102. Stealing Monsters
Proofread by Cloud Chip Cake
The pollutants above them seemed to be under another attack, dropping down one by one as explosions boomed continuously. Gale’s team hadn’t even reacted to this horrifying scene when they saw Ji Qingfeng reversing the massive pollutant, approaching them once again.
Ji Qingfeng said, “We deviated a bit on our way here, and coincidentally, saw the Second Star Domain’s mechas ambushing you from above. They were beaten up by Yan Bao and the others. Now we need to quickly get out of here.”
Zhao Lejie, still in shock, didn’t react until the giant mantis approached them. Alarms inside his mecha suddenly blared, and the S-class pollutant source’s signal flashed conspicuously on his radar. He suddenly noticed Huo Yan and realised something, “Wait! You can even manipulate anti-Stealth mechas like this?”
Huo Yan smiled, “Absolutely! But Tang Jie doesn’t allow us to use it this way, saying it’s a waste of our weapons.”
Qi Sicheng turned his head slightly, noticing the actions of KID’s two mechas.
One was the Stealth mecha’s anti-stealth magnetic field, and the other was the Tank mecha opening its shield, emitting a bright white light.
The inherent feature of a Stealth mecha was its anti-stealth capability, which targeted radar detection, optimising the concealment of mecha reactions for rapid movement. All Stealth mechas had this feature, but an anti-stealth magnetic field like this one is specifically designed for the Stealth mecha itself, covering a very small area. It’s impossible for it to cover an entire pollutant, especially one with such a large pollution source.
However, with the Tank mecha’s protective shield opened in reverse, it was a different story. Normally, when a Tank mecha opens its shield, there would be a huge amount of energy emitted. But when reversed, it led to energy absorption, while the magnetic field of the shield remained. Ji Qingfeng and Huo Yan utilised the shield’s characteristics to enhance the anti-stealth magnetic field.
In the early days of team battles, some people played using this, but this method’s flaw was that the shield might explode if not handled properly.
Qi Sicheng looked at Huo Yan, who was standing steadily on the mantis, showing no sign of panic as if holding a bomb. On the contrary, KID’s duo, one daring to activate their anti-stealth field, and the other playing with their shield like this, was just too daring!
However, for some reason, when he saw KID arriving, he couldn’t help but breathe a sigh of relief.
“Thank you.”
Huo Yan said, “Captain Qi, sorry we’re late.”
Zhao Lejie couldn’t understand KID’s bold actions.
“You used anti-stealth tactics to bring this thing over???”
“What do you mean by this thing? This is my newly adopted goddaughter.”
Ji Qingfeng chuckled twice. Seeing the mantis controlled by King Worm wanting to touch the nearby pollutants, he quickly pulled its head back, “Can pollutants by the roadside be eaten as is?”
The giant mantis seemed defenceless, but its intimidating aura as an S-class pollutant still existed. Inherently, the surrounding pollutants didn’t dare to move, but the Female Mantis showed no intention of attacking. It was completely docile in the hands of a certain Stealth mecha, like a well-behaved pet.
Ji Qingfeng on its back remained oblivious, still pulling on the mantis and shouting loudly, “Hurry up, get in the car!”
Zhao Lejie’s scalp went numb, “How do we get in the car!?”
The mechas from the Second Star Domain that had fallen also noticed the Female Mantis. Just as they were about to report to Bai Xuyan, they found themselves in a pollutant pile. Its powerful interference prevented them from sending out signals. This pollutant unexpectedly evaded their radar detection and was brought here by KID, wholly beyond GBK’s foresight. They couldn’t let this mantis go.
Several mecha pilots instinctively looked toward the Female Mantis’ position. Among them, an Artillery mecha pilot decisively fired towards the mantis. Qi Sicheng, controlling his mecha, activated his weapons, the resulting field of explosions restraining the Second Star Domain’s Artillery mecha.
[KID-Yan requests to communicate with you.]
Qi Sicheng agreed immediately and entered KID’s chaotic channel, hearing a sudden exclamation from inside.
“Wow! Those below, make way!”
Gale’s mecha pilots suddenly raised their heads and witnessed a pollutant at the rear being forcefully blasted open. The explosive force, a mix of Sniper Cannon and Energy Cannon fire, swept through, and a Guardian mecha swiftly brushed off a flying pollutant’s aerial interference, leading a few mechas to fall straight into the pile of pollutants.
Lin Yao’s movements were extremely fast, clearing the way decisively with a Long Blade, sweeping away surrounding pollutants.
Ying Chenlin looked towards Qi Sicheng’s position, before calmly and decisively speaking, “Captain Qi, move towards the mantis.”
Qi Sicheng, seeing KID’s remaining mechas, immediately understood what was happening. He decisively shouted, “Follow KID!”
Upon hearing Qi Sicheng’s command, all Gale mecha pilots immediately moved towards the edge of the S-class pollutant. In the past, they were always attacking pollutants directly, and standing next to a pollutant gave them an indescribable sense of absurdity. Or rather, when they saw Ji Qingfeng riding on the pollutant while coming over, their worldviews were already shattered.
Ji Qingfeng opened his loudspeaker and shouted in the direction of the Second Star Domain’s mecha pilots, “Sorry! We accidentally injured you while clearing out some pollutants. Our colleagues from the Second Star Domain, please step aside! We’re fighting pollutants, not you. If you get hit, it’s your fault for being weak. Don’t blame us for accidentally hurting you during the fight!”
The mecha pilots from the Second Star Domain, wanting to intervene, looked up and saw water pouring down from the sky.
