ABO Cadets

Chapter 035: The Mysterious Opponent

There are three weak points on the humanoid mech.

The first weakness is the abdomen, which is the source of power for the human armor. The energy that powers the mech is stored here, but the position of the abdomen is generally given special attention by the pilot, which makes it difficult to attack and sneak attack.

The second weakness is the chest. This is where the cockpit is located. Its importance is fairly obvious. It is also due to the importance of the cockpit, that the shields surrounding the cockpit are generally the thickest. The shield of the chest is made up of two hard and thick alloy metals. It is not advisable to directly attack it.

The third weakness is the neck. There are many wires that control the body of the mech. Just by cutting off or damaging the wires can cause major damage- the body directly loses control!

Lin Yuan registered as Yuan-Yuan on his account from the age of ten. After playing around with mech battle simulations on the Internet for a few years, since the accumulated points from winning hadn't been enough, he began operating humanoid mechs on the online battle area. He was the most skilled at the humanoid mech, pulling out the electromagnetic blade, he aimed to slash directly at his opponent's neck. This was his most commonly used opening move during battle.

(TN: Again, don't remember what the previous translator translated this as, but the two characters mean something like round or circle. I just left it in pinyin. It's on the online mech fighting game he plays if you recall, he and Caesar play on it together, but he doesn't know it's Caesar lol.)

The sword swiftly flew down. It is said that when the fighting spirit reaches its full potential, the resulting grandeur shines brightly like a rainbow- if the brightly flashing electromagnetic sword successfully cuts the throat of the other party, it will certainly directly sever the main wire!

Rosen indifferently glanced at the screen in front of him, his face still had no expression. His slender and powerful fingers quickly pressed a few commands and buttons on his console, only for the black mech to simply raise its arm and accurately cut the edge of Lin Yuan's blade in half!

A harsh "Clang" reverberated through the room. The fierce impact in the air had caused a rain of dazzling sparks to burst out!

Lin Yuan did not expect his opponent would dare to use his arm to block!

There is indeed a shield on the arm of the mech that is harder than the protective metal on the chest. The electromagnetic sword can't break it through at all. However, Lin Yuan's shooting speed is already rather fast. To make this attack accurately in such an urgent situation, the shield would have to be perfectly aligned with the blade and that obviously requires a very accurate predictive ability!

- That's right, it is a predicted response!

At the moment of his own attack, he had even predicted the final movement of the electromagnetic sword!

- This here is definitely a rare master!

Lin Yuan's heart trembled and he immediately raised his vigilance. Taking advantage of the other side's weakness of their outstretched his arm, he did not hesitate to open the light-energy bomb launcher and aimed it right at the other's abdomen!

At such a close distance, the light can clearly hit the center...

It's amazing that the pilot of the other side seems to see right through his own ploy again. Almost at the exact moment, he had started the light bomb, the opponent immediately enacted a side turn and jump and moved directly behind him. He suddenly pulled out the weapon on his back - his hand fell off the sword, and the sword fell down. The wire of the white mech was precisely severed!

The flickering "End of Battle" banner pops up on the screen... It only took less than thirty seconds to lose.

Lin Yuan was sitting dazedly in the cockpit, he didn't react at all. What had even happened?

His movements were way too fast...

Also his dead-center accuracy and the frightening predictive abilities...

The split second it takes you to think of making a move, he would have already guessed what you were going to do, calculated the final placement of the action, and planned the counterattack all in advance. When you are eager to think that you can strike with one hand, he has already been strategizing, avoiding your attack, and immediately catching onto your thought process to give a fatal counterattack!

- Only the top players have the ability to let the other party fear the loss of fighting spirit!

Lin Yuan was even unable to see how he had gotten behind him.

Before the armor of his own machine could be activated, the wire in his neck had already been chopped off.

This person is far too powerful, he was definitely not at a beginners level, while facing off against him, there was almost no chance of winning.

Fortunately, this was just a simulation training room. It's inevitable to come across injuries and deaths during a simulation. The rules of the simulation battle here are fairly similar to the one on the online arena. It simulates a virtual environment and images to play against. The actual mech and the pilot will not be hurt.

Otherwise, if it was on a real battlefield, with the sword cut down... A real person would no longer be alive, right?

Lin Yuan was frozen in place for a while, but then he heard a cold and faint voice enter his ear -

"At your level, do you still want to participate in the Mech Contest?"

The voice that transmitted through the communicator of the mech, was extremely low and the cold tone held no emotions. It reverberated throughout empty room. However, to Lin Yuan's ears, such mockery would only deepen his resolve

Lin Yuan took a deep, calming breath and said with absolute confidence: "Come again!"

