ISWTDB Ch131

Chapter 131: Intersteller Mermaid (25, 26)

“Cecil, look, this time the Federation has joined the mecha competition. We in the Empire should be more united. How about we temporarily cooperate like last time, and first eliminate the teams from the Federation before discussing anything else?” 

When Yan Lang heard Harrison’s words, he smiled but intended to refuse. Although they had cooperated before, the current situation was different from last time.

Harrison’s desire to win was evident, and the variables in the true primitive forest were too great; Yan Lang didn’t believe that they wouldn’t stab them in the back at a critical moment.

Before he could voice his thoughts, Cecil surprisingly nodded, agreeing to Harrison’s proposal.

Yan Lang looked at Cecil in confusion, and soon received a message from him through his optical brain.

After reading the message, Yan Lang’s expression changed, but he quickly regained his composure and smiled at Harrison, warmly welcoming their team.

Harrison’s team settled not far away, imitating Cecil’s side by actively hunting and returning with a small star beast to start barbecuing.

They seemed to have added some seasoning to the meat while grilling, as the aroma was even more enticing than the meat on Cecil’s side. Harrison took a piece of star beast meat, elegantly took a bite, and praised it while looking at Cecil.

Seeing that the opposite team showed no reaction, Harrison’s gaze flickered, and he said to them, “Since we’ve already cooperated, why not share the prey and eat together? No need to be so distant; you should try our grilled meat.”

Although Du Lu and Du Ke also smelled the delicious aroma from the other side, they were more wary of what bad intentions Harrison might have, so they resolutely shook their heads.

Harrison could only helplessly shrug his shoulders, wearing a look of feigned disappointment as if he were genuinely being nice but was met with distrust.

Yan Lang understood that every move they made was being broadcasted live on the Star Network. So, Harrison’s prince’s gestures made it seem as if they were truly ungrateful.

Although he felt unhappy, he didn’t want to fall into the other party’s trap, so he didn’t touch the grilled meat. Unexpectedly, Cecil, upon seeing this, directly grabbed some of Harrison’s grilled meat to eat and nodded at them, signaling them to take some too.

Yan Lang couldn’t help but show concern, but Cecil reassured him with a glance. Feeling somewhat relieved, Yan Lang decided to trust his captain’s judgment and began to eat the food from the other side as well.

Seeing that Yan Lang and Cecil had accepted the food from Harrison’s side, Du Lu and Du Ke no longer hesitated. As for Andy, he had shown no reactions from the start; his mind was completely focused on the button of his damaged mecha and the constantly adjusted mecha parts.

Whatever Yan Lang handed him, he would eat without a second thought. Once Andy became engrossed, his attention would not leave what he was studying until he was done.

Despite this, Andy’s eating speed and portion size were still astonishing. Although he was thin and small, he could eat as much as three or four people.

Seeing that most of the star beast meat from both sides had quickly gone into the bellies of Cecil’s group, while his own people had barely touched it, Harrison couldn’t help but twitch his mouth in displeasure.

He felt quite pleased, thinking to himself, Eat up, eat up. The more you eat now, the more comfortable you’ll be later.

Afterward, both teams proceeded through the forest together and soon encountered two teams, which Cecil and his team easily dealt with. Harrison observed that in a short time, Cecil’s team had seemingly become even stronger, further solidifying his desire to eliminate them.

By evening, both teams set up tents in a clearing to rest. Once everyone returned to their tents, Cecil called them over.

He took out a small yellow jar from his arms and placed it before them, softly saying one word: “Eat.”

Yan Lang frowned as he looked at the jar of sticky honey in front of Cecil. He remembered that this was what Cecil had specifically killed the poisonous bees for when they encountered them earlier and had stolen from their nest.

Sticky honey was a rare delicacy; not only was it sweet, but it also had detoxifying effects. However, because poisonous bees were difficult to handle, it was hard to obtain.

The quantity of sticky honey was limited, and Cecil had collected it all. Since Yan Lang and his team hadn’t put in the effort, they naturally wouldn’t be thinking about the sticky honey.

In fact, Cecil had specially gotten this for Ying Zhao, intending to give it to him as a snack after the competition. However, given the current situation, he had to use it.

Upon seeing the sticky honey, Yan Lang understood why Cecil hadn’t stopped them from eating the grilled meat from the other side today. In case Du Lu and Du Ke didn’t understand, he actively said, “There’s something wrong with the food over there. Eating this sticky honey will be fine.”

