Chapter 87.2
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T/L: Sorry for being so inconsistent in translating the structure of this competition. In my defense, I’m also confused because the author uses so much “final” round QAQ
It should be like this:
Qualifying round (they’re currently here)
-> goal: to be a Top 5 player in their own district. QZY and CY are in the Capital Planet district. There’s two divisions: the Federation and the Empire. Each division consists of many districts.
-> consists of several rounds, with each round having different rules, but they are all real-life.
-> Chu Rong and Chu Huai forbids them from winning the qualifying round, so they can’t place in top 5.
Play-offs/final round
-> battle royale, survival style.
-> Top 5 players of each district will battle on a separate planet.
While Chu Yan resolved his doubts about the first shot by asking Qiao Zhiya in person, questions still lingered in the minds of the audience and the defeated contestant, Liu Hongzi.
After all the matches of the day concluded, discussions about the competition heated up on the forum. On the other hand, Liu Hongzi applied for an official review of the match, seeking to accept the defeat graciously.
Some keen-eyed spectators, upon studying the official match footage, discovered the extreme actions of Qiao Zhiya swinging his hammer to combat the ammunition. They enthusiastically rushed to the forum to share this discovery with others. Later, Liu Hongzi also learned about the process of losing the match from the referees at the monitoring site.
It was a hammer, a quaint-looking hammer… Everyone who knew the truth was stunned, and then was amazed.
A hammer that could withstand that kind of shots, its specs must be super-grade. This weapon must also be made by Qiao Zhiya himself… RESPECT, with capital letters!
With the help of this news, the Mecha Piloting Competition – which should have been very popular but appeared very low-key because of the pharmacy incident – finally got the attention it should have. On the Starry Sky Forum, posts about the competition appeared in every corner.
A few days later, just before the second round began, another piece of heavy news came – the Empire’s Third Prince actually participated in this match, and he had already won the first round of the first qualifying round. Of course, he’s in the Empire Division.
So the people became more and more excited. They cheered at the players, leaving the task to bring glory by defeating the Third Prince to them!
During the break between the two qualifying rounds, first-year student Chu Yan finished his final exams and officially welcomed the summer vacation.
And just the day after that, the private ships of the Ning family set sail silently in the early morning, all heading to the Empire.
After listening to the gossip brought by Chu Yan, Qiao Zhiya remembered the message sent by Ning Kongran before, but didn’t reply. Instead, he continued to immerse himself in the making of his small mecha.
Because he wanted to try something new, the production of the small mecha was a bit slower. When it was finally finished, it was 10 PM the day before the second round. After Qiao Zhiya was done, he was immediately taken by Chu Rong for a quick shower and tucked into bed. He had no time to test drive it.
On the day of the competition, on the way to the arena, Chu Yan said worriedly, “You should use Rong Tian today. Your Elf1小精灵; xiaojingling hasn’t been tested. What if something goes wrong during the match?”
“I actually had driven it a bit in secret.” Qiao Zhiya replied, suppressing the guilty conscience he felt when Chu Rong saw him. “Besides, I didn’t bring Rong Tian with me. Master Ren is still cleaning off the gravity-altering powder stuck on the mecha.”
“What! You did not bring Rong Tian!” Chu Yan could not help but scream.
Qiao Zhiya hurriedly tugged at him, then turned to look at Chu Rong.
Chu Rong frowned, saw him come up and fixed his bangs, saying, “I brought Master Ren’s spare mecha for you. Don’t worry.”
When Qiao Zhiya saw that he was not angry, he pursed his lips and smiled, tilting his head and nuzzling into his palm.
Chu Yan, who found himself worried: “…”
The rules of the second qualifying round were the same as the preliminary round – +1 point for each win, -1 point for each loss, and 3 losses means you’re eliminated. Chu Yan and Qiao Zhiya’s grouping was still the same as the last game. Chu Yan was in Group 2, and Qiao Zhiya was in Group 4.
“Jiayou!”
“Jiayou!”
After entering the competition arena, Chu Yan and Qiao Zhiya encouraged each other, then bid farewell to Chu Rong, and each entered the waiting area of their respective group.
Upon entering the waiting area for his group, Qiao Zhiya was immediately met with the gazes of other participants. He paused, smiled friendly at everyone as a greeting, then found his designated spot marked with his participant number and walked over to sit down.
“Humph.”
The player, who was also a teenager around his age, suddenly snorted. He looked over at him, but was given a stink eye by the other party. After narrowing his eyes, he silently retracted his gaze, and politely stopped looking around.
“Your previous match was wonderful.”
The participant sitting on the other side suddenly spoke up, extending a friendly hand and introducing herself: “Hello, I’m Irene2her name is 艾琳 “Ài Lín”, which can also be Aileen/Erin/Eileen., a fourth-year student at the Federal Military Academy. Thank you and the Chu family for helping my father. Good luck in the competition.”
