Chapter 63

Before the match, a compilation of Johnson Doma's fighting videos was immediately brought up, and the efficiency of the officials was quite high. Among them was even a video of a high-level pentakill, a masterpiece that demonstrated a profound understanding of combat in dark and complex terrain. At a certain level, the mechs are fixed, but each person's understanding of the mobile suit and the environment is something that cannot be imitated. Seeing such an excellent battle, even a rather proud player would have to acknowledge this Johnson player. In the Rakato world, fighting against him would definitely be a nightmare. The audience was immediately divided into two opposing camps: one believed that the Skeleton would continue the myth, while the other came to watch the end. If the Hunter of Darkness fought, the Skeleton's win rate would be as high as 70%, despite the terrain not being very suitable. However, if Johnson fought, the win rate would probably only be 50%, and this 50% was entirely due to confidence in a miracle. "Ladies and gentlemen, the battle begins!" Xiao Mo said excitedly. The map unfolded, revealing the mysterious and unfathomable underground world of Rakato. From the bird's-eye view, the terrain was complex to the point of being nauseating, especially the stalactites that popped up from time to time, which were fatal to mechs. The geology here was different from Earth's, with a very high density and all formed over millions of years. High-speed dashes were impossible; one would impale themselves before they could even get going. Jumping, agility, and understanding of the terrain were key to combat in Rakato. Wang Zheng, of course, had not experienced this place, but he had already scanned the general geographical situation. Photographic memory was almost a necessity. For such things, a single glance was enough for Wang Zheng's body to instinctively make a judgment. A super soldier is not one who uses their mind to adapt to the environment but their body. Instinctive memory and instinctive reaction are the most powerful. Of course, the training required to form such a situation is extremely extreme. If, as Bone said, the Lante Empire had a super soldier corps, they could directly dominate the universe. The ultimate result would be that super soldiers could engage in combat in any environment and unleash their strongest power, the pinnacle of human capability. War God No. 1 enters! Hunter of Darkness enters! The battle begins! As the match started, the surroundings suddenly became quiet. Those who liked the Rakato environment and those who didn't formed two camps. This was a dead silent environment, quiet to the point of making one uneasy, and humans naturally dislike dark environments. The visual disparity would make one very uncomfortable. But a few extremists would love the feeling of hunting in the dark. Johnson Doma was one of them. He liked this silence, where noise and distractions had disappeared, leaving only pure waiting and combat. It was a kind of enjoyment. The two mechs advanced in the dark cave, with their sensors constantly searching for the other's trail. The mechs operated at the lowest frequency, as making noise in such a quiet environment would be equivalent to exposing oneself to the opponent. War God No. 1 versus the Hunter of Darkness; anyone watching the Skeleton's videos for the first time would find it hard to accept. Was this a masochistic match? The audience was increasingly seasoned, with some not even playing Star Wars but simply enjoying mech battles, as not every day could one watch a war movie. The Hunter of Darkness had a body shape between a wolf and a lion, a special creature called "mao" in Rakato. When humans conquered Rakato, they used biomimicry, achieving very excellent results. The Hunter of Darkness, with its light and agile jumps in the dark, was perfectly suited to the environment. It used silent materials and had an unparalleled shock absorption system, as in the dark, eyes were important, but ears were even more so. Various dangerous obstacles had no effect on Johnson at all; just watching the operation gave one a sense of freedom and comfort. Even the most picky audience members would have to admire such movement. On the other side, War God No. 1 seemed a bit awkward. Clearly, the Skeleton was not very adapted to this environment. Human-shaped mechs were indeed somewhat restricted in such an environment, unable to accelerate and easily getting scratched, which would also affect the pilot's mood, as one must remain calm during combat. However, this search distance before the match gave Wang Zheng time to adapt. For such difficulty, Wang Zheng would not lose his composure but rather be enthusiastic. This strange environment was so interesting. Human-shaped mechs fighting here was really not pleasant, and flashy techniques couldn't be used, unless one wanted to die, like spinning, which could easily impale oneself. That would be a typical case of overconfidence leading to failure. Soon, War God No. 1 no longer swayed precariously, and the two mobile suits approached each other in the dark and complex cave. The two mechs soon appeared on each other's detection screens, with two red dots gradually getting closer. At this moment, the Hunter of Darkness suddenly accelerated, moving in a series of high-speed dashes and entering a curve ahead, without any ambush, as