Du Lu and Du Ke, upon hearing Yan Lang’s words, finally realized what was happening. It seemed that Cecil had decided to make the other party think they had fallen for a trap, so they could relax their vigilance. Thus, the four of them expressed their gratitude to Cecil and consumed the sticky honey.

It seemed that Harrison’s side must have prepared an antidote in advance as well, so they had also eaten the same food. If something went wrong later, others wouldn’t suspect it was Harrison’s doing.

Even though they understood what was happening, Du Ke couldn’t help but be curious and asked Cecil, “Brother Cecil, what exactly did they add to the food?”

Cecil, tasting the sticky honey in the jar, casually replied, “I smell the fragrance of the Lan medicine ingredient in it.”

As a mermaid, Cecil’s senses were naturally much sharper than those of humans. Based on his inherited memories, Cecil quickly discovered that the grilled meat on the other side had been tampered with.

Upon hearing Cecil’s words, the expressions of the four people opposite changed drastically. Although Yan Lang found it a bit strange that Cecil said he smelled it, his attention was quickly captured by the mention of the Lan medicine ingredient.

Lan medicine ingredient was an extract from a deep-sea plant. Humans would not feel anything unusual after consuming it. However, it could affect one’s mental strength in a short time, thereby disrupting the connection with the mecha.

In a mecha competition, especially when piloting a mecha in battle, a sudden drop in mental strength could lead to a breakdown in the mental connection with the mecha, which could be fatal.

If they were truly affected, they would have no chance of winning this competition. Moreover, this type of drug was not easy to detect, making Harrison’s sinister intentions very obvious.

However, Cecil only briefly warned them to be cautious of Harrison without elaborating too much. Only Yan Lang, due to the message Cecil had sent him earlier, knew about Harrison’s secret dealings with the Federation.

But he didn’t have concrete evidence, so he didn’t mention it to the other team members. Yan Lang knew that this was Cecil’s trust in him, which made him even more vigilant.

As expected, Harrison and his team didn’t just drug them; later that night, while Yan Lang was keeping watch, he spotted someone sneaking up to their tent after midnight.

After the person left, Yan Lang checked around and indeed found a strange device at the bottom of Du Lu’s bag. He woke Andy up to examine it, and they concluded that it was an ultrasonic device that could attract large beasts.

Given the inherent dangers of the forest, having such a device nearby was like carrying a ticking time bomb. After listening to Andy’s explanation, Cecil took the device, vanished in a few flashes, and returned after a while.

The others didn’t know what Cecil had done, but it was clear that the threat had been eliminated.

Because the mechas were too large, everyone usually walked when moving through the forest. Cecil’s team and Harrison’s team appeared to be getting along on the surface.

Thanks to Cecil’s sticky honey, Duku and the others ate the grilled meat from the other side even more unrestrainedly, accepting any food that came from Harrison’s side without hesitation.

As for Harrison’s side, they had long been aware of the situation regarding the food. Although they had taken the antidote beforehand, they were still somewhat apprehensive. Thus, they didn’t consume much of the delicious food each day, instead mostly relying on nutritional fluids to stave off hunger.

Seeing this, Yan Lang suppressed the sarcastic smile at the corners of his mouth, saying nothing more, and continued to enjoy the delicious roasted meat in his hands.

However, after they finished lunch and continued to move forward, they suddenly heard a fierce beast roar in the middle of the road.

Although there were dangers lurking in the forest, such a roar that could make the earth tremble indicated that this monster was certainly not to be underestimated.

Soon, they saw a huge figure rushing towards them. Although Bennett thought that the monster was coming towards them because of the ultrasonic device aimed at Cecil’s team, he couldn’t help but feel terrified and shouted in panic, “Not good! It’s a Steel Beast! We need to run!”

In the forest, the greatest danger was the existence of the Steel Beast. Its skin was hard, capable of withstanding ordinary cannon shells fired from mechs. Moreover, it was ferocious and large, making it a formidable opponent.

Under normal circumstances, encountering a Steel Beast meant a high chance of death, so it was best to leave quickly while it hadn’t reached them yet. Yan Lang and the others also didn’t want to engage in meaningless combat, so they scattered and fled.

However, it was evident that Harrison’s team had chosen a completely different path, intentionally avoiding Cecil’s team.

