Chapter 123: A Desperate Situation?

Why was there no warning from Mu?

Without time to think, the moment the Yu was struck and sent flying, Ye Chong’s hands moved like the wind! Although his eyes were currently blinded by the intense glare, his deep familiarity with the mech allowed his operations to proceed without a single hitch. His movements remained as fluid as flowing water, and his extraordinary manual speed did not drop in the slightest despite his temporary blindness.

If anyone were watching at this moment, they would never believe that this was Ye Chong’s first attempt at controlling a mech purely by physical intuition.

Disordered Waveform Jump!

This was the only advanced evasion technique Ye Chong knew, and he chose this maneuver—the one most familiar to him—almost without a second thought.

Because he was blind, Ye Chong did not even know which direction he was turning toward; this was a truly disordered waveform jump. In his mind, he silently calculated the intervals between each change in direction, compressing the timing as much as possible.

He was not in a vast wilderness but in a residential district packed with dense buildings.

As Ye Chong careened wildly, flying just inches above the ground, he smashed through countless structures. These brick-and-mortar buildings were fragile, and after being toppled, they filled the air with clouds of dust. However, because Ye Chong was blind, he could not utilize this advantageous environment to his benefit.

Yet, Ye Chong’s inability to see did not mean he was completely lost. After all, he had Mu!

"Ye, turn left thirty degrees!" Mu and Ye Chong communicated via brainwaves, which was significantly faster than speaking.

Ye Chong’s lightning-fast reflexes were on full display; relying solely on his intuition, he executed the maneuver. He focused all his attention, waiting for Mu’s next instruction. Right now, Mu was the only thing he could rely on—Mu was his eyes!

"Hmm, good feel. The angular deviation is under three degrees," Mu complimented him, which was a rare occurrence.

Ye Chong, who had been bracing himself for the next command, was surprised that Mu had the presence of mind to offer such feedback in this critical moment. He felt a mix of wry amusement. Had Mu been corrupted by Shang?

The deafening roars around him never ceased, a testament to the ferocity of the enemy’s bombardment. Who exactly were these people, and why were they so intent on his death?

But this was clearly not the time to ponder such questions. Mu suddenly said, "Prepare for a major impact!"

Ye Chong’s heart tightened, and his body tensed slightly. *Boom!* A thunderous sound erupted. Ye Chong’s entire body shuddered, and his hands, resting on the main console, felt the violent vibration of the Yu.

"Stop!" Mu shouted suddenly.

The fundamental training Ye Chong had practiced so arduously saved his life. Even while flying at high speed and under heavy impact, the Yu remained under his control. It was a perfect halt—flawless even under these extreme conditions—though the load this high-difficulty emergency stop placed on Ye Chong’s body was immense.

The sudden rush of blood to his head left Ye Chong feeling slightly dizzy, but the discomfort quickly dissipated. Ye Chong did not know that for an average pilot, that sudden emergency stop alone would likely have been fatal.

*Boom!*

The explosion occurred five meters in front of his current position. Almost the moment he stopped, a thirty-meter stretch starting from five meters ahead of him was pulverized by countless energy weapons.

The shockwave from the violent explosion nearly knocked the Yu off balance.

Ye Chong felt the stinging pain in his eyes subside, so he tried to open them a tiny crack. A faint light entered his vision. Although it wasn't very clear, he could discern general shapes, which filled him with joy.

"Ye, blink your eyes a few times," Mu reminded him.

Ye Chong followed the instruction and blinked. The scene before him immediately became a bit clearer. Ye Chong was overjoyed. Only now did he realize how fragile his eyes were and how terrifying it was to lose his sight. In those few dozen seconds, if not for Mu by his side, he would have felt as if his fate were no longer in his own hands.

Now that he could see, Ye Chong’s confidence surged; this meant he was not without a fighting chance. The first thing that caught his eye was a massive crater. He was currently inside a building, half of which had completely vanished, while the remaining half swayed precariously, with dust and stone crumbling down from time to time.

"The situation is not good," even Mu, who never spoke like this, allowed a hint of worry to seep into his tone.

"What's going on?" Ye Chong asked quickly.

"We are surrounded. There are twenty-five mechs in total. Judging by their design and weaponry, they should be Pilot Association mechs at the White-Class level or higher. Unfortunately, the enemy is using long-range weapons for suppression; the probability of breaking through the encirclement is less than seven percent. But fortunately, they seem to want to capture you alive," Mu’s words hit Ye Chong like a bucket of cold water.

