Chapter 514 - - 464 Duge’s New Direction (For Alliance Hierarch’s Shadow Guard, Chakalaga) - 1

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It wasn’t a dodge!

The moment the Sea Swallow Mecha was hit, Duge made a quick judgment.

If it had been a dodging skill, even if his blockade was tight or even if it broke the world’s rules, she would have been able to break through.

But now, she had chosen to take the least damaging hit.

So, was her keyword avoidance or calculation?

Regardless of which, Duge breathed a sigh of relief. It was good that it wasn’t a Limit Dodge; he could kill Xu Wan at any time.

…

The battle ended in the blink of an eye.

Crack!

Luo Yan crushed his cup in his hand.

He stared at the motionless Night Owl, his mouth twitching slightly. Was this the “can’t hit Xu Wan” you were talking about?

Bullshit!

Then.

Luo Yan silently raised Lin Hong’s danger level by a notch.

…

The hatch of the Sea Swallow opened slowly.

Xu Wan jumped out from inside, looking dispirited and pale. “You won.”

“Xu Wan, there’s always someone better,” Duge’s slightly breathless voice came from the Mecha’s external speakers. “You’re facing the entire world. No matter how few strong people there are in a world, they’re not someone you can handle.”

Hearing Duge’s panting, Xu Wan let out a sigh of relief, dismissing the thought that he was an Alien Warrior.

An Alien Warrior wouldn’t be weary after such a battle. It could only mean that this native had just made a move beyond the limits of his physical strength.

Moreover, he didn’t even open the cockpit hatch. He simply didn’t want her to see that he was already at the end of his tether.

Perhaps Lin Hong’s spiritual power was already undermined.

What a stubborn native! Was it worth it, just to beat her?

Xu Wan complained in her mind, but inevitably, she developed a bit of admiration for Lin Hong.

“Wang Zheng, in fighting these people, we absolutely can’t delay,” Duge’s voice continued, “Their spiritual power is enduring. In the shortest time, we need to unleash all our potential to suppress them.”

“Yes, I understand,” Wang Zheng was also speechless, his heart filled with bitterness. I’m not you; I couldn’t do those moves you just did!

But he still cooperated with Duge’s act honestly. After all, Lin Hong had saved face for them. But thinking about his provocations towards Lin Hong in the car, Wang Zheng felt an urge to dig a hole and bury himself.

“Lin Hong, are you going to fight Mo Shengmin as well?” Xu Wan asked, looking at Duge who was putting on airs with feigned toughness.

“No need. His dodging is not as good as yours. Watching the video of my battle with you is enough for him.” Duge snorted lightly, controlling the Night Owl to slowly exit the training field, never showing his face to Xu Wan from beginning to end.

…

“Director Luo, I’m heading back to Imperial University,” Duge said to Luo Yan after returning to the control room. “If Xu Wan and the others ask, just tell them I went to carry out another mission. Then, through someone else, reveal to Xu Wan that my spirit has suffered a setback and I’m recovering.”

“Lin Hong, is it necessary? Wouldn’t it be good to just win her over fair and square?” Luo Yan looked helpless. “Besides, why are you going back to Imperial University? Aren’t the conditions here better than at the university?”

“If I don’t go back to Imperial University, how can I do your dirty work?” Duge glanced at Luo Yan and said, “Do you expect me to disappear every time I take someone out? They would become suspicious before long. Going into hiding now under the guise of healing is best. In the future, if I appear in a different Mecha and win another round or two against them, it could create the false impression that Green Star has plenty of experts to restrain them.”

…

Director Luo stared at Duge somberly, “So all of this was planned by you?”

“It was a spur-of-the-moment idea,” Duge said. “Director Luo, I’m not of much use staying here. In the shadows, I can play any role, which will be the most significant help to you. Isn’t there the battle network? You can contact me through it anytime you need.”

“Okay then!” Luo Yan nodded.

“Moreover, remove the people around me who are watching me. The more people know my identity, the greater the chance of exposure. We need to eliminate all risks,” Duge looked at Luo Yan. “You can rest easy. I would never do anything to harm Green Star.”

