In another corner of the选手休息机库, a woman wearing a loose black jumpsuit was intently watching the mecha data.
A black and white "Hecheng She" logo was affixed to her chest.
A tall, thin man walked over and asked, "President Lingling, the kid you mentioned this afternoon, Jude of Wu Jia, he won."
Lingling replied, "Hmm, he seems quite capable."
"President, don't you find it strange? To be able to climb to the mecha's shoulder in less than a second..."
Lingling raised her hand to stop the man from speaking and said softly, "I understand what you mean. Go on with your work. I've already asked someone to investigate this."
The man bowed his head and left silently.
Lingling glanced sideways, her peripheral vision fixed on Gu Ya in the distance, lost in thought.
...
The second match was between Zhou Hu and Lu Yan.
On the battlefield, both sides had fought fifty rounds without a clear winner.
Zhou Hu's Black Pouncing Beast was entirely black, with only an orange-red stripe running from the center of its head to its groin.
Its body was short and stout, with heavy armor, but its thrusters covered its entire back.
It resembled a powerful tiger.
In contrast, Lu Yan's Deer Eater was tall and proud, with two antler-shaped antennas pointing straight up into the sky, much like a stag.
The announcer explained, "These two are old rivals. Two years ago, Zhou Hu was surprisingly defeated by Lu Yan, and last year Zhou Hu gained the upper hand. We wonder who will win this time!"
The Black Pouncing Beast roared, spewing flames as it charged forward on all fours.
The Deer Eater leaped lightly, a beam saber emerging from its hand, stabbing precisely.
The Black Pouncing Beast targeted its opponent's wrist, biting down and instantly shattering the armor.
The broken wrist of the Deer Eater immediately spewed bubbling liquid, smearing the Black Pouncing Beast's head.
Just as the Black Pouncing Beast's vision was obscured, the Deer Eater soared up and struck the Black Pouncing Beast's rear thrusters multiple times with its beam saber.
The Black Pouncing Beast blindly grabbed the Deer Eater's leg, opening its massive jaws and tearing off a piece of armor.
This was already the fifth time both sides had used self-mutilating tactics to counter each other.
They traded blows back and forth, neither gaining an advantage.
Gu Ya watched with great interest, marveling inwardly.
If this was how mecha battles were fought, then his own few experiences piloting mechas were like child's play.
He was nowhere near their level.
Gu Ya's heart began to panic, his earlier ambition doused like cold water.
Zhou Hu's piloting skills were extremely high, worthy of being called an elite pilot.
And he was still a beginner without a mecha.
Even with skill buffs, with his current strength, if he were to truly battle Zhou Hu, Gu Ya wouldn't even know how he died.
"The battles ahead will only get harder. The urgent priority is to get a mecha!"
Gu Ya sighed inwardly.
On the battlefield, the two sides continued.
Zhou Hu shouted provocatively, "Lu Yan! Your wife is so hot! Bring her out for drinks sometime!"
"Go to hell! Your mother's illness seems incurable!" Lu Yan retorted without backing down.
The verbal sparring was another highlight of the bounty battles. Good taunts could disrupt the opponent's state of mind and gain a psychological advantage.
Zhou Hu laughed and charged again, more ferociously than before.
Lu Yan couldn't dodge in time and was caught by Zhou Hu around the waist.
"Not good!" Lu Yan shouted.
But it was too late. The Black Pouncing Beast opened its massive mouth and bit down on more than half of the Deer Eater's waist.
"Lu Yan, go back and train well, we'll fight again next time! Hahaha!"
The Black Pouncing Beast bit down hard, and with a "boom!" sound,
The Deer Eater was bitten in half.
The Black Pouncing Beast pulled upwards, tearing off numerous cables and power conduits.
The Deer Eater, broken at the waist, its upper and lower sections overlapping, crashed heavily backward, unable to move again.
The announcer declared loudly, "Unexpected yet reasonable! The winner is! Zhou Hu!"
Seeing this, Gu Ya broke out in a cold sweat.
Zhou Hu's mecha performance was indeed powerful, especially its sharp teeth and strong jaw.
Being bitten meant almost certain defeat.
What should he do?
He had just boastfully declared he would defeat the opponent, but the opponent's strength was overwhelming. Gu Ya had indirectly embarrassed himself.
There had to be a way!
Gu Ya encouraged himself inwardly.
Just then, he saw the woman who had given him a ride on her motorcycle that afternoon.
The woman was standing in front of two mechas, talking with a few mechanics. She looked like either a mecha pilot or a boss behind the scenes.
Gu Ya thought about whether he could ask her for help.
Even if it was just to borrow some mecha parts.
But Gu Ya felt it would be too presumptuous to openly ask for a loan.
After much deliberation, he decided to take a gamble.
Lingling was in the middle of instructing the mechanics when Gu Ya walked over.
"Sister!" Gu Ya greeted with a smile.
"Oh, little victor Jude. I watched your match, it was quite good! My name is Lingling, you can call me Sister Ling."
The mechanics beside Lingling blocked Gu Ya, looking at him warily, ready to drive him away.
After all, this was an all-mecha pilot bounty battle. Those not from the same alliance or guild were enemies.
And if the other party approached them, it was likely with ill intentions.
Lingling waved her hand and said with a smile, "It's okay, we know each other. You guys go ahead and work, I'll talk to him alone."
The mechanics bowed their heads and left obediently.
"So, little victor, what can I do for you?" Lingling asked with a casual smile.
Gu Ya made up his mind, his heart pounding with trepidation, but he got straight to the point, "Sister Ling, I was wondering, uh, if, could I borrow your mecha?"
Lingling smiled. She had anticipated that Gu Ya was here to ask for a favor but was too embarrassed to say it directly. This was a bounty battle, and everyone around was an enemy.
Lingling said, "I'm sorry, little brother, I can't agree to that."
Gu Ya nodded. This was exactly as he had expected; the other party would surely refuse.
Gu Ya bid farewell to Lingling and was about to turn away when Lingling called out to him.
"Little brother, can I ask you a question?"
"Go ahead, Sister Ling," Gu Ya replied readily.
Lingling was not polite and asked directly, "About your background, where do you live, do you have any relatives, parents?"
Gu Ya found Lingling's questions somewhat odd. This was a mecha bounty battle, and most people used aliases, especially newcomers like Gu Ya with no background.
For her to ask about his family, it felt a bit like she had ulterior motives.
Lingling saw Gu Ya's hesitation, smiled apologetically, and said no more.
As Gu Ya walked away, a man in a black suit hurried over.
He leaned into Lingling's ear and whispered, "President, I've found something."
"Speak."
"Gu Ya, 17 years old, lives in the slums of the 12th wastewater treatment area. He has a sister at home, no parents. He's currently in his third year at the preparatory mecha pilot school and will participate in the official mecha pilot selection exam next year."
"Continue."
"His grades at school are at the bottom. He's known as a complete idiot when it comes to mecha repair and piloting. But strangely, a few days ago he suddenly became smart. Students say that in a practical test, he defeated the top student in the class."
A subtle smile appeared on Lingling's face, and she said softly, "Interesting."
"We found this at his home." The man pulled out a miniature storage drive and handed it to Lingling.
"Mmm, what else? Was the pheromone collected?"
"It was collected. Yours and your sister's. It has already been sent for analysis, and the results should be out by next week at the earliest."
Lingling nodded, signaling the man to continue with his work.
She turned around, looked at Gu Ya's retreating figure, and smiled thoughtfully.
This kid is not simple.