Section 573: Nascent (Part 3)
Ye Zhong tossed out a command, "Anbiluoqi, you take command." Then, with a burst of speed, Chen broke away from the group of mechs. Anbiluoqi's personal combat prowess originally fell far short of the assault team's standards, but Ye Zhong had brought him along nonetheless. A commander also needed the tempering of real combat experience. A commander with practical experience could play a greater role than a single pilot, especially when the number of mechs reached a certain scale.
Ye Zhong no longer had time to dwell on these thoughts. Chen charged towards the flock of black, gold-marked Wyverns flying rapidly in their direction.
Chen's charge was resolute, like a dagger thrusting straight at the group of black and gold Wyverns.
Enraged by this blatant provocation, a dozen or so of the black, gold-marked Wyverns beat their wings powerfully, sharply gaining altitude, then folded their wings and dove towards Chen at high speed.
Just as everyone thought Chen was about to plunge headlong into the flock of Wyverns, it suddenly executed an extremely agile change of direction, tracing a graceful arc that skimmed past the group of creatures. The dozen or so Wyverns that had dive-bombed Ye Zhong suddenly found themselves swiping at empty air, cawing incessantly as they beat their wings again to regain altitude.
Ye Zhong had thoroughly angered these black, gold-marked Wyverns. The dozen or so that had broken off from the main formation now pursued Chen closely.
This seemingly ordinary maneuver by Ye Zhong left the students watching utterly mesmerized. Chen's initial charge gave everyone one distinct impression: resolute! All the students had been under the illusion that Ye Zhong would definitely charge right into the midst of the Wyverns.
Yet, unexpectedly, it was a feint. That nimble and precise directional change, perfectly timed and distanced, was executed with sublime skill. It not only caused the diving Wyverns to miss entirely but also allowed Chen to fly just past them. It was hard to imagine how the Instructor could have calculated everything so precisely in such a short time.
The students accompanying Ye Zhong this time were the elite among the five thousand, and they inevitably harbored some pride in their hearts. But witnessing Ye Zhong's performance, they finally understood what a true expert was, and that trace of pride instantly vanished without a trace.
Anbiluoqi reacted the fastest. Seeing the Wyverns still charging towards them, his face changed slightly, and he blurted out, "Target direction, all units, saturation fire. Those with sniper scores above ninety, free fire." Ye Zhong's maneuver had also cleared the line of fire; they didn't need to worry about friendly fire.
The other students snapped out of their daze and hurriedly carried out the orders.
Ye Zhong had no attention to spare for these students. He now had to face over twenty—to be exact, twenty-six—black, gold-marked Wyverns alone. Although these creatures were considerably weaker than the Red-Tailed Beasts, with twenty-six of them swarming him, Ye Zhong still had to be careful. A single moment of negligence could lead to death at the hands of an opponent you considered weak—that would be capsizing in a ditch.
Executing a series of serpentine maneuvers and utilizing Chen's high speed, Ye Zhong quickly opened the distance between himself and the pursuing Wyverns. Clearly unwilling to give up, the Wyverns frantically beat their wings, trying to catch up to Chen.
It seemed their efforts paid off, as the distance between them rapidly closed. The Wyverns redoubled their efforts, their crimson eyes burning with a thirst for blood.
It had been a long time since Ye Zhong had piloted a mech in combat. Only in battle did he remember he was a pilot. Suddenly, he recalled his former dream: to own a decent mech and become a qualified pilot. This thought flashed through his mind, and as his eyes fell upon the images on the holographic screen, a surge of heroic spirit welled up in his chest.
Without hesitation, his hands drifted like wisps of smoke across the main control panel. Ye Zhong himself didn't even know what his current hand speed was. If the students, especially those proud of their own hand speed, were to see it, they would probably be ashamed enough to run into a wall.
He turned Chen around for a counter-charge! The entire process, from deceleration to turning and accelerating into the charge, took only zero point nine seconds.
The scene before Ye Zhong's eyes blurred momentarily. The g-forces from this sudden reverse charge pushed his body to its limits. He wasn't flustered; this wasn't the first time this had happened. All he needed to do was wait for his vision to clear. This period was very short, making preparation especially crucial.
Counting the seconds in his mind, the images on the holographic screen abruptly snapped back into perfect clarity. He could see the panic among the flock of black, gold-marked Wyverns on the screen.
Ye Zhong's gaze sharpened instantly. His hands flew across the control panel inputting commands, his ten slender fingers moving with rhythm and grace. The sound of rapid keystrokes was like falling rain.
Chen's sudden about-face and charge completely caught the Wyverns off guard, throwing them into disarray. Having committed all their energy to acceleration, their usually nimble flight now felt cumbersome and difficult to control.
Chen's reverse charge was utterly determined, brimming with an unstoppable momentum. In that brief moment, the long spear from the weapon case on its back had snapped into Chen's hand. The mech's large mechanical hands deftly assembled the folded spear. Gripping it with both hands, Chen pointed the spear straight ahead.
