Section One Hundred and Two: The Game

How Ye Zhong had managed to infiltrate the Saberi without a sound was something Brant could not work out no matter how hard he racked his brains. The Saberi was no ordinary mass-market vessel one could see anywhere on the street. Only super-rich tycoons could afford a starship of this class, and the degree to which they valued their own safety needed no guesswork at all. Every piece of equipment aboard a Slan-class vessel was state of the art, and with armor so thick it seemed almost absurd, trying to break in from outside was little short of fantasy.

And yet Ye Zhong had somehow slipped in without a sound. How could Brant not grow curious, even a little afraid? He knew there was no starship in the world that could never be breached, but to be infiltrated so silently by someone like this still sent a chill through him.

Brant was not a fool. Quentin’s identity and background were both unknown, and Brant was deeply wary of him. But by the look of things, the mysterious man before him was unlikely to be one of those people. In any case, offending such an enigma was far from sensible. More than that, ever since Quentin had begun infiltrating the ship, since Brant had lost to him, he and Uncle Fried had already slipped beyond their own control.

To show hostility now would be tantamount to courting death. Quentin’s eyes, cold as ice, made Brant reluctant to entertain any other thoughts. The road ahead was truly uncertain.

Not long ago, several of Uncle Fried’s friends had vanished one after another under strange circumstances. Even now, the police still had no leads, only judging from the methods involved that it might have been the work of a single group. Every one of Fried’s friends was an expert in some field related to mecha, and each was highly respected in his own domain. With people like that suddenly disappearing one after another, how could panic not spread?

Before long, Fried somehow received word that the group seemed to have their sights on him.

After learning that someone intended harm to Uncle Fried, Brant and Fried devised this interstellar round trip. From the start, they had deliberately acted in a manner unlike their usual selves, making a grand display of everything, broadcasting the news far and wide until it was common knowledge, exposing themselves completely before everyone’s eyes in the hope of making the mysterious group hesitate.

No one had expected that, under such circumstances, Quentin would still hijack the ship. Yet perhaps things had taken an unexpected turn for the better. By suddenly changing course, they surely would have caught the hidden group off guard.

As for the idea of introducing the hefty Ye Zhong to his master, that had come to Brant on a whim. Given what kind of man his master was, he probably would not care about background or status. These past few days, Brant’s deliberate performance had not been wasted. When he mentioned introducing him to his master, Brant noticed a flash of fervor in Quentin’s eyes utterly at odds with his cool exterior, and he was immediately delighted. In that case, if anything were to happen, Quentin would at least not stand on the other side.

A verbal promise in exchange for a possible ally. No matter how one looked at it, it was a profitable bargain. Though it left Brant with a faint sense of guilt, for Uncle Fried, what did that amount to? Besides, if they truly made it through this danger, then when he introduced Quentin to his master afterward, it would still count as keeping his word.

Brant looked at Quentin, who was walking toward another simulation pod, his expression deeply conflicted.

Ever since he had made a name for himself, Brant had never again been defeated by anyone. This time, having been utterly beaten by Quentin, the matter had always rankled in his heart. Still, combat had long since declined, and the true rulers of this starry age were mecha and mech pilots.

Brant had some intent to take the challenge seriously this time, but more than that, he wanted to probe the depths of this Quentin, who seemed to be nothing but mystery from head to toe. Brant rarely piloted a mecha in actual combat, but that did not mean his skill was poor. Quite the opposite: he had been trained by a truly distinguished master. Few knew it, but his uncle was Master Fried, and among Fried’s friends were not a few legendary mech pilots.

Brushing his hand over the hyperreal control panel inside the simulation pod, Brant, usually so modest, courteous, and elegant, could not help feeling his blood stir and his fighting spirit surge.

Ye Zhong sat calmly into the simulation pod. After so many days of contact with mecha, he could now control his emotions with relative ease. After all, once one lost composure, the outcome was often death. Yet a trace of excitement could make a mech pilot’s movements and reactions far more sensitive.

A calm state laced with a hint of exhilaration was the state in which a mech pilot could bring out his fullest potential.

One of the key differences between a raw beginner and an experienced mech pilot was that the veteran could enter this state very quickly.

Ye Zhong seemed born for mecha. The moment he came into contact with one, he would involuntarily enter that state, the state that fascinated him so deeply.

The scene before him was so familiar that, for an instant, Ye Zhong felt as though he had returned to the days on Junk Star, when he spent every day in the mech training base on the virtual network challenging others.

The dazzling array of mecha before him felt, to Ye Zhong, unusually familiar. Though he no longer thought much of these mecha, compared with Frost’s Aria, these so-called top-tier machines were really nothing. And yet, even with these unremarkable mecha, Ye Zhong was intensely excited. A desire for battle burst forth involuntarily from the deepest part of him.

