Chapter 22: Mad Lion Robbie

Entering the queue.

The opponent is from the USE; relatively speaking, Li Hao still prefers fighting those from the outside, as their styles are quite unique and very interesting. The combat methods of the USE are too conventional, and they are all "point-slaves," so sometimes fighting them is quite dull.

Things are fine on the Earth side, with over three hundred people watching. It's not a streamer, and without being on the friends list, one cannot set up notifications.

Surprisingly, the liveliest place is not Earth, but Mars. Mars's EMP actually gave Puppet a dedicated column, even attracting the attention of the top-tier ROM commentator "Huonan." This person was once a Mobile Suit pilot for the ROM Federal Army; after retiring, he switched to commentary and was among the first batch of people to work in the field. Unexpectedly, he became an overnight success and is now a veteran figure in the Martian commentary circle.

There is only one reason: Stein lost. Of course, Stein cannot be considered a top-tier expert, but he is actually quite well-known, and he also participated in the Mecha Tournament. This became a point of catharsis for a considerable number of USE fans. Unfortunately, Martians can swallow anything, except their pride.

In the words of a Martian, it has always been "I am the one who bullies others."

In the forum, many people have already said they sent match requests to Puppet, but that coward doesn't dare to accept them. Among them are many experts from various Martian military academies—those who participated in the Mecha Tournament—because they haven't played EMP for a long time, their scores have dropped quite a bit, probably to around one thousand. Therefore, this Puppet's level isn't very high, yet his combat style likes to "show off," acting as if he is winning against a stronger opponent, all very flashy and hollow.

However, Puppet is very popular right now, popular in both the USE and ROM, and it is said that he specializes in "Armor Dragon" and "Armor Tiger," which is particularly retro, giving off the vibe of an alternative internet celebrity.

Puppet vs. Puma A-Class Robbie

When the opponent appeared, the USE side exploded. This time it wasn't because of Puppet, but because of Robbie.

Generally, military academy students with such direct names are quite confident. The Puma A-Class Military Academy is the number one military academy in the South American region, and Robbie is even a representative figure from South America. If one were to classify player levels, this is an absolute A-Grade player for the USE, and his personality is fierce and unyielding. When the Mecha Tournament started, the various players of the USE were beaten until they were a bit dazed, which led to their overall tactics being overly conservative—this was also a major reason for their failure. Robbie, however, is the one in the USE who dares to fight and struggle the most, so he is currently receiving a lot of attention.

It's just that his EMP score is very high; how could he be matched with Puppet?

Puppet's estimated score is around 1000, and even if Robbie has played less EMP due to competitions and training, his score wouldn't be low. It can only be said that Puppet must have a hidden rating or some specific data that is particularly outstanding to be matched with such an excellent Warrior.

Li Hao looked at this name, and a smile suddenly appeared at the corner of his mouth, "... Robbie... long time no see."

Both sides entered the Arena. Robbie had just finished a month of special training. The failure in the Mecha Tournament actually made the entire younger generation of elites in the USE hold their breath. It must be said that, on one hand, it was due to their own reasons, and on the other hand, it was due to lagging tactics. To say they were far behind in terms of physique and combat, that wasn't actually the case; it was just that in terms of understanding of Mecha, proficiency, and mutual restraint, the NUP was a level ahead, and this is what Robbie and the others need to catch up on.

Puppet... what a strange name. Generally speaking, at this level, very few people would choose such a playful name; it sounds more like a name from the Xuni Qu.

Both sides entered the selection phase.

Puppet has already confirmed: Armor Dragon Mech Generation III.

Robbie smiled. In fact, in such matches, no one would choose first, as this is equivalent to showing the opponent one's flaws. In the past, the USE really didn't pay much attention to this, but in this Mecha Tournament, they were truly taught a lesson. When strength is comparable, the restraint of Mecha—especially extensive training targeting such restraint—will yield huge results in actual combat. The more people there are, the greater this probability becomes.

Robbie chose the Dragon God E-Type, which is also an upgraded version of the Armor Dragon series. This Mecha is slightly larger in size, the materials are better, and more importantly, it strengthens the fluidity of movement, reducing the difficulty and burden of operation.

The main direction of modern Mecha is to improve functionality and reduce the burden on the Warrior, so as to maximize the display of the Human's own advantages.

Armor Dragon Fighter Generation III (USE)

Configuration: Medium Fighter 80 tons

Nuclear Fission Drive, Standard Laser Gun, Titanium Blade, Left Arm Small Shield

Dragon God E-Type (USE)

Configuration: Medium Fighter 76 tons

Nuclear Fission Drive, Laser Gun, Shoulder Cannon, Laser Sword, Left Arm Small Shield

Puppet vs. Robbie

Li Hao and Robbie have both confirmed. In this situation, the countdown would usually start in 30 seconds, but it unexpectedly turned into three minutes.

In the dormitory, Zhuang Zhou and the others had collectively spent money to enter the holographic viewing. Fortunately, it wasn't a professional streamer; otherwise, with this level of popularity, the price would have risen even further. Ever since the dominance of the last battle, the four brothers had given up on their girlfriends, given up on nothing, and even the activities planned for the weekend—there was no need for Zhuang Zhou to force them; Puppet is worth supporting.

"Damn, how was this matched? Mad Lion Robbie is a true A-Grade player, considered the best Armor Dragon user at the moment. Is this like pulling teeth from a tiger?"

"Zhuang Zhou, Puppet is being a bit too stubborn. The Armor Dragon is also a piece of junk about to be phased out. I feel like we're going to crash; we didn't waste our money, did we?"

"A bit impulsive. I'm going to be killed by my girlfriend."