Lin Yuan, rushed forward with the sword again, this time, even the opponent's side was not grazed. The strike just barely missed the mech's body, he was then punched by the opponent straight in the abdomen. Then, after having his legs swept from under him, Lin Yuan's white mech ate dirt - hehe.

Lin Yuan: "......"

Fortunately, it is was all just a simulation, otherwise, if someone was really thrown on their front like that, the pilot would not die but they would be extremely dizzy.

"......come again!"

Lin Yuan, again and again, rushed on ahead. This time he couldn't even get close to its body. He was bombarded with loses from his opponent.

"... come again!"

Lin Yuan was not at all discouraged. The more he fought, the braver he felt. The other side was strong, but it only served to arouse the fighting spirit in Lin Yuan's bones. At the end of the day, it was just a simulation battle. Even if you lose, nothing would happen, but even then, Lin Yuan has never been afraid of losing in the first place.

Lin Yuan rushed over and over again, and every time he was quickly and simply killed by various means.

Even after losing ten times in a row, Lin Yuan is still raring to go.

But Caesar was unable to put up with just idly watching for any longer.

Originally, he was under the impression that the Marshal would not be fighting with his true ability, He did not expect that the Marshal would ruthlessly play a game against a student. Poor Lin Yuan was constantly battered around without even a hope of retaliation, and no sooner surrounded frantically by the other party. He also experienced a variety of simple, neat, decisive, and simple deaths...

Once again being beaten to the ground, Lin Yuan still wants to start another round, but the other person suddenly said: "Do not fight, your level is too terrible."

"..."

Lin Yuan's face I couldn't help but get a little red.

He is indeed a rookie. There is no chance of winning at all under his opponent's hand. At this point, it is was also appropriate to be laughed at by the other person.

Lin Yuan took his fingers off the controls and raised his hand to scratch his hair. He said seriously: "You are really strong. I don't have enough experience in actual combat. I usually practice on the Internet. I have never seen such a powerful opponent like you. "

Lin Yuan paused, then he looked up and smiled and said:" As for the game... Well, I signed up to participate. I just wanted to try it and gain first-hand knowledge of every sort of expert, and I never thought to take rank ah, what's important for me is participation!"

Rosen: "......"

Looking at the holographic screen captured by the Black Dragon, the young man curved his mouth up brightly smiled, and from the bottom of Rosen's heart, he felt rather moved at this display.

- This child is very strong and also has great courage.

He never lost the will to fight and was not afraid to lose. What is even rarer is that he has continuously been optimistic and lighthearted even when he has lost more than ten times in a row, but he is still full of fighting spirit. If someone else was in his place, being repeatedly beaten up, they would definitely be dejected and lose confidence, but he calmly admits to the other side's strengths and his own deficiencies, as well as staying in the mood to make jokes.

Between the young boy and that desired person in his memory, recalling their similarly jet-black and limpid eyes, Rosen's heart suddenly softened, and could not help but say: "Actually, you are not so bad." Lin Yuan, who was praised by the master, was somewhat flattered and stunned. He was silent for a moment before saying: "I... I am not bad?"

"Yeah," Rosen said faintly. "In the previous games, although you lost completely, at the very least, you never made the same mistake twice. Your ability to learn is strong and your reaction-time is fairly quick, as long as you practice a lot there is still much room for improvement. " "

"...... " Lin Yuan after he was given too many high praises blushed a bit. He scratched his head sheepishly said: " Thank you. "

Looking at the youth with an adorable red face, Rosen's lips couldn't help but rise slightly.

A sensible child is really likable.

Rosen softened his voice and said: "...In fact, your moves are not wrong, but the delivery is not precise enough, when there are some minor tells before you attack, the other side will find it easy to predict your actions."

Caesar was shocked looking at the direction of the Black Dragon - Marshal, is this you impromptu teaching?

Even if word got around, this is something no one would actually believe!

Marshal's indifferent and wooden expression gives off the same amount of emotion as a robot. He rarely talks to people in the first place, let alone to go out of his way to teach a student personally...

For him openly teach Lin Yuan today, it is too inconceivable!

Caesar thought with some doubts: Has the Marshal approved Lin Yuan? Does that mean he no longer has to give out his own guidance?

In fact, Rosen himself did not understand why he, himself was acting so abnormal today.

Just by looking at the jet-black eyes of this boy, his heart suddenly grew soft.

This child constantly reminds him of Ling Yu.

