Reboot: Mechanic

As the bet was proposed and agreed upon by Mary, there was a palpable tension in the air. 

Shi Tian's confidence seemed to have swayed Mary into taking the risk, given there was no harm in losing or winning either. Meanwhile, Vanessa found herself cornered by Mary's persuasive and devious tactics.

And as she was not one to back down easily, Vanessa took a deep breath and finally relented. 

"Fine, I'll accept the bet. But remember, if you fail, you owe me two favors." She said and raised her two fingers up, indicating that she was serious.

Shi Tian grinned, feeling a sense of accomplishment. 

"Deal. You won't be disappointed." He said. 

This was his chance to shine and stop being underestimated by these two women constantly. He might not have said it, but being weaker than these two was somewhat irritating to him.

He wanted to seek revenge, but if his strength wasn't even adequate enough to gain the respect of Mary and Vanessa. 

Then what revenge was he seeking? 

He might as well just hide in the corner and rat around till the end of his life.

And with the terms set, they refocused on the task at hand. 

Shi Tian began brainstorming ideas for traps that might catch Theobold's elite soldiers off guard. He knew that confronting them directly would likely end in disaster, so a more strategic approach was necessary.

Mary, being the more experienced fighter, offered insights into the mindset and tactics of elite soldiers. Vanessa, with her technical expertise, suggested ways to use their equipment against them.

Although they were making a bet, their goal was nonetheless the same. 

Mary and Vanessa wouldn't be foolish enough to let Shi Tian work alone even if it meant their chance of winning the bet increased. 

Betting was secondary, but their primary goal was to capture the enemy. 

As the trio continued to discuss their battle plan, Shi Tian subsequently made the decision to get off the Iron Sentinel to be the vanguard. 

"No, that's too dangerous for you, Nathan." Mary was the first to ban his idea. "You are weak, and that's a fact. You can't even contest against one of the elite soldiers of Commander Theobold, so going on a vanguard is essentially going to die." 

Vanessa nodded her head in agreement. 

"Kralos Tal is a strong hunter, and even he would struggle to fight multiple elite soldiers by himself. So what makes you think you can do the same?" She clarified, letting Shi Tian understand the difference in strength. 

"Rest assured, you two." Shi Tian smiled and said, understanding their worries for him. 

"I know you don't trust me when it comes to fighting, but believe me. Do I look like the type to seek death?" He then asked. 

And sure enough, both Vanessa and Mary subsequently stopped when they pondered over it.

To them, Shi Tian was the calm and cautious type. He would never make a move unless he was absolutely positive about something. 

Not to mention, he was like a cockroach, never dying and always coming back strong. Even Kralos Tal himself had stated Shi Tian was an annoying cockroach and despised him deeply. 

As the discussion continued, Vanessa and Mary began to see the wisdom in Shi Tian's cautious approach. While they had reservations about his combat abilities, they couldn't deny his knack for survival and adaptability.

Vanessa leaned back, her eyes locked onto Shi Tian. "You have a point. You might not be a powerhouse, but you've survived situations that would have killed most. I've seen it myself."

Mary nodded in agreement. "And you have a way of outthinking your opponents. If we're going to capture these elite soldiers without getting ourselves killed, we'll need a strategy, not brute force."

Shi Tian's grin widened, knowing he had won them over with his logic and their own observations of his capabilities. 

"Exactly. I'll play to my strengths and use strategy to give us the upper hand." He said menacingly. 

Fighting isn't always about brute force. Most of the time, fighting is won through strategy and perception. 

Just because you might have the strength to do so, if you aren't capable of landing a hit on the enemy, then there is no point in being powerful.

"I'm not trying to be a party pooper, Nathan. The strategy is good, but do you think it's enough against these elite soldiers?" Mary asked doubtfully. 

"Nothing is for sure of course, but I believe in one thing. And that is if you're human, then you will make mistakes." Shi Tian smiled mysteriously. 

Regardless of how intelligent or powerful one was, so long as they're human, then they would make mistakes. Humans are not robots that are programmed to do specific tasks without fail.

Humans are human because they have emotions and can make decisions that a robot is incapable of having. 

Thus, the elite soldiers might be considered elite, but at the end of the day, they are humans. And humans tend to make mistakes under unforeseeable circumstances. 

"No more doubting ourselves anymore." Shi Tian said adamantly. 

"The two of you will begin to advance forward while I stay behind." He continued, picking up a mask by the counter, and was ready to move out. 

Knowing that he was adamant and persistent about it, Mary no longer attempted to stop him. And neither did Vanessa as they merely told him to stay safe and retreat if anything were to go wrong.

"Don't worry. If things are truly bad, then I'll be running faster than the speed of light." Shi Tian chuckled softly, grabbing a box full of arsenal and exiting the Iron Sentinel.

A few minutes later, Shi Tian watched as the Iron Sentinel drove away, calmly glancing at them from behind.

Once the Iron Sentinel was officially out of sight, Shi Tian's expression turned solemn as he took off the mask.

'Hey, integrated chip. I'm about to level up tremendously, so are you ready for the upgrades?' Shi Tian exclaimed inwardly.