Chapter 45
On the first day, they secured the top spot on the leaderboard, and everyone was clearly delighted.
To prepare for the mech combat on the second day, they all returned to our rooms after having dinner and went to sleep.
Lying comfortably on his spacious bed, Lu Jingning accessed the Star Network through his terminal with great interest.
As expected, the annual military academy exchange competition between the Empire’s top military institutions garnered immense attention from the media. By the end of today’s event, headlines on various major platforms were already filled with related reports. “Imperial Navy Tops the List,” “Silver Star’s Tang Jiaze Takes on Three Opponents Solo,” “Heavy Cloud Defense Upsets Grand War Academy”… A series of hot topics circulated, but undoubtedly, the most attention was drawn to the emergence of the new Omega this year.
Anyone capable of making a remarkable performance in the exchange competition was undoubtedly a genius. Judging from Lu Jingning’s dominating display today, it was evident that his pheromone level was at least of A-class caliber.
But what if it was higher than A-class? An S-class Omega?! Such an occurrence had never happened before in the entire interstellar realm! This news was trendy beyond imagination.
Lu Jingning lazily browsed through the frenzy of discussions on various online forums and finally revealed a satisfied smile. “Well, the response isn’t bad.”
However, “not bad” was only the beginning. It was still far from what he desired.
After a night of rest, everyone gathered in the rest area downstairs early the next day. Obviously, everyone had checked the Star Network after returning, and upon seeing Lu Jingning coming down, they looked at him with envy and admiration. “Impressive, buddy, you’ve stolen the limelight.”
Lu Jingning, acting as if he had experienced countless trials and tribulations, waved his hand nonchalantly. “To all my brothers and sisters participating in the mech competition today, give it your best shot. The front page headlines are waiting for you!”
Others couldn’t help but laugh, but they didn’t take his words to heart. After all, they knew that his extraordinary popularity was not only due to his exceptional strength but also his unique Omega constitution—a path to success that was beyond replication.
Jihan led the team from the Imperial Navy to the venue’s rest area. From a distance, they could see that the central area had been rearranged with a new set of equipment for the mech combat.
To ensure fair competition, just like in previous years, this year’s mechs were of the same model, with their main data sponsored by the military department as a friendly gesture.
After the audience took their seats, it was time for the drawing of lots.
Having learned from yesterday’s lesson, Lu Jingning was smart enough to follow Wen Ye’s example and stood quietly in a corner.
Seeing this, Bing Yunlin couldn’t help but chuckle and volunteered, “I’ll go this time.”
No one expressed any objections.
As it turned out, Bing Yunlin’s luck had indeed improved. Although he didn’t draw Group D, he managed to bring back a Group C team. In front was Grand War Academy, followed by Heavy Cloud Defense University. Though there were no weak teams in the exchange competition, at least in the initial stages, they wouldn’t need to engage in a life-and-death struggle with Silver Star University like yesterday, which was a clear sign of heaven’s favor.
Bing Yunlin was content. “Not bad.”
After confirming the groups, it was time to decide the lineup for today.
Jihan looked through the list and, after a moment of contemplation, made his decision. “Kang Hanyun, you’ll be the first.”
Kang Hanyun flicked her flowing hair and smiled coquettishly. “No problem.”
In the Imperial Navy Patrol team, Kang Hanyun held the position of the main mech operator. Even with Bing Yunlin, the captain of the mech society, facing this female Alpha, he still needed to be cautious. She was undoubtedly one of the top talents in the Imperial Navy this year.
In the entire Imperial Navy team this year, Kang Hanyun was the only female member. Although she had the demeanor of a mature Alpha, she still deserved recognition and applause. The people around her immediately teased her, “Yun Jie, show us a perfect score of six in a row!”
It was clear that they were just joking, as even against the weakest opponents, maintaining peak performance for six consecutive matches would deplete the pheromone energy.
Kang Hanyun cooperated playfully, saying, “Just wait, I’ll give you all a series of twelve!”
Everyone exclaimed, “Wow… Wait, hold on, there aren’t even twelve matches in the entire event, right?”