Lu Xi quickly dismantled an energy tube, and the scattered energy fuel, along with a shot from her Water Flow Cannon, sprayed out. All of it landed around the Second Star Domain’s mecha pilots in the distance. She seemed very skilled at this operation, avoiding the splash of water while firing, her movements light, agile, and without missing a single corner.
Ying Chenlin and You Su simultaneously stepped back a few paces, landing behind Gale, and guarding them like shields.
Lu Xi quickly carried out her operation and deftly switched the Water Flow Cannon in her hand to an Energy Cannon.
“I’m ready, you can start preparing.”
Gale’s mecha pilots noticed KID’s actions and asked in confusion, “What are you planning to do?”
Ying Chenlin switched his weapon to the Rapid-Fire Cannon, aimed at a specific location higher up, and replied briefly, “To set it on fire.”
Ji Qingfeng’s loudspeaker sounded, “Reminder, reminder, those from the Second Star Domain, please step aside! We’re going to kill pollutants! Don’t get hurt accidentally!”
Gale: “???”
Ji Qingfeng realised that Ying Chenlin and those at the front were ready, and then relaxed his control over the mantis. Finding Zhao Lejie slightly farther away from him, he shouted, “Old Zhao, get closer, hug my daughter’s thigh.”
Zhao Lejie had a mediocre impression of the mantis and had no desire to touch its spiky legs.
“Is this close enough?”
Ji Qingfeng added, “It’s really fast, be careful not to get thrown off.”
Before Zhao Lejie could complain to Ji Qingfeng, he suddenly felt a chill when he saw KID’s three long-range mecha pilots simultaneously switch their weapons. Looking at their surroundings, he said, “Wait a minute, the energy fuel will result in an explosion. The gap between the two mountain ranges here is small. If it explodes, it’ll collapse directly.”
Lin Yao: “That’s the idea.”
Gale: “???”
Ying Chenlin briskly shouted, “Get into the circle.”
Qi Sicheng noticed the faintly glowing red ring unfolding under the Female Mantis’s feet and promptly followed suit.
When the scythe’s restraining lock was fully released, KID’s three mechas unleashed their firepower simultaneously. The Rapid-Fire Cannon, Sniper Cannon, and enhanced cannon shots exploded in the air, accompanied by a fierce burst of light and a shockwave, causing the mountain range to crumble and rocks to plummet.
Just as Zhao Lejie was about to activate his protective shield, a massive dizziness and nausea hit him head-on. Before he could deploy the shield, the scenery before him suddenly went dark.
In an instant, the Female Mantis, carrying KID and 12 Gale mechas, was displaced 15 kilometres away. The Gale mecha pilots, upon landing, couldn’t utter a word. By the time their visions cleared, the lingering dizziness hadn’t fully dissipated.
Zhao Lejie, enduring the dizziness, didn’t forget to activate his protective shield to safeguard the others. However, when he activated the shield, there weren’t any signs of pollutants around them. He thought he might have passed out and, with a hint of nausea, said, “I feel like vomiting.”
“I told you to hold on tight earlier, we’re pretty fast!” Ji Qingfeng, reacting amidst the dizziness, noticed the shifted coordinates on the radar and exclaimed unexpectedly, “My daughter, your ability is improving! It increased by 500 metres compared to last time! Indeed, miracles are created in moments of danger. You’re not far from evolving!”
The King Worm inside the Female Mantis completely ignored him and even shook a little discontentedly.
“Displacement.” Qi Sicheng looked at the radar coordinates, turned his head to the giant mantis beside him, and said, “A spatial displacement ability.”
“Yeah, this little guy is quite handy.” Huo Yan, holding the shield, didn’t dare to relax and maintained his anti-stealth force field with Ji Qingfeng.
“We had a deviation in our displacement at the start. Fortunately, because of the deviation, we noticed that several mecha pilots were observing from nearby, so we took a bit more time.”
Qi Sicheng gazed into the distance, still being able to see the black smoke caused by the explosion.
“We fell into their planned ambush. The Second Star Domain had spread energy fuel on the bushes on our path. When we passed by, we accidentally triggered their trap. I underestimated them, and didn’t expect them to use energy fuel to attract pollutants and ambush us.”
After mentioning the energy fuel, KID’s pilots fell silent.
Qi Sicheng noticed their silence and asked, “What’s wrong?”
Lu Xi looked somewhat guilty as she glanced to the side.
“No, no, no,” Ji Qingfeng responded promptly, “They really went too far! Actually using energy fuel to lure out pollutants to harm people. Don’t worry, we just used energy fuel to retaliate, consider it revenge for you.”
Qi Sicheng said, “Well done. Do we need to inform the Management Bureau, about rescuing those guys, in advance?”
“Explosions can greatly limit the mobility of those pollutants.” Ying Chenlin understood Gale’s concerns, after all, it was a joint mission, and being too harsh could easily provoke conflicts between the two star domains.
“We tested it in Qiu Jin previously. Mechas buried under debris may face some difficulties, but it shouldn’t pose a life-threatening risk.”
If they were to take action, they had to be thorough, otherwise, if the other side got wind of their plans, all their efforts to come here would be in vain.
Ying Chenlin had initially considered other methods, but this time, their idea to approach the mountains quickly and unnoticed using this method was proposed by Ji Qingfeng and Huo Yan. Their advantage was gained through quick manoeuvring, and the response from pollutants in another part of the mountains indicated that GBK hadn’t completely dealt with them yet.
“Huo Ge, can you hold on?” Ying Chenlin looked at him.
