The activity hall was an open area, and at that moment, players in a dazzling variety of unconventional outfits were dashing back and forth.
Apart from the ordinary San Yao internet users, some were sporting the emblems of UFU, while others bore the insignia of First Military University. These were presumably all new students here for simulation training.
Cheng Feng spawned in the central area. Her declaration, hovering conspicuously above her head, was so eye-catching that even passing strangers couldn’t help but exclaim in surprise. It lived up to everyone’s expectations, managing to draw the aggro of the entire hall in less than five minutes.
For the San Yao internet crowd, players lacking self-awareness were a dime a dozen; clowns like this popped up every now and then. Their job was to make such people understand, both mentally and physically, just how vast this world really was.
The waters here ran deep. If you couldn’t handle it, you’d better not come back.
Of course, there were also those who refused to leave no matter what. In any case, it was a fight to the death between the two.
Consequently, the surrounding crowd voiced their anger and disdain without restraint. If San Yao’s system hadn’t automatically filtered out their profanity, the scene would have likely been a veritable sea of expletives.
“?? Holy crap, another one of these lunatics.”
“Dreaming the dream that never wakes…”
“Is this today’s after-dinner entertainment? And they’re actually from UFU. The admission standards at these universities always make me question the future of the Alliance.”
“Ever since UFU won four consecutive championships, they’ve been getting more and more full of themselves. Being this arrogant, will they be crying on their knees next year?”
“Can you tolerate this? What are you all standing around for, why don’t you go? Don’t make me look down on you all!”
“This shorty? Even if she kneels, I wouldn’t be able to see her.”
“If she doesn’t get tormented into changing her declaration and deleting her account today, every single San Yao player here is responsible!”
The crowd was so furious that Cheng Feng almost wondered if she had done something heinous.
She thought it wasn’t that bad, actually?
In terms of appearance, aside from adding a wig, Cheng Feng hadn’t changed much else.
A UFU student immediately recognized her. They felt deeply provoked and wanted to join in on the taunting, but didn’t quite dare, since Cheng Feng’s mecha piloting skill was still an unknown factor, and externally, they were considered to have shared interests.
The netizens around were still clamoring. Fearing that Cheng Feng might act impulsively and start a fight with them, the UFU alumni gathered around her and tried to persuade her gently, “Sis, how about changing it? Not that we think you’re wrong, of course, it’s just that this declaration doesn’t really suit your gentle, knowledgeable, intelligent, and calm personality.” “It’s not that we’re saying you can’t compare to them, but… well, to be honest, just looking at solo combat, I don’t think you’d necessarily be better than me.”
Cheng Feng shook her head in refusal. “The instructor wouldn’t agree.” This was the well-intentioned effort of a generation.
The students had finished logging in, and the instructor, now free, was monitoring the San Yao plaza through the screens at the back of the computer lab to ensure these mischie lot weren’t causing trouble. Caught off guard, he saw Cheng Feng’s declaration. Combined with the memory of her tone, he nearly spewed out his mouthful of water.
Cheng Feng…
Ah? So this was the “bright star”? Always able to overfulfill the tasks he assigned.
But really, that wasn’t necessary!
These people were blocking Cheng Feng’s view. After declining twice to no effect, she grew impatient and shooed them away with a wave of her hand, saying, “Everyone, move aside. I want to see the outside world.”
Countless lessons from history tell us that you can never save someone who is hell-bent on seeking death.
The young people hesitated for a moment, then stepped back to either side.
In the narrow path that opened up, Cheng Feng caught sight of Shen Dan once again.
She still wore that listless expression, as if emotions were a luxury for her. She glanced sideways at the declaration above Cheng Feng’s head for a few seconds, scratched her head, then turned and walked away nonchalantly.
That detached and languid air he carried made it seem like she was looking down on everyone.
She must have forgotten that just this morning, she had called her ‘Dad’.
Cheng Feng coolly averted her gaze as well, pretending she hadn’t noticed her.
On her interface, various battle invitation notifications kept ringing incessantly, piling up to over a hundred in a short time.
Ignoring the details, Cheng Feng randomly selected one of the applications and clicked ‘Accept Challenge’.
After the scene loaded, Cheng Feng realized she had entered a five-player free-for-all instance. The map was the most common type – a modern city, with five mechas scattered across different streets.
During the 30-second preparation period, the number of spectators in the room skyrocketed. Visitors were shouting to the players through the world channel, and the information in the comment section was refreshing at lightning speed.
“Here we go! Let’s see if the big talker really bites off more than she can chew.”
“Don’t go too hard, give them a little breathing room, otherwise it won’t be educational.”
“It’s hard for me to root for UFU in this match.”
“Requirements aren’t high, just last one minute at least.”
“How about a one-on-one instead? Otherwise, it’s just bullying. What if we make the girl cry?”
Cheng Feng ignored it all, opened the map, and confirmed everyone’s positions.
Her location was rather unfortunate, right in the middle of a three-mecha encirclement.
Although this was a solo free-for-all instance, barring any surprises, it was likely going to be four against one.
However, this could also be considered valuable intelligence. Sometimes, an encirclement had a much nicer name: “feeding.”
With the final three seconds of the countdown over, all five mechas moved simultaneously.
As expected, the other four mechas launched a coordinated assault on Cheng Feng. The tone in the comment section had already shifted to sympathizing with her and planning her retirement from the internet, when the black manual operated mecha nonchalantly began to transform on the spot.
All manual operated mecha pilots love to transform; it’s arguably the coolest and most brilliant moment for their machines, fulfilling the childhood fantasies of every mechanical enthusiast.
