103. Burying People
Proofread by Cloud Chip Cake
The pollutant’s disappearance was too sudden. GBK’s Tank hadn’t even had a chance to approach the Female Mantis when they saw KID and Gale take the S-class Thunder Series pollutant, which they had been fighting with for so long, right before their eyes.
GBK’s Tank suddenly faced the adjacent KID mecha. Their energy blade came down hard, only to see KID’s Guardian mecha smoothly dodge their attacks, wielding its Long Blade with precision, not in the slightest weakened by their assault.
This turn of events caught everyone in GBK off guard. The mountain’s corner was now empty, with no traces left behind in the haze caused by the gunfire. Bai Xuyan immediately looked towards the radar as the smoke cleared, but there were no signs of the two S-class pollutants. There were only red signals corresponding to the surrounding pollutants on the map.
“…Captain Bai, the lion has been taken away.”
The other members of GBK looked down in shock, as if they had never expected such an occurrence, nor did they expect KID and Gale to brazenly take away their spoils of war.
“That was the pollutant we fought for.”
“Why would KID and Gale do this?!”
In the mountain pass, KID’s Guardian mecha stood guard, its Long Blade cutting straight through the air, engaging in a back-and-forth clash with GBK’s Tank mecha. Gale’s three mechas at higher altitudes showed no signs of backing down, surrounding GBK’s three mechas one for one. The situation seemed to have suddenly been reversed, excluding the three Gale mechas they were facing head-on, there were other mechas concealed in the gaps of the surrounding environment.
Silently, before they even realized KID and Gale’s presence, they had already fallen into their encirclement and were being pressured by the two squads.
The conflict between the mechas on both sides showed no signs of stopping. Bai Xuyan had just taken a few steps back when he noticed gunfire from behind. He turned abruptly, only to find KID’s other three mechas hiding under the opposing mountain peak.
Ying Chenlin lowered his head slightly, seeing the movement of GBK’s mechas through the scope. Without hesitation, he adjusted his aim, targeting the high ground behind him and firing three rapid shots. GBK’s mechas dodged the shots, but the targeted hits on the mountain behind them forced them to retreat by several steps.
Taking advantage of the situation, Lu Xi on the other side had already seized her opportunity. Her water projectiles hit the pollutant diagonally in front of GBK directly, forcing GBK to dodge her attack amidst the splashing water.
GBK was wary of the water flow projectiles from KID’s Control mecha, especially after being ambushed by them in the swamp forest. Now, seeing the water flow projectiles again, they had no choice but to completely evade them. However, this time, Lu Xi didn’t add as much energy fuel to the projectiles. Several ordinary water flow projectiles unexpectedly demonstrated a strong force. Coupled with the pincer attack from Ying Chenlin and Gale, it directly blocked GBK’s opportunity to retreat and take off in the narrow terrain.
She finished her bombardment and changed her position.
“8 o’clock.”
As her words fell, You Su’s Sniper Cannon had already fired. With blockades in three directions and the direct clash with Gale, a complete encirclement was formed.
The radar showed numerous red pollutant signals, and KID and Gale’s mechas were boldly mingling among these pollutants, blending their signals with those of the pollutants. With this, you could only see hostile targets in sight. The radar warned them that other pollutants were approaching, and Bai Xuyan not only had to avoid KID and Gale’s attacks but also those of the gathering pollutants.
Although there were large enough gaps available for them to escape the encirclement, KID and Gale had chosen their positions too well. The projectiles coming from every direction were enough to force them into choosing awkward manoeuvres.
“Captain Bai, Gale and KID’s Guardian, Artillery and Control mechas are here, along with KID’s Individual Soldier pilot.”
Bai Xuyan’s anger suddenly surged. He gritted his teeth and sent a communication request to Gale and Qi Sicheng.
However, the communication request wasn’t accepted. He had no choice but to open the public channel and look at the mecha in the distance.
“Qi Sicheng, leading your team to forcibly snatch a pollutant, are you openly declaring war against GBK?”
“Vice Captain Bai, your statement is a bit too serious. The pollutants have always been taken by the strong. We’re just passing by, and we haven’t seen any significant pollutants here. Qi Sicheng’s tone remained calm in the face of Bai Xuyan’s questioning.
“In addition, GBK’s coordinates aren’t on the radar. Attacking surrounding pollutants falls within the normal range of our actions. On the contrary, you attacked us first. What should we consider this as?”
He finished and added, “It seems like there’s no rule that says you can’t retaliate when attacked, right?”
Inside Gale and KID’s communication channel, members of both teams saw Qi Sicheng speaking like this for the first time.
As the Dawn Galaxy’s primary mecha base station, Gale had always been seen as generous and composed by the outside world. Their captain, Qi Sicheng, was exceptionally capable and modest, and in the eyes of others, there were hardly any faults to be found. This was the first time the members of Gale had heard Qi Sicheng speak in such a humble tone, while saying something so infuriating, but inexplicably, they felt quite pleased.
“Let’s not bother with him. Just say we were passing through.”
“They have no signals on the radar, and we have signals and are dealing with pollutants, so there shouldn’t be any problem.”
“Who knows what they were doing with the pollutants? Let’s just say we didn’t know, and say we didn’t see anything.”
Bai Xuyan scanned those positioned below him, where KID’s mechas were stationed. The attack came suddenly. First, they used Gale to lure them out, then, taking advantage of their forces not being nearby, they used the Female Mantis’ displacement to take away the Thunder Series pollutant. These consecutive operations took less than two minutes, and all four of GBK’s mechas were caught up in KID and Gale’s manipulations.
Or rather, GBK hadn’t anticipated this when Gale and KID brazenly approached them with open signals. The fact that GBK didn’t have an open signal was disadvantageous in the eyes of the administration. They had always avoided detection by the administration to avoid giving them leverage. Without any signals, once something happened, it would be difficult to defend themselves.