A distinctly feminine hand reached out in front of him, prompting Qiao Zhiya to follow its direction and meet the friendly gaze of the long-haired female participant beside him.
Irene saw him come over and smiled at him again, inching closer.
Qiao Zhiya shook her hand politely, then began to introduce himself. “Hello, I’m Qiao Zhiya. Your father…”
“He’s a mecha warrior. Thank you for revealing the matter of the Energy Conversion Agent.” Irene explained.
Qiao Zhiya suddenly realized and a smile spread across his face. He engaged in conversation with her, expressing concern about her father’s situation.
The teenager sitting on the other side frowned, clearly displaying his disgust.
At 10 AM, the match began. A large screen was lowered in the middle of the waiting area, displaying ten blank match tables. Then, the numbers of the participants in the tables started flashing continuously until they finally stopped. The indicator light on Qiao Zhiya’s seat lit up, showing the number “5”.
“I didn’t expect you to fight in the first match. You can go to the arena via Channel 5. Just go out from there.” Irene, who was more familiar with this kind of game, whispered and pointed to the other side of the waiting area, 10 channels connected to the match arena.
Qiao Zhiya thanked her, got up and walked toward Channel 5. However, he did not expect the teenager sitting on the other side of him to follow up, and went in the same direction as him.
“Don’t block the way.”
The boy deliberately walked two steps and bumped him on the shoulder, taking the lead to enter Channel 5.
Qiao Zhiya frowned, raising his hands and rubbing his shoulders.
Once again, as soon as he stepped out, Qiao Zhiya was engulfed by the cheers of the audience. He waved to his supporters and then made his way to the arena connected directly to Channel 5. After greeting the overseeing referee, he entered the competition area.
The teenager player on the opposite side had already taken out his mecha and boarded it. It was actually a small mecha, and its level was not low.
Qiao Zhiya glanced only briefly before averting his gaze, retrieving the button containing his Elf mecha from its compartment. With slightly trembling fingers, he pressed it forward.
Then, a small earthy brown mecha with green markings appeared. It resembled a large humanoid metal doll.
The cheers in the auditorium suddenly disappeared, and the small mecha driven by his opponent paused for a moment.
It’s not Rong Tian? Where is that towering, imposing black mecha? What’s with this strange humanoid metal doll-like thing standing in front of Qiao Zhiya now? What’s going on? Is he going to compete passively again?
The same questions arose in everyone’s minds, including the referee.
“Player Qiao Zhiya, do you want to use this… uh, mecha, for the match?” The referee couldn’t help but ask.
He couldn’t be blamed, the mecha in front of him was unlike other mecha he had seen. Because Qiao Zhiya was unable to completely replicate the human proportions, the joints at the shoulders and neck had to be smoothly contoured. As a result, the mecha was more like a big metallic humanoid figure.
Traditional mecha had a protective shell-like armor. Even Rong Tian, which Qiao Zhiya himself designed, followed this trend. But this brown-green mecha was a whole different thing.
“Yes, I’m using this. Its name is Elf.” Qiao Zhiya nodded, and introduced the strange mecha’s name like a proud parent. He then jumped up sharply, opened the mecha’s cockpit and tucked himself in.
‘There’s really a cockpit? It’s really a mecha?’ many people questioned.3T/L: I would imagine that traditional mecha looked like a giant robot a la Gundam, while QZY’s Elf is more… biomechanical(?). More human-like. I would say like the mechas in EVA or Darling in the Franxx.
The audience and referees couldn’t shake off the surreal feeling of witnessing something magical. As the three-minute preparation time was nearing its end, the referee snapped back to reality, casting another glance at the brown mecha with its glowing startup lights before stiffly returning to the referee stand.
The teenager who drove the small white mecha also snapped back to reality as well. Scornfully, he surveyed the Elf across the room once more as he began readying his weapon, secretly on guard.
Formally lighting up his own mecha, Qiao Zhiya was a little excited. He first tried to move his body, and determined that there was nothing wrong before starting to debug the weapon.
The audience was stunned again. How could this strange mech move so, so… flexibly? It’s like it’s a real person walking back and forth. Its movement of lowering its head and torso were very free, without any hint of rigidity that a normal mecha should have.
To achieve this effect, to what extent did Qiao Zhiya refine the joints of this strange mecha? There was also a very obvious odd body proportion of this mecha. Is having such thin limbs appropriate for combat?
“Ding!” The countdown ended, and the opposing white small mecha brandished a long knife, aggressively lunging forward, opting for close combat to evade Qiao Zhiya’s unpredictable long-range bow and arrow attacks.
Qiao Zhiya immediately took out his hammer to meet his opponent in the middle. The two weapons clashed together, making a loud metal impact.
‘What an amazing strength!’
The two youths thought about it at the same time. They both backed at the same time and lunged forward again!
So fast!
The audience gasped in amazement, stunned by the combat prowess displayed by the two players. However, they soon noticed something peculiar about Qiao Zhiya’s mecha — it seemed to move as if it were a living being engaged in combat! Despite its slender limbs compared to typical mechas’, its movements were powerful and aggressive, whether it was the flexing of its arms or the intensity of its retreats.
