The trailer for Ji Ban’s commentary video was released at 8 p.m., a product that San Yao had been holding back for quite some time. It wasn’t aimed at any single match. Because the maps and durations of the qualification rounds were too simple, it was hard to pick out any fast-paced, tightly contested games. So San Yao simply put together a hodgepodge.
Netizens clicked on the link and left enthusiastic comments. The direction of the comment section quickly diverged into several completely different styles.
Some were fake-crying, saying that without Cheng Feng’s participation, the qualification matches had lost all their joy. How could someone be so good at starting things but so bad at finishing them?
Some manual-operated mech students, emboldened by their new anonymous accounts, were shamelessly confessing their admiration for Ji Ban.
Another group of viewers was doing serious business, congratulating Cheng Feng on successfully making the cut and showering her with a whole basketful of non-repetitive, over-the-top praise. Given that each comment was unusually long, Cheng Feng somewhat suspected these people were bots hired by San Yao.
The cover of the video featured a silhouette of a manual-operated mech from behind. When the official commentary began, the background audio included the rustling sounds of Ji Ban tidying his desk, after which he started speaking.
“My commentary isn’t very funny. It might be a bit boring.” Ji Ban paused, turned up the system’s volume, and then continued in a calm, gentle tone, “To be honest, there’s not much to comment on in two-player battle modes. The match could be over before I even finish a single sentence. So today, I’ll take a more conventional approach and analyze Cheng Feng’s operational skill level for everyone.”
Ji Ban clicked play in the center of the screen and said methodically, “Many of you probably don’t understand – why does Cheng Feng always win? Why is it that no matter how perilous a showdown looks, the one who ends up winning is always Cheng Feng? Is her luck really that good? And can the sensor mechs actually replicate her maneuvers?”
Netizens were indeed most confused by this question.
The barrier to entry for hand-operated mechs is too high. Most ordinary onlookers can’t even grasp the most basic operation codes, let alone judge the difficulty levels among various maneuvers.
Was Cheng Feng’s record truly solid or just overhyped? How big was the gap between Cheng Feng and sensor-mech specialists? The industry refers to her style as the “desperado” approach – how much of it is pure luck, and how much is genuine skill?
All sorts of opinions floated around. A bunch of people would stir up confusion online using data that outsiders couldn’t understand, and whoever shouted the loudest could sway others.
After all, nobody really had a clue about the ins and outs of it.
Within just a few sentences, the two mechs in the video had already begun clashing.
To evade the enemy’s pre-positioned guns and artillery, Cheng Feng maneuvered her mech into a right-angle turn, gripping the wall to make an emergency detour. Using a shattered window as an opening, she continuously transformed her mech’s body, like a agile, giant mechanical spider, rapidly climbing upward.
Then, leveraging the height difference, she vaulted directly over a low obstacle from above to execute a sneak attack.
Her opponent had never expected her to climb to such a height. By the time they noticed, their most critical weapons depot had already been destroyed, and their mech was severely damaged, forcing them to retreat in disarray.
Netizens spammed “666” (awesome in Chinese online language) in the comments below.
Because wall-climbing is a blind spot for sensor-operated mechs, similar maneuvers are quite rare across the entire league. Climbing that high and that fast was almost unheard of.
Ji Ban clicked pause and explained, “The original version of Silent Revelation did have strong wall-climbing capability, but the trade-off was sacrificing more than a third of the mech’s transformable structure. Later adjustments and improvements were made, and most students abandoned this skill. In truth, San Yao and the military don’t recommend this maneuver either, because even for the first-generation Silent Revelation, the danger level is too high. But wall-climbing…”
He left half his sentence unspoken, and the netizens finished it for him: “…is really damn cool.”
Too bad it wasn’t a livestream – Ji Ban couldn’t see such a telepathic moment.
Ji Ban let out a low chuckle and pulled up a simulation software for data analysis from the backend.
The data had already been set up, recreating a partial map of the examination arena, but with all external scenery that could interfere with visibility removed, leaving only the most plain black lines to represent streets and buildings.
