pertwk Chapter 82: Man Escapes!
Chapter 82: Man Escapes!
The next morning, Wang Xing returned to school.
In the principal's office, Li Zhengyuan was wearing a pair of non-prescription anti-radiation glasses, buried in a pile of holographic reports.
Hearing the door open, the old man looked up and saw the gleaming badge in Wang Xing's hand, and he couldn't stop smiling.
"Good lad, you're efficient!"
Li Zhengyuan took off his glasses and pointed to the chair opposite the table.
"I submitted your application for bonus points last night. However, the official review process is cumbersome. Those office workers at the Provincial Department of Education will have to conduct a thorough investigation by the Star Alliance Network before they will sign off on the transfer. Moreover, the signing and transfer process involves quite a few steps, so it will probably take about a week."
Wang Xing smiled, pulled out a chair and sat down: "It's alright, Principal. Anyway, you already transferred that 50,000 yuan to me privately yesterday, so I'm not in a hurry."
"You're quite the prude, aren't you?"
Li Zhengyuan then pulled an electronic spreadsheet in front of Wang Xing:
"Sign it. The necessary procedures must be followed."
Wang Xing quickly signed his name on the holographic panel.
After completing the school's registration, Wang Xing took leave and went straight to the Yuanguai Farmers Market.
In this era where martial arts and technology intertwine, the farmers' market is divided into a regular section and a "supernatural ingredients section." The regular section sells greenhouse vegetables and artificially synthesized meat, while the supernatural section offers ingredients for mecha pilots to replenish their qi and blood.
With the principal's 50,000 yuan and the money previously donated by teacher Lü Yun, Wang Xing is now much more confident than before.
He spent over three thousand Dragon Kingdom coins to buy two catties of "Level 3 Wild Bull Rib Meat" from the edge of the Blackwater Wasteland, and a small bag of "Grade A Abyss Blood Rice" with plump grains like red sand.
……
In the evening, the enticing aroma of meat wafted from the kitchen of Beichen Aoyuan residential community.
When Yang Xiaoxia pushed open the door, she was completely stunned.
She had worked a 24-hour shift at the postpartum care center yesterday, and her face was exhausted, with bloodshot eyes. But as soon as she entered the room, the rich aroma of meat that filled her nostrils instantly whetted her appetite.
"Ah Xing? Why are you sitting down to eat today?"
As Yang Xiaoxia changed her shoes, she peered into the kitchen with a puzzled look.
"Mom, you're back."
Wang Xing, wearing a worn apron and carrying a spoon in her right hand, walked out of the kitchen with a bright smile on her face: "Wash your hands, get ready to eat. I'll cook today."
The dinner table.
The reddish-brown, sandy-brown Yuanxue rice steamed in the bowl, emitting a unique, warm aroma reminiscent of a mixture of Chinese herbs and rice. Next to it was a plate of perfectly seared beef sirloin, its firm texture glistening with fat.
Yang Xiaoxia stared at the excessively expensive ingredients on the table, then looked at her son with astonishment.
"Ah Xing, what's wrong with you...? You didn't do anything bad with those shady people outside, did you?"
In this world, what ordinary people at the bottom fear most is that their children will go astray in pursuit of martial arts.
Wang Xing chuckled, reached into his pocket and pulled out the dark red certificate, along with the dark gold badge, and gently placed them on the table.
"Mom, I've obtained my official mech pilot qualification. This is the badge the Covenant gave me."
Yang Xiaoxia's gaze fell on the gold-embossed words "Formal Mecha Pilot (Double Level 8)" on the certificate, and she froze instantly.
With trembling hands, she carefully picked up the badge.
"A formal... mecha pilot..."
Her eyes instantly reddened, and large tears fell onto the bright silver star pattern.
In this era where the abyss looms and human life is cheap, having a family produce a certified mecha pilot means completely escaping the mire of the lower class.
Although being a mecha pilot doesn't guarantee great wealth and status, it at least allows one to cross that threshold and escape the torment of poverty and the lower class forever.
"Good...good boy, you became a formal mecha pilot before you were even 18. If your dad knew, he would be so proud of you."
Yang Xiaoxia wiped away her tears, suddenly stood up, and walked to a corner of the living room.
Instead of ancestral tablets, a color photograph was displayed on the shrine there.
Wang Xing's father, Wang Zhan.
