NOVEL NEXT Chapter 321-330
Chapter 321: The Alchemy of Ye Chong, Returns!
H!
Huh?!
Mi De and Fatty were suddenly grabbed back to reality from that blast of Bi Bo, as they inched towards Ye Chong gracelessly.
“I don’t get it, why can’t he attack out of sudden?”
“This is ridiculous.”
The audience was having a fiasco, as they found the sudden withdrawal of the hero strange.
And Ye Chong gave a brief explanation, which sent chills to everybody. “Did he say there’s a lady bowing right behind him?” They could not imagine how Ye Chong could keep a straight face when a beauty was there, but well they could imagine how they would hate themselves if the beauty died because of their carelessness. People did fear if Ye Chong, as the last resort, would eventually neglect the beauty’s fragility and went straight ahead to avenge her by shooting down that mutated afterwards.
Because of Bi Bo’s camera connected to the system, every exchange occurred in their communication channel was broadcasted through Green Plant channel. So the audience received a lecture about safety of others and how heroes like Ye Chong could be helpless sometimes.
Nevertheless, the audience was a little underwhelmed by the nameless hero’s premature end of his show, as his Blaze-III was actually the fragility itself, since with Fei Di in, it could not take neither the slightest collision nor a sudden acceleration, which had taken all its avoid-ability away.
The unexpected guest to save the show was, however, the son of the great pilot, Bi Bo himself.
There had been statistics on the forum board, stating the fact that Bi Bo – in the 21-time-attacks he delivered – had shot down 23 mutated lifeforms, technically meaning that he had literally killed two birds with one stone, twice. The marksmanship was amazing.
“Are experts so common these days?”
“We already have 2 aces out of 4 strangers, man!”
“This is not even an official military team!”
Back at Green Planet Media Corp., the director’s back was wetted by cold sweat as the director seemed to be unable to stop the shudders he was making himself. Bi Zhi… Bi Zhibo! Oh my He Yue, Bi Bo’s father has been Bi Zhibo the whole time? No… what have I done? If Bi Bo really could not make it back here alive… his father could be wiping out the entire Green Planet… I had heard stories about his insanity…
“So that’s who Bi Bo actually is…” The colleagues stoned upon the visual, as they could not picture that Bi Bo who could hardly harm a fly being the expert of marksmanship. The hostess herself was also stupefied at the happening on screen.
Bi Zhibo, with his eyes calmly at the screen, was watching his son taking up this sudden trial of his life. There was no pride on his expression, rather, there was worry, as he sighed, “Bo, please, make it back alive…”
Some experts on forum also stated that Bi Bo was using merely a standard model of energy shooter according to what they had observed. It was not the sniping model as one would have expected, yet Bi Bo was dealing significant amount of damage on the foes. The accuracy, the skills, the mentality, with three combined, he was the most frightening silent killer one could imagine.
Thanks to his contribution, the journey to the building was hassle-free. Those vultures were knocked down the moment they came towards the formation.
To be honest, Ye Chong was also surprised by the Bi Bo’s skills, till a point he got to admit that ranged weaponry was far more efficient than melee strikers, and Bi Bo was the first perfect representation of that ever since Ye Chong viewed Mu Shang’s performance on Recursion.
Ye Chong was wondering what could possibly happen if he had a fight with Bi Bo, he might share bit of possibility winning but well that was a meaningless thought, since when one’s combined force reached a certain point, there would be too many factors that could alter the outcome of their battle.
At least there was no blue lining on the visuals. Ye Chong sighed in relief, as he realized there was, luckily, still few limitations to his new ability. Sadly he did not have the leisure to test on his new ability just yet.
“There!” Fei Si pointed at the building on the screen, in all hope and joy she asserted, “There it is!”
“All units prepare to land!” Commanded Ye Chong.
The surrounding of that building was rather empty compared to the disaster out there. There were mutated lifeforms, but only a few of them, which were shot down by Bi Bo promptly. They made their landing immediately and gathered at the entrance, which seemed to closed. The building had been fully evacuated, seemingly.
Fei Si went to the entrance, “This is where all the chemicals are stored, the security level here is high.” She then took out her identification. The group was feeling thankful of not seeing any more of those mutated lifeforms coming.
The security level is high indeed. Thought Ye Chong as he saw Fei Si performed the verification process, five times, at least.
Tick. Beep Beep Beep. The gate was opened.
“Okay, we’re in,” stated Fei Si. “Relax, the walls here are made out of super strength alloy, while the interior is completely shut out to the outside world with its own ventilation system.” Those descriptions were more than comforting to the team, especially Fatty and Mi De who both collapsed to the ground, being glad that they somehow had found a fortress to catch their breath.
“Wait.” Fei Si was curious about the plan, “You haven’t told us what the plan is in your mind.” The gazes of the team gathered upon Ye Chong, so were the audience before the screen.
“Gather things.” There was no direct answer from Ye Chong, “Get me Berlin’s Solution, Powdered Emerald, Powdered Seedling, also…” He listed around 7 more items and shut his mouth completely right after.
So he knew alchemy after all?!
Really???
Bi Bo and the other 3 were looking at Ye Chong in bewilderment.
“Holy Lunaris! He knew alchemy!”
“Could he stop giving himself more character settings, we are getting a headache over here!” The audience boomed, discussion exploded like fireworks, especially those professional alchemists as they began putting on their thinking cap, figuring out what those items would combine into.
“Oh…” A random reply from Fei Si, her mind was more interested on the product of the listed items, but she had never heard of such formula in her student’s days. Is he… a real talented alchemist after all? Thought Fei Si, her eyes looking at Ye Chong in disbelief. Well, those materials he mentioned are common enough to be all inside.
Ye Chong stared at Fei Si zoning out. He frowned. What the hell is this woman doing right now? Is she actually wasting precious time standing there? How long is she going to th- “So where’s the material?” Ye Chong could not help but to interrupt her session.
“Oh… OH!” Fei Si was grounded back into reality, her face reddened, “Berlin’s Solution is around … here…” She was very familiar with the building itself so she would guide the team, while Bi Bo and the rest would be the free labor of the day.
The next moment was confusing to Fei Si, for she saw Ye Chong carrying the entire cabinet of those mentioned items to the outside. “Do we really need all these?” Wiped her sweats, she asked softly.
“Mhm.” Ye Chong did not give a proper response as he began the alchemy process.
Berlin’s Solution, as mentioned, was a highly common reagent and the academy had about 300 tonnes of them in store.
But obviously it was impossible for Ye Chong to carry out the entire 300 tonnes of them, he took 3 miniature containers, which was labelled to store 3 tons at once and he did not seem too happy with the negligible amount, as he continuously added all sorts of materials into the solution, skillfully. Those skills, he was an alchemist? Really? The doubt remained in Fei Su’s head. And seriously, what in Zhou Jian he’s making??? Could anyone tell me?
Bi Bo took his camera and aimed at Ye Chong’s face.
Ye Chong’s solemn expression was projected throughout the galaxy, with no longer the cold cruelty he had during the battle, but the inner focus of a craftsman. Men always look the most charming when they do their work. Absolutely, again, his expression had become the model of the youths afterwards, as they would remember the legend.
Ye Chong was having his first time combining reagents of such sizable amount. He got to be cautious since the final product could be very harmful, if his formula was right.
It lasted for quite sometime. Ye Chong’s expression remained still, so was Bi Bo’s camera.
Then he got up and tightly screwed the cover.
“Alright, we are heading back,” said Ye Chong to the 3 men, then he looked at Fei Si, “While you, stay here.” The building was evidently safe from the mice’s attack. The structure was clearly for the security of those medications.
“No!” Shouted Fei Si, “I am going back with you guys!” What does this guy mean I’m staying here? What I’m going to do? And I haven’t know what he had just made! So, I’m not staying here!
Ye Chong’s brows tightened again. Sang Ling is way stronger than Fei Si. Both are females but why there has to be such a difference between both of them? Does this woman lack intelligence or something? If she could use her brain for once… Ye Chong did not intend to carry her along, as he was feeling unpleasant being tied by someone on the battlefield.
If it was not the condition the elderly had made, he would have dumped this woman. As long as he wanted to take this elderly away, he would have to consider about Fei Si, but that did not mean he would spend the next few precious minutes to have a talk-to with her. Her feelings were never part of his consideration, on condition that he could carry both of them away.
Ye Chong then deployed Blaze-III, displaying ignorance.
The remaining men looked at each other, bewildered.
“Prepare to take off. We each take a container. Bi Bo would ensure the course being clear.” Ye Chong had someone attained the charisma after leading the Sangs, his words somehow were very convincing and pressuring, especially with his cold gazes and how he could murder gazillion rodents without a skip on his heart.
They deployed their own mechs immediately, nobody dared to lift their head and take a look at Fei Si.
Hmph… Fei Si’s eyes were wet, as she bit her lips, while Ye Chong carried on with negligence.
The 4 mechs took flight in roars, with Bi Bo leading this time. “Man, Bi Bo is the man of the show this time, his spider mech has weapons everywhere!” Exclaimed one audience.
They might be amazed but wonder if it was because of Ye Chong’s godlike performance before, those shootings had only won over a handful of applause.
So the audience was more attentive on the containers they carried.
What are those?
They seemed to be extremely careful about it. Mi De and Fatty were behaving as if they were embracing a timed bomb. Bi Bo was hitting on his final gambit, as he shot down every single enemy approaching right away.
The flying disc was firing at all corners, like a shooting stronghold.
Ye Chong was feeling great with such a strong aid.
Under the cover of such potent firepower, they arrived by the sky above the main school building gracefully. Bi Bo had shot down everything, that those mechs formerly clearing the sky finally had the opening to land themselves to help their allies on ground.
Pant… Pant…
Bi Bo’s eyes were red, his breath was heavy. The shooting was stressful, the aiming was tiring.
He should be joining the professionals with his skill. That was what everybody else thought.
“My gosh! Is he hacking?”
“Is he really a reporter?”
“Only if he’s my teammate in County Struck.”
“Like father’s like son!”
The audience was fortunate enough to view the show today, as two super experts had emerged from the crowd, with one being the king of marksman, another being the lord of lancer. Both of their backgrounds were also unknown to the audience as well, although most of the spectators were more concerned on the lord of lancer, since it was rather logical for the son of Bi Zhibo to be this great.
The lord of lancer, one who triumphed over a wave of mutated creatures, who also knows how to do alchemy?!
The ground around the main school building was densely covered by rodents and insects.
“Jezuz!”
“Oh stop!!” The audience felt like throwing up, it was very disgusting.
“Stay here,” said Ye Chong at the channel. “Ye-Yes sir!” The two members quickly replied while Bi Bo remained highly cautious.
Ye Chong piloted the mech to the ground carefully, right above 100 meters, the floor was suddenly open, and the container got off from his grip.
Like a meteorite, it crashed to the ground.
Splash!
3 tonnes of liquid spread throughout the ground.
People were expecting something, but to their disappointment, the rodents seemed to be unaffected by the solution, as it just slipped through their toes.
“FIRE! Bi Bo! Now!” said Ye Chong.
Bi Bo was stupefied, “There’s no target for me to-” He realized something as he raised the gun again and pulled the triggered.
A beam of light hit the container accurately.