such an ambush would be meaningless. The Hunter of Darkness did not need to fear War God No. 1. In this situation of complete dominance, it only needed to grab the opponent and deliver a fatal blow. Laser beams roared. In the first round of engagement, Wang Zheng did not rush in but used precise lasers to suppress the opponent, trying to see if he could wear him down. Johnson displayed astonishing mobility, with the Hunter of Darkness nimbly jumping in the complex terrain. The Skeleton's astonishing marksmanship, however, all missed. In such a complex terrain, lasers were not a good choice. Facing the approach of the Hunter of Darkness, War God No. 1 was not in a hurry, clearly having absolute confidence in close combat. Laser attacks were either dodged or blocked by various obstacles. The Hunter of Darkness suddenly disappeared, reappearing in mid-air, grabbing a hanging stalactite, and spinning, then kicking off, not directly toward War God No. 1 but to the side wall, avoiding the laser attack while diving, the mech roared, and its huge claws suddenly extended, sweeping three titanium alloy claws toward War God No. 1. The entire set of actions was fluid, truly a ghost in the dark. Boom... War God No. 1's titanium sword was drawn, stepping back half a step, the sword plunged down, pinning the claws to the ground, and a punch was thrown. This reaction was truly terrifying. In the dark, human vision can be inaccurate, slowing down reactions, but these two monsters seemed unaffected. As the punch was about to hit, the Hunter of Darkness' hind legs exerted force, pulling War God No. 1 off balance, while avoiding the attack and striking again with its claws. War God No. 1, though off balance, did not lose its footing. The claws swept past, and one could almost hear the sound of the claws scraping against the mech. War God No. 1, having narrowly avoided the attack, kicked out, while the Hunter of Darkness leaped, instantly pulling away, disappearing into the darkness. The lightning-fast exchange left the audience silent, almost seeing the infrared sensors' light sweeping and a series of impacts. The members of the Skeleton Corps were tense, as this was the first time they had seen someone dodge the Skeleton's lasers and not be at a disadvantage in close combat. The Hunter of Darkness, having pulled away, disappeared into the darkness, and at this moment, Johnson made a decision that left everyone speechless. The Hunter of Darkness' most proud infrared stabilization system was turned off! The Hunter of Darkness, besides its structure being suitable for this type of combat, also had an excellent night vision system, perfectly matching the dark environment and reducing the pilot's visual errors. Johnson turned off the visual system but activated the ultrasonic detection system, which was just an auxiliary system. Without the red light, the Hunter of Darkness completely disappeared into the darkness, and more terrifyingly, Johnson's movements became even more agile after turning off the visual system. It was as if he was the master of this dark world. All the spectators were stunned. According to legend, the highest realm of the Hunter of Darkness was to use the ultrasonic system as the main control, similar to a bat, merging with the darkness and sensing the surroundings with the heart. Such people were few and far between in the military, so how could they appear here? Fake? Showing off? The audience was not blind; Johnson's movements clearly improved to a new level, moving like a ghost in the dark, quickly approaching War God No. 1, who was completely unprepared. Due to the low audio, it was impossible to determine the mech's position. The ultrasonic auxiliary system was used to distinguish echoes and help with positioning. But the problem was... damn, War God No. 1 didn't have this system! Completely relying on ears? Everyone was dumbfounded; this was a suicidal pace. The Hunter of Darkness had already entered a ten-meter range, and War God No. 1 still couldn't determine its position, with the infrared sensors sweeping back and forth without finding anything. No one had ever heard of a player using ultrasonic positioning at this level. What kind of game was this? With such skills, one could directly join the military as an ace. This was a typical targeted move. In the dark, the Hunter became the true hunter, attacking like a ghost. At this moment, the sound was only heard, and War God No. 1 clearly knew the enemy was behind it, but it was too late to turn around. The Hunter of Darkness had already pounced. Some people had already closed their eyes. Boom... God! War God No. 1 swung its sword backward, hitting the claws, barely blocking the attack, but due to the forced defense, the mech staggered backward. The Hunter of Darkness jumped into the air, using a stalactite for leverage, and quickly descended, its claws forming a cross lock. This was an unstoppable cutting rhythm! How shameless, this was a super high-level skill that only military experts could perform. Coming here, did he have any humanity? War God No. 1 had already lost its balance and suddenly grabbed a nearby stalactite, exerting force to spin and kick toward the descending Hunter of Darkness. A clash in mid-air. (Wishing the Skeleton Corps members a great Year of the Horse, with all horses galloping and invincible!) AD begins on the next page AD ends on the next page