Plan

Inside the Pluto Mech, Li Yi accepted the unfamiliar communication.

"I am Lin Guotao, Lou Cheng's superior, and the divisional captain in charge of your detachment."

Li Yi immediately recognized the voice. Wasn't this the head official he'd just glimpsed during the preliminary screening?

Captain?

"Hello, sir."

"How confident are you about winning the championship?"

"Uh..."

So direct?

Li Yi was a bit confused. "About sixty to seventy percent?"

After all, the opponent's stalling strategy had affected him significantly, and he wasn't sure if he could last until the final three-person battle was completed.

"Do you crave the championship? Is your sixty to seventy percent confidence a conservative estimate or an aggressive one?"

"What do you mean, sir?"

"If you tell me you are very confident about winning, I will block all external factors that might hinder your victory."

"When you say 'external factors,' sir, are you referring to pressure from higher-ups?"

Li Yi recalled the indifferent gazes of a few people he'd caught a glimpse of when he first appeared.

"More or less."

"Is it someone from The Righteous Clan who feels I'm blocking their path?"

"It's not that simple."

Lin Guotao explained:

"There's some family pressure from your competitors, but that's not the main issue."

"For those in the upper echelons, it's just a matter of approving an event or mentioning something in passing. The detachment can handle that kind of pressure for you."

"The key point is that because your mental resistance is too strong, you've bypassed the basic rule Mind Seal, a necessary procedure for new recruits. This has led the Supervision Department to believe you pose a significant threat after activating the D-class Divine Mech, and they must implant the basic rule Mind Seal into you as soon as possible."

"Therefore, with both factors combined, you might not only lose the championship but also be subject to intense scrutiny by the Supervision Department, missing out on future Mech Master training."

"Director Lin, what is the basic rule Mind Seal?"

Li Yi felt it didn't sound like a good thing.

"It's a mental weapon used to screen out cult members,"

Lin Guotao said. "I'm sure you know how dangerous it is for the lives of all ship personnel if a cult member infiltrates a starship sailing independently and then uses a Divine Mech to cause destruction."

"That's why every new recruit entering the ship is implanted with the basic rule Mind Seal. Do you remember the key point of the basic rules that Lou Cheng told you when you joined the ship?"

Li Yi pondered, "Are you referring to... authority?"

"Exactly. The core of this basic rule is authority. As long as this Mind Seal is implanted in every new recruit, even if that recruit is genuinely a cult member, they will be compelled to act according to the ship's rules."

"I see."

Although Li Yi agreed, he still had reservations about this method.

For one thing, he certainly didn't want to be bound by such a thing.

Perhaps he could capture memory fragments of successful Mind Seal implants to evade scrutiny.

He recalled feeling a slight sense of repulsion when Lou Cheng was explaining the basic rules back then.

After some thought, Li Yi asked:

"Sir, how does the Supervision Department check if the basic rule Mind Seal has been successfully implanted?"

"The Supervision Department has an ancient civilization artifact called the Mind Pillar, which can detect if there are corresponding Mind Seal traces in your memory."

Li Yi's mind immediately formulated a plan.

"One more question, sir. If I can guarantee winning the championship, what will you do?"

"I will try to get them to intervene only after the finals, but the prerequisite is that you must be able to win. Otherwise, not only will I bear responsibility, but your own future could also be ruined."

"Ruined future?"

Li Yi frowned.

"Because if you can't win, I'll be demoted. Whether anyone will continue to protect you is another matter. Once you enter a lengthy investigation, any minor blemishes in your past record will be closely scrutinized by the Supervision Department. Even if you have no problems, you'll at least waste several months, or even half a year."

"So, do you understand? At this moment, you and I have aligned interests."

"I need you to tell me honestly, can you win? If not, you should withdraw now, and it's still timely for them to implant the basic rule Mind Seal."

Li Yi paused, then chuckled lightly and said:

"In that case, please trouble you to handle the Supervision Department for me, sir."

Lin Guotao nodded. "Very good, I need that kind of confidence from you."

He ended the communication and dialed the Fleet Captain again.

Everything that was just discussed was naturally at the Fleet Captain's instruction.

Twenty minutes later.

It had been one hour and seven minutes since Li Yi activated the Pluto Mech and maintained continuous activity.

And at this moment, in the match between Liang Xing and Lin Hua, Lin Hua had surprisingly defeated Liang Xing.

Li Yi hadn't paid attention to the match, having been focused on meditating, digesting memory fragments, and reducing the burden on his brain.

Therefore, he didn't know what methods Lin Hua had used.

As for Liang Shaocong versus Xie Zhenye, the latter, having been revived through the lottery, was naturally defeated casually and without suspense.

The final round was a three-way round-robin.

Each person would take turns fighting the other two, with the final ranking determined by net wins. In case of a tie in wins, the ranking would be based on KOs and then effective hits.

The first match of this round was Li Yi versus Lin Hua.

The Magma Mech and the Pluto Mech emerged from their respective side bays.

The Evergreen Fairy AI loudly announced:

"The Magma Mech entering the arena has also suddenly displayed hidden strength, directly defeating one of the crowd favorites in twenty exchanges. Its movements were precise and swift, with far-reaching strategy, truly breathtaking."

"And the Pluto Mech emerging from the west bay is the well-known strongest contender of this tournament. However, due to its slow activation speed, the Pluto Mech has had to remain active since the first match until now."

"So, can the Pluto Mech maintain its initial state, or will the Magma Mech continue its upset victory?"

"The match... begins!"

The audience's anticipation had already reached a fever pitch.

"Li Yi used a low-power mode last match. His opponent this time is even stronger than Liang Xing, he's bound to unleash his power, right?"

"Lin Hua will win! Lin Hua will win!"

"Lin Hua played weak to defeat Liang Xing; Li Yi will definitely go for a quick victory. Their clash will absolutely be more exciting than all previous matches!"

Amidst the roaring cheers of the crowd.

The two massive mechs began to move at high speed.

In this match, Li Yi truly lived up to the audience's expectations, going all out from the start.

BANG!!!

The two fists collided, and waves of force erupted.

The Magma Mech couldn't withstand Li Yi's heavy punch first, retreating directly to dissipate the impact. The Pluto Mech followed closely.

WHOOSH!!!

Two massive streams of flame suddenly shot from the Magma Mech's eyes, unexpectedly hitting the Pluto Mech.

Then, the Magma Mech stabilized its balance, lunged forward with a charge, and was about to knock the Pluto Mech down.

Unexpectedly, the Pluto Mech was completely unharmed by the massive flame streams and didn't suffer any control loss. It directly clenched its fists and leaped, smashing down onto the Magma Mech's head, slamming it to the ground.

Following that, the Pluto Mech lifted its large foot and delivered a spinning kick, sending the Magma Mech's sturdy body flying into the air. Then came an elbow strike, followed by a knee strike.

After a barrage of combos, the Magma Mech had almost no chance to retaliate, taking hits the entire time.

Each powerful blow was accompanied by a massive sound, a violent aesthetic.

This shocking audiovisual experience sent the audience into a frenzy, with continuous shouts of excitement.