Mr. Kong, who was observing the battle from a spectator’s view, was also stunned by this flashy maneuver.
The little darling – armed with multiple weapon bays, complex in structure, with an unpredictable center of gravity, and weighing a good several dozen tons – actually leaped into the air. When it landed, it made the surrounding ground and buildings tremble slightly. Anyone who saw it would find it terrifying.
Especially when the other side did it on purpose.
This combo of moves really shouldn’t be used at any time – if someone in the right mind used it, it would surely cause trouble.
Zhong Yijie’s mind was already slow to process things, and at this moment, there was no room for any thoughts at all. His head roared with the echoes of those two explosive curse words.
But his reaction speed was extremely fast. His extensive combat experience helped him make a decision in the very first instant.
Just like last time with Cheng Feng, he pushed his propulsion speed to the maximum and retreated rapidly. At the same time, he opened the weapon bays behind his shoulders and used artillery fire to hold back the enemy forces.
Zhong Yijie’s distinctive style was on full display, consistent from start to finish.
He had no regard for so-called defense. If he retreated, it might not be with full focus -but if he fought, he fought with everything he had.
The mech was equipped with observation systems of various functions across its different parts. At that moment, Zhong Yijie’s eyes darted left and right as he monitored the road ahead through the control panel while simultaneously confirming Cheng Feng’s position.
Zhong Yijie’s greatest talents lay in his sharp intuition and instantaneous information processing ability.
The constantly shifting field of vision, combined with the ultra-high-speed travel, came together to paint two scenes of extreme complexity. Viewers who stared for just two seconds already felt dizzy. Yet Zhong Yijie, throughout the chase, maintained a steady line of fire, pursuing Cheng Feng while firing relentlessly.
The dense barrage of gunfire tore the once-smooth road into pieces, sending dirt from under the roadside trees flying in all directions. The entire street was soon shrouded in dust and sand amidst the thunderous roar of artillery.
Wusu was like an ultimate engine of destruction – wherever it passed, a tumultuous wave of devastation trailed behind.
Yet the black mech remained resolute, charging out from the rear time and again, firing back with a cannon shot every now and then.
Once the manually operated mech switched to its piloting form, its chassis became more stable and its propulsion systems delivered even greater power, giving it an overwhelming advantage in the chase.
Cheng Feng was in no hurry to counterattack. Relying on smooth, curving trajectories, she raised a defensive shield in front of her mech and launched an aggressive pursuit.
The situation on the battlefield was somewhat similar to the first match, yet entirely different.
On one side, relentless firepower pressed the attack; on the other, extreme evasion pushed every limit.
Cheng Feng’s movements had clearly become more effortless and boldly aggressive. Some bullets did indeed penetrate her shield and strike her mech, but with their force diminished and none hitting critical points, the attacks proved ineffective.
Moreover, due to her headstrong, bulldozing style of offense, the attempts to pin her down also had little effect.
After several checks, Zhong Yijie could only confirm that Cheng Feng was drawing closer and closer, haunting him like a phantom from behind.
He was clearly the one unleashing overwhelming firepower, yet he could distinctly feel himself being manipulated.
The kind of manipulation where a dog tries to catch a rat.
This set off alarm bells in Zhong Yijie’s mind.
Zhong Yijie hesitated for no more than two seconds before immediately deploying two new artillery barrels mounted on his shoulders, launching a barrage with overwhelming firepower.
Just as the barrels were locking on, before the firepower could even be unleashed, Cheng Feng’s manual-operating mech suddenly veered. Tucking in its right wing, it slipped through a narrow side path.
Zhong Yijie had matched her speed, but he couldn’t keep up with her maneuver.
The manual-operating mech, having turned into the side street, vanished entirely from his field of vision. He had no choice but to swiftly switch to another control panel, using the red dot on the screen and the wildly fluctuating system data to track Cheng Feng’s position.
Cheng Feng hadn’t slowed down when making the turn. Instead, she seized the side of a building.
With her pulling against the wall, combined with the mech’s inertial momentum, even the structure – reinforced with special materials – visibly cracked.
Using this, the manual-operating mech adjusted its trajectory, slamming sideways into the wall. The thrusters immediately activated to reduce momentum and absorb the impact. Simultaneously, it rapidly transformed: both arms slid down along rails, and in less than a second, climbing aids were deployed, gripping the still-standing building as it advanced along the wall.
This fluid sequence, executed with commands devoid of any hesitation or delay, made even the typically unwieldy manual-operating mech appear agile and seamless – leaving the audience utterly dumbfounded.
Zhong Yijie had initially assumed Cheng Feng was seizing the chance to retreat, aiming to throw off his rhythm, and decided to intercept her on the adjacent street. Just as he was slowing down to adjust to her position, he saw the red dot on the map curve around, circling half the building – seemingly heading back to his street.
“Holy crap!”
Zhong Yijie cursed, voicing exactly what every viewer was thinking. He swung his shoulders around, activated the artillery barrels, and aimed them at the enemy mech’s position on the panel.
Heat gathered, red light blazed within the barrels – but just as the shots were about to fire, the manual-operating mech that should have been there didn’t emerge from the blinding glow.
Amidst the violently churning wind, Zhong Yijie jerked his gaze upward in shock. He watched as that mech clad in black metal armor leaped without hesitation from the collapsing high wall – and from mid-air, fired two shots straight at the defenseless Wusu.
While attacking him, the black mech also ruthlessly blasted two wind cannons at the ground to slow its descent, braced its defensive shield to the side, and rolled to complete its landing.
