Every girl, even those who disliked Ziye or didn't know her, resolutely supported her, for she represented all womankind. Before the duel, regardless of gender, everyone paid close attention to the status of their match.

With Du Shuangyu as her backer, Mei Jing received special privileges directly within the military, summoning a Major to conduct intensive training for him, entirely skipping classes. As for Ziye, she had also stopped attending lectures.

Yet, even Lingyin, the person closest to her, had no idea which planet she had vanished to. The only person in the whole school who knew was Li Chunyu.

Li Chunyu was not one for gossip, and though she outwardly supported Mei Jing, her heart remained with her dearest 'Meng Ya Ya.' When others inquired about Ziye, she offered nothing but vague denials. Regarding Ziye’s "disappearance," Du Shuangyu was the most frustrated.

As the saying goes, know your enemy and know yourself, and you will never be imperiled in a hundred battles. Du Shuangyu tried to dredge up data on Ziye’s past combat maneuvers, but found absolutely nothing.

Now, Ziye was hiding away in the research institute, and no matter how many people he sent to scout, they were casually turned back by Tang Wen. He was furious!

Despite his anger, the Interstellar Federation was not Kaga; he couldn't act recklessly there, so he had no choice but to remain passive and wait to see what developed. Ziye was completely oblivious to the situation at school, nor did she care.

The only thing that occupied her mind was that she could finally engage in virtual mech combat! She and Xiao Dou Ya had entered the virtual mech master training base before and had won.

But this time, the feeling was entirely different. Previously, her victories relied entirely on her familiarity with the mechs and their loadouts—purely opportunistic tactics.

This time, she intended to win through a genuine, head-to-head PK. Upon entering the virtual mech master training base, Blan, familiar with the layout, led her to the combat zone, selecting the close-quarters free-for-all area.

He instructed her, "You will challenge three opponents daily, starting with rank 2000. If you succeed, advance 100 spots to challenge rank 1900; if you lose, drop 100 spots.

I will save all your combat footage, and if any major errors or flaws appear, I will analyze them with you afterward." This method was sound. It was the fastest way to get started and rapidly build real combat experience.

The challenge zone housed over ten thousand pilots, so ranking at two thousand already put one among the upper echelon. Even if she couldn't defeat the 2000th ranked pilot, gaining experience fighting them, even if her rank slid backward, wouldn't cause a major drop.

That would increase her odds of winning against Mei Jing in the duel. Thinking this, she gently nudged Xiao Dou Ya and communicated in their shared consciousness, "See if Mei Jing is here.

If he is, find his ID. Know the enemy and know yourself, and you will never be imperiled in a hundred battles!" After Blan gave his instructions, he exited the virtual base.

Ziye approached the leaderboard and scrolled down to the two-thousandth spot, finding a participant named 'Three Kills,' whose ID glowed brightly, indicating he was online. Clicking on it revealed: Level 63, Matches 946, Win Rate 71.44%.

A rather high win rate. Ziye pondered for a moment, then unhesitatingly sent him a PK request.

After waiting a minute, the request was rejected. Ziye, undeterred, sent another request, which was also declined.

So annoying! Ziye pouted and sent a third application.

If he still refused after three attempts, she would have to find someone close to his rank. She glanced at rank 1999; he was present, and just as she was about to send a request, Wujinhai Star finally accepted the challenge!

For the scene selection, there was a large assortment: desert, ice planet, ocean surface, etc. Ziye paid them no mind and defaulted to Space.

Entering the battlefield. Ziye glanced at her own mech and felt genuinely crestfallen.

Hers was a Commemorative Basic Model, with a drab, dull exterior, equipped with nothing more than the most ordinary three-titanium alloy blade—plain as white paper, even worse than a true starter kit. Her opponent, however, piloted a Commemorative 3014 model, tall and magnificent, with a massive bayonet held imperiously over its shoulder—truly radiating dominance.

The disparity was staggering! Thinking something had gone wrong, she looked up the regulations for the free-for-all combat zone, and seeing the details, she deflated like a wilted flower.

The rules stated that pilots entering the combat zone for the first time would be equipped with a Commemorative Basic Model. Subsequently, for every 200 ranks gained, the mech would advance one level.

The Commemorative Basic Model would upgrade to the Commemorative 3001 model. She looked at her opponent’s machine and calculated that it would require at least fourteen upgrades.

Ziye instantly felt immense pressure. "Are you here to die?" Seeing her standing there in a daze, her opponent spoke with an ill tone.

If Ziye hadn't been so persistent, he never would have accepted a challenge from someone far worse than a rookie. This was because he could clearly see Ziye’s stats: Level 0, Matches 0, Win Rate 0%!

Ziye had no words to offer. Respond with engagement!

Ziye’s hands moved at high speed across the control interface. Today, her tactile feel was remarkably different.

The sluggishness from the previous few days had completely vanished; operating at high speed felt intuitive, as if she were born for this. Was it an illusion?

Three Kills showed her no mercy, intending to finish her in three moves, launching a killing blow immediately. When an expert makes a move, their skill is instantly apparent.

The opponent’s fluid, connected movements were perfectly synchronized with the vacuum of space—professionalism executed with seamless grace. Ziye watched the opponent charge, preparing to maneuver her mech to evade.

Unfortunately, the Commemorative Basic Model was truly pathetic; not only was it a decade-old model, but it was heavy and lacked agility, making it three times harder to control than an average mech. Accustomed to the responsiveness of military-grade frames, she reacted a moment too late, freezing in place.

She could only bend low to avoid the blade. The edge sliced over her head, leaving behind only a chilling trace of killing intent.

Seeing his first strike fail to eliminate her, Three Kills brought his massive bayonet crashing down toward the Basic Model’s neck! How shameless!

He was so intimately familiar with the Basic Model's weaknesses. Ziye frowned, neither rushed nor angry.

She calmed her mind, her fingertips flying across the controls, maximizing her speed to instantly flank him! Such incredible speed from an antique machine?

Had it been modified somehow! Three Kills suddenly broke into a cold sweat and swung a counterattack.

Ziye nimbly spun, retreating ten meters, then turned to face him. Three Kills was inwardly shocked; he hadn't expected a newly registered newbie to perform at this level, and he dropped his initial condescension, adopting a posture of genuine engagement.

Ziye’s move had actually been intentional, displayed only for Three Kills to see. The moment he stabilized, she launched herself upwards, striking directly toward the 3014’s crown!

She didn’t know Three Kills well, but thanks to Xiao Dou Ya’s training base mech system, she knew the defect of the 3014 model: its head! Clang...

Three Kills brought his blade up to block, the metal scraping with a harsh shriek. The Basic Model executed a difficult 60° lateral spin, deflecting half the force, circling around to his other side, and kicked out!

With a powerful thrust, she struck his waist, cracking the metal plating there. Ziye pressed the advantage, driving her three-titanium alloy blade down, slicing precisely across his neck!

With a tearing sound, the opponent staggered back several steps, losing all momentum, falling still in the vacuum of space. Ziye claimed her first victory!

RS