And the next moment was again, historical, memorable, impeccable.
Chapter 322: Problem
he blue flame spread outwards quickly, and everything down below burned up into hell on earth. It was hell for the mutants! The mutants shrieked unceasingly as the blue flames blossomed. The flame slowly but surely unfurled outwards!
Interestingly, there was no smoke. The blue flame burned silently. Amidst the silence, the devastating mutant shrieks were chilling. One by one, mutants were reduced to ashes, leaving only their skeletons intact.
It was chaos down there. The insects that came into contact with the liquid were even more pitiful. Once the blue flame caught onto any of them, it would quietly burn with tenacity. No matter how they rolled on the ground, or jumped, or screamed, the flame would not die down. The blue flame would slowly eat into their skins, and the rats would shriek even more miserably. They would burst into a rage and bite anything around them in a frenzy, but gradually, their lives would be drained from their crimson eyes. The blue flame would continue to burn through muscle and flesh, until they turned to ashes.
Everyone was shocked!
What an eerie spectacle! What a strange blue flame! Even Valiance looked eerie, quietly hovering in midair!
Everyone was stunned by this most curious scene.
Even though the mechs were already flying high above, the heat rolling off the flames forced them to climb up even higher.
Even Ye Chong was shocked! He had only wanted to produce a strong flammable liquid, since he knew that almost all organisms would be wary of fire. The Bluefire chemical was the most usable of all the formulas he remembered.
In Lunatic Guan’s chip, the introduction to this liquid was simple. “Bluefire is a highly flammable liquid, suitable for combustion. It originated from the Fei Family.” In Lunatic Guan’s chip, anything that did not originate from the Guan Family would be specified clearly.
Ye Chong did not know of any Fei Family or whatnot, but since Lunatic Guan had described it as a strong flammable liquid, it should not be a problem.
In fact, the description was too simple that Ye Chong was beginning to worry about its effectiveness. However, he never imagined that the liquid would be so resistant. It was a good thing that Ye Chong had thrown the bottle of liquid far from the school building, or he would have hurt the students.
A long time ago, the Bluefire chemical formula was a well protected secret of the Fei Family, which enjoyed a long history in alchemy. The flames burned blue, and served as a defense measure for students of the Fei Family. Back then, the Bluefire chemical was so famous that Ye Chong would never have imagined it. As time passed, powerful families withered, and energy weapons rose to become weapons of the new age as it predecessors faded into history. Lunatic Guan had precisely searched for the formula for this long forgotten Bluefire chemical because she had seen it mentioned more than a few times in the literature left from long ago, speaking of its great power.
However, times had changed. Even the once rare materials used to synthesize the Bluefire chemical were now but the most basic materials for alchemy. Lunatic Guan did not study the Bluefire chemical any further. She had much too many options for self defense, most of them safer and more effective than the Bluefire chemical.
Once, the Fei Family would only produce small bottles of this chemical. No one would produce tons of it like Ye Chong did!
The world was silently mesmerized by the quietly burning blue flames. Everyone watched the holographic screen before them speechlessly!
Mi De could feel the goosebumps all over him. He was sweating all over, as if he was in a desert. However, his extremities were ice cold. Even his heart was nearly frozen. The thought of his mech carrying such a dangerous chemical made him shudder.
All the students and teachers at the school building paled, be it those in the building or the ones in their mechs. They were the ones closest to the blue flames. Some of them even felt their hair curling and drying up due to the heatwave from the flames.
The ferocious mutants were slowly quieting down now. The blue flames continued to burn silently.
Ye Chong had already recovered from his shock. He spoke to Mi De and Fatty through the comms channel, “Throw the bottles in your hand down below, take care to aim carefully.”
Ye Chong’s words startled them, and Fatty nearly lost control of his mech. The two of them moved ever so slowly and carefully, flying towards the two other corners of the school building and dumping the bottle of liquid in their hands down to the ground, before sprinting back to Ye Chong.
Bi Bo’s face was white as a sheet, and even missed a few shots. Fortunately, he lit up the chemicals in the end.
Perhaps people would slowly get used to mech battles; perhaps a battle between warships would not be staggering anymore; perhaps even a planet exploding would not be shocking news. Nevertheless, they were all afraid of this blue flame.
This was a primeval and mysterious force, burning so strongly that the mutants were reduced to ashes right before their eyes. It took only minutes, from just a blue flame.
Humans will always be afraid of the unknown.
The students and teachers in the school building all stopped whatever they were doing and watched in stupefaction.
From high above, three blue flowers burned, forming a triangle around the school building. Beside the blue flowers, little wisps of blue flames were scattered about. These came from the mutants that were burned, scurrying away madly, but quickly losing their lives to the fire. The blue flame did not stop then, but continued to burn.
The rats retreated. All the mutants retreated, running away faster than the way they first entered the scene.
The heat from these three sources of blue flames soon began to overwhelm some members of the fairer sex. All the mechs now served as transport, since no one dared to walk close to the blue flames.
The fire burned on for three days and three nights. Just as the people learned to fear the fire, some of them also began to realize its worth. They had all heard Ye Chong pronouncing all the ingredients for this chemical. When the blue flames began to burn, almost every alchemist began to look for the ingredients that the mysterious young man had listed down.
However, no matter how they tried, they could not replicate the power of the Bluefire chemical. D*mn that Bi Bo! Why record only the face? Why? They did not see how the young man produce the chemical, nor the amount of each ingredient used.
From that day on, a new problem was introduced into the field of alchemy. The problem was so well known that almost every alchemist knew about it, and can even easily recall the eight ingredients for it.
If was not until three decades later that an alchemist called Charles solved the formula for the Bluefire chemical and gained instant fame.
Of course, Ye Chong would not know about all these. Looking down at the blue flames, he began to calculate its effective range and possible applications.
Students who were left in the school building were escorted by the remaining mechs to the medical block, where Fei Si was. The truth was, no one wanted to stay in the school building any longer. The terrifying blue flame had left a deep mark in their psyche. The medical building had a more solid structure, so there was no danger of the freaky insects entering the building.
Everyone still looked taxed from their experience. Just the day before, they were but normal teachers or students, but in the past few hours, they were plunged into a battle of life and death. They watched their comrades being engulfed by the wave of mutant rats, or their beloved teachers swallowed up by the mutants.
It was horrible! Everyone’s eyes were filled with fear. Just what was happening to them?
Never had they been so close to death!
Since Ye Chong was here, there were not many casualties. Most of the victims were students who tried to stop the insects from entering the building. The teachers and students who were fighting against the rats were protected by mechs, so they were mostly safe. However, the mechs were covered with chilling bite marks. The old man himself was only slightly injured, mostly because his combat style was simply too bold. Once he began fighting, he would be oblivious to his own safety.
Ye Chong remained silent, sitting in his corner.
However, no one dared to be disrespectful to him. In some ways, he was everyone’s savior. His excellent combat skills and the terrifying Bluefire chemical he produced left him shrouded in mystery.
The most curious thing about him, though, was the fact that no one recognized him. No one knew his name or specialty.
Ye Chong closed his eyes for a very simple reason. No one would be happy to see blue lines dancing everywhere. More importantly, he was considering something. This being the matter of how to return to the planet of Yi Ju safely.
Sang Pu and the rest did not know about Ye Chong’s situation, and Ye Chong did not try to contact them. They would not be of help, being far away on Yi Ju. It would take some time for them to reach him. He would to have to deal with his problems alone. As Ye Chong suspected, Sang Pu and the rest were indeed ignorant of his situation. As Ye Chong had ordered for them to learn how to hide their aura before being allowed to leave the base, none of them had left.
While Ye Chong had supplied plenty of resources for the base, they did not include any kinds of entertainment or virtual world connection facilities. Of course, the Sang Tribe had no concept of entertainment; Hai Lian and the others were being trained harshly under Sang Pu, who could not stand having mediocre subordinates, so they did not even have time to consider such luxuries.
Ye Chong would have flew away in Han Jia in search of a starship, if it were him alone. He was not afraid of the mutants in the skies. However, he had decided to bring Old Jalopy and Fei Si with him. The old man was the most important and Fei Si was only a bonus.
As he reached the school building, Ye Chong finally sighed in relief. The old man and Fei Si were safe for now. That meant he was finally able to head out and find a starship.
Ye Chong deployed Valiance, ready to search for a starship. Without a starship, escape was impossible. Bi Bo, being a professional, wanted to tag along with Ye Chong, but Ye Chong’s unfriendly glare had him sitting back down quietly in his corner. He would not dare to fight against this killer. Besides, the fact that they had so many survivors was largely due to this mysterious young man. It would be unwise now to invite public wrath.
Zhou Jian planet’s docking zone was a wreck. Bodies lying here and there bore testimony to the disaster that had struck this place. Numerous starships were left at their stations. The hustle and bustle long associated with this place was absent, leaving only a dead silence.
Ye Chong searched the bodies carefully, and soon found a starship’s signkey. Based on the identity number on the signkey, he took only three minutes to find the corresponding starship. It was an ordinary midsized starship. He activated the signkey and opened the hatch to the starship. Ye Chong went inside. The ship was empty. Everything looked organized inside. It seemed that the starship’s crew did not make it.
However, Ye Chong quickly discovered a significant problem. He was only a single person. Even with the old man and Fei Si, they were only three. How could three people fly a starship? Once, Ye Chong did not have to worry about these problems. It was only now that he realized how blessed he was before!
What a quandary!
Chapter 323: Ambush
e Chong exited the starship. Just then, he heard a rush of footsteps. Amidst the silence, he could hear them clearly. Based on Ye Chong’s sharp hearing, he could identify 12 people!
Ye Chong bent down and hid behind the starship. He could make out a group of huge men surrounding a young boy, about eight or nine years old. The boy wore a white formal attire, looking around himself with his large and dark, keen eyes. The 11 men around him did not look particularly strong physically, but their eyes betrayed their keen senses.
Ye Chong found it odd. While these men looked sharp, their physique and stride indicated that they were not particularly skilled. Another curious thing was, they all had energy guns holstered by the waist. A few of them even had energy guns in their hands. This was the first time Ye Chong had seen anyone in He Yue galaxy armed with an energy gun.
These 11 men might not be particularly skilled physically, but from their formation and the wariness in their eyes, it was clear that they were well trained. The twelve of them were walking towards a starship.
“So the docking zone was also attacked,” the young boy sighed wearily, with a sense of maturity that belied his age.
One of the men bent down and said to him, “Young Master Ming, our ship is straight ahead. We’ll leave here soon. The Tribe Leader wished for you to return home as soon as possible. She’s very worried about you.”
The young boy frowned and complained, “Back to that dull place again. Just when I thought I can finally enjoy a few years outside, and now this had happened.” His expression turned into one of rumination. It was cute, seeing a young boy showing an adult expression, but none of the men around him laughed.
“It must be man-made!” The young boy deduced, “Any clues?”
“None,” the leader of the subordinates shook his head. “The Tribe Leader also thinks that it’s a man-made disaster, but no one knows who’s behind it yet. If the perpetrator is found, they will meet death so easily.” The subordinate spoke earnestly. Indeed, if the perpetrator was identified, they would become public enemy number one of the entire galaxy.
