Genius Mechanic

  10. Chaos






In the First Star Domain, the Banute Management Bureau's request for help from the teams also appeared on the virtual forum.


“Banute? Has a mutant appeared over there?”


“Seems like it's not a simple mutation. I heard it might be from A+ to S grade Variant?”


“I heard many teams are messaging the Banute Management Bureau, wanting to enter the Contaminated Zone.”


“Of course, if there's an S-grade pollutant, everyone will go crazy trying to grab S-grade rare ability crystals. How many race-level mutated mechas in the alliance are just one S-grade ability crystal away from upgrading to S?”


“I remember the closest teams to Banute are KID and DE, right? According to the unwritten rules, nearby teams will get priority?”


Upon seeing this, netizens found it interesting.


In the First Star Domain alliance, there were many team battles, but most of the teams with a reputation were the top 32 teams. KID used to be an old top 8 team but has now fallen to the top 16. On the other hand, DE is an up-and-coming team with wealthy backers, recruiting excellent mecha pilots from all over. In just one year, they advanced from the previous top 64 to the top 16. These two teams are close, and resource allocation has always been a point of contention.


As long as KID's league ranking is higher than DE's, the resource priority of DE will always be lower than KID's. Therefore, the two teams appear to be amicable on the surface, but in reality, they have accumulated deep-seated conflicts and grievances over time.


Now that KID has declined, other mecha teams need to apply to enter the Contaminated Zone. But for DE, before other teams get in, this is a golden opportunity to step up by surpassing KID.


“It seems DE has sent in 12 mechas.”


“So strong? What about KID?”


“...Reliable information says it's only two.”


“Am I crazy, or is Shen Xingtang crazy?”


-


Deep within the Contaminated Zone, five teams have come to deal with the pollution. Leading the pack are the KID and DE teams, and currently, the DE team's mechas have surrounded the Nine-Dragon Rattan, leaving the other mechas stranded outside.


[JD1456M refused to establish communication and left a message: Not interested.]


"Rejected.”


"What—zzz—zzz."


Shen Xingtang's voice became increasingly distorted in the communication channel, seemingly disrupted by pollution interference.


The necklace inside his collar seemed very excited, as if wanting to pop out to see the situation.


You Su simply closed the communication with Shen Xingtang and sent another communication request to JD1456.


Ying Chenlin parked the mecha at a high spot outside the battle zone, not rushing into the chaotic scene, taking the opportunity to relax his tired right arm.


When the fifth communication request popped up in his field of view, he frowned slightly and finally accepted it.


The channel was quiet, with only him and KF2456G present.


"I won't cooperate, not interested," said Ying Chenlin.


KF2456G: "Refusing so quickly, won't you listen to what I have to say?"


Ying Chenlin remained silent.


You Su didn't think this person followed them to this place with no interest in the Nine-Dragon Rattan. He stated frankly, "Let’s cooperate to break through DE's encirclement."


"The two of us?" Ying Chenlin asked.


You Su didn't hide anything: "And KID."


Ying Chenlin was about to exit the communication channel but stopped when he heard "KID." "Are you with KID?"


"No," said You Su. "KID and I each have our own goals."


Ying Chenlin paused for a moment, thinking, and then said, "Okay."


You Su noticed the brief pause on the other side and looked in the direction of the B-grade mecha.


After a short while, he quickly replied, "Then let's cooperate happily."


Inside DE's internal communication, several mecha pilots were talking with a hint of disdain. They had already surrounded the Nine-Dragon Rattan with all 12 mechas, enough to lock the direction of the contamination completely. Now, all they had to do was kill this pollutant, and the anomalous crystal would be theirs.


"Are these two from KID like this? Are they really among the top 16?"


"Lin Yao and Ji Qingfeng? What kind of mechas are they driving? Do they think they can snatch the anomalous crystal from our hands? Don't make me laugh."


Xu Yaojun didn't move; he had been observing everything around him.


"KID doesn't have many skilled fighters. Ji Qingfeng is a coward, and Lin Yao charges ahead like an idiot," Xu Yaojun, located at the rear of the mechas, was quite amused by KID's pitiful appearance. "KID's lineup is a mess. Their boss, Shen Xingtang, is a mechanic who retired from the battlefield. Do you really expect her to manage a team?"


"Oh right, Xu-ge used to be one of the main fighters for KID, right?"


