Chapter Seventy-Five: Mourning and the Duokun Stone

Watching the commotion at the base, Ye Chong had no choice but to abandon this tempting idea, piloting the Frost Aria as it vanished into the night.

Ye Chong did not disturb Grandpa Qian. He quietly slipped into his own room alone. The simple civilian digital lock on his door was nothing for someone like Mu, who could move freely within the Ji family base; as for Ye Chong, he simply benefited from Mu’s skills.

Back home, Ye Chong summoned the Frost Aria, climbing up and down its frame, touching here and there, his mouth nearly watering as he gazed upon the mecha.

Frost Aria!

Just days earlier, Ye Chong had specially raised his ceiling for Mu; otherwise, the Frost Aria would have had to sit with its knees drawn up to avoid breaking it, given its twelve-meter height. The interwoven hues of deep blue and ivory, paired with its intense modern technological design, rendered it a fusion of science and art. Four composite folding wings on its back resembled those of a great bird, providing stability and ease of operation during atmospheric flight. The ingenious folding design allowed these wide wings to occupy minimal space. The wing edges gleamed like blades, and the impact at high speed was unimaginable. Even the slightest touch would result in a gruesome separation of flesh and bone.

Seeing the Frost Aria's configuration, Ye Chong, usually calm, was so excited that a smile bloomed across his face, surprising Mu.

The ion shield on its left arm offered excellent defense against laser and heat-based energy attacks—an essential setup for close-combat mechas facing long-range opponents. It was equipped with a laser sword; while its power was formidable, its energy consumption was equally intense. The sword’s force was proportional to the performance of its internal energy comb. This particular sword could sustain full-powered battle for six hours straight!

Yet, the laser sword was not the Frost Aria’s main weapon.

Blue Frost—the name displayed on the central computer for this ancient-style lance. Ye Chong was not especially interested in it; aside from its material, which slightly surprised him, nothing else about the lance drew his attention. An ancient weapon? He’d rather have the overclocked magnetic blade, as he had never learned to wield such a lance. Still, the tip was remarkably sharp; it could easily pierce even the Blackhorn combat mecha, leaving Ye Chong stunned.

Two self-locking double-bladed spinning shurikens, however, were items Ye Chong couldn’t bear to part with. Their velocity reached a staggering ten hertz, and their design, similar to the overclocked magnetic blade combined with high-speed spinning, meant that if they struck, he could imagine shards of the enemy mecha flying everywhere in an instant. The wounds would not be smooth or neat, but jagged and cavernous. Equipped with miniature central computers, they could automatically lock onto enemies once launched, requiring no further attention.

The Ji family was renowned for their central computer technology, and Frost Aria’s was state-of-the-art. Yet the vast amount of information also demanded much from its pilot.

Frost Aria was also outfitted with Hummingbird detectors—five mechanical hummingbirds that could be released, each capable of scanning up to a radius of 160.5 kilometers in space.

Ye Chong couldn’t help but marvel, “Mu, this is incredible! Is this why you took me there? How did you know this mecha was there? Ah, but it’s a pity about that red-silver mecha. If only we could have brought it back too—it wouldn’t be any less impressive than this one!” He regretted not bringing back the red-silver mecha, and even more, not thinking to finish it off; the regret gnawed at him.

Mu had remained silent on the way home.

With a tone full of regret, Mu said, “Poor Leaf, you really ended up in the 9% chance of guessing wrong. But given your intelligence, it’s hardly surprising!”

This strangely human tone startled Ye Chong, who suddenly realized, “You’re not Mu! You’re—”

Mu was surprised, “Leaf’s reaction isn’t slow at all. Yes, I am Shang! From now on, he’s Mu, I’m Shang. This is the result of our mutual discussion. Though I was initially weaker than him by about 8-11.5%, the gap is narrowing. Now, we differ by only 5%. He can no longer suppress me, nor can I do anything to him. We’ve agreed on our names and the times we alternate.”

“He’s stronger than me,” Shang said bluntly. “So, naturally, his time should be longer. After calculations, his breathing time is one-tenth greater than mine. We use a ten-day cycle—starting today, I’ll control this mecha for ten days, then Mu will take over for eleven days.”

