Luo Wenchuan’s match wasn’t in the same arena as Yun Xingze’s. His opponent was an A+-ranked Tempest mecha pilot; a classmate from the command department.
Among the six major mecha types, the Tempest was the most durable, essentially a tank that could deploy various shields at any moment, often dragging battles past the twenty-minute mark.
Yet this time, Luo Wenchuan ended the match in just 7 minutes and 23 seconds.
His opponent stared blankly at his shattered shield before looking at Luo Wenchuan with a pout. “Dude, we’re classmates in the same major. Did you have to go that hard?”
Luo Wenchuan’s gaze shifted toward Arena B as he replied flatly, “I have someone else’s match to watch.”
His classmate blinked. “Who? He Haoming? Aixili? Or Ke Lei? Probably Ke Lei, right?”
The three names he mentioned were the only other S-rank or above mecha pilots in the school besides Luo Wenchuan last year’s core team members. Though they were in different grades and piloted different mechas, their skills were top-tier.
At this point, only those three would normally catch Luo Wenchuan’s interest.
But Luo Wenchuan simply said, “A junior.”
His opponent froze for a few seconds before exclaiming, “A junior?! There’s a first-year worth your time?!”
Luo Wenchuan didn’t respond and left Arena A directly, heading to Arena B.
Among the spectators, the proportion of Omegas had noticeably increased, with many non-participating Omegas coming to watch the match.
This was because it was rare to see two powerful Omegas facing off in competition.
Su Zinan was last year’s sensational A+ rank Omega who had joined the school team, while Yun Xingze had risen to fame through his ugly cat and his match against Kalibo.
The Omegas who came to watch were eagerly discussing who would win.
However, it was clear that Su Zinan had far more supporters.
After debating their strengths, many also began discussing the relationship between Yun Xingze and Su Zinan.
“I heard Yun Xingze and Su Zinan are love rivals, they both like Chi Yu.”
“That seems to be the case. Chi Yu likes Su Zinan and broke off his engagement with Yun Xingze. Chi Yu is the son of a general, so the Yun family must be furious.”
“If Yun Xingze loses, wouldn’t it be humiliating? Not only did he lose his fiancé, but he’d also be publicly defeated by Su Zinan.”
Sitting behind this group, Luo Wenchuan overheard their gossip and closed his eyes briefly. A flicker of emotion passed through his gaze before he quickly concealed it again.
Just then, Yun Xingze and Su Zinan stepped onto the field.
Before the match officially began,
Su Zinan casually tossed his mech cube into the air and caught it, then smiled as he shook Yun Xingze’s hand, saying softly, “Junior Xingze, out of respect, I won’t go easy on you.”
“I wouldn’t have it any other way,” Yun Xingze replied calmly.
He had taken the inhibitor Luo Wenchuan gave him, and his body showed no signs of side effects.
In fact, fueled by his disdain for the person before him, every cell in his body was brimming with energy.
Su Zinan summoned his Meteor mech. It was a high-quality A+ difficulty mech, standing at 6.5 meters tall and packed with numerous weapon ports.
Since the Meteor mech required heavy firepower, its energy consumption was higher than other mechs, and its miniature nuclear reactor system was more complex.
Yun Xingze studied the mech for a few seconds, already identifying its primary weapon ports.
Thinking Yun Xingze was envious, Su Zinan smirked. “What’s wrong, Junior Xingze? Didn’t expect my mech to be repaired so well?”
“Honestly, no,” Yun Xingze replied coldly. “Considering how badly a B-rank mech beat you last time, it wasn’t a good look.”
Su Zinan stiffened slightly, his smile vanishing. He suddenly added, “I repaired it so quickly thanks to Brother Yu’s help.”
At those words, Yun Xingze froze.
Memories of the original host flooded his mind, piecing together fragments of information that revealed a crucial detail:
After Chi Yu enrolled at Starsea Military Academy, he often asked the original host to request Meteor mech parts from his family. The original host, knowing nothing about mechs, never realized Chi Yu didn’t even pilot a Meteor.
No matter what Chi Yu asked for, the original host complied immediately, delivering everything without question. Eventually, Chi Yu bypassed him entirely, demanding parts directly from the Yun family’s company.
Eager to please Chi Yu, the Yun company naturally gave him the best components.
Yun Xingze looked up at Su Zinan’s mecha, noticing that most of its components were produced by the Yun family’s company.