Huo Yan smiled, maintaining his relaxed style of speaking, “No problem, rest assured.”
Ying Chenlin kept an eye on Huo Yan, who was maintaining control over the protective shield during their displacement, requiring high concentration. Since they moved from the swamp forest till now, Ji Qingfeng and Huo Yan hadn’t relaxed, especially Huo Yan who precisely controlled the shield.
After everyone was ready, they all looked towards the location of the second S-level resource source in the distance, each with their own plans.
Zhao Lejie originally thought that KID’s discussion about stealing resources was a joke. Now, seeing Ji Qingfeng’s daughter, he felt that stealing them might actually work.
“Can we just go over and snatch it?”
Qi Sicheng nodded, “GBK not activating their mecha signal already implies that they’ve accepted a certain level of risk.”
Gale was already annoyed by GBK’s antics, “Ji Qingfeng, over there—”
Before he could finish his sentence, he saw several mechas from KID gathering together, with several energy tubes laid on the ground.
“What are you doing!?”
Ying Chenlin turned his head upon hearing him. He had just handed an energy tube to Lu Xi, “Check the energy tubes, we might need them later.”
You Su gave his tube to Ying Chenlin, “I still have some left here. Give the rest to Lu Xi, she uses more.”
Qi Sicheng, recalling KID’s earlier actions and creating an explosion using energy tubes, asked, “…Are there enough energy tubes?”
As soon as this question fell, several KID mechas turned to look at Qi Sicheng. The sudden attention left him at a bit of a loss,
“You don’t have enough?”
“Our energy consumption is a bit high,” Huo Yan awkwardly smiled.
Ying Chenlin nodded in agreement, “We used three tubes just now.”
“KID, you brought too few energy tubes for the mission. Three tubes aren’t enough,” Gale decisively stepped forward, “If you’re short on energy, why didn’t you tell us? We have a lot of energy tubes on our Medical mechas, and we can share them with you.”
“Yeah, they’re just energy tubes, no need to be polite with us.”
“Tell us how many you need. When we came out, we brought a lot.”
Qi Sicheng looked at Huo Yan and said, “Just say it.”
Huo Yan looked at Ying Chenlin, stood in silence for a moment, and then said, “Then let’s start with 15 tubes?”
Gale: “???”
15 tubes? Are your KID mechas voracious beasts or something!?
Huo Yan asked, “You didn’t bring that many? Then—”
Before he could finish speaking, Qi Sicheng had already looked towards the Medical mechas behind them. The Medical mecha operator immediately walked over and placed 15 energy tubes on the ground, “Our captain always takes every precaution when going on a mission. We brought plenty of energy tubes this time, you can rest assured.”
Qi Sicheng looked at the energy tubes that were sent over and noticed that one of KID’s mechas was constantly staring at him.
Ying Chenlin noticed the other’s gaze and expressed his gratitude, “Thank you, Captain Qi… you guys from Gale are really good people.”
Qi Sicheng, who unexpectedly received a “good person” label, didn’t quite understand. He then saw Ying Chenlin picking up several energy tubes and even handing a few to the nearby Artillery mecha pilot as he passed by.
After You Su sent out his energy tube, he harvested four more within less than 2 minutes.
Inside the cockpit, Theo happily received the energy tubes, saying, “Chenlin is really kind to us. He only kept two for himself and gave you four! You didn’t even say thank you to him.”
You Su lowered his head, looking at the energy tubes in his hand. He glanced up at where Ying Chenlin was supervising things with Lin Yao, smiled lightly, and lifted the energy tubes in his hand, “Did he give us an extra one because you consume more energy?”
Theo denied, “Nonsense! I always control my energy consumption well!”
You Su remained silent and put away the energy tubes.
In his peripheral vision, he noticed a certain area at the junction of the mountains and the swampy forest, but quickly averted his gaze.
Qi Sicheng looked at KID and asked, “What’s the plan for our next step?”
On the other side, KID’s team quickly divided the energy tubes they obtained from the good people of Gale.
Ying Chenlin collected the energy tubes and briefly said, “Naturally, we’re going to seize some resources.”
–
On the other side of the mountains, GBK’s team was in the process of besieging the remaining S-class creature. This S-class possessed enhanced thunder-base stationd offensive abilities, a rare occurrence for an attack-oriented crystal. The creature they encountered was an agile animal type.
The agile S-class animal-type pollutant had an advantage in the mountainous terrain. Although there were fewer trees on this side of the range compared to the swampy forest, the topography favoured the S-class pollutant. GBK took some time to force the pollutant into a corner, finally gaining an opportunity to suppress it.
“This pollutant’s pretty tough. It’s taking so long to deal with.”
“If only we had brought one more mecha down with us earlier.”
Bai Xuyan naturally wouldn’t waste too many mechas on besieging a single pollutant. When he noticed KID’s signal disappear, he had already dispatched mechas from here to support the other two teams on the secondary planets.
Except for the team returning to the headquarters, they still had approximately 12 mechas.
Three mechas were left to monitor Gale, while the four mechas on here were observing this pollutant. The remaining five mechas had already rushed to the secondary planets.
If KID wasn’t coming to support Gale, it meant that they were likely assisting their other two teams.
The journey from here to assist them was quite far. They needed to send reinforcements to stabilise the situation on both sides. Once they handled this thunder-type pollutant, they could go over and control the scene on the secondary planets.
“Captain Bai, we haven’t been able to contact Gale’s team for a while now. Could something have gone wrong?”
