After the engine was stolen, she had only managed to alter the engine braking system. If the other party replicated all the data, the mecha they produced now would probably share at least fifty percent similarity with theirs, even if not a perfect match.

Ziye braced her left hand against her right, covering her eyes with her right hand, unable to look directly at the mecha from the Philerus team.

The competition rules strictly stipulated that submitted mechas could not exceed thirty percent similarity!

Now, the similarity level had very likely surpassed thirty percent, and the other team had submitted their mecha just before them, meaning their chances of winning were higher.

A chilling dread settled over Ziye; she felt completely awful.

Bobo turned to face the Philerus display mecha. Externally, this machine bore no resemblance to Out of Sheath. This one went for an ostentatious, flashy style, utilizing garish reds and purples—terrifyingly bright. Out of Sheath, conversely, used a combination of copper red and verdigris paired with silver, projecting an image of subtle depth.

They had both submitted their entries around the same time, ending up as neighbors in the display area.

Yet, the closer they were, the angrier they became. How dare Philerus steal their hard work?

Splinter exploded, "Unacceptable! I absolutely will not allow them to be this brazen. Even if it means mutual destruction, I’ll drag them down with us!"

Ax chimed in, "How about I find someone to cover them in black bags, beat them senseless until they confess?"

Bobo knew they were agitated and whispered, "Don't get too worked up yet. Let’s discuss this after we leave here."

Splinter walked up to the display mecha and launched a kick toward it, but Li Chunyu grabbed him with lightning speed. "Don't be impulsive! We must pursue legal channels, or you’ll be charged with vandalism."

Splinter shook off Li Chunyu’s hand and roared, "This is infuriating!" With that, he strode toward the exit.

The others followed, securing a private room in a nearby rose garden, and sat down. After ordering drinks, Bobo enlarged the screen of his optical computer, placing it before everyone. He displayed the Philerus data alongside Out of Sheath's data, setting them side-by-side. "This is the summarized data I managed to acquire. Except for the data on the two stolen components and three parts purchased from the market, the rest is largely identical. The overall similarity level is fifty-six percent."

This data already exceeded the permissible limit for the competition!

The more they looked, the more unbearable the result became. They demanded, "Why would they do this?"

Bobo turned to Ling Yin. "Yin, what do you say?"

During this time, he had been busy monitoring the exhibition hall. Ling Yin had assisted by conducting extensive background checks, including on the Philerus team.

Ling Yin nodded to him. "I looked into every member of that team. Not a single one of them possesses the ability to independently design or fabricate mechas. They are all just freeloaders trying to pass courses and earn credits. The captain, Allars, is the illegitimate son of a major conglomerate CEO—ha! I don't need to say more about the others."

Li Chunyu was slightly confused. "What does this have to do with Bardon stealing data?"

Ling Yin opened her Guan Nong interface and used her stylus to write Allars’ name. Then she said, "Allars is an illegitimate son. He has a half-brother who graduated from Lings last year and won a bronze medal in the mecha competition with his team. Allars wants to surpass his brother to gain his father’s favor, but lacking the ability himself, he resorted to this despicable measure. Silver Dew likes him and wanted to help him through this difficulty, so she sought out Bardon."

This meant Bardon was nothing more than a pitiful pawn being used.

And their Out of Sheath team had become the pitiful pawn among the pitiful pawns.

Splinter slammed his hand on the table and stood up. "No! I'm going to confront them!"

"Sit down!" Ziye yanked him back sharply. "Don't go! Let’s deal with the current similarity issue first. Bobo, send me your data."

Everyone looked at her, puzzled.

She offered no explanation, activating the virtual screen on her optical computer. Fortunately, she often performed data comparisons, so she possessed a quite comprehensive system for it.

Bobo sent the data without a second thought.

Upon receiving it, she ran it through her own system for comparison and reached a conclusion: "To be precise, the similarity is 46.32 percent."

The group collectively scorned her. This wasn't the crucial point; calculating it more precisely was useless.

Ziye continued, "This is only the hardware similarity. Their hardware wasn't self-made; their system was likely outsourced too. Ling Yin, can you find out who they hired to build the system?"

"I'll try," Ling Yin replied.

Ziye stated, "I installed the system myself, so I'm confident. No matter who installed their system, it couldn't possibly reach fifty percent similarity with mine. Therefore, we still have a reasonable chance."

Bobo realized she was right and immediately instructed Ling Yin, "Yin Yin, check on Allars' contacts. I’ll check the mecha data."

They divided the labor. A moment later, Ling Yin found the results. The system was built by a technician under Allars' father's conglomerate. She also procured a file of that technician’s past system data. "His style is quite consistent; it’s probably something like this."

