Section Ninety-Six: Survival

The engines of Samuel-style armor were arranged in three places: the main engine beneath the abdomen, and two auxiliary engines on the outer sides of the legs. This was a striking hallmark of Samuel-style armor.

It had to be said that even though Blue Frost was formidable, and even though the spear technique Mu had taught Ye Zhong was highly scientific, Ye Zhong still felt somewhat awkward using it. It was nowhere near as natural as the magnetic-vortex blade or the flame-burst saber. It was as though he were born for close-quarters brawling.

Yet Ye Zhong refused to discard Blue Frost’s strengths lightly. Its performance had already earned a perfect score in the battle in which he had just dealt with the six men, and even Hark’s armor could be damaged by it. As for the other weapons on Frost’s Requiem, Ye Zhong was not certain they would prove useful.

Grinding his teeth, Ye Zhong thrust forward. Frost’s Requiem staggered like a blue bird with broken wings.

Under Hark’s control, Kai stamped the floor with one foot and sprang like a spring compressed to the limit, its whole body arching violently.

Then, with a sudden burst, the accumulated force exploded outward. Kai shot toward Ye Zhong like a cannon shell leaving the barrel, howling through the air.

Too fast. And Hark’s timing was precise to the finest hairbreadth. He had rushed in the instant Ye Zhong withdrew Blue Frost. As long as he closed to hand-to-hand range, victory would not be far off.

Ye Zhong felt so stifled he nearly spat blood. Hark’s grasp of timing made him deeply uncomfortable.

One of the composite folded wings of Frost’s Requiem had snapped, affecting its balance to some extent, and making its aerodynamics even more irregular and difficult to control. This was precisely why Ye Zhong disliked armors fitted with transverse wings.

Sweat streamed down Ye Zhong’s forehead. His hands were moving at full speed, pushed to the very limit.

With Blue Frost in his right hand, Ye Zhong drove Frost’s Requiem backward as well, trying to widen the distance between them. A considerable part of his control effort went into maintaining the armor’s balance, while the auxiliary engines made tiny adjustments from time to time.

Though Ye Zhong tried to open the gap, Hark had now completely gone all out. Until just now, he had still been firmly remembering Black Horn’s order to bring Ye Zhong back intact. But Ye Zhong’s damage to Kai had made Hark truly furious.

As long as he did not die on the spot, the current level of medical science could still manage to piece a person back together without much trouble. Hark cast all such concerns aside and decided to give this brat a proper lesson.

At this moment, Hark’s extraordinary skill was on full display. Though Kai had been injured, under Hark’s control it was as nimble as a living creature. Ye Zhong was utterly suppressed.

Seeing the ancient long spear seem slower and slower in Hark’s eyes, Hark sneered inwardly. If he had not still harbored some fear of that absurdly powerful ancient spear, the kid in front of him would already have been down for a long time. He had never expected the Ji family to produce such a high-grade weapon; this had astonished him beyond measure, and it seemed he would have to mention it carefully in his report after returning.

Although Kai had inherited the classic Samuel style of old, it had still been modified and optimized by the masters of Black Horn. One could say that apart from its appearance and the placement of some of its major components, it was still like the Samuel-style armor of before; internally, however, it was an entirely different machine. These modifications and refinements had all been made to match Hark’s superb unarmed combat ability.

The Frost’s Requiem that had been closed on by Kai was immediately plunged into a dangerous predicament.

Blue Frost, the weapon Ye Zhong had relied on as his greatest strength, suddenly became an encumbrance, hampering him at every turn.

Hark gave a faint snort. Ye Zhong’s fighting technique faltered again and again. Watching him flail helplessly, Hark could not help feeling a trace of satisfaction, though he still kept his mind sharp and waited. Kai’s left arm opened slightly, almost as if practicing a drill, and Blue Frost from Frost’s Requiem slid in like a sword returning to its sheath, through the gap between Kai’s left arm and ribs. Hark gave Ye Zhong no chance at all. With a sharp sound, Kai’s left arm clamped Blue Frost tightly, and at the same time its right fist, with no flourish whatsoever, smashed toward Frost’s Requiem.

A black gleam flashed from the dark knuckle spikes.

This punch was impossible to evade. Even with Ye Zhong’s superlative hand speed, he could not possibly dodge it in such a situation. After all, its attack range covered nearly the greater part of his armor, and even with the engines driven to maximum there was no way to slip past it.

It seemed Ye Zhong was doomed to lose.

Suddenly, without warning, a streak of white light flashed before his eyes. Startled by the abrupt stimulus, Hark’s pupils contracted violently. Then he felt the solid impact transmitted from Kai’s fist, followed by his armor computer’s frantic alarm.

Boom. A tremendous crash rang out.

