Above the Galaxy
Chapter 298 - 195, Golden Armored Qilin!

Chapter 298: Chapter 195, Golden Armored Qilin!

"Although everyone cries ’Friendship first, competition second,’ no one really takes it to heart.

The Phoenix Empire and the Aus Empire have always been rivals, each trying to outdo the other in all areas.

With the previous bar conflict incident, Prince Philip’s entourage harbored extreme hatred towards Tang Fei.

So, contestant number eight made a throat-slitting gesture at Tang Fei.

Of course, Tang Fei returned the gesture with a thumbs-up.

Not everyone has the courage to commit suicide...

Contestant number eight was momentarily stunned, then a cruel smile spread across his face.

Clearly, he was determined to win.

"What are you looking at?" A familiar voice suddenly rang out beside his ear.

Tang Fei turned around and saw Phoenix standing behind him with a smile on her face.

"How did you get here?" Tang Fei asked, puzzled.

He had been wanting to find an opportunity to speak with Phoenix alone, but she was always surrounded by all sorts of people. Everyone wanted to get acquainted with the Little Princess of the Phoenix Empire, who rarely attended official events.

At lunch, Phoenix was invited away by school leaders, so Tang Fei could only go with Chen Tianqi and others to eat at the White Crane Academy cafeteria.

He didn’t expect Phoenix to break away and come to him proactively.

"I’ve come to cheer you on. I heard you have a competition this afternoon. How are you feeling? Confident?" Phoenix looked straight into Tang Fei’s eyes as she spoke.

Although they often chatted through messaging apps and occasionally had video calls,

That was still at a distance.

Nothing like now, when they could hear each other’s heartbeat, feel each other’s breath...

"I’ll do my best," said Tang Fei.

He looked around and noticed several men in black standing guard nearby, their gazes covertly scanning the face of anyone trying to approach.

Without a doubt, they were members of the Imperial Guard, tasked with protecting Phoenix closely.

Seeing where Tang Fei’s gaze was directed, Phoenix said with a bitter smile, "I can’t help it, my dad insisted on it... otherwise, he wouldn’t even let me out."

"Has it come to this?" Tang Fei asked, looking at Phoenix, his eyes filled with guilt.

It was to protect Tang Fei that Phoenix chose to hurt herself.

But because of that, she lost her freedom and was heavily guarded by the Royal Family.

Phoenix understood his thoughts and said with a smile, "Isn’t it nice this way? With such a procession wherever I go, isn’t it impressive?"

"That’s true," laughed Tang Fei. "A Princess should indeed have such grandeur when she travels."

"I wish I didn’t. It’s so inconvenient, someone is even guarding the door when I go to the restroom, it’s simply unbearable..."

"Will it always be like this?" Tang Fei asked.

"After a while, I’ll have a good talk with my dad. If he keeps cooping me up like this, I’m afraid I’ll go crazy," Phoenix said, frowning deeply.

Such a life was torture for her.

After a pause, she continued, "It also depends on the efficiency of Chen Fenglei’s actions. If they manage to find Ling Yunxiao, maybe I can regain my freedom."

"With so many people looking for him, Ling Yunxiao still dares to harm others?"

"He might, or he might not; who can say for sure? My dad says he wouldn’t bet on it..."

"That makes sense," Tang Fei nodded.

He thought to himself that, with Ling Yunxiao in the old man’s hands, Chen Fenglei would never be able to find him.

But if Ling Yunxiao couldn’t be found, then the Royal Family would have no way of eliminating this dangerous element. It’s as if there’s a sword hanging over Phoenix’s head.

When then could Phoenix regain her freedom?

Seeing someone approaching, Phoenix patted Tang Fei on the shoulder and encouraged him, "Classmate Tang Fei, you must do your best."

"I will," Tang Fei said.

He wanted to pat Phoenix’s head too but didn’t dare...

Zhong Tianque walked up to Phoenix and said, "Let’s go, the Mecha competition is about to start."

"Okay," Phoenix nodded and replied, "See you in a bit."

"See you in a bit."

Zhong Tianque glanced at Tang Fei, gave a brief look, and then turned to leave.

If we’re destined not to be friends, why bother with superficial gestures?

Some people are worth it, some don’t deserve it.

Moreover, he always believed that Tang Fei poisoned him, although Phoenix’s analysis was quite reasonable. However, once the seed of doubt is planted, it’s not easy to uproot.

Phoenix waved at Tang Fei, then followed Zhong Tianque towards the Tianshu Hall.

Tianshu Hall is the information hub of White Crane Academy, equipped with the most advanced artificial intelligence, brain technology, as well as training and healing facilities of the Empire.

The Mecha competition that was about to start would be held there.

Tang Fei watched Zhong Tianque’s retreating figure, then cracked a smile."

At two o’clock in the afternoon, the Mecha Competition officially began.

The first group to compete featured a Giant Panda against a Leopard, with the Giant Panda being the work of a student from White Crane Academy and the Leopard being the work of a student from the Aus Empire.

This was an exchange and confrontation between nations, so each group consisted of one competitor from the Phoenix Empire and one from the Aus Empire.

