The "EMP Virtual Mode Forum" on Tianxun, a popular discussion platform, had a post quietly climbing up the ranks, generating intense debates.

The post was made by a user named "Kepler Pirate King" with the title "Puppet God Special Post - Does the Virtual Zone Puppet Master have the ability to challenge the Real Zone?"

The forum already had tens of thousands of discussions. The ID "Puppet" was quite famous in the virtual combat zone, with thousands of battles and a very high score. Although the user had set their profile to hidden, after fighting for so long and encountering so many opponents, people began sharing their experiences of battling against Puppet. This person was truly terrifying, excelling in various mecha models, and there was no record of any defeats. Moreover, many top players in the virtual mode had lost to Puppet. Until now, no one claimed to have defeated them.

So the question arose: Was Puppet purely an entertainment player?

If it was just for entertainment, there would be no need to hide their identity. Winning would simply be for showing off, as there would be no value otherwise.

However, nobody had ever talked to Puppet, and nobody had Puppet as a friend.

"I predicted it before: Puppet God will definitely switch to the real mode. There are no opponents left for them in the virtual mode!"

"Come on, they haven't even participated in any virtual zone competitions. Why claim there are no opponents left? Playing casually and participating in official matches are completely different!"

"But they do have the skills. Maybe they faced a reality check from a military academy and felt embarrassed to make it public."

"Same here. Frankly, I look down on these kinds of players. If they have the ability, they should play in their own domain. What's the point of going to the virtual zone and crushing beginners?"

"Just an ordinary player, nothing worth discussing. Are we losing face in the virtual zone?"

...

In the dormitory, "Kepler Pirate King" sat with crossed legs, watching everyone chat, a smug smile on their face. "You rookies lack my insight."

Zhuang Zhou, a first-year student in the Tianjing Machine Warfare News Department, had initially wanted to apply to the Mecha Department but didn't score high enough. So he chose the next best thing, which allowed him to get close to these mecha masters.

The virtual zone and the real zone were two completely different worlds. Those masters who had been dominant in the virtual zone often wanted to prove themselves in the real zone. However, reality was often cruel, and they would end up being thoroughly defeated. This was the current situation in the virtual zone, not only in USE but also in other federations.

Zhuang Zhou would switch between the "Real Mode" and the virtual mode. When he felt tired from the real mode battles, he would relax in the virtual mode. His skill level in the preparatory class was not top-tier, but his winning rate in the virtual mode was quite high, especially when he enjoyed defeating self-proclaimed experts. It lifted his spirits instantly.

Until he encountered Puppet.Indeed, it was a complete nightmare. Puppet used the NUP's lightweight super mecha, which had excellent performance. The opponent used the Kailong, but Puppet was torn apart. That battle brought out all of his inner shadows.

He felt somewhat unwilling and wanted to reclaim his reputation, but he realized that this person didn't care about others. Zhuang Zhou was also stubborn, silently observing this ID. He discovered that this person didn't prohibit onlookers and became obsessed with watching their battles. Whenever Puppet's ID appeared in the battle records, Zhuang Zhou would rush to watch it immediately.

However, all he saw was victory. In reality, it wasn't anything special. Any skilled military academy student could display impressive maneuvers. To put it plainly, one should not challenge others' professions with their hobbies.

But Zhuang Zhou noticed something different, the color difference of the mechas!

His golden genotype had a specific and unreliable characteristic, which could be described as "women's sixth sense." Sometimes it worked, sometimes it didn't. He vaguely felt that something was off, so he repeatedly watched and compared, finally discovering the problem.

A case of content theft: this narrative is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.

EMP's two modes had subtle color differences. The virtual mode focused on entertainment, so the mechas had bright and eye-catching colors. In all of Puppet's matches, their mecha had a different color tone from their opponents. It was subtle, more like the color tone of the real mode.

At first, Zhuang Zhou laughed at himself, as it seemed utterly impossible and illogical. Could there really be someone who enjoys self-torture?

But after following for over half a year, he realized it wasn't an illusion. The opponent genuinely had a color difference, which meant there was someone using the real mode to play in the virtual mode.

He tried it himself and couldn't handle it. Although he wasn't at the level of the Mecha Department, he was considered a skilled player in the virtual mode. When he switched to the real mode, it felt like doomsday.

Using the real mode to play in the virtual mode, what kind of lunatic would do that?

What was their motive?

When something abnormal happens, there must be a reason behind it. In that moment, Zhuang Zhou's blood boiled. This Puppet definitely had a problem.

So he believed that one day Puppet would return to the real mode. What would that be like?

Zhuang Zhou watched diligently every day, sometimes even checking during the night to ensure he didn't miss anything. Until yesterday, his patience paid off.

Yes, a battle in the real mode!

The first opponent was an ID called Eternal Starlight. Although their information was hidden, as a senior enthusiast of EMP, Zhuang Zhou immediately recognized it as Feyman's training ID from the NUP Tianxing Mecha Warfare Vanguard. He thought it would be an intense battle, but he couldn't believe his eyes.

