Chapter Seventeen

Mu Shang replied in a cold tone, “You’ll know when the time comes!”

To Ye Chong, this matter was merely a fleeting episode in his life, barely stirring the waters of his daily existence. Ye Chong adored his current way of living; it was fulfilling and endlessly fascinating. It felt as if he was born for combat—piloting different mechs and battling with various opponents, the thrill of it brought him unparalleled satisfaction! When exhausted from fighting, he would stroll through the Gutisdar district, spend time with the old men, and after logging off the virtual network, he devoted himself to a daily regimen of inventive and varied training. Compared to the emptiness and boredom of his former days, his present life was a source of pure joy.

The list that Mu had given him was already more than halfway completed.

Ye Chong, who never interacted with others, was completely unaware of how infamous he had become. YC—this mech pilot who had appeared from nowhere, tirelessly fighting, always pushing forward—had become the hottest topic in the Far Star System’s Mech Pilot Training Base.

Ye Chong first drew attention during his match against Thorn Shield.

Thorn Shield ranked eighty-second on the combat leaderboard at the Far Star System’s training base. His mech, “Hedgehog,” was unique in its approach, formidable in strength, and enjoyed a sizable following. Each of his matches attracted numerous spectators.

That particular match ended with Ye Chong’s victory.

Had Ye Chong merely won, people might have taken notice, but it wouldn’t have caused much astonishment. After all, even the top-ranked Son of Light loses a dozen matches a year; for Thorn Shield, ranked eighty-second, losing one or two matches was hardly unusual.

What truly confounded everyone was that Ye Chong had used a Rachel.

Rachel, commonly called “Soldier,” was a basic humanoid mech, renowned for its thick armor and superior defense compared to other mechs of its class. However, this came at the cost of speed and agility, making it vulnerable to the popular fast, long-range tactics, and leading to its decline. Few pilots now chose Rachel.

As Ye Chong entered the arena piloting Rachel, the audience’s reaction was one of derision. Thorn Shield’s “Hedgehog” was a high-grade mech, and all pilots ranked within the top two hundred were equipped with advanced machines.

Of course, such common knowledge was far too complex for the naive Ye Chong.

Ye Chong, however, was quite fond of Rachel. Not only was it the first humanoid mech he’d piloted at the base, but despite its clumsiness, it reminded him of Winnie—only, Rachel was noticeably faster than the aging Winnie. Given that, what was there to complain about?

A high-grade mech facing a low-grade one was like a fully armed soldier confronting a poorly equipped farmer.

Everyone assumed the outcome was inevitable; many believed Rachel would be completely overwhelmed.

But the intensity and result of the match left everyone utterly stunned!

Rachel initiated the attack! Was Ye Chong trying to hasten his own defeat? What a rookie! The crowd sneered.

Yet the next moment silenced them all.

Was it possible for the cumbersome Rachel to move with such agility?

Rachel whirled around Hedgehog, each strike forcing Thorn Shield into disarray, while Thorn Shield’s attacks never even grazed Rachel’s armor.

Who was the high-grade mech now?

Perhaps Rachel was a modified machine, its engine replaced? But even if it had been upgraded, for Thorn Shield to be so thoroughly outmatched was absurd!

Yet the facts were undeniable. Ye Chong’s Rachel pressed Hedgehog from start to finish. Thorn Shield’s defensive skills were exceptional, his traditional sword-and-shield combination providing formidable protection. Block, deflect, twist, break, bash—his defensive maneuvers were dazzling, and the occasional flash of sword from within the shield was like the thorns on his namesake, capable of inflicting serious injury if one wasn’t careful.

Ye Chong gave Thorn Shield no openings, steady and unhurried.

Many spectators immediately activated their holographic recording functions, capturing the match in its entirety. Almost as soon as the duel ended, the video was posted to the discussion forum, rapidly becoming the most popular topic.

Upon closer study, nearly everyone was awed by YC’s skill.

YC’s Rachel was not a modified mech, as consensus confirmed after thorough investigation. YC consistently operated at Rachel’s top speed, but thanks to his precise positioning and rapid short-range directional changes, he often moved to the most optimal spot just as Thorn Shield made his move, creating the illusion that Rachel was faster than Hedgehog.

Rachel’s heaviness seemed transformed into an asset for YC. Holographic analysis showed that every attack matched Rachel’s momentum perfectly, meaning each strike harnessed the full kinetic energy of the mech at maximum speed. Rachel was like a massive hammer, with its sword as the nail at the hammer’s end, always swinging relentlessly—a terrifying prospect.

Whether in melee or ranged combat, speed control was the critical core. High speeds made mech control exceedingly difficult, even with advanced onboard computers. Generally, once a mech exceeded seventy percent of its maximum velocity, difficulty increased exponentially. For YC to execute such agile maneuvers at full speed, every pilot watching the replay felt a profound sense of respect.

If these discoveries were merely astonishing, then the next revelation was downright frightening. A meticulous pilot had calculated that within three seconds and over a mere hundred meters, YC executed eight abrupt low-angle directional changes! When this result was announced, everyone gasped in disbelief.

Low-angle directional changes are the most practical yet challenging technique for speed-type mechs. Nearly all pilots know it, but to call it difficult is no exaggeration. At high speeds, such maneuvers impose tremendous strain on the pilot’s body, and the burden increases sharply with speed and frequency.

Eight consecutive low-angle changes in three seconds! Was a mutant ape piloting the mech?

Could the data be wrong? Impossible! The simulation was fully realistic; if it couldn’t be done in real life, the system would have declared it a failure.

Could a human body truly be so resilient?

Many began to pay close attention to the enigmatic YC.

And the subsequent matches would challenge the hearts of every spectator like never before.