Some people were born to enjoy the comfort of an unchanging life, while others lived to pursue the thrill of the unknown.
Zhou Yi was clearly the latter. Since arriving in this world, she had experienced almost no discomfort. Not only had she integrated perfectly into it, but she was also ready to find some fun for herself.
The Interstellar Competition livestream was like a stimulant, making Zhou Yi so excited that her scalp tingled as she stared unblinkingly at the screen.
"Getting to compete on the same stage as so many A-Class and S-Class Mechs would be amazing."
Zhou Yi's eyes gleamed. She could already imagine how thrilled she would be if she were there in person.
"Every year, quite a few students get injured in the Interstellar Competition. There are even cases every year where both the person and the mech are smashed to pieces."
Hu Manduo wanted Zhouzhou to calm down. Her expression now seemed even more fanatical than his had been earlier.
Hu Manduo's love for mechs came from the heart and was just as sincere and passionate, but he was not a hands-on combat type. He preferred doing work behind the scenes.
"Injuries are normal. If things are too comfortable inside the cockpit and you feel nothing at all, you'll lose a lot of sensitivity in actual combat."
During mech combat, the person in the cockpit could feel thirty percent of the pain. If the battle became too intense, powerful collisions could also injure the pilot.
If it got even more intense and the mech itself was shattered, then the person exposed directly would be in grave danger.
That was why human combatants almost always avoided attacking the other side's cockpit.
After all, they were the same kind. Everyone had only one goal: resist the alien races and protect their homeland.
Because this was the elimination round and there were so many contestants, there was hardly any host introduction or commentary.
There were five elimination arenas running simultaneously, with five camera feeds being livestreamed at the same time. Viewers could choose whichever one interested them.
Hu Manduo casually picked a feed, and the three of them watched with great interest.
The arena champion volunteered to take the stage, then waited for challengers. Winning three matches meant advancing directly and stepping down.
As long as they lost at any point, they would be eliminated immediately and leave the arena.
The first arena champion on the stream Zhou Yi and the others watched was a burly blond man. He looked far too mature to be someone still attending mech school, more like a student's parent.
The mech he released matched his temperament perfectly. It was also a Heavy Mech, entirely golden and clearly extraordinary at a glance.
The man kept his chin raised, his fierce eyes sweeping directly over the people below the stage.
"That's terrifying!"
Lu Xiaoxiao rarely encountered anyone so intimidating.
"This should be a tactic. He's using his imposing appearance to scare off his opponents. If no one dares challenge him, he'll advance directly on a bye."
Hu Manduo analyzed seriously.
"That might work if he were pulling it in front of a bunch of weaklings. But this competition is packed with talented people. Acting so punchable, I doubt anyone's going to indulge him."
Zhou Yi disagreed.
There were so many people and only five arenas. Each arena had plenty of formidable contestants waiting below it. If they were scared off that easily, they might as well have stayed home instead of traveling all this way to compete.
"That makes sense... Someone's coming!"
Very soon, a petite girl leaped onto the stage and extended her hand, releasing her mech from her Mech Ring.
It was a Light Mech. Standing before the blond man's mech, it looked like a child.
"The size difference is way too huge. Can she really do this?"
Lu Xiaoxiao exclaimed. The girl who had come up was very pretty, with long brown hair.
Girls could always empathize with other girls easily.
Clearly, many viewers shared Lu Xiaoxiao's thoughts upon seeing such an obvious disparity. Countless comments flew across the top of the screen.
(This girl is seriously overestimating herself!)
(I bet that big guy can slap this little kid flying with one hand.)
(Get down already. There's no suspense in this match. So boring. I'm going to watch another arena.)
(Bro, wait for me. I'm leaving with you.)
(??? Do the people above seriously not know who this girl is?)
(Heavens! How can anyone not know Xixi from Meg Military Academy?)
"Who is Xixi?"
Zhou Yi swiftly caught that crucial piece of information.
As one of the Interstellar Alliance's three major military academies, Meg Military Academy had no shortage of famous figures.
Ever since enrolling at Huadun, Zhou Yi had seemed busy every day and had not yet found the time to learn about those major military academies.
"She came in ninth in last year's Interstellar Competition. Even though it was only ninth place, she was still a first-year student at the time."
When it came to the Interstellar Competition, Hu Manduo was like a tiny encyclopedia as a diehard fan. He seemed to know everything.
For a first-year student Mech Warrior who had not yet undergone practical combat training in the attitude system, being able to compete on the same stage as so many powerful upperclassmen and upperclasswomen and still achieve a top-ten result was indeed not something to underestimate.
"Then what result did that blond guy get last year?"
Lu Xiaoxiao pressed.
"Hmm... If he competed last year too, he was probably eliminated in the elimination round. I remember pretty much everyone who made it into the group stage. I've watched the livestream replays several times."
The facts proved that the blond man did not seem as imposing as he had made himself out to be.
Before the match had even begun, his expression had already turned somewhat unpleasant upon seeing Xixi take the stage.
"He can't win this match."
Zhou Yi did not know either of them, but she had already reached her conclusion.
He had lost his nerve before the fight even began. The moment he saw his opponent, his momentum weakened. There was no way he could win.
Sure enough, the result was just as Zhou Yi had predicted. The battle between the two lasted less than ten minutes before Xixi won.
Zhou Yi watched the few-minute match with extreme focus.
Like Xixi, she had chosen a Light Mech.
She had been observing how Xixi could bring out her mech's full power and defeat a Heavy Mech.
Even though Xixi's S-Class Mech was clearly superior to the blond man's A-Class Mech, the difference in strength was still extremely obvious.
But skill could make up for strength. Relying on the nimble movements and evasions of her Light Mech, Xixi repeatedly avoided the big mech's attacks, then used guerrilla tactics and sneak attacks to strike the knee joint of its right leg.
The hit mech dropped directly to one knee, losing its ability to move and becoming fish on a chopping board, waiting to be slaughtered.
Zhou Yi could tell that Xixi's mech had been modified extensively. Every alteration was ingenious and capable of bringing out the greatest advantages of a Light Mech.
Those designs and precious materials did not seem like something a second-year girl could have completed on her own.
She was most likely a girl raised through the heavy investment of a major family.
Still, having such quick reactions and adaptability in battle was not something an ordinary person could manage.
Zhou Yi praised her silently and could not help wanting to reach through the screen and touch her mech.
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