Luo Wenchuan stood beside Yun Xingze, listening to the ongoing debate among the crowd, when he suddenly noticed Yun Xingze subtly taking a step back, retreating into the corner.
It seemed like he was trying hard to make himself less noticeable.
Luo Wenchuan’s peripheral gaze lingered on Yun Xingze for a moment, a faint trace of suspicion flickering in his eyes, but he quickly masked it.
Only after the check-in procedures were completed did Luo Wenchuan turn to Yun Xingze and say softly, “Let’s go.”
Yun Xingze took a moment to react before nodding in agreement.
Meanwhile, the other three military academies had nearly come to blows over the argument.
The debate yielded no results, only fueling their curiosity about “I’m So Weak,” making them eager to track the person down for a face-to-face confrontation.
“What were you thinking about just now? You seemed lost in thought,” Luo Wenchuan asked casually as he helped Yun Xingze with his luggage.
Yun Xingze replied calmly, “I got absorbed listening to them discuss the game.”
“I’ve fought against that ‘I’m So Weak’ guy before. His skills are just average,” Luo Wenchuan remarked nonchalantly. “Not as impressive as they make him out to be. He went down in two punches.”
Yun Xingze immediately bristled at that. He nearly blurted out, “But I beat you before!” but swallowed the words at the last second, clearing his throat instead. “Oh, really? But everyone’s praising him, saying he hasn’t lost a single match.” A hint of smugness seeped into his tone.
Luo Wenchuan gave him a meaningful look and said without hesitation, “Then he must be cheating.”
Yun Xingze froze, feeling inexplicably irritated. “Just because someone’s good at piloting mechs doesn’t mean they’re cheating.”
Luo Wenchuan stared at him for a few seconds.
Realizing he might have been too obvious, Yun Xingze quickly added, “What I mean is, a player like that must be a top-tier 3S-level expert in real life. Why would they need to cheat?”
Luo Wenchuan let out a faint “Oh,” and Yun Xingze wasn’t sure if he believed him.
So, Yun Xingze tacked on, “And he’s definitely a steel-hard Alpha.”
“Steel-hard Alpha…” Luo Wenchuan glanced back at him, his tone light but questioning. “With a name like ‘I’m So Weak’?”
Just then, the group entered the elevator, and Luo Wenchuan’s words reached the rest of the Starsea team.
Yun Xingze thought to himself, I’m a steel-hard man at heart—what’s there to question?!
“Hard to say. Some Alphas are like that,” O’Leary chimed in from the side. “The cuter the username, the fiercer they fight.”
“That’s true,” Ke Lei nodded in agreement. “And that ‘I’m So Weak’ has such a nasty personality; no way they’re an Omega or a Beta.”
Luo Wenchuan didn’t respond, pressing his lips together briefly before shifting his gaze away from Yun Xingze.
Only then did Yun Xingze relax slightly.
Since the competition was the next day, Richard and the coaching staff gathered the team for a meeting.
The lineup order for each contestant had already been submitted. Unless there were unexpected injuries allowing substitutes to step in, no further changes could be made to the participants or their sequence.
Half an hour earlier, the NCLM organizing committee had sent the match schedules to each coach’s email.
In the conference room provided by the hotel, Richard said with a grave expression, “Tomorrow is bound to be a tough battle. Everyone needs to stay sharp and not slack off, especially the team competition members.”
His gaze fell upon Yun Xingze and the others.
The team competition lasted fifty minutes, while individual matches were thirty minutes, making team events more physically demanding and heavily reliant on coordination.
During this period, eighty percent of the training plan Richard designed for Yun Xingze focused on physical conditioning, significantly improving his stamina.
In a while, Yun Xingze’s physical endurance should reach A-rank.
“Winning the team competition earns 2 points, while individual matches give 1 point. Losing the team event means a major disadvantage,” Richard continued. “Individual matches depend purely on personal skill and performance, but team competitions involve many strategies. As I’ve mentioned before, you must secure the lights at the start.”
The rules for team competitions were complex, with “light-seizing” being one of the key terms.
At the match’s start, both teams would advance from opposite ends toward the central battlefield, encountering numerous obstacles along the way.
When a contestant reached the central zone, a “battle light” would illuminate for them, with each team’s lights colored differently typically matching their school emblem.
If a contestant was eliminated, their battle light would extinguish.
Victory went to the team whose combined duration of illuminated lights was longer.
Thus, team matches consisted of two phases: “advancement” and “combat,” designed to simulate wartime scenarios both equally crucial.
The earlier a team reached the central zone, the greater their advantage.
