Chapter Forty-Five

The news that the second leader of the Renault Society, Bei’er, had been killed reached Red Star Beach almost instantly. The head of Renault, known as Big Bei and elder brother to the slain man, coughed up blood on the spot and swore before all present that he would avenge his brother’s death! As for Ye Chong, tales of his formidable strength and ruthless methods spread rapidly, his image swelling to monstrous proportions—he became known as a reincarnated Asura, a killing machine. Instantly, every boss in the region reconsidered: could they truly afford the price it would cost to buy Ye Chong’s allegiance?

But what did this have to do with Ye Chong? In his mind, absolutely nothing.

At that very moment, Ye Chong was training his marksmanship. In combat, shooting was an efficient and effective technique, involving a wealth of subtle skills. Recalling how he had missed his target the last time, Ye Chong couldn’t help but blush with embarrassment. In the past, he’d lacked the means to train, but now that he had the opportunity, he was determined not to let it slip by.

Baili Nan, yawning out of boredom, sat not far away watching Ye Chong’s target practice with little interest. Still, he dared not stray more than fifty meters from Ye Chong. The bloody events of the previous days remained vivid in his mind, and he suspected that countless eyes now watched their every move. Sweeping a glance around, Baili Nan noticed that the shadowy figures who had been lurking nearby, spying on them, had all disappeared.

A smug smile flickered across Baili Nan’s face—this, he believed, was his doing. He had noticed people keeping watch and reported it to Ye Chong, expecting Ye Chong to leap into his mecha, brandish his magnetic blade, and charge at the spies, hacking them to pieces. To his surprise, Ye Chong had simply shrugged it off, saying, “What do they have to do with me? Let them watch if they want.” Then he went right back to training, leaving Baili Nan baffled and disappointed.

The spies, emboldened by Ye Chong’s indifference, abandoned all pretense of concealment, moving openly in the area.

But Baili Nan was no ordinary man—years as a pirate’s advisor had sharpened his instincts. Adopting a serious tone, he explained to Ye Chong that surveillance was always the prelude to an attack, a way to uncover one’s weaknesses. His silver tongue convinced Ye Chong, who was reminded of his own hunting experiences: he would always observe the habits of mutant beasts before striking.

A chill entered Ye Chong’s gaze as he looked at the spies; Baili Nan saw his words had struck home and wisely said no more.

There could be no mercy for enemies.

Ye Chong gripped Jin Mailang’s parrying blade like a spear; Baili Nan had never seen anyone wield a mecha’s weapon by hand, but in Ye Chong’s grasp, it seemed as light as straw—a bizarre sight.

Ye Chong strode toward the spies.

Those men clearly hadn’t witnessed the carnage of previous days. They greeted Ye Chong with flippant grins.

With a flick of his wrist, the remarkably flexible parrying blade swept in a shining arc; the men clutched their throats in agony, blood welling between their fingers, eyes filled with disbelief. In seconds, they collapsed.

Ye Chong didn’t bother to look back, resuming his practice.

Baili Nan hadn’t meant to provoke those men—he simply knew, from his own piratical past, how ruthless such people could be. They would exploit any weakness, and Baili Nan himself had once been a master at it. Now, everyone knew he was with Ye Chong. As long as Ye Chong was unharmed, no one would dare touch him, but if Ye Chong fell, he’d be doomed as well.

Fearing trouble, Baili Nan urged Ye Chong to set out for Blackhorn as soon as possible. Only after much persuasion did Ye Chong reluctantly agree, having made some slight progress in his shooting. Strangely enough, though Ye Chong was a genius in mecha combat—so much so that even Mu sometimes praised him—his shooting skills were merely average.

Following Baili Nan’s advice, Ye Chong sold all his mid-range mechas for cash. The shopkeeper was stunned when Ye Chong poured out a pile of spatial buttons. In any star system, selling mechas without a permit was a capital crime! Though Renault was lawless, it was the first time the shopkeeper had seen someone smuggling so many brand-new white mechas.

When Ye Chong and Baili Nan left the shop, they carried a hefty bag of gold diamonds. Ye Chong picked one up and examined it—it was his first time seeing real currency. Slightly larger than a fingernail, transparent golden, diamond-shaped, intricately engraved, with rounded corners and a thickness of two or three millimeters, it was extremely hard. Ye Chong strained with all his might and just barely managed to break one in half. “Truly tough!” he thought.

Baili Nan stared, dumbfounded—someone could break a gold diamond with brute strength? These were said to last five hundred years without a scratch, and with his experienced eye, he could tell it was no counterfeit.

Then distress set in—heartsick, he realized that half a gold diamond was now wasted! The bank would only exchange a damaged one for half its value.

This man was truly a mystery. He didn’t even have an identity card—was there anywhere left in the world where people didn’t have identity cards? The shopkeeper had nearly broken into a sweat, shocked to meet someone without one. Accustomed to direct card transactions, the shop didn’t have so many gold diamonds on hand and had to send to the bank for such a large sum. Because of their value, few people ever carried gold diamonds as currency.

Extraordinary strength, a cold nature, a mysterious past—

What an unfathomable master!

Quick as lightning, Baili Nan snatched up the broken gold diamond Ye Chong had tossed aside, carefully wiped it clean, and tucked it into his pocket.

The two of them made their way across most of Renault, accompanied by Baili Nan’s ceaseless chatter. Ye Chong’s expression never changed; it was impossible to tell if he heard a single word.

Under Baili Nan’s guidance, Ye Chong bought a large supply of energy combs. According to Baili Nan, the road to Blackhorn was treacherous—starships couldn’t pass, only mecha pilots could make it through, so it was wise to be well-stocked. This suited Ye Chong’s style perfectly—when it came to preparation, he always believed more was better.

Meanwhile, news that this harbinger of doom was about to leave Renault spread quickly. All those in the know breathed a collective sigh of relief—the plague god was finally leaving! No one dared walk the street where Ye Chong had massacred the Renault Society; despite countless attempts to wash the blood away, the stench lingered. It was rumored that when someone tried to spy on him recently, all the local bosses rushed to warn the perpetrator to stop at once, threatening to join forces and eliminate him otherwise. But before anything could be done, word arrived that the spies had been killed.

Everyone desperately wished this scourge would leave Renault as soon as possible, but a single question remained in their hearts: What business did he have in Blackhorn?

After Baili Nan’s explanation, Ye Chong felt a twinge of regret at abandoning his starship—it was so reliable, sturdy above all, though a bit unsightly. But that hardly mattered to Ye Chong.

With preparations complete, the two were ready to set out for the mysterious Blackhorn.