Section Ninety-Nine: Brant

Although Mu spoke of it in the lightest of tones, Ye Zhong had never expected the entire operation to go so smoothly.

He followed Mu openly through one of the passageways of the starship called the Saberi, and throughout the journey there was no identity check, nor did anyone show the slightest surprise at the appearance of Ye Zhong and Mu, as though they were merely crew members aboard the Saberi.

That was what truly startled Ye Zhong.

It felt almost like a dream. Mu, with scarcely any effort, had opened this seemingly impregnable behemoth before him. The impact on Ye Zhong was immense, and for the first time he truly felt how small and insignificant his own strength was. No matter how powerful his body might be, he could never have seized control of this starship so easily.

For the first time, Ye Zhong felt a trace of frustration at the power he possessed. But very quickly, he threw that feeling far, far into some forgotten corner.

The Saberi’s enormous size made its interior spacious enough that it lacked the cramped, oppressive feeling common to ordinary starships. And as a representative of luxury-class vessels, the designers had plainly invested great effort in comfort as well. Every facility was highly user-friendly, opening Ye Zhong’s eyes.

Even the floors were carpeted, soft and comfortable underfoot, greatly muffling his steps.

Strangely, he encountered many people along the way, yet everyone hurried past. Almost no one paid Ye Zhong any attention. They only glanced with some faint curiosity at the damaged but beautiful light mecha behind him, and even then only for a moment. No one came to question him.

Ye Zhong found this very odd.

“Mu, do they have no caution at all when they see a stranger?” he asked.

Mu explained, “From the information I’ve just obtained from this starship, most of the people aboard were hired temporarily by Freed, including the specialist Hardik. They often don’t even know one another. Only Freed’s nephew, Brandt, has always stayed with him. Brandt is also in charge of Freed’s security, and supposedly he is a skilled fighter as well. Judging from things now, he should be your only obstacle.”

“Brandt?” Ye Zhong murmured under his breath.

A middle-aged man brushing past him seemed to hear the name and gave Ye Zhong a second look.

Following Mu’s directions, Ye Zhong arrived at the door to Freed’s room. Mu’s information from the database indicated that Freed and Brandt were staying here together. The suite had two connected rooms: Brandt occupied the outer room, while Freed stayed inside. There were no guards outside the door, but there were over twenty holographic cameras, arranged so cleverly that there were no blind spots. And the automatic alarm system would alert those inside the moment anyone approached, sending the holographic feed directly to the room’s communicator or light brain.

But with Mu present, all of that was meaningless, utterly useless. Mu could govern everything related to this place as freely as though he were the monarch of some mysterious world.

It made Ye Zhong intensely envious.

“Ready?” Mu asked.

Standing before the door, Ye Zhong drew several deep breaths, gathering himself for the strike, and then sent Mu a signal. “Ready.”

The door snapped open at once, and Ye Zhong shot in like a gust of wind.

The sudden opening of the door made Brandt in the outer room start in surprise, but the figure that charged in with such blinding speed was enough to prompt the correct response instantly.

His left hand slapped down the alarm while his right formed a blocking motion. The entire sequence was seamless, fluid, and natural, displaying exceptional skill.

Even in such haste, Brandt still managed to block Ye Zhong’s inevitable blow. But just like Ye Zhong’s former opponents, he clearly underestimated the force behind the punch, and his whole body was knocked backward by the tremendous impact.

Pursuing victory had always been one of Ye Zhong’s best combat habits. Taking advantage of the fact that Brandt was suspended in the air and unable to borrow force, Ye Zhong’s right leg lashed out like a whip toward Brandt’s waist. With Ye Zhong’s strength, if that kick landed solidly, Brandt would likely have his waist broken.

Brandt remained calm and composed, with not the slightest trace of panic. In midair, he suddenly tightened his waist, twisting his body around while crossing both hands before his chest to block Ye Zhong’s kick head-on.

At that moment, however, Ye Zhong was shocked. The sensation transmitted through his foot was bizarre beyond words, as if he had kicked the edge of an oiled leather ball—so slippery that there was no real sense of contact.

Brandt, meanwhile, seemed like a butterfly, borrowing the force of Ye Zhong’s kick to drift gracefully and slowly off to the side.

With Ye Zhong’s eyesight, he naturally saw clearly what Brandt had done. The instant Brandt’s crossed hands met Ye Zhong’s right foot, his hands had made a very swift, strange tremor. The result now was entirely due to that uncanny motion.

