[Competition Result, CYF2012141150 Victory!] The referee announced the result, and the big screen started the "exciting replay." Until Su Jiameng piloted the Z12 Wolf away from the arena, the whole place erupted in cheers!
Everyone thought, today these credit points were well spent! It was definitely worth watching!
Exiting the competition arena, Su Jiameng, with a pale face, emerged from the cockpit, her steps somewhat unsteady. The configuration of the Z12 Wolf was too low. Completing multiple high-speed maneuvers with it had a significant impact on her. Normally, it wouldn't be an issue, but probably due to the time travel, her mental state wasn't quite right, and she couldn't adapt for a while...
To continue with the next match, she needed to rest for at least half an hour. Raising her hand, she checked the time displayed on the intelligent brain, considering resting here for a bit. In another hour, she would log off to change the nutrient liquid for her two babies.
BEEP BEEP BEEP — The competition result text message arrived. Audience size: 116789, ticket price: 2 credit points, calculated at 1 percent, totaling 2335.78 credit points. A single match earned her as much as half of her previous fifty-six matches... If her winning streak records still counted, her earnings would exceed ten thousand... Unfortunately, after choosing to compete in the H District, the streak was broken.
"I still need to find a way to quickly participate in higher district matches..." Districts like A, B, and C, where each match's audience size reaches millions, the earnings from a single match are terrifyingly high. If she won one, she wouldn't be this exhausted.
"Are you CYF2012141150?" Just as Su Jiameng covered her eyes with her arms to rest, a strange male voice came from beside her, with a frivolous tone, "Your performance in the match was quite good, are you interested in joining our mecha team?"
"Not interested!" Su Jiameng raised her hand to swat away his hand, "I advise you to stay away from me. I don't like strangers getting close."
Joining a mecha team? Did they really think she was a newbie? The ones who rigged matches the most were those so-called teams, pretending to lose intentionally or threatening other mecha masters. Once you joined such a team, you couldn't clear your name even if you jumped into the Yellow River.
"This young lady really has a temper, but I think you should seriously consider it." The other party didn't seem embarrassed at all and instead sat beside her on the bench, introducing himself, "My name is K3, the one you cut into three parts with two strikes earlier."
K3? Su Jiameng became interested and finally looked at him. A young-looking guy, decent-looking, hmm! Quite pleasing to the eye... but in the interstellar era, people generally lived over two hundred years, and mecha masters were even longer-lived. Young? Who knows, someone who looks about thirty could actually be several hundred years old. "So you're here to recruit me into your team?"
"Uh, actually, it's not just because of that." K3's voice sounded frivolous, but his actions and demeanor were quite shy, "It's just that... our school has an assessment project. Before the semester starts, we need to accumulate the Three-star Team insignia, or credits won't be given."
"Still a student?" Didn't look like one.
Su Jiameng had previously looked into the situation of the Mecha Fighting Arena. Besides solo matches, there were small group battles. A team participating and winning a match could earn three points, and losing a match would deduct two points, with no upper or lower limit. If they had a winning streak, the points earned were the base three points plus the streak count, and losing streaks worked similarly.
With such competition rules, achieving the status of a Three-star Team wasn't easy. She remembered a One-star Team needed one hundred points, a two-star team needed one thousand, and a Three-star Team needed five thousand! Su Jiameng looked at him, "How many points do you have?"
Speaking of this, K3 coughed awkwardly twice and held up two fingers, "Two hundred..."
Su Jiameng chuckled, "You're still four thousand eight hundred points short of the standard..."
K3's expression became even more awkward, repeating, "It's negative two hundred... We had one hundred points, but a teammate had some issues recently, plus we faced some strong opponents, resulted in a series of losses..."
Su Jiameng: "..."
Negative two hundred... dreaming to accumulate five thousand? She asked a more realistic question, "How long until the semester starts?"
K3's face turned completely ashen, "Two months..."
"Actually, it would be more convenient for you guys to join a three-star team." After all, they just needed to show proof of acquiring a Three-star Team insignia, "Since accumulating five thousand two hundred points within two months is too much to ask."
"The school doesn't allow it..." K3 obviously knew this method too, but being discovered would result in a public announcement and expulsion, "As the future key force of the Human Alliance, such disgraceful things are not permissible."
"So why ask me to join?" Su Jiameng crossed her right leg over her left one, "I'm okay with fighting solo, but when it comes to teamwork, it's a disaster. If I join, your negative points will probably be larger."
