Chapter 48

When the mechanical dog in the live broadcast suddenly stood up and transformed into its mech state, the entire examination monitoring office fell silent.

Despite the busyness of the past few days, each family and the three major military academies still had representatives stationed at the examination monitoring office.

In addition to the various representatives, there was also a high-ranking Alliance official overseeing the situation.

And tonight, the person overseeing everything happened to be Huang Peilan.

After Yan Yan transformed, the atmosphere in the monitoring office became somewhat strange.

Over the past three years, many people within the Alliance, the military, and the military academies have attempted to create unmanned mechs.

No one understands the power of the black mechs better than the Alliance.

After Yun Chi was captured, the three major military academies even started offering this course. Many people studied it, resulting in some progress in unmanned mechs over the past few years.

However, development reached a certain stage and then became difficult to advance further.

To this day, no one has been able to replicate the invincible black mech.

Even with the core technology left by Yun Chi, many problems remain unsolved.

Over time, the craze for unmanned mechs gradually faded.

There were students skilled in creating unmanned mechs who appeared in the joint exam, but their performance was mediocre under the pressure of top-tier talents.

Now, another one has appeared, seemingly no different from the previous cases.

The strange atmosphere was mainly due to recent events.

The fugitives Qin Chuyue and Lan Wei were Yun Chi’s companions, although the Alliance repeatedly confirmed Yun Chi’s death.

At this critical moment, the appearance of an entirely black unmanned mech caused complex feelings among those present, especially the representatives from the Si family and the Han family.

While their feelings were complicated, seeing a black unmanned mech didn’t automatically make them think it was Yun Chi’s black mech.

In the first year after Yun Chi was captured, all unmanned mechs across the galaxy were black. Despite what people said, everyone acknowledged the strength of Yun Chi’s black mech.

Otherwise, there wouldn’t have been so many imitators.

Black is also a common color for mechs and not exclusive to Yun Chi.

Huang Peilan glanced around, noting that no one believed an A-level talent could be the low-level Yun Chi. This sudden silence seemed to indicate that some people were experiencing PTSD.

It has been nearly ten months since the news of Yun Chi’s death, yet some people still have a visceral reaction to certain elements, showing just how much of a threat Yun Chi posed to the Alliance.

In the eerie atmosphere, Huang Peilan spoke calmly, “This unmanned mech is quite exquisite, but it’s still too small.”

Yun Chi’s black mech was similar in size and weight to a regular star-class mech, but its power far exceeded that of ordinary star-class mechs.

Her words brought many people back to reality.

The Si family representative said solemnly, “The most challenging technology for unmanned mechs is achieving the same size as regular mechs.”

Mechs don’t necessarily need to be bigger and heavier to be better.

However, if advanced mechs are too small, they can’t carry more weapons, and mechanical strength is a decisive factor in combat. Thus, excluding functional special mechs, large mechs dominate high-level battles.

“This mechanical transformation is quite impressive.”

The black mech, being purely a combat mech, didn’t have the characteristic of mechanical transformation.

Someone else commented, “The transformation is impressive, but who knows about its strength.”

Originally, the most exciting part of this confrontation should have been on the elite class battlefield, but the appearance of this unmanned mech drew most people’s attention to Jifu.

The atmosphere in the monitoring room was strange, and even more so among the live-stream viewers.

[After so many years of joint exams, we finally have something new.]

[Unmanned mechs aren’t particularly rare, right?]

[True, unmanned mechs are common, and with the rapid development of mechanics in recent years, mechanical transformation is also common. But combining both, as far as I know, this is the first one.]

The netizens’ excitement was not unfounded.

Even the students from the Interstellar Academy with Jifu were stunned by the high level of refinement in the transforming mech.

What happened next with Yan Yan surprised everyone even more.

In the dark night, the black mech Yan Yan, nearly 3 meters tall after transformation, blended into the night except for its red eyes.

Three meters was the maximum height Yan Yan could achieve, noticeable in a crowd but insignificant compared to regular star-class mechs, which were 30-50 meters tall.

“Establish a new task,” Jifu said calmly.

As she spoke, Yan Yan’s red eyes lit up.

“Eliminate all enemy mechs.” Her words caused a momentary pause in the live-stream comments.

So far, no one knew the level of Jifu’s unmanned mech.

Judging by its size, most people, including the officials in the monitoring room, thought it was at most an A-level mech, similar to the most common mech on the market.

Who knew Jifu would give such an order.

[Beep—] As Yan Yan’s red eyes flashed, the mech seemed to come to life.

[Confirm target] The highly intelligent unmanned mech even responded with a mechanical voice.

[Execute target]

As soon as the words fell, the black unmanned mech leapt up.

Yan Yan jumped into the night sky.

