Chapter 108: The Fall of a Genius

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Mu was the first to enter. The command center was already in utter chaos—lights flickering erratically, fragments scattered across the floor, and sparks intermittently crackling from the damaged instruments. There was not a single person standing; bloodstains were everywhere on the floor.

Even Old Pang, who had witnessed many intense scenes, felt a pang of sorrow. The destructive power of the nano-magnetic waves was immense. When the three armored suits’ lives were threatened moments ago, they fired recklessly. Although none of the nano-magnetic beams hit Ye Zhong, they triggered a series of massive explosions within the warship! The tremendous shockwaves and vibrations instantly killed the unprotected non-combat personnel inside, their deaths horrifying in their cruelty.

Mu paid no attention to the others and immediately connected to the warship’s optical brain, initiating a comprehensive self-diagnosis of the ship’s condition.

Ye Zhong and Old Pang began searching the vast command center for survivors.

Suddenly, Ye Zhong noticed something wriggling among a pile of debris ahead. Zooming in, he realized it was a person. Upon closer inspection, the face seemed vaguely familiar.

Isn’t that Gu Shaoyi? Ye Zhong was shocked. How could he be here?

Ye Zhong held great admiration for this young genius. In his eyes, Gu Shaoyi’s expertise in powered armor far exceeded what anyone his age ought to have achieved. Ye Zhong himself had benefited greatly from him. Most importantly, Gu Shaoyi was still young—very young, in fact. His future was boundless.

Where was his blonde female bodyguard?

Ye Zhong opened the hatch. Jumping down from the entry, the motion startled Old Pang, who had been quietly observing Ye Zhong. How could he jump from such a height without injury? Old Pang’s eyes nearly popped out for what must have been the nth time today.

It was him! Seeing the pilot inside this strange armored suit, Old Pang suddenly understood. This was the person who had left a deep impression on him. Truly formidable! But who was the pilot inside the broken-arm suit? Old Pang’s curiosity deepened.

The command center operated on an independent system, and the air supply had not sustained fatal damage.

Ye Zhong hurried to Gu Shaoyi’s side. Beneath him lay a heap of debris and a large pool of strange-smelling liquid. Now Ye Zhong understood why Gu Shaoyi had not died instantly like the others. Gu Shaoyi must have been injected with a sedative and confined within a protective device. It seemed the Masters’ Association’s locals valued him highly! Thanks to this device, Gu Shaoyi had not perished immediately. Yet, this protective apparatus had not escaped the fate of being shattered.

Ye Zhong carefully helped Gu Shaoyi up. The young man looked terribly unwell—blood dripped from the corner of his mouth, his complexion was pale, and several wounds marred his body.

Gu Shaoyi seemed to sense someone lifting him. His eyelids trembled as he struggled to open his eyes. When he saw Ye Zhong, a spark of joy flickered in his gaze. But the excitement flushed his face from deathly pale to a deep crimson, as if his skin might burst open. He coughed violently, expelling mouthfuls of fresh blood. Ye Zhong was alarmed—his internal organs must have been severely damaged!

Having lived on a garbage planet, Ye Zhong understood such injuries were exceedingly difficult to treat. He did not know the medical standards of the outside world, but under the current circumstances, healing was impossible. Ye Zhong could not help but sigh softly.

Gu Shaoyi’s lips moved as if to speak. Seeing this, Ye Zhong leaned his ear close.

A faint but clear voice came: "...cut open my left arm... password... number two..."

Ye Zhong stared at Gu Shaoyi in astonishment. Gu Shaoyi’s eyes grew dimmer, yet he appeared peaceful, as if all worries had been laid to rest. A faint smile touched his lips. Before Ye Zhong could react, Gu Shaoyi’s gaze blurred, he coughed violently, spraying a torrent of blood onto Ye Zhong, and then fell utterly still.

Ye Zhong knew—Gu Shaoyi was dead.

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Gritting his teeth, Ye Zhong drew the dagger from his waist. He suddenly recalled that Gu Shaoyi had given him this dagger. He never imagined he would now use it on him. The sharp blade easily sliced through Gu Shaoyi’s left arm, unleashing a torrent of blood. Without hesitation, Ye Zhong plunged his hand into the wound, feeling the blood gush through his fingers.

Old Pang and Kasang watched dumbfounded, their faces shifting between pale and green as they witnessed Ye Zhong “butchering” the body.

