ISMW Chapter 95

To be honest, controlling these two 3S mechas was somewhat strenuous for Yun Xunlan. Otherwise, Kos Telo wouldn’t have been able to fight back and forth with Jian Xing Chen.

 

However, his difficulty wasn’t due to achieving perfect resonance with two 3S mechas simultaneously, but because all the mechas deployed by Yaoguang Fifth Space Station were being piloted by him alone—the brood mother could control vast swarms of insects, and at this moment, Yun Xunlan was in some sense like a brood mother, controlling an entire mecha group.

 

He was very grateful to Kos Telo for providing such valuable combat experience, making him understand that piloting mechas was about quality over quantity, because when numbers increased, it was easy to neglect one’s own safety.

 

After all, Kos Telo only had 72% resonance with his 3S mecha. Fighting him was completely different from fighting Severir king insects.

 

Yun Xunlan could withstand several of Kos Telo’s attacks, but against king insects, he might not withstand even one.

 

If he were really in Jian Xing Chen’s cockpit, he would need to be doubly careful when fighting king insects.

 

After Yun Xunlan confirmed the optimal number for simultaneously piloting mechas, the Corona Empire warships’ planet-killer cannons had also finished charging and were ready to launch strong attacks at any moment. Kos Telo then issued an ultimatum to Yun Xunlan—

 

“Third Prince.” Probably feeling victory was assured, Kos Telo addressed Yun Xunlan as “Your Highness” again, condescending: “Our target is only you. You’d better cooperate with me to avoid accidentally harming the astronauts on the space station.”

 

Yun Xunlan also didn’t want to accidentally harm others, which was why he initially wanted all personnel on the Fifth Space Station to evacuate.

 

He asked the space station captain: “Captain Xia, our space station can indeed withstand one impact from a planet-killer cannon, right?”

 

“Yes, Third Prince.” The captain nodded to Yun Xunlan. “One impact is absolutely no problem.”

 

But it wasn’t completely without risk.

 

Lu You frowned and stepped forward half a step, hesitating to speak, wanting Yun Xunlan to leave the space station before the impact arrived.

 

But Yun Xunlan had already spoken, giving Kos Telo a final warning: “Kos Telo, given that you helped me with a small favor, I can treat the previous mecha group battle as a sparring match and let bygones be bygones. But activating planet-killer cannons to attack our country’s space station is equivalent to declaring war on our country.”

 

“3S mechas have no escape devices.” Yun Xunlan sighed and called the alpha’s name again. “Are you sure you want to do this?”

 

Kos Telo didn’t answer aloud, but the high-energy impact beam fired from the warship the next instant was his answer to Yun Xunlan.

 

He sneered coldly while watching Jian Xing Chen and the other mechas from the space station retreat together the moment the planet-killer cannon activated. A mocking “Don’t go back to die” was at his throat, about to be uttered, when his mecha’s control system suddenly issued an alarm—

 

【Warning! Mental power detected invading the main control system, usurping your piloting authority! Usurpation rate has reached 20%! Please immediately leave the mental power coverage area!】

 

【Warning! Mental power detected invading the main control system, usurping your piloting authority! Usurpation rate has reached 50%! Please immediately leave the mental power coverage area!】

 

…

 

The constantly repeating alarms and rapidly climbing usurpation rate tightened Kos Telo’s nerves.

 

His first reaction wasn’t to retreat, but to think he had misheard.

 

It was common knowledge that omegas could use mental power to forcibly override mecha piloting authority, but around him were all Corona Empire mechas—where were any omegas? Were they hidden in the Galactic Empire’s mecha group? But they had all retreated too.

 

Moreover, omegas couldn’t pilot mechas. Even if they could, this was a 3S-level mecha—could any omega’s mental power be high enough to forcibly override a 3S mecha’s piloting authority?

 

【Warning! Mental power detected invading the main control system, usurping your piloting authority! Usurpation rate has reached 70%! Please immediately leave the mental power coverage area!】

 

His resonance with the mecha was only 72% total!

 

Hearing this, Kos Telo finally snapped out of his shock. Not daring to delay further, he quickly mobilized his precarious first piloting authority and retreated toward his own starship. Only then did the heart-wrenching, panic-inducing alarm stop.

 

However, the retreat went too smoothly. Kos Telo was also puzzled: why didn’t the person who had usurped his piloting authority give commands to the mecha? Why did they let him escape so easily?

 

He instinctively glanced at the resonance rate displayed on the control screen, only to see it had risen to 85%! And the closer he got to the starship, the higher the resonance rate became, crossing the 90% threshold in the blink of an eye!

 

Kos Telo held his breath, his heart skipping a beat.

 

Logically, when a mecha pilot is stunned, their resonance with the mecha should briefly decline. But at this moment, Kos Telo’s resonance with the mecha was rising instead of falling. The number continued climbing: 91%, 93%, 95%… 99%!

 

At this number, Kos Telo stopped his retreat operation commands, but his mecha didn’t stop as ordered and continued toward the starship.

 

Kos Telo’s face suddenly turned pale, cold sweat pouring down his forehead like a waterfall—no wonder the system hadn’t issued any more alarms. The mecha’s first piloting authority had changed hands. What was there left to warn about?

