Chapter 34: The Substitute (Five Updates)

"Ah, Sister, I'm in the dormitory. I was just asking a senior a few questions. What's wrong?" A Youyou said hurriedly.

"Didn't you want to see a team battle? It just so happens we have a match against the Cougar Team. I'll grant you permission to watch and see how we crush our opponents; it might give you some inspiration." Dita didn't press the issue, mostly wanting to show off.

…………

On the other side, Luo Bi also added Li Hao on Skycom and explained the situation.

"Sure, give us your team's training ID, and I'll log on." Li Hao nodded.

"Alright! Brother Hao, what position do you want?" Luo Bi clenched his fist tightly.

"Sniper, I suppose. Your melee is decent, but that position is too weak," Li Hao said. He had, of course, watched the Mecha Tournament; the Cougar Team had a severe imbalance. They had a decent pool of light, medium, and heavy Mecha, but their sniping was suppressed too miserably.

The current mainstream, of course, is the integration of offense and defense. Most people like to show off, while a Sniper needs to be a bit more low-key, serving to fill gaps and fix mistakes for the team, and that is also the hardest part to train.

"Deal!" Li Hao didn't mind. He also wanted to experience the level of an NUP team; watching and fighting were two completely different things.

Luo Bi closed Skycom and swung his arm fiercely, "Brothers, prepare for battle!"

When the time came, the people from Tianjing were very punctual. Both sides' combatants entered the training room. The team members on Luo Bi's side still couldn't get their spirits up, though since it was someone the Team Leader had brought in, they must be an expert.

Neither side wasted words, quickly entering the combat scenario.

The standard mode for team battles is 5v5, with diverse environments including Cheng Zhan, Shamo Zhan, Kaipule Juxing Conglin Zhan, and so on. Training is generally centered on Cheng Zhan.

Team positions: Number 1 Position is Heavy Armor assault, Number 2 Position is Light/Medium Vanguard, Number 3 Position is Light/Medium core, Number 4 Position is functional Mecha for special terrain, and Number 5 is Sniper.

Opponents are randomly dropped at opposite ends of the city. As time passes, the city's safe zone will continuously shrink. If one fails to keep up in time, they will be directly eliminated. This is to avoid both sides trying to take advantage of defensive counterattacks.

Under these circumstances, one will generally rush to the center of the city at the first opportunity to set up defenses and occupy a favorable position; sitting and waiting for death offers no chance.

So the problem arises: NUP's light Mecha have an advantage in this regard. Basically, as long as the random drop point isn't too bad, they will generally arrive at the central area first to occupy a favorable position.

Tianjing: Adopting the highly proactive 22235 formation.

Feynman, Number 2 Position, Gale Zero (Medium).

Prinz, Number 2 Position, Silver Fox (Light).

Configuration: Light Mecha, 60 tons.

Dual-Engine Nuclear Fission Drive, portable dual short laser submachine guns, Yanya Hu Xing Taijin Dao.

Tatura, Number 2 Position, Silver Fox (Light).

Dita, Number 3 Position, Gale Zero (Medium).

Alzi, Number 5 Position, Eagle Eye (Medium).

Configuration: Medium Mecha, 70 tons.

Dual-Engine Nuclear Fission Drive, Eagle-style Baburet Heavy Sniper, Titanium Blade.

Cougar Team: 22335 formation.

Anku, Number 2 Position, Silver Fox.

Mier Sannan, Number 2 Position, Silver Fox.

Luo Bi, Number 3 Position, Dragon God E-Type.

Laierxisi, Number 3 Position, Gale Zero.

Li Hao, Number 5 Position, Gray Reaper.

Configuration: Medium Mecha, Nuclear Fission Drive (USE).

Hui Si M5 Heavy Sniper, Titanium Blade.

Actually, the Cougar Team's heavy armor is very powerful, and they even developed tactics centered around heavy Mecha. It's just that they've been beaten so miserably by Tianjing lately that they don't even dare to field heavy Mecha; they are too countered in urban terrain. Perhaps the counter is relative, but the Cougar Team truly cannot execute it. As for Mecha selection, there is no restriction to only choosing Mecha from one's own federation. Victory is the priority, and the origin of the Mecha is only a secondary consideration. Currently, NUP is leading the trend; even in the Beast Armor armies of ROM, some excellent NUP models are mixed in.

"Brothers, this battle will be commanded by the Number 5 position!" Luo Bi said.

Everyone was stunned. What the hell is this?

Someone dropped out of thin air, and a Sniper at that, who is going to command the entire team?

The name Gray Reaper sounds very imposing, but the pros and cons of this Mecha model are a bit too obvious. The benefit is that the power of the heavy sniper is indeed fierce enough. The drawback is that there is a certain issue with the compatibility between the heavy sniper and the Mecha; the recoil impact is a bit large, which leads to a decrease in accuracy. It would be better if it were replaced with a heavy Mecha, but heavy Mecha would too greatly affect the mobility of a sniper-type Mecha. Furthermore, the fluidity of continuous shooting is relatively poor. By comparison, NUP's Eagle Eye is much better.

