Naturally, Pei Liang herself had no idea that the atmosphere online was exactly the sort people loved to watch.
As far as her own situation went, by today’s standards, she had absolutely no clue where she stood.
Of course, she had no idea just how eye-catching it was to see a rookie strutting around so arrogantly.
But that wasn’t even the most outrageous part. Even standing before Brian, she seemed to have completely forgotten the threats she’d just made.
The moment she saw him, she greeted him with a bright, sunny smile. “Yo, Senior Brian.”
Brian regarded her leisurely, like a man staring at a mouse that had finally fallen into his hands. His expression was anything but friendly.
There was a calculating look in his eyes, as though he were deciding where to cut first. Combined with that face of his, Pei Liang felt that expression alone ought to come with an age rating.
At the very least, it wasn’t suitable for anyone under fourteen. It might give children nightmares.
As if only just realizing that he was angry, she asked, “Are you still upset about that interview earlier?”
“It’s competition. People like this sort of trash talk. But you have to believe me, Senior—I don’t actually have anything against you personally.”
At that moment, the two of them occupied the main feed of the live broadcast. Hearing Pei Liang say that, quite a few people in the audience began booing.
[Don’t chicken out! Imperial Military Academy students never take back what they say, whether they win or lose!]
[Trying to beg for mercy now? Too late.]
Brian clearly thought the same. The joints of his fingers cracked sharply as he flexed them.
Rolling his neck, he strode toward Pei Liang. His rough voice carried with particular clarity through the quiet rainforest.
“Ever since we were backstage, I’ve been thinking about how to kill you once we got into the arena.”
“I thought I’d have to put up with you hopping around alive and making a nuisance of yourself for a long time—at least several days, maybe even until the later stages of the flag-capture round. All that time, I’d have to lie awake at night, stewing over that smug face of yours. You’re only an S-rank, yet you act so damn pleased with yourself just because you came from the Imperial Military Academy.”
“Or maybe a weakling like you wouldn’t even survive long enough to appear before me. Maybe you’d die to the Zerg, or students from another school, not long after entering the arena. Not being able to kill you myself would have been a lasting regret.”
“But then—hahaha!” Brian burst out laughing. “Looks like heaven is on my side.”
Pei Liang looked puzzled. “What do you mean, heaven is on your side? Wasn’t this arranged by the organizing committee?”
“Senior Brian, you’re not seriously thinking that the two of us ending up this close to each other is just a matter of probability, are you?”
“I heard you’ll be interning with the military soon. Being this naive isn’t a good thing. The Zerg can be pretty cunning too, you know. You should learn to be a little more alert.”
Brian’s face darkened. Though he was clearly powerful, he had always resented the fact that he was never as popular as people like Teresa and Arnold.
His family had also analyzed his behavior during and after matches, trying to make changes to improve the situation.
Brian had been put through plenty of coaching. Even without looking at it objectively, he knew that if he let this useless S-rank keep talking, he would only be humiliated further.
He gave a savage grin and stopped trying to engage her in an area where he had no advantage.
Brian was now less than an arm’s length from Pei Liang. What surprised everyone was that, despite being sure she was on the verge of losing her nerve, she didn’t back down.
She held her own verbally, and when Brian moved closer, she didn’t take so much as an instinctive step backward.
A 3S-rank Alpha had an absolute advantage over an S-rank when it came to pheromones. When a 3S-rank Alpha released an aggressive pheromone, anyone of a lower rank within a certain distance would feel fear and unease. Simply overcoming that instinctive terror was difficult enough. A pale face and sweat-soaked clothes were par for the course. Even a 2S-rank Alpha needed tremendous willpower—and a powerful stimulus—to overcome that fear and face their opponent bravely. An S-rank had even less chance.
But looking at Pei Liang, anyone who truly knew what to look for could see that she was far too calm.
For someone of her rank, her composure was downright abnormal.
The other military academies and senior military officials watching the livestream began to take an interest.
Even the Ares principal couldn’t help asking Chairman Richter, “So this is why you put an S-rank in your starting lineup?”
As the head of one of the Empire’s top military academies, the Ares principal naturally saw things from a broader perspective than the public.
He didn’t believe Pei Liang was just an ordinary S-rank. Perhaps she had a particular talent that could make up for her lower rank—something that had led Richter to take a risk and insist on putting her in the starting lineup.
They had plenty of 3S-rank reserves, yet had chosen not to use them. Instead, they’d pitted her against their own top 3S-rank competitor right from the start. Clearly, Richter was trying to send a message.
