70. Black Hole
On StarNet, everyone was watching the young man who came out of the KID-JUDG mecha. From his distinctive red and white maintenance suit to the iconic mechanical right arm, these conspicuous features unmistakably confirmed the person's identity.
"Artillery JUDG' is the mechanic?"
"KID's mechanic is an Artillery pilot?"
"????? I'm a bit dizzy, folks."
"A mechanic? Does he have a twin brother or something?"
“F*ck! Do twins even have to cosplay the same style with their arms?”
"Wait, so KID's substitute is KID's mechanic????"
Internet users can still recall the image of Judg, piloting the Artillery mecha in the sky, dragging the S-level monster. The precise speed attacks, supersonic flight, and extraordinary evasion maneuvers were all highlight-reel material for any league match. What's more, it was executed with such a high level of fluency. Such performance could not be from a substitute. Some even thought that it might be another team's mecha pilot or a league-hired emergency specialist.
Who would have guessed that when the curtain was finally pulled back, it revealed the mechanic with a problem in his right arm?
"...? KID's skinny mechanic?"
"What do you mean skinny? Didn't you see him lift the Fei Ya giant tree?"
"I'm sorry, I admit I was a bit loud before."
"He always wore a hat and a jacket before... Now looking at him, he's slim but in that mechanic suit, his figure seems good, and his face isn't bad (blush)."
The story of KID's mechanic emerging from the KID-Judg cockpit instantly spread across the StarNet, and countless netizens flocked to witness the scene. Those who cut into the livestream system saw the mechanic standing there in the unmistakable outfit, quite distinct from the other mecha pilots in their combat gear.
Many netizens hadn't realized the connection at first. Judg's and Trace's coordinated operation to kill the S-level monster was so godly that everyone thought KID had recruited an incredibly skilled Artillery mecha pilot from another Galaxy. They couldn't relate this person to the mechanic; the difference in their professional fields was too great.
Who could have seen this coming!?
In other offices within the Qiu Jin Grand Canyon, officials couldn't directly shut down the arena system due to the public opinion on StarNet. Consequently, there were staff members specifically monitoring the online discussions. As they saw the discussions growing, especially about the mecha pilots, they couldn't have foreseen that the discourse would abruptly shift towards KID's mechanic.
While discussions and debates continued outside, the atmosphere inside the Qiu Jin Contaminated Zone remained tense.
Inside the base station, four mechas were parked on the platform.
Ying Chenlin had just come down from a high place, barely keeping his balance. He had felt fatigue while in the cockpit, but once he left it, that exhaustion intensified, especially in his right hand, which had become almost immovable.
You Su walked over and noticed his right arm hanging limp. He raised his head and saw the camouflage system deployed around the base station, then slightly turned to block his right arm. "How's your hand?"
Ying Chenlin replied, "No strength left. It might take some time to recover."
He had considered that his body wouldn't withstand the fatigue if he exerted himself to the limit, but the time for intense combat was even shorter than he had expected. The gap between an S-level physique and a B-level physique was just too significant, and he was far from his former self.
You Su asked, "Did you bring the medicine?"
Ying Chenlin hesitated for a moment and then said, "Yes, I did."
Huo Yan's voice came from the side.
Noticing the discussions in the distance, Ying Chenlin slightly leaned over to take a look. Then, something was placed over his head. The material had a faint scent, like the common shower gel used in the base. When Ying Chenlin realized he was being covered, he lifted his head and saw You Su's face.
"Put on the coat. There's a respirator in the coat's pocket."
You Su spoke in a calm tone, "In the contaminated area, don't take any chances."
Ying Chenlin had a coat, but the attire of a mechanic differed from that of a mecha pilot. Mecha pilots' uniforms, including their coats and combat suits, were finely crafted with advanced anti-contamination materials, offering much better protection against pollutants and being lighter in texture.
He put on the coat, only to realize that it was quite oversized, with sleeves that were too long.
"Wait," Ying Chenlin suddenly said.
You Su turned around and a key was tossed to him.
Ying Chenlin said, "I brought Theo here."
You Su responded, "Thank you."
In the distance, Huo Yan was busy dealing with the enormous S-level monster. The dead S-level monster still emitted a high level of contamination. The robots from the base station had already arrived to spray decontamination agents.
"Chenlin, are you okay?" Huo Yan noticed Ying Chenlin's approach. "Did you put on the respirator?"
Ying Chenlin nodded, "I put it on."
Huo Yan only felt reassured when he saw Ying Chenlin wearing the respirator. He added, "This monster is too large; we need to deal with it quickly, or it will occupy the landing area."
Ying Chenlin raised his head slightly and said, "I didn't bring a specialized material storage unit with me, so I can only use the storage compartment of the mecha."
He pointed to the mecha he had just piloted. "The storage compartment in my mecha is still empty."
Huo Yan rolled up his sleeves and said, "I'll handle it then. You take a break."
Ke Lin, "?"
Netizens online had been buzzing about the fact that KID's mechanic was actually a mecha pilot. However, since the official KID social media account was silent and not responding to mentions, the fans had to gather in live stream, hoping to find some other clues or insights about KID's mechanic.
