"I fucking refuse to accept this!"
Cheng Anlang: What can you do if you're not satisfied? Go and beat me up in real life? You might not even be able to beat me...
Cheng Anlang: "Or... why don't you just keep it to yourself if you're not happy about it?"
The person on the other end was probably so furious they couldn't even speak clearly: "%#@...I can't hold it in!"
Cheng Anlang's lips twitched: "So?"
The opponent shouted angrily, "I challenge you to a one-on-one match!"
Cheng Anlang's brow furrowed: "Individual challenge?"
Individual challenge matches are private duels between two parties. The system forces spectators to watch, and only real names are allowed. The losing party gives all their points to the winning party after the match. The second modification slot can only be equipped with official parts and cannot be hidden.
Cheng Anlang's mind raced: If I lose, I only lose one point in the "Egg" rank, which isn't too hard to rebuild. But if I win... if I win, my points will increase and my ranking will rise, and the opponents I'll be matched with from now on will be people I can't beat no matter what...
Unless I immediately upgrade to an intermediate-level mech after accumulating points...
Cheng Anlang asked, "How many redeemable points do you have left in your points account?"
The person on the other end said, "There are plenty. What, dare you come?"
Cheng Anlang lowered his eyes and thought for a while. With him and Da Hua together, although the materials of the two mechs were very different, their speed and agility could still be matched. If they encountered some special situation, and this guy was not in his right mind, even if I used a megaphone and lasers, it was not impossible to win. If I lost, I could just start over. If I won, I might be able to directly change mechs...
Cheng Anlang was silent for a moment: "Okay..."
"Great! Great!" The other person was overjoyed. "I've sent you an invitation. It's tomorrow, at the same time. Accept it quickly!"
Cheng Anlang nodded in agreement.
"Hahahaha!" The person on the other end suddenly burst into laughter when Cheng Anlang agreed. "You're doomed to lose!"
Cheng Anlang: "Is this guy missing something in his brain???"
Cheng Anlang ignored the end of the opponent's wild laughter and withdrew from the ranking match.
Then he saw Zhang Mingyu send him a smiley face and the message: "Well played."
Cheng Anlang blushed: He actually came to watch!
Cheng Anlang: "Stop talking, it's a bit embarrassing."
Zhang Mingyu: "It's not shameful. As long as we can win, anything is fine."
Cheng Anlang: "Mm."
Zhang Mingyu: "From now on, you'll be at the machine claw level. Work hard and try to challenge me someday."
Cheng Anlang: How rich will I have to be to challenge one of your custom-made mechs...?
Cheng Anlang: "I...I'll do my best..."
Zhang Mingyu was unaware that Cheng Anlang had arranged a personal challenge match with someone else. Spectators could only watch the scenes after entering the game environment.
I had no idea they were preparing for their conversation in the space.
Zhang Mingyu and Cheng Anlang exchanged a few more words before going their separate ways.
Before going to bed that night, Cheng Anlang habitually opened his smart device to check the ranking information. The preview for his personal challenge match against the other player was already on the homepage. Then he saw that the guy on the other side had actually found a passenger?!
The passenger information is always hidden. It does not show whether there is a passenger to onlookers, but it shows whether there is a passenger to challengers, but does not show the passenger information.
Cheng Anlang directly messaged the other party privately: "Why did you bring a passenger?"
The other end replied instantly: "There's no rule against using the passenger seat."
Cheng Anlang: "Your mecha level is higher than mine, and your second modification slot is also better than mine, so why did you still choose a co-pilot?"
The other side: "I'm afraid you'll pull some dirty tricks."
Cheng Anlang: What underhanded tricks could I possibly pull with a megaphone? That's shameless.
The person on the other end said, "Anyway, the onlookers can't see me looking for the passenger seat, they can only see my victory, hehe."
Cheng Anlang: "That's not fair. Can you tell me your passenger information?"
There was a long silence on the other end before the passenger's information was sent over.
Cheng Anlang: "!!!"
This is fucking high-end stuff!
Cheng Anlang: "Are you kidding me?"
The person on the other end said, "...I could only find a passenger like this; it's my own brother."
The other person paused for a moment and then said, "You could also ask the passenger for help..."
Cheng Anlang was furious. Where was he supposed to find a co-pilot of the same caliber as the pilot?
The individual challenge was irrevocable; it was either concede defeat or fight. He never expected his opponent to have such high requirements, needing a co-pilot of the highest caliber.
Dealing with players at the "head" rank isn't simply a matter of speed and agility; there's a significant gap in experience and strategy accumulated over hundreds or even thousands of ranked matches.
No matter how skilled Cheng Anlang is, he couldn't possibly defeat someone at the pilot's level right now, even if that person is just a co-pilot.
Cheng Anlang couldn't help but yell, "You're shameless!"