“Light-seizing” meant the entire team outpacing opponents to activate their battle lights first, easing subsequent combat pressure and reducing post-advance fatigue.
“In terms of combat, we’re at a disadvantage,” Richard displayed the match list on the screen. “Ke Lei’s group faces Gikot’s golden duo; they’re lightning-fast at light-seizing with flawless coordination. Caleb’s team is against Gikot’s newly formed squad, but none of you three are particularly strong.”
Yun Xingze glanced at the match sheet, slightly surprised.
He hadn’t expected Hebrew, Gikot First Military Academy’s prodigious freshman and the shadow mech warrior known as “Shaved Ice Treat” in Mecha Stars to join the team event.
Shouldn’t such a prideful newcomer prefer solo combat?
“Moreover, our predictions were off. We didn’t anticipate Hebrew joining the team event,” Richard’s tone grew heavier as he looked at Yun Xingze. “Hebrew’s a genius, already reaching S+ level at his age. Against him, you must give everything.”
To Richard, if Chi Yu, Caleb, or other varsity members were competing, the match wouldn’t be too difficult even Hebrew couldn’t solo three opponents.
But with deadweight like Yun Xingze.
Richard held little hope for this team’s performance. After brief instructions, he moved on to coaching other teammates.
“…Tch.” Caleb clenched his fingers, his eyes flashing with irritation. “Genius freshman? Just how impressive can he be? I’ll see for myself tomorrow whether his mech is sturdy enough.”
Caleb had always been short-tempered, his straightforward personality bordering on explosive. Naturally, he took great offense at Richard’s dismissive attitude.
Yet despite this, after the meeting concluded, he stayed behind with Yun Xingze and Chi Yu to discuss strategies.
“I’m not familiar with Hebrew, but I know the other two in his team,” Chi Yu said slowly as he studied the match schedule. “Tomorrow, Caleb will handle Hebrew. I’ll take care of the other two. Xingze, you can just provide support from the sidelines.”
He looked up at Yun Xingze, his tone brimming with smug pride as he added, “I’ll definitely protect you.”
“You’re taking on two by yourself?” Caleb sneered mockingly. “What, do you think you’re Luo Wenchuan?”
At the mention of that name, Chi Yu’s expression darkened. “What’s that supposed to mean?”
Not wanting to argue further, Caleb turned to Yun Xingze instead. “Tomorrow, we need to secure the light faster than our opponents. During the PK round, avoid direct confrontation with Hebrew if possible. Focus on eliminating the other two mechs first before ganging up on Hebrew.”
Compared to Chi Yu’s plan, Caleb’s strategy was far more rational and well-thought-out.
“So, we should prioritize defense in the early stages of the PK,” Yun Xingze nodded in agreement. “Hebrew is their ace, but without his left and right arms, he won’t stand a chance against us.”
Standing to the side, Chi Yu took a deep breath when he saw Yun Xingze completely ignoring him. He spoke up proactively, “Xingze, don’t worry. If Hebrew comes after you, I’ll definitely—”
“Everyone should focus on keeping their own lights active first,” Yun Xingze said coolly, meeting Chi Yu’s gaze. “If he targets me, I can handle it myself. I don’t need your protection.”
With that, he stood and left the meeting room, Caleb following close behind.
Chi Yu’s fingers curled into tight fists, slamming against the table with a dull thud.
“Damn it.” Chi Yu’s chest heaved uncontrollably, his handsome face twisted with fury and jealousy. “Why is it that when Luo Wenchuan protects him, he accepts it without question, but when I offer, he treats me like this?!”
In the past, this would have kept Chi Yu up all night fuming.
But soon, he gradually calmed down, letting out a cold laugh. A fanatical gleam flickered in his eyes as he murmured under his breath, “Once we’re engaged, you’ll be begging for my protection.”
Compared to the tense pre-match meeting at Starsea Military Academy, the atmosphere at neighboring Gikot First Military Academy was far more relaxed.
Their coach had only one instruction: “Cheng Jun needs to be careful against Luo Wenchuan. The rest of you can just wing it.”
Gikot’s team members weren’t the least bit nervous. Some even went clubbing that night, clearly not taking Starsea Military Academy seriously at all.
The NCLM had always been a tournament that captured the entire empire’s attention, with tickets selling for astronomical prices.
Early the next morning, crowds of spectators streamed toward the competition venue.
The arena was an artistically designed bowl-shaped structure, its materials capable of simulating various weather conditions based on changing light.
It was a bright sunny day today. The exterior walls of the stadium reflected the sunlight, becoming semi-transparent and resembling a dewdrop about to fall from a leaf when viewed from afar.
However, Yun Xingze’s competition venue wasn’t here.
