CHAPTER 330: CHAPTER 330: POOR OR STINGY?

Arena.

At the moment when this agile Wind Wing, shattered into pieces, thunderously hit the ground, instantly, the system’s announcement echoed in the ears of every spectator:

[The match has ended, Rag Queen wins!]

Audience: "..."

After a while.

Someone asked: "How many seconds was it?"

No response.

Someone asked again: "How many seconds did it take to end?"

Silence.

Stiffness.

Awkwardness.

...

The fans’ gaping mouths gradually closed, and then, under the lead of a head fan, these fans who got stuck in the middle of their tasks had no reason to continue their work and began leaving their seats in droves; in less than a few seconds, more than 90% of the audience had left.

Then, someone else asked: "How many seconds was it? Why is no one answering?"

"15 seconds, duh, there’s a timer for the match, can’t you watch it?" Immediately, someone shot a glare at the person who spoke, suggesting the questioner was either truly dumb or looking to cause trouble.

The questioner suddenly stuck out their tongue, let out a shy laugh, and said, "I just couldn’t believe it; I thought my eyes were playing tricks on me. Since everyone agrees it was 15 seconds, that means my eyes are fine."

The respondent: "..."

However, after these two broke the silence, the discussion amongst the remaining spectators was immediately ignited: "King’s Expedition truly didn’t lose unjustly, getting targeted by the Rag Queen is just like being marked by something sticky that you can’t shake off. I originally thought her ability to tangle with her opponents was strong, but her sniping power is even stronger! From a thousand miles away, she can directly take the enemy’s head! Scary..."

"Truly scary..."

"Just thinking about her cold and dreadful gaze as she stared at King’s Expedition makes my whole body shudder..."

"The random barrage of Ordinary Particle Cannons in the beginning was all a blind eye method, the purpose was to hide the 4 Mini Particle Cannons that came after, and those 4 Cannons were the real trump cards—each shot was lethal, the first broke through the Protective Shield, the second shattered the cockpit, the third blasted the energy system, and the fourth damaged the thrusters...

Scary...

So scary..."

"For a speed-type contestant like King’s Expedition, in front of her, no matter how many times he changed his position, and no matter how fast he ran, he had no way to escape her lock-on. Is this—still human?"

"No, it’s a beast."

"Speaking of which, the Rag Queen always uses an antique mech, have you ever considered, if she were to switch to a mech with stronger defense, speed, and firepower... what would the outcome be?"

"3 seconds! The battle would end in 3 seconds!"

"No! 1 second! If she’s willing to use the Mecha Po Jun, at most 1 second, she could settle King’s Expedition!"

"You all have so much faith in her, huh! Am I the only one here who hopes to see her switch mechs for the competition?"

"I want to see her change mechs +1!"

Once these few sentences were said, the whole audience was instantly set ablaze with this thought, and suddenly, everyone stood up, shouting to the Rag Queen who was waiting for the countdown to leave the arena: "Rag Queen, let’s make a deal, could you stop using the antique mech, and switch to one with fiercer power and stronger firepower?"

Ji You was intently staring at the points tally page, her mouth twitching, looking as if she’d been massively shocked, in disbelief, then suddenly heard the remaining 10% of the audience actually starting to petition her to change mechs?

Change mechs?

Ji You lifted her gaze, scanned her surroundings with a stiff smile, and said, "Impossible! It’s impossible in this lifetime! A pauper like the Rag Queen must operate an antique mech to make ends meet—"

The audience was stupefied: "!!!"

Was she being serious?

Upon catching the shocked expressions of the audience, Ji You immediately realized she had said something wrong. Her facial expression remained unchanged, and she spoke with an earnest tone, "Of course, everything I said before was just a joke. You guys are so naive and cute for believing such nonsense! Do I look like someone in need of points? You guys must be joking. Let me ask, who among you has more points than me?"

As she said this, she paused slightly and glanced over the audience.

The audience was silent: "..."

Such an unreasonable and infuriating statement, it was an outright show of wealth!

But—

The audience couldn’t refute her.

In an instant, Ji You’s expression turned serious as she said, "I hereby declare seriously: I currently have no plans to switch mechas because I feel that I have not surpassed myself. I still need to keep challenging myself until the day comes when I truly feel that I have made a breakthrough. Only then will I consider changing to a new mech."

Oh—

So that’s how it is.

Once she put it that way, everyone found it easier to understand.

Indeed, her previous words were all in jest.

How could the Rag Queen possibly be a pauper? Unable to switch mechas because of poverty? That would be a fairy tale! Not to mention anything else, just the cut from the betting pools in the Rag Queen’s last few battles was enough to make everyone jealous and envious—

Such a rich person, how could she possibly be poor?

What a load of nonsense!

And because of this, when the Rag Queen suddenly flaunted her wealth just now, provoking anger, no one spoke up in disagreement.

Now, hearing the Rag Queen’s explanation, everyone instantly believed her. Far from feeling deceived or played, many were touched by the Rag Queen’s inspirational spirit and spoke out one after another:

"Queen! Strive hard and break through your limits soon!"

"Rag Queen, stay true to your path and forge ahead without hesitation!"

"Queen! I believe in you! Looking forward to your breakthrough!"

...

In a corner.

Chu Jiaojiao watched the Rag Queen on stage, her eyes shimmering: "Ah, ah, ah... This queen is kinda pretty!"

As she watched, drool nearly spilled from Chu Jiaojiao’s mouth.

Beside her, Shen Changqing stared at the Rag Queen on stage, his pitch-black eyes occasionally showing a contemplative look. After a while, he nodded solemnly.

But Yue Qiyuan, sitting next to Shen Changqing, felt really uncomfortable listening to the Rag Queen’s explanation and the boiling voices of the crowd around them. He turned his head and caught Shen Changqing’s gaze. Shen Changqing looked up, eye to eye for a moment, then said, "Ayuan, I deeply resonate with what she said. In the last days piloting an antique mech, I’ve had breakthroughs, but only minor ones. I haven’t fully tapped into my potential yet, so—I will also keep using the antique mech until I truly achieve a breakthrough."

Yue Qiyuan opened his mouth: "You... you can’t be serious?"

Shen Changqing stayed silent, just nodding his head, his eyes gleaming with an unwavering light as he looked back at Yue Qiyuan.

Yue Qiyuan: "..."

Looking at the Rag Queen on stage, with her aura of a big shot and utmost integrity, and then at the audience beside him, who were filled with admiration just from her few words, Yue Qiyuan twitched at the corner of his mouth and couldn’t help but quip, "She’s not switching mechas not because she’s poor or to break through herself, but because she’s just stingy!"

Stingy as in tightfisted!