The Silly Prince Successfully Cancels the Engagement, But the Fiancée is His Childhood Sweetheart - Chapter 18

Chapter 18: A Skill Not His Forte

This was actually the first time Xiang Zhuo saw Bai Qing pilot a mecha.

He had already gauged Bai Qing’s strength during the simulation training session.

It was excellent. If Bai Qing truly met him in the finals, he wouldn’t dare claim a ten-out-of-ten chance of winning.

It was closer to a fifty-fifty split.

However, the more Xiang Zhuo watched the battle, the more he felt something was wrong. This fighting style, this offensive… why was it a bit familiar?

Bai Qing—did he also use the quick offense style?

…

Bai Qing gradually felt confident.

He had thoroughly mastered the rhythm of this confrontation, taking complete control. He Jie could no longer stir up any trouble.

Bai Qing’s offense was as fast as lightning, and within a few rounds, He Jie had little power to retaliate.

She was good at setting the rhythm but not at breaking a deadlock.

Their combat styles were very similar—high attack, low defense—and since Bai Qing had secured the initiative at the very start of the match, He Jie had completely lost her chance.

She sat in the mecha cockpit, letting out a self-deprecating laugh.

With the opponent being so dominant, where was her chance to win? After being a championship favorite for so many years, this was the first time she had failed to win even the first match.

Bai Qing’s final move, that long beam of fire-colored laser light, struck He Jie’s mecha power source.

The outcome of this duel was decided from the start. For the audience, there was no suspense, and sub-channel 107 was filled with “Congratulations.”

Xiang Zhuo sat in the audience section, frowning, quietly contemplating how he would neutralize Bai Qing’s offensive if he were He Jie.

For once, he didn’t think about Bai Yu again.

As the players retired, Bai Qing and He Jie met at the arena exit.

“Little beauty, congratulations,” He Jie’s flippant voice reached his ear.

Bai Qing turned and saw He Jie’s vibrant, fiery red wavy hair at a glance.

He nodded gently: “Thank you.”

He Jie quickened her pace to walk alongside Bai Qing: “I think it would be much more interesting if you kept winning. I really want to see the surprised faces of those arrogant Alphas.”

Bai Qing: “Aren’t you an Alpha too?”

He Jie sneered: “I’m different from them.”

Bai Qing didn’t understand what He Jie meant by being different from those Alphas, nor was he interested. He simply gave a polite nod, indicating that he had things to do and needed to leave first.

He Jie looked understanding: “I know you don’t believe what I’m saying, but that’s okay. We’ll meet again soon.”

He Jie winked at Bai Qing, patted his shoulder, and quickly walked away, leaving only her back for Bai Qing to see.

Bai Qing didn’t dwell on this small interlude. He checked the player schedule and walked directly toward the audience section for Xiang Zhuo’s match.

Therefore, he was unaware of the fervor taking place on the live stream’s main screen.

As sub-channel 107 closed, the enthusiasm of the viewers, who had massive waves surging in their chests, did not diminish. They flocked to the main screen for heated discussions, with almost no one believing the match was already over.

“Did you guys know about that rookie monster in sub-channel 107 this year? SSS+ mental power, he blew the detector off the charts!”

“So strong. This year’s rookie is definitely a monster. This is the first time I’ve seen someone defeat He Jie with no power to fight back. In my memory, He Jie should be the one demolishing others.”

“He Jie’s strength is inherently unstable. It’s a miracle of luck that she’s been a champion favorite for so many years.”

“I’m going to focus on an irrelevant point: Doesn’t anyone else think this person named Bai Qing has a god-like face…”

“Ah, it was still discovered, damn it! Screen licking protection! My treasure!”

…

Xiang Zhuo’s first match was also without any suspense. No matter how mysterious Fu Cheng was or how unconventional his moves, he was nothing against a completely dominant opponent like Xiang Zhuo.

Moves unpredictable?

Overwhelm him with power.

Style elusive?

Overwhelm him with power.

Furthermore, Xiang Zhuo possessed valuable experience accumulated on the battlefield.

This match truly held no suspense.

Xiang Zhuo won easily.

Bai Qing did not wait for the players to retire. He left the arena after everything was settled.

The discovery that Xiang Zhuo had far from used his full power just now surprisingly forced a sense of urgency onto Bai Qing. It made him want to seize every second for training.

On the other side, the first thing Xiang Zhuo did after leaving the arena was open his communication terminal. But when he found that Bai Yu still hadn’t replied to him, he closed the interface in disappointment again.

A terrifying idea was stirring in his heart, but Xiang Zhuo didn’t dare to delve into it. He completely strangled the thought in its cradle before it could surface.

“How could Bai Yu possibly be Bai Qing? Nothing matches up.”

The first day of the competition alone eliminated more than half the people. Some, even if they won the first match, believed they were lucky and stood no chance of winning the second. They quickly went to the Organizing Committee to cancel their player information.

This kind of thing happened every year, and many people even deserted at the last minute before the match.

Bai Qing didn’t care about any of this. He completely cut off all contact with the outside world and immersed himself entirely in training, only checking his opponents and match schedule before going to sleep.

