Section 174: A Sudden Flash of Inspiration
Two mechs were locked in fierce close-quarters combat. One red, one green, they streaked like twin beams of light, chasing and intertwining, their collisions punctuated by sharp, crackling impacts that left every onlooker thrilled and their blood boiling.
Ye Zhong was utterly shocked. He had spent a considerable amount of time in the virtual net in the past and was thoroughly familiar with the general standard of close-quarters combat there. He never expected that after just a year or two away, close-combat skills for mechs here had advanced to such a level! The two mechs before him demonstrated considerable skill, far surpassing the so-called close-combat experts he had encountered at the Consciousness Training Center back in the day. They weren't much inferior to his own past self either!
What Ye Zhong didn't know was that during the one or two years he had been in the Orbit Ring, close-combat techniques for mechs in the virtual net had developed enormously. And the initial catalyst for all this was none other than himself. Back in the day, under the name YC, he had defeated numerous masters, and recordings of his many battles were widely circulated. After that, people witnessed how close-combat mechs could possess formidable power, and the thrill of close-quarters fighting was far beyond what remote shooting duels could offer. Consequently, it became deeply popular among the youth. Coupled with the virtual net's unique environment, where victory or defeat wasn't the most important thing but rather the sheer exhilaration it provided, close-combat mechs experienced unprecedented development in the virtual net over these two years. However, in reality, ranged mechs still held absolute dominance.
With a keen eye, Ye Zhong immediately noticed that the red mech's blocking and attacking movements bore distinct traces of hand-to-hand combat techniques.
Huh, why hadn't he thought of that idea himself? The more Ye Zhong pondered, the more it made sense. Well, close-quarters combat between two mechs shared similar principles with hand-to-hand combat between two people. What if he applied hand-to-hand combat techniques to melee mech battles? Yes, this method was worth a try! If that were the case, and combat skills could be applied to mech battles, then could some mech techniques be applied to hand-to-hand combat?
Suddenly, it was as if a great door had opened before Ye Zhong, and on the other side lay an entirely new world!
Ye Zhong stood alone, dumbly beneath the holographic screen floating in the air. On the screen, the two mechs fought, sparks flying, their battle intense enough to make one breathless with tension. Yet, Ye Zhong frowned, lost in deep thought, completely oblivious.
Spacing out in the virtual net? Passersby cast somewhat strange looks at Ye Zhong.
Half an hour passed before Ye Zhong heavily let out a breath. The moment he snapped back to reality, he took off running, heading at top speed to find a Pilot Consciousness Training Center.
Ye Zhong had previously wondered if all Consciousness Training Centers were identical. So far, every one he had seen was indeed exactly the same, which for him meant he knew his way around perfectly.
Ye Zhong entered the Consciousness Training Center using his old name — YC. With Mu's protection, he was confident no one could discover his real identity.
The Training Center was still as crowded as ever. Ye Zhong's last mech, "Shadow," had been destroyed by "Barrage of Fire" back on the垃圾星 (Garbage Star?). Now, without any other mech, he had to purchase a new one. Fortunately, he had enough points to buy several high-end mechs.
Ye Zhong navigated the familiar path to the maintenance area. Although the structure and layout of every Consciousness Training Center were identical, the mechs provided inside differed. The high-end mechs on display here no longer excited him, but right now, he needed a high-end humanoid mech to serve as a training unit.
His gaze fell upon a blue-and-black humanoid mech. It stood about ten meters tall. Its deep blue main torso lacked the bulkiness common in most mechs, its perfect proportions inspiring admiration. Its limbs were black, their surfaces seemingly treated with a matte finish, giving them a cold, stern, and steady appearance. Importantly, this meant they wouldn't reflect light. The mech's facial features were stern, with hard, straight lines complemented by the blue-black color scheme, making it look aloof and detached, somewhat reminiscent of Ye Zhong himself! A bright red diamond shape on its forehead blazed like fire amidst the blue and black, appearing strikingly eerie and captivating!
This mech, named "Sky Shuttle," caught Ye Zhong's eye at first glance.
