The so-called betting channel was actually the teachers’ scoring section during the simulation battle assessment, but Song Yu had repurposed it for something less official.

Even before the match began, the number of spectators skyrocketed.

Latercomers, accustomed to Star Wars, saw the betting option and threw their support in without a second thought. The number of supporters for F5 steadily grew.

“Rong Shi is being too reckless. How did he get involved with them?”

“Damn! My little brother Shi is going to get bullied!”

“Rong Shi’s command ability is good, but he hasn’t systematically learned about mechas. How can he compare to them?”

“Losing is shameful, winning means they’ll target him and seek revenge. It’s a dead end.”

One minute before the match started, Song Yu locked the betting channel.

The random map was a destroyed city, with crumbling buildings everywhere.

Rong Shi quickly regained his feel for the mecha after a few minutes of familiarization. Though he hadn’t used one in many years, his muscle memory remained.

He stood there in the clumsy E300, not moving for half a minute.

Comments section:

“Did he disconnect?”

“Maybe he couldn’t find the joystick?”

“Hahaha, what’s there to compare? Just surrender.”

Song Yu’s lazy voice sounded: “Don’t stop, move it.”

The comments section was filled with “hahahahaha, I’m turning color.”

Rong Shi: “…”

After standing for over a minute, another E300 finally appeared on the main screen. In mid-flight, its various joints suddenly opened, unleashing a volley of homing missiles.

Since the main screen showed Rong Shi’s perspective, the screen was filled as dozens of homing missiles fired simultaneously.

The next moment, there was a loud metallic crash, followed by the sound of a short circuit.

Song Yu quickly switched perspectives. In the black smoke of the explosion, the head of the approaching E300 was deeply dented, and its body was torn open by a sharp weapon from its left shoulder to its right leg. Behind it stood another E300 wielding a sword.

Before anyone could react, the homing missiles flew towards them.

The sword-wielding E300 casually pulled its opponent forward to shield itself, then retreated at the moment of the explosion.

From start to finish, it took no more than 3 seconds.

The comments section was completely silent.

Song Yu: “One minute and thirty seconds into the match, F5’s first mecha is destroyed. Rong Shi used incredibly slick maneuvering to guide the homing missiles onto the building, then used the E300’s built-in small, broken sword to deliver a decapitating blow to the enemy. Immediately after, one swing cut off all the enemy’s main lines, rendering the E300 scrapped.”

After several seconds, the comments section finally came alive:

“He can do that?!”

“One sword scrapped an E300, holy crap! Am I watching a movie?”

“Excluding the homing missiles at the start, the opponent didn’t even get a chance to make a move against Rong Shi.”

“This is truly a slaughter.”

“Was that sword strike calculated or just a random slash?”

“Rong Shi is amazing!”

After the kill, Rong Shi stood still again.

Liu Hong, hiding in the distance, saw this scene and angrily slammed his fist on the console.

His teammate beside him asked: “Should we all go in together?”

“No!” Liu Hong roared, “Fighting one freshman is already shameful enough, but five against one? If that gets out, how will we ever show our faces again?”

Teammate: “But going in one by one to get defeated is also very embarrassing.”

Liu Hong: “…” Damn!

Seeing that Rong Shi had no intention of actively attacking, Liu Hong thought for a long time.

“You, the three of you go together.”

Teammate: “What about you? Staying behind to dig our graves?”

“Get out, get out!” Liu Hong’s gaze was fixed on Rong Shi. “I won’t lose!”

Soon, three E300s flew towards Rong Shi from different angles.

With a teammate having already been easily defeated, the three E300s dared not approach casually. They deployed their cannons, indiscriminately bombarding Rong Shi’s position. The dust raised by the explosions enveloped everything in a mist.

They only stopped when their mechas signaled low energy.

Given the density and intensity of the attack, the ground below should have already become a crater dozens of meters deep. Let alone a mecha, even a battleship would have been nearly destroyed.

The three mechas had poor visibility and hovered above, using radar to search for the enemy target.

Meanwhile, the spectator screen had switched to a God’s-eye view, where everyone clearly saw that Rong Shi seemed to have predicted everything, dodging all attacks!

Comments section:

“Damn! Behind!”

“Ahhhhh! Counterattack!” “This is clearly cheating!”

“Almost thought I was watching Star Wars, but this is a simulation battle!”

