Legend Is The Supreme Soldier

by Stayrr

Ye Chong was a denizen of Trash Planet-12. On one fateful day, he discovered a treasure that would forever alter his destiny from a pile of junk – Mu Shang, an unknown machine with artificial intelligence and a lost memory. Together, they venture into the vast galaxy as the isolated “caveman” that was Ye Chong began absorbing all sorts of knowledge and meeting people from all walks

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Legend of the Supreme Soldier #Chapter 289 - Rippling Orchid - Read Legend of the Supreme Soldier Chapter 289 - Rippling Orchid Online - All Page - Novel Next

Chapter 289: Rippling Orchid

Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation

"So what brought you guys here?" asked Hai Lian, confused, especially after seeing the gears Guo and his squad brought. With those gears, Guo would be as good as dead stepping into Calamitous Asteroid Belt. Hai Lian thought he was poor enough, till he saw the Papatte.

Guo was blushing while his balloon-headed friend shouted, "Because of money, what else? Who else would come to this cursed place?"

"All of you actually took a request here?" Hai Lian could not believe his ears as his eyes went wide. Did they really disregard their capabilities and took up a deadly request here? Hai Lian had been a freelancer long enough to understand the working of the billboard. Every single request associated with the Calamitous Asteroid Belt was immediately ignored by most sane people, as those requests were easily the most dangerous requests ever. Nobody would take those. Wow these men actually came all the way here to die? Not even the elites of the major squads would have the courage to accept the request.

Look what poverty had done to humanity. Save poverty, people!

"Mhm, pretty much." Nodded Guo helplessly, "We are just here for a plant called the Rippling Orchid but sigh… laugh all you want, we are hobos you see. We would be disbanding in starvation if we never take up any more request."

"I see. Now that explains it." Nodded Hai Lian, who was informed about the competitiveness in the market, but he simply did not imagine it to be this tedious.

"Excuse me, what is this thing you called 'Rippling Orchid'?" asked Sang Fan in curiosity.

"A decorative plant. Not much of value." No one would have expected the answer to come from Ye Chong.

It was surprisingly to hear it from Ye Chong as he did not look like the kind who would admire the beauty of decorative plants. Not even elderlies like Guo and his men had heard of this goofy Rippling Orchid in their life before taking up the request.

Well, Ye Chong was still an alchemist and that encyclopedia given by Lunatic Guan had all the records he needed, including Rippling Orchid, which he had remembered by heart. The entry for Rippling Orchid was brief though, it seemed to be a material to produce hallucinogen? That was an overrated plant indeed. Commented Ye Chong, as he thought this hard-to-find plant was too demotivating for its capability. He could simply name a few other plants which were more common and would do probably the same as Rippling Orchid.

"Who said it is not much of value! A sprout of Rippling Orchid could cost 50,000 points!" Argued Francis Jr., blushed.

"Fifty thousands what?" Screamed everybody. How much are fifty thousand points you asked? Hai Lian was already stunned upon knowing Sang Fan's Lavagold dagger being priced at 30,000 points. And that little plant for ornamental purpose could go for 50,000 points?

And people began coveting this plant, even Ye Chong was feeling a sudden urge. How in the world! Would this stupid plant! Worth 50,000 points!? How many mechs do I need to sell to even get 50,000 points?!

To be frank, all of them were practically hobos, be it Ye Chong and the Sangs or the Papatte. They were so poor that they would want to sell themselves.

"This is the Rippling Orchid," said Guo as he projected the visual of the plant.

A tender little sprout with thick broad leaves flipping like a gentle breeze, the slender stem was colorful, the petals too were unique, as they were forming a perfect circle, with lines over them like ripples.

Okay, that's a good-looking flower. Still, how! In the world! It would! Worth 50,000 points?!

"Is it near?" asked Ye Chong, since the encyclopedia did not state the habitation of Rippling Orchid.

"Yes, according to the info given by the requester. The last sprout was discovered in this area, so we came to try our luck," stated Guo.

"Sang Pu, send half of our men to find this plant," ordered Ye Chong as his pointed at the visual. 50,000 points, you got to be kidding me, I am so getting this plant. Thought Ye Chong. It would be a dangerous request for mere folks, but it would be simple for Ye Chong.

"Yes sir." Nodded Sang Pu agreeably. Being the frontline commander of the 5000 men, he was manically passionate over armory but any piece inside the armory would require currencies, which soon he redirected his focus onto finances instead.

Everyone of Papatte had joined Sang Pu to search for Rippling Orchid other than Guo.

There remained about two thousand men resting at the spot. They had been traveling nonstop for the past few days and they would certainly take this golden opportunity to leave their cabin at once and have some good old-fashioned face-to-face conversations without having to shout. There were still a few skeptical ones stuck in their cabin though. Soon the Sangs formed a lively crowd of chatters, where they would sit in circles, eagerly proceeded with their recreational activity - Wrestling. As much as the word had implied, it basically suggested a game of hand-to-hand combat between anyone in interest within the circle.

"Go! Go!"

"Woo!"

Traveling in the space with the most fundamental facilities was absolutely boring them to death. And finally they got the chance to have fun, the wrestling session was intense, there were screams and overjoyed hurrahs.

The changes in the Guo's expression were grabbing the interest of Ye Chong, it was rather dramatic to his taste as it literally underwent a metamorphosis from grimness to surprise to disbelief.

It did feel like a dream for Guo the Old Chief as he watched the group of people started fighting on each other in a simple stage they created with their formation. It was not a nightmare but it was not a pleasant dream either.

The two men in the circle were demonstrating astonishing techniques. He simply did not foresee to witness great practitioners right here! Those skills, Guo - although he did not wield even the standard moves - could confidently state them to be of the level of the top few most pilots in the major squads, only the top few, a tiny handful of them. And there he was, seeing a random two persons from a 5000 army of nowhere doing superior martial arts techniques.

He thought it was the nature's law of strongest to the weak.

But the following participants were sending him more shockers.

He almost could feel his cheek twitching.

The combat remained as intense as ever with the following entries.

How the… Guo could not process what was happening. Don't tell me all of them just so happened to be the greatest fighters? Thought Guo as he looked at the wrestling men in blank dismay. 2000 greatest fighters? Two thousands of them? At here? Guo wanted to deny his speculation but the reality seemed to be what he exactly speculated.

He tried shrugging such terrifying thought off.

"Sir…" He shot a glance, with much consideration, "About our base… where… umm is it?" He carefully asked.

"Base? What base? We don't have a base." A direct answer from Ye Chong, there was no hesitation from his side.

"No base?" Stunned Guo was, his mouth widely opened. Did you just tell me that you travelled with 5000 men around the galaxy without a base? Even the space pirates have a place to rest their voyages, how?

"Hah… I see…," replied Guo wryly, "While Papatte is a mere squad with no base as well, I wonder where sir would like to take a rest on?"

"The Gray Valley. That's our planned destination," stated Ye Chong flatly.

"Gray Valley?" Guo's face was colorless, "You can't go there. It's too dangerous!"

"I see? Very dangerous?" asked Ye Chong interestingly.

"Yes, very dangerous!" Asserted Guo, "I once have a mate who travelled there. He was a way better fighter than me but the moment he got there, he seemed to have vanished. The next time I was heard of him was about his death three months later. And he's the third dead person among my mates." Guo was grim.

"This dangerous?" Ye Chong was shocked. Frankly speaking, Ye Chong had seen quite a few pilots in Foundation city and all of them were quite strong in his opinion, even when put under comparison with those pilots from the 5 major galaxies he came. If the mortality remained that high even with their skills, the Gray Valley would be indeed dangerous.

"Yes sir. No one would understand the deadliness of the Gray Valley unless they had set foot upon it. Did sir once have a dispute with any of the Aristocrats?" asked Guo strangely, since technically only those who showed indifference or had bad blood once with the Aristocrats would head to the Gray Valley.

"Well… only the three major ones I supposed," stated Ye Chong indifferently.

Only? The three aristocrats? Of all families this man actually picked a fight with the three greatest ones in the entire galaxy? And it did not sound like it was merely a case with one or two families judging by his wording. But well, Guo never knew the very culprit who had caused a war between the 8 Jie experts and the 3 aristocrats was standing right in front of him. This was because he got misled by the number of Jie experts involved. There were 8 of them in the case, and 8, for Jie experts, was more than enough to cause an evacuation in the local galaxy.

So did this guy hold 5000 Jie experts in the dark?

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Guo felt he had snapped at some point.

"Maybe we could head for alternatives… like a more backward planet?" suggested Guo.

"Oh?"

Ye Chong was sending a stare that Guo was feeling the chill again, "Technically…" He quickly elaborated himself, "The forces of the Aristocrats might be very influential but not influential enough to affect the entire galaxy. There should be a few underdeveloped planets which aren't really aware of the Aristocrats. We could go there for now. As long as we be careful, the residents, the Aristocrats shouldn't be alarmed." As he explained he could feel his nervousness fading away.

Ye Chong started pondering.

"With our strength, yes, it might not be a problem if we wanted to explore the Gray Valley, but…" He glanced at Ye Chong, "We lacked one essential - funds. Yes, I admit I do not know much about the inside of Gray Valley but I know our operation won't work anywhere in the galaxy as long as we have nothing in our wallet."

"You made some points," nodded Ye Chong approvingly, since his men were armed with the most fundamental model of mechs. The Sangs might be formidable against the beasts but not against humanity. Humans were eventually the smarter opponent than the beasts. Ye Chong could not guarantee a victory if they were to face a group of real pilots out there.

It would in fact be a bad timing to go Gray Valley at the moment.

Seeing how Ye Chong was showing approval, Guo was not feeling the slightest pride. He was bewildered instead, as realizing the motive of this mysterious group being not joining any forces but to make an escape. Sighs, his bad day did not seem to be ending just yet. He did not have a choice however, if he showed anything else than cooperation, he knew what could happen to him.

Maybe this would still be a better path than handling all those tedious works leading a bunch of unmotivated squad members himself.

"Sir! Sir! We have found it! We found the flower!" Sang Pu's voice was expressing joy.

…

"Hmmmmm?"

Fan Qing rested on her fluffy seat, as her dreamy eyes set upon the green tea engulfed within the columns of evaporations. The scent travelled through the air and tickled her senses. She was waiting for someone and that someone had about 30 minutes left till the time of their meeting. She came earlier anyway, it was her habit being proactive in an exchange after all.

She thought back the investigation on Papatte Squad. She researched the squad to discover the fact that it turned out to be a tiny squad consisted about 80 men, while also performing rather mediocrely in their records. She even checked out the list of requests they had completed before, which most of them turned out the most basic, simplest child's play in her eyes. A half-star rating also justified the fact that they were just some rowdy ruffs from nowhere.

Being discouraged by the facts, she started to forget about her request. Probably only the hobos would go for the mission when they were starving on their last few meals.

"Hm?"

And then she got a notification from the squad itself.

"REQUEST COMPLETED."

She was being skeptical the whole time. It was an underwhelming squad handling an overwhelming mission, chances are they should not be surviving at all. But she in fact got a notification from them. Although she believed these little rascals would not have the courage to mess with the Fan family she belonged, she prepared a cluster of guards around the corner anyway.

She took a look at the time. 5 minutes till meeting and nobody was there. Fan Qing frowned, being one who abided by time, she disgraced the late comers.

One more minute.

Nobody was there.

I am leaving the moment this last minute ticked. I'm not going to wait.

30 seconds left.

Her expression was stern as she took a careful sip on her tea. Her men at the corners were showing anxiety upon seeing that expression of hers. It was a definite anger and everyone knew what would happen when you enraged the influential figure of an influential family.

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Chapter 290: A Walkthrough on Planet Yi Ju

Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation

The door to the tea room was whammed open, as a queue of people hurried in after. No doubt, the leading one was Guo Ren. She recognized him at first glance, her research was not done or nothing after all. She took a look on the time, yup, 15 seconds before the time was up.

Fan Qing's expression softened, as she stood up, with a smile, "Punctuality is a virtue, Mr. Guo and it looks like you possess such virtue."

"Sorry for the wait, Miss Fan," laughed Guo the chief.

"It's alright. Your squad had ventured into the darkest zone of the galaxy for our family, it would be uncourteous if we could not hold that little more anticipation. By the way, who are these, may I ask?" Said she as her glance went upon the 5 silver-masked men at the back, which one of them was rather tall while the rest were a little stout by standards, though the rest looked leaner than the tall one. Well, all 5 of them still depicted that heroic imagery.

Clearly these men were not from the Papatte formerly. Their steps were firm, which great strength could be sensed within. Fan Qing was astonished inside, though she really disliked the pretentious outfits, she did not express her feeling directly.

"These men were the newest members in our squad. And thanks to them we completed your request smoothly. My apology for their apparel, these were some weird traditions in their tribes apparently. Hahaha, since they swore a stern vow of chastity that only their legal other half could view their appearance. Tolerance would be appreciated, Miss Fan," introduced Guo. The five men were firing their glances around, mainly on the disguised bodyguards Fan Qing had around, which made her heart skip a beat.

"Aw, you are being too formal. Hah, it looks like the squad is doing really, really well. Congratulations I guess?" There were all sorts of tribes in the galaxy, while they also practiced extraordinary traditions, so she could understand that.

The truth was, it was pure cooked-up crap. A good excuse though, it was a scheme suggested by Francis Jr. - five thousands men wearing a silver mask each, with Ye Chong and the other exposed 8 members hiding within, it would be a miraculous jackpot if anyone could discern them in one glance. The masks were not as costly as the real silver but a purchase in bulk always gets more cost than discount. Thus, Ye Chong crafted his own masks for the moment, just a measly five of them, and he brought 4 men along for the meeting, whom never were exposed at Foundation before. All for the safety.

"Compliment's appreciated but we are still nothing compared to the great Fan family." Guo was real experienced in negotiation, as he made a perfect turn, "Well, Miss Fan, for the expansion of both of our families, shall we talk?"

"Right."

"We have acquired the Rippling Orchid upon your request," Guo took a sip on the tea, "But the situation turned out to be… a little different than what we have imagined…" The words were slow.

"A little different? What is it I wonder?" Sounds like the catchphrase she had grown up seeing for a typical daylight robbery.

"We thought we were blessed with great fortune for we found one sprout of it. However, the Lady Luck seemed to have smiled at us that day, as we found three sprouts at a time. What a surprise." Stated Guo calmly.

"THREE?" Shrieked Fan Qing as she sprung up from her seat. Her expressive eyes were filled with incredulity.

The sudden scream alerted her guards around, as they thought something had gone wrong and rushed to her side, circling the entire scene. Meanwhile, Guo remained nonchalantly on his seat, sipping his tea, as if no other uninvited guest had joined their tea party.

Fan Qing, feeling awkward of the unnecessary alarm, waved her guards away, covering her face, "My regrets for my misconduct. And all these unnecessary staging." She wiped her sweat and regained her expression, though her heart still raced faster than ever, as her mind replayed the very scene she saw the hideous glare from one of those masked men.

"Hahaha! It's alright, caution is a long-lost virtue, Miss Fan. I do have faith in the working of Fan family." The response was prompt, though Fan Qing knew it was merely a line on the courtesy act, she kind of grew upon the man.

"I'm getting all the Rippling Orchid you have. Two million points. How do the great man think?" She was truly keen on those sprouts.

One for 500,000, and 3 for 2,000,000, sounds like a deal for me. Thought Guo as he glanced at Ye Chong, "You sure know how to do business, Miss Fan, it's an honor to trade with you. Very well, that would be it."

The quick glance by Guo was captured by Fan Qing, "Thank you for you and your impeccable squad."

One masked man came to her with a specimen cabinet. She tried seeing through the mask but she knew she should not be doing that at the moment, as she quickly withdrew her eyes back onto the cabinet, which contained exactly 3 sprouts of Rippling Orchids.

Her eyes were shaking. These barbarians actually knew to use a specimen cabinet to store these precious plants? "Your squad is much more interesting than I thought."

"HAH!" Chuckled Guo. I guess wealthy family is wealthy after all, 2 millions points vaporized and she does not seem to care. Sigh, only if I am as wealthy.

"Our squad would be heading to Planet Yi Ju. If you have any inquiry, or would like to have more deals with us, please, do not hesitate," smiled Guo brightly.

Their destination was surprising to her ears. Of all planets, Yi Ju? Why that undeveloped globe? A place without technology would be a bad nest for the squad of pilots like his. While Papatte should be more potent than I have expected, a potent squad like Papatte should be heading to a more populated planet to build their foundation. Then… why Yi Ju?

"Your plan being…?" Confused Fan Qing was.

"I understand your concern…" Smiled Guo, "We have recruited a new batch of members quite recently you see. And we would need a more spacious base for training, since we are still very lagging behind compared to most squads out there, we have to pick a less populated planet like Yi Ju. Obviously because you know… we would love to have an easier ground to stand."

"You're so modest!" Complimented Fan Qing emptily, though she did not buy that explanation.

The trade was a happy one anyway.

Two millions points were undoubtedly an astronomical figure to a single person, till it was thrown to a pack of 5000 wolves. You still thought it was still great? A single Moonlight piloted by Hai Lian would cost 30 grand, with that in the equation, 2 millions points could only get around 60 Moonlights. And Moonlight was quite a basic model too.

Well at least it was their first successful business, the tribe was happy, the squad was happy.

Let's see. A dimensional keystone would be 2,000 points. A communication device would be 3,000. The detection system though, was slightly more costly, a whopping 5,000 points. These were still the entry gears… which none of them were really superior in performance. A heartbreaking price it was to Ye Chong as he missed those days with Mu Shang's hacking to the gate.

Gearing one Collision would cost 10 grand. In the end Ye Chong decided to invest a million on gearing 100 Collisions in his hand. Technically these Collisions would be for their basic living - running missions of course. The remaining a million… well Ye Chong would not want to make a blind purchase, as he heard Guo Ren's estimated expenditure on Yi Ju - apparently even on a nearly isolated planet, building a base that could accommodate 5000 men would cost more than a million by any chance.

Where are the points when I need them? Like where?! Screamed Ye Chong inside.

He could not rush. Everything must go according to plans. Be it the search for Mu Shang or the way back to the 5 major galaxies, Ye Chong found difficulties at the moment. He got to use his patience to slowly grow his forces. He thought of Virtual World but sadly it was not a thing in He Yue seemingly, not really a common facility. The galaxy did have several servers but those were exclusive to the Aristocrats or the major squads built for their needs.

Furthermore, they did not need Virtual World somehow, the technological advancement was more advanced than the galaxies he came from, that Ye Chong even started suspecting if there would be Photon Stimulated Intelligence as powerful as Mu Shang, or better, Mu Shang was actually originated from this galaxy! Assuming those were true, it would be too risky to log into the Virtual World for now.

Tsk, Ye Chong lacked a practical way to contact Mu Shang. He got to let it go for now. Habitually his calm thoughts replaced his tensed emotions. Given that Mu Shang still survived and obviously they would, he did not have to worry for them, he should be worrying for himself in fact.

He got to ensure his survival in He Yue first - a feasible target at the moment. His situation was looking bad but he had experienced worse, so… no worries!

…

"Welcome to Terry City." They had arrived at Terry City, a city with a population about 3 millions. Nothing particularly fancy about it. City like this was everywhere over Planet Yi Ju. The location of Yi Ju was somewhere at one corner of the galaxy, situated towards the edge of Calamitous Asteroid Belt. That was not only the reason for its unpopularity, the resources, specifically the minerals, were considerably barren. Technologically and economically speaking, it was tragedy. Plantation farming was the sole pillar to support the economy, although the residents were fortunate to have planted a few unique fruits known to the outside world, thanks to their climate. The catch was, as far as they were from the heart of the galaxy, it would take forever to transport their crops for fortune. Merchants once showed interests but were then shunned away by the outrageous cost to even get the business running. So Yi Ju remained as barren as ever.

And Nedved woke up one morning to see a few strangers residing in his farm. With those silver masks, they really looked dubious. The entire neighborhood was gossiping the happening. Everyone knew Nedved's plan of migration, as well as the renting of his land, more importantly. They coveted this large piece of plain, with a god-saved earth in one piece. The sun and the water were both great, anything could be imagined as a good harvest.

The next thing the neighbors realized, Nedved happily left the place. The masked outsiders actually purchased the entire land, without a sound made. The neighbors were naturally gossip-lovers but they never wanted the new men to join. Even the dumb cowboy at one side could tell the masked men being potentially malicious. Their gestures, be it a wave or a swing, all of them looked rough. The time when they first came to Nedved's farm, it was as if a raid of the space pirates, thousands of mechs zoomed to his place and landed in sequence. They almost alarmed the police, till they saw old Nedved acting fine towards them.

Well, Yi Ju, as poor as it was, nobody cared about it, not even the space pirates.

Ever since the strangers arrived, they had been rooted in their home. It was as if they did not need to eat or to sleep. Right when several theories were brewing at the futile chatters in the neighborhood, a few teams of construction workers rushed into the farm and built a Great Wall enveloping the entire place. It took 10 days till the workers came out, exhausted.

So what the heck are these weirdoes doing?

Few days later, projection was made at the door. PAPATTE, the seven-lettered word was bright and clear. And everyone realized, it was actually a pilot squad joining their neighborhood.

Well, Ye Chong was worrying on his finance. His base was only half-done, while the bank account was almost empty. The saving grace was… the food here was surprisingly dirt-cheap, at least he did not have to worry how to feed 5000 mouths every day.

They got to get some works to do now. They would be starving in no time if they never headed out for new requests. So he led Guo and Sang Fan with other men, headed to the local office in Terry City.

The office was, as similar as the atmosphere of the planet itself, poorly decorated. A short building pitiful to the eyes, compared to those offices Ye Chong had seen on other planets before. It felt like he had been sent 500 years backwards. He gave a knock and entered, to see the few lazy men slothfully walking around. The billboard which contained the request? It was as numerous as those men. A pitiful few of them. The price? Don't ask it, you will cry.

But they did not seem to have much options there. Survival would be the topmost priority, while stealthiness throned the second. What's wrong if we were to live tougher? At least we are still alive and kicking? Compared to the Archipelago, this planet was heaven. On the other than, the Papatte was agreeably joining either, they had been at the bottommost of society long enough, this was their bread and butter.

The squad needed money, lots and lots and lots of money. As far as Ye Chong was informed, every man of his did not manage to fulfill their basic allocated resources. Assuming 10,000 points for each other, he would need 5 millions points, just for food and daily necessity. Ye Chong also thought of devices for mech, but every single piece of them would go by a price of 8 digits at the very least. Sigh, now thinking back, what luxury it was back when I build the Coxcomb. Three labs of three different sets of the best apparatuses, astronomically priced. And now I could not even buy a nut of it.

He consulted Guo after taking a glance at the requests on the billboard. He accepted every single request that seemed doable at the moment, which most of them required a dense man force, doing some obsolete works with pitiful pay - that had justified why no squad on Yi Ju would want to do them.

Nevertheless, Ye Chong did not lack the man force. His men were bored either as they succumbed to continuous training to kill the time, fortunately they had the walls to keep them low, so they would not give heart attacks to the elderlies next door. The victims, most likely wold be Francis Jr. and his mates, as they felt like a lamb into a pen of wolves. This was because Sang Pu could not bear to see their incapability in even the most basic combats so he forced them into training.

And that, was how, the miserable tales of Francis Jr. and his happy mates began.

In front of one anomaly, you would feel plain; In front of fifty? You probably feel why you existed.

Sang Fan and the rest remained loitering at the city to try finding some fortune, while Ye Chong headed back to the base alone.

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Chapter 291: Brother and Sister

Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation

Strolling by the road, Mi Su and Mi Qi were enjoying the scenery around them, which differed from the view they grew up seeing, with tall buildings frequented by flocks and flocks of mechs. They almost forgot the time to head home, and a man at his middle-aged, carrying luggages were right behind.

"No wonder uncle wouldn't want to leave, I too feel like staying here forever," said Mi Qi. For an educated man at the age of seventeen, he was rather handsome, his gestures could justify his background too. There were gazes from ladies all over the place, from time to time. And Mi Qi, seemingly used to it, showed negligence towards the phenomena around.

"Well, uncle had been working really hard over his life. Now he really could use some decent rest at a place like this. It is delightful to see him feeling happy here," approved Mi Su, being the elder sister of Mi Qi. They had been good brother and sister ever since they were born in the same family.

Beep. Beep. Beep.

The communicator rang on the wrist of the middle-aged man. The brother and sister held their steps and looked at him approving transmission, whispering briefly and pulling a long face after.

"Uncle Yun, is there anything wrong?" stated Mi Su.

"Lady," Bowed Uncle Yun, "The clan's intelligence had reported a restless activity in Lunaris. Pirates had appeared apparently."

"Lunaris?" Frowned Mi Qi, "Isn't that place where we need to pass to our destination?"

"Yes sir, the leader had sent a few more men, all for the safety," stated Uncle Yun.

Their trip this time was to pay their great uncle a visit. While their great uncle appreciated the visit of his two young relatives, he did not fancy the visit of a crowd to his home, so the brother and sister did not bring anybody else than their loyal butler on their journey. The plot twist though, was unexpectedly the bloodshed of Foundation between the Jie experts and the Aristocrats. So rather than having those worried guardsmen by their side, they instead sent these men out to hear about the incident, while they - under the accompaniment of their childhood caregiver, Uncle Yun - would pretend as some random tourists on the spaceship. It was a smooth sail to Yu Ju.

"Brother…" Hesitated Mi Su, "How about we move few days later?"

"No way!" Rejected Mi Su right away, "The trial is just around the corner, being the son of the leader I could not be a latecomer."

Mi Su remained silent, she knew her brother. Having the personality from his father, whenever the clan was mentioned, he would be this stern and dead serious.

"It looks like we would need more men," concluded Uncle Yun, pessimistically. The young master and mistress had been under his care since birth, so he also caught on Mi Su's temper.

"Though I wonder…" Frowned Mi Su, "I wonder of what standard the pilots here are… If there's a squad somewhere…conveniently."

To this statement Uncle Yun responded nothing, in his mind he had already confirmed the standard of the pilots here, the economy here had told everything, as affirmed by his experience being in the outside world, unlike young master and mistress who grew up in a well-guarded lawn.

But it did not look like he had any alternative either. They really needed to employ few more men.

Beep! Beeeeeeeep!

The communicator rang again, but it was Mi Su's this time.

A glance on the caller's ID brought a smile upon Mi Su's face, "Yes? Sister Qing?" Mi Su jumped to the other corner of the street the moment he heard the most frightful name of the entire galaxy. Uncle Yun was finding the scene funny.

"Sister Qing, you got home?" Fan Qing's hologram was on the communicator clear, although the forceful lady was currently stretching on her bed. Yes, Fan family had always been in good relation with Mi family since the brother and sister were born. All three of them had been great playmates since childhood, the brother and sister would frequent the room of Fan Qing back then.

"Yeah, like I finally finished the task this time. Sissie, hehehe, you won't be able to guess which squad did it!" The lady sounded proud, well only in front of her fellow good mates. No acquaintance would see that ladylike side of hers.

Mi Su being her playmate for years knew what the sister wanted to play, "Douglas? Could it be?" Douglas was a well-known pilot squad, the squad did not consist of a large number of members but they were surely all elites. The entry test to their squad was extremely harsh apparently. It would be a solid proof of strength if one was able to join them. As there were only a few members, Douglas hardly accepted requests on major operation. Instead, they aimed those tough, super tough missions that did not require a pack of nonsense but a well team of royal flush like them. Those missions were tough, so obviously they got paid handsomely too.

"Douglas? No!" Shook Fan Qing, she had dealt with Douglas a few times before, so she knew which Douglas the girl was mentioning.

"Ummmm… Trilobita?" The next name rolled in, which associated with a major pilot squad, with expansive forces over the galaxy; the leader Luo Ru Feng was a public figure, very sociable among the forces, including Mi and Fan family.

"Hohoho… Nope."

"Well I don't know…," said softly Mi Su, with a smile. Her memory only contained these two names befitting to her sister's standard, they were the frequent squads in business too.

"I knew you can't guess it. Let me give you a hint," giggled Fan Qing, "Half a star. The rating."

"Half? A star?" Mi Su almost screamed, "What can a half-starred pilot squad do?" Mi Su might not be fully aware of the outside world but she knew the basic - the rating of a squad would be directly dependent on their performance in completed tasks. Those squads with half a star were mostly at the bottom of the entire food web. The elite squads like Trilobita and Douglas for example, would be flaunting those sparkling five stars of theirs at the public.

"That's what I thought too at the beginning. But they somehow got new members, and they were very much stronger. You know what, they found Rippling Orchids, back and alive, with 3 of them."

"Three Rippling Orchids?" Mi Su covered her mouth in shock. She knew the value of Rippling Orchid, it was almost priceless and rare. She also knew how Fan Qing took forever to find them and now someone from nowhere got it, three of them. Fan Qing carried on, stretching her perfect curves again, "Guess what, they are heading to Yi Ju. They aren't going for the developed planets. Aren't this strange you feel?"

"Yi Ju?" Everyone rose their eyebrows.

"Yeah, I have no idea why they would want to go that sheetty place," swore Fan Qing, very naturally on her temper.

"Sigh, Sister Qing, you just swore again," said Mi Su, shaking her head, "Well Yi Ju is still a pretty planet, brother and I are right here right now. So how strong they are, sister?" Rebutted Mi Su.

"Hmmmmm…," pondered Fan Qing, "I dunno. But I think they aren't weak, just… weird. Those new strange masked men who came along for the meeting that day ain't looking bad though."

"Masked men?" What a weird title.

"Yeah, weird isn't it? The leader said it was their traditional practice, with special emphasis on the practice of chastity, vowing to death not to show faces to anybody else than their other half. Hah, Mi Su I got a brilliant idea, you should really take their mask off, see if they would fulfill their vow of death on you and perish along. Right, they would be dragging you to a hall nearby and get their tribal chief to declare both of you husband and wife. Hahahahahahahahahahaha! How romantic!" The lady was rolling back and fro on her bed.

"Would you be serious at once!" Mi Su gave an eye-roll, "Sister Qing, do you have their contacts though?"

"Oh why Mi Su? Why would you want that?" Held her laugh, Fan Qing looked confused.

Mi Su then briefed Sister Qing the situation, which caused the sister's face to drain, "Hm…" Pondered her again, "You could go for a try. They were a little weird that is. I'm not sure but just make sure you don't expose your identity. Sadly I don't have any pilot on duty there or both of you would not have to bear with this foreignness."

"Okay, understood~" answered Mi Su nicely.

"By the way, how was Qiqi?" asked Fan Qing.

"AWWWWWWWWW!" Qiqi's face was twitching, as he covered his stomach wailing, "My stomach, ouch, I'm running, kay thanks bye!" Then he stampeded away, like the deer upon seeing the carnivore.

"Hahahahaha…" Mi Su was giggling, while Fan Qing, "Hmph!" was angry, "This stupid Qiqi!"

…

… …

Deep inside the isolated, long valley of mountain, a spaceship was parked there. The six letters were gasping weakly in the jungle, with their letters hardly discernible, "COXCOMB". The body of the spaceship was technically torn, distortion could be seen everywhere.

Inside the Coxcomb… Little Rock was performing calculation, while Zhu Ling was checking out the Overwing. The ace mech of the Sanctuary was now a toy in her hand. Qiu Man was sitting there silently, with Lian Yue being at the side with a look of a No.1 fan, muttered constantly. If there was someone with good hearing there… the content would be…

"Such perfect chin. Such curve lovingly gorgeous for a throat of a fair lady."

"Your snowy skin, your scented breath, your gaze captivates me, tsk, tsk, tsk, the ultimate loot for the living men."

…

"Strange. Why did that line feel so familiar?" Mu's mechanical eyes shone upon the scenery outside.

…

…

The elder of the Sanctuary was having a headache at the situation now. Everything grew more intense and his forces were torn around. The few best teams he sent to scout that primary planet never returned ever since, not even messages were heard. He was feeling bad about the situation, he had sent 5 batches away but they just disappeared like a rock into the river. The planet was as if a distortion disc, a black hole, that would engulf everything at once…

What happened…

When he was facing the lack of workforce, the authority sent him a new order, of withdrawing all ace pilots including Feng Su right back to the HQ. He was shocked of course, it was the first time seeing the authority required that much of forces that urgently in his entire life.

But well, all he could do was to laugh bitterly and send his last few forces back.

…

"What? They don't allow visitors? Excuse me?" Mi Su was shocked.

"Yeah!! I was like, 'could you please let us in, have a look at the office?' and they were like, 'No!' with a slam on the door!" Mi Su was angry, stampeding the ground, "I have never been so insulted in my entire life!"

"That's really weird," muttered Mi Su.

"Indeed," added Uncle Yun, "Normally a squad would not refuse visits as this would be a good opportunity for the squad to demonstrate their strength to convince their clients to take them."

"So did they accept our request anyway?" Tilted Mi Su's head, asked.

"Well! They say, 'we will talk about this on our meeting'."

Guo the old chief was snorting at the local office, then he was wakened up by a communication by someone claiming to be under recommendation of Fan Qing. Of course the man was overjoyed, but then the demand of visitation was a puzzlement… "How do you think?" He consulted Ye Chong for final opinion and certainly, a low-profiled man like Ye Chong would decline directly.

No way I would say yes to that. My base has mechs, only mechs, nothing else. And my 5000 men were almost as strong as the Jie experts, and any real expert could identify them in the tiniest gesture. If I ever let the visitors in, it would alarm the entire galaxy in no time!

I do need money, but not to an extent I would lose sense of my security. I picked Yu Ju mainly because it was towards the edge of Calamitous Asteroid Belt, if anything would go wrong, I would be able to evacuate my team back into the belt anytime.

Ye Chong was right, the Calamitous Asteroid Belt was a natural maze, with complicated landscapes that would confuse the foes from teaming up against them. And nobody else was more familiar with the asteroid belt than the Sangs. And there was Red Sea, with Archipelago. They had a perfect hiding spot between Archipelago and Yu Ju.

Never flaunt your own strength.

Ye Chong learned the lesson the hard way before.

Well, if the real leader said so, Guo the leader in disguise could only respond with a nod. He could imagine the frustration of the client though, as according to the practice of pilot squads, such decline would be a bald on the record, a blatant disrespect. Moreover, the client was under Fan Qing, the lady who just gave them 2,000,000 points for a few sprouts of plant. Clearly the client was something.

Sigh, the business is off I guess.

Guo ended the transmission and carried on his forty winks.

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Chapter 292: The Job

Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation

Sang Fan and the rest remained at ease, sitting with their eyes closed. Old Chief Guo was secretly impressed by these mysterious mech pilots. They had the looks of a world class pilot, at least in terms of patience. Old Chief Guo had seen Sang Fan's true face. By his judgment, the young man and their leader had a deep relationship. Of course, the seasoned Old Chief Guo acted accordingly.

The door of the commission center opened. Everyone looked up, and immediately perked up. The mech pilots loitering about the main lobby of the commission center may not be on the same level as the Sang tribe members in terms of strength, but they had a much sharper eye for customers. They knew from the behaviour and clothing of the three people entering the lobby that they were rich.

Business time! The slacking mech pilots immediately picked themselves up and rushed forward, offering multitudes of flattery. Only Old Chief Guo, Sang Fan and company did not move. Old Chief Guo took a glance at the three and immediately ignored them. As for the rest, they did not even open their eyes.

Of the three who came, one was a beautiful and genial lady. She was surrounded by the most prospectors.

The three were Mi Qi, Mu Si and Uncle Yun. While they were unhappy with the way the Papatte mech squad treated them, they did not have much of a choice. Hence, they came to have a look anyway.

Mi Qi frowned in distaste; Mi Su wore her usual thin smile; Uncle Yun adopted a flat expression. He took a step forward and tactfully pushed outwards. The gathering crowd immediately felt huge pressure, and quickly stepped back.

Old Chief Guo whistled softly at the performance. He could see that the middle-aged man's move was smart and powerful. While he did not know how it worked, it was undeniably an ingenious way of controlling one's strength.

Sang Fan and others opened their eyes simultaneously and took a quick glance at the middle-aged man, but quickly shut their eyes again. To them, the technique was ingenious, but not very particularly useful.

The other mech pilots might not be the cream of the crop, but they were seasoned enough. By the looks of the middle-aged man standing in front of the young man and lady, they knew that all hope was lost, and retreated with resignation.

Mi Qi looked around the lobby, and began to approach Old Chief Guo. Old Chief Guo and his company were standing out too much, being the only ones who did not act on their arrival. Besides, the three people with silver masks on would be conspicuous anyway in this small lobby.

Uncle Yun's eyes gleamed the moment they landed with Sang Fan and the other two. He quickly went to Mi Qi and whispered to his ear, "Careful, my lord, the three masked people are strong!"

Mi Qi paused in his advance, startled. He was familiar with Uncle Yun's strength. The man rarely described people as strong, not since Mi Qi was young. As such, he was surprised that Uncle Yun would call all three of the masked people as strong! However, he quickly recovered himself. Wasn't this exactly what they needed? A mech squad that could enlist three capable combat experts must be good.

Compared to mech pilots, combat experts were less helpful. Hence, in any mech squad, hiring combat experts would not be their top priority. They were often hired only when the mech squad could afford extra manpower.

Old Chief Guo stood up. Sang Fan and the others immediately opened their eyes and took a few seemingly casual steps that brought them around Old Chief Guo, surrounding him in the center. Ye Chong's orders were for them to protect Guo Ren.

