The battle ended in a draw, with Hugo collapsing on the battling arena, fainting for a moment with soldiers rushing over to discuss... However, he was quickly diagnosed by medics as physically unharmed, just mentally overexerted. He would recover after a short rest. Upon hearing this news, everyone breathed a sigh of relief.
However, through the god-view display on the big screen, everyone found some astonishing news: at the very end, it was shown that Hugo's hand was on the escape button. This meant that Hugo intentionally chose to escape during his final attack, but he didn't even have the strength to activate the escape button.
How exhausted must he be? Using this as a reason, Hugo was decided to be the victor, results that were accepted by all. Spectators around the military base agreed that the verdict was spot on, impressive, and perfect. Hugo was unanimously applauded for his indomitable spirit.
Roland was tremendously shocked. Although he didn't show it on his face, he had estimated that Hugo would not last more than 20 minutes. Yet in the end, Hugo turned the tide with a surprising counterattack. Could willpower really change the outcome of a fight? Roland found this amusing.
If Roland only found this entertaining, Feng Yi's thoughts about Hugo could be summed up as admiration. Only someone with an unyielding spirit could be called a true warrior. If given the chance, he would love to have a match with someone like that.
Outside the Zeus Shield, waves of cheers woke Hugo from his coerced slumber.
"Where is this...?"
"Hibernation cabin. Congratulations, you won."
Feng Yi answered, a smile on his face. He had done some research on Hugo. A regular man from a military family, whose growth was stunted due to lack of good nurturing during his formative years. If Hugo had been introduced to Mecha a few years earlier, he could have been a top-notch mobile soldier. Hugo's family had fallen on the battlefield throughout three generations—the Federation owed him a lot.
Though it wasn't too late, Feng Yi tossed Hugo a piece of Space Crystal, "Here, take this."
It was a precious Space Crystal. Hugo was taken aback. Although super soldiers did receive high allowances, even with a monthly income of around 50,000 dollars, acquiring a Space Crystal of this quality would take years of savings without any expenditure.
When Hugo asked why he was given the crystal, Feng Yi replied simply, "You won the battle, this was a prize we had intended to give away. It seems our Flaming Legion needs to improve its quality."
Feng Yi made up a lie to not put pressure on Hugo. As for the Haier Brothers, Ophelia, and even Dovir, no one got any rewards despite winning. One: individuals from aristocratic families did not lack the resources to grow and did not share Hugo's background. Two: Feng Yi hadn't invited them. On another note, Feng Yi truly admired Hugo's unrelenting spirit; this could be seen as a form of compensation and motivation.
Hugo, believing it to be the truth, fell silent while stunned. Before this, everyone had heard Feng Yi's message on Mu Tou's communicator, inviting them for combat training. Hence, no one doubted the veracity of Feng Yi's words.
As elite Red Cloaks, they occasionally heard some rumors. For instance, a month ago, the Flaming Legion (Bandit Legion) had some disagreements with the Right Faction of the Federation. The conflict ended with the Right Faction bowing their heads and handing over military supplies.
One was a Special Envoy—a Federal Major who led troops in frontline battles, while the other belonged to a political family involved in national defense. Given this standing, it was clear that the Flaming Legion's claims held merit. The fact that they were generous wasn't surprising. An excited Hugo saluted immediately, "General, thank you, thank you!"
Hugo was overwhelmed with gratitude. Although he didn't understand politics, the Right Faction had a poor reputation among the upper class. Feng Yi was different—he was a national hero who had many times risked his life deep within enemy lines. Such a legendary figure surely had his way of doing things.
With a wave of his hand, Feng Yi said, "Let's go. I have a hunch you still have potential to grow. If you're interested in training with the Flaming Legion, you are always welcome."
"Yes sir."
Before Hugo could step off the Zeus Shield, he excitedly informed his family. They reacted with great joy—how promising their child was to have received a Space Crystal award from the national hero, General Feng. It seemed the nation truly looked after them.
As night fell, the battles of other super soldiers just finished. The results of the spar were…
Roland: Win
Haier Brothers: Win
Mu Tou: Loss
Dovir: Loss
Through recorded playback, Feng Yi could see that Roland's victory wasn't easy. His Knight Lance was knocked away, but many details indicated coincidences. Roland was clearly hiding something—it seemed he was intentionally disguising his strength.
The Haier Brothers, in a 2V100 situation, won against the Flaming Legion. However, this was understandable—if two super soldiers couldn't win, it would be unacceptable. Both of the Haier Brothers fought against the opponents together. Despite their victory, they, too, were quite ragged.
As for Mu Tou and Dovir, they lost without a question. Mu Tou might have amazing shooting skills, and under 1V1 conditions, he would be like the Grim Reaper on the battlefield. Yet, as the saying goes, even an elephant can be bitten to death by ants. To the 100 Flaming Legion soldiers, a long-range shooter would only be a piece of meat. Gun Riders are versatile units, but due to their nature, they fail to maximize their sniping abilities. Mu Tou's loss was inevitable.
Dovir showed exceptional talent in combat, his bouncing mindset and Phantom Double Sword Strike was truly strong. However, due to lack of combat experience and patience, Dovir's attempt to execute Phantom Double Sword Strike with a Knight Lance looked clumsy.
Feng Yi shook his head—it was a problem of understanding. As the saying goes, "all roads lead to Rome." Only by truly understanding the essence can one be free from the confines of the weapon. For example, himself—although he didn't dare call himself the best in the world, yet, he could perform all sorts of complex actions using the Phantom Knight's 0001 titanium-alloy blade. The same could be easily done with a biological Mecha.
Ahh! Who truly understands these mysteries? A sigh. At this moment, Feng Yi genuinely had an identity crisis while researching others' tactics. Little did anyone know that his mind was full of peculiar ideas, but there were no references to be found.
When he stepped out of the Zeus Shield, the sky was utterly dark—it was a weekend off, but the disgruntled Wolves Squad was doing all sorts of summaries... Losing to Roland in one battle, then losing to Hugo in another. Damn it! There surely must not be a concept of continuous failure in the dictionary of the Flaming Legion; could those brothers be insiders?
Obviously, there were no insiders. You should always get up from where you fall. Failure is the mother of success. "Motherfucker!" The Wolf leader cursed. Since they could not win, they would strive for victory. One word: Train!
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