Chapter Seventy-One: Action

In the shroud of night, Ye Chong slipped soundlessly through the darkness like a phantom. The night offered him perfect cover; if he were in space, even with the F-58, he would never dare to act so brazenly. Though space was awash with all kinds of radiation, its environment was relatively simple, allowing scanning instruments to operate at their full potential. But within an atmosphere, the complexity drastically reduced both the range and accuracy of sensors, and, most importantly, the government imposed strict regulations on the frequency and type of atmospheric scanning systems.

Ordinarily, with its advanced counter-detection systems, the F-58 would have been the ideal craft for this mission. Yet Ye Chong could not be certain whether Johnson’s mecha shared a special link with the F-58, so he dared not summon it.

In truth, the best time to attack the Ji family would have been immediately after eliminating their surveillance operatives, before word had spread. By now, the Ji family was surely on high alert. Still, this operation’s plan was entirely devised by Mu. After seeing the mountain of intelligence Mu had gathered, Ye Chong wisely entrusted all planning to him. In Mu, Ye Chong had complete faith. Mu had not explained the mission’s objective, only presenting the calculated probabilities: a 72% chance of success, a 20% chance of escaping intact if they failed, and an 8% chance of being killed.

Ye Chong doubted that this attack could deliver a decisive blow against the Ji family—his own strength was limited, and the greater risk was exposing himself. Nevertheless, if Mu insisted, Ye Chong was certain there must be a compelling reason. Mu never acted without purpose.

Ye Chong crept forward cautiously through the shadows, using the same tactics he’d employed while hunting on the junk planet. The mutated creatures there were far more vigilant than humans: their senses were keen, and some boasted extraordinary abilities—some had astonishing smell, but almost all possessed highly sensitive hearing. The ones that caused Ye Chong the most trouble were those with infrared vision.

The night was a riot of color, dazzling lights flickering across splendid curtains of illumination. From above, the cityscape was mesmerizing. Holographic celebrities who appeared drab by day became enchanting under the neon glow. Mechas, their safety lights shining, flitted through the air like swarms of fireflies.

Ye Chong had no time to appreciate these sights—such splendor was unimaginable on the junk planet. Now, in the shadows, he moved like a cold, silent serpent.

Maintaining his concealment, Ye Chong asked Mu in his mind, "Mu, what’s our target this time? Don’t keep me in suspense!"

Mu replied coolly, "You’ll know when the time comes. According to the data, there’s a 91% probability you’ll understand then."

Ye Chong nearly stumbled, exasperated. "Of course I’ll know when it happens! I’m asking about now!"

Mu responded calmly, "Based on the data, there’s still an 8% chance you won’t understand even then. As for now, I regret to inform you that the probability of you guessing correctly is zero."

Fuming inwardly, Ye Chong cursed, "Damn you, Mu, are you calling me stupid?"

Mu replied in his usual indifferent tone, "Logically, that is a safe and accurate assumption."

Ye Chong carefully hid behind an artificial tree, observing the base ahead. Every fifteen minutes, several small robotic birds circled overhead, each equipped with scanning amplifiers that greatly enhanced their detection range and precision. But under Mu’s guidance, Ye Chong had positioned himself in a blind spot.

He asked Mu, "Mu, what is this place?"

Mu didn’t answer directly. "Ye, if you were in the F-58, you could evade these scanning systems."

Acknowledging this, Ye Chong summoned the F-58 without hesitation.

"Hurry!" Mu’s urgent tone startled Ye Chong. Not daring to delay, he slipped inside and powered up the engine as fast as he could.

Sure enough, the F-58 didn’t trigger any alarms. Ye Chong intended to sneak in unobtrusively, but Mu said, "Fly straight in!"

Ye Chong hesitated, then complied—strangely, the people moving about below seemed not to notice the F-58 at all. Some even waved at him in greeting, allowing him to swagger right in. His mind reeled; he still hadn’t figured out what was going on.

The personnel here trusted their scanning systems implicitly, never imagining anyone could infiltrate without identity verification. They all assumed this was one of their own mechas.

Mu offered no explanation, only stating, "You have three minutes. In three minutes, Johnson will arrive. There’s an 87% chance he already knows your exact location."

Cold sweat broke out on Ye Chong’s brow.

Unperturbed, Mu continued, "You must reach this location within one minute." The F-58’s AI projected a holographic map of the base. In the northwest, about twenty meters underground, a crimson dot marked Ye Chong’s target.

"Blast it, Mu…" Ye Chong didn’t even have time to curse before shooting forward at top speed.

Mu, maddeningly unconcerned, drawled, "Ye, don’t rush. At your current speed, there’s a 94% chance you’ll make it in time." Ye Chong ground his teeth in frustration. The moment he heard Johnson was arriving in three minutes, his first instinct was to abandon the mission and flee—no way he could match Johnson’s mecha head-on. If he stayed, he was as good as dead.

But Mu’s words hinted at something else. Though Ye Chong cursed him silently, he drove the mecha forward as fast as possible.

In just five seconds, he reached the position above the basement. A massive alloy door, a hundred meters wide and thirty meters high, loomed ever larger before him.

When he was still fifty meters from the door, Mu spoke suddenly, "Transmit the identification code!"

Ye Chong nearly choked, but his hands moved at lightning speed. Back in Black Horn, his hand speed had reached 5.54 hertz; now, after breaking through his limits, he was approaching 7 hertz—a staggering feat. Even so, the abrupt need to change operations almost overwhelmed him. Still, he managed a sharp stop, bringing the F-58 to a halt just two meters from the door, sending the identification code just in time.

Only then did Ye Chong realize, to his shock, that sending the code should have been suicidal.

To his astonishment, the alloy door slid open slowly, revealing a black void—so dark he couldn’t see his hand before his face.