The young boy spoke ruthlessly, “If I find out who did this … Humph, d*mn it, ruining my vacation! Unforgivable!” He gesticulated wildly in excitement. The subordinates around him could not help a smile this time.
Lying in hiding near them was Ye Chong, who had planned to make use of them the moment he saw them. What he lacked now were crew members for his ship. These people were here just in time! It was obvious that they were planning to fly their own starship and leave this place. They must know how to fly a ship.
Ye Chong was like a hunter, lying in waiting for the perfect moment. The blue lines in his sight continued to dance around. The dots and lines would shift along with the movements of the people in this group. This gave him a headache.
As they got nearer and nearer to his location, Ye Chong’s eyes widened.
They were now only 10 meters apart. Ye Chong chose an excellent location, shaded from view, and with a metal plate blocking right in front of him. The close distance was very much preferred by Ye Chong as a combat expert.
To get within 10 meters of a Jie expert was definitely a fatal mistake!
Ye Chong bent his knees and sprinted, staying close to the ground as he headed straight towards the group! The ambush startled them all!
They were too close together!
The short distance resulted in a nightmare for the victims of a Jie expert with explosive strength.
The man closest to Ye Chong could only lift his energy gun halfway before Ye Chong landed a gentle chop on his neck, disabling him.
The rest of the men were well trained, and kept their composure despite the surprise. The man right next to the young boy quickly grabbed the young master close to him. The rest of them surrounded the young master, staying between him and Ye Chong.
Those with guns took their shot immediately without care for their comrade.
It would be a terrible disgrace if Ye Chong managed to let them get away given the short distance between them. He stepped lightly, easily avoiding the shots. It was their comrade who got injured, but he held himself admirably and did not even sigh in pain.
Ye Chong was surprised by their shooting skills! Just now, at least three of the energy beams barely grazed past him. In fact, Ye Chong could see from the way these men reacted, shooting back calmly despite his ambush, that they were no average bodyguards!
However, even the best shooters would lose against a Jie expert in close range combat.
Ye Chong moved evasively like a shadow, making himself a difficult target. This group of men were skilled combat experts compared to most, but they were still full of holes in Ye Chong’s eyes. If he wanted to kill them, they would have all been dead by now. However, Ye Chong needed all of them alive, hence the extra effort.
The young boy was the key! Ye Chong slipped in like a fish, pushing his hands against the men!
Bam! A few men were thrown outwards like an explosion.
There were two left in front of Ye Chong. The man kept the young master firmly behind him, staring straight at Ye Chong.
What a sharp gaze! Ye Chong was impressed, but also curious. Why would these people be so easy to defeat?
On the other hand, why was he still looking so calm?
Suddenly, Ye Chong felt a dangerous aura! He moved without thinking, stomping down strongly on the ground, crushing the flooring beneath him as he jumped to the side!
It was this instinctive reaction that saved his life!
An energy beam as thick as a finger shot through his arm, where his heart was just milliseconds ago.
The pain! Ye Chong could not remember the last time he was injured, and now he had nearly lost his life. On his left arm was a bloody wound that went right through his arm, big enough to fit a finger through it. The edges of the wound were seared black, and his skin was slightly burnt from the energy beam. Ye Chong did not have time to check if it had hit bones. As long as it was a flesh wound, a few hours was all it would take for him to recover himself.
D*mn it, there was someone else!
Ye Chong felt a chill down his spine. What a terrifying shooter! From the beginning of his ambush, he had moved swiftly throughout, an elusive shadow in the men’s eyes. To think that the shooter could fire so accurately at him despite his speed! If he had not stepped aside at the last minute, that shot would have killed him!
The timing of the shot was also flawless. Seeing his comrades being defeated one by one, the last man still managed to use his young master as bait. He must be a seasoned veteran.
Swoosh!
Another energy beam grazed past Ye Chong’s ear and hit the ground in front of him.
He felt a deep chill. Ye Chong could feel death closing in on him. His leg muscles suddenly expanded. This was no time to hold himself back! With the September Lan Family’s techniques, Ye Chong launched himself forward, his steps seemingly light, but full of power.
The strong-compound floorings crumbled under his heavy footsteps, filling the air with debris. The dust also made Ye Chong’s figure even harder to see clearly.
Ye Chong was now giving all he had! This was the fastest he had ever been!
He saw the man leading the young master away hurriedly, and ran towards them under the cover of the debris. As long as he could get his hands on the young master before he was shot by that hidden sniper, it would be his win.
Ye Chong shifted his position frequently, advancing quickly like an elusive ghost. However, the danger that he felt from earlier never disappeared. Ye Chong believed that the sniper was better than this.
Despite his indirect advance forward, he was slowly closing in on the man and the young boy.
Three meters! Only three meters. What was three meters to a Jie expert? It was only a step away.
Ye Chong suddenly inclined forward, making ready to leap!
The feint worked.
Swoosh! Another energy beam shot past, bruising Ye Chong’s scalp as it hit the ground, leaving a big hole.
The opening was there. Ye Chong’s bent knees straightened, launching himself forward. The man suddenly turned around, hoping to delay Ye Chong if for a moment. He knew exactly how capable his comrade was. Even with a slight delay, this terrifying ambusher would be dead for sure.
However, Ye Chong was still clear headed. The man saw a blur of movement and lost sight of the ambusher. Immediately after, he heard the young master’s pained cries. The ambusher’s hand was around the young master’s neck, and he was looking coldly back at him.
The young master wore an expression of agony.
“Come out,” Ye Chong said coldly, and finally relaxed a little. He did not forget to keep his hostage right in front of him. He was still shaken by the strength of that hidden sniper.
Ye Chong finally found the sniper. This was not due to his sharp eyesight, but the blue lines he saw. The sniper was well hidden. With Ye Chong’s amateur skills, he would never have found him. Even so, the blue lines he saw showed the exact picture of the sniper in ambush.
“What excellent camouflage skills,” Ye Chong thought to himself, impressed. It was impossible to see the sniper with the naked eye. Besides, the location of choice was ideal to cover his comrades. He could only see faint blue lines on the sniper, but none of the bright blue lines of blue dots.
Ye Chong’s left arm was already disabled, hanging lifelessly beside him. Blood gushed freely from the wound, flowing down along the arm, along the fingers, and finally dripping on the ground.
The last man standing before him spoke in a low voice, “Who might you be? Why do you attack us? I think there must be some sort of mistake …”
Ye Chong ignored the man and narrowed his eyes. He put more strength into his grip, looked straight at the sniper’s location, and said, “Come out.”
The man standing before him paused. This person was strong!
“You win,” a hoarse, male voice said. The sniper finally stood up from his hiding place.
He could see bright blue dots and blue lines on him. If Ye Chong could still move his left hand, he would have thrown his dagger at that very moment. Having such a dangerous character near him felt highly threatening.
Too bad his left hand was disabled.
The ambusher lifted his hands high above his head as he came forward. Ye Chong finally saw the dangerous character clearly. The man had a square head with wiry hair, and hard facial features. There were horrible wounds spread all over his face like a web.
The scariest part about him, however, was his hollow, lifeless eyes.
“Hit them unconscious,” Ye Chong said to the sniper.
The sniper obeyed acted hesitation, rendering all the other bodyguards unconscious, including the last one standing. He did not play any tricks. That would be unwise against a Jie expert.
“Bring them here.”
The sniper worked like a laborer, carrying all the unconscious men into the starship that Ye Chong had opened. Looking at all the unconscious men, Ye Chong finally allowed himself some satisfaction.
Bam! The sniper was also taken out, lying unconscious with the rest. The young boy in his grip was also given the same treatment.
Ye Chong finally heaved a sigh of relief. His face was growing pale. Now, he must treat his wounds, or he would suffer heavily from blood loss.
Before seeing to his wounds, however, Ye Chong took out the red tendrils and tied them all up securely. These red tendrils were a specialty produce from the Red Sea, with incredible strength. The ones Ye Chong had with him were of the finest quality. It would be impossible to escape from them with brute force.
After all that, Ye Chong finally headed towards the medical bay. Every starship was equipped with medical facilities, since space voyages were typically very long.
Ye Chong returned to Ze Xi Academy five hours after he left. Beside looking a little pale, with an extra hole in his left sleeve, Ye Chong did not look like an injured man. He had spent some time to treat the wounds of a few of the injured men. He did not want the captives that he went through so much trouble for to die from blood loss. His efforts and injuries would have been for nothing then.
Fei Si noticed Ye Chong’s return and ran to him in a panic. “Good! You’re back. Sigh, they’re infected by a virus.”
“Virus?” Ye Chong was surprised.
Fei Si nodded. “Yes. it must a mutation of the H virus. Only the wounded students and teachers were infected.” She brought Ye Chong to see a few infected students. They looked ghastly with brown spots all over their bodies as they lay curled up on the floor.
Ye Chong was startled. “You mean, all those who were wounded are now infected?” He remembered clearly that Old Jalopy was also injured.
Fei Si hesitated for a moment before replying, “That’s very likely. In humans, the H virus was transmitted through blood. In other animals, however, they can be transmitted in many other ways.”
“How did you verify that it’s the H virus? Why do some of the other injured ones still look alright?” Ye Chong asked as he took a glance over at Uncle Jalopy, who still seemed to be in good health.
Fei Si explained, “My teacher and I study the H virus. The H virus can lay dormant for an uncertain amount of time. Some will take a lot longer, and others shorter. It can go up to 10 years, or as short as 24 hours for the symptoms to show.” She spoke with concern.
Ye Chong looked straight at Fei Si and asked, “Is there any cure?” He could only be thankful that Old Jalopy was still looking alright for now. However, if the infection remained, the old man would be just like a time bomb waiting to explode.
Where else could he find an expert in ancient machinery?
Fei Si looked crestfallen. “It’s a pity that the chips are lost. They have information on about 30 thousand over mutations of the H virus that my teacher and I have discovered. There might have been clues in them. Sigh, they were my teacher’s legacy.” The chips were already stomped to pieces by the mutant rats. However, she also knew that this was not the time to dwell on these matters. After some pondering, she said, “We can analyze the structure of this particular strain of H virus, and see if a cure can be derived.”
“If?” Ye Chong frowned. He did not like the word.
“Yes, I cannot guarantee a cure,” Fei Si explained helplessly, “The H virus is highly compatible with other viruses, and is frequently used for cultivation purposes. That’s the scariest part of this type of virus.”
“How will you analyze its structure?” Ye Chong asked.
When it came to technical questions, Fei Si replied promptly, “An ultra-micro analyzer will do.” She added, “Only Engradie Academy has it. They have the resources.”
Chapter 324: Chance Encounter I
My dear lady, how can I be of service?” This came from a young man in black formal wear. He was a handsome fine man with an air of politeness and a smile that spelt mischief; in short – he was a ladykiller. In fact, he had a long and successful history of winning over girls. Aside from that, given the situation, who would reject his advances? He laughed to himself inside as he looked at the woman in white training garb before him confidently.
If his guards had not arrived at the academy in time, the academy grounds would have been full of corpses by now. The Elante Family had a thousand mech pilots stationed on Zhou Jian planet. While it was a pity that only 500 of them came to his rescue, Xiye was already quite satisfied. The academy’s safety was now in his hands.
