In "Hero," players can start livestreaming. As long as their skills are strong enough, they can attract a large audience. With more viewers, their popularity rises, and huge tips, streaming fees, and even advertising fees will come pouring in. Earning a million is truly not difficult.

Thinking this, Brian Bolton's eyes narrowed slightly: "It's time to show some skills!"

Chapter 003: White Phantom Ghost (Part 1)

Pandora, Earth Defense Force Base.

"The environment is so realistic, it's really scary." Grace's voice trembled slightly as she instinctively piloted her Fox Demon mecha to hide behind the Earth Guardian.

"Don't be afraid, Grace, it's all fake, just a game." The Earth Guardian comforted her gently.

Judging by the situation, these two seemed to be a couple. If it were the 15-year-old Brian Bolton from before, he would definitely have shouted, "Show off your love and you'll die fast!" But now, he said nothing at all, his heart as calm as still water. Having hovered on the edge of life and death countless times, Brian Bolton was already tranquil as a deep well.

He observed the mecha movements of this girl called Grace; they were fairly smooth, indicating she had basic mecha piloting skills. As for the Earth Guardian, Brian Bolton glanced at his stance—instinctively defensive, with the nearly five-meter-long tungsten steel greatsword in his mecha's right hand ready to strike at any moment, and the force-field heavy shield in his left hand covering all vital areas. Seeing this, Brian Bolton nodded to himself—this guy was pretty good.

There were ample supplies in the Earth Alliance armory, and the three began to equip themselves with the weapons and gear they needed.

The Earth Guardian didn't rush to pick his own gear, but first advised Brian Bolton: "Wolf Demon, mecha load capacity and attachment slots are both limited. The Wolf Demon mecha comes with four sets of refined steel claws. You should bring a scanning radar, and use the remaining three slots entirely for power cells."

Power cells are the energy source for standard mechas and guarantee endurance. Entering Pandora Forest, endurance would be an issue, so someone had to sacrifice weapon slots to ensure enough power. Otherwise, if a mecha broke down halfway in the forest, the mission would fail immediately.

Among the three, Brian Bolton had the worst record, the lowest level, and the weakest mecha. He had nothing to argue about, so he obediently brought a high-powered scanning radar and filled the rest of the slots with power cells.

Standard mechas, aside from their built-in equipment, have four extra attachment slots. The scanner takes one, and Brian Bolton used the other three for power cells.

After equipping, he smiled at the Earth Guardian and said, "Big bro, I'll handle the radar scanning, and as for combat, I'll leave it to you and Fox Demon."

Seeing Brian Bolton so cooperative, the Earth Guardian was quite satisfied. His huge metal palm patted the front plate of his mecha, making a "clang clang" sound: "Don't worry, we'll carry you to victory!"

After that, he turned to instruct Fox Demon: "Grace, we've got enough power cells this time. You bring a short-range rapid-fire laser gun, a long-range sniper laser gun, and a long-range small railgun. Just hide behind me and shoot as much as you want when the time comes."

"Got it!" Fox Demon Grace was very happy and skipped off to get her gear.

Only then did the Earth Guardian start picking his own equipment. In addition to the initial tungsten steel greatsword and force-field heavy shield, he mounted a Gatling cannon on his shoulder, and used the remaining slots entirely for ammunition.

Brian Bolton nodded to himself as he watched from the side: "The team has both physical and energy attacks, covers long, medium, and short range, has good defense, decent endurance, and guaranteed vision. As long as nothing goes wrong, I should be able to win this round lying down."

He wasn't in a hurry to show off his combat skills. In "Hero," technique is very important, but teamwork is the solid foundation for showcasing skill. A true warrior, if he can't even get along with his teammates, shouldn't even think about making a name for himself on the battlefield—surviving would already be a problem.

Once everything was ready, the Earth Guardian waved his hand and strode ahead: "Grace, follow behind me. Wolf Demon, you take the rear. I'll lead the way. Let's go!"

"Okay." Brian Bolton nodded.

The three of them moved forward and soon entered the woods. The surrounding mist thickened instantly, and with the dim light, their vision quickly became gloomy.

The Demon Clan is highly adapted to this kind of dark environment. In this forest map, the Demon Clan has absolute home advantage!

"Beep~" Brian Bolton didn't dare to be careless and immediately activated the high-powered scanner.

The Earth Guardian gave him an approving look. His actions matched the Earth Guardian's own thoughts, so it seemed this Wolf Demon wasn't as much of a noob as his record suggested.

They proceeded cautiously. After about a kilometer, the surrounding trees became extremely tall, with even the thinnest trunks requiring three people to encircle them. The undergrowth and weeds on the ground grew denser and denser. Even piloting a powerful mecha, they could feel considerable resistance as they moved forward.

The only good news was that the mist in the forest had thinned considerably, which was beneficial for laser-type energy attacks.

"Beep~ beep~ beep~" Suddenly, the scanner emitted a series of rapid alerts, the sound coming through the squad channel directly into the ears of all three mecha pilots.

"Something's up! Wolf Demon, what do you see?" The Earth Guardian asked instinctively. The other had been reliable all along, and he already had a certain level of trust in Brian Bolton's abilities.