Chapter 69 The First Match

Ma Xusen was shocked as he carefully read through the announcements under the trending search terms and confirmed that the JR team had just posted an update today. The photos not only revealed some of the appearance details of the first S-class new energy mech, but also announced that this batch of mechs would be deployed to the battlefield this Saturday.

It's important to know that none of the new energy mechs at any level have been released to the public yet. If they perform poorly in this competition, it will have a huge impact on the sales of all the mechs in the future.

Looking at the comments below, Ma Xusen suddenly felt immense pressure—

[Is Brother Fang really that confident? Shouldn't the performance parameters of a new product be kept secret? What if it doesn't meet expectations? Wouldn't that be a complete disaster?]

The mecha companies that bought the patents now desperately want to push this competition back.

[Are we jumping into the competition so soon? Hmmm, maybe we should hold off a bit. After all, none of the team members have ever participated in a physical mech competition before, and we don't know how they'll perform on the field...]

[Has nobody noticed that JR's original tank player has been playing ranked games online for five consecutive days? They were always training offline before. Did Fang Ge buy another new player?]

[Where's the ventilator? I need a ventilator. The unstable new energy mech plus the rookie buff... I have a bad feeling this is going to happen.]

On the bright side, maybe the finished product of the new energy mech isn't as amazing as it was touted at the launch event. After all, the billions spent on R&D didn't actually reach us; the exact amount invested is just a matter of words.

[JR team owner's actions might be a deliberate attempt to shift all blame onto the rookies, using operational issues to cover up the mech's performance problems.]

[Great idea! I'd call you a business genius!]

[Didn't their team just win over 200 million in prize money at the Duxing League? ...Why are they still picking up new talent everywhere? They should bring in some good players.]

[In a secluded corner, unnoticed by anyone, our Brother Ma hasn't streamed for two weeks, and he hasn't been seen on his teammates' live stream cameras recently either.]

[Wait a minute, isn't this the Ma Ge I'm thinking of? The one trapped by the god of contracts?]

[bingo, congratulations, you guessed right! Nobody's more excited for Saturday's game than me right now (sprinkles flower) (blows a kiss) (rolls around excitedly)]

[I have high hopes, but I suggest not to get your hopes up. That guy's breach of contract penalty is around 300 million, I think. Which team would spend it all the day after they receive their prize money?]

Mashsen's gaze lingered on the last comment.

Uh... there really are teams like that.

Fortunately, Mr. Fang clearly has more than 300 million in his hands. Spending this small amount of money is easier than an old lady going to the market to buy groceries.

Can a few zeros be transferred from Mr. Fang's account to his balance out of thin air? Urgent.

When Ma Xusen saw the update, he thought he was nervous enough, but when he found out that none of the other players in the team had ever participated in a live armor competition, he suddenly realized that he was the calmest one among them.

Compared to the lengthy points-based system of the Star League, the Secondary League is much more random, and every match could very well be a crucial game that determines whether you can advance.

The secondary league is a competition within the sixth division. There are four seasons each year, with one winner in each season. The four winners then compete in a best-of-three (BO3) series, and the final champion will represent the sixth division in international competitions.

The single season uses a Swiss-system format, which means they must win all five games to become the winner of the fourth season.

Good news: the five winners from the first three seasons will not participate in the fourth season. Now, all that's left are weaker teams that have been eliminated three times.

The bad news is that the margin for error in the fourth season is extremely low; losing just one game means saying goodbye to the main league.

Ma Xusen really wanted to apply for an oxygen concentrator for himself.

If the parameters of the new mech are unstable, or if those inexperienced players suddenly falter, any problem in any of these areas could lead to complete disaster.

The cruelest thing about mech battles is that there can only be one champion, nobody remembers the runner-up, and a tiny bit of difference can mean total defeat.

In the four days leading up to the competition, the team members trained day and night, and even the other two junior players who didn't need to use the S-class new energy mechs also became diligent.

Before the match even started, the number of viewers for a second-tier league game in this lagging division had already exceeded three million, reaching the scale of popular matches in the main league.

Most people here are waiting to see if the parameters and R&D investment of the new mecha are fake. Some viewers are just looking forward to seeing JR's new player make a fool of himself. And some of Ma Xusen's loyal fans are hoping to see him take the stage.

At 1:30 p.m., three S-class mechs were hoisted into the preparation area on time, while the other three were placed in the combat readiness logistics and maintenance area. Even the D-class mechs of the other two contestants were custom-made models that had just been pulled from the original mech production line.

Fang Zhuo had asked Sun Yuan to print the Yuanchuang logo on the mecha, but when he received the actual product, he remained silent for a long time. He hadn't expected this guy to be so down-to-earth.

No wonder Yuanchuang has been known as a mecha OEM for so many years. They really have no sense of design at all. Those few mecha designs almost sound like they're patting their chests and shouting, "I'm a factory product."

