…Kenny stared dumbfounded at the live stream, momentarily losing all words. The director, too, forgot to switch camera angles— the close-up remained fixed on the Mammoth and the Blaster, so no one noticed that the Red Dragon had already seized the flag.Curly Hair also stood frozen, staring at the wreckage, unable to move. It was as if the entire world had ground to a halt. Even Lin Jie glanced at the cables plugged into the console… After witnessing the [Red Python]'s power, he thought that compared to it, getting electrocuted might not be so bad after all.It wasn't until the final match buzzer sounded that everyone snapped back to reality— like drowning people clambering ashore, they gasped for air and flooded the live stream chat with messages.
[Brutal Mary: Am I seeing things? I must be hallucinating! Can an energy rifle really do that much damage?]
[Star Beast Surgeon: Did you all see that? The rate of fire? The shots were so heavy,the sounds merged into one!]
[Kyle Ken: Impossible! Absolutely impossible! A Class-E energy rifle can never be this powerful! The Mammoth's Pilot is definitely cheating— he's using an over-spec weapon!]
[A Mechanic Who Wishes to Remain Anonymous: It doesn't look like cheating. The commentator was right— this is a basic Class-E heavy energy rifle. He even named the manufacturer, and I recognize it too; I can't be wrong. The design of this rifle means its output can't exceed the Class-E limit. Let me explain the principle to everyone…]
Click!
The live stream cut off abruptly. With billions of concurrent viewers spamming messages at once, the dark web's live server crashed completely. The stream went black, and the chat system collapsed too.This is the critical moment— and you crash? Couldn't you have waited a little longer? Fix it! Hurry up and fix it!The interstellar technology didn't disappoint. In just a few seconds, the dark web resolved the issue, and the stream resumed. But the camera was no longer focused on the battlefield; it had switched to the studio, trained on commentator Kenny."Ladies and gentlemen, this Death Star Flag Capture Battle has come to an end. The champion is Pilot Hook, piloting the 'Red Dragon'…" Kenny's professionalism shone through— he'd recovered from his shock and calmly announced the match results.He knew where everyone's true attention lay, so after announcing the winner and giving a brief analysis, he steered the topic back to the "Red Python.""The biggest surprise of today's match is undoubtedly Contestant Dyson. The energy rifle wielded by his mech 'Mammoth' shocked all of us— it even exceeded this commentator's understanding.""We're aware that many of you are questioning whether Dyson's energy rifle violates specs. Let me assure all viewers here: every mech and weapon in the Death Star Flag Capture Battle undergoes strict inspection. This rifle's energy output is completely within Class-E standards.""The reason it delivered such terrifying firepower is that it was heavily modified by an extremely skilled mechanic. As you all saw, its energy core couldn't withstand this forced output and self-destructed. As for the identity of this talented mechanic… we cannot disclose it."Karl Star Nation, Mane StarZhang Rui and Becky stared at each other, their faces filled with disbelief. Unlike the other viewers in the live stream, they were genuine professionals— they had piloted everything from low-tier Private-class mechs to their current Dominator-class models, and they knew all levels of weapons inside out.In their knowledge, a Class-E weapon— especially a Class-E energy rifle— could never deliver that kind of performance. Energy weapons were usually used to clear out weak enemies; their suppression power wasn't even enough to make a mech step back, let alone pierce military-grade armor (known for its defense)."Should we… buy one and test it?" Becky asked, turning to Zhang Rui. She still remembered the commentator mentioning the rifle's manufacturer and model earlier."That's exactly what I was thinking," Zhang Rui nodded, already opening her communicator to search for it online.As star players and Dominator-class Pilots, buying a basic Class-E weapon was a trivial expense for her. She was genuinely curious about how such a rifle could unleash such terrifying power.And as for modifications? That was even simpler. Their Poseidon Club was one of the largest tournament clubs in the Karl Star Nation— it had countless high-level mechanics on staff, at least Vanguard-class. Modifying a rifle would be child's play for them.After all, how could a mechanic stuck in a prison be better than their own experts?Death Star, Outside the ArenaCurly Hair had just climbed out of his mech when he sprinted over to Lin Jie, pulling him into a tight hug. If Lin Jie hadn't stopped him, he would've even kissed him."Brother Lin! From now on, you're my real brother— my blood brother!" Curly Hair was ecstatic. He hadn't won the match, but the energy rifle's terrifying performance had let him see Lin Jie's true ability. If all of Lin Jie's mechanical creations were of this standard, they could completely make up for the Mammoth's weaknesses with external equipment— drastically increasing his chances of seizing the flag."Don't call me 'Brother Lin'," Lin Jie pushed Curly Hair away in distaste, brushing dust off his clothes. "It feels weird."Lin Jie, Curly Hair, and Simon chatted as they boarded the transport ship that had brought them earlier…That night, Simon— in a wonderful mood— opened another bottle of expensive wine and pulled Lin Jie and Curly Hair over to sit with him."Curly Hair, you fought brilliantly today— especially when you almost took down Li Zhe. Horst's face must be livid right now. This calls for a celebration!" Simon stroked his bald head with one hand, while the other poured wine for Curly Hair and Lin Jie. His grin stretched from ear to ear.Horst was Li Zhe's boss— and Simon's enemy. Curly Hair's direct defeat of Li Zhe made Simon happier than winning a match himself."Boss, I was pushed into a corner," Curly Hair said, not taking credit. "And I owe it all to Brother Lin's modified energy rifle. Without that gun, I might be the one lying there unconscious right now.""You're right— Lin Jie helped me a lot too. You…" Simon turned to Lin Jie with a smile, originally planning to say, "Name any request, and I'll do my best to fulfill it." But halfway through, he suddenly remembered something and changed his wording: "Lin Jie, that energy rifle is completely wrecked now, and we might not find another one like it in the junk yard. Could you modify other machinery to have a similar effect?"Sure— if the Rubik's Cube cooperates… Lin Jie rolled his eyes mentally and replied, "Not all of them will be as powerful as this rifle, but I can definitely enhance their performance to some extent.""Great! That's fantastic!" Simon was clearly delighted with Lin Jie's answer. His whole demeanor changed, and even his bald head seemed to shine a little brighter.With Curly Hair and Lin Jie sitting on either side of him, he could almost see the day he regained his freedom. The more he thought about it, the happier he became. He picked up his wine glass, gestured to Lin Jie first, and said, "Lin Jie— skillful!" Then he turned to Curly Hair and toasted, "Curly Hair— tough!"That line sounds so familiar… Lin Jie and Curly Hair exchanged a glance, then raised their glasses in return."Boss is both skillful and tough!"