Section Ninety-Four: Instructor Hack

Still one remains. Ye Zhong stared at the final red point on Mu’s holographic display.

In the brief span of less than half a minute, Ye Zhong had exploited the fact that his opponents could neither see nor knew this terrain at all, and all six had fallen beneath his ambush. Striking from the dark, the Frost Sonata moved like an assassin in the night, nimble and merciless. As for Blue Frost, that ancient spear was now in Ye Zhong’s hands with perfect ease. It had to be said that the eight movements Mu had derived through countless calculations unleashed more than twice their normal power in this style of combat. Ye Zhong did not strike unless he was certain, and when he struck, it was a killing blow. The armor trusted most by the Black Horn faction had seemed fragile as a wafer before Blue Frost.

If Ye Zhong were a demon from the depths of hell, then Blue Frost was the great, savage scythe in the demon’s hand, gleaming with blood-red light. The spearhead was Blue Frost’s most destructive part, while the vertical blades on either side of the tip were like accomplices, sharing much of the credit for shredding an enemy’s armor.

According to Mu and Shang, the proportion of docun stone in Blue Frost’s spearhead had not yet reached perfection. Even so, its power already left Ye Zhong extremely satisfied. What kind of might would it possess once that ratio was perfected? He could not help but look forward to it with great anticipation.

Only one armor remained. Ye Zhong advanced toward it with caution.

That armor was being very careful, its back pressed against the wall. Unless it came out on its own, there was no way to ambush it from behind.

Ye Zhong had no choice but to approach from its left. In order not to draw its attention, the Frost Sonata’s engine was reduced to the faintest whisper, and it glided soundlessly toward the last armor.

Closer now. Only twenty meters. Blue Frost was fifteen meters long; if he advanced another ten meters, no, perhaps only eight, that would be enough for Blue Frost to tear the other armor apart.

The right arm holding the spear of the Frost Sonata tensed like a drawn bow.

Good. Now!

Just as Ye Zhong was about to move, a sudden change exploded into being.

A fierce flash stabbed at his eyes. The blinding white light pouring from the holographic screen burned like needles, making him feel as though he had been blinded.

Ye Zhong was horrified, but there was no panic in his movements. The Blue Frost already poised in his right hand shot out like lightning. If it were anyone else, the first instinct under such a shock would be to retreat as fast as possible, but Ye Zhong understood that at such a moment, advancing in order to retreat was the best choice.

With a crisp metallic ring, Blue Frost was clearly blocked by something.

Yet this gave Ye Zhong the time to fall back. The instant he had struck, both his hands had already drifted like a wisp of smoke across the main console.

The Frost Sonata seemed to have anticipated this all along, and used the force of that spear thrust to glide swiftly backward. The other side was clearly astonished by how quickly Ye Zhong had changed tactics.

Only then did Ye Zhong’s vision return to normal.

The other side must have just fired some sort of dazzling flare. The entire repair chamber was now brilliantly lit. To be honest, such flare rounds were rarely used these days. They seemed on the verge of disappearing from history, both in function and in usefulness. With scanning systems now so advanced, the information gathered by the armor’s sensors could be reconstructed into images by the brain computer, far clearer than what human eyes could capture. Moreover, in space, the range of scanning systems far exceeded the maximum visible distance of the human eye.

The greatest purpose of a flare round was to provide light for the naked eye, but as scanning systems grew ever more advanced, it had been forced into the embarrassing position of being nearly forgotten.

Ye Zhong had not expected the other party to still carry such an ancient device.

Only with the light did he finally make out the shape of the other armor.

In keeping with Black Horn’s usual style, it too was entirely black and glossy. What surprised Ye Zhong, however, was how ancient this model looked. Such armor, with a distinctly Samuel style, had once been extremely popular a hundred years ago.

This suit showed no obvious brilliance. Compared with it, even Johnston’s armor looked far more imposing and ferocious. Yet Ye Zhong dared not be careless in the least. In the past, Samuel-style armor had also been called combat armor. At that time, long-range weapons and lock-on systems were nowhere near as advanced as they are now, so this kind of fighting, steeped in the spirit of ancient duels, was greatly favored. But as humanity later developed long-range weapons and the philosophy of armor changed, Samuel-style armor gradually fell into decline.

And yet Ye Zhong was deeply fond of Samuel-style armor. He had always believed it to be an eternal classic, one that embodied the very essence of combat. Armor made for close-quarters fighting often looked plain at first glance, but if one studied it closely, every detail revealed its classic brilliance.

For those skilled in combat, Samuel-style armor was undoubtedly the finest partner. But that was also one of the reasons for its decline. After all, hand-to-hand combat itself was a fading art.