Bai Xuyan looked at the map, currently not noticing anything unusual, “Gale is also a team qualified for the Alliance Tournament. There might be a minor issue on their end, but it doesn’t seem significant for now. We’re about to finish dealing with this pollutant. We’ll go help them afterwards.”
Although they had some doubts, everyone quickly calmed down.
The pathways on this side of the mountain range were less complicated than those in the swampy forest. Forcing the thunder-type pollutant into a corner did indeed take a bit more time, a bit longer than Bai Xuyan had expected. Their corner seemed relatively quiet, and during their skirmish with the thunder-type pollutant, they noticed a slight increase in the surrounding pollutants.
“Captain Bai, there seems to be more reactions from pollutants.”
Bai Xuyan frowned slightly, looking at the radar. The pollutants were spreading outward from their central positions, and more pollutants were approaching their direction. While the gathered pollutants were slightly more numerous, they still fell within the normal range.
They made quite a commotion dealing with this thunder-type pollutant, so it wouldn’t be surprising to attract more pollutants.
“Control your energy outputs, don’t attract too many pollutants. They’ll be troublesome to deal with.”
After he spoke, several mecha pilots relaxed their energy outputs. However, the radar’s pollutant detections didn’t decrease, instead, they kept increasing.
Bai Xuyan saw this scene, and his eyes narrowed slightly. Immediately, he said, “Something’s not right!”
Several mecha pilots were puzzled, “What’s wrong, Captain Bai?”
“Someone’s coming.”
The change in the environment immediately made Bai Xuyan alert. Even though there were no unusual signals on the radar, his years of combat experience made him sense the subtle quietness.
“The pollutants are advancing at an overly uniform rate.”
He quickly changed their strategy, “Increase your outputs, ignore the pollutants, and retrieve this thunder-type crystal.”
Logic told Bai Xuyan that there wouldn’t be any unexpected enemies in this area, but he couldn’t ease his concerns. Seeing his teammates fully engaged in finishing off the thunder-type pollutant, he added,
“I’ll check out the situation.”
But as soon as he finished speaking, a violent explosion suddenly came from the side of the mountains.
This sudden change caused all four GBK mecha pilots to look towards the higher ground. They saw a blue mecha belonging to Gale appearing on the side of the mountain, Qi Sicheng was at the forefront. This unexpected development caught Bai Xuyan off guard.
“How did Gale manage to escape so quickly!?”
Another mecha pilot was surprised, “Impossible! We attracted a lot of pollutants at that time.”
“Tank, continue to stabilise the pollutant. We’ll go stop Gale, we can’t let them come and disrupt us.”
Bai Xuyan frowned slightly, and a volley of gunfire instantly blasted outwards, the Gale mecha flying in the air took several steps back. GBK’s mechas accompanying him quickly dispersed, adopting an excellent defensive posture to guard the entrance of the mountains, focusing on Gale. Both sides engaged in several clashes in an instant.
“Captain Bai, Qi Sicheng is here!”
“Their Artillery is here too, this is tricky.”
“No, Boss, there are only three Gale mechas on this side!”
Upon seeing Qi Sicheng’s mecha, the ominous feeling in Bai Xuyan’s mind intensified, “No, they can’t be this fast!”
Even if they flew at their fastest speeds, Gale would still need at least 15 minutes to get here. Bai Xuyan, through meticulous calculations, considered various possibilities. No matter who rushed over in a short time, it wouldn’t affect their capture of the anomalous crystal.
Except for that Female Mantis… Bai Xuyan thought of this and suddenly glanced at all the red pollution sources on the radar.
Among them, he saw a red pollution source point that was stagnant.
On the other side of the mountains, several GBK mechas were drawn to the sight of Gale’s mecha.
The mechas lurking around moved forward slightly until a commanding voice came from their team!
—”Action.”
Other mechas around the mountains all moved in unison. Bai Xuyan suddenly saw mecha signals belonging to Gale and KID light up on the radar. He suddenly realised something and looked down, “Tank! Get the pollutant away from here!”
“It’s too late!”
The crosshairs of Ying Chenlin’s scope locked onto Bai Xuyan’s mecha, and sent out rapid cannon fire.
Bai Xuyan quickly evaded, and the rapid cannon fire hit the mountains, causing explosions and raising a cloud of smoke.
“Tank! Prioritise controlling the mantis!”
In the smoke, a colossal creature jumped down from above, landing with a thud in front of the S-class pollutant. The signal belonging to the S-class pollutant, the mantis, finally sounded in his detection system.
The descending pollutant was none other than a familiar Female Mantis.
GBK’s Tank immediately reacted. In the urgency, they were preparing to move forward to control the mantis. During their approach, a Long Blade swung directly ahead, followed by a rapid sweep in their direction. In just 3 seconds, it forced them to retreat several steps back.
In this brief moment, Zhao Lejie, riding on the mantis, jumped down. Without a word, he swept a sword over the S-class pollutant, pushing it towards the feet of the Female Mantis.
“Thanks, we’ll take the pollutant away for now!”
Veteran driver Ji Qingfeng suddenly pulled the reins, aligning the mantis’s head in another direction. The ground lit up with a red light, covering the Female Mantis and the S-class pollutant at its feet.
Zhao Lejie took control of the Thunder Lion, after a single slash he shouted, “Go!”
Ji Qingfeng let go, “My daughter! Charge!”
The Tank, who was being attacked by Lin Yao, reacted. But when they turned their head, they suddenly saw the situation in front of them.
The corner of the mountain was empty! KID had actually sneaked up on them and stolen their pollutant from behind!!!
