Chapter Sixty-Nine: Yang An's Invitation

Ever since Mu arrived, Ye Chong’s habit of talking to himself gradually diminished, replaced by what others saw as moments of blank staring—when in truth, he was communicating silently with Mu in his mind.

Ye Chong turned around toward the direction of the voice and saw Sun Xuelin, Axiu, and three young men walking toward him. He observed the three men carefully. The man in front was clearly the oldest; his gait was composed and steady, leaving a distinct impression on Ye Chong. To his left stood a sturdily built young man, his limbs well-proportioned and flexible, obviously the result of special training. Yet the traces of his training were a bit too pronounced, making it clear he had not yet mastered full control over his strength. On the right was a slender, delicate-looking youth, whose long fingers seemed exceptionally nimble—Ye Chong speculated as much in his heart.

When Ye Chong observed people, he first paid attention to their movements, then their physique, and only then did he consider other clues; he scarcely noticed faces at all.

Sun Xuelin stood to the side, cheeks puffed in annoyance, turning her face away, refusing to acknowledge Ye Chong. Axiu tugged at her sleeve nervously.

The leading young man smiled. “You must be the Yezi Xuelin has spoken of. Hello, I’m Yang An. We are deeply grateful for your help in repairing Xuelin’s mecha last time, and she holds your skills in the highest esteem. As for the price you mentioned before, we find it acceptable. Would we be fortunate enough to invite you to join us?”

His words left Ye Chong somewhat bewildered, but he managed to gather that they had agreed to his price. After a moment’s thought, he replied, “Oh, all right.”

Yang An showed no reaction to Ye Chong’s indifference and introduced the others: “This is Ke Han, the pilot for our team. This is Ding Yining, a top student in our Academy’s Mechanical Department and very familiar with mecha modifications—he’ll be your assistant this time.”

Ke Han, seeing Ye Chong’s unruffled demeanor, felt a flicker of irritation at what he took for arrogance. Little did he know that Ye Chong was deep in conversation with Mu in his mind and hadn’t heard a word Yang An had said.

“Mu, who do you think will win, Johnson or that white mecha?” Ye Chong figured the duel between the two must be ending by now and asked Mu in his mind.

Mu replied evenly, “Based on available data, Johnson has an 87% chance of victory. The white mecha has a 10% chance of escape, and only a 3% chance of winning.”

“So Johnson will win, then!” Ye Chong had absolute faith in Mu’s assessments. If Johnson could win, Ye Chong thought, then if he had a mecha like Johnson’s, he would surely win as well.

Suddenly, several mechas swept rapidly through the sky overhead, the resulting gust whipping their clothes about. Ye Chong looked up and his heart skipped a beat—it was the same model as the white mecha he had just seen.

It must be that the white mecha was defeated by Johnson, and these were his companions. Ye Chong quickly counted—seven in all had flown past! Seven! Heh, now Johnson would have his work cut out for him!

Lost in calculation, Ye Chong paid no heed to Yang An’s words, which only confirmed Ke Han’s impression of his arrogance. But even if Ye Chong knew what Ke Han thought, he would hardly care.

A hint of displeasure flickered in Yang An’s eyes, though his smile remained unchanged. “In that case, let’s have a trial run and get familiar with each other. What do you say?”

Ye Chong, regaining his focus, replied indifferently, understanding that they wanted to test if he had real skill.

They entered a massive warehouse, cluttered with all sorts of mecha components and tools.

Ding Yining looked embarrassed as he rubbed his hands. “Heh, it’s a bit messy in here. I’m usually the only one around, so I haven’t tidied up.”

Ye Chong glanced at the myriad of parts scattered about. Having seen the Black Horn mecha and the white mechas, he found these ordinary machines far less interesting. Even high-grade civilian mechas paled in comparison to the Black Horn’s training models like the F-58, let alone Johnson’s combat-type Black Horn mecha or the white mecha of the same level.

Ye Chong could not understand why the mechas from Black Horn and the Mech Pilots’ Association were so vastly superior to the so-called advanced mechas available on the market.

What was the background of Black Horn and the Mech Pilots’ Association?

The more he thought, the more questions crowded his mind—but now was clearly not the time to ponder such things.

Ye Chong composed himself and asked calmly, “What type of mecha do you need?”

Ke Han stepped forward, excitement in his eyes. “Speed type! All we want is speed. Of course, agility is also very important!”

Ye Chong recalled the blue mecha he had dueled with in the streets—a machine with an extremely specialized configuration.

“What about firepower?” Ye Chong asked.

Ke Han shook his head. “Not necessary.”

“And armor?” Ye Chong continued.

Again, Ke Han shook his head. “Don’t need it either. Just speed—I want a mecha built purely for racing!”

Just like that blue mecha from before. But what could such a mecha be used for—escape? Ye Chong could not be bothered to ask. Since the client requested it, he would deliver.

Ye Chong then asked Ke Han, the future pilot, for all relevant details: height, weight, operating habits, hand speed, and so on.

He frowned and pondered, occasionally staring into space or running simulations on the warehouse’s computer.

After half an hour, just as the others were growing impatient, Ye Chong finally presented his modification plan.

Ding Yining, upon reading Ye Chong’s proposal, looked at him as a starving wolf might regard a plump lamb—eyes shining with hunger.

“Perfect! Absolutely perfect! My god, you are a genius!” Ding Yining exclaimed repeatedly, gazing at Ye Chong in utter admiration. It seemed he was about to kneel and beg to become his disciple. After a moment lost in reverie, he snapped back to himself and immediately began rummaging through the warehouse for the parts listed in Ye Chong’s plan, paying no attention to anyone else.

It was clear that Ding Yining, the owner of the warehouse, was utterly obsessed with mechas—his collection of tools and components was impressively complete. Luckily, with Ding Yining as his assistant, Ye Chong was confident the job could be done; without him, it would have been far less certain.

Most of these tools were utterly unfamiliar to Ye Chong, some he had never even seen before, so it was impossible for him to use them. But Ding Yining, as the warehouse owner, was thoroughly acquainted with every tool, and eager to take the initiative. Ye Chong was more than happy to stand aside and observe.

Ye Chong simply specified the required materials and parts, explained the modifications needed, and left all the actual work to Ding Yining.

Ding Yining’s deft hands and assortment of bizarre tools opened Ye Chong’s eyes. He watched and memorized Ding Yining’s techniques with keen interest.

After four hours of effort, the modified mecha finally stood complete before them.