World’s End: My Keyword is One More Than Others

Although that was the case.

Gu Qingyan and Shen Yuning still finished watching the video of the beautiful mecha pilot being pierced ten times.

Then.

The two of them stood frozen in place, as if they had been paused, unable to move.

"Qingyan, how did he do it?" Shen Yuning squeezed out a few words with difficulty from her throat.

"..." Gu Qingyan frowned slightly, looking at the hole in the cockpit, and after a long while, she turned back to Shen Yuning in confusion, "Yeah, how did he do it?"

The two were speechless.

After a moment.

Shen Yuning smiled bitterly, "With such strong skills, yet he uses this kind of tasteless method to promote himself, what is he after?"

"Yeah! What is he after?" Gu Qingyan lost her ability to think, turning into a broken record. As a senior mecha pilot, she preferred to earn her reputation on the Battle Network through legitimate means. To her, Du Ge's method of promotion was an insult to his skills.

At this moment.

A comment floated across the video: "Breaking news, Ten Steps to Kill One is playing a promotion match in room 4205, having already defeated three opponents with the Petrel mecha. Hurry and watch."

The audience on the Battle Network had extraordinary abilities. After Du Ge's video went viral, his whereabouts were immediately exposed.

Gu Qingyan's eyes lit up, and she decisively closed the video, "Let's go, get on the Battle Network."

...

Meanwhile.

The top-ranked ace mecha pilot on the Battle Network, Shang Jiliang, was simulating a battle between Blade and Petrel with his disciple Ye Feng in the training ground.

The terrain was identical to a mountain forest.

But the first time, Shang Jiliang only managed to fire one shot before the heat-seeking missile from Blade blew his head off.

The second time.

Shang Jiliang dodged the tracking missile and fired ten shots, but only three hit Blade, and the other seven bullets flew who knows where.

The third time, Shang Jiliang focused all his mental power, but only managed to dodge the tracking missile, with six out of ten shots hitting Blade's mecha...

...

The results of the test left Shang Jiliang feeling extremely dejected, standing still on the hillside, staring at the distant Blade without moving.

"Master, should we try again?" Ye Feng's voice came through the public channel.

"No need, I can't do it." Shang Jiliang's tone was somewhat fatigued, "He's better than me."

"Master, you're the ace pilot of the Third Army Group, having fought on real battlefields. How can he compare to you?" Ye Feng maneuvered Blade to his master's side, advising, "In reality, if he dared to play like this, you'd blow him up in minutes.

Besides, mecha functions are becoming more advanced. On the battlefield, who would use Petrel! Only because Blade's performance is similar can it be blown up. Against your Basalt, even if he fired 300 bullets, he couldn't break Basalt's defense..."

"Being able to use Petrel like this on the Battle Network, he must have the level of an ace pilot in reality." Shang Jiliang jumped out of the cockpit and said.

"Master, could Ten Steps to Kill One be an ace pilot from another army group?" Ye Feng also jumped out of the cockpit.

"They all have their own accounts. They wouldn't open a small account just to show off their skills in such a tasteless way." Shang Jiliang shook his head, "Moreover, professionally trained pilots have standardized movements ingrained in their bones. Even if they try to change, traces would remain, but I didn't see any trained traces on this Ten Steps to Kill One. I suspect he might not have even attended an academy."

"Master, you mean he's a purely amateur civilian pilot?" Ye Feng widened his eyes, exclaiming incredulously.

"Nine out of ten." Shang Jiliang said, "He's a genius. We must find this person and bring him into the Third Army Group before anyone else..."

...

The hot search's influence was enormous, not to mention Pei Lie had come up with such an attention-grabbing name. Everyone interested in mechas, upon seeing this video, would be shocked by Du Ge's extraordinary skills.

Then they'd spread the word to friends and family who weren't interested in clickbait.

On the Battle Network, information spread faster than a virus. In just two or three hours, Ten Steps to Kill One had become the hottest new star, especially after many renowned experts admitted they couldn't reach his level, further igniting the fervent admiration of many mecha enthusiasts.

"Ten Steps to Kill One suspected to be an ace pilot"

"Impossible maneuvers, the appearance of Ten Steps to Kill One could potentially overturn the mecha's worship of equipment."

