TSA Chapter 51

Three days passed in the blink of an eye, and the ever-online Night Owl and his team finally logged off.

Today was the final of the Imperial Star Military Academy’s internal competition. The Imperial Military Academy is the oldest and largest comprehensive military school in the empire, known for producing generations of top-tier talent. It is often referred to as the ‘Cradle of the Empire’s Light.’

The Empire’s Marshal also graduated from the Imperial Star Military Academy, and the ‘Thor’ mecha, which symbolizes the strongest combat power of the empire, was personally crafted by the current head of the Imperial Mecha Manufacturing Institute. This speaks volumes about the academy’s solid strength.

In the largest training hall of Imperial Star, nearly 100,000 faculty and students gathered to watch the final match of the internal competition.

Some might wonder why such a fuss over an internal competition?

However, the level of the competition at Imperial Star had already reached a professional standard. Every student who won the competition was skilled enough to directly join the battlefield.

“Ahhh, I wonder when Senior Han will take the stage today?” A short-haired girl on the stands blushed and excitedly said.

The long-haired girl beside her also spoke eagerly, “It must be last, Senior Han is so amazing, he’ll definitely be the grand finale!”

“You’re right! I can’t wait to see Senior Han take the stage!” The short-haired girl said, cupping her face.

“Such a fangirl, it’s just because he’s a little good-looking…” A boy sitting not far from them sneered.

The girls immediately stopped talking and turned to look at the boy, but their gazes were not filled with anger, rather… sympathy…

“Hey! What kind of look is that?” The boy furrowed his brows and glared at them, clearly displeased.

The girls shook their heads and turned away, thinking that once Senior Han took the stage, the boy would soon understand how painful it would be to be slapped in the face. By then… he’d probably be even more excited than them!

Soon, all the faculty and students in the audience had taken their seats, and the final officially began.

The lights in the training hall all brightened, and in the center of the venue, there was a high platform with two holographic training pods. These holographic training pods were similar to holographic game pods, able to project the user’s spiritual body into a virtual scene, but one was for sitting while the other was for lying down.

The holographic training pods could fully replicate the user’s physical data, allowing both parties to battle in a virtual environment.

The audience could clearly see the battle in the virtual scene through the large screens surrounding the arena. The 5D light effects and sound rendering created a completely immersive experience.

“The final officially begins! Let’s welcome the first group of competitors!”

The lights on the high platform shone toward the two passages leading to the stage. One side featured the top twenty freshmen selected through a rigorous process, while the other side was for upperclassmen who had received automatic entry and were directly flying into the finals.

The freshmen, dressed in their uniforms, were full of energy and ready for the battle, their spirits high.

These freshmen had stood out from millions of applicants, entered the Imperial Star Military Academy, and defeated numerous classmates in the internal competition to reach the finals, proving their exceptional strength.

Although they didn’t voice it, they weren’t entirely pleased with the upperclassmen’s automatic entry into the finals. They believed that as the best among the freshmen, they were no worse than the upperclassmen, whose only advantage was more experience.

Now, they were eager to defeat the upperclassmen in the final and represent Imperial Star in the national competition.

“Hmph, I’ll go first!” A strong and muscular blonde boy stepped confidently out of the passage.

On the other side, a small boy with a baby face and messy hair came out, yawning as he walked toward the stage, still wearing slippers, looking like he had just woken up from his dorm.

The two stood facing each other on the high platform—one tall and imposing, the other slender and delicate. It was clear who was stronger.

“Sa Wei! Go for it! Sa Wei! Go for it!” The crowd cheered enthusiastically.

“Mecha Combat Department, Year 1, Class 3, Sa Wei.” The tall boy smiled proudly and looked down at the baby-faced boy, who was nearly a head shorter than him, with some doubt. Was this person really from the Mecha Combat Department?

He looked so small, as if a single finger could crush him. And he seemed so careless…

The baby-faced boy yawned again and lazily said, “Mecha Combat Department, Year 3, Class 1, Wu Huan(Wu Huan is No Happiness).”

The Mecha Combat Department, as the name suggests, specializes in ‘mechanical combat.’ They must be familiar with and master various types of light armor and a wide array of mechanical weapons. On the battlefield, they are the most agile and mobile auxiliary force.

Wu Huan’s nonchalant attitude made SaW ei incredibly angry. His smile immediately dropped, and his eyes burned with clear anger. Once the battle began, he was determined to beat this guy who didn’t take him seriously and make him regret underestimating him!

“Please both sides enter the holographic training pods.”

After both entered their respective pods, they quickly entered the virtual scene.

They found themselves in a white preparation room, where various light battle armors and weapons were displayed. They could choose their equipment and combination however they wished.

Wu Huan didn’t even look around. He immediately pulled out a G9 model silver armor, put it on, and equipped it with a light blade and a laser gun before walking straight out of the preparation room.

