Chapter 149 Boarding the Ness

The spaceship was flying steadily. Ye Zhong mentally instructed Shang, "Shang, keep an eye on the flight path and scan the surrounding environment!"

Shang replied lazily, "I've been doing that for a while!"

The two members of the Association displayed exceptional discipline; from the moment Ye Zhong stepped in, neither of them had uttered a single word. Seeing this, Ye Zhong simply closed his eyes to rest and collect his thoughts.

After flying for about thirty minutes, the pilot's skill proved to be outstanding. The flight was remarkably smooth, with no noticeable turbulence despite the craft being a small starship.

Shang's lazy voice piped up, "Leaf, there is a large starship ahead. Do you need specific data?"

Just then, Ye Zhong distinctly felt the starship decelerating. After a moment of thought, he said, "Never mind, just monitor it closely. Shang, have you found anything particularly unusual?"

"Unusual? Hang on, I'm scanning this big ship right now... Oh?" Shang suddenly let out a startled gasp.

"What is it?" Ye Zhong's heart skipped a beat.

"This starship has a jammer, so I can't run a scan. Plus, the metal composing the hull plates seems a bit strange. Looks like you're on your own this time, Leaf, hehe!" Shang deliberately put on a helpless tone. Although he couldn't see Shang's expression, Ye Zhong still felt a strong urge to beat him up. Of course, that was just an impulse. Aside from the fact that the time and place were inappropriate, the vast disparity in power between the two reminded Ye Zhong that this was merely an opportunity for Shang to tease him.

"Leaf, we've entered the interior of the ship!" Jokes aside, Shang still relayed the information he had gathered to Ye Zhong.

A short while later, Ye Zhong felt the vessel beneath him give a slight lurch, signaling that it had come to a halt.

"Mr. Ye, please disembark!" the burly man in the co-pilot's seat said politely.

Stepping off the spaceship, Ye Zhong took in his surroundings.

Just as Shang had said, this was clearly the interior of a massive starship. As soon as he left the craft, he found himself on a silvery-white landing platform, where the all-metal texture gave off a strong sense of security. On his horizontal level were several rows of identical docking platforms. Each platform was connected by a metal skeleton bridge about two people wide. At the other end of each bridge stood a circular, pale green sealed door.

As soon as Ye Zhong descended from the ship, he saw a woman standing on the bridge. Almost simultaneously, he heard Shang's characteristic, exaggerated exclamation: "Whoa, a beauty! Look, Leaf, a beauty! I never expected there'd be a beauty on this ship. Good grief, life is truly wonderful! Tsk tsk, egg-shaped face, star-like eyes, straight nose, cherry lips, flowing hair... Ah, this must be a gentle and considerate beauty. I'm telling you, Leaf, a woman like this is the absolute best choice for a wife. Wow, look at those curves..."

Ye Zhong automatically tuned out Shang after the first sentence. He suspected that Shang would call any female a beauty regardless of what she looked like. Instead, Ye Zhong used his own eyes to appraise the woman before him.

She was not a combatant! That was his immediate conclusion.

Her hands were unexpectedly delicate; Ye Zhong doubted they could withstand even ten percent of his striking power, and they were completely devoid of calluses. The rest of her body was difficult to gauge due to the loose, flowing dress she wore. Her long hair fell naturally down to her waist—no combatant would ever allow their hair to grow to such lengths, as it would be extremely dangerous during combat and could easily prove fatal! Furthermore, the posture in which she stood involved clasping her hands in front of her. If she were a combat-trained individual, she would keep her hands by her sides at all times, letting them hang naturally to better react to any sudden emergencies. Additionally, such wide and loose clothing was entirely unfavorable for fighting; ordinary fighters would be much more accustomed to form-fitting suits.

"Hello, Mr. Ye. Welcome to the ship *Nasa*. I am Vici, and I will be responsible for arranging everything you need prior to the Level 5 assessment. Please take good care of me!" Vici bowed slightly toward Ye Zhong. Even so, Ye Zhong caught a flash of fleeting surprise in her eyes when she first laid eyes on him.

Ye Zhong nodded and calmly replied, "Oh! Thank you for the trouble."

Shang had already descended into a state of delirium: "Goodness, that voice..."

Vici smiled faintly. "It is my duty. Mr. Ye, please follow me!" She turned and walked toward the pale green sealed door, with Ye Zhong following closely behind.

Beyond the sealed door was a passageway. A row of white lights was installed on the ceiling, stretching all the way to the end of the corridor, creating a rather unique aesthetic.

Vici slowed her pace slightly, allowing herself and Ye Zhong to walk almost side by side.

Turning her face slightly, Vici smiled and said, "I really didn't expect Mr. Ye to be so young. It quite took me by surprise!"

