IMAO Chapter 57

The victory battle prompt rang out, sending chills down everyone’s spine. The arena fell into complete silence, inside and out.

The audience stared at the battlefield in disbelief. Wasn’t it too fast? Did the match even last five minutes?

No, no, no. More importantly, was there something wrong with Hoyt’s “Magnetic Field Holographic Technology”?

How else could a match end in just five minutes?

“Holy shit, how is this possible?” Someone in the stands exclaimed, voicing what everyone was thinking.

“What exactly happened just now?”

“How did the Ella team lose in an instant?”

Nolan held his breath. He understood what he had just witnessed, but precisely because he understood, his body trembled uncontrollably. What kind of bug-level operation was this?

Jiang Yuan had fired two armor-piercing rounds in succession, hitting the same spot on a moving target and breaking through the armor. The third round completely penetrated the entire mecha!

Fortunately, this was magnetic field simulation technology. The weapons provided by Hoyt were special equipment that only produced corresponding effects within the simulated environment. The attacks on the mecha were just results calculated by the quantum computer based on converted data.

On a real battlefield, the person Jiang Yuan killed would have been reduced to a bloody pulp by now!

…

Inside the arena—

Mario was stunned for several seconds. What kind of maneuver was that?

He couldn’t comprehend how he died or how the opponent broke through their formation!

“Damn, that kid on the other side hit the same spot on my defense shield with three armor-piercing rounds while moving, completely breaking through the armor!” The voice of the first fallen teammate came through the communication channel.

“We underestimated them!”

Several people were filled with regret, believing their inadequate defense in the first match led to Mario’s death.

“Captain, I’m sorry. It was my mistake.”

Hearing his teammate’s words, Mario opened his mouth but couldn’t make a sound. Had they really lost this first match because they underestimated their opponent?

Mario couldn’t help but question this in his heart.

When the opponent broke through their defense, he had already made the fastest possible reaction, but the opponent moved even quicker. Their attacks came like a raging storm, and their rapid movements even left afterimages.

Recalling the opponent’s torrential assault, Mario couldn’t help but swallow. It was too terrifying. Once they got in close, he had absolutely no way to defend himself.

Back in their home country, Ella spectators watching through holographic sync from their players’ perspective were pumped with excitement for the first three minutes, ready to witness their national team’s domination. Before they could prepare themselves, their view suddenly turned gray.

The entire interstellar audience was in an uproar. Even those who initially had no interest in watching the group matches started flooding in. The commentators in the broadcast room were stunned for several seconds before regaining their composure and replaying the kill footage.

However, they realized they weren’t just replaying the kill sequence. They were replaying the entire match.

Four minutes and forty-seven seconds.

This was undoubtedly the shortest match in mecha tournament history.

In the video replay.

Jiang Yuan’s three precisely aimed armor-piercing rounds breaking through the armor made the replay viewers draw in sharp breaths.

That marksmanship made people want to kneel down!

As the video continued, Ji Rong’s Thunder Fighter entered combat position and transformed into lightning, taking out Mario instantly. The viewers watching the replay couldn’t help but gape…

What kind of god-tier micro-operation was this?

How could they even dodge that?

Were they defying the heavens?

The audience collectively turned their attention to the two Thunder Fighters in the broadcast, No. 1 and No. 2…

…

The second match began, time ticking away second by second.

This time, Mario took the initiative to attack, planning to launch a blitzkrieg. While the Federation team was scattered, he intended to pick them off one by one. After watching the replay, he had to admit that the opponent’s sniper was incredibly skilled with armor-piercing rounds. Although he could also manage three consecutive piercing shots, as long as he didn’t encounter that formidable close-combat fighter, he could deal with the other teammates first!

Mario had already found three teammates. This match was again in the jungle, perfect for concealment. The four Ella members now hid in the grass, waiting silently.

“Damn, these sneaky bastards! They’re planning to gang up four-on-one!”

“Look at the map! That Federation guy with the armor-piercing rounds is approaching. With this four-man ambush, he’s definitely done for!”

“How underhanded!”

Nolan’s palms grew sweaty with anxiety for Jiang Yuan. If it had been Ji Rong ambushed by four people, he might have escaped. After all, Ji Rong’s close combat skills were practically a cheat code. But Jiang Yuan? Although his marksmanship was excellent, he was at a clear disadvantage in close combat!

Jiang Yuan, don’t go over there!

But wishes rarely came true. Nolan could only watch helplessly as Jiang Yuan walked straight into the four men’s ambush.

When the Federation mecha appeared, and Mario confirmed it was Jiang Yuan, his eyes lit up instantly. This was the perfect opportunity! Not like that monster in close combat from before!

The four people for Ella exchanged glances before charging out!

Four against one, and an ambush no less! Everyone thought Thunder No. 2 was finished!

But then – precise shots rang out in the air.

Bang! Bang! Bang!

Brilliant flashes of light!

Jiang Yuan returned fire!

“Holy shit! What am I seeing?! Counter-sniping?!”

“He blocked them! He blocked the shots!”

Jiang Yuan pushed his mecha to maximum speed, sliding left, then right.

Although his movements seemed random, they helped him dodge most of the incoming fire. The bullets he couldn’t evade, he shot down with precise counter-fire.

BOOM—

Like a phantom, Thunder No. 2 burst into view. Amid showering sparks, the system indicated that two of Ella team’s mechas had lost power!

Then a third!

As Mario stood dumbfounded, his mecha suddenly shook violently. He launched his attack. A meteor shower of bullets spread out in a fan formation!

There was no way to dodge this. How could anyone evade such an attack?

There wasn’t even time to activate an energy shield!

Just as Mario started to feel relieved, his pupils constricted in shock!

He couldn’t believe what he was seeing—

The Federation’s Thunder, which should have been decimated, suddenly appeared in his mecha’s line of sight. Before he could process what was happening, he heard the death notification sound inside his cockpit.

The pilot was still using counter-sniping, but those bullets were fired at specific angles. A single shot took down more than ten of his bullets!

Was this even human?

What kind of predictive ability did it take to achieve this?

The audience erupted into excitement!

Ella’s defeated team was on the verge of tears. They’d planned to ambush Jiang Yuan, thinking they’d caught a close-combat rookie, but instead encountered a master. They walked straight to their doom.

In the stands, Nolan’s expression kept shifting. Rather than worrying about Jiang Yuan, perhaps they should worry about whether Ella’s team would develop trauma from this…

In the livestream chat:

“Is our Federation this strong this year?”

“Damn, junior is too powerful!”

“Junior? Are you sure he’s not a senior?”

“You’re not from First Military Academy, are you? YUAN is a Beta freshman who just enrolled this year!”

The second match’s outcome was inevitable!

At 2-0, if this had been a best-of-five, it would be over. But since they were playing for group stage points, they had to continue to the third round.

Ella’s team no longer hoped for victory. They just wished to lose with some dignity.

The final round didn’t even last ten minutes.

3-0

Ella’s team was thoroughly crushed without complaint. After the final match, they quickly left the arena without even staying for the customary handshake.

A dejected Mario could already imagine their instructor’s expression.

As other teams finished their matches and heard about the Federation versus Ella result, they thought it was a joke. But when they watched the match replay, they all drew sharp breaths. Except for Hoyt, every other national team had only one thought: Please don’t let us draw the Federation in the upcoming matches!

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