His delicate black-haired and black-eyed appearance distinctly mirror Ling Yu, They even both share the same tenacity of being unafraid to lose, but never giving up after defeat. He also shares the same Asian descent of Ling Yu, even the pronunciation of his name is more or less the same.

There are too many places in the youth that are similar to Ling Yu.

Rosen couldn't help but want to teach this child and wish for him to run into fewer rough patches as he grows up.

Thinking of this, Rosen continued to patiently explain: "You always start by immediately taking out your weapon. This is not the best choice. Weapons have a limited attack power, and it is easier to suddenly deal out a fatal blow if it is unexpected. Otherwise, when you take out a weapon, it is easy for the other party to be highly guarded against it. The heavy weapon will only become a burden... You must learn that the weapon hidden up your sleeve is more dangerous than the weapon in your hand."

"Also, don't just think about how to dish out a set of combos, during the game, the other party will not move according to your thoughts, you must be ready to adapt at any time. If you feel uncertain about what to fo, your mech it's best to put your mech in a defensive stance, do not desperately go attack the other party. To prevent your actions being influenced by the other party. First, calm down and think about what you should do."

Lin Yuan felt like he understood and immediately nodded: "I know, I have only been thinking about trying to attack you, but every time I lose. When you defend, you will find opportunities to seize my weaknesses, and in turn, give out a fatal blow. This kind of defensive counterattack is surprisingly more likely to be successful! Right?"

Rosen couldn't help but raise his lips into a slight smile.

This child is truly clever, it comes to no surprise why Vermillion Bird recognized him as his master. Obviously, he is indeed very talented, his current ability to learn and his comprehensive skills are up to an astonishing level.

Rosen couldn't help but praise him: "That's right, you are very bright."

Lin Yuan said with a smile: "I have memorized your every word, thank you- ah!" Lin Yuan paused, "Yes, you are a senior in the mech control department, right? Your level is really too strong! How about later we can go to eat a quick midnight snack? You can tell me about other mech strategies, okay?"

Rosen: "......"

The sound of the youth's pleading voice made Rosen's heart turn soft and chaotic, he had almost opened his mouth to agree.

Too strange, this feeling...

For some reason, this child's body seemingly holds a shadow of Ling Yu, maybe it was because he really missed that person?

Rosen was silent for a moment before he said: "Can you allow me to ask a few questions... Who are your parents? Who taught you how to operate the mech?"

The other party's question was a bit abrupt, but surprisingly Lin Yuan does not mind, he calmly replied: "My dad was a soldier. His life was sacrificed when I was very young. I lived with just my mother and my older sister. As for the mech..." Lin Yuan was embarrassed and reddened with a bit of shame. "No one taught me. I learned by myself. I usually used whatever time I could to practice on the online battle arena, so my level is relatively poor."

"......" Rosen did not expect that this teenager actually grew up in such a difficult environment. Listening to him calmly talking about his Dad dying when he was very young, and Rosen's heart felt inexplicably pained.

Presumably by nature by growing up with a single parent family, he had tempered his brave character.

Rosen suddenly found that he actually liked the child more and more.

In his heart, he felt a bit unwilling to accept the new master who was recognized by Vermillion Bird. After all, Vermillion Bird is Ling Yu's mech, which had been very important to Ling Yu. In Rosen's heart, no second person other than Ling Yu could qualify to have the Vermillion Bird.

However, after seeing Lin Yuan, Rosen found that the unacceptance in his heart slowly vanished unbeknownst to him.

At this moment, looking at Lin Yuan's flushed red face with a dazzling smile, Rosen's heart easily accepted the boy.

- Since it is the master that Vermillion Bird recognized, naturally there is a special place for him. Perhaps it would be a good decision to hand over the Vermillion Bird to this hard-working boy.

- If Ling Yu was still here, would he also like this child too?

Thinking of this, Rosen finally took a deep breath and said calmly: "Even if I take you up on that midnight snack, there are still some small matters I have to attend to, I'll have to take my leave first. Tomorrow night at this time I will be waiting for you in the training room."

...Does this skilled master mean to continue to give him guidance?

Lin Yuan spoke excitedly without missing a beat: "Great! Then you can go on ahead, I'll see you again tomorrow night!"

The mysterious master quickly drove the mech to leave the training room.

Since it was already very late, Lin Yuan did not practice anymore and returned directly to the dormitory with Caesar.

Walking on the path, Lin Yuan finally could not help but wonder aloud: "Caesar, where'd you find that person, ah? Too skilled, even better than the Master I recognized online."

Caesar: "......"

There really wasn't a good explanation to give on such short notice.

