The second-year competition was about to begin. The first-year students were nervous but also a little excited. While waiting in the prep area, they could watch the real-time broadcast of the match on a huge light screen. Everyone looked up at the screen, eyes filled with anticipation as the senior students from the second year appeared at the starting line.
“I heard there are a lot of strong second-years. In the Mech Department, there’s Chi Yu. In the Command Department, there’s Luo Wenchuan and Ke Lei.”
“Luo Wenchuan set a record in his first match last year. I think he’ll break the record again this year!”
“So amazing. When will I be able to be like them?”
Yun Xingze stood among the crowd, staring at the screen, but his attention wasn’t on the contestants. Instead, he was analyzing the race track. These past few days, he had played hundreds of racing games in “Mech Star,” studying how to save energy and win. He had come up with a strategy that required teamwork.
His chosen teammates were Aurel and Lu Ranxu. The strategy didn’t require his teammates to be especially strong, but the commander needed a clear overview of the big picture.
[Star Sea Military Academy Mech Competition Qualifier, Second-Year Group, the race begins.]
With the announcement, over two hundred mechs activated at once on the forest edge and charged into the trees. On the forest map in the top-left corner of the screen, each mech was represented by a small light. The central screen showed the top ten contestants. If a mech was damaged and couldn’t continue, an alert would appear at the top.
The whole competition closely resembled the racing mode in “Mech Star.”
Yun Xingze pulled Aurel and Lu Ranxu aside and said, “Memorize the general layout of the map. Follow my instructions later. Each person is responsible for a section…”
Aurel originally didn’t care much for a delicate Omega like Yun Xingze. But after Yun saved him during simulation training, he had to admit the guy had skills. Plus, in Class E, many people wanted to team up with Yun Xingze.
After hearing the plan, Aurel widened his eyes. “Yun Xingze, your plan might actually work… but will we have enough time to pull this off during the match?”
“I’ll handle the coordination,” Yun Xingze said calmly but firmly. “As long as you trust me, we can do it.”
Lu Ranxu looked into Yun Xingze’s black eyes and nodded decisively. “I’ll follow you.”
He wasn’t confident in the plan itself, but he wanted to support his friend.
“There are still lots of strong people from other classes…” Aurel rubbed his chin, thinking. “Alright, let’s try it your way.”
The three continued watching the competition. Soon, the crowd burst into surprised shouts.
“Wow! The first place is almost at the finish line!”
“So fast! It’s only been seventeen minutes!”
“Whose mech is that?!”
“It must be Luo Wenchuan’s. He’s been leading since the start.”
The live broadcast switched to Luo Wenchuan’s mech. He had just encountered a small star beast. In the next second, his light sword slashed through the air at an almost invisible speed, instantly killing the beast. Then the mech accelerated again, easily passing through a rugged and dense forest. The whole process took less than five seconds.
Everyone was stunned.
When they finally reacted, they started talking about Luo Wenchuan’s terrifying hand speed. But Aurel thought… wasn’t Yun Xingze just as fast when he helped him cut down the mechanical beast the other day?
Wait… Could Yun Xingze really compare to Luo Wenchuan?!
Aurel was shocked by his own thought. Luo Wenchuan was the strongest Alpha in the school, while Yun Xingze was a C-level spiritual power Omega!
He told himself it had to be his imagination.
Yun Xingze, meanwhile, smiled slightly. He could tell this was the result of his mech modification for Luo Wenchuan. With the mech’s original design, even with Luo’s fast reflexes, the elbow joints would have slowed his movements, making it impossible to slash at such perfect speed and angle.
Soon after killing the beast, Luo Wenchuan, with his sharp insight and skilled piloting, crossed the last section of the track and reached the finish line.
[First place has arrived. Contestant No. 029, time: 17 minutes 49.06 seconds.]
As the mechanical voice announced the results, the entire arena was shocked—Luo Wenchuan had broken the record again!
And by 20 full seconds!
He had held last year’s record too.
“Is this the strength of the strongest Alpha?”
“He’s from the Command Department, right? Not even the Mech Department can beat him?”
“Too strong. Look at his path. It was almost a straight line. He broke through every obstacle easily.”
Yun Xingze had to admit he really envied Luo Wenchuan’s stamina and mental power. Most people would have collapsed under that pressure, so they usually avoided obstacles. But Luo Wenchuan charged straight ahead.
A spherical camera robot flew to Luo Wenchuan’s mech to give him a close-up. The whole place quieted down.
