Chapter Four: Troublesome Teammate — "Are You a Coward?"

As the lever was pulled down, a hidden door slid open. Mingchuan and Wenxin followed the man who looked like an instructor into an elevator.

After a while, the elevator doors opened. When they stepped out, the instructor-like man had vanished, and a spherical object dropped to the floor.

Upon seeing it, Mingchuan immediately recalled the kind of holographic bombs often used in movies and TV dramas, and prepared to summon his mech at once.

At that moment, a person hiding nearby stepped out. “Don’t be nervous, it’s just a standard holographic projection device.” Hearing this, Mingchuan shifted his gaze from the projection device to the newcomers. “You must be our teammates, right?”

“That’s right, we are,” the leader replied.

“Hello, I’m Colt, and this is my partner, George.” With that, Colt pulled his companion over. “Hello, I’m George. We’re from the United Nations of North America—what used to be the United States and Canada. He’s a Knight pilot, and I’m a Heavy Breaker pilot.” After they finished, the other pair introduced themselves.

“Hello, I’m Thomson, Warwolf pilot. This is Winchester, Eagle Eye pilot.”

“Hello, I’m Winchester. We’re from the United Nations of Europa.” After their introductions, Mingchuan and Wenxin began theirs.

“Hello, I’m Lei Mingchuan, Knight pilot. She is Wen Wenxin, Warwolf pilot.”

“Hello, I’m Wen Wenxin. We’re from the United Nations of East Asia, but we’re not exactly close.” Mingchuan was taken aback at this. “Wha—what do you mean? Even if that’s the case, it doesn’t really matter, does it?”

“All right, it seems you’ve basically gotten to know each other,” said the instructor-like man, reappearing.

“Greetings, new members. I am your instructor. You may call me Captain Anthony, or simply Instructor. This is my adjutant, Sergeant Tina.” As Anthony finished speaking, a woman in uniform stepped forward, holding a file in her hands. “Hello, I’m Sergeant Tina. If you need anything, you can come to me first; I’ll help you contact the Captain.” Anthony gestured for Tina to stay at the work desk. “I apologize for the intrusion into your lives, but rest assured, we will do our utmost to ensure your personal safety,” Captain Anthony said.

“It is now the year 2237. Our world has suffered devastating strikes from Satan. Our people, infected by Satan, have been plunged into unspeakable misery. Because of this, our numbers have been dwindling, so we have been forced to seek out skilled gamers from previous worlds…”

“…and then send us to fight Satan, to save your world for you? When even you can’t defeat him?” Colt exclaimed angrily, though he had enjoyed the training just moments ago.

“But, Colt…” George tried to interject, but Colt cut him off. “George, I know what you’re going to say. That was just training—real combat is a completely different matter.”

“All right, Colt, I understand how you feel,” Anthony said, trying to calm him.

“You’re afraid you’ll die in this world and never return home, is that it?”

“That’s right. I’d rather occasionally come to your training base and tackle a few levels than risk my life for a world that has nothing to do with me. After all, history repeats itself,” Colt replied angrily. At that moment, Mingchuan spoke up.

“Colt, my friend, they chose you because of your talent—because you’re strong. If you’re not a coward, prove your strength. Don’t give us a reason to look down on you!” Mingchuan’s words were sharp, a clear challenge. Colt, unable to accept being spoken to that way, felt compelled to prove himself.

“Fine. I’ll stay and show you just what I’m capable of!”

“That’s better,” Anthony replied approvingly. “Looks like none of you are cowards. Now, I’ll give you a tour of the base so you can get acquainted…”

—Author’s Note—

TK already has it planned: in Chapter Six, there will be an official showdown between mechs and Satan. By then, a new type of Satan will be introduced. As for what it is, readers are welcome to guess its abilities in the comments—TK may take some inspiration from your ideas, since there aren’t many Satan types in my arsenal yet.

A little teaser: Chapter Five will feature lots of new equipment and commentary, almost like a video, with explanations and exciting novel content (whether it’s exciting or not is for the readers to judge).