Section 123: Desperate Situation?
Why didn't Mu give a warning?
There was no time to think. The moment Ye Zhong's Fish was sent flying, his hands moved like the wind! Although the intense light had blinded Ye Zhong, rendering him unable to see, his profound familiarity with the mecha meant his operation remained seamless and fluid. His incredibly high hand speed didn't decrease in the slightest due to his temporary blindness.
If anyone had been watching at that moment, they would never have believed this was Ye Zhong's first attempt at piloting purely by feel.
Disordered Waveform Jump!
This was the only advanced evasion technique Ye Zhong knew. Almost without any thought, he chose this most familiar maneuver for himself!
Blinded, even Ye Zhong himself didn't know which direction he would veer into this time. This was a true Disordered Waveform Jump! Ye Zhong mentally calculated the interval between each change of direction, compressing the time as much as possible.
This wasn't an open wilderness but a residential district with densely packed houses.
Ye Zhong's chaotic flight, skimming close to the ground, instantly demolished countless houses. These brick and stone structures were very fragile, collapsing into clouds of dust. However, being blind, Ye Zhong couldn't utilize this environment, which would otherwise have been advantageous to him.
Although Ye Zhong couldn't see, it didn't mean he was completely in the dark. After all, Mu was still there!
"Leaf, turn left thirty degrees!" Mu communicated with Ye Zhong via brainwaves, which was far faster than speech.
Ye Zhong's super-fast reflexes were now on full display. Relying solely on feel, he executed the maneuver.
Ye Zhong focused intensely, waiting for Mu's next instruction! Right now, Mu was his only reliance! Mu was his eyes!
"Hmm, not bad. The angle deviation is less than three degrees," Mu rarely praised Ye Zhong.
Focused and waiting for Mu's next prompt, Ye Zhong didn't expect Mu to take the time for such an evaluation at this critical moment. He felt a mix of amusement and exasperation. Had Mu been corrupted by Shang?
The roaring explosions in his ears never ceased, a testament to the ferocity of the enemy's firepower! Who were these people so determined to kill him?
But now was clearly not the time to ponder this. Mu suddenly said, "Brace for impact!"
Ye Zhong's heart tightened, and his body stiffened slightly. Bang! A loud crash reverberated, and Ye Zhong shuddered violently. His hands on the main control panel felt the Fish's intense vibrations.
"Stop!" Mu suddenly shouted.
The basic training Ye Zhong had painstakingly practiced now saved his life. Even while flying at high speed and under strong impact, the Fish didn't slip from Ye Zhong's control. A perfect halt! Flawless even under these conditions, though this difficult emergency stop placed a tremendous load on Ye Zhong's body.
The sudden rush of blood to his head made him slightly dizzy, but the discomfort quickly faded! Ye Zhong didn't know that for an ordinary pilot, such a sudden stop could easily be fatal.
Boom!
The explosion occurred just five meters in front of his current position. Almost the instant Ye Zhong stopped, the area from five meters ahead to about thirty meters forward was pulverized by countless energy weapon blasts!
The violent shockwave from the explosion nearly caused the Fish to lose its balance.
Ye Zhong felt the stinging pain in his eyes lessen somewhat. Tentatively, he opened them a slit, allowing a faint light into his vision. Although still not very clear, he could roughly make things out, which delighted him.
"Leaf, blink a few times," Mu reminded him.
Ye Zhong complied, blinking several times. The scene before him immediately became clearer, much to his relief. Only now did he realize how fragile eyes were and how terrifying it was to lose one's sight. In those brief几十秒 just now, if Mu hadn't been by his side, he would have felt that his fate wasn't in his own hands.
Now that he could see again, Ye Zhong's confidence surged. At least it meant he still had a fighting chance. The first thing that entered his view was a huge crater before him. He was inside a building, half of which had completely vanished. The remaining half was precarious, with dust and碎石 constantly trickling down.
"The situation is somewhat unfavorable!" Even Mu, who never usually spoke like this, conveyed a trace of worry in his tone.
"What's wrong?" Ye Zhong quickly asked.
"We're surrounded! There are twenty-five mechas in total. Based on their models and weapons, they should be Shi Shi Association mechas of Bai Ke level or above. Unfortunately, they are completely using long-range weapons for suppression. The probability of breaking through the encirclement is below seven percent. But luckily, the other side seems intent on capturing you alive!" Mu's words felt like a bucket of cold water had been poured over Ye Zhong from head to toe.
