Chapter 1 The Boom

Boom…

Two mobile suits vanished and reappeared simultaneously, but… the Ghost Warrior's head was gone, its body spinning out of control, while the laser eye in mid-air fired, piercing the headless body directly.

??????????

Thud… Boom.

The Armored Dragon landed, and the Ghost Warrior exploded.

The entire arena was silent. Who won? The Armored Dragon? Or was it a draw, with the Armored Dragon going down as well?

What was going on?

Puppet wins!

Without hesitation, Sawutian was kicked out.

The Fire Man, still standing, suddenly sat down hard. Why did this happen?

Zhuang Zhou was internally excited, his eyes filled with passion, but his expression remained calm. "Everyone, I know you have doubts. Next, please witness the war art of a god!"

No one thought Zhuang Zhou was a charlatan because the Armored Dragon had been at an absolute disadvantage. It wasn't just the broken titanium blade, but a complete loss of control. How did everything reverse in a second? Was he a god of war?

Gao Yunfeng revealed a meaningful smile. "The Martians are getting arrogant. This year is our best chance."

Zhou Naiyi didn't reply, not even listening to what he was saying. Sawutian was powerful and not just a mindless brute. He must have set a trap, and Puppet fell for it, but she couldn't figure out how he turned it around. The blitz was fine, but…

At this moment, the e-sports channel…

The Ghost Warrior's Ghost Martial Tiangang Thirty-Six Slashes began. Undoubtedly, both mechs were fighting with all their might. The entire sequence was incredibly extreme, each strike landing squarely. The analysis showed the key points, circles highlighting Sawutian's strikes landing in almost the exact same spot. Moreover, the Ghost Warrior's katana, in terms of quality and toughness, completely overwhelmed the Armored Dragon's inferior titanium blade, laying the groundwork. This was the detail of the Ghost Martial Sect's young master.

Puppet was indeed strong, defending and countering. The same move, the analysis video drawing circles on the footwork again, while also providing a small-angle comparison video, showing terrifying smoothness, like a synchronized copy. It felt like even a disciple of the Ghost Martial Sect might not reach this level. The detail was that Sawutian countered, trying to disrupt the opponent's rhythm. But the Armored Dragon spun away with its footwork. This wasn't imitation, but a genuine understanding of the Tiangang Thirty-Six Slashes.

The key moment arrived. At the instant the Armored Dragon thought it had succeeded, when its mentality was at its peak, any pilot would find it hard to control their elation. With such a brilliant prediction, the next step would definitely be a killing blow. Sawutian seized on this mentality, using the opponent's powerful attack, combined with the Ghost Martial Sect's blade-breaking technique, repeatedly striking the same spot, directly breaking the titanium blade, and completely collapsing the Armored Dragon's attack. The feeling of the force being misdirected was enough to make the Armored Dragon lose its balance.

The laser eye's charging was to apply pressure, the ever-ready laser eye a factor that had to be considered. But the real killing move was the blitz—decapitation.

The Ghost Warrior's katana directly aimed for the Armored Dragon's head, the favorite dominating tactic of Martian experts.

But in the instant the Ghost Warrior blitzed, the Armored Dragon also blitzed.

Slow motion, extreme close-up, everyone's eyeballs almost popped out.

Arc Step Blitz – Roundhouse Kick.

Crunch.

The Ghost Warrior predicted the Armored Dragon's action, but the Armored Dragon predicted the Ghost Warrior's prediction. Arc Step Blitz, a kick thrown, and the Ghost Warrior essentially rammed its head into the attack. Its head flew off directly, and the powerful inertia and impact sent the lower half spinning like a top, even getting hit by the dropped laser eye.

This was one hundred percent reality mode. The impact of such a violent shock would be directly transmitted to the pilot's brain through the haptic sensors. The sensation was absolutely gut-wrenching.

"Here, I want to explain something. A normal blitz is linear, while an Arc Step Blitz adds a rotational force during the blitz, forming an arc trajectory during the dash. It looks easy, but this kind of control is extremely difficult!" Zhuang Zhou said, not hiding his pride. "I said, for Puppet God, the result is never a problem. All we need is to believe in him and watch a great combat show. Lao Nan, it's your turn to perform!" Zhuang Zhou was reminding their spaceship.

The Fire Man, who had been about to go to the bathroom, reluctantly stopped. "Ahem, this match was just an accidental mistake. I think Sawutian must have been training too hard and wasn't in top form…"

"Explanation is just a cover-up. Hurry up, I didn't say anything. It's just a match, right? It's okay, we Earthlings are very generous and don't care about this. Anyway, there are plenty of opportunities later!" Zhuang Zhou said, breathing a sigh of relief.

Spaceships took off one after another.

Zhuang Zhou didn't bother paying attention. He wondered if Puppet God would fight again. Reality mode was very energy-consuming. Puppet didn't log off, but didn't continue to enter the rankings either.

Li Hao wasn't tired, but he needed to go to the bathroom.

The EMP hall was still replaying the highlights. The official analysis just now was a quick overview. In fact, there were many details for ordinary military academy students. Some moves, taken out individually, were enough to practice for a long time.

Also A-level military academy students, the gap between top experts and ordinary students was still very large. After genetic adjustment, the upper limit was actually increased. Of course, top experts usually entered special forces or high-level positions. Regular forces still needed a lot of talent.

