Chapter 2: Pan-Solar System Mech Tournament

Ding~

Ding~

Ding~~

"Audience members from the Solar System Alliance, the S10 Pan-Solar System Tournament has successfully drawn to a close. Let us congratulate the warriors of the NUP Moon Federation for winning the team championship with a massive lead of 25,000 total points. The runners-up are the warriors of the ROM Mars Federation, the third place goes to the Earth Federation USE, and fourth place to the Titan and Fanxing Space City Joint Autonomous State TAS. We thank them for the spectacular battles they have presented to us."

This event, the most watched in the human world, has reached its conclusion after more than a month of fierce fighting. The NUP has defended its dominant status and further widened the gap. As of S10, the NUP holds six championships, the USE holds two, and the ROM holds two. Previous editions saw the three major federations taking turns at the top, but recently, the NUP has demonstrated a posture of total dominance.

The final night of the Solar System Mech Tournament is also known as Super Starlight. In the highly anticipated S10, the organizers invited the current hottest super idol, Arths, to sing five songs in a row at Super Starlight, making S10 a classic edition of the Mecha Tournament.

In truth, Arths does not understand mecha very well, but the organizers visited her three times to show their sincerity. The strongest competition requires the most popular idol to be a match. Finally, her sincerity moved Arths, and this grand event was successfully held; the pairing of beauty and heroes is truly exquisite.

The month-and-a-half-long competition attracted over 20 billion views across the Solar System. Whether it was the super-high level displayed or the classic tracks performed by Arths, it was an unprecedented grand occasion.

It is just that the pre-match expectation of a fierce struggle between Earth and the Moon turned into the Moon's absolute monopoly. Not only did they win the championship, but they also widened the gap. Even more unexpectedly, the ROM actually surpassed the USE, which left many people stunned. The Martians finally found their own style in Beast-style Mecha, and the bravery of the Martian warriors, especially their fighting spirit to dare to seek victory in danger at critical moments, was brought into full play.

Compared to the praise from the outside world, the Martians themselves are very dissatisfied. They have only one goal: to become number one among humans.

At this moment, a new round of special training has already begun at Mount Olympus, the highest peak in the Solar System, located on Mars.

From a certain perspective, the Mecha Tournament is also a contest of comprehensive national strength. The NUP is already leading in economy and technology across the board, and it is only a matter of time before it becomes the de facto leader of the Solar System Alliance. Mars has also made great progress by enduring hardships over the past few decades, and even the TAS showed its unique style in this tournament. The "Giant God Soldier" series of mecha look clumsy, but their attack power is full. As for the USE, which was once the leader of the Solar System and aimed to win the championship, it can only be described with one word—lackluster.

The stage forges heroes.

This year's tournament named the "Top Ten Ace Pilots," "Top Ten Ace Mecha," and "Top Ten Solar System Military Academies." Among the top ten pilots, the Moon occupied seven, hailed as the new "Big Dipper Seven Stars."

The NUP's Alex Starshine Mecha Academy became the Solar System's number one military academy of the year, taking home the War God trophy, which represents the highest honor.

S10 is a carnival for the Moon people. They completed their second consecutive championship and once again gained the opportunity to challenge for a third consecutive title.

After one tournament, they gained both fame and fortune, and it also proved once again that the light-to-medium Super Mecha positioned by the NUP, which is the 50-ton to 60-ton class, will become the mainstream in the future.

At this time, on Earth, in a dormitory in Tianjing, the largest city in the Asian region.

"Damn, Little Fatty, your eyeballs are about to drill into the screen. I really don't understand you; what's the point of looking at something you can't touch?" Ma Long, dressed in a stylish white shirt and light-colored jeans, couldn't help but complain. He especially cannot understand being satisfied just by spirit.

"Ma Long, you don't understand, Arths is my goddess!" Zuo Xiaotang stared at the screen without blinking, not even willing to lick the screen. He is a die-hard fan of Arths and also a minor cadre of the Tianjing fan club. Arths is not only his idol but also his spiritual pillar. The little fatty has the best personality in the dormitory and has been very hardworking and uncomplaining over the past year, but there is one thing: whoever dares to badmouth Arths, he will not recognize even his own relatives.

"You, a bird in the hand is worth two in the bush; be a bit more grounded." Ma Long curled his lips. Arths is toxic; you can't watch too much, or you'll get addicted. Even someone as battle-hardened as Ma Long can't stand it.