Unlike traditional mechs that print their logo on the outer plate of their left chest, these mechs are covered from head to toe with huge logos of Origin Mech Factory and Giant Technology, with fonts larger than a human palm and much deeper imprints than traditional logos.

The repair teams on both sides also have very different styles.

JR's team was limited to the maximum number of repairmen, with Nie Shuyang leading three veteran experts and six senior technicians, while the opposing team only sent two professional repairmen.

As the new energy mechs and support personnel made their appearances one after another, the live chat exploded with opinions, interspersed with accusations from those trying to muddy the waters, and a heated debate erupted with various doubts.

[A prize of over 200 million yuan can't even afford a professional repairman? What's with the ten-year-old bringing three old men?]

[Could the JR team owner please disclose the team's expenses? Where did they spend the prize money from the Lone Star League?]

[After Mr. Fang took a few steps outside, the silver bar fell out. I showed it to the junk collectors, and they all said it was silver wrapped in gold... He's so greedy he doesn't know what the world is like anymore.]

[And this mech... I really can't say. It looks like one of those mass-produced factory knockoffs that haven't been fully paid for and are covered in watermarks from the manufacturer... What brand is Yuanchuang? These days, the mainstream mechs are probably all from Platinum Chaser, right? Our CEO Fang is always coming up with these little tricks; I don't know where he found this cheap, no-name factory to cut corners.]

[Billions spent on R&D, no no no; millions spent on advertising, yes yes yes. This person is truly a marketing genius, the number one at achieving big results with small investments^^]

[Cheng Che and Wu Yucun, run fast next season!!]

The next second, several contestants appeared on the preparation bench at the same time. When the camera moved to Ma Xusen's face, the barrage of comments exploded again, and the trend of criticism changed from one-sided mockery to attacks from both sides.

Some people think that JR spent a lot of money to rescue Ma Xusen, so at least the owner didn't embezzle funds.

Another group of people insisted that Mashsen's appearance did not prove that JR had a healthy cash flow at all, and the meager logistical setup further proved that JR had no money after saving people, and the previous billions of dollars in R&D for new technologies was a complete lie.

With the two sides locked in a stalemate, all eyes turned to the competition field.

Before the competition, the organizers will check the compliance of the mechs, during which time the contestants will have a full hour and a half of rest time.

Ma Xusen frowned as he looked at the chaotic barrage of comments. The more he looked, the more he felt that President Fang seemed to have offended someone. The unfounded doubts about the new energy mecha technology in the comments were simply outrageous.

This technology has threatened the interests of too many people, but in just over an hour, the performance of these mechs will prove its worth.

Tao Tao encouraged them by giving them high-fives one by one: "Don't be too nervous, everyone. Don't aim for a quick victory in this match. Let's take our time and work our way up against the opponent. As long as we can win, that's all that matters."

Even if you want a quick victory, you need to have the strength and resources.

The opposing KOA team has achieved a record of four wins and one loss in the Swiss rounds for two consecutive seasons, and is just one step away from winning. This will be the strongest opponent that the JR team will encounter in the Swiss rounds.

Unfortunately, they encountered a seeded team in the first round of the competition.

Several athletes' terminals were taken away. Ma Xusen followed the coach and did a few sets of cardio on the spot before taking the ladder to the cockpit.

Their gazes drifted out of the tower, and the difference between the physical arena and the virtual battlefield was enough to dazzle every player.

Below the tower is a dense jungle, with a straight path through the jungle. The cave no longer contains only virtual fire dragons, but real beasts transplanted from the open battlefield.

In the team voice chat, Cheng Che's voice had a slight local dialect accent from the sixth division:

"Brother Ma, I've never played in a live-action mech competition before. Is there a difference between our mech and the opponent's? The pre-match voice chat won't be broadcast live, so just tell me directly..."

Ma Xusen certainly knew what Cheng Che was afraid of.

Mr. Fang's wealth was beyond the child's comprehension. Cheng Che was unsure of the specifics of the research, fearing that his own mecha's performance was far inferior to the other side's.

If he really can't beat them, Ma Xusen thinks this kid is even willing to risk his life against the opposing player.

Ma Xusen reassured the other party: "I haven't been in a real mech for a year either, so I'm not used to it, but the performance of the mech shouldn't be that different. Don't worry, Mr. Fang is much richer than you think. The 10 billion yuan R&D mentioned online is most likely true, and the technology is definitely not a problem."

On the transparent barrier in front of the tower, the ten-second countdown numbers lit up one after another.

Wu Yucun sighed softly:

"I suggest you two read more books. After listening to the press conference, you won't doubt these basic principles anymore. After this game is over, I'll buy each of you a junior high school physics book. It's everyone's responsibility to educate people about basics."

Ma Xusen: "..."

Cheng Che: "..."

The countdown reached zero the next second, and Wu Yucun was the first to accelerate and rush out: "Follow me, listen to my commands."