44. Roster
As the match concluded, a deathly silence fell over the rest of the livestream viewers. They hadn't expected Chi Lizi to be eliminated in such a manner, missing victory by a hair's breadth in the final minute.
“??? The last to appear were Stealth and Vanguard, right!?”
“How did they figure that out? How long have these two been following Chi Lizi!?”
“Where did this amazing player suddenly come from!? I thought 01 was strong enough, and now there are several more popping up.”
“Am I the only one impressed by the survivor at the end? Who's that incredible player who managed to stay alive under this crazy team's onslaught?”
As the match concluded, many in the livestream room still hadn't recovered. Though the game lasted only 60 minutes, they were caught off guard by the continuous tactics of this team.
This style of combat was truly rare. Despite it being a team battle, they hadn't seen 01's teammates with guns from the beginning. After finally clearing the surrounding mechs, 01's teammates kept popping up one after another. And they were no ordinary ones – one was a control mecha that singled out opponents with precision timing, two stealth mechas lying in ambush beyond the battle, and an Artillery mecha with exceptional skill.
“Wait?! Does this team have a Tank?”
“I checked the records, and that Tank has absorbed the highest damage in the current game.”
What does "absorbed the highest damage" mean? It means this person was always at the center of the battle but was never taken down by any mech. The only mecha that fit this description was the Tank mecha that seemed to have made a positioning mistake and ended up at the center of everyone's focus in the second wave of combat.
At this moment, Chi Lizi finally snapped back to reality. That mecha wasn't a decoy by Ace. This team had been around them the entire time, provoking and causing chaos. The situation had evolved into what it was thanks to them.
He stared at the records, finding it hard to react even as others called him off the stream.
Inside the CEF4 Base in the Tianu Galaxy located in the Third Star Domain, the Artillery mecha pilot Ace sat in front of a virtual screen. The segment of his direct confrontation with qpdik01 had replayed several times. The opponent's actions always kept him on edge.
"Ace, you've watched it twenty times already," another mecha pilot in the base said. "This Artillery mecha pilot is definitely not from our Third Star Domain. We've never seen this style of play in the Star Alliance matches."
Ace frowned. "His skill level is that of a professional mecha pilot. Maybe we just haven't encountered him before."
His teammate added, "Anyone who can directly face you in combat must be at the Star Alliance level. Anyone who's been in the Star Alliance matches would be in our base's research list, but the coaches just confirmed there's no one like that."
"If he hasn't been in the Star Alliance matches... then his skill level must not be up to par. You don't need to worry too much."
Ace couldn't shake off his unease. He felt that this opponent could be his future rival.
In the YDS Base, Hu Luobu exited the virtual chamber and saw Ke Lin, who had already exported the battle data. He was standing in front of a virtual screen, with two tactical coaches from their base alongside him. The three of them were reviewing the match with grave expressions.
Hu Luobu began by self-criticizing, "Though it was a virtual match, I underestimated the situation."
"Underestimating the enemy is one thing, but I can only say that the person behind devising this tactic has a twisted mind," Ke Lin shifted the virtual screen, displaying a high-magnification playback of the match. Every detail, from the dominant entrance of the artillery at the beginning to the initiation of the second wave of chaos, was being revealed. "See that? The artillery's conspicuous entry and its forceful elimination of two opponents at the start, he was actually providing cover for his teammate to exit the center of the battle."
"Artillery's high-profile entrance made him the prime target for everyone. His teammates didn't support him; instead, they used this opportunity to move to strategic positions and await the subsequent tactical arrangement. The central location of the small polluted area map was divided into two battlefields: an inner one with only one artillery mech, and an outer one with all the artillery mech's teammates."
"No support can be better than support."
The coach next to them frowned and commented, "A team like this would have a significant advantage on this kind of small-scale map."
Hu Luobu chimed in, "Then, we just need to shut down their artillery at the beginning, or no... just kill him."
In this match, there were at least three artillery mecha pilots with long-range core abilities in the central location. This included him, Chi Lizi, not to mention the skillful sixth-ranked artillery mecha pilot in the Star League, Ace. Such an encirclement couldn't suppress this artillery mecha pilot.
"Their tactics are extremely focused, and they also have significant drawbacks. However, even if we know their weaknesses, as long as we can't break through the core of the artillery, we will always be trapped in this situation."
Ke Lin continued, "This every-man-for-himself approach really tests the individual qualities of the mecha pilots. Look at every step of this match: the artillery's opening, the Tank's baiting, the control of vision... and finally, the stealth and guardianship for reaping. Think about it, they are divided like this. As long as someone is eliminated prematurely in the middle, their tactics completely fall apart."
"But there's no one; all five mechs are doing well."
The outstanding individual qualities of the team indicated their exceptional mecha pilot skills. At least, in Ke Lin's experience with the league, he hadn't seen a team with such comprehensive individual qualities. This team was either a combination of mecha squads that had never appeared in the Dawn Galaxy or a team from another galaxy.
The coach next to him continued, "It seems that we need to watch closely in the upcoming elimination matches. Perhaps a dark horse might emerge this year."
