Reno maneuvered the mech to the side. "I've already apologized to you!"
"What's the use of that when you deceived me!" Antonia's fist struck again, hitting the chest of the Silver Wing Angel. Due to the lack of energy shield, the mech reverberated with a loud roar.
Antonia followed up with a kick.
Reno had to activate the energy shield. "Damn it, you're wasting energy."
"You wasted more of mine! You made me work for you for hours!" Antonia exclaimed angrily. "Tell me, how many points is this mission worth?"
Reno hesitated for a moment before finally replying, "Thirty points."
Antonia gasped in shock.
That was no small number; in a sense, it represented defeating thirty opponents of the same caliber.
No wonder they had encountered seven mechs sniping them on their way here, and there were so many Swift Beasts waiting for them here.
"No, you have to give me some points. Without me, you wouldn't have completed this mission," Antonia insisted.
"No problem." Unexpectedly, Reno agreed readily. "I can give you five points."
"Half."
"That's impossible. I took on the mission, and before I met you, I had already cleared half of the path. Even if we count it as one-third, it should still be ten points."
"I'll give you five points, and you can settle the three points you owe me," Reno finally had the chance to include the three points Antonia hadn't given him.
"...Fine," Antonia thought for a moment before finally agreeing. "I mean, if you're willing to give me points, why didn't you make it clear from the beginning?"
"First, before we arrived at the research facility, I couldn't be sure how much trouble we would encounter. If it was trouble I could handle, but I promised you points, it would be a meaningless loss. Second, you took the initiative to negotiate at the beginning. Now that I have the mission items, I'm in control. So when I say five points, it's five. If I had asked you at the beginning, I would have to give up at least ten points. The last reason is that we still have a group of Swift Beasts at our door. I don't think it's a good idea to have infighting at this time. Making concessions is good for everyone."
Antonia rolled her eyes. "You really are a calculating bastard."
"I can calculate, but I'm not a bastard."
"But I remember you said you only wanted to get into the top one hundred, so why fight for so many points?"
"I am satisfied with getting into the top one hundred, but that doesn't mean I will foolishly give up on pursuing my own interests, nor does it mean I will stop there. Besides, until the last moment, no one knows their final ranking. Of course, you don't have to worry. If you really want to get first place, then continue to cooperate with me. Your skills are better than mine, and you can definitely catch up with me later."
"Can you promise not to calculate against me anymore?"
"I promise."
Antonia thought for a moment and finally nodded. "Okay, I'll trust you one more time. What do we do next?"
From initially being extremely resentful of Reno's opinions to now actively seeking his advice, after going through a period of adjustment, their relationship had clearly improved significantly.
Reno replied, "We still have some time left. Let's rest for a while, produce some ammunition, and then kill our way out."
"No problem," Antonia agreed.
The two of them sat down again, resting while checking their ammunition.
While checking, Antonia continued to complain, "What kind of nonsense research facility is this? There isn't even a new weapon. There's only a teddy bear. This is ridiculous."
"It's just a place set up for missions; it's not a real research facility," Reno didn't care.
"If that's the case, why use the name 'research facility'? It could have been an underground shelter or something else entirely," Antonia countered.
"Maybe they just like it."
"Then how do you explain this?" Antonia suddenly pulled out a key, the same one they had obtained in the hall earlier. "What does it mean to put a key in the resource supply crate?"
Reno was suddenly stunned.
He looked at the key and then stood up suddenly. "Maybe you're right, Antonia. I think we should search this place again."
Reno realized that they might still be some other secrets in this place, which he hadn't considered before focusing solely on finding the teddy bear.
He and Antonia began to search the research facility again, checking each room one by one.
Soon, Antonia made a discovery. "Shadow, you better come and see this."
Reno walked over and saw Antonia standing in front of a wardrobe.
The wardrobe was made of super alloy.
"What did you find?" Reno asked.
"A fairy tale world," Antonia replied with a smile.
Then she opened the wardrobe door, and Reno saw a whole new world unfold before his eyes.
It was a vast underground space, which at first glance resembled entering a valley
, with large rocks and cliffs all around, and even small trees planted in the distance.
Entering here, Reno suddenly felt as if he had returned to the underground twelfth floor of the academy.
And in this space, there were exactly twelve Storm Mechs arranged.
"Oh my God!" Seeing this scene, Reno and Antonia groaned together.
At the same time, a voice sounded in their ears: "Congratulations, you have discovered the hidden level of this match. The key in your hands is used to gain control of the mechs. I would like to remind you that the mechs here are fully unlocked, which means that once you obtain them, your combat power will be greatly enhanced."
"But does that mean we have to give up our own mechs?" Reno asked.
"That's right, but what does it matter? The Storm Mech is the best mech in the entire Federation, and it's controlled by neurons. It doesn't take too long to get familiar with it. With its powerful firepower, abundant energy, and a production speed increased by fifty percent compared to conventional ones, once you have it, you can crush everything else."
They really knew how to advertise, Reno thought contemptuously.
Using their own produced mechs as hidden level rewards, guiding high-profile contestants to this place step by step, and finally driving the Storm Mech to crush other mechs. In this way, the ultimate winner of the championship became the Storm Mech.
Business was business. The Storm Group spent a lot of money organizing the league, not just earning live broadcast fees, but also promoting their brand through this implanted advertising.
The most shameless part was that, to ensure victory, these mechs were actually fully armed.
Of course, while telling them this, the mainframe system automatically blocked these words. The audience didn't know about it. They might be shocked by the Storm Mech's powerful firepower in the subsequent battles and speculate, but wasn't that what the Storm Group wanted? Anyway, showing the most powerful side of the Storm Mech to the world was the organizer's task!
"However..." the voice continued, "there is only one key, but there are two of you. Who gets the reward between you can only be determined by yourselves."
The voice chuckled arrogantly.
So that's how it was? Before obtaining the mech, there had to be an internal struggle to the death for the audience, as if fighting for an unparalleled treasure?
They really knew how to flatter themselves.
But they were ultimately wrong.
They chose the wrong person!
At that moment, Reno said, "I give up."
"What?" Everyone was shocked, and the voice from earlier trembled as it asked, "What did you say?"
"I said I give up." Reno looked at Antonia and said, "If you want it, it's yours."
"Why?" Antonia was puzzled.
"I've said that the top one hundred is my pursuit. And I like my mech; I don't intend to change it."
Antonia looked at him blankly and suddenly burst out laughing, "You don't want it, and I don't want it either."
"Why?" Reno was also stunned.
"I want the championship, not for the money, but to prove to the world... to prove my strength, not to prove the strength of the Storm Mech. I have no interest in being a spokesperson for advertising."
"Roar!" A deafening roar erupted from the audience.
This sudden turn of events caught the mysterious voice off guard, and he said angrily, "Foolish choice, you will regret it!"
With that, he disappeared.
"Maybe, but who cares?" Antonia said casually. As the heir of a major family, facing a Storm League, she really didn't care.
"But the mech can be left unused, but the things inside can't be left behind." Reno had already taken the key from Antonia's hand and walked towards one of the mechs. Anyway, the energy and ammunition inside were full; he couldn't miss it!