The spectators gasped — the G9 model was a very old type of armor. The advantage was its light weight, but the disadvantage was its weak defense. The drawbacks and benefits were equally obvious.

Clearly, Wu Huan had to choose this subpar armor due to physical limitations. Unfortunately, with his current state, he was destined to lose badly today.

Sa Wei, on the other hand, chose a completely different black X2 model battle armor. The X-series was a type of heavy armor, incredibly tough on the outside, able to withstand even particle cannon attacks. However, it had high physical demands on the user. The armor was extremely heavy, and without enough physical strength, movement would be very difficult. Only someone with a physique like Sa Wei’s could handle it.

He chose bombs and starburst grenades as his weapons. The bombs could continuously fire compressed air projectiles, essentially giving him unlimited ammunition. Starburst grenades were small, about the size of a fingernail, looking like little stars. They could easily attach to a target without detection, and when triggered, they caused massive damage.

Compared to Sa Wei’s weapons, the light blade and laser gun Wu Huan chose seemed very ordinary. The laser gun could cause penetrating damage, but its range was short, and if kept at a sufficient distance, the laser gun would be ineffective. The light blade was also a high-damage weapon, but it could only be used for close combat.

Many of the freshmen watching the match shook their heads, clearly thinking Wu Huan was going to lose.

In close combat, distance was a huge advantage, and when factoring in the difference in physique and armor, it was clear who had the upper hand…

After leaving the preparation room, the two entered an open wilderness, their battlefield.

“Hmph, here we go!” Sa Wei, dressed in black armor, looked even more imposing. He didn’t hesitate to charge towards Wu Huan and drew his weapon to launch a fierce attack.

However, Wu Huan, wearing the silver light armor, revealed a completely different aura. Though still small and slender, his speed was astonishingly fast. With just a few quick steps, he effortlessly dodged Sa Wei’s series of attacks, moving so quickly that afterimages seemed to form.

Sa Wei immediately became furious, taking out a starburst grenade and tossing it towards Wu Huan.

“Let’s see where you can hide!” Sa Wei grinned with confidence. With this short a distance and so many grenades, Wu Huan couldn’t avoid them all. At least one or two would stick to him, and once they exploded, victory would be his!

However, before he could enjoy his moment of triumph, he watched in disbelief as Wu Huan leapt high into the air, moving with the agility of a monkey, and landed on his back. Before Sawei could turn around and throw this reckless fool off, all the spectators saw Wu Huan’s light blade suddenly shine brightly, transforming into a long sword, and in an instant, it pierced through Sa Wei’s chest from behind.

It was at this moment that everyone remembered the reputation of the light blade—known as the ‘King of Close Combat’ for its ability to cut through steel like mud. People usually favored ranged weapons, gradually forgetting the formidable lethality of the light blade.

The battle was declared over, with Wu Huan as the winner.

When Sa Wwei emerged from the training pod, his face was grim. Although the battle had been virtual, the pain had felt real, and Sa Wei truly felt like he had been pierced by a sharp sword…

The fight had gone exactly as he had predicted—quick and easy—but unfortunately, he had been the one to be ‘cut.’

“Thank you for the fight.” Wu Huan gave a light smile and turned to walk off the stage, leaving Sa Wei alone, his face frozen in a stiff expression.

“Ahhh, Wu Huan is so handsome!!!” A close-up of Wu Huan appeared on the light screen, his delicate face and beautiful smile causing many girls in the audience to let out squeals of excitement.

“Hahaha, I knew Sa Wei would lose!” The short-haired girl laughed, covering her mouth. “When it comes to close combat, Wu Huan has never lost!”

“Yeah, the seniors teach the freshmen a lesson every year… Last year, our class’s top student got beaten pretty badly too…” The long-haired girl shook her head in disbelief.

“Please welcome the second group of contestants!”

“Sa Wei! I’ll avenge you!” A tall boy from the freshman camp stepped forward. He was also a top student from the Mecha Combat Department.

He believed that Sa Wei had been caught off guard by Wu Huan’s surprise attack, but in terms of strength, Sa Wei was clearly the stronger one.

This time, he was determined not to make the same mistake and would definitely win the second match!

However, to his surprise, a tall and beautiful girl walked up from the opposite side. The school uniform she wore gave her a neat and refreshing appearance, adding to her charm.

“Are you from the Mecha Combat Department too?” the boy asked incredulously, a look of admiration in his eyes.

“Yes.” The girl smiled gently, showing no sign of offense, and answered in a friendly manner.

Her smile made the boy’s ears turn red, and after a pause, he stammered, “Mecha Combat Department, Year 1, Class 3… Zhang Ling.”

“Mecha Combat Department, Year 4, Class 1, Ruo Yan(Ruo Yan is Smoke). Please take care of me.”