Section 124: The Guardian Ring

Ye Chong’s mind raced at high speed, meticulously recalling every minute detail.

All of this had transpired while he was inside the enemy warship. What could have happened during that time to make the Pilot Association so determined to hunt him down? The warship... Ye Chong suddenly thought of Gu Shaoze in the main control room! Could it be him? Yes! It had to be him! Before he died, he had handed him a ring and a password. If he hadn't been under heavy protection at the time, he would have perished long ago. Why would the Pilot Association want to capture him? Could it be...

Ye Chong hurriedly searched through his waist pouch. Phew, the object was still there. Carefully, he retrieved the ring Gu Shaoze had given him and held it up for inspection. Neither its style nor its material appeared remotely remarkable, but remembering how Gu Shaoze had gone so far as to hide it inside his own body to protect it, Ye Chong could not help but attach greater significance to this unassuming ring.

In truth, calling it a ring was a stretch; it was merely a metal loop formed by two wires twisted together. The only astonishing thing was that there were no signs of craftsmanship on the entire ring. The two wires were joined seamlessly, as if formed by nature itself; Ye Chong could not find a single joint.

What exactly was this ring? This must be what the Pilot Association was looking for! Having grasped the crux of the matter almost instantly, Ye Chong finally understood the true source of his value.

Ye Chong remembered that Gu Shaoze had also given him a password, but how was he supposed to trigger it? After searching for a long time, Ye Chong could not find any mechanism to activate the password. The entire ring was a solid, uniform piece with nothing special about it. Ye Chong touched and probed it repeatedly, but there was still no reaction.

Ye Chong tried wearing the ring on each of his fingers in turn. When he placed it on the ring finger of his right hand, the ring, which had been as stubborn as a thousand-year-old stone, finally changed!

"Welcome to 'Guardian.' Since your brainwaves are not those of the highest-level user, please enter the access password!" The crisp, sweet voice carried a touch of shyness, yet it sounded somewhat familiar to Ye Chong. Suddenly, he realized it was the voice of the blonde guard who had been by Gu Shaoze's side. Hearing the tone, it seemed as though she must have been very happy when she recorded it.

Unbidden, the word "happiness" appeared abruptly in Ye Chong's mind. Old Man, Grandpa Qian, Little Nannan, Heizi... these people flashed before his eyes like a revolving lantern. For no reason, Ye Chong felt a wave of melancholy; it seemed he was destined to eventually leave them behind, like rootless duckweed, drifting aimlessly.

Mu sensitively perceived the shift in Ye Chong's emotions and asked, "Ye, what's wrong?"

Ye Chong snapped back to reality, letting out a silent smile. Why was he having such strange thoughts at a time like this? Besides, wasn't Mu Shang always with him? No matter where he was, or when!

Ye Chong whispered, "Nothing, Mu. Just lost in thought."

"Please enter the access password!" the sweet voice of Number Two echoed once more.

Ye Chong steadied his mind and spoke clearly: "Number Two!"

*Bang.* With a soft sound, the scene before Ye Chong’s eyes changed drastically! Countless three-dimensional images composed of extremely fine grids rotated before him, and massive amounts of analytical data cascaded down like a waterfall! Ye Chong’s pupils dilated in response to the stimulation as he struggled to capture the rapidly vanishing information. As if sensing Ye Chong’s effort, the refresh rate of the data accelerated, and new changes appeared on the rotating 3D grid scan. Certain points were enlarged, shrunk, and locked, accompanied by analytical data for each.

It was too fast! Within less than ten seconds, Ye Chong’s eyes already felt fatigued. Moreover, accustomed to colorful holographic images, Ye Chong found these primitive black-and-white 3D grid maps somewhat disorienting.

Ye Chong’s field of vision consisted of only two colors: black and white!

He stopped to try and read the constantly refreshing data, looking around to see where he was. To his surprise, as soon as he turned his head, the scene before him changed rapidly; the previous subjects were replaced by other images! Ye Chong’s keen eyes immediately realized that these images were of a cockpit!

Could he still be in the cockpit?

"Mu, what is going on?" Ye Chong’s vision remained composed of only black and white, with no other colors to be seen!

Fortunately, the brainwave connection between Ye Chong and Mu was unaffected. Mu’s calm voice now carried a hint of surprise: "Ye, you are currently inside a micro-mecha. I never imagined someone could refine a micro-mecha to such a degree! It’s astonishing!"