Hu Luobu thought back carefully to the recent battle. At one point in the middle, he felt a strange sense of familiarity. "I feel like I've seen it somewhere."
Ke Lin frowned at him, "Seen it? But we've never played against a team like this."
Hu Luobu didn't know how to describe it. Now, looking at the footage, he couldn't identify the details, but during the actual combat, he had indeed felt this way. "I always feel very familiar, but I can't remember where I encountered it."
He was certain that he hadn't seen this tactic before, but why did he have this sense of familiarity?
---
Inside KID's base, after finishing the match, the KID team members emerged from the virtual chamber with high spirits.
Lin Yao said, "I think my final ultimate flying kick was particularly cool."
"Yeah, I just felt like my Bind Shackles were executed perfectly," Ji Qingfeng reminisced in a self-absorbed manner. "Bind and pin, then a finishing blow. I dream about killing artillery mechs like that."
As Ying Chenlin exited the virtual chamber, he noticed Jiang Simiao and Shen Xingtang sitting nearby. Both of them were looking in his direction.
Shen Xingtang smiled at him.
Ying Chenlin felt a bit inexplicably guilty. He turned his head slightly and saw the virtual screen in the training room replaying their recent battle. "Sorry, the strategy we used just now was my idea. I didn't intentionally cause chaos."
Hearing the voice, the KID mecha pilots, who had just been fooling around, finally reacted. Jiang Simiao had instructed them to enter the battlefield for training, but instead, they turned the field into a free-for-all match. As they fought, they got more and more excited, and none of the originally planned tactics were practiced.
Jiang Simiao raised his glasses and smiled, saying, "You did well."
The KID team members immediately got goosebumps. They had grown accustomed to Jiang Simiao's cold expression during this time, so seeing him smiling so warmly was quite a rarity.
Seeing everyone not uttering a word, Jiang Simiao looked at them with puzzlement, "What's wrong? Why do you all look so gloomy when I'm praising your performance?"
He brought the virtual screen in front of them. "What are you staring at? Come here, let's analyze the match."
He genuinely meant to analyze it. While the KID team members were competing, Jiang Simiao had rapidly reviewed the entire match. He had indeed seen a different possibility from this battle. He had been too confined to the scale of traditional team battles in the past, trying to adjust the pace to fit KID's rhythm as much as possible. That was until he had just finished watching that match.
"Some of my previous judgments might have been off, but seeing your tactics today gave me a new perspective." Jiang Simiao reopened the map. "Have you heard of splitting the battlefield? Originally, our core strategy revolved around You Su, but after watching today's match, I think our core can be both short-range and long-range."
Real analysis required a comprehensive analysis of every detail from various angles.
Apart from Ying Chenlin's commanding factor, the main focus of the match was the performance of the KID mecha pilots. While team battles emphasized teamwork, one couldn't ignore the individual qualities of the mecha pilots. Before today, Jiang Simiao hadn't anticipated that after splitting apart, their mecha pilots could display an even higher level of skill. It shouldn't be about accommodation or forced coordination. Instead, it was about finding a way to adjust the tactics to suit their core.
You Su had exceptional individual skills. A too rapid tempo could lead to a disconnection with teammates. So, as of today, he had completely abandoned his initial plan to improve their cooperation ability to address this weakness. For instance, in today's match, You Su had become the central focus, serving as both bait and widening the field of view for his teammates, effectively splitting the battlefield.
This seemingly solo-play style was, in fact, rooted in the silent support of their teammates.
This included Lu Xi's solo kill against control mecha pilot Lina, and also Lin Yao and Ji Qingfeng's cooperation to corner Chi Lizi. The strategies were fixed, but the people were adaptable.
After listening to Jiang Simiao's brief analysis, the KID team members also began to notice other aspects.
Lin Yao's brain worked for a moment, "It sounds kind of reasonable. Today, both Dafeng and I were playing the goalkeeper role, but fighting felt more enjoyable than usual!"
"But this is a virtual battlefield. Virtual battlefields are designed to be fair environments with no mecha levels or weapon anomalous crystals." Lu Xi was someone who understood this very well. She had found the key to keeping up with You Su's rhythm was to completely let him loose. However, in a real league match, she might not dare to give You Su such freedom. "When weapons are combined with anomalous crystal effects, it's not easy to escape."
Huo Yan also shared the sentiment, "Yeah, when I use the Tank, I can roam around the crowd because I've calculated the damage won't take me down. But in a league match, it's different. The performance of both the mechs and weapons will be enhanced, which brings a different level of difficulty."
"That's right," Ji Qingfeng added, "During the final attack on Ace, if he had his real weapons, it would've been impossible for Yuzi and I to finish him off in the last thirty seconds."
Virtual battlefields were still virtual, and the sense of oppression from a real Contaminated Zone match was completely different. The opponents' strengths would also vary.
Lin Yao responded with an understanding tone, "True, I can handle things up close, but if I encounter a control mech, it's hard to keep up when they start running. They pack too many control effects in their weapons, it's all chaotic."