"Is this the Papatte Mech Squad?" Mi Qi asked. The group was too easy to recognize. Their silver masks were exactly as Sister Qing had told him.

Old Chief Guo replied with a laugh, "Yes, it is. And who might you be, sirs and lady?"

Mi Qi smiled softly in his soothing aristocratic demeanor. "We are the client who contacted you this morning."

"Oh," Old Chief Guo was surprised, but quickly gathered himself. "Haha, so it's a customer, please forgive me."

Mi Qi decided then and there to hire the Papatte Mech Squad. From the man's behaviour, he was certain that the mech squad was worth more than half a star.

The trio in masks stood steadfast, their eyes still as cold as before.

Two Collisions escorted three full-skeleton transport vessels to the docking station. 30 Sang tribe members came out of the vessel. These were the people Ye Chong sent to Archipelago earlier. They brought with them plenty of mildstones, necessary for the Collisions. Mildstones could be used for a long time, but they were a one-time energy source, unlike the rechargeable energy cells. While the mildstones they had now were not exhausted yet, it was never too early to prepare for the eventuality.

The leading villager reported to Ye Chong, "Village Head asked to relay to you, sir, to not worry about the village. The steelbats showed no signs of returning. The village is doing well. Three goods transport vessels were built, and we've brought them all here. We brought 30 thousand mildstones, a thousand Collision parts of all sorts, and some lavagold pieces."

"I see, good job, please have some rest."

"Yes sir!" The 30 men answered respectfully and left.

The 30 thousand mildstones were quickly dispersed amongst the battalion members. The Collision mech parts and lavagold pieces were stored in the underground depository. The fact that all those lavagold could be sold for alot brought a faint smile to Ye Chong's grim face.

Just then, the comms device beeped. Old Chief Guo came on the holographic screen.

In the end, Ye Chong accepted the request to escort three clients safely to planet of Ling Yuan. The sky high remuneration offered had made Ye Chong, desperate for money, accept the job without thinking too much.

10 million credits! That was enough to buy basic equipment for a thousand Collisions! Ye Chong even considered capturing the three clients and see if he could make them offer more! Of course, that was only an impulsive thought. He was still reasonable. If they offered such a large reward, they must come from some influential background. This was not the time to make enemies with a powerful organization, unless he wanted to return to Archipelago straight away.

A thousand mechs escorted the small starship. The three clients were in this starship, and Old Chief Guo, as leader of Papatte, naturally accompanied them. Ye Chong was on the ship as well, while Sang Tie was left in charge of the 1,000 Collision mechs outside. Sang Pu was left at their base in case of emergencies.

Aside from the 20 piloting crew members on the starship, everyone else was a member of the Papatte Mech Squad. All of them wore silver masks, except for Old Chief Guo.

Mi Qi and the rest felt that they had made the right choice. The Papatte Mech Squad was quite something!

With their aristocratic upbringing, Mi Qi and Mi Su were more sensitive to these matters. The Papatte Mech Squad had surprised them with its competence. It even occurred to them briefly that the Papatte Mech Squad could be a trap set by the Three Aristocratic Families.

The strict discipline and obedience demonstrated by its squad members were similar to that of experienced soldiers. They also noticed that the Papatte Mech Squad's members did not lower their guard at any time of day. Even when off duty, they walked with a militaristic gait.

As the Mi family's eldest son, Mi Qi had seen the family's secret troops. However, they were superior only in terms of their equipment, and would not stand a chance against the Papatte Mech Squad. While he had never seen the squad's members fight, he could tell from their behavior and movements that they were all veteran combat experts. This was collaborated by Uncle Yun's judgment. When Uncle Yun spoke of the squad members, his face twitched nervously. The fact that even the calm Uncle Yun would be so perturbed was disquieting to Mi Qi and Mi Su.

They never saw the 1,000 mechs escorting them, so naturally, they could not tell the quality of those mech pilots. However, just the 100 combat experts in the ship were formidable enough. Even the Douglas Mech Squad, with its numerous elite members, did not have so many skilled combat experts.

Just how could someone produce such an elite squad? The three of them wondered nervously.

However, in sharp contrast to the Papatte Mech Squad's competence, their equipment was horrible. They were less than junk! Mi Qi remembered when he first saw a thousand rainbow-colored mechs, his first thought was, "Are they getting homeless people to make up the numbers?"

"What a pity!" Mi Qi had sighed then. He felt a deep sense of humiliation. It was like seeing a group of Jie experts wearing only loincloths, while remembering that the so-called elites at home were dressed in the best tapestries. It was not a good feeling.

Mi Su spoke mildly, "It's hard to say, these mechs … Er … Maybe they can fly!" She was unsure as well, but her kind nature demanded her to defend the squad members. "Maybe they're a kind of secret weapon!" Seeing Mi Qi's unconvinced face, however, she quickly quieted down. The truth was, she did not quite believe it herself too.

Uncle Yun commented unexpectedly in his musing. "Young Miss here might be right. Perhaps it's a kind of secret weapon. The color patches might just be a cover."

Mi Qi curled his lips. "Perhaps." His fine features expressed his disbelief.

Just then, Old Chief Guo brought a masked man with him and approached them. Smiling, he said, "Having a good time? Or is something amiss on our part?"

Mi Qi quickly replied, "Your service is excellent, we are very grateful." For safety reasons, they had all adopted fake names - Fan Qi, Fan Su and Fan Yun. Ye Chong and Old Chief Guo did not suspect a thing. As someone introduced by Fan Qing, it was only natural that they were from the Fan family.

The three of them turned their attention to the masked men beside Old Chief Guo. The masked man was tall and slender, standing out amongt the rest of the squad members, who were mostly short. They noticed during their flight that the other squad members seemed very respectful towards this masked man. The three of them were sharp, and could see that the respect was sincere. Even Squad Captain Guo would treat him with respect.

However, with his slender looks, he did not look like a combat expert. This appealed to them more. If a person who could not fight was treated with respect by so many combat experts, he must be capable in his own ways.

Ye Chong had learned long ago how to fake the appearance of an average person. He was not too shabby either, considering he had fooled even Uncle Yun. The Sang family villagers lacked this skill, their strengths entirely exposed like an unsheathed blade. It had never even occurred to them that they should keep their real potential hidden.

"Who's this?" Mi Qi asked, as the three of them looked to the masked man beside Old Chief Guo.

"This is our squad's tactician, Yang Ming," Old Chief Guo made that up on the spot. While he only just knew the man, he knew his character quite well. The boss would never be offended by this, and might even thank him for saving him the trouble of coming up with a fake name.

As expected, Ye Chong showed no annoyance, but merely nodded in greeting to the three clients.

The three of them were instantly impressed. It seemed that Papatte Mech Squad's admirable performance originated from this man. No wonder he was well respected despite his weak physique.

Mi Qi's first thought was to hire the man. Just what improvements would he bring to the Mi family's combat capacity? The thought appealed to him, but he was not foolish enough to bring it up before the squad captain.

Mi Su studied the man with slender masked man before her. The mask covered his face entirely, but she could sense something strange from his eyes. It was an overwhelming sense of apathy, as though nothing in the world could touch his heart.

She immediately imagined a most handsome young man with a calm appearance. However, the face was a blur, like it was shrouded by a mist.

Huh? For a moment, she felt the man's eyes studying her. It felt like an almost undetectable jolt. Her mind was curious, but her cheeks were already blushing.

Just what would she do if she knew what Ye Chong was thinking now?

"Another beauty! If Shang is here, he must be pretty excited!" Ye Chong suddenly thought of the playboy, Shang.

She stole a look at him, and her heart jolted again almost imperceptibly. The calm eyes suddenly showed a rich mix of emotions. She could see his reminiscences through his eyes.

"Beautiful ladies … " Ye Chong thought of the many times Shang tried to teach him about beauties without relent. The lips behind the mask arched slightly. He was swept by a whirlwind of memories, and one particular lady in white training garb appeared as quickly as she vanished again.

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Chapter 293: Kyaji's Death I

Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation

Feng Su flew swiftly across the skies in her Wings of Nirvana. She had just received orders from the Elder to return to the He Yue galaxy. The truth was, she felt a little surreal receiving the order, but with the Elder himself on the holographic screen, there was no room for doubt.

She accepted her orders and left immediately. Since she was in Csebesini galaxy finishing off her last assignment, she would have to pass by the Orbits during her journey to He Yue galaxy. Csebesini galaxy was too far from the Orbits. It would take at least a month for her to reach He Yue galaxy at this rate.

To avoid unnecessary incidents, Wings of Nirvana did not fly too fast. Feng Su even took her time admiring the view below. Suddenly, she gasped in surprise as Wings of Nirvana stopped in its tracks in the sky.

A mech was making difficult double-sided turns just below Wings of Nirvana. It was simply too shocking that such challenging footwork was executed so perfectly. Double-sided turns was notoriously difficult not due to the piloting skills required, but the physical strength and endurance that the pilot must have to execute it. Even an above average physique would not be able to withstand the stress from this move.

Besides, due to her extended period of time spent in the Five Galaxies, Feng Su knew that the local mech pilots were all desperately lacking in terms of their physical training. Now that she found such a strong mech pilot, she was naturally surprised.

The mech did not stop there. Slithering steps, short-ranged quick turns … The mech performed all these difficult moves one by one. Feng Su was beyond shocked. She was certain that even the average He Yue galaxy mech pilot could not achieve this.

Just what kind of monster was piloting the mech? Feng Su was unavoidably interested in the mech pilot who demonstrated such power.

Inside the pilot cabin, Rui Bing was drenched in sweat, her white training garb completely soaked. These combat moves were challenging for her. It was her first time combining a few of these difficult moves together. Surprisingly, the stress on her body was compounded in an exponential way. Even a Jie expert like her was feeling a little overwhelmed.

Ever since she got separated from Ye Chong last time, she had been training desperately in mech piloting. Surprisingly, the one who helped her the most was Wei Yuan. With the holographic recording of Ye Chong's training, and his talented mind, he had identified the key ideas in Ye Chong's training.

Rui Bing was the first to benefit from Wei Yuan's analysis. Wei Yuan's body could not endure the harsh training, but Rui Bing was not so limited. Hence, Rui Bing improved by leaps and bounds, but Wei Yuan continued to stay where he was, causing him much frustration.

"Brother-in-law is crazy, so it's natural that sister is also crazy!" Wei Yuan often muttered to himself, and Rui Bing always awarded him with a flick on the back of his head from out of nowhere.

Rui Bing's daily practice was worrying everyone around her. To them, Rui Bing was always a delicate little girl, completely ignoring the fact that she was a Jie expert. In truth, a Jie expert's body was strong, suitable for Ye Chong's style of training.

On the other hand, Rui Bing did not expect that by spending more time on mech piloting and less on combat practice, her combat skills had improved a significant bit. It was a pleasant surprise. As a Jie expert, any improvements would come slowly, in a timescale of decades.

As she slipped out of her mech, a breeze greeted her, cooling her off in her wet training garb.

A metal feather silently swept towards her. The combined movements had left Rui Bing fatigued and slower. It was only when the feather approached closer that she heard the sharp whistle in the air. She knew something was wrong and was about to react, but her body slowed her down. She felt a numbing hit on her back before she lost consciousness.

Wings of Nirvana slowly descended. Feng Su slipped out of the pilot cabin, her beautiful face now framing a mischievous smile. She had wanted to see who was in the mech, nothing more. However, when she realized that the mech's movements were not only difficult moves, but combat moves craftily combined together, she felt a chill.

Combat move combinations were not achieved by just performing a few difficult moves in succession, but a matter of joining them together in a reasonable and crafty way.

It was when she saw a beautiful woman coming out of the mech that she decided to kidnap her. The Sanctuary was not in the habit of wasting such a world class talent. Besides, the mech pilot was a woman, which impressed her even more. After all, a woman's body was naturally weaker than a man's. Few women could perform those difficult combat moves. Even she herself could not have done it better.

Usually, she would have done this the long and indirect way, and not such an extreme way. However, since she was urgently returning to the He Yue galaxy, there was no time to get acquainted with the woman and win her trust. She had to resort to this distasteful method. The feathers on Winds of Nirvana could all be shot out for attacking. Of course, there were many other ways to use the feathers.

With just a light impact, Rui Bing was hit unconscious. Feng Su had used He Yue's special technique. By hitting specific parts of the human body, some interesting results could be derived.

For example, the point where the feather hit Rui Bing would make a person fall into a deep sleep, conducive for physical recovery. Feng Su did not want to harm the female mech pilot, after all. As a trump card, her skill level was apparent from this attack. The attack required extreme precision in position and strength, and achieving it at such a long distance was incredible.

Feng Su carried Bing Su into Wings of Nirvana and took off.

Mi Qi and Uncle Yun were vexed. Mi Su seemed to have developed a deep interest in the Papatte Mech Squad. Every day, she would stick around Squad Captain Guo, asking questions. Mi Qi and Uncle Yun were nervous. One really shouldn't ask about another's background so openly. Mi Qi had seen Squad Captain Guo looking uncomfortable more than once. His elder sister rarely took interest in family matters, so her current enthusiasm had surprised Mi Qi and Uncle Yun.

Squad Captain Guo answered awkwardly, while the tactician Yang Ming kept his silence. This further convinced them that the Papatte Mech Squad was more than what appeared on the surface.

Mi Qi thought the small starship's facilities were simple and crude, which told him that the Papatte Mech Squad was not doing well financially. Word was the starship was actually hired. He could not understand how a capable mech squad like this could be poor.

However, their situation had given Mi Qi his chance. The Mi family might not be outstanding, but their financial status could best all the Three Aristocratic Families.

He probed a few times before, and Squad Captain Guo's interest was apparent every time through his expression, but he had always chose his words carefully, stealing a glance at Yang Ming time and again. It seemed that Papatte Mech Squad's tactician was quite influential in the squad. Mi Qi also felt deeper respect towards the squad captain, to be able to act so carefully despite the offers he promised.

That was not exactly the case, however. If Squad Captain Guo was the real leader of the squad, he would have instantly submitted to the Mi family. However, now that he was only leader in name, he dared not speak carelessly no matter what Mi Qi was offering him. The truth was, he was actually quite impressed by the Boss. Despite their financial dilemma, the Boss had remained calm as always before Mi Qi. Truly, Boss was The Boss!

In the rear of the starship, there was a tightly guarded area. 20 people were assigned here, and Mi Qi was politely asked to leave whenever he came by. Once, he tried to test them, taking just a single step further than allowed. Just a single step. In that instant, all 20 pair of eyes behind the silver masks were fixed on him with a deadly glare. He felt a chilling sensation along his spine, and did not take another step forward.

Knowing his fault, he gave an awkward smile and slipped away. However, he was curious - just what were they guarding?

"Once we leave this planet, we'll reach the planet Lunaris. I heard it's a little chaotic there." Mi Qi said solemnly. The Mi family's intel was rarely wrong.

Just then, an alarm blared. Old Chief Guo quickly switched on the holographic screen. A silver mask reported in a muffled voice, "Large swarm of mechs spotted ahead, identity unknown." It was Sang Tie.

Ye Chong nodded. "All members on high alert."

"Yes sir," Sang Tie replied.

Tension rose in the starship. Mi Qi was pale. It was his first time dealing with a situation like this. Uncle Yun was also looking grim. Only Mi Su's expression was unreadable.

They looked around, and noticed that the Papatte Mech Squad's members all looked at ease, showing no fear. Mi Qi soon relaxed under their influence.

Through the starship's holographic screen, they could finally see the swarm of mechs clearly. Mi Qi breathed in deeply, his calmness shattered. Uncle Yun recognized the leading crimson mech. "Kyaji!"

This was a bright crimson humanoid mech. One could almost taste the smell of blood coming from it. Its left arm wielded a thick and menacing gun, while its right arm was equipped with a crescent hook, reflecting a chilling glare that scared even Uncle Yun. The mech named Kyaji was famous, but its reputation was won through spilling blood. No one knew what the mech pilot looked like. They only knew the name of the mech - Kyaji.

According to the stories, Kyaji never left survivors.

Uncle Yun's words made Old Chief Guo, Mi Qi and Mi Su all pale instantly.

Ye Chong tilted his head, looking at Old Chief Guo. Old Chief Guo gulped and answered with difficulty, "Kyaji is a pirate mech, the leader of the Death Legion."

"Pirates, I see." Ye Chong thought calmly about how queer his relationship was with pirates in general when he turned on the comms device. Sang Tie appeared on the holographic screen behind his silver mask. Ye Chong explained plainly, "They are enemies. Initiate attack. You're in command. Careful to avoid long range attacks."

"Yes sir!"

The three Mi family members stared at Ye Chong. Was the guy crazy, to initiate an attack on the Death Legion itself? The mechs on the holographic screen numbered at least 2000.

The Death Legion was mostly made up of solo pirates, gathering under the name of Kyaji. While the crew had a name, it was not a structured organization. Nonetheless, every one of them was seasoned and capable. With Kyaji's personal reputation, the pirate crew was never once defeated. Besides, they were a sly bunch, making their way around outer space elusively, making them difficult to target at.

The dense formation made up of the 1000 mechs around the starship suddenly spread out, divided into many small squads and flew towards the enemy.

Mi Qi and his family watched the holographic screen anxiously. However, the holographic screen showed only the enemy's mech, and none of their own.

Could they really be a bunch of homeless people? Had they all run away?

There were five in a squad. They utilized evasive techniques while covering each other, confusing the enemy. Ye Chong's warning to be careful of long range weapons was relayed by Sang Tie to everyone else.

Sir's words were the law. None of the Sang tribe members would dare to be careless. They used every evasive technique they learned from Ye Chong. Looking at their situation, Sang Tie could not help but be reminded of the days when thousands of villagers practiced flying Collision at the Sang Family Village. It was a magnificent sight!

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Chapter 294: Kyaji's Death II

Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation

The Collision mechs traced graceful archs in the sky with their evasive techniques. Since the mechs lacked long range weapons, Ye Chong had to teach them extensive evasion techniques. It was compulsory training for all Sang family villagers. Their strong bodies allowed them to execute harder evasive moves. A simple turn, when done in three-fourths the time, would double the strain on the body, but its effectiveness in evading attacks could be quadrupled.

Ye Chong had forgotten an important fact. If the enemy did not use their optical scanning systems, they would not be able to detect the Collision mechs, since they were made entirely of skeletons.

The pirates could only see a small and solitary starship.

Sang Tie quickly noticed the enemy's lack of reaction to them, and figured out why. He still remembered the holographic scanning systems installed in their own mechs, and was surprised to find that the Collisions mechs were undetectable with those scans.

As commander, Sang Tie knew exactly what to do.

Sang Tie relayed new orders for the squad - full speed ahead. All Collisions immediately dived towards the enemy. If anyone were using optical scanning systems, they would see the distressing sight of a thousand strangely built flying vessels flying towards the pirates like a barrier closing in.

Sang Tie did a quick estimation of the distance between them and the pirates.

All Collisions opened up two compartments on their sides.

Sang Tie commanded - drop the bombs!

2000 skeleton-made bombs were launched towards the pirates. Sang Tie only ordered a single wave of bombing. This was not their village, and they were unable to replenish their weapons.

The vicious pirates only saw the lonely starship from afar, like a poor lamb waiting to be eaten, completely oblivious of the incoming attack.

The ensuing spectacle was indescribably grand.

On the holographic screen of the starship, they saw a bright eruption of light from an explosion, as Mi Qi and the rest had to shut their eyes. What a mysterious and terrible explosion! The Mi family trio stared in stupefaction. They could not understand how the pirate crew exploded so suddenly and violently.

The pirates were similarly dumbfounded and shocked when the explosion happened.

After the round of skeleton bombs, the Collision mechs spread out from their barrier formation into 200 squads of five, and launched themselves straight towards the pirate mechs.

"D*mbasses, use your optical scans!" A distinctive voice roared through the comms, cutting through all the noise of confusion. Abruptly, the comms channel quietened down instantly. Everyone heard their leader's voice.

"Spread out, spread out if you f*cking wanna live!" The thunderous voice roared again.

The pirates quickly gathered themselves and activated their optical scanning systems as they pulled out into a spread out formation.

Inside Kyaji, a man with a cold expression had a hopeless look in his eyes. He knew that the time had come. The other pirates might not realize it, but he had. Knowing that death was imminent, he felt unusually calm, devoid of any fear. He should have died a long time ago, and now, he finally would.

Kyaji's holographic scanning system was top of the line. He had bought it at a high price, a product of the Xue Lai tribe. Even the Three Aristocratic Families could not hide their mechs so completely from this scanning system. These mechs, however, were entirely hidden from the scans. He was shocked beyond words.

He put his hands gently on the controls. He no longer felt dispirited, but excited, and even eager.

Even if death was unavoidable, he would not give up without a fight!

He tore off his clothes, baring his upper body, and roared at the skies!

An energy beam barely grazed past Sang Tie's mech. Sang Tie was surprised. This was his first time nearly being hit by an energy beam. His eyes traced the source of the beam, arriving at a bright, crimson mech.

Energy beams of various colours were shot across the sky as the battle went on. Fortunately, only a few of them hit the Collisions, and those that were hit were not fatally damaged. Besides, the Collision was tougher than Ye Chong expected.

Kyaji's pilot almost had a stroke, his confidence struck down once again. He could not aim at the mechs. They were moving too fast. He had always prided on his shooting skills, but even he could not shoot down any of them. It was like a personal humiliation.

The sniper pilots amongst the pirates shared his sentiment. The enemy mechs did not seem to perform any special evasive techniques, but for some reason, they just could not aim on the mechs. It was like their aiming system was off.

Strange … Just what was really happening? The sniper mech pilots were flabbergasted and aggrieved.

However, Sang Tie and his battalion did not pity the pirates. They flew gracefully with their evasive techniques and flew straight into the mechs of the confused pirates.

Collision mechs were so impossibly fast that the pirates could barely believe it, especially the sniper mech pilots. They had failed to aim at the enemy mechs, and now they saw that the mechs were faster than they had anticipated. They stood no chance at all.

Sang Tie's mech took a slight turn and went straight for the crimson mech. The other mech seemed to realize his intentions, and waved off the other pirates surrounding it.

He wanted a one-on-one battle!

Sang Tie quickly deduced the enemy's message.

A one-on-one battle was common in the battlefield. Capable mech pilots would usually accept the challenge, since it was a show of confidence towards themselves. If they could not even trust their own abilities, they would never become strong. This theory was widespread in He Yue galaxy, with quite a few prominent mech pilots agreeing to the idea. Hence, individual heroism became a popular notion.

In fact, one-on-one battles were common in the Sang Family Village as well. The challenged party would rarely back down.

Kyaji's pilot smiled wickedly, seeing red. F*ck, he will not die without taking one out with him! He was sure that the enemy would not back down. His legacy will be a self-sacrificing end!

Sang Tie's expression was cold as ever under his silver mask, completely different from his usual fiery temper. He ignored the enemy's challenge, and led his troops in a straight line towards the enemy.

Through the optical scanning system, Collision's speed was shocking to see. The pirates watched anxiously with their hearts racing.

Sang Tie's mech flew straight towards Kyaji, followed by the other four mechs in his squad. Kyaji also flew swiftly towards Sang Tie. The pilot inside had his eyes wide open, panting heavily, but his hands were nimbly dancing on the controls, waiting for the moment of impact to deliver a fatal blow to the enemy.

They were getting closer and closer. The pirates around them stared, unwilling to miss the final moment. The Sang tribe members, however, completely ignored the fight and continued destroying their enemies.

Closer, closer now! Everyone held their breath as they watched the two mechs closing in on each other!

It ended in a blur. The anticipated collision did not occur. The crescent blade did not touch its target. This was completely beyond his expectation.

Impossible!

Stab! He felt a crushing pain as a sharp object plunged through his body. He never found out how he died.

Sang Tie's Collision had suddenly swerved off course just when the pirates thought he would crash into Kyaji. Instead, it graced past Kyaji's side in a blur. The mech behind Sang Tie delivered the fatal blow to Kyaji, thrusting its skeleton spear into the crimson mech. The other three mechs flew past Kyaji from its sides, tearing the mech into fragments with their skeleton fins.

On the starship's holographic screen, a hole suddenly appeared in Kyaji's body, and the mech quickly exploded into hundreds of fragments. No one saw the attacker. They only saw a pirate mech suddenly destroyed, or being stabbed through with something. SInce the space pirates were far from the starship, an optical scan would not produce clear results. Hence, Ye Chong had used the holographic scanning system, which could not detect the Collisions.

This eerie scene was mind bending. Mi Qi and his family felt chilled to the bone.

Sang Tie smiled coldly behind his silver mask as he looked back at Kyaji, now a useless cloud of debris. He could not understand the idea of fighting one-on-one. After all, this was war, not some play-fighting to pass the time. To him, fighting one-on-one in these life-or-death situations was ridiculous. The Sang tribe members had lived in an environment that shaped their idea of real battles. Before they had Collisions, it was impossible for any one villager to fight against a wild beast. They had long learned to work together in hunting.

Sang Tie looked at Kyaji's remains the way he would look at his prey in Archipelago.

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Chapter 295: Everything's Worth Something

Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation

Death Legion was annihilated silently. Despite Kyaji's menacing reputation, it still ended up destroyed, without even a body to show for it. Ye Chong had no interest in Kyaji or its pilot, of course. He just wanted to make sure that the guy was dead.

Since he had made his move, there must be no loose ends. This was always Ye Chong's way of doing things. He absolutely would not believe that any person could survive an attack like that.

On the starship, Mi Qi and family were white as a sheet. The Death Legion was an infamous organization in the He Yue galaxy, and now it was annihilated in just minutes. No one would believe what they had seen. Death Legion pirates had been around for years, making enemies wherever they went, but still they lived ever so easily, powerful as they were.

However, the formidable Death Legion was now being casually erased from living history, under the hands of the mech squad they hired.

Mi Qi and the family felt goosebumps all over, and a chill running up their spine.

Anti-detection mechs!

That was their first thought.

Anti-detection mechs were not a new idea. Back in the days, the Three Aristocratic Families were infamous for their anti-detection technology. They had relied on anti-detection mechs to spread their power, rising to the forefront of technology in the He Yue galaxy.

However, as technology improved, holographic scanning systems became more and more advanced. Early anti-detection mechs could now be easily scanned through normal holographic scanning systems. On the other hand, anti-detection technology had reached a bottleneck and stagnated, a problem that was shared by all the Three Aristocratic Families. All these years, none of the aristocratic families have had any breakthrough.

To many, anti-detection mechs were slowly becoming a relic.

Now, however, Mi Qi and his family had just witnessed true anti-detection technology at work!

The multicolored mechs suddenly became an object of mystery to them. It was like seeing an old, scraggly beggar suddenly killing a Jie expert without breaking a sweat. The contrast was too strong for them to accept.

What was happening to the world?

The mysterious Papatte Mech Squad was now increasingly mystical to them. Such a powerful mech squad had deployed so many elites just for 10 million credits. Mi Qi suddenly felt that he had a stroke of luck.

Old Chief Guo was also feeling a little dazed. He had seen them fight before, and it was bloody, but this time was completely different. This was weird! This was scarily weird! Anyone who saw what happened on the holographic screen would be shocked, Old Chief Guo was sure of it. To him, what happened could be shot into a movie worthy of an award, even if he knew that he was no movie director.

In fact, right after Ye Chong issued his orders, he was soon aware of this anti-detection issue. However, he soon frowned again, not because there was a problem with Sang Tie's commands, but because Ye Chong had thought of another problem.

Full-skeleton mechs were entirely suited for stealthy attacks, but this unique feature also made them too eye-catching. Hence, they were not suitable for normal transportation. It looked that he needed to make some normal mechs for the Sang tribe members for normal use.

"Sigh, more spending!" Ye Chong sighed to himself. Just how much was 5000 mechs worth? Ye Chong's heart ached.

Sang Tie's face appeared on the holographic screen. "Squad Captain, the enemy is destroyed. We have 23 injured and 11 dead." Sang Tie reported solemnly to Old Chief Guo. With outsiders around, they treated Old Chief Guo as the leader, when in fact, they were always reporting to Ye Chong.

Old Chief Guo shuddered inside as he recalled the way they killed emotionlessly, but he braced himself and said, "Alright, get some rest."

Ye Chong was a little surprised. Despite their advantage, they still lost so many. The pirates were indeed as powerful as rumored. He had watched the entire battle, and saw how the desperate pirates fought like a cornered animal - dangerous and vicious. If Sang Tie's commands were less effective, they would have lost more people.

It was Sang Fan who consoled him from the side, "Don't mind it too much, sir. Loss is inevitable in war." Back at the Sang Family Village, this level of loss was all too common. Before they had proper weapons, their hunting troops would often leave and never return. This was one of the main reasons the village size quickly shrank to its current form.

Mi Qi also commended, "Your squad is excellent, defeating even the infamous Death Legion so easily, it's truly amazing." Uncle Yun and Mi Su agreed, with Mi Su stealing glances at Ye Chong time and again.

Ye Chong took a glance at them and said flatly, "You're too kind! However, please keep our squad's little trick a secret." Ye Chong was straightforward.

Mi Qi and Uncle Yun exchanged looks. They could clearly feel the threat coming from the tactician called Yang Ming, fleeting as it was. Uncle Yun took a step forward and said with a serious expression, "Please rest assured, we who know the power of words will always speak mindfully."

Mi Qi quickly added, "That's right, we'll never reveal anything about your mech squad." What a joke, Papatte Mech Squad was far stronger than they had anticipated. To think they were rated as half a star! They would never believe it now. The Mi family had always been inferior in terms of military prowess, and cannot afford to make enemies with such a powerful army. Besides, since Papatte Mech Squad was in need of funds, it was an opportunity for them to forge a good relationship.

Mi Qi and Uncle Yun had already given up on recruiting the tactician. They knew that the squad was too powerful for the Mi family to handle.

Mi Su's expression was unreadable. She lifted her head to look at Ye Chong for second, and quickly bowed down again silently.

Up next was the cleanup. This was the most exciting part of the Sang tribe members. Mi Qi and his family watched in disbelief as the Papatte Mech Squad's members did their thing.

Mech fragments, scraps and parts were all hauled into the starship. They could hear a thunderous voice yelling occasionally, "Look carefully, open your eyes wide, don't miss a thing. Sir has said to find the dimension keystone for every mech, it's good stuff!"

Mi Qi gulped heavily. Just was were the pirates now?

Uncle Yun sighed inside. Poverty could bend the strongest warriors. These excellent mech pilots had been forced to do something like this due to their extreme lack of money. When he gets back, he must lecture those blissfully ignorant mech pilots of the Mi family.

Mi Su covered her little mouth with her hands, watching the growing pile of trash on the starship, muttering, "How pitiful!"

Unlike Mi Qi, Uncle Yun and Mi Su, every Sang tribe member was all smiles. Old Chief Guo was embarrassed to death. He noticed the Mi family's reaction and felt even more embarrassed!

Ye Chong looked at the pilin mountain of trash, his eyes gleaming with excitement. It reminded him of his time on the trash planet. Rummaging through the trash for nuggets was routine, and a job he was very familiar with.

He thought of old Winnie, and his excitement when he found Mu and Shang …

That was how Mi Qi and his family saw something quite odd. Papatte Mech Squad's tactician came every day to the trash pile, surrounded by a few people who listened as he taught them about all the mech parts he found. The tactician had also disassembled the parts using the tools onboard the starship.

Dimension keystones, holographic scanning systems, communications systems …

As they watched him explain each mech part with ease, they could not help but wonder if the tactician had actually worked as a trash handler before.

Ye Chong had never minded the way others looked at him. For now, he was actually quite excited. The pirates' mechs had wonderful equipment, a pleasant surprise for him.

He did not know, of course, that the Death Legion pirates were all battle veterans. While they did not exactly splurge, they were still willing to spend good money on equipment that could keep them alive.

The most interesting parts came from the mech, Kyaji. While they were only fragments now, Ye Chong could still see that the mech was well made. His eyes gleamed as he found its equipment, like the relatively intact Wintervision-III scanning system. This was a high class product from the Xue Lai clan, rarely found in the market. Ye Chong did not recall seeing it sold at the mech parts store in Foundation city last time.

However, its performance was the best that Ye Chong had ever seen. Ye Chong installed the holographic scanning system model in Sang Tie's mech, which made everyone else very, very jealous. It was a long time before they stopped hearing Sang Tie's foolish giggling behind his mask in the starship.

It was too bad that the Collisions attacked with too much force. Not many mech parts were salvageable. However, dimension keystones were hard to break, so most of their loot were actually the keystones. Even so, out of the 2000 pirate mechs, they only found slightly more than a thousand dimension keystones. They came in a large variety of models, and it took Ye Chong quite some effort to set them up.

These 1000 dimension keystones were an unexpected haul. "Hmm, robbing is actually more efficient," Ye Chong mused to himself.

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Chapter 296: Unmanned Black Market

Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation

However, Ye Chong still had his senses with him. The crazy idea came and went.

If he had enough tools, Ye Chong could disassemble all the trash material and make full use of them. Now, he could only throw the worthless material out of the spaceship.

The rest of the journey was relatively peaceful, without further incident. The thousand-strong Collision escort around their starship were like ghosts, undetected by any of the other starships that they encountered. It was apparent how heavily the people these days had come to rely on holographic scanning systems.

In another corner of the He Yue galaxy, a middle-aged man gasped, "Kyaji was killed?"

"Yes. The Death Legion was annihilated, there were no survivors." On his holographic screen, an average looking man reported in a low voice.

The middle-aged man asked, "Do you know who's responsible?"

The other person hesitated for a while before replying, "Should be the Papatte Mech Squad. We've looked into them. They should only be a half-star mech squad. About a month ago, they helped the Fan family to find three ripple orchids plants. They are currently escorting the Mi family's Mi Qi and Mi Su." The spy replied.

"Half a star?" The middle-aged man frowned, and said, "The Fan family and Mi family share a good relationship, it's only natural that they share their contacts. How strong is this Papatte Mech Squad?"

"Unknown as of yet," the spy explained, "None of us has seen them in battle before. However, the only ones at the battlefield were the Death Legion and Papatte Mech Squad's starship. According to our spies nearby, after the Death Legion entered the field, they never came out again. Our people also found a lot of mech remains in that area, confirmed to be from the Death Legion. Besides, we found Kyaji's remains. That is how we deduce the annihilation of the Death Legion."

The middle-aged man quickly understood him. "You said they only have one starship? Is it large or mid sized?"

"Small sized," the spy replied.

"Impossible," the middle-aged man shook his head. "Small sized starships have limited passenger capacity, not enough to destroy the Death Legion entirely. The Death Legion has 2,541 members in total." He was confident of his memory.

"I am also confused by this," the spy admitted.

The middle-aged man asked grimly, "Where are they headed?"

"Lunaris."

"Alright, keep watch on them. If they really destroyed the Death Legion, then they're a force to be reckoned with. But stay out of their sight." The middle-aged man ordered after a moment's thought.

"Yes sir."

On Lunaris, a squad of a thousand members moved quickly. This was a deserted place, with only a few mechs occasionally flying across the skies. With dimension keystones, the group's mobility and covertness were vastly improved. Even so, Ye Chong dared not bring too many people into the city. The Sang tribe members seemed to be unable to hide their threatening demeanor. They all looked vicious and scary, like an unsheathed blade.

He knew exactly what would happen if he brought them all into the city. The squad set camp in a deserted valley. Ye Chong was not concerned about their safety - not many could pose a risk to them. Besides, who would bring a whole battalion marching into the deserted lands out here?

Ye Chong took only a hundred people with him. Their destination was Guilar city. According to Mi Qi, no one would dare to start an open war on Lunaris, since this place was the base of the Black Market. However, that did not mean that the place was well regulated. It was quite the contrary. The society was in a state of unrest, and small-scale battles occurred every other day. Without proper safety measures, one would be at risk being killed.

Guilar city had a 300-kilometer perimeter that was a no-fly zone for mechs. No-fly zones were common in He Yue galaxy, since mechs battles happened frequently, and tend to destroy everything around them. Hence, every city would have its own no-fly zone. Any mech flying in a no-fly zone would be ruled as an enemy of the city, with heavy consequences.

They were a hundred people, forming a standard combat squad. At the center were five people, each carrying a box. Ye Chong and the Mi family members led the way.

Hai Lian wore his mask, carried by Sang Tie as he looked around him with interest. These days, he guarded the boxes as ordered by Ye Chong and bored to death. Now that he was out in the open, he was naturally invigorated. He was already used to being carried by Sang Tie. He adjusted to a more comfortable position, but otherwise looked completely at ease.

Sang Ling carried Mi Su. Even Old Chief Guo was carried by a Sang tribe member. Only Mi Qi and Uncle Yun walked on their own.

The squad advanced quickly. Soon, Mi Qi grew pale from the exertion, panting as he sweated heavily. Uncle Yun fared better, looking his usual self, but his short breaths betrayed his stamina.

Uncle Yun was stunned. These people were strong. All this while, Uncle Yun was confident of his own abilities, but he had never been outmatched this much before.

It was shocking! Their pace was wearing him out, but these people showed no signs of fatigue. Those around him were breathing normally, as if they were at rest. What surprised him more was the man carrying another man, and that woman carrying the Young Miss. These two people were carrying someone, but seemed entirely unaffected. Even the tactician, Yang Ming, who seemed fragile at first, was keeping up with the group.

