Tempest of the Stellar War

At this point in the competition, everyone was clear that each round counted for a lot. Many doors would open if they advanced, but the difficulty now was raised considerably. The top 16 battles needed four wins out of seven matches, and the team’s substitute strength would be needed.

The Solar System team was not overly panicky. Everyone had started to realize that they were calm thanks to Wang Zheng. He had not even gone up himself despite making it so far. Once he showed his hand, only then would they reach their 100% potential?

That was definitely daydreaming. In the previous fights, everyone was clear of their relative strength, win or lose, and adjust accordingly. To take the win, one must first understand oneself.

Going up against Manalasuo was undoubtedly going to be a tough fight. Perhaps it did not mean much to Manalasuo, but to the Solar System, they had not fought a worthy battle in a long time. More accurately, they had not found the chance to fight a team of such caliber.

Friendly contest? Nobody had been interested.

The Solar System Federation Council had sent some encouraging words as well. On one hand, they congratulated the Solar System team for coming further than ever before. At the same time, they hoped for the team to continue striving, and defeat Manalasuo.

At night, the members were gathered. “This is what our people have gathered of the Manalasuo members’ battle footage, for your reference. Manalasuo’s strength is undisputed, but there is no need for anybody to undervalue yourself. That we’ve made it this far is testament to our strength. Wang Zheng, we leave the rest up to you.”

Because they had never gone up against Manalasuo before, they had expended considerable effort in gathering intelligence.

Meng Ao clapped Wang Zheng on the shoulder. This was all he could do now. Against a team like Manalasuo, it really boiled down to one’s own effort, and luck. This battle would decide the fate of the Solar System team – whether they would be called lucky or strong.

The female official on stage was Major Zhu Ziling, the emissary from the Solar System Federation to Aslan. “Manalasuo is among the top 10 in this iteration of IG, and a frequent presence in the IG top 8. In terms of mecha, they have one of the most advanced techniques, and have their own unique style in training mech pilots as well. They are the main rivals of the Aslan Empire, but in their rivalry, both have ceaselessly and rapidly improved as well. Let me first introduce a few noteworthy personnel.”

On the screen, a burly, bearded warrior appeared. “Manalasuo’s main strength and point fighter, Gelun. Although he looks old, he just developed early. 20 years of age. Originally a conscript, his battle talent was discovered, and he was sent to Manalasuo’s Abyss Military School for further development. His battle experience is prolific, and he has the qualities of a strong fighter. What we currently know is that he is a double Ability X user of strength and speed, a high-class D ranker.”

As she finished speaking, Zhu Ziling stepped aside to show Gelun’s battle footage. It was only a little more than 10 minutes, because his opponents could not even stand five minutes against him. His fighting style was like a hurricane, a frenzied assault that did not let up until his opponent was finished. Using his strength ability and speeding up his dispatching moves, it was virtually unbeatable.

In a mecha battle, mastery of speed and strength was everything.

“Next up, Raslei. Originally designated team captain, but later made the vice-captain. A well-rounded fighter, suitable for any position. Made it to the last IG as a member, and strongest in balanced fighter mecha. A military student at Manalasuo this year, with high expectations. He has secured 58 consecutive victories this year, and is at present undefeated.”

What followed was Raslei’s fight. It did not reveal much. No Ability X was revealed. His battle foundations and nature suppressed his opponents. He made his opponents look like little children.

Following that, Zhu Ziling introduced the other members one by one, detailing their battle training and performance in international practice matches.

A person with an icy gaze appeared on the screen. “This is Vincent, the Manalasuo captain. But at the start, he was not the captain. More accurately, he was an addition close to the start of the IG itself, but was quickly delegated the role of captain. We only managed to acquire two videos of his fights.”

Everyone was stunned. Sniper type mecha were notoriously bad in 1 on 1 matchups, especially in closed-off practice arenas. The screen played both of Vincent’s fights, and everybody gasped a little. This was a sniper who dared to fight close combat!

Precision shooting tactics!

Anybody knew that railguns immediately became burdens once close combat ensued, especially when the defensive energy shields were up. Therefore, once the mecha closed in, they would change to close combat mode. But this Vincent met his opponent up close, defeating them with one shot after the other.

Zhu Ziling did not add her own analysis. Her role was strictly to introduce. Although these youths were no older than herself, their understanding of the battle was much better than hers.

Vincent was clearly toying around on the battlefield. His movement and confidence was unbelievable, even calculating the feedback from the railgun’s impact, and dodging it. He gave the impression of perfect control.

After the broadcast ended, Wang Zheng and the rest were quiet. Meng Tian was a sniper, and watching Vincent’s performance made her feel hopelessly outclassed.

A marksman unafraid of close combat. This was the limit. Furthermore, Vincent used no Ability X, defeating his opponents easily.

But everybody knew that their potential did not stop there. This was merely practice footage. They would at most have showed 50 or 60 percent of their true strength.

