The Legendary Mechanic

by <unknown>

  Since fighting before the official date was not allowed, fighting for the locations to build their strongholds was also forbidden. It worked on a first come first served basis. Therefore, the invisible war started during the preparation stage when they were constructing the strongholds. Choosing the location of the strongholds was like playing chess; not only did they have to be close to their allies’ strongholds, but they also had to disrupt the enemy guild alliances’ stronghold formations.

  As of now, about seventy percent of all the players in Galaxy had arrived. The unpopulated Planet Milton became exceptionally boisterous.

  In Golden Alliance Base No.1, the upper echelons of the four biggest Chinese guilds and various top tier Chinese guilds gathered in one place.

  In the middle of the room was a 3D projection of Planet Milton. The surface was divided into areas with different colors, representing the territories of different guild alliances.

  The Golden Alliance was the guild alliance the Chinese profession clubs took the lead in founding. It basically included all the top tier Chinese guilds. The Golden Alliance could be seen as the representatives of the Chinese players; almost all the members were army players.

  The term ‘army players’ was just a general term. It was not an official guild alliance and also had different factions. Some foreign players who only joined the army in Version 4.0 formed different guild alliances. Being in the same faction was a link that made these guild alliances natural allies.

  Usually, these guild alliances could be seen as a whole, generally called the ‘army players’. However, when it comes to the national war, they still need to be classified separately.

  The various guild alliances that gathered on Planet Milton could be roughly split into four Factions—the Black Star Army Faction led by the Golden Alliance, the Anti-Black Star Faction led by the Galactic Business Alliance, the Three Universal Civilizations Faction led by the September Conference, and the remaining scattered forces mainly consisting of the guilds from other Beyond Grade A organizations and neutral organizations. They fought for their own and had no leader.

  Morning Snow Twilight Frost stood beside the projection, gestured with his hands, and said casually, “… As everyone can see, the Galactic Business Alliance, Northern Battlefront, 5C Alliance, and so on have always targeted us. They’ve set up their strongholds around every one of our strongholds, preventing us from expanding the base, clearly planning to surround us as soon as the war starts.” He was the president of the Dynasty Club’s official guild, also the first president of the Golden Alliance.

  The president of the Temple of God, Jupiter, crossed his legs and said with disdain, “Ha, are these Europeans playing chess? Don’t they know who invented chess?”

  “Our allies are responding too. Some arrived at the locations in advance, so the enemies won’t be able to surround us. Some built strongholds at important strategic locations. It won’t be that easy for the enemies to mess with us,” the president of the Jade Green Sky said slowly.

  The guild alliances of the Black Star Army Faction had made an agreement to follow the lead of the Golden Alliance and fight together. Other than the guild alliances of the Black Star Army Faction, the Golden Alliance also received help from elsewhere, the enemies of their enemies. The enemy’s enemy might not be their friend, but at least there was room for them to work together.

  “In terms of supplies, fleets, and weapons, we have the upper hand. The bulk purchased Evolutionary Badges are also given out, forming close to two hundred demolition divisions of eight hundred members each. In attacking strongholds, they’ll destroy the enemies with the aid of airstrikes very quickly,” a guild president said excitedly.

  Fleets and all kinds of war machines were allowed in this war, but no Planetary Obliteration level weapons were permitted. However, the weapons used had to be bought. This war was a pure battle between the players; getting help from NPCs was clearly forbidden.

  The various large guild alliances hosted this battle mainly to create exposure. The national war aligned with the various clubs’ interests. As long as they could achieve outstanding results in the war or even become the final winners, their guilds would be able to attract more ordinary players, gain more fame, and earn through traffic. This was the goal of professional clubs.

  As for the winning condition, it was very simple. There were mainly two ways. One was to destroy all of the enemy’s strongholds on Planet Milton. After the battle started, the guild alliances would still be able to continue building more strongholds, but the others would be allowed to attack them.