"Does the human body really have limits?"

"Does the appearance of Ten Steps to Kill One mean Bi Xing's chances against the Hill Civilization have increased?"

The media's sense of hot topics was sharper than anyone's. Under Du Ge's two videos, all the hot topics were comments and speculations about his skills from various media outlets, with many experts eloquently discussing Du Ge's exquisite skills;

The unknown Du Ge, due to two battles, forcefully occupied everyone's attention.

...

Upon learning that Du Ge was using Petrel in the intermediate mecha pilot promotion match.

Within half an hour, room 4205 was flooded with over 100,000 spectators.

Winning against stronger opponents, using super skills to bridge the technological gap, what could be more eye-catching than this?

...

At this moment.

After Du Ge defeated two intermediate mecha pilots with Petrel, his opponent changed to an advanced mecha pilot, piloting a mecha called Phantom.

Phantom was one of Bi Xing's latest mechas.

Its energy system, control system, and transmission system were all the most advanced. Because it also belonged to the light mecha category, it wasn't equipped with many weapons, but it had everything from light and heavy weapons, defense shields, interference systems, to camouflage systems, at least ten levels higher than the Petrel mecha.

Not to mention anything else.

Just comparing the energy systems, even if Phantom didn't attack Petrel, it could exhaust Petrel with its mecha's efficient energy utilization.

...

"Brother Ten Steps, I'm your fan. Are you sure you don't want to switch mechas? I watched your previous two matches, and I admit your level is very high, but the gap between our mechas is too big. Defeating you wouldn't be honorable. I'd rather have a fair match with you."

The pilot controlling Phantom was named Wu You, a third-year student at the Army Academy, holding the title of advanced mecha pilot. After taking the field, he didn't attack but shouted in the public channel.

"No need, I'll switch mechas if this one gets damaged, come on!" After defeating Qu Yaqi, Du Ge originally planned to push for the advanced mecha pilot title, but the registration fee for advanced mecha pilots was as high as five thousand, and it required intermediate mecha pilots to win ten matches in the promotion tournament to qualify.

Du Ge had to stop and participate in the promotion tournament in the intermediate module of mecha training.

The battle with Qu Yaqi made him aware of the gap between mechas.

Undeniably, switching to a higher-level mecha would make the upcoming battles easier.

But Du Ge wasn't here to win matches; he wanted a sensational effect.

To achieve world influence in the shortest time, to highlight his low profile in reality.

Therefore.

The most ordinary Petrel mecha became the best choice. Du Ge felt that the Petrel mecha had not yet reached its full potential in his hands.

Moreover.

He didn't have enough money to buy a better-performing mecha.

Mechas with average performance weren't much different from Petrel, and he wouldn't even have enough for the registration fee.

Fortunately, winners in the promotion tournament received prize money, which could solve Du Ge's financial needs.

To create a quiet competition environment for the pilots, they couldn't see the number of spectators after entering the match.

So, having played two matches, Du Ge had no idea what was happening outside, nor did he know he had become the hottest star on Bi Xing.

But the pilot opposite claimed to be his fan, which vaguely made Du Ge suspect that Feng Chen's video might have already fermented.

"Don't, after this match, can we be friends?" Wu You still didn't attack, saying in the public channel, "I'm from the Army Academy, I'm very interested in your mecha shooting skills. My instructor is an ace pilot, and if possible, he'd like to invite you to teach at the Army Academy..."

"I like peace and quiet, not interested in making friends." Du Ge said indifferently, "Even less interested in teaching."

...

Watching Wu You trying to cozy up to Du Ge on the field, the audience erupted.

Shang Jiliang's face was dark, muttering, "Poaching on the field, shameless."

Ye Feng smiled, "If he can poach, so can we. I'll go down and meet him later, mention your name, and he'll come running to our Third Army Group."

"No, you're not qualified, I'll go myself." Shang Jiliang turned to look at his disciple, "I'll use Blade to fight him later, I want to see if I can dodge his shots."

...

"Yuning, I want to go on the field and test his skills later."