And now, Chen was right upon the flock of Wyverns.
At high speed, Chen plunged directly into the midst of the Wyverns, who were flying at full tilt and unable to react in time.
In that split second, Ye Zhong accurately pinpointed the gaps between the black-bodied, gold-marked wyverns—position, angle, movement… His hands reacted almost instinctively.
A flash of cold light erupted!
In the brief moments of this encounter, the ancient-style black spear held in Chen’s hands had already pierced the throats of seven black-bodied, gold-marked wyverns. Behind him, a shower of blood rained down, scattering in all directions. This was the most optimized attack trajectory.
Today’s Ye Zhong had reached an unprecedented level of maturity in controlling strength, seizing opportunities, and maneuvering his mecha. Compared to before, his mindset remained just as calm but had gained an added layer of steadiness.
An attack like this, if attempted in the past, would never have achieved such high lethality. Unconsciously, his abilities had begun to mature.
Chen broke through the entire swarm of black-bodied, gold-marked wyverns like a sharp awl, but Ye Zhong’s assault did not end there.
The moment Ye Zhong pierced through the swarm of black-bodied, gold-marked wyverns, he released nineteen self-targeting spinning darts.
The nineteen self-targeting spinning darts moved like slender snakes slithering through the darkness.
A piercing screech tore through the air. The self-targeting spinning darts were extremely fast, and their friction with the air produced an intensely sharp whistle. The simultaneous release of nineteen such darts created a screech that could make every cell in one’s body tremble deeply.
This was the true killing move. Caught off guard, sixteen black-bodied, gold-marked wyverns were pierced through.
Only three black-bodied, gold-marked wyverns, by sheer luck, narrowly avoided the spinning darts.
In an extremely short period, the higher the density of attacks, the greater the damage inflicted on the enemy. This series of attacks all occurred within the blink of an eye as Chen charged through the swarm of black-bodied, gold-marked wyverns.
With diverse offensive methods, precise and sharp strikes, and impeccable timing, this assault was flawless.
The remaining three black-bodied, gold-marked wyverns panicked, flapping their wings as they attempted to flee in all directions.
Ye Zhong had no intention of letting them escape. Chen gracefully traced an arc, intercepting one of the black-bodied, gold-marked wyverns. Filled with terror, the wyvern seemed to have lost its former ferocity and strength, and Chen effortlessly killed it with a single spear thrust.
The other two black-bodied, gold-marked wyverns did not escape either. A swarm of spinning darts descended upon them, turning them into sieves. By this point, all twenty-six black-bodied, gold-marked wyverns had been killed by Ye Zhong, with none escaping.
Ye Zhong was very satisfied with this battle. He could feel his own growth, but what impressed him the most was Chen’s power! Chen’s performance was truly outstanding; otherwise, the battle would not have been so effortless. Especially its short-range冲刺 capabilities and agility, which were the best among all the mechas Ye Zhong had piloted. In this battle, Chen’s superior performance was displayed to the fullest.
Ye Zhong redirected his attention to the trainees.
After the initial panic, the trainees had stabilized their formation. With over three hundred mechas facing thirty-six black-bodied, gold-marked wyverns, they were still in such disarray—these rookies were indeed quite incompetent. If these were Crimson-Tailed Beasts instead of wyverns, Ye Zhong wasn’t even sure if any of the trainees would manage to escape.
However, Ye Zhong did not feel discouraged. He knew that newcomers often performed poorly at first. But once they became familiar with combat, the combat skills they had accumulated during training would truly come into play. This process wouldn’t take too long.
After experiencing ten, or perhaps just seven or eight real battles, they would develop a certain level of combat effectiveness. In a large-scale team like this, individual combat prowess wasn’t the most important factor. What mattered most was coordination among team members, the judgment of junior officers regarding local situations and attack rhythms, and the overall commander’s accurate and unwavering assessment of the entire situation.
A team composed of mecha pilots with combat experience could always establish local advantages, and these advantages often spread on a larger scale. Moreover, they could accurately execute the commander’s orders, thereby altering the situation on the battlefield.
Only those mecha pilots who have undergone the baptism of real combat can be considered qualified warriors. In this sense, the mecha pilots in the fleet Ye Zhong once led could truly be called warriors, even elites. They had experienced one intense battle after another, and the final battle through the Death Asteroid Belt was particularly brutal. Such fierce combat greatly contributed to the growth of mecha pilots, hardening their mental fortitude and making them resilient.
Compared to the current batch of trainees, those mecha pilots were far superior. Unfortunately, Ye Zhong had to start from scratch. However, he had not given up. If he could train one qualified team, he could train another. Moreover, in the perilous Dark Nebula, there was no need to worry about finding battles. The only thing Ye Zhong needed to worry about was how to expose them to the brutality of combat without incurring too many casualties.
