Chapter 53
"You...haven't you ever been to the underground arena?" Xie Ruheng asked the question that had been bothering him for a long time.
The first time Tang Bai approached him at the Federal Military Academy, he said to him, "Hello, do you know 'Rat'?" This proves that Tang Bai knew from the beginning that "Rat" and Xie Ruheng were the same person.
But how did Tang Bai know about this since he had never been to the underground arena?
"I learned about this mecha master through a special information channel." Tang Bai said tactfully.
There is suddenly a book in my mind.
Xie Ruheng understood.
Tang Bai probably knew about him through Mr. Tang's investigation of him.
The old man once wanted to hire him as a weapons tester for the weapons research institute, but he failed the subsequent assessment. However, he left a file with Mr. Tang.
He originally thought that Tang Bai had watched the video of Rat's game. Although video recording was not allowed in the underground arena, someone of Tang Lao's level would always be able to find a way to get the information. However, Tang Bai's performance was obviously not suitable for the game video of the underground arena.
Xie Ruheng's voice was a little hoarse, "You haven't watched a single game of his, why do you regard him as an idol?"
"There are many ways for excellent people to attract fans. You don't have to have watched his games." Tang Bai couldn't tell the plot of the book, but Xie Ruheng's current performance in reality is also amazing enough: "He entered the underground arena at the age of 14, became a top player at the age of 18, and was admitted to the Federal Military Academy at the age of 20. He turned a bad hand into a king bomb."
The huge circular fire pits surrounding the martial arts arena instantly burst into flames, and the commentator passionately said: "'Blood Wolf' wins!"
The white iron mask reflected the bright firelight. Tang Bai said softly, "He is firmly walking on a path that everyone thinks is impossible. He is the light, and he illuminates me."
The firelight flickered in his black eyes. Tang Bai looked at Xie Ruheng, "By the way, do you know where I can buy a human/skin mask?"
Xie Ruheng: “?!!!”
Fortunately, the black mask concealed most of his emotions, so Xie Ruheng did not lose his composure on the spot, "Why are you asking this?"
Tang Bai blinked, "Secret."
Xie Ruheng: “Okay.” Just don’t reveal my true identity.
The scene of the mecha manufacturing competition finals.
Tang Bai, wearing a human/skin mask, and the other 19 contestants stayed in 20 closed rooms respectively. The materials needed for the competition were placed in front of them to prevent cheating. These 20 contestants were all operating offline. They needed to answer the test according to the requirements within the limited 12 hours.
Twenty players, twenty live balls, twenty split screens, the live broadcast room was filled with the joyful atmosphere of watching other people's exams.
【Watching the top students taking the exam from the front row! 】
【Give up from the first question】
[So this is Jun Tongchen, the champion of the preliminary round who advanced to the finals, but he looks so ordinary.]
[??? Am I seeing things? Why are only Jun Tongchen and Cheng Yangbin using A papers, while the other 18 contestants are using B papers? ]
[What is going on? Aren’t the exam papers the same in previous years? ]
[Where is the official team of the Mecha Manufacturing Competition? Can you come out and explain? ]
The ten judges of the final group were also surprised when they saw it. One judge named Cheng wanted to stop the competition, but just as he raised his hand, he was stopped by a kind-looking old man.
Grandpa Tang responded to the barrage of comments slowly: "There have been minor adjustments to the format of this year's finals. For the sake of viewing pleasure, the new rules will be explained in detail at the end of the competition."
In the twenty single-person examination rooms, the contestants were completely unaware of the changes in the answer sheets.
After Cheng Yangbin got the test paper, he glanced over the questions and found that the questions were exactly the same as what he had known in advance. The corners of his lips rose slightly.
The familiar answers popped up in his mind the moment he saw the questions. Cheng Yangbin pretended to read the questions and even frowned when he encountered more difficult questions. He turned a mecha manufacturing level test into an acting test.
[Cheng Yangbin did the fastest and most stable! Unfortunately, he made a small mistake in question 8]
[Wow wow wow, the exam is next week, I really want to have the same brain as my idol]
[Isn't it annoying? Some people can be both good-looking and smart! ]
[Let me make a bold guess. Is it because Cheng Yangbin and Jun Tongchen are stronger than the other contestants this time, and the ordinary test papers don't have enough differentiation, so Mr. Tang divided them into A and B papers? ]
After finishing the written test, Cheng Yangbin made a small mistake in a small detail. He began to check the test paper with great confidence.