If the squad members were like unsheathed swords, then Yang Ming was a sword still hidden in its sheath, showing no signs of its true potential. Uncle Yun knew from experience that this kind of people were the ones to really watch out for.

He took a glance at the Young Master, and knew that he was not doing well. Moving quickly was actually quite strenuous, and while the Young Master was actually quite outstanding amongt his peers, he was still greatly outmatched by the squad members.

Since when did the He Yue galaxy come to have such a group of strong people?

Uncle Yun was about to give Mi Qi a helping hand when the young man suddenly stumbled. A hand reached for him, and Mi Qi lifted his head with difficulty to find Yang Ming on his side. He looked at Yang Ming with gratitude, and suddenly felt himself lifted and moving as quick as the clouds in the sky.

The group slowed down when they were near Guilar city. There were more people around them now. Hovercars breezed past them then and again. These were cars used for passenger transportation.

Hai Lian sidled up to Ye Chong and introduced, "Guilar city is the second largest black market in the He Yue galaxy. Actually, you can find black markets everywhere on Lunaris, but you'll find Guilar city's Unmanned Black Market the most famous one around. Of course, it's a complicated place, where every powerful organization in existence will have placed their own men here. You can find rare goods here often, that's why the organizations try to keep an eye on things."

Mi Qi had already recovered himself, and said with a smile, "It looks like you're quite familiar with this place, my family also has people here. Once we enter the city, your contract will be fulfilled."

Uncle Yun was looking at the five boxes protected in the center. He could guess that these were the things that were guarded heavily on the starship.

After their long journey, all of them knew that the real leader here was actually the tactician.

The squad members all looked too sharp to be ignored. All the pedestrians stayed out of their way.

As they entered the city, they found many people on the streets. Unlike Foundation city, however, the people here were all highly vigilant, their wary behavior almost transparent from the way they acted. Sang Tie and the rest all noticed the atmosphere and raised their guard even further, their deathly aura now honed to a sharp point.

The people around them were all discreetly shocked. Mi Qi and his family all groaned inside. How could they be so inexperienced? D*mned if they got into trouble for being so obvious of their abilities! The Mi family members were all nervous, waiting for the first enemy to knock on their door.

Unexpectedly, no one came to mess with them, right until they reached the Mi family base. Now that they were in their own territory, Mi Qi and his family all heaved a sigh of relief. The base was notified before they departure earlier on, so the Mi family's people in the area had all gathered here to protect the Young Master and Young Miss.

With 10 million credits paid to them, Ye Chong and his squad finally relaxed a little.

After they parted ways, Ye Chong and his squad settled down in a local hotel. After some rest, Ye Chong asked for Hai Lian and Old Chief Guo and asked them, "Are you familiar with the Unmanned Black Market?"

"I am," Old Chief Guo replied quickly, "Been here with a friend before, but that was a long time ago."

Hai Lian shook his head. "I've not been here before. A poor man like me can't even afford a mech, much less anything you can buy here in the black market."

"Alright, you lead the way," Ye Chong said to Old Chief Guo. He turned to Sang Fan and said, "Bring 20 people, and bring the boxes with you. Sang Tie and the rest stay here."

"Yes sir," Sang Fan answered.

Hai Lian and Old Chief Guo exchanged looks of confusion. They did not know what was in the boxes that could be so important to the boss. Hai Lian had guarded the boxes throughout the journey, and even he did not know what they were.

"It's here," Old Chief Guo pointed towards a tall metallic building in front of them. The skyscraper pierced right through the clouds, its metallic walls shining under the sun's ways.

"What extravagance … The entire building was made of metal …" Everyone shared the same thought. Just the building itself would cost a fortune.

As they entered the building, they only found customers bustling into the market. There was no staff, just as the place's name promised.

Ye Chong noticed something interesting. Most of the customers wore masks, and some even wrapped themselves up all over. Ye Chong's group looked comparatively normal. Old Chief Guo and Hai Lian exchanged smiles over the observation.

Every level in the building was divided into hundreds of independent rooms. Old Chief Guo seemed to know his way. He brought the group into a vacant room. The group found it to be larger than expected, with more than enough room to host more than 20 people.

Inside the room was a photon processor with an inlet beneath it.

Everyone studied the room curiously as Old Chief Guo explained, "This is a normal room, used to sell smaller items. Larger items like mechs will have to be processed on Levels 1 to 5."

"Put the box in this inlet, there's a conveyor belt that transfers the box inside. We just have to put our items inside, key in our account number in the photon processor, and we'll be done. This Unmanned Black Market has a good reputation. I've never heard of any cases of fraud or missing goods. They have their own professionals to appraise the goods. The goods will be categorized based on their value and put on the auction market. However, they will take 20 percent of the value as commission. If you don't require a professional's appraisal, then your items will be categorized as miscellaneous, but in this case, they'll only charge 10 percent commission."

Old Chief paused for a moment and continued, "The truth is, there are too many loopholes in this trading method, but their internal regulation is strict. After decades of revision, it has become the system that people come to trust today. Besides, the best thing about it is discretion. No one knows the owner of each item."

Ye Chong nodded in understanding. He put the boxes into the inlet and keyed in the identity number prepared earlier into the photon processor.

Soon, he was done. Old Chief Guo added, "Every room can only be used once every day. This room we're in will not be used again until tomorrow."

"Alright," Ye Chong said, "We'll leave now."

Old Chief Guo did not go to the door, but walked to a wall and pressed on a red button. The wall slid to the side.

"This is the exit." Ye Chong and his group went in, and Old Chief Guo pressed another button inside. "This is the transferrer. The building has more than 900 exit points, which can be as far as the far east of the city. The transferrer will bring us to a random exit point. It's for the clients' safety."

Ye Chong immediately felt the transferrer moving downwards. However, the transferrer moved steadily, and soon came to a stop.

"So it's really random," Ye Chong smiled wryly to himself as he looked at the unfamiliar surroundings around him.

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Chapter 297: The Boy Called Tanimatsu

Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation

The crowd was dense. One could hear loud noise and laughter here and there. Ye Chong was uncomfortable with the place. Where was this place? He looked to Old Chief Guo, the only one with experience of the Unmanned Black Market. Old Chief Guo shrugged in ignorance. He looked to Hai Lian, and found the same helpless expression.

The Sang tribe members were also uneasy. They all looked wary, like anticipating an enemy.

Hai Lian was quicker in mind. He stopped a passerby and asked, "Hi there, may I know what this place is?"

The passerby looked at him and answered impatiently, "It's the Peddler Black Market, of course. Alright, let me go, I'm in a hurry."

Hai Lian thanked him profusely.

"Peddler Black Market?" Everyone looked confused.

"Let's have a look," said Ye Chong. He was intrigued by the large crowd found here. Since they were not in a hurry, they might as well explore the area.

If the Unmanned Black Market was a classy black market, then this was a small low class black market. Hai Lian had heard of it before, but this was his first time visiting the place.

"This is no black market! It's an open market!" Hai Lian felt incredulous.

The shops around them were all displaying a large volume of goods. Some shops even put their mechs right beside their store entrance. It was just too odd. All kinds of parts and items were spread out to entice their customers. It was a mess.

Ye Chong frowned. He could not understand how a dangerous and disordered place could have so many people gathering.

The streets were narrow, and the bustling crowd made it even more packed.

Just then, a young boy approached the group and asked in his childish voice, "Do you need a guide?"

Immediately, Ye Chong and his group looked to the young boy. The Sang tribe members were too intimidating, even in their gaze. The boy paled in shock.

Ye Chong studied the young boy. He was dressed in a neat light blue shirt. It was quite worn but still clean. The boy's large eyes looked sharp. While he looked pale, it was obvious that he was trying his best to not back down.

Ye Chong could not help but felt impressed. For a boy of around 11 or 12 years old to stand against the gaze of Sang Fan and the rest, it was an impressive feat.

Ye Chong nodded and said, "Hmm, that sounds like a good idea."

The boy's eyes brightened up in encouragement. He spoke confidently, "I've lived here all my life, I know every corner of the place. If you hire me, that'll be 20 credits a day."

Ye Chong studied the young boy intently, and the boy fidgeted nervously.

"Alright," Ye Chong nodded, and added, "If you don't do a good job, we'll fire you."

"No problemo!" The young boy was so happy he almost leapt in joy. His initial gloominess evaporated. However, he quickly dived right into his role and tried to affect a polite attitude. "Gentlemen, where you like to go now?"

"Let's explore this place for now," Ye Chong said. With him at the helm, no one else would contradict him.

"Alright!" The young boy led the way as he introduced, "This is the Peddler Black Market. Don't be fooled by all these low class items you see here, it's an entirely different world further in. They usually trade in bulk here, err, meaning that they sell many many items together at once." The boy gesticulated as he explained.

A twelve-year-old boy trying to gesticulate like an adult was too cute for his audience. Even the Sang tribe members with their awkward social manners smiled warmly at the boy.

As a woman, Sang Ling was even more enraptured by the young boy. She went to his side and bent down to ask, "Little boy, what's your name?"

"I'm called Song Gu," the young boy answered loudly.

The group followed Song Gu and the child talked about the place. Ye Chong studied the goods in display in the stores. Indeed, they were all low class goods. However, there were also many odd items like rocks, skeletons and plants for sale; some were even unfamiliar for Ye Chong.

This hooked his interest.

Song Gu could see that Ye Chong was interested in the goods, and explained, "There are all kinds of stuff for sale here, most of them are not valuable, but yesterday some guy found a whatchamacallit rock here, heard it's worth a hundred thousand credits." Tanimatsu said this jealously.

Almost every shop would have a spot just for these miscellaneous items.

Ye Chong suddenly stopped in his tracks, looking at one of the shops by the street. His eyes widened, and he quickly approached the shop.

Ye Chong's sudden movement surprised the group, but they quickly adjusted and shifted formation, keeping Ye Chong protected in the center.

Ye Chong walked to the shop, where a good many items of all sorts were spread out for sale. The shopkeeper quickly arrived to tend to him with a wide smile. He saw the big group approaching and knew that he might just strike gold with this customer.

"Hi, good sir, take a look around, lemme know if you're interested in anything. Everything is sold at a fair price here, no cheating our customers. We've been in business for decades, our reputation is rock solid," the shopkeeper went on and on.

Hai Lian looked at the wall, freshly painted, and twisted his lips in disdain as he muttered, "You call this a decades-old shop? Isn't this paint new?"

Ye Chong ignored the shopkeeper and walked towards the miscellaneous items. He saw a metallic palm reaching out from the pile of items, and carefully swept away the other items covering it. Soon, the entire metal item revealed itself.

It was a humanoid mech model, about 30 centimeters tall. The model seemed old, its surface dull from age, with a few rusted spots. Ye Chong studied the model quietly.

"Hehe, you've a good eye, sir. That's an antique, more than a few hundred years old, I didn't expect you to be a collector with such a sharp eye at your age, apologies for my rudeness sir!" The storekeeper flattered Ye Chong as he tried to recall the value that he bought the item for. It took some time, but he finally remembered that he bought it off an old man for only five credits.

It was obvious that his customer was not a local. Just as the shopkeeper was thinking about how to cheat him, the young boy with the group interrupted, "Sir, everything in the miscellaneous items pile is worth 50 credits. It's the same for every shop."

The shopkeeper glared at the young boy, who had effectively destroyed all hopes for his scheming. Tanimatsu did not back down, and glared back. Sang Ling humphed coldly behind Tanimatsu, her eyes staring at the shopkeeper threateningly until he shuddered.

What a scary bunch!

The shopkeeper laughed awkwardly and continued, "The boy's right, our price is fair, we don't cheat. The item's 50 credits, if you're interested, sir. Err, what else do you need, sir? We have all kinds of mech parts and equipments, all at a fair price. Look at your guards, I'm sure they're all experts. A good expert should be matched with a good weapon! If you see anything you're interested in, lemme know, price is negotiable, yes, if you buy in bulk I'll even give you a discount! It's a good buy, I'll tell you!" The storekeeper blabbered on. 50 credits was not a lot, but every credit counted.

"I see. I'll have this." Ye Chong picked up the model, and signalled for Old Chief Guo to pay.

"What a stingy group, spending only 50 credits," the shopkeeper thought to himself with disdain. He had expected more. Even so, he still said warmly, "Please come again!"

Ye Chong was in a better mood after they left the shop. Hai Lian and Old Chief Guo may not notice it, but the Sang tribe members did. Sang Fan asked despite himself, "Sir, what is that thing?"

"Something fine!" Ye Chong sounded happy, if only by a little. He then said, "We'll return now." He was no longer in the mood for exploring, thinking only to study the model closely once they were back at the hotel.

The Sang tribe members were not interested in exploring anyway, and had only followed Ye Chong's lead. Hai Lian and Old Chief Guo still felt like wandering around, but they dared not voice their opposition. Besides, they were also interested in the item that the boss had bought. Boss had always looked indifferent, and they had never seen him express such a strong interested in anything.

Anything that can provoke his interest like this must be something extraordinary.

Sang Ling told Tanimatsu the name of their hotel. Tanimatsu recognized it and immediately led the way.

The group followed Tanimatsu as they headed towards the hotel.

Suddenly, there was a commotion ahead of them.

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Chapter 298: A Balance of Everything

Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation

People flooded the road ahead, with constant cries and shriek of women.

Ye Chong, upon seeing the sight, frowned. The road was already narrow at the beginning, with half of it occupied by the stalls and stands. And now the little space remained was also occupied by passersby. What had happened inside? Ye Chong did not care, he just wanted to head back to the hotel as soon as possible, away from this ridiculous disaster.

Nevertheless, judging by the situation in front, it would be nearly impossible to squeeze their way out. "Is there any other path?" asked Ye Chong to Tanimatsu.

He turned his head over, "There are a few… but it would be a long detour."

Ye Chong pondered… "Follow me." And he leapt! Like an eagle soaring to the sky, he flung himself over the crowd. The remaining mates immediately understood his plan as they followed quickly. Sang Ling grabbed Tanimatsu, while Guo and Hai Lian had also joined the luggage transit.

A tip landed on one shoulder of the spectator, one more fling into the sky, advancing forward, like a group of frogs hopping over the lily pads.

"What the hell happened!? Did someone step on my shoulder?"

"Jesus Christ! You can't do that for f*ck's sake!"

"Manners of youngsters today!"

"Someone just wants to die today, HUH!"

…

Of course their behavior would be treated as a typical misconduct to be cursed upon. Those spectators were something to have a living here, they were not the one to be bullied; they had seen snobbish behavior but not as shamelessly as this! The people were enraged as they chased after the jumping folks.

"Kek!" Chuckled Sang Ling, as she placed Tanimatsu under her armpit, whistled sharp.

The Sangs switched their positions in the air, "Make it quick." Ye Chong's order came softly but discernible among the disciplined Sangs.

"Yes sir!" The response came in a thunderous flock that the people flinched on the ground. The Sangs were in the air, but they were still capable to dish out something. Conquering peaks and flipping over valleys were the bread and butter of the Sangs back in Archipelago, especially when having a survival race with the beast stampede was their daily chore. Their feet could send them right into the sky, unlike those grounded folks.

Wham! Thup! Thump!

A land crash performed by the Sangs, as they whammed upon the people on the ground.

"The f*cking hell, don't fly your bloody self if you don't know how to!"

"I'm feeling insulted."

Well this move was certainly not okay for Ye Chong and his men. Everyone here knew at least one trick or two in combats. The men were obviously enraged by this blatant provocation. Their blood boiled hotter than the lava, although they had been stopped once after another by the Sangs flawlessly, more and more men joined the forces to hunt those damned fools on top.

It was a typical chase between the chaser and the chased.

Ye Chong and his men were in a blitz of switcheroo as their afterimages intersected repetitively while delivering the land crash like falling star occasionally on the chasers.

The Sangs looked excited upon seeing the chasers tripping themselves like a strike on bowling, Ye Chong was feeling troubled though. He never knew how this would launch such a fiasco in Guilar city, that it felt like a conformity effect, once a man started the chase, the rest followed obediently.

The masked men were extremely skillful in the eyes of these enraged men, they were shocked as they found these masked men striking great similarity with the 8 Jie experts involved in the saga of Foundation city… even though there were obviously more than 8 of them right ahead.

12…13…18…20…?

20? Twenty Jie experts? The figure felt unreal in the head. This would be interesting, thought one of them, as they decided to cause more havoc to test the skills of these masked individuals, to determine if they were the hidden Jie experts.

Dammit I just wanted to get back to my room! What is this fiasco about?

The situation grew more chaotic, as Ye Chong began realizing it would only go more off the tangent if nothing was done at his side. He had a team of well-trained troop with forces matching the Jie experts, but two iron fists still could be no match for hundred arms.

Ye Chong's arms vibrated, his muscles contracted and waved vigorously, Inhale…

HAH! A roar struck the place, which the people stumbled upon, knowing this cry meant nothing else than a metamorphosis, where a great martial arts practitioner hit a turning point of his strength and would undergo an pumped status, the cry was very much different than what they heard too… Was that…

HAH!!! Sang Fan and the remaining men screamed on top of their lungs as well. To the grounded men's disbelief, they seemed to have seen the air particles vibrating, as waves surged through the place. Some of the angry men had already launched themselves but they fell clumsily as disrupted by the sudden roar. A handful of them remained in the air pouncing, their vitality warded them from being force-grounded, but one could see their faces paler than paper.

Jie experts. They are the Jie experts!

20 Jie experts screamed and this happened?!

Ye Chong made a tip on one of the Sangs, Zoom! He launched himself right to one of the mechs parked right outside of a mech store at the roadside. A showpiece.

The men retaining their velocity shifted their sight to Ye Chong, wondering what in the He Yue this masked man was doing.

Ye Chong made a flip and dexterously landed upon the shoulder of the mech.

"Wow!" Some of the few experts in the crowd were hurrahing, as seeing the masked man actually repositioned himself in the air without anything to support on. It felt so unreal and magical.

Ye Chong on top of the mech's shoulder gave a cold gaze to the ground. The street became silent. Sang Ling and the others hopped onto the rooftop of the stores nearby.

Is he going to announce something? Speculated one man in his mind, as he lifted his head up high.

Under such a massive crowd of more than thousands, Ye Chong did something spectacular.

He took a deep breath, he turned to the head of the mech. He raised his leg. Wham! He gave a kick right onto the cheek.

The heck is wrong with him? That's a mech you know! People shrieked, their eyes went wide like saucers.

It's made out of metal, alloys! No matter how sturdy one's body is, it's still made out of flesh! He's injuri- Wait, what?!

Crack.

Thup.

The sound had just shattered reality for everyone.

The cheek of the mech began cracking, then it got chipped off, and it fell onto the ground.

The men just witnessed a piece of alloy irregularly scrapped off from a mech with a kick.

The remaining specks of the spider-web crack Ye Chong created fell along.

The entire surface of the cheek was destroyed, revealing the circuits inside.

The street was dead silent.

…

… … …

… … … … …

"Oh my gosh! My mech! My precious!! You monster!" The man ran towards his mech after his brain rebooted from the major crash of reality. He would love to slice that b*stard into a thousand pieces but that person had vanished by the time he got to the front.

The people were overwhelmed, as they set into another round of fiasco, trying to understand what had just happened.

An ultimate warrior had just appeared out of nowhere, as he shattered the entire piece of alloy barehanded after setting off a threatening scream with his disciplined teammates of twenty, demonstrating inhuman airtime under their masks of no expression.

The summary stormed upon the entire Guilar city.

Residents of He Yue galaxy adored the strength, the martial arts. Those who wielded great strength would no doubt be the idol of many, not to mention real inhuman one like the masked man. It had become a tradition, as everyone disregarding gender, age or sexual orientation, would be required to learn combats since young, as long as they were healthy.

It was as if Guilar City was not chaotic enough with its scattered forces intertwining each other, now there was a new masked force, the situation would be more shaky than ever.

…

Sigh.

Ye Chong was moving… awkwardly. His left foot was naked. Well, thanks to his dramatic kick, the boot could not withstand the force he exerted and just burst like a balloon, even the corner of his pants got torn by the splinters of his boot.

This was another addition to his script he was helpless on. He just wanted to go back to the hotel but things just had to happen. It was as if a mischief from the author to keep him running, when would he ever have the day to settle down and run a noodle store like Grandpa Qian? It was yet another hectic beginning of his runaway, luckily he remembered the shockwave move Shang taught him before. It did not particularly create a real shockwave to drive opponents away, but at least, "It would impose a threat to the fear of the people naturally, once they recognized a greater force was before them. If you demonstrated enough strength from this, it would be as easy as philosophy."

That was why Ye Chong picked the shockwave approach, the surprise was, he never expected the Sangs to join the round. It looked like the scream was not exclusive to the Lan family of September after all. The "Mortal Roar" required extremely expert control over the muscular system as the user would perform dramatic vibration with every piece of muscle deep inside the throat to force the greatest amount of volume.

And Sang actually knew that. Wow… The Aristocrat was sure something deep and profound to be ventured.

Tanimatsu's black eyes shone with worship looking at Ye Chong. Guo and Hai Lian also joined the fandom of submissive respect. Sang Fan and the rest did not feel anything particular though. They had ample experience seeing sir in action, so they knew how far sir could go. Smashing a piece of alloy was nothing new. In Archipelago, the beasts had a way tougher skin than that piece of alloy. Moreover with the reinforcement on their strength via gravity training, their physique was not entirely shabby compared to Ye Chong. In the Sang Family, all were the martial arts elites, nothing new, nothing surprisingly, they did not respect sir for his strength.

But well, under such drastic situation, sir actually was able to come up with such brilliant plan that resolved the issue flawlessly. That was something, as expected from master.

The strength Ye Chong demonstrated was nothing in the eyes of Sangs, but something in the eyes of folks like Hai Lian and those men on the street.

Similarly, the "plan" Ye Chong came up with, was nothing brilliant to educated and strategic folks like Hai Lian and Guo. But it was brilliant to the Sangs.

The Sangs did not admire the strength but the folks did.

The folks did not admire the strategy but the Sangs did.

People would always admire the same person for different quality.

So kids, if you want to live great in this world, you have to have a balance of everything.

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Chapter 299: Child's Play

Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation

Feng Su on her chair, was zoning out, with Rui Bing resting quietly on the bed nearby. Her move worked flawlessly, which normally should leave the opponent in deep sleep for few hours, unless there was external interference to wake her up immediately. Feng Su never failed to knock her foe out with this technique.

Though… why did the head call? What did the head call her for? It was like the first time she was recalled ever since she was assigned to the Sanctuary in the 5 major galaxies.

And she had already been traveling to He Yue galaxy for the past week. It was tormenting to force herself confined on the seat for the past few days. Her vitality was helpful but did not seem to be helpful enough on this long-term travel. The way from 5 major galaxies to He Yue was winding, long and complicating, it was nearly impossible to perform a space warp to save their time. They were forced to travel the traditional way in the end.

"You have arrived at : He Yue Galaxy."

The moment she heard the system notification, she sighed deeply. The pathway there was not as treacherous as one was informed, there was not many accidents reported, but well assuming if any were to happen, she would be too helpless to do a thing. Say if they hit a black hole for example, she would be directly visiting the death. Humanity… was still that minuscule figure in front of the vast, boundless galaxy.

She was piloting a processed model of miniature spaceship, which its structure had been reinforced. Well, the bulkier the spaceship, the less likely it would be comfy. Feng Su always heard whines and wails coming from every passenger who once hopped on that flying armor. The clan would even proudly bestow it the name "Flying Can", despite its superior performance. The speed was great, the handle was too, the turning ability was very active, the mech was even installed with a powerful processor too. One could basically switch to auto-pilot mode in a safe area.

The spaceship was also supplied with nutrition capsules, tons of them, sufficient to sustain a long-term flight. It was not armed with any weaponry however, one could imagine a flying armor with superior defense but zero attack.

And certainly the miniature spaceship could not perform space warp. She had to first travel to Halo Jade, a planet which one of the clan's base located, to transit to a more advanced model of spaceship in order to get back to HQ.

The current progress… she was near Lunaris… It seemed like she still had to travel for quite some time. Lunaris… it brought back memories, she knew it was a planet of black market, and to be frank, she had been frequenting the place before she was assigned to 5 major galaxies, since it was fun shopping there - you could always be surprised when you shop. Only if she was not traveling by under an order of the head, or she would have stopped by. Sigh, she got to return to HQ as soon as possible.

So what exactly had happened in our clan? Thought she, the suspense scorched her heart.

Jeez, no point being impatient now, hold your steer, Feng Su. A tease to herself, she made a stretch, flaunting one split second of her figure. It was absolutely a kind of torture to travel this far, and she was doing it alone.

At that one second, she felt her waist stiffened. She flinched, while her expression was still, as the ace pilot of the clan she had seen way too much death than risk, so she stayed calm.

Who was that?

An icy-looking face swirled upon her, expressionlessly

Impossible! Shrieked Feng Su in her mind, how did she wake up? This had never happened before! She should have been unconscious! And without our unique technique to stimulate her spine, she would not even lift her eyelids!

"Who are you? Why did you do that to me? Where do you want to bring me to?" asked Rui Bing coldly. Her eyes were caught on Feng Su's appearance, that beauty, one has got to admit that it would attract anyone from all walks of life, and she looked far more superior than Rui Bing with those dreamy eyes of hers.

Feng Su ran her schemata in lightning speed. The girl was something, although she had no idea how the girl woke up in the first place, she knew she was doing it right and her move should have left her unconscious at a 100% success rate. Well then, that means the girl probably had some strange abilities to help her break out of the sleeping spell!

Practically, Rui Bing was already at a level of Jie expert by then, while her family's martial arts techniques had always been as incomprehensible to the outside.

"Yikes~~" Feng Su's face twisted, as sweat dripped over her chin, looking pitiful.

"Save your cheap acting. It doesn't work for me," said Rui Bing flatly. Rui Bing knew her strength, and her level of control over it, it would be a joke if a Jie expert like her did not know how to exert the right amount of strength to alarm and not to hurt their opponent.

Rui Bing was firm, and once she got firm, nothing will ever shake her, even when a beautiful lady was wailing in great pain.

"If you like to act so much, just keep acting like someone would care," stated Rui Bing. She took a glance around, and found the shower room. She might be a Jie expert, but she was still a hygienically sensitive lady herself.

She went into the shower room. Tick! Splash… Hush huuussh…

Feng Su withdrew her acting and was feeling wry of the girl. She sure was something. Feng Su had cheated countless men and women with her acting before this. Anyone would have their heart melted the moment they see such a gorgeous woman moaning in pain, like there was once the guardsman of the foe even untied her to check if there was something wrong. She thought it would work always, till she met Rui Bing, who gave total ignorance, rigidly like the ice, sternly like the storm.

Th girl probably had used some kind of binding skill on her. Only if she was facing the one practitioner last time, who fell for her acting and cancelled the binding effect on her. But well, both the personality of the girl and the properties of her skill spelled bad news for Feng Su. She could do nothing else than moving her lips…

30 minutes lapsed and Rui Bing exited from the shower room, with her wet hair slanting over her shoulders and her fair white garb. She washed her white garb too?

"So why? Why did you knock me out?" Leisurely Rui Bing stated.

"I meant no harm. I just saw you practicing on your mech and looking really great. I thought of being your student but I fear you might refuse, so I eventually…" Pursed her lips, Feng Su was looking pitiful.

Rui Bing's face had an avalanche. It was rather common in her field. The mood of seeing an expert while being captivated by the expertise was the frequently occurred emotion in a fighter.

Haha! It worked. Stated Feng Su in her head as she saw the desired expression on her foe.

"I really meant no harm, sister… you are really great. I had never seen any female pilot who was able to perform such technique. Not even the men I supposed, those techniques are really hard to execute," exclaimed Feng Su from her heart, she was in fact surprised, the sisterly greeting was a technique to express respect and favor to her foe.

The lifting voice was exerting some sort of magic, which made people friendly.

It would work even on a girl li-

"Hmph!" And it did not. Alarmed Feng Su.

She thought she had used her best technique, the manipulation of tone, an ability she obtained while she was in the disguise of the well-known singer in the 5 major galaxies. By altering the tone at specific syllable, it would create hallucination to manipulate the foes. Even the mentalist-pilots fell for her, their faces would blush, their controls would go wild. And with her appearance and this technique, of course she had an expansive career.

The girl was totally immune to her voice however, as if she was speaking normal. That was Feng Su's last resort… and it did not work.

That hmph from the foe was clearly a warning, Feng Su could hear it with her ears.

Rui Bing on the other hand was feeling irritated by this magical girl who kept withdrawing new tricks from her sleeves, that Rui Bing feared if she lost her focus for a sec she would be captivated.

"Okay, now I do not want to know anything," stated Rui Bing as she walked towards Feng Su, she rose her palm over the unwilling Feng Su, wham! A blow at the back of the neck. Feng Su fainted.

She lifted Feng Su and placed back onto the bed. She should take around 20 days to wake up. Of course, if she was a Jie expert in dark, it would be less than 10 days she supposed. Though Rui Bing could determine this lady to be rather skillful at combats, she was still nothing close to Jie expertise.

Rui Bing walked towards the control panel and tried pushing buttons sluggishly. Her mind would utterly blank out in the past if she was pushed to a control panel but now she already had the basic idea of mech piloting, that she at least could speculate certain functions on the control panel of the spaceship.

She first prompted the intergalactic map and was stunned by their position. It appeared to be literally foreign to her that she could recognize none of the planets inside, not even a star. And she could not find any of the 5 major galaxies on it.

Where are we? Asked Rui Bing in her, as she glanced at the fainted Feng Su. Nope! She discarded the thought of waking that trickery up to inquire. She checked out the mileage, apparently they would be arriving at Lunaris in a day or so at full speed. Based on the marks on the map, Lunaris was a planet inhabited with humans. Okay then… she tapped the screen and maintained the course.

As long as we have someone there, things would get sorted out themselves.

…

A day passed and they arrived at Lunaris. Rui Bing repositioned the spaceship to fly low and started seeing the scenery on the ground clearly.

The spaceship decelerated and landed on an isolated valley, particularly the shadow of the cliff, so no one would notice it at first glance.

She went up a slope and looked back at the valley, she smiled. Okay, it is invisible, good.

She walked on, since her mech was no longer around she could only rely on her feet. But before leaving the spaceship, she did a few stuffs - she removed every part found on Feng Su, including the dimensional keystone and even the accessories, jewelries on her apparel. She also - since she could not discover any backup mech in the ship - removed the entire battery of the spaceship to prevent this trickery from causing her issues in case she woke up early. She even broke the battery so the spaceship would be an empty can now.

She closed the gate of spaceship so it would be only possible to get out but not to get in, unless by a brutal force shattering the whole piece of armor of the spaceship. Well of course, even if Feng Su woke up and wanted to have a walk outside, it was not an easy task to open a heavy gate of a spaceship without electrical supply either.

Sadly, Rui Bing could not use the dimensional keystone she took from Feng Su, since it required the biological signal of the owner, unless Rui Bing murdered Feng Su… So this piece of keystone was technically a piece of garbage to her. She strolled to a rushing river and thup! She tossed all accessories into the river.

Nirvana was a sad case as it was thrown into the river like pebbles, despite its capabilities and superiority.

Take that! You trickery! Asserted Rui Bing, now that little bit of work would teach her some lesson. Rui Bing's cold face was melting into a naive joy of a little girl completing a big, big mission herself.

Little bit… of work? Wonder how Feng Su would explode when she knew how briefly this immature girl was thinking.

…

Ye Chong had already been in his room for the past 3 days. The model of mech he bought was placed on the desk, along with numerous tools scattered around.

The model of the mech was looks unrecognizable as the armor of its back was removed, revealing the refined build inside.

The development of mech industry… well there had been various theories on it, but one significant one stated that at one point, the mech development branched into two aspects - one was the mechanical mech, another would be the circuit mech.

Yes, the very first mech was wholly mechanical, which some would call the armor as "machine armor / mecha" and the pilot as "mechanics". This did not last however, as 300 years ago, after the advanced circuits were invented, the mechanical gearing was no longer heard, the capability of a traditional mech had undergone a transformation, a leap to a new reign, and that was when people finally called it as "mech" instead of "mecha".

And this very model, was the antique from the record of 350 years ago, when mechanical mech was at its prime. As limited by the technological standard at that period, it was unavoidable to not use a certain mechanism to make the machine armor even move. It sounded traditional yet it was innovative, breathtaking to the people that time.

In most men, this model would be merely an antique, an adornment, which might be occasionally useful in the eyes of the mech researchers. But this particularly item, was priceless in the eyes of Ye Chong.

It has been known that skeletons do not blend well with the electrical circuit - Ye Chong learned this fact painfully when he first developed skeleton parts. But after the visit at Sang family village, the Collision he created had brought him a new avenue to figure. As he lacked the conventional tools to produce the conventional mech, the Collision was his unconventional design, being the mechanical design itself. He was not expecting much from the mech in the beginning, till he saw the power of the Collision in the field.

It was more than sufficient in the hands of the Sangs, as they were able to perform outrageous movements on it. Their attacks were simple yet potent, which toppled Ye Chong's initial understanding on mech performance. It was an era he was in, which demanded more variation on the same move, the fancier the flashier the better, while denying the simple movements claiming them to be primitive and obsolete. Thanks to the Sangs, he saw something new.

The catch was however, he had more intelligibility on circuits than mechanism, which led him this helpless situation at the desk, as if a game-stuck when you realized there was actually a hidden path in the loop of dungeons and you did not have the necessary gear to access it.

The model was precious in the eyes of Ye Chong because not only it retained the form of the ancient, it was also the prime form of the ancient. He hoped he could be inspired somehow as he analyzed its structure and designs.

Certainly, Ye Chong was astonished by the inside of the model the moment he removed the cover.

He had spent the next three days performing calculation. At least he was firm with his fundamentals, which greatly sped up his process of figuring out the working of the inside.

It was amazing. He concluded so as he recognized the wisdom of the ancients. The design looked ridiculous to layman but it turned out to be extremely clever, that Ye Chong felt his Collision was merely child's play, a poorly done treehouse by a 5-year-old.

He believed that modification on Collisions would possibly bring a few levels of elevation at least, after he had understood the structure of this model.

As he thought, his focus shifted back onto the model.

The model was reliably the exact downsized model of the actual piece. If Ye Chong had a shrinking machine he could literally get a soldier to pilot this and go for a miniature space war. And he also realized that it was not an easier task to build this thing as well since most parts were handmade rather than manufactured like most mechanical parts today.

It would take efforts and generous amount of time to build even a model like this.

But who, who would actually invest these to build this insignificant looking toy?

Compared to the 7 mechs lay inside the Sang Family Village 5 centuries ago, this was way more advanced, whether in the aspect of the design concept, the structure. It symbolized the prime of the mechanical mech era.

The problem was… there was so many things he had to learn. Other than the basics he knew nothing of mechanical mech, since as mentioned, the two aspects branched each's way earlier. It was two worlds for mechanical science and circuit science. Ye Chong had to unfold a journey in search of the mechanical theories.

A long, long way it was.

On the dimly lit desk, his face was determined, looking at the puzzle left by the past.

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Chapter 300: The White Streak

Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation

Greda's heart flooded with spite, as few days ago he finally met a lovely lady which struck his heart hard, while being heavenly fortunately single and alone she seemed on the street. He was excited as he headed over, decided to tease her to grab her attention. No doubt, the lady, being as embarrassed and introverted she was, struggled with blushes and twists, which were the trigger to his libido. Gulp! He certainly enjoyed the catcher-and-catched game with pretty girls like her.

The downer was… spectators were gathering around him, like a real dramatic crowd of them where there were literally three circles surrounding the crime scene. The passersby knew who Greda was and of course they would not have the courage to interrupt his enjoyment. He was just surprised that his routine of flirtation was getting so much unnecessary attention.

He was in desire of withdrawing himself. Yes, he was the big guy in Guilar that no one would dare to offend thanks to his father, but anyone with a common sense would know that it was always a risky ride to tour in Guilar everyday, since you would never know what kind of hideous character hid in the crowd as you were teasing a fair lady at the roadside. Greda just feared his daily routine would become a tragedy that even his father would be unable to handle.

Greda was known as the man who was born with a silver spoon, he could have abused the rules using the name of his family but he, like all other Aristocratic members, held that caution to not breach the unwritten rule in the dark.

The situation was awkward, as it would be embarrassing to just eject himself from the place, he was bewitched by the lady too. "What the hell!" There was a loud curse coming from the crowd, with two waves of thunderous roar followed, which nearly frightened him to the ground.

Like seriously? Could human produce waves like this? Greda remained astonished even from reminiscing it. He was unaware of the happening till he was informed about the appearance of 20 Jie experts in the field. Perhaps… speculated he, the thunderous roar was from these 20 Jie experts who seemed to have caused more harm than hurt.

Well, those are some dorks. Who would want to pick a fight with Jie expert? Do they want to die? Commented Greda in disgrace regarding the victims. Sighs, and that was when the pretty girl disappeared from my sight. Life could not be perfect, couldn't it?

Greda's father knew his son well enough, that he employed a group of bodyguards for him, fearing that deafening news of his son's perish. Guilar forbade the flight of mechs, so these bodyguards all fought with fists and kicks rather than fancy gadgets.