The closer it got to the end, the stronger the players remaining on the list became, and the longer the matches lasted, sometimes taking an entire day to finish one round.

Without any suspense, Bai Qing won six consecutive matches using his quick offense style, which was like a sudden storm, leaving his opponents no power to fight back. Ye Sheng, however, lost narrowly in the third match due to a small personal error that gave his opponent an opportunity.

Bai Qing rarely logged into his communication terminal, but he sent a comforting message to Ye Sheng:

【Cypress】: It’s okay. I’ll win to the end for both of us.

On the other end of the communication terminal, Ye Sheng was both crying and laughing. No matter how much he pretended not to care about winning or losing, or how little he cared about the competition, he was unwilling to lose mid-tournament.

Ye Sheng’s eyes, staring at the terminal, gradually blurred. He let out a sneer—

【Yě Shèng (Leaf Flourish)】: Just worry about yourself. Winning your share is enough to make this trip worth it for me.

By this stage, netizens had summarized the four championship candidates.

A mysterious dark horse breaking through the siege—Bai Qing, the Imperial Crown Prince with absolute power—Xiang Zhuo, the demon fighter returned from the battlefield—Xing Wuying, and the bronze-headed, iron-armed retired soldier—Gong De.

By the seventh day, there were only eight participants remaining. It would likely take two more days to determine the final two contenders for the championship.

The closer it was to the end, the higher the gold content of the matches and the larger the audience.

Among the four championship candidates, Xiang Zhuo had the highest voice for the champion, followed by Gong De, with Bai Qing’s support rate surprisingly coming in last.

Even now, Xiang Zhuo still hadn’t seen Bai Yu’s name. The ominous premonition in his heart grew stronger. He now suspected that Bai Yu hadn’t registered for the Mecha Battle Competition at all. Otherwise, why hadn’t he seen Bai Yu’s name after all these days?

The match schedule for the seventh day was announced.

Bai Qing opened his communication terminal, checking his opponent.

It was Xing Wuying.

Bai Qing couldn’t help but breathe a sigh of relief. Fortunately, it wasn’t Xiang Zhuo.

If this match’s opponent had been Xiang Zhuo, he would have to give his absolute all. Even if he won against Xiang Zhuo, there were still the semi-finals and finals. He couldn’t guarantee that he would recover to his optimal condition after battling Xiang Zhuo.

Moreover, his heat, which should have arrived, was still delayed, which made him even more worried.

So, as long as he didn’t face Xiang Zhuo too early, he still had a chance of winning.

Xing Wuying’s combat data had not been recorded by Artemis, but Xing Wuying was likely a genuine veteran of the battlefield, though his identity was not military but that of a special consultant.

Bai Qing reviewed all of Xing Wuying’s combat data and finally drew a conclusion.

—This person was extremely difficult to deal with.

He seemed to possess precognition. He could accurately predict his opponent’s fighting style, landing points, and combat plan.

His accuracy was bizarrely precise, like a warrior who had signed a contract with a demon on the battlefield; the demon granted him the ability of foresight, and he offered his delicious soul to the demon.

This kind of opponent gave Bai Qing an even greater headache than high-stamina defensive fighters.

The core of Bai Qing’s quick offense style was to confuse the opponent early on and play a hunting game.

But if Xing Wuying didn’t fall for it, the quick offense style would have little room to be effective.

Bai Qing looked at Xing Wuying’s combat data on the light screen, feeling a headache.

How exactly could he win?

…

The Mecha Battle Competition reached its seventh day, and everyone’s excitement was unprecedentedly high.

There were four sub-channels.

Sub-channel 2793, broadcasting Bai Qing versus Xing Wuying, and sub-channel 241, broadcasting Xiang Zhuo versus Gong De, drew the most viewers.

Eventually, the sub-channels even set a maximum limit on the number of viewers, and those who arrived late had to be diverted to the other two sub-channels.

During the half-minute warm-up to familiarize himself with the mecha, Bai Qing was actually contemplating the strategy against Xing Wuying.

This time, he surprisingly chose a Ranged Offensive mecha.

This was generally a significant disadvantage in the Mecha Battle Competition.

The arena for the Mecha Battle Competition was open and flat, offering no suitable cover for a Ranged Offensive mecha. Furthermore, it was a one-on-one duel, meaning there would be no Defensive mecha to create appropriate output space for the Ranged Offensive mecha.

No matter how one looked at it, Bai Qing should not have chosen a Ranged Offensive mecha.

Before the match even started, the audience in sub-channel 2793 was deflated:

“What? Why did he choose a Ranged Offensive mecha? How is he supposed to fight? Doesn’t anyone tell him that you absolutely cannot pick Ranged Offensive in the Mecha Battle Competition?”

“He’s still a rookie after all. It’s already quite an achievement to get this far. It looks like he chose a Ranged Offensive mecha to lose with a little dignity, but, his future is bright!”

Bai Qing was unaware of the intense reaction among the sub-channel viewers. Last night, he had suddenly realized one thing.

The quick offense style could get him into the top eight, but it absolutely couldn’t guarantee him the championship one hundred percent.

As the warm-up time ended, Bai Qing sharply opened his eyes, which were clear and bright.

He could win this round.