The two teams from the Dawn Galaxy dared to engage with them precisely because they could exploit this. They could use the excuse of eliminating pollutants to launch attacks against them. The crux was that all their attacks were aimed at them, but they all landed on the pollutants.
Bai Xuyan’s face darkened completely. They had been wholly outsmarted by KID.
“Captain Bai, we’ve tried using all our enhancement devices, but we can’t find any traces of the pollutant we had before on the radar.”
“No traces of the pollutant?” Bai Xuyan frowned. “KID couldn’t have erased all traces of those pollutants so quickly.”
GBK’s members looked at their radars. Apart from some pollutants with values generally around three to four thousand, there was no response for one with a pollution value higher than six thousand. Maybe it was because they didn’t notice KID approaching them with the Female Mantis. If they had detected the Female Mantis’ approach earlier, would they have allowed KID to sneak up on them and take away their prey?
The Tank pilot said, “Captain Bai, KID probably used an anti-stealth magnetic field. Just now, when they confronted that pollutant, the one controlling their other pollutant should be KID’s Stealth mecha.”
An anti-stealth magnetic field? It’s probably more than just an anti-stealth magnetic field!
But this was no longer the focus. The key point was that they had completely lost the coordinates of both pollutants. Even if they could break through KID and Gale’s encirclement, they wouldn’t be able to regain their prey.
Bai Xuyan watched the situation around him, and his expression became colder and colder.
“There’s no need to be polite with them anymore.”
In the distance, Ji Qingfeng and others, who had escaped with the pollutant using the Female Mantis, had already landed safely. The two Tank mechas and the Stealth mechas were more than enough to control the two pollutants that were within their range. Ji Qingfeng had just finished sending a message to Ying Chenlin, “They said they would handle things there. Let’s deal with the lion first.”
A member of Gale’s mecha team expressed their concern, “GBK is very strong. They should be able to handle a two-on-one situation, although we have the numerical advantage, it doesn’t necessarily mean we can suppress them.”
Zhao Lejie, holding the pollutant, asked, “Any other messages?”
Ji Qingfeng replied, “None. Based on my profound understanding of my teammates, such a brief response has only two possible meanings.”
Zhao Lejie, “What are the possibilities?”
Ji Qingfeng, “Either they’re about to fight, or they’re already fighting.”
“Don’t worry. In terms of fighting, our KID hasn’t lost yet.”
In the mountainous gorge, Ying Chenlin noticed his teammate’s response. Ji Qingfeng and the others, who had left with the pollutants using the Female Mantis, had already been teleported to another location. Four mechas were displaced together, including two Tanks and two Stealth mechas. With their strength, they could eliminate both pollutants without making a sound.
Seeing Ji Qingfeng’s send the ‘OK’ he reminded, “Qi’s team, they’re ready over there.”
This place was deliberately chosen by GBK. Qi Sicheng surveyed the terrain here when he followed along for the ambush. This was a blind spot for Coria’s Management Bureau. GBK specifically selected this location to force the pollutant into such a terrain. There were only four GBK mechas left here, indicating that their other mechas should have gone to provide support on the secondary planets. Zhao Lejie and Ji Qingfeng’s team could leave after dealing with the pollutants, and their goal was just to keep Bai Xuyan in front of them.
The Second Star Domain’s mecha squads obviously followed Bai Xuyan’s arrangements. Keeping Bai Xuyan here could affect the Second Star Domain’s deployments to some extent.
However, while Qi Sicheng thought so, when he saw the surrounding situation, he felt like GBK’s reaction was a bit too calm.
A Gale mecha pilot said, “Speaking of which, GBK should’ve backed down, right? After all, they’re in the wrong themselves, and they’ll be at a disadvantage if they fight us.”
Qi Sicheng said cautiously, “Something’s not right.”
“Be careful. They haven’t turned on their mecha signals.”
In a situation where there were more people from KID and fewer from GBK, the best way to avoid confrontation was to turn on their mecha signals, leaving their signals’ marks on the Coria Management Bureau’s system. However, GBK didn’t turn on their signals, which could only mean one thing.
—GBK wanted to fight them.
At this moment, Lu Xi suddenly spoke, “The position of their Control mecha is changing, and the orientation of their weapons isn’t quite right.”
Upon hearing Lu Xi’s words, You Su immediately aimed his scope at the location their opponent’s weapon was facing.
“There’s something there.”
Ying Chenlin followed the weapon’s direction and flew down to Lin Yao below him.
“Lin Yao! Leave where you are!”
In the mountainous gorge, Lin Yao, who was facing off against the Tank, immediately retreated upon hearing his teammate’s reminder. Just as he retreated, GBK’s Control mecha’s shot passed above him through the gap of the pollutants, and slammed into the ground in front of Lin Yao.
Lin Yao narrowly avoided it. When the opposing Control mecha’s shot landed, rapidly expanding white gas quickly spread around Lin Yao. Seeing this, Lin Yao tried to fly upwards, but there was no response when he activated his thrusters. He looked down and found his legs and thrusters were quickly covered in a thick layer of ice, frozen by the spreading cold air.
At this moment, GBK’s Tank, which had already avoided the cold air, suddenly hurled themselves in Lin Yao’s direction using their thrusters.
Lin Yao lifted his sword to block, gritting his teeth as he endured their frontal impacts. The melee light blade weapons of GBK’s Tank should’ve been embedded with strength-type anomalous crystals. The pressure from the heavy blows felt like a thousand pounds, instantly causing Lin Yao’s hand to go numb!
Lu Xi shouted, “It’s their Control mecha’s cryogenic cannon!”
Qi Sicheng frowned. “No, their cryogenic cannon is a control weapon, but it doesn’t have such a large freezing range.”
Ying Chenlin’s scope quickly scanned the surrounding environment, finally stopping on the ground in front of Lin Yao and the slightly damp ground around it. He immediately realized, “It might be a special condensing agent for pollutants!”
You Su furrowed his brows. “Their Control mecha’s weapon has changed directions!”