The Sky Shuttle wasn't equipped with any auxiliary wings. It had no shields on its arms, and its weaponry was exceedingly sparse. Two protruding hilts at its waist were likely the handles for laser swords. Then, there were the two combat spikes fitted closely along its forearms! Aside from these two types of weapons, it surprisingly had no others.
This was a new mech model released in the last two years. However, the number of points required also gave Ye Zhong a bit of a surprise—it was three times the cost of his old "Shadow."
As soon as Ye Zhong entered the mecha, he could sense its extraordinary quality.
The controls were smooth, and the mecha’s engine performed exceptionally well. Its short-range explosive power was outstanding, and the armor hardness parameters left Ye Zhong utterly astonished. It felt like a scaled-down version of Black Corner’s combat mechas. However, the weapon configuration was even more extreme than Black Corner’s—two laser swords and two combat daggers. For a mecha, this was far too limited! With no long-range weapons at all, the适用范围 of this Tiansuo would be severely restricted.
Was extreme configuration in vogue now? Ye Zhong recalled A Duan’s mecha, which shared a similar design philosophy with this Tiansuo—one specialized solely in close combat, while the other focused entirely on long-range attacks!
Ye Zhong tested the controls and found them remarkably responsive. Although the practicality of this mecha was questionable, it happened to be perfectly suited for his current training needs.
Ye Zhong had no intention of using any weapons. He wanted to test whether the idea that had just flashed through his mind was feasible. For him, hand-to-hand combat was his greatest expertise, so the absence of additional weaponry suited him just fine.
It had been nearly two years since Ye Zhong last logged into the virtual network. He wondered how much melee combat in mechas had evolved since then. Close-quarters mecha combat had developed significantly over the years. Ever since YC sparked people’s interest in close-combat mechas, more and more had come to realize that the thrill and intensity of mecha duels far surpassed the old-style long-range shootouts. As a result, the popularity of mecha combat had grown rapidly.
The idea of integrating martial arts techniques into mecha combat had already been explored, and several foundational routines had been established. Many martial artists had also taken a liking to mecha combat. Their expertise far surpassed that of less specialized pilots. In recent years, a number of rising stars had gained fame for their close-combat prowess. They were often referred to as "Combat Pilots" and had garnered widespread admiration. Some even established their own virtual dojos, though what they taught was no longer traditional martial arts but mecha combat.
Of course, becoming a Combat Pilot was no easy task. Mecha combat and traditional martial arts differed significantly. Beyond combat skills, exceptional mecha control was essential. Very few individuals possessed both qualities. While martial artists excelled in combat techniques, mastering mecha control required training from a young age. As for pilots, although many had excellent mecha control skills, very few had undergone systematic training in martial arts—a discipline that had long been in decline.
Thus, most so-called Combat Pilots were only half-competent. Nevertheless, there was no denying that mecha combat was advancing at an unprecedented pace. The once-declining profession of martial artists was also gradually re-entering the public consciousness.
Ye Zhong quickly found a basic training room. The setup remained unchanged from before, and as always, it was sparsely populated.
After securing an open space, Ye Zhong didn’t start practicing immediately. Instead, he carefully pondered the differences between mecha combat and traditional martial arts.
In traditional martial arts, power was generated through muscle strength, whereas in mecha combat, power came from the engine. This was the most fundamental distinction. With the engine’s assistance, a mecha could hover in the air for extended periods—something impossible to achieve with muscle power alone. On the other hand, the flexibility and softness of human limbs were qualities a mecha could not replicate.
Ye Zhong attempted some of the simplest blocking movements. At first, he struggled to grasp the feel, but he soon began to understand the trick. This was largely thanks to his top-tier mecha control skills. It was his mastery over mecha manipulation that allowed him to execute the movements he envisioned.
Of course, true success was still a long way off. Even if he could perform these actions, it didn’t mean they were optimal. He needed further refinement to make them more rational and better suited for mecha use.
