"Next, 1B segment."
Bai Hao took a moment to calm his fluctuating emotions. Judging by Nana's ability to clear the 1C segment in five seconds, her piloting skills utterly crushed his current level. The remaining four segments of the C-tier would naturally be no challenge for her. Therefore, he simply chose to directly challenge the B-tier.
Currently, Bai Hao himself was striving to break through the 1B segment, whose difficulty was several times higher than the 5C segment. It wasn't that the skill level of the system's enemy mechas suddenly increased drastically, but rather a change in numbers. The 1B segment featured two enemy mechas. Individually, their combat level was similar to the mecha in the 5C segment. However, two mechas fighting together wasn't a simple case of one plus one equals two; it was greater than two. During combat, the two enemy mechas would coordinate and employ some basic combined tactics, which was precisely what gave Bai Hao a headache when attempting the 1B segment.
Soon, the 1B segment challenge began.
On the screen, to the left and right front of the white mecha controlled by the silver key card were black and red mechas, respectively. The red and black mechas immediately formed a pincer-crossing formation, while their onboard small laser cannons quickly targeted the white mecha.
Seeing this, the white mecha didn't retreat but instead advanced, transforming into a white streak as it shot toward the red mecha on the right front. Simultaneously, one of its arms was already raised, and a missile almost instantly locked onto the red mecha.
The red and black mechas reacted swiftly. Two red beams shot out rapidly. At the same time, the white mecha's missile also roared forth, heading straight for the red mecha.
Combat erupted in an instant.
However, in the next moment, something that greatly surprised Bai Hao happened. The instant the red and black mechas fired their laser cannons, the white mecha's speed suddenly surged, and it executed an incredibly perfect variable-speed, curved flight maneuver. The two red beams nearly grazed the white mecha's hull as they shot past.
"Such precise evasion... it's almost terrifying!"
As a spectator, Bai Hao watched this scene, his eyes nearly popping out. Laser cannons weren't ordinary projectile attacks; both their power and speed far surpassed standard shells. If a target was within the optimal firing range of a laser cannon, evading it would be extremely difficult even for an Imperial star-ranked pilot.
"Boom!"
The missile fired by the white mecha struck the red mecha on the right front with pinpoint accuracy, producing a violent explosion.
The red mecha plummeted towards the ground after the blast.
From the start of the challenge to the destruction of the red mecha, it took a mere three seconds. The white mecha instantly established its advantage. As for the black mecha, it clearly posed no threat.
Five seconds later, the black mecha was hit in the head by an armor-piercing round. Amidst another violent explosion, it too fell towards the ground.
"Congratulations, challenge successful!"
A dialog box immediately popped up on the screen, accompanied by the system's prompt tone.
A huge wave surged in Bai Hao's heart. Clearing the 1B segment challenge in eight seconds... such piloting prowess was simply too formidable. Especially that series of actions to evade the lasers—it could absolutely be called perfect.
"Was it a coincidence?"
Bai Hao couldn't help but harbor doubts.
"Big brother, what segment should we challenge next?" Nana's clear, pleasant voice floated over.
Bai Hao took a deep breath, hesitating slightly before saying, "3B segment, then."
The 2B segment enhanced the combat capabilities of the two mechas from the 1B segment. Bai Hao thought the minor improvement in the mechas' combat level probably wouldn't pose much of a threat to the white mecha, so he simply chose the 3B segment. The 3B segment added a third mecha on top of the 2B segment's setup.
A dozen or so seconds later, the 3B segment challenge began.
Fifteen seconds later, the three enemy mechas were destroyed one after another by the white mecha. Challenge successful.
Bai Hao's mouth twitched slightly. A tempest raged in his heart. Clearing the 3B segment challenge in fifteen seconds... even mid-to-low-level Imperial star-ranked pilots would probably find it difficult to achieve.
"Could Nana's piloting skills already be at the level of a seven-star pilot or higher?" Bai Hao thought with shock and disbelief.
"Next, the 1A segment."
Bai Hao's voice carried a trace of excitement and anticipation. Successfully clearing the 1A segment challenge would indicate the pilot's skill had reached the level of an Imperial star-ranked pilot. The 1A segment corresponded to a one-star pilot, 2A to two-star, and so on, with 5A representing the level of a five-star pilot. The S-tier followed the same pattern: 1S segment represented the skill level of a six-star pilot, while the highest, 5S segment, represented the pinnacle of Imperial piloting—the ten-star pilot.
"Okay," Nana replied in a flat tone.
As soon as she finished speaking, the screen before Bai Hao flashed, displaying the interface for the 1A segment challenge.
A few breaths later, the 1A segment challenge began.
On the screen, three mechas appeared within the white mecha's field of view: black, silver, and blue. These were not comparable to the three mechas from the 3B segment. Their combat capabilities had increased severalfold; any one of them could completely outclass the three mechas from the 3B segment.
Combat erupted instantly.
Facing the simultaneous assault of the three enemy mechas, the white mecha didn't rush to attack. Instead, it chose to retreat rapidly, putting distance between itself and the opponents. The black, silver, and blue mechas gave chase, their onboard weapons quickly acquiring targets.
"Boom! Boom! Boom!"
The black, silver, and blue mechas fired their projectiles almost simultaneously, coordinating perfectly. One shell shot directly at the white mecha, while the other two targeted its potential evasion paths.
However, in the next moment, all three shells missed. The white mecha instantly performed a high-difficulty variable-speed, zigzag flight maneuver, effortlessly dodging the projectile attacks.
One minute and fifty seconds in, the white mecha launched its first counterattack. The black mecha was destroyed.
Two minutes and thirty seconds in, the white mecha launched its second counterattack. The blue mecha was destroyed.
Two minutes and fifty-five seconds in, the white mecha destroyed the final silver mecha.
In less than three minutes, the 1A segment challenge was successful!
Looking at the "Congratulations, challenge successful" dialog box on the screen, Bai Hao felt relatively calm, as if he had already anticipated this outcome. "Next, the 3A segment."
Ten minutes later, the 3A segment challenge succeeded!
Then, Bai Hao said flatly, "Next, the 5A segment."
Half an hour later, the 5A segment challenge succeeded!
Hearing the system's success prompt, Bai Hao took a deep breath. 5A represented that Nana's piloting skill had reached the level of a five-star pilot.
"Could it truly be as I suspected? Nana's skill has already reached the level of a high-ranking star pilot!" At this moment, his heart wasn't a turbulent ocean but a seemingly placid lake without a single ripple. However, deep beneath the lake's surface lay a volcano ready to erupt at any moment.
"Big brother, shall we continue the challenge?"
Nana's melodious voice sounded again.