102. Stealing Monsters
Proofread by Cloud Chip Cake
The pollutants above them seemed to be under another attack, dropping down one by one as explosions boomed continuously. Gale’s team hadn’t even reacted to this horrifying scene when they saw Ji Qingfeng reversing the massive pollutant, approaching them once again.
Ji Qingfeng said, “We deviated a bit on our way here, and coincidentally, saw the Second Star Domain’s mechas ambushing you from above. They were beaten up by Yan Bao and the others. Now we need to quickly get out of here.”
Zhao Lejie, still in shock, didn’t react until the giant mantis approached them. Alarms inside his mecha suddenly blared, and the S-class pollutant source’s signal flashed conspicuously on his radar. He suddenly noticed Huo Yan and realised something, “Wait! You can even manipulate anti-Stealth mechas like this?”
Huo Yan smiled, “Absolutely! But Tang Jie doesn’t allow us to use it this way, saying it’s a waste of our weapons.”
Qi Sicheng turned his head slightly, noticing the actions of KID’s two mechas.
One was the Stealth mecha’s anti-stealth magnetic field, and the other was the Tank mecha opening its shield, emitting a bright white light.
The inherent feature of a Stealth mecha was its anti-stealth capability, which targeted radar detection, optimising the concealment of mecha reactions for rapid movement. All Stealth mechas had this feature, but an anti-stealth magnetic field like this one is specifically designed for the Stealth mecha itself, covering a very small area. It’s impossible for it to cover an entire pollutant, especially one with such a large pollution source.
However, with the Tank mecha’s protective shield opened in reverse, it was a different story. Normally, when a Tank mecha opens its shield, there would be a huge amount of energy emitted. But when reversed, it led to energy absorption, while the magnetic field of the shield remained. Ji Qingfeng and Huo Yan utilised the shield’s characteristics to enhance the anti-stealth magnetic field.
In the early days of team battles, some people played using this, but this method’s flaw was that the shield might explode if not handled properly.
Qi Sicheng looked at Huo Yan, who was standing steadily on the mantis, showing no sign of panic as if holding a bomb. On the contrary, KID’s duo, one daring to activate their anti-stealth field, and the other playing with their shield like this, was just too daring!
However, for some reason, when he saw KID arriving, he couldn’t help but breathe a sigh of relief.
“Thank you.”
Huo Yan said, “Captain Qi, sorry we’re late.”
Zhao Lejie couldn’t understand KID’s bold actions.
“You used anti-stealth tactics to bring this thing over???”
“What do you mean by this thing? This is my newly adopted goddaughter.”
Ji Qingfeng chuckled twice. Seeing the mantis controlled by King Worm wanting to touch the nearby pollutants, he quickly pulled its head back, “Can pollutants by the roadside be eaten as is?”
The giant mantis seemed defenceless, but its intimidating aura as an S-class pollutant still existed. Inherently, the surrounding pollutants didn’t dare to move, but the Female Mantis showed no intention of attacking. It was completely docile in the hands of a certain Stealth mecha, like a well-behaved pet.
Ji Qingfeng on its back remained oblivious, still pulling on the mantis and shouting loudly, “Hurry up, get in the car!”
Zhao Lejie’s scalp went numb, “How do we get in the car!?”
The mechas from the Second Star Domain that had fallen also noticed the Female Mantis. Just as they were about to report to Bai Xuyan, they found themselves in a pollutant pile. Its powerful interference prevented them from sending out signals. This pollutant unexpectedly evaded their radar detection and was brought here by KID, wholly beyond GBK’s foresight. They couldn’t let this mantis go.
Several mecha pilots instinctively looked toward the Female Mantis’ position. Among them, an Artillery mecha pilot decisively fired towards the mantis. Qi Sicheng, controlling his mecha, activated his weapons, the resulting field of explosions restraining the Second Star Domain’s Artillery mecha.
[KID-Yan requests to communicate with you.]
Qi Sicheng agreed immediately and entered KID’s chaotic channel, hearing a sudden exclamation from inside.
“Wow! Those below, make way!”
Gale’s mecha pilots suddenly raised their heads and witnessed a pollutant at the rear being forcefully blasted open. The explosive force, a mix of Sniper Cannon and Energy Cannon fire, swept through, and a Guardian mecha swiftly brushed off a flying pollutant’s aerial interference, leading a few mechas to fall straight into the pile of pollutants.
Lin Yao’s movements were extremely fast, clearing the way decisively with a Long Blade, sweeping away surrounding pollutants.
Ying Chenlin looked towards Qi Sicheng’s position, before calmly and decisively speaking, “Captain Qi, move towards the mantis.”
Qi Sicheng, seeing KID’s remaining mechas, immediately understood what was happening. He decisively shouted, “Follow KID!”
Upon hearing Qi Sicheng’s command, all Gale mecha pilots immediately moved towards the edge of the S-class pollutant. In the past, they were always attacking pollutants directly, and standing next to a pollutant gave them an indescribable sense of absurdity. Or rather, when they saw Ji Qingfeng riding on the pollutant while coming over, their worldviews were already shattered.
Ji Qingfeng opened his loudspeaker and shouted in the direction of the Second Star Domain’s mecha pilots, “Sorry! We accidentally injured you while clearing out some pollutants. Our colleagues from the Second Star Domain, please step aside! We’re fighting pollutants, not you. If you get hit, it’s your fault for being weak. Don’t blame us for accidentally hurting you during the fight!”
The mecha pilots from the Second Star Domain, wanting to intervene, looked up and saw water pouring down from the sky.
