Section 134: Speculation

Yan Bingxuan suddenly stopped, his face filled with astonishment.

Did I give myself away somewhere? Ye Zhong’s heart gave a sudden leap. His muscles tightened slightly, and his hands, hanging naturally at his sides, were prepared to strike at any moment. If Yan showed even the slightest sign of suspicion, Ye Zhong would kill him without hesitation. Although the man’s build did not suggest an easy opponent, Ye Zhong was confident he could finish him off before he could send out any signal.

"Full-bone mecha?" The surprise on Yan Bingxuan’s face was impossible to hide. He turned to the old man and asked, "Master Ge, have you finally succeeded in creating a full-bone mecha? Are these three mecha your latest works? This is truly magnificent!"

Ye Zhong involuntarily relaxed his entire body, his hands dropping naturally back to his sides without a trace. Yet, he felt quite puzzled. Was a full-bone mecha worth making such a fuss about? Was there some hidden mystery here?

Ye Zhong did not know that the old man was the only person who had mastered the craft of creating mecha components from bone materials. However, the old man knew nothing about mecha mechanics and was unaware of the specific requirements for the parts he created. Consequently, his work was far from satisfactory, and the components suffered from a high failure rate in practical application. Even though the old man could craft every single part of a mecha, the lack of coordination and fine-tuning between these components amplified minor flaws, resulting in extremely poor safety ratings for the machines.

A full-bone mecha had always been a theoretical ideal. For example, the one Hei Zi possessed seemed like a full-bone mecha, but in reality, a significant portion of it was not made from bone materials, so it could not be considered a true full-bone mecha.

Ever since the Sect discovered the old man’s skill in crafting bone components, he had become an important individual under their protection. Yan Bingxuan was responsible for the old man’s security and was required to report his progress to the Sect periodically.

Now that three full-bone mecha had appeared before his eyes, how could he not be shocked? He vaguely knew that the Sect was also striving to produce a full-bone mecha, but their progress was agonizingly slow, which was why they valued the old man so highly.

Full-bone mecha possessed highly coveted properties: greater power, longer flight range, and, most importantly, unparalleled stealth performance against sensors, giving them a massive advantage on the battlefield.

The old man looked rather pleased. "Haha, even you can be wrong, Little Yan! These weren't made by an old codger like me; they were just randomly assembled by my apprentice. They can’t really be called full-bone mecha yet. Sigh, though this kid does show promise in making a true one someday." There was a hint of nostalgia in his voice, yet also a sense of gratification that his craft had a successor.

"So, the little brother is a hidden talent!" Yan Bingxuan was truly surprised now. No matter how he looked at the boy, he seemed unremarkable and quite frail. He never expected him to be a master of mecha assembly. When did this old man take on an apprentice? Yan wondered, feeling a bit suspicious. He had been too lax with this area lately. Yan reflected, resolving to investigate thoroughly upon returning. Yes, he would have to make sure to protect this kid; as long as he could build a full-bone mecha, it would be a major achievement for him, enough to secure several promotions!

Yan Bingxuan was a calculating man; he showed nothing on his face and smiled. "Master Ge, you are truly blessed to have taken on such a good apprentice. Your legacy is in good hands!"

The old man’s narrowed eyes were full of smiles, though he replied, "He hasn't even reached the entry level yet; there is still much for him to learn. It’s too early to say such things!"

Yan Bingxuan thought to himself that he should visit more often to get on good terms with this future bone-smith, as it would be of great help to his future career. Knowing this couldn't be accomplished overnight, he made up his mind and took his leave to attend to the tasks assigned by his superiors.

***

After Yan Bingxuan left, Ye Zhong let out a long sigh of relief. The old man turned to him with a serious expression: "Ye, be careful with that man from now on. Don’t trust him too much, understand? He may not have the best of intentions. However, if you encounter any problems in this area that you cannot solve, you can ask for his help; he has quite a bit of influence around here."

"Understood," Ye Zhong nodded.

"Good. Don’t worry about him anymore! Starting today, I’m going to teach you how to identify and distinguish bones. This is basic training. Not all bone materials are suitable for making mecha components. Let’s start with the fundamentals—"

Ye Zhong remained safe and sound, while the Sect’s mission ended in failure. The Sect was furious, berating their patrols for their lack of control over the region. Frustrated and with nowhere to vent their anger, the patrol members began taking it out on organizations that displeased them. For a time, all local factions seemed to vanish overnight, as if they had evaporated into thin air.

