On the mini-map, three orange dots were close to the finish line. Many teachers congratulated Class A’s teacher, and some comforted Zhuo Feiyue, saying E-class had shown great effort and shouldn’t be discouraged. But Zhuo Feiyue stared at the screen intently.
Curious, others followed his gaze and saw a fast-moving blue dot. Even the seasoned teachers were shocked. They exchanged glances before one cautiously asked, “That blue is that a student from E-class?”
“Yes,” someone answered. “One of the students A-class attacked earlier.”
“Am I seeing it wrong? Their speed seems as fast as Luo Wenchuan’s last time…”
“I think they’re even faster.”
“How is that possible? Do the obstacles not slow them?”
“They’re catching up!”
“They’re really catching up!”
The teachers had seen real races where someone overtakes opponents, but this kind of straight, cheat-like chase an E-class student hunting A-class students was rare.
In the forest, a cold blade of energy sliced through the air, instantly beheading two small star beasts.
The sleek lightsaber mecha darted among trees, using its boosters with ease, ignoring the obstacles as if they weren’t there.
Yun Xingze’s stamina was nearly gone. He calculated the interception point in his mind.
After about thirty seconds, the sound of mecha engines grew louder ahead. Yun Xingze knew the moment had come.
Lightsaber mecha were built for close combat. Facing three enemy mechas at once was risky but Yun Xingze would use terrain to his advantage.
On the map, the blue dot, just as it was about to catch the orange dots, suddenly turned away.
“What’s happening? Is he going to circle around and steal the win?”
“I thought he’d seek revenge, but he’s doing this?”
“Going around might be a tactic. Avoiding battle seems smart.”
“After all, he’s an E-class student. Straight-up fighting three A-class members is a bad idea.”
As everyone speculated, the blue dot passed the orange ones in vertical position. If he’d gone straight to the finish line, first place would’ve been his.
But Yun Xingze didn’t do that.
He avoided the three not to win, but for another reason.
To him, the race was less about victory and more about tactics and mecha strategy. Placement was just a test of those strategies and the mecha’s strength.
Yun Xingze hid behind a boulder near the finish line, waiting quietly for the three mechas to arrive.
Finally, everyone understood E-class’s real plan: he aimed to block them before the finish line!
Spherical camera robots focused on him. The second-year students watching were excited.
“Damn, he’s really going for revenge!”
“Right before the finish line trying to sabotage them!”
“This is risky. What if he fails?”
The A-class trio raced toward the finish over a deceleration slope designed to slow them down safely before the line. They cheered over the radio as they approached.
Suddenly, one heard a strange noise. “Do you guys hear that…?”
A mecha sprang from the forest onto the slope’s crest, right before the finish line.
Sunlight gleamed off its alloy, and the energy light on its chest glowed like a watchful eye. It lifted one mechanical arm, drawing a lightsaber blade, while the other arm powered up its palm-mounted ion cannon.
Even lightsaber mechas carried small-range cannons for defense.
Yun Xingze’s mecha carried few weapons many had been removed but before the race, he confirmed a small ion cannon was installed in its left palm.
A-class never expected an ambush so close to the finish, but when the cannon fired, all three activated anti-gravity and dodged. The shots blew dust into the air.
One sneered, “Seriously? We could’ve won, and you choose to mess with us before the line? You’ll never pass the audition like this.”
As he aimed his weapon, the lightsaber mecha leaped like an arrow, darting in.
A-class, positioned downhill, still rose with anti-gravity but the height remained lower than Yun Xingze’s.
Using the height difference, Yun Xingze struck at their knees.
The lightsaber hit alloy joints with vibration and a dull metallic echo. A-class fought back, but their movements slowed or worse, fell out of control.
Their mechas staggered and fell to their knees. Damaged knee joints meant they couldn’t stand or climb the slope easily.
One A-class mecha tried to get up, shouting through its speaker, “Are you sick? Why are you blocking us?”
Yun Xingze’s mecha hovered above them, the speaker crackling with electric distortion. It said mockingly, “E-class No. 1, lo se…rs~”
Only then did the trio realize: this was one of the mechas they had attacked earlier with smoke grenades. And this after they had assumed he had fallen behind.
In the resting area, second-year students were stunned.
“This isn’t just the audition there’s a 1v3 fight. So wild!”
“That lightsaber mecha moves so fast! Must be A-class or above!”
“He even targeted their knees what was he thinking?”
“Didn’t you see their mechas kneeling and stuck on the slope?”
“It was a hateful but powerful move.”
Yun Xingze moved toward the line, looking back and kindly warning, “You’re still 200 meters from the finish. Don’t give up.”
The A-class trio tried to rise, but their mechanical legs wouldn’t respond.
“Don’t get cocky!”, one shouted in anger. He aimed a powerful long-range cannon at Yun Xingze. But Yun Xingze dodged in an S-pattern, taunting, “Stay down can you even hit me like that?”
The other two, still furious, raised their arms to start a fight but Yun Xingze accelerated instead and crossed the finish line.
He turned and waved at them.
Rules forbid attacking after finishing the attackers would be disqualified permanently.
Outraged, the three shut down and pounded the ground with fury.
“My legs… I’m stuck!”
“What did he do to my mech?”
“The next wave of racers is coming I’d rather disappear than be seen like this!”
“You started it by using smoke grenades and taunting.”
“Don’t blame me it was your idea.”
“Right, you said E-class were soft who’s soft now?”
Aurel and Lu Ranxu rushed to the finish. They saw the fallen mechas and started to laugh. Just then, they heard the demeaning comments from A-class. They respectfully stomped the mechas with their foot as they passed.
“Shoot them!”
“Don’t let him cross!”
But before they could act, more racers arrived, unintentionally stepping on the fallen mechas.
“Referee—”, one mecha wailed. “Requesting support—”
Soon after Yun Xingze finished, a mechanical female voice announced:
“First place (entry #209) crossed at 18:40.13.”
The big screen near the resting area showed a close-up of his mecha.
“18:40—that’s half a minute slower than last year’s Luo Wenchuan, but still impressive.”
“Yeah, if he hadn’t stopped to block them, he might’ve matched Luo Wenchuan’s time.”
“That’s amazing! Could he possibly be an Alpha?”
“But no one has seen him how do you know?”
Luo Wenchuan listened to the chatter and remembered the masked youth from that night…
An Alpha? Covered by mask but tall with fair skin…
If he was Alpha, that’d shake the entire school.
Nearby, Su Zinan and Chi Yu watched the screen.
“Wow, this first-year Alpha is strong,” Su Zinan praised. “But honestly, I think you’re stronger, Yu-ge. I envy Alphas sometimes all so amazing.”
Chi Yu was disinterested, waiting for Yun Xingze’s result.
“Don’t worry about him, junior Yun,” Su Zinan curved his lips. “Freshman strength looks solid passing the audition isn’t important just the pride of competing.”
Chi Yu looked at the screen. He thought freshmen this year were better than last.
Even an E-class had such lightsaber strength Yun Xingze would probably get eliminated.
On the screen, the lightsaber mecha stopped and its cockpit slowly opened.