"Now that Xu-ge has left KID, the transfer period has passed, and I haven't seen KID looking for new mecha pilots. Are they not even able to gather five players for the next season?"


Indeed, they might not be able to gather enough people.


KID might not even have the money to hire new mecha pilots. No mecha pilots, no repairmen – how could such a team come to the contamination zone to snatch resources?


"Let's deal with this Nine-Dragon Rattan first. Aim for its root, that's how you handle plant-type pollutants, by cutting off the root first," Xu Yaojun continued, "When KID's people arrive, we don't need to be polite with them. If it's time to act, then we act. In this place, it's every man for himself."


Hah, KID wanted to steal from him...


They were just an old team on the verge of collapse. Xu Yaojun had already shown mercy by not wiping out Ji Qingfeng completely.


Outside the attack range of the Nine-Dragon Rattan, two mechas stood together, their counter-reconnaissance systems activated as they observed the situation not far away.


KID's two people didn't "flee in panic"; they were here to observe.


Ji Qingfeng looked at the arrogant group of DE mechas in the distance, "If I had known Xu Yaojun was here, even if I were crippled, I would've piloted my own mecha here."


Lin Yao sighed, "Shouldn't we go up there now?"


Ji Qingfeng quickly retracted his bold words and said, "Did we brothers become cannon fodder for the other 12 mechas over there?"


The two of them received a mission to come to the Banute Contaminated Zone, and as soon as they entered the Abyss Zone, they saw the dense contamination value exceeding the limit around them.


The Contaminated Zone requested the assistance of the teams with the default rule that all benefits from eradicating pollutants belonged to the teams. However, as soon as they started taking action against the Nine-Dragon Rattan, the DE team came right after them, disregarding the order of arrival, and forced them out.


DE made it clear that they intended to snatch the benefits.


Ji Qingfeng observed the situation of the Nine-Dragon Rattan, and his eyebrows slightly furrowed. He couldn't help but feel that something was strange. The attack of this Nine-Dragon Rattan was indeed fierce, but he sensed an odd atmosphere around them, as if something else had not been discovered yet.


Could a Nine-Dragon Rattan with such high contamination value be easily subdued, allowing DE's people to suppress it effortlessly?


Lin Yao looked at the DE team entangled with the Nine-Dragon Rattan and said, "Are we just going to watch them take away the treasure like this?"


"Don't worry, why haven't they responded yet?" Ji Qingfeng sent a communication request to mecha KF2456g for the seventh time. "Tang Jie said she found us a helper, but we haven't seen anyone show up for half a day... Hiss, I didn't get the code wrong, why can't I get through? How can this person be busy in the Contaminated Zone?"


Lin Yao and the others were getting restless. "Why don't we just go up and beat up Xu Yaojun?"


Ji Qingfeng glanced at the nearby DE mechas, "Then I thank you, but I don't want to carry you back."


"What's up with KF2456G? Is he really the reinforcement called by the boss?"


Ji Qingfeng tried to send a communication request but got a busy signal on the other end, so he had to request to join again.


This time the request was successful, and Ji Qingfeng exclaimed, "It worked!"


"Quick, add me!" Lin Yao urged.


The mecha information within the team channel appeared, and he first saw the ordinary A-rank mecha that Shen Xingtang mentioned, followed by a B-rank mecha with the identification code.


Before Ji Qingfeng could ask any questions, a stranger's male voice came through the team channel:


—KF2456G: "Everyone's here."


Lin Yao, who was invited by Ji Qingfeng, asked, "Hey, wasn't it supposed to be just one person?"


"What do you mean everyone's here??" Ji Qingfeng was puzzled. "Where's the Control mecha and the Artillery? Aren't they supposed to be here?"


High above, Ying Chenlin disconnected his right-hand's mental connection and relaxed his sore right arm. He heard the voices and couldn't help glancing at the unfamiliar mecha codes on the communication list.


Why did the voices of these two KID members sound somewhat familiar?


In the team communication channel, four people were present, with their mechas scattered around the Nine-Dragon Rattan.


Ji Qingfeng glanced around and noticed that the two new mecha brothers were not in the same location. Could they have some pre-battle strategy? He was about to ask about the situation when suddenly, the pollutant Nine-Dragon Rattan went berserk.


Ji Qingfeng quickly retreated, "I shared the intel in our team!"