In order to prevent Lin Yuan from feeling pressured, Marshal Rosen deliberately concealed his identity and disguised the Black Dragon as a C-class mech to fight against him. He just wanted to see Lin Yuan's level. Caesar did not tell Lin Yuan about the affair regarding the Vermillion Bird. He had originally wanted to give Lin Yuan a pleasant surprise, however, at the moment, it really wasn't the best time. He didn't know how to make up a lie for this situation

Caesar was silent for a moment, in order to cover up his worries, he quickly feigned a cough. He said calmly: "That master...cough, is a third-year, his mastery in controlling mechs is unrivaled The level of his mech is definitely one of the best in our school."

Even in the whole empire, it could still be considered one of the best.

That is Rosen, the commander of the three armed forces, even if he is not necessarily his opponent.

Lin Yuan nodded thoughtfully. "Oh, so it turned out to be the top senior student of the school's machine armor control department."

It's no wonder that he was so difficult to deal with! His ability to control the mech and his overall level are naturally a lot higher than that an amateur like Lin Yuan. However, what Lin Yuan finds suspicious is...

-the voice of that senior, isn't it a bit too mature?

It sounds like the voice of a full grown man, and the low timber sounds particularly nice in his ear.

- And where has he heard that voice before?

When the Pearl spacecraft was hijacked by the Strain Federation's troops, the voice of Marshal Rosen, the head of the Glory Legion appeared in time and rescued the entire spaceship. Didn't it seem to be a bit like the one just now?

--Wouldn't that be impossible? How did the Marshal come here and personally instruct him to operate the mech?

- Of course, it was just an illusion after all!

After leaving the training room, Rosen went straight to the residential district of ​​the St. Romia Military Academy.

Passing through the security verification at the door, he went to room C017 and rung the doorbell. Someone quickly opened the door. It was a young girl whose smile brought forth two adorable dimples on her face

The girl stared quizzically at the man standing in front of her. "Hello, who are you looking for?"

Rosen still didn't reply. Irene, who heard the voice, immediately hurried over and said to the girl: "Bertha, you should go back to your room. This guest is here for your father."

"Oh." Bertha smiled at Rosen and turned back to her room.

Irene was very embarrassed: "Sorry Marshal, I was busy making a quick late-night snack in the kitchen and didn't hear the doorbell. Bertha doesn't know you, so please don't mind her. You're welcome to come in."

Rosen calmly said: "I don't mind. "

Irene walked into the living room and sat down on the sofa. Rosen glanced at the door that the girl had just turned and closed, and asked: "Was the child who opened the door your daughter with Knox? Today she is already turned 18, right?"

Irene smiled and said, "That's right, her name is Bertha. She just had her eighteenth birthday a few days ago."

Following the dissolution of the Night Legion, Rosen invited Knox and Irene to the Glory Legion, but was resolutely rejected by Knox, the husband and wife pair came to the St. Romia Military Academy to become two ordinary instructors.

Time flies too fast, and in the blink of an eye, their child is already eighteen years old.

If Ling Yu did not escape from the constellation of Cepheus, the child of Ling Yu and himself would be the same age as Bertha, it would also be exactly eighteen years old. Unfortunately, the child that had not even received the chance to be born, just...

Thinking of such things, he couldn't help but feel a slight ache pooling at the bottom of his heart, Rosen reeled back his emotions and looked at Irene: "And what about Knox?"

Irene hurridly responded: "He went out to buy some things, he'll be back soon."

Just as her voice fell, the click of the door opening sounded outside the room, Knox walked straight into the room and handed over the food to his wife. Irene immediately turned back to the kitchen to prepare the food.

"Marshal." Knox came over and sat down on the sofa, his face was just as deadpan as he remembered.

Rosen looked at this familiar face and was quiet for a while before saying, "There is no need to prepare a midnight snack. I came over to see the both of you, I just want to chat casually."

Knox said hurriedly: " Marshal is too polite, I haven't seen you for a long time. Whenever you come here, we should naturally entertain you for a bit."

The two men fell into silence at the same time.

After suddenly seeing the people from his past that he hasn't seen for years, it was hard to think of any words to say. In particular, Knox always felt that he had gone against the command of General Ling Yu and allowed Rosen into the cell to mark him. He had failed the trust of the General. Therefore, in the face of this man who once possessed the General, in his heart, he always felt that there was something too uncomfortable about being around him.

After a moment of silence, Rosen opened his mouth: "You are responsible for the military training of the Command Department for the first month this year, right?"

Knox nodded. "Yes."