Ying Chenlin had been listening on the side. Over the course of the night, his data pad had recorded various parameters densely. Hearing Lin Yao's words, he raised his eyes slightly and looked at him, "Can't you just catch them?"
Lin Yao scratched his head, "It's not easy to catch them. They're like fish, always darting away fast."
Unlike in the game, where weapon parameters were uniform, catching someone was equivalent to entangling them.
Ying Chenlin continued, "They have weapons, don't you have any?"
Lin Yao hesitated. The weapons he usually carried in matches were the Guardian-type shield and Photon Blade. The shield was used when charging in as the front line, and the blade ensured his close combat capability. Normally, close combat mechs would carry both control and attack weapons. However, the control weapons suitable for close combat were generally short-range cannons like magnetic railguns, of which Lin Yao had absolutely no knowledge.
There was a time when he had spent half a month training intensively in a cannon-type weapon arena, only to come out defeated and embarrassed in the end.
With A+ level psychic power and S-level physique, along with the exceptional talents of a mecha pilot, it was unfortunate that Lin Yao was utterly clueless when it came to cannon-type weapons.
Ying Chenlin looked at him with a puzzled expression, "Who said that close combat weapons can't detain someone?"
Lin Yao was perplexed, "?"
You Su glanced at Ying Chenlin. Over this period, the latter had stayed in the maintenance room, constantly researching weapons. On several occasions when You Su passed the maintenance room on his way to see Theo, he noticed Ying Chenlin still engrossed in calculations in the room where the anomalous crystals were stored. The spoils of war in the form of anomalous crystals they had seized were said to have already been integrated into the mechs.
Though his tone was somewhat displeased, Ying Chenlin's words were clear and precise, offering a reassuring feeling, "Cannon-type weapons are indeed effective, but they have a fatal drawback: charging time. On the other hand, the blade-type weapons you often use have shorter charging times and faster combo speeds."
"Since we're aiming to adopt a multi-core strategy, strengthening their offensive capabilities, we can also enhance ours." Ying Chenlin placed the data pad in front of everyone.
"We have weapons too."
-
Inside the central office of the Dawn Galaxy mecha Alliance, there was a flurry of activity. The league was about to commence, and all the data from the mecha bases needed to undergo one final round of review. This included the most recent updates on mecha information that had been submitted.
The mecha Alliance matches have special time standards in place. To ensure fair competition, mechs can only be modified within the league's designated standards. As a result, the pre-season audit is the busiest time for the alliance.
"Have the rosters for the major mecha teams been released? Once the mecha data is approved, send it all to the Chairman's office. The Chairman has been urging for it."
"We have some updated data here. The KID Base sent over their mecha information the day before yesterday. We need to send it again after the updates."
"Why has there been so much change in this Sirius Base's mecha information this year? Even their core weapons have been switched."
After a simple review, the staff swiftly delivered the organized data to the office of Li Jingyan, the Chairman of the Dawn Galaxy mecha Alliance. Upon knocking and entering, they saw Li Jingyan standing by the virtual screen, seemingly perusing through some documents.
"Chairman, all the mecha data is here," the staff member reported.
Li Jingyan nodded slightly upon seeing this, "Just leave it there."
Once the files were placed, the staff member left. After taking a few steps outside, they heard another colleague rushing over urgently, "Why are you here? Another base has resubmitted their data."
Mechs frequently sustain damage during mecha league matches. Almost every time after a match, mechs require several days for repairs. This is why mecha audit data is submitted to the alliance almost every day. It goes through an automated review first and then a manual review. This is one of the busiest tasks for the mecha Alliance during the league period.
"But I just delivered the documents to the Chairman," the staff member replied.
The colleague said, "It's from the Sirius DE Team. I looked into it, and they changed their weapon core. It should be fine."
Inside the office, not long after the staff member left, Li Jingyan imported the data pad that recorded all the audit documents into the virtual screen. He scrolled through them one by one. When he reached the section about the KID Base, he paused for a moment. He remembered this base; over the past few years, the base with the most upper-level changes in the team battles league had been the KID Base. During those two years, there were accidents involving everyone from the management team to the maintenance crew. It was only not long ago that they hurriedly submitted the information of a Artillery mecha pilot.
Li Jingyan sighed as he thought about that mecha pilot's information. The mecha technology in the Dawn Galaxy had been deteriorating for quite some time. Every mecha pilot with potential had caught his attention, including Trace, the new submission from KID. He used to be a promising talent, but who knew he would turn out to be a troublemaker? He received consecutive violations, was banned, and eventually even applied for retirement.
He opened the document and scrolled down the list. When he reached the end of the KID's roster, he paused abruptly at a certain name.
[KID Mechanic: Ying Chenlin]
-
After submitting partial weapon data to the alliance, KID entered another busy period.
Ying Chenlin still spent his days in the maintenance room, while the other KID mecha pilots spent their time in the training room.
The KID members paid no attention to the elimination rounds. To undergo their devilish training, they significantly reduced their time spent strolling through the StarNet shops. They dedicated themselves to the training room and dormitories every day, their waking and sleeping moments occupied by piloting mechs. The only difference was that after their weekly training sessions, Jiang Simiao would always have them switch to alternate accounts to continue practicing.
