Chapter 54: The Ruthless Ye Chong

A steel ball the size of a thumb let out a piercing shriek, terrifying to the extreme!

With two sharp thuds, the balls buried themselves deep into the door, boring ten centimeters into the carbon-nitride reinforced plastic, nearly blasting through—just two centimeters short. Another ball shot through the slightly open gap in the door, embedding itself deep in the wall opposite the corridor.

Wang Weiqi’s face drained of all color, as pale as a sheet of paper.

The steel ball that zipped through the door slit passed less than a centimeter from the tip of her nose, its powerful airflow so fierce that she felt a sharp sting there. Had she held up a mirror, she would have seen a fine gash torn by the razor-like air, a single bead of blood slowly welling out.

Never before had she felt so close to death. The force of the steel ball was such that it could burrow deep into a wall—if it struck her, she would hardly survive. The terror engulfed her, overwhelming her mind. With a hysterical scream, Wang Weiqi covered her face and fled, desperate to escape the room of this devil.

Ye Chong was just about to make another move when he heard the scream and the sound of frantic footsteps.

Mu popped into Ye Chong’s mind, clicking his tongue. “Yezi, I didn’t expect you to be so merciless with women!”

Ye Chong asked, puzzled, “What does ‘merciless with women’ mean?”

Mu spoke as if he had anticipated this. “In the world—well, outside the Junk Planet—women are generally considered to be cherished and protected. Most people don’t want to fight with women, some never do.”

Ye Chong asked, “Why? Just because they’re women?”

Mu pondered, then agreed, “I suppose so.”

Ye Chong dismissed it, “What strange logic! And the strangest thing is that you, Mu, would even bring up such an odd idea.”

Mu seemed at a loss for words.

Ye Chong, proud, continued, “My reaction just now wasn’t bad, was it?”

Mu sneered, “Your force was too weak; you didn’t even penetrate the door. If you could have, then you’d truly threaten an enemy! And you rose too slowly, and your force estimation was off. If you had followed up with two more shots in the same spots, you could have pierced through. She’d be dead or at least gravely injured.”

Ye Chong nodded in agreement, “Not bad, not bad. I could have done this…” The two launched into an enthusiastic discussion.

Only when it was nearly mealtime did they finally pause their engrossing conversation.

Ye Chong stood, donned his coat, and left the room.

Walking into the hall, he saw that dinner was indeed about to be served, which, aside from their previous topic, was Ye Chong’s greatest interest.

Just as Ye Chong was about to approach the dining table, Wan Ziqing appeared carrying a steaming cup of herbal broth, heading straight toward him as if by accident. Ye Chong stepped aside, dodging easily. A sly glint flashed in Wan Ziqing’s eyes as he feigned surprise, but with a flick of his wrist, he flung the hot broth at Ye Chong.

Ye Chong watched Wan Ziqing’s ridiculous performance coldly—the hostility was clear as day. What puzzled him most was why the other would use such a harmless method. Even if splashed, the broth wouldn’t hurt him. Unless it contained some corrosive poison?

Regardless, Ye Chong had no hesitation now that he knew Wan Ziqing’s intent.

With a light tap of his toes, Ye Chong ghosted to Wan Ziqing’s other side, his right hand shooting out to grip Wan Ziqing’s throat. He was about to exert force—certain that he could twist apart a steel pillar that thick, let alone a human neck—when he suddenly shivered, abruptly switching from grip to shove, and sprang backward with a burst of energy.

Wan Ziqing wasn’t so lucky. Though he escaped the worst, anyone’s throat would be badly hurt from such force. Clutching his neck and kneeling in the corner, he coughed violently, terror written across his face. Ye Chong’s strength was so great that even with the change from grip to shove, blood still trickled from Wan Ziqing’s lips—he was gravely injured.

Vila had been watching Ye Chong from the moment he exited his room. Seasoned and experienced, Vila immediately recognized Wan Ziqing’s petty tricks. He cursed inwardly—didn’t Wan Ziqing know who he was dealing with? If this were someone obsessed with reputation, maybe such a prank would work; but these people killed without batting an eye. This was courting death!

In desperation, Vila drew the hot-wire gun from his thigh holster and fired a shot between the two, not really hoping to hit Ye Chong—just to break things up.

Wang Weiqi, witnessing this, was instantly reminded of her earlier ordeal and let out a cry.