Ye Chong was so astonished he could barely close his mouth, as if listening to a fairy tale.

Shang shrugged, “Don’t be surprised. We understand each other far better than you understand us, so arriving at this arrangement is only natural.”

Ye Chong recalled Mu’s earlier words—that Shang and Mu were essentially the same, and would not harm him.

Reading Ye Chong’s thoughts, Shang reassured him, “There’s no need to worry. Mu and I use the same information database, so that’s not an issue. The only difference is in our expression: Mu is better at calculations, while I excel in emotional analysis. In all other respects, we’re identical, including everything related to you.”

Shang’s endless explanations left Ye Chong feeling as strange as could be.

Ye Chong asked, “Shang, did you say I guessed wrong? Was Mu not after the mecha?”

Shang replied calmly, “Of course not. While the Frost Aria is good, it’s only slightly better than the previous white mecha and the Blackhorn combat mecha, but only by a limited margin. The name is nice, but Mu wouldn’t have risked so much just for this mecha. His real target was this.” Shang produced a piece of ore Mu had found in the deepest basement. At the time, Ye Chong was busy configuring the Frost Aria and hadn’t noticed Mu’s actions.

Curious, Ye Chong picked up the ore, about the size of two fists.

Its colors changed unpredictably, its sheen flowed like liquid, impossible to ignore. It felt heavy in the palm, slightly warm, with a slick surface like the skin of a young woman—at least, according to Shang. As for Ye Chong, understanding the feel of a young woman’s skin would be even harder than having a central computer generate two simulated intelligences.

“What is this?” Ye Chong asked.

“Duokun Stone. Its scientific name is Platinine Ore. Its composition is extremely complex, and to this day, no one has produced a detailed micro-composition table. Its rarity is the main reason for that! It possesses a very unique property. Physically, it’s not exceptional, but it has a remarkable amplification function. Even a tiny amount added to an alloy can dramatically enhance its performance!”

Ye Chong listened intently; Duokun Stone and Platinine Ore were both new to him.

“The tip of Frost Aria’s ancient lance contains a trace of Duokun Stone. Otherwise, you wouldn’t have been able to pierce the Blackhorn combat mecha. Now, that lance can pierce over 95% of mechas in the world! And Frost Aria’s slight superiority over Blackhorn is precisely due to that ancient lance—the tip contains a minuscule amount of Duokun Stone.”

Ye Chong never imagined that the ancient lance he’d dismissed was actually the essence of the Frost Aria!

Shang spoke with a faintly mocking tone, “It’s a pity the Ji family didn’t recognize Duokun Stone. Otherwise, how could such a treasure be left in the basement? And the amount in the lance is far from optimal—a real waste!”

Ye Chong couldn’t help but ask, “Is Duokun Stone really so impressive?”

Shang replied, “Far more than you think!”

“Duokun Stone has another little-known property!” Shang seemed to pause deliberately to whet Ye Chong’s curiosity.

Absorbed in the tale, Ye Chong couldn’t help but ask, “What property?”

Seeing Ye Chong was hooked, Shang revealed, “Duokun Stone is astonishing—it possesses self-growth!”

“Self-growth?” Ye Chong was puzzled.

“Yes, self-growth. Self-growth is a basic property of living things, and Duokun Stone possesses it, though it’s not a life form! Its growth rate is much slower than living organisms—about a 2.3064% increase every hundred years.”

Ye Chong was unimpressed, “That’s not very useful—a hundred years for just 2%, that’s too slow!”

“Natural growth is slow, but with artificial cultivation, its rate can increase dramatically—to a level that satisfies most needs! Duokun Stone is among the top five rarest ores; even a grain-sized piece is worth countless gold diamonds! Who knows how the Ji family acquired such a large chunk, but it’s fortunate for us they didn’t recognize its value,” Shang’s tone tinged with irony.

“Gold diamonds? Doesn’t interest me!” Ye Chong replied, disappointed.

Shang, knowing what truly motivated Ye Chong, baited him, “As far as I know, the best-performing mecha armor alloy formulas include Duokun Stone, and even Black Gold Ore. With such alloy, the Blackhorn mecha and the so-called white mecha from the Mecha Masters Association are no better than paper!”

“Really?” Ye Chong asked, his joy barely contained.