“In the past, Silent Revelation had adhesive components strong enough to support the mech’s weight, but now it requires some assistance from propulsion power,” Ji Ban explained as he placed a mech onto the exact position where Cheng Feng had stood earlier. He then typed something into the adjustment panel beside him. “The code she entered should be something like this… Let’s run through the same maneuver for her.”
Ji Ban pressed confirm, and the mech in the simulation software immediately began testing based on the different input speeds of the code.
It started running at the average hand speed of students from various uni.
Without exception, the mechs all fell due to inertia after turning to a certain angle.
Then, the test speed was gradually increased. When the code input speed exceeded that of 78% of students, the mech finally succeeded in turning. However, it was visibly struggling – though successful, it couldn’t maintain good body flexibility, and the next step of climbing clearly couldn’t be performed.
When the input speed exceeded that of 86% of students, the maneuver could finally be completed relatively safely. Still, there was always something oddly off about it – it never felt as fluid as Cheng Feng’s execution.
Ji Ban quietly watched the program run. Only after the software stopped testing did he take a sip of water and continue explaining, “Our database includes all grade levels – it covers every student who participated in the assessments, from freshmen to seniors. Additionally, this year’s average data is slightly higher than in previous years, and this upward trend has been ongoing for three years now. This shows that everyone is indeed improving, which is very good news.”
Ji Ban took a moment to organize his words.
“What I just demonstrated is the danger of wall-climbing I mentioned. If the driver doesn’t control their center of gravity well, even a very subtle timing discrepancy can lead to failure. The mistake might only take a momentary lapse in focus, and the probability of safely recovering after a mistake isn’t high either.”
He removed the manual-operated mech from the screen and cleared the statistical data with one click.
“I won’t test the subsequent climbing maneuvers, because they rely heavily on the driver’s own experiential judgment. Knowing when to input what code, what the movement length and distance should be – that in itself is the most important skill for a solo pilot. Software cannot simulate that.” Ji Ban said calmly, “For manual-operated mechs, hand speed isn’t the top priority – execution is.”
He raised his voice slightly and said with certainty, “Why are similar maneuvers so rare? Because aside from Cheng Feng, over 90% of students cannot master this skill. And 99% of students wouldn’t dare to perform such extreme maneuvers in an official match.”
He humbly used the 90% figure. That way, there was no risk of being proven wrong.
Netizens were stunned by the barrage of data he threw at them, but they genuinely grasped what he meant.
“Basically, this means ordinary mortals can’t pull off this kind of maneuver.”
“99% wouldn’t dare – got that part highlighted clearly, right? Cheng Feng is that destined 1%!”
“So this is the essence of the ‘desperado’ fighting style? Either I kill you, or I kill myself – either way, someone’s head is ending up here today.”
“Looking at the statistics, Cheng Feng’s error rate is very low. That means she actually knows what she’s doing. For other students, it’s a desperate gamble; for her, it’s just basic operation.”
Ji Ban returned to the video interface and casually tapped the screen to resume playback from the paused state.
All the content was selected from Cheng Feng’s match footage. Some clips showed overwhelming advantages but lacked representative maneuvers – for those, Ji Ban just offered a casual comment or simply hummed an “mm” in acknowledgment before moving on.
About halfway through the video, Ji Ban paused again.
Many netizens still remembered this match. After it ended, Cheng Feng herself had released her first tutorial on editing. Her opponent was the “19-minute senior,” who had accidentally gained fame due to public sympathy.
San Yao had chosen the same clip – the moment when Cheng Feng unexpectedly doubled back to execute a sneak attack.
Watching it again, netizens still felt a headache coming on for that faceless senior.
“We talked about hand speed just now. Here, let me briefly compare rhythm,” Ji Ban said. “Many people don’t understand what operational rhythm really means. A clear pattern of tension and release over an extended period is a typical example of rhythm, but there’s actually another concept of rhythm within micro-operations.”
Ji Ban dragged the progress bar backward and found a feature in San Yao’s function list called [Key Sound]. He used it to synchronize the rhythm of Cheng Feng’s code inputs with crisp mechanical clicks.
After playing it twice, he memorized the actions and tapped out the keystrokes along with the footage. Then he pulled the video back again, enabled slow motion, and had the netizens listen carefully to the clicking sounds of the two people.