“I heard Luo Wenchuan is really handsome…” Lu Ranxu whispered to Yun Xingze. “I wonder if it’s true.”
Aurel scoffed beside them. “It’s just two eyes and a nose. How handsome can he be?”
Yun Xingze remembered the Alpha with light brown hair he met while fixing the mech. He thought that guy looked decent at best, definitely not “really handsome.”
“Don’t expect too much,” Yun said to Lu Ranxu. “He looks average.”
As everyone watched, a tall figure came out of the cockpit, smoothly jumping down from the ten-meter-high mech using the back structure.
The robot slowly approached Luo Wenchuan.
The young man wore a sharp black training suit. His legs were long, a belt cinched his narrow waist, and his broad shoulders completed the look. Then…
Yun Xingze’s eyes widened.
When that clean, handsome face appeared on the screen, everyone stared.
Lu Ranxu froze and slowly turned his head. “This is… average?”
Yun Xingze was stunned. That was the person who had saved him outside the black market?!
He was… Luo Wenchuan???
His brain stopped working. Was he dreaming?
He stared at Luo Wenchuan’s face for a long time before snapping back to reality. If this man was Luo Wenchuan, then who was the one who came to him for repairs earlier?
Just then, the second place crossed the finish line and entered the buffer zone. After the mech came to a stop, another familiar person got out—the Alpha with light brown hair.
The voices around helped him figure it out. This person was Ke Lei, Luo Wenchuan’s classmate.
So that’s how it was…
Soon, the third-place finisher also arrived. It was someone Yun Xingze knew.
“Chi Yu is annoying, but he is strong,” Lu Ranxu frowned at the arrogant face on the screen. “Tch. Xingze, you have to pass the prelims and put him in his place.”
After the top three finished, the rest of the group began arriving. Su Zinan came in tenth. When he exited the cockpit, he got a lot of cheers. People praised him as the strongest Omega in school, better than the usual weak Omegas, and also very good-looking.
When the top 50 all arrived, the second-year match ended. The excited crowd quickly became serious.
The school sent many robots to clean and reset the track. The obstacles were different from the ones the second-years faced but still equally difficult.
Everything was done quickly. Once the track was ready, the first-year students began checking in.
There was a rest area at the finish line with another broadcast screen. The second-years could relax while watching the younger students struggle. It was one of the most enjoyable parts of the event.
Luo Wenchuan had already become a core member of the school team last year. This year, the school asked him to observe new students with potential. So he didn’t leave right away but sat with everyone to watch the screen.
Su Zinan sat beside Chi Yu. Seeing that Chi Yu was watching too, he asked quietly, “Brother Yu, are you watching Yun Xingze’s match?”
Chi Yu nodded silently.
In truth, Chi Yu didn’t want Yun Xingze to get expelled. He only wanted to teach him a lesson and make him beg for forgiveness. But he didn’t expect Yun to endure this long.
Recently, Chi Yu had been glad to be rid of someone annoying, but also felt strange. Like how Yun used to bring him desserts after every match. Like how Yun used to clean his dorm every weekend. Like how Yun always brought him food whenever he asked.
These things seemed small, but Chi Yu still hoped Yun would stay. He was willing to give Yun another chance—as long as he stopped being jealous and throwing fits over Su Zinan.
Su Zinan noticed the worry in Chi Yu’s eyes and gently said, “Don’t worry, Brother Yu. Yun Xingze will try his best.”
“Trying is useless,” Chi Yu frowned. “With his weak spiritual power and stamina, he’ll get knocked out in no time.”
“That’s not true. We Omegas aren’t that fragile,” Su Zinan said kindly.
Chi Yu sighed. “He’s not like you.”
“It’s okay,” Su Zinan smiled, his eyes curving. “Even if Xingze gets eliminated, I came in tenth. Aren’t you happy for me?”
Chi Yu’s mood improved slightly. He smiled. “Congrats.”
Luo Wenchuan heard their conversation and frowned, then got up and changed seats.
Ke Lei followed. “Why did you suddenly move?”
“Noisy,” Luo replied briefly.
At that moment, the first-year check-in finished. Contestants gathered at the forest starting line. Different types of mechs were released from their cubes.
The camera swept quickly overhead.
Luo Wenchuan’s eyes suddenly froze. He sat up straight.
Though it was brief, he was sure he saw a familiar mech—the C-level lightsaber mech he had sold to Boss Chu.
That guy from outside the black market who didn’t even know how to fight…
Was actually competing?!