The Ares principal shook his head and said mockingly, “Perhaps you think that by having an S-rank challenge someone above her level, you can prove to everyone that the Imperial Military Academy has never been cowed by its increasingly powerful rivals—that you’re still as untouchable as ever.”
“But Richter, I have to say that arrogance has clouded your judgment. Against an ordinary 2S-rank, I can believe your specially chosen candidate might just manage. But a 3S-rank? What were you thinking?”
“Especially when it’s Brian, the strongest competitor in our Ares class this year. He still has plenty of shortcomings, to be sure, but in terms of ability, he’s absolutely one of the top three contenders in this tournament.”
“Tactics only matter when your opponents are on the same level. An S-rank against an elite 3S-rank—”
He didn’t finish, but his meaning was clear.
Richter didn’t respond. He simply watched the livestream, the smile in his eyes growing brighter.
By then, Brian had extended his thick arm and planted his broad palm on Pei Liang’s head.
Then he tightened his grip and lifted her clean off the ground.
The difference in their builds was so great that the sight was almost comical.
The audience erupted with excitement. Online, people still observed the courtesies of commenting, but in real life—especially in the low-rent taverns and bars—there were no such restraints.
Countless burly men who admired Brian, red-faced from drinking, pounded on the bar tables and chanted:
“Beat the shit out of her! Beat the shit out of her! Beat the shit out of her!”
Even the military academy students and the Pei family looked increasingly grim.
In the midst of that tense atmosphere, Brian raised his arm and aimed Pei Liang’s entire body at a towering tree beside them, preparing to slam her into it as though she were a rag doll.
Only an S-rank Alpha with superior genes could withstand such an impact. An ordinary person’s spine—or even their whole body—would likely have snapped in two on the spot.
A cruel look flashed across Brian’s face. Yet the next instant, he felt no solid impact in his hand. Instead, it was strangely light, as if he had grabbed nothing but air.
Brian spun around sharply, only to see the S-rank fighter sitting on a moss-covered boulder just behind and to the side of him, watching him with calm amusement.
“What a pity. I was hoping Brian and I could get along well for the rest of the competition. After all, I’m not some devil who exploits people for their labor.”
Brian had no room to dwell on what she meant. All he knew was that this S-rank had escaped his grasp without him even realizing it.
A mere S-rank had provoked him again and again—and now, after he had decided to kill her, she had still managed to slip away. That was something he could not accept.
Brian threw a punch at Pei Liang. Though his build was massive, he was remarkably quick. In terms of sheer strength, his numbers were the highest among all the contestants in this competition.
They were even slightly higher than Arnold’s, making his attacks exceptionally destructive.
With one punch, the rock Pei Liang had been sitting on shattered and exploded outward. Some of the flying fragments embedded themselves deep into the massive trees nearby.
But once again, his prey vanished from his sight. Brian’s frustration and fury surged, fiercer even than during all his provocations before the competition.
Then, immediately afterward, he felt a weight settle on his shoulder, as though something heavy had landed there.
At first, Brian assumed it was a rock that had fallen after striking a tree. But once it landed on his shoulder, it showed no sign of falling further.
At the edge of his vision, he caught sight of a pair of legs that looked rather slender for an Alpha. Wrapped in a fitted black women’s combat suit, they appeared long and lean, yet brimming with explosive power.
The S-rank’s voice came from directly above his head.
“Not bad. When it comes to manual labor, being big really is an advantage.”
As she spoke, Brian grabbed the leg that had entered his field of view, intending to throw her off.
But in the next second, it felt as though a thousand pounds had been dropped onto his shoulders and back. Two deep pits instantly formed beneath his feet, and both of his legs sank into the ground up to his ankles.
His knees buckled, and he dropped to the ground in helpless fury.
Fortunately, they were in a rainforest, where the damp soil was soft and springy. Had they been in a rocky area, the impact might have injured his kneecaps outright.
Brian stared in disbelief at the ground only inches from his face.
She really was an S-rank. Whether according to the Imperial Military Academy’s records or the personal history his school had uncovered through its intelligence network, there was no doubt: she had been an S-rank from birth.
Nor did she emit any pheromones of a level that made him wary. No—she was not releasing any pheromones at all.
So why was he, a 3S-rank, kneeling on the ground in such an ugly, humiliating state before an S-rank?
“Raaagh!” Brian flew into a furious rage. He raised both hands over his head and seized the woman who had treated him like a mount. She was going to pay for it.
Then Brian drove off with his toes. The incredible leaping power of a 3S sent him soaring into the air.
The burly man somehow twisted around midair, then hurtled down from several meters up toward the boulder he had smashed halfway apart.
