Marvelous Mecha

At this moment, Feng Yi was a Private, piloting the Phantom Knight, a no-name soldier with no recognizable achievements—essentially, just a piece of cannon fodder. But as soon as he mounted the Shadow Rider Mecha, a familiar sensation flowed through him. It had been a long time since he had piloted this warrior.

Feng Yi didn't log on to flirt with girls but to directly enter the battle state. The system would match him with a similar level of competitor. The light screen flashed for a few seconds before it gradually came to a stop.

His adversary was confirmed—Rookie Killer. The name was quite cocky, though Feng Yi couldn't help but feel a sense of amusement.

In a random battle bar in the Federation, a fellow player was frustrated from being continuously defeated. Upon seeing Feng Yi, a rankless soldier with the Shadow Rider Mecha, he instantly burst into laughter. Being a Private wasn't laughable, but the foolish choice of piloting the outdated Shadow Rider Mecha surely was.

The Shadow Rider Mecha, a product of the Federation's early production phase crafted in the late 27th century, came equipped with a titanium alloy sword and a laser gun. The Mecha was tall and slow, walking with a creaking noise that was piercing to the ear. It was basically a moving target. In the times of war, the enemies would ignore the Shadow Rider, dealing with it last because it posed far less threat than other warrior models.

If you had to pinpoint a benefit from this model, it would have to be its appearance. The alternating blue and white stripes were quite a sight, with a human-like structure that seemed coordinated but was full of flaws. Yet, the Federation had invested a lot in its exterior design, which was met with a series of brutal rebuttals in the battlefield.

Defensive capabilities were a secondary advantage, with the Shadow Rider trading mobility for defense. It was notoriously tough and resilient but had nothing else to offer. The fast-paced modern warfare left no room for the Shadow Rider's capabilities, causing it to be phased out over time.

Currently, not even one in ten thousand newbies would choose the Phantom Knight as their starting equipment. Some would even pay extra to skip a few levels. But a player named 'Rookie Killer' was unlucky enough to be matched against one. This sudden windfall had him laughing, but seeing this, a few spectators decided to intervene

One of them said, "Brother, be gentle. This is a breath of fresh air in Star Wars."

However, Rookie Killer didn't plan to miss out on this opportunity. He ignored the comments, deciding to fight back the bullying he experienced.

Feng Yi was nonchalant. The victory was not important; learning from the combat experience was all that mattered.

The random map switched to Gliese 581d, a public star field 20.5 light-years away from the Solar System. Both sides were soon transported to the primeval jungle on Gliese 581d.

They had to defend themselves from Behemoths and winged birds in the moderate climate there. Despite their large mechas, compared to an adult Behemoth weighing a hundred tons, they still seemed insufficient.

Both players could see each other. The comprehensive data was quickly refreshing, including things like official evaluations, personal hand speed, authentic battle results feedback, celebrity endorsements, and much more. Unfortunately, even with everyone combined, the number of spectators barely reached dozens. These players just didn't have significant reputations to attract a large audience. Most checked in out of curiosity about the identity of the Shadow Rider's pilot.

Feng Yi's opponent's game title was Corporal.

Nickname, Rookie Killer.

Occupation, student at Yingland's Royal Military Academy, majoring in Mecha.

A member of the Federation.

Mecha model, CTR Turbo Mecha Warrior.

Equipped with a high-energy alloy knife, a laser gun, shoulder armor equipped with a 25 caliber machine gun, and a knight's defense shield.

Combat record, 108 victories and 151 defeats.

No honors.

Official code: None.

Skipped...

Overall Evaluation: F.

The real data from the rookie killer suggests that this guy is not particularly powerful. Yet, nobody thinks he will lose, because the mecha piloted by the Revenge Shadow Rider is the Phantom Knight, which is often ridiculed as a negative example. Most spectators may watch the fight out of curiosity.

A breeze swept across the battlefield. When the battle countdown ended, the silently standing Revenge Shadow Rider neither attacked nor moved. It was observing its opponent, its profound eyes seemed to pierce the void.

The audience was a bit stunned. The fool should at least move a little — everyone's time is money.

The rookie killer flashed a bloodthirsty smile. He wanted to teach his newbie opponent a lesson. He aimed the laser gun at the left leg of Phantom Knight and fired immediately...

Snap!

The fleeting laser passed beside the leg of Revenge Shadow Rider. It slightly missed! The rookie killer was helpless. How could he make such a low-level mistake? He shook his head and fired several shots at the Revenge Shadow Rider in a row. Yet notwithstanding the laser gun's light-speed attacks, none of them hit their mark.

"Damn... how is that possible? Didn't I practice my hand speed for nothing?" The rookie killer complained. However, he kept on believing and fired the laser with his shoulder-mounted machine guns simultaneously. He felt sure that this round of attack would show some results, yet without noticing the numerous traces left by the Phantom Knight underfoot.

The shooter was lost while the observer saw clear. The audience were flabbergasted at the scene – Is the mecha that guy driving really the Shadow Rider? No one could believe that a rookie could pull off such an advanced variable frequency movement. The silence of the crowd was suddenly broken by the unbelievable comments.

Gasping, the rookie killer exclaimed, "Damn it! That's enough!" He roared, somewhat frustrated, and drew his alloy sword and suddenly charged at the Revenge Shadow Rider like a bullet, intending to cut it in half.

Then the screen paused. The heated discussion was suddenly interrupted because the spectators saw a slow motion in the video ... Yes, the system would provide close-ups according to the danger level of both sides' movements before the mecha exploded. In other words, the system judged that Revenge Shadow Rider was likely to be destroyed under this blow, thus it provided a close-up.

The danger index had risen from 3.0 to 18, which was a level only elite military soldiers could barely dodge.

The time was stagnant, so was the breath. Through the live streaming, the netizens thought they had accidentally stumbled upon big news. Assuming his variable frequency movement was masterful, he should avoid the attack. Yet, it seemed to be only a flash in the pan.

Facing the rookie killer's transformed attack, the motionless Revenge Shadow Rider showed no response. The alloy sword was only a few dozen centimeters away from the cockpit, which was basically negligible on the battlefield.

Then, a white light effect surged on the screen. Everyone thought the guy was finished, but just at this moment, the Revenge Shadow Rider finally made a move. In the blink of an eye, it rotated and dodged the strike. Its body was almost parallel to the direction of the alloy sword. The rookie killer had no time to react to the sudden change.

Phantom Knight grasped the CTR turbine wrist and pulled it inward. A successful act of taking a blade with bare hands, and then a swing. Under the action of inertia, the alloy sword was inserted into the CTR turbine power system.

People only heard a series of continuous sounds. When they came back to their senses, there was a smoke cloud in the sky. The mecha exploded! The rookie killer left the battlefield, and the smooth movements of the Revenge Shadow Rider could only be described as one word: cool!

When they looked back, the dim image of the Revenge Shadow Rider was already offline, leaving only a few dozen people in the livestream room. They stayed for a long time and quietly sent friend requests. This was a news topic, a big one! It didn't take long for someone to post the video of the battle on the official forum.