"Are you telling me KID spent 8,000 stars to hire such a freak??"
"F*ck? Seriously? KID must be making a fortune!"
"I'm a mecha pilot, and I'm curious. Mechanics, are you all hyped up like this?"
The face of the key figure, Ying Chenlin, was completely unfamiliar to them, and he was so young. His maintenance skills were top-notch, and his mecha abilities were outstanding. If such a talent existed in the League, how could there be no news at all?
"I couldn't find this guy in the active-duty mecha pilots of Dawn [Image]."
"I follow matches in other star systems all year round, but I've never seen a Artillery mecha pilot with these skills!"
"Forget it. When KID hired him as a mechanic, I did a search and found nothing."
"Wait, what are they doing? Dissecting an S-level???"
While they were still engrossed in discussing KID's new recruit, inside the base station, Huo Yan's mecha had already been reactivated. With Ying Chenlin's 'professional' guidance, they disassembled the S-level monster into several parts, briefly processed the materials, and then stored them in the storage compartment.
The most valuable item was the pale white anomalous crystal they dismantled from the S-level monster. Its anomaly had only been known to enhance speed and strength. The effect of the anomaly crystal should be similar.
Inside the Qiu Jin control room, the staff watching this view were amazed by Huo Yan's superb handling skills.
Even the pollutant material analysis experts nodded approvingly. "Clean and neat, no unnecessary edges, excellent cutting techniques. This way, we can store advanced materials most effectively, and it'll be convenient for material analysis afterward if needed."
The nearby staff fell silent, wondering how many materials KID's rogue had cut to develop such exquisite skills.
Inside the base station, Huo Yan loaded all the S-level materials into KID's mecha. "This behemoth takes longer to cut than a Golden Scorpion; it's quite tough."
He turned to see Ke Lin standing in place. "Ke Lin, we can discuss the distribution outside, alright?"
Ke Lin had heard about KID dividing materials on Tianyu Star. He wasn't present at the time and thought it was an exaggerated claim among fellow mecha pilots. After a brief silence, he said, "Let's talk about it outside."
The matter of materials could wait. The immediate priority was to resolve the issues within the Qiu Jin Contaminated Zone.
Ke Lin had conducted a brief inspection of the mechas. After all, these mechas had gone through three days of combat, and their wear and tear were more extensive than the mechas that had just come to support. The remaining combat time for their mechas was limited.
While they were conducting these simple inspections of their mechas, the mecha pilots from KID and YDS in Area A-14 also arrived.
A-26 wasn't far from A-14, and the round trip took about ten minutes. With the relentless number of monsters in the contaminated zone, the Individual Soldiers came to assist by cutting off the tails, and the mechas with higher wear and tear temporarily returned to the A-26 base station for recuperation.
Ji Qingfeng and Hu Luobu had come together, and among all the mechas, theirs had the most severe wear and tear.
Upon arriving at the location, a quick check showed that their mechas had already incurred 55% damage and couldn't withstand prolonged combat.
Ji Qingfeng: "Our mechas, mine and Luobo's, have the highest damage. The Individual Soldiers mentioned that BZZL1 in the northern part of Qiu Jin is still in combat, and there's no base station for resupply in that area. While we have enough manpower, our mechas can't last."
Hu Luobu: "...I've told you not to call me Luobo . My name is Luobu!"
There was only one mechanic on-site, and Ke Lin briefed him on the mecha's condition. "Our mechas have already suffered some damage, as have those still fighting. We can't support extended combat."
This was the challenge they faced. Repairing mechas to their optimal state after significant damage typically took at least three days. While they could continue fighting, their mechas couldn't sustain prolonged combat.
"I brought spare mechas," Ying Chenlin suddenly said.
As he spoke, all eyes turned to him.
KID's mechanic took out a long string of keys from his pocket, and they clinked as he brought them out.
Hu Luobu was astonished. "Does KID’s mechanic always carry this many mechas when he goes out?"
"I considered this situation, so I brought all the spare mecha keys from the base when I came here," Ying Chenlin said, glancing at the mechas around him. He handed the keys to Huo Yan. "And don't worry too much. There's a corresponding jump point at the Qiu Jin station. Your situations haven't damaged the core components of your mechas, so the damaged ones can be sent back for repairs."
"But for this period, you'll have to use spare mechas. It might not be as comfortable as your tournament-grade mechas."
On the StarNet, other mecha base leaders watched in silence. Spare keys were available, but during the competition season, mecha pilots could only bring one mecha. Carrying extra mechas wasn't practical, and other mecha pilots only had one extra mecha for backup. Unlike KID, who was prepared with so many spare mechas.
The YDS leader couldn't help but look at Jiang Simiao beside him. "I merely had our mecha pilots bring in four spares for emergencies. I didn't expect you KID guys to have so many up your sleeves. A single mechanic carrying this many..."
Next to them, Jiang Simiao, squeezed in among other leaders, remained calm, not wanting to mention that Ying Chenlin was essentially KID's walking arsenal.