The sound of explosions never stopped and was gradually getting closer.
"What are they doing?" Ye Zhong asked, puzzled.
Mu replied calmly, "They are clearing obstacles in this area, compressing your space for movement."
This move was indeed ruthless. At the very least, Ye Zhong couldn't think of any method to counter the enemy's gradual pressure.
With no ideas, Ye Zhong began inspecting the Fish. The Fish was badly injured; the mechanical arm holding the laser spear was gone. Fortunately, the main body of the mecha hadn't suffered significant damage.
The enemy had no reservations. This entire block had become a living hell, filled with corpses! Local residents cried and ran through the streets, only to be mercilessly pierced by beams of laser fire. Even someone like Ye Zhong, accustomed to life and death, couldn't help but feel a pang of compassion seeing such a bloody scene. Looking around, Dr. Lu's clinic had long since become a massive pit. Under these circumstances, Ye Zhong believed even he himself wouldn't have survived.
Countless mechas watched from the surrounding sky, but none dared to intervene. The power of the Shi Shi Association's Bai Ke level and above mechas was enough to deter anyone, especially here in the chaotic, lawless, and杀戮-filled轨形圈!
It was like a hunting ground, as long as you were strong enough!
Without the cover of terrain, a close-combat mecha facing long-range attack mechas stood almost no chance. Moreover, these were the most powerful long-range attack mechas Ye Zhong had ever seen. Their formidable firepower and chilling accuracy left an extremely deep impression on him.
If it were one or two mechas, Ye Zhong was confident he could put up a fight. But according to Mu, there were twenty-five. Ye Zhong was certain that the moment he showed himself, he would become the target of all their fire. And judging by the Shi Shi Association's previous performance, the probability of them missing would not exceed one percent.
Was he really going to die here?
Even in this situation, Ye Zhong felt no despair or pessimism. Life and death—he had tread the line between them countless times back on the垃圾星. Dying here this time wouldn't be anything strange!
The explosions drew closer and closer, like drumbeats pounding on his heart!
Ye Zhong suddenly thought of a question and asked Mu, "Mu, why didn't you detect them this time?" He wasn't blaming Mu, but he was very curious that someone could evade Mu's scans. Moreover, there were as many as twenty-five of them.
Mu explained, "They should be using special scanning deception and imaging equipment. It's very advanced, but I suspect it's not a mature product. Clearly, its coverage range is extremely small. I detected their positions less than ten meters after you were sent flying. They must have known our location beforehand; otherwise, its usability would be very limited." After a pause, Mu added, "But its use this time was undoubtedly very successful."
"There's such a thing?" Ye Zhong's eyes widened in disbelief.
"Yes, it should still be an experimental product. My database has no information on such a weapon," Mu speculated.
"They seem to want to capture me alive?" Ye Zhong found this strange. The firepower, though intense, didn't seem aimed at killing him. Otherwise, this step-by-step advancing bombardment would be unnecessary. Ye Zhong clearly remembered they should also be equipped with highly destructive weapons like magnetic guns, but he hadn't seen them used! Moreover, if they wanted to kill him, sending this many people seemed excessive.
"Based on the current signs, that possibility is very high," Mu agreed.
"That's strange. Why do they want to capture me alive? Considering the incident on the Sabeli last time, them wanting to kill me would be understandable. But does it warrant using so much manpower to capture me alive? This inefficient method doesn't seem like their style," Ye Zhong muttered to himself. Even in this seemingly hopeless situation, his mind remained as冷静 as ice.
"Indeed, it's somewhat strange. It can only mean you have value to them alive," Mu added.
"Value alive? That makes sense! But what exactly is my value to them?" Ye Zhong lowered his head in deep thought. If he could figure out the enemy's ultimate goal, it might be more advantageous for him, perhaps even revealing a slim chance of survival. Ye Zhong replayed all his encounters related to the Shi Shi Association in his mind, hoping to find their purpose.
Suddenly, a flash of insight hit him. He remembered the time he stormed their battleship, and all their mechas desperately chased after him. Their original target was Master弗瑞德. Even if Ye Zhong had caused them significant damage, completing the mission should have been their primary objective if it was feasible. Yet, they abandoned this primary goal to pursue him. Moreover, this behavior wasn't from just one person; almost all the mechas came after him. This could only mean they had discovered that his value to them exceeded that of Master弗瑞德.
But what exactly was his value to them?