Its slender arms could casually swung around a giant hammer. The contrast made a great visual impact! The white mecha opposite of him was also very good. Despite its high frequency attacks, each strike was very beautiful. At the very least, the player’s basic skills were rock solid.
On one side, there was textbook-like precision and sophisticated maneuvers, while on the other, there were wild and primal counterattacks. Both fighters moved swiftly, but it was evident that Qiao Zhiya was more agile and adept at handling the situation. The slender form of his mecha proved to be a significant advantage in close combat!
Even more impressive! The audience was exhilarated. After switching to the small-sized mecha, Qiao Zhiya’s prowess seemed even greater!
“Bang! Bang!”
The sound of metal clashing continued incessantly as the two battled from the center of the arena to its edges and back again. Throughout the fight, neither of them took to the skies, used any firearms, or attempted to create distance. It was all about close combat!
The audience was completely mobilized, and the sound of cheering almost overturned the roof of the stadium.
After a round of grappling, Qiao Zhiya’s expression turned serious, sweat beading on his forehead. Just as he suspected, not test-driving it properly led to issues. There was a joint in the mecha’s waist that wasn’t properly calibrated and needed some adjustment.
So, he must finish the match quickly.
Qiao Zhiya’s gaze hardened, and his movements intensified.
The teenager noticed the change and increased the intensity of his attack.
“Boom!”
The two weapons clashed again, but this time, instead of retreating or launching another attack, Qiao Zhiya suddenly crouched down. With a sweeping motion, he forced the white mecha to step back. Then, with a quick step, he appeared behind the white mech, retracted his hammer, reached out his arm, and grabbed the white mecha’s waist. With a twist of his body, he forcefully flung it away.
The audience’s eyes nearly popped out—can a mecha even perform such actions? Twisting its body to fling another mecha away? How did he do it? What kind of controls enable such “twisting” movement? Could a mecha’s waist connection even allow for such “twisting”?
As the white mecha was flung, the pilot reacted in time, using its flight capabilities and trying to stabilize himself mid-air. But then, Qiao Zhiya pulled out his bow, pointing it at him. Because of Qiao Zhiya’s throw, the white mecha’s joints were a bit rattled, hindering its movement. The teenager knew he must resolve this matter as soon as possible!
The arrow came swiftly, startling the teenager, who quickly swung his sword to block.
Unfortunately for him, a second arrow followed suit, flying in the same trajectory as the first. He soon realized that he had become the target of the other party at the moment when he flew. He opened the mecha’s shield, and at the same time took out a long-ranged firearm, trying to counterattack and pry open an opportunity.
“Whoosh—”
Qiao Zhiya didn’t give him a chance to fight back. He fired off several arrows in succession, aiming it at all possible directions the teenager could retreat. He aimed the last arrow right at his opponent’s cockpit area, forcing him to forfeit.
This round of the game was only one match of many. Even if he lost 1 point, it wouldn’t doom him. In this kind of situation, his utmost priority is to minimize any damages to his mecha so he can still compete.
Despite his unwillingness, knowing the destructive power of Qiao Zhiya’s arrow, the teenager bit his lip and forfeited.
——His ranged weapon destroyed and his melee weapon slipping from his grasp, even if he landed, he would still be an easy target for Qiao Zhiya. There was no possibility of winning. It was better to admit defeat and prepare for the next round.
Please report us if you find any errors so we can fix it asap!
T/L: Sorry for being so inconsistent in translating the structure of this competition. In my defense, I’m also confused because the author uses so much “final” round QAQ
It should be like this:
Qualifying round (they’re currently here)
-> goal: to be a Top 5 player in their own district. QZY and CY are in the Capital Planet district. There’s two divisions: the Federation and the Empire. Each division consists of many districts.
-> consists of several rounds, with each round having different rules, but they are all real-life.
-> Chu Rong and Chu Huai forbids them from winning the qualifying round, so they can’t place in top 5.
Play-offs/final round
-> battle royale, survival style.
-> Top 5 players of each district will battle on a separate planet.
While Chu Yan resolved his doubts about the first shot by asking Qiao Zhiya in person, questions still lingered in the minds of the audience and the defeated contestant, Liu Hongzi.
After all the matches of the day concluded, discussions about the competition heated up on the forum. On the other hand, Liu Hongzi applied for an official review of the match, seeking to accept the defeat graciously.
Some keen-eyed spectators, upon studying the official match footage, discovered the extreme actions of Qiao Zhiya swinging his hammer to combat the ammunition. They enthusiastically rushed to the forum to share this discovery with others. Later, Liu Hongzi also learned about the process of losing the match from the referees at the monitoring site.
It was a hammer, a quaint-looking hammer… Everyone who knew the truth was stunned, and then was amazed.
