Under the watchful eyes of the crowd, just as Bai Jiashi’s light saw attack was about to strike the mechanical beast’s head, it vanished into thin air.
Bai Jiashi froze in shock for a second, causing the speed of his light saw to visibly slow.
Then, gritting his teeth, he swung at the spot where the mechanical beast had been; only to slash through empty air.
That ugly cat was really gone.
“How is this possible?” Gamma widened his eyes in disbelief. “Did Yun Xingze coat the mechanical beast in stealth paint?”
“Even so, it should take a second or two for a mech to enter stealth mode.” Dickel said beside him. “But that cat disappeared without any warning. How was that done?!”
Gamma frowned and said slowly, “Perhaps he didn’t use ordinary paint.”
Hearing this, the members of St. Clythus, who had been brimming with confidence before the match, now felt uncertain.
No one had expected Yun Xingze to be hiding such a devastating trump card.
The stands erupted in chaos as the audience searched everywhere for the ugly cat, utterly astonished by this sudden turn of events.
“Where did the cat go?”
“Look, even Bai Jiashi is searching for it.”
“How was this done? Did he modify his mechanical beast into a shadow mech?”
“Feels even more advanced than a typical shadow mech.”
“Is this NCLM or a game of hide-and-seek?”
Bai Jiashi couldn’t fathom why the cat had suddenly disappeared.
Of course, he would never guess that the “fluctuation-reactive nano-coating” material Yun Xingze had bought from the research institute’s supply room was one of the Empire’s latest breakthroughs.
When detecting an approaching surge of immense energy, the coating would react instantly, rapidly entering stealth mode.
Since it didn’t rely on sensors or controllers the material itself could complete the reaction, the required time was drastically reduced.
It was as if it had evaporated in an instant.
Moreover, the stealth properties of this coating were excellent, and the mechanical beast was small to begin with. Once it turned invisible, Bai Jiashi couldn’t track its position at all.
“What the hell…” Bai Jiashi frowned, an uncharacteristic hint of frustration flashing across his face. “Since when was this a thing?”
After a prolonged game of “hide-and-seek,” not only had Bai Jiashi failed to catch the mechanical beast, but he’d also been stabbed a few times from behind by Yun Xingze, leaving him grinding his teeth in anger.
Though Bai Jiashi didn’t want to admit it, Yun Xingze’s unexpected move had indeed put him at a disadvantage.
However, Bai Jiashi was an experienced fighter. Even in this situation, he didn’t give up, continuing to search for opportunities to launch fierce attacks against Yun Xingze.
As the two mechs clashed violently, the mechanical beast remained in stealth, and most people had nearly forgotten its existence.
Ke Lei frowned slightly. “Why hasn’t Xingze’s mechanical beast attacked yet? If this goes on, he’ll be in serious danger.”
“Maybe he’s afraid of exposing its position,” Aixili mused. “So it’s lying in wait, looking for the perfect moment to strike and take down the enemy in one hit.”
On the field, with the mechanical beast gone for so long, Bai Jiashi gradually regained control of the match’s tempo.
Now, the match had entered its twenty-second minute.
Richard stared intently at the screen, unable to discern what Yun Xingze was planning.
Bai Jiashi’s competitive drive was clearly much stronger than Yun Xingze’s. Gradually, he achieved perfect synchronization with his Comet mech, entering a state of “man-machine unity.”
Yun Xingze could distinctly feel it becoming increasingly difficult to withstand Bai Jiashi’s attacks.
Though he had brushed against the threshold of “man-machine unity,” he still hadn’t achieved complete neural integration with his mech’s connection system.
An energy whip grazed past his side, missing him by mere centimeters.
Yun Xingze’s mech dodged at an impossibly acute angle, drawing gasps from the audience.
The current situation looked perilous for Yun Xingze.
Closing his eyes briefly, Yun Xingze reflected on his decision to hold back his mechanical beast. He wanted to push himself to the limit.
He asked himself: Did he want to win this match?
The answer was unequivocally yes.
Then why couldn’t he achieve that perfect synchronization?
Taking a deep breath, Yun Xingze steadied himself as the match entered its twenty-fifth minute.