The explosions continued without pause, gradually drawing closer.

"What are they doing?" Ye Chong asked, confused.

Mu replied calmly, "They are clearing the obstacles in this area to compress your maneuvering space."

This tactic was truly ruthless. At the very least, Ye Chong could not think of any way to counter this methodical pressure.

With no other options, Ye Chong began to inspect the Yu. The mech had suffered significant damage; the mechanical arm holding the laser lance was gone, but fortunately, the main body of the mech had not sustained much structural trauma.

The enemy held nothing back; this neighborhood had become a living hell, filled with corpses. Local residents were screaming and running through the streets, only to be mercilessly pierced by beams of scorching laser fire. Even someone like Ye Chong, who was accustomed to life and death, felt a pang of sorrow at such a bloody scene. Looking around, Dr. Lu’s clinic had already become a giant crater. Under these circumstances, Ye Chong believed that even he could not have survived that.

The sky above was filled with countless observing mechs, yet no one dared to move. The power of the Pilot Association’s White-Class mechs and above was enough to deter anyone, especially in the chaotic, lawless, and murderous Orbit Circle.

It was like a hunting ground—as long as you were strong enough.

Without the cover of the terrain, a close-combat mech stood no chance against a long-range combat mech. Moreover, these were the most powerful long-range mechs Ye Chong had ever seen. Their immense firepower and chilling precision left a deep, lasting impression on him.

If there were only one or two, Ye Chong might have a fighting chance, but according to Mu’s count of twenty-five, Ye Chong was certain that the moment he showed himself, he would become a target for all their firepower. Based on the Pilot Association's past performance, the probability of them missing was absolutely less than one percent.

Was he really going to die here this time?

Even in this situation, Ye Chong felt no despair or pessimism. In the Scrapyard, he had wandered between life and death countless times. If he died here, it wouldn't be anything strange!

The sound of explosions grew closer, like a drumbeat pounding against his heart.

Ye Chong suddenly remembered a question and asked Mu, "Mu, how did you fail to detect them this time?" He wasn't blaming Mu, but he had never imagined that anyone could bypass Mu’s scanners. This piqued his curiosity, especially since there were twenty-five of them.

Mu explained, "They must have used specialized scan-deception and imaging equipment. It is very advanced, but I suspect it is not a mature technology. It is clear that its coverage area is extremely small; I detected their positions the moment you were struck and sent flying. They must have known our location beforehand, otherwise, its utility would be minimal." Mu paused for a moment before adding, "But this time, the usage was undoubtedly very successful."

"There is such a thing?" Ye Chong widened his eyes, finding it hard to believe.

"Yes, it is likely still an experimental prototype. My database has no information on this kind of weapon," Mu speculated.

"They seem to want to capture me alive?" Ye Chong was puzzled. Although the bombardment was intense, it did not seem aimed at killing him. Otherwise, this methodical, step-by-step advancement would be unnecessary. Ye Chong clearly remembered that they were also equipped with weapons as lethal as the magnetic guns, yet he hadn't seen them used. And if they wanted to kill him, they had brought far too many people!

"Based on current indications, that is a high probability," Mu agreed.

"That’s strange. Why do they want to capture me alive? The incident with the Sabel, I could understand them wanting to kill me, but is it worth using this much manpower to capture me? This kind of inefficient approach is not their style," Ye Chong muttered to himself. Even in such a desperate situation, his mind remained as cold as ice.

"It is indeed strange, which only means you have value to them if captured alive," Mu added.

"Value in being captured alive? That makes sense! So, where exactly does my value to them lie?" Ye Chong lowered his head, struggling to think. If he could determine the enemy’s ultimate goal, it would be to his advantage; he might even find a glimmer of hope. Ye Chong replayed every encounter he had with the Pilot Association in his mind, hoping to find their motive.

Suddenly, a flash of insight struck him. He recalled how, after he had raided their warship, all their mechs had pursued him with a desperate, death-defying tenacity. Their original target had been Master Fried. Even if Ye Chong had caused them significant damage, if the mission could still be completed, finishing that mission should have been their primary objective. Yet, they had abandoned that primary objective to chase him—and it wasn't just one person; almost all the mechs had turned to pursue him. That could only mean they had discovered that his value to them exceeded that of Master Fried!

But what, exactly, was his value to them?