Outdated SKTS

The lounge of the restaurant had all the equipment necessary, so everyone proceeded there at once to spectate the virtual fight.

"Little Han, are you okay?" Fat Squad Leader asked, as Han Sen sat inside the hologram machine.

They had been mocked, yes; but their transgressors were from the Royal Warframe Team. They were incredibly proficient at operating warframes, and the person he was going up against was a surpasser to boot. His foe's fitness was higher than any evolver's, which gave him an advantage.

"I'll be fine. I learned how to operate warframes back in military school, and I actually put some effort in when it came to practicing." Han Sen smiled.

Fat Squad Leader then remembered that Han Sen had endorsed super biological warframes. But over the years, there had been many more generations and SK models. Those who endorsed the products had generally switched and move on with the later releases.

But Han Sen's first-generation SKTS was undoubtedly the most famous. The advert and the SKTS itself were widely regarded as classics.

Of course, the adverts weren't representative of their actual operational functions. What he had learnt had been in school, so it was natural for people to be dubious over whether or not Han Sen could actually compete with professionals in today's scene.

But it was too late now, and Han Sen's crew could only hope for the best. Their embarrassment would be even greater, if he lost.

The Royal Warframe Team bunch, however, were acting as if they had already secured victory. For this fight, they even got the restaurant workers to stream the fight live on the TVs of the restaurant.

People who visited this establishment were mostly soldiers, those that had come here training. As such, this was a fight that was sure to interest them.

"Oh, it's a Royal Knight! Wasn't that person ranked seventh in the realm of evolver's warframe combat. It has been a long time since I last saw him."

"It really is him! It's Li Chengxian from the Royal Warframe Team. He's a surpasser now, so it is fairly obvious why you don't see him much, anymore."

"Cool! Who is he going up against?"

"Some fellow with a strange ID. I've never heard of him before."

"It is a guest account."

...

Han Sen logged-in with a guest account, and this provided him the ID of "Guest" followed by a bunch of numbers.

Having received the invitation to battle from Li Chengxian, he entered the combat arena. Instantly, the countdown began.

An old man sat down in the restaurant as the countdown started, and he watched the screen of the TV intently. He couldn't wait for the match to begin.

Zhuo Donglai came here to chat with Han Sen, but did not expect him to have gotten into a fight with Li Chengxian. He found the prospects of their battle quite interesting.

"Soldiers from the Royal Warframe Team are very good when it comes to the operation of warframes. They have much experience and constantly make use of them. Han Sen most likely hasn't touched a warframe in many years, so I wonder what he's going to do?" Zhuo Donglai sipped on a glass of wine, deep in thought.

It had indeed been a long time since Han Sen operated a warframe, and he wasn't familiar with what models were currently being used. He chose SKTS due to his familiarity with it, but it was incredibly outdated by that point.

Seeing Han Sen select the SKTS, Li Chengxian coldly smiled. The SKTS was a regular warframe, outdated and lacking high mobility. Its weapons were unremarkable, and it lacked a variety of them. It was generally considered unsuitable for battles against other warframes.

Han Sen chose this warframe due to being familiar with it.

Li Chengxian wasn't going to be polite or go easy on Han Sen, though. He was ready to whip him like a dog and teach him a stern lesson. Han Sen had mocked the males of their team, so to assert the victory he wanted, Li Chengxian chose the best warframe possible. It was a super biological warframe called "King of War."

King of War was the latest model, and it was five generations ahead of the SKTS. Although this King of War was only a regular variant instead of the military variant—which reduced the weapons it possessed—it was fairly close.

Every man loved mechs, and in this age, super biological warframes in particular. Whereas in the past, men might have been car enthusiasts and later spaceship lovers, this was the latest manly interest. Even if a man wasn't crazy about machinery, they'd still appreciate them.

Warframe matches were a popular sport to watch, and especially so when a match included a member of the Royal Warframe Team.

Even men and soldiers who weren't warframe operators enjoyed watching the fights, and understood the intricacies of these battles.

Seeing Li Chengxian select King of War, while his opponent used an SKTS, they believed the duel was going to be some gentle sparring and not a proper fight.

But still, many people tuned in to watch, due to one of the fighters being associated with the Royal Warframe Team. It made for great entertainment to accompany their meals.

When the countdown ended, King of War and SKTS appeared in the arena. It was a plain battleground, and it lacked barriers. There, they would simply fight.

Han Sen's SKTS had a sword and a laser blaster, nothing else.

King of War was decked out with a variety of weapons, like a giant, mobile arsenal.

Li Chengxian looked at Han Sen's basic, raw SKTS and cackled. When he moved his hand, King of War came to life with thirteen cannons immediately aiming for Han Sen. He'd blast the SKTS to kingdom come before it even took a step towards him.

"D*mn! Thirteen weapons all at once, that's pretty powerful. And talented! These Royal Knights really are a crazy lot. Awesome!"

"His abilities of warframe operation are way too good. He moves the robot with an unmatched mixture of both speed and precision. This is nuts!"

"The Royal Warframe Team really is no joke."

"Oh, that poor soul. That guy in the SKTS will be nothing but scrap metal before he takes his second step."

...

When the SKTS moved, however, everyone was shocked. It was an ordinary movement, but it made people feel as if the SKTS was alive.

At that moment, they noticed a fluidity unlike anything they thought a machine could perform. It was like the SKTS had melded with the agility of a human.

The movements of the SKTS were delicate, and each step exuded a sense of real soul. It was difficult for people to describe what they were watching.

"Those quick movements... by the sanctuaries! Who is controlling that SKTS? That's insane!"

Amidst everyone's shock, the SKTS continued its graceful dance forward. The trail it took was strange, and when the cannons fired, every shot missed and hit the ground around it.

The SKTS was like a silver phantom.