During the draw, Aus Empire competitors picked from even numbers, while Phoenix Empire competitors picked from odd numbers.

Then, opponents with adjacent numbers would compete against each other, like number 1 against number 2, or number 7 against number 8.

The Giant Panda had an air of comical clumsiness, but possessed immense strength.

The Leopard, on the other hand, was lithe and agile, with extremely fast speeds.

As soon as the two Mechanical Beasts entered the arena, they engaged in a fierce battle, but in the end, brute force prevailed, and with one slap, the Giant Panda smashed the Leopard’s head to claim victory.

The Phoenix Empire had a triumphant start, and what’s more, the winner was a student from White Crane Academy, which stirred up the excitement among the students present, erupting into enthusiastic applause.

The second match was between a Mechanical Rhinoceros and a Mechanical Pangolin; the Rhinoceros was massive and robust. The Pangolin, however, was sly and deceitful, never confronting the Rhinoceros head-on, but repeatedly sneaking beneath its belly.

After another unsuccessful charge from the Mechanical Rhinoceros, the Mechanical Pangolin launched an attack from the side, drilling through the Rhinoceros’s belly with its long and sharp head.

Clang clang clang...

Sparks flew in all directions.

The Aus Empire delegation scored a comeback, and their side erupted in cheers.

The third pair of Mechanical Beasts was brought up on the conveyor belt – a Black Bear and a Squirrel. Just the sight of these two Mechanical Beasts standing together triggered laughter and applause from the audience.

Their size difference was so vast it seemed like a father squaring off against his son.

However, as soon as the match started, the situation turned one-sided.

With a light leap, the Squirrel jumped onto the Black Bear’s back, then crunched down fiercely, tearing off a large chunk of steel from the bear’s spine.

Clearly enraged, the Black Bear roared desperately, extending its massive claws in an attempt to swat the tiny Squirrel away.

But the Squirrel’s movements were incredibly agile, and its small size made it impossible for the Black Bear to even graze its fur.

The Squirrel, meanwhile, continued its ferocious attacks, seizing every chance to bite off pieces from the Black Bear’s body.

In a short while, the once-great Black Bear was dismembered by the tiny Squirrel.

The Aus Empire camp burst into cheers once more as they won another round.

After the first three matches, the Aus Empire was leading with two victories, securing an advantage.

"Go White Crane Academy!"

"Go Phoenix Empire!"

"Phoenix Empire, win a match!"

"Go Tang Fei!"

Tang Fei glanced at the spectator area and saw Chen Tianqi standing on a chair, waving at him.

Obviously, that shout of "Go Tang Fei!" was also from him.

Tang Fei nodded at him, knowing he had to win this round.

If he lost again, with five groups competing, the Aus Empire would have won at least three matches, meaning at least three of their Mechanical Beasts would move on to the second round.

And if they also won the fifth match, that would mean four of their competitors would enter the semifinals.

Even if the Giant Panda was formidable, to tackle four opponents alone would leave its chances of victory extremely slim.

VIP stands.

Phoenix was also getting nervous, turning her face to Si Yinchuan and asking, "Dean Si, which side do you favor in this match?"

"Of course, I am in favor of our side," Si Yinchuan answered.

"Oh, so you think Tang Fei can win the match?" Phoenix asked curiously.

Although Tang Fei liked to play the part of a small bird in the Old Land, he hadn’t spent much time studying mechatronics professionally, so she wondered why Dean Si had such confidence in Tang Fei.

"Not to hide anything from Your Highness," Si Yinchuan said with a wry smile, "I was a bit skeptical myself, but the Dean said... said that if Tang Fei entered, it was with the intention of aiming for first place. If he can’t even get past the first round, how would he be able to take first place?"

"So, I still trust the Dean’s judgment, he has never been wrong in judging people and situations..."

"Oh," Phoenix’s eyes gleamed, and she raised her voice slightly as she said, "The Dean thinks that highly of Tang Fei? He even said Tang Fei was aiming to take first place?"

Phoenix, having heard flattery too often, had become immune to such talk.

Yet, when she heard Xuanyuan Mingjing praise Tang Fei, her heart swelled with joy.

It was far more pleasing than being praised herself, compelling her to all but deploy the skill of "If you have good things to say, say them."

"Exactly," Si Yinchuan said with a nod. "The Dean’s stance is very firm..."

Phoenix then turned to the other side to Zhong Tianque and smiled as she asked, "Brother, what are your thoughts?"

"Of course, I hope we win," Zhong Tianque voiced.

Although he didn’t like Tang Fei, when it came to the Empire’s honor, he still hoped that Tang Fei would win the match.

To become a wise ruler, one must be able to discern and use people and conceal one’s true feelings.

Under the gaze of the crowd, the fourth group of Mechanical Beasts was brought to the stage by the conveyor belt.

The eighth competitor’s Mechanical Beast was a jet-black Hellhound with bared fangs and blood-red eyes, giving off an evil and terrifying presence.

And Tang Fei’s Mechanical Beast was a resplendent Golden Armored Kirin, with dragon’s head and tiger’s eyes, antlers, and a moose’s body, exuding a majestic and domineering royal aura.