The opening ceremony ended with applause and lights. Several suspended live broadcast robots returned to the audience seats like galaxies, waiting for the first game in the afternoon.
The mecha forum had already been refreshed for several pages. The models and drivers that were more optimistic this year were posted for analysis. Bai Li's research institute and the white01 mecha were also discussed several times in the forum because of their unique research and development direction, but most people still maintained a pessimistic view.
Lu Zhao sat in the audience and browsed his personal terminal, but did not browse the forum. He tapped on the text message interface a few times and deleted the message.
Han Miao brought back several bottles of nutrient solution from the suspension vehicle, and while distributing them, he asked, "Where is Lieutenant General Jiang?"
"He went to see someone he knows," Chen Nan, who sat next to Lu Zhao, replied, "He has a classmate who works behind the scenes at the competition, so we met while we were there."
Han Miao nodded and sat down. He was about to discuss the several mechas that looked pretty good with Lu Zhao when he heard the voices of other spectators behind him.
"The competition this year is quite competitive," one person said, "There are many heavy mechas, and many of them are more destructive."
"It's boring to have all the same mechas, and the battlefield doesn't just need heavy mechas," another person replied, "I came here for white01."
Lu Zhao turned his head and took a look. It was the beta who had shouted in support of Bai Li at the opening ceremony.
"A fanatic fan," Chen Nan nudged Lu Zhao with his elbow, "Master Bai has fans too."
Lu Zhao curled his lips.
"It's not that I don't support him, but look at the situation today, there are so many heavy mechas, it seems that the mechas of Bai's research institute are a little..." The person who just spoke considered the words, "weak."
Chen Nan's expression suddenly became not so good, and he whispered to Han Miao: "These people know shit."
In fact, Han Miao didn't know much about Bai Li's mechas, but based on his friendship with Lu Zhao and Bai Li and the pressure of being a partner, he said righteously: "Know shit."
Lu Zhao heard it clearly, but didn't say anything, just stared at the personal terminal in his hand, typed a few words in the input box, and deleted it.
"Are you upset? You've deleted it several times," Chen Nan turned his head and asked, "I don't think you need to worry about Bai Li, he's very strong." He
wasn't worried about Bai Li's mecha. Lu Zhao had more confidence in Bai Li and his mecha than anyone else.
He was thinking about something else.
From the moment Tang Kaiyuan's mecha walked across the main stage, the only thing left in Lu Zhao's mind was the dark blue, mottled mecha fragment that Bai Li had left in the research institute.
"Hey," Han Miao called out, "Lieutenant General Jiang is back."
Jiang Hao left in a hurry, his face not looking very good. As soon as he sat down, he lowered his voice and said, "Something happened backstage."
He sat on Lu Zhao's left hand side, and Lu Zhao turned his head to wait for the next words.
"Over at the driver's rest area," Jiang Hao's expression was somewhat complicated, "my classmate said that it seemed like someone was looking for trouble, and was suppressed by Bai Li's pheromones. The other party is now reporting to the event organizer that he released offensive pheromones in a public place. I guess the entire event organizer knows about it by now."
Chen Nan said anxiously, "How can the person who started the trouble have the nerve to report it? What should we do?"
"Other drivers testified that Bai Li did not take action, it was the other party who provoked first," Jiang Hao comforted, "it shouldn't be a big deal."
Chen Nan and Han Miao breathed a sigh of relief, and then they heard Lu Zhao ask, "Tang Kaiyuan?"
Jiang Hao was stunned for a moment, and quickly realized that Lu Zhao was asking who was looking for trouble: "No, it seems to be surnamed Gao, probably a branch of the Gao family."
Lu Zhao nodded.
There was still no expression on his face, and his tone was flat. The other three could not tell Lu Zhao's emotions, but they knew more or less about the troubles between the Tang and Bai families, and they also knew that Lu Zhao must be in a bad mood at the moment.
Lu Zhao held the personal terminal in his hand and looked at the main stage. The simulated stardust spots were still flickering in the dark universe. It was the first time he felt depressed in such an environment.
Bai Li must like this virtual projection very much. Even the roof of his bedroom is a similar virtual image.
