Chapter 681: Chapter 682: Passing the Preliminary Selection
Nian Shutong’s final jesting remark had filled Ji Sisi with determination. She waved a small fist towards the direction of the three and declared, “Mr. Nian, I’m off to make us some money!”
After finishing her declaration, Ji Sisi entered the competition arena with vigor, leaving Nian Shutong to shake his head and chuckle.
Why did everyone on Blue Star feel the need to make money for her? Was she really that obvious?
“Let’s go to the stands.”
Lian Qing had been waiting and slightly led the way forward. Once the three of them finally sat down, Nian Shutong had a chance to survey the entire venue.
The venue resembled a sports stadium but was several times larger than a typical one, with a spacious central area and tiered, backless seats around it.
Nian Shutong and her group had found seats around the fifth row, which was quite decent.
“Dou Dou, do you see your mom?”
Dou Dou was also looking around; there were many people below, and he hadn’t spotted her yet.
“Auntie, Dou Dou can’t find her.”
“No worries, take your time.”
The two continued to look downwards. The venue was divided into several sections, each destined to host a certain proportion of competitors.
Judges in each section would score the participants, selecting the top two hundred, and the rest would be eliminated.
These two hundred contestants would then compete the next day, narrowing down from two hundred to one hundred, one hundred to fifty, and fifty to twenty.
The final twenty would move on to Zone 1 for the last live broadcast competition visible to the entire Star Network, marking the grand finale.
“Excuse me, is this seat taken?”
A girl, with bright eyes and a pretty smile, was looking at Lian Qing. Her expression didn’t seem to be about finding a seat but rather focused on the person.
Lian Qing just slightly lifted his head and said to the woman, “Please wait a moment, I can’t decide on this.”
“Mr. Nian, this seat?”
At this moment, Lian Qing, with a very humble posture, had already stood up and was asking Nian Shutong with a bent back.
The woman, seeing Lian Qing’s deference, didn’t seem too pleased, assuming he was just a servant.
Before Nian Shutong could respond, the woman spoke herself, “No need for the trouble, I’ll go elsewhere.”
The woman gave Lian Qing one last look, a tinged with regret, and then left.
Nian Shutong had noticed Lian Qing’s actions, first saying, “It’s fine, sit down.”
“Thank you, Mr. Nian.”
Obediently, Lian Qing sat back down. His appearance indeed drew the attention of women, and even some men.
“You take little white mouse,” said Nian Shutong as he pulled little Xiao Bai from his pocket and placed it on Lian Qing’s lap.
Lian Qing might not have known the capability of the zodiac, but he was smart.
He smartly realized that Nian Shutong had been making Dou Dou carry Little Pink Pig, had given a Little Silver Snake to Ji Sisi, and now a little white mouse to him, who had no real power.
There must be some significance to these choices.
“Thank you.”
Nian Shutong nodded, not saying a word. Although the little white mouse was not very strong, it was still of S-class, which was a bit better than Lian Qing’s strength. Most importantly, it was fast and could carry messages.
“Auntie, Auntie, there’s Mom! In section C!”
Dou Dou’s little finger pointed towards section C, and Nian Shutong finally spotted Ji Sisi, who was conspicuous in the crowd.
Around Ji Sisi, people were nervously doing various things—either wiping the Mecha or adjusting its settings, whereas Ji Sisi herself just stood there, foolishly staring into space.
A hint of amusement gathered in Nian Shutong’s eyes—it seemed she truly wasn’t nervous.
About fifteen minutes later, a host came forward, announced the rules of the competition, and with a declaration, the competition officially started.
In section C, judges sat in a row, and each competitor would bring their Mecha forward, demonstrate its capabilities, give directions, and answer some of the judges’ questions.
After answering, two judges would come down to inspect the Mecha and ask questions during the inspection before finally scoring it.
A perfect score was one hundred percent, and by previous standards, any score below eighty was almost certainly doom for advancement.
The preliminary round in section C was steadily progressing. Every participant showed signs of anxiety and panic; some bit their nails, some fiddled with the hem of their clothes, others scratched their heads in distress.
Only Ji Sisi was simply queuing.
Nian Shutong felt that if Ji Sisi weren’t still standing, she would probably fall asleep.
As each participant moved forward, it was finally Ji Sisi’s turn.
She perked up a bit, stepping forward with her own designed Mecha, standing in front of the judges’ bench with wide-open eyes, waiting for their questions.
The judges stared at the black Mecha before them which was only slightly taller than Ji Sisi herself and significantly smaller than typical Mechas.
“Tell us about your design.”
“Attacks below SS level are a breeze; it can withstand SSS level attacks for a while. It’s agile, equipped with an AI brain, and will make the most accurate decisions in coordination with its pilot, yet all commands are human-prioritized.”
Ji Sisi’s response stopped the judges, who had been busy writing, in their tracks.
“What did you say? It can withstand SSS level attacks?”
“What do you mean by ‘SS attacks are a breeze’?”
Ji Sisi, oblivious to the gravity of her statements, replied somewhat sheepishly, “Three days was a bit short. With two more days, I could have improved it from just withstanding SSS attacks for a while to handling them with no issue.”
Ji Sisi’s regret was evident, and every judge noticed.
Was this girl telling the truth or boasting?
One of the judges glanced at the name—Ji Sisi.
Could she be from the Ji Family?
If she really was, her claims might hold water.
“Go test it over there.” No matter what, they still had to put it to a test.
Obediently, Ji Sisi walked away with her Mecha.
The remaining judges were baffled—why was her Mecha walking on its own?
She had mentioned an AI brain; could that be the reason?
But in designing Mechas, incorporating an AI was avoided for fear of uncontrollable situations during battles.
“She did say everything should prioritize humans.”
“That’s what she said, but who knows if it’s doable.”
“She wouldn’t lie, right? She could be disqualified.”
“Let’s see how it handles attacks first.”
“Beep beep beep—”
A series of instrument sounds went off, and the judges watching the display saw that the Mecha indeed could withstand SSS attacks, and not just the weakest ones.
They exchanged looks. With this function alone, this Mecha could easily advance through the rounds, perhaps even to the final competition.
“Alright, you can come out now.”
One of the judges called out, and Ji Sisi walked out with her Mecha, grinning and revealing a set of small white teeth.
Not bad, a step closer to the prize money.