Although the Mecha League is only a competition among military academies, it is an annual event watched by the entire population.
Even the most desolate, remote planets are full of people following it. Though it is held only once a year, the public’s enthusiasm is no less intense than that for the World Cup back on Earth.
By its very nature, the Mecha League is one of the few “competitions” that allows absolutely no tolerance for corruption or match-fixing. As a result, it also hosts the biggest betting pools of the year.
There was little suspense over the academy rankings—especially first place. Betting on Imperial Military Academy was not entirely without profit, but it was essentially just moving money from one hand to the other for nothing.
The remaining top spots were likewise divided among several powerful academies. Major upsets were rare; the only real question was how they would rank against one another.
After all, military academies competed on the basis of overall strength. Setting aside the issue of student recruitment, the difference in mecha technology alone between a mediocre academy and one of the elite schools could amount to decades, or even centuries.
The League’s opening ceremony was a grand affair, and even the biggest interstellar celebrities considered it an honor to be invited as guest performers.
There was, however, a disproportionately high number of Omegas in the entertainment industry. With one glance at the previous performers, Pei Liang could spot several of them.
Once the opening ceremony ended, it was time for the teams from the various military academies to enter the arena. Imperial Military Academy was the first to appear.
It was easy to forget that, before this, these students from Imperial Military Academy had been beaten by Pei Liang until they questioned their very existence. In public, however, every last one of them projected the image of a powerful, restrained, wickedly charming Alpha.
Almost all of them had their own fan clubs. For handsome, outstanding performers like Teresa and Arnold, their appearance was enough to send the entire stadium into screams.
The attention and adoration of tens of thousands of spectators at the venue alone created an unprecedented spectacle, to say nothing of the hundreds of billions watching through livestreams and on television.
Pei Liang heard Brian, who was entering second, sneer, “They’re only getting this kind of reception because it’s being held on Imperial Capital.”
Arnold, walking behind them, laughed at that. “You should be grateful it’s our home turf. If it were held on Ares, and you saw that we were still more popular, I’d be worried that your petty, narrow-minded ass would become so depressed it affected your performance.”
As he spoke, he shot the other man a sidelong glance. “Then you’d come up with another excuse for losing, and we’d be sick of listening to it.”
Something like that really had happened before. The venue for the Mecha League changed every year, but, much like applying to host the Olympics in the real world, the host planet began preparing and submitting its application several years in advance. Any planet that applied had to meet the necessary requirements.
Once a planet secured the right to host, its economy and tourism industry would inevitably receive a boost. For a developed world like Imperial Capital, however, the impact was not particularly significant.
Ever since Richter had taken over as chairman of the board, Imperial Military Academy had topped the rankings every year. In the interstellar era, with humanity at war against the insectoid race, the entire population practically worshipped the strong.
Whether at home or on another planet, the powerful and handsome students of Imperial Military Academy always received the loudest cheers.
Last year, Brian had missed first place after Teresa and Arnold intercepted him, and he had remained dissatisfied for quite some time afterward.
During interviews, he had repeatedly voiced his displeasure, which the media then sensationalized extensively.
So when Arnold mocked him for making excuses for his defeat, it was not impossible that Brian would do exactly that again.
Humiliated and enraged, Brian said, “Arnold, you seem awfully proud of stopping your senior last year.”
“I wonder how much you’ve improved this year. I hope we’re aiming for the same thing, because I can’t wait to fight you.”
Arnold sneered. “Something that’s never going to happen, and you’re here making empty threats? Does running your mouth make that pitiful shred of self-esteem you have left feel a little better?”
Arnold and Brian were both among the most closely watched competitors in this year’s League. Because of their history from the previous year, Brian’s return was being portrayed as a revenge campaign fueled by blazing fury.
The audience loved that sort of drama. Although the Mecha League did not directly manipulate the competitors, it generated enormous profits for the Empire and the military every year. To increase its entertainment value, arranging matchups and starting positions in a way like this was perfectly reasonable.
Besides, the rules and arenas changed every year. The organizing committee racked its brains to boost viewership.
There was no way the two of them would face each other at the beginning. They would certainly be deployed far apart, saving the main course for the finale.
Brian was furious, but having once lost to Arnold was enough to keep him from establishing any real confidence in front of the other man.
He could only redirect his fire toward Pei Liang, sneering, “That’s right. You’ve fallen so far that you have to use an S-ranker just to make up the numbers. Whether you can even make it to the end is another question.”