The members of Cecil’s side had long anticipated this and were pleased to see their opponents fleeing further away, successfully drawing off the Steel Beast.

Harrison was initially pleased to see that it was the Steel Beast they had attracted, thinking that even if Cecil was strong, they could very well die at the hands of this monster.

However, after running for a long time, they found that the beast was still closely following them, clearly coming after them. Upon realizing this situation, Harrison couldn’t help but be greatly alarmed.

He couldn’t understand why the Steel Beast was still pursuing them despite sending someone to secretly place the device in Cecil’s team’s packs the previous night.

The Steel Beast’s speed was fast; it quickly caught up with Harrison and his team without expending much effort. Even though Harrison didn’t want to make themselves the target, they had no choice but to awkwardly board their mechs to fight and retreat.

Noticing something was wrong, Harrison shouted through the intercom for his teammates to check their packs. Sure enough, he found the ultrasonic device at the very bottom of his own pack, which should have been with the other side.

In an instant of anger, he crushed the device in his hand and growled, “Damn it! I’ve been played by these people!”

Even though he was furious, facing the Steel Beast, the most important thing was to save his own life. Watching the Steel Beast charge directly at him, Harrison had no choice but to throw one of his teammates out as a distraction.

Although that teammate miraculously survived, they managed to escape the Steel Beast’s pursuit but were severely injured. Looking at the severely damaged mechs and the disheveled appearance of his teammates, Harrison took a deep breath and activated his secret communicator, sending a message. Then, a smirk appeared on his lips.

He thought resentfully about how Cecil had dared to make him suffer so badly. Even if the monster didn’t kill them, the Federation would ensure they couldn’t escape their fate.

These people had already consumed so much of the food he had prepared for them, and their intake of Lan medicine ingredient was nearly complete. He wanted to see if Cecil’s team was truly that capable of controlling their mechs without their mental strength.

At that moment, Cecil and his team had already found a clearing to set up camp, intending to rest before continuing on. Having finally shaken off the burden of Harrison’s group, Cecil felt extremely relieved.

They didn’t even need to see the actual situation; Du Ke and Du Lu could imagine how Harrison’s team was being chased by the Steel Beast and couldn’t help but laugh, further increasing their admiration for Cecil.

After resting enough, they continued forward. However, after walking for a while, everyone keenly sensed that someone was stealthily following them, prompting them to heighten their vigilance.

After proceeding a bit further, they were indeed ambushed, and the pursuers revealed themselves, catching them in a pincer attack.

Cecil surveyed the team that seemed intent on surrounding them. Clearly, this group was not just a single team; the total number of people was nearing twenty, indicating it was a combination of at least four small teams.

Estimating that apart from the initial Federation team they had eliminated, the remaining Federation forces must be here. Seeing this, Cecil’s team immediately entered a state of alert, adjusting their positions to prepare for defense and counterattack.

At the same time, Harrison’s side also received secret communications from the Federation teams, informing them that they had located Cecil’s group.

Recalling the miserable state of his own team being chased by the Steel Beast, a malicious glint flashed across Harrison’s face as he said to his teammates, “Not far ahead, Cecil’s team is under siege by the Federation. As a team from the Empire, how can we stand by and do nothing?”

Once Harrison finished speaking, malicious smiles spread across the faces of the others in the team, and they rushed towards Cecil’s direction.

On the other side, Cecil knew that Harrison must have tipped them off to set up an ambush. Faced with the merciless attack from the enemies, Du Lu and Du Ke reacted swiftly, instantly taking out the two mechs that charged at them first.

The opponents seemed taken aback by their strength. At the same time, Harrison’s team also arrived.

The scene before Harrison was unexpected; he had assumed he would see Cecil’s team in a miserable state, being beaten up by the Federation.

To his surprise, it appeared that Cecil and his team had not been affected by the drugs at all, and they quickly eliminated two of the opponent’s mechs.

Faced with this situation, Harrison decided to observe from the sidelines, thinking that if both sides suffered heavily, he might be able to take advantage of the situation.

However, he was spotted by the keen-eyed Yan Lang, who deliberately shouted, “Harrison! Come help us!”

Harrison didn’t expect to be exposed so quickly; however, since he had already been discovered, he had no choice but to hesitate and not immediately attack.

Just as Harrison was stalling, Cecil’s team bravely destroyed three more of the Federation’s mechs.

