Chapter 445: The Luckiest Thing

Aofei and the others were also a bit worried; the current situation was too unfavorable, and they were also aware of Zola's abilities.

"Should the second brother go up and fight directly? No matter what, let's secure one win first. As long as Maxis doesn't come up later, Cheng Konghai can catch one, right?" Depuya said.

"That's a 'give-up' strategy. Not to mention whether Ant can steadily win a match, the pressure on the other team members will be even greater, creating a psychological suggestion that they aren't good enough." Aofei shook her head. If everyone at Tianjing Mecha thought this way, they definitely wouldn't go far. And ever since Tianjing Mecha entered the S Tournament—or more accurately, since the Mid-Season Tournament—they had never intended to rely solely on two people.

Depuya curled his lip. "I know the logic, but we're already in the semi-finals. Wuzang and the others have reached the limit of their strength. If the second brother takes one match, then Ant has a high probability of catching one."

"It's rumored that Zola possesses the ability of Precognition. Could he have calculated this?"

"Bullshit, I don't believe it. Precognition at most is just sensing possibilities; it can't truly change things. Besides, the rules are there. If the second brother takes a match, it's definitely their turn to go first. If Maxis comes out to fight, does Ant really have to go up? That's not an ability, that's God!"

The Hunter side was also anxious. At their level, they were all Team Leaders, so of course they knew that relying on only two people wouldn't get them far. Only Li Hao had the ability to mobilize the entire team. But regardless, the situation had reached its limit. They also didn't believe Maxis would really dare to come out to catch Li Hao; that would be suicide. If Li Hao took the second match, then in the following three matches, Ant would have a great chance of winning one.

"Depuya, you can't think like that. Not to mention that Galaxy has prepared methods specifically to deal with Ant just like Vulcan did, haven't you noticed that up until now, every Warrior in Tianjing has become very confident in themselves? Regardless of victory or defeat, they are all very daring to fight," Yan Peng said. When they first met, they were still timid. Changing others is the hardest thing. In fact, it is very clear now that the overall strength and reserves of the NUP indeed exceed those of the other federations, so tactical difficulties and being passive are normal.

"Exactly, what we are looking at is the initiative, while the second brother is focused on everyone's growth together."

In the Tianjing Mecha operations room, Li Hao looked at Zuo Xiaotang with great enthusiasm. "Second match, you are still our key man. Sniper God, go."

Everyone looked at Zuo Xiaotang. Huo Ying grabbed Zuo Xiaotang and lifted him up, his eyes full of expectation. Within Tianjing, Zuoge had already become another miraculous existence.

"Zuoge, go for it, crush them!" Ma Long shouted loudly. It was a critical moment; they needed Zuo Xiaotang to step up.

Zuo Xiaotang took a deep breath and patted his stomach. He didn't know how well he could fight, but having fought until now, he was no longer hesitant or stage-frightened. If it was time to go, he would go. This was also the confidence polished match by match.

The big screen gave the preview: Zuo Xiaotang was the one appearing for Tianjing Mecha.

The crowd wasn't too surprised; at this moment, the person most certain to regain the tactical initiative was Zuo Xiaotang.

Galaxy Team's response was Jie Jie.

Combat environment: Arena.

A close-quarters encounter between two snipers; judging from their previous performances, both were at the top level.

"Both have chosen Lieying Apollo; they are quite familiar with the mecha's performance. Of course, Jie Jie should be more proficient."

"Zuo Xiaotang's on-the-spot adaptability is superb."

"Jie Jie's Bingyinneng is the bane of melee combat. I wonder if it has any effect on sniping."

"Both sides have a chance; both are the type that leans towards offense."

As two classic users of the Lieying, they finally faced off. Jie Jie had been waiting for such an opportunity. The Arena was the terrain least suited for sniper-type mecha, but at the same time, it was the one that tested basic skills the most.

Lieying Apollo.

Configuration: Medium mecha, 75-ton class.

Three-engine Nuclear Fission Drive, Shadow Demon Heavy Sniper, two arm-mounted Shock Bombs.

Two Lieying Apollos appeared, the countdown began: 10... 9... 5...

The engines of both mecha were already primed, and the battle began.

Boom, boom.

Both Lieying mecha struck at the same time. Jie Jie chose to charge, while Zuo Xiaotang chose to sidestep to the right. Both Shadow Demon heavy snipers fired almost simultaneously and dodged at the same time.

The next second, Jie Jie's two arm-mounted Shock Bombs were blasted out, his Golden Zone burning crazily and soaring directly into Flowing Heart Martial Arts. Zuo Xiaotang immediately used Flash Strike to dodge while firing his own two Shock Bombs.