"Naiyi, how's your consideration going?" Gao Yunfeng looked at Zhou Naiyi. He didn't care for online celebrities. No matter how well they played online, it was useless. Offline was a completely different world. These people looked enthusiastic, but honestly, when facing the S-Rank competition, they were worthless.

Zhou Naiyi glanced at the gentlemanly rogue Gao and decisively shook her head. "Captain Gao, let's meet on the battlefield!"

"Naiyi, why bother? I think you're a wise and calm person, knowing you're going to lose, why go down a dead end?" Gao Yunfeng said, pulling Zhou Naiyi.

"Captain Gao, please respect yourself!" Zhou Naiyi directly shook off his hand.

Gao Yunfeng still smiled. "Naiyi, even if you're angry with me, you can't joke with your future…"

Before he could finish speaking, his shoulder was heavily patted. If it weren't for so many people around, Gao Yunfeng would have punched the guy to death and taught him why flowers were so red.

"What are you doing, Captain Gao? Be polite to our monitor!" Li Hao appeared, his wet hands directly grabbing Gao Yunfeng's hand. "I didn't know you liked shaking hands so much. I always want to find someone to wipe, oh, shake hands with, after I go to the bathroom."

Gao Yunfeng disgustedly shook him off. "Li Hao, right? Get lost!"

Li Hao smiled. "Monitor, what happened?"

For some reason, seeing Li Hao, Zhou Naiyi inexplicably felt a little more at ease. "Captain Gao wants our team to surrender, or he'll disband us."

"Ah, Captain Gao, are you so afraid of losing in the campus competition? You should have said so earlier. We'll go easy on you." Li Hao waved his hand helplessly.

"Li Hao, who do you think you are? Are you still stuck in those kindergarten achievements? I advise you to use your brain. I'm the captain of the first team and need to be responsible for the first team. Tianjing Mech Martial emphasizes fairness. Only the most capable team can represent Tianjing in the competition. But I think Naiyi and her team are very promising, so I want them to join. You're nothing, don't interfere here!" Gao Yunfeng said reasonably, looking down at Li Hao.

Li Hao chuckled. "Captain Gao is indeed awesome, standing on the moral high ground and attacking. I can't believe you can say such shameless words so artistically. I think you're right. Only strong teams can represent Tianjing in the competition. We'll find out in the campus competition next week, right? Could it be that you can predict the future? Damn, was your bad performance last year because you were being modest?"

Gao Yunfeng's face changed. Li Hao's status didn't deserve to be talking to him at all. Arguing would only lower his own value. He turned to Zhou Naiyi. "Naiyi, is that what you think too?"

"Captain Zhou, I've made myself clear. Let's speak with strength!"

There was no point in arguing. Zhou Naiyi wasn't an indecisive person.

"Very good, you're all very good. See you next week!" Gao Yunfeng waved his hand and left. At this moment, he was really angry. They didn't know what was good for them!

After Gao Yunfeng left, Zhou Naiyi finally breathed a sigh of relief, feeling like she had deflated. As the former captain, Gao Yunfeng still put a lot of pressure on her, especially since she knew the state of their team. But joining Gao Yunfeng's team was absolutely impossible, even if she had to wait another year.

"Monitor, don't frown. It's not a big deal. Just teach them a lesson next week!" Li Hao said.

Zhou Naiyi didn't know whether to laugh or cry. "Thank you. But you also know the team's current situation isn't good."

"I know. Zuo Xiaopang said you're missing someone. I can fill in. I can play any position. I guarantee we'll win!" Li Hao patted his chest and said.

Zhou Naiyi couldn't help but smile. "As expected of an expert who got an S rating. Your aura is different. Li, everyone has underestimated you. But this isn't fair to you. The principal told me you can't represent Tianjing in the S-Rank competition."

For a military academy student, it was one thing to lack ability, but to have the ability but not be able to participate in the S-Rank competition was simply blatant suppression. If it were her, she wouldn't be able to let it go. If you can't participate, making someone play in this kind of competition was just bullying.

Li Hao patted Zhou Naiyi's shoulder. "Monitor, what are you thinking about? Isn't it good to have a chance to show my face? You've helped me a lot. I haven't been polite. What's this little thing? Let's go. The monitor should be generous. I really admire you. Coincidentally, I recently made a little money. I'll treat you to supper."

Li Hao knew that there was a class fee for public activities, which everyone had to pay, but Zhou Naiyi paid his share. Zhou Naiyi knew his family situation and didn't mention it to protect his self-esteem. There had been several similar things. Meeting such a good person, if he didn't put in some effort, he would be too inhumane… How would he be able to borrow money in the future?

Walking ahead, Li Hao didn't notice that Zhou Naiyi's eyes behind him were a little red.

(Responding to the questions hotly debated by the brothers: Regarding why Puppet won consecutively and some people are still not convinced, simply put, there are still many people who are not convinced by Tyson now, thinking that Little Eagle can only fight on the ground, and there are many who can kill Gazi. Brother Shui Shen won the ONE championship and is still despised by many people. In fact, this is a very normal phenomenon, especially since our Little Puppet has gone from being unknown to being a small internet celebrity.)