A hammer that could withstand that kind of shots, its specs must be super-grade. This weapon must also be made by Qiao Zhiya himself… RESPECT, with capital letters!
With the help of this news, the Mecha Piloting Competition – which should have been very popular but appeared very low-key because of the pharmacy incident – finally got the attention it should have. On the Starry Sky Forum, posts about the competition appeared in every corner.
A few days later, just before the second round began, another piece of heavy news came – the Empire’s Third Prince actually participated in this match, and he had already won the first round of the first qualifying round. Of course, he’s in the Empire Division.
So the people became more and more excited. They cheered at the players, leaving the task to bring glory by defeating the Third Prince to them!
During the break between the two qualifying rounds, first-year student Chu Yan finished his final exams and officially welcomed the summer vacation.
And just the day after that, the private ships of the Ning family set sail silently in the early morning, all heading to the Empire.
After listening to the gossip brought by Chu Yan, Qiao Zhiya remembered the message sent by Ning Kongran before, but didn’t reply. Instead, he continued to immerse himself in the making of his small mecha.
Because he wanted to try something new, the production of the small mecha was a bit slower. When it was finally finished, it was 10 PM the day before the second round. After Qiao Zhiya was done, he was immediately taken by Chu Rong for a quick shower and tucked into bed. He had no time to test drive it.
On the day of the competition, on the way to the arena, Chu Yan said worriedly, “You should use Rong Tian today. Your Elf1小精灵; xiaojingling hasn’t been tested. What if something goes wrong during the match?”
“I actually had driven it a bit in secret.” Qiao Zhiya replied, suppressing the guilty conscience he felt when Chu Rong saw him. “Besides, I didn’t bring Rong Tian with me. Master Ren is still cleaning off the gravity-altering powder stuck on the mecha.”
“What! You did not bring Rong Tian!” Chu Yan could not help but scream.
Qiao Zhiya hurriedly tugged at him, then turned to look at Chu Rong.
Chu Rong frowned, saw him come up and fixed his bangs, saying, “I brought Master Ren’s spare mecha for you. Don’t worry.”
When Qiao Zhiya saw that he was not angry, he pursed his lips and smiled, tilting his head and nuzzling into his palm.
Chu Yan, who found himself worried: “…”
The rules of the second qualifying round were the same as the preliminary round – +1 point for each win, -1 point for each loss, and 3 losses means you’re eliminated. Chu Yan and Qiao Zhiya’s grouping was still the same as the last game. Chu Yan was in Group 2, and Qiao Zhiya was in Group 4.
“Jiayou!”
“Jiayou!”
After entering the competition arena, Chu Yan and Qiao Zhiya encouraged each other, then bid farewell to Chu Rong, and each entered the waiting area of their respective group.
Upon entering the waiting area for his group, Qiao Zhiya was immediately met with the gazes of other participants. He paused, smiled friendly at everyone as a greeting, then found his designated spot marked with his participant number and walked over to sit down.
“Humph.”
The player, who was also a teenager around his age, suddenly snorted. He looked over at him, but was given a stink eye by the other party. After narrowing his eyes, he silently retracted his gaze, and politely stopped looking around.
“Your previous match was wonderful.”
The participant sitting on the other side suddenly spoke up, extending a friendly hand and introducing herself: “Hello, I’m Irene2her name is 艾琳 “Ài Lín”, which can also be Aileen/Erin/Eileen., a fourth-year student at the Federal Military Academy. Thank you and the Chu family for helping my father. Good luck in the competition.”
A distinctly feminine hand reached out in front of him, prompting Qiao Zhiya to follow its direction and meet the friendly gaze of the long-haired female participant beside him.
Irene saw him come over and smiled at him again, inching closer.
Qiao Zhiya shook her hand politely, then began to introduce himself. “Hello, I’m Qiao Zhiya. Your father…”
“He’s a mecha warrior. Thank you for revealing the matter of the Energy Conversion Agent.” Irene explained.
Qiao Zhiya suddenly realized and a smile spread across his face. He engaged in conversation with her, expressing concern about her father’s situation.
The teenager sitting on the other side frowned, clearly displaying his disgust.
At 10 AM, the match began. A large screen was lowered in the middle of the waiting area, displaying ten blank match tables. Then, the numbers of the participants in the tables started flashing continuously until they finally stopped. The indicator light on Qiao Zhiya’s seat lit up, showing the number “5”.
“I didn’t expect you to fight in the first match. You can go to the arena via Channel 5. Just go out from there.” Irene, who was more familiar with this kind of game, whispered and pointed to the other side of the waiting area, 10 channels connected to the match arena.
Qiao Zhiya thanked her, got up and walked toward Channel 5. However, he did not expect the teenager sitting on the other side of him to follow up, and went in the same direction as him.
“Don’t block the way.”
The boy deliberately walked two steps and bumped him on the shoulder, taking the lead to enter Channel 5.
Qiao Zhiya frowned, raising his hands and rubbing his shoulders.
