Chapter 56 (The 56th chapter is a hype contestant)

As the screen in front of him lit up with a notification that the match was successful, Fang Zhuo followed the instructions and placed his palm on the recognition panel on the right front.

The next second, a light blue, viscous substance instantly filled the entire cabin.

Strangely, this mucus doesn't have a particularly noticeable tactile sensation when it comes into contact with the body; it only feels slightly cooler than body temperature, and people can even breathe normally while immersed in it.

Along this large mass of viscous fluid, hundreds of white optical fibers extended from both sides of the virtual capsule, and tiny metal spheres at the fiber optic connectors automatically adhered to every joint of his body.

The messages on the screen scrolled faster and faster until they formed a blue and white information stream.

After the dense information dissipated, Fang Zhuo found himself completely on the competition field, which covered tens of thousands of square meters.

The surrounding area was a dense forest. The five team members, including Cheng Che, spawned at the start of the game on a tall tower in the southeast corner of the forest. Other map resources with various glowing halos could be faintly seen in the forest.

Unlike the holographic effects of entertainment industry worlds, everything in this map appears extremely realistic, just like being in the real world.

Fang Zhuo chose the spectator mode. There was no volume collision between the models and the other team members, but he could clearly feel the touch of other objects in the scene.

Not only was he silently observing his surroundings, but the other four members of the JR team were also almost moved to tears of joy.

They've been training in that outdated, secondhand virtual pod for six months now. The old version even used large metal patches for its fiber optic cables, which could easily cause numbness when applied to joints for a long time. But the new version doesn't have that problem at all.

The group exchanged glances, all sharing a sense of unspoken joy.

This virtual reality pod was just released by Platinum Technology last quarter. The resolution of the scene rendering is almost indistinguishable from that of the human eye, and of course, the price is exorbitantly high.

If they hadn't brought a useless piece of junk, they would have definitely won this game easily, given that they had such high-end peripherals.

Seeing Cheng Che's unsteady posture, the gunner in the team helplessly shrugged at his three old teammates.

Fearing the newcomer might not understand the competition rules, the gunner even went up and patted him on the shoulder.

"Dude, did you see those beetle soldiers coming out of that entrance under the tower? We'll follow their path to take out the enemy mechs later."

"Just stay where you are and eat up the enemy's minions. When the enemy attacks, it's best to dodge. If you really can't position yourself, then just give up."

Cheng Che nodded, then uncomfortably reached up to cover his neck, feeling as if his body wasn't his own.

Even if he had never eaten pork, he had seen pigs run. He had watched many mecha competitions on the big screen at the village entrance before, so of course he understood the rules of this game.

Mech battles are essentially a tower defense game. In addition to these beetle minions, there are various resource points on the map that can provide buffs such as combat power upgrades or minion shields.

As long as you snowball your resources and eventually push your troops to the enemy base, you can win the game.

Mechs are divided into five types: hardened tanks, long and short blades, gunners, information, and support. Among them, the long and short blades and gunners sacrifice movement speed but take on most of the team's output responsibility. The boss chose the relatively important long and short blades mech for himself.

From his teammates' eager expressions, Cheng Che knew that the virtual pods the boss had purchased were of quite good quality. However, unlike his teammates, he was currently feeling completely out of sorts, and even walking and jumping were not very skillful.

After jumping a few times, his head slammed hard against the wall, making him wince in pain.

Meanwhile, the live stream of this high-level match also opened a spectator portal in the game lobby, and more than a thousand people had already gathered in the live stream room.

Who are these people on both sides? Does anyone recognize their IDs?

[The red team is from the FIX team, who just made it to the secondary league last season; the blue team has four players from the JR team, I don't recognize the one in the long and short blade position... wait, his positioning, uh...]

[I'm laughing so hard I can't live anymore. Has that idiot Long Blade never used a virtual pod before? He doesn't even know how to use propulsion. I just saw him fall off the tower and lose a third of his health. I'm speechless. Are the other four JRs playing with the boss?]

[I really need to see this dish]

[I just checked JR's record. They changed their name at the beginning of the year. Before the name change, they had one win and eleven losses; after the name change, they had six wins and eighteen losses... Instead of focusing on training the players, this owner seems more interested in having them play games with him?]