Following this, Ying Chenlin shouted, “Move away from the mountain! They’ve set up an ambush!”
GBK’s Control mecha’s movements were swift. After freezing Lin Yao with a single shot, it quickly switched to another position. The cryogenic cannon targeted Gale and KID’s mechas. The cryogenic cannon fired rapidly, and the Control mecha’s swift manoeuvres made its trajectory unpredictable. Each shot of its cryogenic cannon precisely hit the surrounding mountains.
The dense white mist generated by the powerful cold air spread throughout the mountains. Their mecha systems received rapid cooling alerts. Ying Chenlin and the other mecha pilots had to leave their original ambush locations. In just a few seconds, most of the environment they were in had turned into a white icy surface, and the rapidly freezing ice immobilized many pollutants.
Lu Xi observed the situation and exclaimed, “So many condensing agents… They’re really wealthy.”
A Gale mecha pilot reacted, “Is this about money?”
“Their Artillery and control are both S-grade competition-level mechas. This icy terrain is advantageous for GBK.”
Qi Sicheng found it surprising that there were special condensing agents for pollutants scattered around the whole environment. These condensing agents weren’t a mecha’s standard equipment, they were special auxiliary products, disposable and expensive. They were generally used to deal with large-scale pollutant swarms and were used in operations aiming to subdue pollutants.
What surprised Qi Sicheng even more was that Bai Xuyan had actually set up an ambush in advance using condensing agents. He knew it would be difficult to deal with GBK, but only when he faced Bai Xuyan head-on did he realize that this person was even more cautious than they had expected.
With only four mechs, GBK was able to achieve so much against their seven mechs.
Qi Sicheng said in a deep voice, “Bai Xuyan has kept something up his sleeve!”
Under the influence of the cryogenic cannon, the condensing agents spread throughout the mountains quickly froze, intertwining rocks and icy surfaces, causing the environment’s temperature to plummet rapidly and affecting their mecha thrusters’ flight speeds. At this moment, Bai Xuyan’s Energy Cannon fired, the projectile carrying cold air rapidly exploding. The tremendous force forced a Gale mecha, directly at the front, to take several steps back.
Lu Xi scanned the area below them and noticed Lin Yao bearing the attacks of their Tank mecha alone. She observed that Ying Chenlin and You Su had already avoided the other attacks. Immediately changing directions, she flew downward.
“I’ll go help Lin Yao!”
Lin Yao’s steps were frozen by a large amount of condensing agent, rendering him unable to move. He could only stand in place and resist the Tank mecha’s attacks. He repeatedly struck the ground with his blade but only managed to barely dislodge a few pieces of ice.
“Why is this place frozen so thoroughly? I can’t even break it.”
“It’s a special type of agent for pollutants. These condensing agents are expensive because they’re specifically designed for pollutants, and they’re very potent.”
While avoiding the attacks, Ying Chenlin quickly surveyed the surrounding situation and noticed that the ice formed by these condensing agents mostly relied on the mountains, serving as a way to block prey.
“GBK must have prepared these condensing agents in advance, perhaps intending to deal with troublesome pollutants or to prepare for our counterattack.”
The area where Lin Yao was located had an ample amount of condensing agents. Bai Xuyan must have known about the mantis’s ability. If Ji Qingfeng and Zhao Lejie had been any slower at that time, allowing GBK’s Artillery mecha to use its cryogenic cannon, it was highly likely that all their mechs, alongside the pollutants, would have been immobilized.
You Su noticed Ying Chenlin’s position change and saw what he was holding.
“How long do you need?”
Ying Chenlin replied, “At least until Lu Xi breaks the ice around Lin Yao, 15 minutes.”
Gale’s Guardian mecha was a step slower in retreating, being grazed by Bai Xuyan’s Energy Cannon. The rapidly forming ice shards affected his flight, forcing him to free up one hand to clear the ice.
“Captain, it’s an ice-base stationd weapon.”
At this moment, Qi Sicheng frowned slightly. Bai Xuyan had many weapons for his Artillery mecha, but seeing this, he confirmed that Bai Xuyan’s current weapon was an ice-base stationd Energy Cannon. This weapon was very lethal, and the impact range of its projectiles was broader than their trajectory. Even if it wasn’t a direct hit, the cold air surrounding the ice-base stationd Energy Cannon would slow down their speed, consistently placing this weapon’s hit rate and lethality at the top of Bai Xuyan’s commonly used weapons.
If the Energy Cannon had scattering, it would mean that this was a weapon that could achieve a hundred percent hit rate.
With the condensing agent filling the environment and these ice-base stationd weapons, it seemed like GBK’s two S-class mechas had been prepared for a while.
At this moment, KID’s Artillery mecha suddenly changed positions, cutting directly into Gale’s defence range through the side. Several Energy Cannon shots quickly fired from his hand, intercepting GBK’s control’s cryogenic cannon attacking from their side.
You Su: “I’ll handle the Artillery.”
Qi Sicheng seized the opportunity created by You Su’s actions. The Heavenly Thunder Cannon in his hand aimed at GBK’s Control mecha’s exposed position, guarding the other side.
“I’ll take care of the Control mecha.”
He finished speaking and turned to the other two Gale mechas.
“As for the Guardian mecha, it’s up to you two.”
When Gale and KID took action, Bai Xuyan immediately noticed. He saw their Artillery mecha charging straight towards him from nearby.
His Energy Cannon aimed at the approaching Artillery mecha, and its projectile, carrying cold air, fired. The splashing cold air dispersed in all directions, forming circles of white mist.
Seeing KID’s Artillery mecha enter his range, Bai Xuyan calmly fired another shot.
“You’re overestimating yourself.”
However, just as his projectile was about to hit KID’s Artillery mecha, a burst of flames erupted from the opposite side, and the scattered Energy Cannon fire directly blasted his Energy Cannon’s shot midway.
Bai Xuyan paused, realizing that this Artillery mecha had intercepted his projectile while flying at high speeds!