And while Zuo Xiaotang was attacking with Flash Strike, Jie Jie's Lieying mecha did not dodge based on prediction; instead, it charged directly toward Zuo Xiaotang's Lieying mecha. Simultaneously using Flash Strike, the two Shock Bombs grazed the mecha. Zuo Xiaotang instantly felt something was wrong; the opponent didn't want to drag this out with him at all, but wanted to go all-in!

The Shadow Demon raised its hand and fired a shot. Even though he was disturbed by the opponent's Shock Bombs, Zuo Xiaotang still had considerable confidence in his own marksmanship.

Boom.

Amidst the flames, an explosion rang out, and both mecha rolled onto the ground. At this moment, the two missed Shock Bombs also exploded at the edge of the Arena.

The flames dissipated, and one Lieying mecha stood up.

Galaxy Team's Jie Jie wins!

The scene was stunned for a moment, followed by countless Moon spectators erupting into crazy cheers. They were truly terrified of Zuo Xiaotang; this fat guy was too difficult to deal with, and he was best at desperate counterattacks. He had already been hailed as the number one sniper of S11. People from all major war zones believed his basic skills were the ceiling, and abilities had very little impact in the sniper position. Even someone as powerful and compatible with his ability as Vulcan's Guma had to admit defeat. This battle was truly very uncertain; before the war, more than half of the people thought Zuo Xiaotang had at least a 60% chance of winning. As a result, less than a minute into the battle, game over?

The kill replay was shown. Jie Jie's tactic was full-force attack, while Zuo Xiaotang's style was a combination of offense and defense—that is, counterattacking while dodging to find an opportunity. When Jie Jie's Shock Bomb was fired, Zuo Xiaotang's first reaction was not to fight to the death but to dodge. Jie Jie had predicted this, so as soon as the Shock Bomb was fired, he closed in with full force. He predicted that Zuo Xiaotang would use a Shock Bomb to block him at this moment, so he attacked in advance, making Zuo Xiaotang's Shock Bomb miss by just a tiny bit. Zuo Xiaotang's reaction was very fast; although he was disturbed by the opponent's Shock Bomb, the Shadow Demon's shot was entirely based on feel and was very precise.

However, at this time, Jie Jie's Lieying Apollo used a super exquisite reverse-thinking maneuver: a Flash Strike Hovering shot, as if stepping on the Void.

Heavenly Heart Style Tafaqiang!

From the start of the battle, Jie Jie had been giving the impression of closing in for an all-out attack. At the most critical moment, he pulled off a Hovering maneuver. It was both steady and ruthless. There were two crucial details here: Flash Strike Hovering is a high-difficulty move; if done poorly, it would fall apart. The other was to suppress the opponent's prediction. Jie Jie believed that even in this situation, Zuo Xiaotang could still catch his Flash Strike position and make a precise shot despite the interference of the Shock Bombs. If Zuo Xiaotang hadn't been so confident and fast, this move of his would have been very dangerous.

Sometimes, when dealing with such top snipers, being slow is more lethal than being fast. Of course, this was limited by such an environment; two snipers meeting in the Arena are both very anxious.

"Zuo Xiaotang appeared slow on the outside but anxious on the inside, while Jie Jie appeared anxious but was slow on the inside. The rhythm was a complete victory, and the tactical preparation was incredibly thorough!"

"This is the foundation and the plan. They understood Zuo Xiaotang's personality thoroughly. He loves to drag things out too much, and he won't plan to fight to the death until the last moment. He was caught dead by Galaxy's tactical team."

"Terrifying Galaxy Team. I dare say they have practiced this countless times before the match. It was done in one go, smooth and flowing!"

The tactic of Galaxy Team in this battle was very clear: do not drag it out with Zuo Xiaotang. This person is very good at finding opportunities. In terms of basic skills, Jie Jie is actually a bit inferior. At their level, they are actually very clear about the opponent's level, so they must find loopholes in personality and then designate corresponding tactics to amplify this loophole and execute it.

This was Zola's targeted plan. There was also a personality factor involved, which was that Zuo Xiaotang had gone from being self-abased to being exceptionally confident. The victories along the way must have made him a bit blind and overly reliant on his own judgment. And what Zuo Xiaotang feared must be Jie Jie's ice ability. Tianjing Mecha's tactical targeting was likely pondering whether Jie Jie was hiding some ultimate ice ability move. This is normal thinking, and this is also why Zuo Xiaotang chose to open up the distance. And at this time, Jie Jie was acting out exactly what the opponent was thinking; every step was reinforcing Zuo Xiaotang's suggestion to himself.

But in reality, Jie Jie had no intention of using any ice ability at all. In a battle where life and death depend on a single shot, the most fundamental thing is marksmanship.

Another core point is that sniping is the best way to deal with Zuo Xiaotang's large-scale Instant Movement ability. The activation of that ability requires time and prediction, and in a short-range sniping situation, forcing it without space or leeway means getting shot.