And that was how Greda wrote a tale of him being the center of formation of a seeming gangster, as he strolled on the street. He lifted his steps proudly, knowing those truly the danger would not bother about him while the enemies he had made in the past would fear his father.

Sighs, it's life after all. I still could not forget that lady. I could not be bothered with the other ordinary girls on the street ever since. They were so ordinary while she… was otherworldly.

Wait what! Shocked Greda was, as he jerked his step in front of a hotel.

Was the God sympathizing me? His heart raced seeing that one lady. He had viewed countless women but this particular one made his heart race faster than ever. Was she the goddess? The goddess of Venus? The epitome of beauty itself?

About 20 meters in front, a slender silhouette was swinging the curve left to right, with the fine face leaning back and fro - an adorable treat to his eyes…

The hair was glossing as expressively as her eyes, telling a saddening tale he would love to know.

Such naivety! His heart felt hammered.

And that girl was walking towards him, oh, that girl of his memory, of his thoughts day and night. She seemed troubled as ever! She did not notice Greda apparently!

Greda was overjoyed, he tried holding his horse as he signaled his men, who were well-aware of this young master's style. Stampede! Stampede! They marched to her and circled her.

"Oh?!" The girl returned from her mind wonderland as she was shocked seeing Greda's face.

…

"Yawn…" Fifth floor of the hotel, few men were squatting near the window in daze. Sang Fan, Sang Tie, Hai Lan and Guo were having a men's talk to each other. They were absolutely bored, thanks to Ye Chong who seemed to have been engulfed by the room three days ago. They dared not to head out without his permission, since they did not have a proper task to work on either.

"You know those days, I actually hunted down a few Gigadas barehanded."

"Really? Man you're good, it took me forever to kill one… Could you teach me the trick to do it?"

"Well, you're still a boy, this is something only a man knows how."

"Hahaha…" Hai Lian was missing the good old-fashioned slice of life conversation…

"Wait."

"What are these men doing down there?" asked Sang Tie.

"What else?" Hai Lan gave a glance and replied in dismay, "Flirting in public, duh?" Chatting with Sang Tie and Sang Fan was more consuming than he thought. Well if you were to chat with a bunch of butchers from the slaughterhouse you would feel the same too, the topic always revolved around "Battle", "Combats", "Slaughter", "Bloodshed", "How great their blows were". What? Slithering Steps? The conservation and utilization of momentum? Could anyone lend me a dictionary? I need subtitles here. Those gazes, would you stop looking at me and Guo like that? We aren't some ancient tribe who was born to kill animals to survive okay?

My He Yue galaxy, who would dare to challenge insanity like both of you? Cursed Hai Lan in his mind. Oh wait, I should lecture them something on life as well. "So… ever heard of Hitting the Home Run? No it's not about you running back to home!" You could at least say if it was a baseball term, but that's not what I meant! You guys are cavemen for quite a reason I see… "Playboys? Ever tried one?" Tsk, tsk, what happened to good old elementary culture of life? You don't even know the famous brand? "Okay, okay, how about Tomcats?" Added Guo, "It's famous you should have watch- No? You guys never watched it?" Get a life man! Hai Lian and Guo joined forces and hurled back insults at the two Sangs.

"Fine." Concluded that conversation, "So could both of you tell me, what 'flirting' is?" Sang Tie looked confused.

How in the He Yue do I explain you the terms without getting the hideous *xplanation censored? See they even censored hideous' --explanation! No I do not intend to type the naughty word!

"Hmph." Sang Fan gave a disdainful remark, "Such tiny circle yet they actually have 3 major loopholes there, look, my brother, those incompetent fighters there."

Hai Lian somehow saw Guo nearly falling out of the window…

Certainly Greda was unaware of the 4 uninvited guests on top. He would not care too.

"Such fateful encounter! We are still fateful entities I see! The fate between you and I had been determined in our past life." A passionate pick-up line from Greda.

"Shush!" The four men on top shuddered harsh, as Sang Tie looked at Sang Fan in fear, "Don't tell me that you said the same thing when you confessed to Ling…"

The focus was on Sang Fan now and he was noticeably blushing even under that mask of his, "N…nope! Don't be ridiculous!"

Hai Lian and Guo were laughing mad after exchanging glance, "A-anyway!" Sang Fan quickly redirected their steed, "Who are those people down there? Especially that disgusting guy!"

"Greda," stated Guo, "the son of Jin Gui tribe, who seemed to have been enjoying flirtation with the authority of his father."

"Jin Gui?"

"Yes, I had heard things about the tribe," nodded Hai Lan. "They aren't as many as most tribes, but they were fortunate enough to start their family at a strategic location, which contained a rich source of Lithium Gold, they were as rich as you could ever imagine. And I heard about how men in the tribe are more passionate in relationship, that they would - with the strong sense of loyalty of theirs - fall in love with a woman once and only once in their entire life… although I was unconvinced upon seeing Greda, he was the exception, being the typical playboy around."

"Heh!" Guo added, "Every one of them was extremely wealthy, while being loyal in relationship, which made them the best bachelor for the unmarried women. There's even a saying, 'Don't work, don't hide, find a Jin Gui, you'll go sky high.' I guess the women would work their entire life hard enough to get the Jin Guis' attention."

"On the more serious note, the fighters of their tribe were very capable, known for their sturdiness and determination. I would say that's annoying," elaborated Hai Lian.

"Hmmmmmm…" Both Sang Fan and Sang Tie were very intrigued. The moment when Hai Lan mentioned about the fighters got Sang Tie all pumped up, that he would love to jump right off the building and land with a taunt to fight.

But there was a plot twist to their script, as a new character came into the scene. It was another lady, around her early twenties, with a body of a well puberty, her short hair emphasized her character, the hook of her nose expressed indigenous pride.

"Greda. This lady is mine. Would you please excuse me?" Stated she.

"She Xin, I don't see the need of you in this." Greda, seemingly avoidant about this girl, replied.

"Why, why? Greda, can't even give your way to a lady?" She knew what kind of character Greda was, that he would not anger anyone he should not.

"Oh my great, great lady!" Shouted Greda, holding his hands courteously, "Of course I would give my way to a fair lady like yours. But I really love this pretty you have there, please, with your kindness, spare me. I would do whatever as you pleased."

Wow, did Greda really fall for this girl? Surprised Shi Xin was, since she was also well-aware of this playboy's well-doings around. He hardly had promises and now he actually makes one…

Shi Xin, hesitated, took a look at the girl behind her, who was in all fear, fright and surprise.

"Nope!" Declined Shi Xin right away. She just realized her response acted faster than her brain…

"Oh Shi Xin…" Responded Greda, his face darkened, "Are you sure you would not spare me for this?"

Okay, something was wrong. Sensed Shi Xin, "Greda, I guess you know what could happen if you did something to our fellow Shi. Like how your father would see this for example…"

Greda could not care less, "Go! Get the girl!"

"TRY! If you want!!" Shouted Shi Xin as she guarded the girl behind, she could even sense the girl quivering. I must protect her - Shi Xin asserted to herself.

The men were stoned by her shout, being hesitant, "What's wrong? Now all of you are under her command eh?" Greda's tone was calm, yet cold, colder than the blizzard. The expressionless look was telling bloodthirstiness.

"Lady Shi! Our apology for this!" The guardsmen reluctantly seized the lady.

Seriously? I should have brought my own men too! At least I would not be the passive one here! Shi Xin was regretting…

The four men on top were still enjoying the show. Guo and Hai Lian had grown numb over this drama, as they had seen enough brothers of the Aristocratic families doing mischief everywhere on their will. Sang Tie and Sang Fan were new to this, that they were stunned, unable to comprehend even the words. Well, they did not have permission to move from the great sir either…

"Ahhhhh!" The clothes were torn…

"White Streak?!"

"The White Streak Tribe?"

In the midst of fight, the sleeve of the girl was torn, there revealing white streaks like the moon. Oh no! Panicked Shi Xin upon seeing this unfortunate addition to the setting. She shifted her eyes to Greda, I knew it! His eyes were shining bright! The White Streak tribe was known for their beautiful descendants, a treasure some men called them, that the owning these angels would be the most heavenly thing a man could ever do in his life. And the White Streak tribe suffered different tragic tales over their beauty…

The white streaked lady was showing despair…

Hai Lian's body shuddered upon seeing the streaks, as he sprung from the ground, which shocked the fellow men near him. His eyes were changing…

Tick! He jumped off the window.

"Wow when did he get so brave?" muttered Sang Tie, they were five floor tall, any layman like Hai Lian would at least break a bone or two jumping down recklessly like that… The remaining three men stood up and watched in position. They would not move unless with order.

Thump! Hai Lian landed like a falling angel as he jumped off from a fifth floor. Of course he was not as overpowered as those Sangs who trained at 20 times heavier zone daily. The moment he landed, UGH, blood spilled from his lips.

The location he landed though, it was perfect, being right next to the poor girl.

He grabbed the girl without hesitation and did a quick tumble, breaking through the circle. The sudden change n situation confused everybody. They only understood the situation after the boy had left the scene.

"What the hell!" Greda's face was darker than abyss, as he was jumping mad.

Hai Lian did not wish to spare his potential last few moments of his life on viewing how the reaction of those men, he kept running with the lady in her embrace, all the way to the hotel.

"What the hell are you guys doing! Did my father pay you to just stand there? MOVE! UGHHH!" Shouted Greda, as the men hurried their ways towards Hai Lian. It would be embarrassing if the people outside knew they actually let a feeble lady out of their grip that easily!

Hai Lian ran madly, his eyes glued on that gate of the hotel.

Sang Tie was standing by the gate. Yes! I knew I have great brothers! Overjoyed Hai Lian was. The Sangs were short by nature, even Sang Tie the tallest with a height of 1.7 meter seemed like a potential dwarf actor in the crowd. However, when Sang Tie stood there, it just felt so reliable. When Hai Lian was getting to the entrance, Sang Tie tilted his body to the side and let the prince run in.

Thank you* Through the mask, his eyes was expressing that countless appreciation while Sang Tie's eyes were firm, Hai Lian then rolled his way into the lobby.

Sang Tie repositioned himself to block the entrance. The bodyguards gradually slowed down upon seeing this strange masked man standing by the door.

The same mask! They were together! Speculated Greda right away. His usual self would not allow him to go further as he knew how deep and dangerous Guilar could get with unsightly men like these. His family, as well as himself, being the leading group in the town feared shady characters like this. How shady? Greda would say, anyone with a mask and an unknown identity would be the most dangerous as they hid themselves either because of their superhuman ability or because of their sensitive status in the society, none of these would be in the mess-with list of Greda.

But Greda had lost his usual self minutes ago. He felt he had saw the real nemesis of his life, "Move!" Ordered him to initiate a fight, he had lost his rationality.

Heh! Sang Tie gave a cold smile in his mask, if you want a fight, I'll give you a quick fight. It would be a sin if I alarmed sir for this.

Sang Fan was right behind and he knew what Sang Tie was thinking, "Remember to hold back, hurt them, don't kill them," he advised.

Sang Tie gave a nod of understanding. The group of bodyguards was swarming upon him, so he lifted his leg and prepare to deliver his soccer. kick.

Those men were still bodyguards, as they knew what awaited them, their expression changed and the leading one clumsily avoided those afterimages of Sang Tie's moving legs.

The guard fell to the side while Sang Tie maintained his left feet moving, lifted his right leg and whipped directly on the guard.

"Youchhh!" Shrieked the guard as being sent to the air and whammed upon the crowd behind.

The crowd collapsed.

People were gasping.

Chapter 301: Compatriots

Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation

"You should be thinking of an explanation for sir later," said Sang Fan as he patted Hai Lian, expressing concern. Hai Lian looked at Sang Fan appreciatively. The girl from the White Streak tribe was looking around in fright. Her body was shaking as confused by the surrounding. The happening had alarmed the entire tribe in the building, other than those guarding Ye Chong's room, the remaining Sangs had ran downstairs.

Sang Ling grabbed Sang Fan to a corner immediately after her arrival, having an interrogation with Sang Fan.

The guardsmen of Greda had tasted the kick of Sang Tie as they retreated into their trembling posture, stumbled. "What the hell are you guys doing! Move! Move! Move!" Greda's scolding did not work as well as Sang Tie's kick. The guardsmen were not dumb to be unable to recognize the power of the masked man. It was a total horror and their sacrifice would not be avenged by the great master. Greda's father did not seem to be a figure to be as hot-tempered as his son.

Greda's face got paler, the authority of his father that had been protecting him over the days seemed to have faded away.

Shi Xin was also in astonishment, the masked man was too potent and she even saw a few others of his kind wavering inside the hotel. She could not help but to begin speculating the identity of this hidden group.

The Ye family? I mean… Only Ye family is befitting of such combat ability among the aristocrats. They are different, very different, contrary to most practitioners, the Ye family members are all slender figures, yup, quite as slender as this masked man. Only the sole branch of Ye family could wield such strength too.

But weird… the core family members have always been low-profiled. They are the mythical figure in He Yue galaxy, they had hardly revealed themselves. These men were known to be the elite, not only they possess great command of combats, they are also superior in their piloting, thus being identified as one of the strongest pilot groups. Their outstanding close combat has bestowed them a recognizable position in He Yue galaxy.

Well, a team of elites of Ye family guarding a particular building. Could it be… Shi Xin could feel her fear overtaking her rationality, could it be the head of Ye family himself? If it really was him… Lunaris would be facing the greatest fissure in its history…

WOW! The men screamed the moment Sang Tie lifted a kick again. The city never lacked a bunch of bums to help cheering the big man eh?

But Greda was angered, as he picked a stone from the ground and tossed violently at the guardsmen, "Rubbish! Do your work already!" His expression was twisted, insanity had raided his fearsome eyes. The flirtious gentleman had long become a past.

The guardsmen were displeased of this insulting behavior but they dared not to word it. That did not mean they would take it like a puppy under command, one bodyguard gave a side kick and sent the rock off into the sky.

Oh no… Thought Sang Tie as he saw where the rock was traveling.

…

Ye Chong was analyzing the model. He felt he had picked the perfect place for his research as the room was fully soundproof and he was having his own space, undisturbed by the outside. Peace and qu-

Klank!

Ye Chong was astonished as he shifted his sight over the source. The window was… broken? There were cracks over the window, seemed to be reminding him something had happened. He got up from his seat and walked to the window.

There were a crowd below.

What had happened?

…

Meanwhile, Rui Bing walked on. She had generally lost her sense of direction, fortunately she brought a generous supply of nutrition capsules and water or she would be long dead out of starvation or thirst. "Inhabited with humans my foot!" Rui Bing kicked the sand angrily, as she had hardly met with anything human.

Her snow-white face was tainted by dirt and fatigue, her fair white garb had already been dirtied by the dust. Her determination remained untouched however, as she called it a trial, a training to her dignity.

She marched through the sandy place.

She had marched for the past 10 days. With her speed being a Jie expert, the mileage would be great, she felt she had traveled half the globe yet she had seen nobody. She did encounter lots of animals though. The animals could have been a good source of food to anybody else but her, as she was a vegetarian.

The wind was whispering through the sleeves of her dirtied garb. It was as if offering her a ride to the west.

She looked out afar, the summits seemed to be breathing, the height varied, she could feel the life of nature, a refreshing sensation. Being a girl who grew up in the metropolitan, she had never viewed the beauty of Mother Nature herself. The chilling breeze of the peak seemed to have sent her fatigue away.

Ah!

She saw something! Down the slope, there seemed to be a spaceship there. Tidied her garb, she hopped down and began dashing like a white eagle.

…

"Old Wang, how was it? Could you fix it?" asked Shi Chongming as he lowered his body.

Old Wang did not reply, his hands constantly moving from one circuit to another, his hands shifting back and fro, from the screen of the machine to the circuit.

Three minutes lapsed, "Ugh!" Collapsed Old Wang, "I can't seem to fix it. Damn! I did not expect the Refraction Spring to be broken. This thing should be the last thing to break, but why? We don't have anything like that in our storage…"

"Oh no…" Frowned Shi Chongming, "The Second Young Miss was still waiting inside the cabin. She was not allowed to ride a mech ever since she was born and we are 5000 kilometers away from Guilar… there's no other city nearby either…"

"It's my fault." Old Wang looked troubled. "I should have placed a Refraction Spring in the storage. What should we do now?"

"I think we could only contact the Third Young Miss for the moment… see if she could send a spaceship here," muttered Shi Chongming as he turned on the communicator and hurried himself into the cabin.

"Miss, my apology but the spaceship seemed to be beyond repair at the moment," stated Shi Chongming courteously.

"Oh… what should we do then?" Shi Yinfu's sweet voice rang in panic, "I ha contacted the third young miss."

"What did my sister say?" said Shi Yinfu, her gaze jumping around Shi Chongming, which confused the man, "She said Guilar is in a sticky situation right now, so she hoped that we could arrive at Guilar much later. And she was out of hand. She ordered us to take our time."

"Did something happen there?" Shi Yinfu sounded really nervous now. She had a strong bond with her young sister so she was worried.

"Hmm…" Muttered Shi Chongming, "Something should have happened… judging by her tone, it sounded grim. But don't worry, the third young miss is very capable, she could handle anything."

"True… sister is much capable than I," Shi Yinfu relaxed, who then sighed, looking dejected of her statement, "Well, it's good too, we could have some leisure looking at the scenery around. Uncle Ming, how do you think?" She forced a smile.

Shi Chongming who captured that tiny gesture of the girl, feeling his heart aching, also forced a smile, "Yes, miss. I had been the plain only on a trial when I was much younger. It's been quite sometime…"

A shriek was heard.

Shi Chongming flinched… he whispered, "I'll have a look."

"Take care," nodded Shi Fuyin in a smile.

He headed out and saw a running figure coming towards them.

It was Rui Bing.

She quickly held her steps, from total mobility to zero. Such skill! Shi Chongming complimented.

The tainted garb, the dirty face, it must be a practitioner in training! And it was a girl!

It was a rare sight to see a female practitioner, especially one who would undergo a tedious training like this. Only the practitioners who had mastered the skills would undergone a harsh training to further hone their skills.

Shi Chongming was also a practitioner himself and he had undergone similar training when he was younger, so he knew how tedious the training could be, he felt impressed of the girl's bravery.

"My sincerest apology for causing such havoc." Being alert, Rui Bing acted politely as she bowed at the far, "Would fellow gents tell me the direction to the nearest city?"

The voice was clear, the tone was soothing, exuding a different kind of sensation to the ears, a pleasing personality. Shi Chongming was again, impressed, for such girl maintained her modesty despite her masterly skills.

Shi Chong suddenly was inspired. He got an idea!

…

… …

"What the heck just happened?" Ye Chong's flat voice was giving shudders to everybody. As more men had gathered by the gate, Sang Fan and his gang had started feeling stressful. Sang Tie was as if fighting the Great War, guarding the entrance surrounded by crowd. The strength he demonstrated was great, so no one dared to step to the front to provoke.

The Sangs converged their sight at Hai Lian in disconcert, wondering why Hai Lian would want to save this lady, since it was not a culture for them to save strangers from a fight.

Hai Lian pulled the White Streak girl away and kneeled before Ye Chong, he begged in shriek, "PLEASE! Sir! Please save my compatriot! Please! I plead you!" He torn his right sleeve and there revealed… also the same white streaks.

"Ah!!" The girl was shocked, "Ha…ha…" Her tears were wetting her eyes, that was the first compatriot she had ever seen other than her mother.

Ye Chong was silent, because he was not sure of the situation yet.

Hai Lian knocked his head on the ground vigorously as he kneeled, a typical sincerest begging position at the most pathetic plight out of the greatest desperation. His forehead was bleeding, the girl at the side was crying, pulling the arm of Hai Lian, muttering an imperceptible language as distorted by her sobs.

"Sang Fan." Ye Chong frowned, "Lift him." He pointed, at the manically behaving Hai Lian, whose forehead was stained by streams of his blood and tears. It was terrifying especially with more blood dripping from the corners of his lips.

Sang Fan forcefully lifted Hai Lian. The strength was so great, Hai Lian could not even struggle.

The compatriot grasped Hai Lian, like a treasure, a long-lost brotherhood, as her tears showering her pretty face, mumbling unknown words.

Sang Ling could not see this scene anymore.

"Guo Ren, mind briefing me what happened?" He would like to ask Hai Lian but that guy seemed to have lost his ability to speak currently, so he asked Guo the Old Chief instead.

So Guo gave a briefing on the backstory of the White Streak tribe, which gave a shock to everyone. "Dammit!" Angered Sang Tie, "This is inhuman! These people are cruelty! Lian my brother, no worries! Nobody would dare to even touch you with me at your side!" He tapped his chest and demonstrated deep brotherhood. The remaining Sangs seemed to be enraged of this bloody fact as well.

Sang Tie's passion was great, but sometimes too great with that booming voice of his. The others could feel their eardrums rupturing, including the white streak girl, "Tie!" Shouted Sang Ling, "Sir is just right here! Have some manners! If you want to shout, shout elsewhere!"

Sang Tie withdrew himself, feeling embarrassed.

Normally, if something tragic happened to a total stranger, Ye Chong would refuse to even express his slightest sympathy, since there were many, many more people who had suffered worse fate… like he himself for example, who did not even know who his parents were. But well, Hai Lian was still a partner of his, so no way he could ignore this.

He turned his head to Sang Fan, "Tell Sang Huo to move everyone here. We would be meeting 10 kilometers outside the city. Be prepared."

"Yes sir!" Replied Sang Fan, the Sangs were looking happy while Hai Lian crashed the ground with his knees again, "T-t-t-t-t-thank you."

The White Streak girl also kneeled along. Hai Lian was having blood and sweat staining his face, as they dripped to the carpet, "From n-n-n-now on…" His voice rang hoarsely, "My life would be yours." Worshipped he along with his compatriot.

"What is going on?"

"Did the masked man send a rock flying five floors high?"

"The Masked Man is a danger."

"They did it again?"

The crowd was collecting at the hotel and did not intend to leave as they looked at the strange group inside the lobby.

At this stage, it would be impossible to cover up their whereabouts anymore. They had been dragged under the spotlight. Well then, it is time to gamble again.

Thought Ye Chong as his eyes traveled through the rumbling crowd outside the hotel, setting afar.

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Chapter 302: Old Chief Guo's Idea

Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation

The Three Aristocratic Families all received the information. They immediately noticed the link between these 20 Jie experts and the 8 Jie experts that appeared in Foundation city. With that, countless people were deployed to Lunaris.

At the same time, in the auction of the Unmanned Black Market, 30 lavagold bullions were sold at a sky high price to a mining company. This was the purest lavagold anyone had ever seen in the Unmanned Black Market. No one knew how the 30 lavagold bullions were extracted to produce with such high purity. The auction may not be particularly well known, but those who participated were all aristocrats.

In fact, the aristocrats were not interested in the 30 lavagold bullions themselves, but the method of extraction. However, identifying the seller in the Unmanned Black Market was more than difficult.

In Guilar city, a thousand-strong battalion were advancing fast in the deserted plains. All of them wore a silver mask. Fortunately, many of the people in Guilar city wore masks too, so they did not particularly stand out. Even so, the deathly aura coming from them was conspicuous.

That said, anyone who could survive in Guilar city would be intimidating.

The hotel where Ye Chong settled down was already crowded. There were many who still were quickly making their way towards the hotel.

Greda was already much calmer by now. He knew that he could not win, and so he said, "Fine, you're the man. Humph, we'll do it your way!" He spoke venomously. The guards around him all relaxed at that.

Ye Chong could hear the grudge in Greda's voice, and his eyes gleamed coldly. Ye Chong was in no habit of leaving potential threats alive.

"Capture them all," Ye Chong pointed at Greda and his gang.

Of all the spectators in the hotel's main lobby, a masked man pointed at Greda, and immediately, seven figures appeared in the room.

"Jie experts!" Someone gasped. Just like that, all the observers were thrilled. They kept their eyes wide open, unwilling to miss anything.

The seven figures moved so quickly that they only appeared as an afterimage. One could hear the dull sound of punches coming from Greda and his gang. The spectators could barely see the shadows of the seven figures as they attacked.

The crowd was riled up. These must be the legendary Jie experts! No one paid attention to Greda. The playboy was notorious in Guilar city, and everyone had only tolerated him because of his father. Now that he had met his match, many were happy that he finally got what he deserved.

In less than half a minute, Greda's gang were all rounded up. Greda suffered the worst, his body covered with patches of green and black. Sang Tie had vented all his anger from hearing the fate of the White Streak tribe on Greda.

The arrogant gangsters were now all curling into themselves on the ground, moaning in pain. Old Chief Guo whispered into Ye Chong's ear, "Boss, the Jin Gui tribe is rich, how about we …" As he spoke, he rubbed his right thumb and middle finger together.

Ye Chong's eyes brightened, and he nodded. "Okay, I leave it to you."

Old Chief Guo signalled his understanding, and approached the gang. He gave them a few kicks here and there, like he was teasing some animal.

"Alright, it's you." Old Chief Guo pointed at a guard on the ground, and the guard turned paled, thinking that he was about to be finished off. "Get up, get up," Old Chief Guo ordered impatiently. "I'll let you go now. You'll go to your tribe leader, tell him that your Young Master has offended our master. Tsk tsk, not only that, he even wanted to harm our master. So, your Young Master's staying with us. However, our master is mindful of the good relationship between your side and mine, and doesn't want to make things worse. As long as your tribe pays up, your Young Master will be returned to you all safe and sound. Understood?"

Knowing that he was safe for now, the guard was overjoyed, and quickly nodded. "Understood, understood."

"Alright." Old Chief Guo seemed satisfied. "Every guard will cost you five million credits. We'll let you off free of charge as a sign of goodwill. There are 12 guards here, so 60 million credits should be good. The Young Master is a man of status, so, let's make it 20 million credits." Old Chief Guo abruptly spoke with deep menace, "The total is 80 million credits. You have two hours. Hehe, there will be no deal after that. Understood?"

The guard swallowed heavily and nodded vigorously. "Un - understood …"

"Then scram! Remember, two hours!" Old Chief Guo glared at him.

"Yes, yes …" The guard bowed and nodded, and quickly turned to leave, like he was pursued from behind.

Sang Tie sidled up to Old Chief Guo and walked around him, studying the man curiously as he tsk-tsked in awe. Old Chief Guo looked at Sang Tie oddly, feeling his face for a moment as he asked in confusion, "Tie, what is it? Something on my face?"

Sang Tie replied jokingly, "Old Guo, I didn't expect you to have a few tricks yourself, been breaking the law before haven't you? Heh, what a daring sum, five million credits for one person, you're quite the greedy man."

Old Chief Guo was embarrassed by the tease, and explained reluctantly, "I did it for the squad, we're poor after all. Besides, to these people, five million is just a speck. Look at him," he pointed at the moaning Greda, "It's probably just his casual annual allowance."

Sang Tie looked at Greda, and felt angry all over again. The Sang tribe members had to go through so much to earn a little money, but this b*stard's annual spending was already in the millions. He could not help but gave Greda a few "extra gentle" kicks.

"Hiss!" Greda inhaled sharply in pain, his body contorted backwards like a bow, and his eyes bulged like a fish's. The guards around him quivered in fear as they looked nervously at Sang Tie.

Sang Ling could not help but let out a little laugh as she watched Sang Tie and Old Chief Guo doing their thing. Her cold eyes instantly melted into a blooming spring, and Sang Fan could only stare dreamily from her place.

The hotel was crowded, but no one dared to step into the empty space before the entrance. They all believed in the absolute strength of Jie experts. Besides, wasn't there a rumor a few days ago of a Jie expert crushing a mech's armor with only bare hands?

Shi Xin watched indifferently, unmoved by the fight. The only thing that confounded her was the fact that Ye Chong and his group had actually demanded ransom. The Shi family and the Jin Gui tribe were close. While the Shi family had a wide and more superior influence, both sides had cooperated with each other on even ground. In any case, she still had to pay her dues.

After some pondering moments, she made up her mind. Shi Xin stepped forward alone, bowing in the direction of the hotel's entrance and hailed, "I am Shi Xing, from the Shi family of Tian Xing Cove. Greetings." She greeted the way a junior would a person with higher seniority.

The Shi family was well known. The crowd that had only quieted down now came to life again.

"Shi Tiancheng has a respectable daughter!" Amidst the crowd, a middle-aged man commended as he watched Shi Xin with interested. A woman who could act so calm and dignified before a large crowd was stately and impressive.

"Shi Xin, female, age 24. Went for external training at age 17. Her outstanding performance led the tribe leader and her father, Shi Tiancheng to recognize her as a talent worth nurturing. She was involved in a series of significant events such as the Shi and Jin family alliance and the Shi family negotiation. Besides that, on March 20th last year, she was secretly engaged, her partner remains unidentified." A fair-skinned and handsome young man who stood beside the middle-aged man commented swiftly. The middle-aged man wore a mask, and was surrounded by guards.

The middle-aged man smiled and said nothing.

Old Chief Guo stepped forward at Ye Chong's signal and said, "Well met, well met. What can we do for Miss Shi?" Initially, he was quite uptight, but he soon played his role smoothly. Life was truly mysterious. A few months ago, he was still in the lowliest ranks of society. Now, he could speak on even ground with the likes of the aristocrats like the Shi family.

Shi Xin spoke respectfully, "Begging your great indulgence, Uncle Roland had always took care of me, and Greda is like a sibling to me. His offense to you and your own was most disgraceful. However, he is also young, rash, and ignorant. Please consider forgiving him. He would definitely see the error of his ways and make amends."

The middle-aged man could not help but applaud, "She can speak well." The young man beside him did not look so impressed. The middle-aged man sighed to himself and explained, "The girl is discreet. She's not familiar with the other party, so she chose not to speak in the name of the Shi family. She spoke only of herself, about her gratitude to Roland, and asked for mercy based on their sibling-like relationship. This way, not only would she not offend the other party, they might even commend her for her willingness to repay another's kindness, and chose not to make things difficult for her. Impressive!"

Seeing the middle-aged man being so generous of praise, the young man could not help but feel unconvinced. "These social etiquettes are common."

The middle-aged man took a glance at him and said plainly, "To act decisively and appropriately before thousands of people, before 20 Jie experts, is that something you can do?"

The young man was silent for a long moment in deep thought, as he finally felt shame. "I've underestimated the situation."

While Old Chief Guo did not like the aristocratic arrogance in Shi Xin, the girl was still alright in other respects. He laughed and said, "Miss Shi, no need to worry, you'll find out in a moment."

Shi Xin realized then that the other party did not intend to kill Greda. She bowed again respectfully and said, "You have my sincerest gratitude," and retreated into the crowd.

With his part done, Old Chief Guo heaved a sigh of relief and made to return to the hotel. Just then, another person emerged, leaping out from the crowd.

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Chapter 303: The Disciples Come in Droves

Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation

"Greetings sir, my name is Zhang Sunli!" Zhang Sunli had a squarish face, with thick brows and large eyes. He was a fine man, his muscular body reaching 180 meters in height. He was obviously a man of emotions. His palms were calloused, and he behaved courteously.

"Oh, how can I help you?" Old Chief Guo looked curiously at the 30 year old-ish man.

Zhang Sunli affected a look of respect and bowed slightly before replying, "Zhang Sunli has trained in combat since young, and has always worked hard. However, due to the lack of a capable teacher, I've not have much success thus far. Your warriors are all strong, in the realm of Jie, something we all dreamed of achieving. I beg your greatest indulgence to please consider having me by your side. I would not dare to wish to be accepted into your clan, only that you'll allow me to assist your miscellaneous tasks." Zhang Sunli spoke sincerely and with determination.

Old Chief Guo was stunned. The man was asking to be a disciple! However, he could sympathize with Zhang Sunli's desire. There were many people just like Zhang Sunli in society. Old Chief Guo himself was in his position before. However, he had chosen to train as a mech pilot instead. He had also trained hard from childhood, but without an eminent teacher to guide him, he could only barely pass as a mech pilot now.

With this precedent in place, others followed. The crowd began to make similar requests. "Please have me too, please have me too!"

"That's right, that's right, if I can have a Jie expert as my teacher, there's hope for me just yet!"

"Please accept me, please accept me. I have good fundamentals, I work hard …"

The crowd was boiling with enthusiasm as the people all stepped forward to offer themselves. Old Chief Guo was suddenly their gateway to success.

Old Chief Guo was shocked. He never expected people to ask to be his disciple! Zhang Sunli was also shocked. He did not imagine that his actions would lead to this madness.

Old Chief Guo grew troubled. Ye Chong and the rest inside the hotel also turned wary. The situation was getting risky. If someone was instigating the crowd, then they might lose control of the situation. No matter how strong Ye Chong and the group was, they would not be able to handle a huge crowd like this.

Old Chief Guo dared to linger further, and quickly ran into the hotel. Heck, given the situation, if he continued to stay where he was, he might just be overrun by the crowd.

Ye Chong was also looking a little grim. Sang Tie quickly brought Old Chief Guo over. Just as Old Chief Guo stepped into the hotel, his comms device rang. Old Chief Guo took a look at it, and his panic dissolved away instantly. He ran to Ye Chong and cried, "Sir, our items are sold."

Ye Chong was overjoyed. The only reason he was still on Lunaris was because the money was not yet transferred to his card. Just then, the credits from the lavagold auction were registered in his card.

Sang Fan added then, "Sir, Huo and the others are already outside the city, ready to move."

Ye Chong ordered Sang Tie, "Get Hai Lian and the other one here, we're leaving the city." After that, he turned to Sang Fang and said, "Ask Sang Huo to prepare to receive us."

The crowd outside was still brimming with excitement, but no one had dared to enter the hotel. The Jie experts were still scary, after all.

Ye Chong and his group packed up. Ye Chong himself had no interest in the potential disciples outside like Zhang Sunli. Zhang Sunli himself was already buried in the crowd. Greda and his guards were of insignificance now.

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Chapter 304: Roland's Gamble

Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation

Roland was deeply anxious. He cursed the no-fly zone around Guilar city, but recalled that he had actually voted for it to be set up. He smiled wryly to himself. Greda was too disappointing. His son's usual troublemaking was tolerable, since other people would be wary of him and leave his son be. But now, Greda had messed with those Jie experts!

Roland had decided to pay the ransom. He would give his son a good smacking, see if he would dare do this again! "To think that he had went against Jie experts because of a mere woman! The stupid boy will die in a woman's hands if this continues!" Roland cursed inside.

However, the Jie experts were not trying to make things difficult for him. Roland knew this from experience. 80 million might be a tremendous figure for the commoners, but it was only a drop from the ocean for him. Why would Jie experts be in need of money? It would be such a joke. Any aristocratic would pay more than this to the Jie experts. It seemed that the other party only wanted to make a tiny show of punishment to Greda.

Killing at the slightest provocation was not befitting of a Jie expert.

What would Ye Chong and his group think if they knew Roland's thoughts on them? Roland ran fast. Even though he was Tribe Leader, he was also one of the tribe's elites when he was young, and had even completed his own ascetic training. He was a formidable fighter in his own right.

Roland's group was much more formal than Ye Chong's. Full security measures were taken with the Tribe Leader himself making an appearance, . More than 300 guards clad in black close-fitting combat suits surrounded Roland at the center. The group advanced quickly, but none of them showed any signs of fatigue, evenly breathing as they were. Their procession attracted attention along the way.

Roland arrived just when the crowd's enthusiasm in requesting acceptance into Ye Chong's group was at its peak. The guards around Roland noticed the dense crowd, and forced a way through. The people pushed out of the way turned back to glower and yell, but when they saw who it was, they forcefully stopped themselves from uttering their first words.

Roland and his guards entered the scene, and the crowd gradually quieted down to a deafening silence. Anyone who survived long enough in Guilar city would recognise the Jin Gui tribe's leader. Now that the Tribe Leader was here to save his own son, anyone who made a misstep here will have to bid farewell to Guilar city.

"I am Roland, greetings!" Roland stood formally and bowed. Attaining Jie was no mean feat. Usually, one attained Jie at around 50 to 60 years of age. Hence, Roland chose to speak in a respectful tone.

Ye Chong and his group was about to leave when Roland's voice grinded them to a halt. Ye Chong took a glance at Greda and signaled to Old Chief Guo. Old Chief Guo took his meaning and walked out of the hotel with deliberate ease.

"To have Tribe Leader Roland himself visiting, you honor us!" Old Chief Guo did not sound very honored.

Roland spoke pensively, "My unworthy son has behaved most inappropriately to offend you and your company, he deserves the harshest of punishments."

Old Chief Guo laughed. "Tribe Leader Roland, you exaggerate. Boys are boys, it is in their nature to be petulant, he just needs a little education. Alright, back on topic, do you have money ready, Tribe Leader?"

The crowd was stunned. A Jie expert was asking for money!

"Here is a billion credits. Please accept it with my sincere apologies." Roland produced a purple-gold card.

A Tribe Leader in all his power and glory was openly negotiating with a group of Jie experts. It was too outrageous!

Most of the people stared at the card, panting greedily. A billion credits was an impossible figure for the average commoner.

However, Roland did not hand over the card to Old Chief Guo. Instead, he bowed down deeply and said, "Roland has a request as well, if all of you would be so kind to consider it!"

"What is this request ?" Old Chief Guo looked at Roland, intrigued.