The system sounds were one low and deep, the other crisp and clear. In slow motion, they were as easy to distinguish as raindrops falling on different surfaces.
Ji Ban’s code input speed was slightly slower than Cheng Feng’s – after all, he was a full decade older, and his physical conditioning couldn’t keep up.
But in truth, it wasn’t that much slower. However, the two sequences of code in the middle section barely overlapped at all. Even when listened to separately, it was hard to tell they were the same frequency. It was even more impossible to guess that they belonged to the same maneuver.
“Da… da-da… da, versus da-da… da-da – when slowed down twenty times, can you hear the difference?” Ji Ban said. “For this type of short-duration code input, most examinees will perform a reflexive operation, treating the sequence of codes as a single whole and executing it as one unit. They won’t consider what individual code represents, or how long the interval should be before inputting the next code for optimal results. That’s an impossible thing to do – the human brain isn’t that developed.”
“So, everyone’s micro-operation rhythm is different. Even with the same code, completed within the same amount of time, the mech won’t perform the exact same movements – not even at 250 APM. It’s just that in most cases, you can’t feel this difference.”
As he spoke, Ji Ban brought the previous simulation software back to the front. He placed two manual-operated mechs overlapping each other in the center of an empty scene.
One mech replicated Cheng Feng’s operations, while the other used his own code, accelerated to match Cheng Feng’s speed, and ran synchronously.
After testing, phantom images did appear between the two mechs, proving that there were still some differences in their operational performance.
“The fluidity of mech operations is closely related to feel – this is the main reason,” Ji Ban said. “Hand speed is still secondary. The combat style of a manual-operated mech can also be completely identified based on a person’s subtle movements.”
After saying this, Ji Ban separated the two mechs and placed them side by side.
Since there were no labels, netizens couldn’t immediately tell which mech represented whom.
Sure enough, Ji Ban asked, “Left or right? Which one do you think is stronger?”
The netizens hesitated. On both mechs, they could see the refined experience of practiced skill.
“From an outsider’s perspective: the right one.”
“I’m leaning right.”
“In slow motion, the right one has a kind of fluid, human-like movement. The left one stutters slightly.”
“Am I the only one who feels the left one’s style is more crisp and decisive?”
Ji Ban waited a moment, then raised his hand to highlight the right mech in red and label it with Cheng Feng’s name.
The direction of the barrage comments immediately took a strange turn.
Ji Ban’s tone remained calm; he didn’t seem too surprised by the result.
“I watched several of Cheng Feng’s matches where the situation was intense. At first, I didn’t look closely, so I didn’t notice – I thought she just really liked taking risks and didn’t know fear. Some of her victories seemed to come from barely scraping by on the edge of extremes. But if you’re always walking the edge, you necessarily have to rely on luck. I couldn’t believe that someone’s luck could hold out for over a hundred matches.”
“Later, after further analysis, I can say with certainty: why is Cheng Feng always the one who wins? Because her feel for the mech and her experience determine that, in the process of combat, her opponents will have more openings than she does.”
Ji Ban took a breath, carefully chose his words, and evaluated as fairly as possible:
“For most infantries, this tiny, subtle difference is hard to notice in daily practice, and even when it appears, it’s hard to detect. But on a real battlefield, it gets magnified countless times as danger approaches. This is also the biggest difference between ordinary students and expeditionary force soldiers. To put it cruelly, many people may spend their entire lives unable to bridge this gap – this distance measured in just a few tenths of a second…”
“But Cheng Feng can.”
This was extremely high praise.
It basically confirmed that Cheng Feng’s skills were a cut above. It even subtly suggested that she possessed the qualities of an expeditionary force soldier.
And yet she was just a freshman.
And yet, among the expeditionary forces, manual-operated mech pilots are extremely rare – each and every one of them an elite in the field.
After Ji Ban finished speaking, the flow of the entire comment section slowed to a crawl.
It was as if everyone could see the chasm between most students and the pinnacle -and Cheng Feng was already standing on the other side of the world.
She had already passed by her fellow travelers and was walking alone in a place higher and farther than anyone else. And those left behind couldn’t even make out her footprints.