He likes the universe, but the universe accepts everyone fairly and will not favor him. He likes the KL223 model, but that mecha is not exclusive to him.
The model that Bai Li likes is passing through his favorite universe in a different way today, but he is no longer the Bai Li of that year.
This feeling was not good. Lu Zhao did not think about it further. He stood up and walked out of the audience.
"Where are you going?" Chen Nan asked.
Lu Zhao said, "Take a breath."
"Okay, don't miss the game," Jiang Hao said, "I postponed my shift specifically to watch the game. If I miss it, it will be a loss."
Lu Zhao nodded and walked out with his personal terminal.
Outside the corridor window was a gray sky with raindrops. Lu Zhao found a corner with few people and opened the virtual screen. The text message just sent by Huo Cun popped up.
Huo Cun: Major General, delaying your shift for too long may affect the mid-year evaluation. The higher-ups asked you if you want to reconsider it.
Lu Zhao calculated the time and found that the competition would take at least half a month to finish. He replied with two words: It's okay.
The mid-year evaluation is not as important as the end-of-year evaluation. Lu Zhao shifted the focus to the end of the year.
He opened the text message box with Bai Li again. The "Don't mind" message on the input column had not been sent. He hesitated for a while and deleted it.
The chat records between him and Bai Li were basically about things, mainly because Lu Zhao really didn't have any talent for chatting. He didn't notice it at ordinary times, but at this moment, Major General Lu began to feel entangled with his lack of language.
After standing for a long time, Lu Zhao tentatively typed a line of words: You have fans.
His finger just moved to the "Send" button and hesitated for two seconds. Chen Nan, who came out to use the restroom behind him, called him. Lu Zhao's hand shook and he clicked send.
He frowned a little annoyed, said hello to Chen Nan, and the personal terminal rang.
Bai Li didn't know what he was doing, and the message was replied very quickly: Is it you?
Lu Zhaohui: There are others too.
Bai Li sent a surprised dog head emoticon.
Before Lu Zhaohui replied, he sent another text message: Is Major General Lu a crazy fan of mine?
Followed by the second message: The whole opening ceremony is except for the kind of crazy fans I don't want to see other people.
The third message: The kind of crazy fans who want to lock me in a small dark room for you to watch alone.
Lu Zhao's gaze lingered on the last text message for several seconds. He found that Bai Li could arouse all his conflicting emotions.
Most of the time, Lu Zhao felt that this person deserved to stand in the spotlight and be the focus of everyone's attention, but when Lu Zhao saw this text message, for a moment he almost felt that he had no secrets in front of Bai Li.
Before he had time to react, Bai Li's fourth text message arrived: The kind of fanatical fan who wants to take off my clothes one by one.
The corridor was noisy with voices, and Lu Zhao subconsciously shrank the virtual screen.
I don't know how, Lu Zhao rarely felt Bai Li's somewhat anxious mood from these four precisely sent messages.
Although Bai Li's text messages were long-winded, they were still organized. He liked to set up language sets for Lu Zhao to drill, and rarely did he not wait for Lu Zhao to reply.
It was rare for him to send several messages in a row.
Lu Zhao could sense Bai Li's emotional ups and downs, but he didn't know how to comfort him. He felt an indescribable disappointment in his own dullness, so he could only purse his lips, type a word in the input box, and click send.
Lu Zhao: Yes.
This time, it took a long time for the other end to respond.
Bai Li: I can only eat vegetarian food for dinner, there are only vegetables left at home.
The topic turned inexplicably, but Lu Zhao still replied honestly: OK.
Bai Li sent a drooling dog head: Major General Lu, only by eating meat can you have the energy to play in the game.
Lu Zhao: I'll go buy it.
Bai Li replied: Let's buy it together.
Lu Zhao was stunned.
Bai Li sent another text message: Good brothers should go shopping hand in hand, I'll play a game and leave.
The title of "good brother" has not appeared in the lives of Lu Zhao and Bai Li for a long time. Seeing it again after many days, Lu Zhao actually felt a little funny.
It has been such a long time since he and Bai Li used this title.
