Chapter 1 Viper's Stream Blows Up

Viper's stream was going wild because nobody could figure out what had happened. How had a team fight turned so one-sided so suddenly?

"Viper, what happened? We're totally confused!"

"Damn, when did the Kailong's laser gun become more powerful than a sniper rifle?"

"I feel like the opponents' movements were all distorted. Did some of those shots hit them because they ran into the laser?"

Viper ended the match and stared blankly at the data on the screen, unable to say a word.

The anonymous Kailong had fired 56 shots, with 56 effective threats and 9 hits that caused damage.

Fifty-six shots weren't a lot; it was a small number. A laser gun like that should just be fired continuously, aiming in a general direction. This person was using it like a sniper rifle. What was even more terrifying was the 100% effective threat rate, meaning that every shot either hit or blocked the opponent.

As a sniper, Viper had never seen anything like this. At high ranks, there were no such stats unless someone was smurfing in a low-rank game, and even then, it would only happen once in a few hundred matches, and they wouldn't be using a conventional weapon like the Kailong.

"Viper, tell us what happened!"

"Yeah, how did this guy make the Kailong perform like a god-tier sniper?"

"Brothers, wait a moment. Of course, you can't understand this kind of pace. But as a former S-League player, I'm also completely bewildered." Viper opened the replay.

When they encountered the enemy, the Kailong was already rushing towards their location. The view switched to the Kailong, and everyone instantly held their breath.

At this moment, the Kailong was lowering its body, darting through the Kepler Jungle like a ghost, as if walking on flat ground, arriving at the battlefield in the fastest time with terrifying speed.

This support speed alone left countless people in the dust.

Upon entering the battlefield, the Kailong didn't immediately charge into the fray. Instead, it used the laser to alleviate the disadvantageous situation on the front lines. It wasn't an exaggeration to say that Kuhn and Xiao Chao were already on the verge of collapse. Of course, one aspect was that the opponents were also practicing and didn't immediately try to finish them off, probably wanting to achieve a "flawless" victory. But the Kailong's attack immediately changed the battle.

Snipers assisting on the battlefield was a common occurrence in team fights, but nobody did it like this Kailong. In slow motion, it could be seen firing several shots in succession, predicting the movements of targets in two directions.

This was like a "multi-faceted attack" in Go, and the Kailong, executing this precise multi-faceted attack, was still moving.

After slightly relieving the pressure on the front lines, the Kailong didn't try to immediately turn the tide. Instead, it moved closer to the sniper's location.

Because its judgment was to eliminate the sniper first.

Then, Viper was locked onto by the opponent, like a mouse just discovering a cat. Before the cat, Augustus J, could even get cocky, the Kailong interfered at the critical moment, saving Viper's life. Viper reacted accordingly, naturally displaying considerable skill. The Kailong didn't linger and immediately returned to support the front lines.

Mo Er and Zhuo Yimeng were in a two-on-one situation, having more than enough advantage. When the Kailong reappeared, Mo Er dodged the Kailong's attack and retaliated with a laser. At this moment, the slow-motion replay was shown.

Mo Er had skill, grasping the Kailong's general direction, and suppressed it with the laser gun's firepower. But the huge difference was revealed: Mo Er's suppression was only directional, while the Kailong's was precise.

Mo Er could still duck to dodge. The classic team often did this kind of emergency evasion training. The mecha's movement had considerable anticipation. However, the Kailong's successive attacks arrived just as Mo Er stood up.

Then, the Silver Fox mech was headshot. The moment of unpreparedness was frozen. Compared to the Kailong's perspective, it had actually executed a series of attacks while simultaneously rotating to dodge the opponent's attack, without even looking this way.

Viper rubbed his head. "I'm damn suspecting that I saw an illusion. Such an awesome prediction of getting-up attacks? Damn it, USE doesn't have a sniper like that!"

The match continued. Leipzig, piloting the Hurricane Zero, caught up with the Kailong. At this moment, the Kailong was actually planning to engage in close combat with the laser gun, which completely violated the principles of mecha melee combat.

At this distance, the laser was no longer effective.

Then Viper smiled wryly, "Facing an S-League player, he calmly performed a retreating flying shot plus an arcing 360-degree surround attack. This skill isn't that of a gunner. If this person used a titanium blade, he'd be even more powerful. Amazing, I'm convinced!"

"Viper, look at the bursts of fire earlier. It seems like he directly crippled the opponent's legs."

"Yeah, when did the laser's power become so strong? The mecha is like glass, exploding with a single touch."

"Ah, I didn't really pay attention to that." Viper rewound a few times to review the interference attacks. Indeed, there were a few shots that hit the opponent and caused serious damage. Viper didn't take it too seriously, but after being reminded, he realized something was wrong. The mecha's armor was made of special materials, providing considerable defense and reflection against lasers. Unless hitting a weak point, it generally required continuous attacks to cause significant damage.

In slow motion, the reason why the Silver Fox mech suddenly lost balance was that the laser hit the mecha's joint. Even the power of an ordinary laser gun could instantly cause serious damage to the mecha. This was the key turning point.

