Clearing (or Cleanup)
The person in charge turned his head and saw that the heads of the Gale Base and YDS Base were still there, but Shen Xingtang was nowhere to be seen. "Where's Boss Shen?"
A nearby staff member said, "The Sand Lizard is dead. The teleportation is not affected by spatial interference. Boss Shen has activated the mecha and went to the polluted area, saying that he wants to settle the score with someone."
The person in charge asked, "Settle the score!?"
The polluted area was in chaos. After the teleportation function was not affected, the management bureau staff who came to clean up the aftermath entered to inspect. They found that all the abnormal conditions around the S-class Sand Lizard had been alleviated after its death. The Tianyu Star polluted area was already a high-risk area, with sandstorms and severe weather throughout the year. Due to the spatial enhancement effect of the Sand Lizard, there were variations in weather conditions such as strong winds in some areas inside the polluted area.
In the Star Alliance's pollutant records, pollutants that caused such drastic environmental changes were extremely rare.
After this data was transmitted back to the bureau, the staff had to reassess spatial anomalous pollutants and reclassify the spatial enhancement ability of the Sand Lizard, determining its intensity to be higher than the S-class Century Orchid, making it an S-class mutant pollutant.
Moreover, it was only when they arrived at the scene that they realized how extensive the impact of the energy explosion triggered by KID was.
At the time, the nearby base station tower recorded the shockwave it received, and the attack power was no less than that of the Border Army's heavy weapons. The only thing that caused this fluctuation was just a few reckless mecha pilots.
"But it burned too thoroughly..." A staff member opened the pollutant's corpse, "Everything is burned, and nothing is recognizable."
Another staff member was puzzled, "Is that so? How powerful was this energy explosion? There's not even a trace of the ability crystal left!"
While the staff cleaned up the aftermath in the polluted area, all the mecha pilots returned to the bureau for physical examinations. In such a serious situation, mecha pilots were likely to be affected by the polluted area, and the bureau was particularly concerned about this. They even sent several doctors specifically.
Zhao Lejie and Hu Luobu had their examinations done relatively early. As soon as they walked out, they heard a woman's voice from the adjacent medical resting room.
"Heh, what's next!? That Sand Lizard was difficult to deal with, but retreating would have been fine. If you can't win, won't you run? Do you know how dangerous that kind of explosion is? I sent you to the polluted area to save people, not to play with your lives!" Shen Xingtang stood in front of KID's group. Only she knew that her heart almost stopped when she saw the explosion. She knew that these mecha pilots usually liked to play, but they couldn't play with their lives!
Jiang Simiao stood beside her, acting as a mediator: "Xingtang, calm down, calm down. Everyone has returned, right?"
Holding several mecha keys in her hand, Shen Xingtang said, "All mechas damaged? Do you know how long it took me and Chenlin to repair your mechas? You come to the polluted area once, and it turns into this. The next season's opening match is not far away!"
Chenlin stood nearby and, hearing this, walked forward: "Sister Tang, the idea to detonate was mine."
"Go to the next room and let the doctor check your hand. I'll settle the accounts with you later. There's a Border Army doctor next door, you go first." Shen Xingtang pushed him back to the door, then turned to the other mecha pilots still standing inside the room and said, "Come on, continue. What were you doing in the polluted area?"
Ji Qingfeng: "What else can we do? We did what we had to do."
Lin Yao: "He's right. We did what we had to do."
When Chenlin opened the door, he happened to see Zhao Lejie and Hu Luobu standing at the door.
He nodded slightly as a greeting and then walked towards the room where the doctor was.
Zhao Lejie and Hu Luobu looked at each other, tilted their heads, and saw KID's several mecha pilots standing in a row inside. The beautiful female boss was standing in front of them, holding the newly released mecha damage data sheet.
Noticing the gaze from outside, Shen Xingtang glanced over and looked at Zhao Lejie, "Isn't this Vice Captain Zhao?"
Zhao Lejie inexplicably felt a chill. "Boss Shen, Old Hu and I were just passing by. You can continue."
