The Third Watch
The competition had specific requirements for smoke grenades, so the ones fired by the mechanical beast didn’t create large-scale dense smoke just a mushroom cloud forming around the head of Caleb’s Comet mech.
Caleb’s vision was obscured. Unable to tell if that ugly cat still had any firepower left, and unable to dismantle Yun Xingze’s mech immediately, he had no choice but to release the energy whip and chain sword, retreating to create distance.
Yun Xingze let out a sigh of relief. A few seconds later, and his mech’s arm might have ended up with deep gashes.
However, after the close-quarters combat, Yun Xingze’s data collection on the opposing mech was nearly complete.
From the very beginning, every move he made had been probing the enemy’s capabilities.
Yun Xingze had to admit an A+-grade mech was truly formidable. Caleb’s Comet mech was superior to most he had encountered before, with almost no weaknesses.
But in this world, there was no such thing as a flawless mech.
Caleb had no idea that his Comet mech had already been reconstructed in Yun Xingze’s mind as a detailed model; every component’s data and performance thoroughly analyzed.
By now, twelve minutes had passed in the match.
After being humiliated by that ugly cat, Caleb could hear the roaring laughter from the audience even inside his cockpit.
In his previous matches, the spectators would always be too intimidated to make a sound. Never had he been treated like this before. His hands trembled with fury, wishing he could tear that cat to pieces right then and there.
The laughing crowd suddenly noticed the Comet mech charging toward the mechanical beast at full speed, and their laughter instantly died down.
“Holy shit, Caleb’s completely lost it!”
“That’s terrifying—is he trying to smash through the protective barrier at that speed?”
“Can Yun Xingze block it this time?”
The Comet mech pursued Yun Xingze’s mechanical beast, the chain sword leaving deep and shallow gashes across the ground with each strike, every slash fueled by Caleb’s rage.
Yun Xingze maneuvered his mech to evade while muttering under his breath, “So much for staying calm.”
However, blinded by anger, Caleb failed to catch the cat, only exhausting his stamina rapidly.
Before long, Caleb was already breathing heavily.
Just as he was about to grab the mechanical beast, the cat suddenly curled into a ball, lying motionless on the ground, playing dead.
In its spherical form, the mechanical beast became incredibly tough and durable. Caleb slashed at it several times with his chain sword, leaving only shallow scratches. Faced with this “cat ball,” he had no way to dismantle it.
Suddenly, Caleb seemed to realize he had been played.
Yun Xingze had been using the mechanical beast to waste his stamina all along!
Sixteen minutes into the match, Yun Xingze decided to end it.
Caleb turned to search for the main mech, ready for a decisive battle, only to find that Yun Xingze’s mech had somehow taken to the air, hovering mid-flight, looking down at him.
Sunlight streamed from above, casting the airborne mech’s shadow over Caleb’s Comet mech, creating an inexplicable sense of pressure.
Then, Yun Xingze drew two energy swords, assuming a diving stance.
This was the third time Yun Xingze had sought an opportunity to dive in the arena. His previous two attempts had crushed his opponents, and now, the crowd watched in astonishment.
“He’s going to actively close in on the Comet mech?”
“No way, that’s way too dangerous. He barely managed to escape last time.”
“What the hell is he trying to do?!” Chi Yu frowned tightly, growing anxious at Yun Xingze’s actions. “Using long-range artillery to finish the fight would be the most reliable approach right now.”
Su Zinan stared intently at Yun Xingze’s mech, refusing to believe this guy could win again.
The next second, Yun Xingze’s mech indeed dove straight toward Kalibo!
Kalibo sneered coldly, “Looking to die.”
He tilted his head up to face the descending mech, adopting a combat stance.
He had wanted to end the match quickly, never expecting Yun Xingze to deliver himself right to his doorstep.
Two crimson chainswords gleamed ominously, ready to entangle and dismantle Yun Xingze’s mech at any moment.
Seizing the opportunity, Kalibo activated his anti-gravity device, preparing to leap into the air and engage. However, just as he was about to spring upward, an unseen force abruptly tightened around his legs!
The mechanical cat, which had been playing dead, had stealthily circled behind Kalibo.
While Kalibo’s attention was wholly fixed on the main mech in the sky, the cat whipped out a green energy whip, coiling it around his legs. At the precise moment he attempted to jump, it yanked the whip taut, firmly binding the Comet mech’s feet.
“Boom—”
Before the eyes of the entire audience, the Comet mech’s leap was abruptly interrupted. Losing balance instantly, it crashed face-first onto the ground!
A massive cloud of dust billowed up. Only when it settled did the spectators notice the silhouette of a mechanical beast beside the fallen mech.
