Chapter 324: Chance Encounter

Zuo Xiaotang was also a person who was content with his lot; Atlantis had a rich variety of otaku-themed zones, and the various cosplay shows were magnificent. Even with Zuo Xiaotang's professional eye, he had to give them a big thumbs-up, and then he began a frantic photo-taking mode.

"Boss, I want ten of these fat starfish, and twenty of those seahorse pendants. Can you give me a discount?" The basket in Zuo Xiaotang's hand was already full.

"Sure, I'll give you ten percent off."

"Thank you, boss." Zuo Xiaotang happily paid the bill. Hao Ge was a bit careless, so he wanted to pick out some things the children would like.

He also bought a few mermaid princess and whale prince outfits, packed them all together, and left a mailing address. Zuo Xiaotang continued to wander around and discovered the famous "Dark Room."

This was an interstellar chain store specializing in horror-themed cosplay and dolls. The one in Tianjing was relatively small, but the one before him was incredible—it was practically at the level of a flagship store. He immediately ducked inside.

The various styles of horror scenes made Zuo Xiaotang shiver, but he also found it thrilling. He experienced one scene after another until he reached the "Moon Apocalypse" scene. There were quite a few people experiencing it; it was about an alien race invading the Moon, with all kinds of parasitic monsters running rampant. Among them, a girl was screaming, and Zuo Xiaotang suddenly found her voice and figure somewhat familiar.

No way?

Zuo Xiaotang subconsciously walked over. The other person sensed his gaze almost instantly, turned her head, and their eyes met.

"Miss Anlita?"

At this moment, the girl wearing apocalypse makeup had her face darken instantly. "You've mistaken me for someone else." As she spoke, she turned her head and walked away. Zuo Xiaotang hurriedly followed her out.

After exiting the apocalypse scene, this figure was undoubtedly Anlita. If there was one thing about Zuo Xiaotang, it was that his eye for detail was absolutely sharp.

Anlita gritted her teeth. This was her secret, and also her way of relieving stress. How could the dignified Tianqi Demon Butterfly, the decisive and cold-blooded Anlita, like such a childish game?

She usually avoided people, especially after joining the Sea Dragon, and hadn't come for a long time. But this time, she had been broken by the combined efforts of Li Hao and Zuo Xiaotang, losing from start to finish, and since the boss had told her to get revenge, she could only come here to vent her frustration.

"Miss Anlita?" Zuo Xiaotang said with certainty.

Anlita really wanted to slap this fat man to death; his emotional intelligence was shockingly low. "I am not a miss, and I am not a lady!"

"Anlita... junior?" Zuo Xiaotang said, emboldened. Ma Laoshi's long-term teachings were finally taking effect.

Anlita frowned. "You really aren't afraid of death, are you? Didn't Li Wu tell you to stay away from me?"

"Ah, he did. He said you would beat me up. I don't really know what happened, but if beating me up makes you happy, that's fine too. Anyway, I have thick skin, and I always heal quickly when I get hurt," Zuo Xiaotang said with a smile.

But this smile stung Anlita. Once upon a time, she was like that too.

"Forget it, stay away from me. I get annoyed just seeing you!" Anlita said coldly.

Zuo Xiaotang's expression dimmed, and he nodded, about to leave, when Anlita suddenly had a change of heart. "Wait, I changed my mind. I happen to have something to ask you."

Zuo Xiaotang immediately ran over eagerly. "What is it?"

"Did Li Wu mention us to you before?"

"No. Before this, we didn't even know he had been to the Tianqi Youth Class. You are all very excellent people," Zuo Xiaotang said with envy.

Anlita was very puzzled. Why didn't Li Hao make things clear to the people around him? Was he hiding something, or did he really not care about them?

"What is your purpose in coming this time?"

"Purpose? Well, there is one: training, preparing for the S Tournament. You know our Tianjing is at the bottom. Except for Hao Ge, oh, and Cheng Konghai, everyone else is struggling. Coming here is also a real eye-opener."

Anlita looked at the sincere Zuo Xiaotang, truly not knowing whether to cry or laugh. There was absolutely no room to maneuver; did this person even know that the current Tianjing was the target of every team? What kind of mindset was this?

"You don't need to belittle yourself. Your marksmanship is quite good," Anlita said indifferently. A comrade wasn't interested in just anyone.

Perhaps sensing Anlita's appreciation, Zuo Xiaotang was grinning from ear to ear.

Anlita frowned. "Are you that happy?"

Zuo Xiaotang nodded. "You are the first opponent who thinks I'm still useful."

"If they can't even see your level, those people are all idiots, hmph." Anlita felt she wouldn't get any useful information from Zuo Xiaotang; Li the Old Demon was not someone who would leave flaws. "You're also pathetic. Next time you run into someone who looks down on you, kill them. A man should have the look of a man."

