The Omega Becomes The Zerg Queen - Chapter 27

Chapter 27: Black Panther

The tournament system for the game Warfire was highly transparent; every match had its own dedicated live stream. At the start of a battle, matches were randomly assigned to street display screens. After one minute, the system would rerank them based on the players’ accumulated points. Streams with higher points moved to the top, while those with lower points were pushed to the corners.

Spectators tended to cluster around the center of the street to watch the highest-ranking matches. It was simple logic: higher points meant higher levels, which naturally led to more sophisticated combat techniques and flashier visuals.

Today, however, things were unusual. A massive crowd had gathered around a screen at the very bottom that should have been ignored.

“Look at that mecha. Doesn’t it look like the legendary Jade Cat?”

“It does, but that’s impossible. I haven’t heard of the Jade Cat binding with a pilot yet.”

The Jade Cat was the only SSS-grade mecha created since the founding of the Federation. The higher the mecha’s grade, the more demanding it was of its pilot. The Jade Cat was the magnum opus of the last century’s mecha master, Sade, representing his years of experience and the finest materials in the galaxy. Since its creation, it had never bound with a pilot, making it a near-mythological entity in the Federation.

Rumor had it that the Jade Cat wasn’t just a machine; it had developed its own independent consciousness and would choose its own master. Because its standards were impossibly high, no candidate had yet caught its eye. When Warfire was developed, the creators specifically imported the Jade Cat’s data, claiming it was a 1:1 replica. This meant that if someone was chosen by the Jade Cat in the game, they would theoretically be capable of piloting the real one.

In the live stream, the snow-white feline mecha was indeed extraordinary. Unlike other cold, metallic machines, its entire body possessed the luster of white-glazed jade. At the head of the mecha, heterochromatic eyes—one gold and one green—shone brilliantly, as if possessed of true intelligence. It was, quite frankly, intimidating.

Even though the panel showed the player’s points and level were both 0—a complete “whiteboard” account—the opponent, who had a Level 2 account with 200 points, was frozen by its silent aura. A blue serpent-type mecha coiled nearby, probing but not daring to advance.

In contrast, the feline mecha was remarkably calm. From the start of the match until now, it remained crouched in place, unmoving, appearing utterly confident. This composure placed immense psychological pressure on the opponent. The blue serpent slithered faster, its sharp tail flicking impatiently, until finally, it lunged.

“Look, he’s attacking!” “Good angle. Let’s see how Jade Cat counters.”

On screen, the white mecha didn’t budge. The serpent’s sharp fangs scraped against the smooth jade surface, throwing off sparks of violet electricity. Then, the serpent’s fangs snapped on the spot.

As the galaxy’s top-tier mecha, the Jade Cat’s materials were indestructible to a common blue serpent. It was like throwing an egg against a rock; the serpent had only succeeded in wounding itself. This sheer defensive power proved it: this was indeed the Jade Cat.

“As expected of the Jade Cat!” “I can’t believe it found a master. And the profile says it’s a total newbie.” “A rookie who’s never played mecha sims was chosen by Jade Cat right away?” “Wow. If the Federal Military Academy finds out, those arrogant cadets will lose their minds.”

The pilot of the blue serpent realized what he was facing. He tried various attack patterns, but he couldn’t even scratch the surface. The porcelain-like cat just sat there, not even gracing him with a glance. This was… it was too insulting!

“Am I not even worth a single move from you?!” the serpent pilot’s voice cried out in a breakdown. The ice-blue head turned around and bit its own tail.

System: Your opponent has surrendered. Congratulations on your victory. Battle Settlement: Points +20 (Double points for cross-level victory).

As the bright yellow light of victory shone down, Su Lili stood dazed in the settlement room. In reality, from the moment she chose “Auto-Match Mecha,” things had spiraled out of her control.

After pressing the button, she had appeared in a pure white space surrounded by animals—fluffy foxes, adorable pandas, lively deer, and majestic white tigers. They all nudged her, their wet tongues licking the back of her hand as they tried to burrow into her arms. The system told her to choose one, and that choice would determine her mecha type.