“I will,” Luo Yan nodded again, smiling. “I’ll have Nalan Li take you back. I have a lot to do next, and I might not be able to take care of you. Most of the time, you’ll be in contact with Nalan Li.”

A beauty trap?

Duge recalled the scene where he had presented Nalan Li with a flower using a dagger and smiled, “Good, once you start recruiting or eliminating players, give me a list in advance. I’ll secretly collect some intel for you, to probe their skills and such. If I make any big moves, I’ll inform you as well.”

…

Nalan Li drove Duge back to Imperial University, but left without even getting out of the car.

She knew what Luo Yan intended.

But the matters concerning the Alien Warriors were too multifaceted, and as Luo Yan’s second-in-command, she didn’t have the spare energy to cultivate any feelings with Duge.

Moreover, she didn’t see any hint of desire in Duge’s eyes; dealing with such a person, business must be strictly business.

…

Upon returning to Imperial University, Duge immediately sought out Tang Houming.

He wasn’t there to revoke his leave; instead, he was there for special privileges.

Having experienced operating mechas at Strategy Bureau Headquarters, Duge had realized the flaws of the mechas and set his mind on improving them. The mechas at the Strategic Defense Bureau weren’t as complete as those at Imperial University.

Also, Duge didn’t want to work under Luo Yan.

Alien Warriors were all eagle-eyed and sharp-eared; it would be problematic if they accidentally discovered his true identity.

In this Alien Battlefield, Duge had no intention of revealing his true face.

Now, what troubled Duge the most was the rank announcement in a month’s time.

His shiny top rank would bring him innumerable troubles.

But with the end of the month still far off, there should be ways to deal with it. At worst, after his skills were all brushed up, he could think of a way to get Luo Yan’s cooperation, to help some Alien Warriors rise in the ranks.

As long as his own ranking dropped out of the top ten, he could naturally maintain a low profile.

With the control of public opinion through the battle network, producing a few internet stars isn’t too difficult a task.

Knowing Duge’s true identity, Tang Houming naturally wouldn’t refuse his request and granted him special privileges as a matter of course, even allocating to him a small training field for his exclusive use.

That same day.

Duge went through the actual operations of several commonly used mecha models in his own small training field, pinpointing their deficiencies and flaws.

He then logged onto the battle network, ignoring the overflowing messages and connection requests that nearly burst his inbox, and directly entered the mecha R&D module.

Lin Hong’s dream was to design a new type of mecha for Gu Qingyan.

Therefore, he expended a great deal of spiritual power to learn a lot about mecha development, even earning a title of junior designer in the mecha R&D module.

But the knowledge Lin Hong acquired was pitifully little; in the mecha design module, he was practically invisible, not even garnering a single follower, and even with a name change, nobody noticed.

Duge deleted all the previous help requests he had sent, and with that, Lin Hong’s traces on the battle network were thoroughly erased.

After that.

Duge immediately applied for the assessment of an intermediate designer.

Questions on high-end mecha modifications and upgrades posted in the junior designer module would hardly be noticed for ages, but in the senior or special designer module, they were guaranteed to cause an instant sensation.

Before applying for the assessment, Duge had considered whether to change his “Kill One Every Ten Steps” ID for a new alias, but after some thought, he decided against it.

No matter what alias he used, the attributes accumulated would eventually stack onto him; creating such diversions was pointless.

Moreover, the more versatile and powerful “Kill One Every Ten Steps” was on the battle network, the more low-key Duge, who stayed out of sight, would appear.

The mecha designer’s assessment didn’t require combat, nor was there any human invigilation; candidates just needed to answer questions, and passing scores naturally led to advancement.

Of course.

This applied only to the assessments for junior and intermediate designers. When it came to the assessment for senior designers, it involved complex mecha problems often posed by the designers themselves, which could hardly be solved without practical operation.

This was also a way for special designers to pick their disciples.

The knowledge involved in the intermediate designer’s assessment was extensive, and little birds like Lin Hong naturally wouldn’t pass, but Duge’s memory was extraordinary. The mecha knowledge he had acquired in recent days at Imperial University was deeply imprinted in his mind.

Basic knowledge couldn’t stump him at all, and in less than half an hour, he passed the intermediate designer’s assessment with a perfect score, even breaking a record for the intermediate assessment.

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