Pei Liang, however, was looking around at the countless light sticks in the audience’s hands.
Even with technology having advanced to this point, the way people cheered and vented their enthusiasm for those they idolized had not changed much.
The light sticks were beautifully made—about as long as a child’s arm and roughly as thick as a rolling pin. They were semi-transparent, and their colors and designs matched those of the military academy uniforms representing the fans’ allegiance.
At the top was a projected chibi version of one of the competitors. It was extraordinarily cute, and it was immediately obvious whom each person supported.
For example, a large section near the front was occupied by Teresa and Arnold’s fans. The two men’s chibi holographic projections appeared on the light sticks, even performing different movements as the fans waved them around.
Pei Liang found it fascinating.
She pointed at the light sticks and asked Arnold, “How much does one of those cost?”
Arnold glanced back, prompting an excited shriek from the fan section.
Then he answered Pei Liang, “Depends on the competitor. Each one costs a different amount.”
Pei Liang understood. It was just like anime figurines—the more popular the character, the more expensive the merchandise.
She asked again, “How much is yours?”
“How would I know? Who would buy that ridiculous thing? It’s embarrassing as hell.” He paused, then added awkwardly, “Although the licensing fees and advertising money from my image are pretty nice every year.”
Military academy students obviously could not enter the entertainment industry. When they occasionally appeared on programs or filmed advertisements, it was usually for charity or military recruitment campaigns.
But the Mecha League had spawned an enormous chain of profits. The commercial value of popular competitors was so high that they did not even need to participate personally. The official sale of merchandise and other commercial activities would still earn them their appropriate share.
In this world, strength meant fame and fortune. One did not have to wait until joining the military and making a name for oneself to obtain them.
That was precisely why so many people wanted to enter military academies and compete in the Mecha League: the rewards were lucrative in every possible way.
Arnold, the pampered young heir, clearly had no idea about any of this. But earlier, when he had been trading barbs with the competitor from Ares Military Academy, he had already spoken up.
“For Arnold, a pair of those light sticks costs around two hundred star coins. Special designs and materials, premium editions, commemorative editions, limited editions, and the like all come with markups. I heard the most expensive one sold for five hundred thousand.”
“Teresa’s are about the same. The two of them are the most expensive competitors in this year’s League.”
Pei Liang nodded. “Then the organizing committee must be making a fortune from merchandise alone.”
After all, aside from the spectators in the stadium, there were countless mecha fans gathering to celebrate in bars and shops on the streets of planets all across the galaxy. No place was without them.
Brian sneered, “Jealous? It’s not impossible for an S-rank player to have merchandise of his own. It’s just that if your skills are no good, it won’t sell.”
“But if you beg me, I can put in a word with the merchants and have them bundle yours with mine as a freebie. That way, your sales figures won’t look quite so pathetic.”
Pei Liang pointed her chin at Brian and asked the Know-It-All team member, “How much does his cheering stick cost?”
“Thirty,” the man replied.
Pei Liang gave Brian a meaningful look. His face flushed red in patches beneath her gaze, and he nearly exploded.
“Now that’s a case of minimal damage but maximum humiliation,” the Know-It-All team member tsked.
To make matters worse, Arnold added another jab. Genuine astonishment appeared on his face. “What? You’re only worth thirty?”
“That’s nearly seven times less than mine. Haven’t you always acted like you’re so damn amazing? You’ve never lost to anyone except me and Old Sa, so why are you so cheap?”
Brian looked ready to jump out of his skin. Arnold then continued his analysis with complete confidence. “I get it now. You must spend all your time whining everywhere after you lose, with not a shred of sportsmanship, so people hate you.”
“I’ve always wondered why someone as big as you could have such a tiny heart. That’s not a good thing, you know. Now you see what I mean, right?”
Brian looked as though he had just eaten shit. He wanted to curse them out, but every camera in the world was pointed at them. If they got into a fight before the match and were disqualified, that would be quite a spectacle.
He forced down his anger, but the three disrespectful idiots only grew more enthusiastic.
Pei Liang nudged Arnold and said with a smile, “Don’t put it that way. Brian isn’t unpopular because he’s petty.”
“It’s because he’s ugly.”
“What did you say?” Brian glared at Pei Liang, his eyes bloodshot, and growled, “You’re only an S-rank, yet you dare insult a 3S-rank? Don’t forget, once you join the military, I’ll be your superior officer.”