Lin Yao: "Is it really necessary? Does our team not have anyone researching strategies? How lacking in confidence are they?"
Jiang Simiao: "If I tell you to switch, just switch. Stop with the nonsense."
Ever since that qpdik incident from the previous match, it had caused quite a stir online. During this time, he had seen people dissecting the details and digging for information on the tech forums. How could they not switch accounts? Once the mecha pilots were all inside the training room, Shen Xingtang was looking at the expense reimbursement report for the training budget during this period. "Can I ask? Why has the budget increased so much during this time?"
Jiang Simiao cleared his throat. "High-level alternate accounts for hire aren't cheap. And since we can't buy mecha pilot accounts, I had to register and find people to play for us."
Shen Xingtang: "....? And you came up with these IDs?"
Jiang Simiao, engrossed in analyzing data, said, "What's wrong with the IDs? Aren't they easy to remember?"
Shen Xingtang looked at the list of IDs written on the record board: qpdik, qgdik, lndik... For a moment, she didn't understand the significance of Jiang Simiao spending so much money to have someone else play high-ranking alternate accounts. "Never mind. Once they're done being busy, make sure they come to get their team uniforms and take official promotional photos."
Only now did Jiang Simiao remember that there were still team uniforms and promotional photos to deal with.
This season had been filled with too many things to handle. A large number of mechs needed repairs, and Shen Xingtang had been busy arranging everything. Jiang Simiao and Shen Xingtang played the roles of temporary photographers, capturing promotional footage for a few mecha pilots.
Huo Yan, putting on his coat, asked, "So why take promotional photos? During the matches, people only see our mechs, not the pilots."
Lu Xi: "It seems to be like that. It's said to be a tradition from the old Earth era. Back then, even for gaming competitions, they took photos."
Ying Chenlin happened to arrive at this moment. Mechanics didn't need to appear in the photos, so he stood by the side, observing. He had taken promotional photos before as well. During his short professional career, he had spent some time at another base. Back then, there was an entire team dedicated to photography, with professional equipment that could fill an entire room. It wasn't like the makeshift photography setup in an office as it was now, where the base owner personally took the photos.
He watched with a slight hint of curiosity and felt a tap on his back.
You Su stood behind Ying Chenlin, holding a set of team uniforms. "Here, yours."
Ying Chenlin was forced to take the uniform. KID's team uniforms were similar to those from later eras. They had always been in red and white, and the striped design on the uniform hadn't changed. He looked at the uniform and felt a sense of nostalgia. Mechanics also had uniforms, but theirs were different from the mecha pilots'. While the pilots wore a combination of outerwear and combat suits, the mechanics had slightly loose maintenance overalls with several specialized pockets for carrying repair tools.
In his previous life, he had also received a team uniform, but he couldn't join the team on the battlefield, so he never had the chance to wear those uniforms after receiving them.
"Chenlin, do you want to come in and take a few shots?" Shen Xingtang called from inside the room.
Ying Chenlin shook his head and said he didn't need to, just as he was trying to secure the clothes in his hands a bit more. However, he suddenly noticed something wedged beneath his maintenance engineer's outfit, seemingly another set of clothes. He reached out and pushed aside the work uniform, catching a glimpse of a thinner combat suit beneath it.
His gaze flickered slightly, and his grip on the clothes tightened a bit.
You Su looked at Ying Chenlin, who had been staring at the combat suit beside him.
Indeed, he's still like a child. Whatever he likes, it's all written on his face.
Lin Yao walked over, poking his head to look at Ying Chenlin. Seeing him still holding the clothes, Lin Yao said, "Chenlin, why aren't you trying on the clothes? We have sponsors this year, and the clothes are more comfortable to wear than previous years."
Jiang Simiao: "...Do the sponsors come with buffs? Besides, the material of this clothing is the same as last year's! Isn't your combat suit already worn out?"
Lin Yao: "Is that so?"
Ying Chenlin stood on the side, looking down at the clothes. He didn't see anything particularly special about the fabric.
After studying the clothes for a moment, he looked up and saw Jiang Simiao looking in his direction, his gaze filled with curiosity.
Jiang Simiao cleared his throat, "But you should still try it on. During the matches, we'll all be wearing this outfit while repairing the mechs on-site. If there's anything uncomfortable, we should make changes early."
Ying Chenlin looked at him, seeming to understand his words.
Jiang Simiao realized, "Hasn't Xintang told you? We've listed you as a mechanic in the lineup. Once the playoffs start, you'll be the maintenance engineer accompanying KID. You'll be the only one allowed backstage to the repair area."
Ying Chenlin was slightly taken aback, "Isn't it Tang Jie?"
"No, it's not." Jiang Simiao looked at him in confusion, "What's wrong? Don't you want to go with the team? If you don't want to, we can still change the lineup in time."
"I want to go."
Ying Chenlin answered with great seriousness, "I haven't been before."
In two lifetimes, he would be a part of the team as a mechanic for the first time, accompanying KID to the competition arena.
TN:
I'm so proud of you Chenlin. You've got this! Fighting!