His eyes fell on the deliberately wrong answer to the eighth question. This was originally a small mistake designed after discussing with others, but at this moment, Cheng Yangbin found it more and more irritating.
The one-point difference in the first scoring of the preliminary round, the frustration of being completely suppressed by the same type of mecha during the mecha evaluation, and the high-value personality that was constantly criticized after being in the same frame with Xie Ruheng...
Too many emotions were accumulated in the azure eyes, making them seem a little sinister. Cheng Yangbin crossed out the original wrong answer and stubbornly wrote down the correct answer. The moment he finished writing, all the depression that had accumulated for many days dissipated.
"You got full marks on the written test, that's good." A judge was about to praise him, but he saw that Cheng Luliu, who was staring at the monitor, had a bad look on his face.
This ugly expression reached its peak when Jun Tongchen and Cheng Yangbin drew a mecha design with the same framework.
The internal structure of the mecha design drawings is not visible to the audience, only to the judges and some military officials.
It was unprecedented that two contestants had exactly the same draft concept drawings, and all the judges looked serious for a moment.
Cheng Yangbin worked desperately on the design drawing. He had copied this exquisite design drawing hundreds of times, and every stroke was engraved in his mind. Although he could not understand some of the designs 100%, through copying again and again, he felt that he and the design drawing had completely merged together. He could imagine the scene where this drawing shocked the audience.
Do you feel unworthy of the honor?
Is it true that he has gone to great lengths to collect the best works of others and extract their essence? !
In order to get the most perfect composition, he had to humble himself and curry favor with the master of eccentric mecha design. Was it fake that he spent money and suffered? !
Is it possible that the effort he put into staying up late to copy this design drawing was fake? !
Other contestants only put in simple mental work, but he spent money, worked hard and endured the humiliation. He was flexible and had the Cheng family behind him. He also designed a foolproof plan for this final!
The mecha manufacturing competition is just a stepping stone in his life. When he becomes a councillor in the future, he will face more challenges, but at the same time he can also dominate the fate of countless people.
These bastards don't need to complain about the injustice of fate. There is no absolute fairness in this world. If you must say it is unfair, then it is obviously God who is unfair to him! He was not given a brain that can make a genius in mecha manufacturing! He was not given a perfect appearance! He was crushed by a beta in the preliminary round, and was also compared to a bastard from the slums!
But it doesn't matter...
What he lost, he will take back with his own hands!
With a sense of revenge in his heart, Cheng Yangbin completed the design in one go.
His handsome face was covered with sickly blushes. Even thick foundation could not hide the flush on his face. His deep blue eyes were shining brightly, as if reflecting his inner world.
Be amazed!
Come and praise my talent!
I will definitely be the champion of this year's mecha manufacturing competition!
Cheng Yangbin picked up the answer sheet with a proud look on his face and walked out of the examination room with full confidence. The moment he opened the door, he met the solemn gazes of a group of judges outside the door.
The ecstasy in his heart was short-lived. Cheng Yangbin instinctively sensed something was wrong. He subconsciously looked at Cheng Luliu. His uncle's eyes were filled with regret for not being able to achieve what he wanted.
"Mr. Cheng Yangbin, can you explain why your and Jun Tongchen's final design drawings are exactly the same?" Bai Zhi's words detonated the entire barrage.
[What?! Exactly the same? Damn please don’t censor the design! I want to eat melons!!!]
[No wonder the judges' faces turned black, this is a large-scale cheating scene! The key is who copied whom? ! ]
[Did I hear wrongly? What happened? ]
[It made me laugh. Even twins don’t have this kind of spiritual connection.]
[Fuck, is this the reason why Cheng and Jun both use A-roll?! ]
At this moment, Tang Bai came out of the examination room. His test paper was held by the judges. The mecha drawing for the last question on it was the design drawing that Cheng Yangbin bought at a high price.
How is that possible?!
How could Jun Tongchen possibly produce a design drawing exactly the same as his? !