The voice system installed in the corridor made a "ding dong" sound, and the voice of artificial intelligence spread through the system: "The first game will start in ten minutes."
Lu Zhao stood up straight, and the personal terminal in his hand vibrated at the same time.
Bai Li: You can keep looking at me, crazy fan.
Inside the stadium, there was a burst of warm applause from the audience.
Lu Zhao stepped into the door and saw the two opponents shaking on the huge full-angle virtual screen in the air. Only then did he understand what Bai Li meant.
In the center of the stardust and the universe, Bai Li's name appeared prominently.
"The first match of the Imperial Research Institute Mecha Competition is about to begin," the voice of the artificial intelligence sounded, "Both drivers will enter the virtual warehouse, and the battle images will be displayed through holographic projection--"
On the main field, two latest virtual warehouses rose.
"Red side, Moriji Research Institute, heavy BK482 model, driver Gao Hai," the artificial intelligence continued to introduce, "Blue side, Bai's Research Institute--"
Bai Li handed the personal terminal in his hand to Situ, and took the helmet of the virtual warehouse from Situ.
The researchers behind him had not yet recovered from the huge impact.
A female alpha cursed: "Are you fucking us? You're the first to go?!"
"Have you checked everything? Are you sure there's no problem?" Yang Han asked again and again nervously, "Everything is really done, right?"
Bai Li actually laughed out loud in this noisy atmosphere.
"Are you ready?" Situ stood beside him and stretched out a fist to him, "Go open their eyes."
Bai Li hit Situ's fist with his helmet: "I've been preparing for many years."
He put on the helmet under the repeated instructions of the researchers and looked at the main stage he was about to go to.
Amid the cheers from the audience and the broadcast of the artificial intelligence, Situ and others heard three words coming from under Bai Li's helmet.
"I'll kill you."
The channel was completely opened when the artificial intelligence said "Blue Team". Bai Li walked towards the main stage flashing with virtual stardust and the flashing lights of the suspended robot. He had taken off his suit and put on a competition uniform. The uniform made him look even more upright and tall.
"Blue Team, Bai's Research Institute, white01 model, driver, Bai Li!"
In the bright blue light, Bai Li walked towards his own simulation warehouse. The
preliminary round was the most controversial confrontation between the mecha and heavy mecha of this year. In addition to the already excited audience on the scene, there were also various audiences with high emotions standing in front of the countless virtual screens connected to the suspended robot.
Bai Li climbed onto his own simulation cabin. Standing outside another simulation cabin not far opposite him, Gao Hai was folding his arms, not wearing a helmet, but looking at him with a provocative look.
Although Gao Hai was suppressed by Bai Li's pheromones in the backstage and had no room for resistance, it was a different situation in the mecha.
After all, mental power combined with strong control, mobilizing the maximum capacity of the mecha, and at the same time combined with one's own combat experience, these are the keys to winning a mecha battle.
Bai Li felt Gao Hai's mocking eyes sweeping across his left leg.
After all, Bai Li is a young man who has been away from the battlefield for many years because of disability.
"The last minute countdown before the game." The artificial intelligence announced.
Gao Hai roared like a gentleman, and the audience cheered loudly. Then he clenched his fist towards Bai Li. Bai
Li had already stepped one foot into the simulated warehouse, but Gao Hai's roar made him slip.
He really couldn't understand this way of controlling personal emotions through voice control, so he could only stretch out his hand and give Gao Hai a thumbs up.
Gao Hai smiled disdainfully.
Then, in full view of everyone, Bai Li's thumb turned over and pointed downward.
"We can see that the driver Bai Li's thumb is very smart. In addition to saying 'I'm optimistic about you', it also has the same deceptive nature as 'I'm going to trick you'," a high-pitched and fast voice took over from the artificial intelligence, "Driver Gao Hai raised his fist again! In the last minute before the game, the two players have fully expressed their disdain for each other - I am the commentator of this mecha competition. Due to the tense situation and the viewing experience, I will not introduce myself in detail!" As soon as
the commentator finished speaking, there were only a dozen seconds left in the final countdown.
Bai Li sat in the simulated warehouse, and the warehouse door slowly closed, isolating the sound outside the field.
