Chapter Twelve: The Thirty-first Pirate Gang, Section 5

Silence, deathly silence…
This was the first time since the beginning of the Death Coliseum battles that the audience failed to cheer for the winner, and it was also the only fight to end right from the start.
In Earthian terms, it was a instant kill.
Three shots—just three shots. Despite being mechs with high error rates, they were incredibly precise. Before the giant mech could even recover from its backward sway, three loud gunshots declared its opponent’s demise. The terrifying power of the heavy sniper rifle, comparable to that of large artillery, killed the ordinary mech’s technician without even allowing him to feel pain. Fragments of the mech’s armor and broken skeletal frames scattered in the air, while the ground was dyed red with blood.
“Boom!!”
Under everyone’s gaze, the remains of the mech finally crashed to the ground. There was another loud explosion. A fireball even brighter than before instantly ignited, its scorching heat warping the air. Anyone who looked in that direction saw only distorted images.
It was the mech’s ammo pack and elemental engine exploding in tandem.
“Whoa!!” Affected by the mech’s explosion, it seemed as though all the spectators were awakened by the loud noise. They all stood up, clapping and cheering wildly. Everyone’s face was twisted with excitement. Their bloodshot eyes resembled those of wild beasts, and screams filled the air.
“Oh! Bamboo Pole!! Our Bamboo Pole!!!”
“Great Bamboo Pole, you’re amazing! You’re our idol!!”
“Ha, keep killing! Make it more bloody, more intense!! Bamboo Pole, I’m betting all on you!!”
The spectators’ excitement also infected the lecherous commentator. His voice was now filled with passion as he screamed frantically.
“God, God, did you see that? What an amazing battle!! Brothers, I swear to God, this is the most decisive fight I’ve ever seen. An overwhelming victory!! Ah, Mr. Link, who’s by the Vice Chairman’s side, has achieved a crushing victory!! He’s the pride of our Pirate Alliance!! He’s a war god!!!”
His almost flattering commentary didn’t offend the audience. On the contrary, almost everyone thought such exaggerated praise was the most fitting title for Link—the nickname “Bamboo Pole” was simply too vulgar. So as soon as the commentator finished speaking, cheers erupted from the crowd. Everyone shouted just two words… “War God!!”

But amid these thunderous cheers, one person frowned, showing a hint of displeasure. It was the Speaker, who was watching the duel from the podium. Just as the commentator had directed the audience’s enthusiasm toward the nickname “God of War,” he suddenly sensed a sense of conspiracy. Turning his head, he saw the Vice Speaker not far away, wearing a smug smile, which gave him an unpleasant feeling, as if he had swallowed a fly. “That fat pig. He actually tries to use the audience’s admiration for Link to his advantage. He’s betting big. If I hadn’t realized the value of the black-haired man earlier, he might have succeeded this time.” The Speaker muttered to himself. He waved his hand to call over a secretary. “Go and tell the black-haired man that I’ve approved his application. As long as he can satisfy me in the upcoming duels, I have no objection to adding a seat for him in the Pirate Alliance’s council.” “Understood,” the secretary replied respectfully, bending slightly, with a hint of surprise in his eyes. He certainly understood what the Speaker meant. He just couldn’t believe that such an ordinary-looking young man could have enough influence to sway his own Speaker. Perhaps he really should consider how to build a good relationship with this young man. Someone who could get the Speaker to actively work for their advantage could hardly be an ordinary person. At that moment, the giant mech pointing its finger at the contestants’ stands excited the commentator again. But this time, he didn’t rashly pour out praise. Instead, he turned to someone behind him and whispered for a while before suddenly showing a surprised expression. “Ah, ladies and gentlemen. Our God of War has taken another action. I believe everyone can understand what he’s doing without me explaining. I just got confirmation from our respected Vice Speaker. Now, allow me to proudly announce that the Alliance Council has approved of our God of War’s actions. From now on, he can challenge any contestant present at will!!” “Whoa!!” The audience’s enthusiasm was reignited by the commentator’s voice. The entire Death Arena was instantly filled with frenzied cheers. Countless objects of various shapes flew down from the stands, including valuable gold watches and diamond bracelets. Amidst this deafening noise, the black-haired man suddenly smirked coldly. From his vantage point, he could see that the giant mech’s finger was pointed right at him.

“Black Hair! You’re the only one here who can be my opponent!! Let’s have a real duel!” A loud voice suddenly erupted from within the giant mech, transmitted through its loudspeaker system. Even amidst the deafening noise in the arena, everyone could hear it clearly.

Hearing his challenge, the other contestants in the seating area immediately moved away from Black Hair, clearing a large space. Black Hair, Blood Eyes, and the others came into view of all the spectators.

“Ha, it’s Black Hair again. I really feel sorry for this contestant. Why is he always the one challenged? Maybe his prayers before meals aren’t sincere enough to please even God?” the commentator joked sarcastically, further inciting the audience’s fury. Wave after wave of boos erupted, driving the pirates almost to madness.

To be honest, among the contestants in this Death Duel, only Black Hair’s group was the most underestimated. Due to the Weakness of the Treasure Hunters team, they had no standing in the alliance. This led to Black Hair, as their representative, also being looked down upon. Pirates didn’t bet on them either. As a result, in the previous few duels, almost all pirates lost a fortune, which made them hostile toward Black Hair.

Soon, Black Hair’s Nightmare Mech was brought to one side of the arena by the staff. Black Hair slowly stepped down from the stands.