44. Roster
As the match concluded, a deathly silence fell over the rest of the livestream viewers. They hadn't expected Chi Lizi to be eliminated in such a manner, missing victory by a hair's breadth in the final minute.
“??? The last to appear were Stealth and Vanguard, right!?”
“How did they figure that out? How long have these two been following Chi Lizi!?”
“Where did this amazing player suddenly come from!? I thought 01 was strong enough, and now there are several more popping up.”
“Am I the only one impressed by the survivor at the end? Who's that incredible player who managed to stay alive under this crazy team's onslaught?”
As the match concluded, many in the livestream room still hadn't recovered. Though the game lasted only 60 minutes, they were caught off guard by the continuous tactics of this team.
This style of combat was truly rare. Despite it being a team battle, they hadn't seen 01's teammates with guns from the beginning. After finally clearing the surrounding mechs, 01's teammates kept popping up one after another. And they were no ordinary ones – one was a control mecha that singled out opponents with precision timing, two stealth mechas lying in ambush beyond the battle, and an Artillery mecha with exceptional skill.
“Wait?! Does this team have a Tank?”
“I checked the records, and that Tank has absorbed the highest damage in the current game.”
What does "absorbed the highest damage" mean? It means this person was always at the center of the battle but was never taken down by any mech. The only mecha that fit this description was the Tank mecha that seemed to have made a positioning mistake and ended up at the center of everyone's focus in the second wave of combat.
At this moment, Chi Lizi finally snapped back to reality. That mecha wasn't a decoy by Ace. This team had been around them the entire time, provoking and causing chaos. The situation had evolved into what it was thanks to them.
He stared at the records, finding it hard to react even as others called him off the stream.
Inside the CEF4 Base in the Tianu Galaxy located in the Third Star Domain, the Artillery mecha pilot Ace sat in front of a virtual screen. The segment of his direct confrontation with qpdik01 had replayed several times. The opponent's actions always kept him on edge.
"Ace, you've watched it twenty times already," another mecha pilot in the base said. "This Artillery mecha pilot is definitely not from our Third Star Domain. We've never seen this style of play in the Star Alliance matches."
Ace frowned. "His skill level is that of a professional mecha pilot. Maybe we just haven't encountered him before."
His teammate added, "Anyone who can directly face you in combat must be at the Star Alliance level. Anyone who's been in the Star Alliance matches would be in our base's research list, but the coaches just confirmed there's no one like that."
"If he hasn't been in the Star Alliance matches... then his skill level must not be up to par. You don't need to worry too much."
Ace couldn't shake off his unease. He felt that this opponent could be his future rival.
In the YDS Base, Hu Luobu exited the virtual chamber and saw Ke Lin, who had already exported the battle data. He was standing in front of a virtual screen, with two tactical coaches from their base alongside him. The three of them were reviewing the match with grave expressions.
Hu Luobu began by self-criticizing, "Though it was a virtual match, I underestimated the situation."
"Underestimating the enemy is one thing, but I can only say that the person behind devising this tactic has a twisted mind," Ke Lin shifted the virtual screen, displaying a high-magnification playback of the match. Every detail, from the dominant entrance of the artillery at the beginning to the initiation of the second wave of chaos, was being revealed. "See that? The artillery's conspicuous entry and its forceful elimination of two opponents at the start, he was actually providing cover for his teammate to exit the center of the battle."
"Artillery's high-profile entrance made him the prime target for everyone. His teammates didn't support him; instead, they used this opportunity to move to strategic positions and await the subsequent tactical arrangement. The central location of the small polluted area map was divided into two battlefields: an inner one with only one artillery mech, and an outer one with all the artillery mech's teammates."
"No support can be better than support."
The coach next to them frowned and commented, "A team like this would have a significant advantage on this kind of small-scale map."
Hu Luobu chimed in, "Then, we just need to shut down their artillery at the beginning, or no... just kill him."
In this match, there were at least three artillery mecha pilots with long-range core abilities in the central location. This included him, Chi Lizi, not to mention the skillful sixth-ranked artillery mecha pilot in the Star League, Ace. Such an encirclement couldn't suppress this artillery mecha pilot.
"Their tactics are extremely focused, and they also have significant drawbacks. However, even if we know their weaknesses, as long as we can't break through the core of the artillery, we will always be trapped in this situation."
Ke Lin continued, "This every-man-for-himself approach really tests the individual qualities of the mecha pilots. Look at every step of this match: the artillery's opening, the Tank's baiting, the control of vision... and finally, the stealth and guardianship for reaping. Think about it, they are divided like this. As long as someone is eliminated prematurely in the middle, their tactics completely fall apart."
"But there's no one; all five mechs are doing well."
The outstanding individual qualities of the team indicated their exceptional mecha pilot skills. At least, in Ke Lin's experience with the league, he hadn't seen a team with such comprehensive individual qualities. This team was either a combination of mecha squads that had never appeared in the Dawn Galaxy or a team from another galaxy.
The coach next to him continued, "It seems that we need to watch closely in the upcoming elimination matches. Perhaps a dark horse might emerge this year."