Last month, the players on their team were complaining on the internal forum about not having team dormitories and having to share a single virtual pod for training. How did they suddenly start lining up together?

Did their team sell their last virtual pod, so they have to share one?

That's heartbreaking... I really don't recommend poor people play with esports teams. Every time I see posts on the forums teaching you how to build a mech esports team with a budget of three million, I just want to laugh.

Cheng Che couldn't see the comments in the live stream. After falling heavily to the ground several times, he struggled for a long time before finally learning the pushing foot technique.

The two mechs have already started fighting in the area where the beetle minions are intersecting. This game has just begun, and everyone's level is not high. The gunners on both sides are simply testing each other by firing long-range energy cannons.

Perhaps realizing he was a novice, a few minutes later, the enemy's light cannon stopped hitting the minions and instead flew straight towards him.

Cheng Che quickly rolled over to avoid it, but accidentally bumped his back into a tree next to him.

Realizing he was the weak point, the next second, the opposing support mech also leaped out from the bushes on the side, pulling on grappling hooks with both hands, and the chains instantly struck Cheng Che's mech's outer panel.

With a "bang," he instinctively closed his eyes.

Less than five minutes into the game, his durability ran out, and he was teleported back to his own tower.

At this point, the comments section was filled with vulgar and mocking remarks.

[Wait, where did this guy come from? You guys are a four-man squad with one player, aren't you going to protect the boss?]

[Do you guys have a grudge against the boss? Why don't you even try to help our big spender when he's being targeted?]

[This doesn't look like someone training a boss. It can't be a trial for a new player, right? If someone like this can play in matches, then I think I could play too.]

[Is JR team desperate for money? They sold their last virtual pod, and now the long-range and short-range bladed tank they just bought last season is gone. Are they trying to save money by finding a relative to fill in?]

Watching the beetle soldiers file out from under the tower, Cheng Che took a deep breath.

He bounced a few times in place, then changed positions and practiced aerial turns for a minute or two.

Having shaken off the tension of the previous match, he finally started to get a feel for piloting the mech.

He tried to calm his breathing—he couldn't go on like this. The boss had spent so much money and given him such a great opportunity; he had to seize it no matter what.

When they arrived at the battlefield again, their teammates were already fighting with the enemy for resources. The mutated dragon in the cave was breathing fire, and the flames burned away the durability of a large number of mech plates.

The support mech that had just rushed up to attack him then attacked with a grappling hook, about to smash him to the ground again.

Cheng Che flipped in mid-air, dodging the opponent's first attack.

Realizing that his body movements could be highly synchronized with the game, he gripped the long blade in his hand and fiercely slashed the short blade in his left hand into his opponent's back.

As expected of a professional player, the closest heavy tank mech reacted quickly and swiftly closed in.

The hardened armor was nearly twice the size of the long and short blade armor piloted by Cheng Che. Cheng Che quickly used the short blade in his left hand to block the grappling hook of the support mech, while at the same time he swung the long blade in his right hand with great force, and the blade energy carrying a little energy hit the hardened armor's chest heavily.

He didn't know how much force he had used; he only saw the armored tank fly out in an instant, and the support mech in front of him didn't seem as agile as it had been at the start of the match.

After gradually becoming familiar with the battlefield during the battle, he belatedly realized that the movements of the other nine mechs were all inexplicably distorted.

As if trapped by some kind of viscous fluid, their movements required a great deal of effort with each step, while Cheng Che himself had no such concerns.

Could it be that the boss was right? He really almost passed the aptitude test back then...?

He might actually have some talent.

Fang Zhuo switched to a third-party spectator's perspective and quietly watched the upcoming match.

Although Cheng Che's movements still showed signs of unfamiliarity, his dexterity was on a completely different level from the other nine people.

After defeating two enemy mechs in a 1v2 situation and sending them back to base, Cheng Che seemed to suddenly understand how to proceed with the game. He began to use his clumsy movements to repeatedly strike the shoulder plate of the enemy information mech with his long blade.

From an observer's perspective, he could see the audience's comments. As he expected, the live stream chat was now exploding with comments, and the number of viewers had quickly jumped from over a thousand to more than ten thousand. This was a considerable amount of attention for a regular match between non-star players.

