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Lu Qingxue's situation had become dire. The three mecha in front were clearly working as a team, and the metal torrent from the close-range Fire God Cannon, once it hit the mecha body, would wildly devour the mecha's shield energy. The three mecha vaguely surrounded the white mecha from three positions, and the suppressive firepower from these positions forced Lu Qingxue's mecha's dodging maneuvers into a frantic pace. Behind her was a tropical jungle area, with towering, tens-of-meters-high ancient trees that could effectively weaken radar scan effects. While Lu Qingxue was retreating towards the jungle, who would have expected a yellow-green mecha to appear from behind, its high vibration particle blade in hand faintly glowing red? A camouflage device, invisibility device, clearly a reconnaissance-type mecha that had been hidden in the woods for a long time!! If it effectively stabbed, with the high vibration particle blade's massive lethality, Lu Qingxue's mecha shield would be broken in one strike!
The survival battle map was set as a Demon Island encounter, designated as Volcano Island, with a medium-sized escort starship above sporadically launching indiscriminate attacks against ground mecha. The system was set to compile a round of statistics every ten minutes; survivors in that period would earn 3 points, while destroying each opposing mecha would earn 1 point. After ten minutes, the system would compress the island's combat area, and those not inside the effective zone would be forcibly expelled.
At this moment, it didn't matter whether the four mecha were of one group or two; Lu Qingxue was already in the most dangerous moment!
"Ah, this is bad, Senior Sister Lu seems oblivious to what's behind her!" The crew-cut boy exclaimed in alarm.
Renault watched the three-dimensional screen, his thin lips still pursed, but the corners of his mouth had already curved upward.
"Long Er, you fool!" said a refined boy wearing glasses coldly, not waiting for the crew-cut boy to get angry before continuing on his own, "Senior Sister Lu's mecha is a modified military-class Mulan type mecha, geared towards long-range attack, land combat model, equipped with a fifth and a half-generation engine, standard specs for a 165 caliber Gauss sniper rifle manufactured by Valpo Company, a 35 caliber close combat Defender, and 32 axle-type rockets. According to interstellar standards, it's rated A for long-range, D for defense, D for melee, C for maneuverability. Have you seen Senior Sister Lu's sniper rifle all this time, idiot?"
"You, Feng Yu!" The crew-cut youth's face turned red with anger.
"See for yourself; Senior Sister's Mulan Modified, the orange-red nozzle is already showing yellow flames, indicating the switch to a sixth-generation engine. Senior Sister is the president of the school's Swordsmanship Club. She chose Mulan Modified and painted it white purely for aesthetics, not for Mulan's long-range firepower! Look clearly at the high-frequency sword on her back, idiot!" The refined boy with glasses, known as Feng Yu, continued to sarcastically mock Long Er without any expression.
"Is this the Wave Jumping Flash?!" Long Er had yet to flare up but suddenly screamed, his face twisting with astonishment.
In the frame, the white Mulan Modified with staggered, chaotic steps had a similarly white-painted alloy scabbard on its back! The sword handle, previously hard to notice but still snugly stuck to the mecha body, was at that instant swiftly drawn from behind by the Mulan Modified, then the mecha crouched and gathered strength, and the jet propulsion beneath it suddenly overloaded with energy. The mecha was at a 75-degree backward tilt, the sword tip touched the ground; in a flash, at more than triple its previous speed, it transitioned from retreating to a backward parabolic arc, making the firepower from the three opposing mechas miss entirely. Meanwhile, the yellow-green mecha, clasping the particle blade with both hands, halted abruptly; with a crash, the mecha's engine exploded, a one-hit kill! The white Mulan Modified faced away from the yellow-green mecha, slowly withdrew the high-frequency sword it had just thrust into the energy cabin, and then… gradually turned around.
"Isn't this the wave-jumping flash used by the military for A-level tactical evasion? How is it possible to perform it with a mecha, and coordinate with a sword, even harming the enemy?!" Long Er's mouth opened wide enough to fit a fist.
"Not easy, Qingxue is indeed the Valkyrie of Dingchuan Academy's Swordsmanship Club! No need to look anymore. The military A-level movement standard requirements are incredibly high, she must have unlocked the first stage of Spirit Lock." Renault's voice resonated, a touch of astonishment in his eyes!
According to the Galaxy Federation, for personnel who were not selected through military school channels, if they were under 40, and on the military's open assessment day on September 17, could consecutively perform three A-level and above Fighting Skills, they could be exceptionally selected as Galaxy Federation officers. Assessment personnel could pass a political review without regard for background, even the lowest-ranking Lieutenant was an illustrious step up for those striving on the survival line!! The military specified 379 A-level action standards, refined over nearly a hundred years; each one was an immense challenge! To master three could be labeled as a prominent talent!
