Li Hao did not rush to open the message. He entered the mech room and sat in the cockpit as the automatic door closed.
"Bleem Mission #127: Six months, EMP score 3000."
If anyone else saw such a spam email, they would delete it immediately. Anyone who would say such a thing is either a madman or someone who forgot to take their medicine.
Li Hao didn't pay much attention. It seemed like the email itself caught his interest, but as he tried to search for it, just like before, the email in Tianxun disappeared. Not deleted, but completely gone, without a trace.
Li Hao didn't know who or what the sender was—whether it was a person, a ghost, or some surreal entity. All he knew was that its codename was:
The first time it happened was on the night of Li Hao's fifth birthday. Something took control of his dreams, transporting him to indescribable worlds, where he underwent all kinds of bizarre training. The most severe time, he "fell into a coma" for a whole month. The hospital couldn't find any reason for it and had already informed the orphanage to prepare for his funeral. However, when he woke up, Li Hao was miraculously healthy, even more so than before, with only a ring-shaped scar near his heart. If it weren't for the director stopping them, the hospital would have wanted to study him.
This strange life continued for more than ten years. Li Hao had already grown accustomed to the presence of this mysterious force. Overall, it seemed like the entity was training him for some purpose, but it didn't mean him harm. Li Hao had made various guesses, suspecting that it was some evil organization conducting experiments on him, but as he grew older, he ruled this out. The methods employed by the entity far exceeded the current level of technology he understood, and if it were truly some organization, there would have been no need for such elaborate efforts, especially on a mere orphan like himself, whose life wasn't worth much.
It wasn't until he was twelve years old that the orphanage director gave him a Tianxun, and then the email arrived—"Bleem Mission," with a bizarre task list. The tasks ranged from finding a stray dog to assassination, and anything in between. Fortunately, the targets were people who, in Li Hao's view, deserved death more than once.
Overall, he and Bleem had coexisted peacefully. But one time, Li Hao decided to test it by intentionally failing the task, and then his heart stopped suddenly. When he woke up, there was an email waiting for him—his first contact with the entity: "Complete Mission #200, and you will get the answer. Fail again, and you will be destroyed."
Destroyed... Who does it think it is?
Although it was a bit dangerous, as Li Hao's power grew, he repeatedly tested the limits, and eventually, he grasped some of the entity's patterns. The Bleem missions became less frequent and intense.
Mission #126 was a year ago, which had led him to Tianjing. Actually, before entering Tianjing Mecha, his life had been much more exciting, and this past year had been the most leisurely of all.
Li Hao opened his eyes, took a deep breath, and smiled. After a period of silence, Bleem had become active again, and he was ready for it.
The EMP system displayed Li Hao's record.
ID: PuppetTotal Score: 853Win Rate:Matches: 4900
Next to his ID was a full-colored pentagram, representing survival, damage output, team battle, individual combat, and mecha pool.
At first, Li Hao just wanted to have some fun, but who would have thought it would spiral out of control? However, before Bleem gave a task, he had to control his score and not attract too much attention. He had learned from past mistakes, where being too flashy almost ruined a big mission—a mission that was worth ten others.
Controlling the score was a skill in itself, and surprisingly, he found a bug.
The bug was the virtual mode. Whether it was a one-on-one duel or a team battle, as long as one person selected virtual mode, the whole match's score would be calculated according to the virtual mode. So, most of Li Hao's battles were done in virtual mode, while he himself used real mode.
So, Li Hao would say he wasn't using virtual mode, yet was using it.
The score was controlled just right—just over 800. Not too eye-catching, but enough to pass.
Li Hao selected battle mode and entered the arena with random matchmaking.
Soon, his opponent appeared, and their personal information was hidden. ID: Eternal Light of the Stars.
Li Hao didn't care about the opponent. Both entered the mech selection countdown, and Li Hao chose a random mech.
Puppet vs. Eternal Light of the StarsArmor Dragon Mk. III (USE)Configuration: Medium-sized fighter, 80 tonsFission drive, standard laser rifle, titanium knife
Silver Knight Mk. V (NUP)Configuration: Light fighter, 65 tonsFission drive, silver laser rifle, laser sword
Both mecha combatants entered the arena, facing each other, with a countdown of three seconds.
3... 2...
The battle began.
The Silver Knight attacked first, moving lightly, indicating that the pilot had no trouble with this level of load. It was fast, and there was still room for more speed.
The distance between the two mechs quickly closed to 20 meters, and then, suddenly, the Silver Knight's speed increased sharply, the mecha's shoulders shaking. This wasn't instability, but an attempt to confuse the opponent's judgment.
It was clear that this opponent was quite cautious.
