Section Ninety-Seven: Escape from Blue Sea Star

Ye Chong frowned slightly at the sudden surge of police in the spacecraft transit zone. Could Black Horn and the police be in league with each other? It seemed that this time Black Horn truly meant to have him, and had even posted men here in advance to prevent his escape.

Without a spacecraft, there could be no space jump. Even Mu, if he could not make a jump through folded space, would not be able to fly far by sheer propulsion alone. In the vastness of space, a distance of a few million, or even tens of millions, of kilometers was nothing at all.

Still, though the crowd was heavy, Ye Chong believed that with his skill, slipping inside should not be a problem. No sooner had that thought arisen than his peripheral vision caught sight of several Black Horn mech suits standing watch in an inconspicuous corner.

Ye Chong immediately gave up the idea.

What a headache of a problem. Even if he got inside, if he could not take off smoothly, it would all be for nothing. Generally speaking, unless a spacecraft performed a space jump, its flight speed was actually far lower than that of a mech suit. Glancing at those Black Horn machines, wanting to take off smoothly? That was sheer dreaming.

Ye Chong lingered there for quite some time, yet still did not see a single spacecraft take off.

Mu suddenly said, “Ye, let’s go. The spacecraft here will not be taking off.”

Ye Chong was startled. “Mu, are they going to hold every spacecraft here and refuse to let any leave? Won’t that cause chaos?” Though Ye Chong had little life experience, he did possess this common sense.

Mu explained.

Ye Chong listened and his expression changed. The broadcast said that according to the latest reports, the local government head of Blue Sea Star had confirmed the possible presence of Charlie No. 2 virus on the planet. In accordance with the Five Sectors Special Hazard Microorganism Nonproliferation Treaty, all spacecraft departures from Blue Sea Star would be prohibited beginning today. For everyone’s safety, all residents were to go to local hospitals and temporary inspection stations for physical examinations within three days. It was reported that a large number of police would be dispatched to maintain order. The public was also urged to persuade family members and friends who had not yet been examined; if they still refused to come, then for the safety of oneself and one’s family, police should be contacted...

What an uncanny coincidence. Ye Chong felt a little stifled.

It was too much of a coincidence. If it really was some Charlie virus, why would Black Horn’s mech suits be guarding that place? Could it be... could it be that this was aimed at catching him? Ye Chong found himself thinking this in disbelief, yet the more he pondered it, the more plausible it seemed.

Ye Chong asked, “Mu, do you think this might be to deal with us?”

Mu replied evenly, “Based on the available data, the probability is between seventy-two and seventy-six percent.”

Ye Chong could not help but feel his head ache. Without a spacecraft, his range of activity would shrink drastically, and in the end he would have no choice but to be surrounded. Black Horn had made such a huge commotion, yet the Mech Warriors Association had shown no reaction at all. That struck Ye Chong as odd too. But he had no intention of pinning his hopes on them; the thought flashed through his mind and was gone.

How could he get out of this predicament? Ye Chong racked his brains.

Mu suddenly said, “Ye, go north of the Jie Sha district. It’s the place you practiced before. Be careful on the way, and do not draw anyone’s attention.”

Ye Chong was overjoyed. Mu must have thought of some excellent plan. Understanding that time was now the most important thing, he dared not delay. Crouching low, he hurried northward without making a sound. Frost’s Requiem had long since been stored by Ye Chong in subspace; in its current severely damaged state, the mech itself would attract far more attention than Ye Chong.

Police numbers on the streets had multiplied, and they constantly swept their eyes over pedestrians. By now, Ye Chong was thoroughly familiar with this sort of urban escape game. Coupled with Mu’s constant guidance, he moved, paused, and moved again, and after what proved to be no great amount of time, he reached this deserted no-fly zone for mechs.

This region remained a wasteland of flying sand and stones, with sky and earth all dark and blurred, the sight ahead indistinct.

Ye Chong asked curiously, “Mu, is there a spacecraft here?”

“No.”

“Then why did we come here?” Ye Chong asked in confusion.

Ye Chong summoned Frost’s Requiem and climbed into the cockpit. The condition of Frost’s Requiem looked extremely bad. The punch Hark had landed on it had driven the gauntlet spike perilously close to Ye Chong’s cockpit. If Hark had not lacked the intent to kill him, Ye Chong would likely already be dead. And if the gauntlet spike on Hark’s mech had not been too thick, this mech would have been all but scrap.

Yet Frost’s Requiem could still move by some miracle, and the damage to its internal light circuits was not serious. That made Ye Chong sigh over his own good fortune. Still, after all that turmoil, the remaining energy was pitifully little, less than half.

Ye Chong carefully read a message Mu had sent to the light computer.

“According to the original itinerary, Master Fried, who is currently on an interstellar tour, will arrive at Blue Sea Star in three days. It is reported that during this journey Master Fried will remain on Blue Sea Star for about a week. During that time, he will visit several famous scenic districts, and on the final day he will deliver a speech at Blue Sea Academy. According to Master Fried himself, the main purpose of this trip is to seek inspiration...”