The other Qiu Jin staff were preparing for post-mission work. They had set up a jump point for mecha pilots to return damaged mechas to the management bureau for repairs. There were also base mechanics on-site. The support behind the frontlines was absolutely ample.
The mecha repair was one issue, but the bigger problem now lay in the increasingly severe pollutant outbreak within Qiu Jin.
Messages from the Alliance headquarters had also come in. The main focus in the Qiu Jin control center was analyzing the peculiar magnetic field. The original magnetic field had been in a weakened state, but for some unknown reason, this weakening had stabilized after a while. The core location remained in the A-14 area. Currently, there were 41 mecha pilots on-site. In the A-14 area, there were 18 mecha pilots, and in the northern combat zone, there were 23. There was also an uncontrolled S-level pollutant.
The troop reallocation wasn't feasible.
"The most obvious outbreak of pollutants is in the A-14 area, which is relatively better than the situation in the northern B-22 area. What's challenging is the S-level pollutant," a staff member quickly stated. "We've pinpointed the location of the remaining pollutant, but we can't send people to deal with it. Without additional manpower, we'll have to wait until the issues in both zones are resolved before heading there."
"Such an outbreak can't be entirely attributed to the magnetic field's influence. The magnetic field entity is peculiar, but its intensity's impact on the pollutants can be predicted."
As more information poured in, the leader's headache grew worse. The magnetic field characteristics had been extracted and sent to the Alliance headquarters, but the situation within Qiu Jin had yet to be entirely resolved.
At this moment, someone proposed, "Director, what if there's another pollutant in the A-14 area?"
"Another pollutant more impactful than an S-level pollutant?" The person-in-chargepaused for a moment. Suddenly, a piece of information struck him. "No... there is. A super S-level pollutant."
Once the speculation of a super S-level pollutant was raised, the entire control center fell silent.
This kind of pollutant is rarer than S-level, and the last appearance of a super S-level pollutant within the Star Alliance's borders occurred 20 years ago. Moreover, that one broke through the border defense and infiltrated.
"Immediately include pollutant analysis in the magnetic field, and pinpoint the core point for analysis. Did we just determine the center of the magnetic field?" The leader's voice quivered slightly, hoping that this was just a speculation.
All the staff members joined the next step of the work with tension.
Due to the tournament, some staff members were stationed at the base workstations.
The mecha-related tasks were being coordinated by staff to assist the mecha pilots. Ying Chenlin, under the guidance of other staff members, reached the control room within the base.
"The director already explained the situation to me," the staff member said. "We'll assist you, and if you have any requirements, you can tell us."
The information they had managed to gather so far was available in the control room, and Ying Chenlin thanked them and then joined the work. This part of the data from the Qiu Jin Management Bureau was crucial for him. It could help him connect the dots based on what he knew from his previous life.
He recalled the descriptions of Black Holes from his previous life.
A Black Hole was named as such because its essence was a small black space.
In his previous life, the Star Alliance had captured this through remote instruments during multiple analyses. At the time of the outbreak, they only knew that the peculiar magnetic field brought in a large number of S-level pollutants, causing magnetic field chaos, spatial disarray... many conclusions were drawn from post-analysis data. However, they had shared very little of this publicly. Initially, Ying Chenlin thought that the scarcity of incident reports related to Black Holes within the Alliance was because they rarely appeared. But now, it seemed like some data hadn't been disclosed by the Alliance. After all, the event of his disappearance in the past had been classified as a top-secret file for KID in subsequent years.
Ying Chenlin felt that nothing was as simple as it seemed. The reason for the sudden appearance of so many S-level pollutants in the FS Contaminated Zone was unclear. Also, the pollutant outbreak was exclusive to A-level and above pollutants, with no reports of B-level pollutants. There seemed to be a limitation on what could pass through a Black Hole.
Why was the Black Hole in Qiu Jin different from the Black Hole that appeared in FS?
There were two points of doubt: the relationship between magnetic field intensity and the Black Hole and whether the Black Hole's ability established a pollutant gateway or swallowed them.
A nearby staff member saw Ying Chenlin looking at the magnetic field and noticed his arm drooping. They sent another staff member to get a medical robot and whispered, "Speaking of the magnetic field, we've been working here for a long time, and every year during the tournament, the magnetic field experiences the most significant changes. However, Qiu Jin's magnetic field has limited variation in time. This year, it reached this intensity due to the meteor impact, something that hadn't happened in the past."
Ying Chenlin glanced at the data and suddenly remembered that before the battle, he had requested the control center for the meteor's flight trajectory but he had been inside the mecha, he urgently asked, "Do you have the meteor's trajectory?"
"We have it," the staff member said as they pulled up the data. "It's all here."
The meteor trajectory map was very clear, showing which planets in the Dawn Galaxy it passed through. It even indicated the affected area and time.
Ying Chenlin's pupils suddenly contracted when he saw the meteor's trajectory. In the later part of the trajectory, a Contaminated Zone was indicated. "It's not the contamination value... it's a high-intensity magnetic field caused by the contamination value. It's not a magnetic field on its own; it's following the magnetic field..."
In his previous life, reports of Black Holes only appeared in Contaminated Zones with contamination values above 6000, where the magnetic field instability was highest.
