Chapter 52 First Day of Night Camp
Time passed slowly within the StarNet, and the night grew darker. The harsh cold, guided by their mental perception, gradually made them aware of the desert night environment.
Zhou Jiu and Chu Ming found a sheltered spot on a large rock. The mecha nestled against the rock, with one person resting inside while the other remained vigilant.
Maintaining a high temperature for extended periods causes significant energy loss to the mechs, so they opted for physical methods similar to those used by animals in the desert to reduce mech wear and tear.
The night sky was ablaze with starlight, the moon was bright and beautiful, and all the stars were bustling in the Milky Way. In the virtual space, Zhou Jiu looked at the dazzling starry sky and always had a feeling that he couldn't distinguish between reality and virtuality.
In the blink of an eye, Zhou Jiu activated her protective shield and stood in front of Chu Ming, directly facing the spiritual tentacles of the alien beast that caused her mental energy to tremble and touched the outer perimeter of her mental palace.
"Get up quickly, there's danger."
As the voice inside the mech called out to Chu Ming, Zhou Jiu's fingers traced a blur, and the mech swiftly launched a cannonball towards a location that could be sensed by his mental energy.
[Did I read that right? I encountered a level 5 beast on the very first day of the game?]
[So nervous, it's a level five alien beast!]
[Zhou Jiu, why aren't you running away? Are you going to die?]
"What's wrong?" Chu Ming's voice was still a little groggy.
"Something is wrong."
After Zhou Jiu fired a shot, he extended his mental energy to probe the spot again, but he did not sense any movement.
Zhou Jiu placed her fingers on the mecha's keyboard, alerting her surroundings. Her intuition told her that danger was approaching and had not moved away.
"A huge creature is coming from the other side. Its mental tentacles just reached out. Judging from the intensity of its externalized mental energy, this creature is stronger than the beast we stole today. Currently, it's estimated..."
Before he could finish speaking, Zhou Jiu's fingers flew across the mecha's keyboard. He leaped to the side, pulling Chu Ming's mecha two steps to the side in the process.
In the night, the giant opposite missed its target with its pincers, only managing to scratch the mech's arm. This may have angered the giant, as its pincers began to swing rapidly upwards.
Level 5.
Zhou Jiu took in the moonlight and saw the whole thing clearly. Her expression turned serious.
The creature's entire body is shaped like a pipa (a traditional Chinese stringed instrument), with its entire surface covered in highly chitinous hard skin. It has two pincers, a long, segmented tail, and barbs.
“A level-five beast, a pincer scorpion. Be careful of its tail.” Chu Ming identified the beast’s name.
As soon as Chu Ming finished speaking, the scorpion's tail tip stabbed towards Zhou Jiu's mech cabin, its two large pincers swinging rapidly, accompanied by the oppressive aura of a level five alien beast.
Zhou Jiu unleashed an energy blade, which collided with the tip of the scorpion's tail, leaving only a shallow scratch on the scorpion's shell.
After Zhou Jiu slashed down, his finger traced a blur as the mecha slid off the sand, dodging the pincers that came from the tail tip.
"The scorpion is afraid of light, water, and wind. Chu Ming, I will continue to attack. You find the right moment to stab it with light and lure it toward the north windward side of the desert. A gust of wind will come in about five minutes."
[A breeze in five minutes? Really?]
"Able to predict the future," reads a phrase on a banner in Zhou Jiu's half-baked shop. Perhaps such people truly exist in the world?
[Theology? Pretending to be mystical, that outdated and obsolete stuff?]
Please, virtual reality is based on reality. Humidity, temperature, celestial phenomena, cloud formations, etc.—if you learn these things, you can predict the future. Stop spouting nonsense and acting like a ghost.
[I'd also like to add that the study of the I Ching is very complex and is now almost lost. We've established specialized institutions to continue researching what remains, and it still provides many insights into geography and architecture. However, I've heard that the I Ching once included divination and calculation; this isn't superstition, it's a science.]
[The comments above are hilarious. They're already spouting fake science before they're even sure if there will actually be strong winds?]
[You're all concerned about the wind, but I'm concerned about Zhou Jiu's plan—is she planning to wipe out a level-five alien beast? Isn't she joking? She can't even break through the outer shell; instead of escaping, she's being too greedy.]
[Haha, I don't think it's greed, it's arrogance. He thinks he can handle it! The S88 mech's hardness is nowhere near that of a level five alien beast, and Zhou Jiu isn't even afraid of being mutated fighting that level five alien beast?]
[What you guys said made me realize that she doesn't seem to be affected at all. Does anyone know how strong this contestant's mental fortitude is?]
I'll go check and come back.
[Stop searching, there's no information about her online. I'm a Zhou Jiu fan, I've already thoroughly investigated her. Although I think it's a bit difficult for my goddess to reach level 5, I'll support my idol even if I have to kneel!]
[Does anyone know the streamer's ID for the other defensive mech? That mech's handling is amazing, the timing of its engagements is incredible! I also play a defensive mech and I'd like to learn more about it.]
[Didn't find anything... I just saw someone replied to me.]
[To find Zhou Jiu's teammates, just search for "half-baked team"; her teammates are worth watching.]
The five teammates of the "Half-baked" team have the IDs ***.
While the live stream chat was in full swing, Zhou Jiu had already started playing.
The mental energy palace was operating rapidly, protecting the mental energy from being invaded by the level-five alien beast. Zhou Jiu didn't wait for Chu Ming's reply. He tapped his fingers on the mecha's keyboard, and the energy blade, accompanied by the wind, turned on the headlights in front of the mecha. The energy blade was aimed at the pincers of the scorpion.
Zhou Jiu's mecha shell was scratched again with deep and shallow marks. Following the direction of the pincer scorpion's attack, Zhou Jiu also found an opportunity to lift up the entire body of the alien beast pincer scorpion. He took a step, assumed the posture of a red fist, and used his energy blade to flip the pincer scorpion over. After quickly slashing the pincer scorpion's abdomen with his energy blade, he fired a cannon shot at it.
Zhou Jiu reacted extremely quickly, but the level 5 scorpion's shell did not suffer much damage from Zhou Jiu's continuous attacks. The scorpion quickly flipped over, and one of its pincers clamped onto the right arm of the mecha piloted by Zhou Jiu.
Chu Ming's mecha arrived just in time, its headlights shining on the alien beast, the Claw Scorpion.
Taking advantage of the scorpion's ability to avoid light, Zhou Jiu sensed the slight loosening of the beast's pincers. He tapped on the mecha's keyboard, instantly breaking free from the beast's pincers. As the beast's tail tip retaliated towards Chu Ming's mecha's headlights, his energy blade struck the side of the tail, deflecting the scorpion's attack.
"It's time."
Zhou Jiu glanced at the sky, and her movements began to take on a rhythmic quality. As the wind picked up, Zhou Jiu's mecha had already run onto the sand.
In the live stream, all that could be seen was Zhou Jiu running around the Pincer Scorpion, with a defensive mech shining a bright light standing far away.
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