This Setup Is Broken - This Setup Is Broken Chapter 16: Blue Wings

Bai Shi’s life starts to become more routine again. In the mornings, he completes his daily tasks for physical and mental training. In the afternoons, he logs into the network to engage in combat. In the evenings, he practices in the simulation pod. 

To prevent becoming rusty in piloting and combat skills, he sets aside time every couple of days to practice with a small mecha. His days are quite fulfilling.

Reflecting on his journey from a homebound young boy focused on writing, to his current fierce self. Bai Shi has thought about dying countless times, yet he perseveres each time. 

He feels that the title of “Iron Man” no longer suffices to describe him. He should be called “Super Invincible Little King Kong.”

The estate is very quiet. The young man who initially brought them here rarely stays but visits occasionally. One day, curious about Bai Shi’s recent training volume, he is startled and can’t help but find Chi Haitian. He asks if Bai Shi is really capable of handling such intensity at his age.

Chi Haitian nonchalantly hums in agreement. He noticed long ago that Bai Shi’s physical abilities surpass those of other C-level gene individuals. Bai Shi possesses a resilience and determination that make him quite strong.

Moreover, no matter how difficult the training he arranges, Bai Shi never questions or resists. He might struggle slightly at most, but it’s hardly noticeable. 

His attitude seems to imply that completing the training is a matter of course, as if fate drives him.

Chi Haitian had been surprised by this at first. But quickly recalled Bai Shi’s earnest declaration that he would become a mecha pilot. He realizes that this determination gives him some comfort.

The young man naturally trusts Chi Haitian’s judgment. Seeing his reaction, he is once again surprised, knowing that Bai Shi must be a rare talent. He observes him for a while, and when Bai Shi looks back, he smiles.

The young man is here today to upgrade the system of the simulation pod. This pod is set to low-tier mecha mode, which Bai Shi has already cleared. 

Chi Haitian wants to add time limits to previously unrestricted levels and slightly shorten those that already have a time constraint to increase the difficulty. Therefore, he finds someone to rewrite the program.

He instructs the person to get to work, then opens the robot to bring in the external equipment. Bai Shi glances around and notices that this is also a simulation pod. But it looks a bit larger than the one in the room.

“This is an intermediate model.” The young man smiles and explains. 

“I’m too busy to use it regularly, so I brought it over for you to play with. Don’t hold back.”

Intermediate! Bai Shi feels a jolt of excitement and can’t help but look over.

Intermediate mechas have more complex operations and are more agile. He has never had the chance to try one. He was worried that when the mechs in the Domination League reached intermediate level, he might be outmatched due to unfamiliarity. 

He didn’t expect someone to offer one to him so soon. He thanks the young man, glancing between him and Chi Haitian, he senses that this is the old man’s intention. 

Ever since he suspected something was off with the old man, he has held a skeptical view of such coincidences.

Noticing Bai Shi’s gaze, Chi Haitian looks at him and commands: “Don’t dawdle. Go train.”

Bai Shi instinctively takes a couple of steps away but quickly pauses and returns. “Are there any new techniques in today’s combat lessons?”

Chi Haitian knows he means the skills to avoid sneak attacks. Recently, this kid has become inexplicably interested in it, diligently studying for several days without stopping. 

Chi Haitian pauses for half a second and replies: “You really want to learn this?”

“Am I going to tell you it’s because I’m afraid of being abducted and sold for organs one day?”

Bai Shi’s expression remains blank. “I like it.”

Chi Haitian thinks to himself that the kid’s reasoning is too hard to understand. “That’s it, you’ve learned enough. You can find some inspiration from actual battles later.”

Bai Shi can only give up on that topic. He focuses on training for a while, then later puts on his lenses to log onto the internet.

The system of the Domination League has a flaw: It completely negates any damage a mecha inflicts on the body, preventing realistic sensations like shock and impact. 

Chi Haitian intended for him to gain experience battling others, but he doesn’t want him to get too accustomed to this environment. Therefore, all his practical mecha operations in recent days occupy the time of the Domination League.

He plans to develop that troublesome ID into a terrifying presence that makes competitors want to kneel at the sight of it. Make it only win and not lose. 

