Chapter 280 The Storm Before the Game

Wu Zang had gone far down the path of darkness. He was deeply attracted to this mecha. In essence, his style was different from Li Hao's. This vanguard was powerful enough.

Zhou Naiyi finally settled on the Phantom Shadow fighter. She, Ofie, and Tita shared a similar style. One had to admire the details and feel of this Lunar mecha, which was perfect for female pilots. After comparing five or six light models, Zhou Naiyi was very clear that she would fall behind if she didn't master the Phantom Shadow Athena. Perhaps she would be surpassed by Ofie and Tita, but for the sake of the team, she had to choose it.

Cheng Konghai chose the Thunderbolt Guard, a super-type heavy armor developed on Earth. However, it was relatively unpopular. The heavy armor's firepower was decent, but it was a bit bulky and difficult to operate. The design was also slightly ugly, lacking the style of Lunar or Titan heavy armor.

Zuo Xiaotang eventually gave up the Gray Reaper. He had indeed been using it all along and was undoubtedly skilled. However, this mecha was fine for casual matches. On the highest stage of the solar system, the S-match, its flaws could be exploited by top snipers. Therefore, the Lunar Shadow Hunter Apollo became an option, especially now that he possessed the Gold Zone. The current problem was that Zuo Xiaotang needed to master the Shadow Hunter fighter and develop his own style. Like the Phantom Shadow – Zhou Naiyi, Tita, and Ofie each had their own rhythm and style – he needed to find his own enlightenment.

The entire Tianjing team's mecha selection now met the intensity required for the S-match. The next step was to refine their skills.

The easiest days were for Li Hao. The main training was to hone his technique. Usually, Zhou Naiyi acted as the commander, with Wu Zang as the core. Ma Long, Zuo Xiaotang, and Cheng Konghai fought together. Of course, this resulted in more losses than wins, and they were often ravaged, but it also greatly increased their experience. For two hours each day, Li Hao led the team to experience the taste of defeat, and also to enjoy how to win. Overall, Captain Li was living a relatively comfortable life. After communicating with Ofie, Zhou Naiyi was too lazy to manage Li Hao. In any case, she couldn't quite understand his world and training methods.

Long Dan Ni was also aware of this situation. Probably, apart from Li Hao, there wouldn't be a second one among the participating teams in the entire S-match. But what could she do?

Although it was a bit strange, since she had chosen to believe, she would believe to the end.

Li Hao had also been in a very good mood recently. After several attempts, Anlita finally had her patience worn thin by Li Hao and, out of rage and embarrassment, blacklisted him. She even sent a message to Zuo Xiaotang, saying that Li Hao was not a good person.

This made Zuo Xiaotang happy for a long time. He dragged Anlita to complain about Li Hao, dredging up old stories such as him wearing his pants, bullying children, being stingy, picking his nose, and watching beautiful women by the roadside. Anlita had never met anyone who dared to criticize Li Hao so much, and she suddenly felt a lot closer to Zuo Xiaotang, even feeling a little empathy for the chubby kid.

That night, feeling slightly guilty, Zuo Xiaotang took Li Hao out to eat.

Before the Mecha S-match, there was the Starship S-match. It was also an event that gathered the elite of the Starship Department from the four major federations. Of course, the Mecha Department could not participate because only a small portion of the assessment content overlapped. The Starship S-match mainly tested the commander's fleet command ability, which was quite complex. It ranged from piloting a space shuttle to commanding hundreds of warships, dealing with various interstellar problems, and requiring strong data processing and judgment capabilities, as well as making decisions on the overall direction.

Generally, starship teams cooperated in combat, but in the event of a large-scale critical battle or an emergency such as a surprise attack, the fleet commander would be the core of the entire fleet's command. Other fleets would follow immediate instructions to defend and attack, which could be imagined as a single robot. This would achieve the strongest offensive and defensive effects from a global perspective. Of course, the requirements for the commander were also the highest.

This year's S-match was also the most watched in history. There were usually fewer viewers for complex and boring matches that were difficult to understand. But this year, there was a different contestant, Arths from the NUP's Tianxing Mecha Martial Arts Academy. Teacher Ma was skeptical about this, mainly because Arths was a freshman. It was unknown what she studied in the preparatory academy, but under normal circumstances, no freshmen would participate in the Starship S-match.

In the dormitory, Teacher Ma occupied the center position. Although the S-match had not yet started, Teacher Ma's triumphant momentum was unstoppable. "The Starship S-match is almost monopolized by the NUP. The major military academies take turns to dominate the top spots. Tianxing Mecha Martial Arts Academy is a frequent visitor to the top four, but it's still a bit difficult to compete for the championship. Although Arths's appearance has attracted enough attention, it's equivalent to giving up the competition."

"Then why did Tianxing Mecha Martial Arts Academy choose Arths?" Wu Zang asked, a little strangely.

"It must be for influence, but I think Arths should have some level of skill, otherwise she wouldn't be able to pass the selection," Ma Long said with a smile. "It's still very helpful for increasing the attention of Tianxing Mecha Martial Arts Academy."