When Engradie Academy was plunged into crisis, the 500 war mechs had arrived to restore order. They quickly cleared the academy grounds of mutants and rescued many students and teachers.
As an aristocrat, Xiye understood his advantage. The Elante Family was on par with the likes of aristocratic families like the Shi Family and the Mi Family. While they were still a level below the Three Aristocratic Families, it did not really matter. Here in Engradie Academy, he was free to do as he pleased. There were only two people he had to be wary about, but they did not seem to be in the school at the moment.
He knew that true descendants of any of the Three Aristocratic Families would receive secret internal training since young. It was when they were 14 years old that they would be sent to other Academies for further studies, and always under disguise. Only the Elante Family that specialized in intel would know of this secretive precaution.
The young woman in white before him had hooked his interest. What with her refreshing aura! Tsk tsk, she must be some kind of combat expert, and she kept a serious expression on her face. Xiye imagined her looking sweet and mellow beside him, and felt his pulse quickened. However, he also thought it odd – such a peculiar lady should be famous in the academy, so why had he never heard of her? And who was that girl she was carrying on her back? Was it her sister?
“For shame, for shame, I’ve neglected my research,” Xiye thought to himself.
Rui Bing took a glance at Xiye. She was obviously not taken by the man in black formal wear. Her expression turned cold as she said plainly, “Please leave.”
“What a personality!” Xiye’s eyes lit up. As an experienced ladies’ man, he could tell the character of the other party with just few words. He smiled sincerely and said, “Please believe me, I mean no harm. Your sister does not look well, is she ill? We have professional doctors here, perhaps they might be able to assist you.” Roundabout ways to speaking were usually quite effective.
Rui Bing’s face showed hesitation. On her back, Shi Fuyin was indeed not in good condition. She could feel the heat coming from her back. Shi Fuyin was having a fever.
“Thank you,” Rui Bing answered succinctly, but not looking the least bit grateful. Aside from Ye Chong, she did not like talking to other men.
Xiye bowed slightly and replied politely, “I’m deeply honored to be of service!” He was secretly pleased. If she accepted his help, the rest will be easier.
Shi Fuyin was not well. However, with the excellent facilities available at Engradie Academy, and Xiye’s ingratiation, Shi Fuyin’s condition was eased.
Rui Bing ignored Xiye. She sat down cross-legged and did not move, guarding Shi Fuyin.
Ye Chong and company finally arrived at Engradie Academy. Together with him were Bi Bo, Mi De, Fatty and Fei Si. The rats had vanished from the streets, but it was still a horrible sight to behold. The roads were lined with corpses, and there were traces of blood and organs everywhere. Some of the bodies were already chewed to an unrecognizable state. The buildings that lined the streets were also in desperate need of repair.
Even someone like Ye Chong, who was no stranger to chaos, was moved by the sight of the disaster. The rest of them were even more so. Bi Bo’s recorder brought this spectacle to his viewers. The video caused quite a stir. Many of the audiences vomited on the spot. Fear and panic began to spread among the public.
Mi De and Fatty quickly noticed the recorder in Bi Bo’s hands. They were not like Ye Chong, who did not recognize what it was. Due to their family backgrounds, they were sensitive to reporters. Bi Bo quickly noticed their attention on him and switched off his recorder. Bi Bo’s decision invited protests from the audience. Five seconds later, the customer service department of the Green Planet Channel was overwhelmed by numerous requests. The entire Group grew extremely anxious, but Bi Bo had not only switched off his recorder, but also his comms device as well.
What happened later, and where the nameless young man had vanished to, remained mysteries till today.
The holographic screen turned dark.
“Boss Mu, are we going to planet Zhou Jian ?” Lian Yue asked carefully. Zhu Ling and Little Rock both looked to Mu. Only Qiu Man gave a cold laugh.
Mu shook his large head. “No, our position is too weak for now. The probability of us being destroyed before reaching Ye is above 95 percent. Besides, it will take at least 25 days for us to reach planet Zhou Jian. By then, there is an 80 to 85 percent probability that Ye has left the planet. Many experts on the virtual world were recently focusing on Zhou Jian. I had no opportunity to hack in.”
Everyone went silent.
At Engradie Academy.
An ugly looking middle-aged man shook his head vigorously. “Ultra-micro analyzer? No, no. What can a young woman like you do? Don’t worry, our academy’s experts are all working on it, there will be results out soon. Rest assured, once the results are out, our academy will publish it all for public access.”
Everyone exchanged glances speechlessly. Mi De and Fatty each went to one side of the overweight middle-aged man. Mi De smiled and said, “Come on now, Director. We’re just using that bl*ody thing for a while, really, it’s just for a moment, just a very short while.”
The Director of Teaching Affairs immediately cut him off and yelled angrily, “What bl*ody thing? That’s an ultra-micro analyzer, an ultra-micro analyzer, alright? The only one on the entire planet!” The director gestured emotionally with his one fat finger.
“Yes yes yes!” Fatty quickly continued the exchange, putting on a flattering smile. “Don’t mind him, Director, what would he know? This ultra-micro analyzer is the most precious thing, only an aristocratic academy like ours will have. The young lady’s from a public academy, she’s never seen anything so high tech. Yeah, we should let her get a taste of it, err, educating students from other academies is also one of the noble duties of our fine academy!” Fatty spoke while quietly passing a card over to the Director.
The Director of Teaching Affairs caressed the card in a familiar gesture and immediately smiled and nodded, “You know best, fatty! Hmm, now that I think about it, you’re right, we and the Ze Xi Academy have shared a long history of friendship. Assisting them with their students is also a good deed! Ha, a marvellous idea!”
Mi De and Fatty quickly nodded and smiled agreeably while the rest of the group watched in stupefaction.
The Director led everyone into the alchemy building, reminding them, “There are many wounded, and the academy’s hospital is damaged, so the wounded students are all placed here. Please try to stay quiet and not disturb the patients.”
Everyone nodded, thinking that the Director’s attitude towards the students was actually not bad.
“Sister Bing, it’s so stuffy in here, I’d like to go out,” Shi Fuyin spoke softly. “As expected, they are a pair of beautiful sisters,” thought Xiye, who had waited near them for some time. As an expert ladykiller, he knew the importance of patience. How can one expect to have a beautiful lady’s willing company without some patience? What he was doing now was akin to slowly simmering a dish, awaiting its final result.
“Hmm, alright!” Rui Bing opened her eyes and abruptly stood up. She lifted Shi Fuyin easily and left for the outdoors, moving quickly without giving so much as a glance at Xiye nearby. If he had not helped Shi Fuyin to secure a spot for treatment, she would have physically forced the annoying man away.
A group of people was coming from in front of her, led by a middle-aged man that looked like on of the higher-ups of the academy. Rui Bing slowed down her steps.
Ye Chong was now having a considerable headache. Blue lines were jiggling all over his vision, annoying as h*ll. If not for his mental fortitude, he would have gone crazy. He could even feel his vision degraded because of them.
Ye Chong unknowingly took a glance at Rui Bing, coming from opposite the corridor.
Rui Bing stopped abruptly, her eyes glowing bright as she yelled coldly, “Who is it?” Her white training garb fluttered in the still air.
Ye Chong felt like his head was whacked, and the blue lines vanished from his vision. This sudden change startled him greatly.
The lady in the snow white training garb! Ye Chong stopped walking despite otherwise.
He looked at the woman carrying another young lady, wearing that familiar snow white training garb. Her face was as refreshing and crisp as clear snow. Ye Chong’s mental impression of the face wearing the white training garb now turned up clearly.
The white training garb enveloped a pair of soft but callused hands. Her smooth, fair neck, and that unforgettable sweetness that he tasted on the tip of his tongue all came back to him.
Rui Bing’s eyes also landed on Ye Chong. Did that feeling of being watched come from him? The person looked familiar, be it his figure or his movements, but the face was a stranger to her.
Ye Chong stared dumbly at Rui BIng. He was reminded of Shang, of Mu, and of his time at Blue Ocean Academy. For a moment, he was lost in his memories.
The rest of the group gave a curious look at Rui Bing, who was carrying Shi Fuyin. What’s with the question? No one did anything strange. The Director of Teaching Affairs began to lecture, “Dear student, please lower your voice, don’t disturb the other students …”
The first to notice Ye Chong’s strange behavior was Fei Si. His face was blank most of the time, so the sudden emotions that showed on his face was too obvious to go unnoticed.
Ye Chong recovered himself, and quickly thought of a very important question that needed answering. He finally stepped forward before Rui Bing.
“It’s me!” Ye Chong said. He was not sure if the lady in the white training garb still remembered him.
Chapter 325: Chance Encounter II
ui Bing felt a jolt, nearly dropping Shi Fuyin from her arms. Shi Fuyin gasped sharply, holding tightly onto Rui Bing. Rui Bing seemed to not hear her sharp cry, her eyes staring straight at Ye Chong in disbelief.
Just then, a wind blew, and Rui Bing’s eyes lit up with pleasant surprise. It was the smell! While the man looked completely different from him, the smell was definitely his! Ever since young, he was the only man she had ever been so physically intimate with. She recalled the last time he licked her neck, and her fair neck colored instantly. It was also that moment that allowed Rui Bing to remember Ye Chong’s body scent.
This man before her was Ye Chong, she was sure of it.
To the rest of the group, the cold eyes of this lady in white seemed to melt in that instant, as she looked longingly at Ye Chong.
“Could this be Sister Bing’s dream man?” Shi Fuyin studied the man curiously. His almost terrifying face had shocked her. What a pitiful man! This was Shi Fuyin’s first thought. However, she was also very curious of him. The others may not see it, but Shi Fuyin could see the blush on Rui Bing’s neck clearly. For a man to win Sister Bing’s heart, he must had his admirable traits.
Shi Fuyin could read people’s emotions easily. She could see Xiye’s flattering efforts clearly, but she could also easily sense Rui Bing’s coldness and even distaste towards him. Whether it was his demeanor or his actions, Xiye was full of aristocratic qualities. The fact that Rui Bing despised flattery from such a man, but loved another man like this instead was very curious indeed!
Ye Chong and Rui Bing looked at each other in silence, remembering their past.
No one could have not guessed the relationship between these two. All of them stayed quiet. Fei Si wore a complicated expression. She was not sure what exactly she was feeling, except that it was not exactly pleasant.
Could she have actually fallen for him? The idea suddenly came to her, and startled Fei Si. However, she quickly rejected it. How was that possible? The man was so cold, an apathetic fool. He was ugly, and had even slapped her. There was nothing good about him at all. How could she have fallen for him? What a ridiculous idea!
However, the image of bodies covering the floor, and of a young man holding a lance steadily at the center came unbidding to her mind. She also remembered his focused expression when performing alchemy.
Fei Si suddenly felt her cheeks burn a little. She looked around her guiltily, and relaxed when she found no one watching.
“Let’s find a room,” Ye Chong looked at the group around them. This was not the place to talk.
“Alright,” Rui Bing replied without hesitation.
Mi De muttered by the side, “No way, Boss, that’s too much! You’re gonna do it right after you meet?”
Fatty nodded as well. “Yeah, that’s right. Boss is Boss alright, you’re too straightforward! I like it!” Fei Si heard their discussion and blushed even more. The Director of Teaching Affairs, on the other hand, looked like he was also moved by their reunion as he looked at the pair happily.