His high sensitivity alerted him to the danger, and he immediately used his thrusters to retreat a few steps. His Energy Cannon fired away while he flew at a high speed.
Seeing this, You Su adjusted his Energy Cannon while flying at high speed. The scattered Energy Cannon collided head-on with Bai Xuyan’s Energy Cannon, intercepting those threatening projectiles midway.
Bai Xuyan frowned, accelerating his Energy Cannon’s operating speed, targeting KID’s Artillery mecha for a fiercer attack.
Theo: “He’s so dumb, trying to compete with us in speed.”
Without even lifting his eyes, You Su moved within the mountain range filled with condensing agents. The speed of his movements wasn’t as smooth as before due to the dense cold air, but it didn’t affect his firing speed at all. On the contrary, while he stood firm and fired, his Energy Cannon was even faster than Bai Xuyan’s.
Slow movement speed doesn’t matter, what was being compared here wasn’t movement speed, but their attack speed.
In the narrow mountainous environment, between the mountainsides covered with thin ice, the two mechas weren’t flying that quickly, yet they had exchanged attacks multiple times in just two minutes.
You Su glanced at the environment outside his mecha and continuously adjusted his orientation, using the wind generated by the projectiles’ collisions to achieve maximum efficiency with his Energy Cannon. While Bai Xuyan was still adjusting his cannon, You Su’s projectile had already been fired ahead of time.
Bai Xuyan hastily evaded while keeping a close eye on the Artillery mecha. He remembered the data on this Artillery mecha, which uses wind-base stationd attack weapons. In this terrain, which is practically windless, that weapon should have minimal effectiveness. But why was the other’s charging speed getting faster!?
Theo snorted twice. “Does he think he’s the only one who can create an advantageous environment?”
“Wind can be created anytime, anywhere, and he can’t catch up to our advantage in timing!”
Seeing Bai Xuyan raising his cannon again, You Su’s Sniper Cannon had already finished charging.
The Sniper Cannon quickly shot through the environment filled with cold air and directly hit the mecha ahead of him.
Just as Theo and You Su were getting into their fight, a voice came over the communication channel.
—”I’m ready on my end.”
On the field, GBK thought they had created a new environment to retake their advantage. Indeed, KID and Gale had inferior strength and equipment to theirs, but they didn’t expect these two teams to fight individually. They immediately split the battlefield and engaged in personal combat.
All GBK team members were powerful mecha pilots and held their own against the attacks of their two opponents. Bai Xuyan has estimated Qi Sicheng’s strength and believed that facing seven mechas in his predicted scenario shouldn’t be a problem. However, he didn’t expect KID’s Artillery mecha to have such strong combat capabilities. He couldn’t even free himself up to coordinate with the others to break through.
Trace, this person wasn’t well-known in Dawn Galaxy, his best historical achievement was just reaching the top 16 in the Galactic Tournament.
Bai Xuyan frowned slightly, it seemed like he needed to find a way to deal with this mecha first.
He had no choice but to give up attacking that mecha and instead adopt a hit-and-run approach to create distance. Quickly analyzing the current situation, he noticed the distribution of his team members and KID on the radar. In that instant, he suddenly discovered something.
There were only six signals on the radar for Gale and KID!?
He swiftly swept over the situation on the battlefield, astonished, “Where did KID’s Individual Soldier pilot mecha go!?”
“Captain Bai, they’re not here.”
“Not here either.”
Bai Xuyan had been focusing on the changes in the enemy’s signals on the map. Seeing those signals moving among the others, he thought KID’s Individual Soldier pilot was providing long-range assistance to his teammates in the attack and didn’t bother to count their signals. As a result, this Individual Soldier pilot actually subtly concealed their position amidst the chaos of the battlefield, taking advantage of the nuanced changes in the signals.
Suddenly, Bai Xuyan saw a change in his field of view. KID’s Artillery, which had been attacking him thiewhole time, had unexpectedly stopped.
The surroundings were filled with smoke and white gas generated from the battle, affecting his vision.
“Something’s wrong. What’s the situation with the others?”
“Qi Sicheng has stopped attacking.”
GBK’s Tank, controlled by KID’s mechs, had their movements restrained by water projectiles. Seeing Lin Yao running away from him, he urgently spoke, “Captain Bai! KID’s Guardian and Control have fled!”
Bai Xuyan paused, noticing that all the mecha signals on the radar had disappeared. He calmly ordered, “Immediately switch to the second plan—”.
He hadn’t finished speaking when the sound of rushing wind reached his ears as if something was swiftly approaching through the air. Bai Xuyan calmly looked down and saw a projectile shooting through from below. While he quickly avoided the attack, a Sniper Cannon from another direction suddenly fired, colliding with the projectile and creating a massive explosive vortex.
In the smoke, lightning flashed for a moment. Qi Sicheng’s Heavenly Thunder Cannon played a huge role in this low-visibility environment. He directly repelled the opposing control and Guardian mechas from above, working alongside the others to press GBK’s other three members down to the bottom of the narrow mountain.
“Has everyone evacuated?”
In the upper airspace of the narrow mountains, a lone mecha pilot was positioned directly above everything, and the smoke below was murky.
Ying Chenlin calmly locked onto another location, observing the mountains covered in ice.
When KID and Gale mechas flew out of the chaotic smoke, the Rapid-Fire Cannon in Ying Chenlin’s hands fired consecutively.
Seeing this, Bai Xuyan, with a few others, was about to fly upward when he suddenly saw several flashes of fire in the smoke.
The rapidly flying projectiles bombarded the mountain one after another, hitting the energy fuel scattered on the icy surface, and a massive explosion erupted in an instant.
When Qi Sicheng emerged from the smoke, he witnessed this and asked in astonishment,
“What’s this?”
“Burying people.”
Ying Chenlin put away the Rapid-Fire Cannon and casually said, “Don’t worry, I only used two energy canisters, with scattered placements, so they won’t be detected by the Management Bureau.”
Qi Sicheng: “…?”