Lu Xi quickly dismantled an energy tube, and the scattered energy fuel, along with a shot from her Water Flow Cannon, sprayed out. All of it landed around the Second Star Domain’s mecha pilots in the distance. She seemed very skilled at this operation, avoiding the splash of water while firing, her movements light, agile, and without missing a single corner.
Ying Chenlin and You Su simultaneously stepped back a few paces, landing behind Gale, and guarding them like shields.
Lu Xi quickly carried out her operation and deftly switched the Water Flow Cannon in her hand to an Energy Cannon.
“I’m ready, you can start preparing.”
Gale’s mecha pilots noticed KID’s actions and asked in confusion, “What are you planning to do?”
Ying Chenlin switched his weapon to the Rapid-Fire Cannon, aimed at a specific location higher up, and replied briefly, “To set it on fire.”
Ji Qingfeng’s loudspeaker sounded, “Reminder, reminder, those from the Second Star Domain, please step aside! We’re going to kill pollutants! Don’t get hurt accidentally!”
Gale: “???”
Ji Qingfeng realised that Ying Chenlin and those at the front were ready, and then relaxed his control over the mantis. Finding Zhao Lejie slightly farther away from him, he shouted, “Old Zhao, get closer, hug my daughter’s thigh.”
Zhao Lejie had a mediocre impression of the mantis and had no desire to touch its spiky legs.
“Is this close enough?”
Ji Qingfeng added, “It’s really fast, be careful not to get thrown off.”
Before Zhao Lejie could complain to Ji Qingfeng, he suddenly felt a chill when he saw KID’s three long-range mecha pilots simultaneously switch their weapons. Looking at their surroundings, he said, “Wait a minute, the energy fuel will result in an explosion. The gap between the two mountain ranges here is small. If it explodes, it’ll collapse directly.”
Lin Yao: “That’s the idea.”
Gale: “???”
Ying Chenlin briskly shouted, “Get into the circle.”
Qi Sicheng noticed the faintly glowing red ring unfolding under the Female Mantis’s feet and promptly followed suit.
When the scythe’s restraining lock was fully released, KID’s three mechas unleashed their firepower simultaneously. The Rapid-Fire Cannon, Sniper Cannon, and enhanced cannon shots exploded in the air, accompanied by a fierce burst of light and a shockwave, causing the mountain range to crumble and rocks to plummet.
Just as Zhao Lejie was about to activate his protective shield, a massive dizziness and nausea hit him head-on. Before he could deploy the shield, the scenery before him suddenly went dark.
In an instant, the Female Mantis, carrying KID and 12 Gale mechas, was displaced 15 kilometres away. The Gale mecha pilots, upon landing, couldn’t utter a word. By the time their visions cleared, the lingering dizziness hadn’t fully dissipated.
Zhao Lejie, enduring the dizziness, didn’t forget to activate his protective shield to safeguard the others. However, when he activated the shield, there weren’t any signs of pollutants around them. He thought he might have passed out and, with a hint of nausea, said, “I feel like vomiting.”
“I told you to hold on tight earlier, we’re pretty fast!” Ji Qingfeng, reacting amidst the dizziness, noticed the shifted coordinates on the radar and exclaimed unexpectedly, “My daughter, your ability is improving! It increased by 500 metres compared to last time! Indeed, miracles are created in moments of danger. You’re not far from evolving!”
The King Worm inside the Female Mantis completely ignored him and even shook a little discontentedly.
“Displacement.” Qi Sicheng looked at the radar coordinates, turned his head to the giant mantis beside him, and said, “A spatial displacement ability.”
“Yeah, this little guy is quite handy.” Huo Yan, holding the shield, didn’t dare to relax and maintained his anti-stealth force field with Ji Qingfeng.
“We had a deviation in our displacement at the start. Fortunately, because of the deviation, we noticed that several mecha pilots were observing from nearby, so we took a bit more time.”
Qi Sicheng gazed into the distance, still being able to see the black smoke caused by the explosion.
“We fell into their planned ambush. The Second Star Domain had spread energy fuel on the bushes on our path. When we passed by, we accidentally triggered their trap. I underestimated them, and didn’t expect them to use energy fuel to attract pollutants and ambush us.”
After mentioning the energy fuel, KID’s pilots fell silent.
Qi Sicheng noticed their silence and asked, “What’s wrong?”
Lu Xi looked somewhat guilty as she glanced to the side.
“No, no, no,” Ji Qingfeng responded promptly, “They really went too far! Actually using energy fuel to lure out pollutants to harm people. Don’t worry, we just used energy fuel to retaliate, consider it revenge for you.”
Qi Sicheng said, “Well done. Do we need to inform the Management Bureau, about rescuing those guys, in advance?”
“Explosions can greatly limit the mobility of those pollutants.” Ying Chenlin understood Gale’s concerns, after all, it was a joint mission, and being too harsh could easily provoke conflicts between the two star domains.
“We tested it in Qiu Jin previously. Mechas buried under debris may face some difficulties, but it shouldn’t pose a life-threatening risk.”
If they were to take action, they had to be thorough, otherwise, if the other side got wind of their plans, all their efforts to come here would be in vain.
Ying Chenlin had initially considered other methods, but this time, their idea to approach the mountains quickly and unnoticed using this method was proposed by Ji Qingfeng and Huo Yan. Their advantage was gained through quick manoeuvring, and the response from pollutants in another part of the mountains indicated that GBK hadn’t completely dealt with them yet.
“Huo Ge, can you hold on?” Ying Chenlin looked at him.
