First Battlefield Commander! - Chapter 63

Chapter 63: Challenge

Regarding the arena matches, Lian Sheng carefully calculated the points. The rules weren't particularly favorable to the challenger.

Her original points totaled 258. After deducting 250 as the base points, only 8 remained. This meant the arena would end once she lost 25 matches.

Early victories only yielded 1 point each. Based on the rules, she'd need to last at least 63 matches with 38 wins—a minimum 60% win rate—just to break even.

But the losses were fixed. To truly farm points, she'd need at least a 70% or higher win rate.

Arena matches were long-term competitions, which was why they rarely appeared in beginner zones—especially low-point arenas like 250. You might get eliminated before reaching high-point matches, making it hardly worth the effort. Moreover, such low points indicated a beginner, making a 60% win rate generally unrealistic.

In contrast, the system treated challengers generously. Failure only cost 1 point, while success immediately granted 10. The risk-reward ratio was negligible. Thus, Sanyao never lacked players specializing in sniping arena points.

Overall, this was a point-farming activity specifically designed for high-tier, high-win-rate, high-point players.

While pondering this, Lian Sheng was teleported to the arena.

If Sanyao's large-scale simulated battlefields were a carnival for command majors, then mech duels were the combat majors' grand celebration. The arena was one such gameplay mode within mech duels.

She wasn't too worried about mech operation issues.

Zhao Zhuoluo had said there were two methods of mech operation.

One was manual control—the most primitive method, only taught after entering the military. But since the development of sensors, it had gradually become obsolete.

Cumbersome operation commands and delayed mental reaction speeds directly caused manual mechs to lag. On the battlefield, this often resulted in the mech being destroyed due to untimely crisis responses.

This spurred the development of the now-common operation method—sensor control. It required little operational skill, synchronizing with the user's actual movements.

Sensors were originally developed by the military and had been vigorously promoted to the public over the past fifty years. Since then, mech models began developing toward fixed patterns, and pilots' individual combat capabilities became increasingly valued. This could be called a major revolution in mech history.

Even in the military, mechs were rare. Pilot selection was especially strict, requiring both youthful vigor and mature experience.

After all, the destruction of a single mech meant losses in the tens of millions. For classified high-level mechs, it represented years of R&D effort and incalculable national wealth.

Most people would never see an actual mech in their lifetime, only getting their fix through Sanyao's equipment.

The player "First God In and Out" was already prepared, running around the red arena and urging her to hurry up.

"Hey! Hurry up!"

"You're already on the arena—don't tell me you're having second thoughts?"

"Don't waste my time. I could've finished a match already. Hey!"

Lian Sheng merely glanced at him without responding. Only when the match entered preparation phase and the mech selection box appeared did she suddenly realize she'd messed up the sequence.

She should've purchased a mech before clicking the arena. Now she only had the system's default starter mech.

This starter mech was similar to the one Zhao Zhuoluo had piloted. She chose a white exterior.

A cannon was mounted on its back, equipped with a sword. No shield.

According to Zhao Zhuoluo, this mech had poor energy efficiency—long-range attacks should be avoided. Without replacement energy cells, two shots were enough to shut it down.

The mech came with detailed operation instructions.

Lian Sheng glanced at First God In and Out's mech, scrolled down the selection box, found his model, and checked its details.

Pojun·Simplified·Mid-tier: Powerful lethality, fast movement speed. Weak defense. Vanguard combat mech.

After reading, she clicked start.

A light wall rose around the red arena, and all spectators disappeared from view. The map expanded outward, entering the simplest desert terrain.

Spectators could observe the battle from a god's-eye view. When they saw Lian Sheng's mech type, they were stunned.

"Holy shit, this thing?"

"A first-gen mech? This is awful. How is this a fight?"

"Predicting results within ten minutes."

"Five minutes, max!"

"I heard the Great General is literally a grade-schooler. Isn't bullying her a bit much?"

"No wonder. That explains it."

"How does that explain it? Even if she's a kid, don't go easy on her! Finish her off quickly so we can take turns!"

"Damn, I'm number 26 in line! Will I even get a turn?"

First God In and Out was also taken aback when he saw her, then his expression turned cold as he immediately drew his cannon and fired at her.

Don't blame him for being merciless—this was the arena.