Mu said calmly, “This news is from two days ago.”

Ye Chong’s eyes lit up. “Then that means he’s only one day away from Blue Sea Star?”

Before Mu could answer, Ye Chong was already calculating. “Hmm, if it’s one day, then that means he isn’t far from Blue Sea Star. We can first leave Blue Sea Star in a mech, then hijack a ship along the way, and after that go wherever we want!”

But Ye Chong immediately frowned again, troubled. “This guy doesn’t look like an ordinary person. Hijacking a ship with just one mech seems a bit difficult. And Frost’s Requiem doesn’t seem to be in great shape right now!”

Mu asked in return, “Are you alone?”

Ye Chong said doubtfully, “Is there anyone else? Ah, Mu, do you mean to make a move yourself?” he asked, unable to believe it. Ever since leaving the garbage star, Mu had not directly stepped in to help him for a very long time.

Mu said flatly, “Based on the existing data, given your current condition and Frost’s Requiem’s current condition, the probability of successfully hijacking a ship alone is far below fifteen percent. Moreover, you still have that strange illness of yours, which may flare up at any time. Considering all factors, this choice is unquestionably the most correct at present.”

“That’s true enough.” Thinking of his current state, Ye Chong also felt this was undoubtedly the best decision. His mood relaxed at once. With Mu making a move, Ye Chong’s confidence swelled like never before. Was there anything under heaven that could stump Mu?

Following Mu’s advice, Ye Chong did not set out immediately. Instead, he first inspected the mech, confirmed that there were no major problems and that it still had some maneuverability, and only then did he and Mu fly upward through the whirling sand and dust.

The sky full of swirling grit and the rampant, crashing turbulence made this area perilous, but it also provided the best cover for Ye Chong and Mu.

Though Frost’s Requiem’s anti-search system was not as monstrous as the mech suits from Black Horn, it was still excellent. Compared to the mass-produced machines on the market, the mech secretly developed by the Ji family was far superior.

Hark looked with distress at the several injuries on Kai’s body. Though none were particularly severe, they were deeply vexing to him. Worse still, Kai’s engine had been damaged too badly. That special engine made by Black Horn could not be repaired unless it was returned to Black Horn. Hark could only stare helplessly, with no solution in sight.

That brat Number Fifty-eight really was a ruthless one.

This time he had brought ten men from Black Horn, yet six had been lost. As for those six... Hah. A shadow of gloom flickered through Hark’s eyes. The news of Johnston’s death had pained him for a long while. Johnston had been the strongest in Group F apart from Number Fifty-eight. The other groups were probably rejoicing in secret.

Those six were not members of Group F. With Johnston dead, Group F had no other real experts to boast of, so those people had been transferred from other groups by order from above. Originally Hark had wanted to find some way to quietly wipe out a few of them and weaken the other groups’ strength. He had never expected that Number Fifty-eight would be this formidable, killing six at a stroke. If he could return to Black Horn, then Group F’s power would be...

Hark’s heart suddenly burned hot.

A knocking at the door abruptly interrupted his reverie. Hark was now staying with the Ji family. He had originally had little interest in a peripheral family attached to Black Horn, but this time the Ji family had given him quite a few surprises. Even their strength had slightly shocked him. In his view, the two mechs from the Ji family had already reached the average level of Black Horn’s standard combat mechs, and in some respects were even inferior to Black Horn, such as that old-style spear.

More importantly, the Ji family’s various maneuvers could not only借 the local government of Blue Sea Star to restrict Number Fifty-eight’s escape, but also prevent the Mech Warriors Association from easily taking action. Hark instantly put away his contempt.

The one who entered was Ji Shangyan. Hark was very appreciative of this young man. Not only did he have plenty of tricks, he was also ruthless enough. The idea of spreading the virus rumor had been proposed by him, and it was indeed ingenious.

Yet Ji Shangyan’s face looked very grim. Hark, with his keen gaze, asked in a deep voice, “What is it, Shangyan?”

Ji Shangyan treated him with great courtesy, behaving like a junior nephew, which only made Hark like him more.

Ji Shangyan said bitterly, “Uncle Hark, we wanted to obtain some useful information from the data on that Ye Chong’s identity card, but the result was a great shock to us.”

Hark became highly interested. “Oh? What happened?”

“All information about him on the virtual net has completely vanished. Even every record of him at Blue Sea Academy has been erased. We can’t even find his image data now. Every trace of him has been wiped away.” Ji Shangyan gave a wry smile.

“Hah!” Hark cried out in shock.

Carefully avoiding the mech patrols circling above Blue Sea Star, Ye Chong knew that within a limited range, mechs had far greater agility and speed. The discovery of the Bee Explorer devices gave Ye Chong a great surprise. Five Bee Explorer devices could greatly expand Frost’s Requiem’s search radius and precision, and they were extremely concealable. In Ye Chong’s view, this was undoubtedly the most successful design of the mech aside from Blue.

When Ye Chong looked at the holographic image transmitted by the Bee Explorers, he drew a sharp breath.