However, he knows that as his points increase, he will face opponents with experience, making it difficult to secure instant kills. Hence, he plays cautiously and doesn’t just rely on brute force.

For various reasons, his winning speed slows down. Ten days have passed since he registered, and he currently has 223 points.

At this moment, Blue Wings also logs on and quickly greets him. “You’re here?”

“Mm-hmm.”

“Wait a second, let’s have a match.”

Bai Shi has no objections, finding an empty room and sending the number over. For the past few days, whenever they meet, they spar. The outcomes vary. 

Chi Haitian has observed two of their matches and confirmed that Blue Wings has practical experience in piloting mechs. He encourages Bai Shi to practice more with him. 

Since Bai Shi considers Blue Wings either a lackey or a minor character, he agrees without hesitation.

It seems Blue Wings has a match, as he takes nearly ten minutes to arrive. Bai Shi can’t help but ask: “Is your opponent quite strong?”

“Not really.” Blue Wings replies cheerfully. 

“I’m just verifying something.”

“What is it?”

“You’ll find out soon. Let’s go.”

Bai Shi draws his sword without hesitation and charges forward. He is ready to change direction mid-attack, but Blue Wings does not attack. Instead, he also draws his sword and meets Bai Shi head-on, clashing swords with a loud clang.

Bai Shi feels a surge of energy and uses the momentum to leap backward. He draws out his energy gun and fires three shots while charging his energy cannon. As the gunfire echoes, he swiftly positions the cannon on his shoulder and fires a powerful shot.

The three bullets he fired earlier have locked onto Blue Wings’ likely escape route. The cannon shot heads straight for that direction. 

Blue Wings has no way to dodge, so he has to lean to the side as much as he can to block it. But the blast still sends him flying back five meters.

“Hey, hey! Don’t be so sneaky in a practice match!” 

Blue Wings shouts. “I thought you were going for close combat!”

“I am.” Bai Shi replies, expressionless.

“For some reason, I always feel that getting close to you is not beneficial.”

Blue Wings is briefly speechless but quickly re-engages in battle. Learning from his previous experience and using his solid skills, he manages to avoid getting hit by the cannon fire again and gradually closes the distance to Bai Shi.

Both of their skills are decent, and they soon find themselves locked in combat. Bai Shi observes for a moment but still cannot figure out Blue Wings’ intentions and must focus on defense. 

Just then, he sees Blue Wings lift a leg to kick, and he immediately tries to dodge. However, it seems one of his mecha’s legs has a problem, causing a brief pause in his movement. In that moment of vulnerability, Blue Wings’ attack arrives and sends him flying.

Blue Wings quickly raises his cannon and decisively fires two shots at him before pressing the advantage and finishing him off. He stands there looking at Bai Shi. “How was that?”

Bai Shi has been monitoring the damage values on the screen and hadn’t noticed any issues. What just happened does not seem like mere coincidence. He slowly gets up. “What did you do?”

“I won’t tell you. Want to go again?”

Bai Shi naturally agrees, quickly diving back into the intense fight. He plays cautiously, but the same situation occurs again. This time it’s not his leg but his arm. 

Although he adjusts just in time during the pause, with the mecha’s movements still uncoordinated, he inevitably loses again.

“Wait for me a moment.” Bai Shi says as he takes off his lenses and heads to find Chi Haitian.

It seems the simulation pod has been modified, the programmer has already left. Only Chi Haitian and the young man remain, one standing and the other sitting, as if they are discussing something.

As Bai Shi approaches, he catches the young man’s surprised voice. “How is it possible? He’s still so young? What if…”

The young man suddenly notices Bai Shi and immediately shuts up, looking at him in silence. His expression is very complex—there’s a hint of eagerness, as if he finds Bai Shi impressive. But mostly, there’s pity, as if he is about to witness him head toward danger.

Bai Shi thinks: “What the hell, old man, what wicked plan are you cooking up now?”

Chi Haitian quickly notices him and glances his way. “Why aren’t you training?”

“I lost both rounds to Blue Wings.”

“So what if you lost?”

“It’s a bit strange how I lost.”

Chi Haitian raises an eyebrow and follows Bai Shi to the computer. He suggests Bai Shi should project the screen outside and have another match with Blue Wings, recording it.