Gu Qingyan watched Du Ge on the field, her eyes flashing with fighting spirit. The replay videos of the first three matches had already been posted on the Battle Network, and she watched those three videos before entering the room.

Du Ge defeated those three intermediate mecha pilots using the same method as defeating Blade, continuously shooting to destroy the radar, then using continuous shooting to break the cockpit.

She also wanted to see if she could dodge Du Ge's continuous shooting.

"Fallen for him?" Shen Yuning teased with a smile.

"I'm interested in his skills." Gu Qingyan rolled her eyes at her bestie.

"I think you want to be pierced ten times by him!" Shen Yuning giggled, "Yanzi, think it through, you're quite well-known on the Battle Network, and those media folks, led astray by that Ten Steps to Kill One, if you get defeated by him, who knows how they'll spin it."

"..." Gu Qingyan paused, then said after a moment of silence, "Yuning, my goal is to become an ace pilot. Even if they spin it, I have to test his skills. Only by sparring with such strong opponents can I improve."

"Sparring with him once won't improve your skills." Shen Yuning smiled, "But if you can get his contact information, maybe he can teach you hand-in-hand."

"I'll try." Gu Qingyan said, "Yuning, I hope you'll go on the field later too, in case I can't get his contact information, then it's your turn..."

"..." Shen Yuning widened her eyes, turning her head to watch the field, "If you want to go, you go. I won't. Public channel words can be heard by everyone. The Twin Flowers of Imperial Capital University both asking a man for his contact information, I can't afford to lose that face."

...

In the stands.

Feng Chen looked at Du Ge below, regretting so much that his intestines turned green.

He hated his own lack of vision, how could he have mistaken his skills for sheer luck?

What a golden opportunity, just let go like that. If he had gotten the god's contact information back then, it would be like owning a gold mine.

How could he be sitting in the stands now, fighting with a group of people for video resources...

Moreover.

Those media people were too shameless. Clearly, he was the first to use the shocking headline, and in such a short time, those shameless guys all learned it.

Now.

The entire network was filled with titles like "Shocking, the tenth-ranked ace pilot forces opponent to do this on the field" "Female examiner using hands and feet..." similar titles.

The titles were explosive, but the content was mundane, forcibly wiping out his advantage, leaving him with only a wave of benefits.

Ugh!

Disgusting.

...

The happiest was Jian Weiliang, who became famous alongside Du Ge. He had already prepared for social death, but the successive evaluations of Du Ge instantly erased his shame.

Losing to an ace pilot wasn't shameful.

...

At this time, there were also many Alien Star warriors hidden in the stands, also paying attention to Du Ge on the field, and confirming his identity as an Alien Star warrior at the first opportunity.

Many were even convinced that "Ten Steps to Kill One" was Du Ge.

But the Battle Network wasn't reality, even if they knew the other was Du Ge, they couldn't verify his identity.

Moreover, this time only the top three in the Alien Star Battlefield would get resources, approaching Du Ge rashly might not be beneficial.

Pan-Universal Entertainment clearly didn't want to see them ally with Du Ge. Last time, when the Alien Star Battlefield was abruptly interrupted, those who followed Du Ge didn't make it into the top ten, didn't they end up with no resources?

So.

It's better to focus on improving their own rankings, best to get their skills up first.

Du Ge single-handedly raised the game's difficulty, who knows how many planets wanted to take him down!

Going to Du Ge's side now would just make oneself a target.

...

On the field.

Wu You was persistent, but Du Ge was unyielding.

Finally.

Annoyed, Du Ge raised his hand and fired a shot, forcibly starting the battle. Wu You was forced to fight, finally quieting the noisy stands.

Wu You came with a mission, but he was, after all, an advanced mecha pilot, much more skilled than intermediate mecha pilots, not to mention his mecha was more advanced.

Once the battle started, he didn't hesitate to launch all three tracking missiles equipped on Phantom.

The three missiles formed a pin shape, intercepting all of Du Ge's evasive positions.

In the previous battles, Du Ge would first destroy the radar system, and once radar guidance failed, the remaining tracking missiles would also lose their effectiveness. It was better to launch all the missiles at the start of the battle.

This way, even if the radar was destroyed, it wouldn't affect anything.

