Chapter 2: Puppet

Li Hao did not rush to open it. He entered the cockpit, sat down, and the automatic door closed.

"bleem Mission 127: Six months, EMP3000 points."

Anyone else would have simply deleted such a spam message, thinking it was from a lunatic or someone who forgot to take their medication.

Li Hao did not pay much attention. It seemed he was more interested in the email itself. When he tried to search for it, just like before, the email in the SkyNet disappeared, not deleted, but vanished without a trace.

Li Hao did not know who the sender was, whether human, ghost, or some otherworldly entity. He only knew their code name: bleem.

The first time was on Li Hao's fifth birthday night. Something controlled his dreams, taking him into indescribable worlds, training him in various unimaginable ways. The most severe time, he "slept" for a month, remaining in critical condition in the hospital. The hospital found nothing wrong and even notified the orphanage to prepare for his funeral. However, when he woke up, Li Hao was not only cured but also in excellent health, with only a ring-shaped scar near his heart. If not for the director's intervention, the hospital would have thoroughly studied him.

This life continued for over a decade. Li Hao had grown accustomed to the presence of the other party. Overall, they trained him with a specific purpose, without any ill intent towards him. He had made various speculations, suspecting that it might be some evil force from TV experimenting on him. However, as he grew older, this idea was dismissed. The methods used were beyond his current understanding of technology, and if it were a powerful organization, there would be no need for such elaborate measures. As an orphan, he had nothing of value except his life, which was not worth much.

Until he was 12, the director gave him a SkyNet, and the emails began, "bleem Mission." The mission content was bizarre, ranging from finding a stray cat or dog to assassination, anything and everything. Fortunately, the targets Li Hao saw were those who deserved to die multiple times.

Overall, he and bleem coexisted peacefully. However, Li Hao wanted to test the limits. Once, he deliberately failed a mission, and his heart stopped. When he woke up, he received an email for the first time with information from the other party: Complete 200 missions, and you will get the answer. If you fail again, you will be destroyed.

Destruction... who do they think they are?

Although it was a bit dangerous, as his strength grew, Li Hao repeatedly tested the limits, eventually grasping some things. The bleem missions became less frequent and urgent.

Mission 126 was a year ago, which involved getting into Tianjing. In fact, life before entering Tianjing's mech program was more exciting and fulfilling. This year, he lived the most leisurely.

Opening his eyes, taking a deep breath, Li Hao's lips curled into a smile. After a period of silence, bleem was active again, and he was ready.

The EMP system displayed Li Hao's record box.

ID: Puppet

Total Score: 853

Win Rate: 100%

Matches: 4900

Next to the ID was a fully colored pentagram, representing survival, output, team battles, individual battles, and mech pool.

Initially, Li Hao just wanted to have some fun, but it quickly spiraled out of control. However, before bleem gave him a mission, he had to control his score to avoid drawing too much attention. In the past, being too conspicuous had caused problems, nearly ruining a major mission, which was worth ten regular ones.

Controlling the score was a skill, and he found a bug.

It was the virtual mode. Whether in a single or team battle, if one person chose virtual mode, the entire match's score was calculated in virtual mode. So, Li Hao's battles were almost always in virtual mode, while he used real mode.

Thus, Li Hao said he used both virtual and real modes.

The score was controlled just right, over 800, not too noticeable but still passing.

Li Hao chose battle mode and the arena, entering a random team.

Soon, the opponent appeared, hiding their personal information. ID: Eternal Starlight.

Li Hao did not care about the opponent. Both entered the mech selection countdown, and Li Hao chose randomly.

Puppet vs. Eternal Starlight

Armor Dragon Fighter III (USE)

Configuration: Medium mech, 80 tons

Power: Fission drive, standard laser gun, titanium knife

Silver Knight V (NUP)

Configuration: Light mech, 65 tons

Power: Fission drive, silver laser gun, laser sword

Both mechs entered the arena, facing each other, with a three-second countdown.

3... 2... 1

The battle began.

The Silver Knight attacked first, moving with remarkable agility, indicating the pilot had no trouble with the load. The speed was fast, and there was still room for more.

The distance quickly closed to twenty meters. The Silver Knight's speed suddenly increased, and the mech's shoulders shook, not from instability but to confuse the opponent's judgment.

Clearly, this opponent was quite cautious.

At ten meters, the Armor Dragon still did not move. The Silver Knight leaped into the air, drawing its laser sword and slashing down with full force.