Once again, as soon as he stepped out, Qiao Zhiya was engulfed by the cheers of the audience. He waved to his supporters and then made his way to the arena connected directly to Channel 5. After greeting the overseeing referee, he entered the competition area.
The teenager player on the opposite side had already taken out his mecha and boarded it. It was actually a small mecha, and its level was not low.
Qiao Zhiya glanced only briefly before averting his gaze, retrieving the button containing his Elf mecha from its compartment. With slightly trembling fingers, he pressed it forward.
Then, a small earthy brown mecha with green markings appeared. It resembled a large humanoid metal doll.
The cheers in the auditorium suddenly disappeared, and the small mecha driven by his opponent paused for a moment.
It’s not Rong Tian? Where is that towering, imposing black mecha? What’s with this strange humanoid metal doll-like thing standing in front of Qiao Zhiya now? What’s going on? Is he going to compete passively again?
The same questions arose in everyone’s minds, including the referee.
“Player Qiao Zhiya, do you want to use this… uh, mecha, for the match?” The referee couldn’t help but ask.
He couldn’t be blamed, the mecha in front of him was unlike other mecha he had seen. Because Qiao Zhiya was unable to completely replicate the human proportions, the joints at the shoulders and neck had to be smoothly contoured. As a result, the mecha was more like a big metallic humanoid figure.
Traditional mecha had a protective shell-like armor. Even Rong Tian, which Qiao Zhiya himself designed, followed this trend. But this brown-green mecha was a whole different thing.
“Yes, I’m using this. Its name is Elf.” Qiao Zhiya nodded, and introduced the strange mecha’s name like a proud parent. He then jumped up sharply, opened the mecha’s cockpit and tucked himself in.
‘There’s really a cockpit? It’s really a mecha?’ many people questioned.3T/L: I would imagine that traditional mecha looked like a giant robot a la Gundam, while QZY’s Elf is more… biomechanical(?). More human-like. I would say like the mechas in EVA or Darling in the Franxx.
The audience and referees couldn’t shake off the surreal feeling of witnessing something magical. As the three-minute preparation time was nearing its end, the referee snapped back to reality, casting another glance at the brown mecha with its glowing startup lights before stiffly returning to the referee stand.
The teenager who drove the small white mecha also snapped back to reality as well. Scornfully, he surveyed the Elf across the room once more as he began readying his weapon, secretly on guard.
Formally lighting up his own mecha, Qiao Zhiya was a little excited. He first tried to move his body, and determined that there was nothing wrong before starting to debug the weapon.
The audience was stunned again. How could this strange mech move so, so… flexibly? It’s like it’s a real person walking back and forth. Its movement of lowering its head and torso were very free, without any hint of rigidity that a normal mecha should have.
To achieve this effect, to what extent did Qiao Zhiya refine the joints of this strange mecha? There was also a very obvious odd body proportion of this mecha. Is having such thin limbs appropriate for combat?
“Ding!” The countdown ended, and the opposing white small mecha brandished a long knife, aggressively lunging forward, opting for close combat to evade Qiao Zhiya’s unpredictable long-range bow and arrow attacks.
Qiao Zhiya immediately took out his hammer to meet his opponent in the middle. The two weapons clashed together, making a loud metal impact.
‘What an amazing strength!’
The two youths thought about it at the same time. They both backed at the same time and lunged forward again!
So fast!
The audience gasped in amazement, stunned by the combat prowess displayed by the two players. However, they soon noticed something peculiar about Qiao Zhiya’s mecha — it seemed to move as if it were a living being engaged in combat! Despite its slender limbs compared to typical mechas’, its movements were powerful and aggressive, whether it was the flexing of its arms or the intensity of its retreats.
Its slender arms could casually swung around a giant hammer. The contrast made a great visual impact! The white mecha opposite of him was also very good. Despite its high frequency attacks, each strike was very beautiful. At the very least, the player’s basic skills were rock solid.
On one side, there was textbook-like precision and sophisticated maneuvers, while on the other, there were wild and primal counterattacks. Both fighters moved swiftly, but it was evident that Qiao Zhiya was more agile and adept at handling the situation. The slender form of his mecha proved to be a significant advantage in close combat!
Even more impressive! The audience was exhilarated. After switching to the small-sized mecha, Qiao Zhiya’s prowess seemed even greater!
“Bang! Bang!”
The sound of metal clashing continued incessantly as the two battled from the center of the arena to its edges and back again. Throughout the fight, neither of them took to the skies, used any firearms, or attempted to create distance. It was all about close combat!
The audience was completely mobilized, and the sound of cheering almost overturned the roof of the stadium.
After a round of grappling, Qiao Zhiya’s expression turned serious, sweat beading on his forehead. Just as he suspected, not test-driving it properly led to issues. There was a joint in the mecha’s waist that wasn’t properly calibrated and needed some adjustment.
So, he must finish the match quickly.
Qiao Zhiya’s gaze hardened, and his movements intensified.