Zuo Xiaotang scratched his head in embarrassment.

"Alright, our business is settled. We go our separate ways. Also, don't tell anyone about today, or I will make you pay!" Anlita said with a stern face, trying to intimidate him.

Zuo Xiaotang nodded quickly. "I have the tightest lips. Um, I won't even tell Wu Ge."

Anlita nodded in satisfaction and turned to leave. For a guy with zero threat like this, she couldn't even be bothered to trip him up; staying by Li Hao's side might just be a trap.

Zuo Xiaotang watched Anlita's retreating figure, a knowing smile appearing on his chubby face. It looked like Anlita wasn't angry anymore...

The exchange tournament continued, and the EMP official released important news: the S11 mecha type was finally confirmed. The Super Mecha had not passed safety tests, so S11 would continue to use the traditional mecha arsenal. At the same time, the regular Titanium Shield and Titanium Blade were updated to the K23 Titanium Shield and Titanium Blade.

It seemed like only a small change, but in reality, professionals predicted that this S Tournament had already undergone a huge change. Human genetic evolution had been going on for some time, and this would be a qualitative leap. The new decade would be a new beginning for the human mecha era.

As for the Super Mecha, it cooled down rapidly during this period. Systems that hadn't undergone effective testing, high production costs, and compatibility issues between nuclear fission energy and the Meraphis system were all exposed. Many experts pointed out that this kind of system...

Just as Xilian had expected, setting aside the problem itself and raising it directly to the level of "humanity" was enough to reject the Meraphis system.

Xilian's plan was quite good; he first built up momentum for himself to attract global attention, then suddenly launched a public opinion campaign to catch the traditional forces off guard. However, he failed in the end. This was something the traditional powers absolutely would not allow. Even if one day in the future the Super system and new-style mecha became a part of things, or even the mainstream, it would require a joint decision.

In the eyes of the ruling classes of Earth and Mars, Xilian's impatient idea was a bit childish, and it also allowed the old foxes in the Federation to see the flaws. During this period of maneuvering, there was also some dissent within the Moon; they didn't want the Meraphis Family to be the sole power. Meanwhile, the military from Mars and the Earth Federation were frantically researching the Meraphis system through various means.

During the negotiations and bickering of this period, Earth and Mars had already obtained some of the key information they wanted and had frantically begun to develop their own systems. This kind of lifeline could not be handed over to others. As long as they were given a certain amount of time, the Meraphis system would no longer be unique. For a consortium to want to monopolize such advanced technology was wishful thinking.

Of course, Xilian did not fail to fight back. Several media outlets controlled by the consortium were also frantically reporting on the despicable and shameless behavior of Earth and Mars-related military enterprises during the negotiations, accusing them of violating the spirit of contracts, stealing technical secrets, and even sending spies and other underhanded tactics.

Naturally, the negotiating parties denied all of this, and the so-called witnesses who were captured all died of accidental illnesses.

In this level of maneuvering, the process was unimportant; the result was already destined. The plan of this young helmsman of Meraphis, who had spent two years planning to make a splash, had gone bankrupt.

In fact, ever since Xilian took charge of the various affairs of the Meraphis consortium, he had done an excellent job in shaping his image, manipulating public opinion, and using money offensives. But in this matter, the lack of foundation and insufficient influence were fully exposed. If the old Meraphis were still around, this might have actually succeeded, but Xilian was, after all, not at that level yet.

Even within the family, it was believed that Xilian had been too hasty. Since the die was cast, they still hoped that Xilian could shine in the S Tournament. Once he won the championship, his influence would further expand, which would certainly be of great help to subsequent negotiations.

When others won the championship, it was just a title, but the influence Xilian could bring by winning was not to be underestimated, especially since it was crucial for strengthening the family's voice within the Moon.

The undercurrents of the international situation did not have much impact on the exchange tournament. For the top experts who had already awakened the Golden Zone, they could accept any format. Excluding external factors, they were actually quite eager for Super Mecha, as it could bring their strength to the extreme and suppress those with lower Zone Values. But it was too rushed, and the other Federation contestants were unwilling to see the Moon dominate alone; that would be a huge disadvantage.

The current situation was fair; a mature Golden Zone allowed a pilot to fully unleash the performance of a mecha.

For people like Romero, they were happy to see this result. After coming here to experience the Super Mecha, the performance ceiling was very, very high, but the dual consumption on the pilot was astonishing. After all, combat was a continuous activity; a three-minute superman was of no use.

At the same time, it dealt a blow to Xilian's confidence and placed a limit on the unfathomable bottom line of Li Hao's abilities. At the very least, in this S Tournament, Li Hao would not be able to do whatever he wanted.