At this point, the Armor Dragon had no time to dodge. Mech battles differ greatly from human combat, where prediction and anticipation are crucial. The entire Solar System Mech Tournament emphasized the importance of taking the initiative, and NUP excelled in this aspect.

The Silver Knight's pilot did not hold back. The laser sword's thrust was even faster. At this moment, the Armor Dragon let out a muffled roar, the mech trembled, and it suddenly lunged forward, taking only half a step. The left arm blocked the opponent's laser sword, and the body moved in, the right arm delivering a 45-degree uppercut elbow strike.

Boom...

The Silver Knight was thrown back, and despite the pilot's best efforts, the mech fell to the ground. The engine roared, preparing to regain distance, but the next second, a figure darted by.

Boom...

Explosion.

Puppet (Armor Dragon Fighter III) wins!

The match ended, and Li Hao was a bit annoyed. According to real mode, the opponent should have been better. Perhaps it was because his score was too low, only 800. It would improve later. Li Hao kicked the opponent and started a new match.

Meanwhile, at the Tianxing Academy on the moon.

Boom...

"Damn it, you kicked me, can't take a loss, huh!" Fei Man angrily pounded the door, "I was careless, the opponent snuck in a cheap shot."

"Haha, Fei Man, are you kidding me? There are only so many top players, even if we haven't met, we've heard of them. Puppet, looks like a newbie to me. Holy crap, hahaha, beaten by a newbie, and he didn't even use a weapon."

Alz, tall with flaxen, sexy curls, laughed until tears streamed down her face, sitting on the ground without a care.

"Alz, that doesn't count, I want a rematch!" Fei Man ignored Alz's gloating and quickly sent an invitation.

"Puppet, do you dare to fight again? I was careless this time, I'll give you a handicap!"

System notification: The opponent has set a mute, your message cannot be delivered.

Fei Man pounded his thigh in frustration. Alz, who had been standing beside him, laughed even harder, "Oh, our great Fei Man of Tianxing Mech, you've been beaten. Tsk tsk, the captain said not to be blinded by victory. Looks like your vacation was quite enjoyable."

"Fei Man, Alz, what's so funny? Let me in on it." A clear, decisive voice rang out, and Alz immediately stood up, while Fei Man quickly left the cockpit.

"Captain!"

Both stood at attention and saluted, looking at the impressive girl before them with admiration and a hidden affection.

Tianxing Mech, an A-level academy and one of NUP's top ten military academies, had a participant in the Solar System Mech Tournament who earned the title of "Ace" pilot. The captain of Tianxing Mech, Tita Vantis, was the one standing before them.

While NUP seemed to have a decisive victory, each battle was extremely challenging, with many close calls. It was their captain who led the team to glory.

"Fix your clothes, we have a guest." Tita Vantis had a high reputation at Tianxing Mech, a star-like figure, beautiful, intelligent, and powerful. At this moment, she smiled lovingly, leaving the two men speechless and dazed. This...

"Arths, come out. These two may be a bit dense, but they have some skills." A figure in a tracksuit with large sunglasses entered, and when they looked up, Fei Man and Alz were stunned, nearly jumping up. Tita's cold hum stopped them, but they still rushed forward, "Arths, I've been your fan for ten years, give me an autograph!"

"Get lost, Arths has only been active for seven years, three months, and eighteen days. Your Highness Arths, I'm Alz, the sniper of the Tianjing Mech team, it's an honor... Ow, Captain, why did you kick me?"

Arths, with a fair and beautiful face, smiled sweetly, "Sis, you can't be so rough with my fans."

Fei Man and Alz were nearly melting, her voice was beautiful even over SkyNet, and in person, it was even more enchanting.

...Sis?

If they were close, shouldn't it be "sister?"

Could they be related?... They do look a bit alike. Wow, what a lineage, Captain has been hiding this well.

"Arths is my cousin, you two know that. If a third person finds out, consider the consequences. She wants to see your battle skills." Tita said, knowing she couldn't hide it from these two gossips.

Instantly, the two men were like ignited, "I'll do it, smooth and deadly, the backbone of Tianxing Mech, the Gun God Alz, at your service."

"Sniping is no fun, watch me, a real man fights with real weapons, Arths, I'm the vanguard, let me show you!" Fei Man couldn't back down; this was his chance to impress his idol. Besides, a handshake and an autograph after the match would be worth boasting about for a year.

"You're a five-second man, didn't you just get beaten by a newbie?"

"Shut up, that was a fluke, I was careless..."