Due to the distance, many on-site could only see two red flashes in the sky, but everyone watching the live stream could see Yan Yan’s every move clearly.

As it ascended, the mechanical waves alerted the patrolling star-class mech soldiers.

The mech soldiers immediately activated their high-speed patrol rocket launchers, aiming at Yan Yan.

But as soon as the cannon was set up, the target disappeared.

【Target not found】

The star-level mecha continuously flashed error messages. The mech soldier was stunned. The drone mech was clearly still in the air, so how could it vanish into thin air? And why did the mech lose its target?

This was an impossible mistake!

He was filled with uncertainty and panic, frantically operating the mech to search for the missing target. But before he could locate Yan Yan, he suddenly felt a chill down his back.

The reaction speed of the star-level mech soldier was incredibly fast. He quickly turned around and simultaneously prepared to release the negative ion heavy cannon from the mech’s arm.

But as soon as he lifted his hand, what he saw was a black shadow tearing through the night, a black mech with glowing red eyes, wielding two black curved blades, crashing into him with a boom.

Slap, scratch.

The curved blade sliced straight through one of his mechanical arms.

Under the immense force of the blow, his arm and shoulder separated, sparking with electric light.

Before the mech soldier could react, Yan Yan’s other curved blade was forcefully thrust into the mech soldier’s engine.

Crack.

The curved blade penetrated the engine, erupting in a shower of sparks. In the panicked eyes of the mech soldier, Yan Yan reached out, using two mechanical arms to rip the star-level mech’s engine in front of him into two halves.

The sound of the engine being torn apart made everyone’s hearts jump.

At the same time, a notification sounded:

【Imperial Military Academy, Han Chaoran, eliminated!】

The whole venue erupted.

【???】The bullet comments exploded with countless question marks after a slight delay.

From the drone mech Yan Yan taking off to violently tearing apart the star-level mech’s engine, it took just a few minutes!

【WTF?】

【A star-level mech! Gone just like that!?】

It wasn’t just the ordinary viewers who were shocked.

Even the examiners were all taken aback.

Several officials stood up from their seats as they witnessed this scene.

Even the official who had previously praised Yan Yan’s clever mech transformation turned pale.

They had expected this drone mech to be strong, but not this strong.

This was an A-level mech engineer’s creation, yet it managed to overpower a star-level mech soldier.

Indeed, this was a case of surpassing its level to kill.

If it weren’t in the exam hall, and if the candidates didn’t have teleportation medallions, it would have resulted in a real kill.

This scene rendered those who had dismissed the black drone mech as a trend-following gimmick speechless.

Huang Peilan was also momentarily breathless.

Previously, she only knew Ji Fu was an exceptional pharmacist, but she didn’t realize her mechanical skills were this formidable.

Huang Peilan, being a mech engineer herself, understood how astonishing the previous scene was.

“It’s an interference system,” she said in a deep voice. “This drone mech is equipped with a highly advanced interference device that can render a mech ‘blind’ for a short time.”

The so-called blind state means being unable to lock onto or search for targets, just like the star-level mech earlier.

Huang Peilan steadied herself, “It’s not due to level suppression.”

Her words brought everyone back to their senses. The explosive power displayed earlier had led many to mistakenly believe Yan Yan was beyond star-level.

Hearing Huang Peilan’s explanation, many mech engineers concurred:

“This drone mech’s materials are only S-level.”

But its design was truly unique.

Unlike the black mech, this one was more agile, and its combat system was broader.

… Well, not exactly broader, its combat system was extremely violent.

Creating blind spots and achieving a one-hit kill.

This demonstrated immense confidence in the capabilities of the drone mech.

In comparison, the black mech was loaded with numerous heavy explosive weapons, akin to a walking arsenal.

But this mech’s combat system was completely different: close combat, strong attacks.

Ripping with brute force!

All these characteristics matched its pre-transformation appearance, resembling not a dog but a wolf.

Moreover, the integrated system was exceptionally advanced, with adaptability and response almost equal to a regular mech soldier.

An official from the Imperial Military Academy couldn’t help but mockingly glance at Zhang Huan: “The Star Academy has struck gold. When did they recruit such an impressive mech engineer?”

Zhang Huan: …

What was he supposed to say?

Before today, he didn’t know Ji Fu had this kind of skill either.

Her mechanical dog had been used in several school exams, but it was always in dog form. Who knew she had hidden a mech form?

And what a display it was.

She left both major military academies in shock.

Previously, who would have believed an S-level drone mech could defeat a star-level mech soldier? That would have been considered bragging.

Maybe one person could, but that person had been dead for a long time.

The atmosphere in the exam room grew even stranger.

Ji Fu’s drone mech, once revealed, made many see the shadow of an old acquaintance…

And some saw the limitless commercial potential it could bring.

