Counterfeit Hero

The special report on the Mars Daily had been read over and over by everyone. From the first duel against the Thousand Army Style, the chubby director of the Tai Sect Puluo Branch had not given any other sects any chance. He merely led more than a hundred Tai Sect members, going from hall to hall, defeating the opponents. Regardless of the technical style or the level of the opponent, he only said two words.

”Challenge hall.”

Nine halls, eight matches, that Fatty had no fancy moves at all. Once he got on the Mecha, he would rush forward with its mechanical arm and start bashing. At least three halls’ Mech Knights had no ability to fight back, being directly beaten and smashed to pieces. Second-level Commanders or Level 1 Commanders, in front of him, were nothing more than a bunch of pale-faced scarecrows.

All the Mecha halls on First Avenue in Puluo Town were closed down one after another by a single person.

At that time, thousands of people gathered along the entire First Avenue could only watch from a distance as the people of the Tai Sect swarmed into a Mecha hall; after a while, when they came out, the defeated Mecha hall would immediately shut its doors, extinguish the lights on the sign, and change the green light indicating business to the white light indicating the hall was closed.

It could be said that this was a resounding slap in the face to all the self-proclaimed orthodox Mecha sects.

Everyone was waiting.

Waiting for a destined, earth-shattering conflict to erupt.

On the south side of Central City Freedom Square, there is a small circular plaza.

Surrounded by a Gothic church and a few red-topped buildings, in the center of the small plaza with a fountain stands a bronze Knight statue. The war horse rises on its hind legs, roaring to the sky. The Knight on the horse is as straight as a pine tree, wearing a triangular hat characteristic of Mars Free Port, with a determined look in his eyes. In his hand, a large flag is fluttering, pointing into the distance.

Behind the bronze Knight is a small yellow building. This small building is an example of Mars-style architecture; the yellow brick walls are not very orderly but have a unique charm, with overall lines that are square and simple, adorned with a few white trim strips, making it lively yet serene. This is where the Free Port Government, the nominal highest authority institution of Mars Free Port, is located.

In the octagonal office on the third floor of the small building, Mars’ Chief Administrator Selwal held a cup of coffee, frowning as he sat on the sofa. He had unconsciously maintained this posture for quite a long time, all because of the Mars Daily in front of him.

”It’s finally getting chaotic.” Selwal seemed a bit puzzled. Gradually, his frown relaxed, and a faint smile appeared on his lips: ”Has the time finally come?”

In the office, dozens of well-dressed, dignified men stood quietly in front of Selwal. Although there were many people, there was not a single sound in the entire office.

These people, some were the top brokers from the trading hall, some were presidents of certain Mecha manufacturing companies, some were leaders of well-known mercenary armies, and pirate chiefs. Almost every one of them was a tycoon in their respective industries. However, at this moment, in the eyes of these figures, whose mere footstep could make the Free World tremble, the world seemed to be no more than the not-so-tall Selwal.

Here, they only had one identity. That is, members of the Northern Commerce Alliance! This identity was given to them by Selwal and was also their foundation in the Free World.

The Northern Commerce Alliance is the leading commercial alliance in Mars Free Port, owning countless commercial fleets, manufacturing enterprises, and security teams. Three years ago, the Alliance President, Selwal, won the governance of Mars Free Port through exorbitant bidding, becoming a major news story at the time.

It was well known that in the Free World, the so-called governance rights were nothing more than a synonym for the right to stay alive. Those who obtained this right were basically the losers in the power struggles among the major forces. Participating in the auction itself meant lowering one’s profile and admitting defeat. All major departments and the military of Free Port were infiltrated and controlled by the major forces. The governing alliance, apart from some tax revenue compensation and gaining a four-year neutral status, had no benefits at all.

For the then highly thriving Northern Commerce Alliance, bidding for governance was simply an inexplicable decision.

However, the enormous entity of the Northern Alliance had no objection to Selwal’s decision. Facing the outside world’s puzzlement, the Northern Alliance spokesman merely replied lightly: ”The Northern Alliance does not wish to get involved in any disputes that are detrimental to the unity of the Free World. We bid for the governance rights, not under anyone’s compulsion. In fact, no one could compel us. Besides declaring our neutral stance, we hope to make some appropriate contributions to Free Port.”

The spokesman’s words were taken seriously by no one. In this world, people believed in taking, not giving back!

People speculated that there was some sort of crisis within the Northern Alliance. To prevent this crisis from being exploited by other forces in the next four years, they preemptively occupied the only widely acknowledged and protected neutral position in Free Port. This had been a common strategy used by many associations and enterprises in the past.

Such speculation was forgotten a year later.

There seemed to be no discord within the Northern Alliance. On the contrary, all members of the organization were still firmly controlled by that elegant and amiable leader, Selwal. Their business fleets spanned the universe, their security troops were powerful, their shipyards, and their Mecha manufacturing enterprises continued to produce the most advanced warships and Mechas. In every industry, the gigantic presence of the Northern Alliance could be seen.