Cannon Fodder O Pretending to be A Will Lose Their Vest Chapter 73

Chapter 73: Lunatic. Mutual Destruction / He Bets That Jiang Chenyan Won’t Refuse…

Jiang Chenyan pressed his fingertips against the control console, thinking that Xie Huaijin was more than a little sick. They had agreed to cooperate, yet he had gone and charged in directly?

Actually, Jiang Chenyan wasn’t particularly anxious, nor did he care if Xie Huaijin lived or died in the end.

But since the cooperation had been settled, there was no reason to stand by if they could rush over.

He tried to contact Xie Huaijin, but there was only dead silence in the communication channel; the man offered no response.

Shen Shiyue asked Jiang Chenyan, “Is he about to die?”

Thinking about it, those words were a bit harsh. “I mean, has he been counter-killed by Mu Sian?”

Jiang Chenyan was silent for a moment. “Uh…”

“Hard to say.”

When they arrived at the destination, what met their eyes was complete desolation.

Having just experienced a fierce battle, damaged mechas lay scattered on the ground. The circuits were still sizzling with sparks, and scorch marks spread across the broken walls. The smell of charred metal and the faint, almost undetectable scent of lingering pheromones floated in the air.

Xie Huaijin was indeed trapped.

Mu Sian was leading a squad of mechas, surrounding Xie Huaijin in the center.

Xie Huaijin was alone, still holding out.

With the enhancement of high-grade Alpha pheromones, Xie Huaijin maneuvered his mecha with agility. Every attack was precise and ruthless, and he had managed to single-handedly destroy several enemy mechas in succession.

Mu Sian’s mecha hovered not far away. The silver-grey body glinted coldly against the desolate background. He watched coldly, as if appreciating a boring farce, his fingers casually stroking the control lever.

Perhaps finding this one-sided siege too time-consuming, Mu Sian finally moved.

The mecha suddenly accelerated. The shoulder energy cannon charged instantly, and a ghostly blue light condensed into a fatal beam, locking onto the core of Xie Huaijin’s mecha.

Seeing the beam about to pierce Xie Huaijin’s defense, Jiang Chenyan rushed out from the rear flank.

The body carved an arc in the air. The shoulder shield deployed, and a light purple energy barrier rose, barely blocking the front of Xie Huaijin’s mecha.

BOOM—!

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The energy cannon struck the shield, erupting into a piercing light. The massive impact made the mecha vibrate slightly, and the alarm on the control console rang out briefly.

Jiang Chenyan stabilized the mecha and retaliated with an energy blade toward Mu Sian’s mecha, forcing the opponent’s offensive back.

Shen Shiyue and the others quickly joined the battle, gradually turning the disadvantage on the field.

Mu Sian’s mecha paused in mid-air.

Inside the cockpit, Mu Sian’s eyes gradually darkened, impatience and gloom churning within.

He hadn’t expected Jiang Chenyan to arrive in time.

He had clearly known about the news of Jiang Chenyan and Xie Huaijin teaming up long ago, but seeing the two fighting “back-to-back” with his own eyes now really was unpleasant.

Does it have to be like this?

Why does it have to be Xie Huaijin? Why must you go to his side?

A cold voice came clearly into Jiang Chenyan’s mecha through the public communication channel: “Jiang Chenyan.”

“Do you want to win that badly?”

“Xie Huaijin is already at the end of his rope. Are you still going to follow him?”

Jiang Chenyan’s fingertips pressed steadily on the control lever, his voice transmitting back through the communicator: “I’m not following him. We are just cooperating; there’s never been any talk of who is dependent on whom.”

Just then, the broadcast notification rang out.

[Only three teams remain in the arena. All contestants, please make your final preparations.]

Only three teams left?

Jiang Chenyan was slightly stunned, then looked out at the mess on the ground outside the window.

Charred mecha remains, solidified energy traces, and the scent of gunpowder that had not yet dissipated in the air.

Without realizing it, the other teams had all been eliminated.

It had happened so fast.

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Jiang Chenyan’s eyes darkened slightly, and his fingers instinctively tightened on the control lever.

Everyone knew there was no need for nonsense.

Killing intent filled the arena.

The loud crash of mechas colliding instantly tore through the desolate silence. Several mechas fought together. Every attack targeted the opponent’s vital points, with no holding back.