Rolling over was the worst nightmare for a sensor mech, because after a rollover, the damaged mech’s center of gravity became difficult to control, and the pilot inside the cockpit would also suffer from the impact of the aftershocks. Manual-operating mechs had no such concerns. Their unique transformable structure, the safety design of their detachable cockpit – they could do a full 360-degree flip without any problem.
The high-rise, battered beyond endurance, completely collapsed. The manual-operating mech stood back up tenaciously. Aside from minor abrasions on its right side from the impact and some damage to its base from the final cannon’s residual blast, there were no major issues.
He couldn’t tell if the light was white, red, or a riot of colors. Shut out by his closing eyelids, Zhong Yijie was gone.
After San Yao announced his defeat, Zhong Yijie’s brain finally resumed thinking, though his thoughts were rather scattered.
Just because her name was Cheng Feng (meaning riding the wind), why could she take off with a manual-operating mech that weighed several dozen tons?
Was there ever such a freakish model as hers in the manual-operating mech tutorials?
So wind cannons could be used for landing?
What was the safe altitude for the climbing function of a manual-operating mech? Had Cheng Feng violated operating regulations?
…And on another note, this mech designer’s aesthetic was pretty good. Just a little bit behind his Wusu.
By the time he had worked through all this, Cheng Feng had already voluntarily exited the battle scenario.
From the moment Cheng Feng made her first leap, netizens dared not make a sound. As the seesaw battle unfolded, culminating in an unexpected counterattack, the entire process was marked by an eerie silence. The tension was so palpable that no one dared breathe – it spread across countless internet connections, infecting everyone.
It was only when San Yao flashed the victory notification that the comment section erupted into two extremes. Dazzling strings of text and symbols flashed by in rapid succession, serving as outlets for screams and exhilaration.
The netizens’ ability to switch gears in an instant was nothing short of masterful – they had completely forgotten their earlier doubts about Cheng Feng.
“Absence makes the heart grow fonder. Cheng Feng’s six-day absence means we need a whole new brain to watch her!”
“Is this even the same person as last time? Her fighting style is completely different!” “I didn’t quite get those two mech forms. The transformation was only half-complete, so it looked a bit weird. But a win is a win – all hail Daddy Cheng Feng!”
“Where are the people who called Cheng Feng all talk and no action, a modern-day Zhao Kuo? Get on your knees!”
“Did Zhong Yijie throw the match? How did he lose like this?” “The post-technical-upgrade mechs have broader possibilities – manual-operating mechs might be entering a new era!”
“The woman who can steal my heart is truly extraordinary.”
Cheng Feng stood in the activity square without making any moves. People gathered around her like stars orbiting the moon, trying to talk to her, but she didn’t respond, her head lowered as if she had temporarily logged out.
Fifteen minutes later, netizens reported back.
“Damn! Cheng Feng is posting a guide!”
“Why does she love browsing forums so much? This isn’t the time to write a guide – say something about your victory, okay?”
“She writes guides and still gets mocked by amateurs. It’s thankless work. Forget it, girl.”
Mr. Kong had also let out a couple of shouts in an empty spot. After calming down a bit, he was reviewing the match recording.
He had just sent the video to his colleagues and started drafting a brief analysis when he caught sight of the netizens’ comments and eagerly went to check the San Yao forum.
The post Cheng Feng had published was titled “Personal Understanding of Manual-Operating Mech Transformations (Part 1)” – a very clear title. Inside were the results of her research from the days she had spent holed up without going out.
As a data analyst, she had truly taken data collection to the extreme. By combining her findings with the various functions of manual-operating mech transformations, her final conclusion was this: transformation doesn’t have to be completed in one go; it’s enough to have the key parts in place. This approach could save the time required to input several strings of code, which could then be allocated to other maneuvers.
The specific code connections had not yet been provided. But this approach had already elevated her already near-limit handling skills to a new level.
The netizens in the comments probably hadn’t read it carefully – they were all echoing her without principle. They also seemed to have missed the red-letter reminder at the bottom of Cheng Feng’s post: “Extremely low fault tolerance.”
Mr. Kong read through it once, the smile on his face stiffening. His heart raced with alarm as he finally realized what had felt so off about the match when he was watching it. Frowning, he closed the post.
Her way of overcoming the error rate was to go faster, stronger, and more reckless?!
Mr. Kong quickly issued a notification in the group chat, instructing members of the teaching and research team to remind all students that this guide was not suitable for normal people. They must not learn from it – it had no reference value. He would find time later to have a serious talk with Cheng Feng about life.
After finishing the message, Mr. Kong swiped his left index finger across the optical computer screen page.
The forum refreshed, and a new post by Cheng Feng appeared at the top of the homepage.
Previously, netizens had been locked in fierce debate over Cheng Feng’s true skill level. No matter how harsh the mockery, Cheng Feng had remained unmoved, appearing indifferent to praise or criticism. She had methodically continued posting various guides, only ever replying to one comment that wasn’t even particularly extreme.
Now, she had simply reposted her own reply.
“Forging a sword for ten years isn’t even long, and you can’t even wait ten days?”
@Ye Guicheng replied: “Ten days to forge a sword – is that blade still sharp?”
Wherever she went, netizens followed.
“Forging a sword, how could the blade be sharp? 【doge】”
“Sharp! But not as fierce as your charm!”
“May I politely ask if I can claim credit for this?”
“Let me borrow that sharpening stone – I’ll kneel and beg!”
“I’m totally awed. What do I do? The culprit takes no responsibility. Can I report a heart-starter to the police?”
Mr. Kong didn’t know whether to laugh or cry. The worry in his heart had largely dissipated.
This kid… she sure held a grudge after all.