  Another way was to deplete the opposing guild members’ revival times in the week. The players could revive ten times in six days at most on one account, and in such a highly intense war with hundreds of millions of players participating, the frequency of the players dying would become strikingly high. Morning Snow Twilight Frost nodded, turned to the many professional players who were listening on the side, and asked, “How’s the challenge going?”

  King Admiral said lazily, “More wins than losses. I forgot the exact numbers.”

  Bun-Hit-Dog instantly gave a thumbs up with a grin. “No worries, I remember. We’re now at 3,488 wins, 1,142 losses. The win rate is about 75%. It’s glorious!”

  The rules stated that the guilds could not fight each other, but since so many players had gathered there, clearly some would get too bored. Duels were not forbidden, so PVP matches could be seen everywhere.

  =

  Due to this, the various large guild alliances sent out many PVP experts to challenge players of the other guilds. If they won, the other guild’s morale would be affected.

  The results of these duels needed to be promoted to increase the popularity of the guild, so professional reports were needed. Hence, Bun-Hit-Dog, who was a celebrity, was hired by the Golden Alliance as the chief reporter to lead the entire battlefield reporters group, personally in charge of writing the battle reports of the Golden Alliance.

  Such a large-scale national war had players in all kinds of industries participating such as PVP experts, logistics players, management personnel, reporters, and so on. They all had their own job to do. It was a festival.

  As the date for the start of the war approached, the atmosphere on Planet Milton became more and more heavy. A storm was coming.

  The players were not the only ones who paid attention to this war. Even the other organizations paid attention to this war between the Immortals.

  The three Universal Civilizations, Super Star Cluster civilizations, and the other organizations got some information from the players. Although they were surprised by the special hostility between the Immortals, they all did not disrupt them, only observed them, quietly recording the specialties of Immortals.

  If the Black Star Army Faction won his war, Han Xiao would benefit from it too. His faction would be more appealing to the new players. However, he did not plan to interfere. He did not want to ruin this signature event that would certainly be written into the Galaxy Chronicles. He only wanted to stay at home and watch the show while eating some popcorn.

  Time passed. Under the eyes of countless people, the day of the national war finally arrived!

  Chapter 1186: The Tears Pugilists Are Shedding Are All the Water Damage Their Brains Suffered When They Choose Their Class |

  Despite constructing many strongholds on Planet Milton, all the big guild alliances had a main base, usually the first stronghold they built. It had no difference from the other strongholds in terms of rules, but to the players, it was a symbol, like the main city. Dragon Hill was a large hill that surrounded the Golden Alliance’s main base. It originally had no name. The name Dragon Hill was given by the Golden Alliance after they occupied this place. On the day of the beginning of the war, hundreds of battlefields of varying sizes appeared on Planet Milton. Most were between strongholds. Among all these battlefields, Dragon Hill attracted the most attention. This was because the Anti-Black Star Faction had placed their
main forces there, planning to get rid of the Golden Alliance’s main base on the first day of the war. The Golden Alliance, too, placed their main forces there and prepared for it. They had decided to fight head-on.

  Almost ten million players from both factions gathered on Dragon Hill, looking forward to the battle. The countless troops turned this hill into a colorful sea. Teams of players kept shifting locations like tides on the sea.

  The mixed colors came from the troops of the Anti-Black Star Faction, as they wore very different equipment. As for the Golden Alliance, they were wearing the army’s standard mechanical suits, which were black and silver. It was very neat. The Golden Alliance looked like a huge official army, unlike the Anti-Black Star Faction, which looked like a mere mix of small forces.

  The people of the Galactic Business Alliance and other guilds were stationed at the south, east, and west sides, planning to attack from all three directions. The Golden Alliance troops’ formation was circular, wrapped around the main base. The formations of two sides were separated by a wide belt area.

  Inside the strategy surveillance room, the 3D satellite map hovered in the middle.