Cheng Yangbin took a deep breath and calmed his shaky mind. He knew that the more times like this, the calmer he had to be. "Since there are two identical drawings, someone must have plagiarized. I don't know how Mr. Jun Tongchen made this drawing, but this drawing is a summary of my practice."
"I record my creative inspirations every day and often come up with mecha designs. I never expected that my satisfactory practice work would coincidentally encounter a test question that matched its design concept."
A talented mecha maker usually creates a lot of practice works. After hearing Cheng Yangbin's explanation, several judges nodded silently.
"With regular practice, I was able to complete my work in the shortest time. Jun Tongchen and I entered different examination rooms at the same time and received the examination questions at the same time." Cheng Yangbin said in a sonorous and powerful voice.
"I left the examination room earlier than Jun Tongchen and finished my work earlier than him. There was no possibility that I peeked at his test paper. As for whether others had some special means to peek, I don't know."
His azure eyes tried to show firmness, but they were too strong and made his performance look like a glare. Cheng Yangbin said in a deep voice: "I think this matter needs to be investigated by the authorities to clear my name."
[Support Cheng Cheng! You are the best, my male god! ]
[I suspected Jun Tongchen of cheating in the competition before. How could a beta who had never attended a regular university be better than Cheng Yangbin?]
[I feel sorry for Cheng Yangbin. He should take good care of his practice works.]
[You see Jun Tongchen doesn't dare to say a word, what else could it be but a guilty conscience?]
[It must be Bai Zhi who leaked the question to Jun Tongchen! 】
"Jun Tongchen, do you have anything to say?" Bai Zhi turned around and asked.
Everyone's eyes fell on the other person involved in this incident, a Beta with an ordinary-looking appearance, but his tall and straight posture and excellent physique were unforgettable.
"I designed this picture myself." Tang Bai said slowly.
Cheng Yangbin sneered, with disdain in his eyes.
Although he didn't know why Jun Tongchen's drawings were exactly the same as his, he was sure that this design was definitely plagiarized by Jun Tongchen!
He had worked so hard to ask that mecha manufacturing master from another country for this, and Jun Tongchen had the nerve to claim it as his own?
Tang Bai looked at Cheng Yangbin and asked softly, "I have a question for Mr. Cheng Yangbin. How is the weapon system of this mecha carried?"
Cheng Yangbin's mind was blank. His theoretical knowledge of mechas was not solid, and he had never heard a master's analysis and explanation of the design process of this mecha. His current state was more like that of a student who had forced himself to memorize the answers, vaguely understanding them and only half-understanding them.
Which profound theory is it?
When he showed this design drawing to his second uncle, Cheng Luliu clapped his hands in praise, saying that this mecha used a lot of high-precision technology. It was a pity that he didn't analyze the weapon system and its carrying capacity for him, so what theory was used here?
Cheng Yangbin remembered that he had heard about weapon carrying techniques in class and it seemed that one of them was space folding quantization technology?
Cheng Yangbin looked at his second uncle calmly, and when he saw Cheng Luliu nodded slightly to him, Cheng Yangbin felt more confident. He said, "I used space folding quantization technology to build this place..."
Tang Bai wanted to laugh but was trying not to laugh, and there was a hint of mockery in his expression.
The judges had solemn expressions with furrowed brows. One of the judges looked at Cheng Yangbin with a hint of regret. Cheng Yangbin stopped and noticed that his second uncle turned his head away, unable to bear to look at him.
Cheng Yangbin: “???”
Bullet screen: “???”
[What are you laughing at, Jun Tongchen? I feel like a fool]
[Doesn't Cheng Yangbin sound pretty awesome? ]
【Is there any expert who can help me solve this problem? 】
[Big brother can't see the drawings either, how can you analyze the mosaic? ]
"I solved the problem of how to carry the weapon system by making it a backpack. It may not be visible on the mecha drawings, but when it is actually manufactured, all the weapons in its second form can be tightly assembled into a backpack and can be discarded when necessary."
Tang Bai said to Cheng Yangbin, whose expression was frozen, with regret: "You are wasting your talent by using the space folding quantization technology to solve this problem."
Tang Bai did not mention the concept of weapon backpacking in the design drawing. The second form in the design drawing was more about different transformation modes.
Experienced judges can quickly realize the ingenious design of the weapon carrying system, but a novice like Cheng Yangbin would find it difficult to think of this at the first time.