The teenager noticed the change and increased the intensity of his attack.
“Boom!”
The two weapons clashed again, but this time, instead of retreating or launching another attack, Qiao Zhiya suddenly crouched down. With a sweeping motion, he forced the white mecha to step back. Then, with a quick step, he appeared behind the white mech, retracted his hammer, reached out his arm, and grabbed the white mecha’s waist. With a twist of his body, he forcefully flung it away.
The audience’s eyes nearly popped out—can a mecha even perform such actions? Twisting its body to fling another mecha away? How did he do it? What kind of controls enable such “twisting” movement? Could a mecha’s waist connection even allow for such “twisting”?
As the white mecha was flung, the pilot reacted in time, using its flight capabilities and trying to stabilize himself mid-air. But then, Qiao Zhiya pulled out his bow, pointing it at him. Because of Qiao Zhiya’s throw, the white mecha’s joints were a bit rattled, hindering its movement. The teenager knew he must resolve this matter as soon as possible!
The arrow came swiftly, startling the teenager, who quickly swung his sword to block.
Unfortunately for him, a second arrow followed suit, flying in the same trajectory as the first. He soon realized that he had become the target of the other party at the moment when he flew. He opened the mecha’s shield, and at the same time took out a long-ranged firearm, trying to counterattack and pry open an opportunity.
“Whoosh—”
Qiao Zhiya didn’t give him a chance to fight back. He fired off several arrows in succession, aiming it at all possible directions the teenager could retreat. He aimed the last arrow right at his opponent’s cockpit area, forcing him to forfeit.
This round of the game was only one match of many. Even if he lost 1 point, it wouldn’t doom him. In this kind of situation, his utmost priority is to minimize any damages to his mecha so he can still compete.
Despite his unwillingness, knowing the destructive power of Qiao Zhiya’s arrow, the teenager bit his lip and forfeited.
——His ranged weapon destroyed and his melee weapon slipping from his grasp, even if he landed, he would still be an easy target for Qiao Zhiya. There was no possibility of winning. It was better to admit defeat and prepare for the next round.
T/L: Sorry for being so inconsistent in translating the structure of this competition. In my defense, I'm also confused because the author uses so much final round QAQIt should be like this:Qualifying round they're currently here- goal: to be a Top 5 player in their own district. QZY and CY are in the Capital Planet district. There's two divisions: the Federation and the Empire. Each division consists of many districts. - consists of several rounds, with each round having different rules, but they are all real-life.- Chu Rong and Chu Huai forbids them from winning the qualifying round, so they can't place in top 5. Play-offs/final round- battle royale, survival style. - Top 5 players of each district will battle on a separate planet. While Chu Yan resolved his doubts about the first shot by asking Qiao Zhiya in person, questions still lingered in the minds of the audience and the defeated contestant, Liu Hongzi.After all the matches of the day concluded, discussions about the competition heated up on the forum. On the other hand, Liu Hongzi applied for an official review of the match, seeking to accept the defeat graciously.Some keen-eyed spectators, upon studying the official match footage, discovered the extreme actions of Qiao Zhiya swinging his hammer to combat the ammunition. They enthusiastically rushed to the forum to share this discovery with others. Later, Liu Hongzi also learned about the process of losing the match from the referees at the monitoring site.It was a hammer, a quaint-looking hammer Everyone who knew the truth was stunned, and then was amazed.A hammer that could withstand that kind of shots, its specs must be super-grade. This weapon must also be made by Qiao Zhiya himself RESPECT, with capital letters!With the help of this news, the Mecha Piloting Competition which should have been very popular but appeared very low-key because of the pharmacy incident finally got the attention it should have. On the Starry Sky Forum, posts about the competition appeared in every corner.A few days later, just before the second round began, another piece of heavy news came the Empire's Third Prince actually participated in this match, and he had already won the first round of the first qualifying round. Of course, he's in the Empire Division.So the people became more and more excited. They cheered at the players, leaving the task to bring glory by defeating the Third Prince to them!During the break between the two qualifying rounds, first-year student Chu Yan finished his final exams and officially welcomed the summer vacation.And just the day after that, the private ships of the Ning family set sail silently in the early morning, all heading to the Empire.After listening to the gossip brought by Chu Yan, Qiao Zhiya remembered the message sent by Ning Kongran before, but didn't reply. Instead, he continued to immerse himself in the making of his small mecha.Because he wanted to try something new, the production of the small mecha was a bit slower. When it was finally finished, it was 10 PM the day before the second round. After Qiao Zhiya was done, he was immediately taken by Chu Rong for a quick shower and tucked into bed. He had no time to test drive it.On the day of the competition, on the way to the arena, Chu Yan said worriedly, You should use Rong Tian today. Your Elf1; xiaojingling hasn't been tested. What if something goes wrong during the match? I actually had driven it a bit