103. Burying People
Proofread by Cloud Chip Cake
The pollutant’s disappearance was too sudden. GBK’s Tank hadn’t even had a chance to approach the Female Mantis when they saw KID and Gale take the S-class Thunder Series pollutant, which they had been fighting with for so long, right before their eyes.
GBK’s Tank suddenly faced the adjacent KID mecha. Their energy blade came down hard, only to see KID’s Guardian mecha smoothly dodge their attacks, wielding its Long Blade with precision, not in the slightest weakened by their assault.
This turn of events caught everyone in GBK off guard. The mountain’s corner was now empty, with no traces left behind in the haze caused by the gunfire. Bai Xuyan immediately looked towards the radar as the smoke cleared, but there were no signs of the two S-class pollutants. There were only red signals corresponding to the surrounding pollutants on the map.
“…Captain Bai, the lion has been taken away.”
The other members of GBK looked down in shock, as if they had never expected such an occurrence, nor did they expect KID and Gale to brazenly take away their spoils of war.
“That was the pollutant we fought for.”
“Why would KID and Gale do this?!”
In the mountain pass, KID’s Guardian mecha stood guard, its Long Blade cutting straight through the air, engaging in a back-and-forth clash with GBK’s Tank mecha. Gale’s three mechas at higher altitudes showed no signs of backing down, surrounding GBK’s three mechas one for one. The situation seemed to have suddenly been reversed, excluding the three Gale mechas they were facing head-on, there were other mechas concealed in the gaps of the surrounding environment.
Silently, before they even realized KID and Gale’s presence, they had already fallen into their encirclement and were being pressured by the two squads.
The conflict between the mechas on both sides showed no signs of stopping. Bai Xuyan had just taken a few steps back when he noticed gunfire from behind. He turned abruptly, only to find KID’s other three mechas hiding under the opposing mountain peak.
Ying Chenlin lowered his head slightly, seeing the movement of GBK’s mechas through the scope. Without hesitation, he adjusted his aim, targeting the high ground behind him and firing three rapid shots. GBK’s mechas dodged the shots, but the targeted hits on the mountain behind them forced them to retreat by several steps.
Taking advantage of the situation, Lu Xi on the other side had already seized her opportunity. Her water projectiles hit the pollutant diagonally in front of GBK directly, forcing GBK to dodge her attack amidst the splashing water.
GBK was wary of the water flow projectiles from KID’s Control mecha, especially after being ambushed by them in the swamp forest. Now, seeing the water flow projectiles again, they had no choice but to completely evade them. However, this time, Lu Xi didn’t add as much energy fuel to the projectiles. Several ordinary water flow projectiles unexpectedly demonstrated a strong force. Coupled with the pincer attack from Ying Chenlin and Gale, it directly blocked GBK’s opportunity to retreat and take off in the narrow terrain.
She finished her bombardment and changed her position.
“8 o’clock.”
As her words fell, You Su’s Sniper Cannon had already fired. With blockades in three directions and the direct clash with Gale, a complete encirclement was formed.
The radar showed numerous red pollutant signals, and KID and Gale’s mechas were boldly mingling among these pollutants, blending their signals with those of the pollutants. With this, you could only see hostile targets in sight. The radar warned them that other pollutants were approaching, and Bai Xuyan not only had to avoid KID and Gale’s attacks but also those of the gathering pollutants.
Although there were large enough gaps available for them to escape the encirclement, KID and Gale had chosen their positions too well. The projectiles coming from every direction were enough to force them into choosing awkward manoeuvres.
“Captain Bai, Gale and KID’s Guardian, Artillery and Control mechas are here, along with KID’s Individual Soldier pilot.”
Bai Xuyan’s anger suddenly surged. He gritted his teeth and sent a communication request to Gale and Qi Sicheng.
However, the communication request wasn’t accepted. He had no choice but to open the public channel and look at the mecha in the distance.
“Qi Sicheng, leading your team to forcibly snatch a pollutant, are you openly declaring war against GBK?”
“Vice Captain Bai, your statement is a bit too serious. The pollutants have always been taken by the strong. We’re just passing by, and we haven’t seen any significant pollutants here. Qi Sicheng’s tone remained calm in the face of Bai Xuyan’s questioning.
“In addition, GBK’s coordinates aren’t on the radar. Attacking surrounding pollutants falls within the normal range of our actions. On the contrary, you attacked us first. What should we consider this as?”
He finished and added, “It seems like there’s no rule that says you can’t retaliate when attacked, right?”
Inside Gale and KID’s communication channel, members of both teams saw Qi Sicheng speaking like this for the first time.
As the Dawn Galaxy’s primary mecha base station, Gale had always been seen as generous and composed by the outside world. Their captain, Qi Sicheng, was exceptionally capable and modest, and in the eyes of others, there were hardly any faults to be found. This was the first time the members of Gale had heard Qi Sicheng speak in such a humble tone, while saying something so infuriating, but inexplicably, they felt quite pleased.
“Let’s not bother with him. Just say we were passing through.”
“They have no signals on the radar, and we have signals and are dealing with pollutants, so there shouldn’t be any problem.”
“Who knows what they were doing with the pollutants? Let’s just say we didn’t know, and say we didn’t see anything.”
Bai Xuyan scanned those positioned below him, where KID’s mechas were stationed. The attack came suddenly. First, they used Gale to lure them out, then, taking advantage of their forces not being nearby, they used the Female Mantis’ displacement to take away the Thunder Series pollutant. These consecutive operations took less than two minutes, and all four of GBK’s mechas were caught up in KID and Gale’s manipulations.
Or rather, GBK hadn’t anticipated this when Gale and KID brazenly approached them with open signals. The fact that GBK didn’t have an open signal was disadvantageous in the eyes of the administration. They had always avoided detection by the administration to avoid giving them leverage. Without any signals, once something happened, it would be difficult to defend themselves.