Hu Luobu thought back carefully to the recent battle. At one point in the middle, he felt a strange sense of familiarity. "I feel like I've seen it somewhere."
Ke Lin frowned at him, "Seen it? But we've never played against a team like this."
Hu Luobu didn't know how to describe it. Now, looking at the footage, he couldn't identify the details, but during the actual combat, he had indeed felt this way. "I always feel very familiar, but I can't remember where I encountered it."
He was certain that he hadn't seen this tactic before, but why did he have this sense of familiarity?
---
Inside KID's base, after finishing the match, the KID team members emerged from the virtual chamber with high spirits.
Lin Yao said, "I think my final ultimate flying kick was particularly cool."
"Yeah, I just felt like my Bind Shackles were executed perfectly," Ji Qingfeng reminisced in a self-absorbed manner. "Bind and pin, then a finishing blow. I dream about killing artillery mechs like that."
As Ying Chenlin exited the virtual chamber, he noticed Jiang Simiao and Shen Xingtang sitting nearby. Both of them were looking in his direction.
Shen Xingtang smiled at him.
Ying Chenlin felt a bit inexplicably guilty. He turned his head slightly and saw the virtual screen in the training room replaying their recent battle. "Sorry, the strategy we used just now was my idea. I didn't intentionally cause chaos."
Hearing the voice, the KID mecha pilots, who had just been fooling around, finally reacted. Jiang Simiao had instructed them to enter the battlefield for training, but instead, they turned the field into a free-for-all match. As they fought, they got more and more excited, and none of the originally planned tactics were practiced.
Jiang Simiao raised his glasses and smiled, saying, "You did well."
The KID team members immediately got goosebumps. They had grown accustomed to Jiang Simiao's cold expression during this time, so seeing him smiling so warmly was quite a rarity.
Seeing everyone not uttering a word, Jiang Simiao looked at them with puzzlement, "What's wrong? Why do you all look so gloomy when I'm praising your performance?"
He brought the virtual screen in front of them. "What are you staring at? Come here, let's analyze the match."
He genuinely meant to analyze it. While the KID team members were competing, Jiang Simiao had rapidly reviewed the entire match. He had indeed seen a different possibility from this battle. He had been too confined to the scale of traditional team battles in the past, trying to adjust the pace to fit KID's rhythm as much as possible. That was until he had just finished watching that match.
"Some of my previous judgments might have been off, but seeing your tactics today gave me a new perspective." Jiang Simiao reopened the map. "Have you heard of splitting the battlefield? Originally, our core strategy revolved around You Su, but after watching today's match, I think our core can be both short-range and long-range."
Real analysis required a comprehensive analysis of every detail from various angles.
Apart from Ying Chenlin's commanding factor, the main focus of the match was the performance of the KID mecha pilots. While team battles emphasized teamwork, one couldn't ignore the individual qualities of the mecha pilots. Before today, Jiang Simiao hadn't anticipated that after splitting apart, their mecha pilots could display an even higher level of skill. It shouldn't be about accommodation or forced coordination. Instead, it was about finding a way to adjust the tactics to suit their core.
You Su had exceptional individual skills. A too rapid tempo could lead to a disconnection with teammates. So, as of today, he had completely abandoned his initial plan to improve their cooperation ability to address this weakness. For instance, in today's match, You Su had become the central focus, serving as both bait and widening the field of view for his teammates, effectively splitting the battlefield.
This seemingly solo-play style was, in fact, rooted in the silent support of their teammates.
This included Lu Xi's solo kill against control mecha pilot Lina, and also Lin Yao and Ji Qingfeng's cooperation to corner Chi Lizi. The strategies were fixed, but the people were adaptable.
After listening to Jiang Simiao's brief analysis, the KID team members also began to notice other aspects.
Lin Yao's brain worked for a moment, "It sounds kind of reasonable. Today, both Dafeng and I were playing the goalkeeper role, but fighting felt more enjoyable than usual!"
"But this is a virtual battlefield. Virtual battlefields are designed to be fair environments with no mecha levels or weapon anomalous crystals." Lu Xi was someone who understood this very well. She had found the key to keeping up with You Su's rhythm was to completely let him loose. However, in a real league match, she might not dare to give You Su such freedom. "When weapons are combined with anomalous crystal effects, it's not easy to escape."
Huo Yan also shared the sentiment, "Yeah, when I use the Tank, I can roam around the crowd because I've calculated the damage won't take me down. But in a league match, it's different. The performance of both the mechs and weapons will be enhanced, which brings a different level of difficulty."
"That's right," Ji Qingfeng added, "During the final attack on Ace, if he had his real weapons, it would've been impossible for Yuzi and I to finish him off in the last thirty seconds."
Virtual battlefields were still virtual, and the sense of oppression from a real Contaminated Zone match was completely different. The opponents' strengths would also vary.
Lin Yao responded with an understanding tone, "True, I can handle things up close, but if I encounter a control mech, it's hard to keep up when they start running. They pack too many control effects in their weapons, it's all chaotic."