As Rong Shi in the video broke through the black mist, Song Yu’s voice sounded.

“Rong Shi is counterattacking! Super-powered leap followed by a half-roll inverse turn, the enemy missed, Rong Shi reverses and directly cuts the enemy’s main lines, F5 number two eliminated…”

“Defensive sideslip followed by a strong offensive shift! What a brilliant feint! Ge-ge is so awesome~ Oh, the direct cut was off by ten centimeters. Looks like Ge-ge can’t take praise.”

“Five minutes and twenty-eight seconds into the match, F5 is down to a single seedling, officially renamed the ‘Military Academy’s Bully of Bullies’.”

Everyone: “…” What the hell is ‘Bully of Bullies’?

Liu Hong: “…” Are you just spouting nonsense because you’re the only one talking?

The comments section went wild, interspersed with remarks from instructors:

“All of Rong Shi’s dismantling maneuvers are above B-rank difficulty! He actually connected them so perfectly!”

“As a second-year mecha student, I’m kneeling here!”

“This combo is too cool! I want to learn it!”

“Staying up all night to watch the forums, I’m sure to find a tech expert’s analysis.”

“Please help persuade him to join the mecha department, teachers thank you!”

“Get lost! He’s in our command department! Don’t you dare poach him!”

In a matter of minutes, the comments section was in an uproar.

Inside the arena, Liu Hong drew his mecha’s sword and flew twenty meters in front of Rong Shi, seemingly not intending to use firearms.

Everyone expected Liu Hong to meet the same fate of instant annihilation, but unexpectedly, Rong Shi didn’t deliver a fatal blow this time. Instead, he sparred with his opponent?

“Is he toying with him? That’s too arrogant!”

“Liu Hong’s movements are also very difficult! I didn’t expect him to be so strong!”

“Liu Hong’s poor grades are mainly due to theory; he always scores single digits, but his practical combat ability is among the top.”

“Little brother Shi, be careful! Liu Hong’s inverse swivel cut is awesome!”

The evenly matched battle was highly enjoyable for Liu Hong; he even forgot that this was a match where his dignity was at stake.

At the moment Rong Shi dodged, he unleashed his original killing move.

Rong Shi’s cockpit and right arm simultaneously entered the attack range. To avoid being destroyed, he would have to sacrifice his right arm.

In less than a second of reaction time, most people could only dodge fatal attacks, unable to avoid having their right arm severed.

Liu Hong’s smirk was halfway formed when his entire mecha suddenly vibrated.

His face stiffened. The sword attacking Rong Shi’s right arm had been blocked!

His killing move was easily countered. Liu Hong’s composure crumbled, and he continuously retreated, lasting less than ten minutes in Rong Shi’s hands before giving up.

One side was obliterated, and the match ended.

Everyone was still immersed in the rapid-paced battle they had just witnessed, repeatedly analyzing the pros and cons of various movements in their minds.

In the end, only four words remained: That was f*ing awesome!

Song Yu’s voice brought them back to reality.

“Students and teachers who placed incorrect bets, please gather at the A-block dormitory building after dinner.”

The comments section erupted in wails:

“I was wrong! I shouldn’t have bet! Wasn’t it better to just watch secretly?!”

“What’s happening? Why go to A-block? Can someone explain?”

“I just wanted to see a kiss, but in the end, it was a mistake.”

“Teachers too? Hahahaha, I’m counting how many teachers there are!”

Coming out of the arena, Rong Shi and the other five appeared in the virtual room.

Lu Ming’s face was grim throughout. He had thought that letting the second-year students deal with Rong Shi would dampen his arrogance, but it had the opposite effect!

However, Liu Hong had a notorious reputation and would definitely not let this go. Rong Shi winning only made things more troublesome!

Just as he was thinking this, he saw Rong Shi walk up to the five of them. Both sides calmly shook hands, as if nothing had happened?

“Your technique is impressive.” Rong Shi shook Liu Hong’s hand, saying expressionlessly.

Liu Hong: “Are you mocking me?”

“Literally.” Rong Shi withdrew his hand, then changed the subject, “Your inverse swivel cut actually doesn’t have much technical content.”

Liu Hong: “…” Damn!

The other four: “…” Is this guy looking for a beating?!

Other onlookers: “…” Provoking him directly, Chairman, you’re really bold.

