Gu Ya stood on the tongue of the beast, looking coldly at Mei Shanli’s mech and said, “Let me tell you, and everyone in our class!”
“Though I, Gu Ya, am a commoner, I am by no means a cunning person who would take advantage of someone in peril!”
“I, Gu Ya, act with integrity. I earned my spot in the Grade A class through my own efforts, fair and square!”
“I want to compete with you all on equal footing!”
With that, Gu Ya patted the giant serpent’s mouth. The serpent lowered him and then obediently coiled back into the jungle.
Mei Shanli stared blankly at Gu Ya.
Did he have a screw loose?
What was he talking about? He was a commoner, yet he spoke with such defiance.
“What right do you have to compete with us fairly?” Mei Shanli said, trembling.
“Are you relying on your perception test results from 20 minutes ago?”
“Ridiculous! You don’t even understand the basis of perception, yet you think being first in perception makes you better than us?”
Mei Shanli gradually emerged from her earlier shock and began to speak in her self-proclaimed noble tone.
“Even if it’s about skill, my second place in the preliminary Mech Mechanic Competition is no joke!”
Mei Shanli’s tone became increasingly confident.
“And Fan Mengtian and I are participating in the official Mech Mechanic Competition this year!”
“I heard this year’s topic is related to the recently popular mecha motorcycles.”
“Mecha motorcycles were created by a mysterious mechanic in Wuhe City. Their design philosophy is incredibly forward-thinking and unconventional.”
“That’s our spiritual idol!”
“You’ve probably never even heard of it, being a bookworm from the slums. Do you know how vast and wonderful the outside world is!”
Gu Ya sneered, shook his head, and said, “What a coincidence. It seems I will be winning the championship in this year’s mechanic competition.”
“Haha, you? Gu Ya, be careful not to fall to your death when you boast too much!” Mei Shanli suddenly laughed.
Gu Ya smiled confidently, no longer interested in dealing with this obstinate person.
He turned his gaze to the sky. At this moment, Fan Mengtian and Chen Xingke were engaged in battle with a divine soldier mech.
It seemed Fan Mengtian had escaped the missile barrage. He was indeed strong!
“Chen Xingke, I think I’ve found its weakness!” Fan Mengtian said.
“What weakness does it have? Tell me quickly!” Chen Xingke asked.
“It has no close-quarters combat capabilities!” Fan Mengtian replied.
Chen Xingke suddenly understood, but then he felt that Fan Mengtian had stated the obvious. He asked, “But how do we defeat it?”
“Having no close-quarters combat means we can break through the blockade of its long-range weapons and get close to it! We’ll use its own methods against it. Make its weapons attack itself!”
Chen Xingke’s eyes lit up, and he rejoiced, “Good heavens! Let its spear pierce its own shield!”
The two exchanged a knowing smile, briefly discussed their tactics, and flew towards the divine soldier mech.
Meanwhile, deep within the jungle, another group was observing the battle.
Xuan Lang watched Fan Mengtian and Chen Xingke’s fierce battle in the sky with a smile.
Jiang Tingyue reported, “Xuan Lang, Gu Ya has been located. He’s with Mei Shanli, and Mei Shanli’s mech is on the verge of destruction.”
“Oh?” Xuan Lang’s smile widened. “Meaning Gu Ya didn’t take advantage of the situation? Haha, that’s interesting.”
“What should we do? Take down both teams in one go?” Wei Yongji asked.
“Why the rush? We’ve eliminated four giant beasts. We can easily deal with one team later, and we’ll only be ten points away from success. Let’s enjoy the show. It’s not too late to make our move,” Xuan Lang said slowly.
Fan Mengtian and Chen Xingke dodged missiles and beam cannons, grabbing the left and right waist armor of the divine soldier mech respectively.
“Xingke! When its armor is damaged, we’ll attack its vulnerable parts together!” Fan Mengtian shouted.
As they predicted, the divine soldier mech unleashed dozens of tracking missiles. After a large arc in the air, they flew directly towards Fan Mengtian.
Seizing the opportunity, Fan Mengtian decisively let go. His mech entered a freefall, plummeting rapidly. The missiles hit the divine soldier mech one by one, from its waist down to its legs.
“Amazing!” Gu Ya exclaimed!