"Is that so?" Ye Zhong responded indifferently, his facial expression remaining completely unchanged.

"Yes. Aside from a physician, everyone else coming to take the Level 5 assessment is over thirty years old. Mr. Ye must be less than twenty, yet you actually have the courage to take the Level 5 assessment. That is truly impressive!" Vici's face displayed a perfectly measured expression of admiration.

"Oh! Really?" Ye Zhong remained detached.

Shang wailed internally, "God! Leaf, is that seriously how you reply to a beauty's question?"

"Mr. Ye, may I ask what your profession is?" Vici asked out of curiosity.

Ye Zhong paused in his tracks. What was his profession? Mech pilot? Mech modification specialist? Mech assembler? Bone artisan? Tuner? It seemed he had studied quite a few things!

Seemingly sensing Ye Zhong's hesitation, Vici hurriedly waved her hands. "If it's inconvenient, Mr. Ye, you don't have to say!"

"A bone artisan!" After pondering for a moment, Ye Zhong chose that identity.

"A bone artisan? What a strange profession! I've never heard of it before. But it sounds awfully impressive!" Admiration reappeared on Vici's face.

Just like that, she decided he was impressive? Ye Zhong cast a strange look at the woman, finding her rather baffling.

Detecting Ye Zhong's gaze, Vici quickly lowered her head, her face turning as red as a tomato, as if blood might drip from it at any second.

Although he didn't understand what was wrong with her, Ye Zhong had no interest in digging deeper. Taking back his gaze, he resumed his posture of looking straight ahead.

"Such a cute little sister! I like her!" The excitement in Shang's voice made Ye Zhong wonder if Shang might actually jump out of his head.

The two walked side by side in silence.

They quickly reached the end of the corridor, where another sealed door stood. Unlike the previous one, however, this door was equipped with an identity verification scanner.

"Please wait a moment!" As if realizing she had lost her composure, Vici hurried to the door and performed the identity verification.

"Please come in!" Vici lowered her head and gestured for Ye Zhong to enter.

Beyond the sealed door was a large hall. Beneath a hemispherical ceiling sat dozens of sets of tables and chairs, which were astonishingly made of wood. Along one of the walls stood a beverage cabinet filled with a variety of colorful drinks.

Contrary to the emptiness Ye Zhong had imagined, there were quite a few people here. They sat in small groups, either drinking alone or conversing in low voices, making the entire hall appear rather quiet.

Ye Zhong's arrival immediately attracted everyone's attention, and a trace of surprise involuntarily surfaced in almost everyone's eyes. It was likely because of his age, Ye Zhong figured. A quick glance around revealed that almost everyone else here was middle-aged or elderly, making him stick out like a sore thumb. However, Ye Zhong also noticed a few burly men around thirty years of age who, judging by their physiques, appeared to be combatants.

At Vici's gesture, the two of them walked over to a corner table and sat down.

Vici spoke in a solemn tone, "Mr. Ye, in a moment I will lead you to your room. We still have thirteen days before we reach our destination. Everyone here, just like you, has come to participate in the Level 5 assessment. If you need anything, you can make a request directly to me, and we will do our utmost to accommodate you within reason. But I must remind you: for your own safety, please try to maintain a polite distance from the other applicants. Some of them are extremely dangerous. If anyone poses a threat to your safety or disrupts your normal life, please contact me. Should you get into a conflict with anyone else, both your and the other party's qualifications for the assessment will be revoked, and you will very likely face severe punishment from the Association!"

Vici spoke fluently without being servile, her expression grave and serious.

Ye Zhong nodded to indicate he understood. He analyzed the information in her words inwardly: thirteen days of travel implied that the destination was likely very far away, though it was also possible they were laying a false trail, as the Association clearly did not want anyone to know the exact location of the Level 5 assessment. Unfortunately, this starship was equipped with a jammer, preventing even Shang from scanning it.

Just then, two people not far away suddenly started a quarrel and began shouting at each other.

Their voices grew louder and louder, and both men seemed to have extremely volatile tempers. Before long, the two of them resorted to physical violence.

The people nearby quickly moved away to avoid being caught in the crossfire.

Incredible!

Ye Zhong watched their brawl with keen interest, feeling immensely astonished. The fighting skills displayed by these two were absolute top-tier quality. Ye Zhong believed that even compared to himself—solely in terms of hand-to-hand combat techniques—he fell far short of them.

Was this the standard of the Level 5 assessment? For the first time, Ye Zhong began to seriously reevaluate the Association's so-called Level 5 assessment!

Vici frowned slightly, her expression cold, as she activated her communicator and spoke in a low voice.