Surveillance

The Green Dragonfly Mech regained its footing, drawing a surge of cheers from the audience.

But Zhong Xiufa knew she no longer had any chance of winning.

She had yet to become an Evolver and could only use her Inherited Skill once in the short term.

Her combat techniques were merely second-rate as well, giving the Divine Mech an amplitude multiplier of at most 0.7, nowhere near the opponent's boost of at least 1.

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

She wanted to end the battle as quickly as possible and save Li Yi some time.

Earlier, when she had used her Inherited Skill to bounce her mech back into the arena, it had been because she was still unwilling to accept defeat.

But once she had returned to the arena, she knew this match had to end quickly.

Since defeat was already apparent, she could not cause Li Yi any more trouble.

Boom!!!

All six arms of the Green Dragonfly Mech struck out at once, punching straight toward the Ciyuan Mech.

"Wow, the Green Dragonfly Mech is actually going all out! But that has left her wide open and greatly weakened her defenses. Did she do it deliberately, or did she simply lose her head?"

The voice of the Evergreen Fairy AI drifted through the venue.

The next moment, the Ciyuan Mech slid sideways. Rather than clash head-on with the Green Dragonfly Mech, it opened up some distance.

The Green Dragonfly Mech pursued again, and the Ciyuan Mech evaded again. After six or seven such exchanges, the two mechs had not collided even once.

The audience below gradually sensed that something was off.

"What the hell is this? The Ciyuan Mech could obviously take down the Green Dragonfly Mech quickly, yet it's deliberately toying with its opponent. What's he trying to do?"

"Idiot, the Ciyuan Mech is obviously stalling until Li Yi's activity time runs out!"

"Isn't that way too underhanded?"

"It's just a tactic that makes reasonable use of the rules. What's there to question?"

"Heh, just petty tricks. If they were really fighting Aliens, they would still need to fight hard and push forward."

"But if Liang Shaocong wanted to stall, why did he throw the Green Dragonfly Mech out of the arena at the very start? If the Green Dragonfly Mech hadn't used its Inherited Skill then, it would have lost immediately."

"Simple. He forced out the Green Dragonfly Mech's Inherited Skill and made it waste the only ability that could threaten him. Then he could stall with ease, without fearing a comeback kill."

Amid the discussions, the two thirty-meter-class Divine Mechs kept hopping and retreating for an entire minute. Until the round ended, they had not collided even once.

According to the rules, if there was no KO or ring-out after three rounds, victory would be decided by the number of effective attacks.

Inside the monitoring room of Compartment 12.

"Oh, welcome, welcome! So it's Team Leader Long. What an honor, you've truly graced us with your presence."

Lin Guotao stepped forward to greet a stern-faced man.

Even as he welcomed him, he cursed inwardly. Why had someone from the Surveillance Department suddenly come?

"Forget the pleasantries. I received a report that someone in the division under your jurisdiction has not received a Basic Rule Imprint. Is that true?"

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

Lin Guotao had expected the Surveillance Department to come, but he had not expected them to arrive so quickly.

That was it. Now that Li Yi's odds of winning had dropped, someone was preparing to make an early move.

But who exactly had reported this?

Damn it!!!

Were they trying to completely block Li Yi's chance of winning the championship?

All sorts of thoughts flashed through his mind. Lin Guotao put on a relaxed, surprised expression.

"That is indeed the case, but how could such a small matter warrant your personal visit?"

"If the Basic Rule Imprint had been planted before the Divine Mech was activated, then I would not have needed to come."

Long Denghu said blandly, "The problem is that Divine Mechs are immensely destructive. If they were controlled by cultists and used to wreak havoc inside the starship, then the lives of several million people aboard the Jade Pool (Yaochi) No. 7, as well as the crucial task of rotating the stellar border defenses, could all be destroyed in an instant. Do you still consider that a small matter?"

With such a heavy accusation dropped on him, Lin Guotao could not deny it.

"It certainly isn't a small matter, but it's only a thirty-meter-class Divine Mech. Even if there really were a problem, wouldn't we be able to bring it under control immediately from within?"

"Preventing trouble before it happens is one of the Surveillance Department's most important duties."

Long Denghu continued, "Over the past fifty years, have there been few starships destroyed due to cult infiltration?"

Lin Guotao said, "Then how does Team Leader Long intend to handle this?"

"Interrupt the competition and have our people plant a Basic Rule Imprint in him. Once it has been successfully planted, he can naturally continue competing."

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

A faintly amused smile appeared on Long Denghu's stern, expressionless face.

"Does this person still have any hope of winning the championship even after the finals? Why deceive yourself and waste time here?"

Lin Guotao gritted his teeth. "How can anyone know the outcome before the very end?"

"It doesn't matter. To us, it does not matter who becomes champion. Our duty is to protect the starship from destruction by outside forces. Besides, we only began acting after his odds of winning dropped. We've already shown you plenty of consideration."

"Our notification has now been delivered. Please come with us and speak with him together."

Lin Guotao fell silent.

He knew he could not handle this himself.

The other side was leaving no room for compromise at all.

It was not as though he had never considered secretly planting the Basic Rule Imprint midway through.

But Lou Cheng's failure showed that Li Yi possessed considerable mental resistance. It would take at least two or three hours to complete the process.

If Li Yi's mental resistance was even greater, it might take even longer.

And without question, there was no way to fit that into the packed competition schedule.

Once it was inserted, Li Yi would be eliminated directly from the finals.

Holding his communicator, he immediately called the Fleet Captain.

After stalling for long enough, the Ciyuan Mech threw a heavy punch and sent the Green Dragonfly Mech straight out of the arena.

"My god, that long, miserable match is finally over."

"Sigh, what a pity. I actually had a bit of a favorable impression of Liang Shaocong."

"Schemes and tricks will never amount to anything."

"Trash, trash! The Liang family really is the cancer of mech pilots!"

Boos erupted across the stands.

After ejecting from the Green Dragonfly Mech, Zhong Xiufa climbed out of the Insertion Pod with a dejected expression.

The despairing gap between them, the opponent she had never once been able to touch, nearly made her doubt her entire life.

"Zhong Xiufa, your fundamentals are decent, but your tactics are far too rough. The moment you move, I know what you're planning. Go back and study properly. You're always welcome to come ask me for pointers."

A voice that sounded quite gentle rang out.

Yet Zhong Xiufa could sense the contempt hidden deep in his bones.

He was exactly like a certain elder in her family.

He seemed gentle and polite, but it was all merely surface-level courtesy.

She looked up and, sure enough, saw Liang Shaocong.

"Thank you. I'll definitely surpass you."

Zhong Xiufa turned away with a cold expression, having no intention of saying another word to Liang Shaocong.

Watching Zhong Xiufa jog away, Liang Shaocong snorted softly.

"Loser's mentality!"