in secret. Qiao Zhiya replied, suppressing the guilty conscience he felt when Chu Rong saw him. Besides, I didn't bring Rong Tian with me. Master Ren is still cleaning off the gravity-altering powder stuck on the mecha.What! You did not bring Rong Tian! Chu Yan could not help but scream.Qiao Zhiya hurriedly tugged at him, then turned to look at Chu Rong.Chu Rong frowned, saw him come up and fixed his bangs, saying, I brought Master Ren's spare mecha for you. Don't worry.When Qiao Zhiya saw that he was not angry, he pursed his lips and smiled, tilting his head and nuzzling into his palm.Chu Yan, who found himself worried: The rules of the second qualifying round were the same as the preliminary round +1 point for each win, -1 point for each loss, and 3 losses means you're eliminated. Chu Yan and Qiao Zhiya's grouping was still the same as the last game. Chu Yan was in Group 2, and Qiao Zhiya was in Group 4.Jiayou!Jiayou!After entering the competition arena, Chu Yan and Qiao Zhiya encouraged each other, then bid farewell to Chu Rong, and each entered the waiting area of their respective group.Upon entering the waiting area for his group, Qiao Zhiya was immediately met with the gazes of other participants. He paused, smiled friendly at everyone as a greeting, then found his designated spot marked with his participant number and walked over to sit down.Humph.The player, who was also a teenager around his age, suddenly snorted. He looked over at him, but was given a stink eye by the other party. After narrowing his eyes, he silently retracted his gaze, and politely stopped looking around.Your previous match was wonderful.The participant sitting on the other side suddenly spoke up, extending a friendly hand and introducing herself: Hello, I'm Irene2her name is i Ln, which can also be Aileen/Erin/Eileen., a fourth-year student at the Federal Military Academy. Thank you and the Chu family for helping my father. Good luck in the competition. A distinctly feminine hand reached out in front of him, prompting Qiao Zhiya to follow its direction and meet the friendly gaze of the long-haired female participant beside him.Irene saw him come over and smiled at him again, inching closer.Qiao Zhiya shook her hand politely, then began to introduce himself. Hello, I'm Qiao Zhiya. Your fatherHe's a mecha warrior. Thank you for revealing the matter of the Energy Conversion Agent. Irene explained.Qiao Zhiya suddenly realized and a smile spread across his face. He engaged in conversation with her, expressing concern about her father's situation.The teenager sitting on the other side frowned, clearly displaying his disgust.At 10 AM, the match began. A large screen was lowered in the middle of the waiting area, displaying ten blank match tables. Then, the numbers of the participants in the tables started flashing continuously until they finally stopped. The indicator light on Qiao Zhiya's seat lit up, showing the number 5.I didn't expect you to fight in the first match. You can go to the arena via Channel 5. Just go out from there. Irene, who was more familiar with this kind of game, whispered and pointed to the other side of the waiting area, 10 channels connected to the match arena.Qiao Zhiya thanked her, got up and walked toward Channel 5. However, he did not expect the teenager sitting on the other side of him to follow up, and went in the same direction as him.Don't block the way.The boy deliberately walked two steps and bumped him on the shoulder, taking the lead to enter Channel 5.Qiao Zhiya frowned, raising his hands and rubbing his shoulders.Once again, as soon as he stepped out, Qiao Zhiya was engulfed by the cheers of the audience. He waved to his supporters and then made his way to the arena connected directly to Channel 5. After greeting the overseeing referee, he entered the competition area.The teenager player on the opposite side had already taken out his mecha and boarded it. It was actually a small mecha, and its level was not low.Qiao Zhiya glanced only briefly before averting his gaze, retrieving the button containing his Elf mecha from its compartment. With slightly trembling fingers, he pressed it forward.Then, a small earthy brown mecha with green markings appeared. It resembled a large humanoid metal doll.The cheers in the auditorium suddenly disappeared, and the small mecha driven by his opponent paused for a moment.It's not Rong Tian? Where is that towering, imposing black mecha? What's with this strange humanoid metal doll-like thing standing in front of Qiao Zhiya now? What's going on? Is he going to compete passively again?The same questions arose in everyone's minds, including the referee.Player Qiao Zhiya, do you want to use this uh, mecha, for the match? The referee couldn't help but ask.He couldn't be blamed, the mecha in front of him was unlike other mecha he had seen. Because Qiao Zhiya was unable to completely replicate the human proportions, the joints at the shoulders and neck had to be smoothly contoured. As a result, the mecha was more like a big metallic humanoid figure.Traditional mecha had a protective shell-like armor. Even Rong Tian, which Qiao Zhiya himself designed, followed this trend. But this brown-green mecha was a whole different thing.Yes, I'm using this. Its name is Elf. Qiao Zhiya nodded, and introduced the strange mecha's name like a proud parent. He then jumped up sharply, opened the mecha's cockpit and tucked himself in.There's really a cockpit? It's really a mecha?' many people questioned.3T/L: I would imagine that traditional mecha looked like a giant robot a la Gundam, while QZY's Elf is more biomechanical?. More human-like. I would say like the mechas in EVA or Darling in the Franxx.The audience and referees couldn't shake off the surreal feeling