"You will be connected to the simulated confrontation map. Wish you good luck."
Bai Li put his hand on the controller and did not close his eyes as usual to wait for the map to load. His vision was swallowed by darkness, but the blood in his body was surging and clamoring to burst through his blood vessels.
"Map loading completed."
The game began.
On the holographic projection outside the simulation warehouse, the map that was refreshed was a barren planet with stone peaks. Above was the low sky suppressed by artillery fire and warships. Once flying over, there would be the risk of being shot down by warships. The only choice for the battle position was the surface of the barren planet covered by stone peaks.
"What bad luck," Jiang Hao cursed, "I may not be able to match this map once in a year."
Lu Zhao's expression was not very good. He had played this map several times. The most important thing was to avoid the obstacles created by the stone forest while fighting.
"Okay, the map has been loaded," the commentator's voice rang out, "Wow, it's a map that is difficult for both sides in different aspects. The heavy BK482 model is not convenient to move in a narrow space due to its huge body, and the white01 model has given up some damage resistance in order to improve its flexibility. Once it hits the stone forest, the impact will be greater than that of the BK482."
Bai Li's subsequent refresh point is quite subtle. As soon as his vision returns to normal, the monitoring device mounted on the mecha issues a strong alarm. A laser cannon almost brushed past the front of Bai Li's fuselage and hit the small boat behind him.
The boat exploded instantly, and Bai Li fell down immediately to avoid the flying debris.
This position is really fucking terrible. Bai Li couldn't help but curse in his heart, his luck was still as bad as ever.
Bai Li was familiar with this map from the first time he went to the simulation warehouse until now, and he had never been so unlucky as to be directly refreshed in the artillery fire area near the edge of the map.
Once it came to serious matters, Bai Li's fate was like running away.
Because Bai Li's refresh point was too weird, the camera immediately followed the white01 model.
"I've seen unlucky people, but I've never seen such unlucky people."
"It feels like 'God is not on my side'..."
Lu Zhao crossed his arms and stared at the projection. He couldn't see Bai Li in the mecha, so he could only judge Bai Li's mentality at the moment by the mecha's flexible avoidance and response.
"As expected of the White01 model, which prioritizes flexibility, the dodge speed is quite fast," the commentator was also very impressive, "This reaction speed also proves the strength of the driver Bai Li... It's the KB482 model! Gao Hai's spawn point is directly below Bai Li!"
Amidst the exclamations, a powerful plasma cannon was fired from directly below Bai Li.
Bai Li was unable to move while dodging debris and stray bullets. He immediately fired a small plasma cannon from his shoulder and used the recoil to tilt his body to avoid the attack from directly below.
The commentator exclaimed: "Awesome!"
After the bombardment, the mecha driven by Gao Hai caught up with Bai Li, and the two fought at close range in mid-air.
The heavy mecha, because of its huge advantage, makes close combat seem particularly weak. White01 looked a bit fragile and weak against KB482. After
a wave of attacks, white01 did not gain the upper hand.
"I'm so anxious," Chen Nan, who had never driven a mecha, was very anxious. "Master Bai, stop being so arrogant. Kill him quickly!"
Han Miao was also fidgeting in his seat. "Heavy mechas are known for their high destructive power. They are tough and not afraid of close-range combat. They are equipped with a large number of weapons for long-range combat..."
"You mean you can't win?" Chen Nan was unhappy. "Don't get angry here!"
"Bai Li is good at close range combat because he has a high mental power and a strong control over the mecha," Lu Zhao said calmly while looking at the projection. "None of these will be useful in a head-on confrontation with KB482."
In Chen Nan's puzzled eyes, Lu Zhao said, "So he has to seize the opportunity, or create the opportunity."
As soon as he finished speaking, the white01 model on the projection gave Gao Hai a thumbs-down.
After a pause, the other hand was stretched out and two thumbs-down were given.
"Driver Bai Li..." The commentator said with a hint of smile, "Yeah, he's very good at provoking." There
were some laughs from the audience, mixed with some discontented comments such as "Do you think the competition is fun?" or "You're not interested in doing it this way." The suspended robots were filming around the virtual projection, and the mecha forum was in full swing because of the first game, which was quite exciting.