By the time Hark came back to himself and his vision returned to normal, all he could see was a huge hole blasted through the wall opposite, while his target had long since vanished without a trace.

Watching the warnings in the cockpit scream madly without pause, Hark still did not understand what had just happened. Kai could not move at all. The armor computer reported: main engine severely damaged, inspection in progress, unable to act.

Ye Zhong, meanwhile, fled in panic like a homeless dog.

Looking at the tattered Frost’s Requiem, Ye Zhong could only smile bitterly. After Ye Zhong’s own modifications, Frost’s Requiem had already shed its gaudy exterior and become plain-looking; now it looked as though it ought to be sent straight to a recycling station.

Hark’s final punch had struck with no deviation whatsoever. When Frost’s Requiem’s armor met Kai’s fist spikes, it was much like the armor of Black Horn’s machines. Many of those parts had originally been taught and installed by him during his time at Black Horn; in his eyes, there was truly nothing worth mentioning. Kai’s left shoulder rammed once, and Frost’s Requiem staggered at once. Then another blow collided with Blue Frost with no suspense whatsoever. If Hark had not intended to take his life, and if that punch had struck the cockpit instead, then even if Ye Zhong had possessed several more lives he would likely have been doomed.

Thinking that he was still alive, Ye Zhong’s mood suddenly lightened. And recalling that final maneuver, even his usually indifferent face could not help showing a hint of a smile.

Ever since Ye Zhong had decided to seize the opportunity, he had been aiming for Hark’s armor engines. No matter how Samuel-style armor was modified, the positions of its engines could not change. Ye Zhong, who was expert in armor modification, had thought of this at once.

In Ye Zhong’s earlier modifications to Frost’s Requiem, the hilt of the unactivated laser sword had been fitted to its right hand and hidden exceptionally well; nothing unusual could be seen from the outside. This move was truly devious. The reason Ye Zhong had endured and not used this trump card was that he had not been certain whether the laser sword could deal a fatal blow to Black Horn’s armor. Now it seemed the effect was rather good. Though he did not know how badly Hark’s armor had been damaged, the fact that Hark had not pursued suggested the engine must have been injured severely. That was Ye Zhong’s guess.

In that instant, he let go of the spear, activated the laser sword, and swept his arm upward in a fluid motion. The entire sequence was astonishingly swift, all thanks to Ye Zhong’s appalling hand speed. And the white flash that had suddenly lit Hark’s eyes was the light emitted when the laser sword was activated.

Still, thinking of Frost’s Requiem being damaged to such a degree, and Blue Frost in enemy hands, whether he could escape Black Horn’s pursuit was truly worrying. Seeing how many men Black Horn had sent after him, it seemed they were determined not to give up.

Mu suddenly spoke. “Ye, you did well just now.”

Ye Zhong replied with a bitter smile, “Well? I nearly got killed.”

Mu said calmly, “Your chance of victory was only one percent, but your chance of survival was thirty-three percent. You seized that thirty-three percent.”

Ye Zhong pouted. “Mu, if you had acted just now, that guy wouldn’t have amounted to much. It was so dangerous just now—Mu, and you still didn’t make a move?”

Mu said, “Your statement is correct, but I would only help you if your chance of survival fell below fifteen percent.”

Ye Zhong asked in confusion, “Why is that?”

Mu said, “According to the data, situations like that are most likely to stimulate a person’s latent potential. A mech pilot must go through countless such moments before becoming a true mech pilot. After all, you are the owner chosen by me and Shang; you must ultimately become the strongest mech pilot.” Mu’s voice was light and even, without the slightest fluctuation, as if he were speaking of the most ordinary matter in the world. Yet the faint arrogance hidden in his tone made Ye Zhong glance sideways.

If it were an ordinary person, they would surely think Mu cold-blooded and heartless. But Ye Zhong found it perfectly normal. Should one’s life not be fought for by oneself? On Junk Star, Ye Zhong had long since formed the habit of always placing his own fate in his own hands. Although Mu was almost like a brother to him, and Ye Zhong trusted him deeply, Ye Zhong still believed Mu had no duty to guarantee his safety. If Mu intervened, Ye Zhong would naturally be grateful. If Mu did not, Ye Zhong would never resent him. And how could he fail to understand that Mu was in fact doing this for his own good? Only through such life-and-death battles could his strength truly improve.

For Ye Zhong, the one thing worth trusting above all else would always be his own strength.

Mu continued, “I was recording the opponent’s data just now. His combat style is indeed very interesting. The final result will have to wait until the data analysis is complete.”

Ye Zhong, who had experienced it firsthand, nodded in agreement. “Yes, it was not only interesting, but also extremely formidable. But Mu, shouldn’t our top priority now be getting off Blue Sea Star?”

Mu agreed. “We need a starship.”