Chapter Two: Star-Moon Base—The Solo Battle

The flash was replaced by a massive structure, and suddenly Mingchuan and Wenxin found themselves in what appeared to be a training ground.

“How impressive! Where is this?” Mingchuan exclaimed in awe. At that moment, a voice responded, “This is the training ground of the Star-Moon Base. Welcome, Mr. Mingchuan, Miss Wenxin.”

“Oh? Looks like we’ve just been transported somewhere! So, what’s our mission?” Mingchuan asked.

“You’re both experienced players; you already know about the different types of mechs. However, you’re probably not familiar with the attributes of each mech, are you?” replied the language system.

“Well,” Mingchuan scratched his head, “the game never mentioned that.”

“Then see for yourselves. Behind you are two passageways—each of you pick a mech and try it out!” With that, the language system went silent.

Suddenly, a noise erupted behind them, and eight mechs appeared, divided into four main models: Knight, War Wolf, Hawk Eye, and Ironbreaker. A display panel appeared in front of each.

“Aren’t you going to take a look?” Wenxin asked.

“Oh, sure, let’s do it!” Mingchuan replied as he ran toward the display. “I’ll check out the Knight first,” he said. “Knight: Attack seven stars, Defense five stars, Speed seven stars, Agility six stars, equipped with a combat blade—close-range, fast assault type. Not bad.”

“I like the War Wolf,” Wenxin said. “War Wolf: Attack seven stars, Defense six stars, Speed five stars, Agility seven stars, dual guns and dual blades—a balanced support type.”

The remaining two, which neither of them selected, were Hawk Eye and Ironbreaker. Hawk Eye boasted eight-star attack, four-star defense, seven-star speed, and six-star agility, wielding a sniper rifle, equipped with optical camouflage—an assassination and stealth type. Ironbreaker had seven and a half stars for both attack and defense, five stars for speed and agility, armed with a heavy cannon—a defense and counterattack type.

“This is quite comprehensive, but what exactly are the criteria for these ratings? I feel like if I brought out an ‘Angel’ mech, I could clear this in no time...”

“Mingchuan, are you going to fight the Satans or not?” Wenxin was already suited up in the War Wolf and waiting for him.

“You go ahead. We’re on different fronts anyway,” Mingchuan replied as he approached his mech.

“All right, just be careful,” Wenxin said, offering a word of encouragement before entering the passage.

Mingchuan climbed into his mech and discovered that its controls were exactly like the motion-sensing games he’d played—familiar, yet slightly strange. “Perfect, time to go all out.” He drew his combat blade and charged into the training course.

The door opened instantly, and a horde of Satans appeared before him—mass-produced models whose combat ability was laughable against a mech. Mingchuan dashed past the first Satan, spun around, and performed a sweeping slash, cutting several foes in half at the waist. He tossed his blade, caught it deftly with his left hand, and with a swift pull to the left, executed a series of precise headshots.

“Is there a way to skip this easy mode? Don’t go easy on us just because we’re using mechs!” Mingchuan scoffed at these pitiful mass-produced enemies. After all, he was a world-ranked player; starting him off on rookie difficulty—wasn’t that underestimating a world-class competitor?

As if in response to his challenge, several Venom Satans suddenly appeared ahead, spewing powerful acid in his direction. Although termed “strong acid,” it was a substance beyond the explanation of modern science—no known materials could neutralize it.

Mingchuan leapt back just in time, watching as several steel plates before him were instantly corroded. “That was close! Almost got hit,” he muttered, but an idea sparked as he eyed the venom.

He charged forward, and as the Venoms spat their acid, he vaulted into a somersault, landing behind them. Without hesitation, he swung his blade, severing their necks. However, some of the acid splashed onto his mech. The shield activated instantly, its durability dropping slightly but holding strong.

“No wonder there’s a defense rating—it all makes sense now,” Mingchuan realized. This mech was clearly more than it seemed.

He looked back and saw another door ahead—one he was certain hadn’t been there before. As he approached, it opened, revealing Wenxin already waiting for him.

“You’re here. I’ve been waiting a while,” she said.

“Sorry, those last few held me up,” Mingchuan apologized, though he was curious about Wenxin’s speed. “But now that we’re here, it seems communications are active again.”

At that moment, a voice came through the comms: “That’s right. Next is the two-player coordinated battle. Are you ready?”

“In any case, bring it on!” Mingchuan and Wenxin replied in unison.

“Very well, let’s begin…”

———Author’s Note———

At last, braving the cold, I’ve finished the second chapter. I wonder if you readers are enjoying it? To be honest, my language skills aren’t the best, but I do have something rare: inspiration and perseverance. If you have a good idea, you should act on it, and if you start, you should persist. I hope you all do the same. Failure is only one step away from success; use this failure as a stepping stone, and next time you will succeed. As for the scenes and visuals, please imagine them as you wish. Perhaps one day, when this novel becomes a TV show, we’ll see them for real.