This reminded them again of that absurd maneuver later in the video – the one dubbed “passive human-shaped bullet-dodging master,” which had already been nominated by a large number of netizens for the “Top Ten Most Ridiculous Operations of the Year.” So that had also been part of Cheng Feng’s plan?!
The potential of manual-operated mechs was truly terrifying!
The netizens were immersed in Cheng Feng’s formidable operations, marveling at why her brain’s processing speed could be so vastly different from that of ordinary people – as if she were naturally equipped with slow-motion and high-speed analysis functions.
Just as her image was growing ever more towering and inflated, Ji Ban abruptly added, “Of course, the fact that she was able to dodge that wave of attacks by a hair’s breadth – that was purely down to luck.”
Netizens: “…”
The balloon that had just been inflating was suddenly punctured.
Were they messing with people’s heads like this? What had they done wrong? Weren’t they worthy of learning?
In the recording, Ji Ban was completely unaware of the netizens’ emotional fluctuations. He followed his prepared script and introduced the next question. “So, can similar maneuvers be achieved by sensor-operated mechs?”
He loaded another database into the simulation software. The mech in the center of the screen switched to a humanoid sensor-operated mech.
“For an infantry to complete a turn and counterattack in a short amount of time, based on the average explosive power in the database, more than 60% of students can reach Cheng Feng’s speed standard.”
The netizens thought to themselves – this probability is much higher than for manual-operated mechs. So isn’t sensor-operated really better than manual-operated?
“But in actual practice, it’s probably less than half. Why? Because humans need reaction time – both the brain and the body do. Additionally, this maneuver will cause some muscle damage. A solo pilot cannot repeat it multiple times in a short period. So how can one guarantee the independent execution of this subsequent maneuver, and this one, and this turn?”
The netizens fell silent.
“There’s one more thing that needs to be pointed out. Sensor-operated mech pilots cannot control their limbs completely independently of one another. It’s like how an ordinary person feels uncomfortable walking with the same hand and foot moving together, or cannot quickly or accurately draw a circle with one hand and a square with the other simultaneously… Therefore, the weapon-switching speed of the vast majority of sensor-operated mechs cannot match that of manual-operated mechs. But Cheng Feng can operate each component of her mech separately, covering fire across all weapon systems that can be opened, making her attacks even more ferocious.”
“So, for this entire set of maneuvers, I can confidently say – sensor-operated mechs cannot achieve it.”
Ji Ban cleared his throat, as if he had been waiting a long time to say this last sentence. He delivered it exceptionally smoothly, as though he were just looking for the right moment to repeat it several times in front of everyone.
“They can’t.”
Ji Ban decided to follow his own heart and quietly added two more lines.
“Only manual-operated mechs can. They’re amazing.”
The netizens could feel his elation.
Out of respect for Ji Ban, they pretended not to hear it. Still, quite a few netizens chimed in to echo his sentiment, wishing the currently not-so-bright future of manual-operated mechs well.
Ji Ban secretly reveled in his satisfaction for a moment, then remembered his duties as a commentator. Reminded by a San Yao staff member, he quickly finished going through the rest of the footage from the second half.
By then, the commentary had lasted less than 20 minutes.
The netizens were startled. They hadn’t expected the video to be this short, and immediately checked the progress bar. To their relief, it hadn’t reached the end yet.
The image on the screen froze on the very last frame of the video footage.
In the background, there was a sound like someone unscrewing a thermos. Ji Ban blew on the steam, took a sip, set it down beside him, and then gave the final evaluation of the day.
“What I think is most commendable about Cheng Feng is neither her increasingly mature fighting style nor her rare talent. After organizing and comparing her data from the early and later stages of the qualifying matches, what truly stunned me the most is actually this point. Students, take a close look.”
Ji Ban enlarged the simulation software to full screen and imported the organized database.
Two manual-operated mechs appeared on the open ground. The one on the left was labeled “Cheng Feng Match 2,” and the one on the right was labeled “Cheng Feng Match 146.”
In the top-left and top-right corners were two small maps, with red dots indicating the current positions of the mechs.
Both mechs started simultaneously, performing similar actions – running along the streets, pursuing. Then they stopped and switched to the next set of identical code operations.