At 10 meters, the Armor Dragon hadn't moved, while the Silver Knight soared into the air, drawing its laser sword and striking down with all its power.
At this moment, the Armor Dragon couldn't evade in time. Mecha combat was vastly different from human combat. Preemptive actions and prediction were crucial. The entire Solar System Mecha Competition had shown how important it was to control the pace of the battle, and NUP excelled at this.
The Silver Knight's pilot didn't show mercy, and the laser sword's killing speed was fast. Just then, the Armor Dragon emitted a low growl, and suddenly charged forward with a swift movement. Only half a step was needed, and its left arm pushed the opponent's laser sword to the side while its body moved in. With a powerful 45-degree elbow strike, it hit the Silver Knight.
Boom…
The Silver Knight staggered back, and though the pilot tried to regain control, the mecha crashed to the ground. The engine roared as it attempted to pull back and create some distance, but the next moment, a figure flashed.
Boom…
Explosion.
Puppet (Armor Dragon Mk. III) wins!
The match ended. Li Hao was a bit dissatisfied. Based on his real-mode skill level, he should have been better. The opponent seemed weak, but he was probably just under 800 points. Things would improve later. Li Hao kicked the opponent's mech and started a new match.
At that moment, far on the Moon, at Tianxing Academy...
Boom…
"TMD, how dare you kick me? Can't you take a loss?" Feiman angrily slammed the door. "I got careless, the opponent tricked me."
"Haha, Feiman, are you kidding me? There are so few experts, even if you haven't met them, you've heard of Puppet. Look at this, a newbie got you in one move. They didn't even use weapons," said Alz, a tall, slender guy with blonde, curly hair, laughing uncontrollably, sitting on the floor.
"Alz, that didn't count, I want a rematch!" Feiman, ignoring the triumphant Alz, quickly sent an invitation.
"Puppet, dare you to fight again? I got careless, but this time I'll let you use only one hand!"
System prompt: The opponent has set a mute. Your message cannot be delivered.
Feiman angrily hammered his leg. He didn't notice when Alz had already appeared next to him, and seeing him, Alz laughed even harder. "Wow, our great Feiman from Tianxing Mecha got wrecked. What did the team leader say? Don't let victory cloud your eyes. Looks like you had a good holiday."
"Feiman, Alz, what's so funny? Let me in on it." A crisp and decisive voice rang out, and immediately, Alz stood up, and Feiman walked out of the cockpit.
"Team leader!"
Both stood at attention and saluted, filled with admiration and a little secret affection for the girl before them.
Tianxing Mecha A-Class Academy, one of the top ten military academies of NUP. During this year's Solar System Mecha Competition, Tianxing Mecha also had one person who won the "Top Mecha Pilot" title. The team leader of Tianxing Mecha, the beautiful and powerful Tita Vantis, was now standing before them.
Though NUP won overwhelmingly, every battle had been tough, and there were moments when they nearly lost. But it was their leader who kept pushing the team forward to achieve the current glory.
"Straighten your clothes, we have guests." Tita Vantis was highly respected at Tianxing Mecha, a star figure who combined beauty, wisdom, and strength. The goddess smiled affectionately, causing the two boys to momentarily lose focus.
"Arths, come out. These two may be a little slow, but they have potential."
A girl wearing sportswear and large sunglasses slipped into the room. When she looked up, both Feiman and Alz were stunned. They were about to jump up, but Tita's cold snort made them cover their mouths, though they still rushed forward.
"Arths, I'm your die-hard fan for ten years! Sign something for me!"
"Get lost. Arths debuted only seven years, three months, and eighteen days ago. Your Majesty, I'm Alz, a sniper from Tianjing Mecha Combat Team. I'm honored... Ah, Team Leader, why are you kicking me?"
Arths, with her fair and exquisite face, smiled sweetly. "Sis, you can't treat my fans like that."
Feiman and Alz were melted by the sound. Even through Tianxun, her voice was beautiful, and in person, it was simply enchanting.
...Sis?
If they were close, shouldn't she be calling her "sister"?
Could they be related by blood? They really looked alike! Wow, what a bloodline! The team leader had been hiding it so deep.
"Arths is my cousin. You two just need to know. If a third person finds out, there could be consequences. She wants to see your fighting performance." Tita said, knowing she couldn't hide it anymore. These two guys were too curious.
Instantly, the two men felt like they had been set on fire.
"I'll go. With one strike, I'll end this. Tianxing Mecha's pillar—Gun God Alz, at your service."
"What's so great about a surprise shot? Watch me, a real man fights with real weapons. Arths, I'm the vanguard. Let me show you!" Feiman couldn't back down. This was his chance to perform in front of his idol.
"You wish, five-second man. Don't forget who just got taken down by a rookie."
"Get lost. It was an accident. I got careless..."