Ying Chenlin had been listening on the side. Over the course of the night, his data pad had recorded various parameters densely. Hearing Lin Yao's words, he raised his eyes slightly and looked at him, "Can't you just catch them?"
Lin Yao scratched his head, "It's not easy to catch them. They're like fish, always darting away fast."
Unlike in the game, where weapon parameters were uniform, catching someone was equivalent to entangling them.
Ying Chenlin continued, "They have weapons, don't you have any?"
Lin Yao hesitated. The weapons he usually carried in matches were the Guardian-type shield and Photon Blade. The shield was used when charging in as the front line, and the blade ensured his close combat capability. Normally, close combat mechs would carry both control and attack weapons. However, the control weapons suitable for close combat were generally short-range cannons like magnetic railguns, of which Lin Yao had absolutely no knowledge.
There was a time when he had spent half a month training intensively in a cannon-type weapon arena, only to come out defeated and embarrassed in the end.
With A+ level psychic power and S-level physique, along with the exceptional talents of a mecha pilot, it was unfortunate that Lin Yao was utterly clueless when it came to cannon-type weapons.
Ying Chenlin looked at him with a puzzled expression, "Who said that close combat weapons can't detain someone?"
Lin Yao was perplexed, "?"
You Su glanced at Ying Chenlin. Over this period, the latter had stayed in the maintenance room, constantly researching weapons. On several occasions when You Su passed the maintenance room on his way to see Theo, he noticed Ying Chenlin still engrossed in calculations in the room where the anomalous crystals were stored. The spoils of war in the form of anomalous crystals they had seized were said to have already been integrated into the mechs.
Though his tone was somewhat displeased, Ying Chenlin's words were clear and precise, offering a reassuring feeling, "Cannon-type weapons are indeed effective, but they have a fatal drawback: charging time. On the other hand, the blade-type weapons you often use have shorter charging times and faster combo speeds."
"Since we're aiming to adopt a multi-core strategy, strengthening their offensive capabilities, we can also enhance ours." Ying Chenlin placed the data pad in front of everyone.
"We have weapons too."
-
Inside the central office of the Dawn Galaxy mecha Alliance, there was a flurry of activity. The league was about to commence, and all the data from the mecha bases needed to undergo one final round of review. This included the most recent updates on mecha information that had been submitted.
The mecha Alliance matches have special time standards in place. To ensure fair competition, mechs can only be modified within the league's designated standards. As a result, the pre-season audit is the busiest time for the alliance.
"Have the rosters for the major mecha teams been released? Once the mecha data is approved, send it all to the Chairman's office. The Chairman has been urging for it."
"We have some updated data here. The KID Base sent over their mecha information the day before yesterday. We need to send it again after the updates."
"Why has there been so much change in this Sirius Base's mecha information this year? Even their core weapons have been switched."
After a simple review, the staff swiftly delivered the organized data to the office of Li Jingyan, the Chairman of the Dawn Galaxy mecha Alliance. Upon knocking and entering, they saw Li Jingyan standing by the virtual screen, seemingly perusing through some documents.
"Chairman, all the mecha data is here," the staff member reported.
Li Jingyan nodded slightly upon seeing this, "Just leave it there."
Once the files were placed, the staff member left. After taking a few steps outside, they heard another colleague rushing over urgently, "Why are you here? Another base has resubmitted their data."
Mechs frequently sustain damage during mecha league matches. Almost every time after a match, mechs require several days for repairs. This is why mecha audit data is submitted to the alliance almost every day. It goes through an automated review first and then a manual review. This is one of the busiest tasks for the mecha Alliance during the league period.
"But I just delivered the documents to the Chairman," the staff member replied.
The colleague said, "It's from the Sirius DE Team. I looked into it, and they changed their weapon core. It should be fine."
Inside the office, not long after the staff member left, Li Jingyan imported the data pad that recorded all the audit documents into the virtual screen. He scrolled through them one by one. When he reached the section about the KID Base, he paused for a moment. He remembered this base; over the past few years, the base with the most upper-level changes in the team battles league had been the KID Base. During those two years, there were accidents involving everyone from the management team to the maintenance crew. It was only not long ago that they hurriedly submitted the information of a Artillery mecha pilot.
Li Jingyan sighed as he thought about that mecha pilot's information. The mecha technology in the Dawn Galaxy had been deteriorating for quite some time. Every mecha pilot with potential had caught his attention, including Trace, the new submission from KID. He used to be a promising talent, but who knew he would turn out to be a troublemaker? He received consecutive violations, was banned, and eventually even applied for retirement.
He opened the document and scrolled down the list. When he reached the end of the KID's roster, he paused abruptly at a certain name.
[KID Mechanic: Ying Chenlin]
-
After submitting partial weapon data to the alliance, KID entered another busy period.
Ying Chenlin still spent his days in the maintenance room, while the other KID mecha pilots spent their time in the training room.
The KID members paid no attention to the elimination rounds. To undergo their devilish training, they significantly reduced their time spent strolling through the StarNet shops. They dedicated themselves to the training room and dormitories every day, their waking and sleeping moments occupied by piloting mechs. The only difference was that after their weekly training sessions, Jiang Simiao would always have them switch to alternate accounts to continue practicing.