 

Now this mecha’s communication rights, fire control rights, piloting rights… were all in someone else’s hands. With no escape devices on 3S mechas, Kos Telo could neither contact the outside world nor escape by ejecting the cockpit to separate himself from the mecha.

 

This mecha was now, to him, a sealed mobile coffin.

 

In despair, a slightly hoarse, gentle voice suddenly appeared in the cockpit, saying slowly: “Kos Telo, my guards told you long ago that 72% resonance is really too low. Look—”

 

As the young man’s voice fell, the resonance that had been stuck at 99% instantly became 100%.

 

“If you could achieve perfect resonance with a 3S mecha like me, I wouldn’t be able to forcibly override your piloting authority, would I?”

 

—Perfect resonance.

 

The peak that Kos Telo could never reach in his lifetime seemed to be the most trivial thing to Yun Xunlan.

 

“Yun Xunlan…” Kos Telo stared in shock and terror. “You… didn’t you retreat?!”

 

He had seen Jian Xing Chen leave with his own eyes!

 

Even if it hadn’t left, Yun Xunlan was also an alpha like him. Why could he use mental power to usurp his piloting authority?

 

Kos Telo asked: “Are you… an omega?”

 

“Does it matter to you whether I’m an alpha or omega?” Yun Xunlan chuckled softly and told Kos Telo, “I retreated because I no longer need to use my mecha.”

 

Inside the Fifth Space Station, Yun Xunlan stood before the observation window, curving his fingers to aim the burning cigarette tip at the Corona Empire warship’s planet-killer cannon like a sniper’s crosshairs, saying indifferently: “Yours is enough.”

 

After the final sound of “enough” dissipated in the air, everyone in the Fifth Space Station saw the Corona Empire starship’s planet-killer cannons disintegrate—Kos Telo’s 3S mecha had attacked its own starship, destroying the most important offensive devices on two starships.

 

The people on the two Corona Empire starships and the mecha pilots in the mecha group near Kos Telo were all dumbfounded.

 

First, no one could have predicted Kos Telo’s “betrayal.” Second, Kos Telo’s mecha was identified as “friendly forces” by the starship defense systems, so the starships wouldn’t defend against him at all!

 

Finally—!

 

The speed, precision, and smooth coordination of Kos Telo’s attack wave was completely unlike the level his 72% resonance could achieve. Had someone else taken over piloting the mecha?!

 

Moreover, Kos Telo’s mecha didn’t stop attacking after destroying the planet-killer cannons, continuing to fire at important parts of the starships. When people on the starships tried to contact Kos Telo, they got no response. Little did they know that Kos Telo was nearly shouting his throat bloody in the mecha cockpit, but the mecha’s communication rights were completely controlled by Yun Xunlan. After repeated warnings proved ineffective, the fleet could only treat Kos Telo as a rebel.

 

The moment the Corona Empire starships and mecha group simultaneously attacked Kos Telo, Yun Xunlan withdrew his mental power and returned mecha control to Kos Telo.

 

“You can try to resist them.” He kindly reminded Kos Telo. “You’re using a 3S mecha—surely you can’t lose even to 2S-level mechas?”

 

In single combat, even with only 72% resonance with his 3S mecha, Kos Telo might not lose. But he wasn’t facing one 2S mecha—he was facing a group.

 

Originally, Kos Telo had dared to lead the attack on Yun Xunlan precisely because he relied on the Corona Empire mecha group’s numerical advantage. Now this advantage had turned into a boomerang hitting himself. At life’s end, Kos Telo began to regret for the first time why he had piloted a 3S mecha. Even if he had piloted the lowest C-level mecha, it would have had escape devices…

 

…Only 3S mechas didn’t.

 

It was the most advanced military equipment, and also the most advanced coffin.

 

Once you sat inside, if you couldn’t defeat the enemy, only death in battle remained.

 

Everyone on the Fifth Space Station watched Kos Telo and his mecha disappear together in the starship’s plasma cannon flames, as if watching his coffin lid close.

 

While everyone marveled at this “killing both body and spirit,” they were also deeply shocked—by Yun Xunlan’s mental power.

 

Yu Chen had observed the entire battle. Though he wasn’t in the Fifth Space Station, he maintained communication with Yun Xunguang. After witnessing Kos Telo’s death, he was silent for a moment, then suddenly asked: “How many 3S mechas can the Third Prince control simultaneously?”

 

“Ten, all in perfect resonance,” Yun Xunguang said. “However, when controlling so many 3S mechas simultaneously, his mental power coverage range will shrink to half an Imperial Star.”

 

Yu Chen was mentally prepared, but upon hearing this answer, he couldn’t help but take a deep breath to maintain his composure.

 

Yun Xunguang then dropped bombshell after bombshell: “This is the test result from when he was fifteen. Theoretically, he should be able to control more, but in reality: if it exceeds seven, he will lose control. If the number is less than seven, around five to six, and the time exceeds half an hour, he will also lose control.”

 

Yu Chen slightly frowned: “Lose control?”

 

“He will become… very aggressive, and his thinking will become quite chaotic… In short, it’s hard to explain,” Yun Xunguang seemed reluctant to discuss this matter further.

 

**

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