Chapter 232: Chapter 232
They didn’t even bother to ask if Penson would accept the challenge; they just came to the country and unilaterally announced their challenge to Penson.
Paige Sterling understood that after researching mechas abroad for so many years and finally achieving some success, it was impossible for them to endure being suddenly surpassed by Veridia. Naturally, they would want to belittle Veridia.
Not only do they want to belittle, but they also want to overpower with strength.
This not only proves that Veridia’s technology is lagging and that their country’s technological prowess is strong, but it also creates momentum for their country’s mecha development.
Almost the whole world now knows about this provocation, so it’s no longer a question of whether Paige accepts the challenge, but whether she wins. ᴛʜɪs ᴄʜᴀᴘᴛᴇʀ ɪs ᴜᴘᴅᴀᴛᴇ ʙʏ 𝙣𝙤𝙫𝙚𝙡•𝙛𝙞𝙧𝙚•𝙣𝙚𝙩
So Paige responded to the matter on VBlog, stating that she is game all the way.
Her confidence reassured the somewhat anxious netizens.
God Sterling never fully reveals her strength, so they should have confidence in her as well.
Both sides agreed to compete in a week, and the nation is taking this very seriously, having already started preparing the venue for the competition.
Burt Chambers and his group of fair-weather friends were very worried and begged Burt to take them to Penson to find Paige.
Paige had her secretary invite them to the office.
Looking at these worried youngsters who were also concerned for the country, Paige smiled.
"You all know, they’ve provocatively come to our doorstep. If I don’t respond, others will say we Veridians lack courage."
"Sister Paige, don’t worry! We all believe in you and will be there to cheer you on. You must also believe in yourself!"
Paige seemed very relaxed, and with the competition looming, she still hadn’t gone to the lab for research. A girl asked, "God Sterling, aren’t you going to research how to improve the mecha?"
"No need. The first-generation mecha I showcased before was the initial model. At that time, materials were limited, so it was crude. I’ve already developed more advanced versions."
The teenagers looked at Paige in astonishment.
Paige’s confidence made them see her as if she was radiating light.
"Really, God Sterling? Can we... have the chance to see it?"
"Of course, not only will you have the chance to see it, but you will also become the first batch of mecha testers, showcasing them in front of the world’s people."
The young people were even more excited. "Sister Paige, tell us what we should do?"
Paige propped her chin, "I hope you can take a week’s leave. I’ll take you to Islet Labs for training. After a week, you’ll represent Veridia on stage to showcase the mecha. How about it?"
"No problem, Sister Paige, we’ll follow your lead!"
My goodness, they were actually chosen by Paige to be the first batch of mecha testers. Just thinking about it is thrilling.
The youngsters immediately went home to tell their parents about it.
Some parents were delighted and agreed immediately, others expressed concern, while some directly showed disapproval.
"The child just started studying, and now he’s taking a week’s leave. What if he loses focus and goes back to how he was before, who’ll be responsible?"
"Mom, this time I’m really helping Sister Paige, don’t worry, I’ll continue to study well when I get back."
The child’s father said, "Since the kid wants to go, let him go. That Paige... she’s no ordinary person. Our kid hanging with her for a few days is a blessing."
The mother reluctantly agreed, "Alright then, just be careful and call mom if anything happens."
Later, the child’s mother was extremely grateful she didn’t stubbornly stop her son that day.
A group of teenagers left with Paige.
This week, no one knew what Paige did with this group of seventeen or eighteen-year-olds.
Until a week later, when Paige brought them back into the public eye.
The competition caused quite a stir. Not only was it broadcast live across the country, but many foreign journalists and media also came, making it a grand event.
Because they anticipated the situation might turn out , they eventually chose the stadium as the venue.
The crowd was even larger than the organizers had imagined. Such a scene, no celebrity could match!
There’s no star in Veridia more significant than Paige Sterling now.
The host first invited the foreign research team on stage to introduce and showcase their mecha’s functionality.
They believed their mecha was far superior to what Paige showcased on an interview program.
And indeed, the audience could see it too.
However, they didn’t know that Paige had held back during the interview program.
After the foreign team finished their display, the host, in a playful mood, first invited a dance team on stage to perform a dance, heating up the atmosphere even more before announcing Paige’s team.
"Now, please welcome our representative from Veridia, President Sterling from Penson, to show us her team’s mecha research!"
As the host spoke, from the entrance direction came a group of high school students, wearing school uniforms. They marched in formation, with eyes fixed straight ahead, as solemn as in a parade.
But there was no sign of any mecha on them.
The foreign team members sneered disdainfully.
But the Veridians present knew well that Paige’s mecha was inherently stealthy; otherwise, she wouldn’t have been able to produce it on command during the interview program.
So, even though they only saw a group of high school students at the moment, they weren’t disappointed and remained excited.
No one knew how Paige trained them in a week. One way or another, the high school students who walked with swagger just a week ago now marched in unison, exhibiting a distinct military aura.
After coming on stage, instead of immediately showcasing the mecha, they performed a choral piece first.
Even the Veridian audience was puzzled by Paige’s tactics.
The foreign research team, seeing this scene, whispered among themselves.
"I thought that Paige was impressive, but never imagined she’d chickened out last minute, bringing a group of high school students to sing. Is she trying to buy time?"
"Judging by their appearance, they aren’t wearing any mecha. Maybe that interview program was just for show, with special effects, and Paige is just a paper tiger..."
"Yeah, yeah, these Veridians are best at this play. Looks like we’ve made this trip for nothing; Veridia doesn’t have any mecha after all..."
They somehow regretted revealing their strength prematurely.
Just as the foreign team was discussing, suddenly, a deafening cheer erupted at the scene.
They immediately turned to look at those high school students and saw that they, who were just singing in school uniforms a moment ago, were now fully clad in armor, even with their faces concealed by the armor.
Moreover, each person’s armor was a different color. While demonstrating their armor, someone soared into the sky, accidentally breaking open a hole in the stadium roof, only to descend from another angle moments later. Another demonstrated the mecha’s high-tech electronic screen on the spot, and someone else transformed the mecha into a race car...
Each performed their own demonstrations, chaotic yet ordered, leaving people dazzled, too exciting to miss a single detail, yet realizing in the end, they couldn’t take it all in.
Because there were so many features, it wasn’t feasible to showcase them all in one go, so only half was demonstrated before it concluded.
The audience present and those watching the broadcast all clamored to see more.
With such flamboyant high-tech, they could watch non-stop for three days and nights!
This was their first true realization of how strong their country’s technological strength was.
And the foreign research team was already stunned.