A timer beeped, warning both competitors that time was running out.
Against Bai Jiashi’s relentless, cunning attacks, Yun Xingze immersed himself in his desire for victory, their battle reaching fever pitch.
On the arena floor, two medium-class mechs clashed in a spectacular display. Emerald chainsword against silver plasma blade with the scales of victory slowly tipping toward Bai Jiashi.
After another brutal exchange forced both combatants apart, Yun Xingze appeared exhausted, his mech bearing numerous wounds mostly inflicted by the Comet mech’s dismantling tools.
Having achieved his objective, Bai Jiashi saw his chance. In these final minutes, he would dismantle Yun Xingze’s mech piece by piece and humiliate him thoroughly.
Revving his mech’s engines to maximum output from twenty meters away, Bai Jiashi brandished both chainsword and plasma saw before charging forward with a mechanical roar.
Meanwhile, spectators noticed something peculiar. Yun Xingze’s previously concealed mechanical beast had been busy laying shadow mines across the battlefield right in Bai Jiashi’s path.
Murmurs spread through the crowd:
“When did those mines get planted?”
“That mechanical beast was setting traps this whole time?”
“Incredible! He was controlling it while fighting Bai Jiashi!”
Yet Bai Jiashi merely scoffed at the minefield. “Pathetic tricks,” he sneered, effortlessly leaping over the explosives without breaking stride. “Is this all you’ve got?”
That ugly mechanical cat posed no real threat. It seemed Yun Xingze had reached his limit.
Defying expectations, the exhausted Yun Xingze didn’t retreat. Instead, he assumed a defensive stance, preparing to meet the Comet mech head-on.
St. Clythus’s team could barely contain their excitement. Bai Jiashi’s Comet mech packed devastating power. This collision would surely finish Yun Xingze.
Gamma smirked, thinking that while Yun Xingze would lose, he’d fought respectably for an Omega.
Meanwhile, the Star Ocean Academy team watched with bated breath, their faces etched with concern as they stared at the screens.
In various military academies, audiences watching the live broadcast of the match held their breaths, eyes wide open as they stared at the screens, waiting for the decisive moment of victory or defeat.
Just as Bai Jiashi cleared the landmines.
A sharp, piercing sound erupted across the battlefield.
Transparent threads, taut like violin strings, formed an invisible web above the mines, slicing into Bai Jiashi’s Comet mech.
Though Bai Jiashi reacted swiftly, deep gashes appeared on his limbs within mere seconds.
Bai Jiashi’s eyes widened in realization that ugly cat had been secretly laying down a “Heavenly Net”!
Under normal circumstances, Bai Jiashi would have noticed something amiss and dodged the nanothreads.
But his attention had been completely absorbed by the landmines on the ground, and Yun Xingze’s reckless charge toward him had sealed his fate!
When the Comet mech became entangled, the crowd didn’t immediately grasp what had happened.
At that moment, the mechanical beast finally revealed itself.
It appeared beneath the ensnared Comet mech, wrapping its twin chain swords around Bai Jiashi’s legs.
Then, Yun Xingze struck the Comet mech’s shoulders with his twin beam sabers precisely where the threads had entangled severing Bai Jiashi’s mechanical arms.
“Boom—”
With both arms gone, Bai Jiashi collapsed to the ground.
The landmines beneath him exploded like firecrackers, crackling violently.
Bai Jiashi, who had dismissed them as mere child’s play mere moments ago, now cried out in pain.
Before all the mines had detonated, the referee began the countdown.
Yun Xingze’s main mech and mechanical beast stood side by side, calmly observing the fallen Comet mech.
The audience was stunned.
“When was that nanonet deployed?!”
“It seems Yun Xingze was setting it up during his fight with Bai Jiashi.”
“Incredible! To deploy the Shadow mech’s ultimate move so quickly and still win the match!”
“Though, that net was a bit small.”
“True. On closer look, it’s a miniaturized Heavenly Net.”
At the center of the battlefield, the scale of the nanothreads was smaller than what Hebrew had deployed in the previous match only the central area resembled a proper net, with sparser density around the edges.
As if it had shrunk.
