You said mechs were going to fight monsters, but instead you're destroying stars with your bare

Chapter 180: No More Pretense, I'm Showing My Cards
The piercing screams echoed across the communication channel.

But it was quickly replaced by a buzzing sound of electricity.

In less than a minute, these two elite squads, which had garnered much attention during the exercise, were completely wiped out in a way that no one could comprehend.

When they were reborn at the academy's resurrection point, completely bewildered, they hadn't even figured out how they had "died."

The person who started all of this was Li Zhe.

He had already directed his "worker bee" squad to collect the island's most valuable "trophy"—a World Tree Seed brimming with life.

Then, having accomplished his task, he left without a trace, concealing his merit and fame.

All that remains is a terrifying legend about the "cannibalistic garden" that baffles everyone...

……

As the exercise progressed to the middle, the situation on the entire battlefield had completely exceeded the expectations of all the instructors and commanders.

Several ace teams that were originally considered favorites to win the championship either suffered heavy losses in inexplicable "accidents" or their hard-won strongholds and spoils disappeared in the blink of an eye.

The mysterious force codenamed "Ghost" and "Scavengers" is like an omnipresent nightmare, frantically reaping points and resources in a way that no one can understand.

Their record has given them a commanding lead, placing them firmly at the top of the standings.

[First Place: ??? Trail Blazers (Anonymous), Points: 12800]

Second Place: Nantianmen - Tiangang Team, Points: 4500

[Third Place: Northern Heavy Industries - Grizzly Team, Points: 4200]

……

Seeing this outrageous gap in points, the joint command center of the eight academies fell into a deathly silence.

All the instructors and commanders stared at the mysterious, anonymous squad with the look of someone looking at a monster.

"This...this is impossible!"

Qin Cang at the South Heavenly Gate looked at his score, which was far behind his own, and his handsome face turned bright red, almost as if it were about to bleed.

He couldn't accept that his proud elite squad had been left so far behind by a "ragtag army" whose origins were unclear.

"Investigate! Investigate!" he roared into the communicator. "Get me all the movement records of this 'ghost unit'! I want to see what tricks they've been up to!"

However, when the technicians presented him with a video recording of the "worker bee" team's actions in fast-forward mode...

Qin Cang was completely speechless.

In the video, the five seemingly ordinary "Pioneer-II" mechs displayed a terrifying level of tactical skill and execution, which was completely contrary to their bulky appearance.

They always manage to enter the most chaotic battlefield from the most unconventional angles.

While everyone is still caught up in the passion of battle, silently complete the objective, and then...

Before anyone could react, it vanished without a trace once again.

Their actions were precise, without the slightest unnecessary movement, as accurate as the most sophisticated machine.

Their teamwork was seamless, filled with a breathtaking tacit understanding.

It was as if they were not five people, but a whole with a unified will.

What chilled Qin Cang the most was that their actions always seemed to perfectly predict everyone's movements.

just like……

They possess a "God's eye" that can see the entire battlefield.

"This...this is not something a human could do..."

Qin Cang muttered to himself, his eyes filled with disbelief and shock. For the first time, he began to deeply doubt his own proud title of "genius."

Meanwhile, Zhu Xingtuan watched the same video, and a smile of satisfaction and pride, which only he himself could understand, appeared on his perpetually icy face.

He picked up his thermos and took a sip of piping hot goji berry tea.

"This kid... he really knows how to give everyone a surprise."

……

The discussion about the "ghost army" on the forum has completely exploded.

Various speculations and analyses have emerged one after another.

[Technical Analysis Post: In-depth Analysis of the Tactical Style of the "Ghost Force"—Are They Really Human?]

"The original poster is a data analysis major. They stayed up for three hours straight, analyzing every frame of the 'Ghost Force' operation footage they could find, and came to a startling conclusion—their operations have surpassed the limits of human reaction speed! I strongly suspect that the pilots of this team are not human at all! They are very likely 'super AIs' with self-awareness, secretly developed by the United Government!"

This post instantly ignited the entire forum.

"Holy crap! AI playing in a competition? Are we even allowed to compete anymore?"

"No wonder they're so strong! They're using an 'official cheat code'!"

"Protest! Strong protest! This is an insult to all of us human mech pilots!"

"Don't get excited, upstairs. What if... they really are gifted?"

"A prodigy who can take on five opponents single-handedly and wipe out two elite squads? Do you think this is a novel?"

For a time, the crowd was excited.

Calls for the coalition government to reveal the true identity of the "ghost army" are growing louder.

And Li Zhe was the one who started all of this.

At this moment, he was leisurely sitting in the base in the center of the battlefield, drinking iced cola and watching the "verbal battle" on the forum with great interest.

[Commander, public opinion has escalated. Should I implement information control to suppress the heat?]

The sound of zero rang out.

"No need." Li Zhe waved his hand, a playful smile on his face. "Let them argue, the louder the better."

He was eager to make a big fuss.

In order to quell public anger, the coalition government had no choice but to investigate him as the "mastermind."

And this was part of his plan.

He wanted to take this opportunity to openly and legitimately expose part of his "strength" and the existence of that "worker bee puppet" force to the United Government.

This will allow them to gain more say and resources, both for themselves and for Jiangdong Shipbuilding Group.

This will be an even more sophisticated "open strategy".

……

Just as Li Zhe was strategizing and preparing to close the net,

Inside the training ground, the final battle is about to begin.

After several hours of fierce fighting and elimination, only a handful of the most elite teams remained in the entire training ground.

At this moment, they all turned their attention to the same goal—

Located in the center of the training ground, shrouded in dense abyssal energy, is the final boss island...

(End of this chapter)