Chapter 144 He Is Also Human

The Federal University Freshman Tournament uses a knockout format. The first round is a seven-person group match where all competing teams draw lots randomly to determine their opponents. The martial arts arena is very spacious, allowing matches to take place simultaneously, and half of the teams are eliminated. Because of the large number of registered teams every year, another round of drawing lots and matches follows, and those who survive this stage advance to the preliminaries.

Today’s schedule consists primarily of the preliminary matches. As everyone stepped forward to draw lots, Moqi Weihao walked up and tapped the screen casually, receiving "37 Left."

According to tradition, the team that drew "37 Right" would be Moqi Weihao and his companions' opponents.

Xuan Guo stepped up and drew "13 Right." She sneered, "What a pity we didn't run into you. Otherwise, we could have truly made you suffer a crushing, instant defeat."

Moqi Weihao gave Xuan Guo a calm glance, wondering where she managed to drum up such misplaced confidence.

Someone nearby said with annoyance, "It actually turned out to be 37 Right."

Xuan Guo looked over. This was a weaker team that had also chosen the formation of one commander and six mechas. However, instead of aiming for a heavy assault, they had been unable to find a mecha mechanic willing to modify their equipment. Xuan Guo remarked, "How unfortunate that you actually managed to survive the first round."

Against a small squad like this, Moqi Weihao and Moqi Weihan could definitely handle them by joining forces, though they wouldn't be this lucky in the next round.

Moqi Weihao also felt it was a pity they hadn't run into Aizhe or Xuan Guo's team, as that would have given them a chance to put those rivals in their place right in the opening match.

Without sparing Xuan Guo another glance, Moqi Weihao walked back to his team's area and reported the results to Xuan Xuan. Xuan Xuan tilted her head in thought, then glanced sideways at the visibly excited Moqi Weihan before saying, "For this match, just you and Zheng Chao will be enough."

Moqi Weihao nodded. "I was thinking the same thing."

Given the special nature of their mechas, their overall aptitude, and now Lou Yitong's unique abilities, they wanted to avoid exposing themselves to Aizhe and other formidable squads too early. Such trump cards were naturally best kept hidden. The fewer cards the opponents knew about, the higher their chances of winning.

While they felt this way, Moqi Weihan certainly wasn't willing to accept it. "Why won't you let me participate? With a squad this small, I could take them down all by myself!"

Xuan Xuan glanced at him and didn't reply.

"What if I promise not to mess up this time?" Moqi Weihan asked tentatively.

"Hmph." Moqi Weihao let out a cold laugh. "When you finally cure this habit of yours of trying to show off, then you can step into the ring."

Moqi Weihan quickly promised, "I've already changed!"

"Then we'll talk about the later rounds."

Moqi Weihan lowered his head dejectedly, lacking any of the high-spirited energy he had brought with him upon arrival.

Amid the conversations, all the drawing of lots concluded, and the match area assignments were announced. Xuan Xuan's group was assigned to the fourth match in Area One. Moqi Weihao and the others sat together in the spectator stands, observing the battles below while analyzing the data they had gathered previously.

Each zone had a commentator, totaling twelve zones. Spectators in the arena could watch via the main giant screen at the front or switch to view other zones through their personal display terminals.

Aizhe's team was in the first round of matches, making him a subject of keen interest for Moqi Weihao. Naturally, the main tournament commentators also focused heavily on him, so the giant screen displayed the battle between Aizhe and his opponents.

Xuan Xuan raised an eyebrow. Unbeknownst to most, Aizhe possessed considerable skill, and their first-round opponents were not weak. Entering the preliminaries with their strength would have been entirely feasible, but unfortunately, they crossed paths with Aizhe's squad right in the opening match.

Three members stayed behind to guard—one mecha mechanic while the other two presumably served as Aizhe's hidden strength, remaining unengaged and standing watch beside the mechanic.

Aizhe led the other three members in a wedge formation attack. Aizhe himself possessed wind-attribute abilities, and his current mecha appeared to have been modified specifically for speed, allowing him to maneuver exceptionally fast. The three members behind him were equally swift. Aizhe took the lead, breaking through the opponent's formation before picking them off one by one.

What a pity, Moqi Weihao thought to himself secretly. The opponents were simply not strong enough to force Aizhe into revealing any of his trump cards.

Otherwise, they could have gathered a bit more useful information.

Among all twelve zones, Aizhe and his group finished their match the fastest and with the absolute ease.

Even Aikang's expression on the VIP platform improved significantly as he looked toward Moqi Lianhao with a smiling corner of his mouth. "It's truly a pity for the two Moqi brothers to be mixed up with such a group of teammates. Otherwise, they might have actually had a shot at contending for the championship."

Before Moqi Lianhao could reply, Kuang Shao retorted in dissatisfaction. Was Aikang implying that he was inferior to the kids from their family? Did he even know if Moqi Weihao and his crew had already surpassed him?

Was this guy doing this on purpose?

"What business is it of yours whether they can contend for anything or not?" Kuang Shao snapped back.

Aikang's face darkened. What was this young man from the Kuang family trying to pull? To openly and blatantly undermine him like this suggested that the Kuang family really had allied with the Moqi family rather than being swallowed up by them. He glanced coldly at Kuang Shao and Moqi Lianhao, snorted, and fell silent.

Moqi Lianhao couldn't help but shoot a glance at Kuang Shao. Whether they competed or not at least concerned Aizhe, but what did the Moqi family's performance or the Ai family's remarks have to do with Kuang Shao?