The various emotions and thoughts intertwined, making the late-night exam room feel exceptionally eerie.

Huang Peilan looked around at the people present, her arms crossed, eyes carrying a slight hint of sarcasm.

The oddities today were not limited to Ji Fu alone. This drone mech was indeed breathtaking.

But the eliminated star-level mech soldier was not to be underestimated either.

Recovering quickly from her brief shock, she immediately sensed something was off.

Ji Fu’s drone mech was indeed S-level, at most S+, so how could it so easily take down a star-level mech soldier?

One must understand that the power of an S-level mech soldier is extraordinary. A normal star-level mech soldier, when fully unleashed, could easily destroy a large portion of a planet.

Yun Chi’s star-level black mech from years ago could obliterate an entire planet through self-destruction.

But the mech soldier from the Imperial Military Academy was rendered helpless against a drone mech.

Admittedly, this drone mech was extremely superior, and it was also due to the student’s lack of experience.

However…

As a veteran mech engineer, even without conducting data analysis, her intuition was never wrong.

The true strength of this star-level mech soldier from the Empire was far from reaching the star level.

He was piloting a star-level mech but couldn’t even utilize 30% of its capabilities.

Huang Peilan’s eyes darkened. Though her talent was relatively average among the high echelons of the alliance families, what she could see, they surely could too?

But their focus was entirely on Ji Fu’s mech.

The waters of the alliance were getting murkier.

The online audience’s reaction was far less complicated than the examiners’. They were simply amazed at Yan Yan’s power.

And also…

【For sale? I offer a million.】

【??? Here we go, I offer three million.】

【… Are you all that rich?】

In the interstellar era, mechs were equivalent to one’s life.

Most people didn’t have high natural talent, so seeing such a top-tier drone mech, how could they not be tempted?

Especially an extremely advanced intelligent type like Yan Yan.

Amidst the noisy bullet comments, Yan Yan had already swiftly taken out a squad from the Imperial Military Academy.

Except for the leading ‘star-level mech,’ the others were merely S-level mechs, each lasting less than a minute against it.

Among the eliminated students, most of their mechs were torn apart by Yan Yan.

The terrifying power and speed were like a sharp blade lurking in the night, piercing directly into the hearts of the two major military academies.

While Yan Yan was on the move, the main force was not idle either.

At Shi Xueying’s command, numerous explosive bottles lit up the night.

These explosive bottles were Ji Fu’s new invention.

Unlike traditional bombing equipment, these used minimal materials, mainly the potions she had crafted with instruments over the past few days.

The raw materials were low-grade, but the power was terrifying, creating huge craters upon detonation.

Each student from the Star Academy had a hundred of these explosive bottles.

Although their talents were far inferior to those of the Empire and Han Hai students, no amount of talent could withstand such bombardment.

Under the relentless bombing, even the hardiest base, constructed by the Empire for the second time, was blasted open halfway.

Noticing their actions, the students from the Empire and Han Hai attempted some counter-attacks. Some Star Academy students who couldn’t react in time were eliminated.

But the losses were significantly lower than those of the two major military academies.

Especially after Ji Fu used a close-range rocket launcher to completely demolish the bases of both academies.

And all this chaos unfolded within just fifteen minutes.

The elite students attacking the Star Academy’s base realized something was wrong.

They tried to return but were obstructed by bizarre alien plants and the relentless Star Academy S-class students.

Only two super star-level mechs could break through.

On the Empire’s side, Fang Yuan had already aimed at Zhou Lu Hai, ready to eliminate him, but then received an alert from the base.

With a grim expression, he pressed the communication button, informing everyone, “They are stalling. The Star Academy is stealing points.”

The elite students’ faces darkened upon hearing this.

After a moment of silence, the super star-level mech soldier from Han Hai coldly said, “Continue the attack.”

It was an emotionless, cold voice.

Everyone instantly recognized her.

Fang Yuan exclaimed in surprise, “Shen Qingshu?”

Shen Qingshu was Shen Qinglan’s younger sister, but not yet super star-level.

Or rather, not yet.

Shen Qingshu had star+ talent, just one step away from super star-level, but that single step was a vast difference.

That said, her situation was unique.

She and her brother Shen Qinglan were twins, possessing a special connection in certain aspects.

Fang Yuan, being familiar with the siblings, knew the details.

Shen Qingshu could use her brother’s talent to pilot mechs through their twin connection, although this shared talent was typically time-limited.

And each use resulted in some degree of side effects.

Due to the night operation and Shen Qingshu piloting Shen Qinglan’s mech, Fang Yuan hadn’t immediately noticed their switch.

He only felt Shen Qinglan’s actions were slightly stiff, with a negligible impact.