In truth, this was largely due to a misjudgment by the Sect. Based on the description in Feng Su’s report, everyone unanimously concluded that the pilot of the golden micro-mecha must have had an incredibly robust physique to withstand the immense G-force generated by such a machine.

He had a companion! This meant there were likely two people, and one of them was presumably very strong. This led Yan Bingxuan to never even consider that the frail-looking Ye Zhong could be the person he was hunting.

Under the old man’s careful guidance, Ye Zhong spent his days dealing with all kinds of bones, and his experience grew rapidly. His remarkable memory and high aptitude left the old man deeply satisfied.

The three mecha Ye Zhong had assembled were taken away by the Sect the following day. In exchange, they left behind a large quantity of rare bone materials. Ye Zhong didn't mind; looking back, those three mecha had far too many problems. When the old man made those parts, he hadn't considered their actual application and had simply followed the diagrams and dimensions provided. Ye Zhong was certain those mecha would break down easily.

The Sect members, however, did not think so. In their eyes, these were nearly full-bone mecha. Thanks to Mu’s optimization, the performance of these components was top-tier, which delighted the Sect’s pilots. As for Yan Bingxuan, who had reported the matter, he was naturally rewarded.

Hei Zi later snuck over and quietly asked Ye Zhong, "Ye, were you the one who stole that thing?"

Ye Zhong replied calmly, "They were looking for me, but it was them who wanted to steal my things."

Hei Zi’s face lit up with realization, and he kindly warned Ye Zhong, "I figured as much. How could you ever steal anything? You should be careful in the future; the Sect has always been very overbearing! I’ll tell Little Nuannuan not to talk about your mecha either—she’s a very sensible girl."

"Understood." Although Ye Zhong only replied faintly, he felt quite touched as he watched Hei Zi walk away. Shang, however, sneered in Ye Zhong’s mind: "Ye, have you never stolen anything? It seems 'Frost’s Aria' was something you stole, wasn't it? Tsk, tsk, to think someone would actually mistake you for a good person? It’s hilarious!"

The words left Ye Zhong speechless, unable to offer a rebuttal.

***

Suddenly, Shang let out a soft sigh. "Sigh, Ye, how long are we going to stay in this godforsaken place? It’s so boring! There isn't even a single beautiful woman! Without beautiful women, how are we supposed to improve your aesthetic sense? Life is truly devoid of joy!" It let out a yawn-like sound. "Ye, hurry up and finish learning these things so we can leave this place where even birds don't dare to poop and return to a wonderful life! Just thinking about it is exciting!"

Ye Zhong could imagine Shang’s two deep-blue electronic eyes blinking with a look of longing. If Shang had any cleaning fluid in its mouth, it would definitely be drooling.

"I think it’s quite good here. It’s peaceful and fulfilling. More importantly, I am constantly becoming stronger." Ye Zhong certainly wouldn't agree with Shang, otherwise, Shang would likely coax him into leaving early.

"Sigh, how did I forget that you, like Mu, lack a heart that appreciates life! Heavens! Why are you so cruel, placing me between two guys with no taste, no sense of fun, and no understanding of life? Did I do too many bad things in my past life?" Shang wailed.

"Your past life? Shang, do you have any clues about your past?" Ye Zhong asked, showing interest.

"Many files were damaged and cannot be recovered, but from what we have now, Mu and I have some speculations." When the topic shifted to this, Shang’s tone became serious.

"What speculations?" Ye Zhong’s spirits lifted. If the speculation came from Mu, the probability of it being true was quite high. The origins of Mu and Shang had always been a point of curiosity for him.

"Remember that skirmish with the warship? I was shocked when Mu discovered that our information database actually contained data on that type of ship. Back then, I guessed we must have a connection to the Master Pilot Association. Moreover, the data on those Double-Moon frigates was extremely detailed, comparable to their design schematics. Later, it was proven that our data was completely accurate! From this, we can conclude that we must have a connection to the Master Pilot Association, and a very close one at that."

"The Master Pilot Association?" Ye Zhong was startled. He had never imagined that Mu and Shang would be linked to the Master Pilot Association. Considering their current relationship with the organization, Ye Zhong couldn't help but shake his head with a bitter smile.

Shang’s tone softened. "Ye, don't worry too much. We don't care much about our own origins. Besides, you are the one who activated us; no one else can communicate with us, let alone command us. And we have all kinds of information on the Master Pilot Association, which will be of great help to you!"

"Yes, I know." Ye Zhong replied faintly. They were his most loyal and trusted partners, like brothers to him. The tacit understanding between them meant there was no need for further words.

"And this is still just a speculation; its truth remains to be verified," Shang said, sounding uncharacteristically steady for once.