"Roland's unworthy son is impossibly stubborn, and Roland acknowledges his inability to educate him any further. However, if he continues like this, he will never succeed in life. Roland would ask for you and your group to accept him as a disciple. Roland would not expect him to be a Jie expert like yourselves, only that you would change his ways for the better."

Taking a disciple? Boss would never agree, Old Chief Guo was certain of it. Before he could reject the man, however, Roland's next words came like a bomb, "Roland would offer 50 billion credits as the teaching fee for Greda!"

50 billion credits! The crowd went mad! Just what in the world was 50 billion credits worth? A Moonlight mech cost 30 thousand credits. A small-sized starship was worth two million credits. A mid-sized starship was 30 million credits. A large-sized starship was five billion credits.

This was the price of ten large-sized starships! Even the powerful Trilobita Mech Squad had only 15 large starships, and that was the result of decades of savings.

Old Chief Guo hesitated, and replied, "Please wait a moment, we will discuss this."

The middle-aged man in the crowd sighed, "The old fellow's cunning."

The handsome young man beside him countered, "He knows nothing about the other party, how could Tribe Leader Roland act so rashly?"

"You don't understand!" The middle aged man said, "He's taking a gamble!"

"A gamble?" The young man's handsome features twisted in confusion.

"Yes. Greda's upbringing is such that Roland can no longer make his son behave. Besides, the old fellow's busy with his own work, and has no time to take care of Greda. Roland is gambling with 50 billion credits for a chance to mold his son into a better person. Don't forget, the Jie experts are mysterious, affiliated with no aristocratic family. If they really accept Greda as a disciple, the Jin Gui tribe might just find themselves an ally. Roland is crafty."

The young man was unconvinced. "But no one knows the background of these Jie experts, why would he feel that his son will be safe with them?"

The middle-aged man took a glance at the younger man and said, "Remember, a man of status must have the right mindset. He can always bear another son, but this opportunity will not present itself again. He is now given a golden opportunity for both Greda and the Jin Gui tribe. If Greda continued the way he was, he will never be a man of substance. Roland loved his son, that's why he's willing to invest with 50 billion credits for him, and for the Jin Gui tribe."

The middle-aged man added, "In this world, nothing comes without risks."

The handsome young man pondered for a moment before asking, "If it was you, would you make the same decision?"

"I will," the middle-aged man answered without hesitation.

"Third Young Miss," an old servant came to Shi Xin. Shi Xin was surrounded by more than a dozen guards. They were either openly or discreetly protecting her .

Shi Xin did not turn to look at him. "Uncle Hua, you're all here." Uncle Hua was one of the people she trusted most. Growing up in an aristocratic family, she would always be accompanied by an attendant. Attendants often come from the families that branch out from the main aristocratic bloodline. They were all excellent in combat and managing tasks, and they were loyal to the aristocratic family. Uncle Hua was Shi Xin's attendant. He had watched over her ever since she was born.

Uncle Hua did not look his age. His skin was smooth and fair despite being over 50 years old. He spoke with a mellow voice, "The starship that Second Young Miss is on is stranded, should we deploy some men to assist?"

"No need, they just got in touch with me. I asked them to take their time arriving to Guilar city. The city is in a state of unrest now. Second Young Miss has always been fragile, it will not do for her to be troubled." Shi Xin asked, "Uncle Hua, did you bring the card?"

Uncle Hua nodded. "Here. Isn't this for buying mechs from the Xue Lan clan?"

"It was. Let me have the card for now, we'll see how it goes. We might not be getting mechs." Shi Xin looked meaningfully at the hotel.

Uncle Hua and the rest had just arrived, and was not aware of previous proceedings. However, Uncle Hua did not hesitate and handed over the card to Shi Xin.

Shi Xin would never imagine that her second elder sister, Shi Fuyin had gotten into trouble just then.

The group chatted amiably. Shi Chongming described to Shu Fuyin his ascetic training experience while he was younger, and Shi Fuyin could not help but gasped again and again at his misadventures. Rui Bing still looked like her usual cold self, but she was getting eager to try out this strange method that they called ascetic training.

She realized that the annoying but beautiful woman had brought her to unfamiliar territory, a place not part of the Five Galaxies. When she first found out that she was no longer in the Five Galaxies, her first thought was that she might never see Ye Chong again. The thought made her deeply aggrieved.

Perhaps this was her fate. Rui Bing sighed quietly to herself pitifully. She was in no mood for conversation, and maintained her silence throughout the journey. No one dared to approach her for a chat, since she was obviously a cold person. Aside that, ever since her surprising demonstration of her skills that day, any admirer of hers would now be revising their judgment of their own merits.

Just how strong was this cold woman? Shi Chongming was very curious.

Nonetheless, Shi Fuyin had developed a fondness for Rui Bing, and always entwined her arm with Rui Bing's. Rui Bing was also sympathetic towards a fragile lady like her. Besides, back at home, Rui Su had always liked to embrace her as well, so the intimacy was not unfamiliar.

On the other hand, Shi Chongming was secretly happy to see Rui Bing and the Second Young Miss being so close.

The dry weather had caused the earth to crack beneath them. The deserted plain was only occasionally interrupted by a few crooked gray-brown salix willows.

Rui Bing abruptly halted. Her expression turned severe as she listened intently.

Everyone else was startled.

"Careful!" Rui Bing's eyes turned sharp.

The group was still confused when they heard a disquieting rustling sound becoming clearer and clearer. Zhi Chongming grew nervous.

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Chapter 305: Crisis

Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation

The cracks on the ground suddenly glowed light blue. Everyone was stunned by what they were seeing, except for Shi Chongming. Shi Chongming's face was already drained of blood as he gasped, "Blue Crown Serpents!" He had seen this animal before during his ascetic training. Back then, he had watched from up high and afar at the chilling blue light. It was only when the blue light receded that he carefully approached the place to take a closer look. For kilometers around where the blue light had been, he could only see mechs reduced to useless wreckage.

The already startled group turned a shade paler.

On the ground, a misty blue light leaked out of the cracks. It would have made for an astonishing sight from high above the skies. The blue light stretched outwards for a few kilometers.

The rustling sound became louder and louder. Shi Chongming acted first. He deployed his mech while the rest of the guards recovered from their shock and took out their mechs next. However, Shi Chongming knew that, even with his mech out, it was already too late.

Blue Crown Serpents lived beneath the earth's surface, and only emerged occasionally. They were naturally vicious and moved quickly, making them terrifying creatures. More importantly, they often appear without warning.

The guards' mechs were already out, the pilot cabins opened. The guards rushed to their mechs like their lives depended on it.

"Imb*ciles, come back here. D*mn it, are you leaving the Second Young Miss behind?" Shi Chongming was infuriated by the escaping guards.

The guards stopped in their tracks and looked to each other. They quickly turned back. Shi Chongming was right. If anything happened to Shi Fuyin, they would not survive for long even if they outlived the young lady. Unlike normal hired guards, the guards assigned to protect the aristocrats themselves were all chosen from their own clan or tribe. The guards families were all with the aristocrats. If they left the Second Young Miss to escape themselves, not only would they be punished by death when they returned to the tribe, their families would also suffer greatly.

Their escape just then was done out of instinct to save themselves. Shi Chongming's yelling had brought them back to their senses. Shi Chongming sighed to himself. The Second Young Miss rarely headed outdoors. These bodyguards were all inexperienced, and had panicked when trouble arrived.

He stole a glance at the cold female combat expert, and found her to be completely at ease. Just her reaction was enough to prove her superiority over everyone else here. Shi Fuyin had always stayed close to her parents, never experiencing anything so frightening like this. She quivered in fear and held on tightly to Rui Bing, her face as white as a sheet.

In just the blink of an eye, the blue light suddenly glowed more intensely. Rui Bing finally saw the Blue Crown Serpents clearly. Each snake was two to three meters long. The source of the blue light was a glowing pattern on its body. On its belly was a muscular protrusion and at the tip of the snake's head was a sharp horn, flanked by two air sacs that expanded and contracted rhythmically.

Rui Bing had never seen anything like it, but she was not too perturbed. Not many things in the world that could disturb Jie experts, and lesser still for Rui Bing.

Based on the Jie experts' level in the He Yue galaxy, many of the Jie experts in the Five Galaxies would not be on par with them. Combat was a dying skill in the Five Galaxies, so it was natural that their level was no match against the He Yue galaxy. However, the Five Galaxies were also home to many talents, such as Rui Bing. Her battle with Ye Chong had enabled her to attain Jie and become the third Jie expert in the Rui family. After that, with her intense mech piloting training, she had broadened her skill set and improved herself even more. It was this extra improvement that allowed Rui Bing to be on the same level as the Jie experts in the He Yue galaxy.

Female combat experts were rare, and a female Jie expert was even rarer.

The Blue Crown Serpents were fast, but Rui Bing's sharp eyes could follow their movements easily. The protrusion in their bellies helped them to move. As the meaty protrusion pushed, the snake could move from one place to another in a flash of blue. The intense blue light made it even harder to see them clearly.

The mechs out in the open were the first ones to be hit. Ding ding ding! The Blue Crown Serpents launched themselves at the mechs, like blue energy beams raining on the metallic machines.

The seemingly invulnerable mechs were destroyed instantly, spraying a million fragments outwards.

Everyone but Rui Bing turned even paler. The Blue Crown Serpents were known for their viciousness, but no one imagined that the creatures could be so terrifying. Rui Bing's expression remained calm, but she was also surprised inside. These creatures were truly horrible! She was the only one of the group who could see exactly how the snakes launched their attack.

The Blue Crown Serpents were fast. They attacked with the seemingly thin horns on their heads. Rui Bing was surprised to find that they had attacked repeatedly in the same spots. After the first wave of snakes, the second wave launched themselves to the exact spots targeted by the first wave. The tough mech armors finally gave way under these continuous and accurate attacks.

That was how the snakes could penetrate the mech armors. Normal people would only be horrified by the power of the Blue Crown Serpents, but Rui Bing could appreciate with her sharp senses the uniqueness of these creatures.

The Blue Crown Serpents were not so scary themselves. It was their continuous attacks that made them terrifying.

Shi Chongming looked at the mech fragments scattered on the ground, feeling hopeless. He looked to the Second Young Miss with guilt and regret.

This was the limit of any mech pilot. A mech pilot without a mech would be vulnerable. Any close range attack would likely end a mech pilot's life, unless he or she had excellent combat skills.

An alloy pole fell beside Rui Bing. She gently hooked it up with her leg and took it in her hand. The alloy pole was suitable enough to use, weighing just right and providing a good grip. While Rui Bing was confident of her combat skills, the situation at hand was not one that could be resolved quickly. With a weapon in hand, Rui Bing felt a little safer.

What else could she do in this situation? This was a fight for survival!

Rui Bing's aura suddenly transformed from pure coolness to intense focus, like a blade unsheathed. Her long, black hair flew a little despite there being not even the slightest breeze. With a pole in hand and her white training garb on, she looked positively handsome and valorous.

She brushed gently on her left arm, and Shi Fuyin's right grip was instantly released. She gave another push, and Shi Fuyin was tossed in Shi Chongming's direction. Shi Chongming was startled, but he quickly reacted and caught the Second Young Miss.

"Stay behind me." Her cool voice was absolute.

Just then, the Blue Crown Serpents began to attack the group.

Rui Bing's face was grim as the pole in her hand began to move. Rui Bing's movements were simple, but her attacks never missed. Once the trick to the Blue Crown Serpents' attack was known, their power was greatly reduced. Rui Bing got better and better at predicting their attacks, and her movements grew even sparser.

She could hear painful howls and shrieks from everywhere around her, but Rui Bing kept to her attack range. She was determined not to be distracted, since she knew that protecting two people was the most she could do by herself. She could only steel her heart and continue fighting, but her attacks grew more and more ruthless.

Shi Chongming held onto the Second Young Miss tightly, looking at the back of the figure in white training garb. Her shoulders were not exactly wide, but he felt strangely safe behind them.

Just who was exactly this woman?

He knew next to nothing about this cold lady, except for her name, Rui Bing. Where was she from, and who was her teacher? He did not the answers to those.

He took a quick glance at the guards around him, most of them reduced to bones. Shi Chongming felt miserable. The Blue Crown Serpents attacked like a crazy shower of lasers. Amidst the blue flashes of attacks, a single pole had carved out a safe space just enough for three people to fit in.

Whack! Splat! He could hear the continuous attacks from the pole. The rustling sound loomed over him like the depths of despair. Time seemed to slow down. How long could she hold on? This was the only question in Shi Chongming's mind.

As fate would have it, Rui Bing was not the only one in a crisis.

On Coxcomb, Mu and Shang's bionic eyes were blinking madly. Little Rock sat in front of the photon processor, drenched in sweat. He stared fixedly on the photon processor as his hands flew across the controls. Zhu Ling watched him worriedly, and even Lian Yue refrained from his usual lackadaisical and foolish manners, staying quietly at the side.

Finally, Little Rock heaved a sigh of relief. However, his forehead was already lined with trickles of sweat, and he was completely soaked. Zhu Ling's eyes softened as she handed over a towel for Little Rock. He returned a sincere smile to her. Lian Yue could not help but exclaimed jealously, "Ah, poor me, no one handed me a towel!"

No one paid him any attention. Zhu Ling asked Little Rock softly, "What happened just now?"

"Mu just met a really strong guy in the virtual world, and they fought for awhile. Then a couple more strong guys came to watch from the side, so I went to help. But it was dangerous, getting to the end, Mu nearly lost himself in there," Little Rock explained, still a bit shakened.

"Impossible! Who can possibly be stronger than Boss Mu in the virtual world?" Lian Yue protested despite himself. Indeed, Mu had always reigned supreme in the virtual world. They had all witnessed it themselves. Even Shang was almost undefeatable in the virtual world. How could Lian Yue not be surprised by the news of a few new characters at the same level as Mu?

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Chapter 306: Popular

Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation

"I can identify four of them. As for the rest, information is insufficient for further deductions." This came from Mu. His bionic eyes were back to normal.

"Yeah, those people are strong," Little Rock nodded in agreement. "If it wasn't for my opponent being a little careless, I wouldn't have noticed them." He behaved just as usual. To him, meeting strong opponents was a normal occurrence. He did not know that he was already well beyond most of the advanced computation experts. After a pause, Little Rock spoke with a curious look, "The virtual world is very different from the one we're used to. The computations used look nothing like from our virtual world. Strange."

"Boss Mu, what is this place?" The question came from Lian Yue.

Mu paused for a moment before replying, "Information is insufficient for confirmation. 62 percent of the data fragments from my database is related to this place."

Lian Yue was shocked, and howled pitifully, "You can't be serious, Boss Mu, even you can't tell our whereabouts? What should we do next?"

"Here are three action plans, each one of them has about 70 percent probability of success, and each has its own advantages and weaknesses. Do you have other suggestions?" Mu asked, just as the holographic screen on Coxcomb displayed all three action plans.

The three of them shook their heads almost in unison.

"Due to the given circumstances, the decision will be made randomly." Mu acted quickly. The three action plans began to take turns showing on the holographic screen. When the screen finally stopped changing, only the third action plan, Plan C, was left on display.

After a good few minutes, Old Chief Guo finally came out of the hotel again. The spectators knew that the moment had come. Roland looked at ease, lacking any signs of nervousness.

Old Chief Guo came to a stop and stood there for a moment, as if thinking to himself, before speaking plainly, "We are humbled by your offer, but we have a few conditions."

"Pray tell," Roland gestured with his hand.

"First, your son will not be in contact with you for five years."

"I agree."

"Second, we will not be responsible for his life."

The crowd erupted into an uproar. Never had a teacher refused to be responsible for their disciple's safety. It was outrageous to accept so much money and still act so irresponsibly. This was 50 billion credits!

Just when the crowd expected Tribe Leader Roland to refuse, the man spoke with resolution, "I agree."

The people were riled up once again. They stared blankly at Tribe Leader Roland. To them, the proudly standing old fool was the most witless person ever. Nonetheless, some of the spectators looked thoughtful. These were mostly people who knew Tribe Leader Roland personally. They knew that the tribe leader would never act so imprudently. There must be some scheme behind this seemingly foolish agreement.

"We have an accord," Old Chief Guo found himself feeling oddly calm as he received the card with 50 billion credits in it from the tribe leader.

Zhang Sunli glared at him condescendingly. He stepped forward and pronounced loudly, "I did not expect that you so-called Jie experts would be so materialistic. I've overestimated you." Zhang Sunli's words resonated with many in the crowd. They too looked at Old Chief Guo with disdain, but dared not speak up.

Old Chief Guo took a quick glance at Zhang Sunli. He knew what the Boss was like, and did not care to waste the effort of arguing with Zhang Sunli.

Old Chief Guo turned to go back into the hotel, when another person spoke up, "Sir, please wait."

Recently, Old Chief Guo had been called "Sir" for more times than all the other times in his life combined. "It's not easy to be recognized as a person of higher status," Old Chief Guo mocked himself. He turned back and found that person calling him to be Shi Xin.

Shi Xin stepped into the empty circle before the hotel entrance and hailed, "I too would like to be your disciple, and will accept your two conditions. Here is 50 billion credits as payment, please accept it."

Once again, the crowd exploded in an uproar. This was the biggest drama of their lives, enough to fuel gossips for decades to come. Never again would they encounter anything like this! Shi Xin's guards were all stunned. Even Uncle Hua was speechless. He quickly made a call to the tribe leader and reported the events discreetly. He decided that if the tribe leader opposed this idea, he would force the Third Young Miss back home.

Inside the hotel, Ye Chong was already speechless. Another 50 billion credits! Why did it seem like any person could be richer than the previous one? However, why would anyone refuse money? Besides, Ye Chong needed the credits now. Even so, Ye Chong could not help but think about how poor they were compared to these filthy rich aristocrats.

Old Chief Guo saw Ye Chong nodded, and said, "Alright, since you have this determination, please join us." He accepted the card from Shi Xin and led the girl into the hotel.

Uncle Hua was struggling with himself, but he could only watch as Shi Xin entered the hotel, unable to stop her.

Shi Xin was already beginning to regret this. Was she being too rash?

She knew almost immediately what Tribe Leader Roland was scheming. Just who was behind this mysterious and powerful organization? She was sure that this group was not the full force of the organization. This was a power that could tip the scales on the power balance in He Yue galaxy. More importantly, this power was still a mystery to everyone. For now, she was the only one who could shoulder the responsibility of finding out more about this group.

It was after this chain of reasoning that she finally came to this decision.

"The girl has a bright future!" The middle-aged man in the crowd sighed with emotion.

A hundred billion credits had showed itself to the world. The people could feel the temptation, but no one acted on it for fear of the Jie experts.

Old Chief Guo entered the hotel and passed the two cards to Ye Cong. Shi Xin was observing them, and deduced that the lanky man must be the leader. Too bad that they were all wearing masks, concealing their faces.

Ye Chong said to Sang Ling, "Bring her to a room and take whatever she has on her."

Sang Ling nodded and led Shi Xin to a room.

Ye Chong looked at Greda, lying weakly on the floor, and said to Sang Tie, "He'll be your disciple from now on."

Sang Tie grinned as he rubbed his hands together. "Hehe, alright." Upon hearing that, Greda instantly blacked out. The rest of the group looked at him with sympathy. Greda will almost certainly live a bleak five years as Sang Tie's disciple.

Ye Chong nodded at Greda and said, "Take what he has on him too."

Sang Tie gave another laugh before carrying Greda into another room.

On the other hand, Greda's guards were all released right then.

After a few minutes, Sang Ling and Sang Tie came out of their rooms, but the people they carried made Old Chief Guo's eyes bulged. Shi Xin and Greda were both wrapped up in blankets. Shi Xin was carried horizontally across Sang Ling, but Greda was carried under Sang Tie's arm, his white thighs showing occasionally through the blanket.

"What are you …" Ye Chong began.

Sang Tie was confused. "Didn't sir asked us to take what they have on them?"

"You took everything they have on them?" Ye Chong wasn't sure if he should laugh or cry. He had intended for any communication devices to be removed from them, but Sang Tie and Sang Ling had been so thorough that they had removed everything, even their clothes. He was left with two naked disciples.

Greda was still unconscious, unaware of his naked flesh. Shi Xin, however, was wide awake, but she hoped against hope to be blacked out instead, her face now flushed with embarrassment.

"Yes," Sang Tie answered matter-of-factly. Sang Ling shared his sentiment. Hai Lian and Old Chief Guo felt like fainting. The White Streak tribe woman clinging onto Hai Lian was surprised, but soon laughed heartily at the sight.

"It's alright. What about their stuff?" Ye Chong asked.

"All destroyed, ground to a pulp." Sang Tie laughed sheepishly. Ye Chong looked to Sang Ling, and she nodded as well.

"Alright, good work." Ye Chong commended their thoroughness.

Extremists, the lot of them! Hai Lian and Old Chief Guo shared a bewildered look.

"We're leaving the city." Ye Chong announced. Just like that, everyone stood up. Hai Lian, Old Chief Guo, the White Streak lady, Greda and Shi Xin were all carried by one member or another of the Sang tribe.

Just as Ye Chong and his group was about to leave, a woman's voice suddenly came from outside the hotel. "On behalf of the clan leader, Duo Huan of the Xue Lai Clan would like to invite you as honored guests to our place."

The crowd was silenced. Only Duo Huan's voice echoed in front of the hotel. The Xue Lai Clan had come for this group! Everyone shared the same thought.

Amidst the confusion, a man in black uniform stepped out of the crowd, wearing a cold expression. The sharper members of the crowd recognized this as Ye Bei, Consulate General of the Ye family on Lunaris.

Ye Bei stepped forward, reaching the side of Duo Bei and spoke in a low voice, "By the order of the Patriarch, Ye Bei would like to invite you all to the Ye family's place to discuss some important matters."

They're popular alright! Roland was pleased with his own foresight. The crowd around him was already gossiping loudly again. Two of the Three Aristocratic Families had issued invitations to the group. Any organization would be envious of this honor. Xue Lai Clan's Clan Leader and the Patriarch of the Ye Family were both discreet personalities who preferred to stay in the shadows. Even those within the clan or family would rarely see them in person. Now, both leaders had issued an invitation for this group of people!

"Haha, looks like we all had the same idea. In the name of our Chieftain, Feng Wuqing of the Xi Feng Tribe would like to offer our hospitality." Feng Wuqing's calm announcement was like dropping a bomb into an erupting volcano!

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Chapter 307: Leaving the City

Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation

The appearance of the Three Aristocratic Families was a terrible surprise to Ye Chong, and an event that he had desperately tried to avoid. The rest of the group looked troubled as well. While they did not know of the relationship between Ye Chong and the Three Aristocratic Families, it was obvious that they were not on friendly terms. Besides, under the repeated cautions offered by Hai Lian and Old Chief Guo, Sang Fan and the rest finally got the idea of the strength of the Three Aristocratic Families. In Archipelago, one would never deliberately meddle with powerful wild beasts.

However, since they were enemies of Ye Chong, Sang Fan and the rest of them were ready to treat the Three Aristocratic Families as enemies too.

Hai Lian was standing beside Ye Chong. He had seen first hand Ye Chong's massacre of the Xue Lai Clan's members in Foundation city. He spoke up abruptly, "Sir, let me try something."

Ye Chong wondered at Hai Lian's sudden proactiveness, and nodded. "Alright, please go ahead." Ye Chong did not know what he was planning, but since he offered, he must be confident of the plan.

Hai Lian made to walk out of the hotel, when the White Streak tribe woman clung tightly onto his elbow, her eyes filled with terror. Earlier in the room, Hai Lian had put a mask on her face, and her delicate features were concealed behind the mask. Hai Lian patted on her hands clung onto his shoulder and cooed softly, "Don't worry, I'll be fine."

The White Streak tribe woman looked at Hai Lian carefully, but her hands finally loosened as she said, "Please … Please be careful."

Ye Chong spoke up from the side, "Fan, go with him, keep him safe."

"Yes sir," Sang Fan nodded.

The two men walked out of the hotel together, showing no fear. The people gathering around immediately looked to them. The crowd was silent. Today's drama had been suspenseful and climactic all the way.

Hai Lian spoke, "Our leader is grateful for your kind offer. We are all honoured by your invitations. However, due to certain matters that we need to attend to, we are unable to stay here. Perhaps some time in the future, when there are no urgent obligations, our leader will visit your tribes and accept your hospitalities." Hai Lian spoke with much subtlety, but the refusal was clear. All this while, he had been a freelance mech pilot with his own reputation, and had been offered recruitement more than once. As such, he had developed a certain finesse to deal with situations like these.

The spectating crowd was large, and most of them were neutral parties. No matter how arrogant the Three Aristocratic Families were, they would not dare to be too forceful.

Feng Wuqing smiled softly, his delicate features captivating the audience. "Oh, what urgent matters do your party need to see to? Our tribe may not boast a large community, but we are always happy to lend a helping hand. Perhaps you can tell us about it, our tribe will offer what assitance we can."

Ye Bei humphed coldly, and stayed silent.

Duo Huan gave a soft laugh, which sounded like the comforting ringing of windchimes. She stretched her body slightly, her curves attracting the attention of all the men nearby. Her flat, smooth abdomen was exposed, showing her sensuous navel. The men around her inhaled sharply.

Duo Huan winked at Sang Fan and Hai Lian and said, "My two handsomes, don't listen to what Sister Feng, who knows what kind of scheming she's had in mind. Why not tell me about your troubles? Oh right, the Clan Leader said that the last time was the result of a misunderstanding, no need to worry about it. Xue Lai Clan has always been the most hospitable." Her intonations hooked the attention of her listeners in the crowd. When the people around her heard Duo Huan referred to Feng Wuqing as Sister Feng, they laughed softly despite themselves.

Feng Wuqing laughed softly, and was not offended. Xi Feng Tribe placed heavy importance on mental and spiritual training. He would not be so easily offended by words.

Hai Lian and Sang Fan were both unaffected by Duo Huan; Sang Fan due to his steady heart, and Hai Lian due to his recent encounter with a certain woman.

Hai Lian replied calmly, "Haha, your kindness is appreciated. However, this is a personal matter that we prefer to keep to ourselves."

Ye Bei's expression darkened, and he said coldly, "Are you really not going to give in?"

Hai Lian was pleased inside, but he asked sarcastically, "Oh, Mr Ye, what could you possibly mean by that?" If the aristocrats really dared to make their move in front of so many people, it would be a most foolish mistake.

"Ye Bei will not disobey the Patriarch's orders. Please don't make this difficult for me," Ye Bei sounded even colder.

Hai Lian opened up his arms and said unabashed, "Ah, please forgive us, but we really have matters to attend to."

Looking at Hai Lian's performance outside, Ye Chong began to understand his intentions. He called Sang TIe over and whispered a few orders to him. Sang Tie stared at him for a moment, but quickly grinned widely.

Both sides refused to give in. Just then, Ye Chong suddenly led the Sang tribe members out of the hotel. Hai Lian and Sang Fan saw him coming, and retreated to stand behind him.

The mysterious Jie expert group's leader finally revealed himself! Everyone stared at the mask on Ye Chong's face, wandering just what kind of person was under that mask?

When Ye Chong came out of the hotel, Feng Wuqing's thin smile vanished from his face; Duo Huan turned more serious; Ye Bei's expressionless face turned a shade colder still.

"We're busy. We will take our leave now," Ye Chong's plain voice sounded absolute.

He led his group and began to march forward.

"Please stay." A small group of people blocked their path. Feng Wuqing and Duo Huan watched silently from the side. Those were Ye Bei's men.

"Are you looking for a fight? The Ye Family is powerful indeed, perhaps you'll even become the master of Guilar city." Hai Lian said with mock surprise and sarcasm.

Ye Bei stopped in his tracks.

Some of the people in the crowd began to mock, "Yeah, it's the Ye Family, the strongest aristocratic family, what wouldn't they do?"

"That's right, hehe, can't be part of the Ye Family without being arrogant!"

Most of the people in the crowd were not used to seeing the Three Aristocratic Families' unbridled arrogance. Some of them looked angry, including the Jin Gui Tribe Leader, Roland. The Three Aristocratic Families had ignored his tribe's power in this area as they went about their business - how could he not be offended?

Ye Bei looked terrible. Feng Wuqing and Duo Huan cursed the man silently in their hearts. However, they were both anxious as well, since their own reinforcements had not arrived yet. They were also uncertain if they could hold down the Jie experts if it came to it.

"Please step aside." Ye Chong used the word "please", but he sounded anything but polite.

Ye Bei made his decision then. Since it had come to this, there was no need to for further restraint. He stood his ground.

Sang Tie and Sang Ling were both carrying Greda and Shi Xin, respectively, but they were both rendered unconscious. Beside Ye Chong were Sang Fan and another Sang tribe member, Sang Heng. All of the Sang tribe members that followed Ye Chong into Guilar city were all elite members of the tribe.

Sang Heng took a step forward and reached for Ye Bei.

Ye Bei anticipated this. Against a Jie expert, he could only hope not to be too gravely wounded. Ye Bei lifted his left hand to block, just as quickly. Sang Heng was halfway through his attack when his right hand suddenly reached for Ye Bei's left elbow.

Ye Bei noticed the change and reacted immediately. They were both fast. The real action was over in the blink of an eye. A soft "Bam!" was heard, and Ye Bei stumbled backwards for a few steps, his face red all over.

His stumbling backward opened up the path. Compared to him, the rest of the group was more easily dealt with. Ye Chong did not even have to move a single muscle. The rest of the Sang tribe members easily pushed the rest of the Ye family's people aside.

Ye Chong's eyes shone - it was Black Cove's style alright! Ye Chong was familiar with Black Cove's combat style, and recognized it in Ye Bei's moves.

Feng Wuqing and Duo Huan were both shocked and terrified. The three of them were all their families' representative on Lunaris, and knew each other well. Ye Bei was the best amongst them in terms of combat, but he was now struck back with just one hit. It would be impossible for the both of them to stop the Jie experts from leaving.

Must they really use mechs? Feng Wuqing and Duo Huan both arrived at this conclusion. However, they were also very hesitant to act on it. If they used mechs here, it would be a direct violation of the no-fly zone regulations. They knew exactly how serious this violation would be.

Nonetheless, they could not just stand by and watch the group leave. Just then, a voice came from the crowd, "Brothers, Elder Wang just gave the order. If anyone dares to use mechs in Guilar city, kill them!" The true ruler of Guilar city had finally stepped in.

"Yeah, yeah, that's right, let's see which d*mbass would dare to use a mech in the city!"

"Humph, don't think that Guilar city is powerless!"

The spectators all stared openly at the members of the Three Aristocratic Families. If any of them showed the slightest intent of deploying their mechs, they would face the wrath of the crowd. Tribe Leader Roland's guards kept vigilant as well. To the Jin Gui tribe, the city was their home, and they would not allow anyone to destroy it, even if it were people as powerful as the Three Aristocratic Families.

Curses and spites were thrown from the crowd. Feng Wuqing and Duo Huan exchanged a wry smile. They could not do anything now. Their actions were already pushing the boundaries, something that the He Yue galaxy would not tolerate.

Ye Bei's men could not stop the Jie experts. Ye Bei could only curse his reinforcements for being late.

Ye Chong and his group easily walked past the Ye Family's people. They immediately picked up speed.

Feng Wuqing and Duo Huan exchanged a helpless glance, and followed Ye Chong's group from afar with their subordinates. This was the only thing they could do for now. As long as they kept the group in sight, they would still have a chance. Once they were outside the 300-kilometer no-fly zone, they will be able to use mechs. No Jie expert, however strong they were, would be able to win against a mech.

Ye Bei recovered his calm composure, and took his men with to pursue the group.

Many of the more curious people in the crowd followed the aristocrats as well.

However, the distance between the three groups slowly widened. Ye Chong's group was so fast they had managed a wide gap between themselves and the aristocrats. On the other hand, the aristocrats themselves were all physically superior to the commoners following them from behind. As the people following the aristocrats realized that they would soon be outrun, many of them gave up.

Some of these people, however, ran back instead. The fools in front of them had forgotten all about hovercars!

Both the aristocrats and Ye Chong's group were moving fast, but soon, the Jie experts began to slow down. The Three Aristocratic Families were all encouraged by this and ran on.

Ye Chong watched as the Three Aristocratic Families pursued them from behind, the edge of his mouth lifting up into a cold smile.

Rui Bing breathing was beginning to shorten. Her vision was getting blurry. What she saw was no longer a colourful world, but only the blue light shot towards her. It was as if she had entered a one-dimensional world, made entirely of lines. Everything around her seemed to slow down. She could see the Blue Crown Serpents more and more clearly, despite their lightning fast strikes. She could even make out all their small movements.

Rui Bing did not know how long she had been at it. She was panting, and sweat covered her forehead, but her heart was peaceful. Against the possibility of death, she did not feel scared.

The Rui family's combat style focused on mental training, bearing some resemblance to the concept of mentalist training in the Sanctuary. She was not an expert in purely physical exercises, but even the mental attacks that affected Ye Chong were of no use against these Blue Crown Serpents. In this battle for survival, she did not have much choice.

There were so many Blue Crown Serpents that it was impossible to count. Besides, they were surrounded by kilometres of these flickering blue lights. They could not hope to escape.

Under the circumstances, Rui Bing could only hold her fort. More and more Blue Crown Serpents appeared around her. These snakes could attack from all angles, with some even leaping into the air and coming from above her. Seen from afar, Rui Bing and her two companions looked like they were enveloped in a blue light cocoon. Rui Bing felt her senses turned sharper, and her instincts more reliable. If she could survive this …

Rui Bing's attacks turned simpler and simpler, as the alloy pole met its attack with greater and greater accuracy. Rui Bing never let the alloy pole hit the horn on the Blue Crown Serpents; the pole would always hit the snakes' bodies.

Shi Chongming felt a deep chill in his heart. Under the protection of the alloy pole, he and the Second Young Miss were entirely unharmed. His message calling for urgent assistance to the Third Young Miss was unanswered. His heart had chilled at that, and now, hearing Rui Bing's gradually shortening breaths, he began to feel despair.

He never would have guessed that Shi Xin's comms device was already smashed to pieces by Sang Ling.

Somewhere far away, high in the skies, a large battalion of mechs were heading their way. The 500 over mechs were organised into five standard battle formations.

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Chapter 308: Escape

Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation

The land was glowing in blue. The Blue Crown Serpent was fearsomely the pain for every man and woman who underwent their trial. You might be one of the strongest fews from your planet, but when you saw that deadly blue cloaking the entire place, the immediate despair would convince you to stumble. They came from the underground and soundlessly they travelled, silently they attacked their prey. It was already death before you noticed.

Every pilot from Ye family would have to complete such trial after passing their elementary test. Unlike the other families out there, the connection between combats and piloting were much closer than one could imagine, their hands were still used for close combats rather than tapping buttons on the control panel, which justified the hatred towards Blue Crown Serpent on their journey.

Ye Qin was the significant figure in the younger generation of Ye family, who passed her trial at flying colors at the age of 18, while also being the youngest among the only 10 females who completed the trial alive. And currently she received an order from her family, of heading to Lunaris to assist Ye Bei, who - like most youngsters in the family - had a cold, lonesome personality and a crude desire towards strength. While she disliked young men like Ye Bei, the order was an emergency, also a compulsory one, with an elaboration stating to follow Ye Bei's order wholly. "Who does Ye Bei think he is!?" She was not pleased by the setting this time.

The more thought-provoking part was, what had actually happened on Lunaris, that her family asked almost every descendant of Ye they could find to help. There were war machines, 500 of them, which would be a compelling sight even at the parking lot if you would ask me. In her family, you would surely be something if you were officially indexed in the family record. And there were 500 standard war machine models in standby, with 500 indexed, recognized and registered pilots inside. Those were more than enough to launch a small-scaled intergalactic war. He Yue galaxy had been at peace for all these years, which at most, little conflicts would happen sometimes but it would not be as outrageous as this time, where every pilot was called on.

Ye Bei should probably know why, I'm going to have a talk-to with him once I got there.

…

What?

Her eyes rested upon the blue screen of despair, where the Blue Crown Serpents covered the place. There was something different from the crawling mess she used to see. It's a blue cocoon?! Ye Qin spotted the cocoon being constantly attacked by those Blue Crown Serpents.

She then quickly launched a full input on the control panel. Her Night Impaler was equipped with the most hi-tech detection system. It was powerful that it could give high definition zoom-in on any spot, like the cocoon for example. "What the…" There were people inside?!

That was skillful! Complimented Ye Qin in amazement, which to her more surprise, it was a female too! The female actually guarded all the raining attacks by the serpents! The Alloy Cane literally was dancing in her waving sleeves. Ye Qin was speculating if this white lady was an apprentice of some great masters.

But she should not be doing that. She had a mission to do, no time to stop. Well, she might not have the time, it did not mean she could not lend a hand.

Blue Crown Serpents were always a horror to martial arts practitioners, but they would be nothing as soon as they got into the air, fighting against mechs.

"Zi, lead two Netters and rescue those people. Don't take too long, we won't be waiting forever," ordered Ye Qin.

"Yes, Ma'am. It will only take brief seconds to handle the pests." A strong young man replied on the screen.

Three Netters zapped away from the formation and headed towards Rui bing.

Netter was a rescuing/assisting model built with great firepower. It was armed with Lux Terrain technology, which could impose a dense network of firepower to - as its name suggested - net friends or foes. The weakness was, however, its speed was mediocre, so as its guard. It was born to be the stapler between different mech models in the party, while it also had tedious demand on energy consumption, that it would be a hassle to constantly resupply the battery. The appearance was Netter was peculiar, it actually looked like a clam?