"Fei Man, pull up the last match." Tita said coldly, and the room seemed to drop a few degrees.

Fei Man and Alz immediately sobered up. Despite being a girl, "gentle" was not a word associated with their captain. Her dedication and strictness in training were beyond imagination. Losing? Careless? Not allowed.

Reluctantly, Fei Man pulled up his last match, and Arths watched curiously, intrigued by the "real life" of mech pilots.

The match replay showed the Silver Knight charging at the opponent, leaping into the air, and taking the initiative. Arths, having studied many matches for the tournament and played in virtual mode, recognized the Silver Knight's advantage.

However, the next moment was unexpected. In a blink, the Silver Knight was finished.

"Captain, I admit I was careless. The opponent didn't play fair, attacked and ran. Can I have another chance...?"

"Fei Man."

"Yes, Captain."

"If you have that attitude, you'll die even more miserably next time." Tita said, "USE lost, but more because of their arrogance. The next tournament will be the real test, a three-peat will go down in history."

Fei Man and Alz were stunned, looking at each other in disbelief.

"From a performance standpoint, the Armor Dragon III is inferior to the Silver Knight V. In slow motion, when you attacked, the opponent didn't move. But look at the vision, zoom in ten times. See that? His head moved slightly. He didn't act because he thought he could see through you completely." Tita explained.

The Silver Knight attacked, and the Armor Dragon lunged forward half a step.

"Such a burst of movement is within the strong control range." Arths suddenly said, implying the opponent was not a newbie.

The key moment followed. Strong control, position locked, the Armor Dragon's left arm blocked the laser sword, meaning most of Fei Man's attack lost its impact. The follow-up attack directly knocked the Silver Knight over. To knock over a mech, one needs precise control of force and angle. Fei Man's reaction was quick; he tried to maintain balance and then used the thrusters to gain distance, a textbook crisis response.

However, it seemed to be exactly what the opponent predicted. The distance he gained exposed his weak point. The opponent's movement was just a bit faster, but it was enough. A kick, in slow motion, hit the mech when it was in a weightless state, effectively delivering the head to the opponent's foot.

The Silver Knight's head was kicked off. Even in a low-level match, such a move was humiliating.

The entire sequence was ruthless and decisive, from prediction to execution, a complete domination of the Silver Knight.

Fei Man and Alz were no longer joking, cold sweat breaking out. As skilled pilots, they realized the problem. Fei Man was still angry; such an attack was not just about winning or losing.

Arths understood some but not the core, looking at Tita with confusion.

Tita, who adored her cousin, couldn't help but love Arths.

"Arths, the Silver Knight has good defense. Fei Man is the vanguard, with strong defense and endurance. Even if he was careless, he shouldn't have been knocked off balance by a single elbow. His response was correct. Normally, it's impossible to kick off a mech's head, but in that situation, the mech was completely off balance. Fei Man tried to regain distance, but the mech was out of control. Look!" Tita rewound and showed the kick.

"After the elbow, the Armor Dragon made a quick, pre-emptive move, a small side kick, capitalizing on the moment of失控, forming a side kick decapitation. Fei Man, the opponent wasn't insulting you, but insulting us, Tianxing Mech. We must reclaim our honor!"

Fei Man clenched his teeth, "Yes, Captain, it's my fault. I accept the punishment."

Tita nodded, as the captain, she had to be decisive, "Go get your punishment, five times gravity, ten kilometers. Alz, investigate this person."

Alz shrugged, "Captain, I already checked. He hid his personal information, only showing his ID, Puppet. We haven't heard of anyone like this in the past two years. He kicked Fei Man right after the match, it seems intentional."

In EMP, some use real names, some use IDs, and many hide their information. But at a certain level, it's impossible to remain unknown. There are always traces, and young people are not known for being cautious.

"Fei Man, continue the challenge. Tianxing Mech's honor must be restored. Alz, investigate experts who use the Armor Dragon. There must be traces. Hmph, Earthlings like to use sneaky tricks."

Top pilots are generally skilled with various mechs, at least knowing their basic performance. Even if they don't use them, they might face them in the future. To operate a mech well, it's not just about precise range and rapid attacks; the pilot and mech must be in sync. Someone who can use the Armor Dragon like this is likely from USE, and there aren't many.

"Yes, Captain, but it's a bit strange... Captain, he didn't prohibit spectators..." Alz was also confused.

The other three in the room looked at each other, hiding personal information but allowing spectators, what a strange move.

"Open it, project it out."

(Readers