At that moment, Hebrew and the rest of the Gikot team, watching the live broadcast from their terminals, were dumbfounded.
The shape and arrangement of that nanonet were an exact replica of Hebrew’s “Heavenly Net” from the previous round.
“It—it…” Hebrew pointed at the screen, mouth agape, before muttering in disbelief, “It copied my technique?!”
Cheng Jun nodded behind him. “Yes. Yun Xingze definitely collected your data in the last match.”
Hebrew didn’t know whether to laugh or fume. After a long pause, he finally spat out, “Yun Xingze has some nerve!”
Yet, despite its diminutive size, the nanonet packed a devastating punch.
Yun Xingze’s placement seemed meticulously calculated or perhaps he had deliberately lured Bai Jiashi into it after deployment.
What had appeared to be instinctive combat was, in reality, the result of precise calculation.
Gamma stared at the battlefield in shock. With only two minutes left and victory within reach, Yun Xingze had still managed to counterattack!
After a long silence, someone from the St. Clythus team gritted their teeth and muttered, “That was downright sneaky!”
The countdown ended.
The referee announced that Yun Xingze had won this match.
The score changed from 0:3 to 1:3.
Though there was still a gap, he had successfully prevented St. Clythus from securing the match point.
After losing two consecutive matches, the Star Ocean team had finally regained their momentum in this one.
Whether it was the Star Ocean supporters in the stadium or the students watching the broadcast in the Imperial Capital, they could finally cheer with pride.
“Yun Xingze is amazing! Go, Star Ocean team!”
“So impressive, he actually defeated Bai Jiashi!”
“Comeback from 0:3! Comeback from 0:3!”
“Star Ocean team, charge forward!”
Meanwhile, the supporters of St. Clythus were more or less disappointed.
In the first two matches, St. Clythus had humiliated Star Ocean Military Academy, but by the third match, the tables seemed to have turned.
“Thank goodness we won.” Oliver sighed in relief on the bench, his back drenched in cold sweat. “If we had lost this group match, advancing would’ve been much harder.”
Yun Xingze stepped out of his mech, while Bai Jiashi emerged only after a long pause.
The two locked eyes, and Bai Jiashi frowned, gritting his teeth as he said, “Yun Xingze, I’ll admit you’ve got skill.”
“Flattery won’t help you,” Yun Xingze replied calmly. “I’ll keep my promise. Your pre-match declaration will be posted on the Star Network.”
“You—” Bai Jiashi swallowed hard. Though his back still ached, he suppressed the pain and said slowly, “I don’t care if you post it. But don’t forget what you said earlier.”
Yun Xingze raised an eyebrow. “What do you mean?”
“Aren’t you going to tell me what the expert said?!” Bai Jiashi glared at him.
“Oh, that.” Yun Xingze looked at him and said flatly, “The expert said that predicting victory or defeat is never certain.”
Bai Jiashi froze for a few seconds before clenching his fists in fury. “You’re shameless! Utterly despicable, devoid of morals!”
After keeping him in suspense for so long, this was all he got?!
Yun Xingze hadn’t expected to be called “shameless” by someone from St. Clythus. He decided to take it as a compliment.
When he returned to the Star Ocean team, the members for the second team match had already left. The remaining teammates celebrated his hard-earned victory.
“Well done,” Richard said excitedly, pulling Yun Xingze into a hug. “You didn’t let me down, kid!”
Just as Yun Xingze was about to thank him, Richard added, “You really are sneaky.”
Yun Xingze: “…”
Luo Wenchuan handed Yun Xingze a drink and said, “Your modifications succeeded again. Now, your mechanical beast can function like a Shadow Mech.”
“Honestly, I wasn’t entirely confident about the nano-net. Bai Jiashi was just too eager to win,” Yun Xingze admitted after taking a sip. “Still… it’s a bit of a shame.” His voice trailed off.
Luo Wenchuan knew Yun Xingze regretted not achieving the “Mech-Human Unity” state.
“Your performance just now was very close to ‘Mech-Human Unity.’ It’s only a matter of time,” Luo Wenchuan said gently, ruffling his hair.
The touch made Yun Xingze’s mood instantly lift.