Huff. Ye Zhong exhaled slowly, his eyes growing hot, while his mind remained immersed in its usual calm.

The mecha Ye Zhong chose was the LRA. The LRA was a new model introduced this year by the Puhui Company, and the company’s only close-combat mecha of this class released this year. Its outstanding feature was formidable power, equipped with this year’s newly produced Bombhead No. 9 engine, whose performance in terms of propulsion was exceptionally strong.

Its weapon design was equally unconventional. It abandoned the standard configuration of beam blades and laser swords and instead used blunt weapons, something that seemed almost unbelievable. Yet the ingenuity of its design was truly breathtaking. Three metal cylinders riddled with tiny holes revolved at high speed around the mecha under the control of a magnetic field. The instant an opponent entered the range of that field, he would be shredded at once. Moreover, the highly intelligent combat system could effectively identify exactly what had entered the magnetic zone. Inside those metal cylinders lay yet another mechanism: once the system confirmed a kill, ultra-high-intensity laser beams would erupt from the countless small holes on the surface. The harmless-looking cylinders would instantly become laser warhammers of tremendous destructive power, and under the mauling of three such warhammers, an enemy mecha would have no escape from being torn to pieces and blasted apart in a spray of blood and flesh.

The LRA’s appearance was equally peculiar. It was neither humanoid nor beastlike, but rather an ellipsoid-like form. Sixteen rings revolved around its central axis, yet these sixteen ring rails did not spin around the same axis. The densely packed, high-speed rotating ring rails shrouded the mecha’s body in a haze of afterimages. These rapidly spinning circular rails could effectively absorb and block damage from energy weapons.

In the strictest sense, the LRA could hardly be called a close-combat mecha at all. It was merely a ranged mecha with its attack radius reduced.

The LRA also had a common nickname: the Meat Grinder.

Brant chose outer space as the battlefield, and his mecha was the Star Phantom produced by the Eastern Moon Group. The Star Phantom was a typical ranged combat mecha and, because it conformed to the mainstream style of combat today, was extremely popular. Its noble and elegant appearance also made it a favorite among mech pilots. Its sharply defined facial lines and solemn expression gave it an imposing presence, and its silver-white armor gleamed brilliantly, adding yet a touch of regal splendor.

Ye Zhong had always felt wary of, and somewhat disliked, things that were too flashy.

But the Star Phantom was not mere ornament without substance. Advanced firing systems were a must for ranged combat mecha, and the Star Phantom’s firing system performed exceptionally well in automatic targeting. Unlike other mecha, it provided not only automatic firing lock-on but also more precise manual lock-on, though that likewise placed greater demands on the pilot inside. Moreover, the Star Phantom performed admirably in power, balance, and other respects.

In space, the Star Phantom had the advantage over the LRA. To be precise, ranged mecha were far more practical than close-combat mecha in the vacuum of space, because ranged machines could control a much larger area. It was not that Brant wanted to bully Ye Zhong, only that he had never expected Quentin to choose the LRA. That came as a huge surprise, and Quentin only became more mysterious and unfathomable in his eyes. Brant had been trained by a prestigious master and did not look down on close-combat mecha, but in such a relatively simple environment as space, using a close-combat machine was, in his opinion, sheer stupidity.

And yet the Quentin before him did not look like a stupid man at all. Brant could not make sense of it.

Seeing that the scene was in space, Ye Zhong frowned slightly as well. Such an environment was indeed highly unfavorable to the LRA, but he made no objection. He understood very well that in most cases, one did not get to choose the battlefield. Rather than complain about the disadvantages, it was better to spend that time thinking about how to deal with them.

Separated by the transparent dome of the simulation pod, Brant looked at Quentin’s calm and composed face and could not help wondering. Did Quentin have some other trump card, or did he simply not care about victory and defeat at all?

Seeing that the game was about to begin, Brant quickly gathered his mind and put on his helmet.

The moment the game started, Brant’s Star Phantom raised its arm and fired a shot. But Ye Zhong had been prepared long ago and deftly dodged it. Brant had never intended that shot to hit in the first place; his goal was only to open the distance between himself and Quentin. Once he had that distance, he believed his shooting skill alone would be enough to secure victory. On that point, Brant was extremely confident.

Without the slightest suspense, Brant achieved his goal and successfully widened the gap between them.

At once, Brant felt considerably more at ease. Countless methods flashed through his mind, yet he could not for the life of him imagine any chance Quentin had of turning the tables.

And then Ye Zhong suddenly made a move that left Brant utterly astonished.