Grade A
Xu Yaojun stared at the weapons on the ground, his face pale.
The B-grade mecha was still hovering nearby. Xu Yaojun finally understood that this B-grade mecha, which seemed to be protecting the KID's mecha, was actually keeping a close watch on their side. Otherwise, it wouldn't have been able to control him so quickly using the magnetic cannon.
Who was this person? Xu Yaojun's mind was in chaos. When did KID have these two mecha pilots? He had spent some time with KID, but he had never seen a Artillery mecha with such precision, nor had he seen a Guardian mecha with such powerful control.
Xu Yaojun was not willing to accept his failure. He was about to use his secondary weapon when he suddenly felt a sharp pain. The mecha's alarms went off continuously, indicating that the damage level had reached 80%, rendering the mecha combat ineffective.
He looked around in disbelief, but there was no one coming to his aid on the communication channel with the team of de.
The damaged Artillery mecha stood there, unable to fight.
You Su did not bother with the damaged S-class mecha that could no longer attack. He quickly went to support Ji Qingfeng and Lin Yao, using the intermittent control ability of the magnetic cannon to provide cover for them.
Without the flower bud, the Nine Dragon Vine couldn't withstand the continuous attacks from Ji Qingfeng and Lin Yao for long. Exhausted, Ji Qingfeng seized the opportunity and cut straight into the Nine Dragon Vine, severing the connection between the vine and the last part of the root on the ground.
With this final cut, the wild and frenzied vines of the Nine Dragon Vine came to a halt, and the severed vines did not regenerate.
The chaotic pollution level in the Banute pollution Zone was slowly decreasing. Ying Chenlin frowned slightly as he approached the core points of the Nine Dragon Vine and the flower bud. He discovered that the individual pollution values of the two contaminants were only around 4,000, far from the S-level base value of 6,000.
In other words, both of these contaminants were only A-level mutations, not S-level contaminants.
Lin Yao was puzzled. Before receiving the mission, he had heard Shen Xingtang mention that there had been fluctuations in pollution values exceeding 6,000 in the Banute pollution Zone for a while. The detectors of the management bureau had even exploded due to the high levels. He and Ji Qingfeng were only called out of the base by Shen Xingtang because of these 6,000+ pollution values. Therefore, considering the 6,000+ pollution values, these two contaminants should have S-level anomaly crystals.
"Is this thing really that inferior? Other S-level anomaly crystals are much more impressive," Ji Qingfeng said as they searched the area for valuable items.
After resolving the contaminants, the cooperation between the four of them came to an end. Ji Qingfeng was about to ask what the two external reinforcements were planning to do when he suddenly noticed that the communication signal of the B-grade mecha disappeared from the channel.
"Hey, where's the B-grade mecha pilot? We haven't divided the loot yet!" Ji Qingfeng was stunned, puzzled by the disappearance of the signal.
Five minutes ago, the B-grade mecha's signal disappeared in that direction.
The mecha's necklace fell from the collar on the neck, and You Su regained his composure, stuffing the necklace back in.
You Su said, "If you move again, I'll leave you here."
The necklace obediently remained in place, showing a touch of canine affection to someone.
——
News of the appearance of symbiotic contaminants in the Banut pollution Zone and the acquisition of two anomaly crystals spread across the Star Network almost instantly after the pollution zone alert was lifted.
Star Network users were initially surprised to hear that Shen Xingtang had sent only two mechas to carry out such a mission, given that they had been mocking him for going crazy. But now they were curious about how KID managed to obtain two anomaly crystals even when surrounded by de mechas. Some mecha pilots near the Banut pollution Zone and some other teams' mecha pilots who had gone inside recorded part of the incident and shared the information, providing a rough account of the events and some on-site images. People were increasingly surprised as they watched, especially as they saw the B-grade mecha, which should have been the most ordinary, outperforming a damaged A-grade mecha.
It skillfully cooperated with the Artillery mecha that had never appeared before, executing a perfect control chain.
Apart from the B-grade mecha, the Star Network also noticed the mysterious layout.
While the Star Network was enthusiastically discussing the identity of this B-grade mecha, the management of de was dealing with public opinion. However, the overwhelming focus of discussion was on Kid, and they were only ridiculed. Most importantly, the uproar over Xu Yaojun's transfer had also caused a commotion.
De's boss had an ominous expression. "Investigate! Find out who Shen Xingtang recruited for Kid, that Artillery mecha, and the B-grade Guardian mecha, investigate them all!"
"Boss, we've checked it. Kid hasn't signed any contracts with free agents from within the league during this period..."
While online discussions were heating up, Ying Chenlin remained completely unaware.
After leaving the pollution zone, Ying Chenlin first went to the mecha storage area to purchase a storage container and packed all the materials collected in the mecha into the special container. He managed to return to the mecha shop just before the lease period for the B-grade mecha expired.
The shop owner examined the mecha, looking at the dirty exterior. "You've depleted your energy thoroughly. You have a 100 energy capacity, but you've used up 95?"
Ying Chenlin stood nearby. "Do we have to pay for energy too?"