In contrast, the Contaminated Zones within the Dawn Galaxy typically had contamination values of less than 6000, with the higher levels occurring in only a few of them. These zones were classified as high-risk or tournament-level zones and were usually off-limits. Even if a Black Hole briefly appeared inside them, it was difficult to detect S-level issues due to the influence of the magnetic field. The impact of the meteor, coupled with the disruption caused by the tournament battles, could alter contamination levels, leading to variations in the magnetic field. This meant that the Black Hole had likely appeared based on these conditions. In his previous life, the disturbance caused in the FS Contaminated Zone had likely been because it was already a Contaminated Zone with contamination values over 6000. The meteor and magnetic field effects prolonged the existence of the high-intensity magnetic field and resulted in the release of more pollutants...
Black holes had actually appeared many times. It was just that the Star Alliance had captured their traces very few times.
In this case, it was Qiu Jin that had discovered it due to KID's bombing, along with the enhanced monitoring system following the Tianyu Star incident.
The staff member looked at him with confusion. "What do you mean?"
Ying Chenlin didn't have time to explain. He immediately contacted the Qiu Jin Control Center and said, "Compare the magnetic field characteristics of Qiu Jin with those of other planets, especially those affected by the meteor's passage."
As soon as he said that, the person in charge at the Control Center immediately assigned others to carry out the task and then spoke with a serious tone. "I need to tell you something. In the mountain that KID bombed, we found traces of a pollutant."
"Due to the mountain's destruction, we could only scan its outline and reconstruct it using instruments."
Ying Chenlin was momentarily stunned, and the next moment he saw the images sent by the Control Bureau. He saw a small Black Hole.
Around the Black Hole, some debris or pollutants trapped beneath were being slowly devoured by the Black Hole.
"We speculate that this Black Hole caused this event. We are not yet sure of its origin, but it is highly likely to be related to the incident involving Tianyu Star," the person in charge said with a deep voice. "Currently, its magnetic field response has not disappeared but is stable in a strange range. It seems to respond to external attacks. The Alliance is currently discussing the matter. If it is confirmed to be a pollutant, we cannot let it leave here."
Releasing such a dangerous pollutant would be an unknown disaster for the entire Dawn Galaxy.
A multitude of pollutants from A-14 were surging toward the mountainous area. Looking into the distance, they also saw some pollutants gathering in that direction. The scattered mecha Pilots were also converging, and although solo mecha pilots had strong combat capabilities, they were beginning to feel the strain when confronted by various types of pollutants. The difficulty didn't arise from the pollutants being hard to deal with, but rather from their sheer numbers. Unrelenting combat would only further deplete their stamina.
Within five Individual Soldier mechas at the scene, a young mecha Pilot was operating one of them. He guarded a specific area and asked his friend from the same channel, "Jiang Yu, it would have been better to go to the northern region earlier. The S-level monsters here have already been cleared out, and we might have found some anomalous crystals. Why did we come here?"
"We can head over there once this area is cleared," Jiang Yu replied as he looked at the red mechas around them. "Are the red mechas part of a mecha combat team?"
They were involved in both single-player and team competitions, but the number of combat teams was quite large, and it wasn't limited to just one team using red mechas.
His friend replied, "I think I saw them before I came. They should be one of the Sweet 16 teams, right? They were trending on StarNet not too long ago because they used to be pretty poor. Look at them now!"
Jiang Yu glanced over and saw the red mecha wielding a long blade, swiftly dispatching the pollutants. After defeating them, the mecha didn't forget to sever the part of the pollutants that carried anomalous crystals.
Lin Yao, with a pained expression, examined other materials in different parts of the pollutants, only managing to take the most valuable items.
The YDS mecha pilots around them were amazed. "You want that B-level special ability crystal too?"
Lin Yao stowed the items in his storage compartment. "Many little things add up to something great... Why hasn't Da Feng arrived yet?"
Lu Xi looked up and saw mechas flying in from the distance. "It seems like he's here."
Lin Yao said, "The storage compartment is almost full. I hope he cleared his storage."
As Lin Yao killed another B-level pollutant, he suddenly sensed something was wrong. He abruptly looked towards a nearby mound. "Something doesn't seem right. Is the mountain shaking?"
As the sky gradually darkened, the pollutants continued to converge on their position.
Jiang Yu lowered his head to look at the ground. "The ground is shaking."
His friend said, "Is it the gunfire from the Artillery mechas battle over there? The mecha pilot named Lu Xi seems to have a weapon that can enhance the firepower of others' bullets. We've been hit by it a few times."
Jiang Yu replied, "No, it's not caused by mechas."
He stared intently at the ground. "There's something under the rocks."
At that moment, the previously calm ground began to tremble, and almost as everyone noticed this phenomenon, the cockpit of every mecha blared with deafening alarms!
All the mecha pilots looked at the unfolding situation in shock. Then, a young and composed voice rang in their ears.
The voice commanded, "Everyone, immediately evacuate from A-14!"
Author's Note:
This chapter is a transitional one, and it was a bit challenging to write!
The next chapter will delve into the main plot.
jjwxc tutorial.
