Chapter Thirty

Ye Chong shook his head as if it were the most natural thing in the world. “No idea! How could I know who you are when we’re meeting for the first time?”

Number Two could hardly believe it. “Then why did you attack us?”

Ye Chong replied coolly, “If I recall, you attacked me first.”

Number Two’s face flushed crimson in an instant, her voice faltering. “I... I just wanted to take your dagger!”

Ye Chong merely responded with a noncommittal “Oh,” making no effort to argue. In his mind, this was hardly the time for such a pointless discussion.

“Enough. I’ll make this clear: I have no interest in you, but I expect your cooperation. Otherwise, I won’t hesitate to make your lives the price for your disobedience.” The threat rolled off Ye Chong’s tongue with stark bluntness, yet his face remained utterly calm, as if he were discussing something as trivial as a meal or a drink of water.

An uncontrollable chill crept up the spines of the two before him, as if the edge of a razor-sharp blade were pressed to their throats, its icy aura seeping through every pore to the deepest corners of their beings. That deadly intent, carried so indifferently in Ye Chong’s tone, overflowed like water from an already brimming bucket, impossible to contain.

“How do you want us to cooperate?” Number Two’s voice trembled, laced with terror. The boy beside her fared even worse, cold sweat pouring from his brow.

Seeing his warning had the desired effect, Ye Chong was quietly pleased, though not a trace of it showed on his face; he remained as impassive as ever. Ignoring Number Two’s tentative question, he asked instead, “Are there any other survivors on this ship?”

His eyes bore into Number Two’s.

She shook her head without hesitation. “No, aside from the two of us, everyone else is dead.” Her alluring lips parted and closed as she spoke, unconsciously revealing a captivating charm.

But Ye Chong was entirely unmoved, continuing, “Where exactly is this ship stranded?”

Again, Number Two shook her head. “I don’t know. You’d have to get to the control room to find out.”

Ye Chong rose. “Then let’s head to the control room.”

Number Two pleaded, “Could you untie us first? Otherwise, we won’t be able to walk there.” Her large, dewy eyes brimmed with grievance as she cast him a look, her cheeks aglow in a manner that would melt the hardest heart.

But Ye Chong was oblivious to such subtleties. Instead, he found himself wondering why this woman’s face had suddenly turned red. The frightened boy at her side, meanwhile, stared at her in a daze, utterly captivated and momentarily forgetting his predicament.

Ye Chong had no intention of complying. “No need for all that fuss.” With that, he simply grabbed one in each hand. The two were feather-light to him, though this abrupt movement snapped the boy from his trance; realizing his situation, he bit back the curse that had nearly escaped his lips. Number Two felt defeated. Her beauty, never before used as a weapon, had utterly failed her for the first time. What unshakable willpower! In her mind, Ye Chong became ever more inscrutable—and all the more frightening.

Being carried upside down was not pleasant. Number Two, at least, was accustomed to hardship; she’d endured far worse in her training and brushed this off as a minor discomfort. The boy, however, had been pampered all his life. His skin was delicate, and Ye Chong’s bindings were tight, digging into his flesh with every movement. Now, suspended by those ropes, his weight bore down on them, causing agonizing pain. He couldn’t stifle a muffled groan.

Ye Chong paid him no mind. “Which way to the control room?”

Number Two cast the boy a glance, urging him to endure, then answered honestly, “Go through the green door from this room, then turn right, down a corridor about twenty meters long. After that, go through the yellow door—that’s the control room.” Realizing she had no hope of playing any tricks, she gave up trying and described the route plainly.

Ye Chong was about to take a step when a thought struck him—Mu. If Mu had regained its faculties and didn’t find him, it would surely be anxious. He should check on Mu first. The idea took root and quickly grew, filling his mind; he would visit Mu before anything else. Decision made, he glanced at the two he held. He certainly couldn’t leave them behind—not safely, anyway. Better to take them along; they weren’t heavy.

With the two in hand, Ye Chong headed for the companionway.

“The control room isn’t that way! You’re going the wrong direction!” Number Two called urgently.

Ye Chong shrugged, unconcerned. “I know.” The movement was effortless for him, but not so for the two he carried; their bodies bobbed up and down with his shrug, making their heads spin and their vision swim.

Guided by the fiber ropes, Ye Chong moved quickly. Before long, the trio reached the safety door at the end of the passage.

But the door was closed. Ye Chong distinctly remembered it had been open earlier. He turned to Number Two. “Why is this door shut?”

Ye Chong’s relentless pace had left his two captives dizzy and disoriented. Number Two, regaining her composure, explained, “The corridor beyond is ruptured. To prevent decompression in the compartment, this door was closed.”

“How do we open it?” Ye Chong asked.

Number Two blurted out, “Are you trying to get us all killed? It’s a vacuum out there!”

Ye Chong’s next question was almost childishly naïve. “A vacuum? So what?”

Number Two nearly fainted. In this day and age, how could anyone not know such basic knowledge—even a toddler would understand! The shame of being bested by such a person made her want to slit her own throat. The boy, suspended from Ye Chong’s other hand, was equally stunned, then began to laugh quietly under his breath.

Perplexed by their reaction, Ye Chong asked, “What? Did I say something wrong?” He had grown up in an environment unimaginable to them. It was only after Mu arrived that he began to interact with the outside world, and even then, it was mostly in virtual training bases or among the eccentric elders of the Aurora group in the Gutisda district. Many things that others considered common knowledge were utterly foreign to him.

Their lives still hung in his hands, so Number Two dared not show any insolence. She explained, “A vacuum has no air. If you go in unprotected, you won’t be able to breathe, and your blood is still under pressure inside your body. With no external pressure, your blood vessels would burst from within—you’d die of massive hemorrhage in seconds. That’s why you need a pressure suit in a vacuum!”

Ye Chong was unconcerned. “I know you can’t go without oxygen, but the suit isn’t necessary. I just came through there without one—I’m perfectly fine, aren’t I?”

No pressure suit? How could that be? That corridor was over fifty meters long—the gravity and oxygen in the ship were only restored by herself and the young master. Yet this guy had already entered the room before that. Could it be... Could it be there are people who can survive in vacuum without a pressure suit, without suffering vascular rupture?

Is he even human? His physical strength might surpass even mutant creatures! Number Two and the boy exchanged glances, each seeing in the other’s eyes their own bloodless face, and the terror that could not be hidden.

Could he be from one of the beast tribes? There were rumors that some still practiced cannibalism! In that instant, all color drained from their faces.

Lord, hear our prayers!