The owner was speechless; indeed, they didn't have to pay for energy. "You have to pay for the damage to the mecha."
He examined the mecha for a few more rounds and realized that although the mecha's energy had been thoroughly depleted, there was no serious damage to the mecha. How was that possible? In the past, almost every mecha that was brought in had some form of damage. This mecha was covered in the blood of so many contaminants; how could it not have any issues?
The owner was still examining when Ying Chenlin didn't move far. He leaned against the door of the mecha storage area, watching the mecha pilots coming and going outside.
The news of two anomaly crystals obtained from deep within the Banute had long since spread. Now, a large number of information traders were gathered in the temporary base of the pollution zone, including those hired by alliance teams and some mecha media.
Most likely, the two anomaly crystals that Kid obtained were both A-grade, and for Ying Chenlin, A-grade crystals with regenerative or devouring abilities were not very useful. Kid needed those two anomaly crystals more.
Before joining the Mecha League to compete, Ying Chenlin used to visit the pollution zone alone frequently. He was very familiar with the regulars there. However, it had been many years since he had been to the pollution zone, and seeing these strangers, he suddenly recalled the past.
Ying Chenlin had forgotten the emotions of his younger days when piloting a mecha. He was fearless in his youth, but after his injury, he became cautious everywhere. Time hadn't given him much; the only thing he could clearly articulate was the caution etched into his bones, the cautiousness to recreate a healthy path, allowing himself more choices for the future.
However, occasionally, caution didn't work when faced with a mecha.
With that in mind, Ying Chenlin got lost in thought, repeatedly replaying the recent battle in his mind. Only when the pain in his arm reminded him did he come back to his senses. The discomfort in his right arm had never ceased since leaving the pollution zone. Overloading his right hand, which had not yet fully recovered in these two days, was more strenuous than he had imagined.
He thought that he might need to ask Dr. Wu for help once he finished handling the materials.
Not far from the mecha shop, inside a luxurious mecha shop, Shen Xingtang held a material consumption record in her hand. "Isn't it enough that the pivot wear and tear is only this much? You still want to charge me for it? Changing the part costs just 100 stellars, but you're asking for 300 stellars?"
The shop owner saw that Shen Xingtang knew his way around mechas and his expression darkened a bit. "You rented an A-grade mecha, my shop's flagship model. Mecha pilots in the Banut pollution Zone know that wear and tear are charged separately."
Shen Xingtang didn't want to spend an extra 200 stellars. She turned and was going to get her toolbox to fix the pivot for 100 stellars right there. You Su was standing outside the shop, listening to Shen Xingtang haggling with the shop owner, and transferred 100 stellars to Jiang Simiao, who looked polite and non-confrontational nearby.
He then walked into the crowd coming and going.
Not long after walking a few steps, he saw a familiar white mecha at a parking spot in a mecha shop.
The exterior of the mecha still had traces of Nine Dragon Vine leaves. A middle-aged, slightly chubby man was walking around with a detection device, performing the same actions as the shop owner they had just seen.
Ying Chenlin stopped abruptly and noticed the young man standing not far from the chubby shop owner.
The young man leaned against a partition, a storage container commonly seen in the pollution zone at his feet. His fair skin had a subtle fragility.
What caught You Su's attention was the young man's right arm hanging naturally by his side, with the mechanical prosthetic visible beyond his sleeve.
You Su observed for a while and found that the young man hadn't moved his right hand the whole time. Even when he pushed the storage container, he used his left hand, which was opposite to the usual.
After a while, the young man seemed to have negotiated a price with the shop owner, and he left the pollution zone, dragging his storage container with him.
You Su's gaze followed him for a long time, recalling the operation of JD1456 in the pollution zone. The operator appeared to be stable but actually had coordination issues, leaning more toward using the left hand.
JD1456's actions weren't particularly fast, and the operator seemed to prioritize avoiding danger by maintaining a keen sensitivity to potential harm, giving off a contradictory impression.
"Looking for you for so long, what are you doing here?" Shen Xingtang had finished repairing the mecha and came out of the mecha shop. It took her a while to find You Su. "Aren't you interested in these two anomaly crystals?"
"Not interested," You Su replied casually. "What conclusion has the management bureau reached?"
Shen Xingtang paused when he heard that, then said, "The management bureau is still investigating. They are waiting to see the situation in Banute. They speculate that there might be another hidden contaminant within Banute."
You Su remained indifferent to the follow-up. He didn't show much interest in it and didn't inquire further. Instead, he asked about another matter. "Have you found the identity of that Guardian mecha?"
Shen Xingtang paused for a moment and then said, "No, we don't need a Guardian mecha in our team. We have enough Guardian mechas, and I didn't plan on replacing anyone."
Ying Chenlin smiled lightly. "That's a shame."
"It's not a shame," Shen Xingtang said as she looked at him. After some contemplation, she continued, "There's something you should consider. It just so happens you want to stay on Sirius for a while longer, and our team lost Xu Yaojun. Right now, we're short of a Atillery mecha."
She said earnestly, "You Su, you haven't competed in the league for a few years. Don't you want to come back and give it a try?"