Pei Liang shook her head. “Leaving aside the fact that such a thing is impossible, you’ve genuinely misunderstood me, Senior. I wasn’t trying to insult you. I was simply analyzing the reason for the huge gap between the prices of your merchandise from an objective perspective.”
“Of course, Arnold’s explanation just now is part of the reason too. But we’re military academy students, future soldiers. Most viewers expect something very different from us than they do from celebrities in the entertainment industry.”
“Although Senior Brian is petty, long-winded, and completely devoid of competitive spirit, that stubborn refusal to admit defeat wouldn’t necessarily be a flaw on the battlefield when facing the Zerg.”
She spoke with such logic and confidence that several elite students from nearby military academies began listening.
“I believe Senior Brian still has quite a few fans. They’re probably mostly short-tempered, impulsive people from the lower classes, with little education and a strong admiration for violence.”
“Those people just happen not to be the target audience for merchandise. That’s the difference if you judge by appearance alone.”
“But if we were only judging by looks, the price gap wouldn’t be so large. The most important factor is that your overall abilities are slightly inferior. Other people are more handsome than you and stronger than you. Their appeal covers practically every age group, so the difference in audience reach is obvious.”
After she finished, she looked at Brian and smiled. “So, Senior, the reason your merchandise is so cheap is simply that you’re ugly and weak. There’s really nothing to question.”
The military academy students around them burst into waves of laughter. Quite a few of them were shaking with the effort of holding it in.
Brian was utterly humiliated. If his teammates hadn’t held him back, he probably would have already thrown himself at Pei Liang.
The commotion between the contestants couldn’t escape the cameras scattered throughout the venue. The eight enormous projections floating overhead, as well as the livestream, recorded everything in full.
Although no one could hear what the contestants were saying, it wasn’t difficult to tell from their expressions, gestures, and the way Brian repeatedly looked ready to attack that the contestants had already begun trading blows verbally.
The lead commentator also made playful remarks about the situation, whipping the audience’s anticipation into a frenzy.
Pei Liang already had a strong presence in the competition. For one thing, she was the first S-rank in several decades to become an official member of the Imperial Military Academy’s team. For another, the pre-match provocation between the Imperial Military Academy and the Ares Military Academy centered on her.
Quite a few viewers began questioning the situation:
[This S-rank actually dares provoke a 3S-rank? Everyone knows how vindictive Brian is.]
[Who cares? Does the Imperial Military Academy need to be afraid of someone from the Ares Military Academy?]
[That’s easy to say. Talking big feels great for a while, but it’ll be hilarious when they run into each other in the arena. There won’t be all those 3S-rank teammates around to protect her then.]
[What is the Imperial Military Academy playing at? Are they really that short on people? An S-rank actually took the spot of an original 3S-rank starter.]
[Director Richter, blink twice if you’re being threatened. The substitutes are all 3S-ranks.]
[The Imperial Military Academy’s odds have changed after putting this S-rank in the starting lineup.]
[I’m terrified the Imperial Military Academy is going to overreach and suffer a disastrous defeat this time.]
Hill glanced at the prevailing opinions online and frowned.
He was sitting in a VIP seat with an excellent view, in the front row of the arena, close enough to see all the contestants clearly.
There were nobles in attendance as well, of course, but they were seated in private boxes on the highest level, surrounded by luxurious furnishings and exquisite food.
Hill naturally couldn’t go there. In fact, when he had shown his ticket earlier, his identity as a resident of the slums, combined with a VIP ticket, had prompted additional questioning.
They had repeatedly checked that the electronic ticket was genuine before finally allowing him inside.
Hill glanced at the odds ranking for the various contestants. Unsurprisingly, his benefactor’s presence there was just as conspicuous.
The odds were so high because, as a weak link in a powerful academy, she naturally attracted a great deal of attention.
Hill still had some money left—the money his benefactor had given him when she came to the central district a few days earlier.
Without hesitation, he bet all of it on his benefactor. Win or lose, it was a way of showing his support.
And Hill wasn’t the only one paying close attention to Pei Liang. Several people in the nobles’ private boxes were watching her as well.
Pei’s father and Pei’s mother had, unusually, appeared in the same place again. Pei’s father hadn’t come for Pei Liang today. After all, he felt he had already foreseen the outcome.
Besides, although the attention might be an honor, if his daughter performed too poorly, it would bring shame upon him as well.
Pei’s mother sat lazily on the sofa and watched Pei’s father work the room among the influential figures nearby. She asked Valen, “Why did we have to come in person?”
“Couldn’t we have watched it from home?”