The young man, curious to see Bai Shi’s strength, stands beside Chi Haitian, both of them watching the 3D display in mid-air. They are immediately astonished by the fluid and sharp movements of the two, thinking: “Is this really a kid?”

Bai Shi, unaware of what’s happening behind him, focuses on Blue Wings. Unsurprisingly, he loses again.

“Wait for me a moment.” Bai Shi puts down his lenses and looks up at Chi Haitian.

“The system’s flaw.” Chi Haitian explains.

“When attacks hit, you can’t feel the impact, so you don’t know how much force the opponent is using.”

As he speaks, he opens the recording, pauses it at a certain point, then plays it again, pausing it once more. “Look, he hit this joint twice, but the damage value isn’t enough to trigger an alarm in the mecha. It probably just bent some internal components.”

Bai Shi pauses, surprised. “Components?”

“Yeah, this indicates the mecha’s realism is high.”

Bai Shi immediately understands what Blue Wings was trying to verify earlier. So, he’s been testing it on him because it worked for someone else?

“This is experience gained from actual combat, but achieving it is difficult. The precision of the strikes must be spot-on.” Chi Haitian observes the screen, thinking this kid is impressive and talented. From the matches he has watched, this kid shows progress every time.

“Have you asked him what he does?”

Bai Shi shakes his head. “I only know he’s not a military academy student.”

“He’s pretty good. You should learn more from him in the future.”

Bai Shi responds with a soft “mm”, silently watching him. 

Chi Haitian knows what he wants to ask and says: “Focus your mental energy on the same spot. Don’t let him hit you more than twice.”

Bai Shi nods again but remains still.

Chi Haitian glances at him. “Do you have any more questions?”

“Yes.” 

Bai Shi innocently asks: “Grandpa, how can you analyze so much?”

Chi Haitian replies calmly: “To teach you, I’ve watched a lot of videos. Eventually, you’ll get it.”

Bai Shi: “……”

“Damn it, old man, are you trying to fool a child? Can you be any more hypocritical? I’ll expose you sooner or later!”

Chi Haitian puts on a stern face. “What are you staring at? Hurry up and go.”

Bai Shi looks at him for a few moments, silently enduring it. He theb logs back into the network and activates his voice. “I’m back.”

Blue Wings is waiting for him and asks with a smile, “Have you moved to reinforcements?”

Bai Shi silently watches him. The operation of the low-level mecha is straightforward, given that both mechas are the same and both parties are skilled. 

Blue Wings, who has combat experience, naturally has the upper hand. Losing doesn’t seem unfair, but it’s worth noting that he is the protagonist. 

In the current storyline, the fact that Blue Wings can fight him to this extent indicates he is quite strong, and he can deduce this from Chi Haitian’s words as well.

In Bai Shi’s memory, besides the protagonist and the villains who always make him tense. There are a few other remarkable characters, most of whom are allied with the villains. Does this Blue Wings belong to villain side? 

“What’s wrong? Didn’t move?” 

Blue Wings sees him not answering and chuckles lightly. “Call me ‘big brother’ and I’ll tell you.” 

Bai Shi snaps back to reality, glancing at him again. He thinks that since they met first, and given that this guy mentioned the alliance match. 

Although participating in the league would cost him a kidney, it seems that under the current circumstances, this person should be on his side… right?

“No talking? Are you offline again?”

“No.”

“Call me big bro”

“Wait until you beat me first.” Bai Shi says, closing his eyes. He takes a deep breath, opens his eyes, instantly focusing his attention. 

His hands hover over the control panel, staring intently ahead. He wants to get back at this guy for those two previous losses!

————————————————————————————————

Author’s Note: Small Theater…

Young Master Song: （╯‵□′）╯︵┻━┻

Certain Person: ……

Young Master Song: （╯‵□′）╯︵┻━┻

Certain Person: ……

Young Master Song: （╯‵□′）╯︵┻━┻（╯‵□′）╯︵┻━┻

Certain Person: …… Young Master, please stay calm.

Young Master Song gives a fierce glance, smiling eerily: You have a chance to say it again.

Certain Person is in tears: You’ll make an appearance.

Young Master Song speaks gently: Good.

Certain Person is in tears, thinking: “Can you tone down your aura a little? No matter how gentle your smile is, it’s still chilling!”