But Bai Li couldn't feel it. He challenged Gao Hai's nerves with his natural instinct to piss people off, and then he sank, and the fuselage suddenly drilled into the stone forest under his feet.
In addition to its flexibility, the biggest advantage of his mecha is its extremely fast speed, which does not give Gao Hai any time to react. When Gao Hai caught up, Bai Li had already sunk into the stone forest, quickly shuttling between the rough stone peaks.
"Bai Li chose to enter the stone forest!" said the commentator, "The narrow gaps in the stone forest are where the white01 model can shuttle freely, but it is also the area where the KB482 model has the most obstacles! How should Gao Hai deal with it?"
The response of the heavy mecha is always direct and rough.
Gao Hai drove the mecha close to the stone forest, raised the mecha's hands, and the small laser cannon on it directly blasted away the stone pillars that blocked it. The shoulder was raised, and the plasma machine cannon bombarded the place where Bai Li appeared, and the collapsed debris suppressed Bai Li's sight.
Then he changed to the other hand, and the laser cannon on his arm blasted at the largest stone pillar on Bai Li's road like a beam.
The stone pillar collapsed, and the fuselage of the white01 model was submerged in dust and debris.
"What the hell!"
"That's it?" Someone shouted, "What a bullshit new mecha! The strongest is still the heavy mecha!"
"You boasted so much, but it still doesn't work~"
There was a round of boos from the audience.
"It seems that the advantages of the heavy mecha are quite obvious. The powerful attack opens the way and the destructive power is amazing," the commentator said with some regret, "The shortcomings of the white01 model are also very clear. For the sake of flexibility and speed, many large weapons have been abandoned-wait!"
Lu Zhao stared at the smoke and saw a blue light flashing in the shaking, splitting a piece of fallen debris.
The dark blue mecha jumped out of the smoke, and the light knife in his hand was shining. The small ion cannon mounted on the other arm flew up and hit the KB482 model in the face.
"It's the White01 model! It's not damaged!" the commentator said excitedly, "It seems that its high agility allowed it to dodge the attack, and with the weapon defense, it also avoided the fate of being hit by falling rocks!"
The audience that had been booing the previous second suddenly changed their tune, and the supporters who had just been forced to shut up started shouting like crazy.
"I have to admire Bai Li's driving skills," the commentator exclaimed, "The smoothness of this aircraft model is based on the driver's mental power, which shows how terrifying Bai Li's mental power is - the ion cannon hit the KB482 aircraft! Oh, it seems that the huge body reduced the reaction speed and did not completely avoid this attack!"
Bai Li knew the temper of people like Gao Hai, and knew that after the crazy bombing, this idiot would definitely stand there and appreciate the beautiful scenery he created, so he didn't hesitate and directly launched a strong attack head-on.
Who the hell said I didn't dare to face the heavy mecha head-on?
On the virtual projection, the white01 model raised its middle finger to the KB482 model.
"Oh," the commentator coughed, "Please be careful with the degree of provocation, Baili. We are broadcasting live, and there is no time to blur."
Although he knew that the commentator's words could not be transmitted to the driver, Lu Zhao still smiled.
He could imagine Baili's arrogant expression.
Gao Hai was hit by this, and the mecha suffered a certain degree of damage. Although it was not serious, it was extremely insulting. He cursed "soft egg" in the cockpit and fired another beam cannon at Baili.
Baili easily dodged the attack and also did a backflip in the air and made a V sign.
Then it immediately sank into the stone forest again. Gao Hai followed closely behind, blasting his way through. Amid the explosion and smoke, the virtual projection was blurred, and only the dark blue fuselage of the white01 model could be seen moving freely.
"Oh my god, is this considered flying a kite?"
"What kind of kite? I think Bai Li is just teasing Gao Hai."
"Is the white01 model so smooth... I kind of want to..."
"But it's boring to do this. Although heavy mechas consume more energy, they won't be strangled to death by Bai Li."
The audience was talking about it, and the mecha forum was also in an uproar.