Do not be intimidated by appearances; look directly at the essence. This is Galaxy Team's understanding.

Instead, Tianjing Mecha itself went astray.

The cheers at the scene were one wave after another. This was Galaxy's home court, and Galaxy Team did not live up to the fans' expectations. Facing the dark forces, they displayed the demeanor of kings. Wuzang fell, and the miraculous Zuo Xiaotang also fell. The situation was absolutely excellent for Galaxy Team.

The initiative remained in the hands of Galaxy Team, and Tianjing Mecha had wasted another opportunity. What was even harder was that Zuo Xiaotang had created too many opportunities along the way; his fall was also a heavy blow to Tianjing Mecha's confidence.

Returning to the operations room, Zuo Xiaotang was also very frustrated. The previous victories had indeed made him too relaxed. He didn't expect the opponent to be more decisive and direct. At this moment, he had already replayed the battle several times in his mind. The opponent was well-prepared and had completely mastered his fighting style and personality.

"The atmosphere in the operations room is a bit heavy. Everyone looks at Li Hao. Now Tianjing Mecha is already quite dangerous. 66, Sister Yi, it's time to let them taste our tactics."

Everyone was stunned. Zuo Xiaotang also raised his head, looking at Li Hao with a confused face. Zhou Naiyi nodded and stood up. She actually didn't have absolute certainty, but she never avoided a challenge. She had hoped that Zuo Xiaotang could win a battle. In the end, it didn't exceed Li Hao's judgment. Watching this battle, she was also impressed; they were worthy of being Galaxy Team.

At this moment, her heart was inclined towards Li Hao going up, so that there would still be a chance for Cheng Konghai to avoid Maxis. However, during the preparations over the past few days, Li Hao and she had discussed that this situation might occur. She could take the third match; she was against it, but Li Hao was very insistent.

Zhou Naiyi really didn't know what other methods there were, or if Li Hao really had confidence in her.

Li Hao sent Zhou Naiyi out and gently patted Zhou Naiyi's shoulder. "Sister Yi, believe in me, you will definitely win!"

To say she was confident would be lying to herself; Zhou Naiyi knew very well what kind of opponent she was facing, "Li Hao,"

"Huh? Yeah?"

"Being able to fight alongside you is the luckiest thing in my life."

Zhou Naiyi took the stage; no matter who the opponent was, once she made a decision, she would not hesitate. From the moment the new Tianjing Mecha Martial Arts Team was formed, this team was no longer just the personal team of Li Hao and Cheng Konghai, but a big family, and every victory was a victory achieved through the efforts of every team member.

This was the greatest happiness.

Regardless of victory or defeat, she would not fear, and even less would she retreat!

"The third fighter for Tianjing Mecha has come out, Zhou Naiyi!" the host said loudly, their voice also revealing a hint of surprise.

Suddenly, the entire arena was whispering, and some anxious Earth spectators were already cursing; what was the situation, why not send out Cheng Konghai at a time like this, be more decisive, this was the time Li Hao should be going up.

Take one down, at least seize the initiative to win, and also build confidence for the team members; at the same time, there were still two matches left, which could ensure Cheng Konghai avoided Maxis. Although Cheng Konghai might not necessarily win, the odds of winning were still quite high, surely that was better than this, right?

Zhou Naiyi was the most unstable point among the remaining people, aside from Nailong; she was a great hand at team battles with clear thinking, but for a breakthrough attack, the pressure was too great.

Tianjing Mecha was walking the tightrope as always.

Without a doubt, the Galaxy Team had prepared Weijia specifically for Zhou Naiyi; both sides were the Vice Captains of their teams. Weijia, a super-strong fire ability user, possessed the ability to defeat opponents invisibly, and at the same time, with Flowing Heart Martial Arts, Weijia's abilities absolutely firmly suppressed Zhou Naiyi. In terms of hard-fighting ability, Weijia was a pillar who had won championships and was the right-hand man of Maxis.

Once this lineup appeared, Tianjing Mecha Academy fell into dead silence.

"As expected of Mu Jiang, very good, very pretentious, his consistent style, I like it!" the fiery Huo Laoshi shouted in approval in the live broadcast room.

"Is there a possibility that the Galaxy Team choosing to use Weijia against Zhou Naiyi is actually a tactic of Tianjing Mecha itself?" Kuangwu Daren said.

"Is there a possibility that you are being funny," Huonan said, "Mu Jiang's mysterious confidence will surely pay the price. He seems not to understand who he is facing; this is the pride of the NUP, the Galaxy Fleet. Zhou Naiyi has no chance; she is the weak link of Tianjing Mecha, she is a typical system-type Warrior, her individual ability is not outstanding!"