Chapter Forty-Seven: Choosing a Mecha

Nangong Yuchen struggled awake, his vision hazy as he opened his eyes and found himself inside a mecha shop. The first thing that caught his attention was a display of strength-type mechas, but as his gaze swept to the side, he was suddenly astonished. “This is…” he muttered.

Speed? Neural reflexes?

He remembered that when he was still on the circular platform, he had seen the images of other contestants entering through the crystal. Without exception, each shop had only one type of mecha.

But here, he found all three types?

“Could it be that Phantom Island provides different mecha options based on the physical abilities of the entrant?” Nangong Yuchen’s eyes burned with excitement as he studied the mechas before him. At last, he understood what Principal Yang meant by “except for those with special physical abilities”—the true significance of those words.

And then, a wave of elation swept over him—a joy so immense it felt almost overwhelming!

He could choose six mechas? Angelica could choose four?

If this were true, and with the advantage they now held, perhaps their plan from two days ago—to eliminate all other contestants—could truly succeed! Then, Kexin could become a top student just like him!

With this thought, Nangong Yuchen eagerly approached the neural reflex-type mechas. Gazing at the rows of dark guns, he exclaimed happily, “I’ll start with a gun! Where’s the Bombard Sniper?”

Last time, when he and Lehan visited the City of Technology, he had been particularly taken with the Bombard Sniper. Just imagining its terrifying power made him determined to choose it first.

After all, who wouldn’t pick a weapon capable of obliterating a building with a single distant shot?

But then, Nangong Yuchen froze. He realized that apart from the Bombard Sniper, every other type of gun was present.

“A-M4A1-26 Model—Energy Rifle”

“B-M1919A6-22 Model—Energy Light Machine Gun”

“A-MG470-38 Model—Energy Heavy Machine Gun”

“C-M9E2-15 Model—Energy Pistol”

“S-SSG27-50 Model—Energy Sniper Rifle”

“S-M82A1-75 Model—Cannon-Type Sniper Rifle”

...

“Why isn’t the Bombard Sniper here?” Nangong Yuchen checked every gun in the shop, disappointed. He had looked forward to testing its power, but it simply wasn’t there.

After reading through the power descriptions of the other guns, he lost interest.

In the end, he reluctantly picked up the nearly one-meter-long cannon-type sniper rifle at the top, “S-M82A1-75 Model—Cannon-Type Sniper Rifle.”

“Hm? Not heavy!” For the first time, Nangong Yuchen felt the reality of touching mecha equipment. It wasn’t as heavy as he had imagined. His curiosity grew as he caressed the gun’s body, and soon, his disappointment faded away completely.

Imitating the snipers he’d seen on TV, he brought the gun up to his eye and aimed, feeling the urge to pull the trigger and test its power.

Just then, a white light flared on the middle finger of his hand, instantly coalescing into a ring.

The cannon-type sniper rifle embraced in his arms began to distort, and under his astonished gaze, it fractured and scattered.

It transformed into countless black cubes, as dense as code, all flooding into the ring on his finger.

“What is this…? Hm? How did a ring suddenly appear on my hand?”

Shocked, Nangong Yuchen stared at the new ring on his finger, when suddenly a message surged into his mind.

‘Space-Time Ring: Developed based on the properties of dimensional space and temporal flow, this special space is designed solely for storing mecha equipment and items with crystal energy—the Space-Time Ring!’

“This… This is the Space-Time Ring? The exclusive Space-Time Ring of mecha warriors?”

After receiving this message, Nangong Yuchen was struck speechless. Phantom Island had given him too many surprises!

Moreover, he sensed a delicate connection with the Space-Time Ring. Calming his mind, he clearly perceived a small space where a black sniper rifle was floating—it was precisely the gun he’d just held.

“So this is the true purpose of the Space-Time Ring!” Nangong Yuchen’s doubts about mechas suddenly cleared. The Space-Time Ring was a newly opened space, specifically for storing mecha equipment, making it convenient for mecha warriors to carry.

Understanding this, he gained a new appreciation for human technological civilization, and marveled at the intelligence of those who came before.

“Whew! Now, let’s pick a rifle!” With his plan in mind, Nangong Yuchen reached for the third row, aiming for the “A-M4A1-26 Model—Energy Rifle.”

But as soon as his fingers touched it, all the guns before him became illusory, and then vanished.

“What the…? What’s going on!”

His mind felt blank—he’d only taken one item, how could they all be gone?

Staring at the empty wall before him, he muttered, “They’re really gone! Does this mean I can only choose one?”

No, Principal Yang had said each person could choose two!

Could the term “special” be referring to him? That he could only pick one from each type?

With this thought, Nangong Yuchen hurried over to the speed-type mechas, where shoes, spears, light swords, and blades dazzled his eyes.

He finally focused on the energy sword in the center—“Sword of Lightning!”

Unlike the surrounding equipment, its black hilt was solid, but the blade was entirely formed from violet energy, radiating a dense purple glow.

“There’s equipment like this in the speed category?”

Nangong Yuchen looked down at the description.

Note: Lightweight, fast, crafted based on the properties of elemental lightning, allowing the user to easily wield the sword at astonishing speed.

Skill: Cancelled.

“Eh? Skill cancelled? What’s going on here?” Nangong Yuchen’s eyes nearly popped out—he noticed all the equipment here shared the same trait: skills had been cancelled. The appearance matched what he had seen in the City of Technology, but there were no skills.

Realizing this, he understood why the Bombard Sniper was missing in the neural reflex section.

The school was testing each student’s physical strength, combat experience, and overall ability. Thus, those overwhelming skills and snipers capable of instant kills were removed; otherwise, a single shot could wipe out a dozen contestants before the battle even began, making the top student assessment meaningless.

Similarly, to ensure fairness, the skills for speed and strength equipment had also been cancelled.

Knowing this, Nangong Yuchen felt no discomfort—in fact, he thought the school had done the right thing, at least guaranteeing fairness among the students.

He then picked up the Sword of Lightning and swung it lightly a few times. As the description promised, the sword’s speed was indeed remarkable.

Before he could study it further, the sword in his hand began to twist, fracture, and scatter, just like the sniper rifle. It became dense purple cubes, surging into the Space-Time Ring, and floated alongside the cannon-type sniper rifle.

“In that case, does this mean…”

Nangong Yuchen looked at the speed-type mechas before him. His guess unfinished, all the shoes, spears, blades, and other items disappeared as illusory images—just as before.

“So, I really can only pick one item from each mecha type?” Having said this, he, who moments ago thought the school was fair, now felt otherwise.

According to his previous guess, he should have been able to choose six mecha items, and with that, he could dominate the other contestants once outside. But now…

“It’s just too unfair!” Nangong Yuchen muttered complaints under his breath, not caring whether the crystal ball outside could see him.

“Whew! Might as well pick from the strength mechas now!”

After browsing for a while, Nangong Yuchen didn’t fancy the broad greatsword or the power-branded gauntlets. None of the other options piqued his interest, so his gaze settled on the triangular shield.

He considered his loadout: a sword for close combat, a sniper for long-range—now he just needed defense.

Perfect, he would choose it!

With an extra shield, perhaps he could help Kexin and Angelica withstand attacks inside.

As Nangong Yuchen picked up the shield, the entire space lit up with white light. He felt the surroundings twist and a wave of nausea washed over him. Fortunately, the discomfort was brief, and when he opened his eyes again, he found himself in a forest.

Floating before him in midair was a spherical map device.