Ye Zhong’s alertness rose sharply. He had originally assumed this surprise attack would be a sure thing, but he had not expected Brandt to be a true expert.

Ye Zhong’s expression did not change at all, still calm as still water, yet inside, a storm was raging.

Only now did Ye Zhong examine Brandt seriously: about six feet tall, slender and poised, with a graceful bearing and strikingly handsome features. Especially his eyes, gentle as a breeze, made people feel at ease. Combined with the faint smile at the corners of his lips, he was certainly the sort of man countless women would dream of.

Of course, this was not what Ye Zhong focused on. Brandt’s hand posture was peculiar, and his footwork was extremely steady. From the moment he landed, his entire lower body remained motionless, while the upper body swayed within a very small range in its own distinctive rhythm. His gaze was gentle, and even in such a situation there was not the slightest trace of killing intent. Ye Zhong felt that he could not fully see through this man, and his caution only deepened.

Little did he know the other man was studying him as well. He did not appear especially strong, yet the power in that punch just now had been terrifying. If he had not been careful, his right arm might already have been broken. What a fierce look that was, with killing intent flowing openly, without the slightest concealment. Brandt’s heart tightened, and his expression grew grave. The man before him felt like an extremely dangerous beast, ready to devour any prey that came near.

“Who are you? Why did you attack me?” Even in such circumstances, Brandt remained composed, his tone carrying a natural poise that could make others admire him.

Unfortunately, Ye Zhong did not buy any of it. To him, talking at a time like this was nothing short of courting death. He did not answer, and simply moved to strike again.

His figure instantly blurred into a wisp of light smoke as he rushed at Brandt.

If just now Ye Zhong had shown his astonishing strength, then what he displayed now was speed—terrifying speed, unmatched speed.

Brandt’s expression changed at once. That earlier composure vanished without a trace.

In the blink of an eye, Ye Zhong arrived at Brandt’s side, his hands transforming into countless afterimages as they closed over Brandt from every angle.

Brandt, whose face had only just changed, now turned completely colorless.

A sharp crackling of fists and feet colliding filled the air like torrential rain battering a window. Brandt’s hands were so fast they were impossible to follow.

Ten seconds later, the two figures suddenly separated.

Brandt was bent over, gasping for breath, his flowing hair wet and plastered to his forehead. One hand clutched his stomach while he coughed repeatedly, blood spilling from the corner of his mouth. He looked to be in rather bad shape.

Ye Zhong, by contrast, was much better off. Only a few faint white marks at his wrists looked rather startling.

It seemed as though Ye Zhong had won completely.

Ye Zhong also breathed a quiet sigh of relief. The other man’s hand speed was clearly far below his own, yet he had still managed to block most of Ye Zhong’s attacks, and several times his fingers had grazed Ye Zhong’s wrist. If Ye Zhong had not withdrawn in time, his artery might have been cut open. His fingers had actually produced an effect like sharp metal, which also struck Ye Zhong as unbelievable. Still, that kick had landed squarely in the other man’s soft abdomen, and the damage would surely not be light.

To be fair, in terms of technique, Ye Zhong was far inferior. But in pure strength and speed, Ye Zhong was vastly ahead of Brandt, and that was the fundamental reason he held the upper hand. Brandt could block most of Ye Zhong’s attacks despite using a much slower tempo, and could even counterattack occasionally, which made Ye Zhong inwardly admire him. Yet seeing that the other man was clearly slower by a wide margin but always managed to fend off his attacks did leave Ye Zhong somewhat frustrated.

Ye Zhong’s attacks had no beauty to them whatsoever, brutal and direct. Such a crude-looking style, if anything, revealed itself to be dazzlingly effective when used by Ye Zhong, a monster who could almost be called inhuman.

With the other man having suffered such serious injuries, the balance of power now tilted even further toward Ye Zhong. He believed that in less than half a minute, he could absolutely kill this man who had astonished him several times over.

Just as Ye Zhong was preparing to finish off this remarkable opponent, a soft beep sounded, followed by a sharp voice.

“Wait!”

Ye Zhong had been on guard the instant he heard the door open, but he did not dare to divide his attention. More importantly, Mu was here as well. If Ye Zhong were to entrust his back to anyone, it would only ever be Mu.