Chapter Twenty-Two

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The greatest joy each day is watching the recommendation votes slowly rise, seeing the new book's ranking climb bit by bit! Enough chatter! Time for an update! Brothers, throw your votes!

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Ye Chong was furious, the pain from being torn apart still lingering in his heart.

He hadn't expected the opponent to be so cunning, tampering with the forest. The few shells that blasted open the clearing earlier were actually bait. Around the clearing, the forest had been seeded with countless sensor mines in advance, forming a broad sensor mine belt. When he approached, he was blown up right on target. What was even more unbelievable was that the opponent managed to lock onto Ye Chong the instant he triggered the mines, causing a chain reaction of explosions. Under the dual assault of sensor mines and artillery fire, Ye Chong was obliterated, not even ashes remaining—instant death!

The audience, who had been keeping an eye on "Invincible Artillery," were all awed by his meticulous mine-laying technique. The three shells that blasted the clearing not only created a complete open area but did so without triggering a single sensor mine, demonstrating an astonishing level of artillery control. Most incredible of all, at the moment Ye Chong triggered the mines, "Invincible Artillery" had already locked onto him—and eight streams of firepower struck Ye Chong simultaneously, even though three giant trees, each five meters in diameter, stood between them. Ye Chong's figure couldn't even be found in "Invincible Artillery's" field of vision!

"Invincible Artillery" gained tremendous prestige from this battle!

This match also pushed combat methods toward greater diversity; auxiliary weapons, once overlooked, regained people's attention!

Of course, none of this mattered to Ye Chong now. He hadn't yet devised a way to counter "Invincible Artillery." This technique was practically the nemesis of melee-type mechs. Ye Chong wore a bitter expression, racking his brains in frustration.

Suddenly, the scenery before him changed, and he found himself inexplicably transported somewhere else.

There was no need to think—Ye Chong could guess with his toes that Mu Shang was behind this!

Mu Shang spoke urgently, "Yezi, look at the news item numbered 020242985." Mu Shang's voice had lost its usual composure and calm, replaced by anxiety.

Ye Chong looked around and found himself in a plaza hall, in front of a scrolling news display. Puzzled, he asked, "What's going on, Mu?"

"You'll see!" The heavy tone gave Ye Chong a foreboding feeling.

He entered the number, and a news item popped up. At a glance, Ye Chong's face turned ashen!

Axiu had already been at Sun Xuelin's home for many days. Axiu's parents—that is, Sun Xuelin's second aunt and uncle—had been transferred to the Tianluo Star System, a distant and somewhat troubled journey, so Axiu was placed with Sun Xuelin's family, entrusted to Sun Haining and his wife for care. For convenience, Axiu had transferred schools and now attended the same one as Sun Xuelin. Sun Haining and his wife adored their gentle and quiet niece, caring for her meticulously. Axiu and Sun Xuelin were like real sisters, inseparable.

At dinner, Sun Haining suddenly asked about Axiu's studies. "Axiu, you still have to take the mech piloting exam this year, right?"

Having just transferred, Axiu wasn't clear about these matters. She tilted her face slightly, her big, watery eyes silently seeking help from Sun Xuelin.

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Sun Xuelin nodded. "Yes! It's a school-wide exam subject!"

Axiu pouted, clearly dissatisfied with the school's decision, but even so, the expression made her look all the more adorable.

Sun Xuelin's mother lovingly placed a dish in Axiu's bowl, speaking gently, "Then you have to work hard! Xuelin can tutor you. Oh, didn't you two train at the consciousness training base every day recently? How does it feel?"

Mentioning the consciousness training base, Axiu's eyes darkened. She quickly lowered her head to eat, saying nothing. Sun Xuelin also looked uneasy, shoveling food into her mouth.

Sun Xuelin's mother was surprised. "Oh, Xuelin, don't you usually avoid this spicy leaf celery? Why the sudden change?"

Sun Xuelin's face flushed crimson. She quickly scooped food into her mouth to hide her embarrassment, mumbling a reply.

Axiu, who had been downcast moments before, couldn't help but cover her mouth to stifle a laugh.

Sun Haining didn't notice the subtle shift in the girls' moods and chuckled, "Xuelin, that yc you mentioned last time really is quite a master!"

Both Sun Xuelin and Axiu cried out in surprise, staring dumbly at Sun Haining.

Sun Haining prompted, "Don't you remember? The one you told me about—the yc who could perform chaotic waveform jumps with the Blackbird mech. You were the one who mentioned it to me!"

Sun Xuelin anxiously asked, "What happened to yc?" Axiu's beautiful eyes fixed on Sun Haining, her expression intensely focused.

Seeing he'd captured their attention, Sun Haining felt proud but pretended to be indifferent, deliberately changing the subject to tease them. "Oh my, there's no food in my bowl! Hmm, my favorite is sweet-and-sour fish. This fish tastes great! Ha!"

Axiu looked at Sun Haining in confusion, clearly short-circuiting.

Sun Xuelin was used to her father's antics. She grabbed the large bowl of sweet-and-sour fish from the table and dumped all of it into Sun Haining's bowl with a bang, not spilling a drop of sauce—a move perfected to an art.

Axiu stared in awe at their performance, while Sun Haining's wife smiled knowingly, long accustomed to such antics.

Sun Haining picked up a piece of fish, tasted it, closed his eyes in delight, and sighed, "Ah, the flavor is just so fragrant, tsk tsk..."

When he opened his eyes, he found Sun Xuelin glaring at him, her right hand holding the bowl trembling slightly, a hint of instability. Sun Haining shivered inwardly—he couldn't play too far—and quickly said, "That yc, you don't know? He's all over the internet now. His match recordings are the hottest thing online. I've watched a few—tsk tsk... his skills are truly impressive! Ugh..."

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With a thud, Sun Haining fell flat on his back, sprawled on the floor, a large bowl covering his face, muffled sounds coming from beneath.

"Ah!" Axiu cried out, then quickly covered her delicate lips with both hands, her face full of surprise.

Sun Xuelin made a funny face at Sun Haining, dragged Axiu toward the room, leaving behind a trail of laughter like silver bells.

Sun Xuelin's mother's voice called from behind, "Finish your meal before you go!"

Sun Xuelin shouted back, "We're full!"

Sun Xuelin's mother laughed fondly, "What a child, really!"

"Honey, help me take the bowl off my face... That girl really hits hard!"

"That's what you get for teasing her. Serves you right!"

"Oh no, my hairstyle... Ugh..."

"Hehe..."

It turned out he was always in the combat zone. The two girls exchanged a smile, then impatiently logged onto the virtual network.

Watching his match recordings, they were utterly entranced. They hadn't expected that he'd already switched mechs, his movements now more mature and composed. For Axiu, an outsider, she simply thought yc's actions were pleasing to watch, while Sun Xuelin understood just how much yc had progressed lately, often admiring the wisdom he displayed in matches.

"Axiu, let's go watch his match tomorrow!"

"Mm!" Axiu nodded vigorously!

They had no idea that, far away, Ye Chong was facing the greatest crisis of his life!