Watching K3's words and actions, she couldn't help but think of herself at first, wandering aimlessly in a strange world, the memories of her previous life gradually fading, starting this life with full confidence. Taking guardianship as a lifelong principle...
K3 considered things thoroughly, believing that teamwork chemistry could be cultivated over time, and he thought Su Jiameng's strength was more than it appeared. If she joined the team, they could spar with each other and engage in mutual improvement, all benefits and no drawbacks.
After hearing K3's explanation, Su Jiameng said she needed to think about it, and K3 sat beside her, waiting. Looking at his attire, Su Jiameng suddenly had a thought, "Are there mostly students in your team? Is anyone from a difficult family background?"
K3 didn't understand why she asked this but thought for a moment and answered honestly, "All from the same cohort, as for family background... no one should be struggling, I suppose..."
After all, the annual tuition of their school isn't something students from struggling backgrounds could afford.
"Two-thirds of the group battle revenue goes to me, and I'll join." Su Jiameng opened her mouth wide, her lips slightly curved, "You may not have financial difficulties, but I'm currently strapped for cash. If you can't accept this condition, then no deal."
"Two-thirds?" K3 thought about it and decided to agree since they participated in the fighting mainly to earn enough points to get the Three-star Team badge, not just credit points. But this matter concerned the team's interests, and he couldn't decide alone, "I'm okay with that, but I need to ask the others. If they agree, then it's settled."
"Waiting for your good news, I'll log off to feed the baby now." Su Jiameng deliberately replaced "change nutrient liquid" with "feed the baby," leaving K3 flustered... feed the baby, he thought CYF2012141150 was just a bit older than him.
Pulling up the list to view opponent profiles, he was shocked again when he saw the information Su Jiameng released.
This woman is only sixteen! Sixteen! Sixteen! And she said she's going to feed a baby...
No matter what K3's reaction was, after going offline, Su Jiameng felt unusually exhausted. No surprise since this body didn't match her spirit well, and she had been continuously competing in the virtual net, it's no wonder she was tired.
Wanting to lean against the wall to rest, she felt so worn out that she couldn't even lift a finger. Closing her eyes to regulate her breathing rhythm, she suddenly felt an odd movement at her fingertips, slightly turning her head down to find the two eggs emerging from the nutrient liquid, circling her fingertips playfully. She could feel the eggs were concerned for her.
Whether or not they understood, Su Jiameng pulled the corners of her mouth and said with a light smile, "Don't worry, mama's okay, just a bit of a headache. Wait a while, and I'll change your nutrient liquid. Be good, don't wander around... and stop rubbing against mama's tummy..."
What a strange habit these eggs have, both like to rub against her belly, is this expressing intimacy?
Taking a breath to revive her spirits, she retrieved enough nutrient liquid for them to dive back in.
At this moment, her stomach growled, so she took out a Colorful Fruit to munch on. Not knowing where this fruit came from, after eating, the severe headache seemed to ease significantly. After finishing one fruit, she sat where she was to rest, and unwittingly fell asleep, something that never happened before.
Soon after Su Jiameng fell deep asleep, the azure patterns on the eggs started to pulsate violently, her body slowly floated up against the wall, along with the two eggs immersed in nutrient liquid. Gradually inching forward, ultimately transporting her onto the sleeping couch...
Exhausted beyond measure, Su Jiameng slept for four or five hours straight. Upon reopening her eyes, she found herself lying on the sleeping couch, with a blanket emitting a faint strange smell covering her, and the two eggs lined up inside the couch.
"Didn't use up the nutrient liquid yet..." Struggling to sit up halfway, she realized her body was still somewhat sore, but not as uncomfortable as before. Gently asking one of the eggs, "Did you guys move mama here?"
Of course, they wouldn't respond verbally, floating and swaying slightly in the nutrient liquid, with a somewhat proud and accomplished attitude, making Su Jiameng laugh.
"All good kids, but don't do such dangerous things anymore." Though they had telekinetic power, they were still young, overuse could be harmful to future development, "As a reward, I'll give you extra nutrient liquid."
Logging back into the virtual net, the discomfort from the body and spirit discord disappeared completely. In the familiar starry background, she navigated skillfully through the mirror, emerging at the place where she logged off, then saw K3's gloomy zombie face, surrounded by some young people arguing about something... all irrelevant to her? Su Jiameng rose from the bench, preparing to continue competing.
One of the team members watched as Su Jiameng appeared, stood up, and walked away... Damn, so blatantly ignoring people!