Rui Bing had changed to automatic mode herself, as she swung her cane subconsciously, so she did not notice the coming of the three Netters. Her ears had been drowned by the clashing sounds that negated her surrender to death, repetitively slamming the serpents away.

The Netters headed towards Rui Bing in a triangular formation.

"All in Battle Station."

"Set the net."

"3…2…1…"

Zappp! The Lux Terrain was launched, as hundred beams blasted from the launchers, forming the terrain itself.

Netter was the model exclusive to the Ye family, as they had gotten so used to close-ranged battles that they lacked a standard assistance on a long-ranged war. With this in mind, the Netter was built, to cover up their weakness, though the Ye family was notorious for their accuracy. The model was then designed in a way that it did an Area-Of-Effect attack rather than the standard firing.

The three Netters were gliding in the air, reposting the terrain like a spotlight, as the ground was painfully cut open, the Blue Crown Serpents obviously did not survive. If it was not an operation of rescue, they would have turned up the power and bombarded the entire place, and the serpents would be ashes by then.

Their army was leaving, as it was rather ahead of them now. Zi did not want to waste time any longer. Madam wanted to save these people, so the Netters would save them. The side quest would be accomplished once they netted the folks.

So they lowered themselves and flew by Rui Bing rapidly, they also adjusted the range of their terrain to a diameter around 5 meters. It was like a cage that isolated the folks from the serpents.

They turned up the lever, "Full Power Initiated!" The density of the terrain intensified, that every serpent would be grilled upon contact.

Rui Bing had finally gotten out of her trance, she grabbed Shi Fuyin and Shi Chongming tightly and followed the Netters.

The Netters moved forward and cleared out a zone with their terrain. Rui Bing began sprinting, sprinting hard, on the scorching grilled ground for her and her ally's lives.

She ran on and made a close escape from the aggression behind.

She took a glance back, those horrible blue glows… Rui Bing might be a Jie expert, but she still had the nature of humanity of being in fear, that she almost tripped herself. She was fatigued, drastically fatigued. The moment she confirmed her successful escape, her adrenaline sank, that fatigue caught her steps, she panted heavily, wondering when she would fall before she noticed, hoping that she could regain little vitality from her catch of breath.

The Netters - upon seeing the folks escaped - made a sharp turn and zoomed back to the army.

Pant… pant…

"Wh…" Rui Bing took half a minute to finally comprehend the situation, "What was that? Who… were those mechs?"

"It's the Ye family!" Said Shi Chongming with joy, "But…" His face tightened right away, "They seemed to be heading Guilar… what was happening there, that the Ye family would send such a huge army…?"

"Ye family?" Rui Bing was choked, "Ye… Ye…"

…

… …

Feng Wuqing, Duo Huang and Ye Bei led their own underlings and chased the group desperately. The strength demonstrated by those Jie experts had convinced them to even consider about attacking in a No-fly zone. The 3 teams only hoped they would not lose the Jie experts for now, although fortunately the Jie experts seemed to be slowing down, as their distance did not increase.

A No-fly zone about 300 kilometers was rather distant to be passive. Feng Wuqing and her mates were wondering if they could deploy their mechs now. "No, I don't think that's right. It would be really bad…" They agreed on the opinion and scrapped the idea.

The landscape was tiring ahead, as it was no longer flat, rather there were slopes, even a few hills too.

The Jie experts had already entered the area and submerged into the valley. "No! You aren't going away!" Feng Wuqing and the mates panicked as they ran even faster.

Ye Bei and his own underlings were ahead, thanks to their well-built physique as required by their family. *Beep* Ye Bei received a message from Ye Qin - We have entered Lunaris, coming soon. "Good!" Ye Bei was overjoyed.

The flocks headed into the valley. The Jie experts might be strong, but there were merely 20 of them, and we have at least 300 men on our side. It would be a daydream to capture the Jie experts without our mechs, but it also would be a joke if the Jie experts wanted to annihilate us.

I would love to have a one-on-one with those Jie experts, it would be fantastic if they stopped chickening out and turned back like a man. That is too what we desired in the first place - to cling to them.

Ye Bei and his allies were well-prepared so no fear, no worries.

But after they got into the valley, they changed their mind.

They were welcomed by 10 teams of hundred men army standing still in formation wordlessly. The atmosphere was frightening, as their mask showed an emotionless cruelty.

Ye Bei, Feng Wuqing and Duo Huan flinched.

They quickly turned back to have a glance, which then they realized a few silhouettes were circulating at the exit.

Luring the foes into trap - that was the simple yet effective strategy Ye Chong came up with, as somehow that instinct he grew up with back on Trash Planet was coming back to him and guiding him out. That was when he still piloted good old Winnie with that poor piloting skill of his, despite of which he still fought on, bravely.

And in his cold eyes, those foes in a flock about 600 to 700 were nothing but those preys he once hunted back on Trash Planet.

"Charge," briefly he spelled the commencement.

The air was clouded by countless afterimages, the Sangs finally revealed their deadly fangs again.

This speed! Jie Experts?! ALL of them?! The three aristocrats were in utter grief, as fright filled their eyes begging with mercy. The slaughter happened fairly quick. Compared to those beasts in Archipelago, killing these aristocrats would be a piece of cake. There was no letup from the Sangs however, despite the foes they were fighting being weaklings. The formation was there, so was the strategy, which boosted the efficiency dramatically.

"ARE YOU HUMAN!" Screamed Ye Bei on top of his lungs, "I KNOW YOU GO BY THE YE FAMILY'S NAME! Don't YOU too, want to know who your PARENTS-" And he was ambushed.

Ye Chong lifted his head straight away, the glow in his eyes shook like his will.

Parents… Parents? What a foreign word… If it was not the biology lesson Shang had with him, he would have assumed he never had any parent. He only remembered his Papa, but never once Papa had mentioned anything about his parents.

He knew it, he knew it well, that those words of rage coming from Ye Bei was for no one else than him.

He knew he went by the Ye family's name. His name was Ye Chong. Wait… Did that person know something? He should know something! Thought Ye Chong as he looked at the ambush… And Ye Bei was there, on the ground, no longer mobile, no longer could word his rage, no longer able to spell out the past of Ye Chong.

The war ended quickly. It happened to quick it did not feel like a war, "Like a street fight maybe." Laughed Ye Chong, realizing how ridiculous he was being unfocused by some triviality. The only entity I would care… would probably be Mu Shang, that was what I thought. It seemed like I was wrong.

He on his throne, looked at the Sangs repositioning themselves back into their formation, their eyes were bloodshot, their breath was frantic as the wild.

It was a problem, Ye Chong thought.

As long as they could not withdraw their bloodthirstiness as soon as the necessary fight had been conducted, they would be forever aimed by the enemies, they would be that bullseyes in the war field, that spotlight in the public. Nothing on them was low-profiled, which Ye Chong could not tolerate. He just wished to expand his forces in the dark, to a point where he could at least stand alone in this world.

He was small, he was insignificant, as he stood in a boundless new world of unknown. The idea of heading back to the 5 major galaxies in search of Mu Shang had already become a tale, told by a fool.

The Sangs were great assistance, yet they were poor - finance-wise and standard-wise, yes they were impeccable fighters, but their skills were mere brute force exerted crudely. They could not hide their nature, so were the Collisions they piloted, which travelled so uniquely everyone on the road would look at them inevitably. Ye Chong did not even dare to deploy the Collisions to hasten their travel.

The Sangs were great force, but they were one force that could not be deployed on a whim. Once the Collisions were exposed, Ye Chong knew what he had summoned from the defensive He Yue galaxy.

Ye Chong gave a nod to Sang Fan, who understood his intended order immediately, as he ordered everyone to deploy Collision and get into the cabin. To be frank, Collisions - despite being unnecessarily eye-catching - were the perfect tool to make a runaway, due to its anti-detection ability as well as its superior speed.

Piloted the Collisions, they zoomed away from the scene.

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Chapter 309: A Fortune in One Night

Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation

"BREAKING NEWS!"

"Extra! Extra! The 600 figures of the 3 leading Aristocrats - MURDERED!"

"No one is alive!"

The news came like a deafening blow to the residents, which spread throughout the galaxy as fast as lightning, uncontrollably. The words came from those who came after on their hovercars, who also taped the gory scene promptly. The clip had become the most viewed visual online in the next month.

The hologramic visual recited a tale, of a heartless war and a sadistic leader, convincing every resident in He Yue galaxy, that a new force had arisen from the unknown.

The networking system was then supplied with a visual of Ye Bei against the mysterious Masked Man. Although few seconds it lasted, it had caught enough attention from people. There were comments, a sea of them regarding the expertise of the Masked Man, including one Jie expert namely Cao Wuxu being the most significant one, concisely summarized - "Light yet heavy, feeble yet strong." The statement had evidently confirmed the myth that those 20 men were Jie experts themselves.

Everyone was in panic, while pessimistic ones were making wild guesses that they would lose the peace maintained in He Yue over a few centuries and they shall never have it back.

Stories were filled at the forum board regarding the identity of 20 Jie experts, how the 600 aristocratic members followed them and deceased. And concerning the murder of 600 committed by them, the actual Jie experts demonstrated strong disagreement, "That is just nonsense!" Jie experts were known to be the greatest of their field, a one-on-five or even one-on-ten would sound doable. But one-on-fifteen? The chances were just low, and now this case had 20 against 600, which literally could be translated as a Jie expert facing around 30 people at once and 30 of these people also happened to be an elite fighter and pilots from the aristocrats. "What are the chances to even survive?"

Some argued that the aristocrats were losing standards, but that was not the case in reality. In fact, as far as everyone was informed, the aristocrats were stern on their recruitment, only those whose strength was fully recognized could join them. Theoretically, the 20 Jie experts should not even win.

…

"Ye Bei! I'm here! I'm… Ahh!!!" Gasped Ye Qin the moment she arrived. Looking at the bloody mess around, she knew she was too late. Her brain jammed, unable to process the scene. The remaining pilots of Ye family who came to the scene - similar to Ye Qin - they were first surprised, then they were angered. No one had once challenge the authority of Ye family over the centuries before.

Ha…hah… Ye Qin tried calming down, as she sent the team to search throughout the valley, and of course, she found nothing. She was not worried though, as she had already set up a group of watchers dedicated to the case this time. They would watch all the spaceships, all the mechs departed from Lunaris.

As long as these masked men left Lunaris, her men would know. She was confident in her family.

The next few days lapsed within twinkling of eyes, yet nothing was found. And that was when Ye Qin's confidence began crumbling. She was not convinced of how a huge group of people could virtually vanish into thin air.

People all over the galaxy had been trying to find out the truth, the hidden mystery. And only the Mi family was the closest to the truth, but they were not that foolish to share their intelligence, especially after their parents had warned them to zip their mouth regarding this. The brothers of Mi family were not scarce in Guilar, but nobody would notice them. They were not pushed to the spotlight unlike the Ye family who suffered most loss. The worry was… they wondered, if it was a fortune or misfortune to have acquainted such a strong ally…

"Regarding the happening, do keep it from the people."

A request from Guo, which they accepted promptly, they had to. Like seriously these masked men wiped out the army of aristocratic members like a moving slaughterhouse. The Mi family would be hardly a threat if the masked men wanted to exterminate them.

In this incident, there was too a case of both parties being in an awkward situation - Jin Gui tribe and Shi family. And that insanely priced fee of 50 billions and those 2 tough conditions to be fulfilled were easily the funnest chitchat topic after dinner.

The reinforcement of the 3 leading aristocrats was sending signal to the people, that something was brewing. It was a chain effect whereby all forces also performed the similar military movement too.

What about Ye Chong? Well, he had already run away safely and headed back to Yi Ju, with a bunch of resources he purchased during his journey.

Ye Chong was rather satisfied of the loot this time. The Lavagold plates he brought were sold for 80,000,000 points, while the squad was paid 10,000,000 points for escorting Mi Qi and his mates. These were not everything, the best thing was the two fees he earned, a whooping 10,000,000,000 points. You should be counting the number of zeroes now. If someone were to interview Ye Chong regarding his feeling of earning a fortune overnight, he would be shouting, "It feels so good to shop!"

Sang Pu's expression was priceless when he received a request of entry from Ye Chong, who was leading a whole transporting fleet filled with tons and tons of resources, including communicative devices, detection system necessary for the army of Collisions. Ye Chong also purchased 5000 units of Blaze-III, a close-ranged fighting model of the lower-mid tier, known for its slightly more competitive engine - a rather plain model one could say, as every other aspect was average. It could be useful for the speedy kind of pilot though. It was still a better mech compared to those advanced models he saw back in 5 major galaxies, while also having a reasonable, logical structure and design.

Other than these, Ye Chong also purchased a ship of apparatuses for mech modification, and a new spaceship literally for storing medication - that ship was for the Sangs from Archipelago since they would be needing proper medication any second being in a hideous place like Archipelago. There was also a variety of daily necessities. The Sangs felt they were dreaming when they were raided by the avalanche of purchases, even Sang Pu the laid-back leader could not help but to smile the whole day.

Guess not everyone could take on a massive wallet in one night healthily.

To avoid being suspected, all purchases were made under the name of Mi family. They were known to be merchants and obviously there would naturally be nothing wrong for merchants to make bold purchases - a better candidate than Ye Chong himself.

The joy did not last long for Ye Chong as he realized he still had a lot of problems to resolve.

He took a deep breath and began his SWOT analysis.

The first thing - control of expression. This is the main problem, if I don't find a way to resolve this, everyone would be looking at the Sangs and no one would even dare to approach them. I might have an experience or two on this, but man… how should I teach them? I did not know how but I just learned it somehow, somewhere, some time ago. "Sang Pu." Well, I'll let Sang Pu to do it, let the Sangs settle their own problem.

"Announcement, sir has a new rule - Anyone who could not inhibit their fearing expression would be disallowed to leave the base."

"What is fearing expression?"

"How do we inhibit them?"

If I know how, we would have solved it alright.

Everyone in He Yue is watching us. I can't let you guys out just yet. It would be bad if anyone found us out, that would be a direct confrontation to the aristocrats, an intergalactic war would just happen. No, I'm not doing this, not risking it.

"Sang Ling, any idea?"

"I saw this dress thingy in the catalogue attached with our medication. I think it helps."

The 5000 Sangs were figuring out a way to inhibit their fearing senses.

"Hey, Guo!" Shouted Sang Fan.

"We can't know if we still look fearing. Come and be our judge."

"You too, Hai Lian, don't just stand there and touch those new units."

The victims… well would be Guo and the "representation" of the convention. They had to judge if the Sangs could demonstrate less threatening aura.

"No, you got to stop glaring at people for no reason," stated Guo.

"Yeah, try smiling. Yes, bring up your corners. I'll do it for you, ughhh. Lend me your mouth for a sec. Relax your muscle, I'll push the corners up," said Hai Lian, who soon realized he made the greatest mistake in his life, "Nevermind, try mayb-"

"HEY Hai Lian! You're done yet? Come and judge for us now?" shouted Sang Pu.

That practically summarized what happened that day, the folks were dragged from one group of Sangs to another. Only Francis Jr. seemed rather eager in this, "I don't see why Hai Lian is ranting, Guo. If we do this, we could avoi doing those hell training." Now that made sense.

The second issue - Collisions. Yes, the Collisions I made were impulsive, but too visually impulsive… I guess no one would forget the appearance of Collisions the moment they saw them. That is why I bought the Blaze-III model, as a camouflage sometimes.

The thing is… how would someone from the jungle know how to pilot via an intelligible glowing user interface from outer space? How should I teach them. Okay, let me try.

"Sangs, gather up. Now let me brief you on using this new mech."

"First, as usual, take out your keystone and deploy the mech."

"Good, next, to move you give a few taps on the control panel, these few buttons to control direction."

"Sir!"

"Yes?"

"How do we turn on the control pay nail?"

"Why do we have to pay nails when we pilot the mech?"

The next hour Ye Chong dried his mouth, explaining on how to pilot a futuristic mech, but no one seemed to have understood him.

Okay, I surrender. "We would try something else, I have visuals for all of you." Ye Chong prepared copies of visuals for the Sangs. "Tutorial 1 - Launching: To launch a mech, first…" The visuals were playing on each projector.

"Sang Pu." Called Ye Chong again, "Lead them on this as well, okay?" And ignoring that bitter expression of Sang Pu, a new rule had been added, "Anyone who had yet mastered control of Blaze-III would be forbidden to leave the base," announced Sang Pu.

That should be it.

One last thing, which had been haunting Ye Chong ever since they left Lunaris, remained in his thoughts for all eternity.

"Don't YOU too, want to know who your PARENTS- ughh…" Those final words from Ye Bei.

Who are my parents exactly? Why would they dump me at Trash Planet in the past?

Ye Chong had been showing negligence towards the issue, since survival was more important than some non-sensical issue of sentiments. This mystery only flashed in his mind occasionally, as it would be too far-fetched to even begin the search, having no clue, not even the slightest hint on where to start.

And when he thought he would not be thinking of this issue for the rest of his life, it showed up fatefully on its own.

The Ye family, the aristocrat which shared the same surname as his, and those words of Ye Bei, helped him to realize that he could be more closely related to the Ye family than he thought.

Could my parents be the members of Ye family? An aristocratic member? That sounds royal, and plausible as well. A nameless child born on a one-night relationship, what was it again? Shang told me once… "One-night stand"? And due to avoidance on the infidelity and responsibility, they threw me away.

Wait… Hahaha… I'm getting too Shang. I actually remembered one plot of those lame movies Shang introduced me.

He walked slowly to the window, looking at the barren world of Yi Ju. Out of sudden, he missed Mu Shang… He missed his Papa, he missed Grandpa Qian and those days of kneading dough, he missed everything, from the simple days he used to have, which already felt like a luxury.

"I should go on…" Whispered Ye Chong, "Let's just search on." His mind was firm, his eyes were steady.

"But to search on, there's few more things I need to do."

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Chapter 310: My Beautiful New Han Jia

Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation

In the main chamber of the Ye family, an elderly was gazing at the visual. His tussled hair was as white as his beard, looking ordinary especially with those wrinkles on his forehead and those murky eyes pondering. No one would have figured that this was the current master of the whole Ye family if it was not for the chamber he was in.

A visual of Ye Chong was projected, apparently from his participation in the competition at Blue Ocean academy back then. His speed and sharp mind, those clear eyes of intelligence, all captured in this visual. It was the only visual with his clear appearance available on the virtual networking world, but somehow the Ye family found it from another galaxy. And it was also this visual that helped Instructor Hak to track Ye Chong that year.

This mysterious young man kept changing his name. Was it Mu, or was it Ye Chong? I have no idea which his actual name was, although I feel strongly that it would be Ye Chong, since the surname gave more significance to us.

"Ye Chong… are you really the descendant of our Ye family?" the elderly asked. The questions fogged his thoughts. He looked through the information, of the effect and properties of the silver liquid, as well as its negative effects… and how Ye Chong just so happened to survive. He knew it well, that only one with the purest bloodline of the Ye family could overcome the controlling effect of silver liquid naturally without any form of medication.

Ye Chong was the only one user who managed to do that amongst the Black Covers. Then very likely he would be a descendant of the family, especially when his physique also depicted the exact characteristics of Ye. The elderly had been ordering men to capture this young man, as everything would reveal itself once he got this man. Nevertheless, Ye Chong was hard to get hold of, due to his extreme caution and growing strength. The order of capturing him alive was not giving much help as well. The efficiency was depressing.

The elderly would not want to risk killing him. The underlings could be killed as many as circumstances led, but Ye Chong could not be deceased as long as he held the very possibility of being the descendant of the family. It would be a shocking news if every other core member was informed of this missing descendant, even though he could not remember any instance which involved an unnamed child.

The sole reason that the three aristocrats managed to be in a leading position, was absolutely their bloodline, which all three families possessed unique characteristics not the ordinary folks would be able to compete. Because of their extraordinary bloodline, their forebears expanded their forces slowly, forming the foundation for aristocrats today. "But there was a curse, sadly," muttered the old man. "Somehow there just is. Not only Ye family had unique bloodline, many families out there, at a galaxy far, far away were different in their own way, but they somehow disappeared at some point of history. There was a family… a tragic one I heard, the Sang tribe was it? Once in their glory centuries ago, and now nobody has ever heard of them…"

The bloodline was once the sole factor to glory, but it was now history, as technology was developed over the centuries. The 3 main aristocrats were competing against each other in aspects of intellects, skills and a balanced unity. These were not something doable by all descendants innately. If Ye family were to include all of the branches of their kinship, it would hit a figure about 3,000,000. The core family however, was hardly 2,000. It had been an ongoing issue on methods to preserve the purest bloodline for the next generation.

The trump card of all three aristocrats would no doubt be their strongest pilots, whom also happened to be their best descendants. Practically speaking, taught students and descendants would share a significant difference in terms of their physique that would determine their capability being a pilot. And obviously the direct descendants of Ye family would be way stronger than a taught outsider.

That was why the elderly found Ye Chong suspicious, because that young man was clearly having the blood of Ye family, the purest one too, but he could not find any record on any of their daughters leaving the house in the past 15 to 50 years.

The puzzlement was, only both the purest blood of Ye family could give birth to a descendant with also the purest blood. He looked through the birth record of their family as well, and yes, the Ye family was rather strict on birth control, moreover, he was the leader of the family the whole time, no way he would have missed out anybody.

Well, only one possibility remained then… there must be one of our families who left the family and had intercourse with a female out there, thus the birth of a descendant of our bloodline… … hopefully… That would mean a breakthrough of the stiffening status of their bloodline preservation to the old man, since they had been told to mate within the family to ensure bloodline purity.

It would be a major discovery if it has been proven with this person! It is all for our Ye family. I will get this boy! Thought the old man, his murky eyes lustered. He was not worried about the Jie experts following Ye Chong, any Jie expert would be smashed with the mighty firepower of mechs. His worry, was on the other 2 aristocrats though, who seemed to have noticed Ye Chong's existence.

Meanwhile, Ye Chong, being completely unaware of becoming Ye family's main target, was getting drowned by the packed schedule of his.

Ye Chong was greatly inspired by the ancient mech model. And he had just completed the blueprint of the improved version of Collision. The tweaks he made allowed better control and efficiency while having lesser likelihood of breakdown.

Collision-II project would be on hold for the moment nevertheless, as the production must not be done by barehands. It would require a refined craft with the aids of those new apparatuses he purchased.

But no one else in the base knew how to operate these apparatuses than himself. And he got to make 5000 of them from scratch? Fortunately he had the necessary experience on operating these that he was able to code a tutorial to be launched at the Sangs. Well… if they still had no idea what they were doing, the galaxy had this very place called "school", but only after they knew how to control their ambience.

Collision-II aside, I am doing an overhaul on my Han Jia. Yes, you heard it, the modification this time is pretty much going to be a remake, since every part would require to be redone. The materials, were certainly those skeletons I obtained from Archipelago.

Every piece of skeleton is different from one another, so I have to pick carefully while altering the blueprint from time to time, it feels like piecing the puzzle together. The process is smoother this time, thanks to the stay at Sang Family village in the past, I think my sense has improved.

The blueprint is looking good! Well, maybe it *is* a very unique model. Look at the originality…

Ye Chong was excited and the excitement had pushed him to his limits, he was very engaged during the process, that he enjoyed every second of it, as he was making his own mech, which every piece came from his own hands, finally.

"Okay, one two three, smile."

"Yes, keep it natural."

The Sangs were desperately trying to inhibit their fearing ambience so no one would disturb Ye Chong.

"Madame, have you seen the Papatte lately?"

"I haven't, Mrs. Morrison, they have been inside their base all day and all night."

"Right? Madame Peach, I was shocked awake by their clinking sometimes at night. I thought I was hearing things, even my husband was complaining."

"They haven't been taking any request either. Such strange group."

The housewives exchanged their thoughts outside with their baskets of vegetables.

…

"I am done!" The mech was completed, but Ye Chong was too lazy to come up with a new name, so the mech remained as "Han Jia".

Looking at his new toy, Ye Chong was pumped, his eyes were lustrous!

The new Han Jia was much smaller than most mechs out there, with a height of about 7 meters. Its wings however, were very broad and mighty-looking, which gave an impression of a butterfly. Those wings were made out of gelatin of the bones of one animal on Archipelago, while being also able to glow in blinking gold magnificently. They were perfect defense against energy-based weaponry, while being highly flexible, able to cover up the entire main body of the mech, maintaining stability in air.

The frame of the wings were in the shape of fan, which were made out of the backbones of Steelbats, with the pointy end being the tip of Edgehog - an animal exclusively found in Archipelago, which had a whole body of spikes, the toughest spike was known as the "tip" being at the tip of its nose.

The wings could be withdrawn, while the skeletal frame could disengage and become 12 offensive tentacles - a radical design if you would say. The attack of the tentacles would be with peculiar flexibility while having high demand on the skills of the pilot. Similar to the winds, the tentacles could also be kept in the back of the mech.

Of course, Ye Chong would not forget his trustworthy dagger. With that installed, the joints were adorned with spikes, which certainly would be the eye-catcher if he were back in 5 major galaxies, but apparently such design was very common in He Yue, so with excitement, he incorporated it.

And there was a new cartridge launcher for new Han Jia, which was specially designed to store compression explosives, and possibly Beauty's Secretion, "Now only if I have that…" Sadly Ye Chong was unable to find something more corrosive than Liquid of Shang.

The engine of the old Han Jia, which the Teardrop was stored in, was removed. Yes, he eyed that Teardrop, the precious energy infinity.

The combination of a variety of skeletons gave bright colors while being not as eye-catching as he imagined. There was something charming about this combination. The butterfly wings were exuding elegance, the tiny body of the mech felt like a gorgeous lady, while the spikes seemed to be reminding the foes that this girl was a tough one. Somehow Han Jia had changed its gender overnight.

It was uncalled for Ye Chong to have produced such a mech. Regarding the feminine, "unmanly" design, Ye Chong did not seem to really care. He only wanted power and performance. "Though I must admit that, this mech is too beautiful that everyone would look at it. Not because of the color, it's just too beautiful," frowned Ye Chong.

Well Ye Chong forgot about this issue the moment he boarded the new Han Jia. It felt like a breeze that Ye Chong would scream in overflowing joy. The body was smaller so it was more dexterous, and much faster too. And it sailed stilly in the air.

The tentacles were the lovely addition, for they were unpredictable, especially with that inhuman speed of his hands. But it would take a few times of practice to get used to the control.

My Han Jia had been transformed into a beauty.

My beautiful new Han Jia, would be surely one of the top 10 beauties among all mechs. And right when people mistook its beauty as fragility, they would soon be convinced that it was not beauty the only thing it could offer…

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Chapter 311: Makeover

Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation

Ye Chong sat at one corner near the window in the spaceship. The columns of nebula were gorgeous and calming to his soul. While enjoying the precious peace and quiet he finally acquired, he looked at the reflection of himself. Mu Shang would probably fail to recognize him at first scan too. His skin was yellowish, a pale banana yellow, while also filled with reddish blemishes over his plain features - rather threatening if you would ask me. The other passengers seemed to have agreed too, as they were very avoidant of Ye Chong, as if he was infected by some highly infectious horrible virus from unknown space. To be honest, Ye Chong was being stalked by the securities and was demanded to have a thorough bodycheck thrice before he even got on-board, well, since he looked too convincing to be infected.

Such drastic approach of makeover he used was from the ancient by the alchemists. And somehow Lunatic Guan was very much into it, as there were rich entries on the stages of makeovers in her writing. Ironically, Ye Chong picked the most despised method by Lunatic Guan, as she found the method to be too substandard, while spoiling her pretty face. That costed too much for a mere disguise.

That was not Ye Chong's concern however. He preferred a stat-boost rather than a decorative-boost. Furthermore, this method was proven to be highly effective, altering his appearance the most - exactly what he desired.

By combining fluids extracted from few strange plants in a prefixed proportion, a reagent would be formed, which would give a yellowish texture and poxes to your skin that would make you unsurprising even when you slept in one of the wards at the local hospital. The reagent was not harmful to the skin and was pretty lasting, waterproof too. Only a particular kind of cleaning agent could remove the coloring effect.

Ye Chong pondered long to figure out a proper disguise as he skimmed through the entries inside the chip given by Lunatic Guan, since he had hardly investigated this side of alchemy before. Quite some time was also consumed on mixing the reagent at the right proportion for his size. The other methods would require a few rare materials so it would be impractical to have all the Sangs discolored, although they seemed to be quite envious of the chameleon show their sir had performed, since it was a hassle to have a mask all the time.

Speaking of the Sangs, as the new rule enforced, they were forbidden from leaving the base as long as they failed to hide their threatening aura. Guo and the folks were also there, as to provide assistance on Sang Pu's works.

Ye Chong also brought a Blaze-III in the keystone for usual transportation.

He leaned against the chair and closed his eyes.

The Ye family, what kind of family it is I wonder… I came all the way here just wanting to know the family directly myself, although Sang Fan and his brothers showed resistance on this, I must.

What also hurried Ye Chong out of the base was his fear of how he lacked the understanding on the entire He Yue galaxy. Practically, he could not name anything he really knew about the place. The virtual networking world was not as common as the one in the 5 major galaxies and it was a stressful experience for him to overcome the paranoia of logging in, wondering if a super Maverick like Mu Shang would be there too. If so, it would be too dangerous. Jumping into action without knowing what you are jumping into, is certainly suicidal!

To make the Sangs less worried, of course he was equipped with a communicator.

Ye Chong was a figure from a thriller now, no one would dare to join his screen time. That would be perfect, he just needed some silence, though the passengers could not stop their hustling whispers. There were passionate exchanges at some spots in the cabin, which were pleasing to his tensed neurons. For once, he felt blended in the environment.

But one particular discussion caught his attention.

"I heard that Kyaji was killed," a blonde young man whispered.

"Good. I was getting impatient seeing him still alive. He's a nuisance to our society." A broad faced man in his 30s was pleased by it.

"Are you sure?" One person was showing skepticism, "Were your sources reliable? Kyaji is still something you know, who would have killed him?" The participants of the conversation were being agreeable to this doubt. Kyaji had established the authority for very long with the brutality imprinted in mind of every person, especially those who frequented the trade market for they had heard various horror stories about the murder of known pilots in the hands of Kyaji.

"Meh." The blonde young man disdainfully replied, "Kyaji was nothing alright? I could simply name a handful of people who could kill him effortlessly. Say… the three main aristocrats, Brahmara, Ye Yin, Huang Jiming, I swear the family would slice that Kyaji like me slicing my chicken, not to mention we have 3 godly figures I have mentioned. Even Shi Tianlun from the Shi family, Mi He from the Mi family could triumph over Kyaji easily on a one-on-one."

"You have a point, but of all these figures you have mentioned, who would have the time to spare on defeating Kyaji?" Rebutted one person of the crowd, which stirred up a session of agreeable nodding from the others.

This was convincing as those aristocrats had always cared about benefits, they would not even care if the murder involved strangers not belonged to their family.

"Although I heard the one who killed Kyaji was not from the aristocrat," added the blonde man, with a vibe of mystery.

"Who? Who was it then?"

"I dunno…" The young man shrugged.

"Oh… Aren't you that Hu Chui? Man, I really thought someone killed Kyaji at first."

"Hah, aren't you that notorious boy who cried wolf?"

The man's story started to lose its credibility in the crowd.

"Suit yourself. The fact is, Kyaji is already dead. The mech parts had been sent to Zhou Jian planet. The news would be coming up in 2 days. Well, we would know whether I *am* that boy who cried Kyaji soon enough." The blonde young man was not annoyed by the remarks.

Kyaji? Ye Chong flinched, wasn't that the name of the pirate guy whom Sang Tie killed?

Sadly the people thought the boy was blowing his trumpet again and had left the spot with disappointment. Ye Chong, however, was very much intrigued of the story. He got up from his seat and headed to the person, "Brother, greetings." Politely he began while habitually he maintained a 1.5 meter distance away from the young man, which turned out to be the most suitable attacking range of his fist - if anything would go wrong that is.

The young man was astonished as first but quickly he exchanged the expression with a smile, "Ohhh, hello, hello, is there anything I could help?"

"I was very much interested in your story actually," stated Ye Chong. "Regarding these few names you've mentioned, those Brahmara, Ye Yin, to be frank, I begged your briefing on this."

"You gotta be kidding man!" Exaggeratedly the young man reacted, "I can't believe there's someone who did not know these celebs! Are you from the alternate dimension or what?"

"My apology for that," said Ye Chong, without looking embarrassed, "I am from the other corner of the galaxy, please tolerate my lack of knowledge on this."

"Mhm, mhm, alright, as long as you maintain such modesty, you'll be fine! No worries!" The young man was acting like a teacher despite his age.

"I know right. That's what I thought too," said Ye Chong as he got into a posture of listening, with a smile, and a thought muttering - if this fella tried to talk more crap I am so going to drag him to a dark corner and teach him to talk concisely with an interrogating session.

"You sure are quite a learner. Alright then, let me brief you on these celebs." The pride of the young man was fulfilled, that was like the most contented 5 minutes of his life, although those blemishes on Ye Chong's face were pushing him away slightly.

"You at least knew the aristocrats, did you?" asked the young man.

"I had heard of them, were they the Ye family, the Xue Lai tribe and the Xi Feng clan?" replied Ye Chong honestly, well of course he knew them, he just had an intensive dance party with all three of them.

"Good. At least you know something. So regarding Brahmara, Ye yin and Huang Jiming… they are the topmost pilots in the entire galaxy. Brahmara you see, was the name of not the pilot, but the mech itself. It is the ace of the Xue Lai tribe, although no one had seen the pilot in person before. His identity has always been a mystery. Then we have Ye Yin and Huang Jiming being the ace of Ye family and Xi Feng clan respectively."

"The ace? That means they are really great, but how great?" Ye Chong was very curious on this aspect of the story.

"'How great' you ask? Kek, well that would be a little horrifying. They had always been fighting an outnumbered battle, with a conquering victory in the end of course. Imagine you yourself fighting a thousand elites. Yup, that great." The young man was sharing the tale proudly as if he was the witness of the legend.

From the story, Ye Chong knew the person was just cooking up the story. One against thousand? Even if the thousand were piloting a Raven, they could murder the so-called ace pilots by their weight altogether.

"Well…" Sipped the young man on his drink, "Speaking of ace pilots, they were not the only few."

"Who else I wonder?" Ye Chong's interest inflated again, he got to admit that this young man knew how to tell stories despite being a typical trumpet blower.

"Well, brother, you never knew, the world is so vast that there are lots of formidable figures in the dark."

Wow, Ye Chong was impressed for the young man was actually able to spell out such universal law.

"Like… if we talk about technology, of course Xue Lai tribe is ahead of the other aristocrats. But if you mention about physical strength, Ye family would be taking that flag. Tsk, tsk, I wonder with those vitality, how long they could last on bed." An indecent expression coming from the young man, as he began munching the air, somehow reminiscing a past of his.

"Cough." He quickly got himself back to reality, "So, these two families… have their own perks, although I must say the Xi Feng clan fought in quite a strange way. We could say these families are great forces, but does that mean that all the great forces in the entire galaxy were in these families?"

Ye Chong lifted his head and stared at the young man.

"Ugh." The blemishes made the young man nearly choked his line, he swallowed his disgust, "I would say NO to that statement." And finally coughed out his words.

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Chapter 312: The Duo from Gray Valley

Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation

"There are so many experts in this world, as many as there are stars in the sky. Besides, in recent years, the various powerful forces around have been relatively stable, and rarely clashed with each other. Without battles, the relative strength of mech pilots is hard to gauge. People can only guess how strong a mech pilot really is. Take Bi Zhibo, for example. His name has been around for more than 20 years. His mech's called Nine Flames. The man's never lost, everyone's heard of him. Compared to the three super powerful mech pilots from the Three Aristocratic Families, you'll never know who's stronger without an actual fight. But will they fight just for the name? Never."

Ye Chong listened closely as the blonde man continued.

"No one really knows how many elite mech pilots there are, but there should be a couple dozen. You know, once you reach a certain level of skill, it's hard to know who's better than who. Moreover, judging a mech pilot's strength is no easy task. We're looking at piloting skills, mech models used, the interplay between these two factors, and the pilot's tactical skills and so on. Yeah, battle tactics are very important. Most strong mech pilots are good at strategizing, but some are better than others. You heard of Arwa before?" The blonde man asked.

"No," Ye Chong answered truthfully. He noticed that the blonde man's chattering had attracted a crowd around him.

"Ah, I knew you wouldn't know him. Brother, this is unacceptable. Look at you, so young and all, how can you be so ignorant? You should go to a school, get a good education, or you'll be the butt of everyone's joke and easily taken advantage of," The blonde man advised sincerely.

"Arwa is a mysterious man of skills. Rumor has it that his mech is only a normal advanced level mech, but he's a real tactical genius. He brings tactical skills to a whole new level. Besides, he's a real good pilot, and frequently won against opponents stronger than himself. One of his most famous battles is the one with Ye Yin, where he managed to retreat completely unscathed. Ye Yin has one of the best mechs in the galaxy. This was also the only time Ye Yin did not win. Ever since then, Arwa's reputation skyrocketed, placing him side by side with other elite mech pilots. Almost every aristocratic family tried to recruit him, but he rejected them all. Hehe, he's the hero of us common people."