"A micro-mecha?" Ye Chong recalled the micro-mecha that he had dented with a single punch; the impression it had left on him was profound.

"Yes, this mecha’s protection is very tight, and I cannot scan it. You will need to explore it yourself. Hmm, judging by the speed at which the artillery fire is approaching, you have two minutes. I will take over the piloting!" Mu proposed a very reasonable suggestion.

"What?" Feng Su was shocked by the news.

"Yes, according to reports, they are conducting a special operation. They have deployed twenty-five mechas, all of White-Class or higher! I can’t believe they are being so reckless! The incident with the warship was just exposed, and now they are bringing so many people into the Orbital Circle! It’s clear this person is very important to them. This is the footage that was just sent over!" said an old man with a wrinkled face, dressed in plain blue cloth.

The footage showed twenty-five mechas lying in ambush outside Dr. Lu’s medical clinic, their positions clearly marked.

"Then, what is your instruction?" Feng Su’s eyes were full of questions.

"Your mission has two main goals: first, we must obtain this person; second, we must show the Pilot Association our strength! This is our territory, after all; how can we allow them to be so arrogant?" The old man in blue let out a cold snort, a sharp glint flashing in his eyes.

Feng Su felt a shiver run down her spine and asked cautiously, "To what extent should we go?"

"That is for you to decide. In short, we must demonstrate our power without damaging our relationship with the Pilot Association too severely. The most important thing is that this person must fall into our hands! Since they dared to be so blatant in the Orbital Circle this time, we must teach them a lesson! The opposition is quite strong; the higher-ups have decided to give you thirty 'Morning-Class' mechas. Do you have any problems with that?" The old man’s tone was filled with authority.

Feng Su was startled. It seemed the higher-ups were truly determined this time. Thirty "Morning-Class" mechas—this was perhaps their largest operation in years! With thirty "Morning-Class" units under her command, Feng Su believed she could definitely eliminate all of the opposition. However, she feared that this would shatter the peaceful status quo between them!

Only someone like her, who could truly reach the higher echelons, knew how massive the strength of the three factions was, and how terrifying their backers were! Feng Su had come from those circles; no one understood better than she did the undercurrents hidden beneath the calm surface.

All this time, the three factions had maintained restraint. This move by the Pilot Association was tantamount to a declaration of war!

Who exactly was their target? To make the Pilot Association go to such lengths, even risking a war with the Orbital Circle! As far as she knew, the three parties had always been very rational. Even the bellicose Black Horn would never dare to make such a move lightly! That could only mean their target was worth the risk! The higher-ups must have considered this, which was why they were willing to do anything to get this person, even deploying a trump card like her!

The Morning-Class mecha was the entry-level for the true strength of the Orbital Circle, equivalent to the Pilot Association’s White-Class and Black Horn’s Star-Flame. With its three-legged, beast-like exterior and unique sense of balance, it fell between Black Horn and the Pilot Association in terms of speed and firepower. Yet, when piloted by a pilot from the 'Ancestral Sect,' its power was in no way inferior to the White-Class or Star-Flame. Its cyan exterior made the beast-like mecha resemble a living creature. But unlike the ferocious style of Black Horn or the elegance of the Pilot Association, the Morning-Class mecha exuded a more natural air.

Feng Su’s purple mecha stood out prominently among the group of cyan Morning-Class mechas. This was the famous trump card of the three factions—the 'Nirvana Feather.' The mecha, which looked like a work of art, shimmered with a purple metallic luster. Its seventy-two small, modular wing-blades were layered like the feathers of a real bird, allowing for greater agility, though this also placed extreme demands on the pilot. The elegant design still carried a natural feel, and with its balance of long-range firepower and close-quarters combat, it was devastating. Operated by an ace like Feng Su, who held the title of 'Artisan Pilot,' it could unleash terrifying power and unimaginable maneuvers.

Feng Su did not disperse the thirty Morning-Class mechas to form a perimeter; instead, she split them into three groups, silently lying in wait in hidden corners, waiting for the right moment. Feng Su knew that for the Elders, the person the Pilot Association sought was the most important thing. Whether or not they could strike a blow against the association was secondary. Moreover, if they could snatch this person from their hands, that in itself would be a fatal blow to them!

No one questioned Feng Su’s decision. With the legendary Nirvana Feather leading the team, who would dare to object?

They were like a group of hunters, coldly watching from the sidelines!