"Great! This design is so clever!" Professor Li clapped his hands and praised: "Such a design not only meets the needs of powerful firepower attacks during ground combat, but also meets the mobility of mechas during air combat and tunnel stationing!"
[Wuwuwu, sorry I'm so stupid, is there any big shot who can help explain it to me?]
[Although I can't see the design drawings, I really applaud Tingjun Tongchen's design. Let's not talk about the concept of weapons being backpacks, just the difficulty of perfectly combining weapons is very high.]
[Please come out, I am dizzy]
【This design is really good! Some mechas will sacrifice their movement speed in order to have strong firepower to conquer strongholds, but in fact such fierce firepower is only useful in breaking through the most difficult fortress-style defenses. In other cases, they are overqualified and cannot adapt to the small and changeable environment when entering the fortress. The detachable weapon system provides the option of mecha deformation]
[Cheng Yangbin's answer is off topic. Space folding quantization technology is difficult to implement on a single-person mecha and is generally used on giant starships.]
Cheng Yangbin's forehead was covered with cold sweat. He finally realized that the details that Tang Bai asked casually were so clever that he could not figure out no matter how hard he tried.
His wrong answer just now was simply ridiculous when put together with Tang Bai's correct answer. Cheng Yangbin blushed and stared at the person in front of him. The other party still had that damn slow and dignified attitude at this moment, as if no matter what happened at the moment, it could not shake his mind.
"Mr. Jun Tongchen, although I don't understand mecha design, I found that the original design drawings had some buckles that could be transformed into backpacks. Is this the basic design for the backpack?" Bai Zhi asked.
Tang Bai nodded.
Bai Zhi smiled and looked at Cheng Yangbin, who was already sweating profusely, and asked curiously: "Since Mr. Cheng Yangbin knows this principle, then may I ask how this buckle appeared in the design drawing?"
Cheng Yangbin's face turned pale. He opened his mouth but couldn't think of any excuse for a moment.
The bullet screen has exploded:
[It is obvious who plagiarized whom. Cheng Yangbin can't even explain the theory of "his own" work. Tsk tsk tsk]
[I have long felt that this person has problems, and now look, he has failed.]
[Sigh, I was actually a fan of this kind of person! ]
[It’s too much to quit being a fan and turn against her. The truth of the matter has not yet come out. Just relying on a backpack design can prove that Cheng Cheng plagiarized? That’s too much of a joke! 】
[Looking forward to the truth, looking forward to the reversal! ]
[Someone must be framing my idol. Come on, idol! I will always support you!]
Although Cheng Yangbin could not see the barrage of comments scolding him, he could see the disappointed eyes of the judges. Cheng Yangbin's psychological defense was about to collapse, and he forced a cunning defense: "It's not like that. This is my work. I also designed the buckle design in advance. I just think that this design does not need to be specifically mentioned..."
At this moment, Cheng Yangbin had no idea how panicked he looked. His eyes were flashing, his fists were clenched, and the look he gave Tang Bai was as ferocious as if poisoned, but there was also a bit of fear hidden in it that he himself was not aware of.
He was afraid that this player, who spoke so bluntly, would ask questions that he didn't know the answer to.
Tang Bai looked Cheng Yangbin straight in the eye and said loudly, "Do you think it's unnecessary to mention it, or do you simply not think of such a design? Let me ask you another question. Can you answer it?"
Tang Bai took a step forward, and Cheng Yangbin took a step back. He was pale as he heard Tang Bai say loudly: "Cheng Yangbin, you have evil intentions, you over-package, you ignore the rules of the competition, you crush fairness and justice, and you want to use the mecha circle as a springboard, but you don't know that the mecha circle is about real kung fu!"
Familiar words flashed in his mind, and an impossible thought came to his mind. Cheng Yangbin pointed at Tang Bai with a trembling finger, "You, you..." Impossible, impossible, he just accidentally saw the chat record between him and the master! How could he be a master at such a young age!
Moreover, the master signed a confidentiality agreement with him and would never make public their chat records!
Tang Bai didn't waste time talking to the flustered Cheng Yangbin. He calmed down and said, "I have handed over the evidence of Cheng Yangbin's cheating to the review team. I believe that Lieutenant General Mo and the review team will handle it impartially and give everyone the truth."
