Alien Relic Hunter

…

Generally speaking, teams participating in mecha competitions are divided into three levels.

First of all, there is the "rich level". This level is undoubtedly a strong team. To become a "rich level" team, you need to have at least three ace pilots... And some rich families with deep foundations, except for the starting three In addition to all of them being ace pilots, even the fourth substitute was an ace or quasi-ace pilot.

Every "rich" team is a strong candidate for the championship. Unless these teams are placed in the so-called "Group of Death," qualifying is basically a certainty for them.

The second level is the "ordinary level" with one or two ace pilots. This type of team has the most teams among the participating teams. People like Ke Lan and the Angres Club belong to this level.

As for the remaining level, it is called the "make-up level"... The main feature of this type of team is that it does not even have an ace or quasi-ace pilot. You can know this from the literal meaning. Teams like this are basically made up of numbers. Without the ace in charge, it is impossible to qualify from the group stage.

The concept of ace pilot comes from the term "ace pilot (ACE)" in the old era. Generally speaking, only pilots who shoot down five or more enemy planes in combat can win this honor. In human history, Among them, the ace pilot with the most number of kills was Major Erich Hartmann of the Luftwaffe during World War II. From 1942 to 1945 in the old era, in just three years, he shot down 352 enemy aircraft.

But on the Ark, it is no longer realistic to rely on kill statistics to evaluate the "ace pilot" - the war within mankind has long ended, and in the battle against the indigenous creatures of Alpha Planet, it is difficult to compare the kill numbers. Exact statistics: Compared with killing five crackjaws and killing five thunder beasts, the difference in gold content is huge.

At this time, the ace standard of the new era naturally emerged: any pilot who has won the "Steel Blade" medal in the military, or successfully defeated three opponents with M9 level licenses in a one-on-three battle, and A pilot whose own body is not seriously damaged can obtain the title of "Ace Pilot".

(The mecha driving license on the Ark is divided into nine levels: the lowest is M1, the highest is M9.)

Pilots who come from the military basically fall into the former category, while most pilots who come from professional competitive clubs can only rely on the second method to obtain the title of ace.

This has resulted in an interesting phenomenon: most people who have served in the military do not agree with the second type of ace. However, Chi Hanfeng said that Valentina had a chance to become a "real ace", referring to That's what I mean.

Of course, ace pilot is just an honorary title. Although it reflects the pilot's own strength level to a certain extent, it cannot be used as an accurate benchmark: after all, the new ace who shot down five enemy planes is an ace, and Hartmann, who shot down 352 aircraft, was also an ace.

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Ke Lan and the others are in Group A. Apart from themselves and Angres Club, as well as the two powerful teams from the second "Fight of the Gods", three of the remaining six teams are "make up numbers". "Two of the teams are "ordinary" on the same level as them, and only one is a "quasi" wealthy team with one ace pilot and two "quasi" ace pilots.

The so-called "quasi" ace level generally refers to a pilot who has completed a one-on-three challenge, but his own body has been severely damaged and he can hardly win... Although these people are not as good as real aces, they can still be considered as letting them win. Every club is eager for outstanding talents.

The opponent Ke Lan and the others will face in the second game is this "quasi" wealthy team.

"But this team's machine... is a little weird." Hound sat on the sofa in the living room with his legs crossed, looking at the public information of each participating team in his hand, and couldn't help but muttered.

"Strange?" Ivan put the wine bottle on the coffee table, walked over, took the information from the hound, looked at it twice, and his eyebrows wrinkled.

"Beast-type mecha? How did this machine pass the inspection? Didn't it say that the participating machines are only two types: humanoid four-meter class and humanoid six-meter class?" Ivan asked.

"The four-meter and six-meter humanoids refer to the skeleton." Layton picked his teeth with the metal toothpick that popped out from the end of his mechanical little finger. "I was on this beast-type mecha before the competition even started. Pay attention... It uses the standard 'Steel Sand Type VI' skeleton. This is a six-meter humanoid mecha skeleton. It was developed by Mokang Industry in New Era 47. It is a high-end cargo that has just been launched three years ago. ."

He continued: "The 'Steel Sand' series of skeletons, from Type 1 to Type 6, are all on the list of skeletons available for the competition - but this series of skeletons has a special feature: as long as the locks on the joints are released, the skeleton on the All active joints of the mecha can rotate 360 ​​degrees in both forward and reverse directions... The mechanic who modified this mecha just put its limbs on the ground and then folded all the knees, which did not violate the rules of the game. ."

"Then what's the benefit of changing to all fours? You're missing two arms to hold weapons..." Zhuoligetu lay on the carpet and tried to simulate the movements of the beast-shaped mecha, "I always feel... This is very awkward..."

"It feels awkward because you are a human being, not a machine. As long as there is no problem with the transmission structure, the mobility of this mecha will only be stronger." Chi Hanfeng said in a deep voice, "Actually, I have always believed that the humanoid Mechas are not the best form of mechas. The reason why the mecha competition requires the use of humanoid skeletons is purely for the viewing pleasure of the competition."

"Generally speaking, in actual combat, all-terrain mechas will be bipedal like a 'walker' or multi-legged like a spider. In open plains, whether it is a tracked or wheeled armored vehicle, They are all more cost-effective than mechas." Layton took over the words and said, "Although animal-shaped mechas cannot hold weapons, the power they can erupt from their four legs is faster than humanoid legs, and their crawling posture can also be reduced. Frontal bombardment area.”

"As for the weapons, they can be mounted on the shoulders and back. The sharp claws at the end of its limbs also allow it to have stronger melee capabilities than humanoid mechas... Oh, by the way, pay attention to this wolf head." Layton pointed to the information. The photo in said, "Although the other party has not disclosed all the information, don't think that this wolf head is purely a decoration. I bet that there must be a weapon in the mouth of this wolf head, either a large-caliber rail gun or a Gate cluster laser cannon."

Layton arched his waist, raised his arms forward, made a pounce gesture, and said: "Imagine this guy is moving at high speed on four legs, and you are already close to him before you even aim at it. , then jumps up and pounces on your body, clasps the shoulders with both claws, opens the wolf's mouth, and shoots you directly with the muzzle in the throat... If you are holding a weapon, it will be worse in close combat. It’s difficult to aim, and the too-long barrel can become a burden.”

"But this machine body is not without its shortcomings...it has too many magical modifications, and many parts are no longer compatible with standard modular components. If it reaches the knockout stage, it will not be able to use many of the materials put in the arena. Use it." Chi Hanfeng said.

"But the problem is... we met this guy in the group stage..." Leighton let out a long breath, "One-on-one regular season, the venue is an abandoned city... This game is not easy to win. By the way. , Valentina, how sure do you think you are?"

"I don't know." Valentina shook her head, "But I will try my best."

[P.S. Thank you Yan Ye for the 1,000 starting coins. 】