Chapter 378: The Attribution of Victory!
Translator: ryuxenji Editor: H2dH2mr
Ling Lan's decision was made in a split second, and then the special-class mecha's beam saber was striking out in a savage stab at Li Lanfeng's cockpit. Every mecha operator knew that once an opponent's cockpit was destroyed, it would mean the end of a battle and the clinching of victory.
"Dodge!"
"Watch out!"
"Danger!"
Observing the fight, the other members of Ling Lan's team could only yell helplessly in fright. Qi Long and Luo Lang were not good at long-range attacks, so they could only stare helplessly from the ground below, unable to do anything to help.
As they both favoured close combat, their skills and techniques were largely intended for close combat — they had not paid much attention to long-range attack skills. Right now, they finally regretted their decision. They finally understood why Boss Lan had casually reminded them every so often not to neglect their long-range attack skills even if they wanted to focus on close combat ...
It turned out that when a companion's life was in danger, every extra skill or technique might be the key to turning things around to save that companion ... like now, if only they had some long-range attacks to rely on, they would have long started shooting frenziedly to help Li Lanfeng against the enemy.
Li Shiyu, Han Jijyun, and Lin Zhong-qing too felt their helplessness keenly at this time. If only their mecha control skills were slightly better, they would not have been left so far behind. Furthermore, they also felt that there was something wrong with their teamwork. For example, when they had begun chasing after Li Lanfeng, they had not thought to spread themselves out. Now, all bunched up together, they found that their shooting trajectories were blocked by Li Lanfeng ...
In other words, even though they had the ability to shoot, they still did not dare to shoot now. This was because they just could not guarantee that they would not hit Li Lanfeng, who was closer to them, first before they could even hit the special-class mecha.
Everyone could only stare with wide eyes as the enemy's beam saber pierced towards Li Lanfeng's cockpit ...
"Swoosh!" This was the sound of a beam saber piercing through a mecha. Li Shiyu's group of three following behind Li Lanfeng saw a beam saber suddenly appearing at his back through his body. They all felt despair creep over them — had that mild-mannered, forever smiling nice guy lost his wings here?
Only Ling Lan, who had been observing the fight from the ground below, calmly lowered the raised right hand of her mecha, unhurriedly controlling the mecha to holster her beam handgun back at her waist.
Ling Lan had just finished this motion when the two stationary mecha in the air suddenly moved. Li Lanfeng's mecha abruptly raised a leg and slammed a powerful kick at the special-class mecha sticking closely to him.
The special-class mecha was sent flying backwards by Li Lanfeng's kick, back arching to face the skies, but it still made no motion to resist. Those with sharp eyes could see that a sword hilt-like object was protruding from his cockpit, and at the back of the mecha's waist, an indistinct light was flickering ...
The special-class mecha soaring through the air was not moving; under the influence of planet Newline's gravity, the entire mecha began to plunge towards the ground. Right at that moment, that hilt-like protrusion on his cockpit suddenly dropped off, and the flickering light at the back of his waist was snuffed out at the same time.
Without the hilt-like object in the way, a dark round hole was revealed in the mecha's cockpit, tunnelling right through to the other side ...
A loud 'boom' rang out as the special-class mecha crashed heavily into the ground, sending clouds of dust and dirt into the air. Perhaps because the special-class mecha's construction was extremely solid, it still remained in one piece after the impact.
At this time, the watching crowd finally realised that the winner of this fight was actually their companion Li Lanfeng and not the enemy special-class mecha as they had thought.
Li Shiyu's group of three, which had been hurrying desperately after Li Lanfeng, unwilling to give up hope, were instantly overwhelmed with joy at the outcome. They were just about to fly over to congratulate Li Lanfeng, the clear victor of the battle, when Li Lanfeng, who had been proudly hovering in the air, suddenly lost control of his mecha, which immediately began to plummet.
This unexpected development took the ecstatic team members by surprise. Their expressions changed drastically once more as they leapt forwards in unplanned unison ... the ones in the air hoped to halt the falling mecha, while the ones on the ground hoped to catch the mecha before it could hit the ground ...
Still, it was undeniable that, being so far away, it was almost impossible for them to accomplish their objectives. Even so, they did not give up, still pushing their engines to their limits ...
Mentally prepared, Ling Lan's mecha had flickered right at the moment Li Lanfeng had lost control of his mecha, disappearing from its original position ... the next second, she had appeared right below Li Lanfeng. With a great leap, her mecha flew over 10 metres into the air, just in time to catch Li Lanfeng's mecha by the waist ...
When the other members of Ling Lan's team saw this scene, their hearts relaxed. They had actually forgotten that there was still Boss Lan standing guard below. Everyone slowed their mecha to a stop.
Only Little Four was driven up the wall by the sight. What the hell was this?! A hero rescuing a damsel in distress? A damsel rescuing a hero in distress? Or was it a hero saving another hero in distress? Or should it be a damsel rescuing another damsel ... aaaaaaah, his core chip was quickly being overloaded by this incomputable question!