The chaotic situation on the scene didn't give them a chance to continue their exchange. The Nine-Dragon Rattan, previously engaged in a fight with the DE team's mechas, suddenly became much more aggressive. The whipping speed of its Rattans tripled, and everyone's vision channel was flooded with intense contamination alerts.


The contamination value, previously fluctuating around 4300, soared to 4600, and it continued to climb: 4600, 5000, 5300...


The constantly rising contamination value brought immense pressure. The situation on the battlefield changed rapidly, and several mechas had to retreat. The DE team's mecha closest to the Nine-Dragon Rattan was thrown out by its whip.


"Why is the Rattan going crazy all of a sudden?" Ji Qingfeng had just retreated to the back when he saw a mecha flying over his head and exclaimed, "Wow, it went really far!"


Lin Yao followed his line of sight, "Looks like it got cracked."


Ji Qingfeng quickly looked over and saw a crack on the exterior armor of the A-rank mecha.


Before he could further react, the Nine-Dragon Rattan's attacks expanded, affecting the previously peaceful outer perimeter, and everyone was forced into the fight.


Ji Qingfeng shouted, "I'm going, run!"


Ying Chenlin had to take a few steps back, using temporary one-handed control to change his observation point. Despite the discomfort in his right arm, he operated with his left hand and kept his eyes fixed on the increasingly ferocious Nine-Dragon Rattan.


It wasn't his imagination; he noticed that the vines of the Nine-Dragon Rattan seemed to be approaching his direction, just like before when they were at the outskirts. These vines didn't chase after the mechas that sought help but remained entangled with him, seemingly harboring deep hostility.


As if it was chasing something...?


The battlefield was not only occupied by contaminants but also other teams' mecha pilots.


It would be difficult for KID to seize anything in such a situation.


There were a total of four mechas in the communication channel, including himself and kf2456g, and two other mechas as well.


When establishing the team communication, the information of both sides' mechas was shared in the channel. Ying Chenlin could faintly recognize the voices of the two KID members he had encountered not long ago—Ji Qingfeng and Lin Yao.


Currently, there are numerous types of mecha, and based on their functionality and coordination, different mecha pilots will choose weapons suitable for their combat style. The Mecha Alliance distinguishes mecha types based on their basic performance and weapons.


The main categories are: Tank, Vanguard, Stealth, Artillery, and Control.


The mecha piloted by Ying Chelin is a Vanguard-type, leaning towards close combat versatility. Its defensive capabilities are above average, but its offensive and mobility abilities are also commendable. On the other hand, the mecha kf2456g piloted by You Su is an Artillery-type, equipped with two long-range weapons. This type of mecha has the lowest defense but possesses extremely strong offensive power.


In the current communication channel, Ji Qingfeng pilots a Stealth-type mecha, armed with close-combat light blades and binding chains.


Lin Yao pilots a Vanguard-type mecha, wielding a light blade and a protective shield.


The team consists of four individuals: two Vanguard, one Stealth, and one Artillery.


The situation is a bit dire. Regardless of their respective teams, there aren't many mecha present, and among them, the only competition-standard advanced-level mecha is the red mecha mixed in with the DE team, while the rest are all A-level mecha.


The degree of mutation in the Nine-Dragon Rattan is still increasing. If it reaches a new stage, it will no longer be easily dealt with by their group.


In the next second, the Rattan's attack came fiercely towards Ying Chelin.


This thing is really tenacious. Ying Chelin decisively threw off the Rattan with a swing of his hand.


Chaos suddenly swept through the depths of Banute. With the Nine-Dragon Rattan's movement, the entire area trembled. From a kilometer away, You Su observed through his observation mirror that the two individuals from KID had already escaped the center of the Nine-Dragon Rattan. He glanced at the radar's mecha positions and saw the B-level mecha he had brought in.


The B-level mecha had not completely withdrawn from the center but was instead hovering in a position, taking advantage of the cover of Banute's forests, concealing its prominent white-colored frame.


A smart hunter's move. You Su's gaze shifted to the opponent's mecha. The sniper scope provided him with an excellent view, and he could clearly see the exterior of the B-level mecha, without any apparent damage.


Obviously, during the previous attack by the swarm of sharp-toothed mice, this mecha suffered no more than 10% damage.


Eliminating this factor, there was only one reason for the opponent's leftward shift in operation.


You Su squinted.


Is he left-handed? No, that's not right. He should be a mecha pilot accustomed to using both hands.