…What’s going on here?
Yu Xiao couldn’t help but be confused.
After all, in his impression, wasn’t this “Real Battlefield” mode supposed to be sold on the appeal of multiplayer combat?
After all, even though those friendly NPCs’ AI strength was a little questionable, at least seeing companions fighting at one’s side gave a bit more peace of mind.
So in Yu Xiao’s original plan, having the allied NPCs take the vanguard had also been one of the key points of his strategy…
But who could have imagined that this level’s designer would go out of their way to design a level where the player fights all alone…?
That’s just way too much of a screwjob, seriously.
Yu Xiao silently grumbled in his heart.
…And at the same time, apart from all that, what truly made things worse was undoubtedly the swarm of creatures that, with obvious aggression, was gradually encircling the Leo-S that Yu Xiao was piloting.
Those scarlet ones, cyan ones, cream-colored ones, densely packed swarming bugs, with different forms, and one same name.
…Beta!
And as for the reason there were no allied units around, Yu Xiao now had a rough idea.
That was because his spawn point might well have been set right in the dead center of the enemy formation.
Though he didn’t know why…
“…Tch.”
But right now, there was no more time left for Yu Xiao to agonize over it.
He understood that much too.
So after just a single click of his tongue, he nimbly began to act.
First, he shoved the stick hard, and the Leo-S made a lateral thruster dodge across the open plains.
And just as he’d imagined, before long, several scorching rays swept in, mercilessly burning the spot where he had just been standing into blackened charcoal.
…So they detected over here after all.
And looking at the scorch marks before him, though he knew it was game content, Yu Xiao still couldn’t help but break into a cold sweat.
If his reaction had been even a few moments slower, what was blackened now might well have been the Leo-S’s frame.
And the reason Yu Xiao was able to make such a prediction was actually quite simple.
Knowing the source material, he clearly knew that as a species with a hivemind consciousness… the Betas’ tactical planning should be uniformly commanded by their unit leader, the “Brain-class.”
They also had no distinction between scout units and main forces.
Because once a single enemy entered the visual range of any one Beta, they could become a target for all Betas.
So just now, the moment Yu Xiao appeared before the Betas, it was essentially no different from being locked on by the Laser-class.
He had performed the dodge precisely with that awareness.
And the resulting feedback told him that what he’d done was an utterly appropriate choice.
This level of improvisation… was also the fruit of countless hours of hard practice Yu Xiao had put in through the simulation training mode of Super Robot Wars VS. This story is hosted at novelping.com.
“According to the settings, the cooldown between each Laser-class shot is about twelve seconds… in that case, it should be enough…”
However, Yu Xiao did not wallow in the joy of having made the right decision.
He merely murmured to himself quite calmly while silently replaying in his mind the scene of the attack he had just received.
The trajectory, the landing points, the timing gaps of the hits, combined with his own position and direction…
After integrating this information and carefully calculating it…
Yu Xiao roughly estimated which direction the Laser-class units that had just attacked him were in.
Then, he aimed at the position of the Laser-class nearest to him— Drew his gun!
Following that, the Leo-S pulled the trigger of that weapon with an obviously antique air in its design, the special equipment with poor rapid-fire performance but unmatched single-shot power, the “Beam Shotgun,” and fired in bursts toward the analyzed bearing.
The very weapon type that was the Laser-class’s greatest reliance was now, in turn, being used to attack them.
A bright yellow high-output beam tore through the leaden, cloud-covered sky.
Then, a hit.
Though he didn’t get to see those petite blue big-eyed cuties being blasted to smithereens, Yu Xiao saw clearly that in the lower right corner of the screen, that counter which had been kept ever since the mission began suddenly ticked.
From (0/287), it changed to read (7/287).
“Seven, huh…”
Yu Xiao mused.
This couldn’t be called a small result.
But compared to the victory conditions, it was still a bit insignificant after all.
He still needed to work hard, he thought.
And while Yu Xiao was mulling this over, the Betas’ counterattack came once again.
Accompanied by a sudden alarm, a second wave of Laser-class attacks came beaming toward him from a different direction than before.
Just now, in order to ensure the accuracy of long-range fire, the Leo-S had chosen to stay in place.
So right now, if he tried to dodge, it seemed there wouldn’t be enough time…
But that didn’t mean the Leo-S no longer had the ability to respond.
On the contrary, at this moment Yu Xiao had a countermeasure ready in mind, full of confidence.
Flap flap…
Accompanied by a vigorous flapping sound, he maneuvered the Leo-S to wrap that deep crimson cape in front of it.
Against the dazzling rays crisscrossing toward it, this thin layer of protection looked rather weak and powerless.
…But the very next moment the rays touched the cape, its special material composition proved its use.
The coating, which had the effect of diffusing beams, instantly weakened the power of the originally imposing rays, then scattered them apart.
Though that cape visibly showed some wear and tear, but under its protection, the Leo-S’s main body actually came out without a single scratch.
Not only that, the several thermal rays that had been diffused turned into countless glittering streams. New chapters come out on g.com first.
After bursting and scattering before its eyes, they instantly blocked the path of the Betas charging at the Leo-S.
And this even achieved an unexpectedly good effect.
Because that swarm of Betas’ movements actually came to a halt for a moment.
As if… they’d been stunned.
This was probably because they’d never dreamed that an attack from their own side would end up backfiring on them!
Yu Xiao thought.
To the Betas, who thought with a hivemind consciousness, this was like throwing out one’s right fist to attack an opponent, only for it to inexplicably bounce back and strike one’s own left cheek.
It was something that, no matter what, would take a good while of careful thought before they could react.
To the Betas, the situation before them was just that bizarre.
And to Yu Xiao, this was a rare opportunity.
So he used the same trick again.
After analyzing the trajectory of the rays, the Leo-S copied the same method, counterattacking with the Beam Shotgun.
Again just like before.
Though he didn’t see the visual, the kill count genuinely ticking in the lower right corner was solid proof.
At this rate, though it would take some time… he should be able to clear the level at a leisurely pace.
Yu Xiao couldn’t help but think with relief.
Good grief, he’d thought it was a death trap of a situation, but it turned out to be handled so smoothly…
So he thought.
But just then, an unexpected turn of events arose.
It didn’t come from within the game, however.
It came from outside the game.
It was a knock knock on the door.
Carrying a sort of unaccustomed nervousness and anxiety.
Who is it…?
Yu Xiao was a bit puzzled.
Coming to the door at this hour, could it be a salesman or something?
In that case, he’d just send them away, so as not to spoil his gaming mood.
Yu Xiao thought.
But who would have thought, the voice that came calling through the door and window next nearly made his heart and lungs stop.
“Um… Yu Xiao, is it? Are you in there…?”