Chapter 169: An Old Acquaintance

The hollowed-out restaurant echoed with shrill, piercing screams.

To strike only when necessary, and to completely eliminate the enemy upon doing so. This had always been Ye Chong’s combat axiom. However, this time, Ye Chong had no intention of killing. For him, maintaining a low profile was much better right now; who knew where the Zong Research Institute's spies might be lurking? Making a big fuss meant a much higher probability of being discovered by the Institute!

As for making them pay a tiny price, however, Ye Chong did not hesitate in the slightest. He had even made up his mind that if any of them proved genuinely formidable, he would show no mercy at all. At worst, he would simply resort to Mu’s ship-hijacking plan. Of course, barring the final extremity, Ye Chong preferred not to take that route.

The injured large man’s accomplices finally snapped back to their senses, roaring angrily as they swarmed toward Ye Chong. Several of them even pulled out concealed daggers.

A cold glint flashed in Ye Chong’s eyes. Tiptoeing lightly, he weaved through the crowd like an illusory shadow, followed immediately by a rapid succession of smacking sounds as flesh met fist, sending these people flying in all directions like sacks of sand!

Amateur level! Ye Chong made a swift assessment in his mind. Having witnessed the astonishing hand-to-hand combat at the Black Horn Zong Research Institute, this level was indeed purely amateur in his eyes.

Except for Ye Chong, everyone else curled up on the ground, wailing. Ye Chong had not delivered the heavy blows he used earlier to intimidate the enemy; once was enough! These people had simply been struck by his fists or feet. Ye Chong employed fighting techniques originating from Black Horn, most of which relied on striking specific points on the human body to deprive the enemy of their mobility. Without a doubt, Ye Chong had executed this to perfection!

Although everyone was groaning and screaming in agony on the ground, not a single one of them could move; parts of their muscles had completely lost all response to control.

Ignoring the shrieks of the people on the ground, Ye Chong sat down and methodically finished his portion of food. Back on the garbage star, Ye Chong had learned the preciousness of food, and waste was something he simply could not tolerate.

Pushing away the empty plate, Ye Chong stood up. Without even sparing a glance at the people still wailing away, he calmly left the restaurant.

Not long after Ye Chong departed, the restaurant door was pushed open once more.

Ellen covered her mouth in astonishment, trying her best not to make a sound! Heavens. What had just happened in the restaurant? Why were so many people lying on the ground? The incessant screams made her skin crawl! Wait, weren't these the people who had harbored ill intentions toward her yesterday? Why were they lying here? And it looked like some of them were even injured!

Carefully observing the people sprawled across the floor in disarray, constantly moaning, Ellen felt surprised by her own conclusion: they had been beaten! That’s right! They had been attacked! What terrifying technique! These people were still lying there completely immobile, and they had actually been stripped of their ability to move—this was simply too bizarre!

Ellen had been extremely pretty since childhood. For her safety, her parents had specifically hired several combat instructors. Over the years, she had practiced without interruption, going through one teacher after another, and she knew far more about combat than the average person! Relying on striking specific locations on an opponent's body to make them lose control of themselves was an extremely advanced technique in combat!

Who on earth could be this formidable? Ellen marveled inwardly!

Right at that moment, these fierce men gradually began to regain their sensation. One of them looked up and happened to see Ellen, causing him to shiver involuntarily. The other thugs who had recovered also revealed intense expressions of fear upon seeing Ellen.

In this, they had actually misunderstood. Yesterday, they had seen Ye Chong and Ellen sitting together in the restaurant and assumed the two were partners. Thus, the moment they saw Ellen, they immediately thought of Ye Chong, who had dealt such heavy blows, and could not help trembling inside!

***

Seeing that they were all gradually recovering, Ellen closed the restaurant door again and turned to leave. This bunch was hardly a good sort, and their combat prowess seemed quite decent either. Since they were in the restaurant, Ellen couldn't be bothered to look for food anymore. However, her mind was filled with doubt: why did they show such fearful expressions when they saw her?

Could the person who taught them a lesson be a friend of hers? The clever-minded Ellen guessed to herself. No, that couldn't be right; not a single person knew she had come out this time. Besides, she hadn't met anyone she knew aboard the spaceship! Ellen racked her brains, searching for every possible explanation! Yet no matter how she guessed, she would never have connected it to Ye Chong, whom she had encountered in the restaurant yesterday!

Upon returning to his room, Ye Chong said to Mu, "Mu, carefully monitor the entire spaceship. If there is any situation, let me know immediately!" Since this group of people had suffered such a massive loss today, they might not simply let the matter rest quietly, and Ye Chong didn't want any trouble breaking out. If things truly escalated to a big fuss, Ye Chong would choose to hijack the ship without hesitation and fly straight for Scorching Wind Star!

Yet if it genuinely came to that point, there was only one way to ensure so many people kept their silence. A ruthless glint flashed across Ye Chong's eyes! This was also the most important reason why Ye Chong wished to avoid hijacking the ship! After all, no matter what, these people were still his fellow human beings, and Ye Chong himself was not someone bloodthirsty by nature. As long as they weren't enemies, Ye Chong had no desire to kill people without reason! He wasn't afraid of killing, but he didn't enjoy it either.