Arwa was obviously a famous character. A few young people gathering around him howled in agreement. Of course, there were some who showed disdain on their faces instead. These people were mostly from rich families.

"Later, it was said that Arwa had went to Gray Valley. Hah, he must be the best mech pilot in Gray Valley now!" The blonde man was obviously a huge fan of Arwa.

"Humph, best mech pilot in Gray Valley? What a joke!" Someone commented coolly from the crowd. Ye Chong looked towards the source of this voice, and found an arrogant looking long-haired man.

"What?" The blonde man and other fans of Arwa glared angrily at the long-haired man.

"Hua, don't speak nonsense," a middle-aged man standing beside the younger long-haired man reprimanded him sternly, and quickly apologized to the crowd, "Please forgive us, my friend is only joking, please don't take him seriously." The long-haired man called Hua looked unrepentant, but was pushed down onto his seat by the middle-aged man.

The middle-aged man did not look particularly memorable, his calm face was the image of a nice guy. His gray suit made him look like a gentleman. His steady demeanor and calm personality made him easy to get along with. However, Ye Chong noticed his hands, the wide palms covered with calluses. The man's wrists were covered by his sleeves, but Ye Chong could see that his hands must be very strong.

The middle-aged man seemed to sense Ye Chong's attention. His hands jerked almost imperceptibly, but Ye Chong saw it anyway. The other man began to study Ye Chong as well. Their eyes met, and the middle-aged man smiled to Ye Chong. Ye Chong nodded back. He was not worried about exposing his own strength. Due to his physical peculiarities, his harsh training barely left a trace in his actual physique. Even the calluses on his hands would disappear very quickly.

The blonde man seemed to lose interest in his storytelling after the long-haired man's interruption. Ye Chong regretted it. The blonde man was an interesting narrator. Ye Chong had learned much from his stories. He kept the names of the mech pilots introduced to him close to his heart.

Schools were not such a bad place. The simple environment reminded Ye Chong of his days in Blue Ocean Academy. He had learned plenty from that place, but was rudely interrupted by Black Cove. The thought of Black Cove brought Ye Chong's mind back to the Ye Family. What a troublesome place!

However, Ye Chong quickly dropped that line of thought. He now realized that he lacked even the most basic common knowledge around here. If he just went out to investigate as he was now, the chances of him being successful would be less than five percent.

Hence, Ye Chong did not rush himself. Now was the time to learn more about this society. This place was entirely different from the Five Galaxies, and a place that he had to live in for the moment. To return to the Five Galaxies would require getting involved with the Three Aristocratic Families, and he could not afford to do that right now. He would have to live in He Yue galaxy for the foreseeable future. Hence, it would make more sense for him to learn how to live a better life here.

Ye Chong did a quick calculation in his mind. His talented mind was now functioning like an efficient photon processor, cool and precise. He did not act impulsively while trying to find out more about his real identity. Unlike other people, Ye Chong's upbringing had allowed him to view his problem from a very different perspective.

It would not matter if he was really related to the Ye Family. Ye Chong did not feel a sense of belonging with the Ye Family. To him, he would rather spend more time to investigate about his Papa. Papa was his real family. He cared about Papa, about Mu and Shang, about Grandpa Qian, about Nan Nan, about Hei Zi. Compared to these people, the Ye Family was too unfamiliar to him. Ye Chong only wanted to know who his real parents were. That was all. The rest was of no consequence to him.

Ye Chong soon stopped thinking about the matter. Since he had made a decision, he should just act accordingly.

Just then, the starship began to decelerate. While the deceleration was gradual, Ye Chong was sensitive enough to speed that he detected it straight away.

"Huh, why'd they start the inspection here?" The blonde man hummed to himself.

"Inspection for what?" Ye Chong could not help but asked.

The blonde man explained with a low voice, "Zhou Jian is a commercial planet, and they're wary of troublemakers visiting. There are some crazy fools who'd wreak havoc once they landed on Zhou Jian. The inspection here is more laxed, and intended for these troublemakers. In other places, especially where the aristocrats stay, they'd be more unwelcoming towards Gray Valley residents."

Ye Chong nodded, understanding. If any fool were to carelessly cause destruction on the planet, the effects would be devastating.

Soon, a group of officers in blue uniforms boarded the ship. Ye Chong found many of them to be combat experts. In this irregular and narrow space, combat experts would have the upper hand against mech pilots.

The passengers on the starship were all familiar with this kind of inspection, and produced their identity cards cooperatively. Ye Chong was skeptical of the effectiveness of this inspection, since He Yue galaxy's identity card management system was quite messy. Ye Chong's identity card was bought with 30 thousand credits at Yi Ju planet, and it was an authentic card, complete with a background history for him. Old Chief Guo's connections in the local community had enabled him to deal with this matter easily.

"Is this inspection effective?" Ye Chong asked, curious.

"Not really," The blonde man shrugged in reply. "It's just to make you feel safe."

When it came to his turn, Ye Chong passed the inspection without any hiccups. The officer did not even bother to look at him. It was the middle-aged man and the long-haired man who got into some trouble.

"You're from Gray Valley?" The Inspector, head of the officers, looked at the identity card offered by the middle-aged man and frowned. The long-haired man was immediately offended by the head officer's expression, his hostile glare at the Inspector earning him unfriendly looks from the other officers back in return.

"Yes, that's right," the middle-aged man answered calmly.

The Inspector stopped his officers' hostile behavior and steadily said , "We're all commoners here, and hold no ill will towards Gray Valley. I hope your friend will stay in line, since there are many aristocrats around here. I hope you'll not get into trouble with them. That would be very troublesome for us officers."

The middle-aged man bowed slightly and said, "Please don't worry, we'll not cause trouble." He patted the long-haired man's shoulder, and the hostility in his gaze slowly died down.

"Gray Valley … So they are from Gray Valley," Ye Chong thought to himself. Gray Valley residents were secretive, and never spoke of that place when they were outside. Rumor has it that Gray Valley people were strong, but he did not know exactly how strong these two were.

"No wonder, they're from Gray Valley," the blonde man exclaimed in realization.

The inspection ended quickly. No troublemakers were identified. The starship was allowed to enter Zhou Jian's airspace.

Ye Chong had randomly picked a starship to switch to earlier. It did not matter which city he ended up in, so there was no need to worry about it. He only knew from the blonde man that Zhou Jian was a commercial planet.

Commercial planets were convenient. Communication was easy, and many products were available in the market. Ye Chong was now in urgent need of a few items. Perhaps he could get them here. Besides, commercial planets were usually easier to move freely about. Commercial planets were the meeting points for various powers, so the aristocrats would be more careful in these places.

For someone like Ye Chong, who wanted to get familiar with life in He Yue galaxy as soon as possible, it was a good choice of location. "Looks like I got lucky," Ye Chong thought to himself.

A blue plane came into view. Against the dark, enigmatic space around it, the average-sized planet seemed to teem with life.

He glanced at the middle-aged man, and found him smiling back warmly at him. The long-haired man beside him seemed more excited now.

The starship made its slow way towards the planet of Zhou Jian. Ye Chong looked out of the observation window, lost in his own thoughts.

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Chapter 313: Ze Xi Academy

Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation

"If you have the money, I'd definitely advise you to attend Engradie Academy. It's the best school on Zhou Jian, and one of the best academies in the He Yue galaxy. The students are mostly from rich families, and many of them are aristocrats. But you don't look rich, so maybe you'd like to try the Ze Xi Academy. It's the best school for commoners, and the fee is cheap. While you, my friend, look a little older, it's common to see children from poorer families to attend night classes. They won't turn you down." Before they parted ways, the blonde man took Ye Chong's hands in his, and advised him with deep sincerity.

Standing in front of Ze Xi Academy, looking at the students bustling in and out, Ye Chong thought it felt surreal. His days in Blue Ocean Academy came back to him. It was impossible to forget about Grandpa Qian, Xiu and Sun Xuelin. However, times had changed, and now, he did not even have Mu and Shang by his side. It was just like the time when he was a teacher in the Academy, except that now he was a student.

Engradie Academy was a good education institution, and Ye Chong himself was not lacking money, but in the end he chose to attend school at Ze Xi Academy. The fact that Engradie Academy's many students were aristocrats was enough to help Ye Chong make his decision.

Ye Chong was in plain attire, which was why the blonde man thought of him as poor. In fact, Ye Chong had never bought any clothing himself. The ones he was wearing were bought by Old Chief Guo and his company. Ye Chong only asked that the clothing be resilient to wear and tear. Old Chief Guo knew that Ye Chong and the Sang tribe members would not be picky with fashion, so he bought the hardiest and cheapest clothing he could find.

Ye Chong was not aware that people were often judged by what they wear. However, if even he found out, he would probably feel indifferent about it.

"First step to getting used to living here," Ye Chong thought to himself. He had decided to put more effort into improving his social skills. He was not dumb, but was in fact intelligent; he knew exactly what he was lacking of. If Mu and Shang were with him, perhaps he would have remained the same way he was before. Now, however, with Mu and Shang missing, he would have to try everything he could to find them. If he could not mix with people, then how can he find Mu and Shang in this large world? Without connections, how could he find a way to return to the Five Galaxies from the Three Aristocratic Families?

Unlike the matter of finding Mu and Shang, Ye Chong was not as driven to find out about his past. However, given that he had no information on Mu and Shang, but had found some information about his past, the matter of his past had become priority for the time being. For now, Ye Chong must not only familiarize himself with the He Yue galaxy, but also study the Three Aristocratic Families discreetly, especially the Ye Family.

Ye Chong knew from experience that all fields of knowledge have a complete system. Only through systematic learning would he be able to understand more deeply. This was something Ye Chong thought of when the blonde man talked about joining academies. Aside from that, the community in schools were more isolated and simpler. He should be able to avoid attention here.

After paying the required fee, Ye Chong became an official student of the Ze Xi Academy.

Ze Xi Academy's learning policy was liberal. Students were free to choose their desired courses. Ye Chong did not choose courses for mech piloting, combat, mech modification and the like. He knew what he wanted out of this learning experience. He chose He Yue's history, language, psychology, theology, aristocracy and so on.

When he submitted his course schedule, the teacher was surprised. It was normal to see a schedule like in Engradie Academy, but the students of Ze Xi Academy came mostly from poor families - they hoped to find a reliable job in future, and so would choose courses like mech piloting, mech modification and alchemy. "This student must come from a well-to-do family, but his clothing doesn't look like it," the teacher thought as he took a quick glance at Ye Chong, but quickly arranged for Ye Chong's courses.

Ye Chong's plain clothing, horrible looks, and quiet nature had allowed him to escape attention easily.

The active student life, filled with brawls and arguments, all looked dull to Ye Chong, who had been through countless battles of life and death. He poured all his attention into studying. The humanities courses all demanded a large amount of reading. To other people, Ye Chong looked like a typical bookworm. To them, Ye Chong may look ugly, but his mild demeanor and quiet nature made him easy to get along with.

Ye Chong did not know how he appeared to other people. He only focused on his studies.

The Three Aristocratic Families were the most resilient of all aristocrats. There was plenty of historical research on them, and Ye Chong ploughed through all of them in search for clues. These courses transformed Ye Chong's mindset. If it was before, he would never had thought of searching for information from historical material.

Sang Pu and the rest kept in touch with Ye Chong frequently. Ye Chong knew from Sang Pu that the tribe members had learnt how to better conceal their threatening aura. In fact, it was a skill that they had picked up much earlier on, but had never thought of using it now. Back in Archipelago, they had used this skill when hunting. Wild beasts were very sensitive to deathly auras, so the tribe members had to learn to conceal their aura to avoid being noticed.

This concealing skill was already second nature to them, so no one thought of applying it now. For the moment, however, they had much more to learn.

Francis Jr, on the other hand, was greatly surprised. "Wah, Boss, you look so … So …" He could remember the word. Old Chief Guo continued his sentence, "Scholarly."

"Yes yes yes, 'scholarly', that's right. Like a really smart person." Francis Jr looked at Ye Chong, full of admiration.

In fact, Ye Chong had changed dramatically in these two months. His cold features were now softer on the edges. With a whole two months of courses on literature and history, Ye Chong no longer consider things in only structural and calculative terms.

From the other end of the comms device came Sang Tie's muffled voice, "Lian, what's this scholarly thing?"

Hai Lian replied, "Er, scholarly, it means … It means the person read plenty, and gives the impression of being very intelligent."

Somewhere not captured on the screen of the comms device, Sang Tie beat his chest and said, "Then I want that scholarly thing too."

"Then you should go learn from the Boss."

Hai Lian's pained groan was met with laughter from the gang. It was an enjoyable call.

Ye Chong could not help but smiled. He remembered something then, and said to Sang Pu, "Pu, remember to send someone back to the village and teach them about concealing their aura. Everyone must learn this, especially the children."

"Yes sir," Sang Pu answered swiftly.

After asking Sang Pu and the rest to study those devices used to manufacture mechs, Ye Chong ended the call. He should continue reading in the afternoon. He had not finished his last book yet.

The truth was, Ye Chong was intimidated by all those reading at first. His mindset was almost crystallized, thinking only in terms of numbers and logic. These psychology and theology courses seemed like an insurmountable task to him. However, due to his good memory, Ye Chong managed to endure the suffering during his first month, and gradually immersed himself into this whole new body of knowledge.

Walking in the academy grounds, Ye Chong looked no different than any other student around, except for his slightly uglier looks.

"I say, Mi De, Ze Xi Academy is full of beautiful girls. I've always thought the pretty ones are all at our school!" This came from a vastly overweight youngster in casual outfit. For the initiated, they would notice that his clothing was very expensive.

At his side was another man with a hat on. "That's what you think! Those d*mbasses back at school are all so arrogant and foolish. And those ladies, they're all proud as peacocks, the lot. Hehe, those ladies, don't be fooled by their elegant looks, it's all the work of makeup. 'Sides, you know how rotten their lives really are." The one called Mi De was a few inches taller than Fatty. His hat was worn low.

Fatty nodded, chewing his gum as he mumbled, "That's right, that's right."

"It's totally different here. Look, the girls here rarely wear makeup. Now that's true beauty. Tsk tsk, their skin is porcelain white. Besides, they're quite conservative, all about purity and innocence, nothing compared to the rotten girls back at school."

Fatty nodded strongly in agreement.

Mi De smiled cheekily and said, "Hehe, I've visited all 75 schools for the commoners. When it comes to the quantity and quality of beautiful girls, mm, and the girls' temperaments, Ze Xi Academy is the best."

Ye Chong walked past them, and heard every word clearly. However, he was thinking, just how should he analyze these two people's behavior from a psychological perspective?

A rush of footsteps came from behind, breaking Ye Chong's train of thought. 16 of them! The assessment came quick as lightning to Ye Chong's mind.

"You two, please leave our school, we don't welcome you here!" The voice was fierce and unyielding.

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Chapter 314: Blood Spilled from a Brick

Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation

Mi De whistled and said casually, "Ah, isn't that Peng Pengcha? I say, bro, I don't think we've offended each other, why're you accosting me?"

Peng Pengcha yelled angrily, "Mi, you b*stard, we're not done with that matter with Miss Tan!"

Fatty was curious, and asked, "Mi De, I've never heard of you dating any Miss Tan."

Mi De waved it off. "He's only referring to Beibei."

"Wow, you're actually interested in that kind of woman?" Fatty was surprised.

"Don't you dare sully her name!" Peng Peng Cha was furious, and flung the brick in his hand towards the two youngsters.

"Hehe, bro, you really looking for a fight?" "Yo, it's the Brick, a long range weapon of mass destruction!" The two of them laughed, but they also avoided the attack easily. Fights in the academy grounds was only limited to bricks, sticks and the like; no one dared to use mechs. Fighting with bricks was an entirely different from fighting with mechs.

The usage of bricks as a fighting tool first began when a student studying ancient history found out about in the textbooks. The weapon soon became widely used in almost all academies. Bricks were a kind of building material from a long, long time ago, and no longer used. It was, however, easy to make. Since there was a demand for bricks, many specialty shops began to pop up in the vicinity of virtually every academy and school. After centuries of collecting dust in the forgotten hallways of history, bricks finally had their comeback in the form of a fighting tool used in schools.

The brick flew past the two and straight towards Ye Chong. Ye Chong heard it coming, and frowned. He took a step to the right, narrowly avoiding the attack.

Ye Chong stopped in his tracks and began to listen in.

Fatty was still reasoning with Peng Pengcha, "Sigh, I say, brother, you've really fallen for it this time. Tan Beibei's a real slut, she's notorious in our school …"

"D*mn you!" Peng Pengcha saw red, and threw another brick at them.

Fatty might be overweight, but he was surprisingly agile. The brick was once again easily evaded. However, the brick was heading straight towards Ye Chong again.

Ye Chong was listening to them, and did not avoid the brick this time. He threw his fist at the brick, shattering it into dust.

Everyone else looked in Ye Chong's direction. They only heard a loud "Bam!", and saw a white cloud of dust spreading out before him.

Everyone was caught off guard. Even Fatty and Mi De, who were fooling around, were startled. The white cloud of dust was blocking their view of the perpetrator. Even so, the strength in the punch had surprised everyone.

Punching a brick into pieces was easy, but crushing the brick into dust was extremely hard. This white cloud of dust was obviously the result of the brick being completely pulverized.

Could this be a combat expert teacher? Peng Pengcha felt a chill in his heart. Attacking a teacher was a serious matter in every school.

Ye Chong's expression grew more serious. Suddenly, his eyes glowed sharply. He looked up and around, and found a streetlight at the center of the field. The streetlight was made in vintage fashion, reaching five meters tall, with a 2-centimeter diameter. The pole was made of alloy, and carved with various motives.

Ye Chong moved, and reached the streetlight in a flash.

This was the time of day when the academy grounds were most crowded. When Ye Chong pulverized the brick into dust, people began to notice him. Now, his astonishing speed made everyone gasp. Peng Pengcha was already drained of blood. Mi De and Fatty were also gulping heavily.

Ye Chong's leg kicked, striking out like a lightning bolt, not even leaving an afterimage of motion. No one around him could see his movement clearly.

Wham! The alloy-made streetlight was forcefully broken off from its base. The students around him stared in shock. Ye Chong picked up he streetlight pole, handling the heavy alloy with ease.

"No way!" Peng Pengcha thought to himself, horrified. Sweat rolled down his forehead as he mumbled, "I - I - I … I only threw … Threw a brick …"

Just when everyone thought Peng Pengcha was done for, the shrill school alarm disrupted the silence in the academy grounds!

No one reacted to it. The alarm had never rang for the last 50 years, so no one had ever heard it before. However, the sharper students quickly realized its significance. Mi De and Fatty exchanged a look and gasped simultaneously, "The alarm!"

With that, the people around them recovered their senses. What was going on? They looked to each other, discussing potential causes of the alarm. Could it be a large pirate crew attacking them?

Mi De and Fatty signalled to each other, and made the same decision - they deployed their mechs!

Later recounts of the event would reveal that their apparent over-reaction had actually saved their lives.

Ye Chong's expression twisted. He struck the pole deeply into the ground.

The year 5087 of the He Yue calendar would come to be a particularly memorable year for everyone on Zhou Jian planet.

Ye Chong moved so powerfully that the alloy streetlight pole in his hands became a terrifying and deadly weapon.

Rumble! Soil sprayed outwards as the streetlight pole was struck deeply into the ground.

An eye-piercingly sharp and terrible cry came from beneath the earth. The upper layer of the ground rippled like waves, an eerie sight to behold.

Suddenly, the academy's broadcast sounded, "Special alert, special alert. All students with mechs, please get into your mechs now. Students without mechs, please make your way into the buildings around you for your own safety."

The broadcast was repeated over and over. Above them, mechs began to appear, while the students without mechs rushed to the nearest building they could find for shelter. However, many of them were still in daze, paralyzed by the situation.

Ye Chong ignored the broadcast, his attention focused entirely on the unknown attacked underneath the ground.

Boom! The earth before Ye Chong exploded, soil spraying everywhere around him. The academy had used real soil instead of some kind of flooring in its attempt to create a more primeval feel to the school grounds. The soil flew out and hit the paralyzed students standing nearby, and they cried in pain. However, this also shook off their paralysis. Those with mechs quickly deployed them, while the rest quickly scattered away.

The soil exploding outwards did not bother Ye Chong. He stared fixedly on the ground right in front of him. He had targeted the other party from their breathing. The five-meter pole was struck into the ground before him, half of its length beneath the earth. Ye Chong's hands held onto the pole lightly, and felt a strong vibration coming from it.

Sensing the energy coming from the pole, Ye Chong was slightly taken by surprise, but he quickly reacted. He yelled loudly and pulled out the streetlight pole straight out of the ground.

Squeak! Another terrible cry was heard from beneath.

The bottom half of the streetlight pole was covered in blood, and a strange smell wafting from it. Ye Chong had seen all sorts of blood, but this was the first time he saw one that had such a sharp smell.

Ye Chong held the pole horizontally in front of him, and stared at the dark hole before him with wary anticipation.

Squeak! A black shadow rushed out of the hole and charged straight towards Ye Chong. He noticed a much sharper smell coming from it. The black figure moved so quickly that the people around him could not even see it clearly.

A woman's sharp cry was heard from behind him! The fact that a black figure had suddenly came out of the hole was really terrifying.

Others may only see a black figure, but Ye Chong saw it clearly. It was a rat. A rat! However, the rat was large, almost Ye Chong's size. Its crimson red eyes had blood vessels crawling all over them. Its thin and long tail was like a whip, and it had strong legs. Ye Chong could see the muscles bulging out of it, enough to make bodybuilders blush in shame. The rat had claws that reached 10 centimeters long, looking like knives attached to its feet.

"It this really a rat?" Ye Chong thought to himself in disbelief.

Ye Chong's expression remained calm, however. The thing moved fast, but was no match against someone as fast as Ye Chong. Ye Chong launched himself sideways, moving along the streetlight pole. His hands were still gently holding onto the pole, so he looked like he was just sliding along the pole, and the effect was simply quite abnormal. Besides, with his speed, he moved just like a ghost!

Another girl screamed in the background!

Ye Chong was not distracted. He tipped the pole upwards to meet the black figure.

Crack! The 2-centimeter thick alloy pole was bitten in half by the creature!

Ye Chong was surprised, but did not miss the opening. He took a quick step forwards and planted a kick on the rat's belly!

Ye Chong used all his strength in this kick. Fighting against a creature he had never seen before, he could not afford to hold back!

The kick was executed with the September Lan family's special technique! Ye Chong's right leg expanded and shrank in a very short time!

Wham! The force on the rat came like a mech's attack, throwing it 20 meters back! Ye Chong still kept his eyes on the rat. If it survived this attack, the it must be even more terrifying than the wild beasts on Archipelago.

Fortunately, the huge rat only twitched a few times before it lay motionless for good. Ye Chong finally calmed himself down. All around him were terrified people. Only half of Zei Xi Academy's students had mechs. The rest of the students were still running to the nearest building in the academy they could find.

The rat's huge body interrupted the frenzy of the students running for their lives.

Ye Chong was about to head towards the school building in front of him when a woman's sharp cry came from behind him.

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Chapter 315: Fight!

Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation

Rui Bing had a terrible look on her face. With the swarms of creatures outside, a Jie expert such as her was still vulnerable to the innate revulsion towards such disgusting creatures, as was typical for the fairer sex.

When Shi Fuyin was shocked by their experience on Lunaris last time, her fragile body deteriorated even further. She had to be moved to Zhou Jian planet, which offered better medical facilities. With nowhere to go herself, Rui Bing decided to stay by Shi Fuyin's side. She had developed a certain tenderness towards the girl.

Shi Chongming was out on an errand, leaving only her and Shi Fuyin. The sudden appearance of so many of those creatures outside left Rui Bing deeply shaken.

Rui Bing witnessed with her own eyes how the urban streets were transformed into a living hell. There was blood everywhere. People who could not escape fast enough were chewed to pieces. The sight of blood, flesh and organs here and there was nauseating.

The victims wailed in pain and distress, or shrieked in fear and despair. It was as if the world was turned inside out.

Rui Bing stood by the window, watching the tragedy happening outside from above, feeling deeply troubled.

Just what had the world come to? Why was this happening?

There was a pedestrian who could not make it in time, and his one leg was bitten off by one of those huge rats. Blood gushed out from the wound, bloodying the rat's face. The rat chewed on the leg for a few times and swallowed it. Its blood red eyes shone menacingly. The pedestrian's face twisted in pain from the sudden amputation, but before he could react any further, the other rats swarmed over him and finished him off. Rui Bing saw everything, including the expression of the pedestrian in the last moments of his life. That twisted face lingered in her mind, and her heart ached.

Rui Bing inhaled deeply to calm herself, and began to assess the situation. However, the conclusions she reached from her observation of the situation outside gave her pause.

The rats were strong, and astonishingly so. Their teeth could gnaw through the strong compound material used to built the walls, as easy as chewing a biscuit in their mouths.

"If this was the case, then we're defenseless," Rui Bing thought to herself. The hospital's walls were all made of the same compound material, which could not withstand the assault of the rats.

She would have to fight! Rui Bing's eys glowed with determination. As a Jie expert, she would not easily lose hope against hurdles like these.

As she walked to Shi Fuyin's bed, Shi Fuyin woke up. She opened her eyes wide and looked at Rui Bing, and called sweetly, "Sister Bing."

Rui Bing caressed her forehead and asked softly, "How do you feel?"

"Much better," Shi Fuyin smiled in reply despite her pale appearance.

Rui Bing looked at Shi Fuyin with sympathy, and could not help but worry. If they leave the hospital, would Shi Fuyin's condition worsen without the medical facilities available here? There was no other alternative, however. Rui Bing gritted her teeth and said to Shi Fuyin, "It's chaos out there. We're leaving now. I'll carry you."

"Ah!" Shi Fuyin gasped in surprised. "What about Uncle Ming?"

Rui Bing shook her head. "I don't know why he's not back either, maybe he's in trouble." Rui Bing was right. Shi Chongming was trapped somewhere outside, and in a worse situation than them.

Rui Bing walked to the window for another look, and knew that they could not afford to delay any further. She quickly helped Shi Fuyin into her clothes. Shi Fuyin managed awkwardly due to her weak body. She was wrapped up into a large bundle since she was still feeling chilly.

Rui Bing walked to the bed and tore off a few strips of cloth from the bedsheet. She took a strip and carefully blindfolded Shi Fuyin with it. She did not want the young lady to see the hellish world outside. Shi Fuyin seemed to understand her, and smiled sweetly as she accepted the blindfold without protest. Rui Bing took the headphones from the bedside and put it on Shi Fuyin. The headphones had good noise-cancelling features. Once it was put on, she would not be able to hear anything but the beautiful music coming from the headphones.

Rui Bing tied Shi Fuyin onto herself tightly. She was not scared, nor did she hesitate as she began to move.

Ye Chong turned back to see a lady holding onto some chips in her arms and frantically looking at the ground around her. The soil around her was rippling like the surface of boiling water.

Ye Chong leaped and reached her side. He gripped her arms and began to run forward.

Clatter! The chips fell from her arms. The lady paled, and cried, "My chips, my chips!"

She struggled in Ye Chong's hands, trying to free herself and head back for her chips. However, Ye Chong's hands held onto to her strongly like pincers, and no matter how much she tried, she could not break free.

"Let me go! Let me go! My chips, ooh, my chips!" She punched Ye Chong repeatedly, but it was no use. Abruptly, she lowered her head and bit deeply into Ye Chong's arm!

Ye Chong's eyes turned grim, and he striked out with his left hand!

Slap! The slap on her face was loud and clear. The lady's face was now imprinted with a red palm!

"You - You actually hit me?" The lady stammered in disbelief.

"You're sure you want to die?" Ye Chong ignored her reaction and asked coldly. The lady felt a chill down her spine, still not fully believing. It was still too early for Ye Chong to practice what he had learned in this short period. Given the emergency of the situation, he reverted to his old behavior of cold logic.

If the lady replied in the affirmative, Ye Chong would definitely let her go. He did not distinguish between men and women, but he still found it hard to believe that anyone could be so stubborn given the situation. If it was before, he might just break her neck there and then. However, dear Ye Chong had progressed much since then. He would only let her go, and leave her to her demise.

Behind them, rats emerged in great numbers from where the lady was standing earlier, and began to scatter about the academy grounds.

Ye Chong ran faster towards the school building in front of him. He did not have time to check his bitten hand. The block was surrounded by security mechs. There were also many mechs in the skies with their weapons pointed towards the ground, fully prepared for battle.

As Ye Chong approached the building, the mech closest to them stepped aside for them to pass through. Ye Chong slipped through and entered the school building.

Inside the building, people were huddling in corners, crying to themselves, or just spacing off, or gritting their teeth in anger. However, they all looked panic stricken and scared. The sudden calamity had caught them off guard.

"Madam Fei Si! It's Madam Fei Si!" "Madam Fei Si!"

A few female students recognized the woman Ye Chong was having with him, and rushed to her. Some even threw themselves into her arms, crying. Fei Si was now behaving completely different from before, patting the students' backs and comforting them.

Strange. Ye Chong took another look at Fei Si, now with a completely different personality, and went to sit in a corner. He needed to organize his thoughts. Everything happened too quickly, without any warning! Why were the rats like that? No, there was something else he saw. He recalled then that there were other animals as well. When he turned back to look at Fei Si, he remembered seeing animals other than the rats.

Could they be mutants? The idea was immediately rejected. As someone who grew up on a trash planet, he had seen countless mutants before, but none of them were like this. These rats were even stronger than the engulfers on the trash planet.

Something must have happened!

Besides, Ye Chong found it curious that no one here had any idea of the possible causes of this calamity. If no organization on Zhou Jian planet realized anything was amiss before this, it would be very strange indeed!

But why should this concern him? Ye Chong dismissed his worries. If things really got out of hand, he can always find a starship and escape to planet of Yi Ju. Hijacking a starship was a piece of cake for him. It was a pity, though, to end his studies here. He had just started his humanities studies, only beginning to grasp the important ideas in this field.

No one paid much attention to Ye Chong. In the midst of this chaos, why would they pay attention to a random student?

There were loud sounds of battle coming from outside. Everyone but Ye Chong lifted their heads and looked outside the school building. They had always lived in a peaceful life, and had never seen actual battles before. Ye Chong was unaffected by what was happening outside.

The battle was fierce!

Ye Chong was right. There were other mutants besides those rats. In fact, it seemed as though all kinds of animals had evolved into some kind of strong mutant creatures overnight.

Fortunately, however, they were all land animals. None of them fly. It they could, the mechs would lose their flying advantage. Most of the mechs engaging in fights outside were teachers. They were all experienced in combat, and fought with competence. It was their leadership that managed to keep the students calm and organized.

Nonetheless, the mutated creatures were all tough animals. Even when wounded by energy beams, they could run about unaffected if they were not hit at critical body parts. Additionally, the creatures were strong and powerful, moving too quickly to aim at them. It was due to their large numbers that almost any random shot would end up hitting a target.

The He Ye galaxy was more specialized in long range combat, just like in the Five Galaxies. However, the current emergency required more close range combat mechs. Without close range combat mechs at the frontlines, the swarming mutants would quickly overwhelm the entire academy, leaving everyone at risk.

The rats were terrifying enemies, especially when they attacked together in the dozens!

Swoosh! A mech flew in to the school building and yelled, "Any more students with mechs? We need reinforcements! All students with mechs please get in your mech and and prepare for battle, especially the close range mechs." The mech's bionic eyes scanned through the people around and said grimly, "The situation is critical, please lend your strength! I hope you understand one thing - your lives are in your hands! Defeat will mean death!"

The mech looked ghastly, covered with damages. Even the shield on its left arm was missing a corner, having been bitten off. Done with his speech, the mech pilot returned outside and continued to battle.

Gradually, students began to stand up and take action. In this dangerous situation, everyone began to fight for their survival.

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Chapter 316: Worsening Situation

Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation

Ye Chong did not get up. The situation was not too critical yet. If they put all available resources to use now, they would not be able to hold their defense line for long. However, Ye Chong also knew that he would not be given the chance to command the defensive forces, so he did not even try to interfere. Besides, the students' mediocre abilities were not enough to interest him, not after seeing the sublime combat performance of the Sang Tribe.

It was too bad that Sang Pu and the rest were not here. The situation was not optimistic, but not to the point where Ye Chong had to worry about his own safety. This level of danger was nothing compared to what Ye Chong had experienced before. Compared to this, the battle at Sang Family Village was truly terrifying!

Everyone around him looked distressed, but Ye Chong himself was composed.

Feiss approached Ye Chong, bowed, and said in a serious tone, "I'm very sorry for my rudeness earlier that hurt you. I'm an alchemist, may I see your hand? I have medicine to stop the bleeding."

Ye Chong kept his eyes closed as he answered calmly, "No need, thank you."

"Ahaha, Fei dear, you're alright! That's wonderful," a booming voice came from Fei Si.

Fei Si brightened, and turned to greet him, "Uncle Jalopy!"

The man was only about 160 centimeters tall, but he had a solid build, with angular, bulging muscles that made him look like a towering metal structure. Aside from that, his pugnacious looks made anyone who saw him cautious. The students around him were obviously intimidated by him, and kept their distance.

Unlike those students, Fei Si cried in surprise and buried herself into his embrace, and began to weep. The old man was unused to handling emotional outbursts like this, and received her awkwardly as he consoled her. It was a strange sight to behold. A 170-centimeter tall woman was crying in the arms of a 160-centimeter tall old man. The old man had to stand on tiptoe.

"Fei dear, what's wrong? Don't cry, don't cry, what happened?" The old man was at a loss.

Fei Si's shoulders trembled as she continued crying. "The chips … The chips are all gone!"

"Ah!" The old man gasped, "Fei dear, how did that happen? That's your teacher's life achievements stored in them. Didn't you store all you work these past few years in them too?"

Fei Si cried even more then, and told him what happened between sobs.

The old man's expression turned solemn, and consoled her, "Don't be sad, Fei dear, you're alive, and that's all that matters. Your teacher in the Heavens must also be happy for that. If the chips are gone, you can still redo your research; if you are gone, then nothing can be done to save you."

The old man walked to Ye Chong and bowed. "Young man, thank you very much."

Ye Chong was taken by his politeness. He opened his eyes and replied plainly, "You're welcome."

"Hah!" The old man laughed, and reached out his right hand to pat on Ye Chong's shoulder. "I knew you're a good man. You may not be the most handsome man in town, but then, hehe, you're no ordinary man."

Ye Chong was not used to physical intimacy. He stayed in his cross-legged sitting position as he put his hands to the ground and pushed his whole body sliding to the side.

The old man's eyes lit up. "You're a combat expert!"

In another city on Zhou Jian, at the tip of the highest building there, two people looked down at the tragedy unfolding below them with sorrowful expressions. These two were the Gray Valley duo whom Ye Chong had met on the starship.

"Squad Leader, the situation is worse than we imagined," the long-haired man said grimly.

The middle-aged man nodded solemnly. "Yes, it's worse than we imagined."

"This is inhuman!" The long-haired younger man said angrily.

The middle-aged man deployed his mech and said, "Enough talking, let's get to work."

Two mechs flew off into the skies.

Rui Bing ran as fast as she could, finding her footing on the buildings around her. Her movements were even more powerful than the rats. The buildings flew past her as she ran, leaving only an afterimage in her vision.

A rat suddenly leaped high up like a spring straight towards Rui Bing, who was still in midair between jumps.

Rui Bing twisted her body slightly, angling her body away from the rat in a logic defying moment, despite having no physical support to change directions.

Rui Bing's lonely white figure stood out in the streets. The countless number of rats on the streets stared at the flitting figure. The rat that jumped up seemed to inspire the other rats, as they began to squeak in excitement.

The rats began to leap up to attack Rui Bing, who was running along the rooftops of the shops that lined the streets.

Rui Bing's eyes flared up! This was the most dangerous situation she had ever been in her twenty over years of living, but she did not feel scared at all.

She evaded them all! Rui Bing moved like a white butterfly, dancing her way between the rats that continued to attack her from front and back. Her small evasive steps to the left and right were enough to impress even Ye Chong. Even Ye Chong himself could not have done it better!

All her steps were only just large enough to avoid the attacks, but swift and effective.

A rat in front was standing in her way with its hind legs crouched, ready for a pounce. Its crimson red eyes looked vicious. Rui Bing could even see its hind legs' tense muscles.

Squeak! A huge rat came from above, aiming for Rui Bing. More rats were coming for her from below and to the rear. The rats were everywhere.

Rui Bing shouted, her eyes suddenly lit up brighter than the sun! The move that she had used against Ye Chong was now executed again in all its glory! Moreover, Rui Bing was far stronger than she was back then. The power of this move was now fully realized!

The rat that came from above was almost onto Rui Bing.

Abruptly, without any warning, the rat froze, its eyes bulging. Blam! It exploded. Squeak! The rat squealed in pain. The rat fell lifelessly down from midair to the ground, landing on its brethrens that squeaked with protest.

No attack was more terrifying than this!

All the rats immediately stepped back, and looked at Rui Bing with fear.

Rui Bing was now emanating an aura that was completely different from usual. It was an intimidating quality. Her eyes seemed to sparkle with life.

Rui Bing stepped forward slowly and calmly. All the rats stayed out of her way.

