First Battlefield Commander! - Chapter 135

Chapter 135: Practice

Bright Bulb walked over and stood in front of Lian Sheng, scrutinizing her carefully. He rubbed his nose and said, "Not bad. Now we're preparing to apply speed to actual combat. Are you still using the Qixing for the selection matches? Actually, with proper configuration, the Qixing's speed is already sufficient. If you keep using accelerators, the difficulty will multiply, and the risks will be huge. Moreover, the Qixing is a sniper-type mech—I don't think there's any need to pursue such extreme speed."

Lian Sheng nodded. "I've already decided to switch mechs. I want to change to a forward position, temporarily using the Pojun."

"Oh?"

The others were somewhat surprised by this. After all, for most people, switching mech types after becoming familiar with one requires tremendous courage. You can't be sure the new mech type will suit you. Constant self-doubt can make people lose their way.

"I think your close-combat abilities are indeed good," Hundred Meter Flying Dagger said seriously. "The initial data analysis I did for you was based on your close-combat performance because I believed you had great potential for development."

Lian Sheng asked curiously, "What if I had been a sniper back then?"

"Hmm... a little interested but not greatly interested," Hundred Meter Flying Dagger said. "To be honest, snipers can improve their abilities through rigorous training, but ordinary people will hit bottlenecks no matter how strict the training. I prefer those with greater room for growth."

Lian Sheng's progress speed was indeed fast, especially compared to many others. However, speed and ceiling are two different things.

Their goal was the finish line—to be the best. What they needed to consider was how far they could go. As for how arduous the journey would be, that wasn't something they needed to worry about now.

Both Doctor Lin and Hundred Meter Flying Dagger recognized her close-combat potential more. Yet, in the early stages, her close-combat skills still couldn't match her long-range attack capabilities.

Hundred Meter Flying Dagger planted his hands on his hips and said, "Since you've decided, just follow this direction first. You can always switch later if you hit a dead end. I can lend you Bright Bulb for now."

Bright Bulb chuckled. "Lend who? Do I belong to you?"

"Aren't you?" Hundred Meter Flying Dagger sidled up to him. "You're my sweetheart."

Bright Bulb waved him off. "Cut it out. Your sweetheart is your brother. Your heart, liver, spleen, lungs, and kidneys all belong to your brother."

Hundred Meter Flying Dagger: "But you're my unshakable cash cow."

Bright Bulb said disdainfully, "Get lost, get lost."

Bright Bulb opened a new room and invited Lian Sheng inside. The two began their real-time combat training.

They fought continuously from 8 a.m. until 1 p.m., then scheduled more sessions for later. Bright Bulb corrected her movements one by one and gradually began teaching her the essence of mixed martial arts.

At first, Bright Bulb didn't use many techniques when sparring with Lian Sheng—his natural strength advantage was too obvious. But when the two began exchanging skills, they fell into a stalemate of tug-of-war.

Bright Bulb used his aggressive attacks as his defense, while Lian Sheng relied on her agile footwork.

Both used moves unfamiliar to the other, constantly searching for weaknesses in each other's attacks and defenses while absorbing and adapting the other's strengths.

None of the opponents Lian Sheng had faced before were as proficient in the essence of mixed martial arts as Bright Bulb—simple, direct, and ruthless, striking at vital points. His aggression left no room to evade or retreat.

Modern combat techniques naturally clashed with Lian Sheng's ancient fighting habits. But when her opponent's speed and strength didn't reach a certain standard, Lian Sheng could use her past experience to neutralize their attacks.

Only after dissecting each move with Bright Bulb did Lian Sheng deeply realize the differences between the two styles. Whether a countermeasure targeted a person or a technique made a huge difference. She began reevaluating and searching for new strategies to defeat her opponents.

The two maintained this training rhythm, sparring for a fixed duration every day.

While the military academy students followed their instructors in standardized drills, Lian Sheng trained with Bright Bulb in the Sanyao system. The two groups hardly ever crossed paths.

Before they knew it, the mech selection matches had been going on for over a month.

During this time, Lian Sheng fought twenty-six matches. Six of her opponents had total scores below 100,000, while nine had only started this week, with scores around 150,000.

She could clearly feel the increase in matches and the strengthening of her opponents. But she still hadn't encountered any high-scoring contestants. The early stages of the selection matches were indeed very friendly to them.

They hadn't seen each other in a long time. Meanwhile, Lian Sheng's matches in the Sanyao external network kept getting heated discussions and spread until the news reached the military academy—though somewhat distorted.

