Lin Qin

Li Yi's talent for capturing memory fragments from parallel worlds could adjust according to his circumstances.

Whenever he encountered a difficult problem, as long as he was determined to solve it,

he had a chance of coming into contact with a solution in his dreams.

Or he might encounter memories related to that problem, increasing the likelihood of resolving it.

By the same logic, the reason he had been able to continuously push his combat skills to perfection

was his long-term desire to improve his combat skills, which made him more likely to encounter memory fragments related to fighting.

Once enough similar memory fragments had accumulated,

his combat skills naturally rose to the limits of the human body.

So whenever he encountered a difficult problem that his current methods could not solve, entering a dream often worked better.

"However, if I fall asleep in virtual reality, my brainwaves will inevitably be recorded by the AI. That might risk exposing my talent. This is my only trump card. I can't expose it over such a slim possibility."

After thinking it over briefly, Li Yi still gave up on that tempting idea.

"Looking for people wastes time, and there's an element of randomness. With bad luck, I might lose most of the day."

"No... I seem to have fallen into a mental trap. There's no need to make this so complicated."

"I just need to make the people currently at the top of the rankings my hunting targets! As long as I eliminate everyone in the top ten, the rest will be ordinary trash. Won't first place be mine for the taking?"

"And I can take all the points the top ten have earned for myself."

With his thoughts racing, Li Yi quickly came up with a method that would be difficult for others, but far easier for him to carry out.

Then his next task became very simple.

Twenty minutes later, Li Yi came across someone alone and was immediately overjoyed.

He rushed forward. In just a few moves, Li Yi used a joint lock to restrain the man's body, leaving him sprawled on the ground like an octopus.

"Have you seen anyone with a brightly flashing number on their chest?"

"No."

Crack. Li Yi twisted the man's neck.

Another thirty minutes passed, and Li Yi encountered a two-man group near Base 11.

The two of them carried a longsword and a large spear, and their bearing was quite impressive.

Together, their combat strength nearly rivaled Lou Cheng, an Iron Crane Style fourth-stage expert.

But against Li Yi's perfected combat skills and proficient parkour, they were still easy prey.

With a bit of maneuvering, he separated the two. Then he heavily injured one with a powerful punch, while using joint locks to snap the other's elbow and knee joints.

"Have you seen anyone with a brightly flashing number on their chest? Tell me honestly, and I'll give you a quick death."

"Yes."

"Where? When?"

"Just five minutes ago. I saw her in Base 11's inner city, organizing a group of ten to hunt down lone participants."

"Do you know who she was?"

"Lin Qin, ranked third."

"Very good. Anything else to tell me?"

"No."

Li Yi kept his word and gave him a quick death.

One member of the pair had a point on him, earning Li Yi an extra point.

Now that he had confirmed where the third-ranked participant was, things became much simpler.

Although a ten-man group was somewhat troublesome, it was not impossible to deal with.

Meanwhile,

Li Yi's score climbed to first place and had remained there, currently at sixteen points.

Although the rate of increase had slowed,

he still led Liang Shaocong, who was in second place, by two points.

Large numbers of ship citizens, instructors, squad captains, platoon captains, battalion commanders, and veteran mech pilots began closely following Li Yi's live feed.

These broadcasts were reported in real time by Evergreen Fairy AI so personnel at every level could observe the latest batch of newcomers.

During this time,

Li Yi's violent killings and interrogations also sparked considerable controversy.

One side believed he had no camaraderie toward his peers and was far too brutal in temperament, meaning he would inevitably be difficult to manage in the future.

The other side found it immensely satisfying, praising Li Yi for achieving such results alone. They also appreciated his simple, direct style, calling it exhilarating.

They believed mech pilots ought to be this iron-blooded. Otherwise, how could they defeat the powerful enemies that would emerge in the future?

In the stands, many people following the martial competition began discussing it.

"It's only a virtual reality match. Isn't it a bit excessive to turn this into an issue of conduct?"

"Precisely because it's virtual reality, we should reflect on it even more."

"In virtual reality, once a person is freed from the simple restraints of life and death, the deepest things in their heart will be exposed."

"Bullshit. Some people have gone too long without fighting Aliens and now treat mercy like sacred law."

"What are mech pilots? They are the spearhead against Alien invasions, the benchmark leading humanity's evolution. Without the resolve and strength to break through every obstacle, a mech pilot is trash. They don't deserve to enjoy resources provided by all humanity!"

Similar disputes had happened in previous years.

There had even been quite a few of them.

But never had they been so intense or so openly confrontational.

Many people argued themselves into a rage, practically wishing they could enter the arena and fight.

Some more perceptive people understood that, as the saying went, strong grass was revealed by fierce winds. Certain internal trends and currents of thought were quietly changing.

Lin Guotao's personal communicator was also ringing incessantly, giving him a splitting headache.

"Old Lin, this is the promising seedling you told me about? Isn't his way of doing things a little too violent?"

"Old Lin, why do you insist on choosing people from The Humble Clan? Look at his conduct. If we really push him upward, the consequences will be hard to predict."

"Little Lin, I'm quite satisfied with the seedling you picked this time. After the martial competition ends, if he can hold steady in the top five, bring him to see me."

When Lin Guotao saw the signature on the final message, his heart skipped a beat.

It was Teng Baixin, Fleet Captain of the Jade Pool (Yaochi) No. 7 mech corps!

That big shot was also following this martial competition?

To be honest, although Lin Guotao still held the rank of battalion commander, he had been demoted for several years.

Because of that, he had interacted far less with Fleet Captain Teng Baixin.

And even before his demotion, he had never been able to see through Teng Baixin's true stance.

"I wonder whether this big shot's attention is a blessing or a curse."

Following the eyewitness information he had obtained earlier,

Li Yi soon found his target, who was leading a team to surround and eliminate a small group.

—Lin Qin, ranked third, currently with thirteen points.

She was a girl who did not look tall or imposing at all. If anything, she seemed somewhat petite.

She also possessed an air of nobility. A tiny vertical crimson mark sat between her brows, while her face was round and fair, and her eyes resembled black pearls. She wore a retro red dress made of expensive material.

She looked like an exquisite life-sized doll and was extremely eye-catching.

At that moment,

Li Yi hid beneath a wall and observed the specific strength and composition of the ten-man group.

Lin Qin stood at the very rear, her arms folded across her chest as she directed the battle with her small mouth. She looked rather relaxed.

"Which Power Clan is Lin from? I don't remember it."

Among the ten-man group was Liao Hang, who was ranked eighth. The number on his chest flashed brightly.

The others were also quite skilled. One of them had even activated an Inherited Skill—his palm seemed able to generate electricity, shocking his opponent until he could barely stand.

"This group is considerably stronger overall than anyone I encountered before. Every one of them is roughly at Long Guanri's level."