CH 13

13. *Tian Nan Mingzhu

"Please sign for your cockpit delivery."

The two deliverymen skillfully brought in a virtual cockpit that was nearly two meters tall. After taking a glance at the modest interior decoration, they showed surprise. "Is it supposed to be placed here?"

"Yes, here is fine," replied Ji Mingzhu calmly, smiling friendly at the two men.

This residential area belonged to the subsidized housing program, meant for low-income individuals or struggling students. Buying an expensive cockpit under such circumstances seemed like an impulsive purchase.

The deliverymen thought this way in their minds, but they didn't show it on their faces. They curiously sized up Ji Mingzhu for a moment and quickly installed the cockpit.

A technologically advanced, streamlined cockpit stood out in the simple and narrow rental room. However, Ji Mingzhu's gaze towards the cockpit was filled with nostalgia.

"Although it added an extra loan burden," Ji Mingzhu reached out and touched the smooth and cool surface of the cockpit, "it feels good."

"I'm sorry, I don't quite understand," came Axiu's voice. "I can modify your account balance. Why did you choose to purchase the cockpit through a loan?"

Ji Mingzhu explained, "It sounds good, but in doing so, wouldn't it expose my true identity?"

If there was suddenly an additional sum of money in Ji Mingzhu's account without any explanation, it would undoubtedly raise suspicions. Especially if Ji Mingzhu were to enter the assessment list for the Titan pilot position in the future, given the prudence of the Calamity Control Bureau, they would certainly investigate their background. Ji Mingzhu didn't want to leave behind such a potential risk.

As for the issue of the loan, Ji Mingzhu had already figured it out. Working a regular job was out of the question. "Warfall" was a nationwide game in this world, and with their skills, earning money in the game would be a breeze. Ji Mingzhu wasn't worried about that.

He had never been short of money. He had no concept of poverty. In his time, professional gamers who excelled in games were welcomed everywhere. Moreover, his own family background was good. His older brother, Ji Qiming, was a scientist with multiple patents, and Ji Mingzhu had never experienced hardships growing up. Playing games was simply a result of his own interests, but he never expected to become a professional player later on, and unintentionally even became a world champion.

The coach at the club where he worked had said more than once that talent was a fickle thing, and fairness had little to do with it. Other professional players trained late into the night and still couldn't achieve results, while Ji Mingzhu could win championships with minimal effort. It's true that some people have all the luck.

After a quick adjustment, he effortlessly reclined into the cockpit.

The interior of the cockpit in this world was nearly identical to the one in his original world. Without any prompts from Axiu, Ji Mingzhu deftly pressed a series of buttons, quickly immersing himself in the game.

A burst of light flickered before his eyes, prompting Ji Mingzhu to close them. The next moment, his consciousness sank into the virtual world. When he opened his eyes again, he beheld a grand CG scene.

A desolate and ravaged battlefield, explosions and fires everywhere, and above, the interplay of moonlight and lightning cut through the thick darkness, illuminating several colossal entities on the ground.

Giant mechas clashed with terrifying sea-dwelling creatures. These grotesque creatures had eerie and horrifying designs. Some were composed entirely of writhing crimson flesh, while others resembled ancient mythological dragons, opening their ferocious jaws to effortlessly crush a mecha. The camera angle shifted multiple times, showcasing the surging sea, flashing thunder, and an apocalyptic landscape that brought a powerful visual impact, making one feel the insignificance and despair in the face of the immense power of the creatures.

Just as the mecha forces were on the verge of defeat, a loud rumble echoed in the distance. A colossal humanoid mecha, towering like a mountain, raced forward, each step causing the ground to tremble!

It was none other than the "Guardian" of the capital city, Titan, Zhu Jiuyin!

Although Zhu Jiuyin stood hundreds of meters tall, massive and imposing, its design was sleek and flawless, exuding a sense of agility. Its armor was entirely crimson as if drenched in blood. Midway through its charge, the entire mecha leapt high into the air, almost piercing through the clouds!

In the next second, Zhu Jiuyin's hand armor released a crimson alloy blade. The blade was slender and straight, resembling a Tang sword, and it descended with a terrifying impact. Lightning broke through the dark clouds, painting an intense backdrop akin to an epic painting. The alloy blade cut through the air unhindered and pierced into the head of one of the creatures!

"Boom!"

The massive creature collapsed, but undeterred, two equally colossal creatures emerged from the depths of the sea, charging and attacking Zhu Jiuyin.

With a buzzing sound that tore through the air, a rotating arrow shot from afar. In slow motion, one could see the arrowhead rapidly splitting apart, while laser light burst out from the tail. It accelerated once again along its trajectory, like lightning, before piercing into the body of the creature. The next moment, a magnificent explosion resembling a nuclear blast occurred!

Amidst the flames, the camera zoomed out, revealing a Titan from Suzhou City slowly lowering the magnificent mechanical bow in his hands.

