[1-200] THE MECH TOUCH

Chapter 100: Finals

The next day, before the preshow began, an executive from the Carnegie Group took to the stage. He adopted a solemn face as he addressed the crowd that just arrived.

"We have an announcement to make. Cadet Freeman who pilots the mechs on behalf of Carter Gauge has been found dead in his dorm. Our investigators have ruled the cause of his death to be self-hanging. There are no signs that others are involved."

Everyone who listened to his words was stunned. Ves more so than others due to his indirect involvement to this incident. He didn't know his name, but Freeman was the pilot of the Pterodactyl that crashed and burned at the moment of its victory. Cadet Lovejoy achieved a miracle when he triumphed over a hopeless situation.

Had Gauge quietly eliminated Freeman? Ves did not believe a cadet could commit suicide through a method as slow as hanging. These cadets should all be strictly monitored. Security bots should also be patrolling around their dorms, ready to respond in seconds if a disturbance occurred.

Ves felt a chill when he considered that Gauge might not limit his rage to his idiotic pilot. After all, the mech that handed out his very public humiliation was designed by Ves and piloted by Lovejoy.

"We at Leemar are aware that our pilots and designers are put under an immense amount of pressure. Some believe that we should coddle them more. I disagree. Our young men might not have experienced much of what life has to offer, but they must learn to deal with adversity. Risk and reward goes hand in hand. Those who aim to win must always prepare to lose. Those who cannot endure these kinds of setbacks have no place to compete with the best."

Ves did not expect such harsh words after the death of a fellow contestant. He turned his head and noted that the graduates from Leemar showed no discontent. They fully agreed with this executive's views. His heart chilled a little further.

"Due to the unfortunate loss of his mech pilot, Carter Gauge has lost his qualifications to continue competing. He has agreed to withdraw from the Leemar Open Competition. We express our apologies for the irregularities. The finals will proceed with twenty-four pairs of pilots and designers."

It took some time, but the crowd quickly forgot about Freeman's apparent suicide. The festive music and impressive performances by the artists hired by Leemar did much to dispel the inauspicious cloud. Only Ves remained unmoved. He could add another name to his list of enemies.

Having successfully wiped away the stain, the event progressed to its third and final round.

"In the first round, we've tested our mech designers on their speed and timing. In the second round, we've pushed them on their endurance and their ability to set priorities. Now, in this final round, twenty-four of our best designers will now compete against each other with nothing more than pure design skill."

A projection of three QuickForge systems in a row appeared in front. A generic designer approached one of the machines and started to design a mech. Each of his actions on one machine was duplicated on the other machines. In essence, the designer was building three mechs at a time.

"With our ingenious QuickForge system, a mech designer is able to mirror their actions over as much machines as we choose. Each of our mech designers will produce three copies out of a single design, which provides their pilots enough identical mechs to reach the finals."

The projection of the QuickForge systems disappeared. A tournament bracket appeared into place. From twenty-four to twelve, from twelve to six, from six to three.

"Through a single elimination tournament, our twenty-four contestants will be whittled down to three. Their assigned pilots will be piloting a fresh identical match for every duel in order to keep things equal. Those who win their duels have more chances to display their mechs, and thus gain more opportunities to attract the attention of the masters. Naturally, the final three will also win a special prize."