Liu Hong’s fists hardened. Then he heard Rong Shi continue: “The impressive part lies in its reverse logic. Most people find it difficult to make a reverse-thinking judgment in an extremely short time, which allows you to seize momentary weaknesses. But once the pattern is understood, it becomes ineffective.”

After speaking, Rong Shi prepared to leave.

“Wait!” Liu Hong took a few quick steps to block him.

Comments section:

“Holy crap! Are they going to fight?!”

“Liu Hong has never endured such humiliation. He’ll definitely retaliate. Rules are useless with people like them.”

“It wasn’t much before, but now they’ve been utterly disgraced and have formed a lasting feud.”

“They definitely won’t admit defeat. I guessed that long ago.”

Liu Hong’s gaze drifted, and he cleared his throat, fist pressed to his mouth: “If you have more to say, then say it.”

Everyone: “?” This… what happened to the retaliation?!

Rong Shi: “This problem can’t be explained in just a few words. We’ll discuss it later.”

Liu Hong quickly interjected: “Then it’s a deal!”

As if Rong Shi would go back on his word if he answered too late.

Everyone: “…” This isn’t what they expected.

Some intuitive fighters battle relying on powerful intuition. They can’t precisely analyze pros, cons, and problems, but they can always make quick and correct judgments.

It appears that theory and practice are completely separated, but in reality, theory has integrated into their every cell.

These people are natural warriors, and Liu Hong is one of the best among them.

He was the captain of the First Legion’s Mecha Unit, a comrade who had fought countless battles alongside Rong Shi.

The simulation battle room closed, leaving everyone in a fog of confusion.

Rong Shi proactively walked to Liu Hong’s desk: “Let’s add each other’s contacts.”

Liu Hong was startled. He woodenly extended his hand, stubbornly saying: “You, you don’t think this will buy you off—”

“Added. Check it.”

Liu Hong hastily checked his personal terminal: “Okay, I’ll check.”

The other four beside him: “…” Old Liu, where’s your school bully swagger?!

Qian Fan silently saved the battle footage and walked over to ask: “How is it? Do you accept this result?”

Liu Hong suddenly remembered the matter, his face contorted in frustration. Finally, he steeled himself: “My skills are inferior. You can discipline me however you see fit!”

“Old Liu!”

“No, we can’t let this go!”

“If he gets disciplined, it’ll be a permanent mark! I disagree!”

“Shut up.” Liu Hong’s face was grim. “Let’s go.”

“Wait,” Rong Shi called out to them.

The entire class and the second-year students who were auditing were watching.

Rong Shi’s expression was calm: “What I meant by ‘give in’ is that I will handle this matter, not that I will discipline you just because I won.”

The tall, thin Alpha beside Liu Hong couldn’t help but ask: “What do you mean?”

“The Student Union will not issue any disciplinary notice until I have a complete understanding of the incident,” Rong Shi said calmly, watching their expressions gradually turn to surprise. “As the winning party, I have the right to request your cooperation in the investigation.”

The others were dumbfounded.

What did that mean?

Jiang Xingze had already thoroughly investigated this matter, so why investigate it again? Was he going to help them overturn the case?!

The students were confused, F5 was confused, and only Qian Fan couldn’t stop the corners of his mouth from turning up.

After dinner, at the sports field near the A-block dormitory building, a group of students were playing basketball when a loud, unified roar suddenly startled them, causing them to shoot their basketballs into their own hoops.

“Daddy Rong, I was wrong! …Daddy Rong, I was wrong! QuQ!”

A large jogging team, shouting loudly in perfect sync with their footsteps.

“What are they playing at? Who’s Daddy Rong?”

“Hey! I see our instructor! And that old man who teaches mecha theory!”

A group of teachers were mixed in with the students, red-faced, shouting slogans along with them.

They were truly played!

On the dorm balcony, Rong Shi and Song Yu stood side by side.

【Daddy Rong, I was wrong… Daddy Rong, I was wrong QuQ, don’t deduct my energy stones, I’ll dare next time… no, I won’t!】

01 shouted slogans along with the group downstairs.

Rong Shi swiped his finger, muting him.

Song Yu laughed uncontrollably: “Too bad, didn’t get that first kiss.”

Rong Shi’s face was cold: “Wouldn’t even take it if it were free.”