Of course, Mecha performance depends on proficiency, so that's nothing. Everyone felt the Team Leader was just being polite; after all, he was an outside reinforcement, just giving him face. However... there was no follow-up.

Silence... does that mean agreement???

But time is life, and they still had to seize the central zone. Just as everyone was preparing to charge, the voice of the Number 5 machine came through.

"No need to rush for time, just advance at a regular speed."

The atmosphere within the team became strange. What do you mean no need to rush for time? Time is life! Isn't this a joke???

Moreover, Snipers need positioning even more. This...

Regardless, it was already like this. The whole team became even more silent, morale low. The team members basically concluded that this was just a throwaway match to get it over with. Even Luo Bi felt a bit shaky inside. He knew Li Hao's personal strength was very strong, and he had witnessed his melee prowess, but team battles and individual battles were two completely different things. Melee and sniping were also two different domains. And... Li Hao had been alone for too long. He was before, and these past few years, he was likely even more so. Would he have lost touch with team spirit?

He also felt he had been a bit impulsive.

But the next second, Luo Bi abandoned that thought. It was already a "break the pot" situation; if you gamble, a bicycle might turn into a motorcycle. At worst, they'd just start over!

"Yo, yo, the other side picked a Gray Death. Interesting. Is this trying to teach me a lesson?" Alzi couldn't help but laugh. Is this what they call "breaking ground on the head of Tai Sui"?

"Alzi, be serious," Dita said. Men are a species that expands very easily, especially immature men.

"Don't worry, Team Leader. I will always despise the enemy strategically and respect him tactically!"

During their conversation, the five Mobile Suits of Tianjing advanced with extremely well-trained, high-speed efficiency. The formation of their advance was also excellent, with three light Mecha on the perimeter forming a triangular cover to prevent sudden attacks from opponents; skirmishes happened often.

And the Cougar Team's luck was not good. The drop points of both sides were exactly diagonal. Tianjing, leading in speed, had already quickly occupied the favorable position in the central zone, and Alzi, under Feynman's cover, also quickly occupied the high ground. He wanted to see what fresh tricks these brainless little brats from the Cougar Team could have.

He licked his lips lightly. Don't let me down, old man.

Luo Bi was also a bit worried. Both sides were regular training opponents and knew each other's roots, but Brother Hao actually didn't know these things. Once Tianjing occupied the favorable terrain, the feeling would be miserable.

But it had reached this point, and rushing was useless. In fact, the disadvantage was doomed from the start of the drop. The Cougar Team couldn't imitate others' styles; following someone else's path would only result in being pressed into the ground and rubbed. It was hard, truly hard.

Li Hao hadn't spoken the whole way. The entire terrain map was in his mind, and the several high points in the central zone came into view.

As the distance closed, "Slow down, maintain formation. Number 2 position, stay alert and prepare for combat. Luo Bi, move out and feint."

"Damn it, who are you? Are you crazy? Making the Team Leader a target!" Mier Sannan couldn't help it. Damn it, he didn't trust this unknown guy who dropped in from the start, and as soon as he arrived, he kept acting cool and picked a damn Gray Death. What's the use of that? Now it's even more outrageous, letting the Team Leader go to his death???

Everyone knows this is to bait the opponent's attack, and it would be best to reveal the Sniper's position, but do you think the opponent is a pig to fall for such a simple line of thought? Besides, Alzi is a famous Sniper; even the Team Leader would find it hard to retreat unscathed. Once entangled by the opponent's Vanguard, death is certain—this has been proven countless times in previous battles. The problem is, you're a newcomer, and you want the Team Leader to act as bait for you? How thick-skinned can you be?

There was another moment of Silence in the team; the others' breathing clearly became heavy as well. Failure, frustration, and this inexplicable person caused the team's overall mentality to become somewhat unbalanced.

Li Hao did not speak, because he had no influence in this team, and saying too much would be useless.

Luo Bi did not speak either; he used actual action.

The moment the Dragon God Mecha charged out, the others had nothing left to say.

Alzi, who had already occupied the high ground, smiled. Tsk tsk, they are really going all out, using a core position directly as bait. With Luo Bi's strength, there is indeed a certain chance he could dodge his sniper shot, but under his interference, anyone from the Tianxing Team could take him down.

The opponent's Gray Death must be trying to find his position through Luo Bi.

What guts, how arrogant. Alzi smiled; he hadn't been this excited in a long time. The heavy sniper rifle was already aimed at the Dragon God, and the other teammates were also moving.

(To all the most handsome and beautiful bosses in the entire Solar System, it's the first day of September, requesting a monthly ticket for support!)