This was Xuanming, the Titan from Suzhou.

Ji Mingzhu was captivated by the spectacle, but then he heard a thunderous sound from above. He lifted his gaze toward the sky—

A scorching blaze tore through the dark night, bombarding the ground. The platinum-colored light spot grew larger as it approached from a distance as if a blazing sun suddenly rose in the night sky.

A shooting star?

—No, it wasn't a shooting star. This blazing flame crashed down, reducing one of the creatures to dust, even evaporating the dark-colored seawater into countless steam. The sea level experienced a brief decrease.

A red mecha adorned with flame patterns emerged and reached out a hand to lift Zhu Jiuyin, who had been impacted and thrown aside.

The Titan from Yangyuan City, Zhu Rong.

The previous beam of light was Zhu Rong's special weapon—the Celestial Empress Orbital Penetrator. It rotates in space like a celestial body and can unleash devastating strikes on the ground. Although it can only store and launch one shot per battle, its power was clearly demonstrated just now.

All twelve Titans, symbolizing the pinnacle of mecha technology, made their appearances, igniting even Ji Mingzhu's blood with excitement. The final scene froze in the sky, and as lightning flashed, the dark clouds gradually dispersed, revealing the words "Warfall."

As a promotional video, the opening scene of the game was undoubtedly extremely successful, leaving Ji Mingzhu yearning for the Titans and evoking a sense of awe and pride in human technology among all those who watched it.

However, it did raise a slight question in Ji Mingzhu's mind. If the Titans truly possess such terrifying power, then in comparison, it seems like the creatures have no means to fight back at all, right? With the Orbital Penetrator in play, a single projectile could obliterate the mountain-like creatures. If they made more of these weapons, wouldn't the creatures have been eradicated long ago? Why did humans have to take refuge in the satellite cities?

Perhaps it was because it was a promotional video that the capabilities of the Titans were exaggerated...

After all, this world had more advanced technology. The "Warfall" here surpassed the game Ji Mingzhu was familiar with in his original world by more than just one level. After all, the game in Ji Mingzhu's previous world was based on semi-virtual technology, while here, they used immersive consciousness technology, providing a level of game immersion and realism that was incomparable.

"Welcome to Warfall."

A clear and crisp female voice brought Ji Mingzhu's thoughts back.

"Your cockpit has no existing account record. Would you like to create a new account?"

"Yes."

"Please name your account."

Ji Mingzhu didn't hesitate: "Tian Nan."

“Tian Nan”, is the ID Ji Mingzhu chose when he first played Warfall. However, he hadn't used it after he started his professional gaming career. For competitions, he used his real name.

"Naming successful. Please choose your initial mecha model."

With a beam of light, rows of mechas with various designs and colors appeared in front of Ji Mingzhu.

Ji Mingzhu glanced over them, recognizing only a few models. He was familiar with most of the others.

Azure Storm, Overload Bomber, Savior Mark IV, Winter Amber...

In Warfall, mechas were categorized into different grades, from D to S. Players could earn points through battles to purchase higher-grade models or upgrade their existing mechas to improve their mecha's level.

Just like real mechas, higher-grade models were equipped with more powerful weapons, including power cores and armor materials. S-grade mechas could easily dominate lower-grade mechas. 

Beyond S-grade were the Titans. Disappointingly, Warfall did not offer a way to acquire Titans. The desire to pilot a Titan mecha, which countless players had, remained only within the promotional videos. It was likely that the Thunder Division was concerned about the potential leakage of Titan mecha data.

Upon further consideration, it made sense. After all, once Titan-level mechas were introduced, there would be no need for competitions. It would be a complete domination. A few S-grade mechas combined would still fall short against a single Titan's attack.

From another perspective, the existence of Titans served as motivation for players to strive for. Reaching a certain rank value in the game and demonstrating remarkable talent could earn players invitations from the Thunder Division. They might have the chance to become real mecha pilots and even visit the Titans. It was an offer that most players would find difficult to refuse.

The initial mecha models provided by the system were all D-grade basic models. Ji Mingzhu quickly chose his initial mecha.

Azure Storm, an assault-type mecha with a blue paint job. Its main weapon was an ND alloy blade. It was well-balanced in all aspects, neither outstanding nor lacking in any particular area.

However, it made no difference to Ji Mingzhu. Even if it was just a D-grade mecha, he was confident he could outperform most players piloting top-grade mechas.

"Please choose your correction ratio. Note that the correction affects the difficulty of mecha operation. The lower the correction, the more realistic the mecha operation. For beginner players, it is recommended to set the correction ratio between 75% and 90%."

Ji Mingzhu didn't hesitate for a moment: "0%."

"Would you like to adjust the correction ratio to 0%? Warning, with 0% correction, the system will not provide any operational adjustments to the player. Please choose carefully."

Ji Mingzhu smiled calmly and confidently: "Confirmed."