High-level martial arts: I can choose Hextech equips.

Inside the private room, the blonde girl with pigtails seemed somewhat dissatisfied.

Her long, thick, smooth golden hair, worn under a brown bell-shaped hat, was tied into two ponytails on either side. Her eyes, painted with brown eyeshadow, appeared even larger and brighter, and she also had a delicate nose and moist lips painted with lipstick.

The makeup was just right, highlighting the girl's youthful vitality while also exuding a subtle charm.

Lin Shuxuan's gaze was too offensive.

This boy stared at her intently from the moment he walked in; it was really impolite.

Lin Shuxuan, who had been misunderstood as a pervert, looked away.

He couldn't fathom how the prophetic scene would unfold, and he had absolutely no appetite for the girl.

Three gaming pods are placed on each side of the room, and the matches are three against three.

"Qin Yuanba hasn't arrived yet, let's give it a try first, I'll show you how to do it."

Lin Shuxuan nodded in agreement.

Mechs are war machines built by the Federation. The selection process for pilots is rigorous and costly, so the Federation developed the Battle.net esports platform.

Train drivers using virtual data.

Even so, game pods connected to Battle.net are still expensive, and he has never tried anything like it.

Li Rufeng had made a promise to lead him to victory.

Considering the winner's prize money, Lin Shuxuan would definitely go against his conscience and make an exception to win this time.

Approaching a gaming pod, a soft sound is heard, and the pod unfolds from the middle, spreading its wings like a bird to reveal a white chair inside.

Why are there no operation buttons at all... Lin Shuxuan, a newbie, was a little confused.

He lay down in the game pod, feeling his whole body sink in softly, then be tightly enveloped, leaving only his head free to move.

The hatch closed, plunging everything into darkness. Lin Shuxuan tried to move his arms but found no response. The feeling of being locked in a crevice was unpleasant.

But soon, things changed. A blue light appeared before them, followed by a soft female voice.

"Hello Mr. Lin Shuxuan, Battle.net requests access to the AI ​​to obtain account resources."

This is the intelligent AI in the gaming pod, while Battle.net is the competitive platform that reads data via the smart bracelet.

"allow."

"Account connection in progress, please wait..."

The soft blue light operated smoothly, but suddenly it changed. The originally soft restraints covering him gradually hardened, as if they were going to crush him. The gentle AI female voice suddenly became sharp and hoarse.

"Account connection error... Account connection error..."

Damn it, my smart bracelet was left to me by my dad, could it be triggering a bug... Lin Shuxuan was suddenly startled and was preparing to use his Dragon Fist to smash the cockpit.

But then the AI ​​voice returned to normal, and the blinding red light turned back into a soft blue light.

"Connection successful."

Then, Lin Shuxuan felt his consciousness rise infinitely and arrive at a dark place where starlight appeared, as if he were in the starry sky.

[Li Rufeng invites you to join a custom room.]

Lin Shuxuan chose to accept.

The starry sky flew towards you, and then you entered the selection interface. Various mechs were lined up like clothes on a clothes rack. You could choose any one of them and move your consciousness to see the various data and equipment of the mech.

The first mech is the most unadorned and is the only one available. The mechs become more and more magnificent and imposing as you progress, but the interface frames are all grayed out and cannot be clicked.

The free-to-use mech is 15 meters long, with the cockpit located in its robust chest cavity, topped with a small head as decoration.

This is the most basic mecha, a common model.

This is also the mech that is used regularly in this competition, and modifications are only allowed.

Looking at that clumsy thing, all dark gray, with a sword on its right arm, a cannon on its left, and treadle tracks.

Lin Shuxuan hesitated for a moment, then swiped the interface and clicked on another mecha.

It is the same model, but with many more functions. It is equipped with an additional power core, and the accompanying sword is thicker and longer, with several more gun barrels and wider tracks.

It can be described as a complete upgrade!

However, the pop-up purchase window wasn't so pleasant.

3000 credits, equivalent to 300,000 US dollars.

"Why the hell don't you just rob me?" Lin Shuxuan was getting angry.

"Li Rufeng, the mechs I can choose have no combat capabilities."

Looking at the almost bare new mobile phone armor, Lin Shuxuan felt helpless.

"You're way too newbie. You can unlock the extra accessories just by playing a few games."

"What about the girl?"

"?"

He continued to scroll through the interface, wanting to see what a more powerful mech looked like.

Crossing a certain dividing line, the mecha's mass increased dramatically, its height surged from 15 meters to 50 meters, and its overall shape became more humanoid, like a giant real person wearing heavy armor.