At this moment, Xie Huaijin’s voice finally came through the communication channel: “Sorry, an accident happened. But Mu Sian’s team only has three people left now.”

Hearing the word “sorry” from Xie Huaijin was truly a rarity.

This man had always been arrogant and perverse, used to controlling everything, and never easily lowered his head, let alone initiated an apology.

Before Jiang Chenyan could think more, Xie Huaijin’s voice rang out again, adding: “As for why I didn’t pick up your call, it was because the mecha was severely damaged just now. The communication module has only just recovered.”

Jiang Chenyan’s fingertips remained firmly on the control lever, and he didn’t respond.

Xie Huaijin hadn’t only cooperated with Jiang Chenyan’s team; many teams wanted to use his high-grade pheromones to restrain Mu Sian. The original plan was to join forces and surround Mu Sian’s team, taking them all down at once.

What they didn’t expect was that Mu Sian had the same idea and had long ago planned a counter-surround. As soon as the two sides made contact, they saw red, wishing they could completely crush each other.

In this chaotic fight, many teams became sacrifices, silently eliminated and leaving only a mess of remains on the ground.

But saying these things now was useless.

On the battlefield, Mu Sian’s eyes grew increasingly gloomy as he locked his gaze firmly onto Jiang Chenyan. Seeing the other person coordinating tacitly with Xie Huaijin and Shen Shiyue time and again to barely block his own offensive, his eyes grew even darker.

Boom!

Mu Sian suddenly exerted force, the energy cannon pressing toward Xie Huaijin’s rear flank, forcing Jiang Chenyan to divert his attention for a rescue.

Taking advantage of this momentary opening, Mu Sian’s teammates quickly pounced on Ling Yi and Ji Xuan’s mechas. Two energy beams hit simultaneously.

[Warning! Energy core damaged!]

[Mecha out of control! Forced withdrawal imminent!]

The cold notifications rang out in succession. Ling Yi and Ji Xuan’s mechas instantly lost power, emitting black smoke as they fell to the ground, completely losing combat capability.

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The cockpit suddenly fell into darkness, and the consciousness of the two gradually blurred.

The broadcast notification pierced through the metal cockpit walls, announcing their elimination.

Jiang Chenyan’s brow was tightly furrowed, but his fingers didn’t stop. He pressed the control lever down sharply, and the mecha turned instantly, the energy cannon pointed directly at Mu Sian’s remaining teammate.

The slaughter didn’t stop, instead becoming increasingly tragic.

Jiang Chenyan and Shen Shiyue’s mechas coordinated tacitly. One energy blade sliced through the opponent’s defense, followed by an energy shell precisely hitting the core.

That teammate of Mu Sian didn’t even have a chance to react before the mecha exploded with a roar, turning into scattered fragments.

Xie Huaijin’s voice came through the communication channel, carrying a hint of a casual smile, the corners of his mouth slightly turned up: “Jiang Chenyan, this is quite boring—I mean this competition.”

Jiang Chenyan was stunned. “What do you mean? A competition is a competition; don’t do anything reckless.”

Hearing the two’s conversation, Shen Shiyue’s brow arched slightly. His fingers unconsciously tapped on the mecha control console. What was Xie Huaijin going to do?

Xie Huaijin’s untimely laughter came through the communication channel.

His mecha slowly turned, the muzzle precisely locking onto the core of Mu Sian’s mecha. A faint curve arched at the corner of his mouth: “Don’t you want to win?”

The moment the words fell, Xie Huaijin’s mecha suddenly accelerated, lunging toward Mu Sian’s direction. The smile on his lips grew more intense: “I’ll give you a hand.”

Mu Sian’s pupils contracted. He clearly hadn’t expected Xie Huaijin to suddenly go crazy like this, actually giving up defense entirely and lunging over with the stance of mutual destruction.

The mecha control console instantly erupted with an urgent alarm. He instinctively maneuvered the mecha to retreat.

Mu Sian had underestimated Xie Huaijin after all. Xie Huaijin was truly a lunatic, lunging over without any regard for anything.

The mecha suddenly erupted with speed far exceeding the limit, like an out-of-control meteorite, crashing heavily toward Mu Sian’s mecha.

There was no defense, no holding back; only the ferocity of mutual destruction remained in his eyes.

Jiang Chenyan and Shen Shiyue were both stunned, their movements on the control levers slowing by half a beat.