In the communication channel, the trainees excitedly discussed the recent battle—their first real combat experience. Although in Ye Zhong’s eyes, it could hardly be considered a battle. Three hundred and fourteen against thirty-six—could that even be called a fight? Ye Zhong was unimpressed. After all, the initial batch of mecha pilots, even when facing formidable creatures like the Crimson-Tailed Beasts, had achieved an impressive record of five against three in their first battle. These current trainees were far inferior compared to them.
However, there was no need to rush; they could take their time. With this thought in mind, Ye Zhong’s gaze shifted toward the deeper parts of Darkness.
※※※※
Rui Bing and Sang Kan moved cautiously through the thin purple mist. In this unfamiliar place, no one knew what kind of monsters might appear. Sang Kan, carrying Ali Yode, moved with remarkable agility. It had only been a few years since he started piloting impact mechs. Before that, the Sang tribe had relied on hunting for survival.
His stealth movements were even more concealed and professional compared to Rui Bing’s.
Rui Bing’s expression remained as cold and unchanging as a millennia-old glacier, as if the unfamiliar environment had not stirred any emotion in her. Her movements were exceptionally light and nimble, somewhat resembling the gliding of a bird. Her snow-white training suit fluttered in the wind, evoking the image of a dancing swan, while her delicate face bore a resolute determination.
Both of them possessed astonishing physical stamina, having run continuously for an entire day and night.
The scenery began to change. The ground started to show patches of light green, and the air grew increasingly humid. These light green patches were stone moss. Along the way, Sang Kan found a water source. Determining whether water was safe to drink was an essential skill for wilderness survival, and Sang Kan was naturally highly proficient at it. He even used materials at hand to craft a water pouch.
Rui Bing was not surprised by Sang Kan’s performance. The Sang tribe and Ye Zhong were very similar in certain aspects—unyielding and tenacious. What surprised her was Ali Yode, who had been lost in deep thought for an entire day and night without drinking a single drop of water. Rui Bing couldn’t help but feel admiration. Perhaps it was this very persistence and fervor that had enabled Ali Yode to achieve his accomplishments.
Rui Bing always carried with her the nutrient pills Ye Zhong had once given her. She had been reluctant to consume them, never expecting they would one day save their lives.
With the nutrient pills, the two no longer had to worry about food, allowing them to move forward even faster. Both understood that if they didn’t find something edible soon, the three of them would eventually starve to death. The nutrient pills would inevitably run out one day. However, so far, they had not encountered a single living creature.
“What is this?” On the third day, they finally made a new discovery.
A piece of dead skin, about two fingers wide, resembled the shed skin of some tubular creature. It was discovered by Sang Kan. This discovery lifted both of their spirits.
Rui Bing carefully examined the dead skin. It was very thin, pale purple, semi-transparent, slightly wrinkled, and uneven on the surface.
Sang Kan gently tugged at the dead skin, pulling it lightly. As expected, it was hollow in the middle.
The two exchanged glances. Rui Bing shook her head, indicating she had no idea what it was. Sang Kan also shook his head. Despite his extensive hunting experience, he was equally clueless.
They had no choice but to continue forward, though they slowed their pace. At least they had made a new discovery, which was good news for them. Nothing was worse than an endless, monotonous landscape.
The thin purple mist before them began to gradually thicken, a change that caught their full attention.
As they advanced, more and more dead skin appeared on the ground. Some were even over a meter wide and seven to eight meters long, scattered across the terrain. The humidity in the air continued to increase, yet strangely, the dead skin showed signs of dehydration.
Rui Bing and Sang Kan finally made another discovery.
A purple soft tissue, as thick as an arm, lay with one end on the ground and the other stretching into the sky, extending as far as the eye could see. The part closest to them was the thinnest, while the sections farther up grew progressively thicker.
“Red-Tailed Beasts!” Rui Bing and Sang Kan exclaimed softly. Her pupils contracted to pinpoints, and a murderous aura erupted from her. Rui Bing’s killing intent was justified—Red-Tailed Beasts were the common enemy of humanity, having claimed an astonishingly high number of human lives.
After the great battle at Yiju Star, a large number of soft tissues had been sent to Yiju Star for research. Both Rui Bing and Sang Kan recognized it.
However, unlike the plump and moist soft tissues they had seen before, this one appeared withered and dehydrated, as if it might fall off at any moment. It was then that Rui Bing and Sang Kan realized where the dead skin they had seen on the ground came from.
The study of soft tissues had always been a top priority on Yiju Star, as they hoped to gain a deeper understanding of these creatures to defeat them. Research results indicated that the vitality of these soft tissues was extremely tenacious. As long as their core remained alive, they would not exhibit signs of withering and dehydration like the one before them. This powerful reproductive and evolutionary tissue was referred to by Sang Pu and others as a soft tissue nest.
Could it be that something had gone wrong with the soft tissue nest here?
Just then, Sang Kan’s ears twitched, and his expression changed slightly. “Something is approaching!”