These are the Federation's top-tier mechs.

The equipment it carries has also been upgraded, including an anti-gravity engine, a god-slaying cannon, an advanced energy field, and a nuclear fusion energy core. According to the description, it can even traverse wormholes.

It's practically a humanoid warship.

Lin Shuxuan narrowed his eyes slightly. These mechs actually exist in reality, which means that the Federation uses such weapons to fight against alien beasts.

This level of mecha... should be able to rival Guan Yunyang, right...? Lin Shuxuan secretly speculated.

But these are still not the limits of federal technology.

As you flip through the pages, the mechs gradually upgrade, and various powerful-sounding equipment is continuously added to them.

Until a completely black, god-like and demonic mecha came into Lin Shuxuan's view.

Its head and horns were prominent and its domineering aura of destroying heaven and earth was almost tangible. The rugged and wide membranous wings on its back slowly flapped, as if they would burst into view at any moment.

"This is... a dragon?" Lin Shuxuan muttered to himself. The mecha in front of him had a dragon's head and a human body, and its black claws shimmered with a beautiful luster.

With a thought, data popped up, all of them '?'.

Although no data could be seen on this dragon-shaped mecha, its demonic aura was captivating. Compared to it, even the most elaborate and magnificent star-level mechas were like toddlers taking their first steps.

But what surprised Lin Shuxuan even more was that the icon for this mecha was lit up, meaning he could use it!

So that's why the account connection was abnormal just now... Lin Shuxuan had a guess in his mind.

The secrets hidden in the smart bracelet left by his father are far more numerous than imagined.

Following the dragon-shaped mech were several other mechs, equally godlike and demonic, and also usable. Just as Lin Shuxuan was about to examine them closely, Li Rufeng's voice rang in his ears.

"Why are you dawdling like a woman picking out clothes? Hurry up and come in, the competition is about to start."

So Lin Shuxuan piloted the most ordinary mecha into the arena.

The scene shifted, and Lin Shuxuan found himself in the cockpit of a mecha. In front of him was a large screen showing the outside world. Below the screen was a huge, incredibly complex control keyboard, three joysticks, and five foot pedals.

He himself was firmly strapped into the seat by the seatbelt.

Coach, I want to switch to automatic transmission... Lin Shuxuan looked at the dazzling operating interface and was sweating a little.

He clenched his fist; the feel was identical to reality. This game pod was indeed incredibly realistic; he truly felt like he was inside a mecha.

At this moment, another mech appeared on the big screen, and its model was the same as his.

It was only slightly modified, making it taller and bigger, with better equipment. Lin Shuxuan also saw a power backpack.

He estimated that the upgrade would cost about 4000 credits.

That was the mecha piloted by Li Rufeng.

His voice echoed through the cockpit via the communication device.

"Why did you come in dressed like this? At least spend some money on this." Li Rufeng had sharp eyes and could tell at a glance that Lin Shuxuan was dressed in a completely plain outfit.

Lin Shuxuan was indignant upon hearing this. He still needed to accumulate resources to purchase the Dao Path and was really reluctant to spend money like this.

"Teach me how to use it first," Lin Shuxuan replied directly.

This game is so hardcore, with nearly a hundred control buttons, it's impossible to tell which one is which.

"There's no time left, the match is about to start."

"?"

"It's okay, we'll win easily. You've already been a tutorial for beginners."

After Li Rufeng finished speaking, he left the virtual room. At the last moment, he saw Lin Shuxuan's mecha walking on its hands.

"A truly gifted individual..." Li Rufeng's heart skipped a beat.

Seeing Li Rufeng disappear, Lin Shuxuan, who was upside down and struggling to breathe, also chose to exit and returned to the initial starry sky interface.

The next moment, an invitation notification appeared on the screen.

Battle.net Mech Race - Finals

Choosing to accept the option brought up the character selection screen again, but this time there were two more avatars: Qin Yuanba and Li Rufeng.

Furthermore, the 50-meter-long mech and the dragon-shaped mech were marked with red boxes, indicating that they could not be selected. This competition limited the mech models to the basic models.

Li Rufeng's clear voice rang out in the team channel.

"Hey Lin Shuxuan, just go in and shoot some guns, I'll carry you to victory."

Lin Shuxuan rolled his eyes upon hearing this, but he also knew that there wasn't much he could do as a newbie. So he spent a huge sum of 500 points to buy the laser gun module, which extended the cannon barrel on his left arm, increasing both its power and guidance time.

Although I arrived at the finals somewhat haphazardly, I still tried my best to make a difference.