The two teams from the Dawn Galaxy dared to engage with them precisely because they could exploit this. They could use the excuse of eliminating pollutants to launch attacks against them. The crux was that all their attacks were aimed at them, but they all landed on the pollutants.
Bai Xuyan’s face darkened completely. They had been wholly outsmarted by KID.
“Captain Bai, we’ve tried using all our enhancement devices, but we can’t find any traces of the pollutant we had before on the radar.”
“No traces of the pollutant?” Bai Xuyan frowned. “KID couldn’t have erased all traces of those pollutants so quickly.”
GBK’s members looked at their radars. Apart from some pollutants with values generally around three to four thousand, there was no response for one with a pollution value higher than six thousand. Maybe it was because they didn’t notice KID approaching them with the Female Mantis. If they had detected the Female Mantis’ approach earlier, would they have allowed KID to sneak up on them and take away their prey?
The Tank pilot said, “Captain Bai, KID probably used an anti-stealth magnetic field. Just now, when they confronted that pollutant, the one controlling their other pollutant should be KID’s Stealth mecha.”
An anti-stealth magnetic field? It’s probably more than just an anti-stealth magnetic field!
But this was no longer the focus. The key point was that they had completely lost the coordinates of both pollutants. Even if they could break through KID and Gale’s encirclement, they wouldn’t be able to regain their prey.
Bai Xuyan watched the situation around him, and his expression became colder and colder.
“There’s no need to be polite with them anymore.”
In the distance, Ji Qingfeng and others, who had escaped with the pollutant using the Female Mantis, had already landed safely. The two Tank mechas and the Stealth mechas were more than enough to control the two pollutants that were within their range. Ji Qingfeng had just finished sending a message to Ying Chenlin, “They said they would handle things there. Let’s deal with the lion first.”
A member of Gale’s mecha team expressed their concern, “GBK is very strong. They should be able to handle a two-on-one situation, although we have the numerical advantage, it doesn’t necessarily mean we can suppress them.”
Zhao Lejie, holding the pollutant, asked, “Any other messages?”
Ji Qingfeng replied, “None. Based on my profound understanding of my teammates, such a brief response has only two possible meanings.”
Zhao Lejie, “What are the possibilities?”
Ji Qingfeng, “Either they’re about to fight, or they’re already fighting.”
“Don’t worry. In terms of fighting, our KID hasn’t lost yet.”
In the mountainous gorge, Ying Chenlin noticed his teammate’s response. Ji Qingfeng and the others, who had left with the pollutants using the Female Mantis, had already been teleported to another location. Four mechas were displaced together, including two Tanks and two Stealth mechas. With their strength, they could eliminate both pollutants without making a sound.
Seeing Ji Qingfeng’s send the ‘OK’ he reminded, “Qi’s team, they’re ready over there.”
This place was deliberately chosen by GBK. Qi Sicheng surveyed the terrain here when he followed along for the ambush. This was a blind spot for Coria’s Management Bureau. GBK specifically selected this location to force the pollutant into such a terrain. There were only four GBK mechas left here, indicating that their other mechas should have gone to provide support on the secondary planets. Zhao Lejie and Ji Qingfeng’s team could leave after dealing with the pollutants, and their goal was just to keep Bai Xuyan in front of them.
The Second Star Domain’s mecha squads obviously followed Bai Xuyan’s arrangements. Keeping Bai Xuyan here could affect the Second Star Domain’s deployments to some extent.
However, while Qi Sicheng thought so, when he saw the surrounding situation, he felt like GBK’s reaction was a bit too calm.
A Gale mecha pilot said, “Speaking of which, GBK should’ve backed down, right? After all, they’re in the wrong themselves, and they’ll be at a disadvantage if they fight us.”
Qi Sicheng said cautiously, “Something’s not right.”
“Be careful. They haven’t turned on their mecha signals.”
In a situation where there were more people from KID and fewer from GBK, the best way to avoid confrontation was to turn on their mecha signals, leaving their signals’ marks on the Coria Management Bureau’s system. However, GBK didn’t turn on their signals, which could only mean one thing.
—GBK wanted to fight them.
At this moment, Lu Xi suddenly spoke, “The position of their Control mecha is changing, and the orientation of their weapons isn’t quite right.”
Upon hearing Lu Xi’s words, You Su immediately aimed his scope at the location their opponent’s weapon was facing.
“There’s something there.”
Ying Chenlin followed the weapon’s direction and flew down to Lin Yao below him.
“Lin Yao! Leave where you are!”
In the mountainous gorge, Lin Yao, who was facing off against the Tank, immediately retreated upon hearing his teammate’s reminder. Just as he retreated, GBK’s Control mecha’s shot passed above him through the gap of the pollutants, and slammed into the ground in front of Lin Yao.
Lin Yao narrowly avoided it. When the opposing Control mecha’s shot landed, rapidly expanding white gas quickly spread around Lin Yao. Seeing this, Lin Yao tried to fly upwards, but there was no response when he activated his thrusters. He looked down and found his legs and thrusters were quickly covered in a thick layer of ice, frozen by the spreading cold air.
At this moment, GBK’s Tank, which had already avoided the cold air, suddenly hurled themselves in Lin Yao’s direction using their thrusters.
Lin Yao lifted his sword to block, gritting his teeth as he endured their frontal impacts. The melee light blade weapons of GBK’s Tank should’ve been embedded with strength-type anomalous crystals. The pressure from the heavy blows felt like a thousand pounds, instantly causing Lin Yao’s hand to go numb!
Lu Xi shouted, “It’s their Control mecha’s cryogenic cannon!”
Qi Sicheng frowned. “No, their cryogenic cannon is a control weapon, but it doesn’t have such a large freezing range.”
Ying Chenlin’s scope quickly scanned the surrounding environment, finally stopping on the ground in front of Lin Yao and the slightly damp ground around it. He immediately realized, “It might be a special condensing agent for pollutants!”
You Su furrowed his brows. “Their Control mecha’s weapon has changed directions!”