He meant to crush the person on his back into a pulp with the force of the impact and his own weight.
But when the boulder was barely an arm’s length away, his body abruptly stopped.
He hung motionless in midair. For an instant, Brian actually thought time had stopped.
But he knew it hadn’t. He could feel pressure on the top of his head.
He struggled to shift his gaze. From this angle, it was difficult to make out the other person’s whole figure.
Then he spotted a puddle on the ground. In the dim light of the rainforest, its surface reflected the scene with remarkable clarity, allowing Brian to see them both.
The S-ranker stood steadily atop the stump of the boulder, one arm extended. She held him with the casual ease of someone catching a football that had just been tossed her way.
Except what her hand had caught wasn’t a football. It was his head.
He was enormous, yet the other person had stopped his body in midair with nothing but a hand clamped around his head.
The sight was almost comical, like an ant lifting an insect many times its size, all head and no balance.
But Brian knew the most terrifying part wasn’t how absurdly disproportionate it looked. He was being held in midair, yet couldn’t feel the slightest strain or imbalance.
That meant the other person had complete control over his body. She hadn’t merely grabbed his head and taken its weight; she could control every part of him.
“Senior Brian, since you’re taking this seriously, I’ll have to respond in kind.”
The terror of being utterly restrained brought sweat to Brian’s brow. In the shadowy rainforest, the S-ranker’s voice sounded all the more ominous.
“What was it I said before I entered the arena?”
*That she’d beat the shit out of him.*
That was what flashed through the minds of the spectators watching the scene.
Everyone was dumbstruck. So stunned, in fact, that tens of thousands of people fell silent in a way they never had before.
What had they just seen? A 3S who couldn’t fight back at all against an S-ranker. Even if she’d won by the skin of her teeth, it wouldn’t have left them this bewildered.
She was simply toying with him. Anyone with even a shred of common sense knew you could only do that when you were several levels stronger than your opponent.
Was this really an S-ranker? Everyone was starting to suspect that Imperial Military Academy had falsified the contestants’ records.
The countless supporters who had cheered Brian on earlier now felt their faces burn with embarrassment. Not one of them made a sound.
The observation room overlooking the vast monitoring and dispatch center was just as quiet. Richter and the other military academy principals and senior military officers watched in silence.
Then Richter let out a soft chuckle. Whether he was replying to the Ares principal or addressing everyone who had doubted his decision, he said:
“Imperial Military Academy has always had just one standard for choosing who competes: strength comes first.”
“She proved to me that she was stronger than the existing team members. Naturally, the school respected that result and adjusted its starting lineup accordingly.”
“As for why I had her and the formidable Brian dropped at nearby locations right at the start...” Richter glanced at the Ares principal out of the corner of his eye.
The principal’s face turned red with anger. The teasing emphasis Richter had put on “the formidable Brian,” followed by that deliberate pause, made the words all the more mocking.
Richter continued, “Of course, it was because of what she said in her interview. I thought she was very eager to knock Brian out of the—”
“But it seems I misunderstood. She doesn’t appear to be in that much of a hurry after all.”
Well, naturally. She’d held her own against Brian in a war of words, and her strength far surpassed his. Why would she be in a hurry?
But everyone present knew what Richter had been trying to accomplish with that opening strike. They were all principals. If their own school had a surprise contender like her, they too would have immediately targeted another highly touted competitor, seizing the initiative from the very beginning of the match.
The Ares principal ground his teeth and forced out a reply. “Close-quarters combat isn’t everything. In the end, the Mecha League is about piloting a mecha.”
But everyone knew that genetic rank was a divide that couldn’t be bridged. There might be small differences between people of the same rank: one might excel in strength, another in agility, and another in precision.
But a 3S-rank individual should completely outclass an S-rank in every respect. Genetic superiority meant that a 3S-rank should be stronger than an S-rank in both physical ability and aptitude for learning.
An S-rank hardened by experience on the battlefield might be able to gain a slight edge over a young student, but between people of the same age, it should have been impossible.
This supposedly S-rank student had toyed with Brian so effortlessly that the military leaders needed only to see her precise control over her own body to know she couldn’t be a poor mecha pilot.
Someone else who didn’t want to see the Imperial Military Academy running rampant tried to console the Ares principal. “Even if Pei Liang is a capable mecha pilot, she’s still only S-rank, so she can only operate an S-rank mecha.”
“In terms of performance, her mecha and Brian’s aren’t even in the same class, so—”
Before he could finish, he noticed the room had fallen silent. Everyone was staring at him with expressions that were difficult to put into words.
Was this idiot still buying the claim that she was really S-rank? Did he honestly think Richter hadn’t considered that?