Viper watched the "Knee Destroyer" several times and suddenly seemed to remember something. He dragged the battle video back and re-extracted the Kailong's 360-degree spiral attack. "Brothers, something's not right here. This person's combat style is very efficient and concise, but this flashy attack is quite redundant, a bit..."

Viper vaguely felt something, but he couldn't believe it. Could someone really be playing like this at such a high rank?

Then the shooting trajectory was extracted, which was relatively easy to capture.

The Kailong used the laser to blast out a large heart shape.

Viper and the viewers in the stream were dumbfounded...

At this moment, Li Hao was being teased by A Youyou, "Second Brother, how many girls have you used this trick on?"

Li Hao's face instantly turned into a bitter smile. "Didn't you tell me to express love through combat?"

A Youyou giggled in his ear. Captain Li realized he was being teased and wanted to pinch her cheek. She was truly a captivating little elf.

"A Youyou, when are you coming back?" Li Hao suddenly asked.

A Youyou licked her lips. "It'll be many days yet. I have to go back to the moon first before I can come find you. What's wrong, do you miss me?"

Li Hao was silent for a moment. Just as A Youyou was about to speak,

"Yes, I miss you, I miss you very, very much," Li Hao suddenly said.

A Youyou clenched her small fist, and a blush slowly appeared on her fair face. "Me too."

Originally, he was supposed to be gathering material, but in this kind of atmosphere, Li Hao had no fighting spirit. Actually, if he had to choose a hobby, he would rather deliver takeout.

"Second Brother, should I sing for you?"

Li Hao nodded vigorously.

"Wait a moment, I'll change my clothes," A Youyou said, since singing required a sense of ceremony.

Change clothes?

Li Hao was confused, but when A Youyou came out, Li Hao's eyes widened and his throat made a gulping sound.

Fan service!

As the time approached, the atmosphere of the mid-season training camp became increasingly intense. Unlike the S-League, the importance of the mid-season competition lay in the internal recognition of the major federations. Simply put, the S-League could be appreciated by both professionals and non-professionals, while the mid-season competition was a professional assessment and a recognition of the level of the military academies by the federations. The players participating in the mid-season competition represented their military academy and would directly affect their military academy's evaluation for a considerable period.

In recent years, the state of Tianjing Mecha Academy had exhausted the glory that Wu Xun had established at the beginning. If not for Li Hao's sudden emergence, this year's mid-season competition would have been over. Now, it was crucial for Long Dan Ni. If she failed in the mid-season competition, she would definitely be removed as the principal. No matter what, they had at least participated in the previous session.

Moreover, it was said that there would be major changes to the rules of this year's mid-season competition, and the principals of the major military academies were kept in the dark. The only thing that was certain was that the mid-season training camp had become a real mid-season training camp, rather than one held solely for the sake of the S-League. The previous failures had already told USE that holding a small-scale internal war was meaningless for the S-League.

A total of 36 teams had qualified to participate in this year's mid-season competition, but unlike in the past, when all teams could participate in the S-League, this year only 16 teams from the entire USE could participate. The mid-season competition would directly eliminate 20 teams.

This also meant that the S-League would be streamlined, and the importance of the mid-season competition for the major federations would be greatly increased.

In other words, part of the S-League's main competition before the main event was handed over to the internal organization of each federation. This was also to balance the level of the four major federations. When participating in the S-League together, NU P's overall level was too high, and no matter how the mechanisms were adjusted, it would still suppress the other three major federations, even leading some teams to make it their ultimate goal to enter the main competition.

This reform improved the quality of the mid-season competition and ensured that there would be no more muddling through in the S-League. Only truly strong teams could stand on the highest stage of the S-League.

This change had already been introduced and had caused widespread discussion. The most dissatisfied were of course the NUP, who ultimately wanted to turn the S-League into an internal war. The current situation had obviously increased the difficulty for them to win three consecutive championships.

And on Earth, many military academies were also wailing because entering the S-League was also an important indicator and a fig leaf. You're an S-League team, and so am I. You didn't win the championship, and neither did I, so we're about the same.

The USE military directly announced that this mid-season competition would be a fight to the death, and all participating players had to sign an accidental death waiver.

Li Hao and the others were also called to the principal's office. Long Dan Ni explained the situation in detail, and each of them had a copy of the "Waiver" in front of them.

Li Hao and Wu Zang wouldn't be surprised, but Ma Long and Zuo Xiaotang were a little troubled. Ma Long felt that this was different from what he had imagined, while Zuo Xiaotang was simply afraid of dying.

"Principal, are you playing this big this time? Could there really be a risk to our lives?" With his increasing strength, Ma Long now dared to speak loudly in front of Long Dan Ni.

Long Dan Ni looked at Ma Long. "There are certain accidents in every year's mid-season competition. The individual component requires testing a soldier's limits. If you're afraid of risking your life, why did you take the military academy exam?"

Ma Long's mouth twitched. It was because Tianjing Mecha Academy had many beautiful women. Principal, you look good too. If he didn't have Sheng Man, he wouldn't mind a cougar relationship.