Nevertheless, Ye Zhong had taken his first step. This was his first attempt at true innovation without guidance from Mu. It seemed Mu understood this tacitly, as he didn’t make one of his unpredictable appearances at this moment.
As for his second idea—integrating mecha techniques into traditional combat—it would have to wait until he fully realized his first concept.
Ye Zhong focused intently, practicing these basic movements over and over again without complaint. Mu had once said that foundational movements were the essence of everything, and Ye Zhong had taken those words to heart. Gradually, his movements became more fluid, and the Tiansuo’s strikes grew faster and faster. Soon, Ye Zhong’s hand speed reached the mechanical limits of the Tiansuo.
The Tiansuo seemed almost tailor-made for mecha combat. Ye Zhong found it incredibly easy to use, and the engines designed at its joints significantly enhanced its striking power. He also discovered many clever, subtle design features of the Tiansuo that were not immediately apparent from the outside.
Actually, the weapons Tiansuo was equipped with externally were merely a facade to mislead others. Its true trump card was the mecha itself. Every part of the mecha that could potentially attack an enemy had been specially modified. For instance, the edges of Tiansuo’s two mechanical arm palms were as sharp as blades, not to mention the spikes on its fists. Whenever the elbows bent, they formed sharp cones that would undoubtedly leave dents upon striking another mecha. As for the auxiliary engines at the knees, their power output was three times that of ordinary mechas in the same area.
Ye Zhong finally understood why this mecha was so extreme—it was fundamentally designed specifically for close combat.
After practicing for who knows how long, Ye Zhong felt as though he had completely mastered these basic movements.
At that moment, Mu suddenly appeared like a ghost: "Ye Zi, there might be a place suitable for you!"
"What kind of place?" Ye Zhong knew Mu never spoke without purpose.
"Is this it?" Ye Zhong asked curiously, looking at the pitch-black room where he couldn’t even see his own hand.
"Mm, this is it. This room is used to train reaction skills, but it’s perfect for your training now! Many light spheres will converge toward you, and you need to either destroy them or dodge them. However, for you, this kind of training isn’t particularly meaningful. What you need to do now is avoid dodging. The longer you last, the higher your score. Ready?" Mu asked.
Ye Zhong took a deep breath: "Ready! Let’s begin!"
As soon as the words fell, countless light spheres appeared on the holographic screen, flying toward Ye Zhong at high speed. Tiansuo stood like a calm martial artist, sinking into a low stance and readying itself.
At first, Ye Zhong handled the situation with relative ease, even taking the time to admire the shimmering fragments of light left behind when the spheres were shattered.
But as the light spheres grew more numerous and faster, the pressure on Ye Zhong intensified, and the initial composure was long gone. What started as methodical and precise movements soon devolved into frantic flailing.
Tiansuo’s hands, feet, knees, elbows, and shoulders were all in motion. Yet, despite this, Ye Zhong was eliminated after just one minute when a light sphere struck him in the back.
Giving up halfway was not Ye Zhong’s style, and he also began to recognize the benefits of this training.
He started again and again, thoroughly enjoying himself. With each attempt, he gained more insights, lasting longer each time and gradually uncovering the subtleties of the training. He noticed his movements becoming increasingly concise and efficient. Breathing played a crucial role—if his breath faltered, he would almost certainly be eliminated.
Ye Zhong discovered a peculiar phenomenon: when his speed reached a critical point, he felt as though he had entered a strange state, as if he no longer needed to think. His body’s instincts took over, and he felt like an observer, yet the one being observed was himself—a hazy, empty-minded clarity.
In this state, his movements became exceptionally sharp. Unfortunately, this phenomenon didn’t occur every time. Out of over thirty training sessions, it had only happened twice. Each time, it lasted merely three or four seconds before Ye Zhong would suddenly "wake up," snapping out of the state and, without exception, getting hit by a light sphere.
Was it an illusion? Ye Zhong didn’t pay it much mind.
"Mm, Ye Zi, it’s about time. You should head out now!" Seeing how engrossed Ye Zhong was in his training, Mu reminded him.
"Mm, one last time!" Ye Zhong paused before replying.