This was her chance. Rui Bing picked up her speed and ran, but none of the rats pursued her this time.

A large door and a line of words came into her sight - Engradie Academy. Rui Bing heaved a sigh of relief, feeling slightly comforted, but her legs weakened for a moment and she nearly stumbled. Rui Bing's extraordinary stamina was significantly exhausted from her dangerous travel, more than she had expected.

"Hah, so you're a combat expert." The old man laughed, rubbing his hands together in excitement.

Fei Si spoke from the side, "Yeah, the student's got a few moves."

Ye Chong closed his eyes again and ignored them. The battle was imminent, and it was best to conserve his energy.

"Hehe, young man, let me show you something," the old man said in a conspiratorial tone.

Fei Si quickly burst his bubble. "Right, Uncle Jalopy's a lecturer in ancient machinery. He's got many tools and weaponry suitable for combat experts, maybe you'll find a few to your liking."

"Ancient machinery?" Ye Chong opened his eyes wide.

Somewhere from skies came a loud cry, which was immediately followed by a few more. Everyone in the school building was startled. They all knew what this meant. Perhaps there were mutants out there that could fly after all.

The old man's expression soured as he cursed the creatures aloud, before finally calming down again. He noticed Ye Chong's indifference, calm as he was, and asked curiously, "Young man, aren't you worried at all? Are you not afraid? If those creatures get in, we're all finished."

Ye Chong replied, "Will worrying help? Will being afraid help?"

The old man paused at his words, then laughed heartily, "Haha, to think that I'm humbled by a mere student at my age! I must be getting old."

The situation worsened quickly. Up in the sky, mutant birds attacked the mechs ruthlessly. The most dangerous of these flying mutants were the birds of prey, which were already dangerous before their mutation. Now, they were even more terrifying with their claws and beaks. The sky was their territory. Nothing could move swifter than them in the air, not even the best mech pilots.

The fight on the ground was also becoming increasingly violent. There were many other animals beside rats which had undergone mutation. The most disgusting of all were the insects, such as cockroaches. After mutation, they grew to the size of millstones, but even more staggering were their numbers.

Compared to the other mutants, they were smaller, and greater in numbers, thus making it easier for them to break through the mechs' defense line.

"Ah!" A female student's voice reverberated in the building. Girls would definitely hate these creatures. Ye Chong keenly noticed a few things: 1) All the animals that mutated had grown significantly larger, 2) the animals all had red eyes, and 3) after mutation, the mutants became very violent and aggressive.

Ye Chong reacted before anyone else. He stood up quickly and planted a kick on the first cockroach that came in. Whoosh! The cockroach was sent flying.

Ye Chong's reaction reminded the people inside of what they must do. Mi De and Fatty, who were curled up in a corner, quickly stepped forward to fight. Many of the students here learnt some combat basics, and quite a few of them were actually combat students. As such, the wave of invading insects were, for the moment, halted in their advance.

Nevertheless, while the insects were not as deadly, they were still very difficult to kill. Such was the tenacity of these bugs.

Ye Chong took a look around him, and his eyes landed on a statue in the center of the school building. This gold statue was of a woman, rumored to be the work of a Master of her time, Anye Luoxue. The woman's naked upper body traced voluptuous curves, and her hands reached up, joining at the wrists with her fingers curling into the shape of a lotus flower.

Ye Chong ran to the statue and toppled it over with a kick. He then lifted the statue by the wrists single-handedly. The statue, which weighed half a ton, was summarily lifted from the ground.

"Out of the way!" Ye Chong yelled.

The students in front looked back and were shocked by the sight. They quickly leaped to the side.

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Chapter 317: Breakthrough in Combat

Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation

Ye Chong lifted the statue and attacked!

Wham! The ground shook, and three cockroaches were instantly crushed into mush. Their body fluid splattered outwards, reeking an unheavenly stench. Everyone stared in shock. The golden statue did not look that strong, but in the hands of this young man, it was like a big hammer. Poor statue! The girls nearby looked at the statue in Ye Chong's hands with pity. She should be put on display against red satin in a high class exhibition stand, receiving the adoration of thousands of admirers. Now, however, she was used like a hammer in the hands of a man with inhuman strength. Poor she!

The heavy statue seemed to also put a huge pressure on the people watching in the building. The old man gasped, "H*ll, I didn't think he's so violent!" He seemed to think of something then, and quickly ran deeper into the school building.

It had been a long time since Ye Chong had to fight himself. It reminded him of his foundation training on the trash planet, where strength training was an important part of it.

With his growing excitement, the heavy statue weighed like nothing in his hands, swinging around in the air. All the students and teachers watched, dumbfounded. The ground that trembled with each attack using the statue reminded them again and again that what they were seeing was really happening.

"This is crazy!" Mi De swallowed heavily.

Fatty nodded mechanically. "It's inhuman! Is that guy some unknown master in the combat facuty?"

The other people in the building had the same thought. Only the combat faculty would harbour such a crazy person. They never imagined that he was actually a student from the humanities faculty. There were so few humanities students that none of them were here to recognize him.

The statue swung over easily and blocked the path of another rat that managed to enter the building. He loosened his grip and stepped lightly, and was right in front of the rat in the next second. His hands moved, and the statue drew an arch midair. Ye Chong was now holding onto its waist.

The people around him watched, stupefied. They saw a student carrying a half naked statue by the waist in a suggestive fashion. The female students blushed, and Fei Si's cheeks also reddened in embarrassment.

Ye Chong did not care for these trivialities. He wrapped his hands around the statue in the next moment, avoiding an attack from the rat. Those who understood the situation regretted his move, since he was now in a most vulnerable position, with his back to the rat.

When everyone thought Ye Chong was going to lose this time, his next move surprised them all. Ye Chong bent backwards, still holding tightly onto the statue, and pushed the statue to the back and down.

Wham! The head of the statue hit precisely on one of the rat's paws in a decisive attack. The paw was instantly reduced to a useless lump of flesh. The rat squealed in pain.

The people around him gulped heavily at the terrible shriek.

Ye Chong did not stop at that. He leapt backwards in a somersault, landing on the rat's back. What happened next made everyone watching felt a chill in their hearts.

Whish! The statue seemed to disappear from Ye Chong's hands. They heard a loud "Clang!", and the rat's head suddenly exploded, blood and brain matter splattered across the floor.

What an attack! Those from the combat faculty exchanged looks of shock and fear. None of them seemed to be able to see that attack clearly.

In fact, Ye Chong's attack was simple. He had used the statue to strike at the rat's head. However, his attack was too fast to be observed clearly. The loud clang was from 15 consecutive blows to the rat's skull.

Ye Chong was too engrossed in the fight to notice his audience. Calmness had always been his way, but his long suppressed fighting instincts were now finally awakened. Before he met Mu and Shang, his fighting skills might be deplorable, but he did not lack the passion for combat

However, after meeting Mu and Shang, Ye Chong was deeply influenced by Mu, and began to learn to think with cold logic. That was when Ye Chong's battle style changed markedly. It was only when he met particularly strong opponents that Ye Chong would feel his initial fervour for battle. However, even these occasions were getting rarer.

The simple bare-handed battle today had finally reignited Ye Chong's long absent feelings of enthusiasm.

Ye Chong launched himself into the hoard of insects, waving the statue around like a scythe, attacking furiously. The only thing that annoyed Ye Chong was that the statue was unsuited for more versatile ways of attacking. He could only used it to hit directly on the enemies. There was nothing he could do about it. Ye Chong lifted the statue and hammered down again and again. Blood and flesh flew across the battlefield. The sounds of bone crushing never stopped.

When the disaster finally ended, people would return to this school building and find that the flooring in front of the building, made of a strong compound material, had been crushed to smithereens.

The statue was tough, Ye Chong will give it that. While it was now heavily deformed, there were no cracks on it. Anye Luoxue had created only five artworks in her entire lifetime. She was extremely fastidious regarding the material she used, and this statue was the one she took most pride in. However, this wonderful statue was now deformed beyond recognition, and covered with all kinds of gore and tissue.

Ye Chong never imagined that the deformed statue would still be preserved in the end, placed on display in the largest art museum on Zhou Jian planet as testimony to this calamity.

Just then, the old man wheeled over a bunch of stuff with him and arrived. "Heh, come come, there's something for everyone. Haha, I never thought my job would actually come in handy." He had with him an ancient wheelbarrow, carrying all kinds of ancient weapons, and metal machinery that the others had never seen before. The other people recalled then that the old man was a lecturer in ancient machinery, and quickly approached him. The old man was gratified and excited, realizing that his own obscure field of study that he was usually mocked for by others in the academy was finally useful today.

Seeing Ye Chong exterminating the insects in front, the old man picked up an archaic lance and threw it towards him, shouting, "Hey, young man, take this!"

While Ye Chong was now in a state of heightened excitement, coolness was still his default state of mind. As his stamina slowly decreased, he gradually came out of that state of excitement. He heard the old man's voice then, and saw an archaic lance coming towards him.

Ye Chong immediately relinquished the statue and received the lance. The lance was a long forgotten weapon, but one that Ye Chong was most familiar with, second only to daggers. When piloting the Harmony of the Winter Aria, its weapon of choice was Blue Winter, a lance. Mu had even designed a set of lance techniques through his calculations.

Ye Chong now used these techniques. He drew straight lines or arcs across the air, attacking swiftly with the principle of maximum efficiency. His every attack with the lance hit dead on target, and his footwork was impeccable.

The lance was made of metal alloy, but weighed like a feather compared to the gold statue. Besides, the sharp tip of the lance made it even more effective in drawing blood. As such, Ye Chong's efficiency increased sharply, and his stamina was exhausted more slowly.

After learning so many kinds of combat techniques, Ye Chong now had a much deeper understanding of combat. The lance swung around unpredictably, as Ye Chong modified and improved on Mu's lance techniques. They were now Ye Chong's very own set of moves. He grew absorbed in this process of creativity. His moves were highly varied - September Lan Family's moves, Black Cove basic combat techniques, and the Sang Tribe's moves were all experimented on, as he tried to combine all of them while balancing their strengths and weaknesses. Ye Chong had always learned bits and pieces of everything, and never stopped his research in combat. He had also learned under the September Lan Family's system. All these experiences that given him enough strength to achieve a breakthrough in this moment.

The endless stream of insects had given him the best opportunity to enhance his skills.

The tip of the lance glowed, swinging around unpredictably and strangely like a firefly dancing in a summer night. The insect's tough exoskeleton crumbled easily under the assault of this pin-sized dot of light.

The battle felt easier and easier. Ye Chong's movements grew smaller, but the tip of the lance still managed to find the weak spots of those insects with surprising accuracy.

The people around him watched in awe. Ye Chong was like a magician to them. They were lucky to witness the transcendence and transformation of a combat expert right before their eyes. This was a valuable experience that one can only encounter through fate. Ye Chong would never have guessed that, 20 years from now, three of the students here in the school building would become Jie experts themselves.

This was Ye Chong's first real breakthrough. Ye Chong believed that, at least in terms of combat, he would be able to win against Mu and Shang. He had found what Mu once called the spirit of combat! This was an important factor in combat alongside strength, angle and timing.

From a long time ago, Mu's strength seemed insurmountable to Ye Chong. All this while, his greatest hope was to become stronger than Mu. Now that he had achieved it however, at least in terms of combat, he did not feel happy at all.

"Mu, Shang, where are you?"

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Chapter 318: My Idol!

Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation

Whatever that was happening, that had happened, that was going to happen on Planet Zhou Jian struck in the eyes of everybody in He Yue galaxy. And as the mass had demanded the specific broadcast, all entertainment channels - be them talkshows, musical channel or adult program - had their schedules cancelled. The streaming of Zhou Jian had occupied every single channel online, with countless hologramic cameras capturing every single tragic moment at every single corner of this commercialized, advanced planet.

The whole galaxy seemed to have joined the historical moment, as they spectated the greatest catastrophe of He Yue galaxy in the past 500 years.

All forces available in the galaxy had been gathered, as soon as announcement was made at each faction. The leading aristocrats also sent out their best rescue team, where the Xi Feng clan had a team of 10,000 registered pilots heading to Zhou Jian straightaway under the leadership of Huang Jiming, the ace pilot; while the Ye family, having also a team of 10,000, was marching their way with Ye Yin at the head; Xue Lai clan had offered 8,000 of their best forces, as they held hands with an unconventional leader choice, an unknown lady whose name was Xue Nuolan, causing the crowd to wonder at her actual identity since the public had been expecting Brahmara the great to lead such significant operation.

This should be the most major military operation ever in He Yue, with all the 3 main aristocrats running simultaneously.

The fountain was there, yet fire was afar. They had tried to travel at their quickest, still Zhou Jian would take a 30-day galactic travel, what would remain at this poor planet after 30 days? Would the greatest army be welcomed with ruins and dead bodies?

The misfortune of Zhou Jian did not end here! The planets nearby were too weak to provide any proper assistance. Only a handful of major pilot squads attempted gathering as much forces as possible. Technically, Zhou Jian had been quarantined at the moment with a severe order coming from all rulers from the surrounding planets of forbidding entry of any escaped of the Zhou Jian episode. Certainly, people were displeased by such inhuman decision as noises swarmed upon the government the moment it was announced.

Speculations had been given by the experts, revolving around the instance of viral mutation. Given that the experts had taken the right direction of their prediction, the virus would soon cause another apocalypse the moment the population of Zhou Jian leaked their way to other places of galaxy.

There was a need for quarantine, emphasized the government, as a solution to block the escape path for the Zhou Jian residents, even if it would extinguish their lives, it was the cruel regulation of humanity.

The virologists of all known establishments including hospitals and academies had been summoned promptly to gather up at the safehouse guarded by the aristocrats, to perform research to find out that very hope to salvage humanity.

The world was cruel, so cruel that it would shatter every last bit of faith, sympathy and kindness of humanity. But that did not mean humanity should forsake their tenacity in pursuit of hope.

On the screen, countless men, women, children were engulfed by the mutated lifeforms. The public was tearing up, as they once again recognized the fragility of humanity, while the camera in high-definition, as if a punishment, delivered every frame of bloodshed to everyone out there. The flying limbs, the fleeting blood, the piercing scream, the pound of flesh, they rolled, they fell, like a play of reality taken place in front of the public.

A hellish nightmare, a nightmarish day.

…

Ug… Ugh…

Bi Bo woke up drowsily, his tiresome eyes found a girl nearby, while his ears discerned the fiasco out there. "Finally!" The girl was pleased, "You have waken up!"

"Where… are we?" Muttered Bi Bo, as he took a careful look at the girl, who had a short hair, a fine curvy brows with a pair of frightened eyes, in the uniform of Ze Xi academy - she should be a student… Bi Bo was an experienced journalist, so he could tell.

"This…" The eyes of the girl darkened, "This is the school's building… and you were knocked out by a piece of rock, those dirty mice had appeared so I dragged you all the way here."

"Thank you very much!" Sincerely Bi Bo replied, he could imagine what a hassle it would be for a feeble girl like her to drag him away from the occurring danger, and she never thought of running away, still thinking of saving people while she could. Such kind heart. Thought Bi Bo, who had seen enough dark side of humanity.

"It's… nothing…" Blushed the girl, "Really…"

Bi Bo gave a brief smile, "So how's everything out there?" His bag was still by his side, which he quickly took a look inside - phew, the camera was inside.

"Not looking good…" Frowned the girl, "A lot of injuries."

Bi Bo took out the camera and performed a transmission to the HQ, at least he brought a super advanced hologramic camera that could transmit visual and communication directly to the HQ.

At the HQ of Green Planet Media Corp., in the midst of depression, one shout from a staff broke the silent spell, "Sir! We had caught Bo's signal! He's still alive!"

"Great! He sure is tough!"

"Oh my gosh… thank god…"

The office had regained its liveliness in the older days.

A good news finally, after the whole day of distressing reports…

"So what are you doing!" Urged the director in a shaky voice, "Get it on already!" His mind was interpreting this as a golden opportunity to get more profit, as all other channels had been playing the visuals from the street cameras, now if Green Planet had an exclusive report from a local journalist itself…

Bi Bo's handsome, well-proportioned face was then projected on the giant screen, his eyes remained expressive with his edgy brows, although looking all worn out and weak.

"Bo, you fine there?"

"Bo, take care!!"

Those words from his colleagues were more than comforting.

"Ahem…" Began the director, "Bo, are you hurt there?" When the director cleared his throat, it would mean everybody else should keep their mouth shut.

"No, of course not." Bi Bo did not really like this director to be honest.

"Well, good…" The director continued, "Forget our former plan, now you only need to capture everything happening there. You could add in your own content, all to your liking, I would not interfere with your decision, on one condition : your camera, must be on the *whole* time. Simple isn't it? How do you think?" The former plan between them was to have an interview of an important function at Ze Xi academy, which was also the whole point of Bi Bo traveling there.

The director then paused a moment, pondered, "Bo, if you did your job well, and could come back alive, I would hand over my place."

Bi Bo was quiet for a sec, his hologramic lips then lifted, "I understood. I would do my best." Wow this director sure knows how to make empty promises, "come back alive"? I seriously wonder if I even could see the departing port at this point. I'll do it anyway… I am a journalist, an ethical journalist who loves his job after all. I would abide by the truth and tell everybody what exactly had happened here. Even if the director never made his promises, I would still do the same.

"Wait what?" The girl was shocked, "You're a journalist?"

"Yeah." Smiled Bi Bo as he turned his head to her. "I got to go." He got up quickly, "Take care." Holding his camera, Bi Bo walked to the outside, the camera was as tiny as a man's palm, but it was mighty.

"Ah…" The girl got up too, biting her lips as she saw Bi Bo leaving the building. Out of bewilderment, she followed.

It was a horrendous scene when Bi Bo headed to the outside. All practitioners were holding all sorts of weaponry as they fought desperately against those mutated insects, as they crawled in aggression with their wriggly, disgusting appearance. "Kiassssk!" Their cries were echoing in the ears of the men, as the stench of blood followed.

There was one particular figure which caught Bi Bo's attention. He was standing at the center, the top position, with an ancient lance in his hand dancing wild, protesting against the brutal raid of the insects. Obviously, he got hold of the situation, which explained why the frontline had not been intruded successfully.

Bi Bo was amazed, as he mustered the last few words he could mention on a formal journalistic stream.

"Welcome to Green Planet channel, we appreciate your attention as no matter who you are, what your occupation is, where you are and what you strive for in life, I believe… that you should be watching this very planet now on the broadcast. And we, Green Planet channel, shall bring you the latest information on the incident from another perspective."

The scene was then switched back to the studio, "Our Journalist Bi Bo was on a plan of interviewing one academy on Zhou Jian planet, while fortunately being the survivor of the first wave attack. Now, he is trying his best to present us what exactly is going on in Zhou Jian. And by here, we, the Green Planet Media Corp., show our highest respect towards his profession."

The visual followed, with an intensive war apparently, of humanity against the primal nature. The lance-wielding man had become the center of attention.

The war was hideous.

"Based on the information we have gotten from Bi Bo, he and another survivor are currently located at one building in Ze Xi academy, "The situation was bad," they say, as they have yet to find any rescue team around. These warriors on the field were the students and teachers of the academy itself. Let us applaud the bravery they had gathered, for they would not simply let their head down to violence…," said the hostess with her sweet voice, grimly.

The audience rating of Green Planet channel skyrocketed as it was the only channel with an on-the-spot report. The director then received countless sharing request from the other channels, which he, without hesitation, accepted promptly.

The audience stared at the screen, showing immense concern on the fate of Zhou Jian.

A lance-wielding boy? Of course we know who that was. Apparently, Ye Chong, your skill had caught the attention of the public once again.

A flashy move by a potent impaler, with a cold expressionless face, sweeping the wave away, Ye Chong had ascended as the idol of every youngster out there immediately. When the world needed a hero, a nameless one had appeared with his impeccable skills.

"Wow, dude, look at this."

"I never knew a lance could be this great."

"I am going to be his apprentice."

"So where do I sign up?"

The replies flooded the forum board.

"As far as we have observed, judging by the apparel of this bright young man, he should be a student of Ze Xi academy. Certainly, he had demonstrated us what a fatal attack and an absolute defense are! The situation remained under control with his contribution. Thanks to this hero, again!" Said the hostess intensely.

"Well, well." Began one of the invited guests, "Ze Xi academy has some great students there, hasn't it? Such skill from merely a student, I am very amazed. He is the real deal of the martial arts, maybe he is a Jie expert, if you would excuse my crazy speculation. He's really talented for his age, I don't think it's a sin to call him a genius." He was a martial arts practitioner as well.

"Yes I must agree. Ancient lance has been a long-forgotten weaponry for years. Not many practitioners knew the correct way to wield it, probably he's the only expert remains in our galaxy. From his techniques we could see what kind of potential an ancient lance possesses, it's all about the swing, the sweep and the impale," added the other guest.

"Please, everyone, do not bother with the lance alone, as this boy has some really interesting movement. You could take a look at his steps, tiny yet precise, I would say he's a very experienced practitioner, too bad we have yet gotten any information on this boy. I am very much curious of his background. Furthermore, as you could see his aiming, somehow he seemed to be fully aware of the weak points of these creatures. It's a cleaving attack from him at all those points to take them out promptly. Bravo! You could also have look at his chest, particularly his breath, it's very calm, nothing unnerving could be seen, which means his vitality is at its prime. I salute thee!" This guest was clearly more knowledgeable than the previous two.

The show went on. The glow was glaring the moment he span tip of his spear. That slender silhouette he formed with the guard of his spear had been marked in the mind of the people, causing a trend of ancient lancing once again. The visuals had been extracted and madly distributed over the galaxy, becoming an analyzed tutorial for every fanatic.

Ye Chong was focused in his fight, being unaware of the craze out there, while the lance seemed to have his soul imbued, which would reach every insect coming to him.

The carcasses of insects piled beside his swings, while his cold eyes were giving off a peculiar glow.

As legend said, once every practitioner achieved the status of a Jie expert, a new unique ability would be unlocked.

That was when Ye Chong obtained his new ability.

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Chapter 319: What way?

Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation

The crossing lines of his lance reflected in his sharp eyes. It looked like as colorful as hallucination when Ye Chong sliced through the insects of all kinds of color crowding upon him.

What are these?

There were blue linings over the bodies, which were pale and obscure. Ye Chong realized if he focused on one of them, the blue linings would turn clear, the dots and lines would become extremely bright.

There were mice?

The mouse's eyes were bloodshot, the whiskers were as honed as its fangs. Its limbs were firm, while its dark gray fur were like rustling stiffly.

4 lines and 3 spots to attack! On the dancing blue lines over the body of the mouse, the few lines shone bright.

Ye Chong waved his lance which sank into one spot quietly.

Kikkk!!!! The mouse squealed and collapsed. Ye Chong exerted one last force to take his lance out, which then blood was spilled over the place.

Ye Chong was surprised. Could it be…

He took a look around, as his lance jerked, aiming those blue spots that shone the brightest in the crowd.

Kurrrppp!

Splash!

The creatures around shattered! Blood was spilling sky high.

The camera of Bi Bo had captured this epic moment and everybody else saw it with their own eyes.

In the rain of blood, the boy stood still with his lance.

The place was soon dead silent, with everybody behind Ye Chong looking zoned out in disbelief.

Martial arts was a well-established field in He Yue, but the potency of a practitioner had been long undermined by the emergence of pilot, where at one point people began treating martial arts as a mere form of physical training, while the Jie experts had hardly demonstrated their skills. As scarce as visuals of their performance were, Jie experts remained as a myth in the heart of the people despite their living existence.

Their identity had been redeemed today however, as people once again beheld such amazing performance of his nameless boy. People did not know where he was from, they were not sure if he was a Jie expert himself, but his skill was an eye-opener, an epic execution convincing enough to make people pick up the knuckles and blades again.

As they realized, martial arts could be so great.

Ye Chong was not expecting to be this influential, reality was however, if it was not his performance, the martial arts in He Yue would soon decline to a stage like its counterpart in the 5 major galaxies. He was not only the savior of humanity, but also the salvager of ancient martial arts. His performance eventually became the silver bullet that prolonged the existence of martial arts for the next 500 years, whereby this very boy would be the most significant as well as the most mysterious character in the historical record of martial arts development in He Yue galaxy. Teachers of the following generation would also play the visual of this boy's performance as a motivating source at the beginning of their course.

Over ages, people had almost forgotten martial arts, it was the first time they had seen such intensive performance.

The world exploded, in excitement and passion.

…

The hostess, as well as the guests at Green Planet channel had their mouth open. A few of them were quivering over anticipation, as they gave comments in slurred language. Bi Bo was also overwhelmed on spot, as on a few occasions he nearly dropped his camera. The visual was shaking, "What the hell! Hold your camera right! You Bibbidi Bobbidi Bo!" Cursed one of the annoyed audience.

Ye Chong was full-indulged in his new ability, he did not notice the gazillion gazes coming from the outer space.

His style had changed! A menacing strike, under the guidance of those bright blue lines, as the fleshes of the creatures flew again. The audience was stunned, seeing the striking contrast of massacre being conducted by an expressionless boy.

Slowly Ye Chong realized the meaning of the new addition. The shining point would be the weakness of the creature, which could cost its life if pierced; the blue lines on the other hand, would be the dissecting direction, which would lead to a perfect slice if the lines were followed, causing a devastation on its body.

Ye Chong was feeling this new ability being identical to the analytical system on the Guardian.

He pondered so much that he did not notice the weakening attack from the creatures as he jumped into one of the crowds, into action again.

And soon Ye Chong, in the midst of his hunt, noticed the reality.

The carcasses were everywhere, and he could see the tails and the legs, coated in green fluids and blood, while the screams echoed within his ears.

People were amazed. The boys were enthralled, the girls were captivated.

That coldness of Ye Chong's face was no longer fear-inducing, rather it had formed a marvelous portrait of one lonesome hero, whose mind was clearer than the water, stronger than the beasts as he stood upon their carcasses with pride, wielding the lance in metallic glow.

"Ye, is that you?" At another corner of He Yue, everyone on the Coxcomb was stunned, while Mu's mechanical eyes blinked frantically.

Ye Chong was still unaware of the hidden cameras, as he approached the students and staff, seeing how all of them collapsed on the ground out of extreme fatigue. The trainees of the alchemy department were weaving in and out of the group, giving those injured a good bandage and cure.

The creatures at the academy had retreated, yet the war remained roaring out there. Ye Chong's brows furrowed, there were other places being attacked and it would be bad if this would carry on. Their forces were weakening while the waves of creatures seemed endless. In the midst of worry, a few female trainees scurried out of the building, in their drained faces they screamed upon Madam Fei Si, "Madam! Madam! Something… something was making noises at the building…"

"Something? What something?" Everyone had their attention on the girls, as the madam asked worriedly.

"Ah… Uh…" The girls seemed very frightened as they tried to squeeze that very word from their trembling lips, "Mice! I think it's the mice!" And one of the braver ones shouted, "They seemed to be chipping the walls."

Gasp.

Other than Ye Chong, the people flinched, realizing the horrible ability of the rodents, it would be a terror if the mice had bitten through the walls. More people would die…

It seemed hopeless, although Ye Chong did not look regretful, as he had done everything he could. A single man was still a single man against a war of millions, at least he had unlocked a new ability. He walked to an elderly, "Sir, may I ask if you still have any relative here?" The elderly was apparently the professor of ancient mechanics. While he appeared to be worthless to every other staff, he was the priceless individual that Ye Chong needed, Ye Chong would be taking him away, by hook or by crook.

"What a strange question," muttered the elderly while he scowled briefly. "I had been alone the whole time, I do not have any other relative than Madam Fei Si, my mate. So I wasn't bothered by death either." Oh no, one extra person to hold. Thought Ye Chong as he glanced at Fei Is, now how in the Zhou Jian do I lift two persons away safely.

Madam Fei Si, as witty as she was, caught the undertone of Ye Chong.

"I am not leaving without everybody," she said firmly, although the people were confused as hell. Her statement did not shake Ye Chong even the slightest though, as he never intended to escort these two persons the gentle way. He already had a few tricks in mind to get Fei Si moving if she was being resistant.

Without a word, Ye Chong began walking towards the outside, with the people clumsily followed, including Bi Bo.

The rodents were taking up every last corner of the academy. Nobody would have imagined such horror in the past. The citizens thought the rats never existed in their life, they had hardly seen them even at the valley, till they saw the entire infantry of the pest. "I can't believe it." Nope, I believe it - Ye Chong was not surprised, he had seen the similar infantry back on Trash Planet. They were naturally adaptive and highly reproductive that's why.

Unless… if I… If…

A crazy idea came into the light of Ye Chong out of the blue, as his schemata ran rapidly on the logical chain, he then had a drastic U-turn, heading back to the building.

He came to Fei Si at the end of the queue, "Where are the chemical stored by the alchemy department?"

It was logical for an academy to have a storage as alchemy was a study that would require a shocking amount of reagents daily.

"Huh?" Fei Si was bewildered, "There, not very far ahead." She pointed at one direction and said.

"How far is 'not very far'? Be precise!" Ye Chong seemingly did not fancy the vague reply.

"Uh…" It took a moment of ponder, "3000 meters? I guess?"

3000 meters… that's 3 kilometers, I would need a mech. Thought Ye Chong as he hmmed at her reply, "You, me, there, now." Concisely he stated, "Both of you as well." He pointed at Mi De and Fatty. He knew their capabilities, they were quick catcher too, just a little timid sometimes.

Both Mi De and Fatty of course were paralyzed by the cold gaze and stern finger of Ye Chong, they nodded their heads repetitively and walked to his side.

This unnamed boy probably had an idea to solve the issue somehow. But why the alchemy department? Does he know alchemy? Madam Fei Si, as an alchemist herself, could not picture the relationship of Ye Chong's plan and the alchemy studies.

Ye Chong deployed Blaze-III and pinned his lance on the wall, then he led Fei Si to the cabin, "Please, allow me to come along." A voice rang behind.

It was Bi Bo, who also deployed a mech, courteously stating, "Please believe in my ability, as the direct descendant of head of the family himself, Bi Zhibo."

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Chapter 320: The Descendant of the Great

Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation

The line of Bi Bo was spread to all corners of the world.

Wait, that was from the journalist Bi Bo? People were shocked upon hearing the name "Bi Zhibo", who was the very well-known pilot. So Bi Bo was the son of the great pilot himself? The people were skeptical however, wondering what had made a son of an established pilot headed elsewhere for career, like an ordinary journalist for example, since having such a father would have guaranteed him a head start for a successful career.

Bi Zhibo? The blonde young man had mentioned lots of names, there was one Bi Zhibo as far as Ye Chong could remember. He took a glance at the determined-looking man, "Alright," nodded Ye Chong. "Come with us."

"Wow that is just clever!" One of the audience shouted excitingly, "That excuse had worked! Everyone, we could see more of this!"

Certainly the audience wanted to see more of Ye Chong as they were curious to see a highly skillful martial arts practitioner transforming into a full-time pilot in the field.

The performance of Ye Chong was lasting enough to be remembered by people for a century.

Blaze-III was booting there. Although it was a mere model massively manufactured from a factory, somehow it had become a mysterious model as this mysterious boy piloted it. Could it be a modified mech? The audience wondered.

Blaze-III was in fact a standard close-combat model that nobody really cared due to its average components. There were the Blackgold shield of Ye family, the magnetic blade better than those you have grown familiar with back in the 5 major galaxies.

Parrying spear was also a standard equipment for all melee models. Blaze-III had a balanced attack and defense, only the mobility was slightly an eye-opener which Ye Chong aimed at the beginning anyway.

Blaze-III might be indecently equipped, but Ye Chong did not show any disdain. The design of the main body was still reasonable, the engine was great, the range of movement by its limbs was wide as well. Weaponry-wise, Ye Chong did not see the significance of adding more ornaments to it since the chance of his weapon breaking was pretty slim during battle. Moreover, having more weapons did not translate as being more potent in battle.

Ye Chong held Fei Si and got into the cabin, "Hey boy!" Shouted the elderly down there, "Take great care of her! Don't bother to see me again if she got into something!"

Mi De, Fatty and Bi Bo also entered their own mechs afterwards.

Bi Bo's mech was a spider-model, with 6 gigantic legs holding a flat disc body in green. There were a few ranged weapons revealed on its body, reminding the people that his family, particularly the head, Bi Zhibo was known for his godlike shooting skills, although the people wondered if the son of the legend himself would do as good. The spider mech was a radical design of ranged model, which had totally discarded the ability to fight in close-range.

The mechs both Mi De and Fatty deployed were also the advanced models, which left Ye Chong's mech looking quite shabby among the four of them.

Ye Chong soon realized that those blue lines he saw before had disappeared. He could not even see the palest lining anywhere when he looked at his control panel… but when he took a look at Fatty and the others, those faint blue lines would appear again. The density of blue lines probably were directly proportional to his mental concentration.

Or the blue lines only work on living things?

Speculated Ye Chong in shock, since the ability was really new to him. He had seen similar lines and dots on the Guardian but it worked utterly differently.

Ye Chong the sensitive fighter was very much disturbed by the constant intrusion of these blue lines, that they still felt distracting even at the palest. Ye Chong wondered if he would be seeing blue lines on every person or animal for the rest of his life, that they would be his target only awaiting to be killed forever.

If that was the case, it would be horrifying. Ye Chong did not hate slaughter but only would do it when there was a need. He would not want to become an actual bloodthirsty barbarian. And histories had taught him that any strong man would be the public enemy once he was tainted by the name of murderer, and soon his demise would arrive.

"Are you alright?" Said Fei Si, seeing Ye Chong acting odd, "Is there anything wrong?" She was wondering if the fight had fully consumed him just now.

One cabin and two persons felt a little crammed indeed. Physical contacts were practically unavoidable. Ye Chong would have some muscle memory at the bottom usually when the contacts happened, but the blue lines would disrupt him whenever he took a look at Fei Si.

Sigh… what a pain. Is it even good to have such ability? At least it seems to be not applicable on non-living things or I should be swallowing an energy firearm now. I wonder if I could resist the urge of slicing through those lines whenever I saw somebody in future.

The happening was giving Ye Chong chills as cold sweat rolled over his forehead.

"Are you seriously alright?" Asked Fei Si in concern, "Your face doesn't look right." Fei Si thought Ye Chong was a man with great stamina, never she would think that he would be so drained after battle.

"I…" Ye Chong's eyes were wavering, "I don't know the road, guide me."

"Aren't you a student here? How could you not know?" Shocked Fei Si was.

Beep. Ye Chong showed ignorance as he activated the mech. He had been having his own study on history and literature the whole time, how would he know where the other department was?

Upon seeing Ye Chong's lack of reaction, Fei Si zipped her mouth afterwards as she stood behind Ye Chong. There was only one seat in the cabin anyway, so Fei Si had to bow and hold the back of Ye Chong's seat. It was so tiring that Fei Si had already started panting briefly after the activation, with her sweet breath constantly tapping the back of Ye Chong's neck.

It was her first time being this close to a man, she was a little nervous.

Ye Chong on the other hand was feeling nothing other than the itch on his neck. He had a battle to fight in the end.

They were 3000 meters away from the destination, so they had to fly, as they would only arrive at the destination in the shortest amount of time under the assistance of advanced technology. There were also mutated lifeforms in the sky, but not as many as on the ground.

"Testing." Ye Chong turned on the communication channel and engaged with the other 3 members. "Yes, we got it."

"Alright, let's move." The 4 mechs zoomed into the sky, in a formation of diagonal with Ye Chong at the front.

Bi Bo connected the camera to the slot of his mech. Now his broadcast would go in a clear view from his mech.

The audience was anticipating.

A mutated vulture headed towards them upon eye-contact.

Ye Chong was already prepared for his first fight. This was just a birdie compared to the time he fought the Steelbats.

HIs hands gently placed on the control panel. He rose his fingers and… WAIT.

He realized a critical problem as he sweated heavily, his Blaze-III retreated to the center of formation, "I could not attack. Protect me."

Ye Chong was going to start his first barrage of input, but he almost forgot the fact that he was not the only one in the cabin.

Fei Si! She was still in the cabin. He almost killed Fei Si accidentally and failed the whole escort mission.

Fei Si was fragile, with a poor physique not even close to a matured man, and his mech did not come with a pressure-buffering protection system. He could still do those dramatic turns but she would be killed as the drastic change of pressure would rupture her bloodstreams! It would depend on her luck if she would also become a splat of flesh over the floor.

With Ye Chong leading, Fatty and the others were once calm towards the enemy ahead. Unfortunately, their trump card suddenly withdrew himself and pushed forward the two novices who failed to react in time, as they still remained at the back.

Dammit! We are going to crash into the vulture! Ye Chong was sweating heavier. He held the lever carefully as he feared even the slightest acceleration would destroy the beauty behind.

The mutated vulture was approaching and Ye Chong's blood ran cold. Blaze-III had already taken a defensive posture but the collision occurred upon contact could be fatal to Fei Si, with a chance over 80%.

I'm sorry Fei Si. I promise I would avenge you… I would-

Zap!!

A red beam pierced through the center of the vulture's head.

Kiaakkkkk!! The vulture flinched and was grounded very soon after. There was a crater on the ground, with the carcass in one piece. The vulture could be seen as very tough from this.

The beam was fired by none other than Bi Bo at the back of Ye Chong.

Phew… Ye Chong was relieved.

Bi Bo was in fact the descendant of the great.

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