Moreover, Wu You didn't believe that Du Ge, piloting Petrel, could dodge one tracking missile, let alone three.

Not switching mechas?

He wanted to let this arrogant guy taste the bitter fruit of mecha level suppression...

But as an advanced mecha pilot, Wu You never underestimated his opponents on the battlefield. The moment the missiles were launched, he had already used tactical evasion maneuvers, quickly approaching Du Ge, while using the mecha cannon to cover Du Ge's position with fire.

Phantom was equipped with two mecha cannons, with 5,000 rounds of ammunition.

The simultaneous firing of the two mecha cannons was enough to form a seamless firepower net, and a fragile mecha like Petrel, if hit by one or two bullets, would be crippled.

...

"Shameless!" Gu Qingyan frowned, snorting in disgust.

Many spectators shared the same sentiment.

Who bullies people like this?

Many cursed in the stands, wanting to see a skill showdown between pilots, not one-sided firepower suppression...

But soon.

The stands fell silent, with almost everyone holding their breath.

The three tracking missiles exploded almost simultaneously, but amidst the explosions, Petrel not only wasn't destroyed, it emerged from the smoke unscathed, even raising its mecha cannon to counterattack.

However.

Phantom had a force field shield, and when Petrel's bullets penetrated the shield, their kinetic energy would be greatly reduced, hitting Phantom would cause little damage, at most leaving a small white mark on the mecha.

Petrel carried only 300 rounds of ammunition.

If 300 rounds couldn't break the defense, then Petrel would become a sitting duck, and Phantom could easily take it down.

...

Although Petrel was deftly dodging within Phantom's firepower net, like a real petrel weaving through a storm, all the spectators in the stands let out a collective sigh.

Indeed.

The gap between mechas couldn't be bridged by skill alone.

Petrel lost!

Perhaps Petrel's limit was just fighting mechas like Blade!

However, unlike ordinary spectators, the advanced and ace mecha pilots in the stands had particularly serious expressions. Only they knew how strong the abilities displayed by Ten Steps to Kill One were.

Without radar interference.

He managed to dodge three tracking missiles.

How did he do it?

Moreover, in such a dense firepower net, he advanced two kilometers without being hit by a single bullet...

What kind of ghostly movement was this?

How strong must his mental power be to control such a basic mecha to perform such extreme maneuvers? If Du Ge gave Petrel wings, they wouldn't doubt he'd fly.

Is he even human?

The pilots' strong confidence was shaken by Du Ge, they couldn't imagine how to deal with such an opponent on the battlefield.

"Impossible, how did he do it?" Gu Qingyan murmured, "Does extreme evasion really exist?"

...

The most panicked was actually Wu You.

Phantom did carry 5,000 rounds of ammunition, but with such dense firepower coverage, in a minute at most, he'd run out of bullets.

Missiles exhausted, bullets exhausted, his remaining weapons were only the pulse cannon and laser sword, and seeing Du Ge's agile movements, he seriously doubted the pulse cannon could hit him...

This guy could continuously perform such high-difficulty evasive maneuvers without mental fatigue?

Phantom actually had to engage in close combat with Petrel on the battlefield?

Such a thing had never happened before, what kind of monster was he?

But Wu You quickly adjusted his mindset.

Close combat it is.

After all, he was an advanced mecha pilot, and Phantom had a force field shield, was he really afraid of close combat with a fragile mecha that could die from a scratch?

However.

In just a moment.

Wu You experienced what was called cruelty.

When Du Ge controlled Petrel to charge close, put away the mecha cannon, and drew the broadsword, Wu You encountered the most brutal abuse since he became a pilot. He had never seen anyone wield a broadsword to create afterimages.

Compared to the opponent, his controlled mecha was as clumsy as a child learning to walk.

Until the force field shield's energy was depleted by the opponent, watching helplessly as the opponent's broadsword pierced the cockpit, Wu You's laser sword couldn't even scratch Petrel.

The moment Phantom was killed by Petrel.

The stands fell silent.

In everyone's mind, the battle's outcome would be Petrel running out of ammunition, being slaughtered by Phantom; no one expected it to end with Phantom running out of ammunition, being defeated by Petrel with a sword to the chest, in the most humiliating way.