Following this, Ying Chenlin shouted, “Move away from the mountain! They’ve set up an ambush!”
GBK’s Control mecha’s movements were swift. After freezing Lin Yao with a single shot, it quickly switched to another position. The cryogenic cannon targeted Gale and KID’s mechas. The cryogenic cannon fired rapidly, and the Control mecha’s swift manoeuvres made its trajectory unpredictable. Each shot of its cryogenic cannon precisely hit the surrounding mountains.
The dense white mist generated by the powerful cold air spread throughout the mountains. Their mecha systems received rapid cooling alerts. Ying Chenlin and the other mecha pilots had to leave their original ambush locations. In just a few seconds, most of the environment they were in had turned into a white icy surface, and the rapidly freezing ice immobilized many pollutants.
Lu Xi observed the situation and exclaimed, “So many condensing agents… They’re really wealthy.”
A Gale mecha pilot reacted, “Is this about money?”
“Their Artillery and control are both S-grade competition-level mechas. This icy terrain is advantageous for GBK.”
Qi Sicheng found it surprising that there were special condensing agents for pollutants scattered around the whole environment. These condensing agents weren’t a mecha’s standard equipment, they were special auxiliary products, disposable and expensive. They were generally used to deal with large-scale pollutant swarms and were used in operations aiming to subdue pollutants.
What surprised Qi Sicheng even more was that Bai Xuyan had actually set up an ambush in advance using condensing agents. He knew it would be difficult to deal with GBK, but only when he faced Bai Xuyan head-on did he realize that this person was even more cautious than they had expected.
With only four mechs, GBK was able to achieve so much against their seven mechs.
Qi Sicheng said in a deep voice, “Bai Xuyan has kept something up his sleeve!”
Under the influence of the cryogenic cannon, the condensing agents spread throughout the mountains quickly froze, intertwining rocks and icy surfaces, causing the environment’s temperature to plummet rapidly and affecting their mecha thrusters’ flight speeds. At this moment, Bai Xuyan’s Energy Cannon fired, the projectile carrying cold air rapidly exploding. The tremendous force forced a Gale mecha, directly at the front, to take several steps back.
Lu Xi scanned the area below them and noticed Lin Yao bearing the attacks of their Tank mecha alone. She observed that Ying Chenlin and You Su had already avoided the other attacks. Immediately changing directions, she flew downward.
“I’ll go help Lin Yao!”
Lin Yao’s steps were frozen by a large amount of condensing agent, rendering him unable to move. He could only stand in place and resist the Tank mecha’s attacks. He repeatedly struck the ground with his blade but only managed to barely dislodge a few pieces of ice.
“Why is this place frozen so thoroughly? I can’t even break it.”
“It’s a special type of agent for pollutants. These condensing agents are expensive because they’re specifically designed for pollutants, and they’re very potent.”
While avoiding the attacks, Ying Chenlin quickly surveyed the surrounding situation and noticed that the ice formed by these condensing agents mostly relied on the mountains, serving as a way to block prey.
“GBK must have prepared these condensing agents in advance, perhaps intending to deal with troublesome pollutants or to prepare for our counterattack.”
The area where Lin Yao was located had an ample amount of condensing agents. Bai Xuyan must have known about the mantis’s ability. If Ji Qingfeng and Zhao Lejie had been any slower at that time, allowing GBK’s Artillery mecha to use its cryogenic cannon, it was highly likely that all their mechs, alongside the pollutants, would have been immobilized.
You Su noticed Ying Chenlin’s position change and saw what he was holding.
“How long do you need?”
Ying Chenlin replied, “At least until Lu Xi breaks the ice around Lin Yao, 15 minutes.”
Gale’s Guardian mecha was a step slower in retreating, being grazed by Bai Xuyan’s Energy Cannon. The rapidly forming ice shards affected his flight, forcing him to free up one hand to clear the ice.
“Captain, it’s an ice-base stationd weapon.”
At this moment, Qi Sicheng frowned slightly. Bai Xuyan had many weapons for his Artillery mecha, but seeing this, he confirmed that Bai Xuyan’s current weapon was an ice-base stationd Energy Cannon. This weapon was very lethal, and the impact range of its projectiles was broader than their trajectory. Even if it wasn’t a direct hit, the cold air surrounding the ice-base stationd Energy Cannon would slow down their speed, consistently placing this weapon’s hit rate and lethality at the top of Bai Xuyan’s commonly used weapons.
If the Energy Cannon had scattering, it would mean that this was a weapon that could achieve a hundred percent hit rate.
With the condensing agent filling the environment and these ice-base stationd weapons, it seemed like GBK’s two S-class mechas had been prepared for a while.
At this moment, KID’s Artillery mecha suddenly changed positions, cutting directly into Gale’s defence range through the side. Several Energy Cannon shots quickly fired from his hand, intercepting GBK’s control’s cryogenic cannon attacking from their side.
You Su: “I’ll handle the Artillery.”
Qi Sicheng seized the opportunity created by You Su’s actions. The Heavenly Thunder Cannon in his hand aimed at GBK’s Control mecha’s exposed position, guarding the other side.
“I’ll take care of the Control mecha.”
He finished speaking and turned to the other two Gale mechas.
“As for the Guardian mecha, it’s up to you two.”
When Gale and KID took action, Bai Xuyan immediately noticed. He saw their Artillery mecha charging straight towards him from nearby.
His Energy Cannon aimed at the approaching Artillery mecha, and its projectile, carrying cold air, fired. The splashing cold air dispersed in all directions, forming circles of white mist.
Seeing KID’s Artillery mecha enter his range, Bai Xuyan calmly fired another shot.
“You’re overestimating yourself.”
However, just as his projectile was about to hit KID’s Artillery mecha, a burst of flames erupted from the opposite side, and the scattered Energy Cannon fire directly blasted his Energy Cannon’s shot midway.
Bai Xuyan paused, realizing that this Artillery mecha had intercepted his projectile while flying at high speeds!