Little Four suddenly froze, internal systems hanging, his entire body going slack, gaze blank. However, he reflexively saved a copy of this image, storing it directly in his databank. When his core chip resumed normal functioning later, he would continue processing this question.
"Leopard, how do you feel?" Ling Lan efficiently hugged Li Lanfeng's mecha close as she controlled her mecha into landing softly with almost no tremors at all. Feet securely on the ground, she quickly connected to Li Lanfeng's commlink and asked worriedly.
Even though Ling Lan's tone of voice was as icy as ever, Li Lanfeng could still hear the deep well of concern concealed within it.
Li Lanfeng could not help but smile happily, warmth spreading through his heart. His rabbit truly cared a lot for him, otherwise he would not have rushed so quickly over to save him before he could hit the ground ...
Due to the fierce battle, the metal half-mask concealing Li Lanfeng's upper face all this time had already slipped off. If someone had been able to see the radiant, heartfelt smile on his face right now, and if their resistance was a little low, they would have found their hearts captivated, regardless of whether they were male or female.
"I'm fine!" replied Li Lanfeng, smiling. His eyes felt a little hot, and he raised his hands to wipe away the sweat flowing down into his eyes. Even such a simple movement was very difficult for Li Lanfeng right now — he felt as if his two arms no longer belonged to him.
"Your mecha has no more power to fight." Ling Lan swiftly examined Li Lanfeng's mecha; the grey and dull outer shell of the mecha made her frown. In this kind of dangerous battlefield, it was very dangerous without the protection of a mecha ... Ling Lan instantly made her decision. "Later, come sit inside my mecha."
"Ah, oh, okay!" Ling Lan's words startled Li Lanfeng, but he quickly caught himself and answered ecstatically. Did this prove that his performance this time had gained the rabbit's approval? At this thought, Li Lanfeng's entire being thrummed with excitement. His body, initially so tired that he could not even lift a finger, seemed to be infused with a second wind.
He picked up the metal mask and placed it back on his face. When Ling Lan placed his mecha onto the ground, he opened the hatch of the cockpit and climbed out laboriously. Of course, his movements now were not as neat as usual, perhaps even appearing rather awkward, because he had half-crawled half-stumbled out of his cockpit.
He then climbed up from the ground and inched step by step to the feet of Ling Lan's mecha. This would have been an extremely simple set of movements under usual circumstances, but now, Li Lanfeng only managed it via a Herculean effort.
Li Lanfeng had just arrived at the feet of Ling Lan's mecha when the boarding platform of the mecha settled onto the ground almost at the same time. Li Lanfeng smiled wryly — it looked like the rabbit was well aware of his current condition, able to estimate his arrival time so precisely. Although Li Lanfeng was somewhat frustrated and embarrassed by this, his joy and gratefulness quickly chased those complicated emotions away ... he took in a deep breath and then stepped firmly onto the platform.
The platform rose slowly, and before it even arrived at the cockpit, Li Lanfeng could already see Ling Lan standing outside the cockpit, stretching a hand out towards him ...
The corners of Li Lanfeng's lips quirked and he placed his hand firmly into Ling Lan's hand. Ling Lan's fingers were rather cold, but his palm was very warm. This warmth made Li Lanfeng's heart thump and settle — so, it felt this safe being held tightly by someone one trusted ...
Just as Li Lanfeng was wrestling with his emotions, a powerful tug came from Ling Lan's hand. The next second, his entire body had been pulled by the other into the cockpit and thrown into the auxiliary seat ...
"Sit tight!" ordered Ling Lan. Her cool gaze swept over Li Lanfeng, as if displeased at Li Lanfeng's dilly-dallying. This gaze made Li Lanfeng shiver, his mind jolting to clarity in an instant. Those pointless musings in his heart were completely swept away. He did not dare to delay any further, hurriedly buckling himself into the auxiliary seat with the seatbelt.
Boo hoo hoo, he really did not want the rabbit to think of him as a burden !!! 1 Somewhat jittery, Li Lanfeng could feel none of his body's pain or discomfort. He was obviously much more agile when buckling himself in. Sure enough, when one's attention was diverted, there would be a painkilling effect.
Seeing Li Lanfeng's quickened motions, Ling Lan closed the cockpit, satisfied, and activated her mecha. She had really been rather annoyed looking at the leopard's slow movements earlier; she truly was an impatient person ... it looked like she really needed to think of a plan to help the leopard solve the problem of his physical constitution completely soon, thought Ling Lan.
As there were no other enemies around, Ling Lan did not ask Little Four to employ emergency activation, choosing to activate the mecha normally. Two minutes later, the mecha's regular activation was completed.
This was already Little Four delaying things as much as he could bear. Otherwise, for the A.I. that had been optimized by Little Four, even regular activation would definitely be completed within one minute. However, this speed would have been much too shocking and suspicious. Even an imperial mecha could not complete regular activation within one minute. Although Ling Lan trusted the leopard, the existence of Little Four was just too bizarre to explain. So, in order to avoid trouble and also to protect Little Four, Ling Lan still chose to cover things up a little.