The Federation members clearly did not expect Cecil’s team to be this difficult to deal with. The leader of the opposing team angrily shouted at Harrison, “Imperial Prince! This is completely different from what you told us! Didn’t you say they had been drugged and couldn’t control their mechs?”

As soon as those words were spoken, Harrison’s expression changed instantly. The volume of the opponent was not low, so Cecil’s team must have heard it. Fortunately, the distant surveillance equipment could only capture video footage and couldn’t hear the sounds from the ground.

Thinking of this, Harrison’s expression eased slightly, and he took out the signal jamming device he had long prepared.

This device could block video signals within a kilometer radius. After activating it and waiting for a while, confirming that the outside could no longer see their surveillance footage, he stood up.

With a smile, he said to Cecil’s group, “Cecil, we’re here to help you now!”

After speaking, Harrison’s team boarded their mechs and directly launched a fierce attack against Cecil’s team.

Seeing this, Du Lu shouted angrily, “Harrison! As an imperial prince, how can you collude with the Federation? What do you want?”

Harrison smiled but remained silent, instead choosing to align himself with the Federation’s people.

Du Lu and Du Ke never expected Harrison to team up with the Federation. No matter how deceitful they were, as people from the Empire, they should have united against a common enemy in the brothers’ eyes. So they were momentarily stunned by Harrison’s actions.

Yan Lang remained calm and hurriedly reminded Du Lu and Du Ke, helping them regain their composure. However, he was thinking that Harrison’s exposure meant he was determined to ensure they wouldn’t leave alive.

It seemed the other side had used some signal jamming device to prevent nearby surveillance footage from capturing their scene. Testing the equipment on him, he found that even the emergency distress button was malfunctioning.

Realizing that the ensuing battle was a matter of life and death, Yan Lang’s expression grew serious as he looked at Cecil.

Cecil, however, was calm and composed. He looked at Harrison, who appeared to have secured victory and was confident he would win, and curled his lips, instructing Andy, “Andy, are you ready? We can start now.”

Andy pushed up his black-framed glasses and nodded in response, saying, “Understood.”

After that, he pressed a black button on his mecha control panel. In an instant, Harrison and the others saw the mechas of Cecil’s team suddenly disappear right before their eyes.

Harrison and the people from the Federation were immediately alarmed, not understanding why the mechas that had just been in front of them had suddenly vanished.

Then, a mecha from the Federation standing on the edge was struck hard, sending it flying and crashing to the ground, instantly paralyzing it. Similarly, other mechas were also subjected to ghost-like attacks one after another.

Now, the encircling group panicked; they could not comprehend why things had suddenly taken such an unfathomable turn. But judging by the situation, it seemed that Cecil’s team had some secret weapon that allowed their mechas to become invisible.

Clearly, they had no way to break the situation and could only passively endure the attacks from the other side. After a few rounds of assault, seeing that things were going poorly, the Federation members began to scatter and attempt to escape.

Harrison gritted his teeth but realized that under the circumstances of being completely unable to see the opponent, they had no chance of victory. It seemed that this strike had failed, and instead, his side was suffering heavy losses.

It occurred to him that since they had already sabotaged the plan to lure the beast, they must have discovered that the food had problems a long time ago. Thus, the mental state of these few individuals had not been affected at all.

Although his side had been exposed, thankfully he had used a signal-blocking device in advance. Therefore, without video evidence left behind, even if the other side spoke out, no one would believe them.

After all, in everyone’s eyes, he was the prince of the Empire; how could he possibly collude with the Federation? With this thought, Harrison gritted his teeth and could only instruct his team to turn around and flee.

However, Cecil did not intend to let them go so easily and directly unleashed Andy’s latest modified weapon for a group attack against them.

Andy truly deserved to be called a genius in mecha manufacturing. After his modifications, the destructive power of the weapon bombardments from the mechas had reached dozens of times that of the past.

Therefore, Cecil and his team effortlessly shot down each of the fleeing mechas, whether from the Federation or Harrison’s team; none were spared.

Once all these mechas had collapsed, Cecil and his team revealed themselves again, collecting all of their copper plates.

Counting the copper plates they had already obtained, they had defeated a total of eight teams. The only remaining team was also from the Empire.

Knowing that their victory was beyond doubt, Harrison was unwilling to continue playing this game. Thus, he ignored the group collapsed in their broken mechas and led his team out of the dense forest, ending the competition early.