Lin Yao: "Is it really necessary? Does our team not have anyone researching strategies? How lacking in confidence are they?"
Jiang Simiao: "If I tell you to switch, just switch. Stop with the nonsense."
Ever since that qpdik incident from the previous match, it had caused quite a stir online. During this time, he had seen people dissecting the details and digging for information on the tech forums. How could they not switch accounts? Once the mecha pilots were all inside the training room, Shen Xingtang was looking at the expense reimbursement report for the training budget during this period. "Can I ask? Why has the budget increased so much during this time?"
Jiang Simiao cleared his throat. "High-level alternate accounts for hire aren't cheap. And since we can't buy mecha pilot accounts, I had to register and find people to play for us."
Shen Xingtang: "....? And you came up with these IDs?"
Jiang Simiao, engrossed in analyzing data, said, "What's wrong with the IDs? Aren't they easy to remember?"
Shen Xingtang looked at the list of IDs written on the record board: qpdik, qgdik, lndik... For a moment, she didn't understand the significance of Jiang Simiao spending so much money to have someone else play high-ranking alternate accounts. "Never mind. Once they're done being busy, make sure they come to get their team uniforms and take official promotional photos."
Only now did Jiang Simiao remember that there were still team uniforms and promotional photos to deal with.
This season had been filled with too many things to handle. A large number of mechs needed repairs, and Shen Xingtang had been busy arranging everything. Jiang Simiao and Shen Xingtang played the roles of temporary photographers, capturing promotional footage for a few mecha pilots.
Huo Yan, putting on his coat, asked, "So why take promotional photos? During the matches, people only see our mechs, not the pilots."
Lu Xi: "It seems to be like that. It's said to be a tradition from the old Earth era. Back then, even for gaming competitions, they took photos."
Ying Chenlin happened to arrive at this moment. Mechanics didn't need to appear in the photos, so he stood by the side, observing. He had taken promotional photos before as well. During his short professional career, he had spent some time at another base. Back then, there was an entire team dedicated to photography, with professional equipment that could fill an entire room. It wasn't like the makeshift photography setup in an office as it was now, where the base owner personally took the photos.
He watched with a slight hint of curiosity and felt a tap on his back.
You Su stood behind Ying Chenlin, holding a set of team uniforms. "Here, yours."
Ying Chenlin was forced to take the uniform. KID's team uniforms were similar to those from later eras. They had always been in red and white, and the striped design on the uniform hadn't changed. He looked at the uniform and felt a sense of nostalgia. Mechanics also had uniforms, but theirs were different from the mecha pilots'. While the pilots wore a combination of outerwear and combat suits, the mechanics had slightly loose maintenance overalls with several specialized pockets for carrying repair tools.
In his previous life, he had also received a team uniform, but he couldn't join the team on the battlefield, so he never had the chance to wear those uniforms after receiving them.
"Chenlin, do you want to come in and take a few shots?" Shen Xingtang called from inside the room.
Ying Chenlin shook his head and said he didn't need to, just as he was trying to secure the clothes in his hands a bit more. However, he suddenly noticed something wedged beneath his maintenance engineer's outfit, seemingly another set of clothes. He reached out and pushed aside the work uniform, catching a glimpse of a thinner combat suit beneath it.
His gaze flickered slightly, and his grip on the clothes tightened a bit.
You Su looked at Ying Chenlin, who had been staring at the combat suit beside him.
Indeed, he's still like a child. Whatever he likes, it's all written on his face.
Lin Yao walked over, poking his head to look at Ying Chenlin. Seeing him still holding the clothes, Lin Yao said, "Chenlin, why aren't you trying on the clothes? We have sponsors this year, and the clothes are more comfortable to wear than previous years."
Jiang Simiao: "...Do the sponsors come with buffs? Besides, the material of this clothing is the same as last year's! Isn't your combat suit already worn out?"
Lin Yao: "Is that so?"
Ying Chenlin stood on the side, looking down at the clothes. He didn't see anything particularly special about the fabric.
After studying the clothes for a moment, he looked up and saw Jiang Simiao looking in his direction, his gaze filled with curiosity.
Jiang Simiao cleared his throat, "But you should still try it on. During the matches, we'll all be wearing this outfit while repairing the mechs on-site. If there's anything uncomfortable, we should make changes early."
Ying Chenlin looked at him, seeming to understand his words.
Jiang Simiao realized, "Hasn't Xintang told you? We've listed you as a mechanic in the lineup. Once the playoffs start, you'll be the maintenance engineer accompanying KID. You'll be the only one allowed backstage to the repair area."
Ying Chenlin was slightly taken aback, "Isn't it Tang Jie?"
"No, it's not." Jiang Simiao looked at him in confusion, "What's wrong? Don't you want to go with the team? If you don't want to, we can still change the lineup in time."
"I want to go."
Ying Chenlin answered with great seriousness, "I haven't been before."
In two lifetimes, he would be a part of the team as a mechanic for the first time, accompanying KID to the competition arena.
TN:
I'm so proud of you Chenlin. You've got this! Fighting!