His high sensitivity alerted him to the danger, and he immediately used his thrusters to retreat a few steps. His Energy Cannon fired away while he flew at a high speed.
Seeing this, You Su adjusted his Energy Cannon while flying at high speed. The scattered Energy Cannon collided head-on with Bai Xuyan’s Energy Cannon, intercepting those threatening projectiles midway.
Bai Xuyan frowned, accelerating his Energy Cannon’s operating speed, targeting KID’s Artillery mecha for a fiercer attack.
Theo: “He’s so dumb, trying to compete with us in speed.”
Without even lifting his eyes, You Su moved within the mountain range filled with condensing agents. The speed of his movements wasn’t as smooth as before due to the dense cold air, but it didn’t affect his firing speed at all. On the contrary, while he stood firm and fired, his Energy Cannon was even faster than Bai Xuyan’s.
Slow movement speed doesn’t matter, what was being compared here wasn’t movement speed, but their attack speed.
In the narrow mountainous environment, between the mountainsides covered with thin ice, the two mechas weren’t flying that quickly, yet they had exchanged attacks multiple times in just two minutes.
You Su glanced at the environment outside his mecha and continuously adjusted his orientation, using the wind generated by the projectiles’ collisions to achieve maximum efficiency with his Energy Cannon. While Bai Xuyan was still adjusting his cannon, You Su’s projectile had already been fired ahead of time.
Bai Xuyan hastily evaded while keeping a close eye on the Artillery mecha. He remembered the data on this Artillery mecha, which uses wind-base stationd attack weapons. In this terrain, which is practically windless, that weapon should have minimal effectiveness. But why was the other’s charging speed getting faster!?
Theo snorted twice. “Does he think he’s the only one who can create an advantageous environment?”
“Wind can be created anytime, anywhere, and he can’t catch up to our advantage in timing!”
Seeing Bai Xuyan raising his cannon again, You Su’s Sniper Cannon had already finished charging.
The Sniper Cannon quickly shot through the environment filled with cold air and directly hit the mecha ahead of him.
Just as Theo and You Su were getting into their fight, a voice came over the communication channel.
—”I’m ready on my end.”
On the field, GBK thought they had created a new environment to retake their advantage. Indeed, KID and Gale had inferior strength and equipment to theirs, but they didn’t expect these two teams to fight individually. They immediately split the battlefield and engaged in personal combat.
All GBK team members were powerful mecha pilots and held their own against the attacks of their two opponents. Bai Xuyan has estimated Qi Sicheng’s strength and believed that facing seven mechas in his predicted scenario shouldn’t be a problem. However, he didn’t expect KID’s Artillery mecha to have such strong combat capabilities. He couldn’t even free himself up to coordinate with the others to break through.
Trace, this person wasn’t well-known in Dawn Galaxy, his best historical achievement was just reaching the top 16 in the Galactic Tournament.
Bai Xuyan frowned slightly, it seemed like he needed to find a way to deal with this mecha first.
He had no choice but to give up attacking that mecha and instead adopt a hit-and-run approach to create distance. Quickly analyzing the current situation, he noticed the distribution of his team members and KID on the radar. In that instant, he suddenly discovered something.
There were only six signals on the radar for Gale and KID!?
He swiftly swept over the situation on the battlefield, astonished, “Where did KID’s Individual Soldier pilot mecha go!?”
“Captain Bai, they’re not here.”
“Not here either.”
Bai Xuyan had been focusing on the changes in the enemy’s signals on the map. Seeing those signals moving among the others, he thought KID’s Individual Soldier pilot was providing long-range assistance to his teammates in the attack and didn’t bother to count their signals. As a result, this Individual Soldier pilot actually subtly concealed their position amidst the chaos of the battlefield, taking advantage of the nuanced changes in the signals.
Suddenly, Bai Xuyan saw a change in his field of view. KID’s Artillery, which had been attacking him thiewhole time, had unexpectedly stopped.
The surroundings were filled with smoke and white gas generated from the battle, affecting his vision.
“Something’s wrong. What’s the situation with the others?”
“Qi Sicheng has stopped attacking.”
GBK’s Tank, controlled by KID’s mechs, had their movements restrained by water projectiles. Seeing Lin Yao running away from him, he urgently spoke, “Captain Bai! KID’s Guardian and Control have fled!”
Bai Xuyan paused, noticing that all the mecha signals on the radar had disappeared. He calmly ordered, “Immediately switch to the second plan—”.
He hadn’t finished speaking when the sound of rushing wind reached his ears as if something was swiftly approaching through the air. Bai Xuyan calmly looked down and saw a projectile shooting through from below. While he quickly avoided the attack, a Sniper Cannon from another direction suddenly fired, colliding with the projectile and creating a massive explosive vortex.
In the smoke, lightning flashed for a moment. Qi Sicheng’s Heavenly Thunder Cannon played a huge role in this low-visibility environment. He directly repelled the opposing control and Guardian mechas from above, working alongside the others to press GBK’s other three members down to the bottom of the narrow mountain.
“Has everyone evacuated?”
In the upper airspace of the narrow mountains, a lone mecha pilot was positioned directly above everything, and the smoke below was murky.
Ying Chenlin calmly locked onto another location, observing the mountains covered in ice.
When KID and Gale mechas flew out of the chaotic smoke, the Rapid-Fire Cannon in Ying Chenlin’s hands fired consecutively.
Seeing this, Bai Xuyan, with a few others, was about to fly upward when he suddenly saw several flashes of fire in the smoke.
The rapidly flying projectiles bombarded the mountain one after another, hitting the energy fuel scattered on the icy surface, and a massive explosion erupted in an instant.
When Qi Sicheng emerged from the smoke, he witnessed this and asked in astonishment,
“What’s this?”
“Burying people.”
Ying Chenlin put away the Rapid-Fire Cannon and casually said, “Don’t worry, I only used two energy canisters, with scattered placements, so they won’t be detected by the Management Bureau.”
Qi Sicheng: “…?”
