The Mech Touch novel Chapter 2791

Chapter 2791 - Faerie Stinger

Two rapid forms soared in the air!

After pitting two sluggish defensive mechs against each other, the third duel presented viewers with a completely different experience.

Two different light skirmishers were zipping around the dueling ring. Even though they were forced to make frequent turns due to the limited dimensions of the fighting area, this gave center stage to the mobility of the dueling mechs!

Even minor differences in agility, acceleration, mass and so on became crucial. The mech that was able to move a little faster than the other would always be able to secure the initiative.

At least, that was what people were used to seeing from duels between two swift machines. _{freewebnøvel.coɱ}

The reality was very different!

One form was lighter and possessed a greater thrust-to-weight ratio for that reason. Yet this light mech was doing everything possible to distance itself from the opposing mech!

The other mech was not as fast and nimble as the other mech, but it exuded so much threat that its opponent simply refused to clash upfront!

The audience sitting on the elevated viewing platforms extended from the crown of trees all fell silent.

Their enthusiasm quickly faded after the start of the third match. There was very little to cheer about once the two mechs exchanged their first blows.

Practically even before the biomech designed by Dr. Navarro closed in to perform an attack on its opponent, it was already attempting to escape!

The battle never turned around after that. Even though the two mechs were supposed to be in the same range, one mech acted like a scared rabbit while the other flew forward like a shark smelling blood!

"This is a disgrace!" Someone yelled!

"I thought the mech pilot of the Faerie Stinger was supposed to be a military mech pilot. Why isn’t Katarina Volsemar turning around to fight the metal mech like a real soldier?"

"Light mech pilots are all cowards! They just differ by their degree of cowardness. We just had the bad luck of drawing the more frightened mech pilot this time!"

Stunned dismay soon transformed into pejorative remarks. The frustrated Lifers who expected to see a repeat of the second match’s glorious victory instead witnessed a completely different show.

They all felt scammed!

They all thought that there was something wrong in Volsemar’s head!

How could the design duel possibly attract such a flawed mech pilot?

The only reason why the audience hadn’t let their tempers rise any further was the realization that she would become Ves’ problem in the second phase.

Still, so long as Katarina Volsemar piloted a biomech, she was practically shaming the LRA’s entire biomech industry in a live broadcast watched by an uncountable amount of people!

"These people don’t understand!" The much-maligned mech pilot spoke through gritted teeth. "It’s not as if I want to run away, but I have no choice. I can’t maintain my battle effectiveness when I’m in the vicinity of that infernal metallic mech!"

She expected a very different fight. As an experienced special operations mech pilot, Volsemar went through plenty of tough situations. She had come on top in situations where she was outnumbered, where her unit performed a classified mission but got cut off and even fought against an expert pilot and managed to live to tell the tale!

Her mental fortitude was anything but feeble. In fact, the people who approached her with the offer to participate in the design duel explicitly told her that they were looking for someone who could endure a lot of mental pressure.

They even gave her a heads-up on the mech she was about to fight in the first match. While information on the second-class version of the Ferocious Piranha was fairly sparse, she was able to study the third-class version extensively.

She even had the opportunity to experience its glow in person, allowing her to get accustomed to it as much as possible before the match began!

Yet for all of her preparations, acclimatizing to the glow at rest was completely different from experiencing it during combat.

For one, the Ferocious Piranha’s threat never centered around its glow alone. It was the combination that truly comprised the hurdle that she had to overcome.

Even if she was strong enough to maintain her wits at close range, she still had to exert significant mental effort in order to properly pilot her mech.

"Hahaha! I love this mech!" The mech pilot of the pursuing machine exulted. "Every light mech should be like this! Hardly anyone can match me in close-quarters combat as long as I’m piloting a Ferocious Piranha!"

Rez Killigan indeed realized his current advantage! As a military scout, he did not clash against hostile mechs very often, but learned the capitalize the opportunity when it presented itself!

He unabashedly drove his Ferocious Piranha forth, trying to keep up the pressure by sheathing one of the heated daggers of the mech in order to pull out a pistol and firing potshots at the biomech’s colorful flight system.

The Faerie Stinger was supposed to be a challenging mech to overcome. Compared to the Ferocious Piranha, the uncovered biomech fared worse against attacks but possessed a very crucial speed advantage. Its exceptional nimbleness and flightiness turned it into a fantastic aerial duelist.

The biomech’s offensive power was also fairly potent. It was armed with two fang-like daggers that were designed to sink into weak points in order to inject corrosive acid through the hollow tubes running through the length of the weapons.

The specially-formulated corrosive acid had the potential to seriously damage or degrade the internals of either biomechs or metallic mechs.

In fact, according to the information provided by the mech, the acid tanks of his Faerie Stinger currently carried a substance that was supposed to be especially potent against metallic components.

Seeing that the Faerie Stinger’s biopistol required far too much time to penetrate the Ferocious Piranha’s exterior, Volsemar finally gave in to the inevitable.

"I’m not running away anymore!"

Unfortunately for Volsemar, her determination to acquit herself well encountered some issues.

The damage inflicted on the rear of the Faerie Stinger slightly reduced its maneuverability. This caused the mech to become a little more clumsier up close.

Combined with the overpowering disorientation field projected by the Ferocious Piranha, Volsemar felt as if she was forced to fight with two hands bound behind her back!

Her responsiveness and ability to plan out her moves suffered badly the closer she got to the LMC mech.

Killigan clearly noticed the difference and fought more aggressively as a result. Even if he took some risks, his opponent wasn’t capable of exploiting his openings!

"I’ll finish you off before you can turn the tide!"

He took no chances and ruthlessly pressed his Ferocious Piranha close. With some clever moves, the metallic mech batted aside the stinger daggers and plunged into the c.h.e.s.t and lower abdomen of the Faerie Stinger!

Smoke sizzled from the wounds as the red-hot daggers pierced deeply and inflicted a lot of heat damage to boot!

Unlike wounds inflicted by regular blades, it was a lot harder for a biomech to heal flesh that had been burned or cauterized.

The initial stab already damaged or destroyed numerous biocomponents. This prevented the Faerie Stinger from mounting a defense before the Ferocious Piranha pulled out its weapons and stabbed a second time!

"Kill!"

A succession of stabs ensued as heated dagger after heated dagger turned the c.h.e.s.t of the biomech into an ugly rendition of a victim of a serious killer!

Upon the fourteenth stab, a massive energy shield f.o.r.c.i.b.l.y bounced the dagger aside.

[The third match has ended! Mr. Larkinson has achieved his second victory in the first phase. The score is now 2-1 in favor of our foreign visitor.]

The end of this match felt like a relief to all of the Lifers. The audience had long accepted the possibility of defeat. They could only hope that Dr. Navarro would be able to improve the Faerie Stinger before the next phase commenced.

"We only have two more chances left to gain the upper hand today. Please, don’t drop the ball again."