“Lord, be careful. That guy is strong,” Blood Eyes whispered.

“Mm. I know,” Black Hair nodded. He took out a cigarette, lit it, and took a slow drag before closing his eyes.

“That mech seems strange. It might be the new model you mentioned, right? Lily, do you have any information about it?”

“No. But I do know something about Link’s habits. Master, he’s a very tenacious warrior. According to the Hunter’s Guild’s combat assessment, he’s reached the upper silver or lower gold rank. His combat style is melee-oriented. He once won the title of King of Melee in the Interstellar Fleet’s internal competitions. But he’s never used a fixed weapon—whether it’s a combat weapon or a gun, he has excellent combat records.” Lily replied immediately upon hearing Black Hair’s question. Perhaps because the information was useless, a hint of guilt appeared on her face.

“I’m sorry, Master. I can’t help.”

“No, it’s already very useful. It seems like he’s a versatile all-rounder. I’m quite excited.” Black Hair immediately interrupted Lily’s speech, patting her head before turning toward the Nightmare Mech. He boarded and closed the cabin door. The cockpit of the Nightmare Mech instantly isolated it from the chaos of the arena, as if it were a different world. Black Hair’s lazy expression gradually faded away. After thinking for a moment, he pressed a purple button beside him, and cool air emerged from the screen as rows of characters scrolled rapidly across it. With his action, the joints of the Nightmare Mech emitted a slight grinding sound as its massive body stood up. The noise in the arena grew louder. Seeing the movements of the Nightmare Mech, the pirates screamed even more desperately, waving their arms frantically as if that could knock down their enemy. “Height: 5.16 meters. Armor properties unknown. Appears to be of the offset type, with excellent defense against bullets. Weapon system undetectable. However, there’s a special energy reaction at the target’s shoulders, suggesting it’s an energy-based weapon. The mech’s leg system is proportionally large, indicating excellent power. Weight… only 37 tons!?” In the cockpit of the Nightmare Mech, Black Hair stared at the scanning data flowing on the screen, his eyes widening in shock. How is that possible? Why is its weight only 37 tons? Black Hair couldn’t believe his eyes. After all, any mech was inherently a heavy-duty weapon. With all those steel parts and various weapons, even 137 tons would be considered normal. It was precisely because of their heaviness that their accuracy rate was greatly reduced. This was the delicate balance of nature. But Black Hair never expected that a casual scan of his enemy would yield such a shocking result. 37 tons—less than half the weight of an ordinary mech. What did that mean? It meant more agile movements, greater accuracy, faster speed, and a geometrically improved overall combat capability!! “Is this the new type of mech?” Staring at the scrolling data on the screen, Black Hair’s voice sounded like a groan. If the data was true, he knew he was likely to be in for a tough fight… At that moment, the noise in the arena suddenly ceased.

“A crack.” A soft sound. The mech’s massive hand pulled out that terrifying heavy sniper rifle from the backpack behind it once again and placed it on its shoulder. Its huge body sank slightly under the weight before standing firmly in place. In the rifle’s large scope, the black-haired Nightmare was right in the center of the crosshairs.

“Bang!!”

A loud explosion sent clouds of dust billowing into the air in front of the giant mech. The intense recoil pushed it backward by half a step, leaving deep grooves in the hard rocky ground. A long plume of flames erupted from the barrel. Link began the battle by striking first.

At the same time, a chill rushed over the black-haired man’s heart. His expression changed drastically, and without even having time to look, he swiftly pulled the control lever to the side. Nightmare’s spider-like legs exerted force simultaneously, causing its body to shift to the side in an instant. An ear-piercing screech followed as a massive force passed by it.

“Boom!!” The entrance behind Nightmare exploded instantly, and the powerful shockwave even made its huge body sway. Countless boulders fell down from the stands, instantly burying the entrance.

“Wow…” The audience cheered.

Was that its attack? Fine beads of sweat appeared on the black-haired man’s forehead. A sense of fear crept over him. If it weren’t for the sudden warning in his mind, he might have died right there. Facing the terrifying power of the heavy sniper rifle, even someone as battle-hardened as him felt a headache.

With such a weapon, staying at a distance meant certain death…

If that’s the case, it can’t be blamed on me! A cold glint flashed in the black-haired man’s eyes. His hands flew rapidly over the keyboard, and with a push from his feet, Nightmare’s engines roared loudly. All six pink energy streams gushed out violently. The impact modules emitted a shrill screech. In an instant, Nightmare went from stationary to its highest speed. The terrifying overload force pressed the black-haired man firmly against the back of his chair!!

260 kilometers per hour. That was the speed Nightmare reached in an instant. In just the blink of an eye, its huge body covered half of the arena. Sparks from its high-speed movement left a long trail behind it. Wherever the mech passed, the hard ground was torn apart, and countless rocks flew up like explosions.

At such high speeds, even the sharpest-eyed observers could only see a blurred shadow. Link on the other side immediately felt a strong sense of pressure.
Is this how the black-haired one attacks? Inside the cockpit of the giant mecha, a hint of disdainful smile appeared on Link’s gaunt face. With a mental focus, the giant mecha took a small step back and knelt down on one knee again.
Even the fastest charge takes time. Moreover, its agility will be greatly reduced during the charge. I’m curious to see how you’ll avoid my sniper shot this time.
As he thought, the massive heavy sniper rifle was raised again. A flash appeared at the muzzle, followed by another deafening gunshot.
“Bang!!!”