During the mecha competition, Feyman, who had shone brightly, was unexpectedly defeated by Puppet. It was like witnessing a divine intervention. The defeat in the mecha competition left USE supporters holding their breath, hoping to reclaim their reputation. After the competition, the online rate for EMP's virtual mode increased by 300%.

Zhuang Zhou was excited because there was a high probability that Puppet was from USE. Among their mechas, there were mostly medium-sized mechas from USE. This subconscious preference made it highly unlikely that Puppet was from any other federation.

Zhuang Zhou became deeply interested in this person. What if someone like them had participated in the previous competition? Would there have been different results?

Feeling that the forum's post was losing its momentum, Zhuang Zhou opened Tianxun, summoned the operating interface, and posted the second thread.

"Puppet's Real Mode: Highlights of Seven Victories."

It was a simple and unpretentious title, complemented by a well-edited video he had worked on late into the night. Holding his neck with both hands, he leaned back in his chair with crossed legs. He didn't try anything flashy; sometimes he left hidden hints for others to discover, making it more interesting. If no one found them, he would use a secondary account to leave comments.

Now, he would let the bullet fly for a while.

Not long after, his dormmates returned. They had come from different regions and gathered at Tianjing Mecha Warfare Academy. Everyone was excited. Zhuang Zhou closed Tianxun; a person who aimed to accomplish great things needed to maintain an air of mystery. He believed that the Puppet Master felt the same way.

"You guys, Tianji's resources are amazing. Can you guess who I saw today?"

"Who?" Zhuang Zhou was good at playing along.

"Tong Shen, Yi Jie, and Senior Sheng Man. The three goddesses together, each with a different flavor but the same level of beauty. Incredible!"

As soon as beautiful women were mentioned, especially those who were famous, the first-year students became excited. Zhuang Zhou wasn't particularly interested. Although many of the students who entered the journalism department had a gossip-oriented attribute, he didn't want to associate himself with a group of young kids. He had his own pursuits, and his sixth sense told him that he had discovered a big opportunity.

After finishing his delivery work, pleasing his boss, and receiving his daily wages, Li Hao returned to school in high spirits. It was still early, and reaching 3,000 points in bleem wasn't his goal. He suspected that there was another important task waiting for him since he was already halfway to uncovering the truth. He didn't mind accelerating the process.

After grabbing a quick bite to replenish his energy, Li Hao arrived at the EMP building. It was the official start of the new semester, and the EMP building was even livelier. Of course, during non-vacation periods, the EMP building was exclusive to the Mecha Department and the Starship Department. Others who wanted to play would have to go outside to find a facility, but those outside EMP usually only offered virtual mode.After waiting for about ten minutes, Li Hao finally secured a training room. The scoring system in EMP awarded more points for consecutive victories, but it became increasingly difficult as the matches progressed. Reaching 3,000 points wasn't easy, but Li Hao had roughly estimated that it shouldn't be a big problem given his current situation.

He logged into the system.

Ding dong ding dong ding ding ding ding~~~~~~~~~~

A barrage of notification sounds filled the air, causing Li Hao to furrow his brows. Opening them revealed friend requests and battle invitations. He quickly moved them all to the trash bin and disabled the friend request and battle invitation features.

He just wanted a quiet session to gain points and hoped to encounter opponents who were somewhat challenging today.

"Puppet Player, you have entered matchmaking mode. Please be patient..."

The system's voice prompt played, and Li Hao closed his eyes to relax.

Meanwhile, at Tianxing Mecha Warfare Academy on the Moon, Feyman sat in his mecha fundamentals class, exuding an air of confidence and youthful talent. As a young genius who had been admitted to Tianxing and achieved excellent results with his team, he had every reason to be proud of himself.

He had faced formidable opponents before, but the level of "insult" he experienced yesterday was something he had never encountered. He was filled with anger and felt the need to reclaim his lost reputation.

Although Alz had tried to advise him, it was in vain. Feyman had a straightforward personality and was determined to find his lost honor.

While running towards his goal, Feyman operated his account directly and logged into Tianxun for matchmaking. Although the chances were extremely low, since he had fought against Puppet yesterday, there was a possibility. All he could do now was pray and hope that if God was listening, he would give him a chance!

Tianjing Mecha Warfare Academy.

Zhuang Zhou, who was boasting with his roommates, instinctively glanced at his Tianxun. It was his habit. He noticed that the icon was lit up and immediately put on his holographic glasses. "Guys, I have something to attend to. Enjoy yourselves."

Li Hao felt a bit speechless. What's going on? Is nobody available? Why is it taking so long?

With EMP's popularity, finding opponents should have been easy. However, the system detected something unusual about Li Hao's situation, but it still complied with EMP's mechanisms, which caused a slight delay.

Li Hao's opponent was finally determined: Eternal Starlight.

In an instant, a roar echoed through Tianxing Mecha Warfare Academy. Holy cow! If this son of a b***h isn't beaten to death, I'll change my surname! Even God heard his prayer.