Rui Bing looked at Shi Fuyin in her arms, and Shi Fuyin immediately offered, “Sister Bing, why don’t you let me down, I’d like to stand for awhile.”
Rui Bing nodded, and put Shi Fuyin down.
In one of the rooms, Ye Chong and Rui Bing looked at each other speechlessly. After a long moment, Ye Chong finally spoke up, “Why are you here too?”
“I was kidnapped,” Rui Bing answered simply.
Ye Chong was surprised. “Kidnapped?”
Rui Bing nodded, saying, “I don’t know the reason for it.”
“So that’s how it is …” Ye Chong was a little disappointed. He had thought Rui Bing would know how she arrived here. He thought of something else, and asked, “How are Grandpa Qian and the rest?”
“They’re well.”
They exchanged words back and forth like this in a plain manner. If anyone were there to hear it, their jaws would drop. However, the two of them felt comfortable with it.
Suddenly, they ran out of topics to talk about.
Silence filled the room for a long moment.
Rui Bing lowered her head and suddenly asked a very sharp question, “When are you ready to marry me?”
“Marry?” Ye Chong paused. He was no longer as oblivious as before, and finally had a better sense of what marriage implied. He tilted his head at Rui Bing and asked, “Why should I marry you?”
“You kissed me,” Rui Bing answered, wasting no words. Her neck was turning red again, but she kept her gaze firmly on Ye Chong.
“Kiss” was a term that Ye Chong had seen before in books, but the actual mechanism and action involved was still a mystery to Ye Chong. However, in all the major literature that he had read, kissing only happened between people who fell in love with each other. None of the books had ever really described this act. Of course, “love” was also a bit difficult to understand for Ye Chong. However, in many of these literature he read, it was the first step towards marriage.
“I did not kiss you,” Ye Chong searched his memories for a full three minutes before he replied with certainty.
“You did!” Rui Bing said without hesitation, and a steely resolution.
“I didn’t!” Ye Chong shook his head. He was confident of his own memory.
“You did!” Rui Bing was unyielding.
Ye Chong looked at Rui Bing. He never thought she would be so insistent. Could he really have kissed her? Ye Chong felt a little uncertain. He knew nothing of kissing, from the beginning of the act to the end of it, the process of it, or even the coordination required between the two parties involved. He was confident of his memories, to be sure, but in this matter at least, he was not an expert.
Ye Chong made his final struggle. “I did not kiss you, probably.”
“You did!” Rui Bing’s eyes shone with determination.
“I did?” Ye Chong asked carefully.
“You did!” Rui Bing’s tone sounded so certain.
It seemed that he really did kiss her. Ye Chong sighed regretfully. He did not fully understand this woman, but it was obvious that she did not take this matter jokingly. However, when did he kiss her? And what was kissing all about? The naive Ye Chong was now thinking of these questions. What would Rui Bing do if she knew?
“When did I kiss you?” Ye Chong asked warily. He might be able to tell from Rui Bing’s reply just how in the world kissing was done.
Ye Chong watched as Rui Bing’s face flushed into a deep red, the blush spreading in plain view from her neck to her cheeks.
It looked like he really did kiss her! Ye Chong’s final hope was dashed. However, he really wanted to understand what this mysterious action was all about.
Rui Bing lowered her head even more.
Her breathing shortened and her face turned red. She had lowered her guard, looking very different from the usual Rui Bing. Ye Chong guessed that he probably would not get anything out of her.
As expected, Rui Bing said nothing for a very long time.
In the end, Ye Chong concluded the topic, “Well, let’s set this question aside for the moment.”
“Alright. I’ll be with you from now on.” Rui Bing’s expression returned to normal.
He tilted his head and looked at Rui Bing, and Rui Bing understood his meaning. Without any warning, Rui Bing’s eyes shone brightly with an odd light. Ye Chong felt his body tense up together with a heightened sense of danger. Just when he was about to move, he felt something like strings appeared in the empty air and bounded him up tightly.
Almost instinctively, Ye Chong’s eyes lit up. The vanished blue lines appeared once again. The numerous blue lines danced around like fishes in his vision in a fast and disorganized pattern.
The blue lines jiggled vigorously. Abruptly, the lines all converged to a single point. His vision was empty except for a bright, blue dot.
Without further thought, Ye Chong’s throat contracted quickly, releasing a shapeless soundwave from his mouth straight towards the bright blue dot.
Mortal Roar!
The blue dot trembled in the air, but did not vanish. Ye Chong felt the air around him pulsating. His eyes shone even more brightly. His throat contracted again, and he released another soundwave.
The blue dot shook more violently.
The third Mortal Roar hit the blue dot.
Crack! A soft sound, and Ye Chong felt the binding in him gone.
The floor in the room was covered with broken glass. It was a mess. The air in the room continued to pulsate.
Rui Bing said nothing, only looking at Ye Chong, but her short breath indicated that it was no easy task. Ye Chong was also breathing quickly. That short match earlier had strained him.
“You’ve improved a lot,” Ye Chong said with approval.
“You too.” Rui Bing and Ye Chong exchanged a glance, and smiled at the same time.
Ye Chong took out Guardian’s dimension keystone. “For you, put it on. The voice activation code is Number Two.”
Rui Bing’s face turned red once again, but she sounded an assent and accepted Guardian’s dimension keystone, putting it on her right hand’s ring finger.
Just then, the door was forcefully broken through from the outside.
Chapter 326: The Shi Family’s Fury
t was Xiye outside. He had two huge men with cold eyes beside him. The two bodyguards were startled by the mess in the room, and quickly stepped forward to protect Xiye.
Xiye looked at Ye Chong with hostility. He noticed the ring on Rui Bing’s right hand ring finger, and his face twisted horribly. He remembered clearly that Rui Bing’s had no jewellery of any kind before this. There was only one answer to his observation. This incredibly ugly man must be Rui Bing’s old lover.
Xiye tried hard to control his emotions. He did not immediately turned on them, but spoke politely, “Dear student, you must be from another academy. Hmm, from your uniform, it must be the Ze Xi Academy. Dear student, I deeply apologize, but due to our limited resources, we do not currently accept students from other schools.”
His politeness was not aimed to please, but his words allowed no argument. Right now, he was practically the one person who had the power to keep Engradie Academy safe. 500 mech pilots was not a force to be trifled with, especially at dangerous times like this.
Xiye laughed coldly inside. He had seen all too many women, and they were all alike. He believed that this particular lady must have recognized the reality of things. Without his protection, she will find it difficult to survive. Who would throw away their own lives without a care? It was hardly a choice for her, but he really enjoyed watching the woman he was interested in facing this decision. It made success felt all the more sweeter!
Even if the woman was foolish enough to reject him, once the two of them left and she came to realize the practicalities, she would definitely come back to him begging for mercy! It felt wonderful to control someone else’s life! This was not the first time for him.
“Such is the fate of others,” Xiye thought to himself with a feigned air of philosophy.
The two guards quickly realized their master’s plan. One of them quickly activated his comms. If the two of them refused to leave, they had enough manpower to make them.
Rui Bing’s expression darkened. She understood the situation outside clearly. As she saw Xiye’s cold eyes turned cold, Rui Bing unleashed her own sharp, cold aura like a blade unsheathed. The two guards were startled, staring at Rui Bing. They now regretted not bringing more people with them as a precaution.
Ye Chong looked at Xiye silently, his expression unchanged.
Just then, someone spoke from behind Xiye, “Oh, what a ridiculous world this has become, since when has Engradie Academy become a certain someone’s?”
The voice made Xiye’s face twitch. This was a voice that he dreaded to hear within the academy.
Both Mi De and and Fatty entered the scene looking carefree, leaning on each other as they watched Xiye, grinning widely.
Fatty added, “Yeah, that’s right, these days, the sun must have shined too brightly that some of the nonsensical fools start to crawl outside to our world, so scary!”
Seeing Fatty with Mi De, Xiye’s expression turned sour still.
“What do you two mean?” Xiye asked in a low voice. If it were someone else, he would have chased them off forcefully. These two, however, were the only two people he was wary of in the academy. Usually they would fool around and keep clear of his way, but this time they had chosen to get involved with his business.
“Could they be friends of that ugly man? Friends? Humph!” Xiye laughed coldly inside. It was unwise to go against him at this time. He had thought these two were smart, but it seemed that he had overestimated them.
“I say, handsome, you’ve always been chasing girls, ruining the lives of innocent young ladies et cetera et cetera, we’ve hardly bothered to get involved. Hehe, to think that you’d offend someone strong today! Are you tired of living?” Mi De said this with a cold smile, and without fear. He knew exactly how strong Ye Chong was.
“Xiye, let’s be honest, you have no right to speak as you did. De and I are getting involved in this matter today, just give your best and we’ll take you down. But let me warn you, you better think carefully about this, humph. In this matter, against my family and the Mi Family, humph …” Fatty said this in a low voice. He may looked like a joker most of the time, but he spoke with great severity right now.
Xiye looked at the two of them with a still expression, but he was secretly beginning to doubt himself. The Mi Family and the Bibiqi Family were at the same level as his family. If these two opposed him for real, he would have a hard time in the future.
Just who was this ugly man? This was the main question for Xiye. Why would Fatty and Mi De put themselves out here to help him?
“Who is he?” Xiye asked lowly.
“None of your business,” Fatty replied briskly. Ye Chong’s identity was a mystery to everyone. None of them could had any idea.
“So Mi De is from the Mi family,” Ye Chong thought to himself in surprise. The Mi Family was the only aristocratic family he had some relation to. From the looks of it, however, he had not figured out who he was. Ye Chong could not be bothered to make himself known.
Xiye took a quick glance at Rui Bing. She stood silently beside the ugly man, her eyes shining brightly in way that was familiar to him. It was the way a woman’s eyes would shine when in blessed happiness.
He felt a deep envy growing in the depths of his heart.
Just then, a large group of men came running towards them. They all looked strong, their stride powerful and steady. Their strength was undeniable. These were 100 of the 500 mech pilots under Xiye. Behind them were more than a hundred mechs hovering mid air, looking at them threateningly.
Xiye was secretly overjoyed, but did not speak. Fatty and Mi De watched with horror and surprise.
These mech pilots came in and quickly formed a barrier around Xiye. The rest of them surrounded Ye Chong and the others.
“Xiye, what’s the meaning of this?” Mi De asked grimly.
Xiye was quite happy to see the looks on Mi De and Fatty. The pressure that they put on him moments ago vanished in an instant. He smiled unpleasantly and said, “Mi De, I suggest that you stay out of this matter. My business with them has got nothing to do with you both. People are always so eager to get mixed up in matters that they’re not capable of dealing with. Tsk tsk, that’s not such a good idea!” Xiye’s sarcastic remark angered them both.
On the other hand, Mi De and Fatty both understood their situation clearly.
Fatty patted on Mi De’s shoulder and exchanged a look. Fatty turned over to Xiye and said, “Very well, Xiye, we’ll remember this.” He turned to Ye Chong and said sincerely, “Boss, sorry about this. We were not prepared for this, and have failed. Let’s leave.”
Ye Chong nodded, but did not move.