In other words, the reason this Omega from a backwater planet could pilot such a high-end mecha was because he and Chi Yu had been leeching off the Yun family’s resources all along.
Yun Xingze couldn’t help but frown.
“What’s wrong? Does it look familiar?” Su Zinan, seeing Yun Xingze’s displeased expression, assumed he was angry and smirked even wider. “Yu-ge gave all of these to me—said they were Yun family parts. Gotta admit, the quality is pretty good.”
Yun Xingze pressed his lips together. He wasn’t angry, just disappointed on behalf of the original owner of this body.
Su Zinan continued smugly, “I used your family’s parts to defeat Lu Ranxu, your so-called ‘brother’… Oh wait, do Omegas like you even call each other brothers? Or is it ‘sisters’? I wouldn’t know, since I only befriend Alphas.”
“My family’s parts? Perfect. I’ll take them back, one by one,” Yun Xingze sneered. “And by the way, why do you keep bringing up Omegas like it’s an insult? Or are you so insecure that you need to put others down to feel superior?”
Su Zinan’s expression darkened. He missed Yun Xingze’s remark about reclaiming the parts and gritted his teeth. “What right does trash like you have to talk back? Don’t think you’re anything special, your skills are as pathetic as that three-legged cat of yours!”
Ignoring him, Yun Xingze summoned his Twin-Star mecha.
[Round 5, Arena B, Match 3 will begin in three minutes.]
Once inside the cockpit, Yun Xingze closed his eyes briefly.
He knew his modifications and experimental adjustments were bold even reckless.
With time so limited, he’d only tested them in simulations, never in actual combat.
But this fight carried a deeper meaning.
He had to win. There was no other choice.
Both mechas activated simultaneously.
Chi Yu, having just finished his own match, rushed over from another arena.
Lu Ranxu, Oliar, and Zhuo Feiyue arrived in the spectator stands. Many students from Class E, having heard about Lu Ranxu’s humiliation, came to support Yun Xingze.
Luo Wenchuan hadn’t even changed out of his competition training suit, his gaze locked onto the battlefield.
The match began.
The Meteor mecha was clearly designed to counter the Twin-Star. Almost immediately, Su Zinan activated multiple artillery ports, unleashing a relentless barrage at Yun Xingze and his “ugly cat.”
Brilliant explosions streaked toward Yun Xingze, their blinding intensity palpable even through the arena’s protective shields. The sheer power and pressure left the audience breathless.
“Damn, that firepower! Su Zinan’s going all out from the start!”
“I can’t even see Yun Xingze anymore!”
“Su Zinan’s ruthless—no wonder he’s called the strongest Omega.”
“Yun Xingze’s done for, right?”
Just as the murmurs spread, Yun Xingze’s mecha leaped out from the storm of explosions. The mechanical beast clung to his back, and miraculously, neither showed any significant damage!
The crowd gaped. How was this possible?!
Yun Xingze once again demonstrated his lightning-fast reflexes and incredible speed, moving like a phantom through the barrage of artillery fire as he tried to find an opportunity to close in on Su Zinan.
However, Su Zinan’s goal today was to completely destroy Yun Xingze’s mech and force him to his knees begging for mercy. He maintained a cowardly distance, keeping his back to the spherical protective shield and giving Yun Xingze no chance to approach.
The Meteor mech wasn’t just capable of firing devastating artillery. It could also launch smoke grenades, cryo-slowing rounds, and other tactical munitions.
With smoke grenade usage restricted, many Meteor mechs were equipped with large quantities of cryo-slowing rounds. Once hit by these rounds, a mech’s electromagnetic systems would suffer interference, and its energy efficiency would drop due to the temperature effects, reducing its combat effectiveness by more than half.
Spotting an opening in Yun Xingze’s defense, Su Zinan ruthlessly fired five consecutive slowing rounds.
Lu Ranxu was so nervous he could barely watch, covering his eyes with his hands while peeking through a gap as he anxiously asked Zhuo Feiyue: “Professor, did he dodge them?”
Zhuo Feiyue didn’t respond.
A chill ran through Lu Ranxu’s heart.
Could Xingze actually lose?
Just then, the entire arena suddenly erupted in gasps of astonishment, and even Zhuo Feiyue couldn’t help shouting:
“Holy shit—look at that cat!”
Lu Ranxu shuddered all over, dropping his hands as he nervously turned to the arena, his eyes widening in shock.