Zhao Zhuoluo didn't take it to heart, but he felt Lian Sheng was a bit too obsessed with Sanyao. Although he didn't know what she was doing there, normally, Sanyao didn't have many experts. Even if there were, they might not be familiar with the selection match rules. In their department, they could pull in friendly matches from various schools—there were plenty of qualified students.

Right now, the most important thing was to spar with all kinds of different opponents to adjust their competitive state.

Zhao Zhuoluo tried to persuade Lian Sheng to attend classes with them: "I can apply for permission from the instructor. You can audit the class—no one will kick you out. The coach is strict, but he also has high professional standards."

Lian Sheng politely declined. "No need, thank you. I've been doing special training recently."

Compared to the academy instructors, Lian Sheng still trusted Bright Bulb's one-on-one guidance more. Not to mention, she also had Hundred Meter Flying Dagger assisting from the sidelines.

The data analyses from Hundred Meter Flying Dagger—something many people could only dream of—Lian Sheng had already received four copies in just one month.

She had truly received enthusiastic encouragement from her seniors, with extraordinary efficiency.

She understood in her heart the effort the studio members had expended for her and the high hopes they placed on her. Such great kindness needed no words of thanks—she silently engraved it in her heart.

However, Zhao Zhuoluo and the others were unaware of this. They thought she couldn't find a proper path and could only do individual training in Sanyao. The feeling of seeing her marginalized like this was just too strange.

"We can have someone help investigate your future opponents. We just hired a data analyst to assist," Zhao Zhuoluo said. "Also, you must take the later stages of the preliminaries seriously. We've basically locked down the general range. We're about to hold a summary report—do you want to come and listen?"

Lian Sheng immediately said, "Sure. Thank you so much."

Even though the early matches weren't difficult, that didn't mean their days were easy. These people aimed for victory—only victory—so their minds were constantly occupied with the next step of decision-making.

Who is the opponent? What are their characteristics? What are their weaknesses?

Having intelligence in hand prevented panic. More importantly, such work gave them a sense of security.

Lian Sheng wasn't very skilled at data collection. She had no data sources, no connections to gather information, and no technical support to analyze videos. Plus, she knew how hard it was to hire a data analyst now.

Third-years were busy with reports, many fourth-years had already left the school, and first-years generally lacked the skill and experience, so second-year analysts had become exceptionally sought-after.

Hundred Meter Flying Dagger didn't have the time to analyze each of their opponents. He believed that with absolute strength, everything else was just a steamroll. He told Lian Sheng to leave it to fate.

Lian Sheng had asked Zhou Shirui, but at the time, he said he already had arrangements. Since Lian Sheng didn't know anyone else, she simply gave up.

Only after accepting this invitation did she realize that Zhou Shirui's arrangements were actually for Zhao Zhuoluo and the others.

They gathered in the cafeteria, sitting around a table and nodding at each other in greeting.

"Let me brief you on your recent opponents. Currently, there are eleven predicted opponents already announced. But these are only predictions for the next three matches—you won't face all of them, and they might not even be these people. There will be some changes later because some students might be eliminated along with their military schools." Zhou Shirui pulled out his optical computer and asked, "Have you checked them all?"

Lian Sheng admitted frankly, "I've seen the names and times."

The others: "..."

The others: "..."

This person really had no sense of urgency about the competition.

Lian Sheng continued, "Your brother said the opponents don't matter. If we're comparing mech combat abilities in Sanyao, I can definitely make it to the finals. If I don't, then the competition system must be wrong."

Zhou Shirui buried his head in his optical computer and said offhandedly, "He says too many things. He also said the Expeditionary Force would beg him to come back."

Lian Sheng's gaze drifted upward.

Actually, she felt that wasn't entirely impossible.

Zhou Shirui tilted his optical computer toward Lian Sheng and got to the point. "Among these eleven people, two are from the high-scoring group. I estimate it won't take more than a week for the competition to enter the latter stages. After the 300 slots are finalized, the organizing committee will arrange a three-day break, then reset the system rankings. After that, your match frequency will decrease again to allow enough time for adjustment."

Zhou Shirui pointed at the list and said, "Two people you need to pay special attention to: one is a student from East Three named Sun Hanwei, and the other is a student from National Defense named Chen Beishi. The probability of facing the former is only 7%, so just keep him in mind. But the latter has a 69% chance—you must focus on him."

Lian Sheng scanned the list and pointed at another name. "I'm more interested in this one. What's he like?"

Ji Ban. Lian Sheng had already heard many stories about him.

This person only had a little over 100 points, very much like Lian Sheng's style back in the day. That conspicuously missing digit was especially eye-catching among the sea of six-digit contestants.

To fight his way to this point with just over 100 base points was definitely not something luck could achieve. Based on the system's early-stage allocation model, with such a low score, he had already fought over a hundred matches, including many against high-scoring opponents.