Firing and aiming shouldn't be difficult; once you get used to it, you can provide assists.

After making his selection, the scene changed, and Lin Shuxuan returned to the cockpit of the mecha. Through the screen in front of him, he could see a flat, sandy plain with an unobstructed view. Looking into the distance, he could still see the plain, with the sky and earth merging into one.

Qin Yuanba and Li Rufeng appeared on either side of him in their mechs.

Li Rufeng's mecha is larger overall, but its shape has been adjusted, making it less imposing and clumsy, and more slender and agile. Combined with the power backpack on its back and the extra-thick and long greatsword on its right arm, it seems to be following the route of a highly mobile assassin.

Qin Yuanba's mecha was extremely deformed, with the right half of his body shrunken and his right arm enormous, as if the arm had absorbed all the nutrients from his body.

The nearly 15-meter-long arm hangs down to the ground for balance. At the end of the right arm is not a standard greatsword but a giant fist. It is conceivable that if this punch were thrown with full force, a mech of the same level would probably be destroyed on the spot.

As Lin Shuxuan examined the two men's mechs, the two men also looked at Lin Shuxuan's mech.

Li Rufeng's voice echoed in the cockpit.

"Taking a long-range route is best to increase mobility; it's useless if the enemy gets close to you with artillery fire." His comment was very objective.

Although he knew Li Rufeng was right, he didn't know how to pilot a mecha at all. How could he possibly walk fast if he was walking backwards?

Li Rufeng was aware of this as well; his comments were simply to help Lin Shuxuan avoid making the same mistakes in the future.

As the two were chatting, the mech opposite them slowly appeared as well.

Lin Shuxuan looked across the screen in front of him and felt like his eyes were going to go blind.

Why is it so bright...?

Two mechs on the other side gleamed with gold, their bodies adorned with all sorts of intricate golden weapons, their magnificent appearance making it impossible to discern their original models.

The mecha in the middle was pure white, and its shape had been adjusted so that its originally clumsy form now subtly revealed the slenderness and grace of a woman.

If Qin Yuanba and Li Rufeng's mechs sacrificed certain stats to achieve higher limits, then the three mechs on the other side were like hexagonal warriors, with every stat at its maximum!

Especially that mecha in the middle, it even has skins! How much money did they spend on it...? Lin Shuxuan's lips twitched slightly as he looked at it.

"This match is completely unfair, how can you win?"

He questioned Li Rufeng, saying that there are always limits to operations, especially when the numerical difference is so huge.

This mech battle online competition is completely unbalanced. Although the models of the mechs that enter the game are set to the initial ones, whoever has more funds can modify them at will.

Li Rufeng's reply, however, was full of confidence.

"We will win!"

A discordant voice interrupted.

"Heh, you three piece of junk, you think you can beat me with just a few bucks?"

Her voice was sweet, somewhere between a young girl's and a mature woman's, but it carried a hint of sharpness due to her owner's dissatisfaction.

My chat channel is the squad channel, why are there outsiders here...? Lin Shuxuan checks the squad voice chat.

The sweet female voice continued, "I've purchased Battle.net VIP service, so I can join your conversation."

Li Rufeng continues to spout nonsense on public channels.

"It's okay, no matter how much money you spend, the basic model's upper limit is still there. Garbage is still garbage. I'll just have to go all in and out later..."

The woman's voice did not reappear.

Lin Shuxuan didn't respond to Li Rufeng either. He was just a newbie who had been dragged into the finals, and he was too embarrassed to join in mocking the other side.

Through the screen in front of me, a countdown appeared in the sky.

60

59

Along with this came beams of light suspended in mid-air, from which all sorts of sounds emanated, materializing and floating in mid-air, like live stream comments.

"It's finally starting!"

"I've long heard that Li Rufeng's mech piloting is unpredictable and amazing, and I'm finally going to see it for myself."

"Heh, Li Rufeng is indeed very strong, but haven't you seen his opponents?"

"Heh, so what if I top up a little more money?"

"It's so sour!"

"I'm jealous of you."

The match hadn't even started yet, but someone was already online. Lin Shuxuan watched with great interest, but chose to mute it so as not to affect his own gameplay later.

Mech competitions are already held online, so introducing a live streaming format was expected. It allows participants to relax and have fun while learning about mechs, which is a win-win situation.

The countdown was about to end, and both sides' mechs roared with engines, ready to go.

There is only one exception.

Lin Shuxuan's mecha stood silently in the air, its arms hanging down, as still and imposing as a mountain.