Huo Yan smiled, maintaining his relaxed style of speaking, “No problem, rest assured.”
Ying Chenlin kept an eye on Huo Yan, who was maintaining control over the protective shield during their displacement, requiring high concentration. Since they moved from the swamp forest till now, Ji Qingfeng and Huo Yan hadn’t relaxed, especially Huo Yan who precisely controlled the shield.
After everyone was ready, they all looked towards the location of the second S-level resource source in the distance, each with their own plans.
Zhao Lejie originally thought that KID’s discussion about stealing resources was a joke. Now, seeing Ji Qingfeng’s daughter, he felt that stealing them might actually work.
“Can we just go over and snatch it?”
Qi Sicheng nodded, “GBK not activating their mecha signal already implies that they’ve accepted a certain level of risk.”
Gale was already annoyed by GBK’s antics, “Ji Qingfeng, over there—”
Before he could finish his sentence, he saw several mechas from KID gathering together, with several energy tubes laid on the ground.
“What are you doing!?”
Ying Chenlin turned his head upon hearing him. He had just handed an energy tube to Lu Xi, “Check the energy tubes, we might need them later.”
You Su gave his tube to Ying Chenlin, “I still have some left here. Give the rest to Lu Xi, she uses more.”
Qi Sicheng, recalling KID’s earlier actions and creating an explosion using energy tubes, asked, “…Are there enough energy tubes?”
As soon as this question fell, several KID mechas turned to look at Qi Sicheng. The sudden attention left him at a bit of a loss,
“You don’t have enough?”
“Our energy consumption is a bit high,” Huo Yan awkwardly smiled.
Ying Chenlin nodded in agreement, “We used three tubes just now.”
“KID, you brought too few energy tubes for the mission. Three tubes aren’t enough,” Gale decisively stepped forward, “If you’re short on energy, why didn’t you tell us? We have a lot of energy tubes on our Medical mechas, and we can share them with you.”
“Yeah, they’re just energy tubes, no need to be polite with us.”
“Tell us how many you need. When we came out, we brought a lot.”
Qi Sicheng looked at Huo Yan and said, “Just say it.”
Huo Yan looked at Ying Chenlin, stood in silence for a moment, and then said, “Then let’s start with 15 tubes?”
Gale: “???”
15 tubes? Are your KID mechas voracious beasts or something!?
Huo Yan asked, “You didn’t bring that many? Then—”
Before he could finish speaking, Qi Sicheng had already looked towards the Medical mechas behind them. The Medical mecha operator immediately walked over and placed 15 energy tubes on the ground, “Our captain always takes every precaution when going on a mission. We brought plenty of energy tubes this time, you can rest assured.”
Qi Sicheng looked at the energy tubes that were sent over and noticed that one of KID’s mechas was constantly staring at him.
Ying Chenlin noticed the other’s gaze and expressed his gratitude, “Thank you, Captain Qi… you guys from Gale are really good people.”
Qi Sicheng, who unexpectedly received a “good person” label, didn’t quite understand. He then saw Ying Chenlin picking up several energy tubes and even handing a few to the nearby Artillery mecha pilot as he passed by.
After You Su sent out his energy tube, he harvested four more within less than 2 minutes.
Inside the cockpit, Theo happily received the energy tubes, saying, “Chenlin is really kind to us. He only kept two for himself and gave you four! You didn’t even say thank you to him.”
You Su lowered his head, looking at the energy tubes in his hand. He glanced up at where Ying Chenlin was supervising things with Lin Yao, smiled lightly, and lifted the energy tubes in his hand, “Did he give us an extra one because you consume more energy?”
Theo denied, “Nonsense! I always control my energy consumption well!”
You Su remained silent and put away the energy tubes.
In his peripheral vision, he noticed a certain area at the junction of the mountains and the swampy forest, but quickly averted his gaze.
Qi Sicheng looked at KID and asked, “What’s the plan for our next step?”
On the other side, KID’s team quickly divided the energy tubes they obtained from the good people of Gale.
Ying Chenlin collected the energy tubes and briefly said, “Naturally, we’re going to seize some resources.”
–
On the other side of the mountains, GBK’s team was in the process of besieging the remaining S-class creature. This S-class possessed enhanced thunder-base stationd offensive abilities, a rare occurrence for an attack-oriented crystal. The creature they encountered was an agile animal type.
The agile S-class animal-type pollutant had an advantage in the mountainous terrain. Although there were fewer trees on this side of the range compared to the swampy forest, the topography favoured the S-class pollutant. GBK took some time to force the pollutant into a corner, finally gaining an opportunity to suppress it.
“This pollutant’s pretty tough. It’s taking so long to deal with.”
“If only we had brought one more mecha down with us earlier.”
Bai Xuyan naturally wouldn’t waste too many mechas on besieging a single pollutant. When he noticed KID’s signal disappear, he had already dispatched mechas from here to support the other two teams on the secondary planets.
Except for the team returning to the headquarters, they still had approximately 12 mechas.
Three mechas were left to monitor Gale, while the four mechas on here were observing this pollutant. The remaining five mechas had already rushed to the secondary planets.
If KID wasn’t coming to support Gale, it meant that they were likely assisting their other two teams.
The journey from here to assist them was quite far. They needed to send reinforcements to stabilise the situation on both sides. Once they handled this thunder-type pollutant, they could go over and control the scene on the secondary planets.
“Captain Bai, we haven’t been able to contact Gale’s team for a while now. Could something have gone wrong?”
