Brian Clark had no time to pay attention to anything else. His eyes were fixed on the ground between the two of them, and it felt as if all the blood in his body had plunged into molten iron, his mind burning hot and yet somehow blank. Brian Clark's hands moved at an astonishing speed, performing all sorts of operations without a single pause.

The Blackbird maintained its maximum speed!

Brian Clark's hands moved faster and faster. Gradually, whether it was the evaporation of sweat or simply the speed of his movements, a faint, gauzy afterimage began to appear around his hands!

Completely focused, Brian Clark didn't notice these details at all!

Emily Scott continued to aim and fire as usual, but missed! It was nothing—YC had occasionally dodged a few shots in previous rounds, but in the end, there was only ever one outcome for him: defeat!

Slowly, Emily Scott sensed that something was off!

Section Seven

Emily Scott tried to fire several times, but always felt that something was wrong, a feeling that made her extremely uncomfortable!

The gun she had always trusted seemed to be affected as well—every shot missed!

Careful as ever, Emily Scott quickly noticed that YC's way of advancing seemed a bit odd, somewhat like an arc step, but also a little different!

Hmph, trying to use the arc step to evade my shots? How naive! Emily Scott felt a surge of inexplicable irritation!

Dealing with the arc step wasn't difficult. Everyone had their own habits, and as long as you observed carefully, you would always find them. After so many matches against YC, she had already figured out some of his habits. Besides, there weren't that many variations to the arc step, and she was very familiar with it!

Emily Scott silently counted the different variations of the arc step in her mind, her eyes fixed unblinkingly on YC, searching for the right moment to shoot.

Now! This is it! Emily Scott fired without hesitation!

And yet—she missed?

YC seemed to anticipate it, making a timely turn to dodge the shot. Was it luck? Or something else? Emily Scott's mind buzzed, thrown into chaos.

Watching YC draw closer and closer, Emily Scott started to panic! Her gun involuntarily sprayed a wild burst of fire at Brian Clark!

Perhaps it was fate's mercy, but one shot happened to hit YC's left shoulder, knocking him off course!

By now, Brian Clark was drenched in sweat, his hands growing heavier and harder to control, even showing signs of cramping. He bit down hard on his lower lip, drawing blood, but he was completely unaware!

Suddenly, the mecha shuddered. Brian Clark realized his Blackbird had been hit!

There was no time to check where he'd been struck—Brian Clark's hands didn't pause for a second.

Emily Scott barely had time to feel pleased about accidentally hitting YC before she realized that her shot had knocked Brian Clark off to the side. Such a golden opportunity couldn't be missed! Emily Scott was just about to adjust her aim for a fatal blow to YC!

However, to her dismay, Emily Scott found that this very shot had made YC's movement even more erratic, more elusive, and even harder to predict!

Panic welled up in Emily Scott's heart! Her marksmanship began to falter!

As Brian Clark watched his opponent grow larger and clearer in his view, he grew more and more excited. Unconsciously, the speed of his hands, which had been growing heavier, actually picked up a little!

Closer... closer... even closer!

Ha! With a thunderous shout, Brian Clark roared like a sudden spring thunder!

His opponent seemed stunned, standing there motionless. A trap? A scheme? Brian Clark didn't think twice. The magnetic sword on his back was already in his hand, and his left hand quietly reached for the alloy dagger strapped to his left knee.

Brian Clark was certain that as long as he got in close, his opponent was doomed!

The magnetic sword buzzed softly through the air, its blade flashing. Brian Clark met no resistance as he easily and directly sliced open his opponent's throat. The ease of it left Brian Clark momentarily stunned! Just like with a human, a mecha's throat was just as fatal a weakness!

How could his opponent make such a basic and deadly mistake?

No time to think. Having lived on the junk planet for so many years, Brian Clark showed no mercy. His left hand, wielding the alloy dagger, struck like a viper, swift and precise, stabbing into the upper chest of his opponent's Shadow Phoenix mecha—right where the pilot's cockpit was!

At the same time, the sound of Brian Clark's victory rang out in the room!

Emily Scott lay dazed in her floating chair, the VR helmet hovering quietly in midair before her. That elusive, unpredictable movement, the ruthless and direct attack, the indomitable courage—all of it lingered in Emily Scott's mind.

At the dinner table, David Scott noticed that Emily Scott seemed distracted. He exchanged a glance with his wife, who shook her head slightly. Concerned, he asked, "Lin'er, what's wrong? Are you feeling unwell?"

Only then did Emily Scott snap out of it, silently chiding herself. Forcing a smile, she replied, "It's nothing, I just ran into a very strange opponent today!"

Hearing his daughter say she'd met a strange opponent, David Scott couldn't help but be intrigued. "Oh? A strange opponent? In what way?"

David Scott was a senior mecha pilot, and all of Emily Scott's skills had been personally taught by him.