Years ago, Wang Zhan bravely ventured into the Abyss Line until he was sucked into the Abyss. To this day, the Star Alliance's conclusion remains that he is "missing and his fate is unknown."
Because there was no conclusive evidence of death, Yang Xiaoxia stubbornly refused to display the black-and-white photograph. She always felt that her husband might have just fallen into some unknown crevice in the abyss, and perhaps one day he would land back on the helipad in Chengdu in a wrecked spaceship.
"Old Wang, look at us, our Ah Xing has made something of himself..."
Yang Xiaoxia stood in front of the photo, her hands clasped together, softly murmuring the words she had said countless times.
Wang Xing sat to the side, watching his mother's slightly hunched back, his hands clenched tightly under the table.
"Dad...where are you?"
He made a silent vow in his heart.
No matter how deep the abyss, there will always be a day when its bottom is reached. As long as he is strong enough, one day he will personally lead the most advanced mechs to that spiritual sea that has devoured countless lives, and bring that man back!
The mother and son ate slowly, but the air was filled with an unprecedented sense of ease and warmth.
……
late at night.
Back in his bedroom, Wang Xing reconnected to the Beidou Metaverse.
I chose the one-on-one arena mode and played three matches in a row, but I was already getting a little bored.
Firstly, the opponents he's been matched with recently haven't been very strong, and secondly, he hasn't been matched with the opponents he wants... Chen Mo.
"That guy Chen Mo... still hasn't found a match."
However, he quickly adjusted his mindset. Since he couldn't find a match, he decided to try something more exciting.
His gaze fell on the most conspicuous red icon in the virtual lobby—[Wilderness Forbidden Zone: 100-Player Battle Royale].
This is an extremely popular model in the Beidou Yuan Universe.
The rules are simple: one hundred mech pilots of similar rank are randomly dropped into a vast virtual ruin. This area not only harbors other mech pilots ready to ambush you at any moment, but even more terrifyingly, highly aggressive abyssal monsters simulated by the system will spawn in the ruins every so often.
Here, not only are the mech pilots' combat skills tested, but also their survival and stealth skills in extreme and complex environments.
Most importantly, this mode does not modify the mech's power level. You are exactly as you are in the virtual world.
"Matchmaking, 100-player battle royale!"
[Beep. Connecting you to the dedicated server for Sichuan Province...]
Match successful. Current map: Dark Swamp Ruins.
[Battlefield Rules: Kill, Survive. The last survivor is the winner.]
After a brief feeling of weightlessness, Wang Xing's [Tiger-type] mecha slowly straightened up inside a dilapidated building in the ruins.
A thick gray fog enveloped the area, reducing visibility to less than thirty meters.
The air still faintly echoed with the chilling growls of wild beasts.
"laugh--"
Without hesitation, Wang Xing held the Taibai Tiger-Striped Battle Blade diagonally in his mechanical right hand. The blade trembled, and his qi and blood resonated with the conductive crystal, causing silver-blue arcs of electricity to flicker erratically at the blade's edge.
"Find the prey first."
His figure instantly transformed into a blurry afterimage in the mist.
……
Meanwhile, on the other side of the ruins.
Behind a pile of rubble, a Black Star mech, its body covered in mutated flesh and gleaming with a cold, dark light, lurked silently in the shadows.
Chen Mo looked at the constantly flashing red dots on the detection radar with a slightly surprised expression.
After his last encounter with Wang Xing, he felt the strength of the champion of the Hundred Schools Competition. Although he eventually defeated him, Wang Xing displayed a level of strength far exceeding his own.
"That kid... I didn't expect him to play this mode too."
Chen Mo muttered to himself.
Just then, an extremely bright, deep red spot suddenly appeared on the radar.
"Hmm? Such a strong high-energy feedback?"
Chen Mo was slightly startled and immediately controlled the mecha to look out through the crack in the rock.
In the center of the ruins, on the open ground, a massive "Level 8 Abyss Monster - Steel Armored Earth Lizard" covered in black keratinous scales roared to the sky.
With its innate physical advantages, the Abyss Monster usually gains the upper hand in battles against mech pilots of the same level. This level eight Steel-Armored Earth Lizard has extremely strong defenses; even ordinary level ten mechs would have to put in considerable effort to break through its defenses.