Soon Ye Zhong’s fingers brushed against something hard. He carefully extracted it—covered in blood, making it hard to discern what it was. Without hesitation, Ye Zhong wiped the blood off on himself.

Old Pang and Kasang finally breathed a sigh of relief. So he was retrieving something. They glanced at the now lifeless Gu Shaoyi. The boy looked delicate and refined, yet was so resilient to hide something within his left arm. Such courage!

Judging by Ye Zhong’s calm expression as he rummaged through Gu Shaoyi’s flesh, it was clear he was no stranger to death.

Ye Zhong did not bother examining the object in his hand, seeing Mu and the other two armored suits waiting, he casually stuffed it into his waist pouch.

Mu, seeing Ye Zhong had finished, spoke: “I just finished checking the warship. The internal damage is severe, and the energy system is extremely unstable. In ten minutes, a massive explosion will occur. There is no possibility of saving it!”

It seemed internal sabotage was far easier than external assault.

Old Pang was startled. With an imminent explosion, this guy was still speaking as if nothing were wrong.

Ye Zhong had already entered the cockpit and asked, “What do we do now?”

“Based on calculations, escape is our only option,” Mu calmly suggested.

“Alright, let’s go!” Ye Zhong said, leading the way out.

As soon as they exited the warship, a barrage of laser and nano-magnetic beams greeted them. Fortunately, they were prepared and narrowly dodged. On the battlefield, with these formidable main armored suits joining, the situation tilted heavily in their favor. But the enemy suits were smart; upon the warship’s silence, they immediately retreated into the Saberi.

Still, many suits caught too late were slaughtered.

From over four hundred suits at the start, only thirty-seven survived to return in just over ten minutes. This war would haunt the survivors for life, nightmares jolting them awake for years.

However, the Masters’ Association also paid a heavy price. Of forty-two standard suits, only eleven remained, and one main suit was lost. Most critically, the existence of the warship, previously unknown, would surely draw attention. Though no one knew their origin, the situation was clearly spiraling out of control.

Without the warship’s threat, no matter how strong the white suits were, they could not breach a massive space cruiser like the Saberi. Its armor was simply too thick.

Seeing the worsening situation, several suits turned to flee. Returning to the Saberi was wishful thinking. The white suits chased fiercely, giving no chance to escape.

Several white suits entered the warship. After mere seconds, the remaining white suits, wild and furious, disregarded the Saberi and charged toward Ye Zhong and the others with bloodshot eyes.

They had almost certainly discovered that something had been taken from Gu Shaoyi. Ye Zhong and the others knew this without guessing—they had to run desperately.

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The suits inside the warship did not emerge, likely attempting to repair it. Ye Zhong recalled Mu’s warning of the imminent explosion in ten minutes and sneered inwardly.

Both sides had been flying for over two hours, yet the enemy showed no sign of stopping. The Saberi had long since vanished from sight. The four white suits were like strays, followed by four main suits and six white auxiliaries, relentlessly pursuing without conserving energy. This forced Ye Zhong and the others to push their engines to the limit.

This chase revealed the differences in armored suit power.

Mu flew alongside Ye Zhong steadily, no matter how hard Ye Zhong pushed the engine, Mu kept pace effortlessly—testament to Mu’s powerful engine.

Old Pang lagged slightly behind Ye Zhong, with Kasang’s suit at the rear.

The enemy also showed clear hierarchy—the four main suits led the charge, with six white auxiliaries lined up behind.

Ye Zhong communicated with Mu.

Ye Zhong: “Mu, where exactly are we now?”

Mu: “According to star maps, we’re roughly in the Orbital Ring region. However, I don’t possess a more detailed map of this sector.”

Ye Zhong frowned: “That’s troublesome. Those guys are relentless. At this rate, we’re probably all going to die together.” He was not afraid of death.

Space’s vastness often instills fear. Without spatial jumps, pure flight from one point to another is nearly impossible—it takes far too long.

He had never heard of any armored suit capable of interstellar travel.

Ye Zhong opened the four-person channel: “Do either of you know this area well?”

Old Pang responded: “This is the Orbital Ring! I’ve been here a few times, but that was a long time ago.”

Ye Zhong asked: “What’s the closest place around here?”

Old Pang thought for a moment: “I seem to recall a place not far from here,” though his tone was uncertain.