Rui Bing took a look at Shi Fuyin and grew worried. Shi Fuyin was not well. If they leave this place, her condition might turn even worse. Rui Bing stole a glance at Xiye, surrounded by his guards, and calculated her odds of capturing him alive.
Shi Fuyin smiled sweetly at Rui Bing as though she had seen through her thoughts. However, she did not look scared or worried. Instead, she stepped lightly towards the Director of Teaching Affairs, directed her large, innocent eyes at the Director, and said plainly, “Is your academy really chasing us out from this place?”
Shi Fuyin’s unusual reaction gathered everyone’s attention. Mi De and Fatty exchanged a look, and saw the surprise in each other. This fragile looking young lady managed to utter those words calmly, as though the one who was threatened was not her.
“As expected, the Boss has unusual friends!” Mi De and Fatty both came to the same conclusion.
The Director avoided Shi Fuyin’s gaze and took a glance at Xiye. He quickly turned away and mumbled to himself, unable to say anything absolute.
Xiye was extremely pleased. This was the best moment of his life. The people he had always been wary of were now suppressed, the fates of all these people were also in his hands. The only thing that annoyed him was that these people showed no fear at all. “Humph, just wait until you’re outside. You’ll come back begging,” Xiye thought to himself, his expression was tinged with cruelty.
It was simply too bad, not having these beautiful sisters. Xiye looked at Shi Fuyin, his eyes filled with lust. However, he quickly rearranged his expression back to an image of politeness.
Just then, the angry voice of a man came from afar, closing in to them, saying, “Who dares to chase out a member of the Shi Family?”
This was immediately followed by a clashing sound. The mech pilots around Ye Chong and his company fell outwards. A large group of people came storming towards them, and quickly surrounded Ye Chong and others in the center.
The mechs hovering in the air under Xiye were silent. All around them were numerous mechs, pointing their dark and deadly guns at them.
“Uncle Ming!” Shi Fuyin’s eyes brightened up as she cried with joy.
The one who came was Shi Chongming. Back at the hospital, he had left her to find the local members of the Shi Family. However, the mutant disaster struck, and he was surrounded by rats. He escaped with difficulty, and finally found the Shi Family’s person of highest authority on the planet. When this person in charge heard that the Second Young Miss had arrived on Zhou Jian, he looked at the rats outside and turned pale. The person in charge immediately brought all his men and followed Shi Chongming to protect the young miss. Shi Chongming’s comms device allowed him to locate Shi Fuyin, and that was how they could quickly arrive at her location.
As they entered, they immediately saw the Second Young Miss surrounded by a group of men. They saw red and pulled out their weapons. As Shi Chongming made his grand entrance, he heard Shi Fuyin’s question, and his grim expression finally developed into fury!
The Second Young Miss was being chased out from the academy. If this had happened, he would definitely not survive his next visit to the Family. Besides, he had watched the Second Young Miss as she grew up since she was a child, and had grown attached to her. He would not stand seeing her humiliated thus.
“The Shi Family!” Xiye’s brain exploded! The Director of Teaching Affairs suffered even more, blacking out almost instantly.
Shi Chongming was like a furious lion, his red eyes slowly scanning all the people in the room as he asked in a low voice, “Who was it who wanted to chase out a member of the Shi Family? Who was it? Show yourself!” Shi Chongming snarled. No one had dared to humiliate a member of the Shi Family like this ever before, much less the Shi Family’s Second Young Miss.
The Shi Family’s combatants all looked angry. Once the order was given, they would attack. Ever since they joined the Shi Family, they obtained a sense of superiority that they could not have found elsewhere. Now that this superior status was challenged, how could they not be offended? Besides, this was the Second Young Miss being humiliated! If other people found out that the Shi Family’s Second Young Miss had been humiliated right before their eyes, they would never be able to live with pride again.
This humiliation can only be resolved with bloodshed!
Chapter 327: Analysis Results
iye was completely flabbergasted. The Shi Family! It’s the Shi Family! None of the mech pilots around him dared to move. They were also shocked by the turn of events. With the exception of the Three Aristocratic Families, the Shi Family had the greatest military strength, and was the strongest of all the aristocratic families. Everyone knew not to meddle with the Shi Family.
This soft and fragile looking young lady was actually the Shi Family’s Second Young Miss! Mi De and Fatty gaped at her. Of all the young masters and young misses of the Shi Family, only Shi Xin appeared in public more often; the rest of them were lesser known.
Just then, a large fleet of mechs appeared in the sky. They covered the skies like a huge, dark cloud, numbering no less than a thousand. Everyone looked up at the mechs. In their current situation, a thousand mechs or more was a formidable combat force.
Xiye began to feel hopeful. Was this the reinforcement that his father had sent for him?
This final hope was dashed into pieces.
“Mi Moxin, Consulate General of the Mi Family on Zhou Jian planet, here on orders to protect Young Master De!”
“Tuo Ge of the Bibiqi Family greets the Young Master. Please forgive our delayed arrival!”
Xiye felt his vision darkened as he slumped to the floor.
Xiye’s full name was Hanmen Xiye. The Hanmen Family was also an aristocratic family, but his father had told him more than once to stay away from the Shi Family. Who would have thought that he would be unlucky enough to meet the Shi Family’s Second Young Miss, who had never shown herself in public? Xiye paled, knowing that he was doomed.
Mi De and Fatty looked at Xiye and smiled gloatingly. There were many unwritten rules in the world of aristocrats; open humiliation was one of the greatest taboos. Be it intentional or not, such as act was unforgivable. They did not have to lift a single finger. The Shi Family will not let Xiye get away with it.
Xi Ye was doomed! His father was but one of the elders in the Hanmen Family. Given the situation, even the Hanmen Family Patriarch’s eldest son would be handed over to the Shi Family. If they did not, it was highly unlikely that the other aristocratic families would side with the Hanmen Family in their inevitable war against the Shi Family.
Xiye and his 500 underlings were all subdued. The Shi Family mech pilots eyed their captives with hostility. They bowed to Shi Fuyin in shame, and herded Xiye and his 500 men to the side without showing any emotion. Xiye and his men would suffer physical punishments for their mistake.
Bi Bo watched everything from the side. He noticed that the mysterious young man had shown not even a glimpse of nervousness through it all. Did he not feel afraid at all?
Shi Chongming quickly calmed down. He reported everything to the Lord of the Shi Family, Shi Tiancheng. Shi Tiancheng was furious, and began to plan the Family’s reaction to the incident. All of their forces around Zhou Jian planet were diverted towards that planet to protect Shi Fuyin. On the other hand, they took up the matter with the Hanmen Family.
It was right then that the unspoken agreement amongst all the forces from the Three Aristocratic Families to reach Zhou Jian planet together was broken by the Xue Lai Clan, which sped up their flight towards Zhou Jian planet. No one knew why they accelerated their travel, but the fleet from the Ye Family and Xi Feng Tribe followed suit, keeping up from behind.
“This is?” Shi Chongming looked at Ye Chong, and asked courteously.
Rui Bing said, “He’s my husband.” She said this easily and calmly. However, the sharp Shi Fuyin saw clearly that Rui Bing was beginning to blush from her neck again.
Ye Chong took a glance at Rui Bing. She seemed to be at ease with the man. He then looked to Shi Chongming and nodded, introducing himself, “I am Chen Mu, pleased to meet you.” He was not dumb enough to contradict Rui Bing.
Chen Mu was the name. Mi De, Fatty and Bi Bo searched their memories for a certain strong character called Chen Mu, but came up empty.
Rui Bing stood silently beside Ye Chong, saying nothing, but her eyes betrayed her happiness. Beside them, Fei Si felt an inexplicable sadness in her that she felt like going outside for a breath of fresh air.
“Rui Bing’s husband,” Shi Chongming thought to himself, surprised. Rui Bing was beautiful, and not weak like the average member of the fairer sex. She was decisive in her words and actions, and was highly skilled in combat. He had never seen such a mysterious woman before in his life.
Unlike her, this ugly man before him did not seem to have any redeeming qualities. He did not match Rui Bing at all. He looked horrible, and his body seemed weak. Aside from his calm eyes, nothing about him seemed particularly outstanding.
However, since he was Rui Bing’s husband, Shi Chongming dared not be disrespectful. After all, Rui Bing had saved the lives of the Second Young Miss and his own. This was a debt that he could never repay.
The ultra-micro analyzer was located at the lowest floor of Engradie Academy’s alchemy building. This building had over 800 levels, and stretched over a large area, proof of Engradie Academy’s financial prowess.
The Director of Teaching Affairs introduced with a careful tone, “This here is the ultra-micro analyzer. This is the person in charge of the machine, Old Xu. Any usage of the machine must be done under his supervision and guidance.” The Director was awakened from his blackout through no gentle means.
Old Xu looked quite energetic. He was a friendly person, and welcomed them all into the lab. His skin was well kept, looking fair and smooth despite his old age. He had stubby fingers that made it hard to imagine him utilizing the complicated machine.
Even Ye Chong was impressed by Old Xu’s control of the machine. His stubby fingers moved easily and swiftly across the controls due to his familiarity with the machine that it was hard to keep up with what he was doing.
Only Fei Si was able to understand what he was doing with the machine. Old Xu seemed to notice Fei Xi’s professional observation of him, so he continued working even more seriously.
After a full half an hour, the results of the analysis were finally out.
Fei Si studied the results, and her expression turned grim. Everyone else including Old Xu looked to her for answers.
“This heterogenous body is probably created with the H virus as base, cultivated using specialized techniques. It’s definitely artificial,” Fei Si concluded with confidence.
The term “artificial” made everyone squirm. This meant that everything that had happened was the result of some mastermind. This was no natural disaster. There was a human perpetrator behind this.
Old Xu looked at Fei Si, his fair-skinned finger rubbing against the bridge of his nose.
“This virus is easily transmitted between animals, humans can also be infected, mainly through contact with blood. It uses Variant 890 of the H virus. The virus is highly compatible with other viruses, and can be easily combined with other viruses of choice. My teacher had discovered mutated variants before, but we were not ready to apply this knowledge for applications yet. I never imagined that someone else has begun to use these mutated variants.” Fei Si’s words brought a heavy atmosphere to the lab.
Old Xu’s finger paused for a moment as his eyes flashed with excitement. His reaction was noticed by Rui Bing.
“How do we cure the infected people?” Ye Chong asked the one question he was most interested in.
Fei Si looked to Ye Chong meaningfully and turned away. “I still don’t know how to completely cure them yet, but we can use Batong liquid to synthesize a suppressor for the symptoms. It should be quite effective.”
Old Xu’s finger trembled slightly on his nose.
“Do we have Batong liquid hre?” The Director asked Old Xu. Old Xu nodded and said, “Yes, a lot of them.”
“Then let’s get to it, some of the students are not looking good!” The Director urged hurriedly. Engradie Academy might be better of than Ze Xi Academy, but there were still many casualties. The conditions of the injured students were worsening.
Fei Si’s research into the H virus was extraordinary. After drinking the Batong liquid, the infected students all felt their symptoms relieved. The Director immediately offered a position for Fei Si at Engradie Academy, promising wonderful benefits, but was turned down by her.
