragon’s plan when they saw this and questioned, “Did they change their mind and decide not to ambush?”

Before the words were finished, a long-range Compressed Windstorm shell flew overhead of KID’s Stealth and landed precisely near the KID Guardian’s feet.

The sandstone terrain wasn’t stable, and the 100% Sniper Cannon shot created a massive crater upon impact.

Seeing this, KID’s Guardian, who was hiding behind another sandstone boulder, jumped a few steps into the crater. Using the Spatial Staff, he erected a small spatial barrier. After the spatial barrier formed, a long-range Enhancement Cannon shot followed, creating a sand vortex that gathered the surrounding loose sand, completely covering the KID Guardian’s barrier.

The livestream viewers: 【???】  

Did KID just bury their Guardian???  

KID’s Stealth sprinted past the spot where their Guardian was buried, reaching the more distant sandstone area. While running, KID’s Stealth, Qingf, suddenly changed his appearance in front of the entire livestream audience, transforming into a YGY mecha.

【YGY???】  

【KID’s Stealth seems to have copied a lot of mecha models during the initial skirmish, right? The YGY model must have been copied back then?】  

The livestream viewers finally recalled that, during the initial skirmish, KID’s Stealth had the task of blending into the chaos, changing its appearance to deceive the other teams. At that time, KID’s Stealth likely used its Mirage Chain Mace to store the appearances of YGY and the other teams’ mechas.

After transforming into the YGY mecha, KID’s Stealth quickly ran to a wind-and-sand-covered area near the sandstone region, using the cover of the sandstorm to hide behind the sandstone. From its position, it had a clear view of the vast area around the sandstone.

The livestream viewers collectively turned their attention to the third mining pit’s area. Across the whole outskirts of the mining pit, apart from the “YGY mecha” Qingf disguised as, KID’s other mechas were completely hidden.

【What the fuck??? No way, right?】  

【Using the YGY mecha to bait them???】  

【Horned Dragon is here!】  

While the livestream audience was still analyzing KID’s tactics, the situation on the battlefield was changing rapidly.

At this moment, the Horned Dragon team, which had flown near the third mining pit, stopped. The several mechas hovered near the sandstone area, the long-range mechas equipped with scopes scanning the third mining pit. The Horned Dragon’s Stealth, responsible for sneaking and probing around, advanced in a roundabout path, quickly approaching the vicinity of the third mining pit.

During these probing movements, a “YGY mecha” just so happened to appear within the Horned Dragon Stealth’s line of sight.

The “YGY mecha” seemed unaware of the nearby Horned Dragon Stealth. It appeared to be observing another direction, the long-range weapon in its hands aimed elsewhere, seemingly making some kind of judgment.

Horned Dragon’s Stealth didn’t get too close. Through the sandstorm, it vaguely identified the silhouette of the other mecha and confirmed it was a YGY mecha.

Upon spotting the YGY mecha, Horned Dragon’s Stealth quickly reported the information to its commander.

“There are no signs of KID’s mechas nearby, but I spotted a YGY mecha,” Horned Dragon’s Stealth said. “It’s too far, I couldn’t clearly identify which mecha it is. The other party is very cautious, not overusing their weapons. No coordinates appeared on the radar, making it impossible to analyze.”

Upon hearing the Stealth’s report, Horned Dragon’s commander immediately instructed two long-range mechas to investigate. They did indeed spot a mecha behind the sandstone.

They hadn’t expected to encounter YGY here. Based on the information they’d analyzed, YGY only had three mechas remaining, making them one of the weaker teams currently located in Zone C. Horned Dragon had only planned to probe the authenticity of the third mining pit, but they unexpectedly ran into YGY. “Confirm again. Check the surroundings for support. Is there an ambush from another team?”

Following the command, the two Horned Dragon mechas continued their observations.

“What’s the situation?” asked Horned Dragon’s commander.

Horned Dragon’s Artillery responded, “We did spot the YGY mecha, but its hiding spot is heavily obscured by the sandstorm. We couldn’t clearly identify which YGY mecha it is. However, we can confirm there’s no support nearby.”

In the sandstorm-obscured area, a single mecha appeared to be observing the distance.  

It seemed like it had been deliberately sent out to gather information… The other two YGY mechas were likely hiding nearby.

The Horned Dragon team’s probe suddenly made the livestream audience realize the purpose behind KID’s maneuver. KID indeed didn’t have much confidence in luring other passing teams to the third mining pit. However, what if the bait used to lure the other teams in wasn’t KID? Other teams were highly vigilant against KID, but their alertness toward singled out or worn down teams wasn’t nearly as high.