Shen Xingtang said, "Don't leave yet. Later, help me convey a message to your person in charge. I will go to him later to talk about the matter of the ability crystals."
Zhao Lejie nodded in a hurry, "I will go and tell him."
At the door, Zhao Lejie and Hu Luobu quickly walked away, feeling scared. Wasn't it said that female bosses were usually gentle? Why was KID's boss so temperamental, scolding people so harshly? Isn't it just damaging the mechas? They can be repaired.
After the people left, Shen Xingtang's expression relaxed. She looked at the few mecha pilots who had given her trouble and sighed helplessly, "I can't reason with you. What if something happens to you? If you can avoid risks, avoid them. For that S-class pollutant... although it is indeed valuable."
Lin Yao nodded in agreement, "It's just so close to us, it's a pity not to get it."
Shen Xingtang: "..."
Shen Xingtang frowned and continued, "This time, two S-class ability crystals appeared in the Tianyu Star polluted area, and one of them is an S-class dual-attribute ability crystal. There is a dispute over the ownership of the ability crystals. Later, I need to have a meeting with the heads of other mecha pilots to determine the ownership. We put in the most effort this time, and I will try my best to retrieve both crystals."
The Century Orchid is not a big issue, mainly because there is no competition with Zhao Lejie from the Gale side.
But the Sand Lizard crystal involves too many mecha pilots, and the ownership needs to be determined in a meeting later.
These guys fought desperately for the ability crystals. She had to get her hands on that dual-attribute crystal even if it meant risking her life.
Ji Qingfeng worriedly asked, "Boss, do we have enough money?"
Lin Yao said, "If it's not enough, we still have materials harvested from the mechas. Should we sell them to raise funds?"
Shen Xingtang turned her head at the mention of materials. "Where did you get the materials? How much do you have?"
You Su replied, "Killed on the way, didn't count much."
There were too many materials, and the mechas might not even be able to accommodate them all. Later, some were also placed on the mecha that Huyan and Luxi originally used. They killed the Sand Lizard, harvested a wave, and then used the energy explosion to kill a bunch more. KID and others diligently picked up ability crystals for an hour, reluctantly giving up only when they saw the support mechas from the management bureau arriving.
As for how much they picked up, they themselves didn't have an exact count.
When Ying Chenlin entered the medical room, the Border Army doctor began examining him. They were already aware of his prosthetic situation and proceeded to conduct a comprehensive prosthetic examination.
The examination procedure was similar to the one he underwent at the medical station. When the doctor handed him the report, Ying Chenlin still asked, "Is there a possibility of recovery for the declined spiritual power?"
"Spiritual power has indeed shown recovery in the past, but I haven't heard of cases where it recovered after a decline due to surgery." The doctor held his report and said, "There's something strange. Your spiritual power is clearly A-class, but a small part of the wavelength doesn't seem like A-class; it might be related to your original spiritual power level."
Ying Chenlin paused slightly, "Will this have an impact?"
"For now, it seems there is no impact, but you should still undergo regular check-ups." The doctor, seeing he had more questions, was a doctor serving in the border area and had seen too many mecha pilots. He roughly knew what these mecha pilots were thinking about, mostly related to mechas. He patiently said, "If you have questions, feel free to ask. We doctors have an obligation to protect patient privacy."
Ying Chenlin hesitated for a moment and then asked, "Can mecha pilots drive mechas beyond their level?"
The doctor's expression was slightly stunned at his question. Suddenly he thought of something, flipped through the mental map, and said, "Your original spiritual power level is not written on the medical record. Were you a former S-class mecha pilot?"
Ying Chenlin did not hide it, nodding, "Yes."
"There are indeed cases of driving beyond the level in the Border Army, and the Star Alliance has not expressly prohibited it. As long as your spiritual power supply can meet the needs of mechas of different levels, then everything is possible." The doctor frowned slightly. Finally, he spoke, "I can only say it's very rare, but there have been one or two cases. More often, it ends in failure because they simply can't support it."