Could it be that he really harbored intentions toward Xuan Xuan?

No wonder Kuang Hongyi had been so polite to him the other day, repeatedly probing into Xuan Xuan's future engagement prospects. Moqi Lianhao cast a wary gaze at Kuang Shao, resolving that this butterfly-like playboy of a man must be strictly kept away from Xuan Xuan.

Kuang Shao felt a wave of depression. He had spoken up to help, yet it only made Moqi Lianhao even more guarded against him?

Kuang Shao genuinely could not fathom what was going on inside Moqi Lianhao's head, though it was hardly surprising that such a man had sired a daughter like Xuan Xuan.

Mecha battles did not require a lengthy amount of time, especially in an arena like this. Once the first matches concluded entirely, the second round commenced. Xuan Guo and her team were slated for the first match in Area One. Their opponents were mediocre; all seven members charged forward together without utilizing any special skills or unique maneuvers, relying purely on synchronized teamwork that made their movements appear as unified as a single person's steps.

The seven of them launched an offensive as fierce as a thunderstorm, truly "instantly killing" their opponents and sweeping them off the stage.

After everyone had cleared the arena, Xuan Guo cast a highly provocative look toward Xuan Xuan and her group.

"They actually used that method?" Moqi Weihao said.

Xuan Xuan nodded. In truth, this approach was viable. Under a heavy assault, a swift victory ensured that their true trump cards remained entirely concealed. However, Xuan Guo seemed to have obtained quite a bit of knowledge from the Zerg race, allowing her to control the team so well that all seven members achieved such seamless synchronization. No wonder she chose this kind of formation.

Even Aizhe, Kuang Shao, and Zhan Yu could not help but frown. Such thunderous momentum and flawless coordination constituted a formidable threat even for Aizhe.

Moqi Weihao also furrowed his brows. If Xuan Guo and her team were limited only to this level, dealing with them wouldn't be a problem; but if they had other tricks up their sleeves, it would genuinely become troublesome.

No wonder she carried herself with such immense confidence.

With the match announcement sounding, the group walked together toward Area One. Moqi Weihan trailed gloomily behind Xuan Xuan; no matter how much he wanted to fight, he dared not defy her.

As the start of the match was announced, Moqi Weihao and Zheng Chao took two steps forward, leaving their opponents on the opposite side momentarily stunned.

Even the commentator was caught off guard. Naturally, with Moqi Weihao present, the primary visual focus had to be placed on him. The current commentator for this zone happened to be the one who had opened the session earlier. His professional training allowed him to quickly mask his initial astonishment, and he smiled as he narrated, "Could it be that team captain Moqi Weihao is harboring such supreme confidence? He requires only two members. As far as I know, the teammate beside him appears to have transferred from the mecha repair department to the mecha manufacturing department."

The host in front of Area One also issued another reminder to Moqi Weihao. After all, this was the young master of the Moqi family; if he were to lose even the first round simply due to carelessness, the consequences would be severe.

Moqi Weihao, however, shook his head to indicate that no intervention was needed. A commotion erupted among the audience. Just how confident was Moqi Weihao? To attempt a one-versus-seven handicap—naturally, Zheng Chao standing beside Moqi Weihao had already been automatically discounted by the onlookers.

The expressions of the seven opponents turned increasingly unsightly. Even if their strength fell short, they refused to be humiliated like this. Did a single person really expect to wipe out all seven of them?

"Even if you want to insult us, there's no need for one person to think he can wipe out all of us, right? Hmph," the opposing captain demanded with a darkened face.

"What about me?" Zheng Chao asked. He really wanted to point out that he was also a person—a living, breathing human being.

"I'd like to see how you plan to deal with the seven of us all by yourself," the opponent said, once again ignoring him entirely.

Moqi Weihao also wanted to clarify that there were two of them, and given that they only had this many participants available, weren't two people already enough? However, Moqi Weihao figured that stating this aloud would only add fuel to the fire. After thinking it over, he wisely kept his mouth shut.

The seven opponents felt they still retained a shred of self-respect, and such a scenario was something they simply could no longer endure.

Even if it meant only taking down Moqi Weihao, it would be enough. All seven belonged to the mecha department; anyone brave enough to participate in the freshman tournament possessed a certain degree of capability, even if they weren't the absolute pinnacle of talent.

As soon as their captain finished speaking, the members swarmed collectively toward Moqi Weihao.

Moqi Weihao jumped in fright. Was there really any need to fight this desperately?

Zheng Chao wore a dark expression, mentally covered in black lines. A team of seven people had all swarmed around Moqi Weihao, leaving one person standing with his back entirely turned toward him. Was his presence really that negligible?

He glanced at Moqi Weihao and figured that with Moqi's strength, handling these seven frantic individuals shouldn't be an issue. Since they completely ignored him anyway, he quietly took two steps back and walked over to stand beside Xuan Xuan.

The audience below erupted into an even louder commotion. This was an overt and blatant display of looking down on the opponent.

The opposing captain felt even more wounded, realizing he had been brilliantly ignored—and worse yet, ignored by someone from the mecha repair department.

He felt an even greater necessity to prove his team's strength. "Brothers, charge! Let them have a good look at what we're capable of!"

Watching the seven individuals before him channeling their grief and anger into sheer driving momentum, Moqi Weihao couldn't quite figure out whether his current predicament counted as being an innocent bystander shot by stray bullets.