Wow! The item-dropping rate is really high!

Although most Mech Pilots who can participate in combat possess skills far exceeding ordinary people, with physical qualities beyond comparison, in such an extraterrestrial environment, no one can guarantee whether Victor might be invaded by alien pathogens in the leaked air.

"Playing the negative state," is a tactic favored by members of certain nations.

Even if their side loses, as long as your Mech Pilot ends up with a negative condition, it will be hard for them to perform at their best in the subsequent matches.

After all, the competition schedule is intense, and whether Mech Pilots can sustain their fiery, ever-improving state is the ultimate test for all participants.

Under these rules, where each competitor can participate in at most two matches, any negative condition affecting a strong participant could determine the outcome of an entire match.

Two equally significant concerns weigh heavily on the hearts of every Bauhinia Republic citizen.

In the Competition Committee's backstage area, the entire working group instantly received the appeal submitted by the Thunder Dragon Empire—

The result of this match clearly shows that their Thunder Dragon Empire's Mech Pilot was the true winner.

Their argument is that, in a real battlefield scenario, their Thunder Dragon Empire's Mech Pilot would have been able to wait for rescue safely inside the sealed cockpit.

As for the Bauhinia Republic's Mech Pilot, despite being able to still move his arm in the end, he would have been long dead before the rescue team arrived, given the completely unfamiliar alien environment.

After recovery, their Thunder Dragon Empire's Mech Pilot would still have the opportunity to return to the battlefield, while Bauhinia not only failed to win this single combat encounter but also forfeited the chance to compete further.

A complete and utter defeat.

Or even if Thunder Dragon Empire did not emerge victorious, at the very least, it should have been a draw.

The Bauhinia Republic's Mech Pilot's last-ditch arm-lifting move clearly wasn't enough to entirely disable their Thunder Dragon Empire's Mecha.

Both sides essentially lost their operational capability, so at most, it could only be considered a draw.

By no means could Bauhinia Republic be deemed the victor.

This argument gained considerable support among members of the Competition Committee, resulting in the final outcome of victory or defeat remaining unpublished for so long.

However, the highest adjudicator representing the will of the Star Alliance observed coldly and refrained from speaking... Only after clearly understanding each Competition Committee member's opinion did they cast their decisive vote.

"Winner—Bauhinia Republic."

"Whoever perseveres until the end is the victor. This is the simplest judgment of victory and defeat." The highest adjudicator swept an icy gaze over the panel of Competition Committee members, speaking in an indifferent tone as she recognized most were local inhabitants of this Stellar District, "Once you choose to become a judge, you must first forget your origins. Anyone who fails to uphold basic fairness and justice is unfit to preside over any competition."

...

Roughly tens of seconds later, the calm live broadcast finally revealed the final verdict—

"Winning side: Bauhinia Republic. Winning Pilot: Victor. Mecha: All-around Model (Singer)."

"Woohoo!"

A thunderous wave of joy erupted within the hearts of every Bauhinia citizen.

No one had anticipated that, facing the Thunder Dragon Empire—a powerhouse ranked among the top three seed competitors in the Star Zone Competition—their Bauhinia warrior could secure an initial victory in the Vanguard Battle.

This excellent start even led them to believe that defeating a seed competitor, a Stellar District's top-tier nation, was not an impossibility within reach.

Such an exhilarating moment undoubtedly made everyone's hearts race uncontrollably, feeling that the radiant future was nearly beckoning them within arm's reach.

However, for the numerous competitors participating, all Bauhinia participants had no time to bask in the joy of their first victory, as the arrangement for the second individual match promptly followed.

After the result was announced, the Competition Committee's rescue efforts also arrived in a timely manner.

Victor, who was brought back, didn't look particularly lively but managed to maintain full clarity of consciousness at least.

"The air on this planet is alright, not toxic." The young man grinned mischievously and, without wasting more words, started sharing his comprehensive insights and understandings of the competition venue through personal experience...

"Everyone finished listening?" Catherine asked in a flat tone.

An hour of recovery time wasn't generous, especially considering it starts ticking from the moment the previous match concludes.

If Victor's condition had been poor, they might have gained nothing useful from the vanguard's firsthand information on the venue.

Fortunately, the rescue team's actions weren't too slow, and Victor, after being brought back, didn't delay too much time, leaving ten minutes for intra-team discussions after sharing all his exploratory findings.

"From the terrain, launching sudden strikes here won't be easy; the terrain is the greatest obstacle. I think choosing a 'Sentinel' Flyer is a good option."

"If we go with a Flyer, I recommend putting Atos out there; he's the best among us in handling Flyers."

Selecting the most skilled Mech Pilot based on the suitable mecha type is the cornerstone of every tactical discussion.

Reaching this level of competition, most Mech Pilots are relatively "all-around," but even among all-around pilots, there are standout specialties.

"But the opponents might notice this too. If they opt for an aerial combat 'Vanguard,' choosing a Flyer could be problematic for us."

The competition doesn't ban aerial combat, but different terrain maps impose varying flight altitude restrictions.

On their primitive jungle map, the flight altitude limitation is relatively low, leaving flying mechas with virtually no advantage.

Mechas capable of flight inevitably compromise in armor and weaponry, and their ground combat capabilities are absolutely outmatched by ground-based mechas.

When facing most ground-based mechas, aerial combat mechas don't have an edge.

Only when fighting Sentinel Flyers do aerial combat Vanguard mechas hold a decisive advantage.

Once locked onto each other, even if Sentinel Flyers have the advantage of landing the first strike, they can only manage two or three preemptive attacks at best.

After all, the dense jungle terrain not only impacts the ground-based mechas' advancement but also hampers Sentinel Flyers' target acquisition.

By the time the target is detected, both sides are already at a dangerously close distance.

The obstacles impeding ground-based mechas in the jungle pose no problems whatsoever for aerial combat Vanguards.

Once they get into close range, the Sentinel Flyers, entirely lacking close-range combat capabilities, will inevitably become playthings for their rivals.

"But they wouldn't take such a risky move, would they..."

After all, if their side doesn't choose a Sentinel Flyer and the opponent uses an aerial combat Vanguard, it would essentially be giving away a point for free.

The enormous performance gap between the mechas, even if there's some disparity in the skill levels of the pilots, would likely lead to an unavoidable defeat.

"I still think we should go with Flyers... The opponents might not dare to field an aerial combat Vanguard."

"Or let's rethink—how about we choose an aerial combat Vanguard ourselves?"

"This..."

Catherine silently observed her patchwork team of substitutes, watching from the sidelines without interjecting, allowing them to air their opinions freely.

Theoretically, with Victor securing a point, and herself partnering with Bai E likely able to net six points in the two team battles, a win against the Thunder Dragon Empire was highly probable.

But she chose to remain silent.

Though she possessed Bai E as her ace card, Catherine was reluctant to use it purely to "steady morale."

This competition was not just about winning; it was also about honing skills.

Ultimately, external reinforcements would always be external; Bauhinia couldn't always rely on such favorable circumstances.

Only when their own nation's talents had grown strong could Bauhinia achieve true greatness.

From her perspective, Victor was already among the stronger members of her cobbled-together team, but even he only narrowly claimed the first match by catching his opponent off guard with a daring opening.

The overall average strength of the Thunder Dragon Empire remained formidable!