[Wait a minute, I have a feeling this guy's got some skills.]

[This speed of progress doesn't seem like someone who just learned it; it's like they haven't completely forgotten it from a past life. Could they be faking it? I'm the clown, and I admit I was really fooled.]

[Could the owner of the JR team have actually picked up this potential rookie? ... Take notes, as long as they sell the team's last virtual pod, they can find a promising newcomer.]

[Twenty minutes ago he was falling off the tower, but now he's actually taking on two opponents and winning. JR should sign him; they could probably make a small profit even if they loan him out.]

[Where was the strength? It seems like it was just a coincidence...]

After quickly sending out the comments, accompanied by the loud crash of the tower opposite, the short guy watched as the lights of the virtual pods gradually dimmed again.

He saw the team owner first shake hands with the rustic-looking country boy, and then say something completely unfamiliar:

"Cheng Che, congratulations on passing the test. Don't be too anxious. We will not only be able to play in the second division within a quarter, but also in the main division within a year."

"Your annual salary is 30 million. It's not just you; other new players signed by the JR team will also be paid the same. Their salaries will be increased based on the team's performance later on."

The team owner then addressed the other four members, saying, "You've all worked hard. Your annual salaries will be increased by another 500,000 on top of your original contracts. Please make do with a few days in the central hotel suites. I'll let you know once I've arranged the staff dormitories."

The short man stood at the doorway and suddenly felt that the sunlight outside was extremely dazzling.

More than 30 million... Let alone a local competition like the Duxing Competition, which is not prestigious enough, even in the main league that attracts a lot of attention, not every player can earn such a high salary.

Just over half an hour ago, this person was a newcomer who had never been inside a virtual pod before.

Even if the boss is a sucker, we should still be careful with this money.

Besides, he didn't think this newcomer was that skilled. He only managed a score of 15/3/4 in the game, and his movement skills were very unskilled. Several of his counter-kills were particularly ugly.

Of course, what angered him the most was the accommodation.

Staying at the Central Hotel is considered a waste, as it's the highest-rated luxury hotel in the entire 6C-star complex, with suites costing several thousand yuan a night.

He didn't even have a basic dormitory in the team back then, but now that the newcomer who replaced him has arrived, the boss has actually booked a luxury hotel for him.

This is unfair! How can it be so unfair?

Seeing that poor, unsophisticated kid who seemed to have never seen the world before, repeatedly saying no, wiping away tears and refusing the exorbitant contract, the short guy was so jealous he almost agreed on the kid's behalf.

I've never seen anyone so foolish; they wouldn't even accept money offered by the God of Wealth.

The other team members all looked delighted. Fang Zhuo and Cheng Che pulled each other around a couple of times, even bringing out the other party's family members, before finally persuading Cheng Che to sign the contract.

[Investment Target Number Two: Cheng Che]

[Intelligence: 62][Stamina: 95][Appearance: 61][Emotional Intelligence: 39][Loyalty: 93]

[Recommended Career: Mech Pilot and Related Training Industry]

[Skill Talents: 92]

[Initial valuation: 840]

Seeing someone standing by the door, who looked like a former JR team player in the long and short blade position, Fang Zhuo casually asked:

Why are you still here? Aren't you going home?

Seeing the other person's hesitant expression, and glancing at the live stream replay playing on the terminal in their hand, Fang Zhuo chuckled softly:

"The contract we signed with you was for one year. I'm sorry, but you might have to sit on the bench for a while. If you're interested, you can sign a loan agreement with another team yourself. You can keep the profits yourself, and the team won't interfere."

As soon as he finished speaking, the other person snorted angrily, seemingly upset about something, and strode away.

Fang Zhuo ignored the other person and instead randomly grabbed a contestant nearby, patting the person on the shoulder:

"I heard that your official registered players have an internal forum. I'll send you a draft later and ask you to post it on the forum for me. The draft might contain some fictional elements, so it's best if you post it anonymously."

Having just received a 500,000 yuan raise for no apparent reason, the contestant grinned broadly and quickly saluted, saying:

"I guarantee I'll complete the task. Boss, you can even have me post unofficial histories about Lu Bu on the forum."

