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墨書 Inktalez
The universe is vast, yet not obscure or dark; every Star System has one or several blazing fireballs, their light traversing light-years to illuminate two metallic giants.
The mechs on the spacecraft typically measure around five meters, still just a Drop in the Ocean compared to the expanse of the universe. However, at this moment, projected on the main display, even the screws between the two rail tracks are clearly visible.
Politeness is never one to shy away from attention. After sharing drinks with Jufeng at the Coffee House, his thoughts seemed inexplicably clearer. He casually pulled out a chair and sat down with a flourish, almost rushing back to his room to steal Tong Bailong's snacks, resembling a young man at the cinema.
"Guess who will win? Just so you know, I'm betting 100 bucks on the captain," he declared as the two mechs outside continued their warm-up. Inside the cockpit, a betting game had already begun. Politeness was not merely bluffing; he indeed pulled out a crumpled 100 Renminbi from his pocket.
In previous scenarios, Politeness often entertained himself alone, and everyone else would merely roll their eyes without even a scoff of interest. However, unexpectedly, as soon as Politeness placed his money on the table, others began to join in.
"I bet on Brother Jufeng," Civilization said casually, leaving behind a bill of the same denomination as Politeness's before returning to quietly watch the main display.
At first, Politeness was as surprised as everyone else, but moments later, a smile spread across his face as he eagerly urged others to place their bets. It was hard to imagine that such a refined martial arts master like Beautiful Youth would be so enthusiastic about such a mundane game.
The so-called White Wall Effect refers to how people hold reverence for an immaculate white Wall but feel free to deface one that has already been scribbled on. In other words, if someone initiates an action, others will naturally follow suit. Even Civilization, usually so cultured and refined, was drawn into this frivolity; how could the rest escape unscathed?
Situ Yu casually pulled out a large handful of cash without counting its exact value and placed it all atop Politeness's bill. Though he said nothing, everyone understood his intent.
Politeness glanced over casually; his expression shifted slightly but said little more. Civilization remained composed beside him, eyes glued to the display. Flower Snow Moon took a deep breath intentionally or unintentionally; Situ Yu, just returned to her side, keenly sensed this and felt a chill in her heart.
On the other side, Wade and Zhu Mao stared wide-eyed like the brilliant stars outside the glass window, momentarily incredulous. Were they not subordinates of that person? Why were two others betting on their boss's victory?
Seeing his boss's momentum strong, Wade thoughtlessly pulled out a handful of loose change and placed it on top of that stack of money. As for Zhu Mao, he swallowed hard with a hint of bitterness and cautiously retrieved a hundred-dollar bill from his pocket. After struggling internally for half a moment, he finally placed it atop the larger stack.
One side had only a solitary bill lying quietly while the other boasted an unstable pile of various denominations—a stark contrast indeed.
Flower Snow Moon seemed uninterested in participating; Tong Bailong took half from his pocket and carefully arranged it before placing it all atop Civilization's bill. Though lacking in grandeur compared to the other side's pile, it at least didn’t appear so meager.
As the farce concluded, the battle of mechs outside was about to commence.
The universe was like a night sky, with stars resembling moons, and the moonlight reflecting off the metallic armor, creating a particularly clear and crisp scene.
Suddenly, as if a flower bloomed in the dark of night, two Shells collided violently in the void, exploding in an instant. The unexpected event startled everyone in the cockpit, eliciting a chorus of gasps.
What they called "outsiders watching the excitement" was probably just this. Fortunately, not everyone present was completely clueless.
Wade's face lit up with excitement. "That's a Flame Shell! It's used in interstellar battles to signal and warn; it doesn't have much lethality."
Tong Bailong nodded vigorously, his eyes shining with enthusiasm. "The teacher mentioned this in class before. This kind of Flame Shell represents respect for the opponent during a Duel."