Author Support Project
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70. Black Hole
On StarNet, everyone was watching the young man who came out of the KID-JUDG mecha. From his distinctive red and white maintenance suit to the iconic mechanical right arm, these conspicuous features unmistakably confirmed the person's identity.
"Artillery JUDG' is the mechanic?"
"KID's mechanic is an Artillery pilot?"
"????? I'm a bit dizzy, folks."
"A mechanic? Does he have a twin brother or something?"
“F*ck! Do twins even have to cosplay the same style with their arms?”
"Wait, so KID's substitute is KID's mechanic????"
Internet users can still recall the image of Judg, piloting the Artillery mecha in the sky, dragging the S-level monster. The precise speed attacks, supersonic flight, and extraordinary evasion maneuvers were all highlight-reel material for any league match. What's more, it was executed with such a high level of fluency. Such performance could not be from a substitute. Some even thought that it might be another team's mecha pilot or a league-hired emergency specialist.
Who would have guessed that when the curtain was finally pulled back, it revealed the mechanic with a problem in his right arm?
"...? KID's skinny mechanic?"
"What do you mean skinny? Didn't you see him lift the Fei Ya giant tree?"
"I'm sorry, I admit I was a bit loud before."
"He always wore a hat and a jacket before... Now looking at him, he's slim but in that mechanic suit, his figure seems good, and his face isn't bad (blush)."
The story of KID's mechanic emerging from the KID-Judg cockpit instantly spread across the StarNet, and countless netizens flocked to witness the scene. Those who cut into the livestream system saw the mechanic standing there in the unmistakable outfit, quite distinct from the other mecha pilots in their combat gear.
Many netizens hadn't realized the connection at first. Judg's and Trace's coordinated operation to kill the S-level monster was so godly that everyone thought KID had recruited an incredibly skilled Artillery mecha pilot from another Galaxy. They couldn't relate this person to the mechanic; the difference in their professional fields was too great.
Who could have seen this coming!?
In other offices within the Qiu Jin Grand Canyon, officials couldn't directly shut down the arena system due to the public opinion on StarNet. Consequently, there were staff members specifically monitoring the online discussions. As they saw the discussions growing, especially about the mecha pilots, they couldn't have foreseen that the discourse would abruptly shift towards KID's mechanic.
While discussions and debates continued outside, the atmosphere inside the Qiu Jin Contaminated Zone remained tense.
Inside the base station, four mechas were parked on the platform.
Ying Chenlin had just come down from a high place, barely keeping his balance. He had felt fatigue while in the cockpit, but once he left it, that exhaustion intensified, especially in his right hand, which had become almost immovable.
You Su walked over and noticed his right arm hanging limp. He raised his head and saw the camouflage system deployed around the base station, then slightly turned to block his right arm. "How's your hand?"
Ying Chenlin replied, "No strength left. It might take some time to recover."
He had considered that his body wouldn't withstand the fatigue if he exerted himself to the limit, but the time for intense combat was even shorter than he had expected. The gap between an S-level physique and a B-level physique was just too significant, and he was far from his former self.
You Su asked, "Did you bring the medicine?"
Ying Chenlin hesitated for a moment and then said, "Yes, I did."
Huo Yan's voice came from the side.
Noticing the discussions in the distance, Ying Chenlin slightly leaned over to take a look. Then, something was placed over his head. The material had a faint scent, like the common shower gel used in the base. When Ying Chenlin realized he was being covered, he lifted his head and saw You Su's face.
"Put on the coat. There's a respirator in the coat's pocket."
You Su spoke in a calm tone, "In the contaminated area, don't take any chances."
Ying Chenlin had a coat, but the attire of a mechanic differed from that of a mecha pilot. Mecha pilots' uniforms, including their coats and combat suits, were finely crafted with advanced anti-contamination materials, offering much better protection against pollutants and being lighter in texture.
He put on the coat, only to realize that it was quite oversized, with sleeves that were too long.
"Wait," Ying Chenlin suddenly said.
You Su turned around and a key was tossed to him.
Ying Chenlin said, "I brought Theo here."
You Su responded, "Thank you."
In the distance, Huo Yan was busy dealing with the enormous S-level monster. The dead S-level monster still emitted a high level of contamination. The robots from the base station had already arrived to spray decontamination agents.
"Chenlin, are you okay?" Huo Yan noticed Ying Chenlin's approach. "Did you put on the respirator?"
Ying Chenlin nodded, "I put it on."
Huo Yan only felt reassured when he saw Ying Chenlin wearing the respirator. He added, "This monster is too large; we need to deal with it quickly, or it will occupy the landing area."
Ying Chenlin raised his head slightly and said, "I didn't bring a specialized material storage unit with me, so I can only use the storage compartment of the mecha."
He pointed to the mecha he had just piloted. "The storage compartment in my mecha is still empty."
Huo Yan rolled up his sleeves and said, "I'll handle it then. You take a break."
Ke Lin, "?"
Netizens online had been buzzing about the fact that KID's mechanic was actually a mecha pilot. However, since the official KID social media account was silent and not responding to mentions, the fans had to gather in live stream, hoping to find some other clues or insights about KID's mechanic.
