Chapter 30: The Useless Clever Kong

She gave a light cough and said, "Brother Lin, thank you for your hard work!"

Lin Yiwen looked up at her, then quickly lowered his head again, his voice slightly hoarse as he replied, "It will be ready in a moment."

Before long, a humanoid mecha leaning on a crutch appeared before Zhuang Yun.

She inspected it carefully and found that the mecha's performance had indeed improved significantly. She secretly felt lucky to have found the right person for the job.

"Thanks!" With that, Zhuang Yun stored "Lingkong" into her wristband and headed toward the underground black market.

Upon returning to the black market, Zhuang Yun logged into her account, "One Watermelon Cut in Half," and was immediately flooded with friend requests.

Ignoring them, she headed straight for Level D. The combat style on Level D was far more violent and bloody than on Level E.

No matter how good her mecha’s performance was, facing an opponent with absolute strength would make victory difficult. She had to carefully choose her challenges, study the combat styles, and win by surprise to have even a glimmer of hope.

In the waiting room, she adapted to the modified mecha while watching the combat status on the display screens, searching for a suitable opponent.

After passing through Lin Yiwen's hands, "Lingkong" moved with much greater agility, its cannon fire was incredibly powerful, and the crutch served as a stabilizer that provided excellent balance. Aside from being a bit unsightly, it had no other flaws!

Suddenly, a familiar mecha caught her eye—"Blue Whale Giant Armor"!

She had faced him before, and his exposed back was still unchanged. What excited Zhuang Yun was that his points were once again stuck at the threshold for advancing to the next level!

If she could defeat him, she could seize his points to advance and claim the prize money!

"Heaven helps me!" Zhuang Yun waited for the match to end and quickly pressed the "Challenge" button.

In the arena, Reno had already fought over a dozen matches today piloting the "Blue Whale Giant Armor." He was exhausted and had intended to save his final promotion match for another time.

"In this arena match, 'Blue Whale Giant Armor' defeats 'A Handsome Machine'."

"Ding!"

"'One Watermelon Cut in Half' has requested to challenge 'Blue Whale Giant Armor'."

"Does 'Blue Whale Giant Armor' accept?"

When Reno heard the challenger's name, he couldn't help but freeze. After losing to "One Watermelon Cut in Half" half a month ago, he had been looking for them to wash away his shame, but his friend requests were ignored, and the person had simply vanished.

"Hmph, perfect! Time to settle old scores and new grudges!" Reno pressed the accept button, preparing to teach Zhuang Yun an unforgettable lesson. A cold smirk tugged at the corner of his mouth; this time, he would definitely win!

However, when Zhuang Yun piloted "Lingkong" into the arena, Reno was stunned.

This... this had to be a joke, right?!

He had seen people use crutches, but this was the first time he had ever seen a mecha using one!

Suddenly, the black market forum exploded!

[After half a month, "One Watermelon" has reappeared!]

[A cripple with a crutch?! No, a broken machine? Is he really so poor that he has to fight with that? Is he just here to get beaten up?]

[Look, even though it's been modified, at its core, it's still that basic "Lingkong" model from the black market.]

[Old Man Watermelon lost his teeth and still wants to laugh mine off! Hahaha!]

[Old and crippled—will the "Blue Whale Giant Armor" show mercy today and care for the vulnerable?]

[And he's challenging the "Blue Whale Giant Armor," who is about to advance! Do they have some kind of grudge?]

[Place your bets! I’m betting on "Blue Whale Giant Armor"! There’s no suspense here!]

[No way, I’m betting on "Old Man Watermelon"!]

Lai Ke, who had intended for this to be his last visit to the District 11 black market before school started, happened to run into this. Master!

Where the Master strikes, the world is mine! He was betting on "Old Man Watermelon"!

Seeing the "broken machine," Reno was furious! This was a blatant insult!

Once the match began, Reno drove the "Blue Whale Giant Armor" to bombard Zhuang Yun relentlessly, fueled by personal spite.

However, Zhuang Yun relied on the agility of "Lingkong" to turn danger into safety time and again.

She secretly rejoiced; Brother Lin’s modifications had truly given "Lingkong" a qualitative leap in mobility.

Lin Yiwen, who had followed Zhuang Yun into the black market and stood among the audience, felt his heart tighten as he watched her reckless fighting style, his hands unconsciously clenched into fists.

He had spent a small fortune secretly pushing the mecha's functions and performance to the absolute limit, but he was still terrified that Zhuang Yun might slip up and fall into Reno’s hands.

While nimbly dodging Reno’s fierce onslaught, she searched for a chance to counterattack.

Seeing his attacks miss repeatedly, Reno grew increasingly annoyed. He intensified the density of his cannon fire, swearing to crush Zhuang Yun in one blow.

However, Zhuang Yun was like an eel; she was too slippery to catch, always finding the gaps in the defense to skillfully evade the attacks.

Just then, Zhuang Yun spotted an excellent opportunity.

After a continuous barrage of shells, Reno’s mecha energy system hit a brief cooling period—this was the perfect moment for a counterattack.

At the critical second, Zhuang Yun did not hesitate, steering "Lingkong" straight at Reno. The crutch in its hand instantly transformed into a sharp blade, striking directly at the vulnerable point on the back of Reno’s mecha.

Reno was shocked; he hadn't expected Zhuang Yun to launch such a decisive counterattack.

He hurriedly adjusted his mecha's posture, attempting to dodge the strike. However, Zhuang Yun’s speed was simply too fast, and his mecha couldn't execute an effective evasive maneuver.

"Bang!" With a loud crash, Zhuang Yun's crutch-blade struck the protective shield of Reno's mecha.

Although the shield absorbed most of the impact, the energy system of Reno’s mecha suffered severe damage.

Reno’s face turned pale instantly. He hadn't expected to make such a mistake at this critical juncture.

He scrambled to repair the energy system, but it was too late.

Zhuang Yun had already launched a second wave of attacks, repeatedly executing the Four Seas Sword Technique. Every strike from behind was aimed directly at the core power system of Reno’s mecha.

Under Zhuang Yun’s relentless barrage, Reno’s mecha finally collapsed under the strain.

"In this arena challenge, 'One Watermelon Cut in Half' defeats 'Blue Whale Giant Armor'."

"Congratulations to 'One Watermelon Cut in Half' for entering Level C!"

The black market forum boiled over once again!

[My god! This "Old Man Watermelon" is too fierce!]

[This plot twist—it’s more exciting than watching a movie!]

[I bet on "Old Man Watermelon" and won! Haha, I made a fortune!]

[This "Lingkong" is way too strong after the modifications! Who is this mechanic? So badass!]

[They must be a retired mecha master from the major stars, living in seclusion here on G33.]

Staring at his defeat on the display screen, Reno was filled with resentment.

He couldn't believe he had been defeated by a broken machine!?

"This is impossible!" Reno’s eyes widened as he roared, his voice echoing from the cockpit and transmitting through the mecha’s link to Zhuang Yun’s ears.

Zhuang Yun climbed out of the cockpit and waved her hands, basking in the enthusiastic cheers of the audience.

Reno threw open his cockpit, stormed over to Zhuang Yun, and threw a punch straight at her.