Indeed, the three Platinum One-Star contestants in the frame saw that fleeting moment, immediately halted their advancement towards the Mulan Modified, highly alert!
"Senior Sister's sixth-generation engine just entered compensatory overload, now it's bound to erupt," Feng Yu's eyes behind his glasses gleamed brightly.
A mecha got ready to flee, the other two directly activated their Fire God Cannons. The Mulan Modified had already entered the sixth-generation engine's 150% overload mode; at this moment, its mobility performance jumped from C directly to 2C class, achieving speed dominance over the three mechas with C- operation performance! Furthermore, the Mulan Modified under Lu Qingxue's piloting was a close combat expert masquerading as a sniper!
Spotting, dodge slicing, close approach, one strike on the cabin!
Approach, axle-type rocket pinpoint maiming, one strike on the cabin!
Jump slash! The explosive speed brought kinetic energy augmentation, under the incredibly sharp high-frequency sword edge, the last mecha, even while standing with an assault rifle raised horizontally, was sliced in two with a single blow!
Subsequently, halting, sheathing the sword, after confirming the surrounding safety, the snow-white Mulan Modified leaned against a giant tree waiting for the energy furnace to cool down.
"Time's up, today's survival challenge is over, 276 people passed, 724 were eliminated; passing contestants please prepare to rest, and enter the arena at 20:00 tomorrow."
"So… amazing!" There was a simultaneous exclamation of amazement behind Renault.
A sound of air pressure release followed by a tick, the top of Virtual Cabin No. 3 popped open, and a white figure rose up from inside.
A snow-white wide-sleeved swordsman's clothes made her stand out, her shoulder-length hair casually tied back with a black Martial Path Belt, with lightly furrowed eyebrows, clear yet cold bright eyes, a sharply contoured chin, no decoration on her graceful neck. Like a serene and independent Snow Lotus, Ning Jing but independent, the Swordsmanship Club president of Dingchuan Academy—Lu Qingxue.
"Senior Sister" "Senior Sister Lu" "Qingxue"...
"Mm," Lu Qingxue was evidently not articulate. She then furrowed her eyebrows and turned her head toward Renault, a hint of displeasure surfacing in her eyes.
"Ahem, Junior Lu, your strength has broken through again." Renault touched his nose with a bitter smile.
"Mm, I have unlocked the first stage Spirit Lock," Lu Qingxue nodded slightly, "I've gained many insights this time, next I will explore Sword Dao."
"Ah, unlocking the first stage Spirit Lock. Before this, only Captain Renault had it across the whole academy; now there's Senior Sister Lu as well." The youth nearby showed obvious envy and admiration in his gaze. Spirit level corresponded with brain development degree, higher levels represented clearer ideas, larger computing capacity, stronger resilience, and better coordination with the Light Computer. Going from Level 1 to 9 was likely the stopping place for many through life, Level 10 was the first Spirit Lock, a qualitative change, unimaginable to those yet to break through, but those who do are assuredly not mundane!
"So, about tomorrow's battle?" Renault asked softly.
"Not participating."
"Uh, Senior Sister?" Long Er clearly became anxious. The survival challenge rewards were numerous, not just honors, but also limited edition mecha parts as prizes.
"Long Er, Junior Lu was invited by me. I wanted to see whether real martial skills would have a noticeable improvement in mecha combat; what we just saw with Mulan Modified has given us the answer. Junior Lu has already broken through the first stage Spirit Lock, and since her aspirations are not here, don't force it. What we need to do is strive to handle next year's exchange match. I'm about to graduate, maybe choosing to further study on the Capital Star or perhaps enter the military; before I leave, I will do my utmost! The future of the academy's Mecha Department depends on you all."
"Senior!" Long Er and the others couldn't help but shout.
"Double the training volume for the next six months! Increase physical training by two more levels. I will occasionally invite your Senior Sister Lu for sparring matches," Renault suddenly revealed a fierce smile toward the team members.
"If there's nothing else, I'm leaving first," Lu Qingxue still maintained a cold expression devoid of other emotions. After bidding farewell to everyone, she turned around and left without waiting for retainment.
"Senior obviously likes Senior Sister Lu, but Senior Sister Lu is cold as ice to everyone…" someone murmured softly at the back.
Renault seemed not to hear, silently watching Lu Qingxue's retreating figure.
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