However, most pilots simply couldn’t leverage the advantages of each form. They would often finish the transformation and still be fumbling with the functions when their mecha was already destroyed.
Watching as three mechas closed in, and the most impatient one, the sniper mecha [Seven Stars], had even fired its cannons, the black mecha finally completed its transformation. It pounced towards the ground, hugging the terrain, and retreated from the scene in a concealed posture.
The incoming barrage exploded on the spot, sending a cloud of thick smoke billowing, with fragments of stone and debris from vegetation flying out within the haze.
While the pilot of [Seven Stars] was still searching for Cheng Feng’s trace, the black mecha had already moved outside his field of vision.
By the time he belatedly realized he was exposed, it was too late. Due to the extremely close range, he had no chance to utilize his arsenal of weapons before Cheng Feng blasted him head-on with a cannon round.
First blood!
Having successfully sniped [Seven Stars], Cheng Feng didn’t linger.
The manual operated mecha tore through the city map at breakneck speed. Using its momentum, it leaped upward off the enemy mecha’s “corpse,” simultaneously deploying several “tentacles” from its back. These latched onto the wall, allowing the mecha to stand vertically against it.
It had been so long since anyone had faced a manual operated mecha in battle that most had forgotten they even had the ability to scale walls.
This function was particularly difficult to master; one wrong move and you’d literally flip the mecha.
But the mecha under Cheng Feng’s control moved as if it were in its natural habitat. It deftly changed direction along the outer wall, raised its perspective to gain a height advantage, and struck at an enemy mecha on the opposite street without a moment’s hesitation.
In quick succession, two cannon blasts hit their mark with pinpoint accuracy while everyone watched with bated breath, their hearts in their throats. The shots also landed resoundingly on their faces.
Double kill!
The comment section went silent, with only a sporadic question mark or two expressing confusion.
Cheng Feng immediately pulled a U-turn, taking out the third mecha that had been chasing her, giving it no chance whatsoever.
Triple kill!
At that moment, the match timer just ticked over to 30 seconds.
The audience had spent 30 seconds mapping out Cheng Feng’s future retirement path. Cheng Feng, on the other hand, used 30 seconds to send three mechas down the road to the afterlife.
Glancing at the timer, their throats bobbed. It was as if they’d been grabbed by the necks, unable to utter a sound. Their smiles gradually faded, leaving only the twitching muscles at the corners of their mouths.
With three teammates down in succession, the sole survivor realized something was wrong and slowed down, trying to escape.
However, when it came to pursuit, the hand-operated mecha had achieved an overwhelming victory for the first time.
For Cheng Feng, after planning the route and switching forms, wasn’t this as simple as a 2D game?
The fourth mecha didn’t struggle for long before it was destroyed amidst the black mecha’s slick and unpredictable maneuvers.
This round was over so quickly, no one had expected it. The victory sign appeared before the audience could even come back to their senses.
Cheng Feng transformed back to the original form, hoisted a cannon barrel onto her shoulder, fired a blank shot into the air above her head, and then made a cool exit.
The scene was empty. The netizens’ worldviews lay shattered on the ground right alongside the mecha wreckage.
“??!!”
“It’s over just like that?”
“Damn! It’s a manual operated mecha!”
“After all these years, I never thought I’d have another chance to say to a manual operated mecha, ‘You’re so fast!'”
“Is that the legendary someone?”
“Did anyone record that? This round is definitely a top 10 highlight of the year!”
“What did I just watch? Is this something someone my age is allowed to see?”
“Sorry, didn’t catch that. Master, play another round, I want to send you tips!”
Back in the activity plaza, the way people looked at Cheng Feng had completely changed. They consciously kept a meter’s distance from her, a sign of respect for the victor.
Although the four mechas on the opposing side were only average at best, they themselves had no confidence in being able to so easily and quickly turn the tables in a one-versus-four disadvantage.
Those who had made flippant and sarcastic remarks were now feeling incredibly awkward, silently swallowing their words and reflecting on them privately.
Since the events had just occurred moments ago, it was hard for them to pretend nothing had happened. Only a few thick-skinned individuals lingered around Cheng Feng, trying to pump her for information.
Five minutes, just give them five minutes, and they’d have no psychological barrier left to cheering for the new leading figure in the San Yao manual operated mecha scene.
Cheng Feng opened her control panel and sensed something slightly off with the code. As she was verifying it, Shen Dan walked through the crowd towards her.
This friend’s attitude had shifted very naturally; there was finally a spark of something different in her eyes. With a familiar tone, she complimented, “You look pretty impressive.”
Cheng Feng lifted her chin and replied flatly, “Oh.”
Shen Dan asked, “Want to team up with me?”
As they were talking, the crowd, which had quieted down a bit, erupted into noise again.
Cheng Feng’s ears twitched. She switched to the local channel and discovered the players were cursing someone out by name.
“Help! Shen Dan has a new alt again, this time the new ID is ‘Love and Peace’!”
“What do Shen Dan and these two words have in common?!”
“This is exactly the noob who just swore to me she was amazing, sweet-talking me into losing two rounds with her. I wondered why her noobishness felt so familiar – turns out it was her!”
“San Yao, do something! Otherwise, what’s the point of the reporting system and banning accounts?”
“Shen Dan has become even more reckless since going to UFU, relying on the fact that school accounts can’t be banned to make a comeback. I propose a blacklist just for her, so she can’t plague innocent netizens except those from UFU!”
“Both are manual operated mecha pilots from UFU, why is the difference between a god and a mere mortal so huge?”
Cheng Feng: “??”
Shen Dan paused for a moment, then said, “Wait a sec.”
