Cheng Feng doesn’t care, but everyone else certainly does.
Jiang Linxia asked excitedly over the command channel, “Whose points are these?! Whose?!”
Chen Huayue said, “Probably split evenly.”
But the points deducted for the attacking side destroying buildings were only half of what the defending side would lose.
“Don’t panic.” Chen Huayue tried to calm him down while repeatedly muttering to himself, “Once the mechs actually start fighting, the city gate definitely won’t hold. It’s necessary. It’s necessary.”
Even as he said that, his chest still ached with a gnawing, clawing pain. He really wanted to shout “Stop!” at Cheng Feng.
In the blink of an eye, the White Team’s numbers had dropped by 36.
Almost everyone was caught off guard by this turn of events – including the NPC who had agreed to let UFU pilot the other two mechs. He was utterly stunned.
He now had access to the communication channel, so he was certain that the two pilots hadn’t exchanged a single word throughout the entire fight. Cheng Feng had devoted all of his attention to observing details and providing support from the sidelines.
He began to question whether giving all the mech piloting slots to UFU had actually disrupted game balance more than summoning the expeditionary forces would have. His face tense, he asked dryly, “Were they partners before? Does the league have a duo category?”
Shen Dan stared blankly, shaking his head, and said dazedly, “Who knows. Telepathy, I guess.”
“Are they a couple?” the NPC asked in shock. “They got together at such a young age?”
Shen Dan was equally shocked and forgot all about what she was doing. “What are you thinking?”
The NPC said, “Otherwise, why are they so infuriating?”
“They’re so likable!” Shen Dan clenched his fist in encouragement. “Go, roommate!”
Tao Rui felt the twitch in his right eyelid start to spread upward, and now even the muscles at the ends of his brows were twitching slightly.
After Xiang Yunjian wound up for a heavy strike, Thunderstorm, who had found an opening, struck back from behind him. But before the nearby Breaking Army could follow up, the persistent Cheng Feng was already attacking again.
The manual-operated mechs were getting closer and closer. At this range, a single cannon shot wouldn’t completely destroy the three mechs, but the White Team members who had just fled to the mountains for safety would lose at least several hundred people.
The two of them didn’t dare slack off. Breaking out in cold sweats, they darted glances toward their partner, reading his next move from the slightest micro-movements. Holding their breath, one focused on intercepting while the other kept up the entanglement with Xiang Yunjian – dividing the work between them, trying to disrupt the rhythm of the duo.
None of them had ever worked together before, but in this kind of emergency, they had no choice but to trust their teammates. Strangely enough, that very necessity gave rise to a rare, unspoken synergy.
Seeing Thunderstorm follow Xiang Yunjian deeper in, Tao Rui urged anxiously, “Push them toward the city gate! Don’t let them come over here!”
But commands like that felt far too feeble in this moment.
In this kind of life-or-death duel where every split second counted, neither a data analyst nor a commander could do much – it all came down to individual combat skill.
The team with two-time individual MPV winners clearly had the upper hand.
This was Tao Rui’s miscalculation.
He truly hadn’t expected entering the city to be this difficult. He had anticipated some resistance, but certainly not such a crushing disparity.
That was why he had positioned his troops less than a kilometer behind the mechs – to allow the main force to seize the right moment and launch a full-scale assault into the city.
But given the current situation, that decision had turned into a grave mistake.
Xiang Yunjian was now already operating along the edge of their main force. Even if Tao Rui timely dispatched his soldiers to retreat up the mountain, they were still trapped in a passive position.
At this rate, it felt more like they were the ones defending the city.
The White Team had never been this humiliated before!
Tao Rui knitted his delicate brows and muttered hesitantly, “Are Xiang Yunjian and Cheng Feng’s skills really that… ridiculous?”
That was the only word he could find.
Infantry analysis wasn’t a core focus for Class B commanders, but Tao Rui had indeed analyzed both of their data – and it was only two months ago.