"S-class and A-class spiritual power wielders are different. They have control over spiritual power that transcends ordinary wielders, so only they can sustain the massive spiritual power waves needed for S-class mechas in battle. Ordinary A-class spiritual power wielders cannot provide such a supply of spiritual power. A little carelessness might even lead to irreparable damage to spiritual power."
The doctor looked at the slightly weaker-looking young man in front of him compared to other mecha pilots, maintaining a rigorous tone. He continued to remind, "Driving an S-class mecha beyond one's level as an A-class, I suggest you not try it."
Ying Chenlin was only concerned about the other meaning in his words, "Okay, thank you."
"Don't mention it." The doctor continued, "Your situation is special. I think you should have your own attending physician. After you go back, I suggest you undergo regular check-ups."
Ying Chenlin finished the examination, got two prescriptions from the doctor, and as he left, he happened to meet Yusui entering.
He paused slightly, but the latter casually wrapped his arm around his shoulder, leading him inside.
Ying Chenlin took a few steps back, barely stabilizing his figure. When he glanced inside unintentionally, he suddenly saw a scar on the other's back.
You Su noticed his gaze and said, "Why are you standing at the door? If you want to see, come in."
Ying Chenlin opened the door behind him without hesitation and left the examination room.
He wasn't interested, nor did he really want to see.
-
When Zhao Lejie arrived at the Gale base rest area, Qi Sicheng was talking to the person in charge, and both of them looked serious, as if discussing something important. After approaching, Zhao Lejie conveyed Shen Xingtang's words to the person in charge.
"Alright, I got it." The Gale person in charge knew that the S-class dual-attribute ability crystal this time was very precious. Since Shen Xingtang had asked Zhao Lejie to pass on the message, it was clear that they intended to compete for this ability crystal. Moreover, with the reckless efforts of the KID base breaking the deadlock in the Tianyu Star pollution area, they secured the ability crystal in the end. The priority for competition rights fell on the KID, "Captain Qi, do you really want to give up the competition?"
"Yeah, our base didn't contribute much." Qi Sicheng said calmly, "Since Shen Xingtang said so, she will definitely fight for this ability crystal. We don't need to get into a conflict with KID over this matter." Zhao Lejie added, "They used energy explosions and risked their lives to get it. Even if YDS won't compete with them, the bases of other mech pilots are too scattered, and it seems they won't compete either."
The priority is with KID, and they are the ones who made the kill. It's reasonable to allocate it to them. Unfortunately, this is a dual-attribute ability crystal, very rare. Giving up is indeed a bit regrettable, but they don't have the standing to compete.
Qi Sicheng pondered, continuing to watch the screen on the light brain.
Zhao Lejie asked, "What were you two discussing just now?"
Approaching a bit, he saw that Qi Sicheng's light brain recorded some information about KID.
"About KID." Qi Sicheng asked, "How much do you know about the two new mech pilots with KID?"
"The ones who pilot A-class mechas, right? One is named Ying Chenlin, and the other, for Artillery, is surnamed You. I heard Ji Qingfeng and others call him Brother You. I'm not sure about his specific name, but the two of them are very skilled in operating their mechas."
Qi Sicheng said, "They must be strong, or else Captain Qi wouldn't be interested in them. Based on the comparison, these two should be the foreign mechas that KID received in the Banute pollution zone. One specializes in close combat, and the other in artillery. If both of them participate in the next season's competition with KID, it adds variability to their lineup."
Zhao Lejie commented, "But that Ying Chenlin has a mechanical arm on his right hand. With the intensity of the league, his level can't be stable."
Qi Sicheng frowned slightly, looking at the limited data, "Is there no one named Ying Chenlin among the active team battle mech pilots in the Dawn Alliance? What about the mech pilot surnamed You?"
"I just searched for You, and there are several mech pilots with the surname You among the active alliance pilots, but none of them matches his face." The person in charge of Gale expressed some concern, "I searched for Ying Chenlin at the beginning, but there is no such person at all."
Zhao Lejie was puzzled by this information. From his own observations, the skill level of these two from KID was undoubtedly professional. "Did you check the mech alliances from other star regions?"