Then one of the military leaders spoke with a smile. “Richter, when we toured the academy earlier, we noticed that the mecha His Majesty the Emperor piloted during his time at the military academy wasn’t in the storage room.”
“Judging by what we’ve just seen, it’s been put back into service?”
Richter nodded. “We found someone suited to it, so I gathered a team to make some adjustments on short notice. I’m not sure how well it suits her yet.”
Like hell he didn’t know. It had obviously been given to Pei Liang.
The Ares principal said unhappily, “Richter, I’m going to lodge a protest with the organizing committee. The Imperial Military Academy concealed a contestant’s rank.”
Richter remained perfectly calm. “Pei Liang has been rated S-class ever since she enrolled. Her most recent physical assessment, conducted earlier this academic year, also showed the same. The records automatically saved by the testing equipment are available for anyone to review.”
“Her current performance has surpassed S-class levels, which I didn’t anticipate either. The process of updating her military records hasn’t been completed yet.”
“So, officially, her publicly listed rank is still S-class.”
The crowd drew a sharp breath. Given Richter’s cunning, everyone had expected him to leave no opening for anyone to attack him.
But hearing it confirmed was still a shock.
From the implication of his words, he must have tested Pei Liang’s actual level. Otherwise, he wouldn’t have dared give her the Emperor’s former mecha.
But an S-class evolving into 3S-class?
One of the senior military officers couldn’t sit still. He immediately got up to make a call, while another frowned at Richter. “Richter, you shouldn’t have let her compete in the tournament.”
“An Alpha like her is worth far more than some tournament ranking.”
Richter’s brow furrowed, his gaze turning sharp. “For any soldier trained at a military academy, the battlefield is where their worth is proven. Everything else is secondary.”
The others fell silent. They knew his usual principles, and that there was no getting through to him.
But just as the Ares principal had expected, Brian shared Richter’s way of thinking.
A 3S-class fighter’s combat ability shouldn’t be judged by hand-to-hand fighting alone. The moment Brian realized he had no chance against Pei Liang bare-handed, he immediately unleashed his mental energy and tried to deploy his mecha.
But before the mecha could envelop him, Pei Liang landed a punch on the bridge of his nose, knocking him unconscious.
With Brian’s mental control gone, the mecha could only retract, shrinking back into a pendant around his neck.
The audience erupted. Getting the crap beaten out of you before your mecha even has time to deploy in a mecha match? That was the biggest scandal a 3S-class competitor had caused since the tournament began.
On the other hand, it only made the strength of that S-class competitor all the more undeniable. Mechas deployed in less than a second—and Brian hadn’t even managed to buy himself that much time against her. It was enough to make you weep.
The gamblers who’d bet on Brian were furious. Some started cursing loudly, but were quickly escorted out for disrupting the event.
Online and off, the backlash was just as intense. People were cursing everywhere.
Plenty rushed to bet on the sudden dark horse, the S-class competitor, but when they opened the betting page, the odds had already been locked.
Of course. Bets were final once placed. You couldn’t just jump in halfway through the match.
Countless people were left kicking themselves. Those who had placed small bets on every member of the Imperial Military Academy’s starting lineup, just to show their support, and had thrown a little something in for this S-class competitor too, suddenly felt like they’d stumbled onto a gold mine.
Those who hadn’t managed to bet on her could only sneer sourly:
【She only had the advantage because of her hand-to-hand skills. Look, she didn’t even dare let Brian deploy his mecha. In a real mecha battle, she won’t have the upper hand.】
【Exactly. At the end of the day, a mecha tournament comes down to the mechas.】
But no matter how much commotion there was outside the arena, the competitors inside remained focused on the match.
After Brian was knocked unconscious, the camera naturally turned to the other competitors.
Besides updates on the popular contenders, the broadcast also devoted plenty of screen time to those who found themselves in unusual situations after entering the field—for instance, the unlucky ones who ran into Zerg enemies shortly after reaching their drop points.
The Zerg stationed at the deployment zones were not particularly strong, but having to activate one’s mech and fight from the very start naturally drained power faster than for everyone else. It was hardly a good thing.
Some contestants also ran into students from rival military academies. They either formed alliances or fought, giving the audience a more direct look at the caliber of this year’s competitors.
A flag-capture match usually lasted several days or more, and naturally, spectators could not be expected to remain in the arena the entire time.
Other than on the first day and when the contestants returned on the final day, the venue would not be packed to capacity.
When the time came, spectators would leave and return to their hotels to watch the livestream. VIP tickets, meanwhile, included accommodation and meals throughout the event, allowing those who had paid the exorbitant price to immerse themselves in the competition and share the excitement of watching it together.