In other words, he had defeated quite a few high-scoring students. This person was undoubtedly a force to be reckoned with.

He must also have some hard-to-explain reasons for his pitiful academic points. Looking at him, Lian Sheng felt a sense of kinship. But now she had risen to prominence, while this fellow sufferer was still struggling below the poverty line.

The probability of facing Ji Ban was only 2%.

"You don't need to worry about him. You won't face him," Zhou Shirui said after just a glance. "His military school will soon have too few members—his schoolmates aren't durable. Probably tomorrow, one of his schoolmates will face Senior Ye Buqing. I've checked—there's basically no hope of winning. Once the number drops below five, everyone in the military school will be forcibly eliminated."

His investigation was meticulous. Lian Sheng knew he was right but still asked curiously, "Then what's he like?"

Zhou Shirui thought for a moment. "Strange. Very strong."

Lian Sheng pondered his words while continuing to study the match list.

"Even if he's going to be forcibly eliminated, he still has one match tomorrow before that happens," Lian Sheng said. "Ji Ban vs. Chen Beishi."

The very same Chen Beishi with a 69% probability of facing her—the one she needed to focus on.

"So, there's a bit of a problem," Zhou Shirui said. "If Ji Ban defeats Chen Beishi but then gets eliminated, you might be matched with an unfamiliar opponent. We'll only know when the results come out."

Lian Sheng looked up. "Isn't there supposed to be a transfer system?"

A person who had fought his way to this point with just over 100 points—how could no military school want to recruit him?

If there were, and if he wanted to continue competing, he should have already started preparing to transfer.

After Lian Sheng asked, the others' expressions turned odd. It was hard to say whether it was pity or something else.

"There really aren't any..." Ye Buqing said. "His mech operation method isn't sensor-based but the most traditional manual control. But now, no traditional mechs are being produced, and the military doesn't provide technical support for them. Even if he transfers or joins the military, there's no one who can train him. All the operation commands are his own settings. The military school he's in now is just a nominal enrollment for the mech selection matches."

Fang Jianchen said, "That's not even the main problem. The most important thing is that the Alliance would never build a manual-control mech just for him."

Lian Sheng was shocked.

This was like painstakingly learning how to slay dragons only to find out dragons didn't exist. This wasn't a technology that belonged in this era.

But surely he knew this himself. If so, why did he still learn manual-control mechs?

Moreover, wasn't it generally believed that manual-control mechs were harder to operate than sensor-based ones?

Lian Sheng was stunned for a moment. Various thoughts tumbled through her mind, but the first question she asked was unrelated: "Can you still use manual-control mechs in Sanyao?"

"Yes," Ye Buqing said. "After all, this was the mech operation technology of the past—the data still exists. Also, as long as you input sufficiently comprehensive data, you can even build a new mech directly in Sanyao."

"..." Lian Sheng said, "Wow."

That sounded incredibly badass.

Fang Jianchen said, "There's more wow. Sanyao used to produce mechs."

Lian Sheng widened her eyes. "Wow!"

"Sanyao is now a virtual combat platform, but in the past, it was the Alliance's officially designated mech manufacturing company," Zhou Shirui nodded. "Their statuses are completely incomparable. It really is a pity."

Lian Sheng said, "Tell me more."

Seeing her interest, Zhou Shirui explained in detail: "Rewind a hundred years, and Sanyao was a legendary company. They recruited the top R&D personnel of the time, and many of the Alliance's mech technologies were their innovations. You could say that all manual-control mechs back then were related to Sanyao in some way. The confidential data they held surpassed even the Alliance's official records."

Zhou Shirui continued, "The irony is that after decades of R&D on new technology—something they excitedly announced would achieve comprehensive performance upgrades for mechs—the Alliance military suddenly unveiled the advent of sensors. Compared to the two, sensors were undoubtedly more impactful. And so it proved. From then on, mech development entered a new era, and the Alliance swiftly severed its production partnership with Sanyao. The crackdown during that period was also severe, so manual-control mechs reached their end."

Zhou Shirui said, "To survive, Sanyao urgently replaced its management and shifted its business model. At the time, they dismissed most of their R&D personnel and voluntarily disclosed their massive database to the Alliance in exchange for sensor-related data, which became the foundation of today's Sanyao."

One was active, the other passive—this was likely the nature of cutting-edge technology in modern society. Status could change overnight, with all the turbulence hidden beneath the surface.

This wasn't just a matter of conflicting interests. It shouldn't be described as a pity, but it was indeed lamentable.