Kang Hanyun replied casually, “We’re just joking. Don’t take it too seriously.”
The crowd was speechless.
As Lu Jingning listened to their banter, he suddenly remembered something and leaned in closer to the person next to him, asking, “Wen Xingchen, is your name on today’s list?”
Wen Xingchen glanced at him and said, “The coach didn’t say, and I didn’t ask.”
Lu Jingning lightly nudged him, suggesting, “Why don’t you go and ask?”
Wen Xingchen didn’t move but instead slightly curved his lips and said, “Why, do you want to see me in action?”
Originally, he was just teasing Lu Jingning based on his attitude, but unexpectedly, Lu Jingning nodded directly and said, “Of course, I do!”
Without waiting for him to say anything, Lu Jingning continued on his own, “You see, after yesterday’s performance, I’ve already gained enough attention, but whenever they talk about it, they always mention ‘Omega newcomer,’ which lacks a certain grandeur. Today, if you can step up and crush the competition, then the headlines will mention both of us, the new stars of the Imperial Navy. How does ‘Imperial Navy’s Twin Heroes’ sound? It’s powerful, right?”
“Powerful, perhaps not,” Wen Xingchen said casually, as if he didn’t care, “but the idea of being a pair sounds pretty good.”
Lu Jingning didn’t catch on; he had already walked towards Jihan.
From afar, no one knew what they discussed, but after a while, Wen Xingchen returned and pointed towards Kang Hanyun, saying in a calm tone, “It’s my turn after Senior Sister finishes.”
Wen Xingchen smiled faintly, asking, “Happy?”
Lu Jingning hadn’t even had a chance to assess his emotions, but upon meeting the pair of eyes with a faint smile before him, he inadvertently blurted out, “Happy…”
Wen Xingchen seemed quite satisfied and sat down on a nearby chair with a flourish. He even saved a spot for Lu Jingning beside him, saying, “You haven’t played yet, take your time to enjoy it. Let’s watch the matches first.”
Lu Jingning finally realized that something was amiss.
Although this was a matter of great collective honor, on Wen Xingchen’s side, it seemed like him stepping onto the field was more about fulfilling his personal interest rather than being part of the team. It was as if he were putting on a personal show.
He furrowed his eyebrows, wanting to correct it, but when he saw Wen Xingchen’s nonchalant expression, the words stuck in his throat. He settled for sitting down beside him.
Just then, the referee’s voice rang out clearly, announcing the official start of the mech combat.
In the first round, Silver Star University clashed with Grand War Academy, a team from Group B, and took the first point.
Subsequently, Grand War’s second player was defeated by Kang Hanyun, representing the Imperial Navy, causing them to lose two members consecutively.
The next two rounds saw Kang Hanyun first securing another point for the Imperial Navy by defeating Heavy Cloud, and then Heavy Cloud’s second player making a close victory against Silver Star University, breaking their zero points.
Thus, after this round, the Imperial Navy temporarily took the lead with two points.
The next four matches were filled with excitement, and many people silently pitied Grand War. Their luck seemed too unfortunate, and by now, they were still at zero points on the leaderboard.
However, as the second round started, Grand War finally seemed to enter a counterattack mode. Their third player exhibited skilled maneuvers, defeating both Silver Star University and the Imperial Navy in quick succession, claiming two consecutive wins.
By the time Kang Hanyun emerged from the virtual control room, she was drenched in sweat, seemingly not remembering the promise she made earlier. She shook her head slightly, a bit regretful, and asked, “Who’s up next?”
Wen Xingchen stood up from his position and replied, “It’s my turn.”
Having previously worked together during a pirate attack, Kang Hanyun was familiar with Wen Xingchen’s mech operating skills and trusted him, especially since he was Wen Ye’s brother. She felt reassured and patted his shoulder with a smile, “Good luck, avenge us, won’t you?”
Wen Xingchen lightly acknowledged, then turned to look at Lu Jingning. Seeing his indifferent expression, he asked, “Don’t have anything to say?”
Lu Jingning vaguely felt this scene was familiar. He stared at Wen Xingchen for a moment and couldn’t help but chuckle.