of witnessing something magical. As the three-minute preparation time was nearing its end, the referee snapped back to reality, casting another glance at the brown mecha with its glowing startup lights before stiffly returning to the referee stand.The teenager who drove the small white mecha also snapped back to reality as well. Scornfully, he surveyed the Elf across the room once more as he began readying his weapon, secretly on guard.Formally lighting up his own mecha, Qiao Zhiya was a little excited. He first tried to move his body, and determined that there was nothing wrong before starting to debug the weapon.The audience was stunned again. How could this strange mech move so, so flexibly? It's like it's a real person walking back and forth. Its movement of lowering its head and torso were very free, without any hint of rigidity that a normal mecha should have.To achieve this effect, to what extent did Qiao Zhiya refine the joints of this strange mecha? There was also a very obvious odd body proportion of this mecha. Is having such thin limbs appropriate for combat?Ding! The countdown ended, and the opposing white small mecha brandished a long knife, aggressively lunging forward, opting for close combat to evade Qiao Zhiya's unpredictable long-range bow and arrow attacks.Qiao Zhiya immediately took out his hammer to meet his opponent in the middle. The two weapons clashed together, making a loud metal impact.What an amazing strength!'The two youths thought about it at the same time. They both backed at the same time and lunged forward again!So fast!The audience gasped in amazement, stunned by the combat prowess displayed by the two players. However, they soon noticed something peculiar about Qiao Zhiya's mecha it seemed to move as if it were a living being engaged in combat! Despite its slender limbs compared to typical mechas', its movements were powerful and aggressive, whether it was the flexing of its arms or the intensity of its retreats.Its slender arms could casually swung around a giant hammer. The contrast made a great visual impact! The white mecha opposite of him was also very good. Despite its high frequency attacks, each strike was very beautiful. At the very least, the player's basic skills were rock solid.On one side, there was textbook-like precision and sophisticated maneuvers, while on the other, there were wild and primal counterattacks. Both fighters moved swiftly, but it was evident that Qiao Zhiya was more agile and adept at handling the situation. The slender form of his mecha proved to be a significant advantage in close combat!Even more impressive! The audience was exhilarated. After switching to the small-sized mecha, Qiao Zhiya's prowess seemed even greater!Bang! Bang!The sound of metal clashing continued incessantly as the two battled from the center of the arena to its edges and back again. Throughout the fight, neither of them took to the skies, used any firearms, or attempted to create distance. It was all about close combat!The audience was completely mobilized, and the sound of cheering almost overturned the roof of the stadium.After a round of grappling, Qiao Zhiya's expression turned serious, sweat beading on his forehead. Just as he suspected, not test-driving it properly led to issues. There was a joint in the mecha's waist that wasn't properly calibrated and needed some adjustment.So, he must finish the match quickly.Qiao Zhiya's gaze hardened, and his movements intensified.The teenager noticed the change and increased the intensity of his attack.Boom!The two weapons clashed again, but this time, instead of retreating or launching another attack, Qiao Zhiya suddenly crouched down. With a sweeping motion, he forced the white mecha to step back. Then, with a quick step, he appeared behind the white mech, retracted his hammer, reached out his arm, and grabbed the white mecha's waist. With a twist of his body, he forcefully flung it away.The audience's eyes nearly popped outcan a mecha even perform such actions? Twisting its body to fling another mecha away? How did he do it? What kind of controls enable such twisting movement? Could a mecha's waist connection even allow for such twisting?As the white mecha was flung, the pilot reacted in time, using its flight capabilities and trying to stabilize himself mid-air. But then, Qiao Zhiya pulled out his bow, pointing it at him. Because of Qiao Zhiya's throw, the white mecha's joints were a bit rattled, hindering its movement. The teenager knew he must resolve this matter as soon as possible!The arrow came swiftly, startling the teenager, who quickly swung his sword to block.Unfortunately for him, a second arrow followed suit, flying in the same trajectory as the first. He soon realized that he had become the target of the other party at the moment when he flew. He opened the mecha's shield, and at the same time took out a long-ranged firearm, trying to counterattack and pry open an opportunity.WhooshQiao Zhiya didn't give him a chance to fight back. He fired off several arrows in succession, aiming it at all possible directions the teenager could retreat. He aimed the last arrow right at his opponent's cockpit area, forcing him to forfeit.This round of the game was only one match of many. Even if he lost 1 point, it wouldn't doom him. In this kind of situation, his utmost priority is to minimize any damages to his mecha so he can still compete.Despite his unwillingness, knowing the destructive power of Qiao Zhiya's arrow, the teenager bit his lip and forfeited.His ranged weapon destroyed and his melee weapon slipping from his grasp, even if he landed, he would still be an easy target for Qiao Zhiya. There was no possibility of winning. It was better to admit defeat and prepare for the next round.