Those who had underestimated Bai Li's mecha at the beginning were now amazed and admitted that the white01 model had reached a new peak in sensitivity and speed.
Lu Zhao clasped his fingers together, waiting for the opportunity created by Bai Li to appear.
When Bai Li emerged from the stone forest for the third time and gave Gao Hai the middle finger, Gao Hai finally couldn't stand the insult and yelled. His eagerness to chase Bai Li caused his mecha to fly low and sink into the stone forest.
The detector informed Bai Li that Gao Hai was following him. Bai Li smiled and said, here he comes.
The speed of the white01 model gradually decreased, and the distance between it and KB482 was shortened. The commentator and the audience were a little puzzled, and then they saw Gao Hai's weapon resumed use and fired at Bai Li.
The shells were accompanied by the sound of bombardment, the collapse of the surrounding stone forest, the falling rocks and the attack that almost sank Bai Li several times. The audience exclaimed many times because of these thrilling scenes.
Seeing that Bai Li was about to be sunk, Gao Hai suddenly accelerated and flew towards Bai Li, firing an ion cannon.
Unexpectedly, Bai Li in front of him raised his hand and grabbed a stone pillar directly, sliding out by inertia and turning a corner.
Gao Hai's heavy mecha had no time to dodge, and the ion cannon did not hit Bai Li, but it collapsed the stone pillar in front of him that was exposed after Bai Li dodged. In an instant, dust flew everywhere, and the falling boulders hit Gao Hai's fuselage.
The moment the detector issued a serious warning, Gao Hai only felt the fuselage sink.
Bai Li used the mecha to make a sudden counterattack, and used the side slide to stay behind Gao Hai. At this moment, he jumped up and stepped on the back of the heavy mecha, and then the light knife stabbed hard from the gap in the neck of the mecha!
In an instant, sparks flew everywhere, and the light knife slashed diagonally, bringing a string of sparks!
Gao Hai hurriedly fired a powerful light cannon, turning his mecha around quickly, trying to get rid of Bai Li.
But the amazing flexibility of the white01 model was revealed again, and it turned over to avoid Gao Hai's attack, and the light knife stabbed again.
This time it directly pierced through the cockpit.
Bai Li pulled out the light knife and stabbed it hard again.
The huge heavy mecha lost all its advantages in the narrow space. Its head was destroyed, half of the mecha's head drooped to one side, and its cockpit was stabbed to pieces.
This was an absolute close combat, a close combat in front of the heavy mecha known as "indestructible".
From this moment on, many veteran drivers who had driven many mechas felt that the strong ones in close combat might have to change models.
On the virtual projection, the action of the light knife stabbing into the cockpit had not stopped.
The KB482 model was like a large teddy bear, and the white01 model had its cockpit opened without emotion.
Because the standard for the end of the competition is that the driver loses the ability to drive, the competition was not over until Gao Hai completely lost consciousness in the virtual confrontation.
On the projection, the names of Gao Hai and KB482 were grayed out, and the names of the blue team Bai Li and white01 were magnified, and a starlight flashed to show who was the winner of this confrontation.
The audience fell into an unspeakable silence, with trembling, shock, and a hint of hidden fear.
After a long time, the commentator finally spoke: "The white01 model has refreshed our understanding of another aspect of mecha with its extraordinary close combat ability, agility and speed, and once again confirmed the research and development concept of Bai's Institute - 'Any choice has infinite possibilities!' Let us congratulate Bai's Institute for its first victory!"
Lu Zhao stood up, looked at Bai Li's name on the virtual projection, and applauded.
After recovering from the huge shock, the audience immediately cheered and applauded.
The Empire's standard for judging strength has never changed - the winner is the strongest.
The door of the simulated warehouse opened, and the medical team that had been on standby immediately rushed to the stage and pulled Gao Hai, who was dizzy and vomiting due to discomfort, out of the simulated warehouse.
Bai Li took off his helmet and walked down the simulated warehouse, raising his helmet towards Situ and others who rushed out from the backstage and stood at the entrance and yelled.
Starlight and the universe enveloped him, and the flashing lights of the suspended robots flowed around him like a galaxy.
Bai Li clenched his fists amid cheers and applause.