Su Lili was petting them all when a small white cat suddenly jumped out. It was pure white with a faint jade luster and intelligent gold-green eyes. It bossily shoved every other animal away, leapt into her arms, and “meowed” loudly at the surroundings. The other animals backed off; Su Lili realized they showed the white cat a sense of fear and obedience. It was clearly the boss.

Su Lili rubbed its pink paw pads. “I choose you then.” The cat gave a proud “Meow” and nudged her chin with its wet nose.

System: Congratulations on binding SSS-grade mecha: Jade Cat. Note: This mecha is unique, non-tradable, and non-replaceable.

The next second, she was in the arena. The cockpit was in the cat’s belly—an oval space with a pilot chair and a dizzying array of buttons and ports.

“How… do I use this?” She had logged in on a whim and knew nothing about mecha operations. The dense metal ports were a nightmare. Because mecha education was so universal in the Federation, the game developers never expected someone wouldn’t know the basic login sequence.

“Master, please sit in the chair and press the black button on your left,” a soft, childish voice echoed in the cockpit.

“Who are you?” Su Lili looked around but saw no one.

“I am your mecha, Jade Cat, Master.” The voice sounded a bit aggrieved but dutifully explained the basics. “Mechas operate on Mental Power. When you sit, the ports will automatically link to your mental sea. The buttons are only for manual emergency overrides if your mental power is exhausted.”

Su Lili was amazed by the technology. She comforted the sad Jade Cat and sat down. The feeling of linking her mental power to the mecha was magical. When she opened her eyes, her perspective had merged with the Jade Cat. Even the texture of the dry grass on the arena floor felt vivid against her “body.”

Through the wide field of vision, the blue serpent was lunging at her. “Dodge!” she thought, exerting force.

However, her body felt like it weighed a thousand tons. The joints of the mecha were rusted shut. She sat there, paralyzed. High-grade mechas required not just high mental power but a high “Sync Rate.” As a total novice, her sync rate was 0%.

Luckily, the Jade Cat’s innate stats were so high that the opponent’s attacks felt like a light tickle. She spent the entire match struggling just to move a finger.

“I’m sorry,” Su Lili thought, her eyes drooping. “I’m not trying to insult you… I just literally can’t move.”

To increase her sync rate, she joined match after match. Without exception, every match ended with the opponent surrendering. Her lack of movement, silence, and legendary mecha created a growing buzz among players. People started betting on when she would finally attack.

Su Lili chose “Unlimited Mode,” meaning there was no cap on her opponents’ level. Because she was low level, her points doubled every time she won by default. After several rounds, she had 500 points and had reached Level 5. Her sync rate with Jade Cat had hit 9%. According to the Jade Cat, once it reached 10%, she could perform basic combat movements.

“Last one!” she thought, eager to finally feel what it was like to run as the Jade Cat.

The 1V1 arena was a standard green field under a blue sky—no cover, just raw combat. As the white mist of the login sequence cleared, the Jade Cat appeared. Opposite her, a pure black panther mecha yawned.

“It’s ‘Star’! The legendary rank #1 mecha player, ‘Star’!” “Screenshot! Get a photo!”

The spectator chat exploded. The mysterious top-ranked player of Warfire versus the legendary Jade Cat—this was the match of the century. Because ‘Star’ had such high points, their stream was instantly catapulted to the very top position on every street screen.

The sleek black panther circled her elegantly, its cold gold eyes fixed on her. Its nose twitched as it sniffed the air. An intense pressure and sense of unease washed over her. Su Lili shivered.

—This opponent was different.

“It’s him,” the Jade Cat’s voice sounded almost excited. “Who?” “He is very strong,” the childish voice said sagely. “He is the rival I have been waiting for.”

Su Lili’s internal alarms blared. To be acknowledged by the Jade Cat meant the panther was extraordinary. The cat’s innate defense might not be enough this time.

She had to move! She focused all her mental power, wrapping her “tentacles” around every joint of the Jade Cat to force the link.

“Go for it, Master!” Jade Cat cheered. “Just a tiny bit more sync and we’re there!”

Just a tiny bit more. But the black panther didn’t wait. Its powerful hind legs kicked off the ground, and it lunged straight at her.