Valen handed her a glass of fruit wine and smiled. “This is the first time the child has been the center of so much attention. Whether she returns in triumph or leaves dejected, I want her to look up and see that her parents are standing with her.”
Pei’s mother fell silent.
She hadn’t even spoken when Pei’s father, who was sitting some distance away, turned around. It was unclear whether he had been paying attention to them the entire time.
The moment he heard Valen’s words, he immediately abandoned his socializing and came over. Glaring at Valen with an ashen expression, he said, “That’s enough.”
“You’re treating someone else’s daughter as your own and claiming to be her father. Where is your sense of decency?”
Valen smiled, still wearing that lazy, unconcerned expression. “Don’t put it that way. As her elder, it’s only natural that I care for and cherish her.”
“Though we aren’t related by blood, I’ve long considered that child my own daughter. I never denied Mr. Pei’s biological and ethical relationship with her as her father, so there’s no need to get worked up.”
Pei’s father was so infuriated by that shameless argument he nearly choked. That bastard was merely taking a different approach—trying to seize the child first, then use that as justification to steal his wife.
While undercurrents surged everywhere, the contestants below had also all entered the venue.
Under the guidance of the league chairman, they completed the oath for the competition.
Next came the media, swarming in from all sides. Naturally, their attention remained focused on the few powerhouse schools. Given the atmosphere surrounding the contestants’ entrance, quite a few reporters eagerly asked what had just happened.
Arnold gave a wicked grin. “Nothing much. We were just discussing the prices of the various contestants’ fan merchandise.”
“Then Brian seemed dissatisfied with the price of his own merchandise, so we explained to him from the perspectives of data and audience demographics how the price gap came about.”
The media: “…”
Good lord. That was murder by a thousand cuts.
Teresa and Arnold had both performed exceptionally well the previous year. They were only first-year students, and they were also remarkably handsome, so their merchandise was very expensive.
A warrior might not care about appearances, but fan support was entertainment at its core. And whenever entertainment was involved, appearance became a more significant part of the value.
Everyone knew the prices of the three contestants’ merchandise. The figures were displayed in huge lettering at the entrance, and unless someone’s memory was truly abysmal, there was no way they could forget.
The difference was a full sevenfold. Not only was it painful, they had even explained exactly which angle each word had struck from.
The people at the venue and those watching the interview online were all laughing hysterically.
How had they never realized before that the contestants from Imperial Military Academy were so wicked? In the past, they had always responded coldly and never generated much of a talking point.
The media were instantly energized and hurriedly asked Brian, “Contestant Brian, do you have anything to say about this?”
At that moment, Brian practically wanted to kill someone. He cast a sinister look at Pei Liang—
Then he let out a cold laugh. “I’m very concerned that Imperial Military Academy has unexpectedly selected an S-rank Alpha for its starting lineup. As their competitor, I consider this a sign of disrespect toward every other team. They’ll have to pay the price for their arrogance and stupidity.”
“I’ll make Imperial Military Academy understand that they’ve spent long enough in first place.”
Whoa—
When had Brian ever used such blunt language while trash-talking? After all, these competitors would all become colleagues in the military after graduation, so everyone usually left some room for courtesy.
It seemed Brian had truly been enraged. And clearly, that S-rank Alpha had been the main source of the provocation earlier.
The media could only feel that this year’s opening ceremony was exceptionally heated. The smell of gunpowder was practically choking them.
Then, unable to wait any longer, they pointed their microphones at Pei Liang. “Contestant Pei Liang, what do you have to say about Brian’s doubts?”
Pei Liang replied lazily, “Once we’re in there, I’ll beat the shit out of him.”
The atmosphere instantly reached a fever pitch. The reporters didn’t even need to check the internet to know how explosive the reaction would be.
One challenge had been more aggressive than the last, making people think they weren’t watching the notoriously serious and official Mecha League at all, but some underground boxing match where fighters traded threats before the bell.
A reporter asked Pei Liang, “Contestant Pei Liang, do you think a statement like that is too arrogant considering your abilities?”
“As everyone knows, your genetic rank is S. What gives you the confidence to say something like that to a 3S?”
Pei Liang glanced at the reporter. The conspicuous logo on the reporter’s uniform identified them as media from Battle God Star. Naturally, it made sense for them to speak in her favor.
The reporter’s question also reflected the thoughts of countless people at that moment. The overwhelming majority felt that this S-rank was a little too good at drawing aggro.