“Of course, our Fan Mengtian is known as the closest to Wang Shangmeng!” Mei Shanli said proudly.
“Wang Shangmeng?” Gu Ya asked. Brother Wu had mentioned him before, saying he was a very capable person.
“That’s right! He’s the war god of our Wuhe City Mech Guard!”
“Do you, a commoner, even know about the Wuhe City Mech Guard? That’s a team only the most elite mech pilots can join!” Mei Shanli spoke with pride, as if knowing about the Wuhe City Mech Guard was a great accomplishment.
Good heavens, she’s kicked all the iron plates on me, Gu Ya thought to himself. He suddenly found this girl to be endearingly ignorant.
Seeing Gu Ya’s silence, Mei Shanli felt even more smug. Don’t think you’re so great just because you can control snakes. You’re far behind my Mengtian! No, how can I compare him to Mengtian? What is he anyway!
In the sky, the divine soldier mech, battered by its own missiles, had a long crack appear in its armor.
Fan Mengtian and Chen Xingke seized the opportunity, quickly charging into the armor crack and wreaking havoc on the internal structure.
Without the protection of its armor, the divine soldier mech was like a fat cow being slaughtered. Cracking sounds emanated from its interior.
Within five minutes, the divine soldier mech suddenly sputtered and crashed straight to the ground.
The earth trembled violently, and dust billowed into the sky, forming a massive cloud. Countless giant trees were snapped.
The deafening crash resounded throughout the entire jungle.
All team members could hear it clearly, and even Shi Heping and Xie Fangbin outside the jungle heard it distinctly.
“Not bad, Fan Mengtian’s team is quite capable!” Xie Fangbin said with satisfaction.
Shi Heping nodded in agreement.
Xuan Lang watched the colossal mech that had been as tall as the sky collapse. His heart filled with joy. He said softly, “Now, let’s make our move.”
Fan Mengtian and Chen Xingke descended from the sky, landing steadily in front of Gu Ya.
Mei Shanli said excitedly, “Mengtian, you were so cool!”
Fan Mengtian smiled calmly.
Chen Xingke felt a hint of jealousy and said, “Don’t I look cool too?”
“You’re handsome too, but slightly less so than my Mengtian,” Mei Shanli teased happily.
“Tch! ‘Your’ Mengtian? What’s your relationship with Fan Mengtian? Haha!” Chen Xingke said.
“Alright, stop arguing,” Fan Mengtian reminded them. Suddenly, he opened the armor outside his cockpit and climbed out.
“Mengtian! What are you doing?” Mei Shanli asked in alarm.
Fan Mengtian jumped off his mech and walked to Gu Ya’s side. He extended his right hand and said solemnly, “Gu Ya, thank you. For protecting Shanli while we were fighting the divine soldier!”
Gu Ya was taken aback by his actions and numbly extended his hand, shaking it.
“Mengtian, what are you doing? Gu Ya was trying to harm me just now! He didn’t dare to act because I exposed him!” Mei Shanli shouted anxiously.
Fan Mengtian turned back and said coldly, “Shanli, both Chen Xingke and I heard what you said. You are too suspicious.”
“Ah?” Mei Shanli couldn’t believe her ears.
“Gu Ya stepped forward when our team was in the most danger, and he didn’t take advantage of the situation. What more do you want!” Fan Mengtian’s tone grew heavier.
Gu Ya secretly admired him. This Fan Mengtian not only had great skill but was also a good person, at least discerning.
Fan Mengtian turned to Gu Ya and said, “Gu Ya, you’ve made me see you in a new light. Especially what you said, we all heard it. You are a classmate worthy of respect!”
Gu Ya smiled faintly and said, “I just want a normal classmate relationship, fair and just, where strength speaks for itself.”
“Alright! I look forward to a fair duel between us as mech pilots in the future!” Fan Mengtian said with a smile.
Even Chen Xingke raised his mech’s right fist in agreement.
Gu Ya smiled and nodded at Fan Mengtian, saying, “Okay! We’ll be opponents next time we meet! I won’t hold back.”
With that, Gu Ya climbed into the cockpit, smoothly started his mech, and, carrying the giant serpent from the forest, flew towards the depths of the jungle.
But at that moment,
Mei Shanli’s terrified scream suddenly came from behind.
Gu Ya turned back and his heart suddenly stopped.