The forum also instantly became a hot topic: the battle between Mad Lion Robbie and the internet celebrity Puppet who walked out of the Xuni Qu.

Zhuang Zhou is a loyal supporter of Puppet. Currently, Puppet's viewer count is only over ten thousand. Compared to Puppet, the Mad Lion's popularity is much higher; they are not in the same dimension. The last time was also because he was fighting Mars, so the shared hatred didn't split the traffic.

"Holy crap, Zhuang Zhou, what's with that expression? You don't actually think Puppet will win, do you?"

The brothers in the dormitory all laughed.

Zhuang Zhou smiled faintly, "Let's wait and see. If he wins this battle, I'll open a streamer account."

Deep down, he had a strange premonition. He couldn't quite explain it, but it had been getting stronger recently, though he didn't know what this premonition was trying to tell him.

The match began, and two Armor Dragon Fighters entered the Arena.

Robbie rolled his neck. Regardless of who the opponent was, he wanted to end it quickly. Taking advantage of the weekend, he wanted to meet someone with some weight, and by the way, test the results of his long special training. When his body entered the piloting state, his blood felt like it was boiling. He didn't want to waste time on a rookie.

*Zeng... *

The Laser Sword was unsheathed, pointing at the Armor Dragon opposite, but the Armor Dragon Fighter on the other side didn't move, just looking at him...

Could it be that he encountered a fan?

Robbie curled his lip; none of that mattered. The engine roared, and the Dragon God Mecha strode toward the opponent, pushing his movement speed and momentum to the peak. The Laser Sword slashed straight at the opponent; when dealing with the weak, the most direct way is the best.

*Zeng... *

Empty?

Instantly, cold sweat broke out on Robbie. Almost by instinct, he slammed his left shoulder to brace himself, relying entirely on experience to block the opponent's punch. Just as he prepared to force a control to pull away, the Mecha suffered a heavy blow. The violent vibration directly sent Robbie's Armor Dragon Fighter flying. Robbie forced control of the Mecha, the engine reversed, and he directly opened up the distance, while the opponent did not take the opportunity to attack.

Just one round of exchanges, and the entire viewing area was silent. Robbie was almost taken down in one encounter???

Robbie curled his lip. Damn it, he encountered an expert. Why use such a desolate name to fool people?

He became serious, and the aura of the entire Mobile Suit changed, like a beast ready to pounce, staring fixedly at the Armor Dragon Fighter opposite. His style is to take the initiative to attack, using offense as defense.

The Dragon God Mecha's engine roared as it rushed over again, the Laser Sword slashing down fiercely. This time, he didn't give the opponent another chance. The Laser Sword and Titanium Blade collided violently. The Dragon God Mecha's mass was slightly lighter, as it used new materials, and its performance was superior. Coupled with Robbie's combat style, unless the Mecha was better than his or the styles were mutually restrictive, he always firmly suppressed others of the same type. This was a rare case of encountering a congenital disadvantage in Mecha.

Then what else was there to do? Fight until the opponent explodes!

The Laser Sword slashed madly, forcing the Armor Dragon Fighter to retreat step by step. The battle of experts is not in the upper body, but in the footwork. Confirming that the opponent had some skills, Robbie paid extra attention to footwork suppression. The attack was to maintain his own posture, but the feet were his winning edge. Suppress, suppress again, just waiting for the opponent to show a flaw.

Facing the storm-like strikes of the Dragon God Mecha, the Armor Dragon fell into complete passivity, able only to defend.

"Damn, what did I say? This is the crushing of the same series of fighters. Robbie himself is extremely familiar with the Armor Dragon. Why bother showing off in front of an expert?"

"Robbie is a typical 'rough but detailed' type, one of the few in our USE who can actually fight. Puppet is a bit too careless; he's going to crash this time."

"The Armor Dragon's performance is too poor. The Dragon God is a bit larger in size and lighter in mass. In a battle of experts, a difference of a hair is a difference of a thousand miles. I feel like it's over."

Zhuang Zhou didn't believe it. He felt that Puppet should be able to win, but the battlefield is real. Robbie is not a nobody; he has exceptionally rich tournament experience. Many times, victory or defeat is just a matter of an instant.

The steady strikes finally forced the Armor Dragon into a violent backward tilt. It couldn't hold on anymore, and at this moment, Robbie, who had been in the stage of wild attacks, felt his blood instantly boil. He loved this feeling; he smelled the scent of victory.

With a roar, the Mecha thundered, the Laser Sword flared with brilliant light, and while he maintained an offensive stance, his physical energy was even more abundant; a heavy strike from the Laser Sword sent the Armor Dragon Fighter staggering, followed immediately by a heavy stomp from the Mecha, a loud boom erupting from the ground as the Laser Sword crashed down once more.

The Titanium Blade parried... Boom...

The Mecha retreated again, the Armor Dragon Fighter lost its balance, and Luo Bi stepped forward once more, slashing out with the third sword; this was the Death Three Knocks that Luo Bi used to run rampant, a heavy sword execution.

Shing...

The Dragon God Mecha, having gone almost all out, suddenly lunged at empty air; the Armor Dragon Fighter, which had almost lost its ability to operate, suddenly performed a spin to dodge the momentum-filled third sword, and as the mechas crossed paths, the Mecha even gave a nudge, nearly causing the Dragon God Mecha to lose its balance.

The two mechas instantly pulled apart.

Luo Bi steadied his breathing; this was the first time in a match he had been toyed with like this, for the opponent had never lost their position and had been acting the whole time!

Damn it, who is this guy? He had encountered those with physical prowess, and he had encountered those with technique, but this kind of person who had physical prowess, technique, and experience, and who had been observing him the entire time...

"Luo Bi, you haven't made much progress in these past few years."