"It's a double-edged sword. If something goes wrong in such a serious professional field, it may not be a good thing," Wu Zang shook his head.

Zuo Xiaotang, who was next to him, was on his Skylink, muttering to himself, not knowing what he was doing.

"Brother Zuo, what are you doing? Don't block us!" Ma Long pushed the table.

Zuo Xiaotang opened the Skylink's shield. "What's up?"

"What are you doing? You've been doing it for a while."

"Starting a raid! A group of people are spraying on Arths's homepage. I'm organizing team members to join the battle. It's already trending!" Zuo Xiaotang said.

Li Hao was lying in bed, originally not too worried. A Youyou must have her own ideas, but what was going on again?

Sure enough, it was trending on Skylink. After Tianxing Mecha Martial Arts Academy announced the list of participants for the S-match, at first, they just felt that Arths's appearance would increase attention, but recently, for some reason, many people began to question Arths's professionalism. What right did a freshman have?

Singing and participating in battles were completely different things. If you like singing, just sing well?

In fact, it was normal to have doubts, and they didn't pay much attention to it at first, but it was clear that someone was now stirring up trouble, with the overall trend leaning towards suppressing Arths. As a hardcore fan of Arths, Zuo Xiaotang certainly wouldn't sit idly by. "Don't just sit around, listen to my command, Ma Long, Wu Zang, Hao-ge, don't lie down, get up and join the battle!"

At this moment, Zuo Xiaotang was in a completely different state from when he was in a mecha battle, instantly entering the role of a团长. He wouldn't even let go of the three tiny combat forces in the dormitory.

"Let's do it, damn it. We are Arths's friends after all," Ma Long said. "What I mean is, we've at least taken a photo together..."

Arths, this is not right. You can be a spokesperson, but you shouldn't take the place of a truly talented player.

A little girl, you're too full of yourself. Singing and fighting are completely different worlds. Are you going to play the piano in the competition, or use your charming voice to make your opponents surrender?

I've watched the Starship S-match for five seasons, and I won't watch it this year. Please let singers sing and fighters fight. Don't mix them up.

Pitiful Tianxing Mecha Martial Arts Academy, kowtowing to capital and beauty.

Why can a singer tarnish such a sacred stage?

Arths, I'm your hardcore fan. Why don't you sing well? Don't be used by them. Music is your world. It hurts me to see you go astray.

Of course, there were also support posts. Zuo Xiaotang's was one of them.

Arths, 加油! No matter what kind of opponent you face, victory is when you give it your all!

Arths, they are just jealous, don't pay attention to them. These losers in life only know how to talk smack.

Arths, we believe you will achieve good results. Miracles are meant to be created, and you are the miracle!

Arths's personal homepage was being discussed fiercely. Those who liked her and those who didn't were in a fierce battle. In fact, many times, they had jumped out of the issue itself, engaging in meaningless sprays from various angles. This kind of thing couldn't be discussed at all. Some were purely looking for a sense of existence, and many were hoping to attract Arths's attention, maybe even getting a reply. There were also a bunch of people who didn't know where they came from, clamoring to unfollow her.

The best choice at this time was to remain silent and speak with results during the S-match. But in reality, this had a huge impact on Arths, who was preparing for the match. And the S-match was a precise competition. If her condition was not good, it would directly affect the outcome of the competition. Even if Arths really had good strength, she would be disrupted by this kind of public opinion.

And what was even more difficult was that Arths could not choose to withdraw, which would be equivalent to self-destruction, directly putting her in a dilemma. The brokerage company and Tianxing Mecha Martial Arts Academy had both issued clarifications, stating that the S-match preparation had strict selections and that participants had to pass major tests. It was impossible to participate just because of fame. However, it was useless. Everyone would only be more excited. The Starship S-match required the unity and cooperation of 12 members. Who knew if Arths was a freeloader? It was entirely possible to forcibly bring her along.

In short, when standing on the moral high ground, the shadows are dark and unforgivable.

Just when everyone thought Arths would remain silent, Arths updated her status with a self-portrait video in military uniform, responding:

My efforts are for those I love and those who love me. I am only 16 years old and have never wanted to please everyone. I am enjoying my life. Choosing the Starship Department is not a momentary impulse. It is my next stage of journey. Singing and fighting never conflict. If you don't like me, it means we have different values. I have no obligation to educate you on what is right and what is wrong. I am about to participate in the S-match, and you can only choose to watch or not.

As the commander of the Tianxing Mecha Martial Arts Academy Starship Team, our only goal is the championship. We also hope that more people will pay attention to the Starship S-match and Tianxing Mecha Martial Arts Academy!

Watching Arths in the video, with her heroic appearance, coupled with the charm and confidence of her words, she directly swept away thousands of troops!

Moreover, the content revealed that she was not an ordinary team member, but the commander of the Tianxing Starship Team, which was the core. As a commander, not just anyone can be one. You must have the most comprehensive reserves and face the greatest challenges. If you're just freeloading, you can only be a team member. There's a dimensional difference between the two.