Bai Xuyan looked at the map, currently not noticing anything unusual, “Gale is also a team qualified for the Alliance Tournament. There might be a minor issue on their end, but it doesn’t seem significant for now. We’re about to finish dealing with this pollutant. We’ll go help them afterwards.”
Although they had some doubts, everyone quickly calmed down.
The pathways on this side of the mountain range were less complicated than those in the swampy forest. Forcing the thunder-type pollutant into a corner did indeed take a bit more time, a bit longer than Bai Xuyan had expected. Their corner seemed relatively quiet, and during their skirmish with the thunder-type pollutant, they noticed a slight increase in the surrounding pollutants.
“Captain Bai, there seems to be more reactions from pollutants.”
Bai Xuyan frowned slightly, looking at the radar. The pollutants were spreading outward from their central positions, and more pollutants were approaching their direction. While the gathered pollutants were slightly more numerous, they still fell within the normal range.
They made quite a commotion dealing with this thunder-type pollutant, so it wouldn’t be surprising to attract more pollutants.
“Control your energy outputs, don’t attract too many pollutants. They’ll be troublesome to deal with.”
After he spoke, several mecha pilots relaxed their energy outputs. However, the radar’s pollutant detections didn’t decrease, instead, they kept increasing.
Bai Xuyan saw this scene, and his eyes narrowed slightly. Immediately, he said, “Something’s not right!”
Several mecha pilots were puzzled, “What’s wrong, Captain Bai?”
“Someone’s coming.”
The change in the environment immediately made Bai Xuyan alert. Even though there were no unusual signals on the radar, his years of combat experience made him sense the subtle quietness.
“The pollutants are advancing at an overly uniform rate.”
He quickly changed their strategy, “Increase your outputs, ignore the pollutants, and retrieve this thunder-type crystal.”
Logic told Bai Xuyan that there wouldn’t be any unexpected enemies in this area, but he couldn’t ease his concerns. Seeing his teammates fully engaged in finishing off the thunder-type pollutant, he added,
“I’ll check out the situation.”
But as soon as he finished speaking, a violent explosion suddenly came from the side of the mountains.
This sudden change caused all four GBK mecha pilots to look towards the higher ground. They saw a blue mecha belonging to Gale appearing on the side of the mountain, Qi Sicheng was at the forefront. This unexpected development caught Bai Xuyan off guard.
“How did Gale manage to escape so quickly!?”
Another mecha pilot was surprised, “Impossible! We attracted a lot of pollutants at that time.”
“Tank, continue to stabilise the pollutant. We’ll go stop Gale, we can’t let them come and disrupt us.”
Bai Xuyan frowned slightly, and a volley of gunfire instantly blasted outwards, the Gale mecha flying in the air took several steps back. GBK’s mechas accompanying him quickly dispersed, adopting an excellent defensive posture to guard the entrance of the mountains, focusing on Gale. Both sides engaged in several clashes in an instant.
“Captain Bai, Qi Sicheng is here!”
“Their Artillery is here too, this is tricky.”
“No, Boss, there are only three Gale mechas on this side!”
Upon seeing Qi Sicheng’s mecha, the ominous feeling in Bai Xuyan’s mind intensified, “No, they can’t be this fast!”
Even if they flew at their fastest speeds, Gale would still need at least 15 minutes to get here. Bai Xuyan, through meticulous calculations, considered various possibilities. No matter who rushed over in a short time, it wouldn’t affect their capture of the anomalous crystal.
Except for that Female Mantis… Bai Xuyan thought of this and suddenly glanced at all the red pollution sources on the radar.
Among them, he saw a red pollution source point that was stagnant.
On the other side of the mountains, several GBK mechas were drawn to the sight of Gale’s mecha.
The mechas lurking around moved forward slightly until a commanding voice came from their team!
—”Action.”
Other mechas around the mountains all moved in unison. Bai Xuyan suddenly saw mecha signals belonging to Gale and KID light up on the radar. He suddenly realised something and looked down, “Tank! Get the pollutant away from here!”
“It’s too late!”
The crosshairs of Ying Chenlin’s scope locked onto Bai Xuyan’s mecha, and sent out rapid cannon fire.
Bai Xuyan quickly evaded, and the rapid cannon fire hit the mountains, causing explosions and raising a cloud of smoke.
“Tank! Prioritise controlling the mantis!”
In the smoke, a colossal creature jumped down from above, landing with a thud in front of the S-class pollutant. The signal belonging to the S-class pollutant, the mantis, finally sounded in his detection system.
The descending pollutant was none other than a familiar Female Mantis.
GBK’s Tank immediately reacted. In the urgency, they were preparing to move forward to control the mantis. During their approach, a Long Blade swung directly ahead, followed by a rapid sweep in their direction. In just 3 seconds, it forced them to retreat several steps back.
In this brief moment, Zhao Lejie, riding on the mantis, jumped down. Without a word, he swept a sword over the S-class pollutant, pushing it towards the feet of the Female Mantis.
“Thanks, we’ll take the pollutant away for now!”
Veteran driver Ji Qingfeng suddenly pulled the reins, aligning the mantis’s head in another direction. The ground lit up with a red light, covering the Female Mantis and the S-class pollutant at its feet.
Zhao Lejie took control of the Thunder Lion, after a single slash he shouted, “Go!”
Ji Qingfeng let go, “My daughter! Charge!”
The Tank, who was being attacked by Lin Yao, reacted. But when they turned their head, they suddenly saw the situation in front of them.
The corner of the mountain was empty! KID had actually sneaked up on them and stolen their pollutant from behind!!!