"Are you telling me KID spent 8,000 stars to hire such a freak??"
"F*ck? Seriously? KID must be making a fortune!"
"I'm a mecha pilot, and I'm curious. Mechanics, are you all hyped up like this?"
The face of the key figure, Ying Chenlin, was completely unfamiliar to them, and he was so young. His maintenance skills were top-notch, and his mecha abilities were outstanding. If such a talent existed in the League, how could there be no news at all?
"I couldn't find this guy in the active-duty mecha pilots of Dawn [Image]."
"I follow matches in other star systems all year round, but I've never seen a Artillery mecha pilot with these skills!"
"Forget it. When KID hired him as a mechanic, I did a search and found nothing."
"Wait, what are they doing? Dissecting an S-level???"
While they were still engrossed in discussing KID's new recruit, inside the base station, Huo Yan's mecha had already been reactivated. With Ying Chenlin's 'professional' guidance, they disassembled the S-level monster into several parts, briefly processed the materials, and then stored them in the storage compartment.
The most valuable item was the pale white anomalous crystal they dismantled from the S-level monster. Its anomaly had only been known to enhance speed and strength. The effect of the anomaly crystal should be similar.
Inside the Qiu Jin control room, the staff watching this view were amazed by Huo Yan's superb handling skills.
Even the pollutant material analysis experts nodded approvingly. "Clean and neat, no unnecessary edges, excellent cutting techniques. This way, we can store advanced materials most effectively, and it'll be convenient for material analysis afterward if needed."
The nearby staff fell silent, wondering how many materials KID's rogue had cut to develop such exquisite skills.
Inside the base station, Huo Yan loaded all the S-level materials into KID's mecha. "This behemoth takes longer to cut than a Golden Scorpion; it's quite tough."
He turned to see Ke Lin standing in place. "Ke Lin, we can discuss the distribution outside, alright?"
Ke Lin had heard about KID dividing materials on Tianyu Star. He wasn't present at the time and thought it was an exaggerated claim among fellow mecha pilots. After a brief silence, he said, "Let's talk about it outside."
The matter of materials could wait. The immediate priority was to resolve the issues within the Qiu Jin Contaminated Zone.
Ke Lin had conducted a brief inspection of the mechas. After all, these mechas had gone through three days of combat, and their wear and tear were more extensive than the mechas that had just come to support. The remaining combat time for their mechas was limited.
While they were conducting these simple inspections of their mechas, the mecha pilots from KID and YDS in Area A-14 also arrived.
A-26 wasn't far from A-14, and the round trip took about ten minutes. With the relentless number of monsters in the contaminated zone, the Individual Soldiers came to assist by cutting off the tails, and the mechas with higher wear and tear temporarily returned to the A-26 base station for recuperation.
Ji Qingfeng and Hu Luobu had come together, and among all the mechas, theirs had the most severe wear and tear.
Upon arriving at the location, a quick check showed that their mechas had already incurred 55% damage and couldn't withstand prolonged combat.
Ji Qingfeng: "Our mechas, mine and Luobo's, have the highest damage. The Individual Soldiers mentioned that BZZL1 in the northern part of Qiu Jin is still in combat, and there's no base station for resupply in that area. While we have enough manpower, our mechas can't last."
Hu Luobu: "...I've told you not to call me Luobo . My name is Luobu!"
There was only one mechanic on-site, and Ke Lin briefed him on the mecha's condition. "Our mechas have already suffered some damage, as have those still fighting. We can't support extended combat."
This was the challenge they faced. Repairing mechas to their optimal state after significant damage typically took at least three days. While they could continue fighting, their mechas couldn't sustain prolonged combat.
"I brought spare mechas," Ying Chenlin suddenly said.
As he spoke, all eyes turned to him.
KID's mechanic took out a long string of keys from his pocket, and they clinked as he brought them out.
Hu Luobu was astonished. "Does KID’s mechanic always carry this many mechas when he goes out?"
"I considered this situation, so I brought all the spare mecha keys from the base when I came here," Ying Chenlin said, glancing at the mechas around him. He handed the keys to Huo Yan. "And don't worry too much. There's a corresponding jump point at the Qiu Jin station. Your situations haven't damaged the core components of your mechas, so the damaged ones can be sent back for repairs."
"But for this period, you'll have to use spare mechas. It might not be as comfortable as your tournament-grade mechas."
On the StarNet, other mecha base leaders watched in silence. Spare keys were available, but during the competition season, mecha pilots could only bring one mecha. Carrying extra mechas wasn't practical, and other mecha pilots only had one extra mecha for backup. Unlike KID, who was prepared with so many spare mechas.
The YDS leader couldn't help but look at Jiang Simiao beside him. "I merely had our mecha pilots bring in four spares for emergencies. I didn't expect you KID guys to have so many up your sleeves. A single mechanic carrying this many..."
Next to them, Jiang Simiao, squeezed in among other leaders, remained calm, not wanting to mention that Ying Chenlin was essentially KID's walking arsenal.