It was only a temporary measure, but now that they found a way to ease the symptoms, Ye Chong and company must quickly return to Ze Xi Academy.
Rui Bing followed Ye Chong from behind like it was the normal thing to do. Knowing that she would now part ways with RuiBing, Shi Fuyin smiled gently at Rui Bing and said, “Be careful, Sister Bing. Uncle Ming, assign 300 people to Sister Bing for her protection. Tell them that they must obey Sister Bing’s orders at all times.” The spoke the last sentence with steely determination. The fragile young lady seemed to gain a tough quality in her.
Shi Chongming nodded to headed outside to carry out his orders.
“Mo Xin, assign 300 people to this man here. They must all obey his words,” Mi De gave the order to his subordinates.
Fatty gave the same orders, “Tuo Ge, assign 300 people to this man for his protection. Whoever dares to disobey will be disavowed by the family.”
Mi Moxin and Tuo Ge looked at their young masters, full of questions themselves. They exchanged a quick look between before leaving the room to execute their orders.
The Director of Teaching Affairs was shocked. Just who was this young man, that Mi De and Fatty would each send 300 people for him, just when manpower was a precious resource? His wife was not a simple woman as well, for the Shi Family to send 300 people for her protection.
Heavens, with this, the two of them had 900 people who would fight for them!
Chapter 328: Frightening Deduction
ho are these people? The Director was very perplexed, yet he did not have the courage to ask, since he was rather fortunate for both of the mysterious figures to stay silent after the happening.
Everyone of Ze Xi academy, including students and teachers, was baffled by the scene where Ye Chong, with a white lady by his side, led an entire pilot team of 900 and returned. There were crazy amount of deductions on his actual identity, “He has got to be from the aristocrat!”, “No! He must be some leader of a secret organization!” were the entertaining classics back then.
Both Fatty and Mi De were no longer there, while Bi Bo finally turned on his camera after being disconnected from the entire galaxy, which was exploding with agitated worries as the customer service of Green Planet channel seemed to be overwhelmed by the incoming calls begging for more. The leader of Green Planet Media Corp. also almost had a heart attack. It was an intensive exercise as the staff got to catch their breath at last.
Ye Chong was relieved only after seeing Old Jalopy taking down the entire bottle of Batong liquid. Meanwhile, Fei Si was very much occupied being the doctor among the infected students, “We have to do something or their health would only worsen,” muttered her as weaved in and out of the crowd. Rui Bing had no idea how alchemy worked so she would stand by Ye Chong’s side instead. And apparently, what Ye Chong knew of the alchemy studies was literally different compared to what Fei Si was doing.
After much reunion, both Ye Chong and Rui Bing remained silent, where one of them was just standing there, the other was… just looking at the crowd.
People would be very much confused if they saw this pair of typical Beauty and the Beast elsewhere, but they were in Ze Xi academy, where people would not consider Ye Chong being the beast appearance-wise, for he had demonstrated the strength of a beast, skill of a legend. The imagery of he holding his lance as he stood in the midst of death had long replaced that plain appearance of his.
He was not the beast, he was the hero. A hero in a relationship with a beauty, that was more than typical. Nothing strange, it was reasonable.
The audience exclaimed upon the close-up at Rui Bing. She was not that absolute beauty, nor she could be the definition of beauty itself, there were beauties out there who looked more amazing than Rui Bing, like Feng Su or maybe Qiu Man. However, the audience exclaimed because her less-competent appearance had been enhanced by her charm – the sense of coldness while retaining a hint of chivalry – which was already bewitching enough.
This very lady was in her white grab, while her gaze wafted around the unappealing man.
It was a man’s dream to have such a beauty staring at him dreamily.
It was a woman’s dream to be pure as her white garb to be able to stare at man with a chivalrous spirit like hers.
The imagery had conquered the generation, as it became a fantasy, an ambition of the younger folks.
“And I’m here…” Muttered Fei Si, wiping the sweats over her hair. The job was a tough one, as she had to go through every single patient at the ward to see the level of impact of Batong solution on the patients with different dosage.
She gasped and walked to the couple on the show, “Get over here,” said Fei Si expressionless, “I have something to talk to you.” And she stormed to the school’s building.
Ye Chong raised his brow, and quickly followed. Being somehow connected by soul, Rui Bing also lifted her steps the moment the man did.
Bi Bo knew something was happening but he knew he was a journalist, not a paparazzi.
Inside the empty classroom, the three of them stood silently.
Fei Si gave a glance at Rui Bing and turned back to Ye Chong, “I have not finished my words back there,” said she indifferently.
Rui Bing and Ye Chong looked at each other. They then awaited what Fei Si was going to say.
The gesture of rapport pinched the heart of Fei Si, “If I was right… the design of this particular heterozygote is actually…” Fei Si halted, she took a breath as if mustering her last bit of strength, “It is actually meant for humans…”
The statement had blown both of them away.
If the zygote was meant for human from the beginning, then …
That would be horrible… any other lifeforms be the rodents or the insects, they would absorb the incompatible zygote and mutate- So that was why! That was why the raid occurred… “If the code would cause such boost on the creatures, while being meant for humans… then!!”
“Then those who created the codes in the first place, they wanted to create reinforcement, an army of inhumanity!” Whispered Rui Bing, her eyes were wide.
“Are you sure?” Asked Ye Chong grimly, his eyes glaring at Fei Si.
She took a deep breath and were very much affirmed to her answer, “Yes, I am.”
“But then…” Ye Chong figured out something, “If the heterozygote genetic code in the virus is meant for humans, why aren’t the infected trainees mutating yet?”
“Apparently, the virus seemed to be a failure since it appeared to have a very poor compatibility with the human body. From what I have observed thus far, the virus would cause more likely a negative effect on the body. If there was no aid given, the virus would eventually lead to death of the host because of heart dysfunction, capillaries rupture as well as oversized muscular system.”
“Is there a way?” asked Ye Chong.
“Assuming…” Hesitated Fei Si, “If you could find their own subject, maybe I could try.”
“What do you mean by ‘their own subject’?”
“Subjects of their experiment on this virus in the first place.” And Ye Chong immediately understood the meaning of it.
“Old Xu!” Rui Bing suddenly broke into the conversation, “Something seemed fishy on him. His eyes were odd when you mentioned about the H-virus.”
Preposterous. Thought Fei Si as she gave a frown. Old Xu was one with such amazing hand on the control panel, she respected him. Furthermore, judging someone merely by their eyes was just ridiculous.
Ye Chong, however, was on Rui Bing’s side, as his expression tensed up, knowing that Rui Bing could never be just seeing things.
His schemata ran, ran wild and bright, as within seconds he had predicted the forces behind all these. It could never be a work done by one or two people. Ugh… goosebumps seized him. He seriously hoped he could just grab Rui Bing, Old Jalopy with Fei Si and leave this cursed planet at once! This is a terrible, dark place! Realized he.
Beep. Ye Chong’s communicator rang.
The screen was projecting a warning from the patrolling airforce.
“They are coming.”
Chapter 329: The Annoying Pimp
he mutated lifeforms are coming!
They had raided the entire sky – a larger wave than before.
Were those the beast stampedes from Archipelago? Thought Ye Chong.
The leading force was obviously still the mutated rodents, since they were the typicality of reproduction itself the whole time. The new members to the army were those gigantic organisms, looking hideous with their distorted appearance. Among them, those gliding in the sky were the most harmful and aggressive as unpredictable their movements were.
The war took place again.
And people understood what they had to do. Less talk, more work, survival be at top priority. They were the trained pilots of military units, they were well-informed of the thumb rule on war field.
The 900 standby units zoomed into the sky, as they arranged at 3 complete formations. The professionals were still different than those greenhorns down there. For starters, their mechs were already far superior, since the Aristocrats were very generous on military. Moreover, every formation was led by a highly experienced pilot.
The trainees were frightened by the waves of mutated lifeforms. The battle they had before looked like a warmup now.
The pleasing news was, at least the nameless boy brought 900 professional pilots to join their force. The building of alchemy department also provided a sturdy stronghold for their safety.
All openings of the building had been shut tight.
People gathered inside, hiding at the storage deep inside the building specifically, with only one corridor opened up to another storage containing their living resources. The food could last them easily half a month, and technically most of the the materials prepared for alchemy classes were edible by nature as well. The security cameras at the exterior allowed them to remain connected to the world outside.
Fei Si was producing something. She was the only person who had clearly comprehended the every step of Ye Chong when producing the Bluefire solution. She was, an experienced and well-supplied alchemist after all. She certainly could reproduce the same solution after one observation at Ye Chong’s hands.
Bluefire solution would be their sole defense now. She did not ask for assistance from the trainees however, she was doing it all by herself. She had to, since one could imagine what a disaster it would be if everyone was aware of the methods to produce such horror.
Ye Chong joined her the moment he saw her moving. Rui Bing was still standing at the side, with her eyes attracted by the man in work.
Both of them acted quickly as a massive amount of Bluefire was produced in the end. Ye Chong planned to make a drain and pour these in to build an effective wall, but they did not have the time, unfortunately.
The army had already arrived by the academy itself.
Ye Chong and Fei Si had produced about 30 containers of Bluefire, 3 tonnes each.
The war was intense when they transported the containers to the parking lot.
Every entrance to the building 50 floors and below was shut. The rodents were no longer an issue, they only had to watch out for the flying ones. What all the galaxies shared in common was the fact that there would always be a landing port and connecting tube at every floor of every tall building. One might be warned about the intrusion of these unknown flying pests via the connecting tube, but man, the people simply did not have the time to do so.
900 mechs were assigned to every corner around those tubes. Well, it was a saving grace indeed for Ze Xi academy was just an average school, with a budget that looked as shabby as its own school building when compared to the fancy 800 floor tall alchemy department building of Engradie Academy. The school building of Ze Xi academy had only 200 floors, so the amount of defense required to cover up the entire building was much lesser than they imagined.
Under the instruction of their own respective leader, they guarded every of that transparent corridor connected to the building. The mutated avifaunas had insane vitality, one would not even see a scratch on their wings if it was not a critical hit. They were fearsome and aggressive as ever, while they came in flocks and retained their mobility and agility as their former entity, which were not something a machinery could compete, a painful issue.
And these were the starters, it would be a true horror if one would look upon the ground.
The ground was rumbling. The ground was shaking. The waves of mutated lifeforms shuddered, the waves of mutated lifeforms went silent.
Scarlemender was hardly 7 meter long before and with the power of the virus, it had grown into size of a mech, while becoming more belligerent than before as it landed its few tonnes of weight upon the cracking ground, leaving craters behind its every step. The iron fortress of the alchemy department might not last under its attack.
The gigantic monstrosity was not limited, they were scattered around the army and would crush any foe with the enormous impact they made on every move. At least one group of their allies lost the climbing ability with the overwhelming weight gain after mutation or it would be nasty business to deal.
Thump! Crash! Thup! The mutated lifeforms were charging towards the alchemy department building, knocking into the walls again and again. Dents began forming on the surface, but as far as the budget of Engardie Academy guarded, the walls were not cracking yet at the moment.
The wave this time was greater than before.
Ye Chong deployed Blaze-III while Rui Bing took out the Guardian almost immediately after. The monochromic vision was very much foreign to her eyes. Bi Bo also jumped into action with his spider machinery.
