[1-200] THE MECH TOUCH

Chapter 33: Performance

The crowd already built up a sense of anticipation for Patricia's grand performance. The young woman in question stood proudly in front of the contestants, certain that her Rosaria could wipe the floor with any other mech tested so far. She attracted attention more than just her prodigal performance. As the unattainable princess of the campus, she attracted admirers wherever she went, able to mesmerize her fellow students with her striking red locks and her enviable figure. Like a crane among chickens, her appearance made everyone else look plain.

The Rosario she crafted out of the pile of junk also looked too good to be true. Despite its undersized legs and arms, Patricia somehow managed to keep the mech's weight under control. The medium mech's main feature was its modified shield. Patricia took a regular kite shield, made it a little thicker and added a lot of spikes and sharp edges to it. She turned the shield into a melee weapon no weaker than a sword.

Its other arm held a flamethrower, which fed off the fuel cells installed on the mech's back. They were cellular, which meant that each fuel cell was detached once it ran out of fuel. It was a good way to keep the mech's weight under control, though it suffered from it at the start. The Rosario offered no other offensive options besides a backup knife and pistol strapped to its back. The mech weighed lighter than most other medium mechs on display so far, especially once its fuel cells ran out.

In contrast, everyone else including Ves just wanted to cram as much in their mechs, so if they chose to go with a mediumweight, it always weighed close to the maximum allowance.

"I bet the Rosario is going to make it to the end."

Carlos laughed at that. "I'd be a fool if I take you on that bet."

"Why not? The Rosario's only armed with a flamethrower and a spiked shield. It's-"

"Patricia isn't stupid. I think her mech is going to surprise all of us."

When Hans directed the Rosario out of the gates, he immediately came under fire. A small ambush had been set at the start of the gauntlet. A lot of mechs would suffer severe damage with all the incoming laser and cannon fire. Hans utilized the Rosario's remarkable mobility to dodge the initial volleys and moved his shield in front to block what he couldn't avoid. As Hans successfully reached cover, he managed to preserve his undersized and under-armored legs.

"That was close!" Carlos said as he was already sucked into the race. "Do you think Hans is going to turn the tables on them?"

Ves shook his head even before Hans sneaked away. The mech possessed enough mobility to do so without attracting too much attention. Also, so long as the Rosario kept its flamethrower in reserve, the mech kept its heat profile under control, making it difficult to detect out of line of sight.

Hans actually progressed three entire kilometers into the gauntlet without getting caught. It showcased Patricia's unwavering faith in her mech and the pilot in designing a lighter than usual mediumweight mech. The Rosario also possessed unusually long-ranged sensors, whose functioning had been tweaked to detect enemies further at the cost of longevity. Nevertheless, it lasted long enough for the gauntlet.

Only an unusually high concentration of enemy mechs stopped the Rosario from sneaking its way throughout the entire gauntlet. With no other choice, Hans dove into the group of enemies and activated the flamethrower.

A liquid white-hot stream escaped the nozzle of the fiery weapon, spraying the unprepared mechs with a shower of heat. The gaggle of mechs all spread out in terror as their armor melted while their softer components burned. Hans left the lighter mechs behind but gave the medium mechs an extra smack. As for the heavy mechs, unless they were armed with missiles and artillery, he left them behind to waddle in his wake.