It shouldn’t be like this. It really shouldn’t. Xiang Yunjian clearly didn’t have that kind of overwhelming dominance in the infantry competition.
“I knew this scene looked familiar!”
Jiang Linxia watched the frontline footage from Xiang Yunjian’s perspective through his optical computer. A flash of realization struck him like lightning, and it suddenly all clicked. He slapped his thigh hard, half-laughing and half-yelling. “A god-tier support! Cheng Feng could even turn someone like Shen Dan into an MVP with her as partner – pair her with Xiang Yunjian and of course they’re going to take off!”
Shen Dan was unhappy. “Focus on your own. Leave me out of this.”
The infantries were stunned for a moment, then snapped out of it and started cheering, every cell in their bodies vibrating with excitement.
Before this, it was mostly hand-operated solo fighters who had been begging Cheng Feng to carry them, and they hadn’t taken it seriously. Now they realized – they’d been thinking too small.
An exceptional support player was never limited by their own equipment – they could elevate any type of teammate to the top!
Once they understood that, the possibilities suddenly opened up wide!
Cheng Feng and Xiang Yunjian were still in the middle of combat, so the examinees didn’t dare cause a ruckus on the command channel. Instead, they jumped over to the expeditionary force’s comms channel and started shouting nonsense.
The NPCs grimaced and covered their ears, feeling like thousands of bees were buzzing around them in surround sound. Even the patience they’d cultivated over so many years nearly gave out.
Just end it all already, you bunch of blockheads.
Just as the UFU crew was celebrating wildly, Xiang Yunjian lived up to expectations and charged straight into the White Team’s main force like a breaking wave.
The White Team examinees had already scrambled up the hillside like they were fleeing for their lives, caring nothing for formation or dignity.
Even with Thunderstorm helping to hold them back, Xiang Yunjian’s deliberately sweeping, forceful movements still reaped over a hundred kills among those who couldn’t retreat in time, all through his agile footwork.
Before the battle, Tao Rui had thought the mechs’ batteries were too low and their effectiveness limited. Now he only felt that time was dragging on endlessly. He kept checking the data on his optical computer, calculating when those two killing gods would run out of power.
Xiang Yunjian’s power consumption had been maxed out from the start, and he was using boosters to enhance the lethality of his melee weapons. With that kind of aggressive, domineering piloting style, he probably couldn’t even last 20 minutes.
If the mech’s outer shell took heavy damage and caused significant power drainage, maybe it could only hold out for 10 minutes.
Tao Rui patiently counted the explosions in the air, his hands clenched into fists resting on his knees, suppressing the turmoil in his heart. When two red flashes streaked across the chaotic sky again, his heart relaxed slightly, and a flicker of joy passed through him – Cheng Feng’s arsenal had finally run dry!
He called out, “Now!”
In her hyper-focused state, Cheng Feng’s language processing had slowed. Her eyes swept across the control panel, and she said only one word, “I…”
Xiang Yunjian already understood – to be precise, he had already pulled back in advance, coming over to switch positions with Cheng Feng.
Cheng Feng felt an overwhelming sense of relief. How could there be such a perfect partner? She almost wanted to stay by his side forever.
The manual-operated mech moved forward while Xiang Yunjian fell back, and the battle line of all four mechs briefly advanced as well. The White Team finally felt the immense pressure above their heads ease somewhat.
“You guys seem pretty happy, huh?”
Cheng Feng drew a long blade from each side, swept past the approaching Xiang Yunjian, and planted herself in front of the two mechs.
“I can fight too, you know. Taking on two at once isn’t a problem for me.”
Thunderstorm’s pilot didn’t consider himself a hot-tempered person. But after being suppressed by Xiang Yunjian and Cheng Feng this whole way, he felt that holding onto his composure wasn’t worth it anymore. Gritting his teeth, he yelled, “Die!”
Xiang Yunjian continued forward, widening the distance between them to find an opportunity for suppressive fire.
