Dai Sheng led the Federal team, pressing ever closer to the Imperial camp.
Compared to the ambush at the ravine pass, the next few minutes of their advance were eerily smooth—so smooth that even Dai Sheng grew suspicious, wary of a trap ahead.
But retreat was no longer an option.
If he failed to secure any gains here, his tenure as commander would be over.
A fleeting pang of panic gripped him. He clenched his teeth, cranking up the MechSync System's synchronization power, and barked, "Take down these Imperial cadets!"
The Federal mechs faltered for a split second, then surged forward with at least thirty percent more speed, swarming the retreating Imperials in an instant.
Dai Sheng, enduring a growing headache, spotted the cyan mech that had led the ambush and targeted him with laser rounds, now caught in their encirclement. He sneered.
Trapped in their net, there was no escaping "alive"!
"Form up!"
Blue data streams flickered through the Federal cadets' mech visors.
The mechs arranged into a formation, an iron wall forged without a single gap. Six mechs, under Dai Sheng's command, zeroed in on the cyan Imperial mech. They raised their guns, unloading their magazines in a barrage of golden-tailed meteors.
The cyan mech lunged, darting toward a Federal mech. With a hum, its electromagnetic shield flared, deflecting the incoming rounds. As the Federals recoiled, the cyan mech vaulted upward, thrusters at full power, executing a mid-air flip. A razor-sharp dagger snapped out from its foot, glinting with lethal chill.
The kick carried crushing force, cracking the shells of two nearby mechs and wrecking their energy cores.
Their energy lights dimmed, and the mechs slumped to their knees.
With the cyan mech's ferocious strike as a signal, the encircled Imperial cadets launched a thunderous counterattack.
"What's going on…?"
"How did they get so strong all of a sudden?"
Cries of shock rang through the Federal comms.
The Federals outnumbered the Imperials by far. Initially, they were confident their sheer numbers would overwhelm the enemy, like a tightly woven net snaring its prey. But the Imperials, as if unlocking some hidden potential, surged in combat prowess, tearing through the Federal formation with relentless charges.
Though the Federals, aided by the MechSync System, could quickly assess and reposition to patch breaches, their reactions lagged. They couldn't match the Imperials' savage combat ability.
Four minutes later, the Federal encirclement was shredded.
"…How is this possible?" Dai Sheng's mind reeled. "Aren't they just engineers? How—?"
Then, a jolt ran through him.
As an elite cadet who'd studied real battlefields, Dai Sheng sensed a killing intent.
No, it wasn't his keenness. The intent's owner had never bothered to hide it.
Dai Sheng looked up.
As expected, the cyan mech had broken through the Federal encirclement, cutting down all in its path, barreling straight for him.
"Stop it! Stop it! Stop it—!"
Dai Sheng frantically issued commands to the MechSync System while drawing his lightsaber for defense.
Zzt! Zzt!
The system's display flared with blinding light.
In that instant, the Federal mechs froze for a tenth of a second, like marionettes, ignoring incoming attacks. They turned in unison, eyes locked on the cyan mech, and pounced.
The Federal stream erupted:
[What the—? This is creepy! What's happening?]
[They don't look like soldiers—they're like zombies! Is the cost of high sync losing yourself? This new Federal system is useless!]
[Who's piloting that cyan mech? No way it's an Imperial engineer!]
[It's gotta be a main combat pilot, probably one of their elites. Better take them out fast.]
But the next second, a silver mech streaked across the screen.
Its six wings unfurled, intricately textured like a bird's, crafted from some unknown metal that shimmered like mercury in the sunlight.
The crowd was momentarily awestruck by its elegance, but before they could process it, the silver mech whooshed past—snatching the cyan mech from the battlefield's center.
Dai Sheng's pupils contracted. He recognized the silver mech's pilot.
It belonged to the Imperial commander!
"Wasn't the Imperial commander in the northwest? Did they deal with the star insects there already?"