"Feiman, pull up the replay of the match." Tita said coldly. The temperature in the room seemed to drop a few degrees.
Feiman and Alz immediately sobered up. Although she was a girl, the word "gentle" had nothing to do with their team leader. Her dedication and strictness in training were beyond imagination. Losing? Getting careless? Not allowed.
Reluctantly, Feiman pulled up the replay, while Arths curiously watched the "real-life" movements of the mecha warriors.
The replay showed the Silver Knight charging towards the opponent, taking flight, and completely gaining the upper hand. Arths, who had caught up on many competitions and had tried the virtual mode, could see that the Silver Knight had the advantage.
But what happened next surprised everyone—within the blink of an eye, the Silver Knight was defeated.
"Team Leader, I admit I got careless. The opponent was unethical, hit and run. Let me have another shot..."
"Feiman."
"Yes, Team Leader."
"If you approach this with such an attitude, you will be destroyed even worse next time," Tita said. "USE lost, but it was more because of their arrogance. The next competition will be the real test. A three-peat will go down in history."
Feiman and Alz froze, looking at each other.
"From a performance standpoint, the Armor Dragon Mk. III is inferior to the Silver Knight Mk. V, three times slower. When you made your move, the opponent didn't act, but you can see from the perspective that there was a slight movement in their head. They didn't strike because they believed they could fully predict your actions," Tita said.
The Silver Knight struck, and the Armor Dragon advanced.
"That kind of explosive movement is within strong control range," Arths suddenly spoke. This meant the opponent was definitely no rookie.
The rest was crucial. The Armor Dragon's left arm blocked the laser sword's strike, meaning much of Feiman's attack was nullified. The subsequent counterattack knocked the Silver Knight down. To knock down a mecha, it requires precise force and angle control. Feiman reacted quickly, trying to maintain balance and using the propulsion system to create distance. This was textbook-level crisis management.
However, it seemed to be fully within the opponent's predictions. That small gap of distance exposed his vulnerable spot, and the opponent's earlier move was a fraction faster, but just right. A kick hit, in slow motion, precisely when the mecha was in a weightless state, exposing the head.
The head of the Silver Knight was kicked off. Even in lower-level matches, such a move was a humiliating blow.
The entire sequence was fierce and decisive—from prediction to execution, it was as if the Silver Knight was being toyed with.
Feiman and Alz stopped joking, breaking out in cold sweat. They were both experts, and they realized the issue at this moment, but Feiman was still angry. Such an attack felt like a direct humiliation.
Arths understood part of it but was still confused. She looked at Tita in puzzlement.
Tita, who adored her cousin, smiled gently. Who wouldn't like Arths?
"Arths, the Silver Knight has decent defense. Feiman is the vanguard, with strong defense and endurance. Even if careless, he shouldn't have been knocked off balance by a single elbow strike. His handling was correct. Normally, it would be impossible to kick off a mecha's head, but in that situation, the mecha was completely out of balance. Feiman chose to break free, but the mecha was already out of control. Watch!" Tita rewound and showed the kick.
"After the elbow strike, the Armor Dragon made a preemptive movement, quickly side-kicking, taking advantage of the lost balance to create a "side-kick decapitation." Feiman, the opponent wasn't insulting you; they were insulting Tianxing Mecha. You must get revenge!" Tita said.
Feiman gritted his teeth, "Yes, Team Leader. It's my fault. I'll accept the punishment."
Tita nodded. As the team leader, she had to be decisive. "Go to the punishment room. Five times gravity, ten kilometers. Alz, check this person out."
Alz sighed and shrugged. "Team Leader, I've already checked. They've hidden their personal information. I can only see the ID: Puppet. Haven't heard of this person in the past two years. And they kicked Feiman right after the match, seems intentional."
In EMP, some use real names, some use IDs, and many hide their data. But once someone reaches a certain level, they can't remain nameless forever. They will leave traces. Besides, if you're not young and reckless, what kind of young person would you be?
"Feiman, continue the rematch. Tianxing Mecha's honor must be reclaimed. Alz, look up the masters who use the Armor Dragon. There will be traces. Earthlings like to use these sneaky little tricks."
Top-level experts usually master several types of mechas. Even if they don't use them, they may face them eventually. Being proficient in a certain mecha requires a match between the pilot and the machine, achieving a certain level of tacit understanding. Anyone who can use the Armor Dragon this effectively is most likely from USE, and there won't be many.
"Yes, Team Leader. But it's a bit strange... Team Leader, they haven't disabled the spectator mode..." Alz seemed confused.
The other three in the room exchanged puzzled glances. Hiding personal information but leaving the spectator mode open? What kind of strange operation was this?
"Open it. Broadcast it out."