Pre-Match

Boom!

Bang!

Crash!

All kinds of clamor and crashing sounds rose one after another. In the center of a large stadium, two mechs now occupied what had originally been a soccer field. They weren't using any weapons; they were simply pounding each other with their fists. Yet the sight had a blood-pumping, testosterone-fueled intensity.

Even from a human perspective, the two mechs' movements seemed a little sluggish, but that couldn't conceal the shock of seeing two colossal machines beat each other senseless.

"This is even noisier than I expected! By the way, didn't you say these mechs were all of unknown origin? They're openly fighting in a huge stadium like this. Is that really okay?"

Watching the competing mechs move more and more sluggishly, Mang Ke asked with a frown. Feng Xue glanced toward the stadium's best seats and replied with a hint of mockery:

"Didn't I tell you before? Industrial cities like this are responsible for maintaining a country's war potential. All the military factories are state-owned, so forget about making money that way. But their status is extremely important, and if you cause trouble, you'll be shut down in no time.

"Usually, the easiest way for a city to increase its revenue without causing trouble is tourism. But you've seen this place: the sky is gray, the clouds are black, and even the air smells like motor oil. Forget about rich people—no one even comes here on a budget trip. So, as for the local finances... well, you get it."

"But I don't," Mang Ke said, shaking her head. She had fully embraced her "clueless about the ways of the world" tag—

"It's poor, you can't embezzle, and it has no tourism potential. So what? Isn't this mech gambling also causing trouble?"

"That's different." Feng Xue smiled and