Lian Sheng stood still, the projectile's trajectory clearly visible before her eyes. The red artillery fire trailed white flames behind it. Squinting, her calf muscles twitched slightly as the mech dodged sideways.

Her running posture was strange—her whole body seemed tense, leaning forward. The iron sword in her hand hung low, almost scraping the ground as she advanced. Yet her speed was astonishing.

Because her gaze was fixed straight ahead, everything seemed to rush toward her at breakneck speed. Lian Sheng instinctively wanted to dodge, couldn't maintain her posture, and crashed heavily to the ground. The entire mech tumbled across the terrain.

The loud impact made everyone shudder. The spectators were dumbfounded.

"She fell on flat ground?"

"Probably running too fast—common beginner mistake."

"Could it be speed sickness? You can't pilot mechs with that—it's incurable."

"...What kind of fight is this?"

First God In and Out was actually thrown off by her sudden fall. As he adjusted his angle to re-aim, his attack had a momentary gap.

Lian Sheng held her breath. Her fingers trembled slightly from excitement, but years of experience kept her calm.

Mistakes were relative—only those who could exploit them could turn them to their advantage. No need to panic.

Almost simultaneously with her fall, Lian Sheng drew the cannon from her back.

First God In and Out was about to fire when he saw her cannon muzzle glow red. Realizing she hadn't even aimed yet, he pressed the trigger.

The starter mech's only cannon—wasted just like that.

Shocked, he dodged sideways. Almost simultaneously, the opponent's ammunition left the barrel.

The spectators gasped.

What quick reflexes!

But it wasn't over!

After firing, Lian Sheng immediately discarded the spent cannon. One hand braced against the ground as her heel pushed forward forcefully. Before even steadying herself, she'd already charged out. Taking advantage of First God In and Out's current flustered steps, she rapidly closed the distance between them.

First God In and Out raised his arm, stepping back to attack and maintain distance.

His opponent no longer had heavy artillery and was severely low on energy. Even stalling for time would secure his victory.

But after firing two shots in succession, both missed the white mech.

Her posture was strange, but her steps were light. Gripping his own arm, he couldn't help his eyelid twitching.

His energy was nearly depleted too, making him hesitant to act rashly. Instead, he drew the sword from his right shoulder, preparing for close combat.

Lian Sheng's heart pounded violently—she could clearly hear it. Blood rushed to her head, making breathing somewhat difficult.

The surrounding scenery flashed past her eyes like fleeting shadows.

Fast!

So fast!

She felt like she was racing the wind!

Yet every move of her target appeared vividly before her eyes.

The two mechs engaged in direct combat.

First God In and Out swung his iron sword horizontally, trying to knock her weapon away.

The worst choice he could've made this match was challenging Lian Sheng to close-quarters combat.

As the starter mech approached, its body suddenly tilted. Both knees bent as the iron sword in its hand abruptly changed angles, striking toward the enemy's abdomen.

The iron sword plunged deep, then pierced through.

The system announced the challenge's conclusion.

Surroundings fell silent.

The arena setting disappeared. Lian Sheng still wore her mismatched outfit, kneeling on the waiting room floor. First God In and Out stood beside her in a daze.

The crowd swallowed hard.

An actual... instant kill? But wasn't the target supposed to be the other way around?

Someone weakly said, "This... this is a grade-schooler?"

"What just happened?"

After Lian Sheng's fall, they'd completely lost track. This wasn't how things were supposed to go.

First God In and Out snapped back to reality at the surrounding noise, looking up to shout, "Impossible! You've never piloted a mech before? You lied to me?"

Lian Sheng stood and stretched her limbs: "I think you'd save more face admitting I'm just talented."

"Impossible..." First God In and Out's Adam's apple bobbed as he stepped closer. "Rematch! This can't be!"

"The result would be the same no matter how many times we fight." Lian Sheng faced him squarely. "Let me correct two things for you. First, why would I kill you? You were the one who invited me. You were too noisy, so I decided to oblige. Second, why didn't we have a commander assigning positions randomly?"

Lian Sheng placed a hand on her hip. "Because we didn't need one. Three hours, eight matches, eight points—why bother following a commander's tempo? Without knowing each other, why waste time appointing a commander?"

Whispers spread through the crowd.

"...I believe it."

"Me too."

"So this was a case of a pro carrying the team while others couldn't keep up?"