Moreover, acting so cocky despite the vast disparity in strength would only make people look forward to seeing her get humbled. The only ones who thought there was nothing wrong with what she had said were the die-hard supporters of Imperial Military Academy.
Whatever else they lost, they absolutely couldn’t lose in spirit.
Then, under the eyes of the entire audience, Pei Liang answered, “Once he gets the shit beaten out of him, you won’t think that anymore.”
Brian ground his teeth so hard they nearly cracked.
The interview time was limited. The media were ushered out, still thoroughly unsatisfied, and the contestants then moved to the positions corresponding to their assigned numbers.
At that moment, countless circular rings, each about two meters in diameter, appeared across the enormous arena floor. A large number was displayed in the center of each ring.
Before the competition, every contestant had received an assigned number. All they had to do now was stand inside the corresponding ring.
Several minutes later, once every contestant was in position, the rings suddenly rose into energy barriers that enclosed them. Then all the contestants vanished from their original locations.
Those capsule-shaped energy barriers were actually small teleporters. Their foundations had been built underground, so strictly speaking, the contestants hadn’t disappeared—they had simply been lowered beneath the surface.
Underground, there were jump coordinates connected to the arena that directly transported the contestants into the competition grounds.
The first event was the relatively traditional Flag-Capture Race. The flags were located at the finish line, and there were ten in total. Rankings would be determined by the order in which the contestants captured them.
The competition grounds were fraught with danger. The contestants not only had to worry about finding food and surviving, but also about the insectoid enemies released into the arena and the scheming of their fellow contestants.
Even contestants from the same school were competitors when it came to their rankings.
Pei Liang felt a sudden sensation of weightlessness. Then, in the next instant, everything before her changed dramatically. The sea of people in the venue was replaced by a primeval jungle.
At the same time, the giant screens at the venue shifted to views of the competition grounds.
The audience erupted in excited cheers, anticipating the start of the event.
The screens displayed information about the planet selected as the arena. Smooth footage introduced the audience to its landscape, environmental features, species, and resources.
Throughout this period, images of the contestants entering the competition grounds repeatedly flashed across the screens.
The contestants’ school uniforms had already been replaced during teleportation by combat suits manufactured using nanotechnology and supplied uniformly by the organizing committee.
The energy barrier before Pei Liang disappeared, and she stepped off the teleportation platform. Once she left, the ground returned to normal, giving no indication that anything unusual had happened.
She was just about to assess her surroundings when she heard footsteps behind her.
Pei Liang turned around and saw that Brian’s face, which had been dark only minutes earlier, had now twisted into a smug and vicious grin.
There were a great many contestants participating. Although viewers could choose to focus on a particular contestant or purchase a full recording of any contestant’s performance afterward, the simultaneous broadcast naturally relied on a massive production team to switch between scenes according to what was happening across the competition grounds.
Most of the other contestants had encountered nothing unusual, so the first confrontation had naturally become the one between Pei Liang and Brian, making it the obvious focus of the broadcast.
Everyone had just watched the two of them trade threats in public, and now they had collided almost immediately.
[Holy crap! The organizing committee is really stirring things up.]
[Pfft, hahahaha! Welcome to the fastest boast-to-backfire in history.]
[Go, Brian! Beat the shit out of her.]
[How can you say that? Pei Liang may have run her mouth and have no idea how strong she really is, but this is still way too cruel. LMAO.]
【I’d believe you if you stopped grinning like that.】
The internet was reveling in the spectacle of someone getting publicly humiliated, while only the die-hard supporters of Imperial Military Academy felt that the organizers’ arrangement had gone too far.
They had actually sacrificed someone from Imperial Military Academy first just to generate buzz. Still, voices like that were quickly drowned out.
When it came to the mecha league, strength was all that mattered. It was different from every other circle—being weak was the original sin, and there was no room for excuses.
If you were bad but still acted all high and mighty, you could only sit back and wait to be humiliated.
Besides, the event was being hosted by Imperial Capital. If this had happened on War God Star, people could have accused Ares Military Academy of being shameless. But on your own turf, arranging things for your own people was hardly something anyone could complain about, was it?
And so, everyone was waiting for the first brutal spectacle of a crushing mismatch—and the inevitable public humiliation that would follow.
No one from the Pei family had expected Pei Liang to face such a situation the moment he entered. Pei’s father could already foresee what was coming, and his face began to burn with embarrassment.
On the field, Brian cracked his knuckles one by one and asked Pei Liang, “How do you want to die?”