As they spoke, the two mechas outside quickly closed the distance. One of them extended its fist first; this was what they called an Iron Fist. Although it seemed insignificant in space, on Earth, such a punch could easily collapse a giant pine tree.
The other mecha didn't seize the opportunity immediately but reacted without hesitation. Its rear thrusters cooled down instantly, and as its body came to a halt, it used the momentum to tilt slightly, bending its elbow to brace against the Iron Arm that struck its shoulder. In the next moment, both mechas were pushed back by inertia from opposite directions, creating some distance between them again.
In their first encounter, it seemed evenly matched.
Few could discern any clear outcome; even Wade and Tong Bailong were too tense to speak.
They touched and then separated again. As one mecha retreated, it seized an opportunity to fire a Rocket Launcher from its right shoulder. The other mecha couldn't dodge in time; its bronze fist transformed into a large Thermal Sword, slashing vertically to detonate the bomb before it could hit. However, it still felt the power of the Rocket Launcher—the explosion sent it flying back quite a distance. Just as it steadied itself amidst the flames, the other mecha rushed in swiftly and landed another punch. This time, the latter couldn't react in time; bright flames flickered on its chest before it was sent flying far away, clearly injured.
While the first encounter yielded no clear results, this time the outcome was evident. It was only then that everyone remembered one crucial question and simultaneously asked Wade and Zhu Mao: "Who is Brother Jufeng?"
Wade couldn't help but smirk arrogantly; he felt that he could finally vent the grievances he had suffered earlier.
"The one in red is Bill."
Upon hearing this, everyone turned their gaze back to the main display and realized that the red one was relentlessly pursuing from behind while the blue one was fleeing in disarray ahead.
Wide-eyed, he suddenly chuckled, "Hehe, I've struck it rich this time."
...
Jufeng had taken a semester of mecha classes at Washing City and had grasped the basics of operating a mecha quite well. He could easily pilot it in circles for several thousand meters or fly back and forth without any issues. However, when it came to using shells, he was completely clueless. There was one time when Romain secretly attempted to shoot a shell at a moving target—a one-square-meter target two hundred meters away. In the end, four or five shells were fired in quick succession, but not a single one hit the mark.
This required long-term practice, but Romain had only been exposed to mechas for half a year.
As Romain piloted the mecha in a frantic escape, there was a pair of eyes filled with admiration watching him from a corner of the cockpit.
"Daddy, you're so cool! Hehe."
"Daddy, wow, you're amazing."
"Daddy, hehe..."
"…"
"Daddy, why aren't you fighting back?"
Throughout the chase and battle, Romain was gradually feeling overwhelmed and found it hard to pay attention to Chuyang's flattery. Suddenly, he recalled their conversation on the aircraft and remembered his greatest reliance.
Romain didn't want to lose; such a good little brother was not something to take for granted.
" Chuyang, is it true that you know how to operate a mecha?"
While controlling the mecha to dodge the stray bullets behind him, Romain sought help from his last lifeline. Due to a change in course mid-flight, they were no longer within the standard flight path, so some scattered meteorites floated in the void. Just as he was distracted by his conversation with Chuyang, he nearly collided with a rather large meteorite ahead. With some decent piloting skills, he barely managed to slip past it. However, Bill seized the opportunity and fired a shell that struck Romain's mecha right on its rear spine, sending sparks flying.
" Chuyang " glared resentfully at the mech not far behind, her eyes clearly filled with anger, yet she looked incredibly cute.
"Dad, I really can. We'll take the mech to the center of the Meteor Belt and use these meteors to fight him. Hmph, I refuse to believe we can't beat him."
At that moment, Jufeng dared not think any further; he was almost too eager to scoop up " Chuyang " and give her a couple of affectionate bites.
"Alright, Dad believes in you!"
It seemed that gaining her father's trust was an immense reward, as " Chuyang " began to giggle again.
Her laughter was crisp and particularly delightful amidst the rubble of the Shell.
(To be continued)
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