The energy system, control system, and transmission system are all the most advanced, because it also belongs to a light mecha, it's not equipped with many weapons, but it has everything from light and heavy weapons, defense shields, jamming systems, to camouflage systems --- at least ten levels higher than the Sea Swallow mecha.

Not to mention the others.

Just considering the energy system alone, Phantom could exhaust the Sea Swallow to death without even attacking, thanks to the high efficiency in energy utilization inherent to the mecha itself.

...

"Brother Shibu, I'm your fan, are you sure you won't change your mecha? I watched your last two matches, and I admit your skills are extremely high, but the gap between our mechas is too big. Defeating you would feel like a hollow victory, I would rather have a fair fight with you."

The pilot controlling Phantom is named Wu You, a junior from the Army Academy with the title of senior pilot. After entering the match, he didn't launch an attack but instead called out on the public channel.

"No need, I'll change the mecha when it gets destroyed. Let's go!" Having defeated Qu Yaqi, Duge originally planned to take a shot at the senior pilot title in one go. However, the registration fee for a senior pilot was a steep five thousand, and one had to win ten matches in the promotion games as a mid-level pilot to qualify for registration.

Duge had to pause his advance to fight in the promotion games using the mid-level module in mecha training.

The battle against Qu Yaqi made him realize the gap between mechas.

Undeniably, upgrading to a higher-class mecha would make the upcoming fights easier.

But Duge didn't come here to win; he sought the shock factor.

To achieve influence over the world in the shortest time possible was the only way to highlight his low-key presence in real life.

So.

The most ordinary Sea Swallow mecha became the best choice. Duge felt that the Sea Swallow mecha had not yet reached its full potential in his hands.

Moreover.

He didn't have enough money to buy a better-performing mecha anyway.

A mecha with average performance wouldn't differ much from the Sea Swallow, and he wouldn't even have enough for the registration fee by then.

Fortunately, there were prizes for the victors in the promotion games, which could also solve Duge's need for money.

To create a quiet competition environment for the pilots, once the match begins, the pilots cannot see the number of spectators.

So, after two matches, Duge had no idea what was happening outside, nor did he know he had become the hottest star in Green Star.

The fact that the opposing pilot said he was his fan also vaguely made Duge guess that perhaps Feng Chen's video might have gone viral.

"Don't, after this match, can we become friends?" Wu You still didn't make a move and said on the public channel, "I'm from the Army Academy, and I'm really impressed by your mecha shooting skills. My instructor is an ace pilot, and if possible, he would like to invite you to teach at the Army Academy..."

"I prefer solitude to friendship," said Duge indifferently. "And I'm even less interested in teaching."

...

Seeing Wu You trying to cozy up to Duge on the battlefield, the audience erupted in murmurings.

Shang Jiliang's face turned dark as he grumbled, "Recruiting on the battlefield, how shameless."

Ye Feng smiled, "If he can recruit, so can we. I'll go down there myself later and drop your name. He'll come running to our Third Corps in no time."

"No, you're not worthy. I'll go myself," Shang Jiliang turned to look at his student, "I'll use Blade to fight him later. I want to see if I can dodge his shooting."

...

"Yu Ning, I also want to test his skill level in a match later."

Gu Qingyan's eyes sparkled with a fighting spirit as she watched Duge on the field. The recordings of his first three matches had been uploaded to the battle network, and she had watched those three videos before entering the room.

Duge defeated those three mid-level pilots using the same technique he used to beat Blade, destroying the radar with consecutive shots, then using rapid fire to breach the cockpit.

She, too, wanted to try if she could evade Duge's rapid fire.

"Taken a fancy to him?" Shen Yuning teased with a laugh.

"It's his skills that I fancy," Gu Qingyan shot her best friend a glance, retorting.

"I think you want to be pierced by him ten times over!" Shen Yuning giggled, "Yan Zi, you better think it through. You're quite well-known on the battle network, and those media folks, corrupted by 'Kill One Every Ten Steps', if you got defeated by her... who knows how they might spin it?"

"..." Gu Qingyan paused, fell silent for a moment, and said, "Yu Ning, my goal is to become an ace pilot. Even if they give me bad press, I still have to try and learn from his skills. Only by sparring with such strong opponents can my own level improve."

"One spar won't improve anything," Shen Yuning said with a smile. "But if you could get his contact information, perhaps he could teach you personally."

"I'll try," Gu Qingyan said, "Yu Ning, I hope you'll also join later. If I can't get his contact, it'll be your turn..."

"..." Shen Yuning's eyes widened. She turned her head to look at the field. "You can go if you want to, but not me. Everyone can hear what's said on the public channel. If both flowers from Imperial University go asking for a man's contact, I can't afford that kind of embarrassment."

...

In the stands.

Feng Chen looked at Duge below and greened with regret.

He hated himself for being blind to talent, for writing off his skill as mere dumb luck.

Such a solid foundation of support, and he had simply let it slip through his fingers. If he had gotten the contact of that god-tier player, it would be like owning a gold mine.