The other Qiu Jin staff were preparing for post-mission work. They had set up a jump point for mecha pilots to return damaged mechas to the management bureau for repairs. There were also base mechanics on-site. The support behind the frontlines was absolutely ample.
The mecha repair was one issue, but the bigger problem now lay in the increasingly severe pollutant outbreak within Qiu Jin.
Messages from the Alliance headquarters had also come in. The main focus in the Qiu Jin control center was analyzing the peculiar magnetic field. The original magnetic field had been in a weakened state, but for some unknown reason, this weakening had stabilized after a while. The core location remained in the A-14 area. Currently, there were 41 mecha pilots on-site. In the A-14 area, there were 18 mecha pilots, and in the northern combat zone, there were 23. There was also an uncontrolled S-level pollutant.
The troop reallocation wasn't feasible.
"The most obvious outbreak of pollutants is in the A-14 area, which is relatively better than the situation in the northern B-22 area. What's challenging is the S-level pollutant," a staff member quickly stated. "We've pinpointed the location of the remaining pollutant, but we can't send people to deal with it. Without additional manpower, we'll have to wait until the issues in both zones are resolved before heading there."
"Such an outbreak can't be entirely attributed to the magnetic field's influence. The magnetic field entity is peculiar, but its intensity's impact on the pollutants can be predicted."
As more information poured in, the leader's headache grew worse. The magnetic field characteristics had been extracted and sent to the Alliance headquarters, but the situation within Qiu Jin had yet to be entirely resolved.
At this moment, someone proposed, "Director, what if there's another pollutant in the A-14 area?"
"Another pollutant more impactful than an S-level pollutant?" The person-in-chargepaused for a moment. Suddenly, a piece of information struck him. "No... there is. A super S-level pollutant."
Once the speculation of a super S-level pollutant was raised, the entire control center fell silent.
This kind of pollutant is rarer than S-level, and the last appearance of a super S-level pollutant within the Star Alliance's borders occurred 20 years ago. Moreover, that one broke through the border defense and infiltrated.
"Immediately include pollutant analysis in the magnetic field, and pinpoint the core point for analysis. Did we just determine the center of the magnetic field?" The leader's voice quivered slightly, hoping that this was just a speculation.
All the staff members joined the next step of the work with tension.
Due to the tournament, some staff members were stationed at the base workstations.
The mecha-related tasks were being coordinated by staff to assist the mecha pilots. Ying Chenlin, under the guidance of other staff members, reached the control room within the base.
"The director already explained the situation to me," the staff member said. "We'll assist you, and if you have any requirements, you can tell us."
The information they had managed to gather so far was available in the control room, and Ying Chenlin thanked them and then joined the work. This part of the data from the Qiu Jin Management Bureau was crucial for him. It could help him connect the dots based on what he knew from his previous life.
He recalled the descriptions of Black Holes from his previous life.
A Black Hole was named as such because its essence was a small black space.
In his previous life, the Star Alliance had captured this through remote instruments during multiple analyses. At the time of the outbreak, they only knew that the peculiar magnetic field brought in a large number of S-level pollutants, causing magnetic field chaos, spatial disarray... many conclusions were drawn from post-analysis data. However, they had shared very little of this publicly. Initially, Ying Chenlin thought that the scarcity of incident reports related to Black Holes within the Alliance was because they rarely appeared. But now, it seemed like some data hadn't been disclosed by the Alliance. After all, the event of his disappearance in the past had been classified as a top-secret file for KID in subsequent years.
Ying Chenlin felt that nothing was as simple as it seemed. The reason for the sudden appearance of so many S-level pollutants in the FS Contaminated Zone was unclear. Also, the pollutant outbreak was exclusive to A-level and above pollutants, with no reports of B-level pollutants. There seemed to be a limitation on what could pass through a Black Hole.
Why was the Black Hole in Qiu Jin different from the Black Hole that appeared in FS?
There were two points of doubt: the relationship between magnetic field intensity and the Black Hole and whether the Black Hole's ability established a pollutant gateway or swallowed them.
A nearby staff member saw Ying Chenlin looking at the magnetic field and noticed his arm drooping. They sent another staff member to get a medical robot and whispered, "Speaking of the magnetic field, we've been working here for a long time, and every year during the tournament, the magnetic field experiences the most significant changes. However, Qiu Jin's magnetic field has limited variation in time. This year, it reached this intensity due to the meteor impact, something that hadn't happened in the past."
Ying Chenlin glanced at the data and suddenly remembered that before the battle, he had requested the control center for the meteor's flight trajectory but he had been inside the mecha, he urgently asked, "Do you have the meteor's trajectory?"
"We have it," the staff member said as they pulled up the data. "It's all here."
The meteor trajectory map was very clear, showing which planets in the Dawn Galaxy it passed through. It even indicated the affected area and time.
Ying Chenlin's pupils suddenly contracted when he saw the meteor's trajectory. In the later part of the trajectory, a Contaminated Zone was indicated. "It's not the contamination value... it's a high-intensity magnetic field caused by the contamination value. It's not a magnetic field on its own; it's following the magnetic field..."
In his previous life, reports of Black Holes only appeared in Contaminated Zones with contamination values above 6000, where the magnetic field instability was highest.