Opposite the earth lizard stood a lithe humanoid mech.
The blade's dark gold and bright silver gleam stood out dazzlingly in the thick fog.
"That's... no, that knife..."
Chen Mo's eyes widened suddenly.
Before he could react, the Tiger-class vehicle started moving.
"boom!"
The airflow was torn apart in an instant by the storm drive kit, creating a piercing sonic boom.
In the blink of an eye, the Fierce Tiger had closed in on the Steel-Armored Earth Lizard's flank. The heavy Taibai Battle Blade was raised high, and the Taibai Fusion Crystal on the blade erupted with a sharp, almost tangible, aura.
"The Three Forms of Breaking the Army: Splitting the Mountain!"
The blade flashed like a silver dragon across the night sky, carrying a hidden force of immense power, weighing over a thousand pounds, and slashed down fiercely!
"Snap!"
The earth lizard's prized steel armor was as fragile as a sheet of paper before this single strike. The entire behemoth didn't even have time to utter a scream before it was cleaved in two from head to toe by the brutal blade, turning into countless shattered virtual data points.
Chen Mo, who witnessed everything from behind the pile of rubble, froze completely.
"This...this is Wang Xing from that day?!"
"His mecha...his sword, how is that possible?!" Chen Mo's eyes widened like saucers.
As the owner of the Black Star mech, Chen Mo is extremely sensitive to energy fluctuations.
A few days ago on the arena in the metaverse, Wang Xing's mecha was only around level 7.5, and his health was just barely touching the threshold of level 8.
But now, he could clearly sense that the opponent's mecha level was definitely higher than level eight.
"Double Level 8 Transcendent...and it's only been a few days?!"
"Moreover, he actually killed an eighth-level abyss monster with a wave of his hand."
Chen Mo gasped, his heart churning with immense shock. This terrifying speed of advancement was simply unheard of!
…………
Wang Xing was naturally unaware that Chen Mo was watching from the side.
After slaying the armored lizard with a single strike, he didn't linger and charged straight into the deeper mist.
Battles erupted in every corner of the ruins.
As time went by, the area of activity within the ruins shrank. Along the way, Wang Xing encountered several fierce battles.
In the fifth minute, he encountered a level seven "Shadow Bat" mech, skilled in stealth and assassination. Facing the alloy claws that silently swept overhead, Wang Xing didn't even turn around, but instead unleashed a ferocious "Moon Slash".
The violent wind pressure generated by the 71-kilogram heavy blade shattered the highly mobile mech into scrap metal in mid-air.
In the seventh minute, two Level 8 "Raider" mechs, intending to clear the area together, blocked the way.
Wang Xing faced two opponents alone, and the Divine Tiger Particles within his body instantly overloaded. He transformed the Taibai Heavy Blade into an impenetrable silver shield, forcefully withstanding the high-frequency barrage from the two mechs. The moment he approached them, he activated the Storm Suite at full power, unleashing a close-range "Myriad Manifestations Prajna Palm" that smashed one of the mechs to pieces. Then, with a whirlwind-like slash, he sliced the other mech in half.
His killing efficiency was too fast.
It was so fast that many players lurking in the shadows would turn and run without hesitation just by seeing that silver-blue blade of light from afar.
Chen Mo fought while following at a distance.
Watching Wang Xing chop up his usually formidable opponents as easily as cutting melons and vegetables, his shock gradually turned into awe.
"This guy... if he were to take the provincial civil service exam, he would definitely be a dark horse that could crush everyone's teeth," Chen Mo murmured.
However, the intensity of this battle royale exceeded everyone's expectations.
As the number of players dwindled to just ten, the energy level of the monsters in the ruins began to surge.
"roar--!!"
Three terrifying level eleven "Abyssal Flame Demons," their bodies engulfed in eerie blue flames, rose from the very center of the ruins.
Wang Xing was unlucky; he was trapped inside the dilapidated stone hall by two fire demons.
"Boom!"
The scorching flames charred his Tiger-style outer armor black.
After severing the lava arm of a Flame Demon, Wang Xing's mecha transmission system finally issued a piercing metal fatigue warning due to prolonged high-load operation.
"In the end, the hardware foundation is still a bit weak. The 7.5 level body has just been upgraded to 8.3, which is still a bit lacking."
Wang Xing was panting heavily.