But for Meng Ao to have secured such intelligence was already no mean feat. At least they could familiarize themselves. In the last round, Manalasuo had easily won 3-0. They had revealed little, although the crowd had watched closely. In the finer details, one could see their character show.

To effortlessly put out such a level of performance, their opponents’ level this time around was a cut higher than in previous fights.

Zhu Ziling looked at the team. Logically they should have been feeling the pressure, but in fact, Wang Zheng and a few others looked composed. Major Zhu Ziling was also the intelligence analyst. From their performance so far, although Manalasuo was a formidable presence, and far outstripped the Solar System’s level, she wanted to remind them not to be cocky that they had come this far. If they put their lives on the line and contested hard, there was still a chance.

Actually, the council’s meaning was that failure was acceptable, but not by too large a margin.

After the video ended, nobody tarried for too long, leaving quickly. Zhu Ziling called Wang Zheng back.

“Captain Wang Zheng, is there anything else you need help with?”

Wang Zheng smiled slightly. “Thank you for your efforts. Nothing much else, really. We’ll see after the battle tomorrow.”

… Zhu Ziling was speechless. Was this it? Shouldn’t he be more concerned about his opponents, about how Vincent had evolved from a nameless grunt to Manalasuo’s captain? This was a fairly earth-shaking development, did he not care about how it had come about?

Over at the Manalasuo side, Vice Captain Raslei was watching the Solar System team’s footage with his team. They had fought many battles previously, and everybody’s performance was clear to see.

Although Vincent was absent, the members did not particularly mind his absence. In Manalasuo, the strong were given leeway. Although he was a last minute pick as captain, nobody had any objections.

“This iteration of the Solar System is divided into two clear types. One group of them have solid foundations, the other has unique abilities. For example, this Zhang Shan’s translocation is not bad, although his foundations are somewhat lacking. In a 1 on 1, his utility is not that high, although in a group battle he might have noteworthy performance.”

“The Solar System’s strongest point…”

“Their strongest point is that their chicks look good, haha!”

But after seeing Kong Zhan’s match, Raslei harbored some doubts. He was familiar with Kong Zhan. The boy was a rising star, and his ability was certainly strong. Yet he had surrendered without even a fight. Something was fishy here.

Some dirty tricks?

Could this be to secure the Solar System’s advance?

What a joke. Raslei was also doubtful, although he found Zhang Runan appealing. A woman with character and noticeable features. Her gunwork was interesting as well.

“Gelun, how about if this girl was left to you?” Raslei offered.

Gelun smiled openly. “This wench has character and strength. I like her. Raslei, I’ll say it first. Although I’ll beat her, I won’t hurt her.”

“Up till now, the others don’t look like much of a threat. Their strengths and weaknesses are very clear, and can easily be dealt with.”

After going through it once, they lost interest in the Solar System. As for their rotating shovel…

It was too foolhardy. The weaknesses were apparent, and the movement sluggish. Everything depended on that technical attack. Would every opponent be so foolish to risk their lives and go hard?

In the current meta of fast-paced battles, this type of flowery trick was not popular.

In the fight for the top 16, zone D’s first match was Caragal team against Morgan Locke team.

Max led his dark horse team to the field. They had been regarded as an unexpected contender, just like the Solar System. Besides, on the whole, Caragal’s performance was seen to be more stable and better than the Solar System’s.

Although labelled as dark horses, Caragal’s emergence was not too surprising. Caragal was a former colony of commerce which gained independence as the Caragal Republic. Their population was modest, and not particularly affluent. Their citizens were mostly Jewish, an ancient civilization that was considerably united. After long wars, peace had gradually returned to the Caragal Republic, but till date, they continued to practice conscription for the entire nation. While this system was also implemented in other countries, in terms of execution, there were few who could stand up to Caragal. In the Caragal Republic, becoming a soldier was an honor. Although they were not as fanatical as Arbiter, they outshone them in their independence.

For example, if you were a soldier, waving your hand on any street in Caragal would see taxis and even private cars stop for you, delivering you free of charge to your destination without exception.

Therefore, in this peaceful period, the Caragal Republic’s rate of improvement was ferocious. Although the Republic’s national strength could not compare to larger countries, their national service was of a high caliber. Besides, in the Caragal Republic, all female citizens – unless for reasons of faith, pregnancy, or criminal record – similarly served two years. Therefore, in the Caragal Republic, pretty women soldiers were a draw, and they were not simply pretty faces either.

In this regard, quite a few countries also had female officials, but in the case of troopers, they had no equal.

On the platform, besides the two team representative groups, the Solar System Federation team and Manalasuo team had arrived as well. Once this contest ended, it would be their turn.

In group D, only two teams could make it to the top 16.

Max waved to Wang Zheng, who was on the platform, giving him a thumbs-up. Clearly the Caragal team was feeling good.