The boy on the far left was playing with dumbbells while watching the awards ceremony, his body full of solid muscle. He is also the one with the best grades in the dormitory, Wuzang, nicknamed "Steel Man"—not that kind of "scum," but the "steel" kind of man.

"I have to admit that NUP's contestants have advantages in mecha understanding, physical fitness, and combat techniques." Wuzang looked at the Skycom live broadcast full of envy. "Hao Ge, you really guessed it right, but I always feel that light mecha have flaws. This defeat had elements of underestimating the enemy; this year will be different."

Before the competition started, the other three all thought Earth had a chance, but the result was a rout. If it weren't for the fact that Titan's comprehensive strength wasn't up to par, Earth might have been at the bottom.

"What's suitable is the best," Ma Long shrugged. "The completion of the Event natural gene selection of the Moon people is the highest, giving them an innate advantage. Various new mecha are difficult to master and have high physical requirements, but their performance ceiling is also high, and they are rich in capabilities. The Moon people are determined to take the high-end route and leave others behind."

"When are we eating?" Li Hao rubbed his stomach.

"It's not mealtime yet. I'm treating today, brothers. Tomorrow is the orientation; you all have to come and give me a hand. When brothers are of one mind, they can cut through metal."

Student Ma Long is the president of the Photography Club, and his wish is to record youth and beauty.

Dormitory 4396 is quite famous at the Tianjing A-level Military Academy. As the number one military academy in the Asian region, it is certainly a gathering of elites. Li Hao, Zuo Xiaotang, Wuzang, and Ma Long are from the class of '87. Among them, Wuzang was specially recruited into the Mecha Department. The Wu Family is quite famous not just in Tianjing, but in the entire Asian region; he comes from a family of martial arts, has a good foundation, and represented the Mecha Department freshmen in a speech last year.

Ma Long, gender male, hobby female, comes from Longgang City, specially recruited into the Starship Department. He became famous in one song at the freshman gala and within a week won over Senior Sister Sheng Man, who is the president of the Dance Club and a great beauty from the Journalism Department. From then on, the two have been inseparable, a pair of celestial lovers, constantly showing off their affection and torturing their little buddies in the dormitory.

As for Li Hao and Zuo Xiaotang, they are childhood friends and both born-and-bred Tianjing people. Zuo Xiaotang is a bit chubby, with a round face that is very cute and harmless. His combat style is severely lopsided; his close-quarters combat is trash, but he is very talented in shooting, especially sniping. It is said that when he was admitted, the teachers also had a debate about it.

Li Hao, the head of Dormitory 4396,... is the oldest. He applied for the Journalism Department of Tianjing Mecha Academy, but somehow he was transferred to the Mecha Department. At first, this made Wuzang and Ma Long a bit opinionated; after all, young people hate back-door deals the most. In Ma Long's words, taking the back door is fine, but have at least some substance. Where is the substance?

At first, there was all kinds of targeting, and Li Hao didn't get angry. Later, they learned from Zuo Xiaotang that Li Hao is an orphan and had no back door to take. He himself was also very confused, so they let it go. As brothers in the same trench, they soon became close.

"Hao Ge, Little Fatty, you two really need to be careful this semester. You know we changed principals, right? The Federation is going to perform major surgery this time. Major General Long Danni is not someone to be trifled with. You two really need to put in some effort. Hao Ge, don't use the Virtual Mode for your EMP training anymore; that thing is fun, but it's useless." Ma Long said.

The EMP system was developed by the Solar System Alliance's scientific research headquarters. It covers the mecha types of the Four Great Alliances and is updated in a timely manner. It is divided into two modes: Virtual Mode and Real Mode. The Virtual Mode is just an experience, open to the public, where anyone can enjoy the fun of mecha. This is also an important reason why the Mecha Tournament has so many fans.

Professional military students or amateur contestants with a score over 500 who have passed the physical fitness test can access the Real Mode.

Real Mode allows one to experience 70% of the impact and physical burden caused by real mecha collisions, requiring professionalism.

The Alliance initially opened the Virtual Mode due to funding issues, thinking that every little bit of funds collected would help. They didn't promote it much at all, but it became explosively popular. Later on, even the Alliance couldn't bear to give up such a large piece of revenue. It has now become the absolute mainstream entertainment mode. Surprisingly, women account for 40% of the users in Virtual Mode, which is quite astonishing.

In the EMP scoring rules, the points gained from winning in Virtual Mode are very low, as it is mainly for entertainment, so top experts can reach at most four or five hundred points, while high scores must be achieved using Real Mode.