Now hearing Shen Qingshu speak, he understood and sneered.

In all their discussions, they had planned on him and Shen Qinglan acting together, not expecting Shen Qinglan to pull such a trick.

Sending his sister instead of showing up himself.

They probably weren’t expecting the Interstellar Academy to make such a move, but rather were looking for an opportunity to see if they could take a piece of the Empire’s share.

“The insidious scoundrel, even plotting against his own sister,” Sivan said coldly over the call. “Should we turn back?”

“No need,” Fang Yuan replied with a sneer. “He needs his sister to suffer to achieve his goal, so we don’t need to.”

The Empire has more super-star mechs than the Vast Sea.

Does Shen Qinglan really think she has a chance to ambush us?

Today, only two super-star mechs were deployed, to guard against them.

And it’s perfect timing to directly harvest that ragtag group from the Interstellar.

He said coldly, “Leave the base to the people staying behind. What we need to do now is focus fire on Zhou Luhai.”

As long as Zhou Luhai is out, even if the Interstellar makes it to the second round, they won’t pose any threat.

At the same time, Ji Fu looked up and saw the people the Empire had left at the base.

They appeared almost simultaneously with the collapse of the Empire’s base.

It was also at this moment that many realized the resting place for the Empire’s elite class was separate from the base.

They had thought of spreading out as well, but from start to finish, they only protected the elite students.

When chaos broke out here, those people appeared unhurriedly. Through a high-speed telescope, she even saw a girl yawning, glancing out, and then nonchalantly going back to sleep.

“…It’s a rest room made of super-star materials,” Shi Xueying said gravely.

Super-star materials hadn’t appeared in this exam site yet, but with the Empire, there was already a shield and an entire rest room built from such materials.

The resources they controlled far exceeded normal imagination.

Not only that, but the location of that rest room had been hidden all along, showing that there were highly skilled hackers in their team.

Because of the live broadcast, Ji Fu didn’t use her own system this time. The location of the rest room only became known after she blew up the Empire’s base, causing a massive network fluctuation.

The other side seemed annoyed by their harassment and dispatched three mechs.

…One super-star and two star-level.

[Damn, the lead mech looks like a super-star. Will the Interstellar Academy be completely wiped out?]

“Should we retreat?” Shi Xueying remained calm; they had made thorough plans before the operation, naturally considering all possible scenarios.

Ji Fu just looked up at the sky. “No need to rush.”

One more person hadn’t arrived.

Just as she finished speaking, they heard the sound of Yan Yan eliminating the Vast Sea’s star-level mech soldiers, and simultaneously…

[Is that… Shen Qinglan from Vast Sea?]

[Whoa, when did the Vast Sea people get to the Empire’s base?]

[It’s over, caught in a pincer attack, what will the Interstellar do?]

Shen Qinglan had been ready for a long time, but he didn’t expect the slight complication of the low-talent students from the Interstellar appearing here.

Shen Qinglan was a super-star mech pilot, with more than one super-star mech at his disposal. At this moment, he was piloting a mech with several star-level mech soldiers behind him.

In an instant, it seemed like Ji Fu’s position was surrounded by two major military academies.

The appearance of two super-star mechs almost lit up half the sky, and the students of the Interstellar Academy seemed incredibly fragile before these two gigantic mechs.

It was as if the opponent only needed to reach out to crush all of them.

The barrage rolled like snowflakes, and the examiners’ side also fell into dead silence.

At this moment, Shen Qinglan still had the leisure to press the call button and said to the other side, “How about splitting it half and half?”

Just as he finished speaking, there was a sudden earth-shaking explosion.

Simultaneously, the exam venue’s prompt sounded, echoing throughout the entire field:

[Congratulations to the Interstellar Academy for reaching a total score of 50%, earning first place in this exam]

Ji Fu looked up at the two distant super-star mechs.

The source of the explosion was the Vast Sea base.

She had sent a small team to the Vast Sea’s side at the intersection and had a hidden aircraft as well.

The aircraft was packed with S-class bombs, not in anyone’s hands but…

Yan Yan’s.

As soon as Shen Qinglan and his men left the base, the aircraft was directly thrown at the base.

In a scenario where talents were extremely mismatched, she knew it would be easy for the two sides to overwhelm them and that the opponent would act recklessly, relying on their super-star assets.

Therefore, she never intended to engage in a prolonged fight.

More importantly…

The exam prompt sounded again: [Interstellar Academy’s exam is over. All candidates will automatically leave the venue in ten seconds]

According to rule number 7, the team that earns first place can choose to leave the venue immediately.

Now, this situation is quite interesting.

With the first team being teleported out, what about the remaining two super-star mechs?

Naturally, they’ll be at each other’s throats.