Rosen asked: "In the Command Department, is there a student named Lin Yuan?"

Knox was surprised and said: "How did you know? Lin Yuan is the squad leader of the class."

Rosen said faintly: "I met Prince Caesar today and heard it from him. Lin Yuan... What do you think?"

Knox said hastily: "Lin Yuan is a very hard-working student. He received a full 300 on the entrance exam. As a beta, he has been adept at managing the entire class. He has a cheerful personality and good temper. A lot of alphas were not convinced at first. Now, all of the students in the class have recognized him as the squad leader."

Knox paused, and started wondering: "Why is Marshal suddenly asking about this student, Lin Yuan ?"

Rosen was silent for a moment. Then he whispered: "That child... looks a little like him."

Knox certainly knows who he is referring to, and he can't help but be surprised: "Have you seen Lin Yuan?"

Rosen nodded before looking back at Knox, "You've also noticed it? Lin Yuan looks like Ling Yu back then, the eyes are especially like him... Maybe it's because they are both Asian descendants."

"..." There was a complete loss for words.

Indeed, when he first saw Lin Yuan, he almost thought that he saw Ling Yu.

In fact, their looks are not overly similar, but they give people a certain feeling and they seem to have a lot in common, especially with their shared clear and limpid black eyes.

Rosen continued: "I really like that child Lin Yuan. In the three years he's at school, I want Irene to take very good care of him. If you have any problems, remember to promptly contact me."

Knox was surprised. "Is it true? " ...Marshal means..."

Rosen nodded: "I want to wait for him to graduate before immediately joining the Glory Legion's First Guard Battalion

The First Guard Battalion is the equivalent of the army leader's personal guard, it is the closest legion to the regiment's top commander.

Rosen obviously wants to transfer Lin Yuan directly to his side.

There are many large and small legions in the empire. Every year after the cadets graduate from the military school, the military will then assign them to different legions to serve. The highborn students with powerful family connections will naturally be assigned to a good legion, and those who have no backing and a poor background are often assigned to a bleak planet to be a soldier or sent directly to the front line.

Rosen's sentence is a golden ticket to send Lin Yuan to the empires best legion.

With this man's indifferent personality, he rarely takes the initiative to care about others, let alone an 18-year-old military school student... Now, he's unexpectantly going out of his way to cater to Lin Yuan...

It shows just how much he values the child, Lin Yuan.

Knox was shocked for a moment and immediately said: "I know how to handle this, rest assured, Marshal!"

Rosen nodded.

Lin Yuan is a beta and is in every respect outstanding, but his family background is too mediocre. In places like the St. Romia Military Academy where there are a plethora of high-ranking aristocratic children, children born in poverty are easily bullied.

This was the case with Ling Yu. Because he was a beta with no backer, he joined a legion and suffered layers upon layers of difficulties. After graduation, he was directly assigned to the Vanguard Reserve of the Night Legion. Not even a year had passed before he was sent to the front line. If not for his powerful ability, perhaps he would have long been like a lot of young soldiers who had died in battle without ever having a chance to shine.

The military is actually a very complicated place.

This young boy named Lin Yuan has a personality and background similar to Ling Yu.

Back then, he wasn't able to protect Ling Yu. Now that he has the ability to protect a young boy very much like Ling Yu, perhaps this could finally resolve his cherished desire.

Thinking of the cute appearance of the teenager's red face while scratching his hair, Rosen's heart couldn't help but feel soft.

Lin Yuan's family is poor, there was no backing, and his personality is pure. Such children suffer many disadvantages in the military. A large part of the military officers' promotion system relies on lineage. It is difficult for an ordinary beta like Lin Yuan to be placed in a high-ranking position. This was the same reason why Ling Yu, despite his great ability and outstanding military service, had only been able to reach Major General.

Lin Yuan is just a first-year student, and the road ahead is still very long.

- It no longer matters I will be here.

- Starting today, I am your most powerful backer.

The author has something to say: Lin Yuan: Look for my dad, ah, found a good dad, ah, Salute ah, shake hands... Where's my mom?

Rosen very infatuated, there will certainly be good fruit to eat (including meat) ~ everyone can rest assured!

(TN: Not sure what fruit means, but meat is... juicy stuff lol. I want meat, these chapters have been nothing but sad!)

(Another TN: Hey, just trying to get past all of this sad stuff here! This chapter was so long! I have plans the whole day tomorrow so I won't be able to work on anything so next update might be another 2-3 days. During summer I'll forgo any kind of update schedule and just translate as much as possible, but when school rolls back around I'll probably stick to 2 a week. How's that sound?)