The manual-operated mech had no dominant hand – it aligned its direction and struck out with both arms simultaneously, one thrusting forward and the other slashing sideways. It genuinely seemed intent on taking on two enemies at once.
Breaking Army had been aiming at Xiang Yunjian and was forced to block the attack.
Thunderstorm didn’t dodge – he took the hit head-on, then seized the opportunity to grab the extended left wing of the manual-operated mech, locking it in place.
Xiang Yunjian was one thing, but now a manual-operated mech was charging in to brawl with them at close range? Who did they think they were? And two against one?
He grinned, certain that Xiang Yunjian wouldn’t dare fire, and was about to take down Cheng Feng to boost his morale – when suddenly the resistance in his hands gave way.
He focused and saw that all that remained in his grip was a severed metal section. The manual-operated mech had cut itself loose like a gecko shedding its tail, and had already scurried out of sight.
Thunderstorm was genuinely stunned by this escape trick. Breaking Army beside him hadn’t been on guard either – still focused on Xiang Yunjian, he’d forgotten to block the way.
Both of them turned around at the same time and realized: Cheng Feng had never intended to fight them at all. This unscrupulous commander had planned from the very start to slip past them and head straight back into the heart of the White Team’s territory.
Their vision went dark – they knew this was bad. In the heat of battle, they had forgotten that the real focus was the group of comrades behind them. Tao Rui sucked in a sharp breath and shouted hoarsely, “Fall back!”
And at that moment, Xiang Yunjian had already adjusted his angle – controlling the distance while opening fire toward the mechs.
Thunderstorm and Breaking Army’s pilots instinctively let out a roar – but with the background noise and the fury behind it, it sounded more shrill than intimidating.
The shout drew the attention of the two heavy mechs nearby, whose offensive had been slowing down. The pair, who had been fighting quite harmoniously, turned to look their way. Amidst the grand spectacle, they craned their necks, completely out of the loop, watching the flames collide and fade in the air, followed by billowing smoke.
Fine particles drifted across the sky, even dimming the light slightly.
Xiang Yunjian’s firepower was even more direct than Cheng Feng’s – he didn’t bother with precision aiming, only focusing on area-of-effect attacks.
Area attacks prioritized wide coverage; accuracy could be somewhat overlooked. The two White Team pilots were driven to their wits’ end by his crude and savage tactics.
While they struggled to intercept, Cheng Feng made her move too – ignoring damage to her own mech, she charged straight at the troops clinging to the mountain wall.
For a sensor-operated mech, this would be self-destructive, but the manual-operated mech could transform, giving it a natural advantage when it came to causing destruction.
The White Team members, who had thought they were temporarily safe, barely had time to flee again before they saw the black mech tumbling up the mountain and crushing toward them with utter disregard for reason.
In the span of a single breath, accompanied by all kinds of screams, over a hundred had already fallen.
Tao Rui’s eyes were nearly red with rage. He took a deep breath to suppress the boiling fury inside him. He asked anxiously, “How much power is left?!”
Thunderstorm replied in an equally sour tone, “We’ve got about 15% left. Those two should be under 10%!”
Cheng Feng and Xiang Yunjian had taken heavy damage to their mechs in order to rack up kill scores, and their energy consumption was high – they would definitely break down before Thunderstorm and Breaking Army did.
Tao Rui calmed down a little and said, “Hold steady. If we can outlast them, we’ll have a chance to turn the tide.”
Thunderstorm turned back to stop Cheng Feng’s slaughter.
The manual-operated mech didn’t have the advantage in close combat, and Cheng Feng wasn’t holding onto unrealistic expectations. She’d achieved her goal – what remained now was to kite and wear them down.
She curved back in retreat and called out a number. “8%.”
Xiang Yunjian replied, “6.”
Cheng Feng said, “I’m coming!”
The exchange between the two was disjointed and cryptic, but each knew exactly what the other meant.
Xiang Yunjian’s remaining task was to empty the weapons arsenals of the two opposing mechs, so he started blasting away even more wantonly.