Fang Zhuo paused for a moment: "It's not that wild."

Although only officially registered players have posting privileges on the internal forum, every user can browse, like, and reply to posts. Because star players from veteran teams often reveal gossip and scandals on the forum, its activity level is even higher than many social media apps.

Clips of the live stream during the day were uploaded to various video platforms, garnering millions of views in just one day.

Around 10 p.m., just as the players were finishing their day's training, an anonymous post with a "hot" tag went viral on the forum.

[@StrawberryBoboMilkBead: What should I do? I brought my cousin to the team for a tryout today, but the boss took a liking to my cousin who has never been in a virtual reality pod before.]

And my cousin's game video clips even went viral online today. It's so hard to keep up with him! I feel like after all these years of training, I still can't compare to my cousin who has zero experience. TvT

Our boss is counting on my cousin to turn things around; it seems he's planning to have him play solo in the singles competition next week.

[1L: Wait, is your cousin that genius newcomer who just became a minor sensation today?]

[2L: If only players could post in this section, I would have suspected it was a publicity stunt. Every detail matches JR's match during the day.]

[3L: As a fellow team manager, I'm so envious of this poor boss's luck. How can someone so poor still find a wild genius?]

[@4L: I already said that poor people have an aura of protection when playing in a team, otherwise why do you think the post about getting a full team setup for 3 million is so popular?]

[5L: But nowadays, very few teams with budget-friendly rosters can advance to the secondary league. Those that do are basically still the few dozen well-known, established teams.]

…[178L: Damn, no training and they went straight into the game? ??? Those rookies must have gotten several kills by accident. If they can carry the game, I'll eat my hat.]

[179L: Forget about carrying, I'll eat it if you can just act like a normal person.]

[180L: The boss of this small team has such a short-sighted view. Does he really think mech racing is like driving a go-kart, where you can just get in, learn some skills, and start driving right away?]

[181L: Don't even mention it, they've even sold the virtual cabin, so they're definitely going all in, taking a gamble and maybe they'll hit the jackpot.]

[182L: When is it going to start next week? I haven't seen a solo star-level match in years. I really want to see this!]

[183L: A newbie who's only been using the virtual reality pod for a week is going straight to the competition? ??? I'm not going to bother with the battle at the top of Tianwang Mountain, but I'll give the battle at the foot of Tianwang Mountain a try.]

By the next morning, the post had accumulated tens of thousands of replies. Such a massive amount of discussion was unprecedented for a newcomer who had never even played a match before.

Fang Zhuo sat by the window of the hotel suite, quietly looking at the list that Jiang Yu had collected.

Not enough, not enough. His goal is not only to send the team into the main league, but also to develop every member of the team into a star player with both popularity and skill, making them the golden brand of JR team.

He wasn't in a hurry to sign other players. After buying the virtual pod, he only had a little over 140 billion in cash left, and he had basically no other income until Yang Yurong's research and development was successful.

The plot of the original novel "Broken Army Soul" has undergone some changes, and he still hasn't figured out what caused the series of plot deviations.

In the worst-case scenario, he might not be facing just one person, but a malicious group, possibly even backed by a large corporation.

He portrayed the discovery of Cheng Che as accidental, but if they sign another character from the original book, their team is likely to be targeted by the opposing team.

Making rash changes without a stable source of funding is not in line with Fang Zhuo's style of doing things.

He would not deliberately escalate the situation to the point where the enemy was in the dark while he was in the light unless absolutely necessary.

Yang Yurong's research and development experiment will not yield results for another month. To be on the safe side, Fang Zhuo plans to see if Cheng Che is capable of leading the team to victory during this period.

The format of the Single Star Competition is a round-robin tournament, where each team will play against the others, and the two teams with the highest scores at the end will be the winners and advance to the second-tier league.

The competition schedule is very frequent, with an official competition every two days. Teams that want to participate only need to submit their participation intentions to the organizers a few days in advance.

It's already mid-July, right at the start of a season. To avoid overworking the players, teams generally don't intentionally cram all their matches into the end of the season.

With four days until Fang Zhuo's scheduled match, the most direct way to improve Cheng Che's abilities during this period is to contact an experienced team coach.