Everyone was utterly dumbfounded.
“Has that cat become sentient?!”
“Are we sure there isn’t a human piloting that thing?!”
“How is this possible?! Yun Xingze was preparing to dive while simultaneously controlling the mechanical beast to bind his opponent’s legs with an energy whip?!”
“This is unbelievable! Even with two people operating, they might not have timed it so perfectly!”
“My reflexes aren’t even as good as that ugly cat.”
“How is this even fair?!”
What seemed like a sudden turn of events had actually been rehearsed countless times in Yun Xingze’s mind.
The data he had collected revealed that while the Comet mech was fast, its balance and jumping capabilities were lacking.
Particularly, the explosive power of its lower mechanical frame paled in comparison to larger mechs. Otherwise, when Kalibo had previously ensnared Yun Xingze’s mech with the energy whip and chainswords, he could have leveraged the downward force of his lower body to dismantle its arms.
Moreover, this mech prioritized weapon speed, meaning the energy conversion efficiency for lower-body explosive power was relatively low, making jumps susceptible to disruption.
The mech’s balance was an even more critical flaw. Not only was there a design defect in its equilibrium system, but Kalibo’s own sense of balance wasn’t the best either.
This was evident from the exaggerated movements Kalibo made every time he drew his chainswords.
A superior balance system provides mechanical limbs with dynamic support during motion, whereas a flawed one becomes a hindrance, requiring greater effort to execute movements.
These two issues combined meant that when the Comet mech’s legs were bound, it couldn’t break free in time and would instantly lose balance, resulting in a fall.
Once down, it would struggle even to get back up.
Kalibo had never felt so humiliated in his life.
He tried to rise from the ground, but it felt as though a thousand pounds were pressing down on his legs. The impact had left him dizzy, stars dancing before his eyes.
The stubborn Caleb continued to struggle on the ground, trying to tear off the ropes around his feet when an unexpected force descended from above.
The mechanical beast boldly perched itself on Caleb’s neck.
Yun Xingze’s dive had merely been a feint. Seeing Caleb subdued, he slowly guided his mech to land.
Twenty minutes had passed in the match.
The series of grapples and evasions had severely tested Yun Xingze’s reflexes and stamina.
Now, his physical strength seemed to have reached its limit.
Furious, Caleb reached to grab the ugly cat, but couldn’t catch it no matter how he tried.
The ugly cat deployed two chain swords, embedding them into the ground to firmly restrain the Comet mech.
The referee began the countdown.
“Ten, nine, eight…”
“Caleb’s definitely going to lose. Yun Xingze has this in the bag.”
“Who would’ve thought it’d come to this?”
Just as the audience believed the match was over, a wave of exhaustion suddenly washed over Yun Xingze, accompanied by a surge of heat churning violently within him.
Yun Xingze’s eyes widened instantly—what was happening to him?!
He’d experienced fatigue before, but never this debilitating. A dull ache pulsed from the right side of his neck.
The mechanical beast’s strength was tied to its pilot. As Yun Xingze weakened, its grip loosened, and Caleb sensed the diminishing restraint.
“Bang—”
Seizing the opportunity, Caleb grabbed the ugly cat behind his neck and flung it away.
“Holy shit, he can still keep going like this?!”
“Does Caleb still have a chance?!”
“If Caleb gets up now, Yun Xingze probably can’t fight in his current state.” Ke Lei said slowly, watching Yun Xingze’s mech. “After all, Yun Xingze is an Omega. His stamina must have hit the limit.”
Luo Wenchuan remained silent, his gaze never leaving the arena.
Olly also frowned deeply, palms sweating profusely: “Why isn’t Xingze moving? Has he reached his limit?”
“Probably out of strength.” Lu Ranxu’s expression was grim.
Nearby, Chi Yu held his breath, eyes locked on Caleb’s movements as he said nervously, “No way, Caleb can still fight? Why isn’t Yun Xingze attacking? Move already! Hit him! Blast him! Hurry up!”
He seemed more anxious than Yun Xingze himself.
Su Zinan was equally tense. Yun Xingze’s performance had far exceeded his expectations, and now victory seemed within either competitor’s grasp!
Yun Xingze took a deep breath. This strange, sudden exhaustion left his limbs feeling incredibly weak, while the heat inside him surged uncontrollably, requiring immense effort to suppress.
What was happening to him?!
The countdown continued:
“Five, four, three…”
The entire arena fell silent, holding its breath.
Could the tide still turn?!
Just as Caleb struggled to rise.
Yun Xingze suddenly stepped forward, rubbed his neck, and personally took the mechanical beast’s place by sitting squarely on the Comet mech’s back.
“Fine, I’ll do it myself then.”