"No." The Gale person in charge said, "They are active players, and it's hard for me to search for them. Besides..."
"What about retired ones?" Qi Sicheng suddenly suggested.
"Retired ones!? I didn't think of that. There is too much data for retired pilots; I will carefully screen it when I get back. But why did you suddenly think of this?"
"I feel that the Artillery looks somewhat familiar, but I don't know where I've seen him before. I should know him; it's just that I haven't fought him before."
He has impressions of mech pilots he has fought against.
Zhao Lejie added, "When I first saw him, I also felt that he looked somewhat familiar. But for someone like KID, who is so unconventional, I am sure I would remember him well."
Qi Sicheng keenly picked up the next sentence, looking at the person in charge of Gale, "Don't limit the search scope to retired mech pilots. Also, check the active and retired single mech pilots of Dawn."
Zhao Lejie, hearing this, was shocked, "Do you suspect that these two have transitioned from single mech to team battle?"
"There's nothing impossible. Check carefully." Qi Sicheng's gaze remained on the light brain, and he ordered, "Lejie, export the internal image data of your mech. You've had the longest contact with them. Zhang, go negotiate with the Bureau of Management. Tell them we want to access the foundational image data of the Sand Lizard segment."
The person in charge of Gale turned to leave, suddenly recalling something, "By the way, just before I came here, I saw the person in charge of YDS and Ke Lin going to the control room together. Could they also be thinking of accessing data?"
"Ke Lin has been the captain of YDS for two years, bringing YDS from the bottom eight to third place."
Qi Sicheng said seriously, "He likes studying opponents even more than I do."
The next season is coming soon. To win a hundred battles, you must know yourself and your enemy.
No matter how KID's lineup changes, what they need to do is to research KID thoroughly before them. After all, the league is different from dealing with pollutants, and recklessness may not always lead to victory.
-
The matter of the pollution zone on the Tianyu Star has come to an end. After checking, all the mecha pilots who participated in the mission have normal physical signs, and the situation has finally come to an end.
Afterwards, the issue of distributing the spoils of the ability crystals arose. According to the potential rules in the alliance, ability crystals have always been obtained by those who contribute. In this case, the ownership of the S-level Flowing Sand crystal went to KID because the Gale Base gave up, while the most important S-level dual-attribute ability crystal finally ended up in KID's base under the efforts of Shen Xingtang.
Upon hearing this news, Ji Qingfeng happily exclaimed, "Yeah! Both crystals are ours!?"
Shen Xingtang also realized that the negotiation this time went too smoothly. She could probably guess the reason for Gale Base giving up the S-level Flowing Sand crystal. This kind of ability, which leans toward soft control, is not useful for Gale Base at the current stage. They have a lineup that leans toward hard control as the core, especially with Qi Sicheng as the main hard control. Qi Sicheng doesn't need the Flowing Sand ability, so it's understandable that Gale gave up the competition.
But for the S-level Spatial Enhancement crystal, she originally thought that the competition with Gale and YDS would be fierce. Or those big bases would use money to make her surrender. However, after the meeting, these two bases did not use their advantages to seize the ability crystal. They also agreed to KID's distribution plan, where the ability crystals belong to KID, and the rest of the expenses and rewards are paid by KID.
Shen Xingtang: "And Zhao Lejie doesn't need the Flowing Sand ability crystal. He said he'll settle for 4.5 million with you. What does that mean?"
Lin Yao: "Ah? This is—"
Before he could finish speaking, Ji Qingfeng quickly covered his mouth.
Ji Qingfeng felt like bleeding in his heart. The repair fee of 4.5 million didn't arrive, and it flew away. "It's a small matter, it's a small matter, the boss doesn't need to worry."
The matter concluded, and the Bureau needed to carry out post-disaster processing in the pollution zone. KID still didn't know that the other two bases had set their sights on them. After touring the Bureau for a while, the mecha pilots had nothing to do for the time being. Jiang Simiao contacted the spaceship to prepare to return to the Sirius.
Just as they arrived at the spaceship parking area, they saw a huge starship in the distance, accompanied by a group of border military personnel wearing black uniforms.