  Morning Snow Twilight Frost, who took the position as the main commander of the battle, stared closely at the map, giving out orders one after another. The dozen military strategists around him occasionally gave suggestions, while the group of assistants sent the orders down.

  For such a large battle, fighting without an overall strategy would spell certain defeat, so the commanding system was very crucial.

  To prevent electromagnetic or virtual technology disruptions that might prevent the frontlines from receiving orders, both sides chose to use the chat system in the interface as the channel to give out orders.

  The main commander looked over the entire battle and analyzed the situation with the military strategists. The orders would then be passed down by the messengers in the command room to the various high commanders. The high commanders would then swiftly adjust the detailed strategy based on the orders and the situation of the frontlines before giving orders to the intermediate commanders under them. The intermediate commanders would then pass the order down to the team captains at the frontlines, who would then communicate with their team members in the team channel and execute the orders.

  On both sides, there were as many as more than a hundred thousand commanders, the majority being the team captains.

  This procedure looked complicated, but because the chat system was not restricted by distance and everyone did their job properly, it was very efficient.

  If all the players made up a body, the main commanders and the high commanders would be the brain giving the orders, and the intermediate commanders and the team captains would be the nervous system responsible for controlling the body based on the orders the brain gave. Morning Snow Twilight Frost gave a round of orders. Seeing that the troops on his side were all almost in place, he exhaled softly, turned to Jade Green Sky, who was one of the military strategists and asked, “… The setup is about complete. How much time till the war starts?”

  “Six minutes and eleven seconds.”

  “It’s about time. Tell all teams to preheat their weapons. Activate the shields of the base and the frontlines too. At the three-minute mark, have the enchantment Mages start applying buffs and the rest start consuming whatever combat capability enhancement potions they have.”

  The order was quickly passed down. A thick, light-blue energy shield rose around the main base and shrouded it.

  The defense Mage teams at the frontlines started to apply shields and enchanting spells on the other teams around very soon. The Pugilist teams who would be leading the charge also started to inject enhancement potions. These bonuses all had a time limit, so using it right before the start of the war would maximize the effects.

  The Anti-Black Star Faction’s men were doing the same thing. Colorful lights appeared on both sides like a fireworks competition.

  Seconds felt like years in the last three minutes. All the players present were exhilarated and nervous. They held their breath, focused, and waited for the war to start. The atmosphere of the battlefield was silent and intense.

  As the countdown continued, it finally reached zero.

  “Go!”

  At that instant, the earth started trembling!

  The battlefield that was silent just seconds ago was suddenly filled with roars and battle cries. The battle erupted instantly!

  The two stationary seas suddenly turned into raging tsunamis, charging at each other!

  Countless energy beams formed an enormous net on the empty area between the two sides. Tons of players fell during the charge from the opponent’s long ranged attacks. The black and the mixed colored tides quickly closed in on each other and clashed!

  Boom boom boom boom!

  Chains of explosions left cracks and pits on the ground. Dragon Hill swiftly became a mess. The charging teams of both sides collapsed in large areas. In just an instant, countless mechanical soldiers, Pugilists, and melee-ranged Esper players died on the spot. It was a bloodbath! This was not a stage for any one person. No matter how strong a player was, once they got out of the main formation, they would be killed in an instant. Carrying out their individual duties in groups was the only choice.

  “Area C5 and D2, target their Psychic teams! Their AOE is too strong. The shield durability is almost at the warning line!”

  “Defense Mages, keep giving the Pugilists enhancing spells. Throw fire or poison spells or whatever you have toward the enemies! Trap experts, stop f*cking throwing spells and keep planting traps! Summoners, get your babies out quicker… Where’s the attack Mage team of Area B2? Don’t fall out of formation!”