Most pilots were disappointed when Ye Chong deployed – of all mechs – a Blaze-III, which was a typical model for the greenhorns to be given a disdainful stare on.
Sigh, newbie was being newbie again, let him be, let him be the hero he tried too hard to be. Thought every pilot from Mi family and Bibiqi. The guy probably was the Mr. Richie Rich they had grown up hearing. Well, that made sense when the two young masters of the families called them to take care of him. It was unbelievable for the families to waste the resources on a pathetic Richie Rich like him. Oh, look, that journalist boy called up a spider mech, must be an expert. Oh, was that a Miniature mech? Those got to be the bodyguards for this little novice there. Meh. Who else could he be? Some legendary warrior from another galaxy?
Guys, look at that eager face of his, he wants to join us.
The pilots were alarmed.
Oh please, someone keep him at the garbage place.
“Sir, it would be very helpful to head back to the storage if you could. Let the men do the war for you,” announced the leading pilot of Mi family air force promptly.
“Yeah, sir, it’s safer there. We could do all the work,” added the leader of Bibiqi family pilot force.
“Fight your own war. Don’t bother me.” Mi De and Fatty did once mention these forces would listen to his orders but deep inside he knew, he was not the person to give sensible commands in war, it would be better to let the experienced do their job. Moreover, these men were not the Sangs and because of that, it was very unlikely they would listen fully to his orders.
He made up his mind to let them do their job as they said, till the moment they began working on their formation, and Ye Chong was shaking his head violently as one of the aggressive rodents on the street.
What is this? Are you sure they are trained?! Thought Ye Chong, although feeling uncomfortable to send his disdain directly as if discriminatively. Compared to the Sangs, these pilot forces were looking like a fresh graduate from military pilot school. G-nat* would have been simple to defeat if one of them, with their intelligence, realized they could have lured the G-nat to be killed by their allies and not having an endless dance from Waltz to Tango with the flying insect in the air for the last 3 minutes while being unable to take it down.
I am not sure how potent the Sangs are in He Yue galaxy. But logically, these 900 men should have been above-the-average pilots. So why? What’s all these kindergarten hide-and-seek nonsenses?
Ye Chong was determined when he hopped into the cabin. The leaders of the 900 pilots began cursing silently. “Quick, stop him!” Sent they, a few of their allies to hold up and “kindly” escort that restless pimp back to the building.
Bi Bo’s camera had been switched on ever since Ye Chong returned from the classroom with Fei Si and Rui Bing. The audience got worked up upon seeing their hero getting into action again, as they anticipated the next surprise from him. He was finally alone this time, without anyone to hold him back in the cabin.
The 6 mechs zoomed from the army and hovered near both sides of Blaze-III, with a plan to seize Blaze-III first to force him grounded, so that they could get off and capture that mischievous boy back to the building. Bi Bo did not intend to come forward, instead he adjusted the angle quickly, expecting something epic soon.
Blaze-III was holding a container as it flew, looking like a tortoise in front of those standard war machines. It seemed like it had been destined for the pimp to stay as a pimp.
“It looked like the end… Sigh.” The audience was disappointed.
Ye Chong frowned and muttered, “What the heck are they doing?”
And the moment he began, people were stunned for the next 10 seconds.
Chapter 330: Blazing Like Fire!
laze-III joined the battle silently. With its appearance being unsophisticated as the 900 mechs around it, it struck the people as the next movement transformed it into an oddity. Acrobatically its metallic arms were looking elastic out of sudden, they were waving gently, flexibly, making a perfect curve when the container was lobbed beyond the crowd it was surrounded in.
Blaze-III’s engine had been activated once the container left its palms. And within 0.6 second, the velocity had been maximized. The manual did mention about the minimum launching time of Blaze-III being 0.9 second yet Ye Chong somehow saved that 0.3 second. Any folk from the spectator’s area might assume the insignificance of that 0.3 second, but to any pilot like you and me, that 0.3 second could produce miracle.
As the required time for acceleration decreased, the pressure the body had to withstand would proportionally increase. While 0.9 second was already the quickest a typical Blaze-III could boot – on paper that is, one could imagine how it felt to force-boot within 0.6 second. It would be easily terrifying by just looking at it.
Booting an unmodified mech quicker than the recommended safety duration or making an illusion of elasticity on mechanical arms, either of them was enough to make a few spectators spring from their seats. Now, imagine both of them happening together. Certainly people would be fixed on their seats, while their brains were jammed.
The performance did not end here. Blaze-III, a model to be assumed for the novices that could barely do a thing, had somehow taken steroids somewhere in the dark. And it got into position again.
Super short-ranged quick turns! Speckled Moon Spin! Thomas’s Spin!
Ye Chong chained three sets of moves in a distance of less than 300 meters. The formation around Blaze-III had been distorted. The trained pilots were trying their best to hold this pimp up by intuition, yet every quick turn Ye Chong made, they were slightly pushed away. And Ye Chong performed 12 quick turns in a shot, excluding the 6 feints he pulled off to mislead their undertrained foes.
Ye Chong did not spare the next few seconds as the Speckled Moon Spin pretended that he was going to leave. The pilots panicked as they broke through their formation, launching their machineries upon Blaze-III.
To end the show, Ye Chong lifted Blaze-III from the closing crowd with a Thomas’s Spin. The container landed right within Blaze-III’s proximity and the mechanical arms gave a gentle flip and sent the container right ahead.
The last 10 seconds lapsed in dead silence. No one spoke, the commentators all zipped their mouths. The audience was wordless.
“Holy…”
And they began screaming uncontrollably. People were jumping on their beds in their rooms, the hotel had been exploded with hurrahs. No one understood their own scream, nor their friends’. They just screamed, for this moment impossible to be put into words.
Amazement. Pure amazement.
The audience had been overwhelmed by the performance. The world had been dominated by a mere Blaze-III.
The pilot had demonstrated something beyond the beauty of martial arts, that people would pull their hair, jumping in craze.
Meanwhile, the 6 pilots were still unnerved by the last move, so were a majority of the audience before the screen. They could not comprehend a thing that happened, but it would not stop the audience to board on the hype train.
A strong visual impact. It was a mind-blowing scene to the laymen at the spectators’ seat, while it turned out to be a mind-dominating view to the pilots. The unwritten rule of the records of history was this simple – an instance or a person would become the classic, a known tale for the following centuries, once they were reminisced, or they were retold to the following generations of their impeccable doings.
And this very visual was destined to be a legend since the day it was created. This single tape had topped every other downloads in the visual ranking within a year, and was incorporated into more than 50 types of learning materials for piloting. Certainly the number of times it was quoted in academies was simply astronomical.
The few seconds of visual had told many, many stories. That gentle toss leading the entire scene had shown how the entire situation was under the grasp of this mysterious boy.
People had researched it, professionally. They concluded, while the movement seemed to be all graceful and enchanting, the difficulty was of insanity. Based on the outcome of their experiment, technically the number of inputs required per second would be easily gazillions in order to achieve the particular effect. One could already imagine the APM of this mysterious boy when he laid his hands on the control panel.
All these inputs, accomplished within 0.6 second of acceleration, were convincingly inhumane of the boy to the public. Was he even a human?
The more intriguing was the intelligibility demonstrated by this boy. Super Short-ranged Quick Turn, Speckled Moon Spin, Thomas’s Spin… all were not the most indigenous moves utilized by a senior pilot today, yet the boy had applied them creatively, within a brief 300 meter range… The condensation of movements chained by the intense quick turn had once again verified the speculation that the boy possessed an inhuman physique, while it also had successfully fulfilled the goal of holding the enemies thanks to the peculiar shifts cleverly disguised by Blaze-III.
Speckled Moon Spin was a shocker. A Moon Spin was typically identified by the orbit made by the mech during the travel, which formed a virtually perfect circle like the moon, whereas a speckled one would be a consecutive repetition of these rapid spins. Speckled Moon Spin was known for its minimal changes of spatial pattern during the performance, as it would almost seemingly creeping its way, in an intense velocity which was perfect for runaways. Thomas’s Spin was… quite the contrary, the movement was large while being comparatively slow.
The conventional sequence would be an alternation between Thomas’s Spin and Speckled Moon Spin, but this Blaze-III was preferring being the deviant, as it actually attempted a runaway using the slow Thomas’s Spin while using Speckled Moon Spin as its cover.
Convention? Yes! That’s why!
It was a little puzzling to most pilots out there at first, yet their eyes went wide open when they thought it out. Since it was a convention, the foes would assume the mech running away whenever it performed a Speckled Moon Spin, yet in actuality it was taking a cover. That would be a method to disrupt the formation of the foes! The deception would work, the formation would loosen and then the pilot would use Thomas’s Spin to drastically remove himself! Thomas’s Spin was slow but the range was more than enough to overcome the opened gap!
The boy had completed 3 typical techniques within the range of 300 meters, evidently telling the foes that he was not giving them any second to ponder on counters. That would be the key to succeed in a fight.
Moreover, the timing of he escaping the siege and grabbing the falling container were impeccable. Assuming it was no coincidence as he managed to do that, that would be a rather frightening standard of deducing prediction.
The last move of Blaze-III was an actual technique of martial artists, though performed via mechanical limbs, which seemed so graceful however, proving the extreme APM of the mysterious boy.
It did not sound that it lived to the crowd’s craze but it was pretty logical for Ye Chong to be this phenomenal, as he was born in an age of those who wielded great skills despised their visuals being publicized, where all of them refused to be a research material for they never wanted to risk having their weaknesses identified and thus eliminated. So an actual visual of mech performance was a hard-find. Of course the crowd would go crazy over a once-in-a-blue-moon high-quality visual in high-definition.
The pilots who were watching the performance had been stoned, including those in the flying mechs who almost got gashed by the flying mutated lifeforms.
The pilot of Blaze-III was feeling otherwise however, as lethargically he tossed the container, like a hardworking construction worker.
And all containers had finally been launched, Bi Bo immediately ignited the Bluefire reagent.
Dimming Blue, the phenomena of a chemical reaction had once again bloomed, gorgeously!
The flames of Dimming Blue were a warning sign to all the pilots who were again astonished by its overwhelming vigor.
Soon the flames formed a complete circle, protecting the alchemy department.
A golden figure rapidly zapped across the wall. In a winding golden line Rui Bing travelled in the Guardian. It was not her usual velocity but she was getting used to the Guardian.
Certainly, those mutated lifeforms trapped within the circle would be the best dummy for her to practice.
The afterimages of golden threat stacked up quickly as Rui Bing’s movements accelerated. That pair of daggers sliced through the weakness point identified by the system skillfully. Rui Bing came attacking wildly like a feline with honed claws. Unlike Ye Chong, she was truly the descendant of martial arts. And a close-combat model like the Guardian was a perfect match for her, especially with the strength-enhancing mechanism which could overcome the weakness of her naturally low vitality as a woman.
The monstrosity flinched, as desperately the mutated lifeforms looked for ways to escape. Their compatriots rapidly decreased as Rui Bing swung her blades.
The audience was feeling relieved, as the pilots seemed to be regaining the control of the situation.
And that was when Ye Chong’s pupils shrunk drastically, upon seeing the screen.