His energy drained like a sluice gate had been opened. By the time he finished firing off his remaining shells, he had only 2% power left.
The enemy Breaking Army noticed something was wrong and accelerated, calling out his teammate’s name in an attempt to coordinate and trap him.
But Cheng Feng accelerated too!
The manual-operated mech once again demonstrated its structural superiority. It detached two components to shed weight and, at an unreasonable speed, shot forward like a rocket – blazing past Breaking Army. With its last 1% of power, it lunged forward and threw itself in front of Breaking Army, buying Xiang Yunjian a brief window to escape.
Breaking Army couldn’t decelerate in time and collided head-on with her sudden “ghost peek.” In that instant, all the pent-up frustration, suffocation, and fury inside him ignited like fireworks – crackling and popping into a single, all-too-familiar curse.
“FUCK!”
Everyone could understand that sentiment. Even the San Yao admins didn’t issue a profanity warning.
Time and again, Cheng Feng had struck right at their most vulnerable point. Anyone with a weak heart might have actually gotten themselves hospitalized from sheer rage.
Before long, Xiang Yunjian’s mech ran out of power too, and the cockpit was automatically ejected, landing on the ground.
The NPC floored the armored vehicle’s accelerator and sped over at full throttle to provide backup.
Piloting the mech had drained Xiang Yunjian’s physical strength considerably. It took him a while to unstrap his equipment and climb out of the hatch.
The night was deep and dark; on the empty street, only his lone figure was sprinting with all his might.
Cheng Feng’s mech blocked part of the firing angles for him, but the White Team had been pushed to their absolute limit this time. In an instant, countless bullets still came flying from the oblique rear, and one stray shot struck Xiang Yunjian in the thigh.
Xiang Yunjian winced in pain, stumbled, and dropped to one knee.
Behind him, the roar was deafening. “KILL!”
The air was thick with the smell of gunpowder.
Xiang Yunjian was drenched in sweat and momentarily weak; he tried twice but couldn’t get back on his feet.
The armored vehicle arrived just in time. Cheng Feng pushed open the side door, and her voice carried through the night wind. “Xiang Yunjian!”
Xiang Yunjian looked up and reached out his hand toward her.
The vehicle didn’t stop. In the brief moment they passed each other, Cheng Feng grabbed Xiang Yunjian’s hand and yanked him up with all her strength.
Before the man could even get aboard, the driver made a sharp U-turn and sped back the way they came.
Xiang Yunjian was thrown sideways by the momentum, nearly dragging Cheng Feng off with him. Fortunately, he grabbed the door frame with his right hand, mustered his last ounce of strength, and pulled himself up.
The moment he got on, his legs gave out and he pitched forward, his full weight collapsing onto Cheng Feng.
Cheng Feng winced from the impact, struggled to steady him into a seated position, then leaned over to close the door.
Shen Dan sat in the passenger seat, also dizzy from the motion, and said, “You drive a little wild, don’t you?”
“Wild?” The NPC replied expressionlessly. “That’s just how our unit drives. You’re just not used to it yet.”
Cheng Feng wanted to say he was deliberately getting back at them, but this wasn’t the time. She swallowed hard, raised her trembling fingers to adjust the channel, and ordered everyone, “Middle lane – all units, prepare to engage!”
“YES MA’AM!”
The combined shout from over three hundred UFU members nearly drowned out the White Team’s battle cries in the background.
Xiang Yunjian smiled at the sound, but the movement tugged at his wound, making the corner of his mouth twitch in pain. He gave himself a hemostatic injection to avoid being declared KIA before the match ended – and costing UFU a a precious kill count.
Cheng Feng rummaged through her pack, pulled out bandages, and began dressing his wound.
From the back seat came the sound of their ragged, labored breathing.
After a quick patch-up, Cheng Feng rested one hand on the back of the front seat and finally had a moment to ask, “How many kills? Do we have a specific count?”