The Federals' push to the camp had been grueling, but only ten-odd minutes had passed since the attack began.
Had the Imperial forces sent northwest returned so quickly? What kind of star insects were they fighting?
"Run! The Imperials are reinforcing!" a boy's voice cut through the comms, calm and almost lazily detached, jarringly composed.
"Do you think we're blind? The northwest Imperial forces are back—where are we supposed to run?" a Federal cadet wailed over the channel.
"Get a grip," the voice replied, cold and laced with mockery. A closer look revealed it was Zhou Ying, not even in their unit. "I'm talking about the sand sea, the southeast battlefield. We can't hold them there anymore—the Imperials are on their way back."
Zhou Ying's words were a gut punch.
With their current numbers, the Federals might have attempted a breakout, sacrificing some to save others. But with the southeast Imperials returning, what was the point?
Breaking out just meant total annihilation!
The Federal team's morale crumbled.
Zzt! Zzt! The MechSync System blared warnings—Dai Sheng knew many cadets were disconnecting from the system, shutting down their mechs' intelligent controls entirely.
They no longer trusted the system or Dai Sheng's judgment.
Trapped at the Imperial camp's doorstep, the Federals faced a squad of improbably fierce "engineers" ahead and hundreds of reinforcing Imperials behind. Lost, they fought chaotically for survival, their formation in tatters.
"—Zhou Ying!" Dai Sheng growled, seething. "Do you realize what you've done? You're sabotaging morale!"
"I'm just reporting the battlefield as it is," Zhou Ying replied.
Dai Sheng: "Why are the southeast sand sea Imperials returning so fast?"
"You're right, Commander," Zhou Ying said. "But we've held the enemy far beyond your ten-minute order. We've lost with honor. Good luck."
Dai Sheng drew his lightsaber, parrying two stray shells, rolling to dodge attacks from two Imperial mechs. "Didn't I order you to fight to the death?"
"Exactly. So I'm about to 'die.'"
With that, Zhou Ying went silent.
Dai Sheng checked his panel—the names of the Zhou brothers, Ya Ning Kelly, and Yan Jingyi had grayed out, marked eliminated.
Dai Sheng: "…"
Damn it!
The Federal stream, once shrouded in gloom, turned absurdly comedic.
[Hahaha! (choking on laughter)]
[Just back from the southeast perspective. Fair's fair—those cadets holding off the Imperials gave it their all. Dozens against hundreds, what more do you want?]
[Holding that long shows the Imperials respected them. They didn't just swarm and crush the stragglers but gave them a chance to shine. Pretty decent of them.]
[That Zhou Ying's a gem. An engineer, but a beast on the field. When he couldn't fight anymore, he took himself out with one shot, denying the enemy the kill. That's some spine!]
[Yo, is the official highlight reel still happening? Don't bother—it's all embarrassing!]
The Federal audience had given up.
They couldn't fathom why Dai Sheng was chosen as commander. Unable to make sense of it, they happily dumped the blame on him.
Meanwhile, far from the battlefield's heart, Ying Chen set down Bai Sha's mech.
Both climbed out of their cockpits, swapping back.
"You guys did great," Bai Sha said, brimming with enthusiasm. "The northwest ruckus was loud enough to hear from here." She checked the ammo reserves, surprised. "You've got this much left?"
"We used some tricks," Ying Chen replied. "Saved a lot of resources."
Bai Sha nodded. "You've earned big credit this time."
"Your mech… handles perfectly," Ying Chen said softly.
"Yours isn't bad either," Bai Sha replied, not just being polite. Ying Chen's mech was genuinely smooth to pilot.
They paused their chat, each heading into the fray. The exercise wasn't over—plenty of Federal mech pilots still needed dealing with.
As the Imperial commander, Bai Sha's flashy mech drew every eye the moment she re-entered the battlefield.
"The time for conquest has come," she declared over the team channel. "Now, we reap the fruits of victory, everyone."