Lian Sheng asked, "So is Ji Ban's insistence on using manual-control mechs related to Sanyao? Does he want to revive manual-control mechs?"

Zhou Shirui said, "I don't know about that. Probably not, because Sanyao' owner isn't surnamed Ji."

Fang Jianchen said, "How do you come up with such novel ideas? If Sanyao had such convictions, they wouldn't have adopted their current business strategy."

"Actually, judging by skill, I don't think a manual-control mech revival is completely impossible," Zhou Shirui looked at Lian Sheng. "Want me to show you his match videos?"

Lian Sheng nodded. "Please."

Zhou Shirui then pulled up his research data on Ji Ban.

In his previous matches, Ji Ban had almost always achieved flawless victories. His record was as eye-catching as his score. Such a person appearing out of nowhere, piloting a manual-control mech that had become a relic of the past, immediately shocked the entire military circle.

Zhou Shirui naturally hadn't missed this research opportunity. But the more he studied, the more he felt it was a pity. Because manual-control mechs were destined to remain in the past, no matter how outstanding Ji Ban was, 'he wouldn't have a good outcome.

The fact that no military school would accept him proved this reality.

Lian Sheng stared intently at the projection in the middle of the table, while the others adjusted their postures and scrutinized it seriously.

Upon closer comparison, the differences between manual-control mechs and sensor-based mechs became obvious.

The human body needs to tense muscles to accumulate strength, then use sensors to drive the mech's attacks. Manual control doesn't require this.

Thus, Ji Ban could continuously use roundhouse kicks or punches without worrying about muscle damage. He could easily twist his torso and straighten it again without fearing ligament strain. He could frequently bend or squat without considering the burden on his waist.

His movements were very fast but couldn't be called smooth, because they weren't orthodox techniques. He simply input the necessary actions one by one, chaining high-difficulty moves arbitrarily.

There were many movements human limbs couldn't easily perform, but the mech's joints could support them. He could directly use commands to bring out the mech's maximum potential.

On his battlefield, he was utterly, indisputably the king.

"He's amazing," Lian Sheng exclaimed. "Manual-control mechs are amazing!"

Zhou Shirui nodded. "They are, but not everyone can use them."

Zhou Shirui clicked on a few more videos. They watched them one by one, the dining table falling into silence.

The thought of Ji Ban being disqualified because no military school would accept him gave them complicated feelings.

"Oh right, I almost forgot the main point," Zhou Shirui dragged his optical computer back. "I should show you Chen Beishi's videos first."

He reopened the folder and selected a file to play.

The others realized they'd been sitting too long and their bodies had stiffened. They adjusted their postures before looking up.

Compared to Ji Ban's dominance, Chen Beishi's attacks were noticeably weaker. Though he was also a skilled fighter, after the earlier comparison, it felt somewhat unsatisfying.

Zhou Shirui said, "Chen Beishi uses the Leibao. He's good at attacking with both hands, so pay attention to his left-hand sword."

The ammunition and energy mechs could carry in the selection matches were limited, so close-combat mechs had an advantage over long-range ones.

After watching two matches, Lian Sheng said, "If nothing unexpected happens, he'll probably lose."

Zhou Shirui didn't respond, but it was clear he thought so too.

"Let's prepare based on this for now," Zhou Shirui said. "Tomorrow morning is Chen Beishi vs. Ji Ban, noon is Ji Ban's schoolmate vs. Senior Ye, and evening is your match. Chen Beishi isn't a simple opponent either—it's better to prepare early."

Zhou Shirui explained the characteristics of Lian Sheng's next few opponents, then distributed the remaining data to Zhao Zhuoluo and the others.

Zhao Zhuoluo's group had already done some research, so it didn't take long.

The next morning, Chen Beishi faced Ji Ban. As everyone expected, Ji Ban won again.

His repeated victories against high-scoring opponents were partly because people truly weren't accustomed to manual-control mechs and thus couldn't respond skillfully. Partly because his command input speed was almost unbelievable for a manual-control mech.

Countless people on the official website were following this and sighing in admiration, yet not a single notable military school stepped forward to express willingness to accept this student.

At noon, Ye Buqing won. Ji Ban couldn't escape forced elimination.

After Ye Buqing's match ended, the system reassigned Lian Sheng's opponent.

Zhou Shirui checked immediately and found, to his horror, that it was Yan Shuo from Alliance University.

Zhou Shirui nearly spat blood and urgently sought out Lian Sheng.

"Him! You must pay attention to him!" Zhou Shirui said. "He uses Western swordsmanship!"

Lian Sheng was baffled. "You mean Ji Ban?"

Zhou Shirui: "Forget Ji Ban. Your real opponent is Yan Shuo!"

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