In contrast, the Contaminated Zones within the Dawn Galaxy typically had contamination values of less than 6000, with the higher levels occurring in only a few of them. These zones were classified as high-risk or tournament-level zones and were usually off-limits. Even if a Black Hole briefly appeared inside them, it was difficult to detect S-level issues due to the influence of the magnetic field. The impact of the meteor, coupled with the disruption caused by the tournament battles, could alter contamination levels, leading to variations in the magnetic field. This meant that the Black Hole had likely appeared based on these conditions. In his previous life, the disturbance caused in the FS Contaminated Zone had likely been because it was already a Contaminated Zone with contamination values over 6000. The meteor and magnetic field effects prolonged the existence of the high-intensity magnetic field and resulted in the release of more pollutants...
Black holes had actually appeared many times. It was just that the Star Alliance had captured their traces very few times.
In this case, it was Qiu Jin that had discovered it due to KID's bombing, along with the enhanced monitoring system following the Tianyu Star incident.
The staff member looked at him with confusion. "What do you mean?"
Ying Chenlin didn't have time to explain. He immediately contacted the Qiu Jin Control Center and said, "Compare the magnetic field characteristics of Qiu Jin with those of other planets, especially those affected by the meteor's passage."
As soon as he said that, the person in charge at the Control Center immediately assigned others to carry out the task and then spoke with a serious tone. "I need to tell you something. In the mountain that KID bombed, we found traces of a pollutant."
"Due to the mountain's destruction, we could only scan its outline and reconstruct it using instruments."
Ying Chenlin was momentarily stunned, and the next moment he saw the images sent by the Control Bureau. He saw a small Black Hole.
Around the Black Hole, some debris or pollutants trapped beneath were being slowly devoured by the Black Hole.
"We speculate that this Black Hole caused this event. We are not yet sure of its origin, but it is highly likely to be related to the incident involving Tianyu Star," the person in charge said with a deep voice. "Currently, its magnetic field response has not disappeared but is stable in a strange range. It seems to respond to external attacks. The Alliance is currently discussing the matter. If it is confirmed to be a pollutant, we cannot let it leave here."
Releasing such a dangerous pollutant would be an unknown disaster for the entire Dawn Galaxy.
A multitude of pollutants from A-14 were surging toward the mountainous area. Looking into the distance, they also saw some pollutants gathering in that direction. The scattered mecha Pilots were also converging, and although solo mecha pilots had strong combat capabilities, they were beginning to feel the strain when confronted by various types of pollutants. The difficulty didn't arise from the pollutants being hard to deal with, but rather from their sheer numbers. Unrelenting combat would only further deplete their stamina.
Within five Individual Soldier mechas at the scene, a young mecha Pilot was operating one of them. He guarded a specific area and asked his friend from the same channel, "Jiang Yu, it would have been better to go to the northern region earlier. The S-level monsters here have already been cleared out, and we might have found some anomalous crystals. Why did we come here?"
"We can head over there once this area is cleared," Jiang Yu replied as he looked at the red mechas around them. "Are the red mechas part of a mecha combat team?"
They were involved in both single-player and team competitions, but the number of combat teams was quite large, and it wasn't limited to just one team using red mechas.
His friend replied, "I think I saw them before I came. They should be one of the Sweet 16 teams, right? They were trending on StarNet not too long ago because they used to be pretty poor. Look at them now!"
Jiang Yu glanced over and saw the red mecha wielding a long blade, swiftly dispatching the pollutants. After defeating them, the mecha didn't forget to sever the part of the pollutants that carried anomalous crystals.
Lin Yao, with a pained expression, examined other materials in different parts of the pollutants, only managing to take the most valuable items.
The YDS mecha pilots around them were amazed. "You want that B-level special ability crystal too?"
Lin Yao stowed the items in his storage compartment. "Many little things add up to something great... Why hasn't Da Feng arrived yet?"
Lu Xi looked up and saw mechas flying in from the distance. "It seems like he's here."
Lin Yao said, "The storage compartment is almost full. I hope he cleared his storage."
As Lin Yao killed another B-level pollutant, he suddenly sensed something was wrong. He abruptly looked towards a nearby mound. "Something doesn't seem right. Is the mountain shaking?"
As the sky gradually darkened, the pollutants continued to converge on their position.
Jiang Yu lowered his head to look at the ground. "The ground is shaking."
His friend said, "Is it the gunfire from the Artillery mechas battle over there? The mecha pilot named Lu Xi seems to have a weapon that can enhance the firepower of others' bullets. We've been hit by it a few times."
Jiang Yu replied, "No, it's not caused by mechas."
He stared intently at the ground. "There's something under the rocks."
At that moment, the previously calm ground began to tremble, and almost as everyone noticed this phenomenon, the cockpit of every mecha blared with deafening alarms!
All the mecha pilots looked at the unfolding situation in shock. Then, a young and composed voice rang in their ears.
The voice commanded, "Everyone, immediately evacuate from A-14!"
Author's Note:
This chapter is a transitional one, and it was a bit challenging to write!
The next chapter will delve into the main plot.
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