Surveillance

The Green Dragonfly Mech steadied itself, drawing a roaring cheer from the audience.

But Zhong Xiufa knew she no longer stood a chance of winning.

She hadn't become an Evolver yet, and could only use her Inherited Skill once in a short period.

Furthermore, her combat skills were only second-rate, and the amplitude multiplier for her Divine Mech was at most 0.7, nowhere near the opponent's at least 1x amplification.

Taking a deep breath, Zhong Xiufa piloted the Green Dragonfly Mech and charged resolutely towards the Ciyuan Mech.

She wanted to end the fight quickly to save time for Li Yi.

Earlier, using her Inherited Skill to bounce the mech back into the arena showed her lingering unwillingness to yield.

But after returning to the arena, she knew this match had to end swiftly.

Since defeat was inevitable, she wouldn't cause Li Yi any further trouble.

BOOM!!!

The Green Dragonfly Mech unleashed all six of its arms, striking directly at the Ciyuan Mech.

"Wow, the Green Dragonfly Mech is going all out without holding back! But this leaves her wide open, with a significant reduction in defensive capability. Is this intentional, or a moment of lost focus?" The Evergreen Fairy AI's voice echoed.

The next moment, the Ciyuan Mech sidestepped, avoiding a direct clash with the Green Dragonfly Mech and creating some distance.

The Green Dragonfly Mech pursued, and the Ciyuan Mech dodged again. After six or seven such maneuvers, the two mechs hadn't collided at all.

The audience below gradually sensed something was amiss.

"What the hell is going on? The Ciyuan Mech could easily take down the Green Dragonfly Mech, but it's just playing around with its opponent. What is it trying to do?"

"You idiot, the Ciyuan Mech is clearly trying to stall for time, to run out Li Yi's active duration!"

"That's so insidious!"

"It's just a tactic that makes reasonable use of the rules. There's nothing to question."

"Hmph, just a bit of cleverness and trickery. If we're really going to fight aliens, we need direct, forceful confrontation."

"But if Liang Shaocong wanted to stall, why did he throw the Green Dragonfly Mech out of bounds at the start? At that time, if the Green Dragonfly Mech hadn't used its Inherited Skill, it would have lost directly."

"It's simple. By forcing out the Green Dragonfly Mech's Inherited Skill and making the opponent waste their only threatening ability, he can stall at his leisure without fear of a counter-kill."

Amidst the chatter, the two thirty-meter-class Divine Mechs danced back and forth for a full minute, until the round ended, without a single collision.

According to the rules, if there were no knockouts or ring-outs within three rounds, the victor would be determined by the number of valid attacks.

In the monitoring room of Cabin 12.

"Oh, welcome, welcome! So it's Captain Long. My humble abode is truly illuminated by your presence."

Lin Guotao greeted a man with a stern face.

As he greeted him, he cursed inwardly. Why had the Internal Affairs Department shown up so suddenly?

"Let's skip the pleasantries. I received a report saying that someone in the detachment you oversee hasn't had the Basic Rule Imprint planted. Is that correct?"

Long Denghu ignored Lin Guotao's outstretched hand and spoke calmly.

Lin Guotao had anticipated the Internal Affairs Department's arrival, but not this soon.

Right, Li Yi's win rate was dropping, and someone was preparing to make their move early.

But who exactly reported this?

Damn it!

Are they trying to completely block Li Yi's path to victory?

With various thoughts flashing through his mind, Lin Guotao put on a relaxed and surprised expression:

"Yes, there is such a matter. But why would such a trivial thing warrant your personal visit?"

"If the Basic Rule Imprint were planted before activating the Divine Mech, it wouldn't have brought me here."

Long Denghu stated calmly, "The problem is that Divine Mechs are extremely destructive. If controlled by cultists and used for widespread destruction within the starship, the entire Jade Pool (Yaochi) No. 7, with its millions of lives, and the crucial mission of rotating border defense would be ruined. Is this a trivial matter?"

With such a heavy accusation, Lin Guotao couldn't deny it.

"This is indeed not a trivial matter, but for a mere thirty-meter-class Divine Mech, even if there were a problem, couldn't we control it internally immediately?"

"Preventing problems before they arise is the important mission of our Internal Affairs Department."

Long Denghu continued, "In the past fifty years, how many starships have been destroyed due to cult infiltration?"

Lin Guotao asked, "Then how does Captain Long plan to proceed?"

"We will halt the match. Our people will plant the Basic Rule Imprint on this individual. If successful, he will naturally be allowed to continue participating in the competition."

Lin Guotao took a deep breath. "Can't this be arranged after the finals?"

A playful smile appeared on Long Denghu's stern, unsmiling face.

"Even if this person waits until the finals are over, do they still have a chance to win the championship? Why are you deceiving yourself and wasting time here?"

Lin Guotao gritted his teeth and said, "How can we know the result until the very last moment?"

"It's not important. For us, it doesn't matter who wins the championship. Our duty is to protect the starship from destruction by external forces. Besides, we only took action after your win rate dropped, which is giving you plenty of face."

"Now that our notification is in place, please come with us to communicate with the other party."

Lin Guotao remained silent.

He knew he couldn't handle this matter himself.

The other party had left no room for negotiation.

In fact, he had considered the idea of secretly planting the Basic Rule Imprint midway.

However, Lou Cheng's failure indicated that Li Yi's mental resistance was very high, and it would take at least two to three hours to complete.

Even if the opponent's mental resistance was even higher, it might take longer.

And undoubtedly, this could not be inserted into the packed schedule.

Once inserted, Li Yi would be directly disqualified from the finals.

He held his communicator and immediately called the Fleet Captain.

After stalling for a considerable amount of time, the Ciyuan Mech landed a heavy punch, directly knocking the Green Dragonfly Mech out of the arena.

"Oh my god, this long and tedious match is finally over."

"Sigh, it's a pity I still had some good feelings for Liang Shaocong."

"Schemes and tricks can never make it to the big stage."

"Trash, absolute trash! The Liang family is truly a cancer among mech pilots!"

Boos erupted from the stands.

As the Green Dragonfly Mech was ejected, Zhong Xiufa climbed out of the insertion pod with a dejected expression.

The despairing gap, the opponent she could never touch, almost made her question her own life.

"Zhong Xiufa, your basic skills are not bad, but your combat style is too crude. The moment you move, I know what move you're going to make. Go back and study more. You're always welcome to come to me for guidance."

A seemingly gentle voice sounded.

However, Zhong Xiufa could feel the deep-seated disdain hidden within the speaker.

It was exactly the same as someone among her elders.

Seemingly gentle and polite, but ultimately just superficial.

Looking up, she saw it was indeed Liang Shaocong.

"Thank you, I will definitely surpass you."

Zhong Xiufa turned her face away directly, not intending to say another word to Liang Shaocong.

Seeing Zhong Xiufa run off, Liang Shaocong let out a soft snort:

"The mindset of the weak!"