Ziye looked at it and felt a measure of reassurance.

However, to be cautious, she waited until Bobo obtained the system data from the exhibition hall backend before running the final comparison.

As expected, the technician had configured the system based on the hardware's basic functions. It only ensured the mecha operated normally; it couldn't add any bonus points to the machine.

Ziye compared the two systems again and presented the final figure before everyone: "The final result is twenty-one percent."

The group exchanged glances, their faces showing disbelief. "You mean... we still have hope?"

Ziye nodded with firm conviction. "Theoretically, that is correct."

The others couldn't help but cheer. Ziye suddenly felt a flicker of worry. What if the official algorithm wasn't this one? If they celebrated too early, their disappointment would be much greater if the results were unfavorable.

She quickly added, "It's only a possibility; I can’t be certain."

The twins brushed off her concerns. "Let’s be happy for now. If the officials give us bad news, we’ll send Philerus straight to hell."

Hearing this, Ziye could only sigh softly.

Li Chunyu suddenly asked, "Have you found Bardon?"

Bobo shook his head. "Not yet. He seems to have vanished into thin air. Silver Dew doesn't know where he is either."

Li Chunyu’s face fell again.

The twins declared, "Then let’s prioritize finding Bardon first. The official results come out tomorrow. Before the results are posted, we'll sue Bardon and Philerus. That should boost our chances tomorrow."

The group split up to search for Bardon.

Regrettably, after a full day, no one returned with joyful news.

The competition results were scheduled to be announced at ten o'clock the next morning.

Ziye was completely unable to focus on her classes in the lecture hall. She secretly opened her optical computer, refreshing the official competition website repeatedly. Class ended at 9:50 AM, and they were required to be in another classroom by 10:10 AM.

To see the news immediately, she couldn't risk leaving and remained in the classroom after the bell rang.

At ten o'clock, the results were posted. Ziye looked and couldn't help but raise her middle finger—Damn it!

The first section listed the outstanding teams advancing to the finals; Out of Sheath was not among them. The second section listed the regular teams advancing; Out of Sheath was still absent.

She kept scrolling down until she finally found Out of Sheath listed in the third section: Teams entering the revival round. Philerus was also listed prominently there.

This was too much!

Ziye angrily slammed her fist onto the desk, startling a student entering the room for the next class.

She turned and saw it was her, and offered a smile.

"See? She's from the Out of Sheath team. Everyone thought Out of Sheath would definitely make the outstanding teams this time, but landing in the revival round is quite shocking."

"They’re only good at hype, that’s why they’re famous. Mecha competitions test real material strength; hype fades away!"

"It’s just a shame for my favorite senior, Li Chunyu, being dragged down by them..."

"..."

Ziye couldn't bear to listen anymore. She shut off her optical computer and walked out of the classroom with her head held high.

Even if she faced condemnation from all sides, she would never bow her head!

Once outside, Ziye messaged the group chat, "Do you have classes later? Want to meet up?"

The Out of Sheath team members had mostly seen the official results and were feeling down. Upon hearing the message, they all agreed, abandoning their subsequent classes and slipping away.

Having learned from the data leak experience, they dared not be careless this time. They had Bobo arrange a frigate to take everyone to a location where no one could eavesdrop.

After leaving the space station and entering deep space, Bobo parked the frigate. The group gathered to discuss countermeasures.

Bobo explained, "I asked an official. He said that mechas with over thirty percent similarity would both be disqualified. Mechas between ten and thirty percent similarity also couldn't advance. However, because both our mecha and the Philerus machine were made quite impressively, and the members are professional, they didn't want to lose a promising team. So, they put us in the revival round, giving us a chance to come back, while they investigate what happened to provide an explanation to the victims."

—Although competition officials track and monitor every team to some extent, they hadn't witnessed Bardon stealing the engine firsthand. Furthermore, since Bardon had no actual connection to the Philerus team and they lacked concrete evidence, they couldn't easily judge who was right or wrong.

Ziye clenched her fists. "What is the format of the revival round? This time, we must teach Philerus a harsh lesson."

Li Chunyu nodded. "I agree. The officials haven't announced the revival round details yet. The tasks differ every year, but since this is a revival round focused on the mecha construction segment, it will certainly involve mecha fabrication—perhaps fabricating a specific component on the spot, or assembly. As long as we have sufficient ability, we shouldn't worry."

The twins said in unison, "We agree with you. But we deeply feel the malice coming from Lings! If someone is trying to sabotage us now, what if they try to sabotage the revival round too?"