Explosive Power

Lin Qin's ten-person team was truly extraordinary.

In just three minutes, they had wiped out their opponents' four-person team.

The entire fight had been completely one-sided, with each of them suffering no more than minor injuries from the counterattacks.

From start to finish, it had been like chopping melons and slicing vegetables.

After taking out the others, they had even deliberately left the last one for Lin Qin to fight one-on-one.

The man they left behind was tall and agile, the strongest fighter in the four-person team.

Whether dodging or attacking, he carried a fierce, hardened air.

Even while being ganged up on by nine people, he had somehow managed to hold his ground.

He looked filthy and disheveled from all the constant dodging.

But his breathing remained steady, his gaze focused, and his movements showed no distortion. He clearly still had fighting strength left.

Li Yi stood sideways and observed carefully.

He saw Lin Qin slowly walk to within six meters of her opponent. She raised a hand to compare their heights, found herself at least three heads shorter, and immediately curled her lips in displeasure.

Then she leaned forward and planted her right foot behind her.

She launched herself forward!!!

That petite body shot forward three or four meters in a single burst!

With just two steps, she instantly closed in on her opponent.

Shock appeared in the man's eyes. Lin Qin's speed had clearly caught him off guard. In his haste, he crouched and threw a punch straight at her face.

But immediately afterward, a slender leg shot out from beneath her little Western-style dress. Though it moved later, it arrived first, kicking him in the abdomen.

Bang!!!

The opponent flew backward four or five meters, turning into particles of light and vanishing while still sailing through the air.

That seemingly petite body actually possessed such explosive power!

She had killed her opponent with a single strike. There was clearly more to that burst of force than an ordinary kick.

That one move alone showed that this girl was far stronger than anyone Li Yi had seen before.

Including Lou Cheng.

Of course, not including Li Yi himself.

Even so, Li Yi raised his guard against Lin Qin.

He was not afraid of Lin Qin in a one-on-one fight, but if others joined in to gang up on him, the danger would be much greater.

Sure enough, anyone who could charge into the top three in such a short time and form a ten-person team had strength that was no joke.

Incidentally, just then, the number on another member of Lin Qin's team had lit up on their chest.

And that meant three members of their team had entered the top ten.

They had gathered so many points in such a short time after the start.

Even Li Yi found it somewhat outrageous.

"Tut, tut. This efficiency is terrifying. It looks like someone among them came from Base 11. Lin Qin herself might even be from there. Otherwise, their killing efficiency couldn't possibly be this high."

If one was unfamiliar with the terrain,

then in a base city this large, with all its buildings, walls, streets, and alleys dividing it up,

it would take quite a bit of effort just to avoid getting lost.

And now,

after Lin Qin's team finished clearing out their opponents, the pressure had shifted to Li Yi.

There were too many enemies. How could he divide them up to complete his intended objective most efficiently?

"Beautiful. Lin Qin's fighting technique is absolutely beautiful."

"Haha, Li Yi's scared now, isn't he?"

"Before, he always attacked without a second word. Now that he's run into Lin Qin's ten-person team, he knows they're tough and doesn't dare show himself!"

Quite a few spectators began gloating.

Besides the various captains, squad leaders, and other lower-level management personnel of the mech units,

there were also some rookies from the previous intake among the audience. They had yet to qualify for Divine Mechs and could only pilot ordinary mechs.

After all, a single voyage of the Deep Space Fleet lasted several years.

They were basically cut off from the virtual reality network covering the Solar System, unable to enjoy online entertainment.

Most personnel either took regular rotations off

or trained for extended periods.

There were indeed very few forms of mass entertainment available to them.

Now that there was finally a competition drawing the attention of the entire fleet, it naturally attracted many fleet residents.

Aside from personally going to the stands to watch the live broadcast calculated in real time by the Evergreen Fairy AI,

they could also watch online from their own rest quarters.

Thus, many people who disliked Li Yi's ferocious style immediately began flooding the chat when they saw him holding still.

"Heh, he bullies the weak and fears the strong. Didn't some people claim this was the example real mech pilots should learn from?"

"Being temporarily in first place is nothing special. Liang Shaocong will surpass him soon enough."

"Li Yi is way too arrogant. He actually dared to set his sights on Lin Qin's ten-person team alone. He's destined to be nothing more than a flash in the pan."

"Sigh, I thought so highly of Li Yi just now. Now his point gap with Liang Shaocong is down to only one."

Even those who had been thrilled by Li Yi's fighting style earlier had quieted down somewhat.

"Lin Qin's team is so strong. Li Yi really shouldn't try to bite off this bone. He should look for weaker targets and secure enough points to enter the top ten."

"Li Yi's approach isn't wrong at all. His biggest problem is simply that he didn't find anyone to cooperate with. He may have charged hard in the early stages, but he definitely won't have as much staying power as the other teams, because there will be fewer and fewer people left alone as time goes on."

"I think he should advance steadily and find some reliable people to work with. That way, his place in the top ten can be completely secure."

Others remained unmoved and offered advice.

After all, these were people carefully selected to enter the fleet. Each had independent opinions and would not be easily swept along by other voices.

Lou Cheng let out a sigh of relief.

Just moments ago, Liang Shaocong's three-person team had crushed an opposing five-person team.

Liang Shaocong alone had earned five points!

In one go, he had surpassed Li Yi and taken first place.

"It's already been four or five hours since the start. The situation is basically beginning to favor those with experts and teams. Now, everyone has at least two points, if not more. Killing one person can earn two, three, or even more times the points it did at the start."

"If that's the case, then Li Yi, a lone wolf, should be very likely to fall out of the top ten, right?"

"Even if he doesn't fall out, it should be fine as long as he follows Boss Lin's script and stays near the bottom of the top ten, right?"

Forty-five minutes passed.

Li Yi began carrying out his grand encirclement plan.

He had been tailing Lin Qin's team all along, waiting for a suitable battlefield.

His skills went far beyond common ones like fighting and parkour.

He also had mastery-level throwing!

With a pile of hard stones prepared and stuffed into his pockets, he could create results at any time and lure the enemy around.

Originally, the best ambush point would have been somewhere with a complicated network of alleys.

But this was the other side's home turf. An alley ambush might instead produce the opposite effect.

Because of that, Li Yi needed an open target area with no obstructions, suitable for throwing stones.

And now,

Lin Qin's team finally entered a relatively spacious plaza.

"The chance is here."

Li Yi leaped onto a wall more than thirty meters away from them. Using a tree for cover, he adjusted his breathing, gathered the strength of his body, drew his arm back, relaxed his wrist, and aimed at the unknown person whose chest number was shining brightly.

Then...

The sound of something cutting through the air rose.

Whoosh!!!

The stone struck the throat with perfect accuracy. The target fell at once, turning into particles of light and vanishing completely.