Everyone in Black Horn knew a few moves, and even Ye Zhong had learned his martial skill from them.

Ye Zhong gathered himself, fully on guard.

The other side, however, made no move to attack. Instead, a voice came through: “Number Fifty-eight, we meet again!”

A man’s voice reverberated through the repair chamber from the armor’s speakers.

Ye Zhong could not help but freeze. “Instructor Hark?” he asked.

“That’s right. It’s me. Number Fifty-eight, you’re from my F squad, so command has ordered me to bring you back.” Instructor Hark’s voice was deep and stern. “Number Fifty-eight, come back with me. Command has no intention of pursuing the mistakes you made. If you keep running, you’ll only force yourself onto a dead end.”

Ye Zhong said coldly, “Is that so?”

Hark replied solemnly, “Do not be fooled just because you killed those few people. They were only the lowest-ranking soldiers in Black Horn. Your abilities may be outstanding among them, but before higher-level warriors, you are still very weak.” As for the deaths of the six men who had come with him, there was not a trace of pity in Hark’s tone.

Ye Zhong’s voice grew even colder. “Is that so?”

Hark said, “Come back with me. You are the most outstanding genius F squad has ever produced. Your future is boundless, and entering River Ridge is only a matter of time. Besides, command is very interested in you. They are not even pursuing such a serious mistake of yours. Number Fifty-eight, that has never happened before.”

Ye Zhong could not even be bothered to answer. Go back to Black Horn and become their blade? He hated the feeling of being constrained. He believed that even if he were a beast, he should be a beast racing freely across the wilderness and open sky, roaring without restraint in the wind and darkness. Not a captured creature with a collar around its neck and steel claws fitted upon its body, domesticated until its wild nature was gone.

More than that, he was still human.

Hark said leisurely, “Besides, Number Fifty-eight, that thing of yours should also be about time to flare up.”

Ye Zhong’s expression changed. “So it really was you!”

Hark remained unhurried. “Number Fifty-eight, liquid silver was originally prepared for Black Horn warriors. Although it will cause you great suffering, once you learn Black Horn’s true arts, you will understand just how immense its value is. It can turn you into the strongest warrior. But for you now, it must be the most agonizing punishment in this world, yes? And I must remind you, if you do not come back to Black Horn with me, this pain will never stop. It will strike at irregular intervals. When it does, you will wish you were dead. Number Fifty-eight, having endured it yourself, you should remember it vividly. And the suffering will only deepen, until one day you cannot bear it and end your own life. To this day, no one has ever endured it.”

Ye Zhong’s eyes narrowed little by little, becoming as sharp as a blade as he fixed them on the armor before him.

If they were fighting in person, Ye Zhong would absolutely turn and flee. Having witnessed Hark’s strange and superb martial skill, Ye Zhong knew full well he was no match. But if this was armor combat, he had gained a fair amount of confidence. In terms of hand speed, Hark was definitely no match for him. Besides, compared with true bodily combat, armor combat was far less intricate in its changes. And most of all, Ye Zhong was wary of Hark’s bizarre fighting style, but that style ought not to be of much use in armor combat. That gave him a few more chances of victory. More importantly, Ye Zhong had absolute confidence in the Frost Sonata and in Blue Frost.

Still, there were many questions in Ye Zhong’s mind.

How had Black Horn found him? How had Hark discovered him just now? Ye Zhong did not believe it was mere coincidence. Why had Hark not used the flare round earlier, but only after six of his comrades had died?

These questions would not leave him in peace.

As though seeing through Ye Zhong’s thoughts, Hark smiled. “You must be wondering how I knew about your ambush just now.”

Ye Zhong said nothing, only staring coldly at the armor on the holographic screen.

“Since I’m your instructor, I might as well teach you. The six senses of an ancient martial artist are all extremely keen. Although the armor’s scanning system is useless here, I can still hear. Of course, the armor’s sound transmission system alone would not have been enough! I merely opened the cockpit hatch just now. Your Frost Sonata’s engine was very quiet, but to me it was easy to catch your position. Don’t you want to learn such skills? Aren’t you longing for strength beyond anything else? Number Fifty-eight, come back to Black Horn with me! There, you can become even stronger!”

His last few words were thick with temptation.

Only then did Ye Zhong understand, and he could not help admiring it. What a brilliant method.

As for Hark’s final words, Ye Zhong gave no reaction at all. Instead, he quietly manipulated the main console.

Hmm. How did Hark know the name of his armor? Ye Zhong was somewhat puzzled.

Hark suddenly asked an utterly baffling question. “Number Fifty-eight, according to the records we’ve checked, here you are called Ye Zhong. Do you really have the surname—”

Before Hark could finish, a streak of silver light drifted toward his chest in a silent ambush.