Lieutenant General Mo, who had already finished the investigation with the audit team, walked out solemnly. Without wasting any words, he directly put all the evidence on the public screen.
The chat screenshots on the public screen showed the conversation between Cheng Yangbin and the "master" and other evidence, including the "I curse my own performance", the transfer records of Cheng Yangbin's bank account, and the IP address found by military technology, all of which confirmed that the servile buyer was Cheng Yangbin!
"Cheng Yangbin bribed the judges to learn the topic in advance, and contacted the mecha manufacturing master on the mechanical coffin to buy the design drawings. The contestant's cheating behavior seriously violated the rules of the mecha manufacturing competition and had an extremely bad impact. Starting today, Cheng Yangbin will be disqualified from participating in all mecha manufacturing competitions, and his personal reputation as a citizen will be deducted. The military will permanently record this cheating behavior in Cheng Yangbin's integrity file!"
Cheng Yangbin felt dizzy for a while. He said blankly: "Impossible, impossible, we have a confidentiality agreement..." He seemed to have grasped the last straw: "You are the ones who violated the rules!"
Lieutenant General Mo's eyes were cold. "The first clause in any confidentiality agreement is that you must not violate national laws. Your behavior of using other people's design drawings in the competition has already affected national notarization. This confidentiality agreement has not been protected by law from the beginning."
"No!" Cheng Yangbin had lost all his elegance and grace. He staggered back two steps, unable to accept such a heavy blow. He could only look around aimlessly for help.
He was surrounded by gazes of disappointment or condemnation, and Cheng Luliu was already in a difficult situation and didn't even look at him. Cheng Yangbin's limbs were cold, and when he saw Tang Bai's pitiful eyes, Cheng Yangbin, who was originally about to fall, turned despair into anger in an instant.
Cheng Yangbin yelled with a sly look on his face: "You! You are also a plagiarist! You also copied the design drawings of that master!!!" As he said that, Cheng Yangbin was about to rush forward and grab Tang Bai's neck, but was easily subdued by Lieutenant General Mo who had been paying attention to him.
"We have investigated and found that the account was used by Jun Tongchen at the time. The master you mentioned is Jun Tongchen."
This sentence almost completely destroyed Cheng Yangbin's last bit of fighting spirit. "Impossible, this is impossible, I don't believe it... It's clearly a foreign label!" He stared at Tang Bai, "You must have used some means to deceive everyone! I am innocent! You wronged me!!!"
The exotic label of the mecha manufacturing master was the reason why Cheng Yangbin believed that his plan was foolproof, because the mecha technology in the finals would most likely be used on the battlefield, and only the judges and the military could see the drawings. It was impossible for mecha masters from other countries to see their competition, so Cheng Yangbin was so confident in using the drawings.
Tang Bai looked at Cheng Yangbin's crazy appearance, his eyes so cold as if he was looking down at an ant.
Mr. Tang's account uses foreign labels because of his special identity in the past. He was under special protection by the federal government during the war. Many of his identities were fake, but there was no need to explain all this to Cheng Yangbin.
Lieutenant General Mo said expressionlessly: "Mr. Cheng Yangbin, please believe in the fairness of the military investigation. If you make a scene again, I will ask you to drag you out."
Bathed in the indifferent gazes of the crowd, Cheng Yangbin's legs went weak and he couldn't stand steadily at all.
[Is Jun Tongchen that strong? I want to laugh when I think of Cheng Yangbin scolding himself in front of Jun Tongchen. Strong! Strong in every sense of the word!]
[Cheng Yangbin, you are going too far! Just now you were bragging that you would ask the judges to clear your name. Do you have the guts to do that?!]
【Cheng stupid stone hammer】
[He is ruined. Three members of the Cheng family are members of the parliament. I heard that Cheng Yangbin was going to take over his grandfather's position, but now his reputation is tarnished and he cannot enter the parliament at all. Moreover, his reputation in the mecha circle is also rotten, so he will not be able to become a great mecha designer in the future.]
"As a military mecha maker, Cheng Luliu illegally leaked the exam questions, which seriously violated the judging rules and military regulations of the mecha manufacturing competition. The specific punishment measures will be decided by the judges of the military court!"
Cheng Luliu, feeling lucky, felt dizzy and almost fainted.