  “Area A1, A4, B2, B6, C1, and D1 Mechanics, quickly disassemble the traps. D9’s artillery is broken. Go repair it. Army Style and Mechanical Pugilists, keep advancing. Cannon Masters, don’t stop attacking. Target their Psychics and Mages. Virtual Mechanics, handle their fleets. Armed and Energy Mechanics, bring out your heavy weapons and continue to fire. Target their Pugilists!”

  “Psychics, focus on their Mechanics. Remember to save your mana… Nice! Someone landed a Super Critical Hit! A ton of enemies have just died!”

  “Espers who are not melee types, don’t rush forward. Stay behind, and step back to recover your mana when you’re out… Didn’t I f*cking tell you not to rush forward? That’s the job of Pugilists! Why the f*ck are you fighting for it?” “Area C2 Pugilists, try to die slower! Get back to the frontlines after reviving. What are you waiting for?” The battle entered the climax instantly. The chat channels were filled with energy, and the commanders were yelling at the top of their lungs.

  The players of the five classes all had their job to do. Psychics were responsible for AOE attacks and applying debuffs. Espers and Mages were responsible for whatever their ability was or what they excelled at.

  The Pugilists were the most tragic, they could only lay down their bodies at the frontlines for the rest to advance. The Pugilists were strong and incredible in the early versions, now they were weak and helpless. How the tables turn.

  After all, Pugilist was a civilian class, the pros of it were that it was easy to play, the fighting style was cool, and it was not bad in duels.

  However, in large battlefields like this, everyone was targeting Pugilists, hoping to deplete their revival times so that their opponent would lose the teams who were leading the charge. In situations like this, the Pugilists’ death rate was far higher than the other four classes. Even the term ‘cool’ was lost on them. They were basically competing on who could die in a flashier way.

  Furthermore, Pugilists did not have any other choices. No one would want them even if they wanted to do construction work in the logistics department; their efficiency was far lower than all kinds of mechanical devices.

  At this time, the thoughts in the various Pugilist players’ minds were shockingly similar.

  F*cking hell, how am I supposed t
o play this class? Comparatively, Mechanics who were weak in the early stages were shining brightly in battles. They were the busiest in the battlefield. They could fight, manage logistics, charge forward, deal both single target and AOE damage, repair, and produce. They were irreplaceable.

  Due to how strategically crucial the Mechanics were, the Golden Alliance had an edge. Because of their faction, the most elite Mechanics among the players were all in the Black Star Army. Basically all of them were members of the Golden Alliance.

  As the battle carried on, the situation started shifting—the Golden Alliance gained the upper hand, and it was expanding.

  The top tier professional players all had the privilege of getting resources poured onto them by their clubs, so the difference between them was not too obvious. However, in terms of overall strength of the players, the Golden Alliance surpassed the Anti-Black Star Faction.

  The Black Star Army had united the Chinese players long ago, saving the players the cost of continuously changing factions. Furthermore, there were all kinds of faction privileges from time to time. Their growth was much more organized than the ‘wild’ players who had been in many different factions in the past versions.

  After close to four versions, the Golden Alliance players were clearly superior in terms of abilities and equipment overall.

  Furthermore, the fake main storyline Han Xiao concluded in advance gave the army players another wave of funds and EXP. One or two players receiving it would not make a difference, but tens of millions of players all received the reward. When that materialized in this battlefield, it increased their edge even further.

  “The casualty count statistics are out!”

  Inside the main base’s command room, Morning Snow Twilight Frost was giving out orders when he received a set of smart statistics. His eyes gleamed.

  “The enemies died 0.742 times on average. For our side, it’s 0.631 times. Wonderful!”

  The people present were overjoyed.

  This data represented the average deaths per player on both sides. Though the difference was only 0.111, in this battle of tens of millions of players, this meant that the players on their side died about five hundred thousand times less than the opponents! “The revive limit is only ten every six days. Finishing those revives means you’re out. Today is the first day of the war, so their bottom line is probably between 1.8 to 2.2. Their charging team has died more times than the average at almost 1.2. They’ll soon be unable to hold on!”