The arena remained open around the clock during this period. Of course, the enormous live broadcast screens offered a visual experience far superior to any personal terminal or projected television.
As a result, there were still quite a few die-hard fans who, aside from eating, sleeping, and using the bathroom, practically remained glued to their seats for the duration of the event.
Hill arrived at the room assigned to him. The ticket his benefactor had provided truly came with every possible perk: it was a luxurious suite, and through the enormous floor-to-ceiling windows, he could directly see the massive screen continuously broadcasting the match.
There was also a wall-sized screen inside the room. Simply lying there, he could enjoy every thrilling moment of the competition from the best possible angle.
After dinner, he returned to his room and sat on the sofa before the floor-to-ceiling windows. The bioglass did nothing to obstruct his view, and the images on the arena screen filled his vision.
It was already nighttime here, but night had not yet fallen on that planet.
Brian had woken up. That guy had not been eliminated yet.
Normally, if a contestant lost consciousness, they would be considered to have withdrawn by default—unless they were unconscious in an absolutely safe environment, or another contestant had guaranteed responsibility for their personal safety during that period.
Brian’s surroundings could hardly be called safe, which left only one possibility: Pei Liang had provided that guarantee.
Hill smiled. He had no idea what she was planning.
The same question was on the minds of hundreds of millions of viewers.
【Why is Pei Liang keeping Brian around? What if he regains consciousness, uses his mech, and turns the situation around?】
【Even now, no one can deny that Brian is one of the contestants most capable of claiming this year’s championship. If Pei Liang doesn’t eliminate him now and leaves room for him to make a comeback, she’ll regret this decision.】
【I’m so sick of people who don’t finish the job.】
The online discussion did not cool down just because the arena had emptied out. If anything, it became even more heated.
Meanwhile, Brian was the one who truly had suffering he could not put into words. At this point, he did not even dare to run away.
Because he had literally been beaten until he shit himself, and the arena cameras had recognition filters.
Indecent footage was automatically cut away from—things like using the bathroom, showering, or accidental exposure. Once detected, the feed would switch away automatically. The livestream ran two or three seconds behind real time, which was more than enough to react.
Therefore, even in Brian’s or Pei Liang’s dedicated livestream channels, no one had noticed what had happened.
But Pei Liang, that devil, had recorded the whole thing and threatened to spread the footage if Brian didn’t do as she said.
For the sake of his future, Brian didn’t dare gamble on this guy having a conscience.
In the end, the burly man had no choice but to whimper as he covered his backside and went to wash his pants. Then, like a meek little househusband, he trailed after Pei Liang, deferential and apologetic.
At her direction, he scouted the terrain, figured out their bearings, and gathered data so she could work out which direction the flag was in.
Brian couldn’t help asking, “W-why won’t you let me look for food? Aren’t you hungry?”
Pei Liang glanced at him with a look that said, You really have no standards. “Your hands were just covered in shit. Why would I let you look for food?”
Brian: “…”
“But you’re right. I do need someone to handle camp duties.”
After spending so long in a position of authority, she’d gotten a little lazy about taking care of these small things herself.
The two were walking along, chatting, when they ran into another group—the latest of several teams they’d crossed paths with in the area that day.
As luck would have it, the one leading them was another contestant from Ares Military Academy, and a 3S-ranker to boot.
Most of the others were S-rank, or even A-rank—the students from ordinary military academies.
It was clear that they were following the Ares student’s lead. Or, more accurately, that he had them under his control.
Of course, it was standard practice for powerful contestants to conserve their mecha’s energy for the final showdown. In the early stages, they’d find themselves some cannon fodder to deal with the bugs and handle reconnaissance.
The moment he spotted Brian, the other man grinned. “Brian! You got dropped here too?”
Then his gaze shifted to Pei Liang, and a knowing smile spread across his face. “You’re in luck. You ran into this big-talking S-ranker right off the bat.”
He stepped forward and patted Pei Liang on the shoulder. “I’m sure Brian’s been taking good care of you.”
Pei Liang glanced at Brian, then smiled and nodded. “He has. Brian’s been very good to me.”
The other man looked a little puzzled, but didn’t think much of it. Instead, he excitedly launched into a speech aimed at Brian. “Brian, meeting up this soon is great. If we run into Arnold and the others, we can team up and take them out early. We’d have a huge advantage. We’re so lucky!”
Brian fell silent for a moment. Then, in a faint voice, he said, “No. We’re incredibly unlucky.”
His voice even started to crack as if he were about to cry.