For example, in this Pan-Solar System Tournament, the basic condition for signing up for the Asian region selection was an EMP score of 1200 or above, or reaching an A-Grade rating in a single capability.

The one with the best grades in Dormitory 4396 is Wuzang, whose year-end score was 1296. He didn't specifically push for points, and this year he feels like a sure-fire expert with over 2000 points. Next is Ma Long with 1020. You have to know that Ma Long majors in the Starship Department, so this level is quite high—a typical case of balancing dating and studying, plus hobbies in photography and drama, making his life rich and colorful.

Li Hao and Zuo Xiaotang both have around eight hundred points, but Zuo Xiaotang once got an A- grade in shooting training. The only thing that worries everyone is Li Hao. In fact, the three of them know that Li Hao was very "hardworking" throughout his first year, super self-disciplined, often disappearing early in the morning and bringing breakfast for everyone when he returned. He plays the most EMP, but his score seems to be only around eight hundred, which means his win rate must be a bit tragic, but even as roommates, everyone is too embarrassed to ask too much.

"Don't worry, I'll use the Virtual Mode less in the future. Even for your sakes, I can't leave; without me, I feel like you'd all starve to death." Li Hao laughed.

"Hao Ge, if there's anything you need us brothers for, just say the word, don't be polite!" Ma Long patted his chest and said. Although his major isn't mecha combat, he is quite confident in his own level.

Wuzang, however, glanced at Li Hao and didn't say anything more.

In the evening, Ma Long went on a date with his girlfriend, calling it the "last supper." For the new year, his main target is the freshmen.

Zuo Xiaotang, as a minor fan leader, is a very busy person. Recently, Arths' singing at the Mecha Tournament has made her even more popular. As die-hard fans, they are overjoyed, with a pile of things waiting to be done. There are always two or three topics related to Arths in the top ten of the Skycom news hot searches. Don't look at the little fatty as soft and without a temper in life; once he enters the fan leader state, he is bold and decisive, with no one else in his eyes.

Li Hao and Wuzang went to the EMP Building together. The 18-story building was brightly lit; this is also one of the landmark buildings of Tianjing Mecha Academy. There are many people who like to train, and of course, there are also those who "bully the weak."

This is called balancing training and entertainment.

"Hao Ge, although Ma Long likes to brag, he wasn't exaggerating this time. The defeat in the tournament has enraged the top brass, especially since several EMP records were taken by the Moon people. Our old principal actually had three years left until retirement, but now he's left directly. Almost all major military academies have been replaced by the younger generation. The Mecha Department and Starship Department are impossible to slack off in... If you need a training opponent, I'm available anytime." Wuzang said.

Wuzang doesn't talk much in the dormitory, and he trains very actively. If it weren't for his lack of seniority, he could have participated in last year's tournament based on his level. Of course, looking at the standard of the tournament, he was still a bit lacking. If he grinds for another year this year, it's very possible for him to achieve results.

Li Hao patted Wuzang. "Don't worry, I have a plan..."

"Hao Ge, I've actually noticed that you go to the EMP more often than I do, but you have to pay attention to the method, especially since the Virtual Mode really shouldn't be used. The more you fail, the more you need to find your feeling back in actual combat. Our physical conditions are too advantageous; it's fun, but it has no benefits. I feel that Principal Long will ban military students from using the Virtual Mode this year. Any operation without sufficient endurance and burden is just flowery fists and embroidered legs." Wuzang said seriously.

Li Hao rubbed his nose. Wuzang is a straightforward person who doesn't beat around the bush. "Okay, okay, I swear, I really won't use the Virtual Mode, I will study hard and make progress every day!"

Actually... sigh, how should I put it? He really didn't use the Virtual Mode, but he also used the Virtual Mode.

Wuzang chose a machine room to enter. Li Hao smiled, and suddenly his Skycom rang. Li Hao glanced at it, a flash of strangeness in his eyes, and the next moment he returned to normal.

There was an anonymous email in the Skycom.

(The new book started preparation last year, and I wasn't just retiring ^_^. The process was repeatedly tossed and turned, and it always felt like something was missing. Later, I ate a peach, realized something, and then I had this "Mecha Storm." It has the mecha combat passion of the Storm series, and also some new things. This is also what I want to share with everyone. Brothers, please give more suggestions. The previous ones should be about youthful passion; this one is for the old man, with a bit more aftertaste and suspense. I have a little bit of saved drafts, please click to collect, thank you!)