It seemed like the tides had turned.
Suddenly, he stood up and opened his arms, giving Wen Xingchen an exceedingly warm hug. “Go on, the Imperial Navy’s second hero!”
Wen Xingchen was slightly stunned.
After a quick sniff of Wen Xingchen’s pheromone scent, Lu Jingning swiftly released him, standing there with a cheerful smile, “Do your best, and when you come back after crushing the competition, I’ll reward you.”
Wen Xingchen: “…”
Lu Jingning had adapted quickly to this role, quite capable indeed.
But a reward… now that’s something to look forward to.
After contemplating for a moment, he didn’t say anything more and turned to walk towards the arena.
With the appearance of another new face representing the Imperial Navy, all eyes were on them once again.
After witnessing Lu Jingning’s performance yesterday, the members of the Heavy Cloud team were cautious. Unfortunately, some things weren’t determined solely by caution.
As it turned out, every newcomer who made it to the exchange competition platform was a formidable opponent.
Wen Xingchen’s mech operation was precise, akin to being measured by instruments. Whether it was evading or moving, there was not a single superfluous action.
However, if one were to say that he pursued stability to the extreme, it contrasted sharply when he decisively counterattacked when he noticed the tiniest imperceptible flaw in the Heavy Cloud player. The stark contrast between his ruthless actions during the confrontation and his caution in other situations was apparent.
His opponent didn’t stand a chance for a counterattack, and Wen Xingchen ended the match quickly and cleanly.
As the opponent’s mech collapsed on the arena, the second member of the Heavy Cloud team was eliminated, and the entire audience erupted into cheers.
It was well known that in the process of mech combat, the seemingly small movements actually demanded a high level of control from the operator, thus consuming a considerable amount of pheromone energy.
A newcomer like Wen Xingchen, coming after Lu Jingning, made the lineup of the Imperial Navy’s newcomers appear incredibly powerful.
As the third round began amid lively discussions, all attention was once again drawn to the matches.
In the opening match, the last member of the Heavy Cloud team couldn’t withstand the pressure and lost to Silver Star University, becoming the first to drop out. Silver Star University seemed to take advantage of the momentum, but during the duel with Grand War’s third player, they made a mistake and suffered another defeat.
At this point, Grand War’s third player had already secured three points and showed a burst of triumph.
However, having fought three rounds in succession, the operator’s energy consumption was considerable. Facing the Imperial Navy team about to go on stage, they were already nearly depleted.
Even though the outcome was no longer in doubt, when Wen Xingchen finally stood up from his position, the entire audience couldn’t help but burst into enthusiastic applause.
Lu Jingning felt the different kind of enthusiasm and glanced at the audience.
On the stage, the faces of all the Omega spectators were flushed with excitement, and they were practically sending out flirtatious glances. He couldn’t help but disdainfully scoff.
Tsk, all superficial shows!
Watching Wen Xingchen’s match, Lu Jingning showed dissatisfaction, getting up from his chair and casually putting his hands in his pockets. He raised his leg and was about to leave.
Beside him, Cen Junfeng noticed his movements and couldn’t help but ask, “Where are you going during the match?”
Lu Jingning glanced coldly at him, “What? Do I need to report to you before going somewhere?”
Cen Junfeng shivered, “No, of course not.”
Lu Jingning glanced at the handsome side profile displayed on the big screen, listening to the constant screams of the Omega crowd, and said expressionlessly, “There’s nothing interesting to watch anyway. We’ve already won.”
After saying that, he turned around and walked out of the area, his voice faintly echoing, “I’ll go prepare the reward for him.”
T/N: Hey there! There is plenty more where that came from, so stay tuned! And stay healthy! Straighten your posture, so some stretches and drink some water before continuing hehe~
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If you like cats, check out Revenge of the Garfield
If you like dragons, check out I’m Pregnant with the Hope of the Entire Planet and The Dragon and the ‘Princess’
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What about the perfect, most non-toxic male lead ever? Laws of Love
How about MC nursing ML back to health? Forced into the Deep
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Thank you for the chapter!
I feel like the reward will be something nobody expects… 🙂