What’s the situation?!

“Xie Huaijin.”

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Jiang Chenyan didn’t understand.

In the next second, BOOM—!

The violent explosion was deafening. Flames shot up into the sky, instantly swallowing the figures of the two mechas.

Under extreme pressure, the high-grade pheromones completely lost control. Scents of crimson and ink intertwined and coiled. Everywhere they passed, an energy storm swept across the arena. Even Jiang Chenyan and Shen Shiyue in the distance were forced to activate their mechas’ highest-level shields to barely withstand the destructive impact.

While Jiang Chenyan and Shen Shiyue hadn’t recovered within the arena, outside the arena had already exploded. Countless people stood up from their seats, their exclamations and discussions almost lifting the roof.

“Mutual destruction?”

“I simply can’t believe my eyes.”

At that moment, in a corner of the seats, Ariel was holding down the restless Kai Lan. The latter couldn’t break free and, after seeing the screen, his eyes widened as he blurted out: “Holy crap! This Xie Huaijin is truly crazy, isn’t he?!”

Ariel’s brow was tightly furrowed. For once, he didn’t refute Kai Lan. “He is indeed quite crazy.”

Kai Lan took the opportunity to break free from Ariel’s hand, staring deathly at the firelight on the screen that had not yet dissipated. “What exactly does Xie Huaijin want to do?” He didn’t believe it was purely to help Jiang Chenyan.

He also didn’t know what Xie Cheng would think after seeing this scene—his own son pulling such a stunt in front of so many people.

Above the high platform, Qi Bai stood quietly at the junction of shadow and morning light. His fingertips lightly touched the railing as he calmly swept his gaze over the boiling arena below, having observed for a long time.

It was as if he were shrouded in an invisible layer of cold air, completely out of place with the boiling atmosphere below.

Just children’s games.

Truly naive.

…

Only three people remained in the competition arena. The outcome was already decided.

Jiang Chenyan and Shen Shiyue eliminated Mu Sian’s last teammate without much effort.

The mechas stopped their movements. The cold system notification announced victory, but there was only silence between the two of them.

They won.

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There was no anticipated joy, only an indescribable sense of strangeness, like a fine thorn stuck in the heart—not painful, but impossible to ignore.

Shen Shiyue maneuvered his mecha to turn toward Jiang Chenyan. His eyes were incredibly dark; no one knew what he was thinking.

[Host, congratulations on winning the match!] The System’s mechanical voice rang out timely.

Jiang Chenyan leaned against the pilot seat and closed his eyes. “You’re the only one who would congratulate me. This victory wasn’t won honorably.”

[Don’t think too much. A win is a win; the result is what matters most.] The System offered comfort.

Jiang Chenyan didn’t respond, only feeling as if his bones were filled with a sense of weakness, as if all his strength had been drained.

He was incredibly conflicted. Xie Huaijin’s crazy move of mutual destruction at the last moment had, in the end, helped him.

But ironically, this help was like a stone thrown into stagnant water, disturbing Jiang Chenyan’s thoughts and making him feel uneasy.

[Host, when Gong 1 was about to be completely eliminated by Gong 2, you arrived in time to save him once. Now that he’s returning the favor, is there something wrong?]

Jiang Chenyan’s fingertips curled slightly.

He knew, but he was still irritated.

At the end of the day, Xie Huaijin was never someone who would help people for no reason; whatever he did, he surely had his own purpose.

This first-place win of theirs was quite frustrating.

The world before his eyes suddenly turned black. The simulator exit notification rang in his ears, announcing the end of the match.

When he opened his eyes again, he was in the gathering area in the center of the arena.

All teams were gathered here.

Jiang Chenyan swept a gaze around and calmly retracted it.

Xie Huaijin walked through the crowd and went straight to Jiang Chenyan, an unreadable half-smile playing on his lips. “Have time for a talk?”

Shen Shiyue’s eyes darkened, and he instinctively took half a step forward, wanting to speak up and block him.

But before he could speak, Jiang Chenyan already looked up to meet Xie Huaijin’s gaze. “Sure.”

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“Anyway, it’s still early. We’ll go after the awards ceremony is over. Is that okay?”

The Alpha slowly lowered his eyes. His long lashes cast a faint shadow beneath his eyes, obscuring the deep color within. He bet that Jiang Chenyan wouldn’t refuse.

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