Finally, under the combined attack of two level eleven fire demons and the sniper's shot from the perimeter, the energy core of the [Tiger Style] was completely destroyed in a huge explosion.
[Player: Wang Xing.]
Current ranking: Ninth.
Points have been settled.
Wang Xing, who had exited the spectator view, did not feel frustrated.
Instead, his eyes became incredibly bright.
This is exactly the kind of challenge he wanted!
Instead of quitting the game immediately, he chose to stay in the lobby and continue watching the final battle of the match.
At this point, only three players remained on the field.
Chen Mo managed to survive and secure third place thanks to the extremely strange stealth capabilities of his flesh-and-blood mutated mecha.
However, just two minutes earlier, he was blasted into nothingness by a golden beam of light that appeared out of nowhere, thousands of meters away.
And that final showdown, in that instant, turned into two enormous beings that made Wang Xing's breath catch in his throat.
……
"Boom!"
In the center of the ruins, the earth trembled.
A heavy humanoid mech, about four meters tall and radiating a brilliant gold color, stands silently amidst the ruins.
The mecha's design was extremely flamboyant, with two huge pure gold maces hanging on its shoulders and a massive refraction core made of countless cut crystals on its chest.
What's most eye-catching is the holographic projection of the pilot's virtual image above the mecha.
He was a short boy who looked a bit immature and eccentric.
He had extremely flamboyant blond hair, and even his eyebrows were a brilliant gold.
"My 'Gold Crusher' is the only true god in this wilderness!"
The golden-browed youth let out an extremely irritating laugh on the public channel, and his heavy mace in his right hand suddenly shook in the void. The violent golden ionizing radiation instantly turned all the rubble within dozens of meters around into dust.
[The Gold Breaker: Holder – Invaluable Gold]
[Mech Overall Ability Level: 12.5]
[Qi and Blood: Level 14.0 (Sichuan Provincial Capital, Longyuan No.1 High School)]
Wang Xing stared at the data on the holographic projection, his eye twitching slightly.
Level 14 Qi and Blood!
Combat power of level 12 or above in both categories!
This is the real, monstrous genius who stands at the very top of the entire Sichuan province and is nurtured with countless top-tier star resources!
"Golden Retriever, you're so noisy."
From the depths of the misty ruins, an extremely cold, even somewhat hoarse voice slowly rang out.
then.
A heavy armored vehicle, as black as ink and with faint patterns resembling the Taotie, a giant beast, emerged step by step from the shadows.
With each step the mech took, the surrounding air seemed to collapse and compress wildly inward under some immense gravitational force. Even the pebbles on the ground seemed to drift slowly towards its feet, defying gravity.
【Gluttonous Style: Holder - Lu Tao】
[Mech Overall Ability Level: 12.8]
[Qi and Blood: Level 13.5 (Sichuan Provincial Capital, Directly Subordinate to the General Training Guard of the Southwest Defense Zone)]
"Devouring property..."
Wang Xing looked at the Taotie mecha, his expression becoming extremely solemn.
Two absolute powerhouses have arrived.
These two individuals have far surpassed the threshold for becoming mech pilots, both in terms of their physical strength and mechs, having broken through to level 10 in both.
"Lu Tao! Today, I, this young master, will use this heavy mace to smash your 'scrap metal can' into gold leaf!"
Jin Buhuan let out a dramatic roar, and the entire [Gold Shatterer] instantly burst forth with dazzling golden light, transforming into a golden meteor that charged headlong into the terrifying black hole's gravity!
"boring."
Lu Tao's expression was indifferent. The [Taotie Style] heavy mech opened its huge mouth, and a dark gravity vortex exploded at the moment the two behemoths collided!
"boom--!!"
The massive shockwave caused the holographic screens in the entire viewing hall to display a violent burst of static.
Wang Xing stared at the wildly intertwined gold and black on the screen.
The divine tiger microparticle on his fingertip trembled violently.
An uncontrollable, fervent fighting spirit, originating from the depths of his soul, surged forth.
"The provincial capital's prodigy... Level 12 in both categories..."
Wang Xing gave a hoarse laugh.
In his eyes, gold and silver light intertwined, like a ferocious tiger lurking silently in the darkness, waiting to descend from the mountain and devour its prey.
"These guys from the provincial capital are the opponents I'll be facing in the provincial civil service exam..."