Under this direct comparison, the technique of the mech on the right appeared noticeably more agile than that on the left. And when viewed in slow motion with careful observation, the movements under the same sequence of commands also seemed more fluid and nimble.
The details that had gone unnoticed before became clear under Ji Ban’s commentary, bringing a sudden sense of clarity, as if the clouds had parted to reveal the sun.
The netizens gradually grew restless.
“The progress that can be seen by others is extremely formidable. Over the course of 150 matches, what can you learn from them? Many people might play five hundred matches and still not recognize their own weaknesses, nor find the direction for improvement – believing they’ve already hit a bottleneck.”
Ji Ban spoke slowly, even enunciating some phrases word by word:
“What I want to tell everyone is that all progress actually leaves traces. Don’t forget to review your matches. Even for these short, half-hour limit competitions, don’t miss any details. Cheng Feng is a data analyst. She, too, has been using her own strengths to learn, grow, and seek breakthroughs. I can see her nervousness and fear in every single one of her operations. Breaking the record is far from as simple as everyone imagines.”
“She is strong, but she was absolutely not that strong from the very beginning. She is moving faster than you, but that doesn’t mean you can’t catch up.”
“Challenges are difficult, and studying is hard. But the path that leads upward has always been right beneath your feet.”
The students majoring in manual-operated mechs listened to these words, feeling deeply moved. An inexplicably strong emotion surged in their chests.
Their own weakness, the decline of manual-operated mechs, the doubts and mockery from all sides, as well as the confusion and anxiety of an unavoidable future – these were all things that manual-operated mech students had to face more than sensor-operated mech students.
To say they had never wavered would be false; to say they had always been optimistic and steadfast would also be false; to say they didn’t hate their own powerlessness while celebrating Cheng Feng’s victories would be even more false… But after Ji Ban laid bare these negative and even shameful feelings so bluntly, they suddenly seemed less important.
Difficulty had never been the real issue. The only thing they truly feared was having no path forward.
Ji Ban let out a breath and smiled. “Today’s commentary ends here. Thank you, Cheng Feng. Over these two days of analyzing her data, I’ve learned a great deal. And my thanks also go out to all you students – I can see the ambition and vigor of youth in you. I believe that before long, I will witness the brilliance of manual-operated mechs, created by your own hands.”
“We are unfortunately standing in a low point of the era, but I firmly believe that you are the upward flame. Do not stop!”
“See you in the Expeditionary Force. Good night.”
As his final words faded, the commentary video came to an end.
The audience watched carefully until the very end. After closing the webpage, they were left with an endless sense of emptiness.
This feeling was hard to describe. Everyone took a moment to collect themselves, and finally let out a sigh.
Although Cheng Feng rarely did live streams and didn’t interact closely with them, after today, there was nonetheless a lingering regret, as if this year’s qualifying tournament had already ended prematurely.
Even more netizens were frustrated: only now that Cheng Feng’s journey was over did they realize just how amazing she really was.
“San Yao really released this commentary video right on time. I’ve already got my pants on.”
“No wonder San Yao had the guts to do such a big promotional push – it turns out Cheng Feng was the one giving them that confidence.”
“151 wins, guys. When I think about it, it still feels like a dream number. I can’t wrap my head around it.”
“Ji Ban has basically vouched for her, right? Cheng Feng will most likely make it to the finals this year, as long as her performance doesn’t falter.”
“I’ll admit it now – Cheng Feng can be the outer flame of that upward fire, the hottest and fastest. But even a small spark can be extinguished. I want to be the outer flame too!”
“So manual-operated mechs really can be that powerful!”
“151 wins… Sorry, but that upperclassman is just too heartbreaking. Who knows how long it’ll be until the next person breaks the record? And your achievement today contains my failure. [Wailing cry]”
After a bout of melancholy, everyone remembered there was still one final closing video from Cheng Feng. They hesitated, unsure whether to watch it.
They guessed that with Cheng Feng’s arrogant personality and aggressive fighting style, she might unintentionally say something hurtful in the interview.
The verbal harm a strong person inflicts on the weak is incredibly heavy and sharp. The older generation of players were afraid they couldn’t handle it.
After wavering for a long time, they finally clicked play – masochistically.