Ji Qingfeng whispered, "I heard that the border military support has also come this time. If we didn't trigger an energy explosion, maybe the border military would have swept in."
Lin Yao looked at the military uniforms on those people with envy. "I almost joined the army before, but they said I was too short and eliminated me in the first wave."
At this moment, the tall officer in the distance suddenly looked in their direction.
KID and the others showed their respect, and soon, the person walked over.
Major Guo stopped not far away, cleanly saluting towards the direction of Huo Yan.
Ji Qingfeng and Lin Yao were stunned, looking at the interaction between Huo Yan and the man in military uniform not far away.
Ying Chenlin's gaze fell on that person. He belonged to the border military, the army where Huo Yan used to serve.
Major Guo's peripheral vision fell on Ying Chenlin and You Su, and quickly retracted his gaze. He turned around and left.
Ying Chenlin looked at the person a little curiously, and when he glanced sideways, he saw You Su holding a suitcase and also looking at Major Guo.
Ji Qingfeng asked as he approached, "Old Huo, do you know that person?"
"You're talking about Xiao Guo?" Huo Yan smiled, "He used to be an acquaintance in the border army."
Xiao Guo!?
Lin Yao fell silent for a moment, looking at the shining eyes of Huo Yan: "Sure enough."
Ji Qingfeng: "Is our visit to the Tianyu Star this time because of your relationship?"
Huo Yan was stunned: "What?"
"Why are you still standing here? The spaceship is waiting for you guys." Shen Xingtang dragged her suitcase over, urging the few people chatting to leave quickly. When she turned around and saw Ying Chenlin falling behind, she said, "After arriving at the base, come to the maintenance room. I have something to tell you."
Ying Chenlin nodded slightly, showing a slight surprise, but still agreed.
-
In another part of the Bureau, after the other mecha pilots left, the staff began to clean up the pollution zone on-site. The damaged parts need to be reported to the Sirius Galaxy Management Headquarters uniformly, and a re-evaluation of the Tianyu Star's pollution zone is needed.
The person in charge sat in the meeting room, having just talked to the staff who sent away the mecha pilots. In no time, another staff member came in, bringing the preliminary investigation report of the pollution zone.
"Wait... What's going on?! The pollutant content has decreased by 40%?!" The person in charge stood up abruptly upon seeing this report. The Tianyu Star pollution zone was originally a competition-level pollution zone, only open during the league, and the pollutant coverage has always been high. Although the pollutants from the S-level Sand Lizard this time gathered due to the enhanced driving force, how could so many pollutants die all at once?!
"Cough, Director, the range involved in the energy explosion was quite extensive... The pollutants around were basically burned to death. A preliminary estimate shows that the death toll of A-level pollutants is over 200, and for B-level and C-level pollutants, it's impossible to estimate due to body charring." The staff kindly reminded, "Have you forgotten? There was a sudden drop in the number of pollutants for some unknown reason before, which may also be one of the reasons."
The person in charge remembered the incident of the mass death of Scorpio, which was also very absurd. Later, when inquiring with the captains of the two main bases, Captain Qi and Captain Ke, they also claimed to be unaware. Looking at this data, he felt worried. Given the current situation, it's probably impossible for the Tianyu Star to be used as a competition-level pollution zone within the next two or three years.
For some reason, when he thought of this, he suddenly remembered the meaningful and somewhat apologetic smile from Boss Shen of KID Base before leaving, as well as the action of KID picking up materials at lightning speed in the battle footage.
The staff reminded, "Director? If there's no problem with this form, should I submit it?"
"For now, there's no major issue." The person in charge sighed, about to hand the report back to the staff, when he suddenly noticed something. "What's this? Forget about the pollutants, but why is there an additional energy reimbursement item here?! Don't tell me the energy in the pollution zone was also stolen by that S-level Sand Lizard?"
"It's not it," the staff explained. "We have a significant reduction in energy in a sub-defense zone... It seems to have been stolen by the mecha pilots."
Person in charge: "???"