“What reaction do you want from me...“ Thomas said， lightly tasting his wine， his face showing no emotion. His calmness wasn't due to a lack of surprise about the impact of the Death Star competition; on the contrary， he was initially quite puzzled about why such a rough contest had become so popular. But before this confusion could show on his face， he had already figured out the reason.
Indeed， as LCH mentioned， the Karl Star Nation， being an interstellar civilization with advanced technology， hosted official superhuman and mech leagues. These leagues were like the top five European football leagues， broadcast on mainstream platforms and television， with higher-grade mechs， more refined mechanisms， and more comprehensive rules.
Compared to these， the brutal combats among the heavy criminals on Death Star seemed subpar. However， official leagues have two critical drawbacks in attracting audiences. The first is their detachment from the masses. Sure， these leagues are higher in standard， with stronger mechs and Iron Riders who have mechanical synchronization rates over fifty percent. But the mechs used aren't something the average person can operate， and the combat styles of professional Iron Riders are beyond the learning curve of ordinary people. This high barrier creates a sense of distance， as it fails to give people the illusion that“I could do this too.“
But the competition on Death Star is different. Despite its rudimentary conditions and rough settings， the infantry-level mechs used here have almost no piloting threshold， requiring only a twenty percent or higher mechanical synchronization rate. Compared to the fifty percent rate， which eliminates ninety-nine percent of the population， a twenty percent rate is essentially accessible to anyone with hands.
This effectively narrows the gap between players and viewers， greatly enhancing the relatability and discussion among the audience. To put it in perspective， it's like comparing traditional sports to eSports.
“Why are traditional sports' viewership numbers plummeting due to eSports? Why do young people prefer watching eSports over traditional sports? The reason is simple… traditional sports leagues are somewhat detached from the masses. Take the NBA， for example. We ordinary people can't have such professional courts， dedicated coaches， or referees to call fouls， let alone possess the monstrous physical qualities of those athletes. We watch these professionals perform miraculous feats on the court， applaud a couple of times， and that's about it. We can't replicate what they do; their game is not something ordinary people can play.
But eSports are different. We don’t need a field， a coach， or explosive physical strength. All we need is a computer to get a professional player-like experience. And no matter how unskilled a player might be， there’s always one or two moments of glory worth bragging about， right? As long as there are such moments， there will be discussions， and where there are discussions， there will be popularity.
Official leagues and the Death Island competition are somewhat akin to the relationship between traditional sports and eSports events.
The second point， and the key to why the Death Island competition is hotter than professional leagues， is that– people don't die in professional leagues. They have complete protection mechanisms， advanced mech defenses， multiple layers of safety nets， and even if a mech is destroyed， the Iron Rider inside is guaranteed to be safe.
This narrative has been purloined without the author's approval. Report any appearances on Amazon.
In contrast， the Death Island competition is the exact opposite. Unregulated battles allow for killing. According to LCH， in the first five battles， three Iron Riders were already crushed into dust by tens of tons of steel. This kind of bloody and explosive combat naturally awakens people's subconscious craving for bloodshed and violence， leading to higher viewership. After all， a match where both sides walk away unscathed， no matter how intense， could never be more captivating than a battle where one side is guaranteed to perish.“
“You make a good point; the boss said the same thing to me，“ LCH said， looking at Thomas.
“Right， that’s why he's the boss and you’re just an employee...“ Thomas finished his glass of wine， gave Simon a nod， and casually picked a room to rest in. The night passed without incident.
The next day， Thomas was awakened by LCH. It was evident that he was very loyal to Simon; even knowing that fixing the mech would put his life at risk， he was still full of energy. After a quick breakfast， he hurriedly took Thomas out of Simon's presidential cell. From a distance， Thomas saw a flying car parked in the exercise yard， surrounded by several armed guards.
“Death Star is a planet after all， with a vast area. To quickly move from one area to another while wearing a power-suppressing collar， we must use a vehicle.“
“You talk as if you wouldn't need a vehicle if you didn't have the collar on...“ Thomas glanced at LCH but said nothing.
Iron Riders， especially professional ones， must ensure the highest mechanical synchronization rate and cannot have any other form of energy in their bodies. Even their mental power must be the purest kind; apart from neural connections to mechanical constructs， they can't use any sorcerer’s techniques， or else the neural connection would be affected， and the mechanical synchronization rate would drop significantly.
In other words， Iron Riders， without their mechs， are not much different from ordinary people. An Iron Rider without a mech is like a sorcerer without mental power or a martial artist without physical strength– just an ordinary person.
“So， buddy， tell me about yourself.“
Once they were in the flying car and the guards sat quietly in a corner， LCH， seemingly bored， turned to Thomas again:“How did you end up here?“
“I was dragged in by you，“ Thomas said.
“What I mean is， what did you do to get into the Ninth Prison?“ LCH asked， somewhat exasperated.
Thomas glanced at him and said，“Do you know why I didn’t ask you and Simon for your full details yesterday?“
“Why?“
“Because I knew we hadn’t established trust yet. Even if I had asked， you would have evaded the question and not told the truth.“
“So what?“
“So， there’s no trust between us yet. If you ask me now， I won’t tell the truth either.“
“You won’t even make up a lie to appease me?“
LCH tugged at the corner of his mouth， losing his enthusiasm for the conversation. He turned his head and silently waited.
After about half an hour， Thomas felt the flying car slow down and gradually land. As the door opened with a loud bang， the scene outside was revealed. Countless mechanical wrecks piled up like mountains， broken cables everywhere， the crackling sound of electric arcs faintly audible， and in the distance， large machinery could be seen sorting the garbage. The air was filled with the scent of metal.