"Holy shit, eight matches in three hours? My record's only five in three hours! Isn't this the battlefield mode?"

"They won and still quit? I thought they lost."

"Third, let me make this abundantly clear!" Lian Sheng raised a finger, pointing at herself. "I'm not useless. I can read the weather—can you?"

First God In and Out: "..."

Seeing his expression, Lian Sheng suddenly smirked. "But I should thank you for introducing me to such a fun arena."

The crowd remembered and cheered:

"Wow—! Rare to see a girl so good at mechs!"

"Fight me, Great General! Fight me!"

"Keep the arena going! No victory speeches! Let me learn from you!"

"Me first! I promise you won't mess up!"

Lian Sheng checked the list and found over a thousand challengers already signed up.

She couldn't reject any challenger—only choose when to start.

Glancing at the time (nearly 1 PM), she told the waiting crowd, "I need to eat."

They couldn't hide their disappointment: "Then when's the next match?"

Comparing her schedule, Lian Sheng said, "7 PM."

Then she closed the list and logged off without giving them a chance to respond.

When Lian Sheng exited her room, her roommates had just returned.

Roommate A asked, "Finished training?"

Lian Sheng nodded.

Roommate A lifted a takeout container. "Hungry? We wanted to invite you to eat earlier but didn't want to disturb you. So we brought food back. Want some?"

Flattered, Lian Sheng accepted it. "Thanks."

Roommate A suddenly remembered: "You've never used the equipment before—where did you train? When we watched your match last time... wow, those moves were beautiful!"

Recalling the earlier scene, Lian Sheng licked her lips. "Where? Anywhere works."

Roommate B processed this, shocked: "You trained in real life?"

Roommate C leaned back slightly, inhaling sharply: "Isn't that super dangerous?"

Lian Sheng thought: Dangerous? More like life-threatening. She vaguely replied, "It's fine if you're careful."

Roommate B asked, "Did your mom finally support your command major choice?"

Lian Sheng said, "Probably?"

"That's great—perseverance pays off. No more hardships ahead. I'm sure you'll become an outstanding commander." Roommate B patted her shoulder encouragingly. "Our professor watched the match with us yesterday. He was deeply moved. He said, 'Talented people can shine anywhere, but it's a shame the weapons development field lost a rising star.' He admires your courage and hopes you'll go far."

Roommate A chimed in: "If you have time, you could audit his class again to cheer him up. Plus, it's familiar territory—easier credits, right?"

"..." Lian Sheng said, "I think you've misunderstood. Ms. Lin Lie never explicitly opposed me. In fact, she proactively supported me with equipment." At least not since she arrived.

Roommate C said, "Training again this afternoon? Remember to rest—you need balance."

Lian Sheng shook her head. "No. Self-study this afternoon."

She couldn't understand a word of the professor's lectures, so she'd bought beginner textbooks to start from scratch. As for classes—she'd skip them for now.

Her physical training needed to continue too.

With so much to do, time felt scarce. She'd drafted a detailed schedule.

The three nodded, cheering: "Go for it!"

Lian Sheng nodded, ate a quick meal, then took her loaded optical computer out for a run.

Zhao Zhuoluo and his three friends were returning from dinner when Fang Jianchen waved his arms: "I refuse to farm points with her again! Eight matches and she killed me three times! The moment she commands, she kills me—her tracking skills are insane!"

Cheng Ze said, "Because you refused to give her troops or mechs and deliberately fought her for command."

Fang Jianchen: "Why should I give her anything after she killed me?"

Cheng Ze sighed: "She killed you because you wouldn't give her anything."

Fang Jianchen declared righteously: "Mechs aren't for kids! I'm doing this for her sake—for her pure, kind, delicate heart! Haven't you seen the news about people getting psychological trauma from mechs?"

"..." Cheng Ze said, "You deserved it. Really."

This was just asking for a beating.

Fang Jianchen huffed and strode ahead. Suddenly, he froze as Lian Sheng ran past them, wearing headphones.

Pointing at her retreating back, Fang Jianchen trembled: "Look at this zero-pointer! I'd rather farm points with Lian Sheng than an eight-year-old! If Lian Sheng let me kill her once per match, I'd carry her to 10,000!"

Cheng Ze: "Dream on."

Ye Buqing: "...I don't think she needs it."

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