Ye Chong took out a data chip and inserted it into the optical brain. This was the recorded footage of the battle between the two combat masters he had witnessed last time. Through the analysis and compilation by Ye Chong and Mu, what was now stored on the chip consisted of data useful to Ye Chong.

Ye Chong began practicing in his room. Combat, much like operating a mecha, required not only theoretical knowledge but also muscle memory, making physical drills indispensable!

Comparing his movements against the data in the optical brain, Ye Chong corrected his attack postures. Soon, he became completely immersed in the process, carefully sensing the differences in effectiveness brought about by subtle variations in the data.

Just as Ye Chong was practicing intensely, Mu suddenly called out to him: "Ye!"

Startled, Ye Chong halted his movements and asked, "Mu, what is it? Is there a situation?" Mu had already silently monitored the entire spacecraft, keeping every corner under surveillance.

"Take a look! I'll transmit the imagery to the optical brain!" Mu replied.

Ye Chong shifted his gaze back to the optical brain. The original data graphics were replaced by a set of holographic projections, and Mu had even recorded the voices of the people speaking within the imagery.

"Oh!" Even with Ye Chong's usual composure, he could not help letting out an exclamation. Immediately regaining his calm, Ye Chong offered a slight smile: "I didn't expect him to be here! How truly incredible!" Uncontrollably, Ye Chong's thoughts drifted far away.

"From a mathematical perspective, the probability is indeed extremely small!" Mu replied.

Gathering his thoughts slightly, Ye Chong smiled and said, "It looks like they might come looking for us!" Encountering an old acquaintance still brought Ye Chong a fair degree of pleasure.

"The probability is extremely high!" Mu stated in a very certain tone, before explaining further: "I did not shield your forged credentials from them! It will be very easy for them to locate this room." Every interstellar long-haul passenger liner held the data of every single passenger aboard. The moment Ye Chong had sneaked onto the vessel, Mu had fabricated a profile for him within the ship's database.

Sure enough, not long after, Ye Chong heard a knock on the door.

Ye Chong tapped lightly on the optical brain, and the door slid open with a soft hum.

***

A large group of fierce-looking men dressed in black suits filed into Ye Chong's room in an orderly fashion, occupying every strategic vantage point within the space. Once in position, these suited men stood silently without moving, their expressions stern. Ye Chong stood there with a calm expression, completely motionless, treating these people as though they were nothing more than air.

After a moment, a soft cough sounded from outside, and a large crowd bustling around a single figure walked leisurely into the room.

"You're the one..." The person clustered in the center raised his head, his initially disdainful eyes suddenly widening in shock!

The expression on Ye Chong's face did not change in the slightest, though a somewhat amused, mocking glint flickered deep within his eyes.

The man in the middle recovered quite swiftly. He let out another light cough and put on a facade for his subordinates, saying, "Ahem, you guys go outside and keep watch first. This lord has some matters to discuss with this gentleman!"

"My lord!" His subordinates were completely baffled. Weren't they here to teach this guy a lesson? Why had the boss suddenly changed his mind? If they retreated outside, what about the boss's safety? They were well aware that this boss of theirs possessed zero physical strength! For a moment, his gang of underlings completely lost their composure.

The man in the middle said with displeasure, "I told you to get out, so get out! Why all this nagging nonsense?"

"Yes!" Seeing how resolute their leader was, the men had no choice but to sullenly back out of Ye Chong's room. The moment they stepped out, the door slid shut with a hum, startling the fellows so badly they almost smashed their way back in. However, the ringleader among them was quite shrewd; he pressed his ear against the door, and hearing no movement from within, he weighed the situation and anxiously stood guard outside.

As soon as the door closed, the man who had just been escorted in the center eagerly scurried over to Ye Chong with a fawning expression, deeply stirred as he said, "My lord! Is it really you? Heavens! I never expected to run into you here!..." The man was so excited he became incoherent.

The fellow standing before Ye Chong turned out to be none other than Baili Nan!

Ye Chong sized up Baili Nan. The black suit he wore was quite tailored, but his physique remained as skeletal as ever, making him look like a skull wearing a suit. However, his complexion was much rosier, clearly indicating he had been living quite well recently!

Seeing an old acquaintance, Ye Chong felt a wave of internal agitation as well. His last parting with Baili Nan had been in Black Horn, and far too many events had transpired since then. For a moment, it gave Ye Chong the surreal feeling of a lifetime having passed.

Baili Nan was similarly emotional. Ye Chong was the first person who had truly cared about him, and he had already made up his mind to follow Ye Chong's lead from then on. He never expected Ye Chong to suddenly vanish in Black Horn. He had assumed something had happened to Ye Chong, given that Ye Chong's aggressive nature made conflicts with the people of Black Horn highly probable! For a considerable length of time afterward, Baili Nan had regretted proposing that they wander around separately back then. If not for that, his lord wouldn't have gotten into trouble!

"My lord..." Baili Nan spoke with a trace of choked emotion in his voice.

Ye Chong maintained his usual expression, though his heart was deeply stirred!