“The Horned Dragon team is conducting a long-range probe!” the livestream commentator explained. “They’re not approaching the mining pit, but using the Stealth’s perspective to inspect the third mining pit… They’ve locked onto KID’s Stealth disguised as a YGY mecha! KID’s Stealth disguised itself as the YGY Medical, a mecha that was eliminated not long ago. However, it seems the Horned Dragon team didn’t realize it was YGY’s Medical, nor do they know KID’s Stealth can disguise itself.”

Horned Dragon had never faced KID before, and KID’s illusion weapon had never been used in other competitions.

【What the fuck, are they getting fooled this easily!?】  

【So this is why KID chose the sandstorm area. In these visibility conditions, how could anyone clearly identify which mecha it is?】 

【No wonder KID moved to this area, you can’t see anything here!】

Previously, in the chaotic battle with KID, YGY lost their Stealth and Guardian, then got picked off after retreating and lost their Medical mecha.

【Don’t they find it strange to see a YGY mecha here?】  

【Are you dumb ah? Didn’t you see there were only a few exposed public coordinates? YGY’s coordinates were never exposed!】

The rule for the public coordinate exposure was to select any type of mecha for full-team exposure. However, by now, nearly half of the mechas have been eliminated. This round, Guardian mecha coordinates were made public, but some teams’ Guardian mechas had already been eliminated, so naturally, they wouldn’t appear in the public coordinate information.

The further the match progressed, the more obvious the coordinates of full teams became, while teams down on numbers barely managed to camouflage themselves and blend in.

A YGY mecha just so happened to be from a team whose coordinates weren’t exposed in the recent information, the radar didn’t mention this team’s whereabouts at all.

While Horned Dragon was still hesitating over whether to attack, the “YGY mecha” seemed to sense danger, put away its weapon, and moved toward the third mining pit, clearly intending to escape.

Horned Dragon’s Stealth nearby, saw this and asked, “Commander, it’ll be difficult to handle if he enters the mining pit.”

Horned Dragon’s Artillery said, “Commander, no signs of KID or YGY’s mechas have been detected. The area is safe. We can act.”

What team’s mechas could they score points against? Of course, teams with fewer mechas. However, such teams’ coordinates were hard to find. At this moment, seeing a YGY mecha, how could Horned Dragon let it go, especially since there was no obvious support nearby?

Sure enough, upon spotting the moving “YGY mecha” in the sandstone area, the Horned Dragon team prioritized locking onto the lone mecha.

Horned Dragon’s commander ordered the Stealth to strike first while having the Artillery and Control mechas lock onto the YGY mecha. The actions of the three mechas were sudden, and their combined firepower rushed toward the YGY mecha.

The “YGY mecha,” noticing the danger, immediately ran toward the third mining pit without hesitation, showing no intention of fighting. It didn’t even care about whether the pursuing mechas could keep up, looking utterly like it was fleeing in panic without any visible support.

The mining pit was a dangerous place. What if the YGY mecha was just bait to lure them into the pit?

Considering this possibility, Horned Dragon’s commander said, “Stealth, be cautious. Don’t get too close to the mining pit. If there’s no sign of teammates supporting him, take him down immediately. Don’t let the YGY mecha enter the mining pit.”

Horned Dragon’s Stealth, naturally wary of an ambush, pursued the “YGY mecha” while maintaining a safe distance. Its line of sight swept over the YGY mecha’s type—it was a Medical mecha. “It’s YGY’s Medical. I can take it down!”

“Horned Dragon hasn’t noticed KID’s ambush. Their Stealth is approaching again!”

The commentator watched as Horned Dragon’s Stealth passed by the sandstone area where KID’s Guardian was lying in ambush. “Horned Dragon’s Stealth just passed over KID’s Guardian!”

【What is Horned Dragon’s Stealth doing!】  

【Run, run, run!】  

【He’s getting closer! Damn it, that’s a fake Medical ah!】 

If you're enjoying the story don't forget to support the author! You can also support me on KOFI for site maintenance, raws purchase or as an energy boost~ 
Join discord to get notified whenever a new chapter is uploaded since I'm  incapable of keeping up with a schedule~

 

 

Translator Notes
  1. One who/which wishes to take the bait is captured[]
4.8 5 votes
Article Rating
Subscribe
Notify of
guest

1 Comment
Oldest
Newest Most Voted
Inline Feedbacks
View all comments
clara<3
clara<3
22 days ago

The other teams hate to see KID coming ahah Thanks for the chapter!

error: Content is protected !!
1
0
Would love your thoughts, please comment.x
()
x