Her scream drew every eye to her. Seeing her terror, they followed her gaze to the scene in the corner: Ye Chong standing aloof, Wan Ziqing kneeling in pain, and Vila a short distance away, gun drawn, as if facing a mortal enemy.

A clamor broke out.

Vila could only pray that Ye Chong wouldn’t vent his wrath on him, or his life would end here today.

As for Vila’s hot-wire gun, Ye Chong barely registered it. The coat he wore could withstand gunfire under one hundred thousand joules. The craftsmanship of Black Horn was truly astonishing.

Ye Chong was just about to act.

Seeing the situation deteriorate, the old Mr. Wang stepped forward. If there was anyone Ye Chong was reluctant to harm, it was the venerable old man.

Mr. Wang cleared his throat. “Young man, Ziqing is just a child and has already been punished enough. Perhaps you could let him off this time?”

Mu, knowing Ye Chong’s thoughts, urged him gently, “Let it go, Yezi. Consider it a warning. Besides, we’ve eaten so many of their meals, and haven’t paid yet!”

Ye Chong asked cautiously, “Mu, do we have to pay for the meals?” He didn’t have a single diamant on him; all his gold had been left in his room at Black Horn.

Mu’s voice grew faint with exasperation, “Good heavens, Yezi, have you always dined and dashed? Don’t you know you need to pay for things?”

Ye Chong whispered, “I only know you have to pay for mechs! Besides, I don’t think I’ve ever bought anything,” searching his memory.

It took all of Mu’s eloquence to explain to Ye Chong that acquiring something from others required an exchange of equal value. It went against Ye Chong’s instincts, but after much persuasion and bombardment, he agreed. After all, he’d never seen an iron python lizard trade anything with a red salamander, he grumbled inwardly. Mu chose to ignore this.

Mr. Wang, shrewd and experienced, quickly deduced the situation. Ziqing was normally so cautious—he’d never act so rashly unless it was for his beloved granddaughter. A glance at his granddaughter’s anxious expression confirmed it: she had suffered at Ye Chong’s hands, and Ziqing tried to make her feel better by embarrassing Ye Chong. But now, both had gotten into real trouble. Seeing that Ye Chong seemed to respect him, Mr. Wang couldn’t avoid stepping in—after all, he couldn’t watch Ziqing die before his eyes.

Ye Chong stood there in silence.

No one dared to so much as breathe, terrified any sound would awaken the demon among them.

Sweat beaded ever thicker on Vila’s forehead, soaking his hair and dripping to the floor. He felt Ye Chong’s icy gaze burning into him—the silver eyes on the black mask radiated a killing intent he dared not meet, yet he couldn’t risk looking away, not even for a second. He feared that in a single second, he might be dead.

Vila felt like a fish caught in a net, utterly helpless.

A deathly silence reigned, the suffocating tension twisting through the dining room.

Suddenly, Ye Chong spoke coolly, “For the sake of these meals, I’ll let it go this time. If there’s a next time, hmph.” The final snort sent a chill through the room. Without another word, Ye Chong went to the table and sat down.

Everyone breathed a sigh of relief.

Vila gasped for air, his clothes drenched in sweat. He had never felt so exhausted, barely managing to slip his gun back into the thigh holster.

At the table, no one spoke; all ate in silence. No one dared approach within three meters of Ye Chong. Even Vila kept his distance, and both Wang Weiqi and Wan Ziqing, shaken and exhausted, had retreated to their rooms, with Wan Ziqing still badly injured.

The oppressive atmosphere lingered over the meal.

Ye Chong, however, felt nothing but satisfaction. Compared to the bland food of Junk Planet, these delicious dishes made him forget everything else.

Mr. Wang asked with a smile, “Young man, where do you plan to get off?” Every ear perked up—everyone hoped this harbinger of disaster would leave as soon as possible. Most aboard were volunteer medics who valued and cherished life, and they detested someone so indifferent to it. But seeing Ye Chong nearly kill over such a minor incident, they kept their heads down, silent.

Mouth full, Ye Chong mumbled, “Where are you all going?”

Still smiling, Mr. Wang replied, “We’re headed for Blue Ocean Star. If you plan to disembark before then, we can drop you off anywhere along the route.” Blue Ocean Star? Everyone shot Mr. Wang a look, then quickly lowered their heads. Focused on his meal, Ye Chong didn’t notice, replying offhandedly, “Oh, then I’ll go to Blue Ocean Star.”

Almost everyone looked visibly relieved.